Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1)

Registration No. 333-145588

PROSPECTUS

 

 

20,949,196 Shares
Common Stock

 

 

Orion Marine Group, Inc. is a leading marine specialty contractor serving the heavy civil marine infrastructure market. We provide a broad range of marine construction and specialty services on, over and under the water along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean Basin. We serve as general contractor on substantially all of our projects, self-perform in excess of 85% of our work and provide our services almost exclusively on a fixed-cost basis to both government and private industry clients.

 

This prospectus relates to up to 20,949,196 shares of our common stock which may be offered for sale by the selling shareholders named in this prospectus. The selling shareholders acquired the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus in private equity placements. We are registering the offer and sale of the shares of common stock to satisfy registration rights we have granted.

 

We are not selling any shares of common stock under this prospectus and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling shareholders. The shares of common stock to which this prospectus relates may be offered and sold from time to time directly by the selling shareholders or alternatively through underwriters or broker dealers or agents. Please read “Plan of Distribution.”

 

There is no current market for our common stock. We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “OMGI.” Based on the range of prices at which our shares have traded on the PORTAL Market, prior to the time our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market, purchases and sales of our common stock will occur at prices between $14.05 and $15.00 per share, if any shares are sold. Following the date of this prospectus, we anticipate that our shares will be listed on Nasdaq and that the selling shareholders may sell all or a portion of their shares from time to time in market transactions, in negotiated transactions or otherwise, and at prices and on terms that will be determined by the prevailing market price or at negotiated prices.

 

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks. You should read the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10 for a discussion of certain risk factors that you should consider before investing in our common stock.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

The date of this prospectus is December 19, 2007.

You should rely on information contained in this prospectus or in any related free writing prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and used or referred to in an offering to you of these securities. Neither we nor the selling shareholders have authorized anyone to provide you with different information. The shareholders are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

 

NOTICE TO INVESTORS

 

Restrictions on Foreign Ownership

 

Certain U.S. maritime laws, including the Foreign Dredge Act of 1906, 46 U.S.C. section 55109, as amended (the “Dredging Act”), the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, 46 U.S.C. section 55101, et seq., as amended (the “Jones Act”), the Shipping Act of 1916, 46 U.S.C. section 50501, as amended (the “Shipping Act”) and the U.S. vessel documentation laws set forth in 46 U.S.C. section 12101, et seq., as amended (the “Vessel Documentation Act”), prohibit foreign ownership or control of persons engaged in transporting merchandise or passengers or dredging in the navigable waters of the U.S. A corporation is considered to be foreign owned or controlled if, among other things, 25% or more of the ownership or voting interests with respect to its equity stock is held by non-U.S. citizens. If we should fail to comply with such requirements, our vessels would lose their eligibility to engage in coastwise trade or dredging activities within U.S. domestic waters. To facilitate our compliance, our organizational documents:

 

 

You may be required to certify whether you are a U.S. citizen before purchasing or transferring our common stock. If you or a proposed transferee cannot make such certification, or a sale of stock to you or a transfer of your stock would result in the ownership by non-U.S. citizens of 23% or more of our common stock, you may not be allowed to purchase or transfer our common stock. All certificates representing the shares of our common stock will bear legends referring to the foregoing restrictions.

 

MARKET DATA

 

Market data used in this prospectus has been obtained from independent industry sources and publications as well as from research reports prepared for other purposes. Forward-looking information obtained from these sources is subject to the same qualifications and the additional uncertainties regarding the other forward-looking statements in this prospectus.

	•	increasing North American freight capacity / port and channel expansion and maintenance;
	•	deteriorating conditions of U.S. intracoastal waterways and bridges;
	•	historic federal transportation funding bill;
	•	robust cruise industry activity;
	•	continuing U.S. base realignment and closure program;
	•	strong oil and gas capital expenditures;
	•	ongoing U.S. coastal and wetland restoration and reclamation; and
	•	recurring hurricane restoration and repair.

Common stock offered by selling shareholders(1)		20,949,196 shares
Common stock outstanding after the offering		21,565,324 shares
Dividend policy		We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on shares of our common stock for the foreseeable future.
Use of proceeds		We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares of common stock by the selling shareholders.
Listing and Trading		We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “OMGI.”
Risk factors		For a discussion of factors you should consider in making an investment, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10.

(1)		See “Selling Shareholders” for more information on the selling shareholders. Currently represents all outstanding shares of our common stock except for 26,426 shares of our common stock granted to certain of our executive officers and key employees in May 2007 and 589,702 shares of our common stock granted to certain of our executive officers and key employees pursuant to our 2005 Stock Incentive Plan.

		Predecessor												Successor
										January 1				October 14
		Year Ended								to				to				Year Ended								Nine Months Ended
		December 31,								October 13				December 31,				December 31,								September 30,
		2002				2003				2004				2004				2005				2006				2006				2007
																										(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
		(In thousands, except for share and per share data)
Statement of Operations Data:
Contract revenues		$	106,793			$	101,369			$	97,989			$	32,570			$	167,315			$	183,278			$	129,917			$	149,771
Cost of contract revenues			80,149				77,354				79,185				30,065				145,740				144,741				105,565				114,850
Gross profit			26,644				24,015				18,804				2,505				21,575				38,537				24,352				34,921
Selling, general and administrative expenses			15,478				16,376				7,752				1,611				10,685				18,225				9,550				16,649
Operating income			11,166				7,639				11,052				894				10,890				20,312				14,802				18,272
Interest expense, net			310				282				24				446				2,179				1,755				1,368				136
Other (income) loss, net			(605	)			(1,030	)			(52	)			(237	)			(405	)			(886	)			32				(27	)
Income before income taxes			11,461				8,387				11,080				685				9,116				19,443				13,402				18,163
Income tax expense			4,621				3,508				4,378				266				3,805				7,040				4,874				6,834
Net income			6,840				4,879				6,702				419				5,311				12,403				8,528				11,329
Preferred dividends			—				—				—				460				2,100				2,100				1,571				777
Income (loss) available to common shareholders		$	6,840			$	4,879			$	6,702			$	(41	)		$	3,211			$	10,303			$	6,957			$	10,552
Adjusted Per Common Share Data(2):
Net income per share
Basic		$	74.35			$	50.25			$	69.02			$	—			$	0.20			$	0.65			$	0.44			$	0.57
Diluted		$	74.35			$	50.25			$	69.02				—			$	0.20			$	0.63			$	0.42			$	0,55
Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic			92,000				97,100				97,100				15,695,067				15,706,960				15,872,360				15,832,362				18,631,171
Diluted			92,000				97,100				97,100				15,695,067				16,135,211				16,407,250				16,432,013				19,271,091
Other Financial Data:
EBITDA(1)		$	17,550			$	15,318			$	16,544			$	3,091			$	22,331			$	33,003			$	23,504			$	27,791
Capital expenditures			5,003				7,044				8,407				2,383				9,149				11,931				9,849				7,939
Cash interest expense			325				282				150				263				2,146				3,453				1,876				926
Depreciation and deferred financing cost amortization			5,779				6,649				5,440				1,960				11,036				11,805				8,734				9,492
Net cash provided by operating activities			11,900				15,591				8,193				3,262				11,618				32,475				25,406				6,328
Net cash (used in) investing activities			(14,273	)			(6,809	)			(6,634	)			(61,654	)			(5,431	)			(11,987	)			(10,097	)			(6,054	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			4,682				(5,476	)			(1,055	)			66,094				(6,244	)			(9,572	)			(3,630	)			(4,415	)

		Predecessor								Successor
		As of December 31,																				As of September 30,
		2002				2003				2004				2005				2006				2007
																						(Unaudited)
		(In thousands)
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	5,114			$	8,420			$	7,701			$	7,645			$	18,561			$	14,420
Working capital			6,478				7,775				11,475				14,729				12,970				28,254
Total assets			54,448				53,711				113,739				114,626				125,072				129,677
Total debt			11,556				5,965				40,489				34,548				25,000				1,643
Total stockholders’ equity			27,045				32,039				35,419				40,730				53,239				84,372

(1)		For an explanation of EBITDA and a reconciliation of EBITDA to net income calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, please see “— Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
(2)		The share and per share financial data presented for successor periods have been adjusted to give effect to the 2.23 for one reverse split of our common stock that we effected on May 17, 2007 in connection with the 2007 Private Placement. The substantial difference in weighted average shares between the Predecessor and Successor Periods results from the acquisition of our company by our former principal stockholders.

	•	the financial performance of our assets without regard to financing methods, capital structure or historical cost basis;
	•	the ability of our assets to generate cash sufficient to pay interest costs and support our indebtedness;
	•	our operating performance and return on capital as compared to those of other companies in our industry, without regard to financing or capital structure; and
	•	the viability of acquisitions and capital expenditure projects and the overall rates of return on alternative investment opportunities.

		Predecessor												Successor
										January 1				October 14
		Year Ended								to				to				Year Ended								Nine Months Ended
		December 31,								October 13				December 31,				December 31,								September 30,
		2002				2003				2004				2004				2005				2006				2006				2007
																										(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
		(In thousands)
Net income		$	6,840			$	4,879			$	6,702			$	419			$	5,311			$	12,403			$	8,528			$	11,329
Income tax expense			4,621				3,508				4,378				266				3,805				7,040				4,874				6,834
Interest expense, net			310				282				24				446				2,179				1,755				1,368				136
Deferred financing cost			—				—				24				41				171				171				129				150
Depreciation and amortization			5,779				6,649				5,416				1,919				10,865				11,634				8,605				9,342
EBITDA		$	17,550			$	15,318			$	16,544			$	3,091			$	22,331			$	33,003			$	23,504			$	27,791

 

RISK FACTORS

 

You should carefully consider each of the following risk factors and all of the other information set forth in this prospectus before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed and we may not be able to achieve our goals. If that occurs, the value of our common stock could decline and you could lose some or all of your investment.

 

Risk Factors Relating to Our Business

 

We may be unable to obtain sufficient bonding capacity for our contracts and the need for performance and surety bonds may adversely affect our business.

 

We are generally required to post bonds in connection with our contracts to ensure job completion if we were to fail to finish a project. During the year ended December 31, 2006, approximately 69% of our projects, measured by revenue, required us to post a bond. We have entered into a bonding agreement with Liberty Mutual Surety of America (“Liberty”) pursuant to which Liberty acts as surety, issues bid bonds, performance bonds and payment bonds, and obligates itself upon other contracts of guaranty required by us in the day-to-day operations of our business. However, Liberty is not obligated under the bonding agreement to issue bonds for us. We may not be able to maintain a sufficient level of bonding capacity in the future, which could preclude us from being able to bid for certain contracts and successfully contract with certain customers, or increase our letter of credit utilization in lieu of bonds, thereby reducing availability under our credit facility. In addition, the conditions of the bonding market may change, increasing our costs of bonding or restricting our ability to get new bonding which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our business depends on key customer relationships and our reputation in the heavy civil marine infrastructure market, which is developed and maintained by our key project managers. Loss of any of our relationships, reputation or key project managers would materially reduce our revenues and profits.

 

Our contracts are typically entered into on a project-by-project basis, so we do not have continuing contractual commitments with our customers beyond the terms of the current contract. We benefit from key relationships with certain general and construction contractors in the heavy civil marine infrastructure industry. We also benefit from our reputation in the heavy civil marine infrastructure market developed over years of successfully performing on projects. Both of these aspects of our business were developed and are maintained through our chief executives and key project managers. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our employees. Our inability to retain our chief executives and key project managers would have a material adverse affect on our current customer relationships and reputation. The inability to maintain relationships with these customers or obtain new customers based on our reputation could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

To be successful, we need to attract and retain qualified personnel, and any inability to do so would adversely affect our business.

 

Our future success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled personnel in various areas, including engineering, project management, procurement, project controls, finance and senior management. If we do not succeed in retaining and motivating our current employees and attracting new high quality employees, our business could be adversely affected. Accordingly, our ability to increase our productivity and profitability will be limited by our ability to employ, train and retain skilled personnel necessary to meet our requirements. Many companies in our industry are currently experiencing shortages of qualified personnel, and we may not be able to maintain an adequate skilled labor force necessary to operate efficiently. Our labor expenses may also increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of skilled personnel, or we may have to curtail our planned internal growth as a result of labor shortages. We may also spend considerable resources training employees who may then be hired by our competitors, forcing us to spend additional funds to attract personnel to fill those positions. In addition, certain of our employees hold licenses and permits under which we operate. The loss of any such employees could result in our inability to operate under such licenses and permits, which could adversely affect our operations until replacement licenses or permits are obtained. If we are unable to hire and retain qualified personnel in the future, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

We could lose money if we fail to accurately estimate our costs or fail to execute within our cost estimates on fixed-price, lump-sum contracts.

 

Most of our net revenue is derived from fixed-price, lump-sum contracts. Under these contracts, we perform our services and execute our projects at a fixed price and, as a result, benefit from cost savings, but we may be unable to recover any cost overruns. Fixed-price contracts carry inherent risks, including risks of losses from underestimating costs, operational difficulties and other changes that may occur over the contract period. If our cost estimates for a contract are inaccurate, or if we do not execute the contract within our cost estimates, we may incur losses or the project may not be as profitable as we expected. In addition, we are sometimes required to incur costs in connection with modifications to a contract (change orders) that may be unapproved by the customer as to scope and/or price, or to incur unanticipated costs, including costs for customer-caused delays, errors in specifications or designs, or contract termination, that we may not be able to recover. These, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. The revenue, cost and gross profit realized on such contracts can vary, sometimes substantially, from the original projections due to changes in a variety of factors, such as:

 

 

These risks increase if the duration of the project is long-term because there is an elevated risk that the circumstances upon which we based our original bid will change in a manner that increases costs. In addition, we sometimes bear the risk of delays caused by unexpected conditions or events.

 

We may incur higher costs to acquire, manufacture and maintain equipment necessary for our operations.

 

We have traditionally owned most of the equipment used in our projects, and we do not bid on contracts for which we do not have, or cannot quickly procure, whether through construction, acquisition or lease, the necessary equipment. We are capable of building much of the specialized equipment used in our projects, including dayboats, tenders and dredges. To the extent that we are unable to buy or build equipment necessary for our needs, either due to a lack of available funding or equipment shortages in the marketplace, we may be forced to rent equipment on a short-term basis, which could increase the costs of completing contracts. In addition, our equipment requires continuous maintenance, which we provide through our own repair facilities and dry docks, as well as certification by the U.S. Coast Guard. If we are unable to continue to maintain the equipment in our fleet or unable to obtain the requisite certifications, we may be forced to obtain third-party repair services or unable to use our uncertified equipment or be unable to bid on contracts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

In addition, our vessels may be subject to arrest/seizure by claimants as security for maritime torts committed by the vessel or us or the failure by us to pay for necessaries, including fuel and repair services, which were furnished to the vessel. Such arrest/seizure could preclude the vessel from working, thereby causing delays in marine construction projects.

The timing of new contracts may result in unpredictable fluctuations in our cash flow and profitability. These factors as well as others that may cause our actual financial results to vary from any publicly disclosed earnings guidance and forecasts are outside of our control.

 

A substantial portion of our revenues is derived from project-based work. It is generally very difficult to predict the timing and location of awarded contracts. The selection of, timing of or failure to obtain projects, delays in awards of projects, the rebidding or termination of projects due to budget overruns, cancellations of projects or delays in completion of contracts could result in the under-utilization of our assets and reduce our cash flows. Even if we are awarded contracts, we face additional risks that could affect whether, or when, work will begin. For example, some of our contracts are subject to financing and other contingencies that may delay or result in termination of projects. This can present difficulty in matching workforce size and equipment location with contract needs. In some cases, we may be required to bear the cost of a ready workforce and equipment that is larger than necessary, resulting in unpredictability in our cash flow, expenses and profitability. If an expected contract award or the related work release is delayed or not received, we could incur substantial costs without receipt of any corresponding revenues. Delays by our customers in obtaining required approvals for their infrastructure projects may delay their awarding contracts for those projects and, once awarded, the ability to commence construction under those contracts. Moreover, construction projects for which our services are contracted may require significant expenditures by us prior to receipt of relevant payments by a customer and may expose us to potential credit risk if such customer should encounter financial difficulties. Such expenditures could reduce our cash flows and necessitate increased borrowings under our credit facilities. Finally, the winding down or completion of work on significant projects that were active in previous periods will reduce our revenue and earnings if such significant projects have not been replaced in the current period. From time-to-time we may publicly provide earnings or other forms of guidance, which reflect our predictions about future revenue, operating costs and capital structure, among other factors. These numerous assumptions may be impacted by these factors as well as others that are beyond our control and might not turn out to be correct.

 

We depend on continued federal, state and local government funding for marine infrastructure. A reduction in government funding for marine construction or maintenance contracts can materially reduce our results of operations.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2006, approximately 72% of our revenue was attributable to contracts with federal, state or local agencies or with companies operating under contracts with federal, state or local agencies. Our operations depend on project funding by various government agencies and are adversely affected by decreased levels of, or delays in, government funding. A substantial portion of our business depends on federal funding of the Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps of Engineers”), which declined in 2003 and 2004. A future decrease in government funding in any of our geographic markets could result in intense competition and pricing pressures for projects that we bid on in the future. As a result of competitive bidding and pricing pressures, we may be awarded fewer projects, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

A significant portion of our business is based on government contracts. Our operating results may be adversely affected by the terms of the government contracts or our failure to comply with applicable terms.

 

Government contracts are subject to specific procurement regulations, contract provisions and a variety of socioeconomic requirements relating to their formation, administration, performance and accounting. Many of these contracts include express or implied certifications of compliance with applicable laws and contract provisions. As a result of our government contracting and subcontracting, claims for civil or criminal fraud may be brought by the government for violations of these regulations, requirements or statutes. We may also be subject to qui tam litigation brought by private individuals on behalf of the government under the Federal Civil False Claims Act, which could include claims for up to treble damages. Further, if we fail to comply with any of these regulations, requirements or statutes, our existing government contracts could be terminated, we could be suspended from government contracting or subcontracting, including federally funded projects at the state level. In addition, government customers typically can terminate or modify any of their contracts with us at their convenience, and certain government agencies may claim immunity from suit to recover disputed contract amounts. If our government contracts are terminated for any reason, or if we are suspended from government work, we could

suffer a significant reduction in expected revenue which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

We derive a significant portion of our revenues from a small group of customers. The loss of one or more of these customers could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our customer base is highly concentrated. Our top five customers accounted for approximately 59%, 50% and 56% of our revenues for fiscal 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. We have three customers that represented greater than 10% of revenues for fiscal 2006, two customers for fiscal 2005 and two customers for fiscal 2004.

 

We believe that we will continue to rely on a relatively small group of customers for a substantial portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. We may not be able to maintain our relationships with our significant customers. The loss of, or reduction of our sales to, any of our major customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. See “Business — Customers” for a description of our largest customers.

 

We may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in our backlog.

 

We had a backlog of work to be completed on contracts totaling approximately $115.9 million as of September 30, 2007. Backlog develops as a result of new awards, which represent the revenue value of new project commitments received by us during a given period. Backlog consists of projects which have either (a) not yet been started or (b) are in progress but are not yet complete. In the latter case, the revenue value reported in backlog is the remaining value associated with work that has not yet been completed. We cannot guarantee that the revenue projected in our backlog will be realized, or if realized, will result in earnings. From time-to-time, projects are cancelled that appeared to have a high certainty of going forward at the time they were recorded as new awards. In the event of a project cancellation, we may be reimbursed for certain costs but typically have no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in our backlog. In addition to being unable to recover certain direct costs, cancelled projects may also result in additional unrecoverable costs due to the resulting under-utilization of our assets.

 

Our business is subject to significant operating risks and hazards that could result in damage or destruction to persons or property, which could result in losses or liabilities to us.

 

The businesses of marine infrastructure construction, port maintenance, dredging and salvage are generally subject to a number of risks and hazards, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, adverse weather conditions, collisions with fixed objects, cave-ins, encountering unusual or unexpected geological formations, disruption of transportation services and flooding. These risks could result in damage to, or destruction of, dredges, transportation vessels, other maritime structures and buildings, and could also result in personal injury or death, environmental damage, performance delays, monetary losses or legal liability.

 

Our safety record is an important consideration for our customers. If serious accidents or fatalities occur or our safety record were to deteriorate, we may be ineligible to bid on certain work, and existing service arrangements could be terminated. Further, regulatory changes implemented by OSHA or the U.S. Coast Guard could impose additional costs on us. Adverse experience with hazards and claims could have a negative effect on our reputation with our existing or potential new customers and our prospects for future work.

 

Our current insurance coverage may not be adequate, and we may not be able to obtain insurance at acceptable rates, or at all.

 

We maintain various insurance policies, including general liability and workers’ compensation. We partially self-insure risks covered by our workers’ compensation policy and our employee health care plan. We are not required to, and do not, specifically set aside funds for our self-insurance programs. At any given time, we are subject to multiple workers’ compensation and personal injury claims. We maintain substantial loss accruals for workers’ compensation claims, and our workers’ compensation and insurance costs have been rising for several years notwithstanding our emphasis on safety. Our insurance policies may not be adequate to protect us from liabilities that we incur in our business. In addition, some of the projects that we bid on require us to maintain builder’s risk insurance at high levels. We may not be able to obtain similar levels of insurance on reasonable terms,

or at all. Our inability to obtain such insurance coverage at acceptable rates or at all could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Furthermore, due to a variety of factors such as increases in claims and projected significant increases in medical costs and wages, our insurance premiums may increase in the future and we may not be able to obtain similar levels of insurance on reasonable terms, or at all. Any such inadequacy of, or inability to obtain, insurance coverage at acceptable rates, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

  Our employees are covered by federal laws that may provide seagoing employees remedies for job-related claims in addition to those provided by state laws.

 

Many of our employees are covered by federal maritime law, including provisions of the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers Act and the Seaman’s Wage Act. These laws typically operate to make liability limits established by state workers’ compensation laws inapplicable to these employees and to permit these employees and their representatives to pursue actions against employers for job-related injuries in federal courts. Because we are not generally protected by the limits imposed by state workers’ compensation statutes, we have greater exposure for claims made by these employees as compared to employers whose employees are not covered by these provisions.

 

For example, in the normal course of business, we are party to various personal injury lawsuits. We maintain insurance to cover claims that arise from injuries to our hourly workforce subject to a deductible. Over the last year, there has been an increase in suits filed in Texas. In fiscal 2006, $1.7 million was recorded for our self-insured portion of these liabilities. While our recorded self insurance reserves represent our best estimate of the outcomes of these claims, should these trends persist, we could continue to be negatively impacted in the future. See Note 9, Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

  Many of our contracts have penalties for late completion.

 

In some instances, including many of our fixed-price contracts, we guarantee that we will complete a project by a scheduled date. If we subsequently fail to complete the project as scheduled, we may be held responsible for cost impacts resulting from any delay, generally in the form of contractually agreed-upon liquidated damages. In addition, failure to maintain a required schedule could cause us to default on our government contracts, giving rise to a variety of potential damages. To the extent that these events occur, the total costs of the project could exceed our original estimates and we could experience reduced profits or, in some cases, a loss for that project.

 

  We may choose, or be required, to pay our suppliers and subcontractors even if our customers do not pay, or delay paying, us for the related services.

 

We use suppliers to obtain necessary materials and subcontractors to perform portions of our services and to manage work flow. In some cases, we pay our suppliers and subcontractors before our customers pay us for the related services. If we choose, or are required, to pay our suppliers and subcontractors for materials purchased and work performed for customers who fail to pay, or delay paying, us for the related work, we could experience a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

  We extend credit to customers for purchases of our services, and in the past we have had, and in the future we may have, difficulty collecting receivables from major customers that have filed bankruptcy or are otherwise experiencing financial difficulties.

 

We generally perform services in advance of payment for our customers, which include governmental entities, general contractors, and builders, owners and managers of marine and port facilities located primarily in the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean Basin. Consequently, we are subject to potential credit risk related to changes in business and economic factors. On occasion, we have had difficulty collecting from governmental entities or customers with financial difficulties. If we cannot collect receivables for present or future services, we could experience reduced cash flows and losses beyond our established reserves.

  Our strategy of growing through strategic acquisitions may not be successful.

 

We may pursue growth through the acquisition of companies or assets that will enable us to broaden the types of projects we execute and also expand into new markets. We have completed several acquisitions and plan to consider strategic acquisitions in the future. We may be unable to implement this growth strategy if we cannot identify suitable companies or assets or reach agreement on potential strategic acquisitions on acceptable terms. Moreover, an acquisition involves certain risks, including:

 

 

Future acquisitions may require us to obtain additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available on attractive terms. Moreover, to the extent an acquisition transaction financed by non-equity consideration results in additional goodwill, it will reduce our tangible net worth, which might have an adverse effect on our credit and bonding capacity.

 

  The anticipated investment in port and marine infrastructure may not be as large as expected, which may result in periods of low demand for our services.

 

The demand for port construction, maintenance infrastructure services and dredging may be vulnerable to downturns in the economy generally and in the marine transportation industry specifically. The amount of capital expenditures on port facilities and marine infrastructure in our markets is affected by the actual and anticipated shipping and vessel needs of the economy in general and in our geographic markets in particular. If the general level of economic activity deteriorates, our customers may delay or cancel expansions, upgrades, maintenance and repairs to their infrastructure. A number of other factors, including the financial condition of the industry, could adversely affect our customers and their ability or willingness to fund capital expenditures in the future. During downturns in the U.S. or world economies, the anticipated port usage in our geographic markets may decline resulting in less port construction, upgrading and maintenance. As a result, demand for our services could substantially decline for extended periods.

 

  Any adverse change to the economy or business environment in the regions in which we operate could significantly affect our operations, which would lead to lower revenues and reduced profitability.

 

Our operations are currently concentrated in the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean Basin. Because of this concentration in a specific geographic location, we are susceptible to fluctuations in our business caused by adverse economic or other conditions in this region, including natural or other disasters.

  During the ordinary course of our business, we may become subject to lawsuits or indemnity claims, which could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

We have been and may from time-to-time be named as a defendant in legal actions claiming damages in connection with marine infrastructure projects and other matters. These are typically claims that arise in the normal course of business, including employment-related claims and contractual disputes or claims for personal injury (including asbestos-related lawsuits) or property damage which occur in connection with services performed relating to project or construction sites. These actions may seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, workers’ compensation, employment discrimination, breach of contract, property damage, environmental damage, punitive damages, civil penalties or other losses, consequential damages or injunctive or declaratory relief. Contractual disputes normally involve claims relating to the timely completion of projects, performance of equipment, design or other engineering services or project services. Management does not currently believe that pending contractual, employment-related personal injury or property damage claims will have a material adverse effect on business, operating results or financial condition; however, such claims could have such an effect in the future. We may incur liabilities that may not be covered by insurance policies, or, if covered, the dollar amount of such liabilities may exceed our policy limits or fall below applicable deductibles. A partially or completely uninsured claim, if successful and of significant magnitude, could cause us to suffer a significant loss and reduce cash available for our operations.

 

Furthermore, our services are integral to the operation and performance of the marine infrastructure. As a result, we may become subject to lawsuits or claims for any failure of the infrastructure that we work on, even if our services are not the cause for such failures. In addition, we may incur civil and criminal liabilities to the extent that our services contributed to any property damage or personal injury. With respect to such lawsuits, claims, proceedings and indemnities, we have and will accrue reserves in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. In the event that such actions or indemnities are ultimately resolved unfavorably at amounts exceeding our accrued reserves, or at material amounts, the outcome could materially and adversely affect our reputation, business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, payments of significant amounts, even if reserved, could adversely affect our liquidity position.

 

We are currently engaged in litigation related to claims arising from Hurricane Katrina. See “Business — Legal Proceedings.”

 

  Our operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations that may expose us to significant costs and liabilities.

 

Our marine infrastructure construction, salvage, demolition, dredging and dredge material disposal activities are subject to stringent and complex federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those concerning air emissions, water quality, solid waste management, and protection of certain marine and bird species, their habitats, and wetlands. We may incur substantial costs in order to conduct our operations in compliance with these laws and regulations. For instance, we may be required to obtain and maintain permits and other approvals issued by various federal, state and local governmental authorities; limit or prevent releases of materials from our operations in accordance with these permits and approvals; and install pollution control equipment. In addition, compliance with environmental laws and regulations can delay or prevent our performance of a particular project and increase related project costs. Moreover, new, stricter environmental laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be implemented that significantly increase our compliance costs, or require us to adopt more costly methods of operation.

 

Failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations, or the permits issued under them, may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial obligations and the issuance of injunctions limiting or preventing some or all of our operations. In addition, strict joint and several liability may be imposed under certain environmental laws, which could cause us to become liable for the investigation or remediation of environmental contamination that resulted from the conduct of others or from our own actions that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time those actions were taken. Further, it is possible that we may be exposed to liability due to releases of pollutants, or other environmental impacts that may arise in the course of our operations. For instance, some of the work we perform is in underground and water environments, and if the

field location maps or waterway charts supplied to us are not accurate, or if objects are present in the soil or water that are not indicated on the field location maps or waterway charts, our underground and underwater work could strike objects in the soil or the waterway bottom containing pollutants and result in a rupture and discharge of pollutants. In addition, we sometimes perform directional drilling operations below certain environmentally sensitive terrains and water bodies, and due to the inconsistent nature of the terrain and water bodies, it is possible that such directional drilling may cause a surface fracture releasing subsurface materials. These releases may contain contaminants in excess of amounts permitted by law, may expose us to remediation costs and fines and legal actions by private parties seeking damages for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations or for personal injury or property damage. We may not be able to recover some or any of these costs through insurance or increased revenues, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. See “Business — Environmental Matters” for more information.

 

  Our operations are susceptible to adverse weather conditions in our regions of operation.

 

Our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected by severe weather, particularly along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard and Caribbean Basin where we have operations. Repercussions of severe weather conditions may include:

 

 

  Our dependence on petroleum-based products could increase our costs which would adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Diesel fuel and other petroleum-based products are utilized to operate the equipment used in our construction contracts. Decreased supplies of those products relative to demand and other factors can cause an increase in their cost. Future increases in the costs of fuel and other petroleum-based products used in our business, particularly if a bid has been submitted for a contract and the costs of those products have been estimated at amounts less than the actual costs thereof, could result in a lower profit, or a loss, on one or more contracts.

 

  Terrorist attacks at port facilities could negatively impact the markets in which we operate.

 

Terrorist attacks, like those that occurred on September 11, 2001, targeted at ports, marine facilities or shipping could affect the markets in which we operate, our business and our expectations. Increased armed hostilities, terrorist attacks or responses from the U.S. may lead to further acts of terrorism and civil disturbances in the U.S. or elsewhere, which may further contribute to economic instability in the U.S. These attacks or armed conflicts may affect our operations or those of our customers or suppliers and could impact our revenues, our production capability and our ability to complete contracts in a timely manner.

 

We may be subject to unionization, work stoppages, slowdowns or increased labor costs.

 

We have a non-union workforce. If our employees unionize, it could result in demands that may increase our operating expenses and adversely affect our profitability. Each of our different employee groups could unionize at any time and would require separate collective bargaining agreements. If any group of our employees were to unionize and we were unable to agree on the terms of their collective bargaining agreement or we were to experience widespread employee dissatisfaction, we could be subject to work slowdowns or stoppages. In addition, we may be subject to disruptions by organized labor groups protesting our non-union status. Any of these events would be disruptive to our operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

  We may be unable to sustain our historical revenue growth rate.

 

Our revenue has grown rapidly in recent years. Our revenue increased by 9.6% from $167.3 million in 2005 to $183.3 million in 2006. However, we may be unable to sustain our recent revenue growth rate for a variety of reasons, including limits on additional growth in our current markets, less success in competitive bidding for contracts, limitations on access to necessary working capital and investment capital to sustain growth, limitations on access to bonding to support increased contracts and operations, the inability to hire and retain essential personnel and to acquire equipment to support growth, and the inability to identify acquisition candidates and successfully integrate them into our business. A decline in our revenue growth could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition if we are unable to reduce the growth of our operating expenses at the same rate.

 

  We are subject to risks related to our international operations.

 

Approximately 10% of our revenue in 2006 was derived from international markets and we hope to expand the volume of the services that we provide internationally. We presently conduct projects in the Caribbean Basin. International operations subject us to additional risks, including:

 

 

These risks could restrict our ability to provide services to international customers and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

  Restrictions on foreign ownership of our vessels could limit our ability to sell off any portion of our business or result in the forfeiture of our vessels or in our inability to continue our operations in U.S. navigable waters.

 

The Dredging Act, the Jones Act, the Shipping Act and the Vessel Documentation Act require vessels engaged in the transport of merchandise or passengers between two points in the U.S. or dredging in the navigable waters of the U.S. to be owned and controlled by U.S. citizens. The U.S. citizen ownership and control standards require the vessel-owning entity to be at least 75% U.S. citizen-owned, thus restricting foreign ownership interests in the entities that directly or indirectly own the vessels which we operate. If we were to seek to sell any portion of our business unit that owns any of these vessels, we may have fewer potential purchasers, since some potential purchasers might be unable or unwilling to satisfy the foreign ownership restrictions described above; additionally, any sales of certain of our larger vessels to foreign buyers would be subject to approval by the U.S. Maritime Administration. As a result, the sales price for that portion of our business may not attain the amount that could be obtained in an unregulated market. Furthermore, although our certificate of incorporation contains provisions limiting ownership of our capital stock by non-U.S. citizens, foreign ownership is difficult to track and if we or any operating subsidiaries cease to be 75% controlled and owned by U.S. citizens, we would become ineligible to continue our operations in U.S. navigable waters and may become subject to penalties and risk forfeiture of our vessels.

 

Risk Factors Related to our Accounting, Financial Results and Financing Plans

 

  Actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions that we use to prepare our financial statements.

 

To prepare financial statements in conformity with GAAP, management is required to make estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements, which affect the reported values of assets and liabilities,

revenues and expenses, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Areas requiring significant estimates by our management include: contract costs and profits, application of percentage-of-completion accounting, and revenue recognition of contract change order claims; provisions for uncollectible receivables and customer claims and recoveries of costs from subcontractors, suppliers and others; valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with business combinations; accruals for estimated liabilities, including litigation and insurance reserves; and the value of our deferred tax assets. Our actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

  Our use of the percentage-of-completion method of accounting could result in a reduction or reversal of previously recorded revenue and profit.

 

In particular, as is more fully discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies,” we recognize contract revenue using the percentage-of-completion method. A significant portion of our work is performed on a fixed-price or lump-sum basis. The balance of our work is performed on variations of cost reimbursable and target price approaches. Contract revenue is accrued based on the percentage that actual costs-to-date bear to total estimated costs. We utilize this cost-to-cost approach as we believe this method is less subjective than relying on assessments of physical progress. We follow the guidance of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) Statement of Position 81-1, Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type Contracts, for accounting policies relating to our use of the percentage-of-completion method, estimating costs, revenue recognition, combining and segmenting contracts and unapproved change order/claim recognition. Under the cost-to-cost approach, while the most widely recognized method used for percentage-of-completion accounting, the use of estimated cost to complete each contract is a significant variable in the process of determining income earned and is a significant factor in the accounting for contracts. The cumulative impact of revisions in total cost estimates during the progress of work is reflected in the period in which these changes become known. Due to the various estimates inherent in our contract accounting, actual results could differ from those estimates, which may result in a reduction or reversal of previously recorded revenue and profit.

 

  Failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and stock value.

 

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and is important in helping to prevent financial fraud. If we are unable to achieve and maintain adequate internal controls, our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed. We will be required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to furnish a report by our management on the design and operating effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting with our annual report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2008. Since this is the first time that we have had to furnish such a report, we expect to incur material costs and to spend significant management time to comply with Section 404. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we may need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate experience and technical accounting knowledge, and we may not be able to do so in a timely fashion.

 

We are beginning to evaluate how to document and test our internal control procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules of the SEC (“SOX”), which require, among other things, our management to assess annually the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our independent registered public accounting firm to issue a report on that assessment. During the course of this documentation and testing, we may identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses that we may be unable to remediate before the requisite deadline for those reports. If our management or our independent registered public accounting firm were to conclude in their reports that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective, this could have a material adverse effect on our ability to process and report financial information and the value of our common stock could significantly decline and you may lose part or all of your investment.

  Once we become a public company, we will incur significant increased operating costs and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

 

Once we become a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, SOX, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.^® and the New York Stock Exchange have imposed various new requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these new compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly.

 

SOX requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, commencing in fiscal year 2008, SOX would require us to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to enable management and our independent auditors to report on the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of SOX. Our testing — or the subsequent testing by our independent auditors — may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting, legal and consulting expenses and expend significant management efforts. We have only recently added an internal audit function, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent auditors identify deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, our listing stock exchange, or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.

 

  Our bonding requirements may limit our ability to incur indebtedness.

 

We generally are required to provide various types of surety bonds that provide an additional measure of security for our performance under certain government and private sector contracts. Our ability to obtain surety bonds depends upon various factors including our capitalization, working capital and amount of our indebtedness. In order to help ensure that we can obtain required bonds, we may be limited in our ability to incur additional indebtedness that may be needed for potential acquisitions and operations. Our inability to incur additional indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

  New accounting pronouncements including SFAS 123R may significantly impact our future operating results and earnings per share.

 

Prior to January 2006, we accounted for our stock-based award plans to employees and directors in accordance with Accounting Principals Board Opinion No. 25 (“APB No. 25”), Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, under which compensation expense is recorded to the extent that the current market price of the underlying stock exceeds the exercise price. Under this method, we generally did not recognize any compensation related to employee stock option grants we issued under our stock option plans at fair value. In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (“SFAS 123R”). This statement, which became effective for us beginning on January 1, 2006, requires us to recognize the expense attributable to stock options granted or vested subsequent to December 31, 2005.

 

SFAS 123R requires us to recognize share-based compensation as compensation expense in our statement of operations based on the fair values of such equity on the date of the grant, with the compensation expense recognized over the vesting period. This statement also required us to adopt a fair value-based method for measuring the compensation expense related to share-based compensation. The impact of the adoption of SFAS 123R on our results of operations resulted in share-based compensation expense of approximately $130,000 in 2006. Future annual share-based compensation expense could be affected by, among other things, the number of stock options

issued annually to employees and directors, volatility of our stock price and the exercise price of the options granted. Future changes in generally accepted accounting principles may also have a significant effect on our reported results.

 

Risks Related to this Offering and Our Common Stock

 

  There has been no public market for our common stock, we do not know if one will develop that will provide you with adequate liquidity, and following the completion of this offering, the trading price for our common stock may be volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations.

 

Although our common stock has been traded on The PORTAL Market (which is operated by The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.) since July 2, 2007, we believe that less than 660,000 shares have been traded as of the date of this prospectus (or less than 3.2% of the 20,949,196 shares eligible to be traded). As a result, the trading price of our common stock on The PORTAL Market is probably not an accurate indicator of the trading price of our common stock after this offering.

 

Although we have applied to list the shares of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market, we cannot assure you that we will meet their listing requirements or that even if we are successful in obtaining a listing that an active trading market for the shares will develop. The liquidity of any market for the shares of our common stock will depend on a number of factors, including:

 

 

Historically, the market for equity securities has been subject to disruptions that have caused substantial volatility in the prices of these securities, which may not have corresponded to the business or financial success of the particular company. We cannot assure you that the market for the shares of our common stock will be free from similar disruptions. Any such disruptions could have an adverse effect on shareholders. In addition, the price of the shares of our common stock could decline significantly if our future operating results fail to meet or exceed the expectations of market analysts and investors.

 

Even if an active trading market develops, the market price for our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. Some of the facts that could negatively affect our share price include:

 

 

  We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

We do not intend to declare or pay any cash or other dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. For the foreseeable future, we intend to retain earnings to grow our business. Payments of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on many factors, including general economic and business conditions, our strategic plans, our financial results and condition, legal requirements, and other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. Our existing credit facility and bonding facility restrict our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock, and we may also enter into credit agreements or other bonding or borrowing arrangements in the future that will restrict our ability to declare or pay cash dividends on our common stock.

 

  Our common stock is subject to restrictions on foreign ownership.

 

We are subject to government regulations pursuant to the Dredging Act, the Jones Act, the Shipping Act and the Vessel Documentation Act. These statutes require vessels engaged in the transport of merchandise or passengers or dredging in the navigable waters of the U.S. to be owned and controlled by U.S. citizens. The U.S. citizenship ownership and control standards require the vessel-owning entity to be at least 75% U.S.-citizen owned. Our certificate of incorporation contains provisions limiting non-citizenship ownership of our capital stock. If our board of directors determines that persons who are not citizens of the U.S. own more than 23% of our outstanding capital stock or more than 23% of our voting power, we may redeem such stock or, if redemption is not permitted by applicable law or if our board of directors, in its discretion, elects not to make such redemption, we may require the non-citizens who most recently acquired shares to divest such excess shares to persons who are U.S. citizens in such manner as our board of directors directs. The required redemption price could be materially different from the current price of the common stock or the price at which the non-citizen acquired the common stock. If a non-citizen purchases the common stock, there can be no assurance that he will not be required to divest the shares and such divestiture could result in a material loss. Such restrictions and redemption rights may make our equity securities less attractive to potential investors, which may result in our common stock having a lower market price than it might have in the absence of such restrictions and redemption rights.

 

  You may experience dilution of your ownership interests if we issue additional shares of our common stock in the future.

 

We may in the future issue additional shares resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of our present shareholders and purchasers of our common stock offered hereby. We are currently authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of common stock and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designations, preferences and rights as determined by our board of directors. As of the date of this prospectus, there were 21,565,324 shares of our common stock outstanding. The potential issuance of such additional shares of common stock may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock, if a market for our stock were to develop. Also, we have issued, and we may issue additional, shares of our common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock in connection with additional equity-based compensation to existing employees, the hiring of personnel, future acquisitions, future private placements of our securities for capital raising purposes, or for other business purposes.

 

  Future sales of our common stock may have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, there were 21,565,324 shares of our common stock outstanding. The market price of the shares of our common stock could decline as a result of sales by our existing shareholders or the perception that such sales might occur after the termination of the lock-up restrictions, which apply to the selling shareholders and certain members of management. If, following the expiration of the lock-up period, any of our existing shareholders sell a significant number of shares, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected.

  Provisions in our organizational documents and under Delaware law could delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

 

The existence of some provisions in our organizational documents and under Delaware law could delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock. The provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws that could delay or prevent an unsolicited change in control of our company include a staggered board of directors, board authority to issue preferred stock, and advance notice provisions for director nominations or business to be considered at a stockholder meeting. In addition, Delaware law imposes restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock — Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Delaware Law, Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.”

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

We are including the following discussion to inform you of some of the risks and uncertainties that can affect our company and to take advantage of the “safe harbor’’ protection for forward-looking statements that applicable federal securities law affords.

 

Various statements this prospectus contains, including those that express a belief, expectation, or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects and our future operations, revenues, income and capital spending. Our forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “plan,” “goal” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus speak only as of the date of this prospectus; we disclaim any obligation to update these statements unless required by securities law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, contingencies and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus. Any proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by this prospectus will be received by the selling shareholders.

 

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

For the foreseeable future, we intend to retain earnings to grow our business. Payments of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on many factors, including general economic and business conditions, our strategic plans, our financial results and condition, legal requirements, and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. Our existing credit facility and bonding facility restricts our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock, and we may also enter into credit agreements or other borrowing arrangements in the future that will restrict our ability to declare or pay cash dividends on our common stock. In addition, our ability to pay dividends depends on our receipt of cash dividends from our subsidiaries.

 

CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table shows our cash and capitalization as of September 30, 2007, on an actual basis. You should read this table in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

MARKET FOR COMMON STOCK

 

Our common stock has been traded on The PORTAL Market, which is operated by the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., since July 2, 2007. Prior to that time, there was no market for our common stock. As of the date of this prospectus, the Company believes that a total of 653,798 shares of its common stock have been traded on The PORTAL Market since July 2, 2007. To our knowledge, the sale prices for shares of our common stock traded on The PORTAL Market since July 2, 2007 have ranged between $14.05 and $15.00 per share. The most recent reported price was $14.25. As of the date of this prospectus, there were approximately 515 holders of record of our common stock.

 

In connection with this offering, we have applied to list shares of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “OMGI.”

 

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

 

The following table sets forth certain of our selected historical consolidated financial information for the periods represented. The financial data as of and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2006 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which have been audited by Grant Thornton LLP. The financial data as of and for the two years in the period ended December 31, 2003 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of Orion Marine Group Holdings Inc., our parent entity prior to the 2004 acquisition. The share and per share financial data presented below has been adjusted to give effect to the 2.23 for one reverse split of our common stock that we effected on May 17, 2007 in connection with the 2007 Private Placement.

 

On October 14, 2004, we were acquired by Orion Marine Group, Inc., formerly known as Hunter Acquisition Corp., a corporation formed and controlled by our former principal stockholders. For accounting purposes, our company as it existed until the time we were acquired by Hunter Acquisition Corp. is referred to as our “Predecessor” and our company as it has existed since the acquisition is referred to as our “Successor.” Concurrent with the acquisition and in accordance with GAAP, we wrote up the value of our assets to their current market value (as determined by appraisals for certain of our assets, such as equipment and land) at the time of the transaction. The result of this write up increased the book value of our assets and the associated depreciation expense. Therefore, depreciation expense for our Predecessor was less than depreciation expense for our Successor. Additionally, certain expenses related to the maintenance and repair of our equipment and other items directly attributable to contract revenues were classified as selling, general and administrative expenses and other (income) loss for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2003. Beginning January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2006, these same expenses were classified as cost of contract revenues. Consequently, the cost of contract revenues, selling, general, and administrative expenses, and other (income) loss for each of the two years ended December 31, 2003 are not comparable to the cost of contract revenues, selling, general, and administrative expenses, and other (income) loss for the periods beginning January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2006.

 

Historical results are not necessarily indicative of results we expect in future periods. The data presented below should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, “Capitalization” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

The following table includes the non-GAAP financial measure of EBITDA. For a definition of EBITDA and a reconciliation to net income calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please see “Summary Consolidated Financial Data — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

 

 

 

 

 

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 in conjunction with “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties, including those described in this prospectus under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.” We assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.

 

Overview

 

We are a leading marine specialty contractor serving the heavy civil marine infrastructure market. We provide a broad range of marine construction and specialty services on, over and under the water along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean Basin. Our customers are federal, state and municipal governments, the combination of which accounted for approximately 57% of our revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, as well as private commercial and industrial enterprises. We are headquartered in Houston, Texas.

 

Our contracts are obtained primarily through competitive bidding in response to “request for proposals” by federal, state and local agencies and through negotiation with private parties. Our bidding activity is affected by such factors as backlog, current utilization of equipment and other resources, ability to obtain necessary surety bonds and competitive considerations. The timing and location of awarded contracts may result in unpredictable fluctuations in the results of our operations.

 

Most of our revenue is derived from fixed-price contracts. There are a number of factors that can create variability in contract performance and therefore impact the results of our operations. The most significant of these include the following:

 

 

All of these factors can impose inefficiencies on contract performance, which can impact the timing of revenue recognition and contract profitability. We plan our operations and bidding activity with these factors in mind and they have not had a material adverse impact on the results of our operations in the past.

 

Business Drivers and Measures

 

Industry trends impact our results of operations. In operating our business and monitoring its performance, we also pay attention to a number of performance measures and operational factors.

 

Industry Trends.  Our performance is impacted by overall spending in the heavy civil marine infrastructure market. Spending by our customers, both government and private, is impacted by several important trends affecting our industry, including the following:

 

 

 

In the aggregate, these industry trends drive marine transportation facility construction, dredging, bridge building, repair and maintenance, as well as specialty services that we perform in our markets. Each of these industry trends is discussed more thoroughly in the “Business — Industry Overview” section.

 

Bidding.  Industry trends result in the need for or inclinations of our customers to make capital expenditures and engage in repair and maintenance activities. We monitor the prospects and solicitations for government and for private work to determine what projects our customers are planning and when they will seek bids for their projects. This allows us to gauge the overall health of the markets we serve and to respond appropriately to changing market conditions, such as near-term softness or improving conditions in a particular market, by moving our equipment and personnel accordingly. Our industry is highly fragmented with competitors generally varying within the markets we serve and with few competitors competing in all of the markets we serve or for all of the services that we provide. We believe that the robust long-term demand for heavy civil marine infrastructure services combined with the fact that our industry is highly fragmented creates a favorable bidding environment for us.

 

Most of our contracts are obtained through competitive bidding on terms specified by the party inviting the bid. The nature of the contract specifications dictates the type of equipment, material and labor involved, all of which affect the cost of performing the contract and the price that our competitors will bid. Contracts for projects are generally awarded to the lowest qualified bidder, provided the bid is no greater than the amount of funds that are budgeted and available for the project. If all bids are greater than the available funds, then projects may be subject to rebid or cancellation as a result of budget constraints.

 

Our process for bidding projects varies by bid amount. We have implemented project controls to limit the level of bidding authority that we give to our project managers and regional vice presidents or equivalents. Generally, our project managers estimate and bid projects, and subsequently manage those projects that they successfully bid, which is in contrast to many other construction companies, where the estimation and bidding of projects and the subsequent management of those projects are performed by separate departments. Project managers have the sole authority to estimate and bid projects up to a specified size; any project above the bidding authority of a project manager must involve a regional vice president or equivalent in the preparation of the estimate and bid; and any bid above the regional vice president’s or equivalent’s authority must involve the Chief Executive Officer in the estimation and bidding process. We believe that our operating philosophy allows our project managers to work in an entrepreneurial environment, increases accountability amongst our project managers, and also provides us with the ability to develop the long-term careers of our project managers and reward them appropriately.

 

Utilization.  An important factor that we take into consideration when we manage our business is the current and projected utilization of our equipment and personnel. We do not measure utilization of equipment or personnel in the aggregate, but rather track utilization by our major pieces of equipment, such as barges, cranes, dredges, tugs, etc., and the associated personnel required to operate the equipment. We track this information using our state-of-the-art, scalable, integrated enterprise-wide project management software system. Our ability to maintain high levels of utilization of our equipment and keep our employees working on jobs in significant part drives our profitability.

 

Backlog.  Once we have successfully bid on a project and executed a contract to perform the work, we record the value of the contract as backlog. Our backlog is the financial representation of the revenue associated with the future commitments of our equipment and personnel that is tracked in our project management software system. Backlog consists of projects that have either (a) not yet started, or (b) are in progress but not yet complete. Consequently, backlog is also an important factor we use to monitor our business. The typical duration of our contracts is three to nine months, so our backlog at any point in time usually represents only a portion of the revenue that we expect to realize during a twelve month period.

As our business continues to grow, we expect that our backlog will increase over time. However, our backlog may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, and a quarterly decrease of our backlog might not necessarily translate into a deterioration of our business. For example, in anticipation of bidding on a large project for which we believe we will be the successful bidder, we may choose not to bid on near-term projects so that our schedule can accommodate a large job. Even though this management decision would result in a near-term decline in our backlog, it is not inconsistent with our dual goals of maintaining high utilization rates of our equipment and personnel and long-term growth in our backlog.

 

Revenue.  We recognize our revenue using the percentage-of-completion methodology. Percentage-of-completion for construction contracts is measured principally by the costs incurred and accrued to date for each contract to the estimated total costs for each contract at completion. We generally consider contracts substantially complete upon acceptance by the customer and departure from the construction site. A significant portion of our revenue depends on project funding by various government agencies and is adversely affected by decreased level of, or delays in, government funding. Moreover, a substantial portion of our revenue depends on funding from the Corps of Engineers, which provides the majority of the funding for government dredging projects.

 

Cost of Revenue.  The components of costs of contract revenues include labor, equipment (including depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance and supplies), materials, lease expense and project overhead. Costs of contract revenues vary significantly depending on the type and location of work performed and assets utilized. Since the realization of our revenue is driven primarily by the cost of our revenues in relation to our estimated total costs to complete a contract, we monitor the costs realized to date and the estimated costs required to complete a project very closely, on a project-by-project basis, using our project management software system. For example, on a heavy civil marine construction project such as a concrete fabricated dock, we would be required to drive a certain number of concrete piles to provide a foundation for the port facility that we would subsequently construct on the piles. In this example, we would closely monitor the rate at which the piles were being driven relative to our original expectations. We monitor the progress on our jobs, and therefore the associated costs, by way of weekly management meetings that include the local project managers, the regional managers, and the senior management team. By monitoring our jobs in this manner, we are able to quickly identify potential issues and respond accordingly. We believe that our ability to effectively manage the cost of revenue is a competitive strength of our organization and is indicative of the depth of our management team. Our intense focus on profitably executing contracts has resulted in only a small number of unprofitable contracts since our founding.

 

Another important aspect of managing our cost of revenue is to recognize opportunities for change orders, which is a change to the original specifications of the contract, and occurs once a project has begun. In doing so, we are able to (a) recognize additional revenue from a project on a negotiated basis, rather than a competitive bidding situation, at generally higher margins, and (b) avoid potential disputes with our customers regarding required deviations from the original terms of the contract.

 

General and Administrative Expenses.  Our general and administrative costs include non-contract related salaries and expenses, incentive compensation, discretionary profit sharing and other variable compensation, as well as other overhead costs to support our overall business. In general, these costs will increase in response to our growth and the related increased complexity of our business. In addition, we also expect to incur increased general and administrative expenses related to the cost of operating as a public company and additional implementation costs in fiscal 2007 and 2008 relating to compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

Other Factors.  Other factors that will influence our operations in future periods include the following:

 

Seasonality.  Substantially all of our services are performed on, over and under the water, causing our results to be subject to seasonal variations due to weather conditions. The core markets in which we operate — the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean Basin — are affected by hurricanes and tropical storms during hurricane season, which occurs annually in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean from June through November. Over 97% of the hurricanes and tropical storms occur during this time period, and 78% occur from August through October. Since we operate our business in a wet environment and many of our marine projects are constructed to withstand harsh conditions such as hurricanes and tropical storms, wet conditions generally do not affect our operations, but major hurricanes and tropical storms may temporarily impact our operations. For example, we monitor all named storm systems to determine which, if any, of our projects will be affected. Because hurricanes and

tropical storms move slowly, we usually have ample time to prepare appropriately for the storm, which typically includes demobilizing much of our equipment and removing our employees from the job site. Once the storm has passed, we must then mobilize our personnel and equipment back to the job site, which results in delays in the completion of our work and an increase in the costs associated with performing our work.

 

Generally, in our fixed-price contracts we bear the risks of increased costs, delays to completion of work, damage to our equipment, and damage to the work already completed at a job site, including those related to severe weather conditions, such as hurricanes and tropical storms. Consequently, our cost estimates to complete a job in a hurricane prone area during hurricane season include costs related to mobilizing and demobilizing personnel and equipment, and our schedule assumes there will be delays associated with hurricanes and tropical storms. Years in which tropical systems activity is less than expected or does not significantly impact our job sites, as was the case in 2006, we release those contingencies within our jobs as they are completed, which results in the recognition of profit and usually occurs during the fourth quarter.

 

Surety Bonding.  In connection with our business, we generally are required to provide various types of surety bonds that provide an additional measure of security to our customers for our performance under certain government and private sector contracts. Our ability to obtain surety bonds depends upon our capitalization, working capital, past performance, management expertise and external factors, including the capacity of the overall surety market. Surety companies consider such factors in light of the amount of our backlog that we have currently bonded and their current underwriting standards, which may change from time-to-time. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, approximately 66% of our projects, measured by revenue, required us to post a bond. The bonds we provide typically have face amounts ranging from $1.0 to $50.0 million. As of September 30, 2007, we had approximately $100.0 million in surety bonds outstanding and we believe our capacity under our current bonding arrangement was $250.0 million in aggregate surety bonds. We believe that our bonding capacity provides us with a significant competitive advantage relative to many of our local competitors, as many of these competitors are sole proprietors or similar enterprises and are often required to personally guarantee their surety bonds, which frequently limits their bonding capacity.

 

Outlook.  The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (“WDRA”) provides for the conservation and development of water and related resources and contains approvals for various harbor deepening projects and numerous projects under the Louisiana Coastal Restoration Plan. The $23 billion bill was enacted on November 7, 2007, but particular projects must still be specifically authorized and appropriated by Congress. We believe that the enactment of this legislation will provide us with additional opportunities to utilize a broad range of our marine construction capabilities in the future.

 

Significant Changes in Ownership

 

2004 Acquisition.  On October 14, 2004, our Predecessor was acquired by Orion Marine Group, Inc., formerly known as Hunter Acquisition Corp., a corporation formed and controlled by our former principal stockholders, whose funds were managed by Austin Ventures and TGF Management Corp. The cash purchase price for the shares that were acquired was approximately $73.0 million, including acquisition costs. Following the acquisition, we had approximately $41.5 million of new debt in a senior term loan. We also had an undrawn $8.5 million revolving credit facility. Prior to the acquisition, our principal stockholders provided incremental financial and strategic resources necessary for our continued success, including implementing stock based compensation, transitioning senior leadership and establishing standardization of systems and more scalable internal systems, such as our project control systems.

 

2007 Private Placement.  On May 31, 2007, pursuant to the 2007 Private Placement, we completed the sale of 20,949,196 shares of our common stock at a sale price of $13.50 per share to qualified institutional buyers, non-U.S. persons and accredited investors and repurchased and retired all of our outstanding preferred stock and 16,053,816 shares of our common stock from our former principal stockholders using approximately $242.0 million of the net proceeds, which resulted in a net increase in shares outstanding of 4,895,380 shares. The remaining net proceeds to us from the 2007 Private Placement (after purchaser’s discount, placement fees and expenses) were $19.5 million and were and are being used for working capital and general corporate purposes. In connection with the 2007 Private Placement, we entered into employment agreements and transaction bonus agreements with our

executive officers and certain key employees. Under the agreements, we granted 26,426 shares of common stock, granted options to acquire 327,357 shares of common stock, and made cash payments totaling up to $2.2 million.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management 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 revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this offering memorandum, we believe the following accounting policies to be critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.

 

Revenue Recognition.  We enter into construction contracts principally on the basis of competitive bids. Although the terms of our contracts vary considerably, most are made on a fixed price basis. Revenues from construction contracts are recognized on the percentage-of-completion method in accordance with the AICPA Statement of Position 81-1, Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type Contracts. Percentage-of-completion for construction contracts is measured principally by the costs incurred and accrued to date for each contract to the estimated total costs for each contract at completion. We generally consider contracts substantially complete upon departure from the construction site and acceptance by the customer.

 

Our most significant cost drivers are the cost of labor, cost of equipment, cost of materials, cost of fuel and the cost of casualty and health insurance. These costs may vary from the costs we estimated. Variations from estimated contract costs along with other risks inherent in fixed price contracts may result in actual revenue and gross profits differing from those we estimated and could result in losses on projects. Depending on the size of a particular project, variations from estimated project costs could have a significant impact on our operating results for any fiscal quarter or year. We believe our exposure to losses on fixed price contracts is limited by the relatively short duration of the fixed price contracts we undertake and our management’s experience in estimating contract costs.

 

Long-Lived Assets.  Fixed assets are carried at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful lives, ranging from one to thirty years, using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes and accelerated methods for tax reporting purposes. The carrying value of all long-lived assets is evaluated periodically in accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, to determine if adjustment to the depreciation period or the carrying value is warranted. If events or circumstances indicate that the long-lived assets should be reviewed for possible impairment, we use projections to assess whether future cash flows on a non-discounted basis related to the tested assets are likely to exceed the recorded carrying amount of those assets to determine if write-down is appropriate. If we identify impairment, we will report a loss to the extent that the carrying value of the impaired assets exceeds their fair values as determined by valuation techniques appropriate in the circumstances that could include the use of similar projections on a discounted basis.

 

Dry-docking activities and costs are capitalized and amortized on the straight-line method over a period ranging from 3 to 15 years until the next scheduled dry-docking. Dry-docking activities include, but are not limited to, the inspection, refurbishment and replacement of steel, engine components, tailshafts, mooring equipment and other parts of the vessel. Amortization related to dry-docking activities is included as a component of depreciation. These activities and the related amortization periods are periodically reviewed to determine if the estimates are accurate.

 

Goodwill.  We evaluate goodwill for potential impairment in accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. Included in this evaluation are certain assumptions and estimates to determine fair value of reporting units such as estimates of future cash flows, discount rates as well as assumptions and estimates related to valuation of other identifiable intangible assets. Changes in these assumptions and estimates or significant changes to the market value of our company could materially impact our results of operations or financial position. As of September 30, 2007, goodwill was $2.5 million and no impairment loss was recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2007.

Income Taxes.  We evaluate valuation allowances for deferred tax assets for which future realization is uncertain. We perform this evaluation at least annually at the end of each fiscal year. The estimation of required valuation allowance includes estimates of future taxable income. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets at September 30, 2007, we considered that it was more likely than not that all of the deferred tax assets would be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. We consider the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.

 

We account for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of FASB Interpretation No. 48 “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes” (“FIN 48”), which it adopted on January 1, 2007. The implementation of FIN 48 required us to make subjective assumptions and judgments regarding income tax exposure. Interpretations of and guidance surrounding income tax laws and regulations change over time, and these may change our subjective assumptions, which in turn, may affect amounts recognized in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and statements of income.

 

Self-Insurance.  The Company maintains insurance coverage for its business and operations. Insurance related to property, equipment, automobile, general liability, and a portion of workers’ compensation is provided through traditional policies, subject to a deductible. A portion of the Company’s workers’ compensation exposure is covered through a mutual association, which is subject to supplemental calls.

 

The Company maintains two levels of excess loss insurance coverage, $20 million in excess of primary coverage and $10 million in excess of the $20 million, which excess loss coverage responds to all of the Company’s insurance policies other than a portion of its Workers’ Compensation coverage and employee health care coverage. Our primary excess loss coverage responds to most of our policies when a primary limit of $1 million has been exhausted; provided that the primary limit for our Maritime Employer’s Liability Policy is $10 million and for our Watercraft Pollution Policy is $5 million.

 

Separately, the Company’s employee health care insurance is provided through a trust, administered by a third party. The Company funds the trust based on current claims. The administrator has purchased appropriate stop-loss coverage.

 

Losses on these policies up to the deductible amounts are accrued based upon known claims incurred and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. The accruals are derived from actuarial studies, known facts, historical trends and industry averages utilizing the assistance of an actuary to determine the best estimate of the ultimate expected loss.

 

We believe our self insurance accruals are adequate based on the facts and circumstances known to us as of the balance sheet dates. However, self-insurance liabilities are difficult to assess and estimate due to unknown factors, including the severity of an injury, the determination of our liability in proportion to other parties, the number of incidents not reported and the effectiveness of our safety program. Therefore, if actual experience differs from the assumptions used in the actuarial valuation, adjustments to the reserve may be required and would be recorded in the period that the experience becomes known.

Consolidated Results of Operations

 

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2007 Compared with nine months ended September 30, 2006

 

 

Contract Revenues.  Total revenues increased 15.3% from $129.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to $149.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. The increase of $19.9 million resulted from the progress schedules, nature of contracts in progress and continuing construction of a causeway in Florida, cruise dock terminal facilities in Texas and large maintenance projects with repairs to existing waterfront structures, particularly in the Southeast U.S. Region.

 

Gross Profit.  Total gross profit increased $10.6 million or 43.4% from $24.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to $34.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. Gross margin increased from 18.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to 23.3% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. The increases in gross profit and margin were achieved due to reductions in equipment and fuel costs and to productivity gains on labor and equipment. Additionally contributing to the increases was a reduction in subcontracting costs, to 9.9% of total costs, compared with 12.7% of total costs in the comparable prior year period, reflecting more self-performance on contracts in the first nine months of the year, which generally results in higher margins.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $7.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as compared with the prior year period. The increase was due to one-time payments of bonuses and incentives to key employees upon the successful consummation of the common stock offering in May 2007, which totaled approximately $2.6 million. In addition, salaries and benefits increased by $3.9 million driven by increases in headcount, realignment of incentive programs and an increase in our current estimate under our self-insurance plans.

 

Other (Income) Expense, Net.  Interest expense, net of interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 was $136,000, a decrease of approximately $1.2 million as compared with the prior year period. The substantial decrease was due to the reduction of debt utilizing funds generated from the sale of common stock in the second quarter of the current year.

 

Income Tax Expense.  Our effective tax rate increased to 37.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 from 36.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 due primarily to an increase in our blended state tax rate due to a change in our mix of revenues from certain states and permanent book tax differences.

Year Ended December 31, 2005 Compared with December 31, 2006

 

The following information is derived from our historical results of operations.

 

 

Contract Revenues.  Total revenue increased $16.0 million or 9.6%, from $167.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2005 to $183.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase in revenue was primarily due to an increase in demand for dredging services by the Corps of Engineers as well as an overall increase in volume as a result of management’s continuous effort to expand our business within our existing and new markets. In addition, we recognized approximately $10.3 million in revenue from projects acquired in connection with our acquisition of F. Miller and Sons LLC in September 2006.

 

Gross Profit.  Total gross profit increased $16.9 million or 78.2% from $21.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2005 to $38.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. Gross margin increased from 12.9% for the year ended December 31, 2005 to 21.0% for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to the increase in dredging services, which historically have had a higher gross profit margin, as well as improved margins on projects in Florida and the Caribbean Basin as a result of higher productivity and favorable results relative to planned contingencies. These factors resulted in a decrease in the amount of work that was performed by subcontractors, which is typically performed at lower margins, a decrease in the cost for direct materials, which we typically do not mark up as much as our other costs, and an improvement in the utilization of our equipment.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $6.7 million or 63.1% from $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2005 to $17.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue increased from 6.4% for the year ended December 31, 2005 to 9.5% for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to a $7.1 million increase in salaries and benefits driven by an increase in discretionary bonuses, a $0.3 million increase in insurance expense, a $0.1 million increase in utilities expense, a $0.1 million increase in office rent expense and a $0.2 million increase in audit fees, offset in part by a gain on the sale of certain property of $0.8 million.

 

Other Expense, Net.  Other expense, net of other income decreased $0.1 million from $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2005 to $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in net interest expense attributable to an increase in interest income as result of the increase in cash on hand.

 

Income Tax Expense.  Our effective tax rate decreased to 36.2% in 2006 from 41.7% in 2005 due primarily to a reduction in our blended state tax rate due to a change in our mix of revenues from certain states and permanent book tax differences.

Year Ended December 31, 2004 Compared with December 31, 2005

 

On October 14, 2004, Orion Marine Group, Inc., formerly known as Hunter Acquisition Corp., acquired 100% of the outstanding common stock of Orion Marine Group Holdings Inc. The acquisition was accounted for using the purchase method of accounting in accordance with SFAS No. 141, Business Combinations.

 

Concurrent with the acquisition and in accordance with GAAP, we wrote-up the value of our assets to their current market value (as determined by appraisals for certain of our assets, such as equipment and land) at the time of the transaction. The result of this write-up increased the value of our assets and the associated depreciation expense. Therefore, depreciation expense for our Predecessor was less than depreciation expense for our Successor. Additionally, certain items in the income statement of our Predecessor have been reclassified to conform to the presentation of our Successor.

 

The following information is derived from our historical results of operations.

 

 

Contract Revenues.  Total revenue increased $36.7 million or 28.1% from $130.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2004 to $167.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase in revenue was primarily due to large port expansion projects awarded in the Caribbean Basin as well as an overall increase in volume from a higher backlog at the beginning of 2005.

 

Gross Profit.  Total gross profit increased $0.3 million or 1.4% from $21.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2004 to $21.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2005. Gross margin decreased from 16.3% for the year ended December 31, 2004 to 12.9% for the year ended December 31, 2005. The decrease in gross margin was primarily due to an increase in depreciation expense related to the write up of our assets in conjunction with the acquisition by our principal shareholders; higher maintenance and repair expenses to our equipment, which resulted in lower utilization; certain one-time reductions to our costs of contract revenue in 2004 related to the successful resolution of a claim from a prior period and miscellaneous gains from scrap sales; and an increase in the amount of work that we had performed by subcontractors, which is typically performed at lower margins.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expense.  Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $1.3 million or 13.8% from $9.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2004 to $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2005. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased from 7.2% for the year ended December 31, 2004 to 6.4% for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to a $0.2 million increase in salaries and benefits driven by an increase in the number of employees and a $0.2 million increase in amortization of deferred financing costs associated with our credit facility and a $0.1 million increase in depreciation expense.

Other (Income) Expense, Net.  Other (income) expense, net increased $1.6 million from $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2004 to $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to an increase in interest expense associated with our $41.5 million debt, which was outstanding between October 14 and December 31, 2004 and for the full twelve months ending December 31, 2005.

 

Income Tax Expense.  Our effective tax rate increased to 41.7% in 2005 from 39.5% in 2004 due primarily to changes in blended state tax rate due to a change in our mix of revenues from certain states and permanent book tax differences.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our primary liquidity needs are to maximize our working capital to continually improve our bonding position, investing in capital expenditures and strategic acquisitions. Historically, our source of liquidity has been cash provided by our operating activities and borrowings under our credit facility. At September 30, 2007, we had reduced our debt to $1.6 million and we had available cash of $14.4 million. At December 31, 2006, our net indebtedness, which is comprised of total debt less cash, was $6.4 million. During the second quarter of 2007 we completed an offering of our common stock to investors, which added to our cash position. In addition, we increased operating margins and efficiently managed working capital. As a result of the offering, our operating performance and cash management, we generated sufficient funds from operations to support our cash demands and substantially reduced our debt. We expect to meet our future internal liquidity and working capital needs from funds generated in our operating activities for the next 12 months.

 

As of September 30, 2007, our working capital was $28.3 million compared to $13.0 million at December 31, 2006. The increase of $15.3 million in working capital was primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable of $8.3 million, reflecting our increased volume of revenue and to an increase of $3.5 million in costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts, due to timing of customer billings. In addition, we reduced our current debt position by $4.2 million. Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts decreased as contracts progressed and we utilized funds received principally for mobilization. Fluctuations in working capital result from normal increases and decreases relative to our operational activity. As of September 30, 2007, we had cash on hand and availability under our revolving credit facility aggregating $22.3 million.

 

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows and our capital expenditures for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007:

 

 

 

 

Operating Activities.  Net cash provided by operations for the years ended 2004, 2005 and 2006 was $3.3 million, $11.6 million, and $32.5 million, respectively. 2004 represents the period of time after the acquisition by Orion Marine Group, Inc. As a result of the acquisition in 2004, which increased the value of our equipment, our depreciation expense also increased by $3.5 million compared with all of 2004. Our net cash position in 2006 benefited from an increase in net income of $7.1 million and increases in billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts of $5.5 million compared with the prior year. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, our operating activities provided $6.3 million of cash as compared to $25.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. Contributing to the decrease between comparable periods was an increase in

2007 in accounts receivable balances related to the higher revenue volume combined with a decrease in net billings in excess of cost and estimated earnings reflecting the timing and use of progress payments. In the first nine months of 2006, we benefited from a substantial reduction in our accounts receivable and we increased our liability related to the receipt of progress payments on certain projects.

 

Investing Activities.  Investing activities in 2004 include the acquisition by Orion Marine Group, Inc. In 2005, we purchased approximately $9.1 million of capital equipment. In 2006, cash from investing activities used was approximately $12.0 million, mostly related to purchases of equipment and to the upgrade of a dredge. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, investing activities used $6.1 million of cash compared to $10.1 million of cash for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. Our purchases of equipment and capital improvements to existing equipment decreased in 2007 by $1.9 million. In the current year we generated cash of $1.9 million through the sale of non essential equipment.

 

Financing Activities.  In 2004, our financing activities reflected the $41.5 million of debt incurred as a result of the acquisition by Orion Marine Group, Inc. our former principal stockholders. Financing activities in 2005 and 2006 reflect the scheduled repayments on the debt incurred in 2004. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, financing activities used $4.4 million. Net proceeds from the sale of our common stock totaled approximately $19.1 million, which we used to reduce our debt. In the prior year, financing activities used $3.6 million, resulting from the scheduled principal payments on our existing debt.

 

Sources of Capital

 

In addition to our cash balances and cash provided by operations, we have a credit facility available to us to finance capital expenditures and working capital needs.

 

On July 10, 2007, following the significant reduction of our debt in May utilizing the proceeds from our stock offering, we restated our credit agreement with our existing lenders. Debt under the new credit facility includes the balance on the old credit facility of $3.1 million, which will be repaid in three installments through March 2008. In addition, the Company may borrow up to $25 million under an acquisition term loan facility and up to $8.5 million under a revolving line of credit. At the discretion of our lenders, either the acquisition term loan facility or the revolving line of credit may be increased by $25 million. The revolving line of credit is subject to a borrowing base and availability on the revolving line of credit is reduced by any outstanding letters of credit. As of September 30, 2007, no amounts had been drawn under the acquisition term loan facility or the revolving line of credit. All provisions under the credit facility mature on September 30, 2010. Our balance on our credit facility at September 30, 2007 was $1.6 million. Our availability under our line of credit at September 30, 2007 was approximately $7.9 million.

 

For each prime rate loan drawn under the credit facility, interest is due quarterly at the then prime rate minus a margin that is adjusted quarterly based on total leverage ratios, as applicable. For each LIBOR loan, interest is due at the end of each interest period at a rate of the then LIBOR rate for such period plus the LIBOR margin based on total leverage ratios, as applicable. Our interest rate at September 30, 2007 was 6.63%.

 

The credit facility requires us to maintain certain financial ratios and places other restrictions on us as to our ability to incur additional debt, pay dividends, advance loans and other actions. The credit facility is secured by the accounts, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and other assets of the Company and its subsidiaries. At September 30, 2007, we were in compliance with all financial covenants.

 

Bonding Capacity

 

At September 30, 2007, we had adequate surety bonding capacity under our surety agreement with Liberty. Our ability to access this bonding capacity is at the sole discretion of our surety provider and is subject to certain other limitations such as limits on the size of any individual bond and restrictions on the total amount of bonds that can be issued in a given month. We believe we have adequate remaining available bonding capacity to meet our current needs, subject to the sole discretion of our surety provider. In addition, to access the remaining available bonding capacity, Liberty may require us to post additional collateral.

Effect of Inflation

 

We are subject to the effects of inflation through increases in the cost of raw materials, and other items such as fuel. Because the typical duration of a project is between three to nine months we do not believe inflation has had a material impact on our operations.

 

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We currently have no off balance sheet arrangements.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

The following table sets forth information about our contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of September 30, 2007: