Acquisition of Future Infrastructure Holdings, LLC.
On January 15, 2021, we acquired Future Infrastructure Holdings, LLC (“FIH”) for approximately $604.7 million, net of cash acquired. FIH was incorporated into our Utilities segment and is a provider of non-discretionary maintenance, repair, upgrade, and installation services to the telecommunication, regulated gas utility, and infrastructure markets. FIH furthers our strategic plan to expand our service lines, enter new markets, and grow our MSA revenue base. The transaction directly aligns with our strategy to grow in large, higher growth, higher margin markets, and expands our utility services capabilities. The total purchase price was funded through a combination of existing cash balances, borrowings under our term loan facility, and borrowings under our revolving credit facility. As discussed in Note 13 – “Stockholders’ Equity”, included in the unaudited notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included under Part I of this Form 10-Q, we used the net proceeds from our secondary offering to repay a portion of the borrowings incurred in connection with the acquisition of FIH.
Material trends and uncertainties
We generate our revenue from construction and engineering projects, as well as from providing a variety of specialty construction services. We depend in part on spending by companies in the telecommunications, gas and electric utility industries, the energy, chemical, and oil and gas industries, as well as state departments of transportation and municipal water and wastewater customers. Over the past several years, each segment has benefited from demand for more efficient and more environmentally friendly energy and power facilities, more reliable gas and electric utility infrastructure, local highway and bridge needs, and from the activity level in the oil and gas industry. However, periodically, each of these industries and government agencies is adversely affected by macroeconomic conditions. Economic and other factors outside of our control may affect the amount and size of contracts we are awarded in any particular period.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a National Public Health Emergency which has spread throughout the world and has adversely impacted global activity and contributed to significant volatility in financial markets. In an effort to contain COVID-19 or slow its spread, governments around the world enacted various measures, including orders to close all businesses not deemed “essential”, isolate residents to their homes or places of residence, and practice social distancing when engaging in essential activities. While our services have generally been deemed to be essential services, all segments have reported various levels of project interruptions and restrictions that have delayed project timelines from those originally planned. In some cases, we have experienced temporary work stoppages. This led to general inefficiencies from having to start and stop work, re-sequencing work, requiring on-site health screenings before entering a job site, and following proper social distancing practices. We have also been restricted from completing work or have been prevented from starting work on certain projects. However, despite these impacts, our work has generally been deemed essential, our business model appears to be resilient, and we have adapted accordingly, including making salary or headcount reductions where appropriate.
COVID-19 vaccination coverage has broadened considerably across the United States since the vaccines were first
approved and became available in late 2020, but progress in vaccination rates has slowed. While the vaccines generally
have been reported to be highly effective against the original COVID-19 virus strain, their effectiveness against variants,
including the Delta variant, is the subject of evolving and sometimes conflicting information. The duration of effectiveness
of the vaccines, as well as their effectiveness against future variants is uncertain. As such, due to the fluidity of the
COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainties as to its scope and duration and macroeconomic implications, and ongoing changes in the way that governments, businesses and individuals react and respond to the pandemic, the ultimate impact on the Company remains uncertain. We anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic could have a continued adverse impact on economic and market conditions and we could see an extended period of global economic slowdown. When COVID-19 is demonstrably contained, we anticipate a rebound in economic activity, depending on the rate, pace, and effectiveness of vaccinations and the containment efforts deployed by various national, state, and local governments, including with respect to new variants.
To date, the inefficiencies experienced have had an unquantifiable impact on our business. We will continue to actively monitor the evolving situation and may take further actions to alter our business operations that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, suppliers, and stakeholders, or as required by federal, state, or local authorities. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business or on our financial results for the foreseeable future.