Greenwave Technology Solutions, Inc. - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

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

For the transition period from ________ to _________

Commission File Number: 000-55431

GREENWAVE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(757) 966-1432

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

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

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was $11,926,210 as of June 30, 2022.

The number of shares of Registrant’s common stock outstanding was 11,250,813 as of March 29, 2023.

All share and per share numbers have been retroactively adjusted to give effect to a 1-for-300 share consolidation effective February 28, 2022.

GREENWAVE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC.
FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “believe,” “will,” “may,” “could,” “continue,” “should,” “contemplate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “target,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “project,” “potential,” “plan” and “would,” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based in part on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those set forth in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

You should read this Annual Report with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance, and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect.

PART I

On October 19, 2021, we changed our corporate name from MassRoots, Inc. to Greenwave Technology Solutions, Inc. We will not distinguish between our prior and current corporate name and will refer to our current corporate name throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As such, unless expressly indicated or the content indicates otherwise, as used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “Registrant,” “Company,” “Greenwave,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refers to Greenwave Technology Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, unless otherwise noted.

This Annual Report contains additional trade names, trademarks, and service marks of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks, or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other companies.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

We were formed in April 26, 2013 as a technology platform developer under the name MassRoots, Inc. In October 2021, we changed our corporate name from “MassRoots, Inc.” to “Greenwave Technology Solutions, Inc.” We sold all of our social media assets on October 28, 2021 for cash consideration equal to $10,000 and has discontinued all operations related to its social media business. On September 30, 2021, we closed our acquisition of Empire Services, Inc. (“Empire”), which operates 14 metal recycling facilities in Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio. The acquisition was effective October 1, 2021 upon the effectiveness of the Certificate of Merger in Virginia.

Upon the acquisition of Empire, we transitioned into the scrap metal industry which involves collecting, classifying and processing appliances, construction material, end-of-life vehicles, boats, and industrial machinery. We process these items by crushing, shearing, shredding, separating, and sorting, into smaller pieces and categorize these recycled ferrous, nonferrous, and mixed metal pieces based on density and metal prior to sale. In cases of scrap cars, we remove the catalytic converters, aluminum wheels, and batteries for separate processing and sale prior to shredding the vehicle. We have designed our systems to maximize the value of metals produced from this process.

We operate an automotive shredder at our Kelford, North Carolina location and a second automotive shredder at our Carrollton, Virginia is expected to come online in the second quarter of 2023. Our shredders are designed to produce a denser product and, in concert with advanced separation equipment, more refined recycled ferrous metals, which are more valuable as they require less processing to produce recycled steel products. In totality, this process reduces large metal objects like auto bodies into baseball-sized pieces of shredded recycled metal.

The shredded pieces are then placed on a conveyor belt under magnetized drums to separate the ferrous metal from the mixed nonferrous metal and residue, producing consistent and high-quality ferrous scrap metal. The nonferrous metals and other materials then go through a number of additional mechanical systems which separate the nonferrous metal from any residue. The remaining nonferrous metal is further processed to sort the metal by type, grade, and quality prior to being sold as products, such as zorba (mainly aluminum), zurik (mainly stainless steel), and shredded insulated wire (mainly copper and aluminum).

One of our main corporate priorities is to open a facility with rail or deep-water port access to enable us to efficiently transport our products to domestic steel mills and overseas foundries. Because this would greatly expand the number of potential buyers of our processed scrap products, we believe opening a facility with port or rail access could result in an increase in both the revenue and profitability of our existing operations.

Empire is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia and employs 143 people as of March 21, 2023.

Background

We were incorporated in the state of Delaware on April 26, 2013 as a technology platform. Our principal executive office is located at 4016 Raintree Rd, Ste 300, Chesapeake, VA 23321, and our telephone number is (757) 966-1432.

On January 25, 2017, we consummated a reverse triangular merger (the “Whaxy Merger”) pursuant to which we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of DDDigtal Inc. d.b.a. Whaxy (“DDDigtal”), a Colorado corporation. Upon closing of the Whaxy Merger, each share of DDDigtal’s common stock was exchanged for such number of shares of our common stock (or a fraction thereof) based on an exchange ratio equal to approximately 5.273-for-1, such that 1 share of our common stock was issued for every 5.273 shares of DDDigtal’s common stock. At the closing of the Whaxy Merger, all shares of common stock of our newly-formed merger subsidiary formed for the sole purpose of effectuating the Whaxy Merger, were converted into and exchanged for one share of common stock of DDDigtal, and all shares of DDDigtal’s common stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Whaxy Merger were automatically cancelled and retired. Upon the closing of the Whaxy Merger, DDDigtal continued as our surviving wholly-owned subsidiary, and the merger subsidiary ceased to exist.

On July 13, 2017, we consummated a reverse triangular merger (the “Odava Merger”) pursuant to which we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Odava Inc. (“Odava”), a Delaware corporation. Upon closing of the Odava Merger, each share of Odava’s common stock was exchanged for such number of shares of our common stock (or a fraction thereof), based on an exchange ratio equal to approximately 4.069-for-1, such that 1 share of our common stock was issued for every 4.069 shares of Odava’s common stock. At the closing of the Odava Merger, all shares of common stock of our newly-formed merger subsidiary formed for the sole purpose of effectuating the Odava Merger, were converted into and exchanged for one share of common stock of Odava, and all shares of Odava’s common stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Odava Merger automatically cancelled and retired. Upon the closing of the Odava Merger, Odava continued as our surviving wholly-owned subsidiary, and the merger subsidiary ceased to exist.

On October 1, 2021, we consummated a reverse triangular merger (the “Empire Merger”) pursuant to which we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Empire Services, Inc. (“Empire”), a Virginia corporation. Upon closing of the Empire Merger, all of the shares of Empire’s common stock was exchanged for 1,650,000 shares of our common stock. At the closing of the Empire Merger, all shares of common stock of our newly-formed merger subsidiary formed for the sole purpose of effectuating the Empire Merger, were converted into and exchanged for one share of common stock of Empire, and all shares of Empire’s common stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Empire Merger automatically cancelled and retired. Upon the closing of the Empire Merger, Empire continued as our surviving wholly-owned subsidiary, and the merger subsidiary ceased to exist.

Products and Services

Our main product is selling ferrous metal, which is used in the recycling and production of finished steel. It is categorized into heavy melting steel, plate and structural, and shredded scrap, with various grades of each of those categorized based on the content, size and consistency of the metal. All of these attributes affect the metal’s value.

We also process nonferrous metals such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel, nickel, brass, titanium, lead, alloys and mixed metal products. Additionally, we sell the catalytic converters recovered from end-of-life vehicles to processors which extract the nonferrous precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium.

We provide metal recycling services to a wide range of suppliers, including large corporations, industrial manufacturers, retail customers, and government organizations.

Pricing and Customers

Prices for our ferrous and nonferrous products are based on prevailing market rates and are subject to market cycles, worldwide steel demand, government regulations and policy, and supply of products that can be processed into recycled steel. Our main buyers adjust the prices they pay for scrap metal products based on market rates usually on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. We are usually paid for the scrap metal we deliver to customers within 14 days of delivery.

Based on any price changes from our customers or our other buyers, we in turn adjust the price for unprocessed scrap we pay suppliers in order to manage the impact on our operating income and cashflows.

The spread we are able to realize between the sales prices and the cost of purchasing scrap metal is determined by a number of factors, including transportation and processing costs. Historically, we have experienced sustained periods of stable or rising metal selling prices, which allow us to manage or increase our operating income. When selling prices decline, we adjust the prices we pay customers to minimize the impact to our operating income.

Sources of Unprocessed Metal

Our main sources of unprocessed metal we purchase are end-of-life vehicles, old equipment, appliances and other consumer goods, and scrap metal from construction or manufacturing operations. We acquire this unprocessed metal from a wide base of suppliers including large corporations, industrial manufacturers, retail customers, and government organizations who unload their metal at our facilities or we pick it up and transport it from the supplier’s location. Currently, our operations and main suppliers are located in the Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina markets. In the second quarter of 2023, we are expanding our operations by opening a metal recycling facility in Cleveland, Ohio.

Our supply of scrap metal is influenced by overall health of economic activity in the United States, changes in prices for recycled metal, and, to a lesser extent, seasonal factors such as severe weather conditions, which may prohibit or inhibit scrap metal collection.

Technology

In May 2021, we launched our new website. For the first time, Empire’s customers can see the current prices for each type of scrap metal. Our website is also integrated with Google’s Business Profiles, listing many of Empire’s locations on Google for the first time. In late May 2021, the Empire launched a junk car buying platform, where people looking to sell their scrap cars can get a quote within minutes, and integrated Google Ads, enabling Empire to micro-target their advertising based on location, age, income, and other factors.

Additionally, during 2021, the Company moved the operations of each of their yards to WeighPay, a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning “ERP” system, which enables management to track sales, inventory, and operations at each facility in real time, while also establishing stronger internal controls and systems. Additionally, in 2021, the Company moved Empire’s accounting systems over to a cloud-based QuickBooks to facilitate collaboration and further growth.

The technology systems and improvements Empire implemented have resulted in a significant increase in new customers, hundreds of quotes and dozens of purchases of junk cars, and we believe a material increase in Empire’s revenues as a result of these improvements. These systems have also streamlined Empire’s accounting and internal operations to enable any future acquisitions to be closed quickly and efficiently. Lastly, through the data-driven decision processes that have been introduced, Empire’s strategy on future locations and pricing is being informed by accurate and relevant data.

Now that strong foundational systems are in place, management has begun to repurpose Greenwave’s technology platform that it developed from 2013 to 2020 into a marketing and CRM platform for scrap metal yards. This system will enable each facility to:

Over the past ten years, Greenwave has invested approximately $10 million developing these technologies which we believe we can re-purpose for a fraction of the cost of development, give our metal recycling facilities and those who pay to use our platform a significant competitive advantage, and grow our revenues and profits as a result.

There are few companies developing technology solutions for the scrap metal industry and we believe that by focusing our experience and assets on this highly-profitable but often overlooked industry, we can create significant value for our shareholders.

Competition

We compete with several large, well-financed recyclers of scrap metal, steel mills which own their own scrap metal processing operations, and with smaller metal recycling companies. Demand for metal products are sensitive to global economic conditions, the relative value of the U.S. dollar, and availability of material alternatives, including recycled metal substitutes. Prices for recycled metal are also influenced by tariffs, quotas, and other import restrictions, and by licensing and government requirements.

We aim to create a competitive advantage through our ability to process significant volumes of metal products, our use of processing and separation equipment, the number and location of our facilities, and the operating synergies we have been able to develop based on our experience.

Recent Developments

In July 2022, the Company’s common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”). Simultaneously with the listing of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq on July 22, 2022, the Company’s senior secured convertible notes in the principal amount of $37,714,966 together with accrued interest in the amount of $1,470,884 were converted into shares of common stock at a conversion price of $6.02 per share.

In November 2022, we opened a metal recycling facility in Fairmont, NC.

In January 2023, we leased a property in Chesapeake, VA.

In April 2023, we are opening a metal recycling facility in Cleveland, Ohio.

Intellectual Property

None.

Employees and Human Capital Resources

Greenwave has 143 full-time employees as of March 21, 2023.

We view our diverse employee population and our culture as key to our success. Our company culture prioritizes learning, supports growth and empowers us to reach new heights. We recruit employees with the skills and training relevant to succeed and thrive in their functional responsibilities. We assess the likelihood that a particular candidate will contribute to the Company’s overall goals, and beyond their specifically assigned tasks. Depending on the position, our recruitment reach can be local as well as national. We provide competitive compensation and best in class benefits that are tailored specifically to the needs and requests of our employees. During 2021 and 2022, we worked to manage through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and entered 2023 stronger than ever. As appropriate, others were provided the option of working remotely or at our facilities with appropriate safeguards. We uphold our commitment to shareholders by working hard and being thoughtful and deliberate in how we use resources.

Available Information

We file Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Our filings with the SEC are available free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on our website under the “Investors” tab as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains the risks applicable to an investment in our securities. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. The occurrence of any of these known or unknown risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

Risk Factors Summary

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Risks Relating to Government Laws and Regulations

Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

Risks Related to our Common Stock

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Future epidemics or other public health emergencies could have similar effects.

Our operations expose us to risks associated with pandemics, epidemics or other public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic which spread to many other countries including the United States. In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic, and the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency. The outbreak resulted in governments around the world implementing stringent measures to help control the spread of the virus, followed by phased regulations and guidelines for reopening communities and economies. In addition, governments and central banks in several parts of the world have enacted fiscal and monetary stimulus measures to counteract the impacts of COVID-19.

We are a company operating in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Consistent with federal guidelines and with state and local orders to date, we have continued to operate across our footprint. Notwithstanding our continued operations, COVID-19 has negatively impacted and may have further negative impacts on our financial performance, operations, supply chain and flows of raw materials, transportation and logistics networks and customers. Due in large part to the impacts of and response to the spread of COVID-19, global economic conditions declined sharply during the second quarter of fiscal 2020, resulting in historic unemployment levels, rapid changes in supply and demand in certain industry sectors, businesses switching to remote work or ceasing operations, and consumers eliminating, restricting or redirecting spending. The economic downturn adversely affected demand for our products and contributed to weaker supply and demand conditions affecting prices and volumes in the markets for our products, services and raw materials. During fiscal 2020, in particular the second quarter, our operations, margins and results were adversely impacted by lower sales volumes of recycled metals driven by severely constrained supplies of scrap metal including end-of-life vehicles, leading to lower processed volumes at our recycling facilities. We also experienced significant decreases in selling prices for our recycled metal products, softer demand, supply chain disruptions, reduced availability of shipping containers, and other logistics constraints. During 2021, metal prices recovered, contributing to an increase in revenues, although supply chain disruptions persisted. During 2022, we experienced minimal impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic could further negatively impact our business or results of operations through the temporary closure of our operating locations or those of our customers or suppliers, disrupting scrap metal inflows to our recycling facilities, limiting our ability to process scrap metal through our shredder, inhibiting the manufacture of steel products at our steel mill, and delaying or preventing deliveries to our customers, among others. In addition, the ability of our employees and our suppliers’ and customers’ employees to work may be significantly impacted by individuals contracting or being exposed to COVID-19, or as a result of prevention and control measures, which may significantly hamper our production throughout the supply chain and constrict sales channels.

Because the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences are uncertain, continually changing and difficult to predict, the pandemic’s impacts on our operations and financial performance, as well as its impact on our ability to successfully execute our business strategies and initiatives, are also uncertain and difficult to predict. Further, the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and financial performance depends on many factors that are not within our control, including, but not limited to: governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic (including restrictions on travel and transportation and workforce pressures); the impact of the pandemic and actions taken in response on global and regional economies and on levels of economic activity; the availability of federal, state or local funding programs; general economic uncertainty in key global markets and financial market volatility; global economic conditions and levels of economic growth; and the pace of recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. While we expect the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to negatively impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial position, the current level of uncertainty over the economic and operational impacts of COVID-19 means the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

We operate in industries that are cyclical and sensitive to general economic conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

Demand for most of our products is cyclical in nature and sensitive to general economic conditions. The timing and magnitude of the cycles in the industries in which our products are used, including global steel manufacturing and nonresidential and infrastructure construction in the U.S., are difficult to predict. The cyclical nature of our operations tends to reflect and be amplified by changes in economic conditions, both domestically and internationally, and foreign currency exchange fluctuations. Economic downturns or a prolonged period of slow growth in the U.S. and foreign markets or any of the industries in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Changing conditions in global markets including the impact of sanctions and tariffs, quotas and other trade actions and import restrictions may adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

A significant portion of the metal we process is sold to end customers located outside the U.S., including countries in Asia, the Mediterranean region and North, Central and South America. Our ability to sell our products profitably, or at all, is subject to a number of risks including adverse impacts of political, economic, military, terrorist or major pandemic events; labor and social issues; legal and regulatory requirements or limitations imposed by foreign governments including quotas, tariffs or other protectionist trade barriers, sanctions, adverse tax law changes, nationalization, currency restrictions, or import restrictions for certain types of products we export; and disruptions or delays in shipments caused by customs compliance or other actions of government agencies. The occurrence of such events and conditions may adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

For example, in fiscal 2017, regulators in China began implementing the National Sword initiative involving inspections of Chinese industrial enterprises, including recyclers, in order to identify rules violations with respect to discharge of pollutants or illegally transferred scrap imports. Restrictions resulting from the National Sword initiative include a ban on certain imported recycled products, lower contamination limits for permitted recycled materials, and more comprehensive pre- and post-shipment inspection requirements. Disruptions in pre-inspection certifications and stringent inspection procedures at certain Chinese destination ports have limited access to these destinations and resulted in the renegotiation or cancellation of certain nonferrous customer contracts in connection with the redirection of such shipments to alternate destinations. Commencing July 1, 2019, China imposed further restrictions in the form of import license requirements and quotas on certain scrap products, including certain nonferrous products we sell. Chinese import licenses and quotas are issued to Chinese scrap consumers on a quarterly basis for the importation of scrap products. Since the implementation of this program, the size of import quotas has been steadily reduced on a quarter-over-quarter basis. We have continued to sell our recycled metal products into China; however, additional or modified license requirements and quotas, as well as additional product quality requirements, may be issued in the future. We believe that the potential impact on our recycling operations of the Chinese regulatory actions described above could include requirements that would necessitate additional processing and packaging of certain nonferrous recycled scrap metal products, increased inspection and certification activities with respect to exports to China, or a change in the use of our sales channels in the event of delays in the issuance of licenses, restrictive quotas or an outright ban on certain or all of our recycled metals products by China. As regulatory developments progress, we may need to make further investments in nonferrous processing equipment beyond existing planned investments where economically justified, incur additional costs in order to comply with new inspection requirements, or seek alternative markets for the impacted products, which may result in lower sales prices or higher costs and may adversely impact our business or results of operations.

In March 2018, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on certain imported steel products and a 10% tariff on certain imported aluminum products under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. These new tariffs, along with other U.S. trade actions, have triggered retaliatory actions by certain affected countries, and other foreign governments have initiated or are considering imposing trade measures on other U.S. goods. For example, China has imposed a series of retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. products, including a 25 percent tariff on all grades of U.S. scrap and an additional 25 percent tariff on U.S. aluminum scrap. These tariffs and other trade actions could result in a decrease in international steel demand beyond that already experienced and further negatively impact demand for our products, which would adversely impact our business. Given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of these trade actions by the U.S. or other countries, the impact of the trade actions on our operations or results remains uncertain, but this impact could be material.

Changes in the availability or price of inputs such as raw materials and end-of-life vehicles could reduce our sales.

Our businesses require certain materials that are sourced from third party suppliers. Industry supply conditions generally involve risks, including the possibility of shortages of raw materials, increases in raw material and other input costs, and reduced control over delivery schedules. We procure our scrap inventory from numerous sources. These suppliers generally are not bound by long-term contracts and have no obligation to sell scrap metal to us. In periods of declining or lower scrap metal prices suppliers may elect to hold scrap metal to wait for higher prices or intentionally slow their metal collection activities, tightening supply. If a substantial number of suppliers cease selling scrap metal to us, we will be unable to recycle metal at desired levels, and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. For instance, in the second quarter of fiscal 2020 a lower price environment for recycled metals in combination with economic and other restrictions on suppliers relating to COVID-19 severely constricted the supply of scrap metal including end-of-life vehicles, which resulted in significantly reduced processed volumes. A slowdown of industrial production in the U.S. may also reduce the supply of industrial grades of metal to the metals recycling industry, resulting in less recyclable metal available to process and market. Increased competition for domestic scrap metal, including as a result of overcapacity in the scrap recycling industry in the U.S. and Canada, may also reduce the supply of scrap metal available to us. Failure to obtain a steady supply of scrap material could both adversely impact our ability to meet sales commitments and reduce our operating margins. Failure to obtain an adequate supply of end-of-life vehicles could adversely impact our ability to attract customers and charge admission fees and reduce our parts sales. Failure to obtain raw materials and other inputs to steel production such as graphite electrodes, alloys and other required consumables, could adversely impact our ability to make steel to the specifications of our customers.

Significant decreases in scrap metal prices may adversely impact our operating results.

The timing and magnitude of the cycles in the industries in which we operate are difficult to predict and are influenced by different economic conditions in the domestic market, where we typically acquire our raw materials, and foreign markets, where we typically sell the majority of our products. Purchase prices for scrap metal including end-of-life vehicles and selling prices for recycled scrap metal are subject to market forces beyond our control. While we attempt to respond to changing recycled scrap metal selling prices through adjustments to our metal purchase prices, our ability to do so is limited by competitive and other market factors. As a result, we may not be able to reduce our metal purchase prices to fully offset a sharp reduction in recycled scrap metal sales prices, which may adversely impact our operating income and cash flows. In addition, a rapid decrease in selling prices may compress our operating margins due to the impact of average inventory cost accounting, which causes cost of goods sold recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations to decrease at a slower rate than metal purchase prices.

For instance, in fiscal 2020, weaker market conditions for recycled metals, including as a result of the sharp decline in global economic conditions during the third quarter of fiscal 2020 in large part due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and structural changes to the market for certain recycled nonferrous products primarily from Chinese import restrictions and tariffs, resulted in periods of sharply declining commodity prices and lower average net selling prices for our ferrous and nonferrous recycled metal products compared to fiscal 2019. As a result, operating margins in fiscal 2020 compressed as the decline in average net selling prices for our recycled metal products outpaced the reduction in purchase costs for raw materials. In fiscal 2021, prices for our ferrous and non-ferrous metals increased significantly, resulting in an increase in revenue and purchasing costs for raw materials. In fiscal 2022, prices for our ferrous and non-ferrous metals declined during the second half of the year, but remained historically strong, resulting in a decrease in revenue and purchasing costs for raw materials.

Imbalances in supply and demand conditions in the global steel industry may reduce demand for our products.

Economic expansions and contractions in global economies can result in supply and demand imbalances in the global steel industry that can significantly affect the price of commodities used and sold by our business, as well as the price of and demand for finished steel products. In a number of foreign countries, such as China, steel producers are generally government-owned and may therefore make production decisions based on political or other factors that do not reflect free market conditions. In the past, overcapacity and excess steel production in these foreign countries resulted in the export of aggressively priced semi-finished and finished steel products. This led to disruptions in steel-making operations within other countries, negatively impacting demand for our recycled scrap metal. Existing or new trade laws and regulations may cause or be inadequate to prevent disadvantageous trade practices, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Although trade regulations restrict or impose duties on the importation of certain products, if foreign steel production significantly exceeds consumption in those countries, global demand for our recycled scrap metal products could decline and imports of steel products into the U.S. could increase, resulting in lower volumes and selling prices for our recycled metal products and finished steel products.

Impairment of long-lived assets and equity investments may adversely affect our operating results.

Our long-lived asset groups are subject to an impairment assessment when certain triggering events or circumstances indicate that their carrying value may be impaired. If the carrying value exceeds our estimate of future undiscounted cash flows of the operations related to the asset group, an impairment is recorded for the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the asset group. The results of these tests for potential impairment may be adversely affected by unfavorable market conditions, our financial performance trends, or an increase in interest rates, among other factors. If, as a result of the impairment test, we determine that the fair value of any of our long-lived asset groups is less than its carrying amount, we may incur an impairment charge that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to renew facility leases, thus restricting our ability to operate.

We lease a significant portion of our facilities. The cost to renew such leases may increase significantly, and we may not be able to renew such leases on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Failure to renew these leases or find suitable alternative locations for our facilities may impact our ability to continue operations within certain geographic areas, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Increases in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies may reduce the demand for our products.

A significant portion of our recycled scrap metal revenues is generated from sales to foreign customers, which are denominated in U.S. dollars, including customers located in Asia, the Mediterranean region and North, Central and South America. A strengthening U.S. dollar, as experienced during recent years including fiscal 2020, makes our products more expensive for non-U.S. customers, which may negatively impact export sales. A strengthening U.S. dollar also makes imported metal products less expensive, which may result in an increase in imports of steel products into the U.S. As a result, our finished steel products, which are made in the U.S., may become more expensive for our U.S. customers relative to imported steel products thereby reducing demand for our products.

Equipment upgrades, equipment failures and facility damage may lead to production curtailments or shutdowns.

Our business operations and recycling and manufacturing processes depend on critical pieces of equipment, including information technology equipment, shredders, nonferrous sorting technology, furnaces and a rolling mill, which may be out of service occasionally for scheduled upgrades or maintenance or as a result of unanticipated failures. Our facilities are subject to equipment failures and the risk of catastrophic loss due to unanticipated events such as fires, earthquakes, accidents or violent weather conditions. Interruptions in our processing and production capabilities and shutdowns resulting from unanticipated events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are subject to legal proceedings and legal compliance risks that may adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We spend substantial resources ensuring that we comply with domestic and foreign regulations, contractual obligations and other legal standards. Notwithstanding this, we are subject to a variety of legal proceedings and compliance risks in respect of various matters, including regulatory, safety, environmental, employment, transportation, intellectual property, contractual, import/export, international trade and governmental matters that arise in the course of our business and in our industry. An outcome in an unusual or significant legal proceeding or compliance investigation in excess of insurance recoveries could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. For information regarding our current significant legal proceedings and contingencies, see “Legal Proceedings” in Part I, Item 3 and “Contingencies – Other” within Note 12 – Commitments and Contingencies in the notes to the financial statements.

Climate change may adversely impact our facilities and our ongoing operations.

The potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain and depend upon the unique geographic and environmental factors present, for example rising sea levels at deep water port facilities, changing storm patterns and intensities, and changing temperature levels. As many of our recycling facilities are located near deep water ports, rising sea levels may disrupt our ability to receive scrap metal, process the scrap metal through our shredders and ship products to our customers. Extreme weather events and conditions, such as hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, wildfires and snow or ice storms, may increase our costs or cause damage to our facilities, and any damage resulting from extreme weather may not be fully insured. Increased frequency and duration of adverse weather events and conditions may also inhibit construction activity utilizing our products, scrap metal inflows to our recycling facilities, and retail admissions and parts sales at our auto parts stores. Potential adverse impacts from climate change, including rising temperatures and extreme weather events and conditions, may create health and safety issues for employees operating at our facilities and may lead to an inability to maintain standard operating hours.

Catastrophic events may disrupt our business and impair our ability to provide our platform to clients and consumers, resulting in costs for remediation, client and consumer dissatisfaction, and other business or financial losses.

Our operations depend, in part, on our ability to protect our facilities against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, criminal acts and similar events. Despite precautions taken at our facilities, the occurrence of a natural disaster, an act of terrorism, vandalism or sabotage, spikes in usage volume or other unanticipated problems at a facility could result in lengthy interruptions in the availability of our platform. Even with current and planned disaster recovery arrangements, our business could be harmed. Also, in the event of damage or interruption, our insurance policies may not adequately compensate us for any losses that we may incur. These factors in turn could further reduce revenue, subject us to liability and lead to decreased usage of our platform and decrease sales of our advertising placements, any of which could harm our business.

We depend on a small number of suppliers for the materials necessary to run our business. The loss of these suppliers, or their failure to supply us with these materials, would materially and adversely affect our business.

We depend on the availability of key materials for our business from a small number of third-party suppliers. Because there are a limited number of suppliers for these materials, we may need to engage alternate suppliers to prevent a possible disruption. We do not have any control over the availability of materials. If we or our manufacturers are unable to purchase these materials on acceptable terms, at sufficient quality levels, or in adequate quantities, if at all, the successful operation of our business would be delayed or there would be a shortage in supply, which would impair our ability to generate revenues from our business.

We have substantial customer concentration, with a limited number of customers accounting for a substantial portion of our 2022 and 2021 revenues.

We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from three large corporate customers. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, three certain large customers individually accounted for $17,962,176, $5,332,834, and $4,301,328, or approximately 53%, 16%, and 13% of our revenues, respectively. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, one customer accounted for $6,682,019, or approximately 83% of our revenue.

There are inherent risks whenever a large percentage of total revenues are concentrated with a limited number of customers. It is not possible for us to predict the future level of demand for our services that will be generated by this customer or the future demand for the products and services of this customer in the end-user marketplace. In addition, revenues from larger customers, especially our largest customer may fluctuate from time to time based on the commencement and completion of projects, the timing of which may be affected by market conditions or other facts, some of which may be outside of our control. Further, some of our contracts with larger customers permit them to terminate our relationship at any time (subject to notice and certain other provisions). If any of these customers experience declining or delayed sales due to market, economic or competitive conditions, we could be pressured to reduce the prices we charge for our services which could have an adverse effect on our margins and financial position and could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations and/or trading price of our common stock. If our largest customer terminates our services, such termination would negatively affect our revenues and results of operations and/or trading price of our common stock.

We have a limited history upon which an evaluation of our prospects and future performance can be made and have no history of profitable operations.

We were incorporated in April 2013 and have a limited operating history and our business is subject to all of the risks inherent in the establishment of a new business enterprise. Our likelihood of success must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications and delays frequently encountered in connection with development and expansion of a new business enterprise. We may sustain losses in the future as we implement our business plan. There can be no assurance that we will operate profitably.

We are highly dependent on the services of key executives, the loss of whom could materially harm our business and our strategic direction. If we lose key management or significant personnel, cannot recruit qualified employees, directors, officers, or other personnel or experience increases in our compensation costs, our business may materially suffer.

We are highly dependent on our management team, specifically our Chief Executive Officer, Danny Meeks. While we have an employment agreement with Danny Meeks, such employment agreement permits Mr. Meeks to terminate such agreement upon notice. If we lose key employees, our business may suffer. Furthermore, our future success will also depend in part on the continued service of our key management personnel and our ability to identify, hire, and retain additional personnel. We carry “key-man” life insurance on the life of our executive officer. We experience intense competition for qualified personnel and may be unable to attract and retain the personnel necessary for the development of our business. Because of this competition, our compensation costs may increase significantly.

We may need to obtain additional financing to fund our operations.

We may need additional capital in the future to continue to execute our business plan. Therefore, we may be dependent upon additional capital in the form of either debt or equity to continue our operations. At the present time, we do not have arrangements to raise additional capital, and we may need to identify potential investors and negotiate appropriate arrangements with them. We may not be able to arrange enough investment within the time the investment is required or that if it is arranged, that it will be on favorable terms. If we cannot obtain the needed capital, we may not be able to become profitable and may have to curtail or cease our operations. Additional equity financing, if available, may be dilutive to the holders of our capital stock. Debt financing may involve significant cash payment obligations, covenants and financial ratios that may restrict our ability to operate and grow our business.

Our independent registered accounting firm has expressed concerns about our ability to continue as a going concern.

The report of our independent registered accounting firm expresses concern about our ability to continue as a going concern based on our historical losses from operations and the potential need for additional financing to fund our operations. It is not possible at this time for us to predict with assurance the potential success of our business. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, we may be unable to continue our operations and you may lose some or all of your investment in our securities.

In the past we have experienced material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, which if continued, could impair our financial condition.

As reported in Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 due to material weaknesses regarding our controls and procedures. The Company did not have sufficient segregation of duties to support its internal control over financial reporting. Due to our small size and limited resources, segregation of all conflicting duties has not always been possible and may not be economically feasible in the near term; however, we do expect to hire additional accounting personnel in the near future. We have and do endeavor to take appropriate and reasonable steps to make improvements to remediate these deficiencies. If we have continued material weaknesses in our internal financial reporting, our financial condition could be impaired or we may have to restate our financials, which could cause us to expend additional funds that would have a material impact on our ability to generate profits and on the success of our business.

Risks Relating to Government Laws and Regulations

Tax increases and changes in tax rules may adversely affect our financial results.

As a company conducting business on a global basis with physical operations throughout North America, we are exposed, both directly and indirectly, to the effects of changes in U.S., state, local and foreign tax rules. Taxes for financial reporting purposes and cash tax liabilities in the future may be adversely affected by changes in such tax rules. In many cases, such changes put us at a competitive disadvantage compared to some of our major competitors, to the extent we are unable to pass the tax costs through to our customers.

We may not realize our deferred tax assets in the future.

The assessment of recoverability of our deferred tax assets is based on an evaluation of existing positive and negative evidence as to whether it is more-likely-than-not that they will be realized. If negative evidence outweighs positive evidence, a valuation allowance is required. Impairment of deferred tax assets may result from significant negative industry or economic trends, a decrease in earnings performance and projections of future taxable income, adverse changes in laws or regulations, and a variety of other factors. Impairment of deferred tax assets could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition and could result in not realizing the deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets may require further valuation allowances if it is not more-likely-than-not that the deferred tax assets will be realized.

Environmental compliance costs and potential environmental liabilities may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Compliance with environmental laws and regulations is a significant factor in our business. We are subject to local, state and federal environmental laws and regulations in the U.S. and other countries relating to, among other matters:

We are also required to obtain environmental permits from governmental authorities for certain operations. Violation of or failure to obtain permits or comply with these laws or regulations could result in our business being fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators or becoming subject to litigation by private parties. Future environmental compliance costs, including capital expenditures for environmental projects, may increase because of new laws and regulations, changing interpretations and stricter enforcement of current laws and regulations by regulatory authorities, expanding emissions, groundwater and other testing requirements and new information on emission or contaminant levels, uncertainty regarding adequate pollution control levels, the future costs of pollution control technology and issues related to climate change. We have seen an increased focus by federal, state and local regulators on metals recycling and auto dismantling facilities and new or expanding regulatory requirements.

Our operations use, handle and generate hazardous substances. In addition, previous operations by others at facilities that we currently or formerly owned, operated or otherwise used may have caused contamination from hazardous substances. As a result, we are exposed to possible claims, including government fines and penalties, costs for investigation and clean-up activities, claims for natural resources damages and claims by third parties for personal injury and property damage, under environmental laws and regulations, especially for the remediation of waterways and soil or groundwater contamination. These laws can impose liability for the cleanup of hazardous substances even if the owner or operator was neither aware of nor responsible for the release of the hazardous substances. We have, in the past, been found not to be in compliance with certain of these laws and regulations, and have incurred liabilities, expenditures, fines and penalties associated with such violations. Environmental compliance costs and potential environmental liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. See “Contingencies – Environmental” in Note 12 – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Governmental agencies may refuse to grant or renew our licenses and permits, thus restricting our ability to operate.

We conduct certain of our operations subject to licenses, permits and approvals from state and local governments. Governmental agencies often resist the establishment of certain types of facilities in their communities, including auto parts facilities. Changes in zoning and increased residential and mixed-use development near our facilities are reducing the buffer zones and creating land use conflicts with heavy industrial uses such as ours. This could result in increased complaints, increased inspections and enforcement including fines and penalties, operating restrictions, the need for additional capital expenditures and increased opposition to maintaining or renewing required approvals, licenses and permits. In addition, from time to time, both the U.S. and foreign governments impose regulations and restrictions on trade in the markets in which we operate. In some countries, governments require us to apply for certificates or registration before allowing shipment of recycled metal to customers in those countries. There can be no assurance that future approvals, licenses and permits will be granted or that we will be able to maintain and renew the approvals, licenses and permits we currently hold. Failure to obtain these approvals could cause us to limit or discontinue operations in these locations or prevent us from developing or acquiring new facilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Compliance with existing and future climate change and greenhouse gas emission laws and regulations may adversely impact our operating results.

Future legislation or increased regulation regarding climate change and greenhouse gas “GHG” emissions could impose significant costs on our business and our customers and suppliers, including increased energy, capital equipment, emissions controls, environmental monitoring and reporting and other costs in order to comply with laws and regulations concerning and limitations imposed on climate change and GHG emissions. The potential costs of allowances, taxes, fees, offsets or credits that may be part of “cap and trade” programs or similar future legislative or regulatory measures are still uncertain and the future of these programs or measures is unknown. Future climate change and GHG laws or regulations could negatively impact our ability (and that of our customers and suppliers) to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such requirements. Until the timing, scope and extent of any future laws or regulations becomes known, we cannot predict the effect on our financial condition, operating performance or ability to compete. Furthermore, even without such laws or regulations, increased awareness and any adverse publicity in the global marketplace about the GHGs emitted by companies in the metals recycling and steel manufacturing industries could harm our reputation and reduce customer demand for our products. See “Business – Environmental Matters” in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report for further detail.

Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

The success of our business depends on our continued ability to use our existing tradename in order to increase our brand awareness. The unauthorized use or other misappropriation of any our brand names could diminish the value of our business which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful and the outcome might have an adverse effect on the success of our business.

Competitors may infringe our trademarks or other intellectual property. Moreover, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain evidence of infringement by a competitor. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims on an individual basis, which can be expensive and time-consuming and divert the time and attention of our management. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded.

We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that our employees or we have misappropriated their intellectual property or claiming ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

Some of our employees may have executed non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with their previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed confidential information or intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims.

Risks Relating to Ownership of our Common Stock

The market price of our Common Stock may be volatile and adversely affected by several factors.

The market price of our Common Stock could fluctuate significantly in response to various factors and events, including, but not limited to: our ability to execute our business plan; operating results below expectations; our issuance of additional securities, including debt or equity or a combination thereof, necessary to fund our operating expenses; announcements of technological innovations or new products by us or our competitors; and period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results.

In addition, the securities markets have from time-to-time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock.

If our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.

The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not obtain a listing on a national securities exchange and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock could be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.

We are a “smaller reporting company” within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, and if we decide to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies, our Common Stock could be less attractive to investors.

We qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” meaning that we are not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent company that is not a “smaller reporting company,” and have either: (i) a public float of less than $250 million or (ii) annual revenues of less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and (A) no public float or (B) a public float of less than $700 million. As a “smaller reporting company,” we are entitled to rely on certain reduced disclosure requirements, such as an exemption from providing executive compensation information in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We are also exempt from the auditor attestation requirements provided in Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These exemptions and reduced disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as a smaller reporting company may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock or warrants less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stock and our stock prices may be more volatile.

We do not anticipate paying dividends on our Common Stock, and investors may lose the entire amount of their investment.

Cash dividends have never been declared or paid on our Common Stock, and we do not anticipate such a declaration or payment for the foreseeable future. We expect to use future earnings, if any, to fund business growth. Therefore, stockholders will not receive any funds absent a sale of their shares of common stock. If we do not pay dividends, our Common Stock may be less valuable because a return on your investment will only occur if our stock price appreciates. We cannot assure stockholders of a positive return on their investment when they sell their shares, nor can we assure that stockholders will not lose the entire amount of their investment.

You could lose some or all of your investment.

An investment in our securities is speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Potential investors should be aware that the value of an investment in the Company may go down as well as up. In addition, there can be no certainty that the market value of an investment in the Company will fully reflect its underlying value. You could lose some or all of your investment.

Our management controls a large block of our Common Stock that will allow them to control us.

As of March 29, 2023 members of our management team beneficially own approximately 39.35% of our outstanding common stock.

As a result, management may have the ability to control substantially all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval including:

In addition, management’s stock ownership may discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, which in turn could reduce our stock price or prevent our stockholders from realizing a premium over our stock price. Any additional investors will own a minority percentage of our common stock and will have minority voting rights.

Because we can issue additional shares of Common Stock, purchasers of our Common Stock may incur immediate dilution and experience further dilution.

We are authorized to issue up to 1,200,000,000 shares of Common Stock, of which 11,250,813 shares of Common Stock are issued and outstanding as of March 29, 2023. Our Board of Directors has the authority to cause us to issue additional shares of Common Stock without consent of any of stockholders. Consequently, our stockholders may experience further dilution in their ownership of our stock in the future, which could have an adverse effect on the trading market for our Common Stock.

Provisions in our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our Company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the market price of our Common Stock.

Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that all Internal Corporate Claims must be brought solely and exclusively in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have jurisdiction, the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, or, if such other court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware). The exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes based upon Internal Corporate Claims, which may discourage lawsuits against us or our current or former directors or officers and/or stockholders in such capacity. In addition, if a court were to find this exclusive forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

If securities or industry research analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an unfavorable or misleading opinion regarding our common stock, the market price and trading volume of our Common Stock could decline.

The trading market for our Common Stock will rely in part on the research and reports that securities or industry research analysts, over whom we have no control, publish about us and our business. If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our stock performance, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Future sales and issuances of our Common Stock or rights to purchase our Common Stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.

We expect that significant additional capital may be needed in the future to continue our planned operations, including expanded research and development activities and costs associated with operating a public company. To raise capital, we may sell Common Stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to the holders of our common stock.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from our public offerings and may not use them effectively.

Our management has broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from our public offerings, and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of these proceeds. Our management might not apply the net proceeds from our public offerings in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from our public offerings in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to reasonably assure that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

As a newly Nasdaq-listed company, we will incur material increased costs and become subject to additional regulations and requirements.

As a newly Nasdaq-listed public company, we will incur material additional legal, accounting and other expenses including recruiting and retaining qualified independent directors, payment of annual Nasdaq fees, and satisfying Nasdaq’s standards for companies listed with it. Because our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq, we must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain such listing. If we violate Nasdaq’s listing requirements, our common stock may be delisted. If we fail to meet any of the Nasdaq’s listing standards, our common stock may be delisted. In addition, our Board may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the benefits of such listing. A delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock. The delisting of our common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital and the value of your investment. 

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

We lease our scrap yard located at 22097 Brewers Neck Blvd., Carrollton, VA 23314, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $55,850 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 1576 Millpond Rd., Elizabeth City, NC 27909, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 130 Courtland Rd., Emporia, VA 23847, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 623 Highway 903 N., Greenville, NC 27834, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 8952 Richmond Rd., Toano, VA 23168, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 945 NC 11N, Kelford, NC 27805, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $39,293 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 1100 E Princess Anne Rd, Norfolk, VA 23504, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $16,391 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 277 Suburban Drive, Suffolk, VA 23434, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $15,450 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 9922 Hwy 17 S., Vanceboro, NC 28586, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $8,742 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 1040 Oceana Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23454, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $15,407 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 406 Sandy Street, Fairmont, NC 28340, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $8,000 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease office space at 505 Crawford Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704 for $1,185 per month. The lease expires on March 31, 2024.

On January 24, 2022, the Company entered into leasing agreements for 3,521 square feet of office space commencing upon the completion of tenant improvements which is expected to be on April 1, 2022 but shall be no later than May 1, 2022 (“Commencement Date”). Under the terms of the lease, the Company is required to pay $3,668 for the first twelve months of the lease and increasing by approximately 3% every 12 months thereafter until the expiration of the lease. The lease is for a period of five years from the Commencement Date and the Company was required to make a security deposit of $3,668. The Company does not have an option to extend the lease.

We own the property underlying our scrap yard located at 4091 Portsmouth Blvd., Portsmouth, VA 23701. Further, we own properties located at 278 and 276 Suburban Drive, Suffolk, VA 23434 and 4087, 4089, 4091, 4103, 4105 and 4117 Portsmouth Blvd, Portsmouth, VA 23701.

We believe that our facilities are adequate for our current needs and that, if required, we will be able to expand our current space or locate suitable new office space and obtain a suitable replacement for our executive and administrative headquarters.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On December 1, 2020, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP (“Sheppard Mullin”), the Company’s former securities counsel, filed a demand for arbitration at JAMS in New York, New York against the Company, alleging the Company’s breach of an engagement agreement dated January 4, 2018, and a failure of the Company to pay $487,390.73 of outstanding legal fees to Sheppard Mullin. Sheppard Mullin was awarded $459,250.88 in unpaid legal fees, disbursements and interest on June 25, 2021. A judgement confirming the arbitration award was entered on September 8, 2021 in the Federal District Court located in Denver, Colorado.

On September 23, 2021, the Company entered into a Resolution Agreement and Release (the “Resolution Agreement”) with Sheppard Mullin concerning the $459,250.88 judgement entered against the Company. Under the terms of the Resolution Agreement, the Company was required to make a $25,000 initial payment by September 30, 2021 and is required to make $15,000 monthly payments from October 2021 to January 2023 with a final $10,000 payment due in February 2023. The Company has made all of its required payments under the Resolution Agreement.

We are unable to estimate a reasonably possible loss or range of loss, if any, that may result from these matters.

From time to time, we may be involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We investigate these claims as they arise and accrue estimates for resolution of legal and other contingencies when losses are probable and estimable. Regardless of outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us due to defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, negative publicity and reputational harm, and other factors.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

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

Trading Symbol

From April 9, 2015 to October 16, 2019, our common stock was quoted on the OTCQB under the symbol “MSRT.” From October 17, 2019 to February 25, 2022, our common stock was quoted on the OTC Pink Tier of the OTC Markets under the symbol “MSRT.” From February 28 to March 24, 2022, our common stock was quoted on the OTC Pink Tier of the OTC Markets under the symbol “MSRTD.” From March 25, 2022 to July 21, 2022, our common stock was quoted on the OTC Pink Tier of the OTC Markets under the symbol “GWAV.” Since July 22, 2022, our common stock has been traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “GWAV.”

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices of Common Stock, and is based upon information provided by the OTC Marketplace and Nasdaq, as applicable. These quotations below reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down, or commission, and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

The last reported sale price of Common Stock as of March 31, 2023 on Nasdaq was $1.01 per share.

Holders

As of March 29, 2023, there were 131 stockholders of record. The number of record holders was determined from the records of our transfer agent and does not include beneficial owners of Common Stock whose shares are held in the names of various security brokers, dealers, and registered clearing agencies. The transfer agent of our Common Stock is Equity Stock Transfer, located at 237 W. 37^th St. #602, New York, NY 10018.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash or stock dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any dividends on the shares of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Our current policy is to retain earnings, if any, for use in our operations and in the development of our business. Any future determination to declare dividends on common stock will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, general business conditions and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

ITEM 6. RESERVED.

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

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and other sections of this Annual Report contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors.” You should also carefully read “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”.

Overview

We were formed on April 26, 2013 as a technology platform developer under the name MassRoots, Inc. In October 2021, we changed our corporate name from “MassRoots, Inc.” to “Greenwave Technology Solutions, Inc.” We sold all of our social media assets on October 28, 2021 for cash consideration equal to $10,000 and discontinued all operations related to our social media business. On September 30, 2021, we closed our acquisition of Empire Services, Inc. (“Empire”), which operates 13 metal recycling facilities and 1 metal processing facility in Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio. The acquisition was deemed effective October 1, 2021 on the effective date of the Certificate of Merger in Virginia.

Upon the acquisition of Empire, we transitioned into the scrap metal industry which involves collecting, classifying and processing appliances, construction material, end-of-life vehicles, boats, and industrial machinery. We process these items by crushing, shearing, shredding, separating, and sorting, into smaller pieces and categorize these recycled ferrous, nonferrous, and mixed metal pieces based on density and metal prior to sale. In cases of scrap cars, we remove the catalytic converters, aluminum wheels, and batteries for separate processing and sale prior to shredding the vehicle. We have designed our systems to maximize the value of metals produced from this process.

We operate an automotive shredder at our Kelford, North Carolina location and a second automotive shredder at our Carrollton, Virginia is expected to come online in the second quarter of 2023. Our shredders are designed to produce a denser product and, in concert with advanced separation equipment, more refined recycled ferrous metals, which are more valuable as they require less processing to produce recycled steel products. In totality, this process reduces large metal objects like auto bodies into baseball-sized pieces of shredded recycled metal.

The shredded pieces are then placed on a conveyor belt under magnetized drums to separate the ferrous metal from the mixed nonferrous metal and residue, producing consistent and high-quality ferrous scrap metal. The nonferrous metals and other materials then go through a number of additional mechanical systems which separate the nonferrous metal from any residue. The remaining nonferrous metal is further processed to sort the metal by type, grade, and quality prior to being sold as products, such as zorba (mainly aluminum), zurik (mainly stainless steel), and shredded insulated wire (mainly copper and aluminum).

One of our main corporate priorities is to open a facility with rail or deep-water port access to enable us to efficiently transport our products to domestic steel mills and overseas foundries. Because this would greatly expand the number of potential buyers of our processed scrap products, we believe opening a facility with port or rail access could result in an increase in both the revenue and profitability of our existing operations.

Empire is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia and has 144 full-time employees as of March 14, 2023.

Competitors

We compete with other metal recycling facility operators, such as Schnitzer Steel Industries, and are focused on utilizing technology to create operating efficiencies and competitive advantages over our peers.

Results of Operations For the Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2021

Revenues

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated $33,978,425 in revenues, as compared to $8,098,036 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $25,880,389. This increase was due to the consummation of our acquisition of Empire on October 1, 2021, a robust market for recycled metals, the repurposing and implementation of Greenwave’s technology into Empire’s existing operations, and the opening of additional metal recycling facilities.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased to $21,537,572 for the year ended December 31, 2022 from $5,238,482 during the same period in 2021, an increase of $16,299,090, as a result of the Empire acquisition.

Gross profit

Our gross profit was $12,440,853 during the year ended December 31, 2022 from $2,859,554 during the same period in 2021, an increase of $9,581,299, due to the consummation of the Empire acquisition. Our gross margins increased to 37% during the year ended December 31, 2022 from 35% during the same period in 2021 due to the Company diversifying its customer base to get better prices on its products.

Operating Expenses

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, our operating expenses were $23,323,775 and $5,787,118, respectively, an increase of $17,536,657. This increase was mainly attributed to the effectiveness of our acquisition of Empire on October 1, 2021, which significantly expanded our operations, number of employees, and internal systems. There was an increase in payroll and related expenses of $5,449,322 as payroll and related expenses were $6,991,095 for 2022 as compared to $1,541,773 for the same period in 2021, which was the result of an increase in our labor force primarily due to the closing of the Empire acquisition. Advertising expense increased by $50,398 to $83,993 for 2022 as compared to $33,595 for 2021 as the Company focused its resources on its scrap metal operations. Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets increased by $3,172,623 to $4,061,404 for 2022 from $888,781 in 2021 as a result of the Company acquiring fixed assets and intangible assets in the Empire acquisition. There were hauling and equipment maintenance costs of $3,378,452 in 2022, as compared to $513,928 in 2021, an increase of $2,864,524, due to the Company’s transportation and logistics costs increasing due to the Empire acquisition. Consulting, accounting, and legal expenses increased to $897,891 during the year ended December 31, 2022 from $395,901 during the same period in 2021, an increase of $502,080 due to the fees associated with the Company’s listing on Nasdaq. There was an increase in rent expenses as a result of the Empire acquisition, increasing $2,859,036 from $605,480 during the year ended December 31, 2021 to $3,464,516 during the same period in 2022. There were impairments of goodwill of $2,499,753 during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $0 during the same period in 2021, an increase of $2,499,753.

Our other general and administrative expenses increased to $1,946,580 for the year ended December 31, 2022 from $1,789,698 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $156,882, as a result of the Company’s operations expanding from the Empire acquisition.

The increase of these expenditures resulted in our total operating expenses increasing to $23,323,775 during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to $5,787,118 during the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $17,536,657.

Loss from Operations

Our loss from operations increased $7,955,358 to $10,882,922 during the year ended December 31, 2022, from $2,927,564 during the year ended December 31, 2021.

Other Income (Expense)

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred other expenses of $24,160,368, as compared to other income of $1,295,143 for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of $25,455,511. This decrease is partially due to a gain of the forgiveness of debt of $0 and $739,710 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. There was a gain on settlement of convertible notes payable and accrued interest, warrants and accounts payable of $516,920 and $182,160,381 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our change in fair value of derivative liability for authorized share deficiency decreased to $0 in fiscal year 2022 from $(171,343,164) during fiscal year 2021. We realized a $2,625,378 gain on the conversion of convertible debentures during fiscal year 2022 as compared to a $(880) loss in fiscal year 2021. In addition, interest expense increased to $(34,079,230) during fiscal year 2022 as compared to $(10,561,789) during fiscal year 2021. There was also a warrant expense for a liquidated damages settlement of $7,408,681 during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to $0 during the same period in 2021. Lastly, the there was a gain in the fair value of derivative liabilities of $14,264,476 during fiscal year 2022, as compared to a gain of $300,885 during the prior year.

Net (Loss) Income available to common stockholders

Our net (loss) income available to shareholders decreased by $66,635,355 to $(63,859,328) during the year ended December 31, 2022, from $2,776,027 in net income during the year ended December 31, 2021.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Net cash used in operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $2,609,173 and $2,487,213, respectively.

Cash flows used in operations in 2022 were impacted by depreciation of $875,809, amortization of intangible assets of $2,958,500, impairments on property and equipment of $227,186, amortization of right of use assets of $64,095, amortization of right of use assets (related-party) of $2,137,750, impairments on goodwill of $2,499,753, a gain in the fair value of derivative liabilities of $14,264,476, interest and amortization of debt discount of $32,340,565, a gain on the conversion of notes payable of $2,625,378, a gain on the settlement of notes payable and factoring advances of $516,920, a warrant expense for liquidated damages settlement of $7,408,681, an increase in rent due to a related party of $194,916, an increase in accounts receivable of $215,256, a decrease in inventories of $191,356, a decrease in prepaid expenses of $12,838, an increase in security deposits of $3,306, an increase in accounts payable of $1,703,299, an decrease in payroll wages payable of $1,738,665, a decrease in lease liability of $65,030, a decrease in lease liability (related-party) of $1,843,614, and a decrease in environmental remediation liabilities of $22,207. Cash flows used in operations in 2021 were impacted by a loss on derivative liabilities for the authorized share shortfall of $171,343,164, amortization of right of use assets (related-party) of $373,640, amortization of right of use assets of $22,436, impairments of equipment of $388,877, depreciation and amortization of $888,781, loss on conversions of convertible notes payable of $880, expenses of $158,371 paid by a non-convertible noteholder of the Company, decrease of prepaid expenses of $97,132, increases of accounts payable and accrued expenses of $609,683, an increase in contract liability of $25,000, a decrease in operating lease liabilities of $30,544, a decrease in operating lease liabilities (related-party) of $382,815, largely offset by a gain on the settlement of convertible notes and accrued interest of $182,160,381, a gain on forgiveness of debt of $739,710, share-based compensation of $166,855, interest and amortization of debt discount of $10,198,924, change in the value of derivative liabilities of $300,855, increases in inventories of $381,002, increase of security deposits of $2,437, decreases of accrued payroll of $137,415, decrease in environmental remediation liabilities of $48,810, and a net loss of $1,632,421.

Net cash used by investing activities was $5,936,027 and $77,666 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2022, there was cash used in the purchase of equipment of $5,936,027. For the year ended December 31, 2021, there was cash used in the purchase of equipment of $218,693 and cash acquired in the acquisition of the business of $141,027.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $6,408,711 and $5,521,687, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2022, there were proceeds from non-convertible notes of $2,725,000 and proceeds of $6,518,310 from factoring advances, offset by repayments of $220,000 towards non-convertible notes, repayments of $221,500 towards notes, repayments of advances of $12,000 and $2,381,310 towards factoring advances. During the year ended December 31, 2021, there were cash proceeds of $200,000 from the sale of Series X Preferred Stock, proceeds of $27,585,450 from the sale of convertible notes payable, proceeds of $1,465,053 from the sale of non-convertible notes payable, proceeds of $70,452 from advances, proceeds of $122,865 from related-parties, offset by repayments of $2,503,300 of convertible notes payable, repayments of $5,629,455 to non-convertible notes payable, repayments of advances of $4,165,973, payments of $26,000 to settle warrants and stock, redemptions of Series X Preferred Shares of $501,463, and redemptions of Series Y Preferred Shares of $11,095,942.

Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2022, we had cash on hand of $821,804. We currently have no external sources of liquidity such as arrangements with credit institutions that will have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition or immediate access to capital.

Fundraising

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company received proceeds of $6,518,310 and $2,725,000 from the issuance of factoring advances and non-convertible notes, respectively.

Required Capital over the Next Fiscal Year

We may need additional capital in the future to continue to execute our business plan. Therefore, we may be dependent upon additional capital in the form of either debt or equity to continue our operations. At the present time, we do not have arrangements to raise additional capital, and we may need to identify potential investors and negotiate appropriate arrangements with them. We may not be able to arrange enough investment within the time the investment is required or that if it is arranged, that it will be on favorable terms. If we cannot obtain the needed capital, we may not be able to become profitable and may have to curtail or cease our operations. Additional equity financing, if available, may be dilutive to the holders of our capital stock. Debt financing may involve significant cash payment obligations, covenants and financial ratios that may restrict our ability to operate and grow our business.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, which simplifies the guidance on accounting for convertible debt instruments by removing the separation models for: (1) convertible debt with a cash conversion feature; and (2) convertible instruments with a beneficial conversion feature. As a result, the Company will not separately present in equity an embedded conversion feature in such debt. Instead, we will account for a convertible debt instrument wholly as debt, unless certain other conditions are met. We expect the elimination of these models will reduce reported interest expense and increase reported net income for the Company’s convertible instruments falling under the scope of those models before the adoption of ASU 2020-06. Also, ASU 2020-06 requires the application of the if-converted method for calculating diluted earnings per share and the treasury stock method will be no longer available. The provisions of ASU 2020-06 are applicable for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, with early adoption permitted no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The adoption of this update did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers, which requires that an acquirer recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Topic 606, as if it had originated the contracts. Prior to this ASU, an acquirer generally recognizes contract assets acquired and contract liabilities assumed that arose from contracts with customers at fair value on the acquisition date. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The ASU is to be applied prospectively to business combinations occurring on or after the effective date of the amendment (or if adopted early as of an interim period, as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes the interim period of early application). The Company is currently evaluating the adoption of ASU 2020-06 on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

There are other various updates recently issued, most of which represented technical corrections to the accounting literature or application to specific industries and are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Critical Accounting Policies

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations discuss our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates and judgments, including estimates used in the calculation of stock-based compensation, fair values relating to derivative liabilities, payroll tax liabilities with interest and penalties, deemed dividends, assumptions used in right-of-use and lease liability calculations, valuations and impairments of goodwill and intangible assets acquired in business combination, estimated useful life of long-lived assets and finite life tangible assets, determination of environmental remediation liabilities, and the valuation allowance related to deferred tax assets. Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

Management believes the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect its more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

Goodwill: Goodwill is the excess of the purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets of the acquired business. Goodwill is tested annually at December 31 for impairment. The annual qualitative or quantitative assessments involve determining an estimate of the fair value of reporting units in order to evaluate whether an impairment of the current carrying amount of goodwill exists. A qualitative assessment evaluates whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount before applying the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. The first step of a quantitative goodwill impairment test compares the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss may be recognized. The amount of impairment loss is determined by comparing the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount. If the carrying amount exceeds the implied fair value, then an impairment loss is recognized equal to that excess. The Company has adopted the provisions of ASU 2017-04—Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. ASU 2017-04 requires goodwill impairments to be measured on the basis of the fair value of a reporting unit relative to the reporting unit’s carrying amount rather than on the basis of the implied amount of goodwill relative to the goodwill balance of the reporting unit. Thus, ASU 2017-04 permits an entity to record a goodwill impairment that is entirely or partly due to a decline in the fair value of other assets that, under existing GAAP, would not be impaired or have a reduced carrying amount. Furthermore, the ASU removes “the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test.” Instead, all reporting units, even those with a zero or negative carrying amount will apply the same impairment test. Accordingly, the goodwill of reporting unit or entity with zero or negative carrying values will not be impaired, even when conditions underlying the reporting unit/entity may indicate that goodwill is impaired.

We test our goodwill for impairment annually, or, under certain circumstances, more frequently, such as when events or circumstances indicate there may be impairment. We are required to write down the value of goodwill only when our testing determines the recorded amount of goodwill exceeds the fair value. Our annual measurement date for testing goodwill impairment is December 31.

None of the goodwill is deductible for income tax purposes. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded $2,499,753 and $0 in impairment expense related to goodwill, respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the carrying value of goodwill was $0 and $2,499,753, respectively.

Intangible: Intangible assets with finite useful lives consist of tradenames, licenses and customer relationships and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which range from three to ten years. The estimated useful lives associated with finite-lived intangible assets are consistent with the estimated lives of the associated products and may be modified when circumstances warrant. Such assets are reviewed for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of an asset and its eventual disposition are less than its carrying amount. The amount of any impairment is measured as the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the impaired asset. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded $2,499,753 and $0 in impairment expense related to intangibles and goodwill and $2,958,500 and $739,625 in amortization of intangible assets, respectively.

Income Taxes: The Company accounts for its income taxes in accordance with Income Taxes Topic of the FASB ASC 740, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and tax credit carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date.

Income tax expense is based on reported earnings before income taxes. Deferred income taxes reflect the impact of temporary differences between assets and liabilities recognized for consolidated financial reporting purposes and such amounts recognized for tax purposes and are measured by applying enacted tax rates in effect in years in which the differences are expected to reverse.

The Company also follows the guidance related to accounting for income tax uncertainties. In accounting for uncertainty in income taxes, the Company recognizes the financial statement benefit of a tax position only after determining that the relevant tax authority would more likely than not sustain the position following an audit. For tax positions meeting the more likely than not threshold, the amount recognized in the financial statements is the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant tax authority.

Greenwave has also experienced impacts of inflation to its operations, mainly the significant increases in the prices of recycled metal, which in turn, has resulted in increases to the Company’s revenue and profit margin. The Company has also experienced increases to its wages and salaries, hauling, and towing expenses caused by inflation, but is taking steps to minimize impacts to the Company’s financial position. Greenwave does not experience material changes to its business due to seasonality.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The consolidated financial statements required to be included in this Annual Report appear as indexed in the appendix to this Annual Report beginning on page F-1.

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

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Pursuant to Rules 13a-15(b) and 15-d-15(b) under the Exchange Act, we carried out an evaluation, with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Interim Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined under Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based upon such evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022 were not effective (at a reasonable assurance level) due to identified control deficiencies regarding the lack of segregation of duties and the need for a stronger internal control environment.

To address the material weaknesses, we performed additional analysis and other post-closing procedures in an effort to ensure our financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Annual Report fairly present in all material respects our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.

Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error or fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Due to the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (issued in 2013). A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Based upon the assessments, management has concluded that as of December 31, 2022, there was a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting due to the fact that we did not have an adequate process established to ensure appropriate levels of review of accounting and financial reporting matters, which resulted in our closing process not identifying all required adjustments and disclosures in a timely fashion.

We plan to take steps to enhance and improve the design of our internal control over financial reporting. To remediate our material weaknesses, we plan to appoint additional qualified personnel with the requisite knowledge to improve the levels of review of accounting and financial reporting matters; however, such remediation efforts are largely dependent upon our securing additional financing or generating significant revenue to cover the costs of implementing the changes required.

Until we remediate our material weakness in internal control over financial reporting such weaknesses could result in material misstatements in our financial statements not being prevented or detected.

Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, including the Company’s CEO and CFO, does not expect that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objective and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

The Company’s CEO and CFO has identified control deficiencies regarding the lack of segregation of duties and the need for a stronger internal control environment. The small size of the Company’s accounting staff may prevent adequate controls in the future, such as segregation of duties, due to the cost/benefit of such remediation.

Because of the above material weakness, management has concluded that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on the criteria established in “Internal Control-Integrated Framework” issued by the COSO.

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 Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

During the most recent fiscal quarter, the Company began hiring additional accounting personnel to enhance its segregation of duties and establishment of procedures in an effort to ensure appropriate levels of review of accounting and financial reporting matters.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

None.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Directors and Executive Officers

The name and age of our Directors and Executive Officers are set forth below. All Directors are elected annually by the stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of the stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The officers are elected by our Board of Directors (the “Board”).

Mr. Danny Meeks, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman – Mr. Meeks is the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, a position he has held since September 30, 2021. He has served as a Director and Chairman of the Board since June 2021. He served as interim Chief Financial Officer from November 30, 2021 until April 18, 2022. He was the sole owner and President of Empire Services, Inc., a metal recycling company he founded in 2002, until its acquisition by the Company in September 2021. Additionally, Mr. Meeks has served as the President of DWM Properties, LLC, his real estate holding company, since 2002, and as the President of Select Recycling and Waste Services, Inc., a waste disposal and recycling company, since October 2016.

Ashley Sickles, Chief Financial Officer – Mrs. Sickles is the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, a position she has held since September 2022. Previously, from June 2017 to August 2022, Mrs. Sickles served as Director of Finance for JAWS, Inc., a leading regional restaurant operator and franchisor with multiple locations. Mrs. Sickles holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Western Governors University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from West Virginia University.

Mr. J. Bryan Plumlee, Director – Mr. Plumlee has served as a Director of the Company since April 2022 and is a Co-Managing Shareholder of Poole Brooke Plumlee PC, where he serves as Chairman of the firm’s Litigation Department and manages its Court Collection Department. His practice focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on business, land use, environmental law and product liability, including aviation litigation. As part of a vibrant land use practice, Mr. Plumlee heads a team within the firm specializing in environmental remediation projects. Mr. Plumlee has been an attorney with Poole Brooke Plumlee PC (formerly Huff Poole Mahoney, PC) since August 1999.

Mr. Plumlee’s clients include multiple regional businesses, professionals, insurance companies as well as municipalities. Mr. Plumlee has been repeatedly elected by his peers to be included in Virginia Business magazine’s Legal Elite and Virginia Super Lawyers in the categories of Civil Litigation Defense and Environmental Litigation. Mr. Plumlee has an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Mrs. Cheryl Lanthorn, Director – Mrs. Lanthorn has served as a Director of the Company since April 2022. Mrs. Lanthorn began her career as a Personal Administrator at Welton, Duke & Hawks before rising to an Accounting Administrator due to her work-ethic, extensive accounting knowledge, and attention to detail. For the next 14 years, Mrs. Lanthorn was a Software Trainer and Content Developer for Applied Systems, Inc., where she created webinars and instructional documentation to teach employees how to best utilize TAM, Vision, Epic, and other scalable software programs. From December 2015 to July 2022, Mrs. Lanthorn served as an Account Executive at Brown & Brown Insurance, where she managed one of the company’s largest books of business, managed employees and their books, trained new employees, and performed various other administrative duties. Since August 2022, Mrs. Lanthorn has been a Senior Account Manager at Marsh McLennan Agency, LLC, where she manages large corporate accounts.

Mr. John Wood, Director – Mr. Wood has served as a Director of the Company since April 2022. Since 1998, Mr. Wood has served as a licensed real estate agent in Virginia. Since 2010, He has served as the Principal Broker of John E. Wood Realty, Inc., based in Chesapeake, Virginia, where through his extensive relationships with business and community leaders, he has become one of the region’s most active real Residential, Commercial and Property Management Brokers. He is also the Virginia Principal Broker for two other companies, which rank in the top 10 in the nation. In July 2018, he launched American Contracting Services, LLC, which has successfully completed hundreds of Commercial and Residential construction projects.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships among our directors and executive officers.

Involvement in Legal Proceedings

We are not aware of any of our directors or officers being involved in any legal proceedings in the past ten years relating to any matters in bankruptcy, insolvency, criminal proceedings (other than traffic and other minor offenses) or being subject to any of the items set forth under Item 401(f) of Regulation S-K.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Governance of Our Company

We seek to maintain high standards of business conduct and corporate governance, which we believe are fundamental to the overall success of our business, serving our Stockholders well and maintaining our integrity in the marketplace. Our corporate governance guidelines and Code of Conduct and Ethics, together with our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and the charters for each of our Board committees, form the basis for our corporate governance framework. We also are subject to certain provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC. The full text of the Code of Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at https://www.greenwavetechnologysolutions.com/code-of-conduct and is also filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2015.

As described below, our Board has established four standing committees to assist it in fulfilling its responsibilities to the Company and its stockholders: The Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Sustainability Committee.

Our Board of Directors

As of December 31, 2022, our Board consists of four members. The number of directors on our Board can be evaluated and amended by action of our Board.

Our Board judges the independence of its directors by the standards established by the Nasdaq Stock Market. Accordingly, the Board has determined that our three non-employee directors, Cheryl Lanthorn, J. Bryan Plumlee and John Wood each meet the independence standards established by the Nasdaq Stock Market and the applicable independence rules and regulations of the SEC, including the rules relating to the independence of the members of our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Our Board considers a director to be independent when the director is not an officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries, does not have any relationship which would, or could reasonably appear to, materially interfere with the independent judgment of such director, and the director otherwise meets the independence requirements under the listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market and the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Our Board believes its members collectively have the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to effectively oversee the management of our Company, including a high degree of personal and professional integrity, an ability to exercise sound business judgment on a broad range of issues, sufficient experience and background to resolve the issues facing our Company, a willingness to devote the necessary time to their Board and committee duties, a commitment to representing the best interests of the Company and our stockholders and a dedication to enhancing stockholder value.

Risk Oversight. Our Board oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our business strategies. Our Board performs this oversight role by using several different levels of review. In connection with its reviews of the operations and corporate functions of our Company, our Board addresses the primary risks associated with those operations and corporate functions. In addition, our Board reviews the risks associated with our Company’s business strategies periodically throughout the year as part of its consideration of undertaking any such business strategies. Each of our Board committees also coordinates oversight of the management of our risk that falls within the committee’s areas of responsibility. In performing this function, each committee has full access to management, as well as the ability to engage advisors. The Board is also provided with updates by the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers of the Company on a regular basis.

Stockholder Communications. Although we do not have a formal policy regarding communications with the Board, Stockholders may communicate with the Board by writing to us at 4016 Raintree Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23321, Attention: Chairman. Stockholders who would like their submission directed to a member of the Board may so specify, and the communication will be forwarded, as appropriate. Please note that the foregoing communication procedure does not apply to (i) stockholder proposals pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 and communications made in connection with such proposals or (ii) service of process or any other notice in a legal proceeding.

Board and Committee Meetings

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, our Board held three meetings. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, our Board held no meetings and operated solely by unanimous written consent. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, our Board was composed of one member from January to April 2022, and four members from April to December 2022, all of whom attended every meeting of our Board. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, our Board was composed of one member from January to June 2021, two members from June to November 2021, and one member in December 2021, all of whom attended every meeting of our Board. Our Audit Committee did not have any members from January to April 2022 and had three members from April to December 2022. Our Audit Committee held four meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and all members attended every meeting of the Audit Committee in 2022. Our Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee did not have any members from January to April 2022, three members from April to December 2022, and did not meet during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee did not have any members and did not meet during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Our Sustainability Committee was formed in September 2022, consisted of four members from September to December 2022, and did not meet during the year ended December 31, 2022.

The Company held its 2022 Shareholder’s Meeting on November 29, 2022. The Company held its 2021 Shareholder’s Meeting on September 3, 2021.

Board Committees

On December 9, 2015, our Board designated the following three committees of the Board: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In September 2022, the Board formed a Sustainability Committee.

Audit Committee. Effective as of April 18, 2022 the Board appointed each of Cheryl Lanthorn and John Wood as a member of the Audit Committee. Effective as of April 19, 2022 the Board appointed J. Bryan Plumlee as a member of the Audit Committee. J. Bryan Plumlee is the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is responsible for, among other things, overseeing the financial reporting and audit process and evaluating our internal controls over financial reporting. The Board has determined that J. Bryan Plumlee is an “audit committee financial expert” serving on its Audit Committee. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is “independent,” as that term is defined by applicable SEC rules. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is “independent,” as that term is defined by the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. A copy of the Audit Committee Charter is available on our website at https://www.greenwavetechnologysolutions.com/audit-committee-charter.

Compensation Committee. Effective as of April 18, 2022 the Board appointed each of Cheryl Lanthorn and John Wood as a member of the Compensation Committee. Effective as of April 19, 2022 the Board appointed J. Bryan Plumlee as a member of the Compensation Committee. J. Bryan Plumlee is the Chairman of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things, establishing and overseeing the Company’s executive and equity compensation programs, establishing performance goals and objectives, and evaluating performance against such goals and objectives. The Board has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is “independent,” as that term is defined by applicable SEC rules. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is “independent,” as that term is defined by the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. A copy of the Compensation Committee Charter is available on our website at https://www.greenwavetechnologysolutions.com/compensation-committee-charter.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Effective as of April 18, 2022 the Board appointed each of Cheryl Lanthorn and John Wood as a member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. Effective as of April 19, 2022 the Board appointed J. Bryan Plumlee as a member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. J. Bryan Plumlee is the Chairman of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things, identifying and recommending candidates to fill vacancies occurring between annual stockholder meetings and reviewing the Company’s policies and programs relating to matters of corporate citizenship, including public issues of significance to the Company and its stockholders. The Board has determined that each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is “independent,” as that term is defined by applicable SEC rules. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is “independent,” as that term is defined by the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. A copy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter is available on our website at https://www.greenwavetechnologysolutions.com/ncg-charter.

Sustainability Committee. Effective as of September 13, 2022 the Board appointed each of Cheryl Lanthorn, John Wood and J. Bryan Plumlee as members of the Sustainability Committee. Cheryl Lanthorn is the Chairwoman of the Sustainability Committee. The Sustainability Committee is responsible for, among other things, setting and overseeing the Company’s goals, strategies, and commitments related to sustainability and environmental, social and governance matters, including climate risks and opportunities, community and social impact, and diversity and inclusion. A copy of the Sustainability Committee Charter is available on our website at https://www.greenwavetechnologysolutions.com/sustainability-committee-charter.

Risk Oversight

The Board is primarily responsible for overseeing our risk management processes. The Board receives and reviews periodic reports from management, auditors, legal counsel and others, as appropriate, regarding the Company’s assessment of risks. The Board focuses on the most significant risks facing the Company and our general risk management strategy, and also ensures that the risks we undertake are consistent with the Board’s risk parameters. While the Board oversees the risk management process, our management is responsible for day-to-day risk management and, if management identifies new or additional significant risks, it brings such risks to the attention of the Board.

Board Leadership Structure

Danny Meeks is the Chairman of our Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The Chairman of the Board presides at all meetings of the Board, unless such position is vacant, in which case, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company would preside.

Policy on Hedging the Economic Risks of Equity Ownership.

The Company has no policy regarding hedging the economic risks of equity ownership for the executive team or directors of the Company and the Company does not engage in this practice.

Changes to security holder director nomination procedures

The Company has not adopted procedures for considering director candidates submitted by stockholders under Item 407(c)(2)(iv), Regulation S-K.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our outstanding shares of Common Stock (collectively, “Reporting Persons”) to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership in our Common Stock and other equity securities. Such persons are required by SEC regulations to furnish to us copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. To our knowledge, based solely on our review of copies of the reports received by us or written representations from certain Reporting Persons that no other reports were required, we believe that during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, all filing requirements applicable to the Reporting Persons were timely met.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Named Executive Officers

Our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2022 were Danny Meeks, our Chief Executive Officer, Ashley Sickles, our Chief Financial Officer, and Howard Jordan, our former Chief Financial Officer.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table presents the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to our named executive officers for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2022

There were no outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31, 2022.

Narrative Disclosure to the Summary Compensation Table

Danny Meeks

On September 30, 2021, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Danny Meeks pursuant to which Mr. Meeks serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement, Mr. Meeks shall receive an annual base salary of $500,000. In addition, Mr. Meeks shall be eligible to receive an annual bonus and shall be eligible to receive such awards under the Company’s incentive plans as determined by the Company’s Compensation Committee. Mr. Meeks may be terminated by the Company or may voluntarily resign, at any time, with or without cause. Either the Company or Mr. Meeks may terminate Mr. Meeks’ employment upon two weeks prior written notice.

Until October 1, 2026, for every $1 million in annual revenue Empire Services, Inc., a Virginia corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, generates over $20 million, Mr. Meeks shall be entitled to receive either 833,333 shares of the Company’s common stock or $50,000 in cash, at the discretion of Mr. Meeks.

Upon termination except by death (the “Termination Date”), the Company shall pay Mr. Meeks (i) any accrued but unpaid compensation, (ii) a pro-rata portion of his annual bonus calculated as of the Termination Date and (iii) reimbursement of expenses incurred on or prior to the Termination Date. In addition, Mr. Meeks may elect to receive Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 benefits for up to twelve months from the Termination Date. Upon termination of Mr. Meeks’ employment for death, the Company shall pay Mr. Meeks (i) any accrued but unpaid compensation and (ii) reimbursement of expenses incurred on or prior to such date. Mr. Meeks is also entitled to participate in any and all benefit plans such as health, dental and life insurance, from time to time, in effect for senior executives, along with vacation, sick and holiday pay in accordance with the Company’s policies established and in effect from time to time. In the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, Mr. Meeks received $1,450,000 and $0 in bonuses, respectively. In the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, Mr. Meeks received stock grants with a fair market value of $0 and $166,855, respectively. Mr. Meeks did not receive any compensation related to his position as a director. As of December 31, 2022, Mr. Meeks was owed $950,000 in accrued but unpaid bonuses.

Howard Jordan

On April 18, 2022, the Company hired Howard Jordan as Chief Financial Officer, for which he received a salary of $135,000 per year. On September 12, 2022, the Company terminated Mr. Jordan’s employment as Chief Financial Officer.

Ashley Sickles

On September 13, 2022, the Company hired Ashley Sickles as Chief Financial Officer, for which she receives a salary of $135,000 per year.

At no time during the periods listed in the above tables, with respect to any named executive officers, was there:

Director Compensation

The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as a non-employee director of our Board during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Other than as set forth in the table and described more fully below, we did not pay any compensation, reimburse any expense of, make any equity awards or non-equity awards to, or pay any other compensation to any of the other members of our Board in such period.

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that we shall indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with actions or proceedings brought against them by reason of their serving or having served as officers, directors or in other capacities. We shall be required to indemnify a director or officer in connection with an action or proceeding commenced by such director or officer only if the commencement of such action or proceeding by the director or officer was authorized in advance by the Board of Directors.

Our Equity Incentive Plans

Our Stockholders approved our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (“2014 Plan”) in June 2014, our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) in December 2015, our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (“2016 Plan”) in October 2016, our 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (“2017 Plan”) in December 2016, our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (“2018 Plan”) in June 2018, our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (“2021 Plan”) in September 2021, and our 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (“2022 Plan” and together with the 2014 Plan, 2015 Plan, 2016 Plan, 2017 Plan, 2018 Plan, and 2021 Plan, the “Plans”) in November 2022. The Plans are identical, except for the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under each.

The Plans provide for the grant of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock bonus awards, restricted stock awards, performance stock awards and other forms of stock compensation to our employees, including officers, consultants and directors. Our Plans also provide that the grant of performance stock awards may be paid out in cash as determined by the Committee (as defined herein).

Plan Details

The following table and information below sets forth information as of December 31, 2022 with respect to our Plans:

Summary of the Plans

Authorized Shares

No shares of our Common Stock are reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2014 Plan, 2015 Plan, the 2016 Plan, the 2017 Plan, the 2018 Plan, the 2021 Plan, or the 2022 Plan. There are currently 633 shares of our Common Stock available for issuance pursuant to the 2018 Plan, 166,667 shares of our Common Stock available for issuance pursuant to the 2021 Plan, and 400,000 shares of our Common Stock available for issuance pursuant to the 2022 Plan. Shares of Common Stock issued under our Plans may be authorized but unissued or reacquired shares of our Common Stock. Shares of Common Stock subject to stock awards granted under our Plans that expire or terminate without being exercised in full, or that are paid out in cash rather than in shares of Common Stock, will not reduce the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under our Plans. Additionally, shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to stock awards under our Plans that we repurchase or that are forfeited, as well as shares of Common Stock reacquired by us as consideration for the exercise or purchase price of a stock award, will become available for future grant under our Plans.

Administration

Our Board, or a duly authorized committee thereof (collectively, the “Committee”), has the authority to administer our Plans. Our Board may also delegate to one or more of our officers the authority to designate employees other than Directors and officers to receive specified stock, which, in respect to those awards, said officer or officers shall then have all authority that the Committee would have.

Subject to the terms of our Plans, the Committee has the authority to determine the terms of awards, including recipients, the exercise price or strike price of stock awards, if any, the number of shares of Common Stock subject to each stock award, the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock, the vesting schedule applicable to the awards, together with any vesting acceleration, the form of consideration, if any, payable upon exercise or settlement of the stock award and the terms and conditions of the award agreements for use under the Plans. The Committee has the power to modify outstanding awards under the Plans, subject to the terms of the Plans and applicable law. Subject to the terms of our Plans, the Committee has the authority to reprice any outstanding option or stock appreciation right, cancel and re-grant any outstanding option or stock appreciation right in exchange for new stock awards, cash or other consideration, or take any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles, with the consent of any adversely affected participant.

Stock Options

Stock options may be granted under the Plans. The exercise price of options granted under our Plans must at least be equal to the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant. The term of an ISO may not exceed 10 years, except that with respect to any participant who owns more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our outstanding stock, the term must not exceed 5 years and the exercise price must equal at least 110% of the fair market value on the grant date. The Committee will determine the methods of payment of the exercise price of an option, which may include cash, shares of Common Stock or other property acceptable to the Committee, as well as other types of consideration permitted by applicable law. No single participant may receive more than 25% of the total options awarded in any single year. Subject to the provisions of our Plans, the Committee determines the other terms of options.

Performance Shares

Performance shares may be granted under our Plans. Performance shares are awards that will result in a payment to a participant only if performance goals established by the administrator are achieved or the awards otherwise vest. The Committee will establish organizational or individual performance goals or other vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number and/or the value of performance shares to be paid out to participants. After the grant of a performance share, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any performance criteria or other vesting provisions for such performance shares. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay earned performance units or performance shares in the form of cash, in shares of Common Stock or in some combination thereof, per the terms of the agreement approved by the Committee and delivered to the participant. Such agreement will state all terms and condition of the agreement.

Restricted Stock

The terms and conditions of any restricted stock awards granted to a participant will be set forth in an award agreement and, subject to the provisions in the Plans, will be determined by the Committee. Under a restricted stock award, we issue shares of our Common Stock to the recipient of the award, subject to vesting conditions and transfer restrictions that lapse over time or upon achievement of performance conditions. The Committee will determine the vesting schedule and performance objectives, if any, applicable to each restricted stock award. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, the recipient may vote and receive dividends on shares of restricted stock issued under our Plans.

Other Share-Based Awards and Cash Awards

The Committee may make other forms of equity-based awards under our Plans, including, for example, deferred shares, stock bonus awards and dividend equivalent awards. In addition, our Plans authorizes us to make annual and other cash incentive awards based on achieving performance goals that are pre-established by our compensation committee.

Merger, Consolidation or Asset Sale

If the Company is merged or consolidated with another entity or sells or otherwise disposes of substantially all of its assets to another company while awards or options remain outstanding under the Plans, unless provisions are made in connection with such transaction for the continuance of the Plans and/or the assumption or substitution of such awards or options with new options or stock awards covering the stock of the successor company, or parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices, then all outstanding options and stock awards which have not been continued, assumed or for which a substituted award has not been granted shall, whether or not vested or then exercisable, unless otherwise specified in the relevant agreements, terminate immediately as of the effective date of any such merger, consolidation or sale.

Change in Capitalization

If the Company shall effect a subdivision or consolidation of shares of Common Stock or other capital readjustment, the payment of a stock dividend, or other increase or reduction of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding, without receiving consideration therefore in money, services or property, then awards amounts, type, limitations, and other relevant consideration shall be appropriately and proportionately adjusted. The Committee shall make such adjustments, and its determinations shall be final, binding and conclusive.

Plan Amendment or Termination

Our Board has the authority to amend, suspend, or terminate our Plans, provided that such action does not materially impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent. Each of the Plans will terminate ten years after the earlier of (i) the date that each such Plan is adopted by the Board, or (ii) the date that each such Plan is approved by the Stockholders, except that awards that are granted under the applicable Plan prior to its termination will continue to be administered under the terms of the that Plan until the awards terminate, expire or are exercised.

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

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock, and Series Z Preferred Stock by (i) each person who, to our knowledge, owns more than 5% of our Common Stock or Series Z Preferred Stock, (ii) our current directors and the named executive officers identified under the heading “Executive Compensation” and (iii) all of our current directors and executive officers as a group. We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with applicable rules of the SEC, and the information reflected in the table below is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under applicable SEC rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which a person has sole or shared voting power or investment power and any shares which the person has the right to acquire within 60 days after March 29, 2023 through the exercise of any option, warrant or right or through the conversion of any convertible security. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to the table below and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe, based on the information furnished to us that each of the persons named in this table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares indicated as beneficially owned.

The information set forth in the table below is based on 11,250,813 shares of our Common Stock and 250 shares of Series Z Preferred Stock issued and outstanding on March 29, 2023. In computing the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we deemed to be outstanding all shares of Common Stock subject to options, warrants, rights or other convertible securities held by that person that are currently exercisable or will be exercisable within 60 days after March 29, 2023. We did not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, the principal address of each of the Stockholders below is in care of Greenwave Technology Solutions, Inc., 4016 Raintree Rd, Ste 300, Chesapeake, VA 23321.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Except for the below, from January 1, 2021 through the date of this prospectus, we have not been a party to any transaction or proposed transaction in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeds the lesser of  $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or, to our knowledge, beneficial owners of more than 5% of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than equity and other compensation which are described elsewhere in this prospectus.

Agreements with Danny Meeks and Affiliates of Danny Meeks

As of December 31, 2022, the Company leases 12 scrap yard facilities from an entity controlled by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. On April 1, 2022, the Company entered into amendments to the leases for its Kelford and Carrolton yards, increasing the monthly rent payments by an aggregate of $50,000 per month for use of an automotive shredder and downstream processing system, respectively, being installed on those properties, increasing by 3% on January 1st of every year for the duration of the leases. On September 1, 2022, the Company terminated the lease for its Portsmouth yard on account of the Company purchasing the land underlying the lease, reducing the lease payment by $11,200 per month.

During the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the Company paid rents of $2,483,217 to an entity controlled by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the Company paid $122,866 in accrued rents owed to an entity controlled by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer at December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, the Company owed $317,781 in accrued rent to an entity controlled by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company purchased equipment for $152,500 from an entity controlled by the spouse of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company purchased equipment for $20,000 from an entity controlled by the Chief Executive Officer.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer was reimbursed $224,660 for expenses made on behalf the Company. Further, during the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer advanced $0 and $24,647 to the Company and was repaid $0 and $59,103, respectively.

On September 30, 2021, the Company authorized the issuance of 500 shares of Series Z Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Series Z Preferred Stock has a $20,000 stated value per share and all 500 Series Z preferred shares, in aggregate, are convertible into 19.98% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company (post conversion). The conversion rate is applicable on a pro rata basis to each share of Series Z Preferred Stock upon conversion. This anti-dilutive conversion feature is in effect until such time an S-1 Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC in conjunction with a NASDAQ listing. On September 30, 2021, the Company entered into a Series Z Preferred Stock Issuance Agreement with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer whereby the Company entered into a non–convertible note payable agreement for $1,000,000 in exchange for: (i) a $1,000,000 cash payment directly paid to the warrant holder; and (ii) the issuance of 250 Series Z Preferred Shares having a fair value of $6,530,867. The note bears interest of 8% per annum and is due within three days of the Company’s next closing of equity financing of $3,000,000 or more. The proceeds received were allocated to the debt and equity on a relative fair value basis. Accordingly, debt discount of $867,213 was recognized with a corresponding increase in additional paid-in capital. Since the due date is contingent upon a future event, the entire debt discount was amortized to interest expense immediately.

We lease our scrap yard located at 22097 Brewers Neck Blvd., Carrollton, VA 23314, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $55,850 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 1576 Millpond Rd., Elizabeth City, NC 27909, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two one year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 130 Courtland Rd., Emporia, VA 23847, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 623 Highway 903 N., Greenville, NC 27834, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 8952 Richmond Rd., Toano, VA 23168, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $11,200 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 945 NC 11N, Kelford, NC 27805, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $39,293 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 1100 E Princess Anne Rd, Norfolk, VA 23504, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $16,391 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 277 Suburban Drive, Suffolk, VA 23434, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $15,450 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 9922 Hwy 17 S., Vanceboro, NC 28586, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $8,742 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 1040 Oceana Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23454, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $15,407 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

We lease our scrap yard located at 406 Sandy Street, Fairmont, NC 28340, from DWM Properties, LLC, which is owned by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for $8,000 per month. The lease expires on January 1, 2024, with two five year options to extend at the Company’s election.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

Our independent registered public accounting firm is RBSM LLP, Auditor Firm ID 587. Set forth below are approximate fees for services rendered by RBSM for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

Audit Fees

The aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by RBSM for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and review of financial statements included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K and in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, or services that are normally provided by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for the fiscal years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021 were $310,000 and $129,000, respectively.

Audit-Related Fees

The aggregate fees billed in either of the last two fiscal years for assurance and related services by RBSM that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the registrant’s financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees” for the fiscal years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021 were $0 and $0, respectively.

Tax Fees

The aggregate fees were billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning for the fiscal years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $0 and $0, respectively, for RBSM.

All Other Fees

Other fees billed for professional services provided by the principal accountant, other than the services reported above, for the fiscal years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021 were $0 and $135,208, respectively, for RBSM. These fees were related to the audit of Empire Services, Inc.’s financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, along with the review of Empire’s financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.

The Company’s Audit Committee approves all auditing services and the terms thereof and non-audit services (other than non-audit services published under Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act or the applicable rules of the SEC or the Pubic Company Accounting Oversight Board) to be provided to the Company by the independent auditor; provided, however, the pre-approval requirement is waived with respect to the provisions of non-audit services for the Company if the “de minimis” provisions of Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act are satisfied.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a) Documents filed as part of this Annual Report:

(1) Financial Statements

The following documents are included on pages F-1 through F-6 attached hereto and are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(2) Financial Statement Schedules.

No financial statement schedules have been submitted because they are not required or are not applicable or because the information required is included in the financial statements or the notes thereto.

(3) List of Exhibits.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on this 31st day of March, 2023.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.