Quest Resource Holding Corp - Annual Report: 2015 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 001-36451

Quest Resource Holding Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

3481 Plano Parkway

The Colony, Texas 75056

(Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)

(972) 464-0004

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

None

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 whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  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 the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

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

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (26,101,770 shares) based on the last reported sale price of the registrant’s common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 30, 2015, which was the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $28,189,912. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed to be an admission that such officers, directors, or 10% beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

As of March 7, 2016, there were outstanding 111,788,225 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, strategies, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected expenses, and plans and objectives of management. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “can,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “objective,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events and involve known risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievement to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, and those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. In addition, the industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the section entitled “Risk Factors.” These and other factors could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate, including our general expectations and market position, market opportunity, and market size, is based on information from various sources, on assumptions that we have made that are based on those data and other similar sources, and on our knowledge of the markets for our services. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions, and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by third parties and by us.

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the “company,” “QRHC,” “our company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Quest Resource Holding Corporation and, when appropriate, its subsidiaries.

“Quest Resource Holding Corporation,” our logo, and other trade names, trademarks, and service marks of QRHC appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of our company. Other trade names, trademarks, and service marks appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective holders.

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PART I

Overview

We provide businesses with one-stop management programs to reuse, recycle, and dispose of a wide variety of waste streams and recyclables generated by their businesses.  Our comprehensive reuse, recycling, and proper disposal management programs are designed to enable regional and national customers to have a single point of contact for managing a variety of waste streams and recyclables. 

We believe our recycling management programs are comprehensive, innovative, and cost effective. Our services are designed to enable our business customers to capture the commodity value of their waste streams and recyclables, reduce their disposal costs, enhance their management of environmental risks, enhance their legal and regulatory compliance, and create national sustainability initiatives while maximizing the efficiency of their assets. Our services currently focus on the waste streams and recyclables from big box, food chain, and other retailers; automotive and fleet providers; hospital and other healthcare facilities; and commercial, industrial, residential, and educational properties. We currently concentrate on programs for recycling motor oil and automotive lubricants, oil filters, scrap tires, food waste, meat renderings, cooking oil and grease, organics, plastics, cardboard, metal, glass, paper, construction debris, and other hazardous and non-hazardous solid and liquid wastes.

We also operate environmentally based social media and online data platforms that contain information and instructions necessary to empower consumers and consumer product companies to recycle or properly dispose of household products and materials.  Our directory of local recycling and proper disposal options empowers consumers directly and enables consumer product companies to empower their customers by giving them the guidance necessary for the proper recycling or disposal of a wide range of household products and materials, including the “why, where, and how” of recycling.

Utilizing what we believe is the nation’s most complete directory of local recycling and proper disposal options for almost every household product and material, we empower consumers and enable consumer product companies to empower their customers by providing them with complete information and instructions about the recycling and disposal of a wide range of household products and materials; and offer advertisers the opportunity to target a zero-waste lifestyle audience concerned about sustainability, recycling, and environmentally appropriate disposal. Consumers can access our directory and instructions for any zip code in the United States through multiple platforms, including the Earth911.com website, mobile applications for smartphones and tablets, traditional phone lines, social media, and branded recycling locators on client platforms and applications, in addition to engaging with our content and media on leading social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, and Google+.

Industry Overview

The multi-billion dollar solid waste collection and disposal business drives the overall waste industry. The size of the recycling industry has increased for the past several years and is expected to continue to increase as landfill space decreases and businesses and consumers seek alternatives to delivering their recyclables and disposables to landfills. Although society and industry have increased the awareness of environmental issues, such as recycling, reuse, and proper disposal, waste production also continues to increase. There is increasing recognition by U.S. public agencies, consumers, and consumer products manufacturers that many items deposited in landfills have commodity value or usability as material for new products. Because of environmental concerns, local government regulations, and cost factors, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain the necessary permits to build any new landfills. Improvements in recycling and reuse technologies and efficient secondary markets for recycled commodities have made recycling an increasingly cost-attractive alternative.

Regulatory measures and more stringent control of material bound for disposal make the management of solid waste a difficult problem. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, and state and local governments are expected to continue the present trend of restricting the amount of potentially recyclable material bound for landfills. Many governmental authorities have passed, or are contemplating, measures that require industrial and commercial companies to recycle all or a portion of their disposable materials and restrict the percentage of recyclable materials in any commercial load of disposable material. Under extended producer responsibility laws, consumer packaged goods companies are required to put in place mechanisms to ensure that certain of their products can be appropriately disposed. This has required consumer packaged goods companies to take an increasingly proactive role in ensuring compliance. We believe that these restrictions may create additional opportunities as proper disposal of materials becomes more specialized. Some large industrial and commercial companies, hospitals, and universities have in-house staff that handle the solid waste management and recycling responsibilities, but have found that in-house handling of these responsibilities may not be an effective solution without adequate resources and staff support. We offer these companies and other establishments a solution to this increasing burden.

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Our Strategy

Our goal is to be a leading environmental services company. Key elements of our strategy to achieve our goal include the following:

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Services

Recycling Services

Recycling and Waste Management

We provide an innovative, cost-effective, one-stop recycling program solution for the entire waste stream and recyclables produced by our business customers. Our solution provides a single point of contact for managing the wide variety of disposables and recyclables produced. Our management services can help our customers lower their operational expenses, maximize the value of their recyclable commodities, and help them foster environmental stability. We are capable of providing recycling management services for virtually all forms of recyclables and disposables, though our services currently primarily relate to used motor oil, oil filters, scrap tires, grease and cooking oil, and expired food products. We are also capable of providing our recycling management services for a variety of other materials, including the following:

Our recycling management services value proposition to our business customers is simple. We seek to

Many materials that are disposed of have commodity value. Precious metals, plastics, used cooking oil, and automotive fluids can be recovered and converted into new products and resources. Recovering valuable materials is a key factor in zero-waste initiatives and presents a profitable opportunity for businesses. The recovery of valuable materials is a strong motivator to educate businesses and consumers about proper disposal.

We conduct our recycling management services on an international basis. We currently manage over 39,000 locations for various customers throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada. Our customers generally have multiple locations. We continue to broaden the range of industries we serve and the nature and extent of the services we provide, which enables us to constantly target new customers and cross-sell additional services to existing customers.

We are independent of any specific materials hauler or recycling facility operator. This independence allows us to seek the best services and the lowest prices for our business customers.

Our recycling management services often reduce the overall cost of our customers’ disposable material removal. Our services reduce the level of disposable material delivered to landfills. In certain cases, we share with our customers the revenue generated by the recyclables we collect from their premises.

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In addition to our general services in the recycling industry, we also provide our customers with the following specialized services:

Landfill Diversion

According to the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than one quarter of the nation’s food, or about 96 billion pounds of food per year, goes to waste. The EPA has found that discarded food is either the largest or next single largest component (depending on classification) of the nation’s solid waste. The United States spends an estimated $1 billion per year to dispose of excess food. The issue of how to reduce such waste is critical. We are currently developing targeted programs, based on our Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Manage, platform, to address these issues. Our “Organics Program” seeks to reduce the amount of produce, bakery, and deli materials and expired dairy products in landfills and to find a better solution. 

The Organics Program

A large portion of America’s disposable material is organics; produce, bakery and deli items, dairy products, and vegetation trimmings can all be recycled. Our Organics Program offers the following options:

Sustainability Programs

We offer a full spectrum of sustainability programs to help our customers reduce operating costs and maximize eco-efficiencies. Our sustainability programs include strategic planning, writing policies and procedures, LEED and Green Globe certification, life cycle assessment, energy modeling, building commissioning, and carbon emission reduction reporting.

Environmentally Based Social Media and Online Data Platforms

Environmentally Related Social Media

The Earth911.com network enables consumers, businesses, and public entities to access the nation’s most comprehensive online directory of local recycling and proper disposal. We believe that Earth 911.com is widely recognized to be the leading independent and non-partisan data resource on the “why, where, and how” for recycling in the United States.

Through the Earth911.com website, we provide data, information, and articles with the goal of engaging, educating, and entertaining consumers regarding the environment, recycling, and sustainability. The content of the Earth911.com website generates

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significant traffic from consumers interested in learning about environmental issues, environmentally friendly disposal methods, and locations in proximity to their homes where they can dispose of recyclables and environmentally unfriendly products, such as electronic devices, oil, and anti-freeze. The traffic on the Earth911.com website also is attractive to advertisers that desire to target potential consumers that are interested in the environment and recycling. We believe there is a need among those interested in the environment for a convenient, efficient, and centralized gathering place to obtain and share news and information. We also believe that corporate advertisers desire new ways to maximize the impact of their sponsorship and advertising programs and the opportunity to market their goods directly to a focused community of potential consumers.

Content. Our editorial staff brings reuse, recycling, proper disposal, environmental, and lifestyle-oriented stories, news, and related tips to consumers. Stories often highlight the businesses or industry segments of our customers. Our expert content is distributed through many different strategic partners and publishers, including RecycleBank, YahooGreen, Huffington Post, and on customer sites in a cost-effective manner. Our content is intended to be politically neutral and on-point.

Advertising. We regularly publish popular zero-waste lifestyle content across multiple platforms, including the Earth911.com website, our mobile applications, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, and Google+, e-mail, and content sharing with other media outlets, such as the Huffington Post and Mother Nature Network, where companies can communicate sustainability efforts, create conversations, and align with a highly engaged, action-oriented audience that makes buying decisions based on sustainability. This enhances brand image with key stakeholders, consumers, governmental entities, retailers, investors, and internal staff, and allows our customers to aim their advertising directly to audiences with an interest in recycling and sustainability. Due to our history, content, data, and expertise, we typically capture premium above the fold search placement for keywords such as recycle or recycling. 

Social, Local, Mobile. We engage consumers with relevant local content regardless of location or device and have worked to create engaged audiences across recognizable and prominent social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, Google+, and e-mail. We are focused on increased engagement and monetization across these platforms.

The Earth911 Recycling Directory

We believe that our Earth911 Recycling Directory is the largest directory of information regarding recycling and proper disposal for consumers and consumer product companies. For recycling to occur, consumers must have access to current and accurate information about recycling wherever they are, at the moment they have an item to recycle. The Earth911 Recycling Directory delivers local information on recycling, anywhere and anytime, through leading platforms, including social and mobile.

Sales and Marketing

We primarily market our recycling management programs throughout the United States through a direct sales force and selected strategic partnerships. Our sales and marketing efforts focus on emphasizing the benefits of our comprehensive, one-stop program and the ability to lower our customers’ operational expenses, maximize the value of their recyclable commodities, and foster the benefits of environmental sustainability. We plan to increase our sales and marketing efforts.

We believe our social media audience enables a broad range of advertisers and merchants to take advantage of the brand loyalty of our visitors. We believe targeted sponsorship and advertising programs are more effective than non-targeted banner advertising in supporting broad marketing objectives, including brand promotion, awareness, and the integration of advertising with editorial content. We believe that these sponsorship and advertising arrangements will have longer-term contracts and higher dollar values than banner advertising arrangements as a result of their targeted nature and the strong brand loyalty of our visitors.

We have limited operations in Canada, and we may further expand our operations internationally as we provide services and products that address the needs of leading international retailers and consumer product companies. International operations would include expansion of certain services within Canada, then to the European Union.

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We have targeted various business segments for marketing our recycling services, media, environmental certification services, and sustainability programs. The table below summarizes certain of the industries that we target and the nature of the products and services that we market to those industries.

Customers

We generally enter into multi-year contracts, typically from one to three years, with our customers that are designed to provide us with recurring monthly revenue. These contracts structure our revenue primarily in three ways: a fixed fee, cost-plus, or revenue sharing from the sale of commodities.

Our recycling management business depends to a significant extent on revenue from our largest customer. Any material reduction in the business we do with that customer could have a material adverse effect on our company. Our largest customer accounted for approximately 44% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, 59% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, and 76% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013. Although we currently service that customer’s stores nationally, a decline in our business with that customer could occur at any time. One of our strategic goals is to continue to diversify our customer base while increasing our business with our largest customer. During 2015, we continued to add additional customers, which reduced our reliance on our largest customer by the end of 2015. We expect our reliance on our single largest customer to continue to decrease; however, we can provide no assurance that our reliance upon our single largest customer will diminish.

By developing and aggregating strategic solutions in our key verticals—recycling and waste services, media, and sustainability programs—we believe that we are unique in our ability to offer comprehensive national solutions in the highly fractionalized waste, disposal, and recycling and recycling management business. Through consumer engagement and reward, national media presence, logistics management, compliance, and commodity brokerage, our solution delivers the critical knowhow and experience necessary to implement and execute multi-point reuse, recycling, proper disposal, and waste management programs.

Our Earth911.com website provides advertisers with the opportunity to target an audience interested in recycling and sustainability and enables product manufacturers to place customized logos and Internet addresses that lead consumers to information about recycling and disposal of their products. The site also provides environmentally aware consumers with eco-friendly products and information.

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Competitors

Recycling and Waste Management Services

The recycling and waste disposal industry as a whole is dominated by large multi-billion dollar companies, such as Waste Management and Republic Services. To date, these large companies have concentrated on their traditional business of collecting waste for disposal in their landfills rather than recycling, which reduces the need for landfills. The strategies of these large companies could change at any time, and we could begin to experience substantially increased competition from them. These companies have greater market recognition, larger customer bases, and substantially greater financial, technical, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we possess and that afford them competitive advantages over us. As a result, they may be able to devote greater resources to the promotion and sale of services similar to those we offer, to provide comparable services at lower prices, and to introduce new solutions and respond to customer requirements more quickly than we can.

Environmentally Related Social Media

We are not aware of any current comprehensive competitor for our combination of consumer products and media information, but have fragmented competition in directory or information services. Future competitors may secure more favorable advertising contracts, a superior directory, provide more content, and may devote greater resources to marketing and promotional campaigns, adopt more aggressive growth strategies, and devote substantially more resources to website development and content distribution than we do. We also compete with many other websites and other forms of media for advertising revenue.

Scope of Competitors’ Services

Our services address motor oil, scrap tires, grease, meat, organics, hazardous waste, regulated medical waste, construction debris, cardboard, pallets, plastics, metals, and solid waste. Most of our competitors specialize in only one or a few of these service areas. In delivering our services, we have provided business at times to our competitors thereby utilizing them as our vendors.

While we have many competitors for certain aspects of our business, we are unaware of any provider that provides all of our services, media, recycling data services, environmental certification, and sustainability program offerings. The following chart illustrates the aspects of our offerings relative to certain of our competitors:

State and Federal Environmental Regulations

We use our best efforts to be in compliance with federal, state, and local environmental laws, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, as amended, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, the Clean Air Act, as amended, and the Clean Water Act. Such compliance has not historically constituted a material expense to us.

The collection and disposal of solid waste and rendering of related environmental services as well as recycling operations and issues are subject to federal, state, and local requirements, which regulate health, safety, the environment, zoning, and land-use. Federal, state, and local regulations vary, but generally govern hauling, disposal, and recycling activities and the location and use of facilities and also impose restrictions to prohibit or minimize air and water pollution. In addition, governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with these regulations and to obtain injunctions or impose fines in the case of violations, including criminal penalties. The EPA and various other federal, state, and local environmental, health, and safety agencies and authorities, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor, administer those regulations.

We strive to conduct our operations in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and to assist our customers in their compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations. While such amounts expended in environmental compliance in the past or that we anticipate spending in the future have not had and are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or operations, the possibility remains that technological, regulatory, or enforcement developments, the results of environmental studies, or other factors could materially alter this expectation.

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Each state in which we operate has its own laws and regulations governing solid waste disposal, water and air pollution and, in most cases, releases and cleanup of hazardous substances and liability for such matters. Several governmental authorities have enacted laws that will require counties to adopt comprehensive plans to reduce the volume of solid waste landfills through waste planning, composting, recycling, or other programs. Legislative and regulatory measures to mandate or encourage waste reduction at the source and materials recycling also are under consideration by Congress and the EPA.

Finally, various states have enacted, or are considering enacting, laws that restrict the disposal within the state of solid or hazardous wastes generated outside the state. While courts have declared unconstitutional laws that overtly discriminate against out of state waste, courts have upheld some laws that are less overtly discriminatory. Challenges to other such laws are pending.

Equipment and Installation

We currently pursue an “asset light” strategy that utilizes third-party vendors for the collection, sorting, and processing of recyclable and waste materials for businesses. We do not own any recycling or waste management assets, such as trucks or landfills. As part of our one-stop solution, we maintain strong relationships with a multitude of vendors to ensure that proper equipment, including recycling containers, container shredders, and bulk oil containers referred to as “Faith Tanks,” and installation services are provided to our business customers. Our more than 3,500 third-party relationships currently provide us with an estimated 30,000 trained individuals, 24,000 trucks, and 600 recycling facilities. This strategy results in a scalable business model that enables us to concentrate on our core competencies of developing service solutions that are attractive to customers and the sale of recyclable materials at the highest prices, enables us to render our services on a national basis without the need for multiple facilities or numerous vehicles, allows us to negotiate with multiple providers for the best price for our customers, and reduces our capital expenditures and working capital requirements.

Employees

As of December 31, 2015, we employed a total of 112 persons, of which three were executive employees, 92 were administrative and client services employees, and 17 were sales and marketing employees. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good. None of our employees are represented by a union in collective bargaining with us.

Intellectual Property

Trademarks

We own or have filed applications for numerous federally registered trademarks and logos, including the following:

Our trademarks are important to the success of our business.

Our History

We were incorporated in Nevada in July 2002 under the name BlueStar Financial Group, Inc. Prior to 2010, we were a “shell company” under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. On March 30, 2010, we (i) closed a transaction to acquire Youchange, Inc., an Arizona corporation, or Youchange, as a wholly owned subsidiary, (ii) ceased being a shell company, and (iii) experienced a change in control in which the former stockholders of Youchange acquired control of our company. In May 2010, we changed our name to YouChange Holdings Corp.

On October 17, 2012, immediately prior to closing a merger transaction with Earth911, Inc., or Earth911, we filed Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to (i) change our name to Infinity Resources Holdings Corp., (ii) increase our shares of common stock authorized for issuance, (iii) authorize shares of preferred stock to be designated in series or classes as our board of directors may determine, (iv) effect a 1-for-5 reverse split of our common stock, and (v) divide our board of directors into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible. On October 17, 2012, we closed the merger transaction, or the Earth911 Merger, to acquire Earth911 as a wholly owned subsidiary and experienced a change in control in which the former stockholders of Earth911 acquired control of our company.

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On July 16, 2013, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Quest Resource Management Group, LLC, or Quest, held by Quest Resource Group LLC, or QRG, comprising 50% of the membership interests of Quest, or the Quest Interests. Our wholly owned subsidiary, Earth911, held the remaining 50% of the membership interests of Quest for several years. Concurrently with our acquisition of the Quest Interests, we assigned the Quest Interests to Earth911 so that Earth911 now holds 100% of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Quest. On October 28, 2013, we changed our name to Quest Resource Holding Corporation, increased our shares of common stock authorized for issuance, and changed our trading symbol to “QRHC.”

Available Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 3481 Plano Parkway, The Colony, Texas 75056, and our telephone number is (972) 464-0004. Our website address is www.qrhc.com. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC.

We file reports with the SEC, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any other filings required by the SEC. Through our website, we make available free of charge our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

The public may read and copy any materials we file with, or furnish to, the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Certain factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, and future prospects could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and result in the loss of all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We have incurred recurring net losses and anticipate continued net losses as we take steps to expand our business, which may negatively impact our ability to achieve our business objectives.

We have incurred recurring net losses, including net losses of $7,445,930 in 2015, $9,897,678 in 2014, and $17,799,351 in 2013. As a result of ongoing operating losses, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $82,869,310 as of December 31, 2015. We expect to continue to make significant expenditures and incur substantial expenses as we continue to develop our business, expand our customer base, enlarge the recycling services we offer, increase the types of materials covered by our recycling services, enhance our technologies, expand our consumer-based content and online community to appeal to and attract a larger base of consumers, implement internal systems and infrastructure, and hire additional personnel. As a result, we expect to continue to incur significant losses as we expand our business and may never achieve or maintain profitability. There is no assurance that we will achieve or maintain profitability in the near future or at all. Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability depends on a number of factors, including the pricing of our services, market acceptance of our services, and other factors, some of which are set forth in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If we continue to incur substantial losses and are unable to secure additional financing, we could be forced to discontinue or curtail our business operations; sell assets at unfavorable prices; refinance existing debt obligations on terms unfavorable to us; or merge, consolidate, or combine with a company with greater financial resources in a transaction that may be unfavorable to us.

Our limited operating history may make it difficult for us to forecast accurately our operating results, and therefore we cannot assure the long-term successful operation of our business.

Our planned expense levels will be based in part on our expectations concerning future revenue, which is difficult to forecast accurately based on our aggressive growth plan. We may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in revenue. Further, business development and marketing expenses may increase significantly as we expand our operations. To the extent that these expenses precede or are not rapidly followed by a corresponding increase in revenue, our business, operating results, and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Our recycling management business depends to a significant extent upon our largest customer, and any material reduction in our business with that customer could have a material adverse effect on our company.

The success of our recycling management business depends to a significant extent on our relationship with our largest customer. Any material reduction in the business we do with that customer could have a material adverse effect on our company. Our single largest customer accounted for approximately 44%, 59%, and 76% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. Our second largest customer accounted for approximately 16%, 14%, and 3% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. We are continuing to add additional customers, which is reducing our reliance on our largest customer, although we may also continue to increase our revenue from our largest customer. We expect our reliance on our single largest customer to continue to decrease; however, we can provide no assurance that our reliance upon our single largest customer will diminish. Our contractual arrangements with our major customers are on a multi-year basis and pertain to the management of only certain forms of materials. Although we have maintained our business relationship with our largest customer during the last eight years and we currently service that customer’s stores nationally, a decline in our business with that customer could occur at any time. Our failure to maintain our business with our largest customer or any other large customer would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Although we have long-term relationships with many of the customers to whom we provide recycling management services, their ability to cancel, reduce, or delay our service offerings to them could reduce our revenue and increase our costs.

Customers for our recycling management services, including our two largest customers, do not typically provide us with firm, long-term volume commitments. As a result, our customers will be able to cancel, reduce, or delay our services to them at any time. If our service offerings are cancelled, delayed, or reduced, our revenue would decline.

We may lose a substantial portion of our recycling management business if certain materials are classified as “waste.”

Some of the municipalities in which we provide services for certain customers, inclusive of our two largest customers, have entered into contractual arrangements with their waste haulage companies that require them to permit those waste haulage companies

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to remove and dispose of “waste” or “solid waste” within those municipalities. If materials, and in particular organic materials, that we typically obtain and dispose of are considered “waste” or “solid waste,” then our customers may be required to allow the waste haulage companies to remove those materials, and in general either our customers or the municipalities in which they are located must compensate those waste haulage companies based on the metric set forth in the relevant contracts or franchise agreements with those waste haulage companies. If, however, the materials are classified as “raw material,” as “commodities,” or as another designation other than “waste” or “solid waste,” our customers may allow us to obtain the recyclable materials. If it is ultimately found that certain materials constitute “waste” or “solid waste,” a significant portion of our anticipated revenue stream could be lost, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, the growth of our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

To expand our recycling and waste management business, we must attract additional customers and expand the services we offer.

Although we plan to increase our recycling and waste management business, the ability to expand our overall recycling and waste management business and reduce our dependence on our two largest customers will require us to attract additional customers and expand the services we offer. In addition, we must continue to enhance the commercial value of our Earth911.com website by offering up-to-date news, information, and features in order to attract additional traffic and generate higher advertising and other revenue.

Our success depends on our ability to expand, operate, and manage successfully our operations. Our ability to expand successfully will depend upon a number of factors, including the following:

We may not be able to enhance our existing recycling, reuse, and proper disposal solutions and develop new solutions in a timely manner.

Our future operating results will depend to a significant extent on our ability to continue to provide efficient and innovative recycling, reuse, and proper disposal services that compare favorably with alternative services on the basis of cost, performance, and customer preferences. Our success in maintaining existing and attracting new customers and developing new business for these services depends on various factors, including the following:

Our inability to enhance our existing services and develop new services on a timely basis could harm our operating results and impede our growth.

We rely on independent third-party vendors to provide recycling services to our customers, and any interruptions of these arrangements could increase our costs, disrupt our services, and result in our inability to service our recycling customers, which would adversely affect our business.

We outsource the collection, sorting, and processing of recyclable materials to independent third-party vendors. We rely on our vendors to maintain high levels of service. The loss of our relationships with our vendors, or their failure to conduct their services for us as anticipated in terms of cost, quality, and timeliness could adversely affect our ability to service our customers in accordance

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with required service, quality, and performance requirements. If this were to occur, the resulting decline in profitability potential would harm our business. Securing new high-quality and cost-effective vendors is time-consuming and might result in unforeseen operational problems.

Our vendors may maintain their own operations or serve other customers, a number of which may provide them with more business than we do. As a result, our vendors could determine to prioritize their capacity for their own operations or for other customers or reduce or eliminate services for us on short notice. If we have any such problems, we may be unable to service our customers in a cost-effective, high-quality, or timely manner, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.  Our vendors also may seek to compete with us for customers they serve on our behalf or potential customers that we desire to serve.

We may face potential environmental liabilities that may not be covered by our insurance, and changes in insurance costs and availability may also impact our financial results.

We may incur liabilities for damage to the environment as a result of the operations of our recycling vendors. While we do not conduct physical haulage, recycling, or disposal operations, we retain third-party service providers on behalf of our customers to carry on those activities. These operations may expose us to liability for environmental damages, in some cases even if we did not directly cause the environmental damage. Further, under our agreements with our customers, we are often required to indemnify our customers from any liabilities or claims arising out of our actions and from any release, threatened release, handling, or storage of hazardous and other materials from our customers’ premises as a result of or connected with our performance of services to our customers. If we were to incur substantial liability for environmental damage, our insurance coverage may not cover or may be inadequate to cover such liability. Also, because of the variable condition of the insurance market, we may experience future increases in self-insurance levels, increased retention levels, and increased premiums. This could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Fluctuations in prices for recycled commodities that we sell to third parties may adversely affect our revenue, operating income, and cash flows.

We manage the processing of a variety of recyclable materials, such as tires, motor oil and oil filters, food waste, meat rendering, cooking oil, grease, and cardboard, for sale to third parties, and we may directly or indirectly receive proceeds from the sale of such recyclable materials. Our results of operations may be affected by changing prices or market requirements for recyclable materials. The resale and purchase prices of, and market demand for, recyclable materials can be volatile because of changes in economic conditions and numerous other factors beyond our control. These fluctuations may affect the desire for our services and our future revenue, operating income, and cash flows. For example, a decline in oil prices will have an adverse effect on our revenue.

A significant disruption in our computer systems or a cybersecurity breach could adversely affect our operations.

We rely extensively on our computer systems to manage a variety of our business proceeds. Our systems are subject to damage or interruption from various sources, including power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, cybersecurity breaches, vandalism, severe weather conditions, catastrophic events, and human error. Our disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. If our systems are damaged, fail to function properly, or otherwise become unavailable, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and we may experience loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our ability to perform critical functions, which could adversely affect our business and operating results. Any compromise of our data security could also result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation, loss or misuse of the information, and a loss of confidence in our data security measures, which could harm our business.

We may not be competitive in our recycling data and media business if we fail to enhance our online offerings.

The failure to develop and introduce new or enhanced online features, functions, or services could have a material adverse effect on our Internet operations and our recycling data services and media business. To remain competitive, we must continue to

These efforts may require us to develop or license increasingly complex technologies. We may fail to develop or introduce new features, functions, and services, and the features, functions, and services that we develop may not result in increased website traffic or revenue.

We rely on third-party technology, server, and hardware providers for our recycling data and media business, and a failure of service by these providers could adversely affect our business and reputation.

We rely upon third-party data center providers to host our main servers. In the event that these providers experience any interruption in operations or cease operations for any reason or if we are unable to agree on satisfactory terms for continued hosting relationships, we would be forced to enter into relationships with other service providers or assume hosting responsibilities ourselves.

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If we are forced to switch hosting facilities, we may not be successful in finding alternative service providers on acceptable terms or in hosting the computer servers ourselves. We may also be limited in our remedies against these providers in the event of a failure of service. We also rely on third-party providers for components of our technology platform, such as hardware and software providers and domain name registrars. A failure or limitation of service or available capacity by any of these third-party providers could adversely affect our business.

We may incur significant expenses in an unsuccessful attempt to promote and maintain recognition of the Earth911.com brand or to generate revenue from our Earth911.com website.

We are attempting to build the brand identity of Earth911.com and increase traffic to our Earth911.com website, our mobile applications, and our social media offerings. We believe that the importance of brand recognition will increase because of the growing number of Internet websites and the relatively low barriers to entry to provide Internet content. We have incurred significant development, marketing, and other costs in our effort to continue to enhance our brand identity among businesses and consumers interested in the environment and increase our revenue from online activities. Our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected if we incur excessive expenses in an unsuccessful attempt to promote and maintain recognition of the Earth911.com brand.  Despite our efforts to date, our social media business, including our Earth911.com website, has generated very modest revenue and resulted in significant costs.  We cannot give any assurance that our media business will become profitable or even viable in the future.  

In order to generate “click-through” revenue from advertising on the Earth911.com website, we need to deliver consumers to advertisers’ websites that result in sales for the advertisers. Our failure to meet advertisers’ expectations by delivering quality traffic may result in our customers ceasing doing business with us or our customers deciding to do business on more limited terms, which could adversely affect our business and financial results.

We may experience downward pressure on our prices if advertisers do not obtain a favorable return on investment from our web search services in comparison to our competitors’ services or other advertising methods. We compete with online publishers and high-traffic websites, as well as traditional media such as television, radio, and print, for a share of our advertisers’ total advertising expenditures. Our experiencing downward pricing pressure for our services may adversely affect our financial results.

Problems with our computer and communication systems may harm our online business.

An element of our strategy is to generate a high volume of traffic across our Earth911.com website to and from third parties that advertise or may advertise on our website. Accordingly, the satisfactory performance, reliability, and availability of our systems, transaction-processing systems, and communications infrastructure are critical to our reputation and our ability to attract and retain advertising customers, as well as to maintain adequate customer service levels. We may experience periodic systems interruptions. Any substantial increase in the volume of traffic on our infrastructure may require us to expand and upgrade our technology, transaction-processing systems, and other features. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to project accurately the rate or timing of increases, if any, in the use of our infrastructure or timely expand and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to accommodate such increases.

We could be subject to liability for information displayed on our Earth911.com website.

We may be subjected to claims for defamation, negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or claims relating to the information, or the inaccuracy of information, we publish on our Earth911.com website. We also could be subjected to claims based upon the content that is accessible through links to other websites. The disclaimers we include on our Earth911.com website and our insurance may not adequately protect us against these types of claims.

We may be subject to intellectual property claims that create uncertainty about ownership of technology essential to our business and divert our managerial and other resources.

There has been a substantial amount of litigation in the technology industry regarding intellectual property rights. We can provide no assurance that third parties will not claim infringement by us with respect to our current or future services, trademarks, or other proprietary rights. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property and to operate without infringing the intellectual property rights of others in the process. There can be no assurance that any of our intellectual property will be adequately safeguarded or that it will not be challenged by third parties. We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims that would be costly to defend, could limit our ability to use certain critical technologies, and may divert our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. We may not prevail in any of these suits. An adverse determination of any litigation or defense proceedings could cause us to pay substantial damages, including treble damages, if we willfully infringe and also could increase the risk of our patent applications not being issued.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, during the course of this kind of litigation, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments in the litigation. If these results are perceived to be negative, it could have an adverse effect on our business.

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We may not be able to adapt to rapidly changing technologies, or we may incur significant costs in doing so.

The Internet is characterized by rapidly changing technologies, evolving industry standards, frequent new service introductions, and changing customer demands. As a result of the rapidly changing nature of the Internet business, we may be subject to risks of which we are not currently aware. To be successful, we must adapt to our rapidly evolving market by continually enhancing our Earth911.com website and introducing new services to address our users’ changing demands. We may use new technologies ineffectively, or we may fail to adapt our network and infrastructure to meet customer requirements, competitive pressures, or emerging industry standards. We could incur substantial costs if we need to modify our services or infrastructure. Our business could be materially and adversely affected if we incur significant costs to adapt, or cannot adapt, to these changes.

Government and legal regulations may damage our recycling data and media business.

It is possible that a number of new laws and regulations may be adopted with respect to the Internet, covering issues such as the positioning of sponsored listings on search results pages. The adoption of laws or regulations relating to placement of advertisements or user privacy, defamation, or taxation may inhibit the growth in use of the Internet for services such as ours, which in turn could decrease the demand for our services and increase our cost of doing business or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. New legislation or regulation, or the application of existing laws and regulations to the Internet or other online services, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.

The waste and recycling industries are subject to extensive government regulation, and existing or future regulations may adversely affect our current or future operations, increase our costs of operations, or require us to make additional capital expenditures.

Stringent government regulations at the federal, state, and local level may have substantial impact on our business, our third-party service providers, and our customers. A large number of complex laws, rules, orders, and interpretations govern environmental protection, health, safety, land use, zoning, transportation, and related matters. Among other things, these regulations may restrict the business of our third-party service providers’ and our customers’ operations and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows by imposing conditions, such as the following:

Regulations affecting the siting, design, and closure of landfills could require our third-party service providers or customers to undertake investigatory or remedial activities, curtail operations, or close landfills temporarily or permanently. Future changes in these regulations may require our third-party service providers or our customers to modify, supplement, or replace equipment or facilities. The costs of complying with these regulations could be substantial, which may reduce the ability or willingness of our customers to use our services and adversely affect our results of operations.

Environmental advocacy groups and regulatory agencies have been focusing considerable attention on the emissions of greenhouse gases and their potential role in climate change. The adoption of laws and regulations to implement controls of greenhouse gases, including the imposition of fees or taxes, could adversely affect the operations of enterprises with which we do business. Additionally, certain states are contemplating air pollution control regulations that are more stringent than existing and proposed federal regulations. Changing environmental regulations could require us or enterprises with which we do business to take any number of actions, including the purchase of emission allowances or installation of additional pollution control technology, and could make some operations less profitable, which could reduce the ability or willingness of our customers to use our services and adversely affect our results of operations.

Price increases may not be adequate to offset the impact of increased costs and may cause us to lose volume.

From time to time, our competitors may reduce the price of their services in an effort to expand their market share. General economic and market-specific conditions, as well as the concentration of our business with major companies, may also limit our ability to raise prices. As a result of these factors, we may be unable to offset increases in costs, improve our operating margins, and obtain returns through price increases.

We face intense competition from larger, more established companies, and we may not be able to compete effectively, which could reduce demand for our recycling management services.

The waste materials industry as a whole is dominated by large national players, such as Waste Management and Republic Services. To date, these large companies have concentrated on their traditional business of collecting waste for disposal in their

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landfills rather than recycling. The strategies of these large companies could change at any time, and we could begin to experience substantially increased competition from them. These companies have greater market recognition, larger customer bases, and substantially greater financial, technical, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we possess and that afford them competitive advantages over us. As a result, they are able to devote greater resources to the promotion and sale of services similar to those that we provide, to provide comparable services at lower prices, and to introduce new solutions and respond to customer requirements more quickly than we can.

Our ability to compete in the recycling services market successfully depends on a number of factors, both within and outside our control. These factors include the following:

Our customers impose substantial requirements relating to the recycling and waste management services we provide them.

Our customers impose substantial requirements relating to the recycling services we provide them. Our arrangements with our customers generally contain provisions including (a) relatively short contract terms with extensions at the discretion of the customer, (b) requirements that we assume full responsibility for all operational aspects of the services, (c) requirements that we comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and other governmental requirements, (d) requirements that we hold subcontractors to the same standards to which we are subject, (e) prohibitions on price increases without customer consent, (f) designation of service locations, service frequency, and equipment, (g) specifications on procedures for rendering services, (h) notification to customer of any spills, releases, or discharges of materials, (i) requirements that we supply a self-performance audit, (j) requirements that we render monthly and quarterly reports to the customer, (k) requirements that we render monthly invoicing in approved time frames and formats, and (l) requirements that we maintain specified records.

We may need additional capital in the future.

The development and expansion of our business can be expected to require additional funds. In the future, we plan to seek additional equity or debt financing to provide funds for our business and operations. Such financing may not be available or may not be available on satisfactory terms. If financing is not available on satisfactory terms, we may be unable to expand our operations. While debt financing will enable us to expand our business more rapidly than we otherwise would be able to do, debt financing increases expenses and we must repay the debt regardless of our operating results. Equity financings could result in dilution to our existing stockholders.

The global financial crisis, which has included, among other things, significant reductions in available capital and liquidity from banks and other providers of credit, substantial reductions or fluctuations in equity and currency values worldwide, and concerns that the worldwide economy may enter into a prolonged recessionary period, may make it difficult for us to raise additional capital or obtain additional credit, when needed, on acceptable terms or at all.

Our inability to obtain adequate capital resources, whether in the form of equity or debt, to fund our business and growth strategies, may require us to delay, scale back, or eliminate some or all of our operations, which may adversely affect our financial results and ability to operate as a going concern.

We depend on key personnel who would be difficult to replace, and our business will likely be harmed if we lose their services or cannot hire additional qualified personnel.

Our success depends to a significant extent upon the continued services of our current management team and key personnel. The loss of one or more of our other key executives or employees could have a material adverse effect on our business. We do not maintain “key person” insurance policies on the lives of any of our executives or any of our other employees. We employ all of our executives and key employees on an at-will basis, and their employment can be terminated by us or them at any time, for any reason, and without notice, subject, in certain cases, to severance payment rights. In order to retain valuable employees, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we regard our ability as a public company to grant stock-based compensation as an important component of our ability to attract and retain key personnel. The value to employees of stock-based compensation over time will be significantly affected by movements in our stock price that are beyond our control and may at any time be insufficient to counteract offers from other companies.

Our success also depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate additional skilled management personnel. We plan to continue to expand our work force to continue to enhance our business and operating results. We believe that there is significant competition for qualified personnel with the skills and knowledge that we require. Many of the other companies with which we compete for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources than we do. They also may provide more diverse

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opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high-quality candidates than those which we have to offer. If we are not able to retain our current key personnel, or attract the necessary qualified key personnel to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience constraints that will impede significantly the achievement of our business objectives and our ability to pursue our business strategy. New hires require significant training and, in most cases, take significant time before they achieve full productivity. New employees may not become as productive as we expect, and we may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals. If our recruiting, training, and retention efforts are not successful or do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue, our business will be harmed.

Our operating results may experience significant fluctuations, which may make them difficult to predict.

In addition to the variability resulting from the short-term nature of our customers’ commitments, other factors contribute to significant periodic and seasonal quarterly fluctuations in our results of operations. These factors include the following:

Potential strategic alliances may not achieve their objectives, and the failure to do so could impede our growth.

We anticipate that we will enter into strategic alliances. Among other matters, we explore strategic alliances designed to enhance our service offerings, enlarge our customer base, provide valuable knowhow, or take advantage of new methods or technologies. Any strategic alliances may not achieve their intended objectives, and parties to our strategic alliances may not perform as contemplated. The failure of these alliances may impede our ability to expand our existing markets or to enter new markets.

Any acquisitions that we undertake could be difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value, and harm our operating results.

We plan to review strategic opportunities to buy other businesses that would complement our current service offerings, expand the scope of our service offerings, expand the breadth of our markets and sales channels, enhance our technical capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. If we make any future acquisitions, we could issue securities that would dilute the percentage ownership of our stockholders, incur substantial debt, or assume contingent liabilities.

Our experience in acquiring other businesses is limited. Potential acquisitions also involve numerous risks, including the following:

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Our acquisition strategy entails reviewing and potentially reorganizing acquired business operations, corporate infrastructure and systems, and financial controls. Unforeseen expenses, difficulties, and delays frequently encountered in connection with rapid expansion through acquisitions could inhibit our growth and negatively impact our profitability. We may be unable to identify suitable acquisition candidates or to complete the acquisitions of candidates that we identify. Increased competition for acquisition candidates may increase purchase prices for acquisitions to levels beyond our financial capability or to levels that would not result in the returns required by our acquisition criteria. In addition, we may encounter difficulties in integrating the operations of acquired businesses with our own operations or managing acquired businesses profitably without substantial costs, delays, or other operational or financial problems.

The effects of the global economic conditions may impact our business, operating results, or financial condition.

Global economic conditions, such as the recent global economic crisis, can cause disruptions and extreme volatility in global financial markets, increase rates of default and bankruptcy, and impact levels of consumer and commercial spending. These macroeconomic developments could negatively affect our business, operating results, or financial condition in a number of ways. For example, current or potential customers may delay or decrease spending with us or may not pay us or may delay paying us for previously performed services.

The members of our board of directors and our executive officers have broad rights.

Our business is operated under the control of our board of directors and officers. Stockholders have no right to take part in the control of our affairs or the day-to-day management or operation of the business. Stockholders are permitted to vote only in a limited number of circumstances. While the members of the board of directors are accountable as fiduciaries and are obligated to exercise duties of due care, loyalty, and full disclosure in handling our affairs, the board of directors is entitled to certain limitations of liability and to indemnity by us. Such indemnity and limitation of liability may limit rights that our stockholders would otherwise have to seek redress against the board of directors. Our executive officers are entitled to similar indemnification and limitation of liability. Our stockholders who have questions concerning the duties of the board of directors to our stockholders should consult their own legal counsel.

Certain conflicts of interest exist within our organization.

Certain members of our board of directors, as holders of our capital stock, may have conflicts of interest with respect to our company and the stockholders and with respect to the exercise of their voting rights for the shares that they own.

 The compensation we pay to our executive officers and employees will likely increase.

We believe that the compensation we have historically paid to our executive officers and certain of our employees is within the lower quartile of compensation paid by companies similar to us. We may increase the compensation payable to our executive officers and employees, which could include both base compensation and cash or equity bonuses and payouts under severance or change in control arrangements. An increase in compensation and bonuses payable to our executive officers and employees could decrease our net income or increase our net loss.

If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timeliness of our financial reporting may be adversely affected.

Our reporting obligations as a public company will place a significant strain on our management and our operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to produce reliable financial reports or help prevent fraud. Our failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could prevent us from filing our periodic reports on a timely basis, which could result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, harm our business, and negatively impact the trading price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities

Our stock price has been and will likely continue to be volatile, and the value of an investment in our common stock may decline.

The trading price of our common stock has been and is likely to continue to be volatile. In addition to the risk factors described in this section and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, factors that may cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate include the following:

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Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the price or liquidity of our common stock. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit or paying for settlements or damages. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business.

If we are unable to meet the continued listing requirements for The Nasdaq Capital Market, our securities will be subject to delisting.

On September 1, 2015, we received a notification from Nasdaq Listing Qualifications advising us that our common stock had not maintained a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days, or the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, as required by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5555(a)(2).  We had 180 calendar days, or until February 29, 2016, or the Compliance Deadline, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. To regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, the bid price of our common stock had to close at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days prior to the Compliance Deadline.  

On March 1, 2016, we received a notification from Nasdaq Listing Qualifications advising us that we are eligible for an extension of 180 calendar days, or until August 29, 2016, or the Extended Compliance Deadline, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement.  We are required to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other listing standards for The Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, and we have provided written notice of our intention to cure the deficiency prior to the Extended Compliance Deadline, by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. If it appears to Nasdaq Listing Qualifications that we will not be able to cure the deficiency, or if we are not otherwise eligible, our securities will be subject to delisting. At that time, we may appeal the delisting determination to a Hearings Panel.  

We intend to monitor the closing bid price of our common stock and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, including by effecting a reverse stock split. However, we cannot provide any assurance that our common stock will trade at levels necessary to regain and maintain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement before the Extended Compliance Deadline.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market by our existing stockholders, or the perception that such sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market, and even the perception that these sales could occur may depress the market price. As of December 31, 2015, we had 111,788,225 shares of our common stock outstanding. Many of these shares may be sold in the public market, subject to prior registration or qualification for an exemption from registration, including, in the case of shares held by affiliates, compliance with the volume restrictions of Rule 144. Shares held by affiliates of our company, which generally include our directors, officers, and certain principal stockholders, are subject to the resale limitations of Rule 144 as described below. We also may register for resale shares that are deemed to be “restricted securities” or shares held by affiliates of our company.

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In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, any person or persons whose shares are aggregated for purposes of Rule 144, who is deemed an affiliate of our company and beneficially owns restricted securities with respect to which at least six months has elapsed since the later of the date the shares were acquired from us, or from an affiliate of ours, is entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of 1% of the then outstanding shares of our common stock and the average weekly trading volume in common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding such sale. Sales by affiliates under Rule 144 also are subject to certain manner-of-sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us. Rule 701, as currently in effect, permits our employees, officers, directors, and consultants who purchase shares pursuant to a written compensatory plan or contract to resell these shares in reliance upon Rule 144, but without compliance with specific restrictions.

Rule 701 provides that affiliates may sell their Rule 701 shares under Rule 144 without complying with the holding period requirement and that non-affiliates may sell their shares in reliance on Rule 144 without complying with the holding period, public information, volume limitation, or notice provisions of Rule 144. A person who is not an affiliate, who has not been an affiliate within three months prior to sale, and who beneficially owns restricted securities with respect to which at least one year has elapsed since the later of the date the shares were acquired from us, or from an affiliate of ours, is entitled to sell such shares under Rule 144 without regard to any of the volume limitations or other requirements described above. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could adversely affect the market price for our common stock.

As of December 31, 2015, we had 17,734,908 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants and the delivery of outstanding restricted stock units under our incentive compensation plan and other option and warrant agreements. Upon the exercise of stock options and warrants and the delivery of shares underlying restricted stock units, such shares generally will be eligible for sale in the public market, except that affiliates will continue to be subject to volume limitations and other requirements of Rule 144. The issuance or sale of such shares could depress the market price of our common stock.

Future sales and issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase common stock by us, including pursuant to our equity incentive plan and employee stock purchase plan, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.

We intend to issue additional securities pursuant to our equity incentive plan and our employee stock purchase plan may issue equity or convertible securities in the future. To the extent we do so, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may sell common stock, convertible securities, or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities, or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales and new investors could gain rights superior to our existing stockholders.

Our directors, executive officers, and principal stockholders have substantial control over us and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

Our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, together with their affiliates, beneficially own or control a majority of our outstanding common stock. If these stockholders act together, including with respect to the election of specified directors as contemplated by a voting agreement among certain of them, they will be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or our assets. This concentration of ownership could limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third party from acquiring control over us.

Anti-takeover provisions could impair a takeover attempt of our company even if the transaction would be beneficial to our stockholders and could make it difficult for you to change our management.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and applicable provisions of Nevada law may have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition of our company, even when this would be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that provide for the following:

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In addition, we are subject to Section 78.438 of the Nevada General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits a Nevada corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with an interested stockholder for a period of two years following the date on which the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless such transactions are approved by our board of directors. This provision could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company, whether or not it is desired by or beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, other provisions of Nevada law may also discourage, delay, or prevent someone from acquiring us or merging with us.

These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management. Any provision of our articles of incorporation or bylaws or Nevada law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If adequate research coverage is not established or maintained on our company or if any of the analysts who may cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business or provide relatively more favorable recommendations about our competitors, our stock price would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Since we do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future, our stockholders may be forced to sell their stock in order to obtain a return on their investment.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We plan to retain any future earnings to finance our operations and growth plans. Our credit agreement also prohibits us from paying dividends on our common stock. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of shares of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any return on their investment.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our executive offices are located in The Colony, Texas, where we lease approximately 36,000 square feet under a lease that expires in October 2022.  We believe that our current facilities are adequate to meet our needs for the near future and that suitable additional or alternative space will be available on commercially reasonable terms to accommodate our foreseeable future operations.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We may be subject to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we are not aware of any legal proceedings to which we are a party that we believe could have a material adverse effect on us.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

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

Market Information

Our common stock has traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “QRHC” since May 19, 2014. Our common stock previously traded on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board, or OTCBB, under the symbol “QRHC” from October 28, 2013 to May 18, 2014 and under the symbol “IRHC” from November 13, 2012 to October 27, 2013.

The following table sets forth the high and low sale prices of our common stock for each quarter for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 as reported on Nasdaq or the OTCBB, as applicable.

On March 7, 2016, the closing price per share of our common stock as reported on Nasdaq was $0.72 per share. As of March 7, 2016, there were approximately 111,788,225 shares of common stock outstanding and 167 holders of record of our common stock.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid, and do not anticipate declaring or paying in the foreseeable future, any cash dividends on our capital stock. Any future determination as to the declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on then existing conditions, including our operating results, financial condition, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects, and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

For equity compensation plan information, refer to Item 12 in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None.

ITEM  6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable.

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, based upon our current expectations and related to future events and our future financial performance, that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors,” “Forward-Looking Statements,” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our Business

We provide businesses with one-stop management programs to reuse, recycle, and dispose of a wide variety of waste streams and recyclables generated by their businesses.  Our comprehensive reuse, recycling, and proper disposal management programs are designed to enable regional and national customers, and large local businesses to have a single point of contact for managing a variety of waste streams and recyclables. 

We believe we offer innovative, cost-effective, one-stop management programs for the reuse, recycling, and proper disposal of a wide variety of recyclables and disposables that provide regional and national customers with a single point of contact for managing these materials. Our services are designed to enable our business customers to capture the commodity value of their waste streams and recyclables, reduce their disposal costs, enhance their management of environmental risks, enhance their legal and regulatory compliance, and create national sustainability initiatives while maximizing the efficiency of their assets. Our services currently focus on the waste streams and recyclables from the fleet and industrial, food service and retail, and solid waste industries. We currently concentrate on programs for recycling motor oil and automotive lubricants, scrap tires, grease and cooking oil, meat renderings, organics, hazardous and non-hazardous waste, regulated medical waste, construction debris, glass, cardboard, paper, metal, and solid waste.

We also operate environmentally based social media and online database platforms that contain information and instructions necessary to empower consumers and consumer product companies to recycle or properly dispose of household products and materials.  Our directory of local recycling and proper disposal options empowers consumers directly and enables consumer product companies to empower their customers by giving them the guidance necessary for the proper recycling or disposal of a wide range of household products and materials, including the “why, where, and how” of recycling.

Utilizing what we believe is the nation’s most complete directory of local recycling and proper disposal options for almost every household product and material, we empower consumers and enable consumer product companies to empower their customers by providing them with complete information and instructions about the recycling and disposal of a wide range of household products and materials; offer advertisers the opportunity to target a zero-waste lifestyle audience concerned about sustainability, recycling, and environmentally appropriate disposal; and enable product manufacturers to determine recycling availability for substantiating recycling claims and product design. Consumers can access our directory and instructions for any zip code in the United States through multiple platforms, including the Earth911.com website, mobile applications for smartphones and tablets, traditional phone lines, social media, and branded recycling locators on client platforms and applications, in addition to engaging with our content and media on leading social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, and Google+.

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Years Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 Operating Results

Our consolidated financial statements include the operating activity of our company and our subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

The following table summarizes our operating results for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014:

Year Ended December 31, 2015 compared to Year Ended December 31, 2014

Revenue

For the year ended December 31, 2015, revenue was $170.1 million, a decrease of $4.4 million, or 2.5%, compared with revenue of $174.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The decrease was primarily due to a decline in used motor oil and cooking oil commodity values of approximately $32.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, largely offset by a combination of new and expanded services with customers added in 2015 and 2014 of approximately $26.5 million.  Revenue grew 16.0% excluding the $32.0 million commodity decline, and user service locations expanded to approximately 90,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015 (user service locations equals the number of customers times locations per customer times services per location).

Cost of Revenue/Gross Profit

Cost of revenue decreased $3.7 million to $156.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 from $160.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  The decrease related primarily to the decline in the cost of commodities in 2015, partially offset by the increase related primarily to a combination of new locations and expanded services with customers added in 2015 and 2014.  Gross profit decreased $627,000 to $13.6 million from $14.3 million in 2014.  The gross profit margin was 8.0% of total 2015 net sales compared with 8.2% in 2014.  The decrease in gross profit margin percentage for the year ended December 31, 2015 was primarily due to the change in the mix of services and a decline in commodity prices of approximately $31.5 million.  In addition, there was increased cost of certain contracted services of $498,000 in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Margins are affected quarter to quarter by the volumes of waste and recycling materials generated by our customers, frequency of services delivered, service price and commodity index adjustments, cost of contracted services, advertising rates and the sales mix between advertising, consulting, commodities, and services in any one reporting period.

Operating Expenses

For the year ended December 31, 2015, operating expenses increased $2.7 million to $20.9 million from $18.2 million for fiscal 2014. Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $16.3 million and $14.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, an increase of $1.9 million.  The increase was primarily related to an increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses for servicing an increased number of customer locations in the year ended December 31, 2015 and expenses related to the office relocation in September 2015.  Additionally, the year ended December 31, 2014 included an expense reduction of approximately $554,000 as a result of the sublease of our former headquarters that did not recur in 2015.

Operating expenses also included depreciation and amortization of $4.6 million and $3.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.  The increase for the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily related to amortization of software development costs capitalized subsequent to 2014 and $566,000 related to the cessation of the Earth911 e-commerce marketplace website during the fourth quarter of 2015.  

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Interest Expense

For the year ended December 31, 2015, interest expense decreased $4.1 million to $218,000 from $4.3 million for 2014. Additionally, we recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, with no corresponding expense in the year ended December 31, 2015.  The decline was primarily due to the retirement of the related party promissory notes totaling $22.0 million in September 2014, along with the expensing of debt discounts and finance charges.  

Net Loss

Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $7.4 million compared with a net loss of $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The explanations above detail the majority of the changes related to the net loss.

Loss Per Share

The loss per share on a basic and diluted basis was $(0.07) for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared with a loss per share of $(0.10) for the year ended December 31, 2014. The weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding increased from 100.6 million as of December 31, 2014 to 111.7 million as of December 31, 2015. The increase in the 2015 weighted average share count was primarily a result of the sales of common stock and the conversion of related party promissory notes in September 2014, as well as the issuance of stock to settle the restricted stock unit grants and Employee Stock Purchase Plan options exercised during 2015.

Our business, including revenue, operating expenses, and operating margins may vary depending on commodity prices, the blend of services, the nature of the contracts, and sales volumes.

EBITDAS

We use the non-GAAP measurement of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and stock-related compensation charges, or EBITDAS, to evaluate our performance. EBITDAS is a non-GAAP measure that we believe can be helpful in assessing our overall performance as an indicator of operating and earnings quality. We suggest that EBITDAS be viewed in conjunction with our reported financial results or other financial information prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP.

The following table reflects the EBITDAS for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively:

RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO EBITDAS

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2015, we had $3.0 million of cash and cash equivalents and working capital of $2.1 million, an increase from the working capital of $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014.

We derive our primary sources of funds for conducting our business activities from sales of services, commodities, consulting, and advertising; borrowings under our credit facilities; and the placement of our equity securities with investors. We require working capital primarily to carry accounts receivable, service debt, purchase capital assets, fund operating expenses, address unanticipated competitive threats or technical problems, withstand adverse economic conditions, fund potential acquisition transactions, and pursue our following goals:

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We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents of $3.0 million, available borrowing capacity under our credit facility as of December 31, 2015 of $11.0 million, placements of our securities, and cash expected to be generated from operations will be sufficient to fund our operations for the next 12 months.

Cash Flows

The following discussion relates to the major components of our cash flows.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $2.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared with cash used in operating activities of $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2015 included net loss of $7.4 million, offset by non-cash items of $6.1 million and cash provided by the net change in operating assets and liabilities of $4.0 million.  Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2014 related to the net loss of $9.9 million and the net change in operating assets and liabilities of $9.3 million, offset by non-cash items of $10.6 million. The non-cash items primarily reflected depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, amortization of debt discounts, amortization of financing costs, loss on extinguishment of debt, provision for doubtful accounts, and stock-based compensation. The net changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily related to changes in accounts receivable and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Our business, including revenue, operating expenses, and operating margins may vary depending on commodity prices, the blend of services we provide to our customers, the terms of customer contracts, and our business levels. Our operating activities may require additional cash in the future from debt and/or equity financings depending on the level of our operations until such time as we generate sustained positive cash flow from operations.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $1.6 million and $1.0 million, respectively, primarily from purchases of property and equipment and costs related to software development.  The increase in cash used during the year ended December 31, 2015 was primarily related to leasehold improvements at our new headquarters.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities was $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, primarily from $9.9 million of repayments on our line of credit, partially offset by borrowings under our line of credit of $8.7 million.  Cash provided by financing activities was $10.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, primarily from $18.6 million of net proceeds from the issuance of stock and warrants and $2.5 million of proceeds from borrowings under our line of credit, partially offset by the $11.0 million repayment of related party promissory notes.  

Inflation

We do not believe that inflation had a material impact on us during the years ended December 31, 2015 or 2014.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to areas that require a significant level of judgment or are otherwise subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. These areas include carrying amounts of accounts receivable, long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, and deferred taxes. We base our estimates on historical experience, our observance of trends in particular areas, and information or valuations and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances and which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that may not be readily apparent from other sources. Actual amounts could differ significantly from amounts previously estimated.

We believe that of our significant accounting policies, the following may involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity.

Collectability of Accounts Receivable

Our accounts receivable consist primarily of amounts due from customers for the performance of services, and we record the amount net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. To record our accounts receivable at their net realizable value, we assess their collectability, which requires a considerable amount of judgment. We perform a detailed analysis of the aging of our receivables, the credit worthiness of our customers, our historical bad debts, and other adjustments. If economic, industry, or customer specific business trends worsen, we increase the allowance for uncollectible accounts by recording additional expense in the period in which we become aware of the new conditions.

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Long-Lived Assets

We periodically evaluate whether events and circumstances have occurred that may warrant revision of the estimated useful life of property and equipment or whether the remaining balance of property and equipment, or other long-lived assets should be evaluated for possible impairment. Instances that may lead to an impairment include the following: (i) a significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset group; (ii) a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which a long-lived asset or asset group is being used or in its physical condition; (iii) a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate that could affect the value of a long-lived asset or asset group, including an adverse action or assessment by a regulator; (iv) an accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or construction of a long-lived asset or asset group; (v) a current-period operating or cash flow loss combined with a history of operating or cash flow losses or a projection or forecast that demonstrates continuing losses associated with the use of a long-lived asset or asset group; or (vi) a current expectation that, more likely than not, a long-lived asset or asset group will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life.

Upon recognition of an event, as previously described, we use an estimate of the related undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest, over the remaining life of the property and equipment and long-lived assets in assessing their recoverability. We measure impairment loss as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. We primarily employ the two following methodologies for determining the fair value of a long-lived asset: (i) the amount at which the asset could be bought or sold in an arm’s length transaction between unrelated willing parties; or (ii) the present value of expected future cash flows grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable independent cash flows.

Impairment of Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

In accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other, we perform goodwill impairment testing at least annually during the third quarter, unless indicators of impairment exist in interim periods. Our test of goodwill impairment includes assessing qualitative factors and the use of judgment in evaluating economic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, and entity-specific events, as well as overall financial performance. The impairment test for goodwill uses a two-step approach. Step 1 compares the estimated fair value of a reporting unit with goodwill to its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value, Step 2 must be performed. Step 2 compares the carrying value of the reporting unit to the fair value of all of the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit (including any unrecognized intangibles) as if the reporting unit was acquired in a business combination. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of its goodwill, we recognize an impairment loss equal to the excess.

In addition to the required goodwill impairment analysis, we also review the recoverability of our net intangible assets with finite lives when an indicator of impairment exists. Based on our analysis of estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of these net intangibles with finite lives, we determine if we will recover their carrying values as of the test date. If not recoverable, we record an impairment charge. 

We performed our Step 1 impairment analysis for goodwill and other intangible assets in the third quarter of 2015 and 2014 with no impairment recorded.  Despite declines in our stock price during the fourth quarter of 2015, our market capitalization at December 31, 2015 exceeded our carrying value by approximately $7.3 million, and we determined that an impairment analysis was not required.  However, continued declines in our stock price could require a future Step 2 impairment assessment and the write off of a portion or all of our goodwill and other intangible assets in future periods.      

Stock Options

We estimate the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model. Significant assumptions used in the calculation were determined as follows:

Accounting for Income Taxes

We use the asset and liability method to account for income taxes. We use significant judgment in determining the provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against net deferred tax assets. In preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating the actual current tax liability together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing

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treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, depreciation on property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, goodwill, and benefits of net operating loss tax carryforwards. These differences result in deferred tax assets, which include tax loss carryforwards, and liabilities, which are included within our consolidated balance sheets. We then assess the likelihood that deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent that recovery is not likely or there is insufficient operating history, we establish a valuation allowance. To the extent we establish or increase a valuation allowance in a period, we include an adjustment within the tax provision of our consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, we had established a full valuation allowance for all deferred tax assets.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, we did not recognize any assets or liabilities relative to uncertain tax positions, nor do we anticipate any significant unrecognized tax benefits will be recorded during the next 12 months. We recognize any interest or penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Since there are no unrecognized tax benefits as a result of tax positions taken, there are no accrued penalties or interest.

Financial Instruments

Our financial instruments as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, line of credit, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, capital lease obligations, and warrant liability. We do not believe that we are exposed to significant interest, currency, or credit risks arising from these financial instruments. With the exception of the warrant liability, the fair values of these financial instruments approximates their carrying values using Level 3 inputs, based on their short maturities or for long-term debt and long-term portions of capital lease obligations, based on borrowing rates currently available to us for loans with similar terms and maturities.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, or ASU 2014-09. This new standard will replace all current U.S. GAAP guidance on this topic and eliminate all industry-specific guidance. The new revenue recognition standard provides a unified model to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to correlate with the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration for which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In July 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year, while allowing a company to adopt the new revenue standard early but not before the original effective date.  This guidance will be effective as to us on January 1, 2018 and can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. We are evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements.

In September 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-12, Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period, or ASU 2014-12. The update requires that a performance target that affects vesting and could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply guidance in Topic 718 as it relates to awards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards. The amendments in ASU 2014-12 are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim periods within those years. Early application is permitted. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2014-12 to have any impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, or ASU 2014-15. The update provides guidance about management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. The amendments in ASU 2014-15 are effective for annual reporting periods ending after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those years. Early application is permitted. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2014-15 to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2015-03, Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, or ASU 2015-03. The update requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the amendments in ASU 2015-15. ASU 2015-03 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. We plan to adopt this ASU effective January 1, 2016 and do not expect the adoption to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2015-15, Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements. The update adds clarification to the guidance presented in ASU 2015-03, as that guidance did not address the presentation or subsequent measurement of debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements. We plan to adopt this ASU effective January 1, 2016 along with the original guidance in ASU 2015-03 and do not expect the adoption to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.  

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In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, Leases, or ASU 2016-02.  The update improves financial reporting about leasing transactions by requiring a lessee to record on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by lease terms of more than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements.  

There have been no other recent accounting pronouncements or changes in accounting pronouncements that have been issued but not yet adopted that are of significance, or potential significance to us.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet debt or similar obligations. We have no transactions or obligations with related parties that are not disclosed, consolidated into, or reflected in our reported results of operations or financial position. We do not guarantee any third-party debt.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not applicable.

Reference is made to our consolidated financial statements, the notes thereto, and the report thereon, commencing on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which consolidated financial statements, notes, and report are incorporated herein by reference.

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

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

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

Due to its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate due to changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013). Based on such evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Our management’s report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit us to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified by management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during the most recent fiscal quarter that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls over financial reporting will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues, misstatements, errors, and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been or will be prevented or detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls also can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of controls effectiveness to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, internal controls may become inadequate as a result of changes in conditions, or through the deterioration of the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

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PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

We have adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to all of our directors, officers, and employees, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer. We have also adopted a Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers. The Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers is posted on our website at www.qrhc.com.

We will post any amendments to, or waivers from, a provision of the Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics for the CEO and Senior Financial Officers by posting such information on our website, at the address and location specified above.

The remainder of the information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. 

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PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

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SIGNATURES

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

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints S. Ray Hatch and Laurie L. Latham, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place, and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing required and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or his or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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 and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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INDEX TO

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

F-1

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

Quest Resource Holding Corporation and Subsidiaries

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Quest Resource Holding Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits 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 consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Quest Resource Holding Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the results of its operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

F-2

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.

F-3

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.

F-4

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 AND 2014

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.

F-5

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.

F-6

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

1. The Company, Description of Business, and Liquidity

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Quest Resource Holding Corporation (“QRHC”) and its subsidiaries, Earth911, Inc. (“Earth911”), Quest Resource Management Group, LLC (“Quest”), Landfill Diversion Innovations, LLC, and Youchange, Inc. (“YouChange”) (collectively, “we,” “us,” or “our company”).

Operations

Quest provides businesses with one-stop management programs to reuse, recycle, and dispose of a wide variety of waste streams and recyclables generated by their businesses.  Our comprehensive reuse, recycling, and proper disposal management programs are designed to enable regional and national customers to have a single point of contact for managing a variety of waste streams and recyclables.  Earth911 also operates environmentally based social media and online data platforms that contain information and instructions necessary to empower consumers and consumer product companies to recycle or properly dispose of household products and materials.  Our directory of local recycling and proper disposal options empowers consumers directly and enables consumer product companies to empower their customers by giving them the guidance necessary for the proper recycling or disposal of a wide range of household products and materials, including the “why, where, and how” of recycling.  Quest generates substantially all of our revenues, and two of Quest’s customers accounted for 60% and 73% of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.  Our principal offices are located in The Colony, Texas.

Liquidity

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, our working capital balance was $2,059,248 and $1,316,319, respectively.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principals of Presentation and Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the operating activity of QRHC and its subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

As Quest, Earth911, and YouChange each operate as ecology based green service companies, we did not deem segment reporting necessary.

Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

We use significant estimates when accounting for the carrying amounts of accounts receivable, long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, and deferred taxes, all of which are discussed in their respective notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue only when all of the following criteria have been met:

•persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists;

•delivery has occurred or services have been rendered;

•the fee for the arrangement is fixed or determinable; and

•collectability is reasonably assured.

Persuasive Evidence of an Arrangement Exists – We document all terms of an arrangement in a service agreement or quote signed or confirmed by the customer prior to recognizing revenue.

Delivery Has Occurred or Services Have Been Rendered – We perform all services or deliver all products prior to recognizing revenue. Services are deemed to be performed when the services are complete.

The Fee for the Arrangement is Fixed or Determinable – Prior to recognizing revenue, a customer’s fee is either fixed or determinable under the terms of the quote, service agreement, or accepted customer purchase order.

Collectability Is Reasonably Assured – We assess collectability on a customer by customer basis based on criteria developed by us.

F-7

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

We provide businesses with management programs to reuse, recycle, and dispose of a wide variety of waste streams and recyclables generated by their business. We utilize third-party subcontractors to execute the collection, transport, and recycling or disposal of used motor oil, oil filters, scrap tires, cooking oil, and expired food products. We evaluate the criteria outlined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Subtopic 605-45, Revenue Recognition—Principal Agent Considerations, in determining whether it is appropriate to record the gross amount of service revenue and related costs or the net amount earned as management fees. Generally, when we are primarily obligated in a transaction, have latitude in establishing prices and selecting suppliers, have credit risk, or have several but not all of these indicators, we record revenue gross.  We record amounts collected from customers for sales tax on a net basis. In situations in which we are not primarily obligated, we do not have credit risk, or we determine amounts earned using fixed percentage or fixed payment schedules, we record the net amounts as management fees earned. Currently, we have one contract accounted for as management fees with revenue of $109,846 and nil for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.  Our gross billings on this management fee contract were $1,437,579 and nil for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.  

Earth911 revenue primarily represents licensing fees that we recognize ratably over the term of the license. We derive some revenue from advertising contracts, which we recognize ratably over the term that the advertisement appears on our website.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We consider all highly liquid instruments with a remaining maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable

We follow the allowance method of recognizing uncollectible accounts receivable, which recognizes bad debt expense based on a review of the individual accounts outstanding and our prior history of uncollectible accounts receivable. Credit is extended based on evaluation of each customer’s financial condition and is generally unsecured. Accounts receivable are typically due within 30 days and are stated net of an allowance for doubtful accounts in the consolidated balance sheet. We consider accounts past due if outstanding longer than contractual payment terms. We record an allowance based on consideration of a number of factors, including the length of time trade accounts are past due, our previous loss history, the creditworthiness of individual customers, economic conditions affecting specific customer industries, and economic conditions in general. We charge-off accounts receivable after all reasonable collection efforts have been exhausted. We credit payments subsequently received on such receivables to bad debt expense in the period we receive the payment.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, we had established an allowance of $586,941 and $760,917, respectively, for potentially uncollectible accounts receivable. We record delinquent finance charges on outstanding accounts receivables only if they are collected.

The changes in our allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

Inventories

Inventories consist of waste disposal and recycling equipment and are stated at the lower of cost (average cost method which approximates first-in, first-out) or market. If required, we establish reserves for inventory to reflect situations in which the cost of the inventory is not expected to be recovered. In evaluating whether inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market, we consider such factors as the amount of inventory on hand, estimated time required to sell such inventory, and current and expected market conditions. We record inventories within “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” in our consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, all inventories were finished goods with balances of $54,473 and $30,759, respectively, with no reserve for inventory obsolescence at either date.

F-8

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

Fair Value Measurements

ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements, defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Topic 820 also specifies a fair value hierarchy that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and

Level 3: Valuation is generated from model-based techniques that use significant assumptions not observable in the market. These unobservable assumptions reflect our own estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

Stock Options

We estimate the fair value of stock options on grant date in accordance with ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation, using the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model. Significant assumptions used in the calculation are as follows:

Property and Equipment

We record property and equipment at cost. We provide for depreciation on the straight-line method, over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We amortize leasehold improvements over the shorter of the useful life or the remaining term of the related leases. We charge expenditures for repairs and maintenance to operations as incurred; we capitalize renewals and betterments when they extend the useful life of the asset. We record gains and losses on the disposition of property and equipment in the period incurred. We report assets to be disposed of, if any, at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.

The useful lives of property and equipment for purposes of computing depreciation are as follows:

We review property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. We measure recoverability of assets to be held and used by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If we consider such assets to be impaired, we measure the impairment recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. We determine fair value based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the asset.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We analyze assets that are held and used for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. We review the amortization method and period at least at each balance sheet date. We record the effects of any revision to operations when the change arises. We recognize impairment when the estimated undiscounted cash flow generated by those assets is less than the carrying amounts of such assets. The amount of impairment is the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of such assets. We carry assets held for sale, if any, at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less selling costs. We did not recognize any impairment charges for long-lived assets during 2015 and 2014.       

F-9

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

Goodwill

We record as goodwill the excess of (i) the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree, and the acquisition date fair value of any previous equity interest in the acquired entity over the (ii) fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired. We do not amortize goodwill; however, annually, or whenever there is an indication that goodwill may be impaired, we evaluate qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. Our test of goodwill impairment includes assessing qualitative factors and the use of judgment in evaluating economic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, and entity-specific events, as well as overall financial performance. We performed our Step 1 goodwill impairment analysis in the third quarter of 2015 and 2014 with no impairment recorded.  Despite declines in our stock price during the fourth quarter of 2015, our market capitalization at December 31, 2015 exceeded our carrying value by approximately $7.3 million, and we determined that an impairment analysis was not required.  However, continued declines in our stock price could require a future Step 2 impairment assessment and the write off of a portion or all of our goodwill and other intangible assets in future periods.

Net Loss Per Share

We compute basic net loss per share by dividing net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. We have other potentially dilutive securities outstanding that are not shown in a diluted net loss per share calculation because their effect in both 2015 and 2014 would be anti-dilutive. These potentially dilutive securities include stock options, restricted stock units, and warrants and totaled 17,734,908 and 18,130,132 shares at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

Concentrations

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to credit risk consist principally of cash, cash equivalents, and trade accounts receivable. We deposit our cash with commercial banks. Cash deposits at commercial banks are at risk to the extent that the balances exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured level per institution. The bank cash balances on deposit may periodically exceed federally insured limits, including $2,017,060 at December 31, 2015; however, we have never experienced any losses related to these balances.

We sell our products and services primarily to consumers, advertisers, and businesses without requiring collateral; however, we routinely assess the financial condition of our customers and maintain allowances for anticipated losses. The following table discloses the number of customers that accounted for more than 10% of our annual revenue and their related receivable balances for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014:

We believe we have no significant credit risk in excess of recorded reserves.

Income Taxes

We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the book and tax basis of assets and liabilities that will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. We establish valuation allowances to reduce a deferred tax asset to the amount expected to be realized. We assess our ability to realize deferred tax assets based on current earnings performance and on projections of future taxable income in the relevant tax jurisdictions. These projections do not include taxable income from the reversal of deferred tax liabilities and do not reflect a general growth assumption but do consider known or pending events, such as the passage of legislation. We review our estimates of future taxable income annually. We first analyze all tax positions to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. After the initial analysis, we measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Our income tax returns are subject to adjustment under audit for approximately the last three years.

If we are required to pay interest on the underpayment of income taxes, we recognize interest expense in the first period the interest becomes due according to the provisions of the relevant tax law.

F-10

QUEST RESOURCE HOLDING CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

If we are subject to payment of penalties, we recognize an expense for the amount of the statutory penalty in the period when the position is taken on the income tax return. If we did not recognize the penalty in the period when the position was initially taken, we recognize the expense in the period when we change our judgment about meeting minimum statutory thresholds related to the initial position taken.

Advertising

We charge our advertising costs to expense when incurred. During the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, advertising expense totaled $43,670 and $72,241, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

We expense all share-based grants to employees, including grants of employee stock options, based on their estimated fair values at grant date, in accordance with ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation. We record compensation expense for stock options over the vesting period using the estimated fair value on the date of grant, as calculated using the Black-Scholes-Merton model. We classify all share-based awards to employees as equity instruments and recognize the vesting of the awards ratably over their respective terms. See Note 10 for a description of our share-based compensation plan and information related to awards granted under the plan.

3. Property and Equipment, Net, and Other Assets

At December 31, 2015 and 2014, Property and equipment, net, and other assets consisted of the following: