Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. - Annual Report: 2008 (Form 10-K)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
______________________
FORM
10-K
______________________
x
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ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13
OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
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For
the fiscal year ended December 31,
2008
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o
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TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION
13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
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For
the transition period from ______ to
______
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Commission
file number: 0-12627
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact
name of Small Business Issuer as specified in its charter)
______________________
Utah
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87-0407858
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(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
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(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
Number)
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6033
W. Century Blvd, Suite 895,
Los
Angeles, California 90045
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(310)
641-4234
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Issuer’s
telephone number:
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Securities
registered under Section 12(b) of the Act: None.
Securities
registered under Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, no par
value.
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well known seasoned issuer, as defined in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No þ
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports) and, (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the past 90 days.
Yes þ No o
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) 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. þ
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer o
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Accelerated
filer o
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Non-accelerated
filer o
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting company)
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Smaller
reporting company þ
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Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Act).
Yes o No þ
The
aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the
registrant as of June 30, 2008 (the last business day of the registrant’s most
recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately
$8,865,000.
The
outstanding number of shares of common stock as of April 8, 2009 was
229,381,338, which includes 4,567,519 shares of common stock currently held in
escrow.
Documents incorporated by
reference: None
Table
of Contents
Form
10-K
Page
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1
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ITEM
1.
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BUSINESS.
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1
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ITEM
1A
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RISK
FACTORS
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11
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ITEM
1B.
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UNRESOLVED
STAFF COMMENTS.
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20
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ITEM
2.
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PROPERTIES.
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20
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ITEM
3.
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LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS.
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20
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ITEM
4.
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SUBMISSION
OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.
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20
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PART
II
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20
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ITEM
5.
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MARKET
FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
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20
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ITEM
6.
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SELECTED
FINANCIAL DATA.
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22
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ITEM
7.
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MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS.
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22
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ITEM
7A.
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QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
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26
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ITEM
8.
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FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
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26
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ITEM
9.
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CHANGES
IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL
DISCLOSURE.
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26
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ITEM
9A(T)
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CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES.
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26
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ITEM
9B.
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OTHER
INFORMATION
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28
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PART
III
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28
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ITEM
10.
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DIRECTORS,
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
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28
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ITEM
11.
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EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION.
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30
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ITEM
12.
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SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED
STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
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32
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ITEM
13.
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CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR
INDEPENDENCE.
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33
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ITEM
14.
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PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.
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34
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35
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ITEM
15.
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EXHIBITS
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
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35
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i
DISCLOSURE
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
Report, including any documents which may be incorporated by reference into this
Report, contains “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of Section 27A
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than
statements of historical fact are “Forward-Looking Statements” for purposes of
these provisions, including our plans to cultivate, produce and market non-food
based feedstock for applications in the biofuels market, any projections of
revenues or other financial items, any statements of the plans and objectives of
management for future operations, any statements concerning proposed new
products or services, any statements regarding future economic conditions or
performance, and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the
foregoing. All Forward-Looking Statements included in this document
are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to us as
of such date. We assume no obligation to update any Forward-Looking
Statement. In some cases, Forward-Looking Statements can be
identified by the use of terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “plans,”
“anticipates,” “intends,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” or “continue,”
or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Although we
believe that the expectations reflected in the Forward-Looking Statements
contained herein are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such
expectations or any of the Forward-Looking Statements will prove to be correct,
and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in
the Forward-Looking Statements. Future financial condition and
results of operations, as well as any Forward-Looking Statements are subject to
inherent risks and uncertainties, including any other factors referred to in our
press releases and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All subsequent Forward-Looking Statements attributable to
the company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their
entirety by these cautionary statements. Additional factors that may
have a direct bearing on our operating results are described under “Risk
Factors” and elsewhere in this report.
Introductory
Comment
Throughout
this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our
company” refer to Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., a Utah corporation
formerly known as Medical Discoveries, Inc., and, unless the context indicates
otherwise, also includes our wholly-owned subsidiary, MDI Oncology, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, and Global Clean Energy Holdings LLC a wholly-owned
Delaware limited liability company.
PART
I
ITEM
1.
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BUSINESS.
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Summary
Overview
Global
Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based biofuel feedstock development
and operations company with international capabilities in eco-friendly biofuel
feedstock research, and sustainable agriculture cultivation, production, and
distribution. We are currently focusing our initial efforts on the
commercialization of oil and biomass derived from the seeds of Jatropha curcas -
a native non-edible plant indigenous to many tropical and sub-tropical regions
of the world, including Mexico, the Caribbean and Central
America. Jatropha oil is used for the production of high quality
biodiesel - an important renewable energy fuel quickly gaining commercial
acceptance worldwide. The residual derived from the press cake once the oil is
extracted is a high quality biomass that can be used as a high quality
replacement for fossil fuels. The Jatropha plant requires less water and
fertilizer than conventional crops, and can be grown on desert and other lands
not suitable for the production of food crops. Through a joint
venture, we currently own and operate an approximately 5,149 acre Jatropha
plantation in Mexico. We also have been managing, and will later this
month finalize the acquisition of an existing approximately 400 acre
Jatropha farm in Belize. Our business plan, and our current principal
business activities include the planting, cultivation, harvesting and processing
of Jatropha to generate seed oils and biomass for use in the biofuels industry,
including the production of bio-diesel. Bio-diesel is a
diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources (such as plant
oils), which can be used in diesel engines. In addition to generating revenues
from the sale of seed oils and biomass, we also plan to sell the carbon credits
that our operations generate. Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, a
worldwide carbon credit trading market has been established where sellers sell
their excess carbon credits and buyers purchase the carbon credits they need to
meet their greenhouse gas reduction requirements. Our farm
activities are anticipated to generate a significant amount of such carbon
credits that we plan to sell to third parties. Because of our
knowledge in the production of bio-diesel and in the renewable energy sector, we
may also, from time to time, provide consulting services in the bio-energy
sector to third parties.
Organizational
History.
This
company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Utah on November 20,
1991. Until 2007, we were a developmental-stage bio-pharmaceutical
company engaged in the research and develop of pharmaceutical
products. In 2005, we formed MDI Oncology, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, as a wholly owned subsidiary to acquire certain pharmaceutical
intellectual properties from the liquidation estate of Savetherapeutics, A.G. in
Germany. The pharmaceutical assets that we acquired and currently
still own include SaveCream, a drug candidate that we were developing for the
treatment and reduction of breast cancer tumors.
Early in
2007, our Board of Directors determined that we could no longer fund the
development of our drug candidates and that we could not obtain additional
funding for our drug development activities. Accordingly, in 2007, we
decided to sell all of our pharmaceutical assets and enter into a new
business. Since our decision to sell SaveCream and the related
pharmaceutical assets, we have entered into negotiations with several
pharmaceutical companies to sell those assets, and during 2008 we temporarily
engaged a regional investment banking firm to assist us with the sale of those
assets. To date we have not been able to sell SaveCream, and we
currently are still marketing our remaining legacy pharmaceutical
assets.
1
Having
decided to dispose of our pharmaceutical assets, we considered entering into a
number of other businesses that would enable us to enhance shareholder
value. Our Board decided to develop a business to produce and sell
seed oils, including seeds oils harvested from the planting and cultivation of
Jatropha curcas plant, for the purpose of providing feedstock oil intended for
the generation of methyl ester, otherwise known as bio-diesel (the “Jatropha
Business”). Our Board concluded that there was a significant
opportunity to participate in the rapidly growing biofuels industry, which
previously was mainly driven by high priced, edible oil-based
feedstocks. In order to commence our new Jatropha Business, effective
September 7, 2007, we (i) hired Richard Palmer, an experienced energy executive,
and a founding member of Global Clean Energy Holdings LLC to act as the our new
President, Chief Operating Officer and future Chief Executive Officer, (ii)
engaged Mobius Risk Group, LLC, a Texas company engaged in providing energy risk
advisory services, to provide us with consulting services related to the
development of the Jatropha Business, and (iii) acquired certain trade secrets,
know-how, business plans, term sheets, business relationships, and other
information relating to the cultivation and production of seed oil from the
Jatropha plant for the production of bio-diesel from Global Clean Energy
Holdings LLC.
In
October 2007, we relocated our principal executive offices from Salt Lake City,
Utah, to 6033 W. Century Blvd, Suite 895, Los Angeles, California 90045, and our
current telephone number at that address is (310) 641-4234. In 2008
we changed our name to “Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.” to reflect our new
focus on the bio-diesel alternative energy market. We maintain a
website at www.gceholdings.com. Our annual reports (previously on Form 10-KSB),
quarterly reports (previously on Form 10-QSB and hereafter on Form 10-Q),
current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to such reports filed or furnished
pursuant to section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and other information related to this company,
are available, free of charge, on our website as soon as we electronically file
those documents with, or otherwise furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Our Internet website and the information contained therein, or
connected thereto, are not and are not intended to be incorporated into this
Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The
Jatropha Business.
Acquisition
of Jatropha Business Technology
In
connection with our efforts to commence the Jatropha Business, on September 7,
2007, we entered into a share and exchange agreement (the “Global Agreement”)
pursuant to which we acquired all of the outstanding ownership interests in
Global Clean Energy Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Global
LLC”). Global LLC is a company that owns certain trade secrets,
know-how, business plans, term sheets, business relationships, and other
information relating to the cultivation and production of seed oil from the seed
of the Jatropha plant, for the purpose of providing feedstock oil intended for
the production of bio-diesel. Richard Palmer and Mobius Risk Group,
LLC, a Texas limited liability company engaged in providing energy risk advisory
services (“Mobius”), were the sole owners of the outstanding equity interests of
Global LLC.
In
exchange for all of the outstanding ownership interests in Global LLC, we issued
63,945,257 shares of our common stock to Richard Palmer and
Mobius. The shares issued to Mr. Palmer and Mobius in the acquisition
of Global LLC represented 35% of our outstanding shares of common stock
immediately after the acquisition. Of the 63,945,257 shares
issued under the Global Agreement, 36,540,146 shares were issued and delivered
to Mr. Palmer (5,220,021 shares) and Mobius (31,320,125 shares) at the closing
of the Global Agreement without any restrictions. The remaining
27,405,111 shares of common stock were, however, issued as restricted shares,
subject to forfeiture in the event that certain specified performance milestones
are not achieved. The restricted shares have been held by us in
escrow until such shares are either released or cancelled. An
aggregate of 23,490,095 restricted shares were issued to Mobius, and 3,915,016
restricted shares were issued to Palmer. If and when
certain specified milestones are achieved, the restricted shares were to be
released and delivered to Mr. Palmer and Mobius in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the Global Agreement. During the time that the
restricted shares were restricted and subject to forfeiture, the restricted
shares were to be outstanding shares for all purposes and shall be
entitled to vote and receive dividends, if any are declared. As of
March 31, 2009, a total of 22,837,592 of Mr. Palmer and Mobius’ restricted
shares have been released from the restrictions and delivered on a pro rata
basis per the terms of the Global Agreement to Mr. Palmer and
Mobius.
2
In order
to obtain the expertise necessary to exploit the assets we acquired under the
Global Agreement, we also entered into an employment agreement with Richard
Palmer, and a consulting agreement with Mobius. For a description of
Mr. Palmer’s employment agreement, see “Item 11. Executive
Compensation—Employment Agreement.” We engaged Mobius as consultant
to obtain Mobius’ experience and expertise in the feedstock/bio-diesel market to
assist us in developing our new business operations. The consulting
agreement with Mobius was terminated in August 2008, and we have hired our own
employees and independent contractors to perform the services previously
provided to us by Mobius.
Management
of our Mexico Operations—Lodemo Services Agreement
In 2007
we decided to initiate our Jatropha Business in Mexico. In order to
obtain the logistical support and local assistance necessary to operate large
scale agricultural and product delivery operations in Mexico, on October 15,
2007 we entered into a Service Agreement (the “Lodemo Agreement”) with
Corporativo LODEMO S.A DE CV, a Mexican corporation (the “Lodemo
Group”). The Lodemo Group is a privately held Mexican company with
substantial land holdings, significant experience in fuel distribution and
sales, liquids transportation, logistics, land development and
agriculture.
Under our
supervision, the Lodemo Group will be responsible for the establishment,
development, and day-to-day operations of our Jatropha Business in Mexico,
including the extraction of the oil from the Jatropha seeds, the delivery of the
Jatropha oil to buyers, the purchase or lease of land in Mexico, the
establishment and operation of one or more Jatropha nurseries, the clearing,
planting and cultivation of the Jatropha fields, the harvesting of the Jatropha
seeds, the operation of the our oil extraction facilities, and the logistics
associated with the foregoing. Although the Lodemo Group will be
responsible for identifying and acquiring the farmland, ownership of the
farmland or any lease or ownership thereto will be held directly by
us. The Lodemo Group will be responsible for hiring and managing all
necessary employees. We will bear all direct and budgeted costs of
the Jatropha Business in Mexico.
The
Lodemo Group will provide the foregoing and other necessary services for a fee
primarily based on the number of hectares of Jatropha under
cultivation. We have agreed to pay the Lodemo Group a fixed fee per
year of $60 per hectare of land planted and maintained with minimum payments
based on 10,000 hectares of developed land, to follow a planned planting
schedule. The agreement has a 20-year term but we may terminate the agreement
under certain circumstances. The Lodemo Group also will potentially
receive incentive compensation for controlling costs below the annual budget
established by the parties, production incentives for increase yield and a sales
commission for biomass sales. The Lodemo Group currently is managing the 5,149
acre plantation that we operate through our GCE Mexico I, LLC joint venture
(see, “Item 1. Description of Business— GCE Mexico I, LLC,”
below). Some of the day-to-day operations for the Jatropha Business
in Mexico will be transferred to Asideros Globales Corporativo, a Mexican
subsidiary we formed to facilitate a more efficient operations and to comply
with Mexican tax laws.
Business
Strategy
We
currently anticipate that our core activities initially will consist of
planting, cultivating, harvesting and processing of Jatropha plant feedstock to
generate seed oils and biomass for use in the biofuels industry, including the
production of bio-diesel and certain other biofuels. Bio-diesel is a
diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources (such as plant
oils), which can be used in diesel engines and as a replacement for fuel
oil. The term “biofuels” refers to a range of biological based fuels
including biodiesel, synthetic diesel, ethanol and biomass, most of which have
environmental benefits that are the major driving force for their introduction.
Using biofuels instead of fossil fuels reduces net emissions of carbon dioxide
and other green house gases, which are associated with global climate change.
Biofuels further the concept of energy independence and environmental
responsibility, while generating new jobs in new markets. This creates a social,
environmental and economic gain from the production, distribution and end use of
biofuels. As the world consumes larger volumes of fossil fuels, and further
depletes the supplies of such fossil fuels, alternate sources of energy need to
be developed to support growing economies.
3
In
addition to producing and selling feedstock to generate seed oils and biomass
for use as biodiesel, our business strategy is to also generate carbon credits
under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, which carbon credits we can sell to third
parties. This Kyoto Protocol has created a worldwide carbon credit
trading market where sellers sell their excess carbon credits and buyers
purchase the carbon credits they need to meet their greenhouse gas reduction
requirements. Our plantation activities are anticipated to generate a
significant amount of such carbon credits that we plan to sell to third
parties.
We have
identified the Jatropha curcas plant as our primary feedstock for producing
bio-diesel and other biofuels. The Jatropha plant is a
perennial tree, that produces an inedible fruit with large seeds
containing a high percentage of high quality inedible oil. The entire
fruit, including the seeds, has excellent properties necessary for the
production of biofuels. Our current business plan proposes to utilize
the entire fruit of the Jatropha plant for biofuel production, including the
oils produced from the fruit, as well as the hull, seed cover, seed oil and seed
cake (press cake).
In
connection with our new feedstock operations, we have identified strategic
locations in North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America
ideally suited to our proposed planting, cultivation, harvesting and processing
activities, in which we plan to establish cultivation, harvesting and processing
operations. All of the areas identified have been selected for a
number of key strategic reasons, including proximity to large ports for
logistics purposes, relatively stable democratic governments, favorable trade
agreements with the United States, low-cost land, reasonably priced labor,
favorable weather conditions and acceptable soil conditions. As
described below, we have acquired farm properties in the Yucatan, Mexico on
which we have commenced planting Jatropha, and have also entered into an
agreement to purchase an operating Jatropha farm in Belize (which acquisition is
scheduled to occur by the end of April 2009).
Since the
Jatropha plant is indigenous to Mexico, we decided to initiate our new business
plan and related agricultural development activities in Mexico. We
have identified a wide range of varieties of the Jatropha plant in Mexico, which
we are currently propagating and studying. Our research and development
activities will focus on plant and soil sciences, plant breeding and other
related activities. We continue to study and identify the best suited
Jatropha varieties, as well as optimum growth conditions, in order to maximize
our output of the Jatropha fruit and seed oil.
As
described below, through our GCE Mexico I, LLC joint venture, we have acquired
2,000 hectares (approximately 5,149 acres) of land in the State of Yucatan
Mexico, which we believe is ideal for establishing and maintaining what we plan
to be the first of several larger farms in which we will cultivate the Jatropha
plant. Our initial business plan is to acquire the rights to use up
to 20,000 hectares in Mexico for purposes of setting up farms on which we will
cultivate the Jatropha plant. We anticipate that our current 2,000 hectare
plantation will yield 1-2 million gallons of feedstock oil when fully planted
with mature plants. We own a 50% interest in this joint venture and
are the managing entity for all the farm and business activities.
In
October of 2008 we also entered into an agreement to purchase a 400 acre
Jatropha farm in Belize. The 2008 closing of this acquisition has
been delayed, and the purchase of this farm is now scheduled to occur by the end
of April 2009. This farm currently is cultivated and produces
Jatropha seeds that we have used for planting in our Mexico farm and that are
being sold to third parties. We are also evaluating other locations
in the Caribbean, Central America and South America for purposes of establishing
Jatropha farms.
Our
business plan also proposes the construction of a seed oil extracting facility
in which we would extract the feedstock oil from the Jatropha seed, and collect
the remaining biomass for sale to interested buyers. We have not yet
identified a location for the seed oil extracting facility; however, we plan to
locate the facility relatively close to the ultimate end user of the biomass in
order to minimize the costs and logistics of transporting the biomass to
prospective buyers.
4
We
anticipate that our primary focus will be in the feedstock oil market, and our
operations will primarily comprise the planting, harvesting and sale of
feedstock oil to end users in the energy industry for production of bio-diesel
and other biofuels. In the short term, while developing Jatropha
farms, we expect to generate short-term revenues through the sale of Jatropha
seeds for germination, through forward sale contracts for feedstock oil and
biomass to be produced at our facilities, and through the potential sale of
carbon offset credits.
Depending
on future economic, political and other factors, we may in the future expand our
operations beyond the feedstock oil market. For example, our
business plan contemplates the possibility of entering into a joint venture for
the constructing of a bio-diesel refinery in which we would produce bio-diesel
using the feedstock oil that we produce. In any event, we anticipate
we will still remain a feedstock oil company primarily, and that our bio-diesel
production, if any, would be derived from only a portion of the feedstock oil we
produce. If economic and other factors at the time encourage us to
invest in bio-diesel production, we anticipate that we may develop or acquire
additional refining capacity in other strategic locations.
Our
employees, advisors and consultants are senior energy professionals with
extensive experience in the energy and biofuels market, the production of
bio-diesel and in the renewable energy sector in
general. Accordingly, we may also provide advisory services to other
companies regarding their bio-fuels and/or feedstock development operations, on
a fee for services basis. We are currently in negotiations with third
parties to provide such biofuel consulting services in locations that are not
directly competitive to our existing or planned sites.
We are
still a development stage company, and we anticipate that we will require
significant time and capital to develop our new operations into a stable and
profitable business.
Principal
Products
The
production of biofuels feedstock is primarily a logistical agricultural
operation. It needs to be supported with strong plant and soils
sciences to improve productivity, quality and plant stability. The
Jatropha curcas plant will be our primary agricultural focus for the foreseeable
future. The Jatropha plant is a perennial, inedible tree, and all of
its by-products can be used for fuel and biomass energy
production. It is a very efficient tree that produces high quality
seed oil and high-energy content biomass.
Bio-diesel
Oil Feedstock
The
feedstock oil needed for the production of bio-diesel that is currently
available on the market today is primarily supplied from edible plant seed oils
including soy, canola (rapeseed) and palm. There are other types of
feedstock utilized including animal fats and recycled cooking grease, but they
make up a small portion of the market supply. Our primary source of
bio-diesel feedstock will be from the oil produced from the Jatropha
plant. One advantage of the Jatropha plant is that it’s oil and meal
is inedible, and the cultivation of the plant, which will primarily be for use
in the biofuels industry, does not compete for resources with other crops grown
primarily for food consumption.
Biomass
Feedstock
The
Jatropha plant produces a fruit (about the size of a walnut) containing three
large seeds that contain 32%-38% oil content by weight. The non-oil
components of the fruit, which represents 62-68% of the total fruit, contains
high energy biomass (carbon values) that is an excellent source of feedstock for
a number of energy producing processes including direct combustion,
gasification, power production, and cellulostic ethanol (alcohol)
production.
5
Carbon
Credits
Biofuels
production and use is a very effective means to reduce both local and global
pollution from emissions that cause climate change. Growing trees and
plants which sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and burning biofuels offsets
the production of greenhouse gasses resulting from the consumption of petroleum
or other fossil-based fuels. Many biofuels produce less pollution,
including CO2, NOx, SOx and PM10. Through the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocol),
signatory countries are required to reduce their overall greenhouse gas
emmissions, or carbon footprint. As of November 2007, 174 parties are
signatories to and have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The United
States of America is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. Signatory
countries require local industry and other local energy end-users to either
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, or purchase greenhouse gas emission
credits (carbon credits). This requirement has created a
worldwide “Carbon Credit Trading Market” where sellers sell their excess carbon
credits and buyers purchase the carbon credits they need to meet their
greenhouse gas reduction requirements. The development of
agricultural-based energy projects may produce carbon credits through the
sequestration (storing) of carbon by the growing of trees and plants, or by the
offset of other sequestered carbon. Selling carbon credits
represents potential additional revenue that will help to offset capital
requirements for our plantation and other development activities.
In our
case, Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) may be generated through Clean
Development Mechanism projects in non-Annex 1 nations, which include Mexico, the
Caribbean, Central and South America. Assuming full capacity at a
20,000-hectare Jatropha farm, we estimate that we could generate more than
250,000 metric tons of sellable carbon credits annually.
Current
Operations
Mexico. Effective
April 23, 2008, we entered into a limited liability company agreement (“LLC Agreement”) for
GCE Mexico I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“GCE LLC”), with six
other unaffiliated investors. GCE LLC was organized primarily to
acquire 2,000 hectares (approximately 5,149 acres) of land (the “Jatropha Farm”),
directly or through subsidiaries, located in the State of Yucatan in Mexico to
be used primarily for the (i) cultivation of Jatropha curcas, (ii) the marketing
and sale of the resulting fruit, seeds, or pre-processed crude Jatropha oil,
whether as biodiesel feedstock, biomass or otherwise, and (iii) the sale of
carbon value, green fuel value, or renewable energy credit value (and other
similar environmental attributes) derived from activities at the Jatropha
Farm. GCE LLC acquired the Jatropha Farm through a subsidiary in
which GCE LLC owns a 99% interest, and we own a 1% interest.
Since the
acquisition of the approximately 5,149 acres of raw land, we have developed a
commercial seedling nursery and approximately 2,500 acres have been
improved, with approximately 750 acres planted with Jatropha plants.
All the necessary roads and other infrastructure have been developed on the
farm. In addition, we have acquired equipment to improve the rate of
land preparation and planting on the Jatropha Farm. As a result, we
anticipate that the Jatropha Farm will be fully planted by the end of calendar
2009.We also expect that the trees planted in 2008 and early 2009 will produce
seeds in CY 2009 which we will sell to third parties for propagation. We
currently own 500 common membership units in GCE LLC, comprising 50% of the
issued and outstanding membership units of GCE LLC. The remaining 50%
in common membership units were issued to the third party
investors. (This company and the other members of GCE LLC holding the
common membership units are collectively referred to as “Common
Members.”) In addition, an aggregate of 1,000 preferred membership
units were issued to investors (“Preferred Members”). Under GCE LLC’s
operating agreement, the Preferred Members were required to invest a total of
approximately $2,233,000 in GCE LLC, all of which was invested in
2008. In addition, the Preferred Members are required to make
additional capital contributions to GCE LLC, as requested by management and as
required by the operation of the Jatropha Farm in 2009 and the following
years. As a result, through March 31, 2009, the Preferred Members
have contributed a total of $3,486,000 to GCE LLC. The Preferred
Members will continue to fund the ongoing operation in accordance with the
approved annual budgets provided by management. This funding will continue until
the Jatropha Farm generates adequate revenue to sustain operations, which is
expected to occur by the end of calendar year 2009 The Preferred
Members will be entitled to a preferential 12% per annum cumulative compounded
return on their investment.
6
The two
Preferred Members also directly funded the purchase by GCE LLC of the
approximately 5,149 acres of land in the State of Yucatan in Mexico by making a
$2,051,282 loan to pay the purchase price of that land. The land was
acquired in the name of GCE LLC’s Mexico subsidiary and is secured by a mortgage
in the amount of $2,051,282 in favor of the Preferred Members. The
mortgage bears interest at the rate of 12% per annum, and interest is required
to be paid quarterly. However, GCE LLC has agreed that interest shall
accrue until such time as there is sufficient cash flow to pay all accrued
interest. The entire mortgage, including any unpaid interest, is due
April 23, 2018.
GCE LLC
is managed under the supervision of a board of directors comprising four
members, two of whom we have appointed and the remainder by the Preferred
Members. However, as the manager of the joint venture, we manage the
day-to-day operations of GCE LLC and the operations in Mexico. We do
not receive any compensation for our services as manager of GCE LLC, although
GCE LLC is required to reimburse us for the expenses, including managerial
services of our employees, we incur in connection with the management of GCE
LLC.
Belize. On
October 29, 2008, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with the four
shareholders of Technology Alternatives Limited, a company formed under the laws
of Belize (“TAL”), pursuant to which we agreed to purchase all of the issued and
outstanding shares of TAL. TAL owns and operates a 400 acre farm in
subtropical Belize, Central America, that currently is producing
Jatropha. TAL also has been performing plant science research and has
been providing technical advisory services for propagation of Jatropha for a
number of years.
Under the
original Stock Purchase Agreement, in consideration for the purchase of all of
the shares of TAL, we agreed to issue to the four former shareholders of TAL an
aggregate of 12,702,757 unregistered shares of our common stock. The
sellers had previously made U.S. $453,611 of loans to TAL to fund the operations
of TAL. Under the Stock Purchase Agreement, we were supposed to
replace TAL’s U.S. $453,611 obligation with new 90-day promissory
notes issued by TAL to the sellers. These new promissory notes were
to be secured by the deed of legal mortgage on the 400 acre farm owned by
TAL. Accordingly, should TAL and/or this company fail to repay the
promissory notes, the sellers could have foreclosed on the 400 acre Jatropha
farm.
We were
scheduled to take over the operations of the 400 acre farm in Belize in
2008. However, due to administrative delays in Belize relating to the
transfer of the TAL shares to us, the closing of the TAL acquisition was
postponed and currently is scheduled to occur during April 2009. We
have, however, been actively involved in the activities of the TAL
farm. As a result of the delay in the transfer of ownership to us, we
have held further discussions with the sellers regarding the price and terms
under which we are acquiring TAL. As a result of those discussions,
the purchase price of TAL has been reduced as follows: (i) the
principal amount of the promissory notes issued to the sellers has been
decreased from U.S. $453,611 to US $303,611, and (ii) the number of shares that
we will issue to the sellers has been reduced from an aggregate of 12,702,757
unregistered shares of our common stock to 8,952,756 shares.
The
Belizean farm is located in Teakettle, Cayo, Belize. It comprises
approximately 400 acrres of prime land with approximately 1.0 mile of river
frontage. The farm has an operating nursery capable of producing high quality
seedling and rooted cuttings. The farm has been planted in four stages over the
past three years with a derivative of the Cape Verde variety of Jatropha which
was further developed in the Caribbean and imported into Belize. The
Jatropha trees are of varying ages and have been planted in a number of
configurations to promote maximum growth and to further develop planting,
inter-cropping and automated harvesting techniques. The older trees
are all producing fruit and seeds. The seeds are of propagation
quality and command a premium in the market. There is land which
adjacent and in close proximity to the Teakettle farm where we can expand the
farm.
7
Technology
Although
we do not currently possess any patentable technology relating to our operations
in the feedstock and biofuels market, we may develop technology as we
design and implement our business plan. Any technology we
develop will be in three main categories: (i) plant and science sciences, (ii)
agricultural development, and (iii) material processing and end use
applications. Such technologies developed are expected to assist in
reducing costs, improving efficiency and allowing us to move the products higher
in value creation. We intend to pursue patentable technologies,
processes and plant varieties.
Market
According
to OPEC and EIA estimates, the world demand for crude oil in 2008 was
approximately 87.09 million barrels per day, with approximately 25% of that
demand being diesel and fuel oil (distillate fuel oil). This equates
to a global consumption of distillate fuel oil of approximately 21.8 million
barrels per day, or 334.3 billion gallons per year. At a 5%
blend with biodiesel, the world market for biodiesel exceeds 16.7 billion
gallons per year.
U.S.
distillate fuel oil consumption for 2005 was 4.12 million barrels per day, which
equates to over 60 billion gallons of diesel and fuel oil consumed
annually. At a 5% biodiesel blend, the US biodiesel market is over 3
billion gallons per year and growing.
In 2004,
U.S. biodiesel refineries produced approximately 30 million gallons of neat
(100%) bio-diesel fuel. In 2005, US refineries produced approximately 75 million
gallons, in 2006 approximately 250 million gallons were sold, in 2007 450
Million gallons were sold and in 2008, due to increased feedstock costs, US
refinery production was below 25% of its 1.5 billion capacity.
Based on
our current business plan, our primary market will be in the direct sale of
Jatropha feedstock oil for bio-diesel production and biomass energy production,
and the sale of carbon credits. Our primary customers will be
refiners of bio-diesel. We estimate that there are approximately 165
bio-diesel plants in the United States alone, which can utilize up to 100% of
our crude or refined Jatropha oil.
Oil made
from the seeds of the Jatropha plant has also recently been tested as an
aviation fuel supplement by a number of airlines, includng Air New Zealand,
Japan Airlines, and Continental Airlines. The ability of Jatropha oil to replace
kerosene-based jet fuel is being studied to reduce the aviation world's
dependence on high-pollution crude oil.
We will
generate our highest revenues and greatest margins from customers who have
logistical capacity on a water port accessible from the Gulf of
Mexico. This will reduce redundant transportation costs and allow us
to ship large quantities economically. These customers have
historically paid a higher price for feedstock oil, since the majority of
feedstock oil supplies has been shipped from the Midwestern United
States. We anticipate that our key customer profile will include
well-financed, low-cost bio-diesel refiners.
As our
business develops, we expect to utilize some distributors for sale of the
Jatropha feedstock oil and the biomass by-products that we will
produce.
8
Environmental
Impact
Biofuels,
including bio-diesel, have environmental benefits that are a major driving force
for their introduction. Using biofuels instead of fossil fuels
reduces net emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses, which are
associated with global climate change. Biofuels are produced from
renewable plant resources that “recycle” the carbon dioxide created when
biofuels are consumed. Life-cycle analyses consistently show that
using biofuels produced in modern facilities results in net reductions of
greenhouse gas carbon emissions compared to using fossil fuel-based petroleum
equivalents. These life-cycle analyses include the total energy
requirements for the farming and production of the biomass resource, as well as
harvesting, conversion and utilization. Biofuels help nations achieve
their goals of reducing carbon emissions. Biofuels burn cleanly in
vehicle engines and reduce emissions of unwanted products, particularly unburned
hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. These characteristics contribute to
improvements in local air quality. In a life-cycle study published in
October 2002, entitled “A Comprehensive Analysis of Bio-diesel Impacts on
Exhaust Emissions, 2002,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)
analyzed bio-diesel produced from virgin soy oil, rapeseed (canola) and animal
fats. The study concluded that the emission impact of bio-diesel
potentially increased NOx emissions slightly while significantly reducing other
major emissions.
Competition
Although
there are a number of producers of biofuels, few are utilizing non-edible oil
feedstock for the production of bio-diesel. The following table
lists the companies we are aware of that are cultivating Jatropha for the
production of bio-diesel:
British
Petroleum (UK)
|
Plans
to establish 100,000 hectares of Jatropha plantations in Indonesia to feed
the 350,000-tonne-per-year biodiesel refinery that it is building in the
country.
|
Van
Der Horst Corporation (Singapore)
|
Building
a 200,000-tpy biodiesel plant in Juron Island in Singapore that will
eventually be supplied with Jatropha from plantations it operates in
Cambodia and China, and possible new plantations in India, Laos and
Burma.
|
Mission
Biofuels (Australia)
|
Hired
Agro Diesel of India to manage a 100,000-heactare Jatropha plantation, and
a contract farming network in India to feed its Malaysian and Chinese
biodiesel refineries. Mission Biofuels has raised in excess of
$80 million to fund its operations.
|
D1
Oils (UK)
|
As
of June 2007, together with its partners, D1 Oils has planted or obtained
rights to offtake from a total approximately 172,000 hectares of Jatropha
under cultivation worldwide. D1’s Jatropha plantations are
located in Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, the Philippines,
China, India, Zambia, South Africa and Swaziland. In June 2007,
D1 Oils and British Petroleum entered into a 50:50 joint venture to plant
up to an additional 1 million hectares of Jatropha
worldwide. British Petrolum funded the first £31.75 million of
the Joint Venture’s working capital requirements through a purchase of D1
Oils equity, and the total Joint Venture funding requirement is
anticipated to be £80 million over the next five years.
|
NRG
Chemical Engineering (UK)
|
Signed
a $1.3 billion deal with state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. in May
2007. NRG Chemical will own a 70% stake in the joint venture
which will involve the construction of a biodiesel refinery, two ethanol
distilleries and a $600 million investment in Jatropha plantations that
will cover over 1 million hectares, mainly on the islands of Palawan and
Mindanao.
|
1
hectare = 2.47
acres
|
We
believe there is sufficient global demand for alternative non-edible biofuel
feedstock to allow a number of companies to successfully compete
worldwide. In particular, we note that we are the only US-based
producer of non-edible oil feedstock for the production of bio-diesel which
gives us a unique competitive advantage over many foreign competitors when
competing in the USA.
9
The price
basis for our non-edible oil and biomass feedstock will be equivalent to other
edible seed oil and biomass feedstocks. We have not found any
substantial effort towards the production of any other non-edible oil worldwide
that could compete with Jatropha. With the growing demand for
feedstock, and the high price of oil and biofuels, we anticipate that we will be
able to sell our Jatropha oil and biomass feedstock profitability.
Overview
of Legacy Bio-Pharmaceutical Business.
Prior to
our transition to our new Jatropha Business, we were engaged in the development
of two potential drug candidates, of which a drug candidate we referred to as
“SaveCream” was our principal asset. We purchased our SaveCream
technologies from the liquidator of Savetherapeutics AG i.L., pursuant to an
asset purchase agreement dated March 11, 2005. The SaveCream assets
consist primarily of patents, patent applications, pre-clinical study data and
anecdotal clinical trial data concerning SaveCream. We purchased the
SaveCream assets for €2,350,000 payable as follows: €500,000 was paid at
closing, €500,000 is due upon the conclusion of certain pending transfers of
patent and patent application rights from SaveCream’s inventors to us,
and €1,350,000 is due upon successful commercialization of the
SaveCream. The intellectual property assets relating to the SaveCream
assets consist of the following four patent families:
|
·
|
“Substances
and Agents for Positively Influencing Collagen.” This included a EU patent
application and a Canadian patent.
|
|
·
|
“Topical
Treatment for Mastalgia.” This included U.S. patent application 10/416,096
filed October 30, 2001, and a European Union patent
application.
|
|
·
|
“Medicament
for Preventing and/or Treating a Mammary Carcinoma Containing a Steroidal
Aromatase Inhibitor.” This included a U.S. patent application, No.
09/646,355, filed November 16, 2000 and divisional and continuation
applications based upon the initial
application.
|
|
·
|
“Aromatase
Marking.” This included a U.S. Patent application, No. 10/487,953, filed
August 28, 2002, as well as a European Union patent
application.
|
Employees.
As of
December 31, 2008, we had 139 full time employees, contract employees and
consultants. Of these employees/consultants, 4 are located in the
U.S., approximately 120 are in Mexico and 15 are in Belize. During
the past year most of our Jatropha-related services were being provided to us
through contract employees or consultants who were managed through the Lodemo
Group under the management agreement we entered into with the Lodemo
Group. As business levels require and as capital resources
permit, we will hire full-time employees to fulfill these
functions.
10
ITEM
1A
|
RISK
FACTORS.
|
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You
should carefully consider the risks described below before deciding to invest in
or maintain your investment in our company. The risks described below
are not intended to be an all-inclusive list of all of the potential risks
relating to an investment in our securities. If any of the following
or other risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or operating
results and the trading price or value of our securities could be materially and
adversely affected.
Risks
Related To Our Business
We
will need significant additional capital in order to fund our operations, which
we may be unable to obtain. If we do not receive additional funding,
we may not be able to achieve our business plan of further developing our
bio-fuels business and we may even be forced to cease operations.
We
currently do not have sufficient cash available to fund our working capital
needs through 2009. During 2008, we were primarily engaged in
establishing our Jatropha Business, acquiring our Mexico and Belize properties
and attempting to sell our legacy pharmaceutical assets. Accordingly,
we generated no revenues from our operations. We did not generate any
revenues in 2008. In 2009, our only scheduled source of cash is
expected to be the reimbursement payments we are receiving from GCE
Mexico I, LLC, some management consulting fees we have commenced receiving for
services we provide to third parties, and revenues that we expect to generate
this year from sales of Jatropha seeds. These funds will not be
sufficient to cover our operating expenses and we will need a significant amount
of additional funding in order to acquire and operate additional Jatropha farms
in accordance with our business plan. Our capital requirements in
connection with our commercial operations will be significant, and we do not
currently have any of the funds that we need for these
purposes. Accordingly, we will need to obtain a significant
amount of additional capital to continue to fund our operating expenses and to
expand our Jatropha Business. We have not identified the sources for
the additional financing that we will require, and we do not have commitments
from any third parties to provide this financing. Certain investors
may be unwilling to invest in our securities since we are traded on the OTC
Bulletin Board and not on a national securities exchange, particularly if there
is only limited trading in our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board at the
time we seek financing. There is no assurance that sufficient funding
through a financing will be available to us at acceptable terms or at
all. Any additional funding that we obtain in a equity or convertible
debt financing is likely to reduce the percentage ownership of the company held
by our existing security holders. The amount of this dilution may be
substantial if the trading price of our common stock is low at the time of any
financing from its current levels. There can be no assurance that
financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at
all. If we are unable to obtain the needed additional funding, we
will have to reduce or even totally discontinue our operations, which would
result in a total loss to all of our shareholders.
We
have limited operating history in the feedstock and bio-diesel industries, which
makes it difficult to evaluate our financial position and our business
plan.
Until
2007, we were a development stage bio-pharmaceutical company that generated only
$1,157,000 of revenues and accumulated net losses of over $26
million. During 2007, we terminated our operations as a
bio-pharmaceutical company and commenced developing a new business in the
biofuels industry. However, since we have only recently commenced our
operations as a biofuels company and did not own any Jatropha farms (directly or
as a joint venture partner) until this past fiscal year, we
have little operating history in that line of business on which a
decision to invest in our company can be based. The future of our
company currently is dependent upon our ability to implement our new business
plan in the Jatropha Business. While we believe that our business
plan, if implemented as drafted, will make our company successful, we have no
operating history against which we can test our plans and assumptions, and
therefore cannot evaluate the likelihood of success.
11
The
Jatropha Business that we are commencing is a new and highly risky business that
has not been conducted on a similar scale in North America.
Our
business plan calls for a large scale planting and harvesting of Jatropha
plants, primarily outside of the United States, and for the subsequent
production and sale of Jatropha oil (and other Jatropha byproducts) for use as a
biofuel primarily in the United States. We have commenced a new
business and it will be subject to all of the risks normally associated with new
businesses, including risks related to the large scale production of plants that
have not heretofore been grown in large scale farms, logistical issues related
to the oil and biomass produced at such new farms, market acceptance, uncertain
pricing of our products, developing governmental regulations, and the lack of an
established market for our products.
Since
we currently have a limited amount of cash available, and are not generating any
revenues from either our legacy bio-pharmaceutical business or our new Jatropha
Business, we are dependent upon the sales proceeds to be derived from the sale
of SaveCream, the sale of Carbon Credit purchase contracts, future delivery
Jatropha oil purchase contracts, and on our ability to raise additional funds to
continue our operations and existence.
We
currently do not have sufficient cash available to fund our anticipated future
operating needs in the near future. In addition, neither our legacy
bio-pharmaceutical business, nor our new Jatropha Business currently generate
sufficient revenues from which we can pay our administrative and operating
expenses. In order to generate cash, we have been trying to (i) sell
our SaveCream legacy pharmaceutical assets, (ii) enter into joint venture
arrangements with third party investors interested in our Jatropha Business,
(iii) negotiate forward carbon credit sales agreements, and (iv) consummate
future delivery Jatropha oil purchase contracts, (v) sell seeds from our
Belizean farm and (vi) provide fee based advisory services to third parties for
farm development and management services. Unless we either sell our
SaveCream asset or receive substantial funds from any of our other activities in
the near future, we will face an immediate cash shortage, and will not be able
to fund our anticipated operating expenses. No assurance can be given
that we will find a buyer for our SaveCream assets or that any of our other
initiatives will generate sufficient cash during the time periods in which those
funds are required.
We
currently incur significant administrative expenses, including the expenses of
being a public company. However, we will not generate significant
revenues to fund those expenses until we begin selling Jatropha oil, or until we
complete the sales of carbon credit purchase contracts. Accordingly,
we will need to obtain significant additional funding in the near future to
continue our operations. Such additional funding could be obtained
from the sale of equity, from forward purchase payments for our products, or
from joint venture partnerships,third party strategic relationships, sale of
seeds or the sale of advisory services. There can be no assurance
that we will be able to obtain the capital we need from any of the foregoing
sources, or, if we do obtain funding, that such funding will be on terms that
are commercially favorable for us. In the event that we do not obtain
funding to cover our administrative expenses in the near future, we will not be
able to continue to operate and may have to cease all of our current
operations.
Even if
we do obtain sufficient funds to pay our administrative expenses, our Jatropha
Business will require that we acquire and cultivate a large amount of land and
otherwise incur significant initial start-up expenses related to establishing
the Jatropha plantations required for our proposed business. We
currently do not have the capital that is necessary to acquire or lease the
large amount of land needed to operate Jatropha plantations or to otherwise fund
the large up-front expenses, nor has any entity agreed to provide us with such
funds. Accordingly, the success of our new Jatropha Business is
contingent on, among other things, our ability to raise the necessary capital to
fund our planned Jatropha Business expenditures. Historically, we
have raised capital through the issuance of debt and equity
securities. However, given the risks associated with a new, untested
biofuels business, the risks associated with our common stock (as discussed
below), the worldwide financial crisis that has severely affected the capital
markets, and our status as a small, unknown public company, we expect in the
near future, we will have a great deal of difficulty raising capital through
traditional financing sources. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to raise capital, or if we are able to raise capital, that such
capital will be in the amounts needed. Our failure to raise capital,
when needed and in sufficient amounts, will severely impact our ability to
develop our Jatropha Business.
12
As
of December 31, 2008 we had outstanding a $460,000 short-term promissory notes
that is secured by a lien on all of this company’s
assets. Accordingly, a default under the secured promissory note
could result in the foreclosure of all of our assets and the termination of our
business.
As of
December 31, 2008 we had outstanding a $460,000 promissory note that is secured
by a first priority security interest on all of our assets. The
promissory note is scheduled to mature on July 13,
2009. Failure to fully repay the outstanding principal balance,
plus all interest that accrues on that promissory note, upon maturity could
result in the acceleration of the promissory note and the foreclosure of our
assets. If we are unable to repay the note in full upon its maturity,
or if we otherwise default under our obligations to the holder of the promissory
note, the holder of the promissory note will have the right to foreclose on all
of our assets, which would materially and adversely affect our ability to
continue our operations and could terminate our existence. No
assurance can be given that we will be able to repay the promissory note as
scheduled.
Our
business could be significantly impacted by changes in government regulations
over energy policy.
Our
planned operations and the properties we intend to cultivate are subject to a
wide variety of federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations,
including those governing the use of land, type of development, use of water,
use of chemicals for fertilizer, pesticides, export or import of various
materials including plants, oil, use of biomass, handling of materials, labor
laws, storage handling of materials, shipping, and the health and safety of
employees. As such, the nature of our operations exposes us to the risk of
claims with respect to such matters and there can be no assurance that material
costs or liabilities will not be incurred in connection with such
claims. In addition, these governmental regulations, both in the U.S.
and in the foreign countries in which we may conduct our business, may restrict
and hinder our operations and may significantly raise our cost of
operations. Any breach by our company of such legislation may also
result in the suspension or revocation of necessary licenses, permits or
authorizations, civil liability and the imposition of fines and penalties, which
would adversely affect our ability to operate and our financial
condition.
Further,
there is no assurance that the laws, regulations, policies or current
administrative practices of any government body, organization or regulatory
agency in the United States or any other jurisdiction, will not be changed,
applied or interpreted in a manner which will fundamentally alter the ability of
our company to carry on our business. The actions, policies or regulations, or
changes thereto, of any government body or regulatory agency, or other special
interest groups, may have a detrimental effect on our company. Any or all of
these situations may have a negative impact on our operations.
Our
future growth is dependent upon strategic relationships within the feedstock and
bio-diesel industries. If we are unable to develop and maintain such
relationships, our future business prospects could be significantly
limited.
Our
future growth will generally be dependent on relationships with third parties,
including alliances with feedstock oil and bio-diesel processors and
distributors. In addition, we will likely rely on third parties to
oversee the operations and cultivation of the Jatropha plants in our non-U.S.
properties. Accordingly, our success will be significantly dependent
upon our ability to establish successful strategic alliances with third parties
and on the performance of these third parties. These third parties
may not regard their relationship with us as important to their own business and
operations, and there is no assurance that they will commit the time and
resources to our joint projects as is necessary, or that they will not in the
future reassess their commitment to our business. Furthermore, these
third parties may not perform their obligations as agreed. In the
event that a strategic relationship is discontinued for any reason, our
business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially
adversely affected.
13
We
will depend on key service providers for assistance and expertise in beginning
operations and any failure or loss of these relationships could delay our
operations, increase our expenses and hinder our success.
Because
of our limited financial and personnel resources, and because our Jatropha farms
are expected to be established primarily outside of the United States, we will
have to establish and maintain relationships with several key service providers
for land acquisition, the development and cultivation of Jatropha farms, labor
management, the transportation of Jatropha oil and biomass, and other
services. We have already established such a relationship with the
Lodemo Group in Mexico concerning the cultivation and management of our Jatropha
nurseries and farms in Mexico and the transportation of our
products. Accordingly, our ability to develop our Jatropha Business
in Mexico, and our success in Mexico, will to a large extent be dependent upon
the efforts and services of the Lodemo Group. While the Lodemo Group
has significant experience in diesel distribution and sales, liquids
transportation, logistics, land development and agriculture, no assurance can be
given that our joint operations with the Lodemo Group will be successful or that
we will be able to achieve our goals in Mexico.
A
significant decline in the price of oil could have an adverse impact in our
potential profitability.
Our
success is dependent in part upon the historic high price of crude oil and on
the high price of seed oils that are currently used to manufacture
bio-diesel. A significant decline in the price of either crude oil or
the alternative seed oils will have a direct negative impact on our financial
performance projections.
There
are risks associated with conducting our business operations in foreign
countries, including political and social unrest.
To date,
we have acquired Jatropha farms in Mexico and have agreed to purchase another
Jatropha farm in Belize. We expect that most, if not all, of our
future agricultural operations will also be primarily located in foreign
countries, particularly in Mexico. Accordingly, we are subject to
risks not typically associated with ownership of U.S. companies and therefore
should be considered more speculative than investments in the U.S.
Mexico is
a developing country that has experienced a range of political, social and
economic difficulties over the last decade. Our operations could be affected in
varying degrees by political instability, social unrest and changes in
government regulation relating to foreign investment, the biofuels industry, and
the import and export of goods and services. Operations may also be affected in
varying degrees by possible terrorism, military conflict, crime, fluctuations in
currency rates and high inflation.
In
addition, Mexico has a nationalized oil company, and there can be no assurance
that the government of Mexico will continue to allow our business and our assets
to compete in any way with their interests. Our operations could be adversely
affected by political, social and economic unrest in Mexico and the other
foreign countries we plan for commence agricultural operations.
The
cost of developing and operating our agricultural projects significantly exceeds
our current financial resources.
Our
current business plan contemplates the cultivation of 20,000-hectare of Jatropa
in Mexico. We also have plans for other large farms for
feedstock/biofuel operations in other countries. Our plans also call
for us to construct a plant nursery and research facility as well as a seed oil
extraction facility. We currently do not have the funds necessary to
fund these planned operations. Unless we are able to obtain the
necessary funds on economically viable terms, our Jatropha business will not
succeed, and we will not be able to meet our business goals. In
addition, even if we obtain the initial funds necessary to establish our
plantation and facilities, the costs to develop and implement our proposed farm
and support facilities, and our other operational costs could significantly
increase beyond our expectations due to economic factors, design modifications,
implementation or construction delays or cost overruns. In such an
event, our profitability and ultimately the financial condition of our company
will be adversely affected.
14
We
plan to grow rapidly and our inability to keep up with such growth may adversely
affect our profitability.
We plan
to grow rapidly and significantly expand our operations. We currently
have a very small staff and few resources. If we succeed in
significantly expanding our operations, our growth may place a significant
strain on our management team and other company resources. We will
not be able to implement our business strategy in a rapidly evolving market
without effective planning and management processes. We have a short
operating history and have not implemented sophisticated managerial, operational
and financial systems and controls. If we grow significantly, we will
have to manage multiple relationships with various strategic partners, including
suppliers, distributors, and other third parties. To manage the
expected growth of our operations and personnel, we will have to significantly
supplement our existing managerial, financial and operational staff, systems,
procedures and controls. We may be unable to supplement and complete,
in a timely manner, the improvements to our systems, procedures and controls
necessary to support our future operations, our operations will not function
effectively. In addition, our management may be unable to hire,
train, retain, motivate and manage required personnel, or successfully identify,
manage and exploit existing and potential market opportunities. As a
result, our business and financial condition may be adversely
affected.
Our
business will not be diversified because we will be primarily concentrated in
one industry. As a consequence, we may not be able to adapt to
changing market conditions or endure any decline in the bio-diesel
industry.
We expect
our business to consist primarily of sales of feedstock oil harvested from the
Jatropha plant, and bio-diesel production and sales. We do not have
any other lines of business or other sources of revenue to rely upon if we are
unable to produce and sell feedstock oil and bio-diesel, or if the markets for
such products decline. Our lack of diversification means that we may
not be able to adapt to changing market conditions or to withstand any
significant decline in the bio-diesel industry.
Reductions
in the price of bio-diesel, and decreases in the price of petroleum-based fuels
could affect the price of our feedstock, resulting in reductions in our
revenues.
Historically,
bio-diesel prices have been highly correlated to the Ultra Low Sulfur (“ULS”)
diesel prices. Increased volatility in the crude oil market has an
effect on the stability and long-term predictability of ULS diesel, and hence
the biofuels prices in the domestic and international markets. Crude oil prices
are impacted by wars and other political factors, economic uncertainties,
exchange rates and natural disasters. A reduction in petroleum-based
fuel prices may have an adverse effect on bio-diesel prices and could apply
downward pressure on feedstock, affecting revenues and profits in the feedstock
industry, which could adversely affect our financial condition.
There
are several agreements and relationships that remain to be negotiated, executed
and implemented which will have a critical impact on our operations, expenses
and profitability.
Assuming
that we obtain the necessary funds, directly or through future joint ventures,
to acquire and develop additional Jatropha farms in Mexico or elsewhere, we will
have to enter into numerous agreements, documents and relationships with the
owners of the land and the providers of various services. All
of these agreements and arrangements remain to be negotiated, executed and
implemented before we can develop fully commence new operations, including
agreements relating to the construction of our proposed seed processing plant
and other support facilities for our Jatropha plantation in
Mexico. In some cases, the parties with whom we would need to
establish a relationship have yet to be identified. Our expectations
regarding the likely terms of these agreements and relationships could vary
greatly from the terms of any agreement or relationship that may eventually be
executed or established. If we are unable to enter into these
agreements or relationships on satisfactory terms, or if revisions or amendments
to existing terms become necessary, the purchase and cultivation of additional
land, or the construction of our proposed seed processing plant and the
commencement of our related operations could be delayed. In such an
event, our expenses could be increased and our ability to achieve profitability
could be adversely affected.
15
Delays
due to, among others, weather, labor or material shortages, permitting or zoning
delays, or opposition from local groups, may hinder our ability to commence
operations in a timely manner.
We could
incur delays in the implementation of our plans to plant and harvest Jatropha,
or our plans for the construction of support facilities, due to permitting or
zoning delays, opposition from local groups, adverse weather conditions, labor
or material shortages, or other causes. In addition, changes in
political administrations at the federal, state or local level that result in
policy changes towards the large scale cultivation of Jatropha or towards
biofuels in general could result in delays in our timetable for development and
commencement of operations. Any such delays could adversely affect
our ability to commence operations and generate revenue.
We
may be unable to locate suitable properties and obtain the development rights
needed to build and expand our business.
Our
business plan focuses on identifying and developing agricultural properties
(farms, nurseries, etc.) for the production of biofuels
feedstock. The availability of land for this activity is a key
element of our projected revenue generation. Our ability to acquire
appropriate land in the future is uncertain and we may be required to delay
planting, which may create unanticipated costs and delays. In the
event that we are not successful in identifying and obtaining rights on suitable
land for our agricultural and processing facilities, our future prospects for
profitability will likely be affected, and our financial condition and resulting
operations may be adversely affected.
Technological
advances in feedstock oil production methods in the bio-diesel industry could
adversely affect our ability to compete and the value of your
investment.
Technological
advances could significantly decrease the cost of producing feedstock oil and
biofuels. There is significant research and capital being invested in
identifying more efficient processes, and lowering the cost of producing
feedstock oil and biofuels. We expect that technological advances in
feedstock oil/biofuel production methods will continue to occur. If
improved technologies become available to our competitors, they may be able to
produce feedstock oil, and ultimately biofuels, at a lower cost than
us. If we are unable to adopt or incorporate technological advances
into our operations, our ability to compete effectively in the
feedstock/biofuels market may be adversely affected, which in turn will affect
our profitability.
The
development of alternative fuels and energy sources may reduce the demand for
biofuels, resulting in a reduction in our profitability.
Alternative
fuels, including a variety of energy alternatives to biofuels, are continually
under development. Technological advances in fuel-engines and exhaust system
design and performance could also reduce the use of biofuels, which would reduce
the demand for bio-diesel. Further advances in power generation technologies,
using cleaner hydrocarbon based fuels, fuel cells and hydrogen are actively
being researched and developed. If these technological advances and
alternatives prove to be economically feasible, environmentally superior and
accepted in the marketplace, the market for biofuels could be significantly
diminished or replaced, which would adversely affect our financial
condition.
16
Our
ability to hire and retain key personnel and experienced consultants will be an
important factor in the success of our business and a failure to hire and retain
key personnel may result in our inability to manage and implement our business
plan.
We are
highly dependent upon our management, and on Richard Palmer in
particular. The loss of the services of one or more of these
individuals may impair management's ability to operate our company or our
ability to locate and develop new Jatropha farms. We have not
purchased key man insurance on any of our officers, which insurance would
provide us with insurance proceeds in the event of their
death. Without key man insurance, we may not have the financial
resources to develop or maintain our business until we could replace such
individuals or to replace any business lost by the death of such
individuals. We may not be able to attract and retain the necessary
qualified personnel. If we are unable to retain or to hire qualified
personnel as required, we may not be able to adequately manage and implement our
business.
Our
operating costs could be higher than we expect, and this could reduce our future
profitability.
In
addition to general economic conditions, market fluctuations and international
risks, significant increases in operating, development and implementation costs
could adversely affect our company due to numerous factors, many of which are
beyond our control. These increases could arise for several reasons,
such as:
|
·
|
Increased
cost for land acquisition;
|
|
·
|
Increased
unit costs of labor for nursery, field preparation and
planting;
|
|
·
|
Increased
costs for construction of
facilities;
|
|
·
|
Increased
transportation costs for required nursery and field
workers;
|
|
·
|
Increased
costs of supplies and sub-contacted labor for preparing of land for
planting;
|
|
·
|
Increase
costs for irrigation, soil conditioning, soil maintenance;
or
|
|
·
|
Increased
time for planting and plant care and
custody.
|
Upon
completion of our field developments, our operations will also subject us to
ongoing compliance with applicable governmental regulations, including those
governing land use, water use, pollution control, worker safety and health and
welfare and other matters. We may have difficulty complying with
these regulations and our compliance costs could increase
significantly. Increases in operating costs would have a negative
impact on our operating income, and could result in substantially decreased
earnings or a loss from our operations, adversely affecting our financial
condition.
Fluctuations
in the Mexican peso to U.S. dollar exchange rate may adversely affect our
reported operating results.
The
Mexican peso is the primary operating currency for our initial business
operations while our financial results are reported in U.S.
dollars. Because our costs will be primarily denominated in pesos, a
decline in the value of the dollar to the peso could negatively affect our
actual operating costs in U.S. dollars, and our reported results of
operations. We do not currently engage in any currency hedging
transactions intended to reduce the effect of fluctuations in foreign currency
exchange rates on our results of operations. We cannot guarantee that
we will enter into any such currency hedging transactions in the future or, if
we do, that these transactions will successfully protect us against currency
fluctuations.
Our
future profitability is dependent upon many natural factors outside of our
control. If these factors do not produce favorable results our future
business profitability could be significantly affected.
Our
future profitability is mainly dependent on
the production output from our agricultural operations. There are
many factors that can effect growth and fruit production of the Jatropha plant
including weather, nutrients, pests and other natural enemies of the
plant. Many of these are outside of our direct control and could be
devastating to our operations.
17
Risks
Relating to Our Common Stock
Our
stock is thinly traded, so you may be unable to sell your shares at or near the
quoted bid prices if you need to sell a significant number of your
shares.
The
shares of our common stock are thinly-traded on the OTC Bulletin Board, meaning
that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common shares at or near
bid prices at any given time may be relatively small or
non-existent. This situation is attributable to a number of factors,
including the fact that we are a small company which is relatively unknown to
stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the
investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if
we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and would
be reluctant to follow an unproven, early stage company such as ours or purchase
or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we became more
seasoned and viable. As a consequence, there may be periods of
several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or
non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady
volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without
an adverse effect on share price. We cannot give you any assurance
that a broader or more active public trading market for our common shares will
develop or be sustained, or that current trading levels will be
sustained. Due to these conditions, we can give you no assurance that
you will be able to sell your shares at or near bid prices or at all if you need
money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
Our
existing directors, officers and key employees hold a substantial amount of our
common stock and may be able to prevent other shareholders from influencing
significant corporate decisions.
As of
March 31, 2009, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned
approximately 29% of our outstanding common stock. These
shareholders, if they act together, may be able to direct the outcome of matters
requiring approval of the shareholders, including the election of our directors
and other corporate actions such as:
|
·
|
our
merger with or into another
company;
|
|
·
|
a
sale of substantially all of our assets;
and
|
|
·
|
amendments
to our articles of incorporation.
|
The
decisions of these shareholders may conflict with our interests or those of our
other shareholders.
The
market price of our stock may be adversely affected by market
volatility.
The
market price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate
widely in response to many factors, including:
|
·
|
fluctuation
in the world price of crude oil;
|
|
·
|
market
changes in the biofuels industry;
|
|
·
|
government
regulations affecting renewable energy businesses and
users;
|
|
·
|
actual
or anticipated variations in our operating
results;
|
|
·
|
our
success in meeting our business goals and the general development of our
proposed operations;
|
18
|
·
|
general
economic, political and market conditions in the U.S. and the foreign
countries in which we plan to operate;
and
|
|
·
|
the
occurrence of any of the risks described in this Annual
Report.
|
Obtaining
additional capital though the sale of common stock will result in dilution of
shareholder interests.
We plan
to raise additional funds in the future by issuing additional shares of common
stock or other securities, which may include securities such as convertible
debentures, warrants or preferred stock that are convertible into common
stock. Any such sale of common stock or other securities will lead to
further dilution of the equity ownership of existing holders of our common
stock. Additionally, the existing options, warrants and conversion
rights may hinder future equity offerings, and the exercise of those options,
warrants and conversion rights may have an adverse effect on the value of our
stock. If any such options, warrants or conversion rights are
exercised at a price below the then current market price of our shares, then the
market price of our stock could decrease upon the sale of such additional
securities. Further, if any such options, warrants or conversion
rights are exercised at a price below the price at which any particular
shareholder purchased shares, then that particular shareholder will experience
dilution in his or her investment.
We
are unlikely to pay dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future.
We have
never declared or paid dividends on our stock. We currently intend to retain all
available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion
of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the
foreseeable future, and it is unlikely that investors will derive any current
income from ownership of our stock. This means that your potential for economic
gain from ownership of our stock depends on appreciation of our stock price and
will only be realized by a sale of the stock at a price higher than your
purchase price.
Trading
of our stock may be restricted by the Securities and Exchange Commission's penny
stock regulations, which may limit a shareholder's ability to buy and sell our
stock.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations which generally
define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price less than
$5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to
certain exceptions. Our securities are covered by the penny stock
rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who
sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited
investors”. The term “accredited investor” refers generally to
institutions with assets in excess of $5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth
in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly
with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer,
prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to
deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the
Securities and Exchange Commission, which provides information about penny
stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The
broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer
quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its
salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market
value of each penny stock held in the customer's account. The bid and offer
quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must
be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction
and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer's
confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a
transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the
broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is
a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser's written
agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect
of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock
that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock
rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We
believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the
marketability of our common stock.
19
ITEM
1B.
|
UNRESOLVED
STAFF COMMENTS.
|
Not
applicable.
ITEM
2.
|
PROPERTIES.
|
Currently,
we operate out of offices located at 6033 W. Century Blvd, Suite 895, Los
Angeles, California 90045. Our leased offices consist of 1,495 square
feet and are leased at a monthly rate of $ 1.80 per sq. ft. until the expiration
of our lease in May 2009. While we have not yet decided whether
we want to renew our current lease, we believe that there are sufficient other
alternate facilities available for lease should we decide not to do
so.
The
Jatropha farm that we currently own through our GCE Mexico I, LLC joint venture
consists of seven separate parcels of land collectively representing 2, 084
hectares (approximately 5,149 acres). The farm is located
approximately 12 miles northeast of Tizimin, Yucatan, Mexico and
is approximately 110 miles from Merida and the port of Progresso, and
75 miles from Cancun. The prior land owners had used the land for
raising cattle. As a result, a portion of the land was developed for
commercial grazing. There are 14 wells on the land which were
installed to irrigate the land. Irrigation systems have been
installed for approximately 400 hectares. Since the acquisition of
this land, we have developed a commercial seedling nursery and approximately
2,500 acres have been improved, with approximately 750
acres planted with Jatropha plants. All the necessary roads and other
infrastructure have been developed on the farm.
ITEM
3.
|
LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS.
|
On
August 22, 2006, we initiated legal proceedings in Landgericht Hamburg, a German
Federal Court in Hamburg - Germany, against Dr. Alfred Schmidt to obtain certain
rights concerning “SaveCream”, a developmental topical aromatase inhibitor cream
relevant to our legacy bio-pharmaceutical business. No cross
complaints have been filed against us in this matter. We acquired the
“SaveCream” rights and certain other related intellectual property assets from
the liquidator of Savetherapeutics AG i.L., a German corporation, pursuant to an
asset purchase agreement dated as of March 11, 2005. On April
7, 2009 the court in Germany entered a judgment in our favor and ruled that the
SaveCream patents and patent applications belong to our MDI Oncology
subsidiary.
In
addition, a judgment has been issued against us under a lawsuit filed against us
for the collection of approximately $60,000 of unpaid obligations that this
company incurred prior to the date on which currently management took over in
2007. We have been unable to pay this judgment.
We may,
from time to time, be subject to additional collection lawsuits related to the
significant amount of outstanding and unpaid obligations we owe to a number of
creditors.
ITEM
4.
|
SUBMISSION
OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY
HOLDERS.
|
No
matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter
of the fiscal year covered by this report.
PART
II
ITEM
5.
|
MARKET
FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
|
Prior to
February 6, 2008, our common stock was traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under
the symbol “MLSC.” In connection with the change of our corporate
name, our trading symbol was changed to “GCEH” on February 29,
2008. The following table sets forth the range of closing prices for
our common stock for the quarters indicated. Such quotations reflect
inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-ups, markdowns or commissions, and may
not represent actual transactions.
20
Fiscal
Year Ended December 31, 2007
|
High
Bid
|
Low
Bid
|
||||||
First
Quarter
|
$ | .049 | $ | 0.022 | ||||
Second
Quarter
|
$ | .050 | $ | 0.011 | ||||
Third
Quarter
|
$ | .075 | $ | 0.020 | ||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
$ | .088 | $ | 0.030 |
Fiscal
Year Ended December 31, 2008
|
High
Bid
|
Low
Bid
|
||||||
First
Quarter
|
$ | .050 | $ | .025 | ||||
Second
Quarter
|
$ | .120 | $ | .045 | ||||
Third
Quarter
|
$ | .072 | $ | .030 | ||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
$ | .050 | $ | .020 |
Shareholders
As of
March 31, 2009, there were approximately 1,500 holders of record of our
common stock, not including any persons who hold their stock in “street
name.”
Dividends
We have
not paid any dividends on our common stock to date and do not anticipate that we
will pay dividends in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash
dividends on our common stock in the future will be dependent upon the amount of
funds legally available, our earnings, if any, our financial condition, our
anticipated capital requirements and other factors that the Board of Directors
may think are relevant. However, we currently intend for the
foreseeable future to follow a policy of retaining all of our earnings, if any,
to finance the development and expansion of our business and, therefore, do not
expect to pay any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future.
Securities
Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The
following table contains information regarding our equity compensation plans as
of December 31, 2008.
Plan
Category
|
Number
of
Securities
to be
Issued
upon
Exercise
of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants
and
Rights
|
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants
and
Rights
|
Number
of
Securities
Remaining
Available
for
Future
Issuance
under
Equity
Compensation
Plans
(Excluding
Securities
Reflected
in
the
First
Column)
|
|||||||||
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders
|
||||||||||||
1993 Incentive Plan
(1)
|
3,383,000 | $ | 0.13 | -0- | ||||||||
2002 Stock Incentive
Plan
|
19,700,000 | $ | 0.04 | 300,000 | ||||||||
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
||||||||||||
Warrants
|
58,818,635 | $ | 0.02 | -0- | ||||||||
Total
|
81,901,635 | 300,000 |
(1) The
1993 Incentive Plan has expired and no additional options or awards can be
granted under this plan.
21
Recent
Issuances Of Unregistered Securities
During
the three-month period ended December 31, 2008, we sold 2,777,778 shares of our
common stock to two accredited investors for a total purchase price of
$100,000. The foregoing two sales were effected in reliance upon the
exemption from registration contained in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended.
Repurchase
of Shares
We did
not repurchase any of its shares during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year
covered by this report.
ITEM
6.
|
SELECTED
FINANCIAL DATA.
|
Not
applicable to a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of SEC
Regulation S-K.
ITEM
7.
|
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS.
|
Overview
During
the period covered by this Annual Report, we were a development stage
company. Until 2007, we were a bio-pharmaceutical company engaged in
the research and development of two potential drug candidates. In
2007, we decided to discontinue the development of our two drug candidates,
decided to sell our two drug technologies, and decided to commence a new
business as a renewable alternative energy source company. As a
result, the “Results of Operations” section below contains a description of the
results of the new biofuels business that we are currently
conducting. The results of operations of the business that we no
longer intend to pursue has been characterized as discontinued
operations.
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States require management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported assets, liabilities, sales and expenses in
the accompanying financial statements. Critical accounting policies
are those that require the most subjective and complex judgments, often
employing the use of estimates about the effect of matters that
are inherently uncertain.
Development Stage
Enterprise. We are a development stage company as defined by
the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 7, “Accounting and Reporting by Development
Stage Enterprises.” Accordingly, all losses accumulated since
inception have been considered as part of our development stage
activities.
Agricultural
Producer. We have commenced a new business related to the
cultivation of the Jatropha Curcas plant. Plantation development
costs are being accumulated in the balance sheet during the development period
and will be accounted for in accordance with Statement of Position 85-3,
“Accounting by Agricultural Producers and Agricultural
Cooperatives.”
Certain
other critical accounting policies, including the assumptions and judgments
underlying them, are disclosed in the Note A to the Consolidated Financial
Statements included in this Annual Report. However, we do not believe
that there are any alternative methods of accounting for our operations that
would have a material affect on our financial statements.
22
Results
Of Operations
As discussed previously, in 2007 the
Board of Directors determined to discontinue our prior bio-pharmaceutical
operations. Pursuant to accounting rules for discontinued operations,
we have classified all revenue and expense, except general corporate overhead,
for 2008, 2007 and prior periods related to the operations of our
bio-pharmaceutical business as discontinued operations.
Revenues and Gross
Profit. We are still a development stage company and have not
had revenues from our operations or reached the level of our planned
operations. We discontinued our prior bio-pharmaceutical operations
in March 2007. In September 2007, we commenced operations in our new
bio-fuels Jatropha business, but we are still in the pre-development
agricultural stage of our operations and, therefore, do not anticipate
generating significant revenues from the sale of bio-fuel products until late
2009. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 (“fiscal 2007”),
we recognized revenue of $200,000 related to our discontinued bio-pharmaceutical
business, which revenue is included in Loss from Discontinued Operations in the
accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. We did not
recognize any revenues during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 (“fiscal
2008”). We are, however, attempting to generate cash from the forward
sale of carbon credits, the sale of future oil delivery contracts, the sale of
some Jatropha seeds for seed propagation purposes, and by providing bio-fuel
consulting services.
Operating Expenses. Our
general and administrative expenses related to our continuing operations for the
year ended December 31, 2008, were $1,830,000 compared to $2,950,000 for the
year ended December 31, 2007. General and administrative expense
principally includes officer compensation; outside services, such as legal,
accounting, and consulting expenses; share-based compensation; and other general
expenses such as insurance, occupancy costs, travel, etc. The net
reduction in general and administrative expenses from fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008
is principally the result of a reduction in share-based compensation (from
$2,015,000 in fiscal 2007 to $371,000 in fiscal 2008). During the
year ended December 31, 2007, we recognized share-based compensation in
connection with a release and settlement agreement we entered into with our
former Chief Executive Officer; warrants and options granted to consultants and
management; stock issued in connection with the acquisition of our Jatropha
assets from Global Clean Energy Holdings LLC; and stock issued to a
consultant. During the year ended December 31, 2008, share-based
compensation consisted primarily of the amortization of stock compensation
issued in fiscal 2007 in the Global Clean Energy Holdings LLC acquisition and
related to new options granted in fiscal 2008 to management. During
the year ended December 31, 2008, compensation paid to new executive officers
and an administrative employee resulted in an increase of $390,000 in
administrative expense compared to the year ended December 31,
2007. Other general and administrative expenses more directly related
to the operation and disposal of our bio-pharmaceutical business have been
included in Loss from Discontinued Operations, including substantially all of
the compensation paid to the former Chief Executive Officer during the year
ended December 31, 2007.
For the
year ended December 31, 2007, we recorded research and development costs of
$987,000 related to the value of common stock issued in exchange for certain
trade secrets, know-how, business plans, term sheets, business relationships,
and other information in connection with the share exchange with Global Clean
Energy Holdings, LLC. Otherwise, we did not incur any research and
development expenses during the year ended December 31, 2007 due to our Board of
Directors’ decision to discontinue funding development of our two drug
candidates. Since we are no longer engaged in the research and
development of pharmaceutical products, we did not incur any research and
development expenses in fiscal 2008.
23
Other Income/ Expense and Net
Loss. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we recorded $148,000 as
unrealized loss on financial instrument to record the accounting for warrants
resulting from the issuance of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
entered into in October 2004 and March 2005, and the cancellation and
reissuance in September 2007 of certain related warrants to purchase 27,452,973
shares of common stock in connection with a new secured promissory
note. In fiscal 2008, we recorded unrealized gain of $5,000 as a
result of the accounting for these warrants. This non-cash gain and
loss recognition on financial instrument was the result of the periodic
revaluation of certain warrants classified as a liability in the financial
statements. On January 29, 2008, our shareholders approved an
increase in the number of authorized shares of our common stock, resulting in
the reclassification of this financial instrument from liability to permanent
equity, and eliminated the requirement to periodically revalue the financial
instrument and recognize gain or loss on the revaluation.
In
connection with the accounting for the cancellation and reissuance of warrants
mentioned in the previous paragraph, we recorded a discount to the associated
secured promissory note of $250,000 for the year ended December 31,
2007. The discount to the note was amortized over the term of the
loan agreement from September 7, 2007 to December 14, 2007, and was recorded as
“interest expense from amortization of discount on secured promissory note”
during that year. In connection with the amendment of this same
secured promissory note and issuance of additional warrants to the noteholder
during the year ended December 31, 2008, we recorded an additional discount of
$36,000. This additional discount was amortized as “interest expense
from amortization of discount on secured promissory note” over the extended term
of the loan from May 19, 2008 through August 19, 2008.
Interest
expense increased from $52,000 for the year ended December 31, 2007 to $235,000
for the year ended December 31, 2008. The increase in interest
expense is primarily attributable to interest on a mortgage on land purchased in
Mexico during April 2008. The mortgage is in the amount of $2,051,000
and accrues interest at the rate of 12% per year. The increase in
interest expense is also attributable to the increase in the principal balance
of the secured promissory note from $250,000 to $460,000, and the fact that this
note was outstanding for all of 2008, compared to four months of
2007.
In
conjunction with our sale of MDI-P, a liability in the amount of $90,000 was
extinguished due to the sale and recorded as “Gain on debt restructuring” for
the year ended December 31, 2007. This liability was only payable if
and when we received $1 million in cumulative license revenue from the MDI-P
compound in any human indication. Since we have sold the MDI-P
compound for less than $1 million, this liability is no longer owed and was
written off. Additionally, in connection with a release and
settlement agreement entered into with our former Chief Executive Officer, we
have recognized a gain on the settlement of $395,000 during the year ended
December 31, 2007.
Effective
April 23, 2008, we entered into a limited liability company agreement (“LLC
Agreement”) to form GCE Mexico I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (GCE
Mexico), with six unaffiliated investors (collectively, the
“Investors”). Two of the Investors invested $2,415,151 in 2008 to
purchase GCE LLC preferred membership units (in addition, in February 2009,
these Investors invested an additional $1,071,278). An aggregate of
1,000 preferred membership units were issued to these two
Investors. Under the LLC Agreement, the net loss of GCE Mexico is
allocated to the members according to the investment
balances. Accordingly, since the common membership interest did not
make a capital contribution, all of the losses have been allocated to the
preferred membership interest. The minority interest in net
loss in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations represents the
allocation of the net loss of GCE Mexico I, LLC to the preferred membership
interests.
In fiscal
2008 we recognized income from discontinued operations of $67,000, compared to a
loss from discontinued operations $518,000 for the prior fiscal
year. The gain from discontinued operations for the year ended
December 31, 2008 principally relates to foreign currency exchange rate gains on
liabilities associated with our former business that are denominated in
euros.
Liquidity
And Capital Resources
As of
December 31, 2008 we had $291,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of
$6,604,000, as compared with $805,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of
$7,344,000 at December 31, 2007.
24
Since our
inception, we have financed our operations primarily through private sales of
our securities. Early in 2007 we decided to terminate our
bio-pharmaceutical operations. Accordingly, in August 2007, we sold
one of our drug candidates, the MDI-P compound, for $310,000 in
cash. We also were under an agreement to sell SaveCream, our second
and larger drug candidate, to a European buyer for €4,007,534 (or approximately
U.S. $5,578,000 based on the currency conversion rate in effect as of December
31, 2008). The closing of that sale was scheduled to occur no later
than the end of January 2008. However, the sale to this European
buyer was not completed and the European buyer has since become
insolvent. As a result of the inability of the European buyer to
complete the purchase of SaveCream, we did not have the funds available in
fiscal 2008 that we had expected. This lack of funding caused us to
delay many of our projects and caused us to try to financing our business plan
through other means that do not require the use of cash (such as purchasing
Jatropha farms through (i) joint ventures with third party investors and (ii)
the issuance of our shares). We are continuing to market the
SaveCream assets. Should we be able to sell these assets, our
liquidity would substantially increase. However, we have not entered
into any agreements for the sale of these legacy pharmaceutical assets, and no
assurance can be given that we will ever be able to dispose of these assets in a
manner that will improve our liquidity.
In order
to fund our ongoing operations, in 2007 we entered into a loan agreement with
one of our larger shareholders, Mercator Momentum Fund III,
L.P. Pursuant to the loan agreement, we borrowed certain amounts in
2007 and 2008 and repaid a portion of the loans. Currently, the
outstanding principal balance of the Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P. loan is
$460,000. The loan currently matures and becomes due and payable on
July 13, 2009. The loan is secured by a first priority lien on all of
our assets.
In
November 2007, we issued 13,000 shares of our newly created Series B Convertible
Preferred Stock to two accredited investors for an aggregate of
$1,300,000.
In order
to fund the acquisition and development of our first Jatropha plantation in
Mexico, in April 2008 we formed GCE Mexico I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (GCE LLC), with six unaffiliated investors. GCE
LLC subsequently purchased approximately 5,000 acres of farm land in
the State of Yucatan in Mexico that is currently being cultivated as a Jatropha
farm (the Jatropha Farm). We own 50% of the issued and outstanding
common membership units of GCE LLC. The remaining 50% of the common
membership units was issued to the unaffiliated investors. As the
owner of the common membership interest were not required to make any capital
contributions to GCE LLC. Two of the investors are required to fund
GCE LLC’s activities with approximately $4.2 million through the purchase of
preferred membership units and through a mortgage loan that was used to purchase
the approximately 5,000 acre Jatropha Farm in Mexico. An aggregate of
1,000 preferred membership units were issued to these two investors. Under GCE
LLC’s operating agreement, the two preferred investors were required to invest a
total of approximately $2,233,000 in GCE LLC, all of which was invested in
2008. In addition, the two preferred investors are required to make
additional capital contributions to GCE LLC, as requested by management and as
required by the operation of the Jatropha Farm in 2009 and the following
years. As a result, through March 31, 2009, these two investors have
contributed a total of $3,486,000 to GCE LLC. The Preferred Members
are required to continue to fund the ongoing operation in accordance with the
approved annual budgets provided by management. This funding will continue until
the Jatropha Farm generates adequate revenue to sustain operations, which is
expected to occur by the end of calendar year 2009. These investors
also directly funded the purchase of approximately 5,000 acres of land in the
State of Yucatan in Mexico by a loan of $2,051,282, which loan is secured by a
mortgage in favor of these two investors in the amount of
$2,051,282. The mortgage bears interest at the rate of 12% per annum,
payable quarterly. GCE LLC has agreed that this interest will accrue
until such time as there is sufficient cash flow to pay all accrued
interest. The entire mortgage, including any unpaid interest, is due
April 23, 2018. The Jatropha Farm is expected to produce its first
material harvest of Jatropha seeds in the fall of 2009, and is expected to
generate cash from operations beginning in the fourth quarter of
2009. However, because the holders have a 12% priority return, and
because we have been accruing interest on the mortgage, the cash generated by
the Jatropha Farm is not expected to improve our liquidity and cash flow in the
near future.
25
We
currently do not have any significant source of revenues and do not have
sufficient funds to fund our administrative expenses. Accordingly, we
will have to obtain additional funding in the near future in order to continue
our operations. Although we expect to receive modest revenues from
consulting fees and possibly some minor Jatropha sales, the amount of revenues
that we expect to generate from these sources will not be sufficient to fund all
of our working capital needs. Therefore, we will have to obtain additional
financing from various other sources, including from the sale of convertible
debt or equity securities, the forward sale of Jatropha oil and carbon offset
credits, and from strategic partnerships. While we have commenced
negotiations with third parties to obtain additional funding from strategic
partnerships and for the sale of carbon credits, no assurance can be given that
any of these transactions will be consummated, or if consummated, that they will
provide us with sufficient capital to continue to operate our business in
2009. We have not yet identified, and cannot be sure that we will be
able to obtain any additional investment funding from either equity or debt
sources, or that the terms under which we may be able to obtain such funding
will be beneficial to us. If we do not obtain sufficient additional
funds in the near future, we will have to suspend some of our operations, scale
down our current and proposed future operations or, if those actions are not
sufficient, terminate our operations. The termination of our
operations would result in a total loss of our shareholders’
investment.
Even if
we obtain financing to fund our working capital needs, we will need a
significant infusion of additional capital to establish other Jatropha
plantations in Mexico and other locations. We currently have no
sources for obtaining the large amount of investments that we will need to
develop our company in the manner contemplated in our business
plan.
We have
no off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a) of Regulation
S-K.
ITEM
7A. QUANTITATIVE AND
QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not
applicable to a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of SEC
Regulation S-K.
ITEM
8.
|
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
|
Financial
Statements are referred to in Item 15, listed in the Index to Financial
Statements and filed and included elsewhere herein as a part of this Annual
Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM
9.
|
CHANGES
IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL
DISCLOSURE.
|
None.
ITEM
9A(T). CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
We
maintain disclosure controls and procedures which are designed to ensure that
the information required to be disclosed in the reports it files or submits
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended, the “Act”) is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the
SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated
to our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial
Officer (“Certifying Officers”), to allow timely decisions regarding required
financial disclosures.
In
connection with the preparation of this Annual Report, our Certifying Officers
evaluated the effectiveness of management’s disclosure controls and procedures,
as of December 31, 2008, in accordance with Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b) of the
Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, the Certifying Officers
concluded that management’s disclosure controls and procedures were not
effective as of December 31, 2008.
26
Material
Weakness in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our
management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 15d-15(f) under the
Exchange Act, and for assessing the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting.
Internal
control over financial reporting is intended to provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of
financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States. Internal control
over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly
reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets, (2) provide reasonable
assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of
financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only
in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and (3)
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of
unauthorized acquisitions, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a
material effect on our financial statements.
Management,
with the participation of our principal executive and financial officers,
conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over
financial reporting, as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in
Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on that
evaluation, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2008, our internal
control over financial reporting was not effective.
Based on
our evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting in our Mexico
subsidiary, we have determined that we currently have inadequate controls over
the accounting functions in Mexico and over cash management in
Mexico. Management is attempting to implement new controls to improve
both of these deficiencies.
Our Board
of Directors believes that, with the exception of the issues identified relating
to our operations in Mexico, our system of internal controls, disclosure
controls and procedures are adequate to provide reasonable assurance that the
information required to be disclosed in the our interim and annual reports is
recorded, processed, summarized, and accurately reported within the time periods
specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated
and communicated to our Board of Directors, the Audit Committee, management,
including our certifying officers, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions
regarding required disclosure based closely on the definition of “disclosure
controls and procedures” in Rule 13a-15(e). The Audit Committee
cannot be certain that its remediation efforts will sufficiently cure
management’s identified material financial reporting
weaknesses. Furthermore, the Audit Committee has not tested the
operating effectiveness of the remediated controls, since the process is not yet
complete. However, because of the inherent limitations in all control
systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all
control issues, if any, within our company have been detected. These
inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can
be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or
mistakes.
This
annual report does not include an attestation report of our independent
registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial
reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our
independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to temporary rules of the
SEC that permit us to provide only management’s report in this annual
report.
27
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Except as
reported above in this Item 9, there was no change in our internal control over
financial reporting during the most recent fiscal quarter that materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control
over financial reporting.
ITEM
9B. OTHER
INFORMATION
None.
PART
III
ITEM
10.
|
DIRECTORS,
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE.
|
The
following table sets forth the name, age and position held by each of our
executive officers and directors. Directors are elected for a period
of one year and thereafter serve until the next annual meeting at which their
successors are duly elected by the stockholders.
Name
|
Age
|
Position
|
||
David
R. Walker
(1)
|
64
|
Chairman
of the Board
|
||
Richard
Palmer
|
48
|
President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
||
Bruce
Nelson
|
54
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
||
Eric
J. Melvin
|
45
|
Director
|
||
Mark
A. Bernstein, Ph.D.
(1)
|
55
|
Director
|
(1)
|
Member
of our Audit Committee
|
Business
Experience and Directorships
The
following describes the backgrounds of current executive officers and
directors. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Walker and
Dr. Bernstein are independent directors as defined in the Nasdaq rules governing
members of boards of directors.
David R.
Walker
David R.
Walker joined the Board of Directors on May 2, 1996, and was appointed
Chairman of the Board of Directors on May 10, 1998. He has served as
Chairman of the Audit Committee since its establishment in 2001. For
over 20 years, Mr. Walker has been the General Manager of Sunheaven
Farms, the largest onion growing and packing entity in the State of
Washington. In the capacity of General Manager, Mr. Walker
performs the functions of a traditional chief financial
officer. Mr. Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics
from Brigham Young University with minors in accounting and
finance.
Richard
Palmer
Richard
Palmer was appointed as our President and Chief Operating Officer in September
2007, and been a member of the Board of Directors since September 2007. Mr.
Palmer became our Chief Executive Officer on December 21, 2007. Mr.
Palmer has over 25 years of hands-on experience in the energy field, holding
senior level management positions with a number of large engineering,
development, operations and construction companies. He is a co-founder of Mobius
Risk Group, LLC, an energy risk advisory services consulting company, and was a
principal and Executive Vice President of that consulting company from January,
2002 until September 2007. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Palmer was a Senior Director
at Enron Energy Services. Prior thereto, from 1995 to 1996 Mr. Palmer was a Vice
President of Bentley Engineering, and a Senior Vice President of Southland
Industries from 1993 to 1996. Mr. Palmer received his designation as a Certified
Energy Manager in 1999, holds two Business Management Certificates from
University of Southern California’s Business School, and is an active member of
both the American Society of Plant Biologists and the International Tropical
Farmers Association.
28
Eric J.
Melvin
Eric
Melvin was elected to our Board of Directors in September 2007 and was appointed
as our Secretary in October 2007. Mr. Melvin is a co-founder of Mobius
Risk Group, LLC, and has been its Chief Executive Officer since January
2002. He has extensive commodity trading and marketing experience
including: natural gas (physical and financial), power, crude products, coal,
weather, fixed income and foreign exchange, as well as a strong track record of
developing and managing profitable energy trading, marketing and origination
groups. Eric has established trading processes and risk guidelines and has
selected and implemented financial and physical trading systems. He
received his BGS (Bachelor of Graduate Studies) from the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor and a JD from University of Detroit, School of Law.
Mark A.
Bernstein
Mark A.
Bernstein, Ph.D., joined our Board of Directors on June 30, 2008. Dr.
Bernstein is current a teaching professor at The University of Southern
California (USC) where he also serves as the Managing Director of USC’s Energy
Institute. Dr. Bernstein is an internationally recognized expert on
energy policy and alternative energy technologies. Dr. Bernstein was
awarded a Ph.D. in Energy Management and Policy from the University of
Pennsylvania, holds a Masters degree in Mathematics from Ohio State University,
and a B.A. from State University of New York at Albany.
Compliance
with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our executive officers and
directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity
securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the
SEC. Executive officers, directors and greater than 10% shareholders
are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a)
forms they file.
Based
solely on information provided to us by our officers and our review of copies of
reporting forms received by us, we believe that during fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008, our officers and directors complied with the filing
requirements under Section 16(a).
Code
of Ethics
Our Board
of Directors has adopted a code of ethics that applies to our principal
executive officers, principal financial officer or controller, or persons
performing similar functions (“Code of Ethics”). A copy
of our code of ethics will be furnished without charge to any person upon
written request. Requests should be sent to: Secretary,
Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. 6033 W. Century Blvd., #895 Los Angeles,
California 90045.
Board
Committees
Our Board
of Directors has an Audit Committee, but does not currently have a Compensation
Committee or a Nominating Committee.
29
The Audit
Committee meets periodically with management and with our independent registered
public accounting firm to, among other things, review the results of the annual
audit and quarterly reviews and discuss the financial statements. The
audit committee also hires the independent registered public accounting firm,
and receives and considers the accountant’s comments as to controls, adequacy of
staff and management performance and procedures. The Audit Committee
is also authorized to review related party transactions for potential conflicts
of interest. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Mr.
Walker and Dr. Bernstein constituted all of the members of the Audit
Committee. Both Mr. Walker and Dr. Bernstein are non-employee
directors and independent as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market’s listing
standards. Mr. Walker has significant knowledge of financial matters,
and our Board has designated Mr. Walker as the “audit committee financial
expert” of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee met 10 times
during fiscal 2007 and four times in 2008 in connection with this Annual Report
and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB. The Audit Committee
operates under a formal charter that governs its duties and
conduct.
ITEM
11.
|
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION.
|
Summary
Compensation Table.
The
following table set forth certain information concerning the annual and
long-term compensation for services rendered to us in all capacities for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 of all persons who served as our
principal executive officer and principal financial officer during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2008. No other executive officers earned
annual compensation during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 that exceeded
$100,000. The principal executive officer and the other named
officers are collectively referred to as the “Named Executive
Officers.”
Summary
Compensation Table
Name and
Principal Position
|
Fiscal
Year
Ended
12/31
|
Salary
($)
|
Bonus
($)
|
Stock
Awards
($)
|
Option
Awards
($)(3)
|
All Other
Compensation
($)
|
Total
($)
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Richard
Palmer(1)
|
2008
|
250,000 | — | — | — | 23,400 | 273,400 | |||||||||||||||||||
2007
|
83,333 | — | — | 264,000 | 7,800 | 355,133 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bruce
Nelson(2)
|
2008
|
145,833 | (2) | — | — | 189,000 | 10,000 | 344,833 |
(1)
|
Richard
Palmer became the registrant’s Chief Executive Officer December 21,
2007. Prior thereto, he served as our President and Chief
Operating Officer from September 7, 2007.
|
(2)
|
Mr.
Nelson became our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary on April 1,
2008.
|
(3)
|
This
column represents the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fair value of stock options granted to the
named executive, in accordance with SFAS 123R. Pursuant to SEC
rules, the amounts shown exclude the impact of estimated forfeitures
related to service-based vesting conditions. For additional
information on the valuation assumptions with respect to the option
grants, refer to Notes C and J of our financial statements in this Annual
Report. These amounts reflect our accounting expense for these
awards, and do not correspond to the actual value that will be recognized
by the named executive from these
awards.
|
Stock
Option Grants
The
following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2008 concerning
unexercised options, unvested stock and equity incentive plan awards for the
executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table.
30
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2008
Option Awards
|
Stock Awards
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
(#)
|
Option
Exercise
Price
($)
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
|
Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
($)
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
($)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richard
Palmer
|
— | 6,000,000 | (1) | — | $ | 0.03 |
8/30/12
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
6,000,000 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bruce
Nelson
|
500,000 | (3) | — | — | 0.05 |
3/20/18
|
— | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
500,000 | (4) | — | — | 0.05 |
3/20/18
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
— | 500,000 | (5) | — | 0.05 |
3/20/18
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
— | 500,000 | (6) | — | 0.05 |
3/20/18
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
— | 1,250,000 | (1) | — | 0.05 |
3/20/13
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
— | 1,250,000 | (2) | — | 0.05 |
3/20/13
|
— | — | — | — |
|
(1)
|
Will
vest if and when our company’s market capitalization reaches $75
million.
|
|
(2)
|
Will
vest if and when our company’s market capitalization reaches $120
million.
|
|
(3)
|
Vested
on July 1, 2008.
|
|
(4)
|
Vested
on December 1, 2008
|
|
(5)
|
Will
vest on July 1, 2009.
|
|
(6)
|
Will
vest March 31, 2010.
|
Director
Compensation.
The
following table sets forth information concerning the compensation paid to each
of our non-employee directors during 2008 for their services rendered as
directors. The compensation of Richard Palmer, who serves as a
director and as our President and Chief Executive Officer, is described above in
the Summary Compensation Table.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008
Name
|
Fees
Earned
or Paid
in Cash
|
Stock
Awards
|
Option
Awards
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
|
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
|
All Other
Compensation
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
David
R. Walker
|
$ | 10,000 | — | — | — | — | — | $ | 10,000 | |||||||||||||||||||
Eric
J. Melvin
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
Mark
A. Bernstein, Ph.D.
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
31
Employment
Agreements
Richard
Palmer. On September 7, 2007, we entered into an employment
agreement with Richard Palmer pursuant to which we hired Richard Palmer to serve
as our President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Palmer was also
appointed to serve as director on our Board of Directors to serve until the next
election of directors by our shareholders. Upon the resignation of
our prior Chief Executive Officer in December 2007, Mr. Palmer also became our
Chief Executive Officer. Under our employment agreement with Mr.
Palmer, we granted Mr. Palmer an incentive option to purchase up to 12,000,000
shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.03 (the trading price on
the date the agreement was signed), subject to our achievement of certain market
capitalization goals. The option expires after five
years. In addition, Mr. Palmer’s compensation package includes a base
salary of $250,000, and a bonus payment contingent on Mr. Palmer’s satisfaction
of certain performance criteria, which will not exceed 100% of Mr. Palmer’s base
salary. The term of employment commenced September 1, 2007 and ends
on September 30, 2010.
Bruce
Nelson. On March 20, 2008, we entered into an employment
agreement with Bruce K. Nelson pursuant to which we hired Mr. Nelson
to serve as our Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer effective
April 1, 2008. Mr. Nelson’s employment agreement has an initial term
of employment that continues through March 20, 2010. Thereafter, the
term of employment shall automatically renew for successive one-year periods
unless otherwise terminated by us. We agreed to pay Mr. Nelson a base
salary of $175,000, subject to annual increases based on the Consumer Price
Index for the immediately preceding 12-month period, and a bonus payment based
on Mr. Nelson’s satisfaction of certain performance criteria established by the
compensation committee of our Board of Directors. The bonus amount in
any fiscal year will not exceed 100% of Mr. Nelson’s base salary. Mr.
Nelson is eligible to participate in this company’s employee stock option plan
and other benefit plans. At the time we employed Mr. Nelson, we
granted him a ten-year option to acquire up to 2,000,000 shares of our common
stock at an exercise price of $0.05 (the trading price on the date the agreement
was signed). These options vest in tranches of 500,000 shares over
the first two years of the employment term. We also granted Mr.
Nelson a five-year option to acquire up to 2,500,000 shares of our common stock
at an exercise price of $0.05, if this company meets certain market
capitalization goals.
ITEM
12.
|
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED
STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
|
The
following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of
our common stock as of March 31, 2009 (a) by each person known by us to own
beneficially 5% or more of any class of our common stock, (b) by each of our
executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table and each of our
directors and (c) by all executive officers and directors of this company as a
group. As of March 31, 2009, there were 229,381,338 shares of our
common stock issued and outstanding. Unless otherwise noted, we
believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment
power with respect to all the shares beneficially owned by them.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)
|
Shares Beneficially
Owned (2)
|
Percent
of Class
|
||||||
Certain
Beneficial Owners:
|
||||||||
Monarch
Pointe Fund, Ltd.
555
S. Flower St., Suite 4500
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
24,085,509 | (3) | 10.04 | % | ||||
Mobius
Risk Group, LLC
Three
Riverway, Suite 1700
Houston,
Texas 77056
|
54,810,220 | (4) | 23.89 | % |
32
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)
|
Shares Beneficially
Owned (2)
|
Percent
of Class
|
||||||
Directors/Named
Executive Officers:
|
||||||||
Richard
Palmer
|
9,135,037 | (5) | 3.98 | % | ||||
Bruce
Nelson
|
1,000,000 | (6) | * | |||||
David
R. Walker
|
1,153,539 | (7) | * | |||||
Eric
J. Melvin
Three
Riverway, Suite 1700
Houston,
Texas 77056
|
54,810,220 | (8) | 23.89 | % | ||||
Mark
A. Bernstein
|
-0- | -0- | ||||||
All
Named Executive Officers and Directors as a group (5
persons)
|
66,098,796 | 28.60 | % |
* Less
than 1%
(1)
Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each person listed is c/o
Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., 6033 W. Century Blvd, Suite 895, Los
Angeles, California.
(2) For
purposes of this table, shares are considered beneficially owned if the person
directly or indirectly has the sole or shared power to vote or direct the voting
of the securities or the sole or shared power to dispose of or direct the
disposition of the securities. Shares are also considered
beneficially owned if a person has the right to acquire beneficial ownership of
the shares within 60 days of March 31, 2009.
(3)
Includes 10,403,095 shares that may be acquired upon the exercise of currently
exercisable warrants. The warrants contain a provision the prevents
them from being exercised if such exercise would cause Monarch Pointe Fund, Ltd.
from owning more than 9.99% of our outstanding common stock.
(4)
Includes 3,915,016 shares subject to forfeiture in the event the company has not
satisfied certain conditions by September 7, 2009.
(5)
Includes 652,503 shares subject to forfeiture in the event the company has not
satisfied certain conditions by September 7, 2009. Mr. Palmer owns
13.33% of the outstanding membership interests of Mobius. Mr. Palmer
has options to acquire 12,000,000 shares of common stock, which options are not
currently exercisable and will not become exercisable unless certain conditions
are met. Neither the shares held by Mobius, nor the foregoing options
to purchase 12,000,000 shares have been included in Mr. Palmer’s holdings in
this table.
(6)
Consists of 1,000,000 shares that may be acquired upon the exercise of currently
exercisable options. Mr. Nelson also has options to acquire 2,500,000
shares of common stock that are not currently exercisable and will not become
exercisable unless certain conditions are met.
(7) Includes
750,000 shares that may be acquired upon the exercise of currently exercisable
options.
(8)
Includes 54,810,220 shares held in the name of Mobius Risk Group, LLC, a Texas
limited liability company. Mr. Melvin is the Chief Executive Officer
and a director of Mobius Risk Group, LLC.
ITEM
13.
|
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR
INDEPENDENCE.
|
Emmes
Consulting Agreement
On
February 1, 2007, we entered into a consulting agreement (the “Emmes Agreement”)
with Emmes Group Consulting LLC (“Emmes”) pursuant to which we engaged Emmes to
assist with developing an overall strategic business plan and recapitalization
strategy for our company. The term of the engagement was for one
year. As compensation for its services, Emmes was entitled to receive
a consulting fee of $15,000 per month plus a ten-year warrant to purchase
5,000,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.03 per
share. Martin Schroeder, the Executive Vice-President and Managing
Director of Emmes, was a Director of this company until his resignation on April
8, 2008.
33
Loan
Agreement
In order
to fund our operations, on September 7, 2007 we entered into a loan and security
agreement (“Loan Agreement”) with Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P., a California
limited partnership. From September 7, 2007 until December 11, 2009, Mercator
Momentum Fund III, L.P. was a major shareholder of this company and the
beneficial owner of approximately 18% of our voting shares. Pursuant
to the Loan Agreement, Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P. agreed to make available
to us a secured term credit facility in the aggregate principal amount of
$1,000,000 (the “Loan”). In connection with the Loan Agreement, we
issued a secured promissory note to Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P. that bears
interest at a rate of 12% per annum, payable monthly. As of March 31,
2009, the outstanding principal balance of the Loan was $460,000. The
Loan is secured by a first priority lien on all of our assets and matures on
July 13, 2009.
Share
Exchange Agreement
On
September 7, 2007, we entered into a share and exchange agreement (the “Global
Agreement”) pursuant to which we acquired all of the outstanding ownership
interests in Global Clean Energy Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (“Global”). Richard Palmer and Mobius Risk Group, LLC
(“Mobius”), a Texas limited liability company, were the sole owners of the
outstanding equity interests of Global. In exchange for all of the
outstanding ownership interests in Global, we issued 63,945,257 shares of our
common stock to Richard Palmer and Mobius. Eric J. Melvin, one of our directors
is a principal and Chief Executive Officer of Mobius.
Mobius
Consulting Agreement
Concurrent
with the execution of the Global Agreement, we also entered into a consulting
agreement with Mobius (the “Mobius Agreement”) pursuant to which Mobius has
agreed to provide consulting services to us in connection with our new Jatropha
Business. Richard Palmer, our President and Chief Operating Officer,
owns 13.33% of the outstanding equity interests of Mobius. In
addition, Eric J. Melvin, one of our directors is a principal and Chief
Executive Officer of Mobius. We have agreed to pay Mobius a monthly
retainer of $45,000 for the services provided under the consulting
agreement. The consulting agreement was terminated in August
2008.
ITEM
14.
|
PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.
|
Audit
Fees
The
aggregate fees accrued by Hansen, Barnett & Maxwell. P.C. during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2007 and 2008 for professional services for the audit of
our financial statements and the review of financial statements included in our
Forms 10-QSB and SEC filings were $47,599 and $43,038 respectively.
Audit-Related
Fees
Hansen,
Barnett & Maxwell. P.C. did not provide and did not bill and it was not paid
any fees for, audit-related services in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007
and 2008.
Tax
Fees
Hansen,
Barnett & Maxwell. P.C. did not provide, and did not bill and was not paid
any fees for, tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning services for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008.
All
Other Fees
Hansen,
Barnett & Maxwell. P.C. did not provide, and did not bill and were not paid
any fees for, any other services in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and
2008.
34
Audit
Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Consistent
with SEC policies, the Audit Committee charter provides that the Audit Committee
shall pre-approve all audit engagement fees and terms and pre-approve any other
significant compensation to be paid to the independent registered public
accounting firm. No other significant compensation services were
performed for us by Hansen, Barnett & Maxwell. P.C. during 2007 and
2008.
PART
IV
ITEM
15.
|
EXHIBITS
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
|
The
Company’s financial statements and related notes thereto are listed and included
in this Annual Report beginning on page F-1. The following documents are
furnished as exhibits to this Form 10-K. Exhibits marked with an asterisk are
filed herewith. The remainder of the exhibits previously have been
filed with the Commission and are incorporated herein by reference.
Number
|
Exhibit
|
|
3.1
|
Amended
and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company (filed as Exhibit
3.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1994, and incorporated herein by
reference).
|
|
3.2
|
Amended
Bylaws of the Company (filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, and incorporated
herein by reference).
|
|
4.1
|
Certificate
of Designations of Preferences and Rights of Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock of Medical Discoveries, Inc. (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to
Registration Statement No. 333-121635 filed on Form SB-2 on December
23, 2004, and incorporated herein by reference).
|
|
4.4
|
Amendment
to Certificate of Designations of Preferences and Rights of Series A
Convertible Preferred Stock of Medical Discoveries, Inc. (filed as Exhibit
4.2 to Registration Statement No. 333-121635 filed on Form SB-2 on
December 23, 2004, and incorporated herein by
reference).
|
|
4.5
|
Certificate
Of Designation of Preferences and Rights Series B Convertible Preferred
Stock of Medical Discoveries, Inc. (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed November 13, 2007, and incorporated
herein by reference)
|
|
10.1
|
2002
Stock Incentive Plan adopted by the Board of Directors as of July 11, 2002
(filed as Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB
for the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and incorporated herein by
reference).
|
|
10.2
|
Sale
and Purchase Agreement between Attorney Hinnerk-Joachim Müller as
liquidator of Savetherapeutics AG i.L. and Medical Discoveries, Inc.
regarding the purchase of the essential assets of Savetherapeutics AG i.L.
(filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, and incorporated herein by
reference).
|
|
10.3
|
Share
Exchange Agreement dated September 7, 2007 among Medical Discoveries,
Inc., Richard Palmer, and Mobius Risk Group, LLC (filed as Exhibit 2.2 to
the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 17, 2007, and
incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.4
|
Definitive
Master Agreement dated as of July 29, 2006, by and between MDI Oncology,
Inc. and Eucodis Forschungs und Entwicklungs GmbH (filed as Exhibit 10.1
to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 3, 2006, and
incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.5
|
Loan
and Security Agreement, dated September 7, 2007, between Medical
Discoveries, Inc. and Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P. (filed as Exhibit
10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 17, 2007,
and incorporated herein by reference).
|
|
10.6
|
Note
Amendment And Maturity Date Extension, dated January 12, 2009, between the
Company and Mercator Momentum Fund III,
L.P.*
|
35
Number
|
Exhibit
|
|
10.7
|
Consulting
Agreement dated September 7, 2007 between Medical Discoveries, Inc. and
Mobius Risk Group, LLC (filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed September 17, 2007, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
|
10.8
|
Employment
Agreement dated September 7, 2007 between Medical Discoveries, Inc. and
Richard Palmer (filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on
Form 8-K filed September 17, 2007, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
|
10.9
|
Release
and Settlement Agreement dated August 31, 2007 between Medical
Discoveries, Inc. and Richard Palmer (filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 17, 2007, and
incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.10
|
Release
and Settlement Agreement, dated as of October 19, 2007, by and among the
Company, on the one hand, and Mercator Momentum Fund, LP, Monarch Pointe
Fund, Ltd., and Mercator Momentum Fund III, LP, on the other hand. (filed
as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed October
26, 2007, and incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.11
|
Form
of Warrant (filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form
8-K filed October 26, 2007, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
|
10.12
|
Securities
Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 6, 2007, by and among Medical
Discoveries, Inc. and the Purchasers (as defined therein) (filed as
Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed November
13, 2007, and incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.13
|
Employment
Agreement dated March 20, 2008 between Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.
and Bruce K. Nelson (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed April 7, 2008, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
|
10.14
|
Exchange
Agreement, effective April 18, 2008, by and between Global Clean Energy
Holdings, Inc., on the one hand, and Mercator Momentum Fund, L.P.,
Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P., and Monarch Pointe Fund, Ltd. (filed as
Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 24,
2008, and incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.15
|
Amendment
to Loan and Security Agreement, dated September 7, 2007, between Medical
Discoveries, Inc. and Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P. (filed as Exhibit
10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB filed August 14,
2008, and incorporated herein by reference)
|
|
10.16
|
Stock
Purchase Agreement, dated October 30, 2008, between the Global Clean
Energy Holdings, Inc. and the four shareholders of Technology Alternatives
Limited, a Belizean Company formed under the Laws of Belize (filed as
Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB filed
November 14, 2008, and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
|
14.1
|
Medical
Discoveries, Inc. Code of Conduct*
|
|
23
|
Consent
of Hansen, Barnett & Maxwell. P.C.*
|
|
31
|
Rule
13a-14(a) Certification, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *
|
|
32
|
Certification
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
|
|
* Filed
herewith.
|
36
SIGNATURES
In
accordance with Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.
|
||
April
14, 2009
|
By:
|
/s/ RICHARD PALMER
|
Richard
Palmer
President
and Chief Executive
Officer
|
In
accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed
below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and
on the dates indicated.
Signature
|
Title
|
Date
|
||
/s/
RICHARD PALMER
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
April
14, 2009
|
||
Richard
Palmer
|
(Principal
Executive Officer) and Director
|
|||
/s/
BRUCE NELSON
|
Chief Financial
Officer (Principal
|
April
14, 2009
|
||
Bruce
Nelson
|
Accounting
Officer)
|
|||
/s/
DAVID WALKER
|
Chairman,
the Board of Directors
|
April
14, 2009
|
||
David
Walker
|
||||
/s/
ERIC MELVIN
|
Director
and Secretary
|
April
14, 2009
|
||
Eric
Melvin
|
||||
/s/
MARK A. BERNSTEIN
|
Director
|
April
14, 2009
|
||
Mark
A. Bernstein
|
37
Index
to Financial Statements
Page
|
||||
Financial
Statements:
|
||||
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
F-2
|
|||
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2008 and 2007
|
F-3
|
|||
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for each of the two fiscal years in
the period ended December 31, 2008 and from inception
|
F-4
|
|||
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit from
inception through December 31, 2008
|
F-5
|
|||
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for each of the two years in the
period ended December 31, 2008 and from inception
|
F-7
|
|||
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
|
F-8
|
F-1
CERTIFIED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
AND
BUSINESS
CONSULTANTS
5
Triad Center, Suite 750
Salt
Lake City, UT 84180-1128
Phone:
(801) 532-2200
Fax:
(801) 532-7944
www.hbmcpas.com
|
Registered
with the Public Company
Accounting
Oversight Board
A
Member of the Forum of Firms
|
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the
Board of Directors and Shareholders
Global
Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.
Los
Angeles, CA
We have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Global Clean Energy
Holdings, Inc. and subsidiaries (a development stage company) as of December 31,
2008 and 2007, and the related consolidated statements of operations,
stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the years then ended, and for the
period from November 20, 1991 (date of inception of the development stage)
through December 31, 2008. These consolidated financial statements are the
responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We did not
audit the financial statements of the Company from November 20, 1991 through
December 31, 2003, which statements reflect total revenues and deficit
accumulated during the development stage of $157,044 and $14,930,259,
respectively. Those statements were audited by other auditors whose reports,
dated February 18, 2004 (except Note K, not included herein, as to which the
date is November 15, 2004) and March 20, 2000, included an explanatory paragraph
stating there was substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue
as a going concern. Our opinion, insofar as it relates to the consolidated
financial statements for the period from November 20, 1991 through December 31,
2003, is based solely on the report of the other auditors.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. The company is not required to
have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over
financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over
financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are
appropriate in the circumstances, 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. An audit also includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in
the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our
opinion, based on our audits and the report of the other auditors, the
consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.
and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the results of their
operations and their cash flows for the years then ended and for the period from
November 20, 1991 through December 31, 2008, in conformity with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles.
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that
the Company will continue as a going concern. The Company is a development stage
enterprise previously engaged in developing bio-pharmaceutical research and
currently developing bio-diesel fuels. As discussed in Note B to the
financial statements, the stockholders’ deficit and the operating losses since
inception raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a
going concern. Management’s plans concerning these matters are also
described in Note B. The financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of these
uncertainties.
/s/
HANSEN, BARNETT & MAXWELL, P.C.
HANSEN, BARNETT & MAXWELL,
P.C.Salt Lake City, Utah
April 14,
2009
F-2
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
December
31,
|
December
31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
CURRENT
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 291,309 | $ | 805,338 | ||||
Subscription
receivable
|
- | 75,000 | ||||||
Other
current assets
|
131,715 | 51,073 | ||||||
Total
Current Assets
|
423,024 | 931,411 | ||||||
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT
|
||||||||
Land
|
2,051,282 | - | ||||||
Plantation
development costs
|
2,117,061 | 308,777 | ||||||
Plantation
equipment
|
509,037 | - | ||||||
Office
equipment
|
10,993 | 1,127 | ||||||
4,688,373 | 309,904 | |||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation
|
(22,296 | ) | (563 | ) | ||||
4,666,077 | 309,341 | |||||||
OTHER
ASSETS
|
2,691 | - | ||||||
TOTAL
ASSETS
|
$ | 5,091,792 | $ | 1,240,752 | ||||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT
|
||||||||
CURRENT
LIABILITIES
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ | 1,890,999 | $ | 1,656,292 | ||||
Accrued
payroll and payroll taxes
|
1,158,808 | 950,971 | ||||||
Accrued
interest payable
|
522,097 | 300,651 | ||||||
Accrued
return on minority interest
|
138,014 | - | ||||||
Secured
promissory note
|
460,000 | 250,000 | ||||||
Notes
payable to shareholders
|
56,000 | 56,000 | ||||||
Convertible
notes payable
|
193,200 | 193,200 | ||||||
Research
and development obligation
|
2,607,945 | 2,701,555 | ||||||
Financial
instrument
|
- | 2,166,514 | ||||||
Total
Current Liabilities
|
7,027,063 | 8,275,183 | ||||||
MORTGAGE
NOTE PAYABLE
|
2,051,282 | - | ||||||
MINORITY
INTEREST
|
1,962,022 | - | ||||||
STOCKHOLDERS'
DEFICIT
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock - no par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized
|
||||||||
Series
A, convertible; zero and 28,928 shares issued and outstanding,
respectively (aggregate liquidation preference of $0 and $2,892,800,
respectively)
|
- | 514,612 | ||||||
Series
B, convertible; 13,000 shares issued or subscribed (aggregate liquidation
preference of $1,300,000)
|
1,290,735 | 1,290,735 | ||||||
Common
stock, no par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 224,813,819 and
174,838,967 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
|
17,634,474 | 16,526,570 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
3,672,724 | 1,472,598 | ||||||
Deficit
accumulated prior to the development stage
|
(1,399,577 | ) | (1,399,577 | ) | ||||
Deficit
accumulated during the development stage
|
(27,146,931 | ) | (25,439,369 | ) | ||||
Total
Stockholders' Deficit
|
(5,948,575 | ) | (7,034,431 | ) | ||||
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT
|
$ | 5,091,792 | $ | 1,240,752 |
See Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements
F-3
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
From Inception of
|
||||||||||||
the Development Stage
|
||||||||||||
For the Years Ended
|
on November 20, 1991
|
|||||||||||
December 31,
|
through
|
|||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
December 31, 2008
|
||||||||||
Operating
Expenses
|
||||||||||||
General
and administrative
|
$ | 1,828,727 | $ | 2,949,885 | $ | 9,729,285 | ||||||
Research
and development
|
- | 986,584 | 986,584 | |||||||||
Loss
from Operations
|
(1,828,727 | ) | (3,936,469 | ) | (10,715,869 | ) | ||||||
Other
Income (Expenses)
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on financial instrument
|
5,469 | (147,636 | ) | 4,722,632 | ||||||||
Interest
income
|
4,310 | 4,441 | 66,915 | |||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(234,470 | ) | (51,929 | ) | (1,472,019 | ) | ||||||
Interest
expense from amortization of discount on secured promissory
note
|
(36,369 | ) | (250,000 | ) | (286,369 | ) | ||||||
Gain
on debt restructuring
|
- | 485,137 | 2,524,787 | |||||||||
Other
income
|
- | - | 906,485 | |||||||||
Total
Other Income (Expenses)
|
(261,060 | ) | 40,013 | 6,462,431 | ||||||||
Loss
from Continuing Operations Before Minority Interest in Net
Loss
|
(2,089,787 | ) | (3,896,456 | ) | (4,253,438 | ) | ||||||
Minority
interest in net loss
|
315,115 | - | 315,115 | |||||||||
Loss
from Continuing Operations
|
(1,774,672 | ) | (3,896,456 | ) | (3,938,323 | ) | ||||||
Income
(Loss) from Discontinued Operations (net of gain on disposal of MDI-P of
$258,809 in 2007)
|
67,110 | (518,428 | ) | (22,516,409 | ) | |||||||
Net
Loss
|
(1,707,562 | ) | (4,414,884 | ) | (26,454,732 | ) | ||||||
Preferred
stock dividend from beneficial conversion feature
|
- | - | (692,199 | ) | ||||||||
Net
Loss Applicable to Common Shareholders
|
$ | (1,707,562 | ) | $ | (4,414,884 | ) | $ | (27,146,931 | ) | |||
Basic
and Diluted Loss per Common Share:
|
||||||||||||
Loss
from Continuing Operations
|
$ | (0.009 | ) | $ | (0.029 | ) | ||||||
Income
(Loss) from Discontinued Operations
|
$ | 0.001 | $ | (0.004 | ) | |||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (0.008 | ) | $ | (0.033 | ) | ||||||
Basic
and Diluted Weighted-Average Common Shares Outstanding
|
207,895,116 | 134,707,205 |
See Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
F-4
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT
Period
From November 20, 1991 (Date of Inception of the Development Stage) through
December 31, 2008
Accumulated
|
Deficit
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deficit
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional
|
Prior to
|
During the
|
Escrow/
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred Stock – Series A
|
Preferred Stock – Series B
|
Common stock
|
Paid in
|
Development
|
Development
|
Subscription
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Amount
|
Shares
|
Amount
|
Shares
|
Amount
|
Capital
|
Stage
|
Stage
|
Receivables
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at October 31, 1991
|
- | $ | - | - | $ | - | 1,750,000 | $ | 252,997 | $ | - | $ | (1,482,514 | ) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | (1,229,517 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Restatement
for reverse acquisition of WPI Pharmaceutical, Inc. by Medical
Discoveries, Inc.
|
- | - | - | - | - | (252,997 | ) | - | 252,997 | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
issued in merger of WPI Pharmaceutical, Inc.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medical
Discoveries, Inc., $0.01 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 10,000,000 | 135,000 | - | (170,060 | ) | - | - | (35,060 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at November 20, 1991 (Date of Inception of Development
Stage)
|
- | - | - | - | 11,750,000 | 135,000 | - | (1,399,577 | ) | - | - | (1,264,577 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1992
- $0.50 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 200,000 | 100,000 | - | - | - | - | 100,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1992
- $1.50 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 40,000 | 60,000 | - | - | - | - | 60,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993
- $0.97 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 542,917 | 528,500 | - | - | - | - | 528,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994
- $1.20 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 617,237 | 739,500 | - | - | - | - | 739,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995
- $0.67 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 424,732 | 283,200 | - | - | - | - | 283,200 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996
- $0.66 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 962,868 | 635,000 | - | - | - | (60,000 | ) | 575,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997
- $0.43 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 311,538 | 135,000 | - | - | - | 60,000 | 195,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998
- $0.29 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 2,236,928 | 650,000 | - | - | - | - | 650,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999
- $0.15 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 13,334 | 2,000 | - | - | - | - | 2,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001
- $0.15 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 660,000 | 99,000 | - | - | - | - | 99,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003
- $0.04 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 20,162,500 | 790,300 | - | - | - | - | 790,300 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
- $0.09 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 20,138,024 | 1,813,186 | - | - | - | - | 1,813,186 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005
- $0.18 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 1,922,222 | 281,926 | - | - | - | - | 281,926 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services
and Interest
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1992
- $0.50 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 500,000 | 250,000 | - | - | - | - | 250,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993
- $0.51 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 251,450 | 127,900 | - | - | - | - | 127,900 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993
- $0.50 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 800,000 | 400,000 | - | - | - | - | 400,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994
- $1.00 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 239,675 | 239,675 | - | - | - | - | 239,675 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995
- $0.39 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 4,333,547 | 1,683,846 | - | - | - | (584,860 | ) | 1,098,986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996
- $0.65 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 156,539 | 101,550 | - | - | - | - | 101,550 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997
- $0.29 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 12,500 | 3,625 | - | - | - | - | 3,625 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998
- $0.16 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 683,000 | 110,750 | - | - | - | - | 110,750 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999
- $0.30 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 100,000 | 30,000 | - | - | - | - | 30,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001
- $0.14 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 1,971,496 | 284,689 | - | - | - | - | 284,689 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002
- $0.11 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 2,956,733 | 332,236 | - | - | - | - | 332,236 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003
- $0.04 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 694,739 | 43,395 | - | - | - | - | 43,395 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
- $0.06 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 1,189,465 | 66,501 | - | - | - | - | 66,501 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005
- $0.18 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 104,167 | 11,312 | - | - | - | - | 11,312 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
- $0.18 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 435,556 | 78,400 | - | - | - | - | 78,400 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion
of Debt
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996
- $0.78 per share
|
239,458 | 186,958 | - | - | - | - | 186,958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997
- $0.25 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 100,000 | 25,000 | - | - | - | - | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998
- $0.20 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 283,400 | 56,680 | - | - | - | - | 56,680 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002
- $0.03 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 17,935,206 | 583,500 | - | - | - | - | 583,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
- $0.07 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 9,875,951 | 650,468 | - | - | - | - | 650,468 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion
of preferred stock to common stock, 2006
|
(7,580 | ) | (8,722 | ) | - | - | 10,242,424 | 8,722 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
Issuances
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993
-License - $0.50 share
|
- | - | - | - | 2,000,000 | 1,000,000 | - | - | - | - | 1,000,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997
- Settlement of contract
|
- | - | - | - | 800,000 | 200,000 | - | - | - | - | 200,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998
- Issuance of common stock from exercise of warrants, $0.001 per
share
|
- | - | - | - | 200,000 | 200 | - | - | - | - | 200 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000
- Reversal of shares issued
|
- | - | - | - | (81,538 | ) | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Escrow
and Subscription Receivables
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1996
- Common stock canceled -$0.34 per share
|
- | - | - | - | (1,400,000 | ) | (472,360 | ) | - | - | - | 472,360 | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000
- Issuance for escrow receivable -$0.09 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 5,500,000 | 500,000 | - | - | - | (500,000 | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000
- Write-off of subscription receivable
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 112,500 | 112,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000
- Research and development costs
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 115,400 | 115,400 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001
- Research and development costs
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 132,300 | 132,300 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001
- Operating expenses
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 25,000 | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
- Termination of escrow agreement
|
- | - | - | - | (2,356,200 | ) | (227,300 | ) | - | - | - | 227,300 | - |
(Continued)
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F-5
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT - (Continued)
Period
From November 20, 1991 (Date of Inception of the Development Stage) through
December 31, 2008
Accumulated
|
Deficit
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deficit
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional
|
Prior to
|
During the
|
Escrow/
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred Stock Series A
|
Preferred Stock - Series B
|
Common stock
|
Paid in
|
Development
|
Development
|
Subscription
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Amount
|
Shares
|
Amount
|
Shares
|
Amount
|
Capital
|
Stage
|
Stage
|
Receivables
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
carried forward
|
(7,580 | ) | $ | (8,722 | ) | - | $ | - | 117,749,868 | $ | 12,528,359 | $ | - | $ | (1,399,577 | ) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 11,120,060 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise
of Options and Warrants
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997
- $0.25 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 87,836 | 21,959 | - | - | - | - | 21,959 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999
- Waived option price $0.14 per
share
|
- | - | - | - | 170,000 | 24,000 | - | - | - | - | 24,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value
of Options Issued for Services
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998
|
- | - | - | - | - | 2,336,303 | - | - | - | - | 2,336,303 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999
|
- | - | - | - | - | 196,587 | - | - | - | - | 196,587 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 159,405 | - | - | - | 159,405 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 124,958 | - | - | - | 124,958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 295,000 | - | - | - | 295,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 1,675,000 | - | - | - | 1,675,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 67,350 | - | - | - | 67,350 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994
– Cash contributed
|
- | - | - | - | - | 102,964 | - | - | - | - | 102,964 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995
- Issuance of common stock option to satisfy debt
restructuring
|
- | - | - | - | - | 20,000 | - | - | - | - | 20,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
- Issuance of preferred stock and warrants for cash
|
12,000 | 523,334 | - | - | 350,000 | 68,845 | 477,821 | - | - | - | 1,070,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004
- Convertible preferred stock beneficial conversion
dividend
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 692,199 | - | (692,199 | ) | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005
- Issuance of preferred stock and warrants for cash
|
30,000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005
- Reclassification of warrants to a financial instrument
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | (2,435,713 | ) | - | - | - | (2,435,713 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss from inception through December 31, 2006
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (20,332,286 | ) | - | (20,332,286 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2006
|
34,420 | 514,612 | - | - | 118,357,704 | 15,299,017 | 1,056,020 | (1,399,577 | ) | (21,024,485 | ) | - | (5,554,413 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for Global Clean Energy Holdings, LLC
|
- | - | - | - | 36,540,146 | 986,584 | - | - | - | - | 986,584 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of Series B preferred stock for cash, net of offering
costs
|
- | - | 13,000 | 1,290,735 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1,290,735 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conversion
of preferred stock to common stock
|
(5,492 | ) | - | - | - | 10,983,521 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based
compensation from issuance of options
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 29,652 | - | - | - | 29,652 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based
compensation from issuance of common stock, $0.027 per
share
|
- | - | - | - | 4,357,298 | 117,647 | - | - | - | - | 117,647 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization
of share-based compensation for common stock held in
escrow
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 510,248 | - | - | - | 510,248 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release
of escrowed shares upon satisfaction of underlying
milestones
|
- | - | - | - | 4,567,518 | 123,322 | (123,322 | ) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjustment
of outstanding shares
|
- | - | - | - | 32,780 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss for the year ended December 31, 2007
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (4,414,884 | ) | - | (4,414,884 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2007
|
28,928 | 514,612 | 13,000 | 1,290,735 | 174,838,967 | 16,526,570 | 1,472,598 | (1,399,577 | ) | (25,439,369 | ) | - | (7,034,431 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reclassification
of financial instrument to equity
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 2,161,045 | - | - | - | 2,161,045 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exchange
of Series A preferred stock for common stock
|
(28,928 | ) | (514,612 | ) | - | - | 28,927,000 | 514,612 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock for cash at $0.036 per share
|
- | - | - | - | 2,777,778 | 100,000 | - | - | - | - | 100,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of warrants in satisfaction of accounts
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
payable
and amendment of note payable
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 160,934 | - | - | - | 160,934 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based
compensation from issuance of options
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 184,146 | - | - | - | 184,146 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization
of share-based compensation for common stock held in
escrow
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 187,293 | - | - | - | 187,293 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release
of escrowed shares upon satisfaction of underlying
milestones
|
- | - | - | - | 18,270,074 | 493,292 | (493,292 | ) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss for the year ended December 31, 2008
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | (1,707,562 | ) | - | (1,707,562 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2008
|
- | $ | - | 13,000 | $ | 1,290,735 | 224,813,819 | $ | 17,634,474 | $ | 3,672,724 | $ | (1,399,577 | ) | $ | (27,146,931 | ) | $ | - | $ | (5,948,575 | ) |
See Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements
F-6
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
From Inception of
|
||||||||||||
the Development Stage
|
||||||||||||
For the Years Ended
|
on November 20, 1991
|
|||||||||||
December 31,
|
through
|
|||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
December 31, 2008
|
||||||||||
Cash
Flows From Operating Activities
|
||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (1,707,562 | ) | $ | (4,414,884 | ) | $ | (26,454,732 | ) | |||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities
|
||||||||||||
Foreign
currency transaction loss (gain)
|
(107,369 | ) | 296,370 | 250,022 | ||||||||
Gain
on debt restructuring
|
- | (485,137 | ) | (2,524,787 | ) | |||||||
Share-based
compensation for services, expenses, litigation, and research and
development
|
371,439 | 3,118,021 | 12,714,180 | |||||||||
Commitment
for research and development obligation
|
- | - | 2,378,445 | |||||||||
Depreciation
|
1,365 | 10,494 | 139,031 | |||||||||
Reduction
of escrow receivable from research and development
|
- | - | 272,700 | |||||||||
Unrealized
loss (gain) on financial instrument
|
(5,469 | ) | 147,636 | (4,722,632 | ) | |||||||
Interest
expense from amortization of discount on secured promissory
note
|
36,369 | 250,000 | 286,369 | |||||||||
Minority
interest in net loss
|
(315,115 | ) | - | (315,115 | ) | |||||||
Reduction
of legal costs
|
- | - | (130,000 | ) | ||||||||
Write-off
of subscriptions receivable
|
- | - | 112,500 | |||||||||
Impairment
loss on assets
|
- | - | 9,709 | |||||||||
Gain
on disposal of assets, net of losses
|
- | (258,809 | ) | (228,445 | ) | |||||||
Write-off
of receivable
|
- | - | 562,240 | |||||||||
Note
payable issued for litigation
|
- | - | 385,000 | |||||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
- | - | (7,529 | ) | ||||||||
Other
current assets
|
(80,642 | ) | (51,073 | ) | (131,715 | ) | ||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
802,314 | 678,104 | 5,020,326 | |||||||||
Net
Cash Used in Operating Activities
|
(1,004,670 | ) | (709,278 | ) | (12,384,433 | ) | ||||||
Cash
Flows From Investing Activities
|
||||||||||||
Plantation
development costs
|
(1,787,916 | ) | (308,777 | ) | (2,096,693 | ) | ||||||
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
(518,903 | ) | - | (740,237 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds
from disposal of assets
|
- | 310,000 | 310,000 | |||||||||
Change
in deposits
|
(2,691 | ) | - | (53,791 | ) | |||||||
Issuance
of note receivable
|
- | - | (313,170 | ) | ||||||||
Payments
received on note receivable
|
- | - | 130,000 | |||||||||
Net
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
|
(2,309,510 | ) | 1,223 | (2,763,891 | ) | |||||||
Cash
Flows From Financing Activities
|
||||||||||||
Proceeds
from common stock, preferred stock, and warrants for cash
|
175,000 | 1,215,735 | 11,424,580 | |||||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of preferred membership in GCE Mexico I, LLC
|
2,415,151 | - | 2,415,151 | |||||||||
Contributed
equity
|
- | - | 131,374 | |||||||||
Proceeds
from notes payable and related warrants
|
260,000 | 350,000 | 1,946,613 | |||||||||
Payments
on notes payable
|
(50,000 | ) | (100,000 | ) | (951,287 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds
from convertible notes payable
|
- | - | 571,702 | |||||||||
Payments
on convertible notes payable
|
- | - | (98,500 | ) | ||||||||
Net
Cash Provided by Financing Activities
|
2,800,151 | 1,465,735 | 15,439,633 | |||||||||
Net
Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
(514,029 | ) | 757,680 | 291,309 | ||||||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year
|
805,338 | 47,658 | - | |||||||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at End of Year
|
291,309 | 805,338 | 291,309 | |||||||||
Supplemental
Disclosures of Cash Flow Information:
|
||||||||||||
Cash
paid for interest
|
$ | 13,024 | $ | 12,146 | ||||||||
Noncash
Investing and Financing Activities:
|
||||||||||||
Reclassification
of financial instrument to permanent equity
|
$ | 2,161,045 | $ | - | ||||||||
Acquisition
of land in exchange for mortgage note payable
|
2,051,282 | - | ||||||||||
Exchange
of Series A preferred stock for common stock
|
514,612 | - | ||||||||||
Release
of common stock held in escrow
|
493,292 | 123,322 | ||||||||||
Issuance
of warrants in satisfaction of accounts payable
|
124,565 | - | ||||||||||
Accrual
of return on minority interest
|
138,014 | - | ||||||||||
Equipment
depreciation capitalized to plantation development costs
|
20,638 | - |
See Notes to
Consolidated Financial Statements
F-7
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE A — ORGANIZATION AND
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
History
Medical
Discoveries, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the State of Utah on
November 20, 1991. Effective as of August 6, 1992, the Company merged
with and into WPI Pharmaceutical, Inc., a Utah corporation (“WPI”), pursuant to
which WPI was the surviving corporation. Pursuant to the MDI-WPI merger, the
name of the surviving corporation was changed to Medical Discoveries, Inc.
(“MDI”). MDI’s initial purpose was the research and development of an
anti-infection drug know as MDI-P.
On
March 22, 2005, MDI formed MDI Oncology, Inc., a Delaware corporation, as a
wholly-owned subsidiary to acquire and operate the assets and business
associated with the Savetherapeutics transaction. With this
transaction, MDI acquired the SaveCream technology and carried on the research
and development of this drug candidate. As discussed in Note M, MDI
made the decision in 2007 to discontinue further development of these two drug
candidates and sell these technologies.
On
September 7, 2007, MDI entered into a share exchange agreement pursuant to which
it acquired all of the outstanding ownership interests in Global Clean Energy
Holdings, LLC, discussed further in Note C. Global Clean Energy
Holdings, LLC was an entity that had certain trade secrets, know-how, business
plans, term sheets, business relationships, and other information relating to
the start-up of a business related to the cultivation and production of seed oil
from the seed of the Jatropha plant. With this transaction, MDI
commenced the research and development of a business whose purpose will be
providing feedstock oil intended for the production of bio-diesel.
On
January 29, 2008, a meeting of shareholders was held and, among other things,
the name Medical Discoveries, Inc. was changed to Global Clean Energy Holdings,
Inc. (the “Company”).
Effective
April 23, 2008, the Company entered into a limited liability company agreement
to form GCE Mexico I, LLC (GCE Mexico) along with six unaffiliated
investors. The Company owns 50% of the common membership interest of
GCE Mexico and five of the unaffiliated investors own the other 50% of the
common membership interest. Additionally, a total of 1,000 preferred
membership units were issued to two of the unaffiliated
investors. GCE Mexico owns a 99% interest in Asideros Globales
Corporativo, (Asideros) a corporation newly organized under the laws of Mexico,
and the Company owns the remaining 1% directly. Commencing in April
2008, the Company has consolidated the financial statements of GCE Mexico and
Asideros with its financial statements. The ownership interests of
the six unaffiliated investors in GCE Mexico is presented as Minority Interest
in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. GCE Mexico was
organized primarily to, among other things, acquire land in Mexico through
Asideros for the cultivation of the Jatropha plant.
Principles
of Consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Global Clean Energy
Holdings, Inc., its subsidiaries, and GCE Mexico. All significant intercompany
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Development
Stage Company
The
Company has not yet obtained substantial revenue from its planned principal
operations and is, therefore, considered a development stage company as defined
in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 7, Accounting and Reporting by
Development Stage Enterprises.
F-8
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Cash and
Cash Equivalents
For
purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid
debt instruments maturing in three months or less to be cash
equivalents.
Concentration of Credit
Risk
The
Company’s financial instruments that are exposed to concentration of credit risk
consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents on deposit in excess of
federally-insured limits in the aggregate amount of $27,891 at December 31,
2008. The Company has maintained its cash balances at what management considers
to be high credit-quality financial institutions.
Property and
Equipment
As
described in Note D, substantially all property and equipment relate to the
development of a plantation to cultivate the Jatropha Curcas
plant. Property and equipment are stated at
cost. Depreciation of office equipment is computed using the
straight-line method over estimated useful lives of 5
years. Plantation equipment is depreciated using the straight-line
method over estimated useful lives of 5 to 15 years and is currently being
capitalized as part of plantation development costs. Plantation
development costs are being accumulated in the balance sheet during the
development period and will be accounted for in accordance with Statement of
Position 85-3, Accounting by
Agricultural Producers and Agricultural Cooperatives (SOP
85-3). Plantation development costs are not currently being
depreciated. Under the provisions of SOP 85-3, land developments and
other improvements with indefinite lives are capitalized and not
depreciated. Other developments that have a limited life and
intermediate-life plants that have growth and production cycles of more than one
year are depreciated over their respective lives once they are placed in
service. Upon completion of the plantation development, the
development costs having a limited life and the costs of cultivating the
Jatropha plants will be depreciated over the useful lives of the related
assets. Land, plantation development costs, and plantation equipment
are located in Mexico.
Except
for costs incurred during the development period of the plantation, normal
maintenance and repair items are charged to costs and expensed as
incurred. During the development period, maintenance, repairs, and
depreciation of plantation equipment have been capitalized as part of the
plantation development costs. The cost and accumulated depreciation
of property and equipment sold or otherwise retired are removed from the
accounts and gain or loss on disposition is reflected in results of
operations.
In
accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or
Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, the carrying value of intangible assets
and other long-lived assets is reviewed on a regular basis for the existence of
facts or circumstances that may suggest impairment. The Company recognizes
impairment when the sum of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less
than the carrying amount of the asset. Impairment losses, if any, are measured
as the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over its estimated fair
value.
Income
Taxes
The
Company utilizes the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the
liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on
differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities
and the carryforward of operating losses and tax credits, and are measured using
the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are
expected to reverse. A valuation allowance against deferred tax assets is
recorded when it is more likely than not that such tax benefits will not be
realized. Research tax credits are recognized as
utilized.
F-9
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Revenue
Recognition
Revenue
is recognized in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition in Financial
Statements. Revenue is recognized when all of the following
criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has
occurred or services have been rendered; the seller’s price to the buyer is
fixed or determinable; collectibility is reasonably assured; and title and the
risks and rewards of ownership have transferred to the buyer.
Research
and Development
Prior to
the discontinuation of its bio-pharmaceutical business as discussed in Note M,
research and development had been the principal function of the Company. For
fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and earlier, research and development
expense included certain costs which were directly associated with the Company’s
research and development of the Company’s anti-infective pharmaceutical, MDI-P,
as well as the purchase of the intellectual property assets of Savetherapeutics
AG. For the year ended December 31, 2007, research and development
costs related to the exchange of common stock for the trade secrets, know-how,
etc. of Global Clean Energy Holdings, LLC (See Note C). Research and
development costs totaled $0 and $986,584 for the years ended December 31,
2008 and 2007, respectively. For years prior to the discontinuation
of its bio-pharmaceutical business, research and development costs are included
in loss from discontinued operations.
Foreign Currency
Translation
The
Company’s functional and reporting currency is the United States dollar.
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated
using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Gains and losses
arising on translation or settlement of foreign currency denominated
transactions or balances are included in the determination of income or loss.
Foreign currency transactions are primarily undertaken in Euros. Foreign
currency balances denominated in Euros relate to the discontinued
bio-pharmaceutical business. Consequently, foreign currency gains and
losses have been included in loss from discontinued operations. The
Company has not entered into derivative instruments to offset the impact of
foreign currency fluctuations.
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments
The
Company estimates that the fair value of all financial instruments at
December 31, 2008 do not differ materially from the aggregate carrying
values of its financial instruments recorded in the accompanying balance sheet.
The estimated fair value amounts have been determined by the Company using
available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies.
Considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the
estimates of fair value, and accordingly, the estimates are not necessarily
indicative of the amounts that the Company could realize in a current market
exchange.
Estimates
Management
uses estimates and assumptions in preparing financial statements. Those
estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities,
the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and reported revenues and
expenses. Significant estimates used in preparing these financial statements
include a) those assumed in determining the valuation of common stock, warrants,
and stock options, b) estimated useful lives of plantation equipment, and c)
undiscounted future cash flows for purpose of evaluating possible impairment of
long-term assets. It is at least reasonably possible that the significant
estimates used will change within the next year.
F-10
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Basic and
Diluted Loss per Share
Basic
loss per share is computed on the basis of the weighted-average number of common
shares outstanding during the year. Diluted loss per share is
computed on the basis of the weighted-average number of common shares and all
dilutive potentially issuable common shares outstanding during the year. Common
stock issuable upon conversion of debt and preferred stock, common stock held in
escrow, stock options and stock warrants have not been included in the loss per
share for 2008 and 2007 as they are anti-dilutive. The potentially
issuable common shares as of December 31, 2008 and 2007 are as
follows:
December
31,
|
||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Convertible
notes
|
128,671 | 128,671 | ||||||
Convertible
preferred stock - Series A
|
- | 57,856,000 | ||||||
Convertible
preferred stock - Series B
|
11,818,181 | 11,818,181 | ||||||
Warrants
|
29,742,552 | 31,033,379 | ||||||
Compensation-based
stock options and warrants
|
51,809,083 | 44,883,000 | ||||||
Common
stock held in escrow
|
4,567,519 | 22,837,593 | ||||||
98,066,006 | 168,556,824 |
Stock
Based Compensation
The
Company recognizes compensation expense for stock-based awards expected to vest
on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award based on
their grant date fair value. The Company estimates the fair value of
stock options using a Black-Scholes option pricing model which requires
management to make estimates for certain assumptions regarding risk-free
interest rate, expected life of options, expected volatility of stock and
expected dividend yield of stock.
Reclassifications
Certain amounts from the 2007
consolidated balance sheet have been reclassified in the current presentation to
conform to the 2008 presentation of current liabilities. These
reclassifications had no effect on the total amount of current liabilities or
the amount of stockholders’ deficit.
Recently
Issued Accounting Statements
In
September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued SFAS No.
157, Fair Value Measurements
(SFAS 157). SFAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a
framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles,
and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This statement is
effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2008 for
financial assets and liabilities and January 1, 2009 for non-financial assets
and liabilities. The adoption of SFAS 157 for financial assets and
liabilities on January 1, 2008 did not have a material impact on the
Company’s financial statements. Management is currently evaluating
the impact of SFAS 157 for non-financial assets and liabilities, if any, on the
reporting of its financial position and results of operations.
F-11
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 141 (revised 2007), Business Combinations (SFAS
141(R)), which replaces SFAS 141, Business
Combinations. SFAS 141(R) retains the underlying concepts of
SFAS 141 in that all business combinations are still required to be accounted
for at fair value under the acquisition method of accounting, but SFAS 141(R)
changed the method of applying the acquisition method in a number of significant
aspects. Acquisition costs will generally be expensed as incurred;
noncontrolling interests will be valued at fair value at the acquisition date;
in-process research and development will be recorded at fair value as an
indefinite-lived intangible asset at the acquisition date; restructuring costs
associated with a business combination will generally be expensed subsequent to
the acquisition date; and changes in deferred tax asset valuation allowances and
income tax uncertainties after the acquisition date generally will affect income
tax expense. SFAS 141(R) is effective on a prospective basis for all business
combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of the
first annual period subsequent to December 15, 2008, with the exception of
the accounting for valuation allowances on deferred taxes and acquired tax
contingencies. SFAS 141(R) amends SFAS 109 such that adjustments made to
valuation allowances on deferred taxes and acquired tax contingencies associated
with acquisitions that closed prior to the effective date of SFAS 141(R) would
also apply the provisions of SFAS 141(R). Early adoption is not
permitted. Management is currently evaluating the effects, if any,
that SFAS 141(R) may have on the Company’s financial
statements. Management does not expect that it will have any
immediate effect on the Company’s financial statements; however, the revised
standard will govern the accounting for any future business combinations that
the Company may enter into.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests in
Consolidated Financial Statements—an amendment of ARB No. 51 (SFAS
160). This statement is effective for fiscal years, and interim
periods within those fiscal years, beginning on or after December 15, 2008,
with earlier adoption prohibited. This statement requires the
recognition of a noncontrolling interest (minority interest) as equity in the
consolidated financial statements and separate from the parent’s
equity. The amount of net income attributable to the noncontrolling
interest will be included in consolidated net income on the face of the income
statement. It also amends certain of ARB No. 51’s consolidation
procedures for consistency with the requirements of SFAS 141(R). This
statement also includes expanded disclosure requirements regarding the interests
of the parent and its noncontrolling interest. Management is
currently evaluating this new statement. Based on the current
consolidated financial statements, if SFAS 160 were effective, the minority
interest in the consolidated balance sheet would be presented as noncontrolling
interest in Owners’ Equity (Deficit), the minority interest in net loss would be
included in consolidated net loss in the consolidated statement of operations,
and the footnotes would include expanded disclosure regarding the ownership
interests of the Company and of the noncontrolling interests.
In March
2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities, an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133
(SFAS 161). SFAS 161 requires enhanced disclosures about an
entity’s derivative and hedging activities. Entities will be required
to provide enhanced disclosures about: (a) how and why an entity uses
derivative instruments; (b) how derivative instruments and related hedge items
are accounted for under SFAS No. 133 and its related interpretations; and
(c) how derivative instruments and related hedge items affect an entity’s
financial position, financial performance and cash flows. The
provisions of SFAS 161 are effective January 1, 2009. Management
is currently evaluating the impact of SFAS 161 on the Company’s financial
statements.
In June
2008, the FASB ratified EITF Issue No. 07-5, Determining Whether an Instrument
(or an Embedded Feature) Is Indexed to an Entity's Own Stock (EITF 07-5).
EITF 07-5 provides that an entity should use a two step approach to evaluate
whether an equity-linked financial instrument (or embedded feature) is indexed
to its own stock, including evaluating the instrument's contingent exercise and
settlement provisions. It also clarifies on the impact of foreign currency
denominated strike prices and market-based employee stock option valuation
instruments on the evaluation. EITF 07-5 is effective for fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2008. Management is currently evaluating the
impact of SFAS 161 on the Company’s financial statements.
F-12
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
B — BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND GOING CONCERN
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that
the Company will continue as a going concern. As shown in the
accompanying financial statements, the Company incurred a net loss applicable to
common shareholders of $1,707,562 during the year ended December 31, 2008,
and has incurred losses applicable to common shareholders since inception of the
development stage of $27,146,931. The Company also used cash in
operating activities of $1,004,670 during the year ended December 31,
2008. At December 31, 2008, the Company has negative working capital
of $6,604,039 and a stockholders’ deficit of $5,948,575. Those
factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a
going concern.
The
Company discontinued its former bio-pharmaceutical business during the quarter
ended March 31, 2007. Management plans to meet its cash needs through
various means including selling assets related to its former bio-pharmaceutical
business, securing financing, entering into joint ventures, and developing a new
business model. In order to fund its new operations related to the
cultivation of the Jatropha plant, the Company sold Series B preferred stock
during the quarter ended December 31, 2007 in the amount of $1,300,000 and
issued a secured promissory note under which the Company has borrowings of
$460,000 as of December 31, 2008. The Company is developing a new business
operation to participate in the rapidly growing bio-diesel
industry. The Company continues to expect to be successful in this
new venture, but there is no assurance that its business plan will be
economically viable. The ability of the Company to continue as a
going concern is dependent on that plan’s success. The financial statements do
not include any adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to
continue as a going concern.
NOTE
C — JATROPHA BUSINESS VENTURE
Having
agreed to discontinue its bio-pharmaceutical operations and dispose of the
related assets, the Company considered entering into a number of other
businesses that would enable it to be able to provide the shareholders with
future value. The Company’s Board of Directors decided to develop a
business to produce and sell seed oils, including seed oils harvested from the
planting and cultivation of the Jatropha curcas plant, for
the purpose of providing feedstock oil intended for the generation of methyl
ester, otherwise known as bio-diesel (the “Jatropha Business”). The
Company’s Board concluded that there was a significant opportunity to
participate in the rapidly growing biofuels industry, which previously was
mainly driven by high priced, edible oil-based feedstock. In order to
commence its new Jatropha Business, the Company entered into various
transactions during September and October of 2007, including: (i) hired Richard
Palmer, an energy consultant, and a member of Global Clean Energy Holdings LLC
(“Global”) to act as its new President, Chief Operating Officer and future Chief
Executive Officer, (ii) engaged Mobius Risk Group, LLC, a Texas company engaged
in providing energy risk advisory services, to provide it with consulting
services related to the development of the Jatropha Business, (iii) acquired
certain trade secrets, know-how, business plans, term sheets, business
relationships, and other information relating to the cultivation and production
of seed oil from the Jatropha plant for the production of bio-diesel from
Global, and (iv) engaged Corporativo LODEMO S.A DE CV to assist with the
development of the Jatropha Business in Mexico. Subsequent to
entering into these transactions, the Company identified certain real property
in Mexico it believed to be suitable for cultivating the Jatropha
plant. During April 2008, the Company entered into a limited
liability company agreement to form GCE Mexico I, LLC (GCE Mexico). In August
2008 the Company terminated the agreement with Mobius Risk Group, LLC. Through
Asideros Globales Corporativo (Asideros), a Mexican corporation of which GCE
Mexico holds a 99% equity interest and Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. holds
a 1% equity interest, land has been acquired in Mexico for the cultivation of
the Jatropha plant. All of these transactions are described in
further detail in the remainder of this note to the consolidated financial
statements.
F-13
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Share Exchange
Agreement
The
Company entered into a share exchange agreement (the Global Agreement) pursuant
to which the Company acquired all of the outstanding ownership interests in
Global Clean Energy Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
(Global), on September 7, 2007 from Mobius Risk Group, LLC (Mobius) and from
Richard Palmer (Mr. Palmer). Mr. Palmer owns a 13.33% equity interest
in Mobius and, as described further in this Note, became the Company’s new
President and Chief Operating Officer in September 2007 and its Chief Executive
Officer in December 2007. Mobius and Mr. Palmer are considered
related parties to the Company. Global is an entity that had certain
trade secrets, know-how, business plans, term sheets, business relationships,
and other information relating to the start-up of a business related to the
cultivation and production of seed oil from the seed of the Jatropha plant, for
the purpose of providing feedstock oil intended for the production of
bio-diesel. Under the Global Agreement, the Company issued 63,945,257
shares of its common stock for all of the issued and outstanding membership
interests of Global. Of the 63,945,257 shares issued under the Global
Agreement, 36,540,146 shares were issued and delivered at the closing of the
Global Agreement without any restrictions. The remaining 27,405,111
shares of common stock were, however, held in escrow by the Company, subject to
forfeiture in the event that certain specified performance and market-related
milestones were not achieved. Upon the satisfaction, from time to
time, of the operational and market capitalization condition milestones, the
restricted shares would be released by the Company from escrow and delivered to
the buyers in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Global
Agreement. In the event that all of the milestone conditions were not
achieved, the restricted shares that had not been released from escrow would be
cancelled by the Company and thereafter cease to be outstanding.
Prior to
the exchange of common stock, Global had no tangible assets or operations, but
rather had certain trade secrets, know-how, business plans, term sheets,
business relationships, and other information relating to the start-up of a
business related to the cultivation and production of seed oil from the seed of
the Jatropha plant. Accordingly, Global was not considered a business
in accordance with FASB Emerging Issues Task Force Issue 98-3, Determining Whether a Nonmonetary
Transaction Involves Receipt of Productive Assets or of a
Business. With the exchange of the 36,540,146 shares of common
stock, the Company acquired the trade secrets, know-how, business plans, term
sheets, business relationships, and other information relating to the start-up
of this new business. Accordingly, the Company has recorded research
and development expense of $986,584, or $0.027 per share, for the value of the
shares issued. The closing price of the Company’s common stock on
September 7, 2007 was $0.027 per share.
Of the
restricted shares issued under the Global Agreement, 13,702,556 shares were to
be released from escrow if and when i) certain land lease agreements suitable
for the planting and cultivation of Jatropha curcas were executed
and ii) certain operation management agreements with a third-party land and
operations management company with respect to the management, planting and
cultivation of Jatropha
curcas were executed. These restricted shares were to be held
in escrow subject to the satisfaction of these milestones, at which time such
shares would be released from escrow and delivered to the
sellers. The Company has accounted for these potentially issuable
shares as share-based compensation under SFAS No. 123(R) for shares of common
stock that contain a performance or service condition. The Company
has determined the value of these shares to be $369,969, or $0.027 per share,
and amortized this compensation over four months, the period of time in which
the satisfaction of the operational milestones was expected to be fulfilled that
would result in the release of the 13,702,556 shares from escrow. For
accounting purposes, shares held in escrow are not considered outstanding, but
are deemed to be potential dilutive shares for loss per share
calculations. During the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, the
Company amortized and recognized $21,581 and $348,388 of share-based
compensation related to these shares, respectively. With the
acquisition of the land for the Jatropha Farm in April 2008, the operational
milestones were satisfied under the Global Agreement. Consequently,
13,702,556 shares of common stock being held in escrow have been released to the
former owners of Global Clean Energy Holdings, LLC.
F-14
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
remaining 13,702,555 restricted shares issued under the Global Agreement are to
be released from escrow upon satisfaction of certain market capitalization
levels (based on the number of outstanding shares at the average closing price
of the previous sixty trading days) and average daily trading volume (for the
previous sixty trading days). These potentially issuable shares are
to be released as follows:
|
a.
|
4,567,518
shares are to be released upon the achievement of $6 million market
capitalization and 75,000 shares of average daily trading
volume,
|
|
b.
|
4,567,518
shares are to be released upon the achievement of $12 million market
capitalization and 100,000 shares of average daily trading volume,
and
|
|
c.
|
4,567,519
shares are to be released upon the achievement of $20 million market
capitalization and 125,000 shares of average daily trading
volume.
|
These
restricted shares were placed in escrow subject to the satisfaction of these
milestones, at which time such shares are to be released from escrow and
delivered to the sellers. On November 30, 2007, the first of these
milestones was met and 4,567,518 shares were released from escrow and delivered
to the sellers. During May 2008, the second market-related milestones
under the Global Agreement were satisfied, which resulted in the release of an
additional 4,567,518 shares of common stock being held in
escrow. There are 4,567,519 shares of common stock held in escrow at
December 31, 2008, which will be released upon the satisfaction of the third
market-related milestones. The Company is accounting for these
potentially issuable shares as share-based compensation under SFAS No. 123(R),
for shares of common stock that contain a market condition. The
Company determined the value of these shares to be $369,969, or $0.027 per
share, and is amortizing this compensation over the periods of time in which the
satisfaction of each of the three market capitalization and trading volume
milestones is expected to be fulfilled that will result in the release of the
13,702,555 shares from escrow. The Company originally estimated these time
periods to be approximately three months for the first tranche of stock and two
years for the second and third tranches. For accounting purposes,
shares held in escrow are not considered outstanding, but are deemed to be
potential dilutive shares for loss per share calculations. During the
years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, the Company amortized and recognized
$165,712 and $161,860, respectively, of share-based compensation related to
these shares.
Palmer Employment
Agreement
Effective
September 1, 2007, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Richard
Palmer pursuant to which the Company hired Mr. Palmer to serve as its President
and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Palmer was also appointed to serve
as a director on the Company’s Board of Directors to serve until the next
election of directors by the Company’s shareholders. Upon the
resignation of the former Chief Executive Officer on December 21, 2007, Mr.
Palmer also became the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Company
hired Mr. Palmer to take advantage of his experience and expertise in the
feedstock/bio-diesel industry, and in particular, in the Jatropha bio-diesel and
feedstock business. The term of employment commenced September 1,
2007 and ends on September 30, 2010, unless terminated in accordance with the
provisions of the agreement.
Mr.
Palmer’s compensation package includes an annual base salary of $250,000,
subject to annual increases based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, and a
bonus payment based on Mr. Palmer’s satisfaction of certain performance criteria
established by the compensation committee of the Company’s Board of
Directors. The bonus amount in any fiscal year will not exceed 100%
of Mr. Palmer’s base salary. Mr. Palmer is eligible to participate in
the Company’s employee stock option plan and other welfare plans. The
Company granted Mr. Palmer an incentive option to purchase up to 12,000,000
shares of its common stock at an exercise price of $0.03 per share (the trading
price on the date the agreement was signed). The options vest upon
the Company’s achievement of certain market capitalization
goals. When the Company’s market capitalization reaches $75 million,
the incentive option will vest with respect to 6,000,000 shares. When
the Company’s market capitalization reaches $120 million, the incentive option
will vest with respect to the remaining 6,000,000 shares. The option
expires five years after grant.
F-15
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
If Mr.
Palmer’s employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by Mr.
Palmer for “good reason”, he will be entitled to severance payments including
100% of his then-current annual base salary, plus 50% of the target bonus for
the fiscal year in which his employment is terminated, and the incentive option
to purchase 12,000,000 shares of common stock shall vest following termination
of Mr. Palmer’s employment.
The
Company has accounted for the options under Mr. Palmer’s employment agreement as
share-based compensation under SFAS No. 123(R), for options to purchase common
stock that contain a market condition. The Company valued these
options at $264,000 using the Black-Scholes pricing model. The
weighted average fair value of the stock options was $0.022 per
share. The weighted-average assumptions used for the calculation of
fair value were risk-free rate of 4.21%, volatility of 116%, expected life of
five years, and dividend yield of zero. The Company is amortizing
this compensation over the period of time in which the satisfaction of each of
the two market capitalization milestones is expected to be fulfilled that will
result in the vesting of these stock options. The Company currently
estimates these time periods to be three years. During the years
ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, the Company amortized and recognized $88,000
and $29,652, respectively, of share-based compensation related to these
options.
Mobius Consulting
Agreement
Concurrent
with the execution of the Global Agreement, the Company entered into a
consulting agreement with Mobius pursuant to which Mobius agreed to provide
consulting services to the Company in connection with the Company’s new Jatropha
bio-diesel feedstock business. The Company engaged Mobius as a consultant to
obtain Mobius’ experience and expertise in the feedstock/bio-diesel market to
assist the Company and Mr. Palmer in developing this new line of operations for
the Company. Mobius agreed to provide the following services to the
Company: (i) manage and supervise a contemplated research and development
program contracted by the Company and conducted by the University of Texas Pan
American regarding the location, characterization, and optimal economic
propagation of the Jatropha plant; and (ii) assist
with the management and supervision of the planning, construction, and start-up
of plant nurseries and seed production plantations in Mexico, the Caribbean or
Central America.
The term
of the agreement was twelve months and the scope of work under the agreement has
been completed. Mobius supervised the hiring of certain staff to
serve in management and operations roles of the Company, or hired such persons
to provide similar services as independent contractors. Mobius’
compensation for the services provided under the agreement was a monthly
retainer of $45,000. The Company also reimbursed Mobius for
reasonable business expenses incurred in connection with the services
provided. The agreement contained customary confidentiality
provisions with respect to any confidential information disclosed to Mobius or
which Mobius received while providing services under the
agreement. Under this agreement, the Company has paid Mobius or
accrued $437,279 during the year ended December 31, 2008, of which $42,155 was
expensed as compensation to Mobius and $395,124 was capitalized as plantation
development costs pursuant to AICPA Statement of Position 85-3, Accounting by Agricultural Producers
and Agricultural Cooperatives. During the year ended December 31, 2007,
the Company paid Mobius or accrued $191,547, of which $40,797 was expensed as
compensation to Mobius and $150,750 was capitalized as plantation development
costs. The Company owed Mobius $322,897 and $50,700 for accrued, but
unpaid, compensation and costs as of December 31, 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
F-16
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
LODEMO
Agreement
On
October 15, 2007, the Company entered into a service agreement with Corporativo
LODEMO S.A DE CV, a Mexican corporation (the LODEMO Group). The
Company had decided to initiate its Jatropha Business in Mexico, and had
identified parcels of land in Mexico to plant and cultivate
Jatropha. In order to obtain all of the logistical and other services
needed to operate a large-scale farming and transportation business in Mexico,
the Company entered into the service agreement with the LODEMO Group, a
privately held Mexican company with substantial land holdings, significant
experience in diesel distribution and sales, liquids transportation, logistics,
land development and agriculture.
Under the
supervision of the Company’s management and Mobius, the LODEMO Group is
responsible for the establishment, development, and day-to-day operations of the
Jatropha Business in Mexico, including the extraction of the oil from the
Jatropha seeds, the delivery of the Jatropha oil to buyers, the purchase or
lease of land in Mexico, the establishment and operation of one or more Jatropha
nurseries, the clearing, planting and cultivation of the Jatropha fields, the
harvesting of the Jatropha seeds, the operation of the Company’s oil extraction
facilities, and the logistics associated with the foregoing. Although
the LODEMO Group is responsible for identifying and acquiring the farmland,
ownership of the farmland or any lease thereto will be held directly by the
Company or by a Mexican subsidiary of the Company. The LODEMO Group
will be responsible for hiring and managing all necessary
employees. All direct and budgeted costs of the Jatropha Business in
Mexico will be borne by the Company.
The
LODEMO Group will provide the foregoing and other necessary services for a fee
primarily based on the number of hectares of Jatropha under
cultivation. The Company has agreed to pay the LODEMO Group a fixed
fee per year of $60 per hectare of land planted and maintained with minimum
payments based on 10,000 hectares of developed land, to follow a planned
planting schedule. The Agreement has a 20-year term but may be terminated
earlier by the Company under certain circumstances. The LODEMO Group
will also potentially receive incentive compensation for controlling costs below
the annual budget established by the parties, production incentives for
increased yield and a sales commission for biomass sales. Under this
agreement, the Company has paid the LODEMO Group or accrued $1,089,554 and
$158,028 during the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively, all of
which was capitalized as plantation development costs pursuant to AICPA
Statement of Position 85-3, Accounting by Agricultural Producers
and Agricultural Cooperatives. During the year ended December
31, 2008, the Company issued warrants to acquire 2,076,083 shares of common
stock to the LODEMO Group and an affiliated entity in satisfaction of accounts
payable in the amount of $124,565. As of December 31, 2008, the
Company had prepaid $98,159 of plantation development costs to the LODEMO
Group. As of December 31, 2007, the Company owed the LODEMO Group
$117,758 for accrued, but unpaid, compensation and costs.
GCE Mexico I,
LLC
Effective
April 23, 2008, the Company entered into a limited liability company agreement
(“LLC Agreement”) to form GCE Mexico I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (GCE Mexico), with six unaffiliated investors (collectively,
the Investors). GCE Mexico was organized primarily to acquire
approximately 5,000 acres of farm land (the Jatropha Farm) in the State of
Yucatan in Mexico to be used primarily for the (i) cultivation of Jatropha curcas, (ii) the
marketing and sale of the resulting fruit, seeds, or pre-processed crude
Jatropha oil, whether as biodiesel feedstock, biomass or otherwise, and (iii)
the sale of carbon value, green fuel value, or renewable energy credit value
(and other similar environmental attributes) derived from activities at the
Jatropha Farm.
F-17
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Under the
LLC Agreement, the Company owns 50% of the issued and outstanding common
membership units of GCE Mexico. The remaining 50% of the common
membership units was issued to five of the Investors. The Company and
the other owners of the common membership interest were not required to make
capital contributions to GCE Mexico.
In
addition, two of the Investors agreed to invest approximately $4.2 million in
GCE Mexico through the purchase of preferred membership units and through the
funding of the purchase of land in Mexico. An aggregate of 1,000
preferred membership units were issued to these two Investors who each agreed to
make capital contributions to GCE Mexico of up to $2,232,624, in installments
and as required, to fund the development and operations of the Jatropha
Farm. Shortly after entering into the LLC Agreement, the preferred
members made an initial capital contribution of $957,191 toward the development
of the Jatropha Farm. Additional capital contributions of $1,457,960
have been received by GCE Mexico from these Investors during the remainder of
the year ended December 31, 2008. The agreement calls for additional
contributions from the Investors over and above the initial capital
contributions, as requested by management and as required by the operation in
2009 and the following years. Subsequent to December 31, 2008, these Investors
have made additional capital contributions of $1,071,278. These
Investors are entitled to earn a preferential 12% per annum cumulative
compounded return on the cumulative balance of their preferred membership
interest.
These
investors also directly funded the purchase of approximately 5,000 acres of land
in the State of Yucatan in Mexico by the payment of $2,051,282. The
land was acquired in the name of Asideros and Asideros issued a mortgage in the
amount of $2,051,282 in favor of these two Investors. The mortgage
bears interest at the rate of 12% per annum, payable quarterly. The
Board has directed that this interest shall continue to accrue until such time
as the Board determines that there is sufficient cash flow to pay all accrued
interest. The entire mortgage, including any unpaid interest, is due
April 23, 2018.
Since the
acquisition of the land, approximately 2,500 acres have been improved so far,
approximately 750 acres have been planted, and roads and other infrastructure
have been developed on the farm. Furthermore, heavy equipment is now
in place that will greatly facilitate rapid improvement and planting.
According
to the LLC Agreement, the net loss of GCE Mexico is allocated to the members
according to the investment balances. Accordingly, since the common
membership interest did not make a capital contribution, all of the losses have
been allocated to the preferred membership interest. The
Minority Interest presented in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet
includes the carrying value of the preferred membership interests and of the
common membership interests owned by the Investors, and excludes any common
membership interest in GCE Mexico held by the Company. Accordingly,
the Minority Interest is composed of the following elements at December 31,
2008:
Capital
contribution from preferred membership interest
|
$ | 2,415,151 | ||
Allocation
of net loss of GCE Mexico to the
|
||||
preferred
membership interest
|
(315,115 | ) | ||
Accrual
of preferential return for the preferred
|
||||
membership
interest
|
(138,014 | ) | ||
Investment
of common membership interest held by
|
||||
other
Investors, excluding the Company
|
- | |||
Minority
Interest
|
$ | 1,962,022 |
F-18
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
D – PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property
and equipment as of December 31, 2008 and 2007 are as
follows:
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Land
|
$ | 2,051,282 | $ | - | ||||
Plantation
development costs
|
2,117,061 | 308,777 | ||||||
Plantation
equipment
|
509,037 | - | ||||||
Office
equipment
|
10,993 | 1,127 | ||||||
Total
cost
|
4,688,373 | 309,904 | ||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation
|
(22,296 | ) | (563 | ) | ||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
$ | 4,666,077 | $ | 309,341 |
The
Company has capitalized farming equipment and costs related to the development
of land for farm use in accordance with AICPA Statement of Position 85-3, Accounting by Agricultural Producers
and Agricultural Cooperatives. Plantation equipment is
depreciated using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of 5 to
15 years and is currently being capitalized as part of plantation development
costs. Plantation development costs are not currently being
depreciated. Upon completion of the plantation development,
development costs having a limited life and intermediate-life plants that have
growth and production cycles of more than one year will be depreciated over the
useful lives of the related assets.
Commencing
in June 2008, GCE Mexico purchased certain equipment for purposes of rapidly
clearing the land, preparing the land for planting, and actually planting the
Jatropha trees. The land, plantation development costs, and
plantation equipment are located in Mexico.
NOTE
E – ACCRUED PAYROLL AND PAYROLL TAXES
Accrued
payroll and payroll taxes principally relate to unpaid compensation for officers
and directors that are no longer affiliated with the Company. Accrued
payroll taxes will become due upon payment of the related accrued
compensation. Accrued payroll and payroll taxes are composed of the
following:
December
31,
|
December
31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Former
Chief Executive Officer, resigned 2007, including
|
||||||||
$500,000
under the Release and Settlement Agreement
|
$ | 570,949 | $ | 583,332 | ||||
Other
former Officers and Directors
|
311,200 | 311,200 | ||||||
Accrued
payroll taxes on accrued compensation to
|
||||||||
former
officers and directors
|
38,510 | 38,510 | ||||||
Accrued
payroll, vacation, and related payroll taxes
|
||||||||
for
current officers
|
238,149 | 17,929 | ||||||
Accrued
payroll and payroll taxes
|
$ | 1,158,808 | $ | 950,971 |
F-19
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
On August
31, 2007, the Company entered into a Release and Settlement Agreement with Judy
Robinett, the Company’s then-current Chief Executive Officer. Under
the agreement, Ms. Robinett agreed to, among other things, assist the Company in
the sale of its legacy assets and complete the preparation and filing of the
delinquent reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under
the agreement, Ms. Robinett agreed to (i) forgive her potential right to receive
$1,851,805 in accrued and unpaid compensation, un-accrued and pro-rata bonuses,
and severance pay and (ii) the cancellation of stock options to purchase
14,000,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.02 per
share. In consideration for her services, the forgiveness of the
foregoing cash payments, the cancellation of the stock options, and settlement
of other issues, the Company agreed to, among other things, to pay Ms. Robinett
$500,000 upon the receipt of the cash payment under the agreement to sell the
SaveCream Assets to Eucodis. Pursuant to this agreement, Ms. Robinett
resigned on December 21, 2007.
NOTE
F — DEBT
Secured Promissory
Note
In order
to fund ongoing operations pending closing of the sale of the SaveCream Assets,
the Company entered into a loan agreement with, and issued a promissory note in
favor of, Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P. (Mercator) in September
2007. At that time, Mercator, along with two other affiliates, owned
all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock, and is considered a related party to the
Company. The loan is secured by a lien on all of the assets of the
Company. Under the loan agreement, interest was originally payable on
the loan at a rate of 12% per annum, payable monthly.
Pursuant
to the loan agreement, Mercator made available to the Company a secured term
credit facility in principal amount of $1,000,000. The promissory
note initially was due and payable on December 14, 2007. As of
December 13, 2007, the Company owed Mercator $250,000 under the
loan. Mercator agreed to extend the maturity date of the $250,000 to
February 21, 2008. In March, 2008, the loan was paid down to $200,000
and the maturity date was extended to June 21, 2008. In May 2008, the
Company and Mercator entered into an amendment to the loan agreement, whereby,
Mercator loaned the Company and additional $250,000 increasing the outstanding
balance to $450,000. In connection with the amendment, the interest
rate was reduced to 8.68% and the due date was extended to August 19,
2008. Additionally, as part of the amendment, the Company issued
Mercator a two-year warrant to purchase 581,395 shares of common stock at $0.129
per share. For the consideration of increasing the note by $10,000,
the maturity date was further extended to January 13, 2009. On December 9, 2008
these notes were assigned to the limited partners of Mercator. Subsequent to
December 31, 2008, these notes were further extended from January 13, 2009 to
July 31, 2009 for consideration of increasing the total principal balance of the
notes by $15,000 and increasing the interest rate to 10.68%.
In
connection with the closing of the original loan, the Company agreed to (i) the
cancellation of certain warrants to purchase 27,452,973 shares of common stock
at $0.1967 per share previously issued to the lender and certain of its
affiliates and (ii) the issuance of new warrants to purchase 27,452,973 shares
of common stock at $0.01 per share. The new warrants permit the
cash-less exercise of the warrants and expire on September 30,
2013. As more fully described in Note G, the warrants that were
cancelled were being accounted for as a liability in the accompanying financial
statements because the Company was unable to guarantee that there would be
enough shares of common stock to settle other “freestanding
instruments.” The carrying value of the liability related to these
warrants on the date of cancellation was $62,205. The new warrants
that were issued in connection with this loan agreement were also characterized
as a liability in these financial statements. The fair value of the
new warrants was determined to be $691,815, or $0.0252 per share, using the
Black-Scholes pricing model. The weighted-average assumptions used
for the calculation of fair value were risk-free interest rate of 4.10%,
volatility of 123%, expected life of six years, and dividend yield of
zero. On the date of issuance, the fair value of the new warrants has
been recorded as (i) a discount to the note in the amount of $250,000 and (ii) a
charge of $441,815 to “Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Financial Instrument” in the
accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations. The discount to
the note was amortized over the original term of the loan agreement from
September 7, 2007 to December 14, 2007, and recorded as “interest expense from
amortization of discount on secured promissory note” in the amount of $250,000.
F-20
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
proceeds of $250,000 resulting of the amendment of the loan agreement in May
2008 have been allocated between the promissory note and the warrant based on
the relative fair value of each instrument. The fair value of the
warrant was estimated on the date of issuance using the Black-Scholes option
pricing model. The assumptions used for valuing the warrant were
risk-free interest rate of 2.4%, volatility of 168%, expected life of 2.0 years,
and dividend yield of zero. The allocation resulted in a $36,369
discount to the promissory note, which has been amortized as additional interest
over the period from May 19, 2008 through the original extended due date of
August 19, 2008 under the amendment.
Notes
Payable
The
Company has notes payable to shareholders in the aggregate amount of $56,000 at
December 31, 2008 and 2007. The notes originated between 1997
and 1999, bear interest at 12%, are unsecured, and are currently in
default. Accrued interest on the notes totaled $78,821 and $72,091 at
December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Convertible Notes
Payable
The
Company has convertible notes payable to certain individuals in the aggregate
amount of $193,200 at December 31, 2008 and 2007. The notes
originated in 1996, bear interest at 12%, are unsecured, and are currently in
default. Each $1,000 note is convertible into 667 shares of the
Company’s common stock. Accrued interest on the convertible notes
totaled $248,799 and $225,552 at December 31, 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
Long-Term Liability and Gain
on Debt Restructuring
On
June 10, 2006, the Company entered into an agreement with a former creditor
to forgive certain amounts owed. The balance owed before the agreement was
$229,066. According to the agreement, $3,975 was paid on the date of
the agreement, another $3,975 was paid on August 13, 2006, and $131,116 was
forgiven. The remaining balance of $90,000 was to be due and payable immediately
upon the Company’s receipt of $1 million in cumulative license revenue from
the Company’s drug MDI-P in any human indication. The remaining
liability of $90,000 was recorded as Long-Term Liability. As further
described in Note M, this liability was extinguished as a result of the sale of
MDI-P for less than $1 million. Accordingly, this liability was no
longer owed and was written off in 2007. Additionally, as further
described in Note L, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with its
former chief executive officer during 2007, which resulted in a gain of $395,137
on the settlement of compensation owing to her. As a consequence of
these two transactions, the Company recorded gain on debt restructuring in the
amount of $485,137 in the accompanying financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2007.
F-21
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
G — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common
Stock
As more fully described in Note C, the
Company issued 63,945,257 shares of its common stock for all of the issued and
outstanding membership interests of Global Clean Energy Holdings,
LLC. Of the 63,945,257 shares issued under the Global Agreement,
36,540,146 shares were issued and delivered at the closing of the Global
Agreement without any restrictions and have been recorded in the accompanying
financial statements as issued and outstanding. The remaining
27,405,111 shares of common stock were held in escrow by the Company until the
achievement of certain operational and market-related
milestones. During the year ended December 31, 2007, 4,567,518 shares
were released from escrow upon achieving the first market-related
milestones. During the year ended December 31, 2008, an additional
18,270,074 shares were released from escrow upon the achievement of the
operational milestones and the second market-related milestones. At
December 31, 2008, there are 4,567,519 shares still held in escrow pending
achievement of the third market-related milestones. Shares held in
escrow are not reported in the accompanying financial statements as issued and
outstanding.
On
September 14, 2007, the Company entered into a one-year agreement with a
consultant for investor relations services. Under the agreement, the
Company agreed to pay total compensation of $105,000 over the one-year
term. As additional compensation, the Company issued 4,357,298 shares
of common stock to the consultant and granted piggyback registration rights for
the stock to be registered in connection with the Company’s next registration of
securities. The issuance of the common stock was expensed as
share-based compensation in the amount of $117,647, or $0.027 per share on the
date of the agreement.
On
November 13, 2008, the Company entered into stock purchase agreements with
certain individuals for the issuance of 2,777,778 shares of common stock for
$100,000, or $0.036 per share.
Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Financial Instrument
During
the year ended December 31, 2005, the Company issued an additional 30,000 shares
of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and warrants to purchase 22,877,478
shares of common stock for a total offering price of $3.0 million. In connection
with the offering, the Company issued to the placement agent warrants to
purchase 1,220,132 shares. Each share of Preferred Stock entitled the
holder to convert the share of Preferred Stock into the number of shares of
common stock resulting from dividing $100 by the conversion price.
The
conversion feature of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock had more of the
attributes of an equity instrument than of a liability instrument, and thus was
not considered a derivative. However, at the time of issuance, the
Company was unable to guarantee that there would be enough shares of stock to
settle other “freestanding instruments.” Accordingly, all of the
warrants attached to the convertible preferred stock were measured at their fair
value and recorded as a liability in the financial statements. For
these same reasons, all other warrants and options outstanding on March 11, 2005
or issued during the remainder of 2005 and through 2007 (except for stock
options issued to employees) were measured at their fair value and recorded as
additional liability in the financial statements.
At
December 31, 2006, the fair value of the financial instrument was $294,988 based
on a Black-Scholes calculation with the weighted-average assumptions for
volatility of 138%, risk-free interest rate of 5.0%, an expected life of one
year, and a dividend yield of zero. During the year ended December
31, 2007, the Company remeasured the fair value of the outstanding
warrants. At December 31, 2007, the fair value was determined to be
$2,166,514 based on a Black-Scholes pricing calculation with the
weighted-average assumptions for volatility of 136%, a risk-free interest rate
of 3.7%, an expected life of 7.3 years, and a dividend yield of
zero. For the year ended December 31, 2007 the Company recorded an
unrealized loss on financial instrument of $147,636. For the period
from December 31, 2007 through January 29, 2008, the fair value of this
liability decreased by $5,469 resulting in a balance of
$2,161,045. On January 29, 2008, the shareholders of the Company
approved an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock from 250
million to 500 million. Consequently, as the result of this amendment
to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, the Company is now able to settle
all ‘freestanding instruments”. Accordingly, the Company reclassified
the liability, characterized in the accompanying financial statements as
“Financial Instrument”, in the amount of $2,161,045, to permanent equity in
January 2008.
F-22
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In
September 2007, the preferred stockholders converted 5,492 shares of Series A
Preferred Stock into 10,983,521 shares of common stock at a conversion price of
$0.05 per share. This preferred stock also did not have any assigned
value.
Mercator
Momentum Fund, LP; Monarch Pointe Fund, Ltd.; and Mercator Momentum Fund III,
LP, each a private investment entity (collectively, the MAG Funds) were the
preferred stockholders who purchased all of the shares of the Company’s Series A
Preferred Convertible Stock in 2004 and in 2005. In connection with
the 2005 investment, the Company had agreed to eliminate the conversion price
floor of the Series A Stock. The Company failed to file an amendment
to the Series A Stock Certificate of Designations of Preferences and Rights for
the Series A Stock that would have eliminated the conversion price
floor. Accordingly, in connection with an intended conversion of some
of their Series A Stock in September 2007, the MAG Funds were required to
convert Series A Stock at a conversion price higher than the price that would
have applied if the Amendment had been filed as agreed.
On
October 22, 2007, the Company executed and entered into a Release and Settlement
Agreement (the Release Agreement), with the MAG Funds to settle all losses and
damages that MAG may have suffered, and may hereafter suffer, as result of the
Company’s failure to file the amendment to the Series A Stock Certificate of
Designations of Preferences and Rights for the Series A
Stock. Pursuant to the Release Agreement, the Company issued to the
MAG Funds a ten-year warrant to acquire up to 17,000,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per share, expiring October 17,
2017. The initial warrant price is subject to adjustments in
connection with (i) the Company’s issuance of dividends in shares of Common
Stock, or shares of Common Stock or other securities convertible into shares of
Common Stock without consideration, (ii) any cash paid or payable to the holders
of Common Stock other than as a regular cash dividend, and (ii) future stock
splits, reverse stock splits, mergers or reorganizations, and similar changes
affecting common stockholders. The issuance of the warrant has been
accounted for as share-based compensation in the amount of $1,181,890 based on a
Black-Scholes pricing calculation with the assumptions for volatility of 141.5%,
a risk-free interest rate of 4.57%, an expected life of 10 years, and a dividend
yield of zero. The fair value of the warrant has been included in the
liability for the financial instrument.
The
warrant issued to the MAG Funds contain beneficial ownership limitations, which
preclude the MAG Funds from exercising its warrant if, as a result of such
conversion or exercise, the MAG Funds would own beneficially more than 9.99% of
the Company’s outstanding common stock then outstanding. Pursuant to
the Release Agreement, the MAG Funds released the Company from any and all
claims, past, present or future, relating to the losses or the Company’s failure
to file the amendment. In addition, MAG has agreed not to pursue
litigation against the Company in connection with the losses or the Company’s
failure to file the amendment.
Effective
April 18, 2008, the Company entered into an exchange agreement ( the Exchange
Agreement) with Mercator Momentum Fund, L.P., Mercator Momentum Fund III, L.P.,
and Monarch Pointe Fund, Ltd. (collectively, the MAG Funds), comprising all of
the holders of the Company’s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the Series A
Stock). Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, the MAG Funds agreed to
exchange 28,928 shares of the Series A Stock, constituting all of the issued and
outstanding shares of the Series A Stock, for an aggregate of 28,927,000 shares
of the Company’s common stock. The exchange ratio was determined by dividing the
$100 purchase price of the preferred shares by $0.10 per share of common
stock.
F-23
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Prior to
the Exchange Agreement, the Series A Stock had been convertible at a price equal
to 75% of the “Market Price”, as defined in the Certificate of Designations of
Preferences and Rights of the Series A Stock. The conversion price could not
exceed $0.1967 and had a conversion price floor of $0.05. On April
18, 2008, the closing price of the Company’s common stock was $0.10 and the
“Market Price” would have been $0.045 per share. In connection with
the Exchange Agreement, the Company agreed to waive the limitation that the MAG
Funds could not own more that 9.99% of the Company’s outstanding common stock as
a concession for the MAG Funds agreeing to a conversion price that was more
favorable to the Company.
Series B Preferred
Stock
In order
to obtain additional working capital, on November 6, 2007, the Company entered
into a Securities Purchase Agreement with two accredited investors, pursuant to
which the Company sold a total of 13,000 shares of our newly authorized Series B
Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series B Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price
of $1,300,000, less offering costs of $9,265. Each share of the
Series B Shares has a stated value of $100. The Company collected
$1,225,000 of the proceeds from the sales of the Series B Preferred Stock in
2007. The remaining proceeds of $75,000 were collected in February
2008, and are reflected as a subscription receivable in the accompanying Balance
Sheet at December 31, 2007.
The
Series B Shares may, at the option of each holder, be converted at any time or
from time to time into shares of our common stock at the conversion price then
in effect. The number of shares into which one Series B Share shall
be convertible is determined by dividing $100 per share by the conversion price
then in effect. The initial conversion price per share for the Series
B Shares is $0.11, which is subject to adjustment for certain events, including
stock splits, stock dividends, combinations, or other recapitalizations
affecting the Series B Shares.
Each
holder of Series B Shares is entitled to the number of votes equal to the number
of shares of our common stock into which the Series B Shares could be converted
on the record date for such vote, and shall have voting rights and powers equal
to the voting rights and powers of the holders of the Company’s common stock. In
the event of our dissolution or winding up, each share of the Series B Shares is
entitled to be paid an amount equal to $100 (plus any declared and unpaid
dividends) out of the assets of the Company then available for distribution to
shareholders.
No
dividends are required to be paid to holders of the Series B
shares. However, the Company may not declare, pay or set aside any
dividends on shares of any class or series of our capital stock (other than
dividends on shares of our common stock payable in shares of common stock)
unless the holders of the Series B shares shall first receive, or simultaneously
receive, an equal dividend on each outstanding share of Series B
shares.
NOTE
H — INCOME TAXES
Income
taxes are provided for temporary differences between financial and tax bases of
assets and liabilities. The following is a reconciliation of the amount of
benefit that would result from applying the federal statutory rate to pretax
loss with the benefit from income taxes for the years ended December 31,
2008 and 2007:
F-24
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Federal
income tax benefit at statutory rate of 34%
|
$ | 581,000 | $ | 1,501,000 | ||||
State
income tax, net of federal benefit
|
102,000 | 265,000 | ||||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on financial instrument
|
2,000 | (59,000 | ) | |||||
Foreign
currency translation adjustment
|
43,000 | (119,000 | ) | |||||
Amortization
of discount on notes payable
|
(15,000 | ) | (100,000 | ) | ||||
Share-based
compensation, net
|
(147,000 | ) | (764,000 | ) | ||||
Expiration
of operating loss and research credit carryforwards
|
(511,000 | ) | (164,000 | ) | ||||
Adjustment
of operating loss carryforwards
|
- | 1,627,000 | ||||||
Research
and development
|
- | (395,000 | ) | |||||
Other
differences
|
(1,000 | ) | (4,000 | ) | ||||
Change
in valuation allowance
|
(54,000 | ) | (1,788,000 | ) | ||||
$ | - | $ | - |
The
components of deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows at December 31,
2008 and 2007, using a combined deferred income tax rate of
40%:
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Net
operating loss carryforward
|
$ | 9,483,000 | $ | 9,534,000 | ||||
Research
and development credits
|
- | 80,000 | ||||||
Share-based
compensation
|
716,000 | 714,000 | ||||||
Accrued
compensation
|
511,000 | 408,000 | ||||||
Deferred
revenue
|
- | (80,000 | ) | |||||
Valuation
allowance
|
(10,710,000 | ) | (10,656,000 | ) | ||||
Net
deferred tax asset
|
$ | - | $ | - |
Inasmuch
as it is not possible to determine when or if the net operating losses will be
utilized, a valuation allowance has been established to offset the benefit of
the utilization of the net operating losses.
The
Company has available net operating losses of approximately $23,700,000 which
can be utilized to offset future earnings of the Company. The utilization of the
net operating losses are dependent upon the tax laws in effect at the time such
losses can be utilized. The loss carryforwards expire between the years 2009 and
2028. Should the Company experience a significant change of ownership, the
utilization of net operating losses could be reduced.
NOTE
I – CONSULTING AGREEMENTS
In
February 2007, the Company engaged the Emmes Group, a consulting firm, to assist
it in resolving its financial issues, to obtain advice regarding any strategic
alternatives that may be available to it, and to prevent the Company from losing
all of its assets in bankruptcy. The Executive Vice President and
Managing Director of the Emmes Group was appointed to be a director of the
Company in August 2007. The Company explored a number of transactions
that would (i) prevent the Company’s shareholders from losing their entire
investment in the Company and (ii) enable the Company to repay some of its
currently outstanding debts and liabilities. The consulting agreement
had a term of one year. As compensation for its services, the
consultant received $15,000 per month plus a warrant to purchase 5,000,000
shares of the Company’s common stock. The warrant has an exercise
price of $0.03 per share, contains a cash-less exercise provision, and expires
ten years from date of issue. The Company valued this warrant at
$146,000 using the Black-Scholes pricing model. The weighted average
fair value of the stock options was $0.0292 per share. The
weighted-average assumptions used for the calculation of fair value were
risk-free interest rate of 4.84%, volatility of 134%, expected life of ten
years, and dividend yield of zero. The fair value of the warrant was
expensed as share-based compensation on the date of issue. The fair
value of the warrant was included in the liability for the financial
instrument.
F-25
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In
February 2007, the Company entered into another consulting agreement with an
individual to assist it in the preparation of financial statements and reporting
to the SEC. The consulting agreement had a term of one
year. As compensation for its services, the consultant was to receive
$10,000 per month plus a warrant to purchase 5,000,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock. The warrant has an exercise price of $0.03 per share,
contains a cash-less exercise provision, and expires ten years from date of
issue. The Company valued this warrant at $146,000 using the
Black-Scholes pricing model. The weighted average fair value of the
stock options was $0.0292 per share. The weighted-average assumptions
used for the calculation of fair value were risk-free interest rate of 4.84%,
volatility of 134%, expected life of ten years, and dividend yield of
zero. The fair value of the warrant was expensed as share-based
compensation on the date of issue. The fair value of the warrant was
included in the liability for the financial instrument. This
consulting agreement was terminated in May 2007. Since the consulting
agreement was terminated prior to its expiration date, the Company’s obligations
under the consulting agreement, if any, for the period after the termination
date are unclear. No demand for any additional compensation has been
made against the Company under the consulting agreement.
NOTE
J – EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
On March
20, 2008, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Bruce K. Nelson
pursuant to which the Company hired Mr. Nelson to serve as its Executive
Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer effective April 1, 2008. The initial
term of employment commenced March 20, 2008 and continues through March 20,
2010. Thereafter, the term of employment shall automatically renew for
successive one-year periods unless otherwise terminated in accordance with the
employment agreement.
Mr.
Nelson’s compensation package includes a base salary of $175,000, subject to
annual increases based on the Consumer Price Index for the immediately preceding
12-month period, and a bonus payment based on Mr. Nelson’s satisfaction of
certain performance criteria established by the compensation committee of the
Company’s Board of Directors. The bonus amount in any fiscal year will not
exceed 100% of Mr. Nelson’s base salary. Mr. Nelson is eligible to participate
in the Company’s employee stock option plan and other benefit
plans.
The
Company granted Mr. Nelson an option (the Initial Option) to acquire up to
2,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.05.
The Initial Option vests in tranches of 500,000 shares after 90 days, nine
months, fifteen months, and two years of the employment term. The Initial Option
expires after 10 years. The Company also granted Mr. Nelson an option
(the Performance Option) to acquire up to 2,500,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock at an exercise price of $0.05, subject to the Company’s achievement
of certain market capitalization goals. The Performance Option expires after
five years.
The
Company was permitted to terminate Mr. Nelson’s employment on the first
anniversary of the employment term, provided that the Company pay Mr. Nelson
three (3) months salary if such termination was without “cause.” If Mr. Nelson’s
employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by Mr. Nelson for
“good reason” after the first anniversary of the employment term, Mr. Nelson
will be entitled to receive severance payments including (i) an amount equal to
his unpaid salary through the end of the second year of the employment
agreement, and (ii) 100% of Initial Option shall vest, to the extent not already
vested.
F-26
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company has accounted for the options under Mr. Nelson’s employment agreement as
share-based compensation under SFAS No. 123(R). The Company valued
these options at $189,500 using the Black-Scholes pricing model. The
weighted average fair value of the stock options was $0.042 per
share. The weighted-average assumptions used for the calculation of
fair value were risk-free rate of 2.38%, volatility of 127%, expected life of
5.2 years, and dividend yield of zero. The Company is amortizing this
compensation over the vesting period for the Initial Option and over the period
of time in which the satisfaction of market capitalization milestones for the
Performance Option are expected to be fulfilled that will result in the vesting
of these stock options. The Company currently estimates these time
periods to be three years for the Performance Options. During the
year ended December 31, 2008, the Company amortized and recognized $91,346 of
share-based compensation related to these options.
NOTE
K – STOCK OPTIONS AND WARRANTS
Stock Options and
Compensation-Based Warrants
The
Company has two incentive stock option plans wherein 24,000,000 shares of
the Company’s common stock are reserved for issuance thereunder. As
of December 31, 2008, 300,000 shares remain available under these
plans. As more fully described in Notes C, G, I, and J, the Company
has issued stock options and compensation-based warrants during the years ended
December 31, 2008 and 2007 to acquire 4,500,000 and 39,000,000 million shares,
respectively, of the Company’s common stock. Additionally, during the
year ended December 31, 2008, the Company issued warrants to acquire 2,076,083
shares of common stock to Lodemo and an affiliated entity in satisfaction of
accounts payable in the amount of $124,565. The Company also granted
options to acquire 700,000 shares of common stock to independent contractors
during the year ended December 31, 2008. During the year ended
December 31, 2007, as more fully described in Note L, the Company canceled an
option to acquire 14,000,000 shares of common stock pursuant to a settlement
agreement with the Company’s former chief executive officer. No
income tax benefit has been recognized for share-based compensation arrangements
and no compensation cost has been capitalized in the balance sheet.
F-27
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
A summary
of the status of options and compensation-based warrants at December 31, 2008
and 2007, and changes during the years then ended is presented in the following
table:
Weighted
|
|||||||||||||
Weighted
|
Average
|
||||||||||||
Shares
|
Average
|
Remaining
|
Aggregate
|
||||||||||
Under
|
Exercise
|
Contractual
|
Intrinsic
|
||||||||||
Option
|
Price
|
Life
|
Value
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
at December 31, 2006
|
19,883,000 | $ | 0.05 | ||||||||||
Granted
|
39,000,000 | 0.02 | |||||||||||
Expired
|
- | - | |||||||||||
Cancelled
|
(14,000,000 | ) | 0.02 | ||||||||||
Outstanding
at December 31, 2007
|
44,883,000 | 0.03 | |||||||||||
Granted
|
7,276,083 | $ | 0.04 | ||||||||||
Expired
|
- | - | |||||||||||
Outstanding
at December 31, 2008
|
52,159,083 | $ | 0.03 |
6.4
years
|
$ | 316,141 | |||||||
Exercisable
at December 31, 2008
|
36,134,083 | $ | 0.03 |
7.4
years
|
$ | 316,141 |
At
December 31, 2008, 80,000 of the options outstanding have no stated contractual
life. Except for warrants issued in satisfaction of accounts payable,
the fair value of each stock option grant and compensation-based warrant is
estimated on the date of grant or issuance using the Black-Scholes option
pricing model. In the case of the warrants issued in satisfaction of
accounts payable, the warrants were valued at the amount of the accounts payable
satisfied. The weighted-average fair value of stock options and
compensation-based warrants issued during the year ended December 31, 2008 was
$0.039. The weighted-average assumptions used for options granted and
compensation-based warrants issued during the year ended December 31, 2008 were
risk-free interest rate of 2.2%, volatility of 132%, expected life of 4.9 years,
and dividend yield of zero. The weighted-average fair value of stock
options and compensation-based warrants issued during the year ended December
31, 2007 was $0.045. The weighted-average assumptions used for
options granted and compensation-based warrants issued during the year ended
December 31, 2007 were risk-free interest rate of 4.5%, volatility of 132%,
expected life of 8.5 years, and dividend yield of zero. The
assumptions employed in the Black-Scholes option pricing model include the
following. The expected life of stock options represents the period
of time that the stock options granted are expected to be outstanding prior to
exercise. The expected volatility is based on the historical price volatility of
the Company’s common stock. The risk-free interest rate represents the U.S.
Treasury constant maturities rate for the expected life of the related stock
options. The dividend yield represents anticipated cash dividends to be paid
over the expected life of the stock options.
Share-based
compensation from all sources recorded during the years ended December 31, 2008
and 2007 was $371,439 and $3,118,021, respectively. Share-based
compensation has been included in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of
Operations as follows:
Period
Reported
|
General
and
Administrative
Expense
|
Research
and
Development
Expense
|
Loss
from
Discontinued
Operations
|
Total
|
||||||||||||
Year
ended December 31, 2008
|
$ | 371,439 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 371,439 | ||||||||
Year
ended December 31, 2007
|
2,014,637 | 986,584 | 116,800 | $ | 3,118,021 |
F-28
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
As of
December 31, 2008, there is approximately $295,000 of unrecognized compensation
cost related to stock-based payments that will be recognized over a weighted
average period of approximately 1.6 years.
Stock
Warrants
A summary
of the status of the warrants granted at December 31, 2008 and 2007, and changes
during the years then ended is presented in the following
table:
Weighted
|
||||||||
Shares
|
Average
|
|||||||
Under
|
Exercise
|
|||||||
Warrant
|
Price
|
|||||||
Outstanding
at December 31, 2006
|
38,973,861 | $ | 0.19 | |||||
Issued
|
29,161,157 | 0.01 | ||||||
Cancelled
|
(29,161,157 | ) | 0.20 | |||||
Expired
|
(7,940,482 | ) | 0.15 | |||||
Outstanding
at December 31, 2007
|
31,033,379 | 0.02 | ||||||
Issued
|
581,395 | 0.13 | ||||||
Expired
|
(1,872,222 | ) | 0.18 | |||||
Outstanding
at December 31, 2008
|
29,742,552 | $ | 0.01 |
NOTE
L – RELEASE AND SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
On August
31, 2007, the Company entered into a Release and Settlement Agreement with Judy
Robinett, the Company’s then-current Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to which
Ms. Robinett agreed to continue to act as the Company’s transitional Chief
Executive Officer. Under the agreement, Ms. Robinett agreed to, among
other things, assist the Company in the sale of its legacy assets, complete the
preparation and filing of the delinquent reports to the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the SEC) that related to the periods prior to the appointment of Mr.
Palmer, and provide certain shareholder and creditor related
services. Upon the completion of the foregoing matters, in particular
the filing of the delinquent reports to the SEC, Ms. Robinett was to resign, and
Mr. Palmer was to thereafter assume the office of Chief Executive
Officer. Under the agreement, Ms. Robinett agreed to (i)
forgive her potential right to receive $1,851,805 in accrued and unpaid
compensation, un-accrued and pro-rata bonuses, and severance pay and (ii) the
cancellation of stock options to purchase 14,000,000 shares of common stock at
an exercise price of $0.02 per share. In consideration for her
services, the forgiveness of the foregoing cash payments, the cancellation of
the foregoing stock options, and settlement of other issues, the Company agreed
to (a) pay Ms. Robinett $500,000 upon the receipt of the Eucodis cash payment
under the agreement to sell the SaveCream Assets, (b) pay Ms. Robinett a
commission of fifteen percent of the gross proceeds received by the Company from
the sale of the MDI-P asset, (c) pay Ms. Robinett $20,833 in monthly salary for
serving as transitional Chief Executive Officer of the Company during the period
from April 1, 2007 until the effective date of her resignation, and (d) permit
Ms. Robinett to retain some of her previously granted incentive stock options in
such an amount allowing her to purchase up to two million shares of common
stock, which options shall continue to have the same terms and conditions as
currently in existence, including an option price of $0.01 per share and
expiration date of December 31, 2112. Pursuant to this agreement, Ms.
Robinett resigned on December 21, 2007. As a consequence of the
settlement agreement, the Company i) has recorded a gain on the settlement of
debt of $395,137, representing the difference between Ms. Robinett’s accrued
compensation and the settlement amount of $500,000, and ii) has cancelled her
option to purchase 14,000,000 shares of common stock.
F-29
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
M – DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Prior to
2007, the Company was a developmental-stage bio-pharmaceutical company engaged
in the research, validation, development and ultimate commercialization of two
drugs known as SaveCream and MDI-P. SaveCream is a drug candidate
that the Company was developing to reduce breast cancer tumors. MDI-P
was a drug candidate being developed as an anti-infective treatment for
bacterial infections, viral infections and fungal infections. During
the three months ended March 31, 2007, the Board of Directors determined that it
could no longer fund the development of these drug candidates and could not
obtain additional funding for these drug candidates. The Board
evaluated the value of its developmental stage drug candidates and in March
2007, the Board determined that the best course of action was to discontinue
further development of these drug candidates and sell these
technologies.
Plan to Sell SaveCream
Assets
On March
8, 2007, the Company entered into a binding letter of intent with Eucodis
Pharmaceuticals Forschungs und Entwicklungs GmbH, an Austrian company (Eucodis),
regarding their intent to proceed with the evaluation, negotiation, and
execution of a sale and purchase agreement related to certain assets of the
Company. On July 6, 2007, the Company entered into a sale and
purchase agreement (the Asset Sale Agreement) with Eucodis, pursuant to which
Eucodis agreed to acquire certain assets of the Company in consideration for a
cash payment and the assumption by Eucodis of certain indebtedness of the
Company. The assets to be acquired by Eucodis pursuant to the Asset
Sale Agreement included all of the Company’s right, title and interest in all
patents, patent applications, United States and foreign regulatory files and
data, pre-clinical study data and anecdotal clinical trial data concerning
SaveCream. In addition, at the closing of the sale, the Company was
to assign to Eucodis all of its right, title and interest in a co-development
agreement with Eucodis, dated as of July 29, 2006, related to the co-development
and licensing of SaveCream (including the intellectual property rights acquired
in connection with that development) and their rights under certain other
contracts relating to SaveCream. The sale to Eucodis was scheduled to
close at the end of January 2008 after the Company’s shareholders approved the
sale. On January 29, 2008, the shareholders of the Company approved
the transaction. Shortly before the scheduled closing, Eucodis
informed the Company that it was unable to complete the transaction as agreed
because it had insufficient funds and needed to obtain additional
financing.
The
Company thereafter commenced discussions with Eucodis regarding the possibility
of obtaining financing and possibly deferring the closing of the sale. However,
as of February 27, 2008, Eucodis still had not obtained sufficient financing to
complete its purchase of the SaveCream technology. Accordingly, on February 27,
2008, the Company delivered to Eucodis a letter formally notifying Eucodis that
the Asset Agreement had been terminated. On February 29, 2008,
Eucodis informed the Company that (i) it was completing an agreement for
financing, which financing would provide Eucodis with sufficient funds to
purchase the SaveCream assets for the purchase price, and substantially on the
terms set forth in the Asset Sale Agreement, and (ii) that it still desired to
complete the transaction contemplated by the Asset Sale Agreement. On February
29, 2008, the Company prepared a letter agreement again agreeing to sell the
SaveCream assets to Eucodis on substantially the terms set forth in the Asset
Sale Agreement (as amended). Under the letter agreement, the sale to
Eucodis was scheduled to occur at such time as Eucodis completed its financing,
but in no event later than April 30, 2008. As of April 30, 2008,
Eucodis had not completed its financing, therefore, the Asset Sale Agreement, as
amended by the Letter Agreement, terminated on its own terms. The
Company continued discussions with Eucodis and explored other potential
purchasers of SaveCream. All discussions and agreements with Eucodis were
terminated in July 2008 due to their inability to obtain their own pending
financing. As a result of the failed funding of Eucodis, they were forced to
cease their operations. However, the principal of Eucodis has agreed to continue
to work with the Company in connection with the sale of the Company’s legacy
assets.
F-30
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company has engaged investment banking firms to expedite the sale of the
SaveCream asset. The Company continues to seek interested parties
that may purchase the asset. However, the recent contraction of the
capital markets has negatively impacted the abilities for several potential
purchasers to consummate a purchase. Although, management is
continuing to taking steps to market and sell the SaveCream assets to potential
buyers, no assurance can be given that this sale will actually be completed in
the near future, or ever. Due to the inability of the engaged investment bankers
to facilitate a sales transaction of the asset, the Company has terminated the
engagement of the investment banking firms.
Agreement to Sell
MDI-P
The
Company also entertained various offers to purchase the Company’s rights to the
assets related to the MDI-P compound. On August 9, 2007, the Company
sold the MDI-P related assets for $310,000 in cash realizing a gain of
$258,809. The sale included the patents, name, and other intellectual
property, research results and test data, production units and equipment, and
other assets related to this technology. No liabilities were assumed
by the purchaser in this transaction. A liability in the amount of
$90,000 was extinguished due to the sale. This extinguished liability
was only payable when the Company received $1 million in cumulative license
revenue from the MDI-P compound in any human indication. Due to the
sale of MDI-P for less than $1 million, this liability was no longer owed and
was written off.
Accounting for Discontinued
Operations
Pursuant
to accounting rules for discontinued operations, the Company has classified all
revenue and expense related to the operations, assets, and liabilities of its
bio-pharmaceutical business as discontinued operations. For all
periods prior to March 2007, the Company has reclassified all revenue and
operating expenses to discontinued operations, except for estimated general
corporate overhead, because all of its operations related to the discontinued
technologies. For the year ended December 31, 2007, revenues of
$200,000 are included in the Loss from Discontinued Operations and the Company
has recorded a gain from the sale of MDI-P of $258,809. For the year
ended December 31, 2008, the Income from Discontinued Operations consists of the
foreign currency transaction gains in the amount of $107,369 related to current
liabilities associated with the discontinued operations that are denominated in
euros, less $40,259 of expenses related to the SaveCream asset. The
assets that were under contract to be sold to Eucodis have no carrying value in
the accompanying balance sheet, while the liabilities that were to be assumed in
the planned sale were formerly segregated in the balance sheets and were
previously characterized as Current Liabilities Associated with Assets Held for
Sale. As a consequence of the termination of the Asset Sale Agreement
in 2008, these current liabilities have been reclassified into the captions
Research and Development Obligation and Accounts Payable, as
appropriate. The Company has not recorded any gain or loss through
December 31, 2008 associated with the planned sale of the SaveCream
assets.
Transactions Related to the
SaveCream Asset Purchase
On
March 16, 2005, the Company completed the purchase of the intellectual
property assets (the “Assets”) of Savetherapeutics AG, a German corporation in
liquidation in Hamburg, Germany (“SaveT”). The Assets consisted primarily of
patents, patent applications, pre-clinical study data and clinical trial data
concerning SaveCream, a developmental-stage topical aromatase inhibitor
treatment for breast cancer. The purchase price of the Assets was
€2,350,000, payable as follows: €500,000 at closing, €500,000 upon conclusion of
certain pending transfers of patent and patent application rights from the
inventors to the Company, and the remaining €1,350,000 upon successful
commercialization of the Assets.
F-31
GLOBAL
CLEAN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORMERLY
KNOWN AS MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, INC.
(A
DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
pending transfers of patent and patent application rights have not occurred. The
Company has deemed the transfers are reasonably likely to occur due to existing
contractual commitments of the inventors and the reasonably likely success of
the Company’s action in German court proceeding to affect these transfers.
Accordingly, the Company has recorded the second €500,000 payment as Research
and Development Obligation in these financial statements. In July
2006 the Company entered into a co-development and license agreement with
Eucodis, which provided for up-front licensing fees and milestone payments in
excess of the €1,350,000 threshold for successful commercialization of the
Assets. Accordingly, in the year ended December 31, 2006 the Company recorded
the final €1,350,000 purchase price payment as Research and Development
Obligation in the accompanying financial statements. The total
obligation of €1,850,000 is included in current liabilities in the amount of
$2,607,945 and $2,701,555, based on exchange rates in effect at December 31,
2008 and 2007, respectively.
On March
27, 2009, the Company was informed by German counsel that pending action in
German courts appears to be settled in favor of the Company.
NOTE
N – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Acquisition of Jatropha Farm
in Belize
On
October 29, 2008, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with the
four shareholders of Technology Alternatives Limited (TAL), a company formed
under the Laws of Belize. TAL owns and operates a 400 acre farm in subtropical
Belize, Central America, that currently is producing Jatropha. TAL has also been
performing plant science research and has been providing technical advisory
services for propagation of Jatropha for a number of years.
The
shareholders of TAL are unaffiliated persons residing in the United Kingdom.
Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company will acquire 100% of the
issued and outstanding shares of TAL for common stock in the Company, thereby
making TAL a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. It is anticipated that the
Company will issue 8,952,756 common shares in exchange for all of the
outstanding shares of TAL. In addition to receiving the Company’s shares, the
sellers will be repaid the promissory notes previously issued to them by TAL.
However, as of March 27, 2009 all conditions precedent required for the exchange
of consideration had not been satisfied, and shares have not been issued.
Consequently, this transaction is not reflected in the Company’s financial
statements dated as of December 31, 2008.
Furthermore,
the seller had an obligation to maintain the asset in accordance with the Stock
Purchase Agreement and failed to do so. Therefore, the sellers have agreed to
decrease the acquisition price and to decrease the principal amounts of the
promissory notes.
The
selling shareholders had previously made loans to TAL to fund the operations of
TAL. As of October 29, 2008 the transaction contemplated by the Stock Purchase
Agreement, the remaining outstanding balance of these loans, in the aggregate,
was determined to be $453,611. To reflect the current value of TAL, these notes
will be reduced to $303,611 at closing. At the closing, the promissory notes
evidencing these loans will be replaced by new promissory notes issued by TAL to
the selling shareholders. The new notes have the following terms: (i) Interest
free for 90 days; (ii) Interest accrues at an annual rate of 8% per annum
commencing on the 91st day after the issuance of the notes; (iii) Interest
accrues until maturity; (iv) The entire remaining unpaid balance of the notes is
due and payable on August 31, 2009; (v) TAL and/or the Company may prepay the
notes at any time without penalty, and the Company is required to prepay the
notes if and when it receives future funding in an amount that, in the Company’s
reasonable discretion, is sufficient to permit the prepayment of the notes
without adversely affecting the Company’s operations or financial condition. The
new notes are secured by the deed of legal mortgage on the 400 acre farm owned
by TAL. Accordingly, in the event that TAL defaults under the notes, the selling
shareholders will have the right to foreclose on the 400 acre Jatropha
farm.
The
acquisition will be accounted for under the purchase method of accounting and
the results of operations of TAL will be consolidated with the results of
operations of the Company from the date of acquisition.
F-32