GULF RESOURCES, INC. - Annual Report: 2007 (Form 10-K)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark
One)
x ANNUAL REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
For the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2007
or
o 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 000-20936
Gulf
Resources, Inc.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
13-3637458
|
State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
Chenming
Industrial Park, Shouguang City, Shandong, China 262714
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(646)
200-6316
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each
class
|
Name of each exchange
on which registered
|
None
|
Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act:
Common
Stock, $0.0005 par value
(Title of
class)
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No x
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not
be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or
information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this
Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See
definitions of “large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer,” and "smaller
reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer o Accelerated filer
o
Non-accelerated
filer o Do not check
if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Act).
Yes o No x
State the
aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by
non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was
last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the
last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal
quarter. As of June 29, 2007, the aggregate market value of the common stock of
the registrant held by non-affiliates (excluding shares held by directors,
officers and others holding more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the class)
was $40,102,843 based upon a closing sale price of $2.80 as reported by
Bloomberg Finance.
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO REGISTRANTS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PRECEDING FIVE
YEARS:
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports
required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a
court.
Yes o No o
(APPLICABLE
ONLY TO CORPORATE REGISTRANTS)
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common
stock, as of the latest practicable date. As of March 7, 2008,
the registrant had outstanding 86,410,880 shares of common stock.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
List
hereunder the following documents if incorporated by reference and the Part of
the Form 10-K (e.g., Part I, Part II, etc.) into which the document is
incorporated: (1) Any annual report to security holders; (2) Any proxy or
information statement; and (3) Any report filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) or (c)
under the Securities Act of 1933.
Table
of Contents
Item 1.
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1
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Item 1A.
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10
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Item 2.
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18
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Item 3.
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19
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Item 4.
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19
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PART II
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Item 5.
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19
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Item 6.
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20
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Item 7.
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20
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Item 7A.
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28
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Item 8.
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28
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Item 9.
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50
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Item 9A.
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50
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Item 9B.
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51
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PART III
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Item 10.
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51
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Item 11.
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53
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Item 12.
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54
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Item 13.
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55
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Item 14.
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56
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PART IV
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Item 15.
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56
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59
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Special
Note Regarding Forward Looking Information
This report contains forward-looking
statements that reflect management's current views and expectations with respect
to our business, strategies, future results and events, and financial
performance. All statements made in this report other than statements of
historical fact, including statements that address operating performance, events
or developments that management expects or anticipates will or may occur in the
future, including statements related to future reserves, cash flows, revenues,
profitability, adequacy of funds from operations, statements expressing general
optimism about future operating results and non-historical information, are
forward-looking statements. In particular, the words "believe," "expect,"
"intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "may," "will," variations of such
words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but are not
the exclusive means of identifying such statements and their absence does
not mean that the statement is not forward-looking. Readers should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking statements which are based on management's
current expectations and projections about future events, are not guarantees of
future performance, are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our
actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the
results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed in
this report, particularly under the caption "Risk Factors." Except as
required under the federal securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation
to update the forward-looking statements in this report.
PART
I
Item
1. Business.
Introduction
We manufacture and trade bromine and
crude salt, and manufacture and sell chemical products used in oil and gas field
exploration, oil and gas distribution, oil field drilling, wastewater
processing, papermaking chemical agents and inorganic chemicals. To date, our
products have been sold only within the People’s Republic of China. As used
in this report, the terms "we," "our," "Company" and "Gulf Resources" refers to
Gulf Resources, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and the terms “ton” and
“tons” refers to metric tons, in each case, unless otherwise stated or the
context requires otherwise. All information in this report gives
retroactive effect to a 1-for-100 reverse stock split of our common stock
effected on October 23, 2006 and a 2-for-1 forward stock split of our common
stock effected on November 28, 2007.
The Company’s functional currency is the Renminbi, which had an average
exchange rate of $0.12557 and $0.13167
during fiscal year 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Our
Corporate History
From November 1993 through August 2006,
we were engaged in the business of owning, leasing and operating coin and debit
card pay-per copy photocopy machines, fax machines, microfilm reader-printers
and accessory equipment. Due to the increased use of internet services,
demand for our services declined sharply, and in August 2006, our Board of
Directors decided to discontinue our operations.
Upper Class Group Limited, incorporated
in the British Virgin Islands in July 2006, acquired all the outstanding stock
of Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC"), a company
incorporated in Shouguang City, Shangdong Province, the People's Republic of
China, in May 2005. At the time of the acquisition, members of the family of Mr.
Ming Yang, our president and chief executive officer, owned approximately 63.20%
of the outstanding shares of Upper Class Group Limited. Since the
ownership of Upper Class Group Limited and SCHC was then substantially the same,
the acquisition was accounted for as a transaction between entities under common
control, whereby Upper Class Group Limited recognized the assets and liabilities
transferred at their carrying amounts.
1
On December 12, 2006, we, then known as
Diversifax, Inc., a public "shell" company, acquired Upper Class Group Limited
and SCHC. Under the terms of the agreement, the stockholders of Upper Class
Group Limited received 26,500,000 shares of voting common stock of Gulf
Resources, Inc. in exchange for all outstanding shares of Upper Class Group
Limited. Members of the Yang family received approximately 62% of our common
stock as a result of the acquisition. Under accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States, the share exchange is considered to be
a capital transaction rather than a business combination. That is, the share
exchange is equivalent to the issuance of stock by Upper Class Group Limited for
the net assets of Gulf Resources, Inc., accompanied by a recapitalization, and
is accounted for as a change in capital structure. Accordingly, the accounting
for the share exchange is identical to that resulting from a reverse
acquisition, except no goodwill is recorded. Under reverse takeover accounting,
the post reverse acquisition comparative historical financial statements of the
legal acquirer, Gulf Resources, Inc., are those of the legal acquiree, Upper
Class Group Limited. Share and per share amounts stated have been retroactively
adjusted to reflect the share exchange.
To satisfy certain ministerial
requirements necessary to confirm certain government approvals required in
connection with the acquisition of SCHC by Upper Class Group Limited, the shares
of SCHC were transferred to a newly formed Hong Kong corporation named Hong Kong
Jiaxing, all of the outstanding shares of which are now owned by Upper Class
Group Limited.
On February 5, 2007, we acquired
Shouguang Yuxin Chemical Industry Co., Limited ("SYCI"), a company incorporated
in the People's Republic of China, in October 2000. Under the terms of the
acquisition agreement, the stockholders of SYCI received a total of 16,188,118
shares of common stock of Gulf Resources, Inc. in exchange for all outstanding
shares of SYCI's common stock. Simultaneously with the completion of
the acquisition, a dividend of $2,550,000 was paid to the former
stockholders of SYCI. At the time of the acquisition, approximately
49.1% of the outstanding shares of SYCI were owned by Ms. Yu, Mr. Yang’s
wife, and the remaining 50.9% of the outstanding shares of SYCI were owned
by Shandong City Haoyuan Group Limited, all of whose outstanding
shares were owned by Mr. Yang and his wife. Since the ownership
of Gulf Resources, Inc. and SYCI are substantially the same, the acquisition was
accounted for as a transaction between entities under common control, whereby
Gulf Resources, Inc. recognized the assets and liabilities of SYCI at their
carrying amounts. Share and per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted
to reflect the acquisition.
As a result of the transactions
described above, our corporate structure is linear. That is Gulf
Resources owns 100% of the outstanding shares of Upper Class Group Limited,
which owns 100% of the outstanding shares of Hong Kong Jiaxing, which owns
100% of the outstanding shares of SCHC, which owns 100% of the outstanding
shares of SYCI. Further, as a result of our acquisitions of SCHC and
SYCI, our historical financial statements, as contained in our Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis,
appearing elsewhere in the report, reflect the accounts of SCHC and
SYCI.
Our executive offices are located in
China at Chenming Industrial Park, Shouguang City, Shandong, People's Republic
of China. Our telephone number is (646) 200-6316. Our website address is
www.gulfresourcesco.com. The information on our website is not part of this
report
In January 2007, stockholders holding
approximately 62% of the then outstanding shares of our common stock consented
in writing to change our corporate name from Diversifax, Inc. to Gulf
Resources, Inc. Accordingly, on February 20, 2007, we filed a Certificate
of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation changing our corporate name to
Gulf Resources, Inc.
On November 28, 2007, we amended our
certificate of incorporation to increase our authorized shares of common stock
from 70,000,000 to 400,000,000 and to effect a 2-for-1 forward stock split of
our outstanding shares of common stock.
Recent
Developments
On April 7, 2007, the Company acquired
substantially all of the assets of Wenbo Yu in the Shouguang City Qinshuibo.
These assets include a 50-year mineral rights and production land lease covering
1,846 acres, or 7.5 square kilometers, of real property, with proven and
probable reserves of approximately 223,000 tons of bromine being serviced
by 575 wells, as well as the related production facility, the pipelines, other
production equipment, and the buildings located on the property. The total
purchase price for the acquired assets was $5,100,000, consisting of an
aggregate of 1,598,572 shares of our common stock and cash in the amount
$3,051,282.
2
On June 8, 2007, the Company
acquired substantially all of the assets of Dong Hua Yang in the Dong Ying City
Liu Hu Area. These assets include a 50-year mineral rights and land lease
covering 2,318 acres, or 9.4 square kilometers of real property, with proven and
probable reserves of approximately 235,000 tons of bromine being serviced by 405
wells, as well as the related production facility, the pipelines, other
production equipment, and the buildings located on the property. The total
purchase price for the acquired assets was $6,667.538, consisting of an
aggregate of 819,590 shares of our common stock and cash in the amount
$4,837,233 and interest-free promissory note in the aggregate principal amount
of $889,005.
On October 25, 2007, the Company
acquired substantially all of the assets owned by Jiancai Wang in the Shouguang
City Renjia Area. These assets include a 50-year mineral rights and
land lease covering 2,165 acres or 8.8 square kilometers of real property, with
proven and probable reserves of approximately 225,000 tons of bromine being
serviced by 398 wells, annual production of 3,700 tons as well as the related
production facility, the wells, the pipelines, other production equipment, and
the buildings located on the property. The total purchase price for
the acquired assets was $6,399,147, of which $2,519,664 was paid at the closing
and the remaining $3,879,483 was paid within five days after the
closing.
On October 26, 2007, the Company
acquired substantially all of the assets owned by Xingji Liu in the Shouguang
City Houxing Area. These assets include a 50-year mineral rights and
land lease covering 2,310 acres or 9.4 square kilometers of real property, with
proven and probable reserves of approximately 240,000 tons of bromine,
being serviced by 432 wells, annual production of 3,900 tons as well as the
related production facility, the pipelines, other production equipment, and the
buildings located on the property. The total purchase price for the acquired
assets was $6,665,778.
On
January 8th, 2008, the Company acquired substantially all of the
assets owned by Xiaodong Yang in the Shouguang City Hanting
Area. These assets include a 50-year mineral rights and land lease
covering 2,641 acres or 11 square kilometers of real property, with proven and
probable reserves of approximately 205,000 being serviced by 294 wells,
annual production of 4,700 tons as well as the related production facility, the
pipelines, other production equipment, and the buildings located on the
property. The total purchase price for the acquired assets was
$9,722,222.
Our
Business Segments
Our business operations are conducted
in two segments, bromine and crude salt, and chemical products. We
manufacture and trade bromine and crude salt, and manufacture and sell chemical
products used in oil and gas field exploration, oil and gas distribution, oil
field drilling, wastewater processing, papermaking chemical agents and inorganic
chemicals. We conduct all of our operations in China, in close
proximity to China’s petrochemical and oil refinery manufacturing base and its
rapidly growing market.
Bromine
and Crude Salt
We manufacture and distribute bromine
through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Shougang City Haoyuan Chemical Company
Limited, or SCHC. Bromine (Br2) is a halogen element and it is a red
volatile liquid at standard room temperature which has reactivity between
chlorine and iodine. Elemental bromine is used to manufacture a
wide variety of bromine compounds used in industry and agriculture. Bromine is
also used to form intermediates in organic synthesis, in which it is somewhat
preferable over iodine due to its lower cost. Our bromine is commonly
used in brominated flame retardants, fumigants, water purification compounds,
dyes, medicines and disinfectants. According to figures published by the
China Crude Salt Association, we are one of the largest manufacturers
of bromine in China, as measured by production output
The extraction of bromine in the
Shangdong province is limited by the Provincial Government to six
licensees. We hold one of such licenses. The other five
license holders produce bromine mainly for their own
consumption. Although there are only six licensed bromine producers
in Shangdong, the government has not shut down hundreds of small unlicensed
producers. Part of our business strategy is to acquire these
producers and to use our bromine to expand our downstream chemical
operations.
3
Location
of Production Sites
Our
production sites are located in the Shangdong Province in northeastern China.
The productive formation (otherwise referred to as the “working region”),
extends from latitude N 36°56’ to N 37°20’ and from longitude E 118°38’ to E
119°14’, in the north region of Shouguang city, from the Xiaoqing River of
Shouguang city to the west of the Dan river, bordering on Hanting District in
the east, from the main channel of “Leading the Yellow River to Supply Qingdao
City Project” in the south to the coastline in the north. The
territory is classified as coastal alluvial – marine plain with
an average height two to seven meters above the sea level. The
terrain is relatively flat.
Bromine
reserve study conducted by Institute of Mineral Resources Chinese Academy of
Geological Science
In
November 2007 the Institute of Mineral Resources Chinese Academy of Geological
Science completed a study of the bromine reserves included in the assets
of SCHC at the time it was acquired (the “SCHC Assets”), the
Qinshuibo Assets and the Liu Hu Assets. This study determined the occurrences
and burying conditions, distribution range and characteristics of natural brine
occurring in these assets; analyzed the creation, supply and exploration
conditions of these properties. The study concluded that economic
reserves of bromine are 776,000 tons in the SCHC Assets, 230,000 tons in the
Qinshuibo Assets, and 280,000 tons in the Liu Hu Assets, that the natural brine
resources of these three assets collectively is about 3.9 billion cubic meters.
In addition it estimated that the economic reserves in these three
assets collectively are approximately 300 million tons of rock salt (liquid
NaCl), 4.3 million tons of potassium chloride, 55 million tons of magnesium
chloride, 29 million tons of magnesium sulfate, and 9.8 million tons of calcium
sulfate.
Geological
background of this region
The
Shangdong Province working region is located to the east of Lubei Plain and on
the south bank of Bohai Laizhou Bay. The geotectonic location bestrides on the
North China Platte (I) and north three-level structure units, from west to east
including individually the North China Depression, Luxi Plate, and Jiaobei
Plate. Meanwhile, 4 V-level structure units including the Dongying Sag of
Dongying Depression(IV) of North China Depression, the Buried Lifting Area of
Guangrao, Niutou sag and Buried Lifting Area of Shuanghe and are all on two
V-level structure units including Xiaying Buried Lifting Area of Weifang
Depression (IV) of Luxi Plate and Chuangyi Sag, as well as on a V-level
structure units of Jiaobei Buried Lifting Area of Jiaobei
Plate. Ths is so confusing, maybe we should drop
it?
Processing of
Bromine
Natural
brine is a complicated salt-water system, containing many ionic compositions in
which different ions have close interdependent relationships and which can be
reunited to be many dissolved soluble salts such as sodium chloride, potassium
chloride, calcium sulfate, potassium sulfate and other similar soluble
salts.
The goal
of natural brine processing is to separate and precipitate the soluble salts or
ions away from the water. Due to the differences in the physical and
chemical characteristics of brine samples, the processing methods are varied,
and can result in inconsistency of processing and varied technical performance
for the different useful components from the natural brine.
Bromine
Bromine
is the first component extracted during the processing of natural brine. In
natural brine, the bromine exists in the form of bromine sodium and bromine
magnesium and other soluble salts.
Bromine
is produced by extracting the bromine ion from natural
brine. In neutral or acidic water, the bromine ion is easily
oxidized by adding the oxidative of chlorine and generating the single bromine
away from the brine. Thereafter, the extracted single bromine is blown out by
forced air, then absorbed by sulfur dioxide or soda. This production method is
called “air blowing out process”, is technologically very simple,with
a relatively high bromine extraction rate, often reaching to
70-80%. The whole process can be completed in a closed system,
avoiding harm to the environment. Nevertheless, the
various materials consumed during oxidation, absorption and distillation are
relatively higher than those used in other production methods, therefore the
process costs are relatively higher.
4
Soluble
salts
The
extraction of natural brine’s soluble salts is accomplished through the method
known as distillation crystallization, in which the extracted natural brine is
placed into containing pools and then exposed to natural sunshine, which makes
the soluble salts reach the saturation point and precipitate after
crystallization. This is a relatively simple method to operate with low
processing costs.
Chemical
Products
We produce chemical products through
our wholly-owned subsidiary, Shougang Yuxin Chemical Industry Company Limited ,
(SYCI). The products we produce and the markets in which they
are sold include, among others:
Product
name
|
Application
sector
|
Hydroxyl
guar gum
|
Oil
Exploration & Production
|
Demulsified
agent
|
Oil
Exploration & Production
|
Corrosion
inhibitor for acidizing
|
Oil
Exploration & Production
|
Bactericide
|
Oil
Exploration / Agricultural
|
Chelant
|
Paper
Making
|
Iron
ion stabilizer
|
Oil
Exploration & Production
|
Clay
stabilizing agent
|
Oil
Exploration & Production
|
Flocculants
agent
|
Paper
Making
|
Remaining
agent
|
Paper
Making
|
Expanding
agent with enhanced gentleness
|
Paper
Making
|
SYCI concentrates its efforts on the
production and sale of chemical products that are in used in oil and gas field
explorations, oil and gas distribution, oil field drilling, wastewater
processing, papermaking chemical agents, and inorganic chemicals. SYCI also
engages in research and development of commonly used chemical products as well
as medicine intermediates. Currently, SYCI's annual production of oil and gas
field exploration products and related chemicals is over 10,000 tons,
and its production of papermaking-related chemical products is over 7,000
tons. These products are mainly distributed to large domestic papermaking
manufacturers and major oilfields such as Shengli Oilfield, Daqing Oilfield,
Zhongyuan Oilfield, Huabei Oilfield, and Talimu Oilfields.
SYCI’s headquarters are located in
Shouguang City at 2nd Living District, Qinghe Oil Factory, Shouguang City,
Shandong Province, China. The company has been certified as ISO9001-2000
compliant and received the Quality Products and Services Guarantee Certificate
from China Association for Quality. SYCI has been accredited by Shandong as a
Provincial Credit Enterprises and is a Class One supplier for both China
Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPC) and PetroChina Company Limited.
SYCI has been engaged in product innovation and R&D projects with Shandong
University, Shandong Institute of Light Industry, Southeast University and other
higher education institutions. SYCI has hired three college professors and three
professionals who hold PhD degrees to lead its Research and Development
department.
Segment
disclosure
We follow
SFAS No. 131, Disclosures
about Segments of and Enterprise and Related Information, which requires
us to provide certain information about our operating segments. We
have two reportable segments: bromine and crude salt and chemical
products.
The
amounts set forth below are based upon on an average Renminbi to US$ exchange
rates of $0.12557 and $0.13167
during fiscal year 2006 and 2007 respectively.
5
Net
Sales by Segment
|
||||||
Twelve
Months Ended
|
Twelve
Months Ended
|
|||||
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||
Segment
|
Percent
of total
|
Percent
of total
|
||||
Bromine
and Crude salt
|
$
|
34,015,484
|
63%
|
$
|
17,825,097
|
56%
|
Chemical
Products
|
$
|
20,233,166
|
37%
|
$
|
13,911,119
|
44%
|
Total
sales
|
$
|
54,248,650
|
100%
|
$
|
31,736,216
|
100%
|
Percentage
Increase in Net Sales
from
fiscal year 2006 to 2007
|
|
Segments
|
|
Bromine
and Crude salt
|
90.8%
|
Chemical
Products
|
45.4%
|
SCHC
Product
sold in metric tons
|
Year
ended 12/31/07
|
Year
ended 12/31/06
|
Percentage
Change
|
Bromine
|
17,648
|
10,035
|
+75.9%
|
Crude
Salt
|
51,000
|
No
Production
|
Income
from Operations by Segment
|
||||||
Twelve
Months Ended
|
Twelve
Months Ended
|
|||||
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||
Segment
|
Percent
of total
|
Percent
of total
|
||||
Bromine
and Crude salt
|
$
|
14,181,054
|
66%
|
$
|
1,728,746
|
32%
|
Chemical
Products
|
$
|
7,164,833
|
34%
|
$
|
3,714,475
|
68%
|
Income
from operations before corporate costs
|
$
|
21,345,887
|
100%
|
$
|
5,443,221
|
100%
|
Corporate
costs
|
$
|
(1,320,959)
|
$
|
-------
|
||
Income
from operations
|
$
|
20,024,928
|
$
|
5,443,221
|
Bromine
|
||||||||||||||||||||
and
Crude
|
Chemical
|
Segment
|
Consolidated
|
|||||||||||||||||
Salt
|
Products
|
Total
|
Corporate
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
revenue
|
$ | 34,015,484 | $ | 20,233,166 | $ | 54,248,650 | $ | - | $ | 54,248,650 | ||||||||||
Income
(loss) from operations
|
14,181,054 | 7,164,833 | 21,345,887 | (1,320,959 | ) | 20,024,928 | ||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
36,614,939 | 9,516,930 | 46,131,869 | 197,963 | 46,329,831 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,111,580 | 186,871 | 1,298,451 | - | 1,298,451 | |||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
revenue
|
$ | 17,825,097 | $ | 13,911,119 | $ | 31,736,216 | $ | - | 31,736,216 | |||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
1,728,746 | 3,714,475 | 5,443,221 | - | 5,443,221 | |||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
9,835,484 | 5,069,584 | 14,905,068 | 50,000 | 14,955,068 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
213,092 | 70,362 | 283,454 | - | 283,454 |
6
Sales
and Marketing
Currently,
we do not have a marketing staff. Our customers send their orders to us,
usually with cash paid in advance. Our in-house sales staff then attempts
to satisfy these orders based on our actual product production and
inventories. Many of our customers have a long term relationship with us,
and while we expect this to continue due to continuing high demand for mineral
products, this can’t be guaranteed.
Principal
Customers
In 2007,
our revenues from bromine and crude salt were approximately
$34,015,484. We sell a substantial portion of our products to a
limited number of customers. Our principal customers during 2007 were
Shouguang City Weidong Chemical Company Limited, Shouguang City Ruitai Chemical
Company Limited, Weifang City Luguang Chemical Company Limited, Shouguang City
Fu Hai Chemical Company Limited, and Dongying Hongze Chemical Company
Limited.
During
the 12 months ended December 31, 2007, sales to our three largest bromine
customers, based on net revenue derived from such customers, aggregated
$19,010,000, or approximately 56% of total bromine and crude salt net
revenue. At December 31, 2007, amounts due from these customers
totaled approximately $2,552,068.
During
the year ended December 31, 2006, sales to our four largest bromine customers,
based on net sales made to such customers, aggregated $16,670,873, or
approximately 94% of total net sales, and sales to our largest customer
represented approximately 49% of total net sales. At December 31, 2006, amounts
due from these customers totaled $1,187,727.
This
concentration of customers makes us vulnerable to an adverse
near-term impact, should one or more of these relationships be
terminated
In 2007,
our revenues from our bromine and crude salt business were approximately
$34.0 million. The following table shows our major customers
(10% or more) for our bromide and crude salt business for the year ended
December 31, 2007.
Number
|
Customer
|
Revenue
(000’s)
|
Percentage
of Segment’s Revenue (%)
|
|||||
1
|
Shouguang
Weidong Chemical Co., Ltd.
|
$ | 7,139 |
21%
|
||||
2
|
Shandong
Ruitai Chemicals Co., LTD.
|
$ | 6,761 |
20%
|
||||
3
|
Weifang
Luguang Chemical Co., Ltd.
|
$ | 5,110 |
15%
|
||||
TOTAL
|
$ | 19,010 |
56%
|
In 2007,
our revenues from our chemicals business were approximately
$20.2 million. The following table shows our major customers
(10% or more) for our chemicals business as of December 31,
2007:
7
Number
|
Customer
|
Revenue
(000’s)
|
Percentage
of Segment’s Revenue (%)
|
||||||
1
|
Talimu
Oil Company -1st, 2nd, and 3rd exploiture dept. Ltd.
(1)
|
$ | 10,244 |
51%
|
|||||
2
|
Sinopec
Shengli -field Ltd's Qinghe factory
|
$ | 3,241 |
16%
|
|||||
3
|
Wuhan
City Chenming Hanyang Papermaking Ltd
|
$ | 2,316 |
11%
|
|||||
TOTAL | $ | 15,801 |
78%
|
(1)
|
Represents
sales to three autonomous entities within a single corporate
group.
|
Principal
Suppliers
Our
principal suppliers during 2007 were Sanndong Haike Shengli Electric Chemical
Co., Ltd , Shandong Ruitai Chemicals Co., LTD, and Shouguang City Xingyi Fuel
Commercel Company Limited, and during 2006 were Shandong Hai Ke Sheng Li
Electrochemical Company Limited, Shouguang Rui Tai Chemical Company Limited, Mao
Xin Chemical Company Limited, and Heng Lian Chemical Company
Limited.
During
the 12 months ended December 31, 2007, we purchased 49% of our raw material from
two suppliers. Sanndong Haike Shengli Electric Chemical Co., Ltd
accounted for 26% of our purchases of raw materials and Shandong Ruitai
Chemicals Co., LTD accounted for 23% of our purchases of raw materials,
respectively during that period. As of December 31, 2007, the accounts payable
due these suppliers was approximately $1,395,300.
During
2006, we purchased 77% of our products from three suppliers. At December 31,
2006, the aggregate amount due these suppliers were $641,232.
This
supplier concentration makes us vulnerable to a near-term adverse impact, should
the relationships be terminated.
Business
Strategy
Expansion
of Production Capacity to Meet Demand
▼
Bromine and Crude Salt
The
Company has announced its intent to acquire bromine properties that are
unlicensed and thus not legally permitted to produce bromine. In 2007
the Company acquired four such properties and in January 2008 the Company
acquired another such property. These five acquisitions expanded our
annual production capacity from 10,035 tons to 31,400 metric
tons. These properties were purchased with a combination of cash and
shares of our common stock, at purchase prices totalling $34,532,463. The
Company expects that it will continue its acquisition program in 2008 and that
these acquisitions will be funded by a combination of cash on hand, and the
issuance of debt or equity securities, including securities issued to the
sellers.
8
▼Chemical
Products
To expand
its chemical production capacity, the Company intends to acquire chemical
product producers. These acquisitions will be funded by a combination
of cash on hand, and the issuance of debt or equity securities
Competition
The
markets for our products have been experiencing increased levels of demand as
China continues its recent pace of accelerated growth. Nevertheless,
the markets for our products are highly competitive. To date, our
sales have been limited to customers within the PRC and we expect that our sales
will remain primarily domestic for the immediate future. Our
marketing strategy involves developing long term ongoing working relationships
with customers based on large multi-year agreements which foster mutually
advantageous relationships.
Many of
our competitors, particularly those engaged in the distribution of chemicals,
are better established than us, have larger infrastructures, greater resources
and the capacity to respond to much larger contracts.
Our
principal competitors in the bromine and crude salts business are Shandong Hai
Hua Holding Limited, Shouguang Fu Kang Medicines Manufacturing Company Limited,
Shouguang Weidong Chemical Company Limited, and Shandong Cai Yangzi Salt Field
Company, all of which produce bromine principally for use in their chemicals
businesses.
Our
principal competitors in the chemicals business are Shandong Haihua Group Ltd.,
Shouguang Weidong Salt Field Co Ltd., Shouguang Fukang Pharmaceutical
Co., Ltd., and Shouguang Caiyangzih Salt Field Co., Ltd.
Government
Regulation
The
following is a summary of the principal governmental laws and regulations that
are or may be applicable to our operations in the PRC. The scope and enforcement
of many of the laws and regulations described below are uncertain. We cannot
predict the effect of further developments in the Chinese legal system,
including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the
interpretation or enforcement of laws.
In the
natural resources sector, the PRC and the various Provinces have enacted a
series of laws and regulations over the past 20 years, including laws and
regulations designed to improve safety and decrease environmental
degradation. The "China Mineral Resources Law" declares state
ownership of all mineral resources in the PRC. However, mineral
exploration rights can be purchased, sold and transferred to foreign owned
companies. Mineral resource rights are granted by the Central Government
permitting recipients to conduct mineral resource activities in a specific area
during the license period. These rights entitle the licensee to undertake
mineral resource activities and infrastructure and ancillary work, in compliance
with applicable laws and regulations, within the specific area covered by the
license during the license period. The licensee is required to submit a proposal
and feasibility studies to the relevant authority and to pay the Central
Government a natural resources fee in an amount equal to a percent of annual
sales. Shangdong Province has determiineed that bromine is to be
extracted only by licensed entities and we have received one of six licenses
granted. Despite the provinces desire to limit extraction to licensed
entities hundreds of smaller operations continue to extract bromine without
licenses.
The
Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) is the principal regulator of mineral
rights in China. The Ministry has authority to grant licenses for land-use and
exploration rights, issue permits for mineral rights and leases, oversee the
fees charged for them and their transfer, and review reserve
evaluations.
All of
our operating activities in China have been authorized by land and resources
departments of local governments. In addition, all of our operations
are subject to and have passed government safety inspections. We also have
been granted environmental certification from the PRC Bureau of Environmental
Protection.
9
Employees
As of
December 31, 2007, we employed approximately 402 full-time employees, of
whom about 74% are with SCHC, 26% are with SYCI. Approximately 7% of
our employees are management personnel, 8% are sales and procurement
staff. 45% of our employees have a college degree or higher. None of
our employees is represented by a union.
Our
employees in China participate in a state
pension arrangement organized by Chinese municipal and provincial
governments. We are required to contribute to the arrangement at the
rate of 20% of the average monthly salary. In addition, we are required by
Chinese law to cover employees in China with other types of social insurance.
Our total contribution may amount to 30% of the average monthly salary. We have
purchased social insurance for all of our employees. Expense related to
social insurance was approximately $112,446 for fiscal year 2007.
Research
and Development
On June
11, 2007, the Company entered into a five year agreement with East China
University of Science and Technology to establish a Co-Op Research and
Development Center. The research center is equipped with state of the art
chemical engineering instruments for the purpose of pursuing targeted research
and development of refined bromide compounds and end products. Professor Ji of
East China University is the Center’s Manager. He will provide his expertise in
chemical applications and medicine engineering. SYCI will make an annual payment
of $500,000 until the agreement expires on June 14, 2012.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
You should consider carefully each of
the following business and investment risk factors and all of the other
information in this report. If any of the following risks and uncertainties
develops into actual events, the business, financial condition or results of our
operations could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the trading
price of our shares of common stock could decline significantly. The risk
factors below contain forward-looking statements regardingour business. Actual
results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking
statements. See "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Information."
Risks
Relating to Our Business
The
unsuccessful integration of a business or business segment we acquire could have
a material adverse effect on our results.
As part of our business strategy, we
expect to acquire assets and businesses relating to or complementary to our
operations. These acquisitions will involve risks commonly encountered in
acquisitions. These risks include exposure to unknown liabilities of the
acquired companies, additional acquisition costs and unanticipated expenses. Our
quarterly and annual operating results could fluctuate due to the costs and
expenses of acquiring and integrating new businesses. We may also experience
difficulties in assimilating the operations and personnel of acquired
businesses. Our ongoing business may be disrupted and our management's time
and attention diverted from existing operations. Our acquisition strategy will
likely require additional equity or debt financing, resulting in additional
leverage or dilution of ownership. We cannot assure you that any future
acquisition will be consummated, or that if consummated, that we will be able to
integrate such acquisition successfully.
We
depend on revenues from a few significant relationships, and any loss,
cancellation, reduction, or interruption in these relationships could harm our
business.
In general, we have derived a material
portion of our revenue from a limited number of customers. If sales to such
customers were terminated or significantly reduced, our revenues and net income
could significantly decline. Our success will depend on our continued ability to
develop and manage relationships with significant customers and suppliers. Any
adverse change in our relationship with our customers and suppliers may have a
material adverse effect on our business. Although we are attempting to expand
our customer base, we expect that our customer concentration will not change
significantly in the near future. We cannot be sure that we will be able to
retain our largest customers and suppliers or that we will be able to attract
additional customers and suppliers, or that our customers and suppliers will
continue to buy our products in the same amounts as in prior years. The loss of
one or more of our largest customers or suppliers, any reduction or interruption
in sales to these customers or suppliers, our inability to successfully develop
relationships with additional customers or suppliers or future price concessions
that we may have to make could significantly harm our business.
10
Attracting
and retaining key personnel is an essential element of our future
success.
Our future success depends to a
significant extent upon the continued service of our executive officers and
other key management and technical personnel and on our ability to continue to
attract, retain and motivate executive and other key employees, including those
in managerial, technical, marketing and information technology support
positions. Experienced management and technical, marketing and support personnel
are in demand and competition for their talents is intense. The loss of the
services of one or more of our key employees or our failure to attract, retain
and motivate qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
If
we lose the services of our chairman and chief executive officer, our business
may suffer.
We are dependent on Mr. Ming Yang, our
chairman and chief executive officer. The loss of his services could
materially harm our business because of the cost and time necessary to retain
and train a replacement. Such a loss would also divert management attention
away from operational issues. We do not have key-man term life insurance policy
on Mr. Yang.
Our
inability to successfully manage the growth of our business may have a material
adverse effect on our business, results or operations and financial
condition.
We expect to experience growth in the
number of employees and the scope of our operations as a result of internal
growth and acquisitions. Such activities could result in increased
responsibilities for management. Our future success will be highly dependent
upon our ability to manage successfully the expansion of operations. Our ability
to manage and support our growth effectively will be substantially dependent on
our ability to implement adequate improvements to financial, inventory,
management controls, reporting, order entry systems and other procedures,
and hire sufficient numbers of financial, accounting, administrative, and
management personnel.
Our future success depends on our
ability to address potential market opportunities and to manage expenses to
match our ability to finance operations. The need to control our expenses will
place a significant strain on our management and operational resources. If we
are unable to control our expenses effectively, our business, results of
operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
Our
management is comprised almost entirely of individuals residing in the PRC with
very limited English skills
Our
management is comprised almost entirely of individuals born and raised in the
PRC. As a result of differences in culture, educational background
and business experiences, our management may analyze, evaluate and present
business opportunities and results of operations differently from the way they
are analyzed, evaluated and presented by management teams of public companies in
Europe and the United States. In addition, our management has very
limited skills in English. Consequently, it is possible that our
management team will emphasize or fail to emphasize aspects of our business that
might customarily be emphasized in a different manner by comparable public
companies from different geographical and political areas.
We
will face many of the difficulties that companies in the early stage may
face.
We have a limited operating history as
a bromine produce and chemical processing company, which may make it difficult
for you to assess our ability to identify merger or acquisition candidates and
our growth and earnings potential. Therefore, we may face many of the
difficulties that companies in the early stages of their development in new and
evolving markets often face. We may continue to face these difficulties in the
future, some of which may be beyond our control. If we are unable to
successfully address these problems, our future growth and earnings will be
negatively affected.
11
We
cannot accurately forecast our future revenues and operating results, which may
fluctuate.
Our short operating history and the
rapidly changing nature of the markets in which we compete make it difficult to
accurately forecast our revenues and operating results. Furthermore, our
revenues and operating results may fluctuate in the future due to a number
of factors, including the following:
|
·
|
the
success of identifying and completing mergers and
acquisitions;
|
|
·
|
the
introduction of competitive products by different or
new competitors;
|
|
·
|
reduced
demand for any given product;
|
|
·
|
difficulty
in keeping current with changing
technologies;
|
|
·
|
increased
or uneven expenses, whether related to sales and marketing, product
development or administration;
|
|
·
|
deferral
of recognition of our revenue in accordance with applicable accounting
principles due to the time required to complete projects;
and
|
·
|
costs related to possible acquisitions of technology or businesses. |
Due to
these factors, forecasts may not be achieved, either because expected revenues
do not occur or because they occur at lower prices or on terms that are less
favorable to us. In addition, these factors increase the chances that our
results could be lower than the expectations of investors and analysts. If so,
the market price of our stock would likely decline.
Conflicts
of interest.
Mr.
Ming Yang, our chairman, was a substantial owner of SCHC and SCYI before their
acquisition by us, and remains a substantial owner of our
securities. There may have been conflicts of interest between Mr.
Yang and our Company as a result of such ownership interests. The terms on
which we acquired SCHC and SCYI may have been different from those that
would have been obtained if SCHC and SCYI were owned by unrelated
parties.
Risks
Related to Doing Business in the People's Republic of China
Our business operations take place
primarily in the People's Republic of China. Because Chinese laws,
regulations and policies are changing, our Chinese operations will face several
risks summarized below.
-
Limitations on Chinese economic market reforms may discourage foreign investment
in Chinese businesses.
The value of investments in Chinese
businesses could be adversely affected by political, economic and social
uncertainties in China. The economic reforms in China in recent years are
regarded by China's central government as a way to introduce economic market
forces into China. Given the overriding desire of the central government
leadership to maintain stability in China amid rapid social and economic changes
in the country, the economic market reforms of recent years could be slowed, or
even reversed.
-
Any change in policy by the Chinese government could adversely affect
investments in Chinese businesses.
Changes in policy could result in
imposition of restrictions on currency conversion, imports or the source of
supplies, as well as new laws affecting joint ventures and foreign-owned
enterprises doing business in China. Although China has been pursuing economic
reforms, events such as a change in leadership or social disruptions that may
occur upon the proposed privatization of certain state-owned industries, could
significantly affect the government's ability to continue with its
reform.
12
-
We face economic risks in doing business in China.
As a developing nation, China's economy
is more volatile than that of developed Western industrial economies. It differs
significantly from that of the U.S. or a Western European country in such
respects as structure, level of development, capital reinvestment, legal
recourse, resource allocation and self-sufficiency. Only in recent years has the
Chinese economy moved from what had been a command economy through the 1970s to
one that during the 1990s encouraged substantial private economic activity. In
1993, the Constitution of China was amended to reinforce such economic reforms.
The trends of the 1990s indicate that future policies of the Chinese government
will emphasize greater utilization of market forces. For example, in 1999 the
Government announced plans to amend the Chinese Constitution to recognize
private property, although private business will officially remain subordinate
to state-owned companies, which are the mainstay of the Chinese
economy. However, we cannot assure you that, under some circumstances, the
government's pursuit of economic reforms will not be restrained or
curtailed. Actions by the central government of China could have a significant
adverse effect on economic conditions in the country as a whole and on the
economic prospects for our Chinese operations.
-
The Chinese legal and judicial system may negatively impact foreign
investors.
In 1982, the National Peoples Congress
amended the Constitution of China to authorize foreign investment and guarantee
the "lawful rights and interests" of foreign investors in China. However,
China's system of laws is not yet comprehensive. The legal and judicial systems
in China are still under development , and enforcement of existing laws is
inconsistent. Many judges in China lack the depth of legal training and
experience that would be expected of a judge in a more developed country.
Because the Chinese judiciary is relatively inexperienced in enforcing the laws
that exist, anticipation of judicial decision-making is more uncertain than
would be expected in a more developed country. It may be impossible to obtain
swift and equitable enforcement of laws that do exist, or to obtain enforcement
of the judgment of one court by a court of another jurisdiction. China's legal
system is based on written statutes; a decision by one judge does not set a
legal precedent that is required to be followed by judges in other cases. In
addition, the interpretation of Chinese laws may shift to reflect domestic
political changes.
The
promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws and the pre-emption of local
regulations by national laws may adversely affect foreign investors. However,
the trend of legislation over the last 20 years has significantly enhanced the
protection of foreign investment and allowed for more control by foreign parties
of their investments in Chinese enterprises. We cannot assure you that a change
in leadership, social or political disruption, or unforeseen circumstances
affecting China's political, economic or social life, will not affect the
Chinese government's ability to continue to support and pursue these reforms.
Such a shift could have a material adverse effect on our business and
prospects.
The practical effect of the People’s
Republic of China’s legal system on our business operations in China can be
viewed from two separate but intertwined considerations. First, as a matter of
substantive law, the Foreign Invested Enterprise laws provide significant
protection from government interference. In addition, these laws guarantee the
full enjoyment of the benefits of corporate articles and contracts to Foreign
Invested Enterprise participants. These laws, however, do impose standards
concerning corporate formation and governance, which are not qualitatively
different from the general corporation laws of the several states. Similarly,
the accounting laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China mandate
accounting practices which are not consistent with U.S. Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles. China's accounting laws require that an annual "statutory
audit" be performed in accordance with People’s Republic of China’s accounting
standards and that the books of account of Foreign Invested Enterprises are
maintained in accordance with Chinese accounting laws. Article 14 of the Peoples
Republic of China Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law requires a Wholly
Foreign-Owned Enterprise to submit certain periodic fiscal reports and
statements to designated financial and tax authorities, at the risk of business
license revocation. Second, while the enforcement of substantive rights may
appear less clear than United States procedures, Foreign Invested Enterprises
and Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises are Chinese registered companies, which
enjoy the same status as other Chinese registered companies in
business-to-business dispute resolution. Generally, the Articles of Association
provide that all business disputes pertaining to Foreign Invested Enterprises
are to be resolved by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of
Commerce in Stockholm, Sweden, applying Chinese substantive law. Any award
rendered by this arbitration tribunal is, by the express terms of the respective
Articles of Association, enforceable in accordance with the "United Nations
Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards
(1958)." Therefore, as a practical matter, although no assurances can be given,
the Chinese legal infrastructure, while different in operation from its United
States counterpart, should not present any significant impediment to the
operation of Foreign Invested Enterprises.
Because
our principal assets are located outside of the United States and some of our
directors and all of our executive officers reside outside of the United States,
it may be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on the United States
Federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors in the United
States or to enforce judgments of United States courts against us or them in the
People's Republic of China.
13
In addition, our operating subsidiaries
and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States.
You will find it difficult to enforce your legal rights based on the civil
liability provisions of the United States Federal securities laws against us in
the courts of either the United States or the People's Republic of China and,
even if civil judgments are obtained in courts of the United States, to enforce
such judgments in the courts of the People's Republic of China. In addition, it
is unclear if extradition treaties in effect between the United States and the
People's Republic of China would permit effective enforcement against us or our
officers and directors of criminal penalties, under the United States Federal
securities laws or otherwise.
-
Economic Reform Issues
Although
the Chinese government owns the majority of productive assets in China, during
the past several years the government has implemented economic reform measures
that emphasize decentralization and encourage private economic activity.
Because these economic reform measures may be inconsistent or ineffectual,
we are unable to assure you that:
· We
will be able to capitalize on economic reforms;
· The
Chinese government will continue its pursuit of economic reform
policies;
· The
economic policies, even if pursued, will be successful;
· Economic
policies will not be significantly altered from time to time; and
· Business
operations in China will not become subject to the risk of
nationalization.
Since 1979, the Chinese government has
reformed its economic systems. Because many reforms are unprecedented
or experimental, they are expected to be refined and improved. Other political,
economic and social factors, such as political changes, changes in the rates of
economic growth, unemployment or inflation, or in the disparities in per capita
wealth between regions within China, could lead to further readjustment of the
reform measures. This refining and readjustment process may negatively affect
our operations.
Over the last few years, China's
economy has registered a high growth rate. Recently, there have been indications
that rates of inflation have increased. In response, the Chinese government
recently has taken measures to curb this excessively expansive economy. These
measures have included revaluations of the Chinese currency, the Renminbi (RMB),
restrictions on the availability of domestic credit, and limited
re-centralization of the approval process for purchases of some foreign
products. These austerity measures alone may not succeed in slowing down the
economy's excessive expansion or control inflation, and may result in severe
dislocations in the Chinese economy. The Chinese government may adopt additional
measures to further combat inflation, including the establishment of freezes or
restraints on certain projects or markets.
To date, reforms to China's economic
system have not adversely impacted our operations and are not expected to
adversely impact operations in the foreseeable future; however, there can be no
assurance that the reforms to China's economic system will continue or that we
will not be adversely affected by changes in China's political, economic, and
social conditions and by changes in policies of the Chinese government, such as
changes in laws and regulations, measures which may be introduced to control
inflation, changes in the rate or method of taxation, imposition of additional
restrictions on currency conversion and remittance abroad, and reduction in
tariff protection and other import restrictions.
Risks
Associated with Bromine Extraction
We
are subject to risks associated with our operations which may affect our
results.
The
resource industry in the PRC has drawbacks that the resource industry does not
have within the United States. For instance:
14
|
·
|
In
China, insurance coverage is a relatively new concept compared to that of
the United States and for certain aspects of a business
operation, insurance coverage is restricted or
expensive. Workers compensation for employees in the PRC may be
unavailable or, if available, insufficient to adequately cover such
employees.
|
|
·
|
The
environmental laws and regulations in the PRC set various standards
regulating certain aspects of health and environmental quality, including,
in some cases, the obligation to rehabilitate current and former
facilities and locations where operations are or were
conducted. Violation of those standards could result in a
temporary or permanent restriction by the PRC of our bromine
operations.
|
We cannot
assure you that we will be able to adequately address any of these or other
limitations.
Our
earnings and, therefore our profitability, may be affected by price
volatility.
We
anticipate that the majority of our future revenues will be derived from the
sale of bromine and products derived from bromine and, as a result, our earnings
are directly related to the prices of these products. There are many factors
influencing the price of these products including expectations for inflation;
global and regional demand and production; political and economic conditions;
and production costs. These factors are beyond our control and are impossible
for us to predict. As a result, price changes may adversely affect our operating
results.
We may become
subject to numerous risks and hazards associated with our chemical
processing business.
Bromine
is highly corrosive and must be handled carefully in order to avoid leakage and
damage to containers, transportation equipment and other
facilities. The risks associated with bromine include:
|
·
|
environmental
hazards; and
|
|
·
|
industrial
accidents, including personal
injury.
|
Such
risks could result in:
|
·
|
damage
to or destruction of properties or production
facilities;
|
|
·
|
personal
injury or death;
|
|
·
|
environmental
damage;
|
|
·
|
monetary
losses; and
|
|
·
|
legal
liability.
|
Our
business operations and related activities may be subject to PRC government
regulations concerning environmental protection.
We may
have to make a significant financial commitment for the construction of
environmental protection facilities and the establishment of a sound
environmental protection management and monitoring system. Compliance with
existing and future environmental protection regulations may increase our
operating costs and may adversely affect our operating results.
Our
operations and business activities may involve dangerous materials.
Although
we may establish stringent rules relating to the storage, handling and use of
dangerous materials, there is no assurance that accidents will not occur. Should
we be held liable for any such accident, we may be subject to penalties and
possible criminal proceedings may be brought against our employees.
15
Risks
Relating to our Common Stock and our Status as a Public Company
The
price of our common stock may be affected by a limited trading volume and may
fluctuate significantly.
There has been a limited public market
for our common stock and we cannot assure you that an active trading market for
our stock will develop or if developed, will be maintained. The absence of an
active trading market may adversely affect our stockholders' ability to sell our
common stock in short time periods, or possibly at all. In addition, we cannot
assure you that you will be able to sell shares of common stock that you have
purchased without incurring a loss. The market price of our common stock may not
necessarily bear any relationship to our book value, assets, past operating
results, financial condition or any other established criteria of value, and may
not be indicative of the market price for the common stock in the future. In
addition, the market price for our common stock may be volatile depending on a
number of factors, including business performance, industry dynamics, and news
announcements or changes in general economic conditions.
We
have not and do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock; because
of this our securities could face devaluation in the market.
We have paid no dividends on our common
stock to date and it is not anticipated that any dividends will be paid to
holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. While our dividend policy
will be based on the operating results and capital needs of the business, it is
anticipated that any earnings will be retained to finance our future
expansion and for the implementation of our business plan. As an investor, you
should take note of the fact that a lack of a dividend can further affect the
market value of our stock, and could significantly affect the value of any
investment in our Company.
We
will continue to incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a
public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time
to new compliance requirements.
As a public company we incur
significant legal, accounting and other expenses under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002, together with rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission
and applicable market regulators. These rules impose various requirements on
public companies, including requiring certain corporate governance practices.
Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of
time to these new compliance requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations
will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some
activities more time-consuming and costly.
In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for
financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular,
commencing in 2007, we must perform system and process evaluations and testing
of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management and our
independent registered public accounting firm to report on the effectiveness of
our internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our
independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our
internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material
weaknesses. Compliance with Section 404 may require that we incur substantial
accounting expenses and expend significant management efforts. If we are not
able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if
our accountants later identify deficiencies in our internal controls over
financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price
of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or
investigations by the SEC or other applicable regulatory
authorities.
Lack
of management control by purchasers of the common stock offered
hereby.
As of March 7, 2008, Mr. Ming Yang, our
chairman and chief executive officer, and his affiliates, beneficially owned
approximately 27% of our common stock. As a result of this concentration of
ownership, our public stockholders, acting alone, do not have the ability to
influence the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, including the
election of our directors or significant corporate transactions. In addition,
this concentration of ownership, which is not subject to any voting
restrictions, may discourage or thwart efforts by third parties to take-over or
effect a change in control of our Company that may be desirable for our
stockholders, and may limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our
common stock.
Our
Board of Directors has the authority, without stockholder approval, to issue
preferred stock with terms that may not be beneficial to common stock holders
and with the ability to adversely affect stockholder voting power and perpetuate
the board's control over the Company.
16
Our certificate of incorporation
authorizes the issuance of up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Board
of Directors by resolution may authorize the issuance of up to 1,000,000 shares
of preferred stock in one or more series with such limitations and restrictions
as it may determine, in its sole discretion, with no further authorization by
security holders required for the issuance thereof. The Board may determine the
specific terms of the preferred stock, including: designations; preferences;
conversions rights; cumulative; relative; participating; and optional or other
rights, including: voting rights; qualifications; limitations; or restrictions
of the preferred stock.
The issuance of preferred stock may
adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common
stock. Preferred stock may be issued quickly with terms calculated to
discourage, make more difficult, delay or prevent a change in control of our
company or make removal of management more difficult. As a result, the Board of
Directors' ability to issue preferred stock may discourage the
potential hostile acquirer, possibly resulting in beneficial negotiations.
Negotiating with an unfriendly acquirer may result in terms more favorable to us
and our stockholders. Conversely, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely
affect any market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of
the common stock. We presently have no plans to issue any preferred
stock.
We
may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete an
acquisition, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders or
subject our company to risks upon default
We may issue our securities to acquire
companies or assets. Most likely, we will issue additional shares of our common
stock or preferred stock, or both, to complete acquisitions. If we issue
additional shares of our common stock or shares of our preferred stock, the
equity interest of our existing stockholders may be reduced significantly, and
the market price of our common stock may decrease. The shares of preferred stock
we issue are likely to provide holders with dividend, liquidation and voting
rights, and may include participation rights, senior to, and more favorable
than, the rights and powers
of
holders of our common stock.
If we issue debt securities as part of
an acquisition, and we are unable to generate sufficient operating revenues to
pay the principal amount and accrued interest on that debt, we may be forced to
sell all or a significant portion of our assets to satisfy our debt service
obligations, unless we are able to refinance or negotiate an extension of our
payment obligation. Even if we are able to meet our debt service obligations as
they become due, the holders of that debt may accelerate payment if we fail to
comply with, and/or are unable to obtain waivers of, covenants that require us
to maintain certain financial ratios or reserves or satisfy certain other
financial restrictions. In addition, financial and other covenants in the
agreements we may enter into to secure debt financing may restrict our ability
to obtain additional financing and our flexibility in operating our
business.
We have significant indebtedness. We
are significantly leveraged and our indebtedness is substantial in relation to
our stockholders' equity. Our ability to make principal and interest payments
will depend on future performance, which is subject to many factors, some of
which are outside our control. In the case of a continuing default with respect
to this indebtedness, the lender will have the right to foreclose on our assets,
which would have a material adverse effect on our business. Payment of principal
and interest on this indebtedness may limit our ability to pay cash dividends to
stockholders and the documents governing this indebtedness prohibit the payment
of cash dividends in certain situations. Our leverage may also adversely affect
our ability to finance future operations and capital needs, may limit our
ability to pursue business opportunities and may make our results of operations
more susceptible to adverse economic conditions.
Future
sales of our common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur, could
have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
We
have approximately 86,000,000 shares of our common stock
outstanding. There are a limited number of holders of our common
stock. Future sales of our common stock, pursuant to a registration
statement or Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or the perception that such
sales could occur, could have an adverse effect on the market price of our
common stock. The number of our shares available for sale pursuant to
registration statements or Rule 144 is very large relative to the trading volume
of our shares. Any attempt to sell a substantial number of our shares could
severely depress the market price of our common stock. In addition, we may use
our capital stock in the future to finance acquisitions and to compensate
employees and management, which will further dilute the interests of our
existing shareholders and could also depress the trading price of our common
stock.
17
Item 2. Properties.
We do not own any land, though we do
own some of the buildings on land we lease. Our executive offices are
located in China at Chenming Industrial Park, Shouguang City, Shandong, People's
Republic of China, which also is the headquarters of SCHC. These offices are
located on approximately 17,342 square meters of land owned by Shouguang City Wo
Pu Town Ba Mian He Village. The lease for the land expires on March 31, 2054.
The annual rent for the land is RMB 46,230, or approximately US$5,779. The
building on this land has approximately 3,335 square meters of usable space and
is owned by SCHC.
SYCI's
headquarters are located in the 2nd Living District, Shouguang City, Shandong
Province, People's Republic of China. SYCI's headquarters are located on
approximately 18,768 square meters of land owned by Shouguang City Houxin
village. There are three buildings owned by SYCI located on the property. Two of
the buildings are operational plants of steel structure with an aggregate of
approximately 1,560 square meters of production space and a total of 4,000
square meters for pump rooms, boiler rooms, finished products and raw materials
storage. The third building is primarily for administration and has
approximately 795 square meters. The company has a 50 year
lease on the land from April 1, 1998 to March 31, 2048 at an annual rent of
200,000RMB or $25,641.
The
chart below represents the six bromine producing properties currently leased by
the Company:
Location
|
Acreage
|
Approximate
proven/probable reserve (tons)
|
Actual Annual
Production Capacity (tons)
|
|||||
SCHC
Assets
|
Shouguang
City Yangjiahuan Area Shandong Province P.R.C.
|
10,131
|
776,000
|
11,500
|
||||
Qinshuibo
Assets
|
Shouguang
City Qinshuibo Area Shandong Province P.R.C.
|
1,846
|
230,000
|
4,500
|
||||
Liu
Hu Assets
|
Dong
Ying City Liu Hu Area Shandong Province P.R.C.
|
2,318
|
280,000
|
3,700
|
||||
Renja
Assets
|
Shouguang
City Renja Area Shandong Province P.R.C.
|
2,165
|
225,000
|
3,700
|
||||
Houxing
Assets
|
Shouguang
City Houxing Area Shandong Province P.R.C.
|
2,310
|
240,000
|
3,900
|
||||
Hanting
Assets
|
Shouguang
City Hanting Area Shandong Province P.R.C.
|
2,641
|
210,000
|
4,700
|
18
Item
3. Legal Proceedings.
We are
not a party to any legal proceedings.
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security
Holders.
We did
not submit any matter to a vote of our stockholders during the fourth quarter of
2007.
PART
II
Item
5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder
Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market
for Our Common Stock
Our
common stock is traded in the over-the-counter market (the OTC Bulletin
Board). Prior to February 20, 2007, the date we changed our name from
Diversifax. Inc. to Gulf Resources, Inc., our common stock was quoted under the
symbol “DSFX.OB.” From February 20 to November 27, 2007, our common
stock was quoted under the symbol “GUFR.OB.” Since November 28, 2007, the date
we affected a 2-for-1 forward stock split of our common stock, our common stock
has been quoted under the symbol “GFRE.OB.”
The
prices set forth below reflect the quarterly high and low bid price information
for shares of our common stock for the periods indicated. These quotations
reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail markup, markdown or commission, and
may not represent actual transactions. The prices have been
retroactively adjusted for the 1-for-100 reverse stock split of our common stock
affected on October 23, 2006 and the 2-for-1 forward stock split of our common
stock effected on November 28, 2007.
High
|
Low
|
|||||||
2007
|
||||||||
First Quarter
|
$ | 2.00 | $ | 0.725 | ||||
Second
Quarter
|
$ | 2.975 | $ | 0.925 | ||||
Third
Quarter
|
$ | 1.475 | $ | 0.90 | ||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
$ | 3.00 | $ | 1.45 | ||||
2006
|
||||||||
First
Quarter
|
$ | 0.50 | $ | 0.25 | ||||
Second
Quarter
|
$ | 0.75 | $ | 0.50 | ||||
Third
Quarter
|
$ | 2.75 | $ | 0.65 | ||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
$ | 0.75 | $ | 0.55 |
We
have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. Holders of our common stock
are entitled to receive dividends, if any, declared and paid from time to time
by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available. We intend to retain
any earnings for the operation and expansion of our business and do not
anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future
determination as to the payment of cash dividends will depend upon future
earnings, results of operations, capital requirements, our financial condition
and other factors that our Board of Directors may consider.
19
Our
Equity Compensation Plans
The following table provides
information as of December 31, 2007 about our equity compensation plans and
arrangements.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information - December 31, 2007
Plan
category
|
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants
and rights
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
|
Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity
compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column
(a))
|
|
(a)
|
(b)
|
(c)
|
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders
|
100,000
|
$2.025
|
0
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
none
|
n/a
|
0
|
Total
|
100,000
|
$2.025
|
0
|
______
Purchases
of Equity Securities by the Company and Affiliated Purchasers
During the fourth quarter of our fiscal
year ended December 31, 2007, neither we nor any “affiliated purchaser” (as
defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Exchange Act) purchased any shares of our
common stock, the only class of our equity securities registered pursuant to
section 12 of the Exchange Act.
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities
We have reported all sales of our
unregistered equity securities that occurred during 2007 in our Reports on Form
10-QSB or Form 8-K, as applicable.
Item
6. Selected Financial Data.
Not
applicable.
Item
7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operation.
Overview
We are a
holding company which conducts operations through our wholly-owned China
subsidiaries. Our business is conducted and reported in two
segments.
20
Through
our wholly-owned subsidiary, SCHC, we produce and trade bromine and crude salt.
We are one of the largest producers of bromine in China, as measured by
production output. Elemental bromine is used to manufacture a wide variety of
bromine compounds used in industry and agriculture. Bromine also is used to form
intermediary chemical compounds such as T.M.B. Bromine is commonly
used in brominated flame retardants, fumigants, water purification compounds,
dyes, medicines, disinfectants.
Through
our wholly-owned subsidiary, SYCI, we manufacture and sell chemical products
used in oil and gas field exploration, oil and gas distribution, oil field
drilling, wastewater processing, papermaking chemical agents and inorganic
chemicals.
On
December 12, 2006, we acquired, through a share exchange, Upper Class Group
Limited, a British Virgin Islands holding corporation which then owned all of
the outstanding shares of SCHC. Under accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States, the share exchange is considered to be a capital
transaction in substance, rather than a business combination. That is, the
share exchange is equivalent to the issuance of stock by Upper Class for the net
assets of our company, accompanied by a recapitalization, and is accounted for
as a change in capital structure. Accordingly, the accounting for the share
exchange was identical to that resulting from a reverse acquisition, except no
goodwill was recorded. Under reverse takeover accounting, the post reverse
acquisition comparative historical financial statements of the legal acquirer,
our company, are those of the legal acquiree, Upper Class Group Limited, which
is considered to be the accounting acquirer. Share and per share amounts
reflected in this report have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the
merger.
On
February 5, 2007, we, acting through SCHC, acquired SYCI. Since the ownership of
Gulf Resources, Inc. and SYCI was then substantially the same, the transaction
was accounted for as a transaction between entities under common control,
whereby we recognized the assets and liabilities of SYCI at their carrying
amounts. Share and per share amounts stated in this report have been
retroactively adjusted to reflect the merger.
As a
result of our acquisitions of SCHC and SYCI, our historical financial statements
and the information presented below reflects the accounts of SCHC and
SYCI. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this
report.
21
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Year
ended December 31, 2007 as compared to year ended December 31, 2006
For
the year ended
|
For
the year ended
|
Percentage
|
|
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
Change
|
|
Net
Revenue
|
$54,248,650
|
$31,736,216
|
+70.9%
|
Cost
of Net Revenue
|
$32,108,180
|
$20,503,829
|
+56.6%
|
Gross
Profit
|
$22,140,470
|
$11,232,387
|
+97.1%
|
Research
and Development costs
|
$268,168
|
----------
|
-------
|
General
and Administrative expenses
|
$1,847,374
|
$5,789,166
|
(68.1%)
|
Income
from operations
|
$20,024,928
|
$5,443,221
|
+267.9%
|
Other
Income (expenses), net
|
$6,717
|
$252,483
|
(97.3%)
|
Income
before taxes
|
$20,031,645
|
$5,695,704
|
+251.7%
|
Income
Taxes
|
$7,798,682
|
$1,884,244
|
+313.9%
|
Net
Income
|
$12,232,963
|
$3,811,460
|
+221.0%
|
Basic
and Diluted Earnings Per Share
|
$
0.13
|
$
0.04
|
|
Net Revenue Net
revenue were $54,248,650 in fiscal 2007, an increase of $22,512,434 (or
approximately 70.9%) as compared to fiscal 2006. This increase in was primarily
attributable to strong growth in our sales of bromine and crude salt, which
increased from $17,825,097 in fiscal 2006 to $34,015,484 in fiscal 2007, an
increase of approximately 90.8%, and in our sales of chemical products, which
increased from $13,911,119 in fiscal 2006 to $20,233,166 in fiscal 2007, an
increase of approximately 45.5%. The increase in the net sales of
bromine and crude salt was primarily as a result of the purchase of four bromine
producing properties acquired during 2007, the completion of 280 new bromine
wells in December 2006, the addition of new customers.. Among the total increase
of net sales, about $12,000,000 was due to the properties acquired during 2007,
and $4,300,000 was from organic growth. The increase in the sales of our
chemical products was due to the completion of equipment upgrades and the
development of new chemical products.
Net
Revenue by Segment
|
||||||
Year
Ended
|
Year
Ended
|
|||||
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||
Segment
|
Percent
of total
|
Percent
of total
|
||||
Bromine
and Crude salt
|
$
|
34,015,484
|
63%
|
$
|
17,825,097
|
56%
|
Chemical
Products
|
$
|
20,233,166
|
37%
|
$
|
13,911,119
|
44%
|
Total
sales
|
$
|
54,248,650
|
100%
|
$
|
31,736,216
|
100%
|
Year
Ended December 31
|
|
2007
vs. 2006
|
|
Segment
|
Percent Increase of
Net Sales
|
Bromine
and Crude salt
|
90.8%
|
Chemical
Products
|
45.4%
|
Shouguang
City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC")
|
Year Ended December
31
|
||
Product
sold in metric tons
|
2007
|
2006
|
Percentage
Change
|
Bromine
|
17,648
|
10,035
|
+75.
9%
|
Crude
Salt
|
51,000
|
No
Production
|
22
The
proportion of our total net sales represented by bromine and crude salt in
fiscal 2007 increased as compared to the comparable period in
2006. Although sales in both segments grew, the growth of sales of
bromine and crude salt was greater than that of our chemical products operations
mainly due to four bromine asset acquisitions during fiscal 2007.
Cost
of Net Revenue
Cost of net
revenue reflects the raw materials consumed, direct salaries and benefits,
electricity and other manufacturing costs. Our Cost of net
revenue was $32,108,180 in fiscal 2007, an increase of $11,604,351
(or approximately 56.6%) from the Cost of revenue net in fiscal
2006. This increase resulted primarily from the increase in our net
revenue which were approximately 69.5% higher in 2007. The decrease
in the Cost of net revenue as a percentage of revenue was due to greater
utilization of bromine production capacity and tighter control of direct costs
and indirect costs such as salaries, transportation and consumables as a result
of economies of scale achieved.
Gross
Profit Gross
profit was 41% of net sales in fiscal 2007 compared to 35% in fiscal 2006, an
improvement of 6 percentage points, reflecting the benefits of the factors
discussed above.
Research
and Development Costs Research
and development costs were first recorded in third quarter of 2007. The research
and development costs result from SYCI and East China University of Science and
Technology having entered into a five year agreement to establish a Co-Op
Research and Development Center in June 2007 to develop new bromine-based
chemical compounds and products to be utilized in the pharmaceutical
industry. All research findings and patents developed by this Center
will belong to Gulf Resources.
General
and Administrative Expenses General
and administrative expenses were $1,847,374 in fiscal 2007, a decrease of $3,
941,792 (or approximately 68.1%) from the general and administrative expenses of
$5,789,166 during fiscal 2006. This significant decrease in general
and administrative expenses was primarily due to incurring organizational
expenses of $5,344,295 in fiscal 2006, partially offset by the addition of
corporate functions resulting from the creation of Gulf
Resources, Inc.
Income
from Operations
Income
from Operations by Segment
|
||||||
Year
Ended
|
Year
Ended
|
|||||
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||
Segments
|
Percent
of total
|
Percent
of total
|
||||
Bromine
and Crude salt
|
$
|
14,181,054
|
66%
|
$
|
1,728,746
|
32%
|
Chemical
Products
|
$
|
7,164,833
|
34%
|
$
|
3,714,475
|
68%
|
Income
from operations before corporate costs
|
$
|
21,345,887
|
100%
|
$
|
5,443,221
|
100%
|
Corporate
costs
|
$
|
(1,320,959)
|
$
|
-------
|
||
Income
from operations
|
$
|
20,024,928
|
$
|
5,443,221
|
23
Income
from Operations was $20,024,928 in fiscal 2007 (or 39.9% of net revenue), an
increase of $14,581,707 (or approximately 268%) over Income from Operations in
fiscal 2006. This increase resulted primarily from the increase in revenues and
relatively lower increase in cost of net sales as discussed
above. This increase resulted from increases in Income from
Operations in both the bromine and crude salt, and the chemical products
segments of the Company. In fiscal 2007, income from operations in
the bromine and crude salt segment was $14,181,054, an increase of 720% from
$1,728,746 in fiscal 2006. In fiscal 2007, income from operations in the
chemical products division was $7,164,833, an increase of 93% from income from
operations in this division of $3,714,475 in fiscal 2006. The increase in the
income from operations of bromine and crude salt was primarily as a result of
the purchase of four new bromine assets and the organizational expenses of
$5,344,295 incurred in 2006, as well as a higher gross margin. The increase in
the income from operations of our chemical products was due to the completion of
equipment upgrade and the development of new chemical products.
Other Income
(Expense) Other Income (Expense) was $6,717 for fiscal year 2007, a
decrease of $245,766 from the Other Income (Expense) of $252,483 for fiscal year
2006. This decrease was primarily due to an increase in interest expense
resulting from debt incurred in fiscal 2007 whereas there were no interest
expenses incurred in 2006.
Net Income
Net Income was $12,232,963 in fiscal 2007, an increase of $8,421,503 (or
approximately 221%) as compared to fiscal 2006. This increase was primarily
attributable to the higher operating profit resulting from the increase in
revenues, the organizational expenses incurred in 2006,and relatively lower
increase in cost of net sales, as discussed above, partially offset by an
increase in the effective tax rate to 38.9% in 2007 from 33.1% in 2006 due to
disallowance of certain expenses.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
As of
December 31, 2007, Cash and Cash Equivalents were $10,773,875 as compared to
$5,692,608 as of December 31, 2006. The components of this increase
of $5,081,267 are reflected below.
Cash
Flow
Year
Ended December 31
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
$ | 15,968,028 | $ | 6,417,196 | ||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
$ | (22,679,319 | ) | $ | (1,573,003 | ) | ||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
$ | 11,336,324 | $ | (4,879,905 | ) | |||
Effects
of exchange rate changes on Cash
|
$ | 456,234 | $ | 185,931 | ||||
Net
cash inflow
|
$ | 5,081,267 | $ | 150,219 |
24
In
2007 the Company met its working capital and capital investment requirements
mainly by using operating cash flows, notes payable and the issuance of its
stock to sellers of property.
The
following table sets forth the information about the Company’s debt instruments
as of December 31, 2007 (also see Note 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements in Item 8, “Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplemental
Data”):
Year of Maturity
|
||
|
2008
|
2009
|
Bank
Borrowing
|
$3,770,250
|
0
|
Average
Interest Rate
|
6.5%
|
|
Note
payable including Current portion
|
$5,484,000
|
$6,169,500
|
Average
Interest Rate
|
3.33%
|
n/a
|
As
previously disclosed, the Company will continue to explore opportunities
relating to bromine asset purchases and expansion of its chemical product
capacity.
Net
Cash Provided by Operating Activities
During
twelve months ended December 31, 2007, we had positive cash flow from operating
activities of $15,968,028, primarily attributable to net income of $12,232,963,
an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $2,014,738, and an
increase in taxes payable of $2,065,580, partially offset by an increase of
accounts receivable of $2,347,199. Net Cash Provided by Operating
Activities in 2007 improved by $9,550,832 from that of 2006. The
primary source of this was an increase in 2007 Net Income, which was $12,232,963
or $8,421,503 greater than that of 2006.
Net
Cash Provided (Used) by Investing Activities and Financing
Activities
The
Company used $22,679,319 to acquire
additional mineral rights, property, plant and equipment during fiscal
2007. These acquisitions were financed by cash flows from operating
activities and proceeds from the issuance of notes payable totaling $14,812,875.
The proceeds of our financing activities were also used to pay dividends
aggregating $4,739,600.
We
anticipate that our available funds and cash flows generated from operations
will be sufficient to meet our anticipated on-going operating needs for the next
twelve (12) months. However we will likely need to raise additional capital in
order to fund the ongoing program of acquiring unlicensed bromine properties and
increasing our chemical production capacity. We expect to raise those
funds through the issuance of additional shares of our equity securities in one
or more public or private offerings, or through credit facilities obtained with
lending institutions or a combination of both. There can be no
guarantee that we will be able to obtain such funding, whether through the
issuance of debt or equity, on terms satisfactory to management and our board of
directors.
Working
capital at December 31, 2007 was approximately $1,150,016 at December 31, 2007
as compared to $3,151,798 at December 31, 2006.
25
For the
immediate future we intend to focus our efforts on the activities of SCHC and
SYCI. Our short to mid-term strategic plan is based on expansion in the Chinese
market. Our long-term strategic goal is to expand our market to overseas
countries. As a result, we may issue additional shares of our capital
stock and incur new debt in order to raise cash for acquisitions and other
capital expenditures during the next twelve months.
We may
not be able to identify, successfully integrate or profitably manage any
businesses or business segment we may acquire, or any expansion of our business.
An expansion may involve a number of risks, including possible adverse effects
on our operating results, diversion of management attention, inability to retain
key personnel, risks associated with unanticipated events and the financial
statement effect of potential impairment of acquired intangible assets, any of
which could have a materially adverse effect on our condition and
results of operations. In addition, if competition for acquisition
candidates or operations were to increase, the cost of acquiring businesses
could increase materially. Our inability to implement and manage our expansion
strategy successfully may have a material adverse effect on our business
and future prospects. We may affect a business acquisition with a target
business which may be financially unstable, under-managed, or in its early
stages of development or growth.
We are
not currently party to any contracts or other arrangements with respect to
future acquisitions.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
Basis of
Consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Gulf Resources, Inc.
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Upper Class Group Limited, SCHC, SYCI and
Hong Kong Jiaxing (collectively the “Company”). All material
intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The
consolidated financial statements have been restated for all periods prior to
the SCHC and SYCI to include the financial position, results of operations and
cash flows of the commonly controlled companies.
Use of
Estimates
The
Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
and this requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the related disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the
reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and
on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Accordingly, actual results may differ significantly from these
estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Cash and Cash
Equivalents
Cash and
cash equivalents consist of all cash balances and highly liquid investments with
maturities of three months or less. Because of the short maturity of these
investments, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value.
Accounts
Receivable
Accounts
receivable is stated at cost, net of allowance for doubtful
accounts. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006 the Company considered all
accounts and other receivables collectable and did not record an allowance for
doubtful accounts.
Inventories
Inventories
are stated at the lower of cost, determined on a first-in, first-out cost basis,
or net realizable value. Costs of work-in-progress and finished goods are
composed of direct materials, direct labor and an attributable portion of
manufacturing overhead. Net realizable value is based on estimated selling price
less selling expenses.
26
Property, Plant and
Equipment
Property,
Plant and Equipment is stated at cost. Expenditures for new facilities or
equipment and expenditures that extend the useful lives of existing facilities
or equipment are capitalized and depreciated using the straight-line method at
rates sufficient to depreciate such costs over the estimated productive
lives.
Mineral
rights are stated at cost, less accumulated amortization. Mineral rights are
amortized ratably over the 50 year term of the lease, or the equivalent term
under the units of production method, whichever is shorter.
The
Company’s depreciation and amortization policies on fixed assets are as
follows:
Useful life in
years
|
|
Mineral
rights
|
Lower
of the period of lease or 50 years
|
Buildings
|
20
|
Machinery
|
8
|
Motor
vehicles
|
5
|
Equipment
|
8
|
Asset Retirement
Obligation
The
Company follows SFAS No. 143, “Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations”
(“SFAS No. 143”), which established a uniform methodology for accounting for
estimated reclamation and abandonment costs. SFAS No. 143 requires the fair
value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation to be recognized in the
period in which the legal obligation associated with the retirement of the
long-lived asset is incurred. When the liability is initially recorded, the
offset is capitalized by increasing the carrying amount of the related
long-lived asset. Over time, the liability is accreted to its present value each
period, and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of the
related asset. To settle the liability, the obligation is paid, and to the
extent there is a difference between the liability and the amount of cash paid,
a gain or loss upon settlement is recorded. Currently, there are no reclamation
or abandonment obligations associated with the land being utilized for
exploitation.
Recoverability of Long Lived
Assets
The
Company follows SFAS No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment of Disposal of
Long-Lived Assets.” The Statement requires that long-lived and certain
identifiable intangibles be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes
in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be
recoverable. The Company is not aware of any events or circumstances which
indicate the existence of an impairment which would be material to the Company’s
annual financial statements.
Mineral
Rights
The
Company follows FASB Staff Position amending SFAS No. 142 and No. 144 which
provide that certain mineral rights are considered tangible assets and that
mineral rights should be accounted for based on their substance. Mineral rights
are included in property, plant and equipment.
Financial
Instruments
Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 107, “Disclosures about Fair Value of
Financial Instruments” (“SFAS No. 107”), requires disclosure of the fair value
of financial instruments held by the Company. SFAS No. 107 defines
the fair value of a financial instrument as the amount at which the instrument
could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing
parties. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts
receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, notes payable and taxes
payable approximate fair value due to their short-term nature.
Reporting Currency and
Translation
The
Company’s functional currency is Renminbi (“RMB”); however, the reporting
currency is the United States dollar (“USD”). Assets and liabilities
of the Company have been translated into dollars using the exchange rate at the
balance sheet date. The average exchange rate for the period has been used to
translate revenues and expenses. Translation adjustments are reported
separately and accumulated in a separate component of equity (cumulative
translation adjustment).
27
Foreign
Operations
All of
the Company’s operations and assets are located in China. The Company
may be adversely affected by possible political or economic events in this
country. The effect of these factors cannot be accurately
predicted.
Revenue
Recognition
In
accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Staff Accounting
Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104, “Revenue Recognition”, the Company recognizes revenue,
net of any taxes, when persuasive evidence of a customer or distributor
arrangement exists or acceptance occurs, receipt of goods by customer occurs,
the price is fixed or determinable, and the sales revenues are considered
collectible. Subject to these criteria, the Company generally
recognizes revenue at the time of shipment or delivery to the customer, and when
the customer takes ownership and assumes risk of loss based on shipping
terms.
Income
Taxes
The
Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes
pursuant to SFAS No. 109 “Accounting for Income Taxes”. Under the
asset and liability method of SFAS No. 109, deferred tax assets and liabilities
are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary
differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets
and liabilities and their respective tax bases and tax loss 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.
Shipping and Handling Fees
and Costs
The
Company follows Emerging Issues Task Force No. 00-10, “Accounting for Shipping
and Handling Fees and Costs”. The Company does not charge its
customers for shipping and handling. The Company classifies shipping
and handling costs as part of the cost of net sales. For the years
ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, shipping and handling costs were $384,868 and
$492,749.
Basic and Diluted Net Income
per Share of Common Stock
In
accordance with Financial Accounting Standards No. 128, “Earnings per Share”,
basic earnings per common share are based on the weighted average number of
shares outstanding during the periods presented. Diluted earnings per
share are computed using weighted average number of common shares plus dilutive
common share equivalents outstanding during the period.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
Not
applicable.
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The
financial information required by this item is set forth beginning on page
F-1.
28
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007 and 2006
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
C O N T E N T
S
PAGE
|
||||||
1
|
||||||
2
|
||||||
3
|
||||||
4
|
||||||
5
|
||||||
6 -
7
|
||||||
8 -
21
|
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the
Board of Directors and
Stockholders
of Gulf Resources, Inc. and subsidiaries
We have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Gulf Resources, Inc. and
subsidiaries (“the Company”) as of December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the related
consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income,
stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then ended. The Company’s
management is responsible for these financial statements. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on
our audits.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The
Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its
internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of
internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit
procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of
expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the
overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits
provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our
opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all
material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of
December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the consolidated results of its operations and
cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.
/s/
Morison Cogen LLP
Bala
Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
March 10,
2008
F-1
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
As
of December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
CURRENT
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 10,773,875 | $ | 5,692,608 | ||||
Accounts
receivable
|
3,945,000 | 1,403,564 | ||||||
Inventories
|
413,391 | 470,615 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
145,484 | - | ||||||
Prepayment
and deposit
|
236,269 | - | ||||||
Due
from related party
|
- | 1,196,464 | ||||||
Prepaid
land lease
|
13,521 | |||||||
Income
tax receivable
|
-
|
1,111,154 | ||||||
TOTAL
CURRENT ASSETS
|
15,527,540 | 9,874,405 | ||||||
PROPERTY,
PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, Net
|
30,105,185 | 4,462,407 | ||||||
PREPAID
LAND LEASE, Net of current portion
|
697,107 | 618,256 | ||||||
TOTAL
ASSETS
|
$ | 46,329,832 | $ | 14,955,068 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
||||||||
CURRENT
LIABILITIES
|
||||||||
Notes payable
|
$ | 9,939,750 | $ | - | ||||
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
2,928,248 | 6,225,818 | ||||||
Due
to related party
|
32,230 | 15,384 | ||||||
Taxes
payable
|
1,477,296 | 481,405 | ||||||
TOTAL
CURRENT LIABILITIES
|
14,377,524 | 6,722,607 | ||||||
LONG
TERM LIABILITIES
|
||||||||
Notes
payable, net of current portion
|
5,484,000 | - | ||||||
TOTAL
LIABILITIES
|
19,861,524 | 6,722,607 | ||||||
STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY
PREFERRED
STOCK: $0.001 par value; 1,000,000
Shares
authorized; none outstanding
|
||||||||
COMMON
STOCK: $0.0005 par value; 400,000,000
|
||||||||
shares
authorized; 99,668,842 and 86,410,880 shares
|
||||||||
issued
and outstanding
|
49,834 | 43,205 | ||||||
ADDITIONAL
PAID-IN CAPITAL
|
11,924,616 | 2,668,817 | ||||||
RETAINED
EARNINGS – UNAPPROPRIATED
|
11,323,518 | 3,535,252 | ||||||
RETAINED
EARNINGS – APPROPRIATED
|
1,321,893 | 1,077,864 | ||||||
CUMULATIVE
TRANSLATION ADJUSTMENT
|
1,848,447 | 368,391 | ||||||
TOTAL
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
26,468,308 | 8,232,461 | ||||||
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
$ | 46,329,832 | $ | 14,955,068 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
F-2
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Years
Ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
NET
REVENUE
|
||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 53,780,313 | $ | 31,736,216 | ||||
Maintenance
service income
|
468,337 | - | ||||||
54,248,650 | 31,736,216 | |||||||
OPERATING
EXPENSES
|
||||||||
Cost
of net revenue
|
32,108,180 | 20,503,829 | ||||||
Consulting
fees
|
- | 5,344,395 | ||||||
Research
and development expenses
|
268,168 | - | ||||||
Other
administrative expenses
|
1,847,374 | 444,771 | ||||||
34,223,722 | 26,292,995 | |||||||
INCOME
FROM OPERATIONS
|
20,024,928 | 5,443,221 | ||||||
OTHER
INCOME (EXPENSES)
|
||||||||
Sundry
income
|
97,524 | 246,493 | ||||||
Rental
income
|
15,801 | - | ||||||
Interest
expense
|
(161,577 | ) | - | |||||
Interest
income
|
54,969 | 5,990 | ||||||
INCOME
BEFORE INCOME TAXES
|
20,031,645 | 5,695,704 | ||||||
INCOME
TAXES - current
|
7,798,682 | 1,884,244 | ||||||
NET
INCOME
|
$ | 12,232,963 | $ | 3,811,460 | ||||
BASIC
AND DILUTED EARNINGS PER
SHARE
|
$ | 0.13 | $ | 0.04 | ||||
BASIC
AND DILUTED WEIGHTED
AVERAGE
NUMBER OF SHARES
|
96,688,504 | 86,410,880 | ||||||
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
F-3
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Years
Ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
NET
INCOME
|
$ | 12,232,963 | $ | 3,811,460 | ||||
OTHER
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
|
||||||||
Foreign
currency translation adjustment
|
1,480,056 | 227,906 | ||||||
COMPREHENSIVE
INCOME
|
$ | 13,713,019 | $ | 4,039,366 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
F-4
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
YEARS
ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007 AND 2006
Statutory
|
Statutory
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional
|
Common
|
Public
|
Cumulative
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number
|
Common
|
Paid-in
|
Reserve
|
Welfare
|
Retained
|
Translation
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
of
Shares
|
Stock
|
Capital
|
Fund
|
Fund
|
Earnings
|
Adjustment
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE
AT DECEMBER 31, 2005
|
85,376,236 | $ | 42,688 | $ | 1,733,304 | $ | 696,719 | $ | 348,359 | $ | 5,918,390 | $ | 140,485 | $ | 8,879,945 | |||||||||||||||||
Issue
of share capital at merger
|
1,034,644 | 517 | (517 | ) | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Capital
Contribution
|
- | - | 936,030 | - | - | - | - | 936,030 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income for year
|
- | - | - | - | - | 3,811,460 | - | 3,811,460 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividend
distribution
|
- | - | - | - | - | (5,622,880 | ) | - | (5,622,880 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Transfer
to reserve funds
|
- | - | - | 381,145 | 190,573 | (571,718 | ) | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 227,906 | 227,906 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE
AT DECEMBER 31, 2006
|
86,410,880 | $ | 43,205 | $ | 2,668,817 | $ | 1,077,864 | $ | 538,932 | $ | 3,535,252 | $ | 368,391 | $ | 8,232,461 | |||||||||||||||||
Common
stock issues as payment for accrued expenses
|
9,979,800 | 4,990 | 5,339,405 | - | - | - | - | 5,344,395 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
stock issuance for prepaid expenses
|
900,000 | 450 | 892,050 | - | - | - | - | 892,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
stock issuance for acquiring assets
|
1,558,572 | 779 | 1,986,400 | - | - | - | - | 1,987,179 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
stock issuance for acquiring assets
|
819,590 | 410 | 940,890 | - | - | - | - | 941,300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of stock options
|
- | - | 97,054 | - | - | - | - | 97,054 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transfer
from Statutory Public Welfare Fund
|
- | - | - | 538,932 | (538,932 | ) | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Transfer
from Statutory Common Reserve Fund
|
- | - | - | (294,903 | ) | - | 294,903 | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | 1,480,056 | 1,480,056 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividend
distribution
|
- | - | - | - | - | (4,739,600 | ) | - | (4,739,600 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income for year ended December 31, 2007
|
- | - | - | - | - | 12,232,963 | - | 12,232,963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE
AT DECEMBER 31, 2007
|
99,668,842 | $ | 49,834 | $ | 11,924,616 | $ | 1,321,893 | $ | - | $ | 11,323,518 | $ | 1,848,447 | $ | 26,468,308 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
F-5
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Years
Ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 12,232,963 | $ | 3,811,460 | ||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income
|
||||||||
to
net cash provided by operating activities
|
||||||||
Amortization
of prepaid expenses by shares
issued
for consulting fee
|
747,016 | - | ||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,298,451 | 283,454 | ||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense
|
97,054 | - | ||||||
(Increase)
decrease in assets
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(2,347,199 | ) | (915,152 | ) | ||||
Inventories
|
86,336 | 440,239 | ||||||
Prepaid
expense
|
- | (558,787 | ) | |||||
Prepayment
and deposit
|
(226,911 | ) | 29,822 | |||||
Income
tax receivable
|
- | (1,088,359 | ) | |||||
Increase
(decrease) in liabilities
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
2,014,738 | 5,662,627 | ||||||
Taxes
payable
|
2,065,580 | (1,248,108 | ) | |||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
15,968,028 | 6,417,196 | ||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Property,
plant and equipment
|
(22,679,319 | ) | (1,573,003 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(22,679,319 | ) | (1,573,003 | ) | ||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Advances
to director
|
- | (121,829 | ) | |||||
Capital
contribution
|
50,000 | 936,523 | ||||||
Advances
to related party
|
1,213,049 | (18,835 | ) | |||||
Proceeds
from issuance of notes payable
|
14,812,875 | - | ||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(4,739,600 | ) | (5,675,764 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
11,336,324 | (4,879,905 | ) | |||||
EFFECTS
OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGE ON CASH
|
456,234 | 185,931 | ||||||
NET
INCREASE IN CASH & CASH EQUIVALENT
|
5,081,267 | 150,219 | ||||||
CASH
& CASH EQUIVALENT - BEGINNING OF YEAR
|
5,692,608 | 5,542,389 | ||||||
CASH
& CASH EQUIVALENT - END OF YEAR
|
$ | 10,773,875 | $ | 5,692,608 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
F-6
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)
Years
Ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
SUPPLEMENTAL
DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
|
||||||||
Cash
paid during the period for Income taxes
|
$ | 6,123,070 | $ | 4,637,792 | ||||
SUPPLEMENTAL
DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Issuance
of common stock as payment for accrued expenses
|
$ | 5,344,395 | $ | - | ||||
Issuance
of common stock for prepaid expenses
|
$ | 892,500 | $ | - | ||||
Issuance
of common stock for acquiring assets
|
$ | 2,928,479 | $ | - | ||||
Issuance
of stock options
|
$ | 97,054 | $ | - |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
F-7
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 1 –
NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of
Presentation
Upper
Class Group Limited was incorporated with limited liability in the British
Virgin Islands on July 28, 2006 and was inactive until October 9, 2006 when
Upper Class Group Limited acquired all the issued and outstanding stock of
Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited (“SCHC”). SCHC is an
operating company incorporated in Shouguang City, Shangdong Province, the
People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) on May 18, 2005. SCHC is
engaged in manufacturing and trading bromine and crude salt in
China. Since the ownership of Upper Class Group Limited and SCHC were
the same, the merger was accounted for as a transaction between entities under
common control, whereby Upper Class Group Limited recognized the assets and
liabilities transferred at their carrying amounts.
On
December 12, 2006, Gulf Resources, Inc. (formerly Diversifax, Inc.), a public
“shell” company, acquired Upper Class Group Limited and its wholly-owned
subsidiary, SCHC (together “Upper Class”). Under the terms of the
agreement, all stockholders of Upper Class received a total amount of 26,500,000
shares of voting common stock of Gulf Resources, Inc. in exchange for all shares
of Upper Class’ common stock held by all stockholders. Under
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, the share
exchange is considered to be a capital transaction in substance, rather than a
business combination. That is, the share exchange is equivalent to
the issuance of stock by Upper Class for the net monetary assets of Gulf
Resources, Inc., accompanied by a recapitalization, and is accounted for as a
change in capital structure. Accordingly, the accounting for the share exchange
will be identical to that resulting from a reverse acquisition, except no
goodwill will be recorded. Under reverse takeover accounting, the
post reverse acquisition comparative historical financial statements of the
legal acquirer, Gulf Resources, Inc., are those of the legal acquiree, Upper
Class, which is considered to be the accounting acquirer. Share and
per share amounts stated have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the
merger.
On
February 5, 2007, Upper Class acquired Shouguang Yuxin Chemical Industry Co.,
Limited (“SYCI”) incorporated in PRC on October 30, 2000. SYCI
manufactures chemical products utilized in oil and gas field explorations and as
papermaking chemical agents. Under the terms of the merger agreement, all
stockholders of SYCI received a total amount of 16,188,118 shares of voting
common stock of Gulf Resources, Inc. in exchange for all shares of SYCI’s common
stock held by all stockholders. Also, upon the completion of
the merger, Gulf Resources, Inc. paid a $2,550,000 dividend to the original
stockholders of SYCI. Since the ownership of Gulf Resources, Inc. and
SYCI are substantially the same, the merger was accounted for as a transaction
between entities under common control, whereby Gulf Resources, Inc. recognized
the assets and liabilities of the Company transferred at their carrying
amounts. Share and per share amounts stated have been retroactively
adjusted to reflect the merger.
On
November 11, 2007, Upper Class formed Hong Kong Jiaxing Industrial Limited
(formerly known as Jiaxing Technology Limited) (“HKJI”), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Upper Class, in Hong Kong. Upper Class transferred the net assets
of SCHC to HKJI.
Nature of the
Business
The
Company manufactures and trades bromine and crude salt through its SCHC
subsidiary, and manufactures chemical products for use in the oil industry and
paper manufacturing industry through its SYCI subsidiary.
Basis of
Consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Gulf Resources, Inc.
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Upper Class Group Limited, SCHC, SYCI and
HKJI (collectively the “Company”). All material intercompany
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The
consolidated financial statements have been restated for all periods prior to
the merger to include the financial position, results of operations and cash
flows of the commonly controlled companies.
F-8
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE
1 –
|
NATURE
OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(Continued)
|
Use of
Estimates
The
Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
and this requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the related disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the
reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and
on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Accordingly, actual results may differ significantly from these
estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Cash and Cash
Equivalents
Cash and
cash equivalents consist of all cash balances and highly liquid investments with
maturities of three months or less. Because of the short maturity of these
investments, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value.
Accounts
Receivable
Accounts receivable is stated at cost,
net of allowance for doubtful accounts. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006 the
Company considered all accounts and other receivables collectable and has not
recorded an allowance for doubtful accounts.
Inventories
Inventories
are stated at the lower of cost, determined on a first-in first-out cost basis,
or net realizable value. Costs of work-in-progress and finished goods are
composed of direct materials, direct labor and an attributable portion of
manufacturing overhead. Net realizable value is based on estimated selling price
less selling expenses.
Property, Plant and
Equipment
Property,
Plant and Equipment is stated at cost. Expenditures for new facilities or
equipment and expenditures that extend the useful lives of existing facilities
or equipment are capitalized and depreciated using the straight-line method at
rates sufficient to depreciate such costs over the estimated productive
lives.
Mineral
rights are recorded at cost. Mineral rights are amortized ratably over the 50
year term of the lease, or the equivalent term under the units of production
method, whichever is shorter.
The
Company’s depreciation and amortization policies on fixed assets are as
follows:
Useful
life
(in
years)
|
|
Mineral
rights
|
Lower
of the period of lease or 50 years
|
Buildings
|
20
|
Machinery
|
8
|
Motor
vehicles
|
5
|
Equipment
|
8
|
F-9
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE
1 –
|
NATURE
OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(Continued)
|
The
Company follows SFAS No. 143, “Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations”
(“SFAS No. 143”), which established a uniform methodology for accounting for
estimated reclamation and abandonment costs. SFAS No. 143 requires the fair
value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation to be recognized in the
period in which the legal obligation associated with the retirement of the
long-lived asset is incurred. When the liability is initially recorded, the
offset is capitalized by increasing the carrying amount of the related
long-lived asset. Over time, the liability is accreted to its present value each
period, and the capitalized cost is depreciated over the useful life of
the related asset. To settle the liability, the obligation is paid, and to
the extent there is a difference between the liability and the amount of cash
paid, a gain or loss upon settlement is recorded. Currently, there are no
reclamation or abandonment obligations associated with the land being utilized
for exploitation.
Recoverability of Long Lived
Assets
The
Company follows SFAS No. 144, ”Accounting for the Impairment of Disposal of
Long-Lived Assets.” The Statement requires that long-lived and certain
identifiable intangibles be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes
in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be
recoverable. The Company is not aware of any events or circumstances which
indicate the existence of an impairment which would be material to the Company’s
annual financial statements.
Mineral
Rights
The
Company follows FASB Staff Position amending SFAS No. 142 and No. 144 which
provide that certain mineral rights are considered tangible assets and that
mineral rights should be accounted for based on their substance. Mineral rights
are included in property, plant and equipment.
Financial
Instruments
Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 107, “Disclosures about Fair Value of
Financial Instruments” (“SFAS No. 107”), requires disclosure of the fair value
of financial instruments held by the Company. SFAS 107 defines the
fair value of a financial instrument as the amount at which the instrument could
be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties. The
carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts
payable and accrued expenses, notes payable and taxes payable approximate fair
value due to their short-term nature.
Reporting Currency and
Translation
The
Company’s functional currency is Renminbi (“RMB”); however, the reporting
currency is the United States dollar (“USD”). Assets and liabilities
of the Company have been translated into dollars using the exchange rate at the
balance sheet date. The average exchange rate for the period has been used to
translate revenues and expenses. Translation adjustments are reported
separately and accumulated in a separate component of equity (cumulative
translation adjustment).
Foreign
Operations
All of
the Company’s operations and assets are located in China. The Company
may be adversely affected by possible political or economic events in this
country. The effect of these factors cannot be accurately
predicted.
Revenue
Recognition
In
accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Staff Accounting
Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104, Revenue Recognition, the
Company recognizes revenue, net of any taxes, when persuasive evidence of a
customer or distributor arrangement exists or acceptance occurs, receipt of
goods by customer occurs, the price is fixed or determinable, and the sales
revenues are considered collectible. Subject to these criteria, the
Company generally recognizes revenue at the time of shipment or delivery to the
customer, and when the customer takes ownership and assumes risk of loss based
on shipping terms.
F-10
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE
1 –
|
NATURE
OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(Continued)
|
Income
Taxes
The
Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes
pursuant to SFAS No. 109 “Accounting for Income Taxes”. Under the
asset and liability method of SFAS No. 109, deferred tax assets and liabilities
are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary
differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets
and liabilities and their respective tax bases and tax loss 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.
Shipping and Handling Fees
and Costs
The
Company follows Emerging Issues Task Force No. 00-10, “Accounting for Shipping
and Handling Fees and Costs”. The Company does not charge its
customers for shipping and handling. The Company classifies shipping
and handling costs as part of the cost of net sales. For the years
ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, shipping and handling costs were $384,868 and
$492,749.
Basic and Diluted Net Income
per Share of Common Stock
In
accordance with SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per Share”, basic earnings per common
share are based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the
periods presented. Diluted earnings per share are computed using
weighted average number of common shares plus dilutive common share equivalents
outstanding during the period. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006, the
Company had no dilutive common share equivalents.
Recently Issued Accounting
Pronouncements
In June
2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Interpretation
No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48
prescribes detailed guidance for the financial statement recognition,
measurement and disclosure of uncertain tax positions recognized in an
enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with FASB Statement
No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes”. Tax positions must meet a
more-likely-than-not recognition threshold at the effective date to be
recognized upon the adoption of FIN 48 and in subsequent periods. FIN 48 was
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006, and the
provisions of FIN 48 are to be applied to all tax positions under Statement
No. 109 upon initial adoption. The cumulative effect of applying the
provisions of this interpretation is to be reported as an adjustment to the
opening balance of retained earnings for that fiscal year. The Company adopted
FIN 48 effective January 1, 2007. The adoption of FIN 48 did not
require an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of January
1, 2007.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements”
(“SFAS No. 157”). SFAS No. 157 establishes a framework for measuring
fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The changes to
current practice resulting from the application of SFAS No. 157 relate to
the definition of fair value, the methods used to measure fair value and the
expanded disclosures about fair value measurement. SFAS No. 157 is
effective for fiscal years after November 15, 2007 and interim periods
within those fiscal years. The Company does not believe that the
adoption of the provisions of SFAS No. 157 will materially impact its
financial position or results of operations.
F-11
.
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE
1 –
|
NATURE
OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(Continued)
|
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for
Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities” (“SFAS No. 159”).
SFAS No. 159 permits entities to choose to measure many financial
instruments and certain other items at fair value that are not currently
required to be measured at fair value. The objective is to improve financial
reporting by providing entities with the opportunity to mitigate volatility in
reported earnings caused by measuring related assets and liabilities differently
without having to apply complex hedge accounting provisions. SFAS No. 159
also establishes presentation and disclosure requirements designed to facilitate
comparisons between entities that choose different measurement attributes for
similar types of assets and liabilities. SFAS No. 159 is effective for
financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15,
2007 and will become effective for the Company beginning with the first quarter
of 2008. The Company has not yet determined the impact of the adoption of SFAS
No. 159 on its financial statements and footnote disclosures.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 141 (revised 2007), “Business Combinations” (“FAS No. 141R”).
FAS No. 141R replaces Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 141, “Business Combinations” (“FAS No. 141”), although it retains
the fundamental requirement in FAS No. 141 that the acquisition method of
accounting be used for all business combinations. FAS No. 141R establishes
principles and requirements for how the acquirer in a business combination
(a) recognizes and measures the assets acquired, liabilities assumed and
any noncontrolling (“minority”) interest in the
acquiree, (b) recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired in a business
combination or a gain from a bargain purchase and (c) determines what
information to disclose regarding the business combination. FAS No. 141R
applies prospectively to business combinations for which the acquisition date is
on or after December 15, 2008. The Company is currently assessing the potential
effect of FAS No. 141R on its financial statements.
NOTE 2 –
ASSETS ACQUISITIONS
On April
7, 2007, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, SCHC, acquired assets from Mr.
Wenbo Yu in exchange for 1,558,572 newly issued shares of the Company’s common
stock valued at $1,987,179 and $3,076,923 in cash. The assets include
a 50 year mineral rights and land lease covering 1,846 acres of real property
through December 2052, with proven and probable reserves of approximately
230,000 metric tons of bromine and annual production of 3,700 metric tons being
serviced by 575 wells, as well as the related production facility, the
pipelines, other production equipment, and the buildings located on the
property.
On June
8, 2007, SCHC acquired assets from Mr. Donghua Yang in exchange for 819,590
newly issued shares of the Company’s common stock valued at $941,300 and
$4,837,233 in cash and an interest-free promissory note in the aggregate
principal amount of $889,005, with a maturity date of July 8,
2007. The Company issued the promissory note, and the promissory note
was fully paid in June 2007. The assets include a 50-year mineral
rights and land lease covering 2,318 acres of real property through April 2052,
with proven and probable reserve of approximately 280,000 metric tons of bromine
and annual production of 4,000 metric tons of bromine being serviced by 405
wells, and the related production facility, the pipelines, other production
equipment, and the buildings located on the property.
On
October 25, 2007, SCHC acquired substantially all of the assets of Shouguang
City Renjia Area, a bromine producer located in close proximity to SCHC for
$6,399,147 in total cash consideration. The assets include a 50-year
mineral rights and land lease covering 2,165 acres through April, 2052, which
has been paid in the full. The property has approximately 225,000 metric tons of
proven and probable bromine reserves and has annual production of 3,700 metric
tons of bromine. Additional assets to be conveyed with the purchase include the
related production facility, wells, pipelines and other production equipment, in
addition to the current buildings and other assets on the property.
F-12
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 2 –
ASSETS ACQUISITIONS (Continued)
On
October 26, 2007, SCHC acquired substantially all of the assets of Shouguang
City Houxing Area, a bromine producer located in close proximity to SCHC for
$6,665,778 in total cash consideration. The assets include a 50-year mineral
rights and land lease covering 2,310 acres through April 2052, which has been
paid in the full. The property has approximately 240,000 metric tons of proven
and probable bromine reserves and annual production of 3,900 metric tons of
bromine. Additional assets to be conveyed with the purchase include the related
production facility, wells, pipelines and other production equipment, in
addition to the current buildings and other assets on the property.
In
accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force No.98-3 “Determining Whether a Non
Monetary Transactions Involves Receipt of Productive Assets of a Business”, the
Company recorded the above transactions as purchase of assets.
NOTE 3 –
PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property, plant and equipment, net
consist of the following:
As
of December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
At
cost:
|
||||||||
Mineral
rights
|
$ | 4,221,059 | $ | 501,326 | ||||
Buildings
|
2,379,252 | 1,489,936 | ||||||
Plant
and machinery
|
24,280,820 | 2,917,350- | ||||||
Motor
vehicles
|
54,154 | 50,639 | ||||||
Furniture,
fixtures and office equipment
|
1,120,058 | 75,131 | ||||||
Total
|
32,055,343 | 5,034,382 | ||||||
Less:
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
1,950,158 | 571,975 | ||||||
Net
book value
|
$ | 30,105,185 | $ | 4,462,407 |
There
were no impairment provisions made at December 31, 2007 and 2006.
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, depreciation and amortization expense totaled
$1, 285,465, of which $ 1,251,604 and $ 33,861 were recorded as cost of sales
and administrative expenses, respectively.
NOTE 4 –
PREPAID LAND LEASE
The
Company prepaid for land leases for a period of fifty years to use the land on
which the office premises, production facilities and warehouse of the Company
are situated.
During the years ended December 31,
2007 and 2006, amortization amounted to $12,986 and $1,936
respectively.
NOTE 5 –
INCOME TAX RECEIVABLE
The
Income tax receivable of $1,111,154 in Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company
Limited in 2006 was not fully refunded. As a result, $707,000 was recognized as
the Income taxes expense in 2007.
F-13
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 6 –
NOTES PAYABLE
As
of December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Bank
borrowing from Citibank (China) Company Limited Shanghai Branch is
$3,770,250, due March 30, 2008 prevailing interest rate regulated by The
People’s Bank of China minus 5% from October 31, 2007 to March 30, 2008,
guaranteed by a shareholder, Shenzhen Huayin Guaranty and Investment
Company Limited .
|
$ | 3,770,250 | $ | - | ||||
Note
payable to a shareholder, Shenzhen Huayin Guaranty and Investment Company
Limited is for $11,653,500. Of this, $6,169,500 of the
borrowing is with interest at 3.33% p.a. from March 20, 2007 to March 19,
2008 and is due on March 19, 2008. The remaining borrowing of $5,484,000
is interest free and matures on April 1, 2009.
|
11,653,500 | - | ||||||
Total
loans
|
15,423,750 | - | ||||||
Less:
current portion
|
(9,939,750 | ) | - | |||||
Long-term
loans, less current portion
|
$ | 5,484,000 | $ | - | ||||
Future
maturities of long-term loans are as follows as of December 31,
2007:
|
||||||||
2008
|
9,939,750 | - | ||||||
2009
|
5,484,000 | - | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 15,423,750 | $ | - | ||||
NOTE 7 –
TAXES PAYABLE
Taxes
payable consists of the following:
|
||||||||
As
of December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Income
tax payable
|
$ | 798,090 | $ | 221,346 | ||||
Value
added tax payable and others
|
679,206 | 260,059 | ||||||
Total
|
$ | 1,477,296 | $ | 481,405 |
NOTE 8 –
DUE TO A RELATED PARTY
Amounts
represent payables due to a company whose stockholder and director is also a
stockholder and director of the company.
F-14
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 9 –
RETAINED EARNINGS – APPROPRIATED
In
accordance with the relevant PRC regulations and the Company’s Articles of
Association, the Company is required to allocate its profit after tax to the
following reserves:
Statutory Common Reserve
Funds
SCHC and
SYCI are required each year to transfer 10% of the profit after tax as reported
under the PRC statutory financial statements to the Statutory Common Reserve
Funds until the balance reaches 50% of the registered share
capital. This reserve can be used to make up any loss incurred or to
increase share capital. Except for the reduction of losses incurred,
any other application should not result in this reserve balance falling below
25% of the registered capital. The Statutory Common Reserve Funds of both SCHC
and SYCI as of December 31, 2007 have reached 50% of their registered capital
share.
Statutory Public Welfare
Funds
Prior to
January 1, 2007, SCHC and SYCI were required each year to transfer 5% of the
profit after tax as reported under the PRC statutory financial statements to the
Statutory public welfare funds. This reserve was restricted to
capital expenditure for employees’ collective welfare facilities that are owned
by the Company. The Statutory public welfare funds are not available
for distribution to the stockholders (except on liquidation). Once
capital expenditure for staff welfare facilities has been made, an equivalent
amount must be transferred from the Statutory public welfare funds to the
discretionary common reserve funds. Due to a change in the PRC
Company Law, appropriation of profit to the Statutory Public Welfare Fund is no
longer required. Therefore, the balance in the Statutory Public
Welfare Fund was transferred to the Statutory Common Reserve Fund on January 1,
2007.
NOTE 10 –
COMMON STOCK
Effective
November 28, 2007, the Company affected a two for one stock split. All shares
and per share amount for all periods presented have been adjusted to reflect the
stock split.
In March
2007, the Company issued 9,979,800 shares of its common stock as payment for
$5,344,395 of accrued consulting expenses.
In March
2007, the Company issued 900,000 shares of its common stock, valued at $892,500
(fair value), for two consulting contracts, one that expired on December 31,
2007 and one that expires in March 2008. These issuances were recorded in
prepaid expenses on the balance sheet and expensed over the terms of the
contracts.
In April
2007, the Company issued 1,558,572 shares of its common stock, valued at
$1,987,179 (fair value), to acquire assets owned by Mr. Wenbo Yu, (Note
2).
In June
2007, the Company issued 819,590 shares of its common stock, valued at $941,300
(fair value), to acquire assets owned by Mr. Donghua Yang, (Note
2).
F-15
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 11 –
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
On
January 1, 2006, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R (revised 2004), “Share-Based
Payment” (“SFAS No. 123R”), using the modified prospective method as permitted
under SFAS No. 123R. Under this transition method, compensation cost
recognized in 2006 includes compensation cost for all share-based payments
granted prior to, but not yet vested as of, December 31, 2005, based on the
grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No.
123R. In accordance with the modified prospective method of adoption,
the Company’s results of operations and financial position for prior periods
have not been restated. There was no unrecognized compensation cost as of
December 31, 2006.
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company’s net income was reduced by
approximately $97,054,due to stock-based compensation expense as a result of the
adoption of SFAS No. 123R and the issuance of stock options, as shown below.
There was no stock granted during the year ended December 31, 2006.
The
Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to calculate the grant-date
fair value of an option award, with the following assumptions: no dividend
yield, expected volatility of 68%, and a risk-free interest rate of 4.2%. In
determining volatility of the Company’s options, the Company used the average
volatility of the Company’s stock.
In the
fourth quarter of 2007, the Company granted to two Board members options to
purchase a total of 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise
price averaging $2.025 per share and the options vested
immediately.
The
vesting of the options is the contingent on the continued participation as a
Board of Director. The option expires in three years. Based on the Black-Scholes
option pricing model, the options were valued at $97,054. In accordance with
SFAS No. 123R, the Company has recorded stock-based compensation expense during
the year ended December 31, 2007 of $97,054 in connection with the issuance of
these options.
The
following table summarizes all Company stock option transactions between January
1, 2007 and December 31, 2007
Option
Shares
|
Vested
Shares
|
Exercise
Price per Common Share Range
|
||||||||||
Balance,
December 31, 2006
|
- | - | - | |||||||||
Granted
or vested during the nine months ended December 31, 2007
|
100,000 | 100,000 | $ | 2.00 - $2.05 | ||||||||
Expired
during the year ended December 31, 2007
|
- | - | - | |||||||||
Balance,
December 31, 2007
|
100,000 | 100,000 | $ | 2.00 - $2.05 |
F-16
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 13 –
DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION
On
January 31, 2007, SYCI distributed a dividend to two stockholders in the amount
of $2,189,600. On February 5, 2007, in conjunction with the merger of SYCI, Gulf
Resources, Inc. paid a $2,550,000 dividend to the original stockholders of
SYCI.
NOTE 14 –
INCOME TAXES
The
Company utilizes the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes
in accordance with SFAS No. 109.
United
States
Gulf
Resources Inc. is subject to the United States of America Tax law at tax rate of
34%. No provision for the US federal income taxes has been made as the Company
had no US taxable income for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 and
believes that its earnings are permanently invested in the PRC.
BVI
Upper
Class Group Limited was incorporated in the BVI and, under the current laws of
the BVI, it is not subject to income taxes.
Hong
Kong
Hong Kong
Jiaxing Industrial Limited was incorporated in Hong Kong and is
subject to Hong Kong profits tax. The Company is subject to Hong Kong taxation
on its activities conducted in Hong Kong and income arising in or derived from
Hong Kong. No provision for profits tax has been made as the Company
has no assessable income for the year. The applicable statutory tax
rate for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 is 17.5%.
PRC
Enterprise
income tax (“EIT”) for SCHC and SYCI in the PRC is charged at 33% of the
assessable profits, of which 30% is for national tax and 3% is for
local tax.
The
components of the provision for income taxes from continuing operations
are:
Year
ended
December 31, |
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Current
taxes - PRC
|
$ | 7,043,641 | $ | 1,879,582 | ||||
Non-deductible
items disallowed for prior year
|
706,869 | - | ||||||
Others
|
48,172 | 4,662 | ||||||
$ | 7,798,682 | $ | 1,884,244 |
F-17
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 14 –
INCOME TAXES - (Continued)
The
effective income tax expenses differs from the PRC statutory income tax rate of
33% from continuing operations in the PRC as follows :-
Year
ended
December 31, |
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Statutory
income tax rate
|
33 | % | 33 | % | ||||
Non-deductible
items disallowed for prior year
|
4 | % | - | |||||
Non-deductible
items
|
2 | % | - | |||||
Effective
tax rate
|
39 | % | 33 | % |
No
provision for deferred taxes has been made as there were no material temporary
differences as of December 31, 2007 and 2006.
NOTE 15 –
BUSINESS SEGMENTS
The
Company follows SFAS No. 131, “Disclosures about Segments of and Enterprise and
Related Information”,
which requires the Company to provide certain information about their
operating segments This
classification is based
on the nature of the products consistent with the method by which the Company’s
chief operating decision-maker assesses the operating performance and allocates
resources. The
Company has two reportable segments: bromine and crude salt, and
chemical products.
Bromine
|
||||||||||||||||||||
and
Crude
|
Chemical
|
Segment
|
Consolidated
|
|||||||||||||||||
Salt
|
Products
|
Total
|
Corporate
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
revenue
|
$ | 34,015,484 | $ | 19,764,829 | $ | 53,780,313 | $ | - | $ | 53,780,313 | ||||||||||
Maintenance
service income
|
- | 468,337 | 468,337 | 468,337 | ||||||||||||||||
Income
(loss) from operations
|
14,181,054 | 7,164,833 | 21,345,887 | (1,320,959 | ) | 20,024,928 | ||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
36,614,939 | 9,516,930 | 46,131,869 | 197,963 | 46,329,832 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,111,580 | 186,871 | 1,298,451 | - | 1,298,451 | |||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
revenue
|
$ | 17,825,097 | $ | 13,911,119 | $ | 31,736,216 | $ | - | $ | 31,736,216 | ||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
1,728,746 | 3,714,475 | 5,443,221 | - | 5,443,221 | |||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
9,835,484 | 5,069,584 | 14,905,068 | 50,000 | 14,955,068 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
213,092 | 70,362 | 283,454 | - | 283,454 |
F-18
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 15 –
BUSINESS SEGMENTS - (Continued)
Years ended December
31,
|
||||||||
Reconciliations
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Total
segment operating income
|
$ | 21,345,887 | $ | 5,443,221 | ||||
Corporate
overhead expenses
|
(1,320,959 | ) | - | |||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
6,717 | 252,483 | ||||||
Income
tax expense
|
(7,798,682 | ) | (1,884,244 | ) | ||||
Total
consolidated net income
|
$ | 12,232,963 | $ | 3,811,460 |
NOTE 16 –
MAJOR SUPPLIERS
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company purchased 48% of its raw material
from two suppliers. At December 31, 2007, amounts due to those
suppliers included in accounts payable were $1,395,301. This
concentration makes the Company vulnerable to a near-term adverse impact, should
the relationships be terminated.
NOTE 17 –
CUSTOMER CONCENTRATION
The
Company sells a substantial portion of its product to a limited number of
customers. During the year ended December 31, 2007, sales to the
Company’s three largest customers aggregated $19,009,146, or approximately 35%
of total net revenue. At December 31, 2007, amounts due from these
customers were $2,552,068. This concentration makes the Company
vulnerable to a near-term adverse impact, should the relationships be
terminated.
NOTE 18
–FIXED PRICE STANDBY EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
On May 7,
2007, the Company entered into a Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution
Agreement with eight investors (the “Investors”). Pursuant to the
Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement, the Company was able, at its
discretion, periodically sell to the Investors up to 60 million shares of the
Company’s common stock for a total purchase price of up to $60 million, at a per
share purchase price of $1.00 per share. The Investors’ obligation to
purchase shares of common stock under the Fixed Price Standby Equity
Distribution Agreement was subject to certain conditions, including the Company
obtaining an effective registration statement for the resale of the common stock
sold under the Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement. An individual
advance under the Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement could not
exceed $10 million. In no event could the number of shares issued to
any Investor pursuant to an advance cause any Investor to own more than 9.9% of
the shares of common stock outstanding.
The
commitment period under the Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement
was to commence on the earlier to occur of (i) the date that the Registration
Statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Effective Date”), or (ii) such earlier date as the Company and the Investors
may mutually agree in writing.
The
commitment period under the Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement
was to expire on the earliest to occur of (i) the date on which the Investors
have purchased an aggregate amount of $60 million shares of our common stock
under the Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement, (ii) the date
occurring eighteen months after the Effective Date, or (iii) the date the
Agreement is earlier terminated as defined in the agreement. No sale or
distribution of stock under this Agreement has been made. See Note 22 –
Subsequent Events.
F-19
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 19 –
ESTABLISHMENT OF CO-OP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER
On
September 6, 2007, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SYCI, and East China
University of Science and Technology formally opened a Co-Op Research and
Development Center. The research center is equipped with state of the art
chemical engineering instruments for the purpose of pursuing targeted research
and development of refined bromide compounds and end products. According to the
Co-op Research Agreement, any research achievement or patents will become assets
of the Company. The Company will provide $500,000 annually during the next five
years to East China University of Science and Technology for
research.
NOTE 20 –
FORWARD STOCK SPLIT
On
October 19, 2007, the Board of Directors recommended and the holders of a
majority of the outstanding Common Stock voted in favor of resolutions in
connection with the following actions:
Amending
the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, (i) to affect a forward
stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock
on the basis of two (2) post-split shares of Common Stock for every one (1)
pre-split share of Common Stock (the "Forward Stock Split") and (ii) to increase
the total number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 70,000,000 to
400,000,000 (the "Authorized Shares Increase").
The
decisions to affect the Forward Stock Split and the Authorized Shares Increase
of common stock were approved by the Board of Directors and shareholders owning
a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock in order to
provide greater availability of common stock in the public marketplace, to help
improve future liquidity and further diversify the Company's shareholder
base.
NOTE 21 –
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
For
years ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Note
payable to a shareholder, Shenzhen Huayin Guaranty and Investment Company
Limited is for $11,653,500. (Note 6)
|
$ | 11,653,500 | - | |||||
Interest
paid to Shenzhen Huayin Guaranty and Investment Company Limited (Note
6)
|
$ | 123,910 | $ | - | ||||
Guarantee
given by a shareholder:
Bank
borrowing from Citibank (China) Company Limited Shanghai Branch is
$3,770,250, due March 30, 2008 prevailing interest rate regulated by The
People’s Bank of China minus 5% from October 31, 2007 to March 30, 2008,
guaranteed by a shareholder, Shenzhen Huayin Guaranty and Investment
Company Limited .
|
$ | 3,770,250 | $ | - |
F-20
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER
31, 2007
NOTE 22 –
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On
January 8, 2008, SCHC entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Mr. Xiaodong
Yang for the purchase of mineral rights and land lease covering 2641 acres
located in Wei Fang City Hanting Area from Mr. Yang, along with wells, pipelines
and other production equipment. The consideration for the assets amounted to
$9,722,222. The property has approximately 210,000 metric tons of proven and
probable bromine reserves and was producing approximately 4,700 metric tons per
year.
On March
6, 2008, the Company terminated the Fixed Price Standby Equity Distribution
Agreement.
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting
and Financial Disclosure.
On February 20, 2007, we
appointed the firm of Morison Cogen LLP ("New Auditor") as our independent
auditor and dismissed the firm of Pender Newkirk & Company LLP ("Former
Auditor"), which had served as our independent auditor until that date. The New
Auditor had been the auditor of Upper Class Grouper and SCHC prior to its
engagement by us. The Former Auditor was our auditor prior to the acquisition of
our company by Upper Class Group and SCHC.
Our
Board of Directors approved the decision to dismiss the Former Auditor and
engage the New Auditor.
The reports of the Former Auditor on
our financial statements for the fiscal years ended November 30, 2005 and
November 30, 2006 did not contain an adverse opinion, a disclaimer of opinion or
any qualifications or modifications related to uncertainty, limitation of audit
scope or application of accounting principles, except that report of the Former
Auditor on our financial statements for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2005
expressed "substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern"
and state that "The financial statements do not include any adjustments that
might result from the outcome of this uncertainty". During the fiscal years
ending November 30, 2005 and November 30, 2006 and the period from November 30,
2006 to February 20, 2007, the Company did not have any disagreements (within
the meaning of Instruction 4 of Item 304 of Regulation S-K) with the Former
Auditor as to any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial
statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure and there have been no
reportable events (as defined in Item 304 of Regulation S-K).
We furnished the Former Auditor with
a copy of the disclosures in our Form 8-K filed on February 20, 2007 reporting
the change in accountants and the Former Auditor filed a letter dated February
16, 2007 addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission stating that it
agreed with the statements in our Form 8-K. A copy of that letter was filed as
Exhibit 16.2 to our Form 8-K.
Item
9A. Controls and Procedures.
Our
management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
controls over financial reporting. Such controls are intended to
provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reports
for external reporting purposes and for purposes of monitoring
operations.
50
On
December 12, 2006, we, then a public shell company, acquired Upper Class Group
Limited and SCHC, then a privately held business in the PRC. At such time the
management of SCHC assumed management control of our company. Further, as we had
no operations prior to such acquisition, upon the acquisition of SCHC, its
system of financial controls and procedures were adopted as those of our
Company. Following the acquisition of SCHC, our management commenced
a review of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934) as of
the end of 2006. Based upon that evaluation, we began the process of upgrading
our financial controls and procedures. During 2007 we made a number of
acquisitions. None of the businesses or operations acquired had
financial controls and procedures appropriate for a public company and we began
the procedure of incorporating the assets or operations acquired into our
financial systems.
Our
management performed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control
over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007. Based upon such assessment,
management concluded that our operational procedures were adequate in the areas
of inventory control, purchasing process and cash and bank account management
processes. Nevertheless, during the course of such review our
management found a number of areas where the procedures required by Section 404
had not been fully implemented due, in certain instances, to the operating
procedures of SCHC and SCYI. Management believes that these
discrepancies do not represent material deficiencies in our financial reporting
systems. Nevertheless, management has recommended changes to be
adopted in respect of each deficiency uncovered and intends to implement such
changes. Management will continue to assess the adequacy of our
financial reporting systems in light of the anticipated continued growth in our
operations. We anticipate that if we grow significantly, we will have
to continuously upgrade our systems to ensure the reliability of our financial
statements.
Item
9B. Other Information.
Not
applicable.
PART
III
Item
10. Directors and Executive Officers of the
Registrant.
Our directors, executive officers and
key employees are:
Name
|
Age
|
Title
|
Ming
Yang
|
41
|
Chairman,
Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
Min
Li
|
30
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Director
|
Naihui
Miao
|
39
|
Secretary
and Director
|
Richard
Khaleel
|
57
|
Director
|
Biagio
Vignolo
|
60
|
Director
|
Ming Yang has served as Chairman of
Shouguang City Yuxin Chemical Company Limited since July 2000. Since May 2005,
Mr. Yang has served as Chairman of Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company
Limited, Shouguang City He Mao Yuan Bromize Company Limited, and Shouguang City
Qing River Real Estate Construction Company. He was nominated as
director of Qinghe Oil Field Office in 1993, where he managed operations. In
1997 he was appointed chairman and general manager of Shouguang Qinghe Shiye LLC
and during the next three years its profits doubled. He took the position of
general manager of Shouguang City Yu Xin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. in 2000.
During his stay, he focused on quality management and technology progress, which
led to a 100 percent success rate of all products. He also helped the company
successfully pass the ISO certification and become a private high-tech
enterprise. In 2005 he was appointed to the position of chairman, where he has
helped the company to become a leading producer of bromine and crude salt in
China. In 2006 he became the chairman of Gulf Resources, Inc. Mr.
Yang has been the representative of Shandong Shouguang congress since 1995 and
in 1998 he was awarded as Honorary Entrepreneur in Weifang City
51
Min Li was appointed a director on
October 30, 2007. He has served as our Chief Financial Officer since
December 2006 and as Chief Financial Officer for Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical
Company Limited. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Li served as Manager of Financial and
Asset Management Department for Shouguang City Yuxin Chemical Company Limited.
From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Li served as Manager of the Accounting Department for the
Yang Kou Branch of the China Construction Bank. From 1998 to 1999, he
worked at China Construction Bank Shandong branch and in 2000 he worked at the
Yangkou Office as the accounting manager. He has helped implement effective cost
controls while efficiently increasing the use of capital.
Naihui Miao has served as Vice
President of Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited since January
2006. Since January 2006, Mr. Miao has served as Director, Secretary
and Vice President of Gulf Resources, Inc. and he is in charge of sales, human
resource and business management.
From
2005 to 2006, Mr. Miao served as Vice President of Shouguang City Yuxin Chemical
Company Limited as the deputy general manager. From 1991 to 2005, Mr.
Miao served as a Manager and then Vice President of Shouguang City Commercial
Trading Center Company Limited. He was the director of Shouguang
Business Trade Center since 1986
Richard Khaleel, was appointed a
director on October 24, 2007. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Khaleel served as Executive
Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Bank of New York, a $30
billion leading global financial services company, where he helped create and
implement programs that grew the institutional asset management business of that
bank. From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Khaleel was Chief Creative Marketing
Officer at Alliance Bernstein LP, where he led development and execution of
marketing programs for its institutional and retail business. From 1994 to 1996,
Mr. Khaleel was vice president of marketing for CNBC, where he was responsible
for consumer marketing, strategic planning, positioning and promotions. Prior to
1996, Mr. Khaleel worked in senior marketing positions at various global
advertising agencies. He received a degree in Political Science from Princeton
University and an MBA in Finance from New York University.
Biagio Vignolo was appointed a director
on November 6, 2007. Mr. Vignolo is a partner with Tatum, LLC, the largest
executive services firm in the US, and has been with that company since 2005.
He was the CFO for Sara Lee's $5 billion Hanes Brands, Inc. division
where he where he built a separate financial team for the new public company as
it separated from Sara Lee and also implemented Sarbanes-Oxley controls.
From 2003 through 2005, Mr. Vignolo was Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer at Exide Technologies. From 1989 to 2001, Mr. Vignolo
was Executive Vice President and CFO of Sun Chemical Corp. and was involved in
over forty mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Vignolo received a B.S.
degree in Accounting from Rider University.
Corporate Governance: Board Committees
and Independent Directors
Our
Board of Directors did not hold any meetings during 2007, though it did act by
Unanimous Written Consent on seven occasions.
Our Board of Directors established an
Audit Committee in October 2007. The members of the Audit Committee are Richard
Khaleel and Biagio Vignolo The Audit Committee is responsible for
reviewing the results and scope of the audit, and other services provided by our
independent auditors, and reviewing and evaluating our system of internal
controls. Mr. Vignolo is the Audit Committee Financial
Expert. Our audit committee did not hold any meetings during
2007. Our Board of Directors has determined that Messrs. Khaleel and
Vignolo are “independent directors” within the meaning of Rule 10A-3 under the
Exchange Act, as determined based upon the criteria for “independence” set forth
in the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc.
We have not established a Compensation
Committee or a Nominating Committee. Since our common stock is quoted on the OTC
Bulletin Board, our Board has no plans or need to establish a compensation
committee to determine guidelines for determining the compensation of its
executive officers or directors, who currently serve without compensation. For
similar reasons, it has not adopted a written policy for considering
recommendations from stockholders for candidates to serve as directors or with
respect to communications from stockholders.
52
Compensation
of Directors
We have agreed to pay each of Richard
Khaleel and Biagio Vignolo $32,500 per annum for serving as a director, plus
additional fees for serving on committees of the Board. In addition,
we have granted to each of Richard Khaleel and Biagio Vignolo options to
purchase 50,000 shares of our common stock, at an exercise price of $2 and
$2.05, the closing sale price of such stock on the dates of grants, and will
grant each of them options to purchase an additional 50,000 shares in each of
the next two years at an exercise price equal to the closing sale price of such
stock on the date of grant. The granting of future options is
contingent upon the individual’s continued service with our company.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 requires our directors, executive officers and beneficial
owners of more than 10% of our common stock to file with the SEC reports of
their holdings of, and transactions in, our common stock. Based solely upon our
review of copies of such reports and written representations from reporting
persons that were provided to us, we believe that our officers, directors and
10% stockholders complied with these reporting requirements with respect to
2007.
Code of
Ethics
We have not adopted a code of ethics to
apply to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal
accounting officer and controller, or persons performing similar functions
because, until recently, we have not been an operating company. We expect to
prepare a Code of Ethics in the near future
Item
11. Executive Compensation.
The following table sets forth
information with respect to the amounts awarded to, earned by, or paid to, our
principal executive officer for services provided in all capacities to us and
our subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, and the amounts
awarded to, earned by, or paid to that individual for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006. No other executive officer or former executive
officer received more than $100,000 in compensation for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2007.
Summary
Compensation Table
Name
and principal position
|
Year
|
Salary
($)
|
Bonus
($)
|
Stock
awards
($)
|
Option
awards
($)
|
Non-equity
incentive
plan compensation
($)
|
Change
in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation
earnings
($)
|
All
other compensation
($)
|
Total
($)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
(a)
|
(b)
|
(c)
|
(d)
|
(e)
|
(f)
|
(g)
|
(h)
|
(i)
|
(j)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ming
Yang Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
2007
|
$ | 3,342 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 3,342 318,826 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
$ | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Min
Li
Chief
Financial Officer and Director
|
2007
|
$ | 2,674 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 2,674 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
$ | 4487 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Naihui
Miao Secretary and Director
|
2007
|
$ | 3,342 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 3,342 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
$ | 4487 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 4,487 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Richard
Khaleel Director
|
2007
|
6115.58 | N/A | N/A | 50,000 | ($2) | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Biagio
Vignolo Director
|
2007
|
4695.27 | 50,000 | ($2.05) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 |
(1) Mr.
Yang became our chief executive officer on December 11, 2006.
53
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2007, concerning
outstanding equity awards granted to the individuals listed in the Summary
Compensation Table. We did not grant options, or make stock awards, to any of
our executive officers in 2007.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
Option
awards
|
Stock
awards
|
||||||||||||||
Name
|
Number
of securities underlying unexercised options
(#)
exercisable
|
Number
of securities underlying unexercised options
(#)
unexercisable
|
Equity
incentive plan awards: number of securities underlying unexercised
unearned options
(#)
|
Option
exercise price
($)
|
Option
expiration date
|
Number
of shares or units of stock that have not vested
(#)
|
Market
value of shares or units of stock that have not vested
(#)
|
Equity
incentive plan awards: number of unearned shares, units or other rights
that have not vested
(#)
|
Equity
incentive plan awards: market or payout value of unearned shares, units or
other rights that have not vested
($)
|
||||||
(a)
|
(b)
|
(c)
|
(d)
|
(e)
|
(f)
|
(g)
|
(h)
|
(i)
|
(j)
|
||||||
Richard
Khaleel Director
|
50,000 | $ | 2 | ||||||||||||
Biagio
Vignolo Director
|
50,000 | $ | 2.05 |
We have not granted any equity-based
compensation, awards or stock options to our chief executive officer or any
other executive officer.
We have not entered into an employment
or consulting agreement with any of our executive officers or
directors. Except as disclosed below under the caption “Compensation
of Directors,” we have not paid or accrued any fees to any of our directors for
serving as a member of our Board of Directors. We do not have any retirement,
pension, profit sharing or stock option plans or insurance or medical
reimbursement plans covering our officers and directors.
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and
Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
Furnish
the information required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K (§ 229.201(d) of this
chapter) and Item 403 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.403 of this
chapter).
54
The following table sets forth certain
information as of March 7, 2008 concerning the beneficial ownership of our
common stock by (i) each person who, to our knowledge, beneficially owns more
than 5% of our common stock; (ii) each of our directors and executive
officers; and (iii) all of our directors and executive officers as a group. As
of March 7, 2008, we had outstanding 98,849,252 shares of common stock.
Under SEC rules, a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of securities
that he may acquire within 60 days upon the exercise of warrants or options, or
conversion or exchange of other of our securities. The percent of common stock
owned by each beneficial owner is determined assuming the acquisition by him
(but not any other beneficial owner) of all shares he may acquire within 60 days
upon exercise, conversion of exchange of all derivative securities. Except as
otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner is Chenming
Industrial Park, Shouguang City, Shandong, China 262714.
Name
and Address
|
Shares
|
Percent
|
||||||
Beneficial owners of
more than 5%:
|
||||||||
First
Capital Limited
|
5,830,000 | 5.90 | % | |||||
China
US Bridge Capital Limited
|
5,300,000 | 5.37 | % | |||||
Shenzhen
Dingyi Investment Company Limited
|
5,035,000 | 5.10 | % | |||||
Directors and
Executive Officers:
|
||||||||
Ming
Yang
|
49,124,236 | (1) | 49.70 | % | ||||
Min
Li
|
0 | -- | ||||||
Naihui
Miao
|
0 | -- | ||||||
Richard
Khaleel
|
50,000 | (2) | * | |||||
Biagio
Vignolo
|
50,000 | (3) | * | |||||
Huang
Shixiang
|
||||||||
All
directors and executive officers as a group
|
49,174,236 | (1) (5) (6) | 49.72 | % |
_____
(1)
Includes 25,926,106 shares owned by Ms. Wenxiang Yu, the wife of Mr. Yang,
6,699,200 shares owned by Mr. Zhi Yang, Mr. Yang’s son, and 16,498,930 shares
owned by Shandong Haoyuan Industry Group Ltd. ("SHIG"), of which Mr.
Yang is the controlling shareholder, chief executive officer and a
director. Mr. Yang disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares owned
by his wife and SHIG.
(2)
Includes 50,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options held by Mr. Khaleel
described above.
(3)
Includes 50,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options held by Mr. Vignolo
described above.
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.
Since December 2006, Mr. Ming Yang, a
stockholder and Chairman of Shandong Haoyuan Industry Group Ltd. and chief
executive officer of SYCI, has served as our chairman of the board and chief
executive officer and has been a member of our board of directors, and Mr. Min
Li, the chief financial officer of both Shandong Haoyuan Industry Group Ltd. and
SYCI, also has served as our chief financial officer. As a result of the share
exchange on December 11, 2006 in which we acquired Upper Class Group Limited and
SCHC, each of Mr. Yang and Ms. Wenxiang Yu acquired 5,024,400 shares, or
approximately 18.6% of our then outstanding shares, of common stock, and Mr.
Yang became an officer and director of our company.
As a result of the merger on February
5, 2007, in which we acquired SYCI, Ms. Wenxiang Yu acquired an additional
7,938,653 shares of our common stock, giving her a total of 12,962,653 shares,
or approximately 30% of our then outstanding shares, of common
stock.
During the fiscal year ended December
31, 2005 our subsidiary SCHC advanced to Shanguang Hong Ye Economic Trading
Co. Ltd. ("Hong Ye"), a company organized under the laws of China, of which Mr.
Ming Yang, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the controlling
stockholder and an executive officer and director, approximately $1,913,000, of
which approximately $1,409,000 was repaid by Hong Ye, leaving a balance of
$503,787 as of December 31, 2005. During the fiscal year ended December 31,
2006, SCHC advanced approximately $1,568,000 to Hong Ye, of which approximately
$1,532,000 was repaid, leaving a balance of $540,081 as of December 31, 2006. On
February 27, 2007, Hong Ye repaid the remaining balance on this loan in
full. I think you needonly two years and can delete this
paragraph
55
Item
14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
Our Board of Directors pre-approved the
engagement of Morison Cogen LLP for all audit and permissible non-audit
services. The Audit Committee annually reviews the audit and permissible
non-audit services performed by our principal accounting firm and reviews and
approves the fees charged by our principal accounting firm. The Audit Committee
has considered the role of Morison Cogen LLP in providing tax and audit services
and other permissible non-audit services to us and has concluded that the
provision of such services, if any, was compatible with the maintenance of such
firm's independence in the conduct of its auditing functions
During
fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2007, the aggregate fees which we paid to or
were billed by Morison Cogen LLP or Pender Newkirk & Company LLP for
professional services, which only included audit fees, were as
follows:
Fiscal
Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||
Audit
Fees (1)
|
$ | 112,000 | $ | 90,000 | ||||
Audit-Related
Fees (2)
|
$ | -0- | $ | 45,000 | ||||
Tax
Fees (3)
|
$ | -0- | $ | -0- | ||||
All
Other Fees
|
$ | -0- | $ | -0- |
(1) Fees
for services to perform an audit or review in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards and services that generally only our independent registered
public accounting firm can reasonably provide, such as the audit of our
consolidated financial statements, the review of the financial statements
included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB, and for services that are
normally provided by independent registered public accounting firms in
connection with statutory and regulatory engagements.
(2) Fees,
if any, for assurance and related services that are traditionally performed by
our independent registered public accounting firm, such as audit attest services
not required by statute or regulation,
and consultation concerning financial
accounting and reporting standards.
(3) Fees
for tax compliance. Tax compliance generally involves preparation of original
and amended tax returns, claims for refunds and tax payment planning
services.
PART
IV
Item
15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) List
the following documents filed as a part of the report:
(1) All
financial statements;
(2) Those
financial statement schedules required to be filed by Item 8 of this form, and
by paragraph (b) below.
(3) Those
exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.601 of this chapter) and
by paragraph (b) below. Identify in the list each management contract or
compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit to this form
pursuant to Item 15(b) of this report.
(b)
Registrants shall file, as exhibits to this form, the exhibits required by Item
601 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.601 of this chapter).
(c)
Registrants shall file, as financial statement schedules to this form, the
financial statements required by Regulation S-X (17 CFR 210) which
are excluded from the annual report to shareholders by Rule 14a-3(b) including
(1) separate financial statements of subsidiaries not
consolidated and fifty percent or less owned persons; (2) separate
financial statements of affiliates whose securities are pledged as
collateral; and (3) schedules.
56
Exhibit
Index
Exhibit
No.
|
|
Description
|
2.1
|
Agreement
and Plan of Merger dated December 10, 2006, among the Registrant, DFAX
Acquisition vehicle, Inc., Upper Class Group Limited and the shareholders
of UCG, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10 to the Registrant's
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 12, 2007.
|
|
2.2
|
Share
Exchange Agreement among the Registrant, Upper Class Limited, Shougnag
Yuxin Chemical Industry Company Limited and shareholders of Shougnag Yuxin
Chemical Industry Company Limited, incorporated herein by reference to
Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on
February 9, 2007.
|
|
3.1
|
Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit
3.1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 33-46580)
declared effective on November 18, 1992.
|
|
3.2
|
Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation., increasing the authorized
capital stock, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit A to the
Registrant's definitive Schedule 14A filed on October_,
1995.
|
|
3.3
|
Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation., increasing the authorized
capital stock, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit B to the
Registrant's definitive Schedule 14A filed on August 12,
1997.
|
|
3.4
|
Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation., increasing the authorized
capital stock, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit A to the
Registrant's definitive Schedule 14A filed on October 16,
1998.
|
|
3.5
|
Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed with the Secretary of the
State of Delaware on October 16, 2006, effecting a reverse stock
split.
|
|
3.6
|
Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation, changing the name of the
Registrant to Gulf Resources, Inc., incorporated herein by reference to
Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on
February 20, 2007.
|
|
3.7
|
Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation, increasing the authorized
capital stock of the Registrant and effecting a 2-for-1 forward stock
split, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant's
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 4, 2007.
|
|
3.8
|
By-laws,
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 33-46580) declared effective on
November 18, 1992.
|
|
4.1
|
Certificate
of Designation, Powers, Preferences and Rights of Series D Convertible
Preferred Stock incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3 (c) to the
Registrant's Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (No. 33-30021) filed on
June 25, 1997.
|
|
57
4.2
|
Non-interest
bearing promissory note dated April 7, 2007 in the aggregate principal
amount of $3,051,282 issued to Wenbo Yu incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 99.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on
April 10, 2007.
|
|
10.01 | Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 25, 2006, by and between Juxiang Yu and Irwin Horowitz, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 31, 2006. | |
10.02
|
Fixed
Price Standby Equity Distribution Agreement dated May 7, 2006,
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 of the Registrant's
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 10, 2007.
|
|
10.3
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement between Shougang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited
and Dong Hua Yang dated June 8, 2007, incorporated herein by reference to
Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June
11, 2007.
|
|
10.4
|
Escrow
Agreement, dated as of August 25, 2007, by and among the Registrant, the
selling shareholders named in the registration statement and Eaton &
Van Winkle LLP, as escrow agent.*
|
|
10.5
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and Shougang City Haoyuan
Chemical Company Limited and Wenbo Yu dated April 4, 2007, incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on
Form 8-K filed on April 10, 2007.
|
|
10.6
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement between Shougang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited
and Jianci Wang dated as of October 25, 2007, incorporated herein by
reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on October 31, 2007.
|
|
10.7
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement between Shougang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited
and Xingji Liu dated October 26 2007, incorporated herein by reference to
Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on
October 31, 2007.
|
|
21.1
|
List
of Subsidiaries
|
58
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
GULF
RESOURCES, INC.
|
|||
Dated:
March 11, 2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Ming Yang | |
Ming
Yang
|
|||
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|||
(principal
executive officer)
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Min Li | |
Min
Li
|
|||
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|||
(principal
financial and accounting officer)
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant on March, 2008
in the capacities indicated.
Signature
|
Title
|
|
/s/ Ming
Yang
|
Chairman,
Chief Executive Officer and
a Director (principal executive officer)
|
|
Ming
Yang
|
||
/s/ Min Li |
Chief
Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) and a
Director
|
|
Min
Li
|
||
/s/
Naihui Miao
|
Director
|
|
Naihui
Miao
|
||
/s/
Richard Khaleel
|
Director
|
|
Richard
Khaleel
|
||
/s/
Biagio Vignolo
|
Director
|
|
Biagio
Vignolo
|