![]() |
China For-Gen Corp. - FORM S-1/A - September 3, 2010
As filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 3 ,
2010
Registration
No. 333-166868
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
DC 20549
AMENDMENT
NO. 2 TO
FORM
S-1/A
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
CHINA
FOR-GEN CORP.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
800
(Primary
Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)
11-3840621
(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
Tengao
District, Haicheng City
Liaoning
Province, P.R.China 114000
+0412-2988160
( Address, including zip code, and
telephone number,
including area code, of
registrant’ s principal
executive offices )
Sherry
Li
c/o
China For-Gen Corp.
87
Dennis Street
Garden
City Park, NY 11040
(212)
240-0707
(Name,
address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including
area code, of agent for service)
Approximate date of commencement of
proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the
Registration Statement has been declared effective.
If any of
the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or
continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the
following box: ¨
If this
Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule
462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the
Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. ¨
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
The
Registrant amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be
necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further
amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall
hereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act
of 1933, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date
as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a),
may determine. Explanatory
Note
This
Registration Statement contains two prospectuses, as set forth
below.
The
Resale Prospectus is substantively identical to the Public Offering Prospectus,
except for the following principal points:
The
Registrant has included in this Registration Statement a set of alternate pages
after the back cover page of the Public Offering Prospectus (the “Alternate
Pages”) to reflect the foregoing differences in the Resale Prospectus as
compared to the Public Offering Prospectus. The Public Offering Prospectus will
exclude the Alternate Pages and will be used for the public offering by the
Registrant. The Resale Prospectus will be substantively identical to the Public
Offering Prospectus except for the addition or substitution of the Alternate
Pages and will be used for the resale offering by the selling
stockholders. The
information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed.
We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is
not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy
these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not
permitted.
![]() CHINA
FOR-GEN CORP.
4,000,000 SHARES OF
COMMON
STOCK
We are
offering 4,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per
share. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our
securities. The public offering price of the shares was determined by
negotiation between us and the underwriters.
The
public offering price of the common stock is $[ ] per share.
We intend to apply to have our shares listed on the NYSE AMEX Stock Exchange
concurrent with this offering.
The
purchase of the securities involves a high degree of risk. See section
entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page [ ].
(1) The
non-accountable expense allowance of 1.0% of the gross proceeds of the offering
is not payable with respect to the shares sold upon exercise of the
underwriters’ over-allotment option.
We have
agreed to issue to the representative of the underwriters a common stock
purchase warrant to purchase a number of shares of our common stock equal to an
aggregate of 9% of the shares sold in the offering at an exercise price
equal to 110% of the public offering price per share.
The
underwriters have a 45-day option to purchase up to 600,000 additional
shares of common stock from us solely to cover over-allotments, if
any.
The
underwriters expect to deliver the shares to purchasers on or about [
], 2010.
Neither
the U.S. 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.
Maxim
Group LLC
The
date of this prospectus is [ ],
2010 i
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
ii
ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS
You
should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not
authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any
representations about us, the securities or any matter discussed in this
prospectus, other than the information and representations contained in this
prospectus. If any other information or representation is given or made,
such information or representation may not be relied upon as having been
authorized by us.
The
information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this
prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale
of our common stock. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any
distribution of securities in accordance with this prospectus shall, under any
circumstances, imply that there has been no change in our affairs since the date
of this prospectus. This prospectus will be updated and updated prospectuses
made available for delivery to the extent required by the federal securities
laws. iii
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
This
summary highlights selected information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
While this summary highlights what we consider to be the most important
information about us, you should carefully read this prospectus and the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part in their entirety
before investing in our securities, especially the risks of investing in our
securities, which we discuss later in the section of this prospectus
entitled “Risk Factors,” and our consolidated financial statements and
related notes beginning on page F-1.
Unless
otherwise specified or required by context, references to “we,” “our,” “us” and
the “Company” refer collectively to China For-Gen Corp., a Delaware corporation
(“China For-Gen”), and the subsidiaries of China For-Gen Corp., which are (i)
Liaoning Shengsheng Biotechnological Co., Ltd., a PRC company formerly known as
Anshan Xinfang Gardening Limited Company (“Liaoning Shengsheng” or the “WFOE”),
which is wholly owned by China For-Gen, and (ii) Karamai Pusheng Forest and Wood
Industry, LLC, a PRC limited liability company (“Pusheng”), which is wholly
owned by Liaoning Shengsheng Biotechnological Co., Ltd. For convenience, certain
amounts in Chinese Renminbi (“RMB”) have been converted to United States dollars
at an exchange rate in effect at the date of the related financial
statements. Assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rate as
of balance sheet date. Income and expenditures are translated at the average
exchange rate of the period.
This
prospectus assumes the over-allotment has not been exercised, unless otherwise
indicated. Share numbers included herein reflect the 1:1.5 reverse stock
split of all of the Company’s outstanding common stock, which occurred on May
12, 2010, unless otherwise indicated.
Our
Company
China
For-Gen is a Delaware corporation formed on February 26, 2008 solely for
the purpose of acquiring all of the equity interests of Liaoning Shengsheng, a
company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”) on
November 24, 2000. Since its inception, Liaoning Shengsheng has been an
agricultural and forestry company engaged in the breeding, cloning and sale of
plant seedlings and specialized transgenic plant seedlings, and the research and
development of seedling breeding technologies.
The
Company’s primary product is fast growing poplar saplings. These trees are
grown in the far northwest regions of China, in Xinjiang province near the city
of Karamai. The Company grows two distinct types of poplar saplings:
Shengsheng No. 1 and Shengsheng No. 2. Each product is separated into 5
different subcategories (1-5 years old trees) according to their age.
These varieties of poplar trees have been genetically modified for faster
growth, pest resistance, low water requirements and high fiber strength.
The poplar seedlings mature in 3-5 years instead of the normal maturation time
of 13-15 years. The saplings are sold primarily to distributors who then
resell our products to independent third parties for various uses, including
re-forestation in Western China. As of December 31, 2009, our planted
plantations under management consisted of approximately 8,300 mu in Xinjiang
Province. Internally generated cash flow and the potential capital from
this offering are expected to finance our entry into a more traditional lumber
market . For its 2009 fiscal year, the Company’s two major clients were
Karamai Teng Lin Farming Co., Ltd. and Liaoning Dongran Landscape
Engineering Co., Ltd. (each of which are independent third party distributors),
contributing 53.37% and 29.94%, respectively, of the Company’s 2009
revenues.
The
Company is rapidly growing in the forestry/lumber industry. The majority of
revenues currently come from the sale of poplar saplings. For the calendar
year ended 2009 we generated $23,615,957 revenues and $12,795,675 net income
versus 2008 revenues of $22,146,254 and net income of $6,688,771,
respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2010 we generated revenues
of $16,243,275 and net income of $10,112,564 versus the first six months of 2009
$12,916,318 and $4,783,495, respectively.
Structure
In
connection with the acquisition of the WFOE, certain officers and directors of
Lioaning Shengsheng (the “Call Option Stockholders”) entered into a call option
agreement (the “Call Option Agreement”) with Ms. Sherry Li (“Ms. Li”), then the
sole officer, director and shareholder of China For-Gen, wherein Ms. Li agreed
to transfer 12,000,000 shares of common stock to the Call Option Stockholders
after our initial public offering. The call option may be exercised by the
Call Option Stockholders for nominal consideration of $0.001 per share (the
“Call Option”). The Call Option Agreement provides that Ms. Li may not
dispose of any China For-Gen shares owned by her without the prior written
consent of the Call Option Stockholders. The Call Option Agreement was
amended and restated in its entirety on May 12, 2010 to comply with PRC laws,
including, without limitation, laws with respect to acquisitions by foreign
entities and ownership by PRC citizens in a foreign enterprise (the “Amended
Call Option Agreement”). The percentage ownership of the Company to be
granted to the Call Option Stockholders remains unchanged. Assuming the
offering to which this prospectus relates is completed prior thereto, the Call
Option Stockholders have indicated they intend to exercise their rights under
the Amended Call Option Agreement with respect to 50% of the shares subject to
the call option on or by December 31, 2010 and on or by December 31, 2011 with
respect to the remaining 50%. Upon exercise of the Call Option, neither
the ownership structure of the Company nor the number of shares of common stock
outstanding is expected to change from the current structure as the shares
underlying the Call Option are currently issued and outstanding and beneficially
owned by the Call Option Stockholders. Please see the section titled “Security Ownership of Certain
Beneficial Owners and Management” on page 59 for the
percentage ownership of the common stock owned by the Call Option
Stockholders. 1
Business
Strategy
We plan
to expand our business in the following ways:
Expand existing seedling operations
– we plan to expand our existing poplar nursery to potentially increase
sales to new and existing customers, while simultaneously expanding our
geographic base of operations. Our goal is to increase our harvesting of
poplar plant seedlings in greater numbers.
Increase Plantation in Xinjiang
Province – since land costs are very low and water resource management
has improved in the area, we believe we can become one of the leading tree
planting companies and suppliers of genetically modified poplar seedlings in
China. Further, we seek to enter into co-forestation agreements with local
governments throughout Western and Northern China to cultivate, process and
distribute timber resources. We can accelerate forestation utilizing our
transgenic poplar seedling technology.
Acquisitions – should
compliment our internal growth. Our primary acquisition strategy focuses
on several entities in the Daxinganling Forest, as set forth elsewhere herein,
which is located in the northern part of the Helongjiang Province .
Acquisitions, including forestry rights, will allow us to expand into
logging/timber sales, wood processing of medium-density fiberboard (“MDF”) and
recycling and refurbishing of lumber.
Physical expansion – We also
intend to construct a manufacturing facility capable of producing MDF and begin
the manufacture and sale of MDF, although no material efforts in this regard
have begun.
Historically,
we have maintained a strong relationship with our local government and
provincial government. We believe the relationship is strong and mutually
beneficial. We believe this offering and the expansion and development of
existing and new properties will only improve our relationship with the
government.
Funds
from this offering should accelerate our business strategy. We further
anticipate that internally generated cash flow over the next 18 months will help
complement and finance our growth plans. A more detailed description of
our business and strategy is located in the “Description of Business”
section.
Risks
Associated With Our Business
Investing
in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please see the section
entitled “Risk Factors” starting on page 6 of this prospectus to read about
risks that you should consider carefully before buying shares of our common
stock.
Our
Industry
The
global forestry industry provides timber resources and processed wood products
for numerous industries. The industry is generally divided into
upstream and downstream activities. Upstream activities focus on forest
resource management, including forest planning, planting, stand tending
and/or management of the forest, as well as harvesting and transportation
of logs. The wood-based downstream activities consist of processing of logs
into products such as sawn timber, plywood, reconstituted panel products,
pulp and paper, as well as further value-added processing activities, including
production of housing and building materials, including flooring and
furniture.
The State
Forestry Administration, or the SFA, is the state bureau in charge of the
national forestry industry in the PRC. Its principal functions
include the formulation of policies and regulations for the national
forestry industry, forest management and forestry resources protection and
the supervision of their implementation. Under the PRC Forest Law,
the PRC strictly implements a quota system for the logging of forest wood. The
forestry bureaus at the provincial level are responsible for compiling annual
logging quotas. The annual quota is reviewed by the local government at the same
level and is submitted to the PRC State Council for approval. Domestic log
supply is ultimately determined by the planted area and standing volume of
resources inside the PRC.
Our
Competitive Strengths
The
Chinese forestry industry is highly competitive and possesses high barriers to
entry. While we believe there are approximately five enterprises in the
PRC that have fast-growing poplar seedling capacity of over 10 million
seedlings, we do not believe these are their main products. Our business
model relies on the fact that seedlings for large-scale forestation projects
(more than 10,000 mu) can be bred in a relatively short period of time.
Although we are not the only company that can produce fast-growing poplar
seedlings on a large-scale using tissue culture technology, we believe there are
only a few that have been successful in securing contracts for forestation
projects of more than 10,000 mu.
In our
opinion, we have a built-in competitive advantage due to the genetic make-up of
our fast-growing poplar seedlings. The seedling technology will allow us
to come one step closer to becoming a vertically integrated operator in the
forestry/lumber industry. The anticipated financing is expected to reflect
the synergies of our expanded business model and operational goals.
Company
Information
Our
executive offices are located at Tengao District, Haicheng City, Liaoning
Province, P.R.China 114000 and our telephone number is 0412-2988160. The website
of our primary operating subsidiary is http://www.biosheng.com. Information
contained on or accessed through our website is not intended to constitute and
shall not be deemed to constitute part of this prospectus. 2
THE
OFFERING
(1)
The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding immediately after this
offering is based on 13,854,281shares of common stock outstanding as of
September 1, 2010 and includes 416,667 shares issuable upon cashless exercise of
the warrants issued in our May 30, 2008 private placement, but
excludes:
3
SUMMARY
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
The
following table is derived from and summarizes the relevant financial data for
our business and should be read in conjunction with our audited financial
statements and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this
prospectus and which account for the 1:1.5 reverse stock split of all of the
Company’s outstanding common stock, which occurred on May 12,
2010.
4
RISK
FACTORS
An
investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should
carefully consider the risks described below and the other information contained
in this prospectus before deciding to invest in our common stock. Our business,
financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely
affected by any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could
decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your
investment.
Risks
Associated With Our Business
Our
limited operating history may not serve as an adequate basis to judge our future
prospects and results of operations.
We have
only limited audited financial results on which you can evaluate us and our
operations. We have operated our business in our current corporate
structure only since April 2000 and are subject to, and may be
unable to address, the risks typically encountered by companies operating in a
rapidly evolving marketplace, including those risks relating to:
If we are
unable to address any or all of these or related risks, our business and results
of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our operating
results may fluctuate, which makes our results difficult to predict and could
cause our results to fall short of expectations.
Our
operating results may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, many outside
of our control. As a result, comparing our operating results on a
period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on our
past results as an indication of our future performance. Our quarterly,
year-to-date and annual expenses as a percentage of our revenues may differ
significantly from our historical or projected rates. Because our business
is changing and evolving, our historical operating results may not be useful to
you in predicting our future operating results.
Our
operating results in future quarters may fall below expectations. Any of these
events could cause our stock price to fall. Each of the risk factors listed
in this prospectus, as well as the following factors, may affect
our operating results:
We
are dependent on a single product for substantially all of our
revenues.
Our
revenues are substantially dependent on our fast growing poplar saplings, which
account for 99% of our business revenue. These trees are grown in the far
northwest regions of China, in Xinjiang province near the city of Karamai and we
grow two distinct types of poplar saplings: Shengsheng No. 1 and Shengsheng No.
2. No assurances can be given that customers and potential customers will
continue to seek our genetically modified poplar saplings. For example,
other products may be introduced into the marketplace which our customers prefer
or there may be other reasons, many of which are expected to be beyond our
control, for a switch away from our products. In the event sales of our
saplings decrease, our revenues, results of operations and future growth
prospects can be expected to be materially harmed. Accordingly, unless and
until we diversify and expand our product offerings, our future success will
significantly depend upon our genetically modified poplar
saplings. 5
Because
of the capital-intensive nature of our business, we may have to incur additional
indebtedness or issue new equity securities, and if we are not able to obtain
additional capital our ability to operate or expand our business may be impaired
and our results of operations could be adversely affected.
We
require significant levels of capital to acquire additional forest area, to
finance the development of our facilities and for the construction and
acquisition of new facilities, and we therefore expect we will need additional
capital, over and above what we raise in this offering, to fund our future
growth. If cash from available sources is insufficient or unavailable due
to restrictive credit markets, or if cash is used for unanticipated needs, we
may require additional capital sooner than anticipated. Our ability to obtain
additional capital on acceptable terms or at all is subject to a variety of
uncertainties, including:
We may be
required to pursue sources of additional capital through various means,
including joint venture projects and debt or equity financings. There is
no assurance we will be able to secure suitable financing in a timely fashion or
at all. In addition, there is no assurance we will be able to obtain the
capital we require by any other means. Future financings through equity
investments are likely to be dilutive to our existing stockholders. Also,
the terms of securities we may issue in future capital transactions may be more
favorable for our new investors. Newly issued securities may include
preferences, superior voting rights, the issuance of warrants or other
derivative securities, and the issuances of incentive awards under equity
employee incentive plans, which may have additional dilutive effects.
Further, we may incur substantial costs in pursuing future capital and/or
financing, including investment banking fees, legal fees, accounting fees,
printing and distribution expenses and other costs. We may also be
required to recognize non-cash expenses in connection with certain securities we
may issue, such as convertible notes and warrants, which will adversely impact
our financial condition.
If we
cannot raise additional funds on favorable terms or at all, we may not be able
to carry out all or parts of our strategy to maintain our growth and
competitiveness or to fund our operations. If the amount of capital we are
able to raise from financing activities, together with our revenues from
operations, is not sufficient to satisfy our capital needs, even to the extent
that we reduce our operations accordingly, we may be required to cease
operations.
Our
revenues are highly dependent on a limited number of customers and the loss of
any one of our major customers could materially and adversely affect our growth
and our revenues.
During
the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, our two largest customers
collectively accounted for 87% and 69%, respectively, of our accounts receivable
and 81% and 94% of sales, respectively. As a result of our reliance on a
limited number of customers, we may face pricing and other competitive pressures
which may have a material adverse effect on our growth and our revenues.
We do not have an exclusivity arrangement with any of our customers. In
addition, there are a number of factors, other than our performance, that could
cause the loss of a customer or a substantial reduction in revenue from any
single customer and that may not be predictable. For example, the
government could determine not to make utilization of forestry resources a high
priority or may reduce the sale and license of forestry resources to private
businesses. The loss of any one of our major customers can be expected to
result in a decrease in our sales volume and could materially adversely affect
our growth and our revenues. Moreover, the loss of any one of our major
customers could require us to layoff employees, which in turn could make it more
difficult for us to attract and retain professionals in the future, which could
further materially adversely affect our growth and our revenues. If our
customers seek to negotiate their agreements on terms less favorable to us and
we accept such unfavorable terms, such unfavorable terms may have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations. Accordingly, unless and until we diversify and expand our
customer base, our future success will significantly depend upon the timing and
volume of business from our largest customers.
We
do not have any current sales contracts with our customers.
All of
our sales contracts are seasonal in nature and are generally valid for less than
nine months. We customarily execute contracts in the late summer or early
fall. Such contracts typically require performance by all parties not later than
May, at which time the contracts terminate. Accordingly, as of the
date hereof, we do not have sales contracts with any of our customers, and there
is no assurance that our customers will enter into new agreements with us in the
future. Failure to enter into any such contracts would significantly
reduce our revenue. 6
We
may not be able to attract and retain a sufficient number of clients to maintain
or expand our business.
Our
business depends on our ability to attract and retain clients, and we cannot
assure you that our marketing efforts will lead to more companies purchasing our
genetically modified saplings. In the event we are successful in acquiring
additional forest area, in developing our timber processing operations or in our
manufacturing of MDF, we will need to find substantial sources of revenue for
each of these business operations as well. There are numerous factors that
could lead to a decline in business or a failure to obtain clients for our
expanded operations, including general economic conditions, market maturity or
saturation, a decline in our ability to deliver quality products at a
competitive price, direct and indirect competition and a decline in the demand
for timber and manufactured wood products. Any decrease in our client base
or any failure to attract clients to our new businesses may adversely impact our
operating margins and future growth prospects.
If
we do not continue to develop new products or if our products do not continue to
appeal to the market, we may not remain competitive, and our revenues and
operating results could suffer.
The
genetically modified saplings that we offer are subject to changing customer
demands. Our future operational and financial performance depends on our ability
to develop and market new services and products and to enhance our existing
services and products, each on a timely basis to respond to new and evolving
customer demands, to achieve market acceptance and keep pace with new
developments. We may be unable to develop, introduce on a timely basis (or
at all) or market any new or enhanced services or products, and we cannot assure
you that any new or enhanced services or products will appeal to the
market. Our failure to develop new services and products and to enhance
our existing services and products or the failure of our services and products
to continue to appeal to the market could have an adverse impact on our
business, financial condition, results of operations and future operating
prospects.
We
may be unable to make acquisitions or enter into joint ventures, which could
impair our growth prospects, and we may be unable integrate, operate or realize
the anticipated benefits of such businesses.
As part
of our growth strategy, we intend to pursue selected acquisitions or joint
ventures. We cannot assure you we will be able to effect these transactions on
commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Any future acquisitions or joint
ventures may require access to additional capital, and we cannot assure you we
will have access to such capital on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
Even if we enter into these transactions, we may not realize the benefits we
anticipate or we may experience difficulties in integrating any acquired
companies and products into our existing business; attrition of key personnel
from acquired businesses; significant charges or expenses; higher costs of
integration than we anticipate; or unforeseen operating difficulties that
require significant financial and managerial resources that would otherwise be
available for the ongoing development or expansion of our existing
operations.
Consummating
these transactions could also result in the incurrence of additional debt and
related interest expense, as well as unforeseen contingent liabilities, all of
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
or results of operations. We may also issue additional equity in connection with
these transactions, which would dilute our existing stockholders.
We
face competition from other research and development companies and timber
processing companies which could erode our market share, brand recognition and
profitability.
We face
formidable competition in every aspect of our business, and particularly from
other timber processors and wood products manufacturers. Our competitors
may be better capitalized, have more experience and have more established or
deeper relationships with relevant government authorities, vendors, suppliers,
distributors or customers than us. Our competitors may make acquisitions
or invest more aggressively in marketing or product development. We cannot
assure you our competitors will not attempt to copy our business model, or
portions thereof, and that this will not erode our market share and brand
recognition, and impair our growth rate and profitability. If our
competitors are able to provide similar or better services and products than
ours, we could experience a significant decline in revenue. Any such
decline could negatively affect our profitability and future growth
prospects.
Third
parties may infringe on our brand and other intellectual property rights, and we
may be unable to protect ourselves against such infringement for competitive and
legal reasons, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our
business.
We do not
currently hold any registered trademarks or patents for our products, names or
symbols. Moreover, intellectual property rights and related laws in China are
still developing, and there are uncertainties involved in the protection and the
enforcement of such rights. There is a risk that third parties may
infringe on, misappropriate or misuse our brand and other intellectual property
rights. If we are unable to protect or enforce our intellectual property
rights, the value of our brand, services and products could be diminished and
our business may suffer. Our precautions may not prevent misappropriation
of our intellectual property. Any legal action that we may bring to protect our
brand and other intellectual property may not achieve the desired results, may
be very expensive and could divert management’s attention from other business
concerns. 7
Our
failure to protect our intellectual property rights under applicable law could
lead to the loss of a competitive advantage that could not be compensated by our
damages award.
We
may be sued by third parties who claim that our products, and formulations,
methods of manufacture or methods of use infringe on their intellectual property
rights.
We may be
exposed to future litigation by third parties based on claims that our
technologies, processes, formulations, methods or products infringe the
intellectual property rights of others or that we have misappropriated the trade
secrets of others. Any litigation or claims against us, whether or not
valid, would result in substantial costs, could place a significant strain on
our financial and human resources and could harm our reputation. Such a
situation may force us to do one or more of the following:
Moreover,
the possibility exists that a patent could be issued that would cover one or
more of our products, requiring us to defend a patent infringement suit or
necessitating a patent validity challenge that would be costly, time consuming
and possibly unsuccessful. If a lawsuit were to be filed against us for patent
infringement, we would incur significant legal costs to defend
ourselves.
If
we fail to effectively manage our anticipated growth, our business and operating
results could be adversely effected.
We intend
to pursue a strategy of growth and expansion that is expected to place strain on
our management personnel, systems and resources. To accommodate our
intended growth, we anticipate that we will need to implement a variety of new
and upgraded research and development, manufacturing and processing and other
operational facilities, as well as financial systems, procedures and
controls and the improvement of our accounting and other internal management
systems, all of which require substantial management efforts and financial
resources. We will also need to continue to expand, train, manage and
motivate our workforce, and develop and manage our relationships with our
existing and target client base. All of these endeavors will require
substantial management effort and skills, and the incurrence of additional
expenditures. We cannot assure you we will be able to efficiently or
effectively implement our growth strategies and manage the growth of our
operations, and any failure to do so may limit our future growth and hamper our
business strategy.
We
depend on key personnel and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose
the services of our key executives and employees.
Our
future prospects are heavily dependent upon the continued service of our key
executives, particularly Mr. Baoquan Wang, our President and Chairman, and a
major shareholder of our company. We rely on his expertise in our business
operations, and on the personal relationships he has with the relevant
regulatory authorities, customers and suppliers. On January 1, 2010
we renewed employment agreements with our key officers through December 31,
2012, but we have not entered into non-competition or non-solicitation
agreements with our officers. If one or more of our key executives and employees
are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be
able to replace them easily and our business may be severely disrupted. In
addition, if any of our key executives or employees joins a competitor or forms
a competing company, we may lose customers and suppliers and incur additional
expenses to recruit and train personnel. Further, we do not maintain key-man
life insurance for any of our key executives.
We
rely on highly skilled personnel and if we are unable to retain or motivate key
personnel or hire qualified personnel, we may not be able to grow
effectively.
Our
performance largely depends on the talents and efforts of highly skilled
individuals. Our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our
ability to attract, retain and motivate our existing personnel. The market
for highly skilled personnel is highly competitive as a result of the limited
availability of such personnel. The inability to hire or retain such qualified
personnel may hinder our ability to implement our business strategy and may harm
our business.
We
rely on third party service or product providers and research partners and the
failure of these third parties to deliver high level of service and support
required in our business or the loss of a relationship with them will adversely
impact our business and future operating prospects.
Our
ability to increase sales, retain current and future memberships and strengthen
our brand will depend in part upon our relationships with third parties,
including the various government agencies that purchase our services. The
termination of these relationships could lead to the loss of a competitive
advantage or even the loss of customers and revenue. Moreover, if such
third parties are unable to satisfy their commitments to us, our business would
also be adversely affected. Additionally, due to our association with such
third parties, poor performance by our strategic partners outside of their
relationship with us, a decline in the quality of the products supplied by them
or deterioration of their reputation or other negative publicity about them
could adversely impact our reputation and business performance. 8
Because
we may not be able to obtain business insurance in the PRC, we may not be
protected from risks that are customarily covered by insurance in the United
States.
Business
insurance is not readily available in the PRC and we may suffer a loss of a type
which would normally be covered by insurance in the United States, such as
business interruption insurance and third party liability insurance to cover
claims related to personal injury, or property damage arising from
accidents during our operations. We would incur significant expenses in both
defending any action and in paying any claims that result from a settlement or
judgment. We have not obtained fire or casualty insurance, and there is no
insurance coverage for our equipment, furniture and buildings in China.
Any losses incurred by us will have to be borne by us without any assistance,
and we may not have sufficient capital to cover material damage to, or the loss
of, our facility due to fire, severe weather, flood or other cause, and such
damage or loss would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition,
business and prospects.
We
could be subject to claims related to health or safety risks.
Our
timber harvesting, processing and manufacturing business, if and when entered
into, may pose potential health or safety risks to our employees and there is a
risk that claims will be asserted against us for injury or death. Personal
injury claims and lawsuits can result in significant legal defense costs,
settlement amounts and awards, and could have an adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and result of operations or cash flow. In addition to
the risks of liability exposure and increased costs of defense, claims may
produce publicity that could hurt our reputation and business.
If we fail to
establish and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be
able to report our financial results accurately or to prevent fraud. Any
inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could
harm our business and adversely impact the trading price of our common
stock.
We are
required to establish and maintain internal controls over financial reporting,
disclosure controls, and to comply with other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the rules promulgated by the SEC
thereunder. Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, cannot guarantee that our internal controls and disclosure
controls will prevent all possible errors or all fraud. A control system, no
matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not
absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In
addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are
resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their
costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no system of
controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of
fraud, if any, within our company have been detected. These inherent limitations
include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that
breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Further, controls can
be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more
persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of
controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of
future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in
achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a
control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or the degree of
compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent
limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or
fraud may occur and may not be detected.
As of
June 30, 2010, our management has not conducted a comprehensive review to
determine whether our internal control over financial reporting has significant
deficiencies. However, we lack sufficient personnel with the appropriate
level of knowledge, experience and training in the application of US generally
accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) standards, especially related to
complicated accounting issues. This could cause us to be unable to
fully identify and resolve certain accounting and disclosure issues that could
lead to a failure to maintain effective controls over preparation, review and
approval of certain significant account reconciliation from Chinese GAAP to US
GAAP and necessary journal entries. We have a relatively complicated corporate
structure, which consists of multiple facilities and subsidiaries. The
relatively small number of professionals we employ in our bookkeeping and
accounting functions prevents us from appropriate segregating duties within our
internal control system. The inadequate segregation of duties is a
weakness because it could lead to the untimely identification and resolution of
accounting and disclosure matters or could lead to a failure to perform timely
and effective reviews.
To date,
we have not determined whether our internal controls over financial reporting
are sufficient, nor have we undertaken any remedial steps to remedy the
deficiencies set forth above. In the event our review demonstrates further
internal control deficiencies, any remedial measures we undertake may be
insufficient to address our material weaknesses, and there can be no assurance
that significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal controls
over financial reporting will not be identified or occur in the future. If
additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal
controls are discovered or occur in the future, we may fail to meet our future
reporting obligations on a timely basis, our consolidated financial statements
may contain material misstatements, we may be required to again restate our
prior period financial results, we may be subject to litigation and/or
regulatory proceedings, and our business and operating results may be
harmed. 9
The
legal requirements associated with being a public company, including those
contained in and issued under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may make it difficult for
us to retain or attract qualified officers and directors, which could adversely
affect the management of our business and our ability to obtain or retain
listing of our common stock.
We may be
unable to attract and retain qualified officers, directors and members of our
board of directors and committees required to provide for our effective
management because of the rules and regulations that govern publicly held
companies, including, but not limited to, certifications by principal executive
officers. The actual and perceived personal risks associated with
compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other public company requirements may
deter qualified individuals from accepting roles as directors and executive
officers. Further, the requirements for board or committee membership,
particularly with respect to an individual’s independence and level of
experience in finance and accounting matters, may make it difficult to attract
and retain qualified board members. If we are unable to attract and retain
qualified officers and directors, the management of our business and our ability
to obtain or retain the listing of our common stock on any stock exchange
(assuming we are able to obtain such listing) could be adversely
affected.
Our
business will suffer if we cannot obtain, maintain or renew necessary permits or
licenses.
All PRC
enterprises in the timber industry are required to obtain from various PRC
governmental authorities certain permits and licenses, including, without
limitation, a License of Forest Seed Distribution, a License of Forest Seed
Production and an Urban Landscaping Enterprise Qualification Certificate.
We have obtained permits and licenses required for Forest Seed Distribution and
Production and Urban Landscaping. Failure to obtain all necessary
approvals/permits may subject us to various penalties, such as fines or being
required to vacate from the facilities where we currently operate our business
or even cease operations.
These
permits and licenses are subject to periodic renewal and/or reassessment by the
relevant PRC government authorities and the standards of compliance required in
relation thereto may from time to time be subject to change. We intend to apply
for renewal and/or reassessment of such permits and licenses when required by
applicable laws and regulations; however, we cannot assure you we can obtain,
maintain or renew the permits and licenses or accomplish the reassessment of
such permits and licenses in a timely manner. Any changes in compliance
standards, or any new laws or regulations that may prohibit or render it more
restrictive for us to conduct our business or increase our compliance costs may
adversely affect our operations or profitability. Any failure by us to obtain,
maintain or renew the licenses, permits and approvals, may have a material
adverse effect on the operation of our business. In addition, we may not be able
to carry on business without such permits and licenses being renewed and/or
reassessed.
There
are unique risks in the MDF industry that we may not face in the seedling and
harvesting industries.
In
addition to investing in the construction of manufacturing facilities, there are
also other investments related to land acquisition, environmental impact
assessment, infrastructure construction, transportation, product and
environmental testing and quality assurance, among others. Accordingly,
entering the MDF processing industry involves financial risks and unique
obstacles than the other industries in which we are already active, i.e. the
forestry and seedling industries.
Risks
Relating to the Our Corporate Structure
Our
corporate structure is subject to significant risks, as set forth in the
following risk factors.
We
are a holding company that depends on cash flow from its subsidiaries to meet
our obligations.
We are a
holding company with no material assets other than the stock of Liaoning
Shengsheng, which conducts all our operations. We currently expect that
the earnings and cash flow of Liaoning Shengsheng will primarily be retained and
used for their continued business operations.
Our
controlling shareholder has potential conflicts of interest with our company
which may adversely affect our business.
Mr.
Baoquan Wang is our primary controlling shareholder as well as our chairman and
president. Given his significant interest in our company, there is a risk
that when conflicts of interest arise, Mr. Wang will not act completely in the
best interests of our stockholders (as opposed to his personal interest) or that
conflicts of interests will be resolved in our favor.
Additionally,
in the event you believe your rights have been infringed under the securities
laws or otherwise as a result of any one of the circumstances described above,
it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or our
officers or directors who reside within China. Even if you are successful
in bringing an action, the laws of the PRC may render you unable to enforce a
judgment against our assets and management, all of which are located in
China.
Risks
Associated With Doing Business in China
Our
operations and assets in China are subject to significant political and economic
uncertainties over which we have little or no control, and we may be unable to
alter our business practice in time to avoid the possibility of reduced
revenues.
Doing
business outside the United States, particularly in China, subjects us to
various risks including changing economic and political conditions, major work
stoppages, exchange controls, currency fluctuations, armed conflicts and
unexpected changes in United States and foreign laws relating to tariffs, trade
restrictions, transportation regulations, foreign investments and
taxation. Changes in the PRC laws and regulations, or their
interpretation, or the imposition of confiscatory taxation, restrictions on
currency conversion, imports and sources of supply, devaluations of currency or
the nationalization or other expropriation of private enterprises could have a
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial
condition. Under its current leadership, the Chinese government has been
pursuing economic reform policies that encourage private economic activities and
greater economic decentralization. There is no assurance, however, that
the Chinese government will continue to pursue these policies, or that it will
not significantly alter these policies from time to time without notice. We have
no control over most of these risks and may be unable to anticipate changes in
international economic and political conditions. Therefore, we may be
unable to alter our business practice in time to avoid the possibility of
reduced revenues. 10
We
derive all of our sales in China and a slowdown or other adverse developments in
the PRC economy may materially and adversely affect our business.
All of
our assets are located in China and all of our revenue is derived from our
operations in China. We anticipate that our revenues generated in China will
continue to represent all of our revenues in the near future, including upon the
expansion of our business. Accordingly, our results of operations and
prospects are subject, to a significant extent, on the economic, political and
legal developments in China. We are therefore subject to the risks
associated with an economic slowdown or other adverse developments in the
PRC. Moreover, the industry in which we are involved in the PRC is growing
and transitioning from government-owned to privately owned so we cannot be sure
of the laws, rules, regulations, policies and processes the various PRC
government entities may impose as our industry evolves. In addition, the
Chinese government also exercises significant control over Chinese economic
growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign
currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing
preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Efforts by
the Chinese government to slow the pace of growth of the Chinese economy could
result in reduced demand for our services and products. A slowdown in
overall economic growth, an economic downturn or recession or other adverse
economic developments in the PRC may materially reduce the demand for our
products or otherwise materially and adversely affect our business, results of
operations and future growth prospects.
The
Chinese government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must
conduct our business activities.
We are
dependent on our relationship with the local governments in the provinces in
which we operate our business. The Chinese government has exercised and
continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the
Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to
operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including
those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property
and other matters. The central or local governments of the various PRC
jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of
existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on
our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or
interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including
any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to
a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the
implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic
conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to
divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese
properties.
If
relations between the United States and China worsen, investors may be unwilling
to hold or buy our stock and our stock price may decrease.
At
various times during recent years, the United States and China have had
significant disagreements over political and economic issues. Controversies may
arise in the future between these two countries. Any political or trade
controversies between the United States and China, whether or not directly
related to our business, could reduce the price of our common
stock.
Inflation
in China may inhibit our ability to conduct business in China.
In recent
years, the Chinese economy has experienced periods of rapid expansion and high
rates of inflation. Rapid economic growth can lead to growth in the money
supply and rising inflation. If prices for our services and products
rise at a rate that is insufficient to compensate for the rise in the costs of
supplies, it may have an adverse effect on profitability. These factors
have led to the adoption by the Chinese government, from time to time, of
various corrective measures designed to restrict the availability of credit or
regulate growth and contain inflation. High inflation may in the future
cause the Chinese government to impose controls on credit and/or prices, or to
take other action, which could inhibit economic activity in China, and thereby
harm the market for our services and products.
Currency
fluctuations and restrictions on currency exchange may adversely affect our
business, including limiting our ability to convert Chinese Renminbi into
foreign currencies and, if Chinese Renminbi were to decline in value, reducing
our revenue in U.S. dollar terms.
Our
reporting currency is the U.S. dollar and our operations in China use their
local currency as their functional currencies. Substantially all of our revenue
and expenses are in Chinese Renminbi. We are subject to the effects of
exchange rate fluctuations with respect to these currencies. For example,
the value of the Renminbi depends to a large extent on Chinese government
policies and China’s domestic and international economic and political
developments, as well as supply and demand in the local market. Since 1994, the
official exchange rate for the conversion of Renminbi to the U.S. dollar had
generally been stable and the Renminbi had appreciated slightly against the U.S.
dollar. However, on July 21, 2005, the Chinese government changed its
policy of pegging the value of Chinese Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Under
the new policy, Chinese Renminbi may fluctuate within a narrow and managed band
against a basket of certain foreign currencies. It is possible that the Chinese
government could adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in
more significant fluctuation of Chinese Renminbi against the U.S. dollar.
We can offer no assurance that Chinese Renminbi will be stable against the U.S.
dollar or any other foreign currency. 11
Our
financial statements are translated into U.S. dollars at the average exchange
rates in each applicable period. To the extent the U.S. dollar strengthens
against foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign currency
denominated transactions results in reduced revenue, operating expenses and net
income for our international operations. Similarly, to the extent the U.S.
dollar weakens against foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign
currency denominated transactions results in increased revenue, operating
expenses and net income for our international operations. We are also
exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations as we convert the financial
statements of our foreign consolidated subsidiaries into U.S. dollars in
consolidation. If there is a change in foreign currency exchange rates,
the conversion of the foreign consolidated subsidiaries’ financial statements
into U.S. dollars will lead to a translation gain or loss which is recorded as a
component of other comprehensive income. Changes in the functional
currency value of these assets and liabilities create fluctuations that will
lead to a transaction gain or loss. We have not entered into agreements or
purchased instruments to hedge our exchange rate risks, which could leave us
exposed to the potential adverse effects of currency fluctuations.
Moreover, the availability and effectiveness of any hedging transaction, should
such transactions be available to us on reasonable terms and should we choose to
engage in such transactions (of which no assurances can be given), may be
limited and we may not be able to hedge our exchange rate risks.
The
State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) restrictions on currency
exchange may limit our ability to receive and use our sales revenue effectively
and to pay dividends.
All of
our sales revenue and expenses are denominated in Chinese Renminbi. Under
PRC law, the Renminbi is currently convertible under the “current account,”
which includes trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions and
dividends, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign direct
investments and loans. Currently, our PRC operating subsidiaries may
purchase foreign currencies for settlement of current account transactions,
including for payment of dividends to us, without the approval of SAFE, by
complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant PRC
government authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign
currencies in the future. Since a significant amount of our future revenue
will be denominated in Renminbi, any existing and future restrictions on
currency exchange may limit our ability to pay dividends or utilize revenue
generated in Renminbi to fund any business activities outside China that are
denominated in foreign currencies.
Foreign
exchange transactions by PRC operating subsidiaries under the capital account
continue to be subject to significant foreign exchange controls and require the
approval of or need to register with PRC government authorities, including
SAFE. These limitations could affect our PRC operating subsidiaries’
ability to obtain foreign exchange through debt or equity financing. If
the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining foreign currency,
we may be unable to pay the interest and principal on any debentures we may
issue, pay dividends on our equity or meet obligations that may be incurred in
the future that require payment in foreign currency.
The PRC
government also may at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign
currencies for current account transactions.
Because
our principal assets are located outside of the United States and a majority of
our directors and our officers will reside outside of the United States, it may
be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on the United States federal
securities laws against us and our officers and directors in the United States
or to enforce judgments of United States courts against us or them in the
PRC.
All of
our officers and directors reside outside of the United States. In addition, our
operating subsidiaries are located in the PRC and all of their assets are
located outside of the United States. China does not have a treaty with
United States providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of
judgments of courts. It may therefore be difficult for investors in the
United States to enforce their legal rights based on the civil liability
provisions of the United States federal securities laws against us in the courts
of either the United States or the PRC, and even if civil judgments are obtained
in courts of the United States, to enforce such judgments in the PRC
courts. Further, it is unclear if extradition treaties now in effect
between the United States and the PRC would permit effective enforcement of
criminal penalties against us or our officers and directors under the United
States federal securities laws or otherwise.
Because
the assets of our wholly-owned subsidiaries are located overseas, stockholders
may not receive distributions that they would otherwise be entitled to if we
were declared bankrupt or insolvent.
Because
all of the assets of our wholly-owned subsidiaries are located in the PRC, they
may be outside of the jurisdiction of U.S. courts to administer if we are the
subject of an insolvency or bankruptcy proceeding. As a result, our stockholders
may not receive distributions on liquidation under U.S. Bankruptcy laws that
they would otherwise be entitled to if our assets were located
within the U.S.
The
PRC legal system contains uncertainties which could limit the legal protections
available to us and you, or could lead to penalties on us.
The PRC
legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike common law
systems, it is a system in which decided legal cases have little precedential
value. In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive
system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. Our PRC
operating subsidiaries are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign
investment in China. In addition, all of our subsidiaries are incorporated in
China and subject to all applicable Chinese laws and regulations. Because of the
relatively short period for enacting such a comprehensive legal system, it is
possible that the laws, regulations and legal requirements are relatively
recent, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. These
uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us and other
foreign investors, including you, and may lead to penalties imposed on us
because of the different understanding between the relevant authority and
us. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in
the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to
existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of
local regulations by national laws. 12
We
may have limited legal recourse under the PRC laws if disputes arise under our
contracts with third parties.
The
Chinese government has enacted significant laws and regulations dealing with
matters such as corporate organization and governance, foreign investment,
commerce, taxation and trade. However, their experience in implementing,
interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations is limited, and our
ability to enforce commercial claims or to resolve commercial disputes is
unpredictable. If our new business ventures are unsuccessful, or other
adverse circumstances arise from these transactions, we face the risk that the
parties to these ventures may seek ways to terminate the transactions, or may
hinder or prevent us from accessing important information regarding the
financial and business operations of these acquired companies. The
resolution of these matters may be subject to the exercise of considerable
discretion by agencies of the Chinese government, and forces unrelated to the
legal merits of a particular matter or dispute may influence their
determination. Any rights we may have to specific performance, or to seek an
injunction under the PRC laws, in either of these cases, are severely limited,
and without a means of recourse by virtue of the Chinese legal system, we may be
unable to prevent these situations from occurring. The occurrence of any
such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations. Although legislation in China over
the past 30 years has significantly improved the protection afforded to various
forms of foreign investment and contractual arrangements in China, these laws,
regulations and legal requirements are relatively new and their interpretation
and enforcement involve uncertainties, which could limit the legal protection
available to us, and foreign investors, including you. The inability to
enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a
significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital and could have a
material adverse impact on our operations.
PRC
regulations relating to acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign entities may
create regulatory uncertainties that could restrict or limit our ability to
operate.
In
November 2005, SAFE issued a public notice, known as Circular 75, concerning the
use of offshore holding companies in mergers and acquisitions in China. The
public notice provides that if an offshore company controlled by PRC residents
intends to acquire a PRC company, such acquisition will be subject to
registration with the relevant foreign exchange authorities. The public notice
also suggests that registration with the relevant foreign exchange authorities
is required for any sale or transfer by the PRC residents of shares in an
offshore holding company that owns an onshore company. The PRC residents must
each submit a registration form to the local SAFE branch with respect to their
ownership interests in the offshore company, and must also file an amendment to
such registration if the offshore company experiences material events, such as
changes in the share capital, share transfer, mergers and acquisitions, spin-off
transactions or use of assets in China to guarantee offshore
obligations.
Our
current PRC beneficial owners may fall within the ambit of Circular 75 and be
required to register with the local SAFE branch as required under Circular 75.
If so required, and if such PRC beneficial owners fail to timely register their
SAFE registrations pursuant to the Circular 75, or if future shareholders and/or
beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents fail to comply with the
registration procedures set forth in the Circular 75, this may subject such
shareholders, beneficial owners and/or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal
sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital
(including using the proceeds from this offering) into our PRC subsidiaries,
limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to our company, or
otherwise adversely affect our business.
On August
8, 2006, MOFCOM, joined by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration
Commission of the State Council, the State Administration of Taxation, the State
Administration for Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory
Commission and SAFE, released a substantially amended version of the Provisions
for Foreign Investors to Merge with or Acquire Domestic Enterprises (the
“Revised M&A Regulations”), which took effect September 8, 2006. These new
rules significantly revised China’s regulatory framework governing
onshore-to-offshore restructurings and foreign acquisitions of domestic
enterprises. These new rules signify greater PRC government attention to
cross-border merger, acquisition and other investment activities, by confirming
MOFCOM as a key regulator for issues related to mergers and acquisitions in
China and requiring MOFCOM approval of a broad range of merger, acquisition and
investment transactions. Further, the new rules establish reporting requirements
for acquisition of control by foreigners of companies in key industries, and
reinforce the ability of the Chinese government to monitor and prohibit foreign
control transactions in key industries.
Among
other things, the revised M&A Regulations include new provisions that
purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle, or SPV, formed for
listing purposes and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or
individuals must obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and
trading of such SPV’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On
September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures
specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by SPVs
seeking CSRC approval of their overseas listings. However, the application
of this PRC regulation remains unclear with no consensus currently existing
among the leading PRC law firms regarding the scope and applicability of the
CSRC approval requirement. 13
We were
advised by our PRC counsel that our restructuring is not subject to CSRC
approval. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that the CSRC or
another PRC regulatory agency subsequently determines that CSRC approval was
required for our restructuring. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory
agency subsequently determines that CSRC approval was required for our
restructuring, we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC
or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and
penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the
PRC, or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects,
as well as the trading price of our common stock.
If later
the CSRC requires that we obtain its approval, we may be unable to obtain a
waiver of the CSRC approval requirements, if and when procedures are established
to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding
this CSRC approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the
trading price of our common stock. Furthermore, published news reports in China
recently indicated that the CSRC may have curtailed or suspended overseas
listings for Chinese private companies.
It is
uncertain how our business operations or future strategy will be affected by the
interpretations and implementation of Circular 75 and its internal implementing
guidelines and the Revised M&A Regulations. It is anticipated that
application of the new rules will be subject to significant administrative
interpretation, and we will need to closely monitor how MOFCOM and other
ministries apply the rules to ensure that our domestic and offshore activities
continue to comply with PRC law. Given the uncertainties regarding
interpretation and application of the new rules, we may need to expend
significant time and resources to maintain compliance.
Our
partial payment of the acquisition price paid for Liaoning Shengsheng creates
regulatory restrictions that limit Liaoning Shengsheng’s ability to pay
dividends to us and may result in other regulatory restrictions.
Generally
there is no SAFE approval required prior to remitting dividends of a foreign
invested enterprise. However, according to the Notice on Relevant
Issues concerning Improving Foreign Direct Investment Foreign Exchange
Administration by SAFE, effective as of April 1, 2003, before the acquisition
price of an acquisition of a PRC company by a foreign investor has been paid
off, any dividend remittance abroad by such PRC company may only be in
proportion to the actual payments made by such foreign investor. Since we
have only paid $1.28 million of $5.12 million consideration due to the Liaoning
shareholders, Liaoning Shengsheng can only remit 25% of its dividends or profits
to us until we have paid all the acquisition consideration. This restriction is
not affected by the timing of the exercise of the call option granted from
Sherry Li to the original Shengsheng shareholders pursuant to the Amended and
Restated Call Option Agreement dated May 12, 2010.
Our
labor costs are likely to increase as a result of changes in Chinese labor
laws.
We expect
to experience an increase in our cost of labor due to recent changes in Chinese
labor laws which are likely to increase costs further and impose restrictions on
our relationship with our employees. In June 2007, the National People’s
Congress of the PRC enacted new labor law legislation called the Labor Contract
Law and more strictly enforced existing labor laws. The new law, which
became effective on January 1, 2008, amended and formalized workers’ rights
concerning overtime hours, pensions, layoffs, employment contracts and the role
of trade unions. In addition, under the new law, employees who either have
worked for a company for 10 years or more or who have had two consecutive
fixed-term contracts should be given an “open-ended employment contract” upon
the request of such employee that, in effect, constitutes a long term contract
which is only terminable under certain limited circumstances. Should we
become subject to such open-ended employment contracts, our employment related
risks could increase significantly and we may be limited in our ability to
downsize our workforce in the event of an economic downturn. No assurance can be
given that we will not in the future be subject to labor strikes or that it will
not have to make other payments to resolve future labor issues caused by the new
laws. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that the labor laws will not
change further or that their interpretation and implementation will vary, which
may have a negative effect upon our costs and results of
operations.
We
must comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
We are
required to comply with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which
prohibits U.S. companies from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments
to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business.
Foreign companies, including some of our competitors, are not subject to these
prohibitions. Corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other
fraudulent practices occur from time to time in China. If our competitors
engage in these practices, they may receive preferential treatment or other
advantage in securing business or from government officials who might give them
priority in obtaining new licenses, which would put us at a disadvantage.
Such disadvantage can be expected to have a material adverse impact on our
business, growth prospects and results of operations. Although we inform
our personnel that such practices are illegal, we do not yet have an official
policy in place and, even once such a policy is implemented, we cannot assure
you that our employees or other agents will not engage in such conduct for which
we might be held responsible. If our employees or other agents are found
to have engaged in such practices, we could suffer severe penalties, which could
be expected to have a material adverse effect on our reputation, share price and
future operating prospects.
If
we make equity compensation grants to persons who are PRC citizens, they may be
required to register with SAFE. We may also face regulatory uncertainties
that could restrict our ability to adopt equity compensation plans for our
directors and employees and other parties under PRC laws.
On April
6, 2007, SAFE issued the “Operating Procedures for Administration of Domestic
Individuals Participating in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option
Plan of An Overseas Listed Company, also know as “Circular 78.” It is not
clear whether Circular 78 covers all forms of equity compensation plans or only
those which provide for the granting of stock options. For any plans which are
so covered and are adopted by a non-PRC listed company, such as our company,
after April 6, 2007, Circular 78 requires all participants who are PRC citizens
to register with and obtain approvals from SAFE prior to their participation in
the plan. In addition, Circular 78 also requires PRC citizens to register
with SAFE and make the necessary applications and filings if they participated
in an overseas listed company’s covered equity compensation plan prior to April
6, 2007. We believe that the registration and approval requirements
contemplated in Circular 78 will be burdensome and time
consuming. 14
In the
future, we may adopt an equity incentive plan and make numerous stock option
grants under the plan to our officers, directors and employees, some of whom are
PRC citizens and may be required to register with SAFE. If it is
determined that any of our equity compensation plans are subject to Circular 78,
failure to comply with such provisions may subject us and participants of our
equity incentive plan who are PRC citizens to fines and legal sanctions and
prevent us from being able to grant equity compensation to our PRC employees. In
that case, our ability to compensate our employees and directors through equity
compensation would be hindered and our business operations may be adversely
affected.
Due
to various restrictions under PRC laws on the distribution of dividends by our
PRC operating companies, we may not be able to pay dividends to our
shareholders.
The
Wholly-Foreign Owned Enterprise Law (1986), as amended and the Wholly-Foreign
Owned Enterprise Law Implementing Rules (1990), as amended and the Company Law
of the PRC (2006) contain the principal regulations governing dividend
distributions by wholly foreign owned enterprises. Under these regulations,
wholly foreign owned enterprises (“WFOE”) may pay dividends only out of their
accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting
standards and regulations. Additionally, a WFOE is required to set aside a
certain amount of their accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain
reserve funds. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends
except in the event of liquidation and cannot be used for working capital
purposes.
Furthermore,
if our consolidated subsidiaries in China incur debt on their own in the future,
the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or
make other payments. If we or our consolidated subsidiaries are unable to
receive all of the revenues from our operations due to these contractual or
dividend arrangements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our common
stock. In addition, under current PRC law, we must retain a reserve equal
to 10 percent of net income after taxes each year, with the total amount of the
reserve not to exceed 50 percent of registered capital. Accordingly, this
reserve will not be available to be distributed as dividends to our
shareholders. We presently do not intend to pay dividends in the
foreseeable future. Our management intends to follow a policy of retaining all
of our earnings to finance the development and execution of our strategy and the
expansion of our business.
As
all of our operations and personnel are in the PRC, we may have difficulty
establishing adequate western style management, legal and financial
controls.
The PRC
historically has been deficient in western style management and financial
reporting concepts and practices, as well as in modern banking, and other
control systems. We may have difficulty in hiring and retaining a
sufficient number of qualified employees to work in the PRC. As a result
of these factors, and especially given that we expect to be a publicly listed
company in U.S. and subject to regulation as such, we may experience difficulty
in establishing management, legal and financial controls, collecting financial
data and preparing financial statements, books of account and corporate records
and instituting business practices that meet western standards. We may
have difficulty establishing adequate management, legal and financial controls
in the PRC. Therefore, we may, in turn, experience difficulties in
implementing and maintaining adequate internal controls as required under
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other applicable laws, rules and
regulations. This may result in significant deficiencies or material
weaknesses in our internal controls which could impact the reliability of our
financial statements and prevent us from complying with SEC rules and
regulations and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Any such
deficiencies, weaknesses or lack of compliance could have a materially adverse
effect on our business and the public announcement of such deficiencies could
adversely impact our stock price.
An
outbreak of a pandemic avian influenza, SARS or other contagious disease may
have an adverse effect on the Chinese economy which may adversely affect our
results of operations.
During
the past four years, large parts of Asia experienced unprecedented outbreaks of
avian influenza. Currently, no fully effective avian flu vaccines have
been developed and there is evidence that the H5N1 virus is evolving. An
effective vaccine may not be discovered in time to protect China against an
avian flu pandemic. Also, in the first half of 2003, certain countries in Asia
experienced an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, a highly
contagious form of atypical pneumonia, which seriously interrupted the economic
activities in the affected regions.
An
outbreak or perceived outbreak of avian flu, SARS, swine flu or other contagious
disease may seriously interrupt our operations, which may have a materially
adverse effect on our financial results.
Our
bank accounts are not insured or protected against loss.
We
maintain our cash with various banks and trust companies located in China. Our
cash accounts are not insured or otherwise protected. Should any bank or trust
company holding our cash deposits become insolvent, or if we are otherwise
unable to withdraw funds, we would lose the cash on deposit with that particular
bank or trust company. 15
Under
the PRC EIT Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of the PRC.
Such classification could result in PRC tax consequences to us and our non-PRC
resident enterprise shareholders.
On March
16, 2007, the National People’s Congress approved and promulgated a new tax law,
the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or “EIT Law,” which took effect on January 1,
2008. Under the EIT Law, enterprises are classified as resident enterprises and
non-resident enterprises. An enterprise established outside of China with “de
facto management bodies” within China is considered a “resident enterprise,”
meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for
enterprise income tax purposes. The implementing rules of the EIT Law define “de
facto management bodies” as a managing body that in practice exercises
“substantial and overall management and control over the production and
operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise; however,
it remains unclear whether the PRC tax authorities would deem our managing body
as being located within China. Due to the short history of the EIT Law and
lack of applicable legal precedents, the PRC tax authorities determine the PRC
tax resident treatment of a foreign (non-PRC) company on a case-by-case
basis.
If the
PRC tax authorities determine we are a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise
income tax purposes, a number of PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we
may be subject to the enterprise income tax at a rate of 25 percent on our
worldwide taxable income, as well as PRC enterprise income tax reporting
obligations. Second, under the EIT Law and its implementing rules, dividends
paid between “qualified resident enterprises” are exempt from enterprise income
tax. As a result, if we are treated as a “qualified resident enterprise,” all
dividends that we receive from Liaoning Shengsheng (assuming such dividends are
considered sourced within the PRC) should be exempt from PRC tax. If we are
treated as a “non-resident enterprise” under the EIT Law, then dividends that we
receive from Liaoning Shengsheng (assuming such dividends are considered sourced
within the PRC) may be subject to a 10 percent PRC withholding tax. Any such tax
on dividends could materially reduce the amount of dividends, if any, we could
pay to our shareholders.
Finally,
the new “resident enterprise” classification could result in a situation in
which a 10 percent PRC tax is imposed on dividends we pay to our enterprise, but
not individual, investors that are not tax residents of the PRC (“non-resident
investors”) and gains derived by them from transferring our common stock, if
such income is considered PRC-sourced income by the relevant PRC tax
authorities. In such event, we may be required to withhold a 10 percent PRC tax
on any dividends paid to our non-resident investors. Our non-resident investors
also may be responsible for paying PRC tax at a rate of 10 percent on any gain
realized from the sale or transfer of our common stock in certain circumstances.
We would not, however, have an obligation to withhold PRC tax with respect to
such gain under the PRC tax laws.
Moreover,
the State Administration of Taxation (“SAT”) released Circular Guoshuihan No.
698 (“Circular 698”) on December 10, 2009 that reinforces the taxation of
certain equity transfers by non-resident investors through overseas holding
vehicles. Circular 698 addresses indirect equity transfers as well as other
issues. Circular 698 is retroactively effective from January 1, 2008. According
to Circular 698, where a non-resident investor who indirectly holds an equity
interest in a PRC resident enterprise through a non-PRC offshore holding company
indirectly transfers an equity interest in a PRC resident enterprise by selling
an equity interest in the offshore holding company, and the latter is located in
a country or jurisdiction where the actual tax burden is less than 12.5 percent
or where the offshore income of its residents is not taxable, the non-resident
investor is required to provide the PRC tax authority in charge of that PRC
resident enterprise with certain relevant information within 30 days of the
transfer. The tax
authorities in charge will evaluate the offshore transaction for tax purposes.
In the event that the tax authorities determine that such transfer is abusing
forms of business organization and a reasonable commercial purpose for the
offshore holding company other than the avoidance of PRC income tax liability is
lacking, the PRC tax authorities will have the power to re-assess the nature of
the equity transfer under the doctrine of substance over form. A reasonable
commercial purpose may be established when the overall international (including
U.S.) offshore structure is set up to comply with the requirements of
supervising authorities of international (including U.S.) capital markets. If
the SAT’s challenge of a transfer is successful, it may deny the existence of
the offshore holding company that is used for tax planning purposes and subject
the seller to PRC tax on the capital gain from such transfer. Since Circular 698
has a short history, there is uncertainty as to its application. We (or a
non-resident investor) may become at risk of being taxed under Circular 698 and
may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 698 or to
establish that we (or such non-resident investor) should not be taxed under
Circular 698, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition and results of operations (or such non-resident investor’s investment
in us).
If any
PRC tax applies to a non-resident investor, the non-resident investor may be
entitled to a reduced rate of PRC tax under an applicable income tax treaty
and/or a deduction for such PRC tax against such investor’s domestic taxable
income or a foreign tax credit in respect of such PRC tax against such
investor’s domestic income tax liability (subject to applicable conditions and
limitations). Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding
the applicability of any such taxes, the effects of any applicable income tax
treaties, and any available deductions or foreign tax credits. For a
further discussion of these issues, see the section of this prospectus captioned
“Material PRC Income Tax Considerations,” below.
Risks
Associated With Our Common Stock
Shares
of our common stock lack a significant trading market.
We will
seek to list our common stock on the NYSE AMEX under the symbol CFG. There
can be no assurance that an active trading market in our common stock will
develop, or if such a market develops, that it will be sustained. The
price at which investors purchase shares of our common stock may not be
indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market. Investors may
be unable to sell their shares of common stock at or above their purchase price,
which may result in substantial losses. 16
The
market price for our stock may be volatile.
The
market price for our stock may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in
response to factors including the following:
In
addition, the securities market has from time to time experienced significant
price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance
of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and
adversely affect the market price of our stock.
The
future sale of a substantial amount of outstanding stock in the public
marketplace could reduce the price of our common stock.
We cannot
predict the effect, if any, that market sales of shares of our common stock or
the availability of shares of common stock for sale will have on the market
price prevailing from time to time. Sales of shares of our common stock in the
public market covered under an effective registration statement, or the
perception that those sales may occur, could cause the trading price of our
common stock to decrease or to be lower than it might be in the absence of those
sales or perceptions.
We may issue
additional shares of our capital stock or debt securities to raise capital or
complete acquisitions, which would reduce the equity interest of our
stockholders .
Our
certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares
of common stock, $.001 par value per share, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, $.001 par value per share. There are currently 13,854,281 shares of
our common stock, and 500,000 shares of our preferred stock, outstanding.
An additional 5,797,751 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance upon
the exercise of outstanding warrants, conversion of the Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock and conversion of outstanding promissory notes. As a
result, there are approximately 30,558,951 authorized and unissued shares of our
common stock and 1,500,000 shares of our preferred stock which have not been
reserved and are available for future issuance. Although we have no commitments
as of the date of this offering to issue our securities other than as set forth
herein, we may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our securities
to complete a business combination or to raise capital. We registered many
shares under the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part for
the benefit of certain selling stockholders, many of which are shares of common
stock underlying notes, preferred stock and warrants. Accordingly, such
shares are not yet issued and outstanding, but the registration of such shares
may make it more likely such securities will be converted or exercised (as
applicable) and such additional shares of common stock issued to such
investors. The issuance of additional shares of our securities may cause
economic and percentage dilution to our stockholders and may adversely affect
prevailing market prices for our common stock.
As of
August 10, 2010, those investors who purchased convertible promissory notes and
warrants in our February 2010 private placement exercised their right to
purchase up to an additional $2,500,000 of notes on terms identical to those in
the February 2010 offering. See “Description of Our Securities – February
2010 Private Placement” included herein for a complete description of the
February 2010 Private Placement. 17
Further,
we anticipate that we will require approximately $100 million to fund our 3-5
year growth strategy. We currently plan to raise a majority of such funds from
the capital markets. If we raise these funds by issuing additional
securities, the newly issued securities can be expected to result in substantial
dilution of our stockholders.
Our management
and directors own a significant amount of our common stock or options to
purchase a significant amount of our common stock, giving them influence or
control in corporate transactions and other matters, and their interests could
differ from those of other stockholders.
As of the
date of this prospectus, our management and directors as a group have the right
to control 86.61% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, they are
in a position to significantly influence the outcome of matters requiring a
stockholder vote, including the election of directors, the adoption of any
amendment to our articles of incorporation or bylaws, and the approval of
significant corporate transactions. Their control may delay or prevent a change
of control on terms favorable to our other stockholders and may adversely affect
your voting and other stockholder rights.
Risks
Related to an Investment in Our Securities
No
cash dividends on our common stock are expected to be paid in the foreseeable
future.
While we
do pay dividends on our Series A Preferred Stock at a rate of 11% per annum, we
do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future and we may not have sufficient funds legally available to pay dividends
in the event we choose to do so. Even if the funds are legally available
for distribution, we may nevertheless decide not to pay any dividends.
Furthermore, the terms of our Series A Preferred Stock prohibit the payment of
dividends on our common stock while any Series A Preferred Stock is
outstanding. We intend to retain all earnings for our operations. As
a result, investors in our common stock should not rely on an investment in our
securities if they require the investment to produce dividend income. Capital
appreciation, if any, of our shares may be investors’ sole source of gain for
the foreseeable future. Moreover, investors may not be able to resell
their shares of the Company at or above the price they paid for
them.
Volatility
in our common share price may subject us to securities litigation.
The
market for our common stock may be characterized by significant price
volatility, and we expect that our share price will continue to be more volatile
than a seasoned issuer for the indefinite future. In the past, plaintiffs
have often initiated securities class action litigation against a company
following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. We
may, in the future, be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation
could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could divert management's
attention and resources.
Our
common stock may be thinly traded and you may be unable to sell at or near ask
prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money or otherwise
desire to liquidate your shares.
We intend
to apply to have our common stock listed on the NYSE AMEX. Our common
stock may be “thinly-traded”, meaning that the number of persons interested in
purchasing our common stock at or near bid prices at any given time may be
relatively small or non-existent. This situation may be attributable to a
number of factors, including the fact that we are a small company which is
relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and
others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and
that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be
risk-averse and might be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or
purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we became
more seasoned. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or
more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared
to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity
that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share
price. We cannot give you any assurance that a broad or active public
trading market for our common stock will develop or be
sustained.
The
elimination of liability of our directors, officers and employees under Delaware
law and the existence of indemnification rights to our directors, officers and
employees may result in substantial expenditures by our company and may
discourage lawsuits against our directors, officers and employees.
Our
certificate of incorporation contains provisions that eliminate the liability of
our directors to our company and stockholders to the extent allowed under
Delaware law, and we are prepared to give such indemnification to our directors
and officers to the extent provided by Delaware law. The foregoing
indemnification obligations could result in our company incurring substantial
expenditures to cover the cost of settlement or damage awards against directors
and officers, which we may be unable to recoup. These provisions and
resultant costs may also discourage our company from bringing a lawsuit against
directors and officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties, and may similarly
discourage the filing of derivative litigation by our stockholders against our
directors and officers even though such actions, if successful, might otherwise
benefit our company and stockholders.
Shares
eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market.
From time
to time, certain of our stockholders may be eligible to sell all or some of
their shares of common stock by means of ordinary brokerage transactions in the
open market pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, subject to certain
limitations. In general, pursuant to amended Rule 144, non-affiliate
stockholders may sell freely after six months subject only to the current public
information requirement (which disappears after one year). Affiliates may
sell after six months subject to the Rule 144 volume, manner of sale (for equity
securities), current public information and notice requirements. Any
substantial sale of our common stock pursuant to Rule 144 or pursuant to any
resale prospectus may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our
common stock. In addition we are registering for resale 8,068,698 shares
of common stock from our private placements on the Registration Statement
relating to this prospectus. Such shares will be freely tradable with no
restrictions after registration. 18
CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
AND
OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS
This
prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements give
our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify
these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or
current facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties.
Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, (a)
our projected sales, profitability and cash flows, (b) our growth strategies,
(c) anticipated trends in our industries, (d) our future financing plans and (e)
our anticipated needs for working capital. They are generally identifiable by
use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,”
“potential,” “projects,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expects,” “management
believes,” “we believe,” “we intend” or the negative of these words or other
variations on these words or comparable terminology. In particular, these
include statements relating to future actions, future performance, sales
efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, and
financial results.
Any or
all of our forward-looking statements in this prospectus may turn out to be
inaccurate. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by
known or unknown risks or uncertainties. Consequently, no forward-looking
statement can be guaranteed. Actual future results may vary materially as a
result of various factors, including, without limitation, the risks outlined
under “Risk Factors” and matters described in this prospectus generally. In
light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the
forward-looking statements contained in this filing will in fact occur and you
should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. 19
USE
OF PROCEEDS
We
estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the 4,000,000 shares
of common stock in the offering at an offering price of $[
] per share will be approximately $[ ] million after
deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering
expenses. Our net proceeds will be approximately $[
] million if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option
to purchase additional shares of common stock from us in full.
We intend
to use the net proceeds from the offering for the following purposes subject to
our application for and obtaining of applicable registrations and approvals
under PRC laws and regulations:
The
amount and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors,
including the status of our acquisition and development efforts, sales and
marketing activities, and the amount of cash generated or used by our
operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use portions of the
proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the
application of the net proceeds. Additionally, we may choose to expand our
current business through acquisition of complimentary businesses using cash
or shares, as set forth herein. Except as set forth herein, we have not
entered into any negotiations, agreements or commitments with respect to any
such acquisitions at this time. 20
DIVIDEND
POLICY
Although
we will continue paying required dividends of 11% per annum with respect to our
outstanding Series A Preferred Stock, we have not paid, and do not currently
intend to pay, cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future. Liaoning Shengsheng, the Company’s subsidiary, declared a one
time dividend in the amount of $6,139,166 in 2008 (prior to our acquisition of
Liaoning Shengsheng), and paid such dividends to the original Liaoning
Shengsheng shareholders (the “Shengsheng Shareholders”) in 2009. On March
21, 2010, Liaoning Shengsheng declared a one time dividend to the Shengsheng
Shareholders in the amount of RMB55,300,000 ($8,091,017). This dividend
was based on Liaoning Shengsheng ’s profit for its 2009 fiscal year, which
was not finally determined until completion of the audit of its 2009 financial
statements. RMB 34,557,800 ($5,056,198) of such dividend was paid in May,
2010 to certain non-management shareholders of Liaoning Shengsheng. On
June 28, 2010 the Shengsheng Shareholders agreed to return $3,046,471 (RMB
20,742,200) to the Company in order to assist the Company’s future
developments. The Company has no intention of using the proceeds of this
offering for paying the balance of such dividend payment.
Our
policy is to retain all earnings, if any, to provide funds for operation and
expansion of our business. We are a holding company incorporated in the State of
Delaware and do not have any assets or conduct any business operations other
than our investments in our subsidiaries. As a result of our holding
company structure, we rely entirely on dividend payments from our PRC
subsidiaries. PRC accounting standards and regulations currently permit
payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits, a portion of which is
required to be set aside for certain reserve funds. Our inability to
receive all of the revenues from our PRC subsidiaries' operations may provide an
additional obstacle to our ability to pay dividends if we so decide in the
future. The declaration of dividends, if any, will be subject to the
discretion of our board of directors, which may consider such factors as our
results of operations, financial condition, capital needs and acquisition
strategy, among others.
Generally
there is no prior SAFE approval required for remitting dividends of a foreign
invested enterprise. However, according to Notice on Relevant Issues
concerning Improving Foreign Direct Investment Foreign Exchange
Administration by
SAFE, effective as of April 1, 2003, before the acquisition price of an
acquisition of a PRC company by a foreign investor has been paid off, any
dividend remittance abroad by such PRC company may only be in proportion to the
actual payments made by such foreign investor. Since we have only paid
$1.28 million of $5.12 million consideration due to the Liaoning shareholders,
Liaoning Shengsheng can only remit 25% of its dividends or profits to us until
we have paid all the acquisition consideration. This restriction is not affected
by the timing of the exercise of the call option granted from Sherry Li to the
original Liaoning Shengsheng shareholders pursuant to the Amended and Restated
Call Option Agreement dated May 12, 2010. 21
CAPITALIZATION
On May
11, 2010, the Company effected a 1:1.5 reverse split of the Company’s issued and
outstanding common stock (the “Reverse Split”). The following table
summarizes our capitalization as of June 30, 2010, after taking into account the
Reverse Split, on an actual basis and as adjusted basis to reflect our receipt
of estimated net proceeds from the sale of 4,000,000 shares of common
stock (excluding the 600,000 shares of common stock which the
underwriter has the option to purchase to cover over-allotments, if any) in this
offering at an offering price of $[ ] per share, and after
deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated
offering expenses of approximately $[ ] per share.
You
should read this table in conjunction with the sections of this prospectus
entitled “Use of Proceeds,” “Summary Consolidated Financial Information,”
“Selected Consolidated Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial
statements and related notes included elsewhere in this
prospectus.
(1) The
table above excludes, as of June 30, 2010:
22
MARKET
PRICE OF COMMON EQUITY AND
RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Market
Information
There is
currently no public market for our common stock. We intend to apply to
have our common stock listed on the NYSE AMEX under the symbol
CFG.
Holders
As of
September 2, 2010, there were 13 holders of record of our common
stock.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
As of
June 30, 2010 and September 2, 2010, we did not have any equity compensation
plan in effect. 23
DETERMINATION
OF OFFERING PRICE
The
representative has advised us that the underwriters propose to offer the common
stock directly to the public at the public offering price that appears on the
cover page of this prospectus. Prior to this offering, there was no public
market for any of our securities. The public offering price of our common stock
was determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters. The principal
factors considered in determining the public offering price of the common stock
included:
We cannot
be sure the public offering price will correspond to the price at which our
common stock will trade in the public market following this offering or that an
active trading market for our common stock will develop or continue after this
offering. 24
DILUTION
If you
invest in our securities, your investment will be diluted immediately to the
extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of common
stock you pay in this offering, and the pro forma net tangible book value per
share of common stock immediately after this offering.
Pro forma
net tangible book value represents the amount of our total tangible assets
reduced by our total liabilities after giving effect to the sale of four million
shares of common stock in this offering. Tangible assets equal our total assets
less goodwill and intangible assets. Pro forma net tangible book value per share
represents our pro forma net tangible book value divided by the number of shares
of common stock outstanding after giving effect to the conversion of 500,000
shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock. As of June 30, 2010, our
pro forma net tangible book value was $[ ] million and our pro forma
net tangible book value per share was $[ ].
After
giving effect to the sale of 4,000,000 shares of common stock in the offering at
a public offering price of $[ ] per share, and after deducting the
underwriting discount and commission and estimated offering expenses, our
adjusted pro forma net tangible book value as of June 30, 2010 would have been
$[ ] million, or $[ ] per share. This
represents an immediate increase in pro forma net tangible book value of
$[ ] per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution of $[
] per share to new investors purchasing shares in this
offering.
The
following table illustrates this per share dilution:
The
information above is as of June 30, 2010 and excludes the
following:
Our
adjusted pro forma net tangible book value after the offering, and the dilution
to new investors in the offering, will change from the amounts shown above if
the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
A $1.00
increase or decrease in the assumed public offering price per share would
increase or decrease our adjusted pro forma net tangible book value per share
after this offering by approximately [$ ], and dilution per share to
new investors by approximately $[ ], after deducting the
underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by
us. 25
EXCHANGE
RATE INFORMATION
Our
business is primarily conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated
in RMB. Capital accounts of our consolidated financial statements are translated
into United States dollars from RMB at their historical exchange rates when the
capital transactions occurred. Assets and liabilities are translated
at the exchange rates as of the balance sheet date. Income and
expenditures are translated at the average exchange rate of the
period. RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all
foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized
institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could
have been, or could be, converted into United States dollars at the rates used
in translation.
The
following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB
and the United States dollar for the periods indicated.
26
The
selected consolidated statement of income data for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of
December 31, 2009 and 2008 have been derived from our audited consolidated
financial statements of included elsewhere in this prospectus. The
results of operations for past accounting periods are not necessarily indicative
of the results to be expected for any future periods.
27
28
The
following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of
operations relates to the operations and financial condition reported in the
consolidated financial statements of the Company for the two years ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008, and the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, and
should be read in conjunction with such financial statements and related notes
included in this prospectus. Those statements in the following
discussion that are not historical in nature should be considered to be forward
looking statements that are inherently uncertain. Actual results and the timing
of the events may differ materially from those contained in these forward
looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in the
“Cautionary Note on Forward Looking Statements” set forth elsewhere in this
prospectus.
Overview
We were
incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on February 26,
2008. The core activities of our business include the sale of
transgenic poplar seedlings and trees, and the planting, harvesting, processing,
forestation, and cloning of such seedlings and trees. We are based in
Anshan City of Liaoning Province, PRC.
Through
joint research with specialized universities, we have developed transgenic
poplar seedlings that are fast-growing, highly pest and drought-resistant and
high in fiber density. As a result, our seedlings are ultimately
purchased by government departments and other organizations responsible for tree
planting.
Operating
Results
The
following selected comparative financial information for the six months ended
June 30, 2010 and 2009, and the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 have been
derived from and should be read in conjunction with our financial statements for
the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, and the fiscal years ended December
31, 2009 and 2008 included as exhibits to this prospectus. Because we
are categorized as in a farm and forest industry, we are entitled to participate
in a government subsidy program for our sapling business. Under the
program, we collect value added tax (VAT) from customers, in an amount equal to
3% of sales during the year ended December 31, 2009 and 6% of sales during the
year ended December 31, 2008. This amount is not required to be remitted to the
government. VAT, which is included in revenue, was $682,735 and $1,251,786 for
the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 respectively.
Comparison
of Six Months and Three Months Ended June 30, 2010 and 2009
29
We
experience strong seasonality in the sales of poplar saplings, our main product.
The majority of sales are executed in April, May, October and November each
year. During the first quarter, our sales revenue was derived from
sales of vegetables and flowers. The revenue from sales of vegetables
and flowers historically does not account for more than 1% of our total revenue
each year. The price of vegetables and flowers we sell and the
related expenses have been relatively stable over the past several
years. The sale of vegetables and flowers has no big impact on our
operating results.
Sales
Revenue
Total net
revenues increased $3,328,374 or 26% and $3,326,957 or 26% during the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to the same periods of
2009. This is primarily due to the sales from Sapling No. 2, the
product we started to sell in 2010.
Cost
of Goods Sold
Cost of
goods sold decreased 1,722,299 or 33% and $1,722,158 or 33% during the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to the same periods of
2009. This is primarily due to the fact that we used the saplings bred and
cultivated in house with lower costs in 2010 compared to the saplings outsourced
from third parties in 2009.
Gross
Profit
Gross
profit increased $5,050,673 or 65% and $5,049,115 or 65% during the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to the same periods of
2009. This was primarily due to the aforementioned increase in sales and
decrease in cost of goods sold.
The gross
profit margin (gross profit as a percent of total revenues) increased 18.9
percentage points to 78.6% in the three months ended 2010 from 59.8% in the
three months ended 2009 and increased 18.9 percentage points to78.6% in the six
months ended June 30, 2010 from 59.8% in the six months ended June 30, 2009.
This was primarily due to the new product introduced in 2010 and self-bred and
cultivated saplings used in 2010.
Selling
Expenses
Selling
expenses decreased by $840,412 or 33% and $840,057 or 33% during the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to the same periods of
2009. Sales expenses in 2010 decreased compared to the same period in
2009. It was mainly due to the fact that we sold more saplings in 2009 and the
size of saplings sold in 2010 are typically larger than those sold in 2009,
resulting in lower unit variable cost for each sapling.
General
and Administration Expenses
General
and administration expenses increased by $167,345 or 79% and $431,005 or 114%,
during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to
the same periods of 2009. It was mainly due to the increase in professional,
entertainment and maintenances fees in 2010.
Gain
on the change of fair value of warrants liabilities
We used
the Black-Scholes model to estimate the fair value of warrants then outstanding
as of June 30, 2010 and March 31, 2010. There were 1,108,334 shares of warrants
A and 1,108,333 shares of warrants B outstanding as of June 30, 2010 and March
31, 2010, which were valued at $535,414 and $444,522, respectively for the six
months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, and $565,674 and $474,933 respectively for
the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009, resulting a gain on change of
fair value of warrant liability of $60,672 and $80,918 for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010, respectively.
Interest
Expense
On
February 12, 2010, we issued five-year convertible promissory notes with a face
amount of $2,000,000, a 10% annual interest rate and a maturity date of February
11, 2015. The notes bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum accrued monthly in
kind for the first 12 months and shall be payable in cash on the 10th day of
each month, after the initial 12 months at the election of the
noteholder. As of March 31, 2010 and June 30, 2010, we recorded
accrued interest of $23,528 and $38,440 on these notes for the three months
ended March 31, 2010 and the six months ended June 30, 2010,
respectively.
The
conversion feature of the convertible notes provides for a rate of conversion
that is below market value. This feature is characterized as a beneficial
conversion feature (“BCF”). A BCF is recorded by us as a debt discount pursuant
to ASC Topic 470-20. We recorded an amortization expense $65,244 and
$22,221 of BCF related to the convertible notes for the six and three months
ended June 30, 2010. 30
Net
Income
For the
three months ended June 30, 2010, net income was $10,577,199 compared to
$4,945,069 for the corresponding period of 2009, an increase of $5,632,130 or
114%. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, net income was
$10,112,564 compared to $4,783,495 for the corresponding period of 2009, an
increase of $5,329,069 or 111%. The increases in net income for the
three and six months ended June 30, 2010 were mainly due to the aforementioned
higher revenues and lower cost of goods sold and selling and general and
administrative expenses.
Taxes
We
incurred no income taxes during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, as
our income from the sale of tree saplings is tax exempted in the
PRC.
Foreign
Currency Translation Adjustment
The
accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. Dollars. Our
functional currency is the Renminbi ("RMB") of the PRC. The financial
statements are translated into U.S. Dollars from RMB at period-end exchange
rates for assets and liabilities, and weighted average exchange rates for
revenues and expenses. Capital accounts are translated at their historical
exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. We recognized
$101,920 foreign currency translation gain and $33,422 foreign currency loss for
the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively. For the
three months ended June 30, 2010, we recognized $141,498 foreign currency
translation gain, compared to a loss of $71,703 for the three months ended June
30, 2009.
Comprehensive
income
For the
three months ended June 30, 2010, comprehensive income was $10,718,697, compared
to $4,873,366 for the corresponding period of 2009, an increase of $5,845,331 or
120%. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, comprehensive income
was $10,214,484 compared to $4,750,073 for the corresponding period of 2009, an
increase of $5,464,411 or 115%. The increases in comprehensive
incomes for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010 were mainly due to
change in foreign currency adjustments.
Comparison
of Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
31
Sales
Revenue
Sales for
the year ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 were $23,615,957 and $22,146,254
respectively, an increase of $1,469,703 or 6.64%. The increase was primarily due
to the fact that approximately 9 million more saplings were sold than in the
prior year.
Cost
of Goods Sold
Cost of
goods sold in 2009 and 2008 was $6,351,073 and $10,428,042
respectively. The cost of goods sold in year 2009 showed a decrease
of approximately $4,076,969, or 39.1%. Our sales include both
saplings grown internally and semi-mature saplings (e.g. year old saplings)
purchased from other suppliers. The cost of internally grown saplings
is lower than semi-mature saplings purchased for growing and
resale. In 2009, our sales included a majority of internally grown
saplings, lowering the cost of sales.
Gross
Profit
Gross
profit increased from $11,718,212 in 2008 to $17,264,884 in 2009, an increase of
$5,546,672, or 47.33%. This increase was primarily due to the decrease in cost
of goods sold.
Selling
Expenses
Selling
expenses were $4,206,849 in 2008 and $3,561,550 in 2009. This
decrease of $645,299, or 15.34%, is primarily due to a decrease in labor costs
because younger saplings were sold in year 2009 compared to year
2008.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and administrative expenses were $830,813 in 2008 and $912,870 in
2009. This increase of $82,057, or 9.88%, reflects a proportionate
increase in administrative expenses, such as utilities, as business activity
increased.
Government
Subsidies
Because
the Company is categorized as in a farm and forest industry, it is entitled to
participate in a government subsidy program for its sapling
business. Under the program, the Company collects value added tax
(VAT) from customers in an amount equal to 3% of sales during the year ended
December 31, 2009 and 6% of sales during the year ended December 31, 2008. This
amount is not required to be remitted to the government. VAT, which is included
in revenue, was $682,735 and $1,251,786 for the years ended December 31, 2009
and 2008 respectively. The subsidy rate is applicable on qualified
revenues, which for us includes the sale of the saplings, but not landscaping
projects.
Net
Income Before Taxes
Net
income was $12,795,675 in 2009 and $6,688,771 in 2008. This increase
of $6,106,904, or 91.3%, in net income before taxes was mainly attributed to the
increase in gross profit.
Taxes
Taxes
were zero in 2009 and in 2008. According to the PRC income tax regulations, our
income from the sale of tree saplings is tax exempt in the PRC.
Net
Income
Net
income was $12,795,675 in 2009 and $6,688,771 in 2008. This increase of
$6,106,904, or 91.3%, was primarily due to the increase in gross
profit.
Foreign
Currency Translation Adjustment
The
accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. Dollars. The Company's
functional currency is the Renminbi ("RMB") of the PRC. The financial statements
are translated into U.S. Dollars from RMB at year-end exchange rates for assets
and liabilities, and weighted average exchange rates for revenues and expenses.
Capital accounts are translated at their historical exchange rates when the
capital transactions occurred. During the fiscal period ended December 31, 2009,
the RMB steadily appreciated against the U.S. dollar, and we recognized a
foreign currency translation gain of $34,412. 32
Comprehensive
Income
Comprehensive
income was $12,830,087 in 2009 and $7,827,338 in 2008. The primary reason for
this increase of $ 5,002,749, or 63.9%, is due to the combined effect of higher
revenues, slightly lower operating expenses, and, most importantly, a
significant decrease in cost of sales that led to a higher gross
profit.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company experiences strong seasonality in the sales of poplar saplings, its main
product. The majority of sales are executed in April, May, October and November
of each year. 11.26%, 41.87%, 47.24% and 8.69% of the sales were made in April,
May, October and November, respectively, in 2009. Mainly because of the
seasonality in its current business, the Company has relatively higher than
average accounts receivable on its year-end balance sheets. All
outstanding accounts receivables are expected to be received from customers
within a year after the delivery date of the products specified in the relevant
sales contracts. The Company has experienced no bad debts in its history and
expects all of its customers to make their required payments. All sales made
within the first half of fiscal year 2009 were collected within a year of the
date of product delivery.
The
Company’s current and long-term liquidity is very high, as demonstrated by the
following chart, derived from the Company’s historical consolidated financial
statements.
The
Company’s current and long-term liquidity is very high as its current poplar
sapling business requires relatively low investment in fixed
assets. Short-term liquidity continues to improve as the Company’s
current ratio has increased year-over-year since 2007, from 5.34 in 2007 to
12.76 in 2008 and 19.49 in 2009. The MDF business the Company intends to enter
requires a relatively high investment in fixed assets, such as manufacturing
facilities, land and machinery. Accordingly, the impact of this
investment could be significant depending on the state of the Company’s finances
at such time. The Company expects to develop good relationships with
its MDF customers and suppliers, and expects timely payments from its
customers.
On April
28, 2009, the Company entered into an acquisition agreement with Liaoning
Shengsheng. Pursuant to the terms of such agreement, the Company
acquired Liaoning Shengsheng in consideration for $5.12 million. The Company
paid $1.28 million to the Liaoning Shengsheng shareholders at the
closing. The Company’s long-term payable is $3.84 million for this
transaction and is expected to be satisfied using the proceeds of this
offering.
On May
13, 2009, Liaoning Shengsheng and Tuqiang Forestry Bureau of Daxinganling (the
“Tuqiang Forestry Bureau”) entered into an acquisition agreement pursuant to
which Liaoning Shengsheng has the right to acquire up to 80% of the outstanding
equity of Beijisong for total consideration equal to 80% of the appraised value
of Beijisong. Liaoning Shengsheng has made payments of $877,693 for the
Beijisong acquisition. No further payments are due until an appraisal of
Beijisong has been completed and a final purchase price has been determined. We
anticipate such appraisal will be concluded in 2010, although no assurances
thereof can be given. A portion of the proceeds of this offering are intended to
be used for such remaining payment following completion of the appraisal of
Beijisong. We cannot determine the full extent of our short-term or
long-term payables as the appraisal of Beijisong has not yet been completed. The
timing and result of such appraisal can be expected to impact the timing and
amount of our current and future payables.
We
anticipate that we will require approximately $100 million to fund our 3-5 year
growth strategy. We expect to source a majority of these funds from
the capital markets. One of our strategic growth areas is to enter into the
business of manufacturing MDF by making strategic acquisitions in the northeast
areas of China.
We plan
to expand our existing plantation base in Xihuangdi Village, Dongsi Fangtai
Town, and acquire new plantation bases to support our product growth strategy.
This growth strategy requires approximately $16 million. Approximately $14
million will be used to fund a new research and development center and a new
facility for wild plantation breeding and cultivation in the Daxinganling
area.
The
following table summarizes our liquidity and capital resources for the periods
presented:
33
The
following table shows the movements of our cash for the periods
presented.
Operating
Activities
Net cash
provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2010 was
$8,962,175. This is primarily due to a net income of $10,112,564,
adjusted by non-cash related expenses, including depreciation and amortization
of $101,095, a gain on the change of fair value of derivative liabilities of
$80,918 and amortization of discount convertible notes of $145,462 and
amortization of deferred financing costs of $13,500, offset by a net increase in
working capital of $1,329,528. The net increase in working capital
items was mainly due to an increase in accounts receivable, other receivable,
long term deposit and advances to suppliers. The net increase in working capital
items was partially offset by the decrease in the decrease in inventory, income
tax receivable and advance from customers.
The
Company paid $ 2,633,604 to Karamai Gas Company for large-scale forestation
projects (30,000 mu) during six months ended June 30, 2010.
Net cash
used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was
$216,361. This is primarily due to a net income of $4,783,495,
adjusted by non-cash related expenses, including depreciation and amortization
of $99,056, offset by a net increase in working capital of $5,098,912. The net
increase in working capital was mainly due to decrease in accounts receivable,
inventories and income tax receivable. The decrease in accounts
payable and accrued expenses also contributed to the net increase in working
capital items.
Investing
Activities
Net cash
used in investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2010 was
$107,897. This is primarily due to $107,897 of capital expenditures
for plant and office equipment.
Financing
Activities
Net cash
used in financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2010 was
$6,132,850. This is primarily due to net proceeds of $1,865,000 from
the issuance of convertible notes and gross proceeds of $2,000,000 offset by the
financial costs of $135,000, short-term loan of $93,167 from a shareholder of
the Company who advanced certain expenses on behalf of the Company and
$8,091,017 dividend paid. The $93,167 payable due to such shareholder is an
oral agreement and has no stated interest. We do not intend to secure
further funds from this or any other shareholder or other related
party.
On March 21, 2010, Liaoning Shengsheng,
the Company’s subsidiary, declared a dividend to the original Liaoning
Shengsheng Shareholders in the amount of $8,091,017 (RMB 55,300,000). During the
six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company paid an $8,091,017 dividend to its
shareholders. On June 28, 2010 the shareholders agreed to return
$3,046,471 (RMB 20,742,200) to the Company in order to assist the Company’s
future developments.
Net cash
used in financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $1,864,
representing funds borrowed from one of our stockholders.
For
the Year Ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
34
Operating
Activities
Our net
operating cash flow for 2009 was $6,419,755 and $648,988 for
2008. This was primarily attributable to a significant increase in
net income, $12,795,675 compared to $6,688,771 in 2008. The rise in
net income was mainly due to the increase in gross profit as our cost of sales
decreased.
Investing
Activities
Cash used
in investing activities in 2009 was $2,923 compared to $106,146 in 2008. The
primary reason for this decrease was because there were no significant purchases
of plant or equipment in 2009. No additional land purchases,
leases or construction was made.
Financing
Activities
Cash used
in financing activities in 2009 was $6,187,557, compared to $749,506 in 2008.
The primary reason for the increase was an increase in dividends
paid. No additional funds were provided from bank
financing.
Liaoning
Shengsheng, the Company’s subsidiary, declared a one time dividend in the amount
of $6,139,166 in 2008 (prior to our acquisition of Liaoning Shengsheng), and
paid such dividends to the original Liaoning Shengsheng shareholders in
2009.
Capital
Expenditures
Capital
expenditures were approximately $2,923 in 2009 and $106,146 in 2008, reflecting
a decrease of $103,223, or 97.2%. Rent paid for real estate was a
major component of our capital expenditures in 2008, accounting for
approximately 92% of total capital expenditures. The main reason for
the decrease is that such rent was prepaid in 2008 for both 2008 and
2009. Accordingly, no rent payments were made in 2009.
Contractual
Obligations
We have
one contractual obligation for the purchase of equipment. We engaged
an MDF equipment manufacturer in April 2009 to design, build and install an MDF
production line for us in Karamai. The total cost is approximately
$9,004,392 and 80% of the total has been paid. Contract terms allow
the Company to pay the remaining balance as follows: 15% upon completion of
installation and 5% to be retained by the Company as maintenance and support
fees. Currently we are surveying suitable land space for the production line and
equipment.
Market
Risks
We are
exposed to various types of market risks, including changes in foreign exchange
rates, commodity prices and inflation in the normal course of
business.
Interest
rate risk
We are
subject to risks resulting from fluctuations in interest rates on our bank
balances. A substantial portion of our cash is held in China in
interest bearing bank deposits and denominated in RMB. To the extent
we may need to raise debt financing in the future, upward fluctuations in
interest rates will increase the cost of new debt. We do not
currently use any derivative instruments to manage our interest rate
risk.
Commodity
price risk
We are
not exposed to any commodity price risk. We do not speculate on
commodity prices. We did not have any commodity price derivatives or hedging
arrangements outstanding at March 31, 2010 and did not employ any commodity
price derivatives during the three months ended March 31, 2010.
Foreign
exchange risk
We carry
out all of our transactions in Renminbi. Therefore, we have limited exposure to
foreign exchange fluctuations. A substantial portion of our cash is
held in China in interest bearing bank deposits and denominated in
RMB. The Renminbi is not a freely convertible currency. The PRC
government may take actions that could cause future exchange rates to vary
significantly from current or historical exchange rates. Fluctuations in
exchange rates may adversely affect the value of any dividends we
declare.
Inflation
risk
In recent
years, China has not experienced significant inflation or deflation and thus
inflation and deflation have not had a significant effect on our business during
the past three years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics
of China, inflation as measured by the consumer price index in China was -0.7%,
5.9% 4.8% and 1.5% in 2009, 2008,2007 and 2006, respectively. 35
Seasonality
The
majority of our sales occur in the months of April, May, October and
November. Accordingly, the Company has extreme seasonal fluctuations
in its revenue, operating income and cash flows.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We do not
have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to
have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial
condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital
expenditures or capital resources that is material to our
investors.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
Management’s
discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations are
based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in
accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our financial statements reflect the selection and
application of accounting policies, which require management to make significant
estimates and judgments. We believe the following paragraphs reflect
the more critical accounting policies that currently affect our financial
condition and results of operations.
Accounts
receivable
The
Company collected accounts receivables incurred in 2008 more quickly than those
incurred in 2009, resulting in less accounts receivable outstanding as of
December 31, 2008 as compared to December 31, 2009. This is primary reason why
accounts receivable increased faster than sales in 2009 than 2008. We did not
accrue allowance on trade receivables because we have previously not incurred
loss on trade receivables. We are confident we can collect all
accounts receivable outstanding. We collected $ 5,623,403 on our December 31,
2009 balance of trade receivable. We have $5,272,499 of accounts
receivable not yet collected. They were trade receivables related to
sales in the last three months of 2009. We expect to collect all account
receivable in a year and all the remaining balance in November and December
2010.
The
following table sets out the collections of our accounts receivable as of
December 31, 2009
Impairment
We
account for impairment of long-lived assets including property, plant and
equipment, and amortizable intangible assets in accordance with SFAS No.144,
Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, which requires
an impairment loss to be recognized when the carrying amount of a long-lived
asset or asset group exceeds its fair value and is not recoverable (when
carrying amount exceeds the gross, undiscounted cash flows from use and
disposition). The impairment loss is measured as the excess of the carrying
amount over the assets’ (or asset group’s) fair value.
Revenue
recognition
Our
revenues consist of sales of genetically modified saplings. Sales are recognized
in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104 included in the
codification as ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, when the following four revenue
criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has
occurred, the selling price is fixed or determinable and collectability is
reasonably assured. No return allowance is made as products are normally not
returnable upon acceptance by the customers.
The price
at which we sell fast-growing poplar seedlings is based on numerous factors,
including: market price changes of fast-growing poplar seedlings; regional
supply of fast-growing poplar seedlings; seasonal availability of seedlings and
demand for fast-growing poplar seedlings. Generally, it takes 20 days for a
single transaction to be consummated. This time frame includes negotiation of
terms, execution of contract, preparation, delivery, transportation, planting of
products and receipt of payment. For larger transactions, it can take up to one
year for the last payment to be made.
Our
revenue recognition policies are in compliance with Staff accounting bulletin
(SAB) 104, included in the Codification as ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. Sales
revenue is recognized at the date of shipment or delivery to customers when a
formal arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, no other
significant obligations of the Company exist and collectability is reasonably
assured. Payments received before all of the relevant criteria for revenue
recognition are satisfied are recorded as unearned revenue. No return allowance
is made as products are normally not returnable upon acceptance by the
customers. 36
Because
the Company is categorized as in a farm and forest industry, it is entitled to
participate in a government subsidy program for its sapling business. Under the
program, the Company collects value added tax (VAT) from customers in an amount
equal to 3% of sales during the year ended December 31, 2009 and 6% of sales
during the year ended December 31, 2008. This amount is not required to be
remitted to the government. VAT, which is included in revenue, was $682,735 and
$1,251,786 for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
respectively.
Foreign
currency translation
The
reporting currency of the Company is United States Dollars. All assets and
liabilities accounts have been translated into United States Dollars using the
current exchange rate at the balance sheet date. Capital stock is
recorded at historical rates. Revenue and expenses are translated using the
average exchange rate in the year. The resulting gain and loss has
been reported as other comprehensive income (loss) within the shareholder’s
equity.
Use
of estimates
The
preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities,
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. Because of the use of estimates inherent in the financial
reporting process, actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant
estimates include estimates of accruals and inventory valuation.
The fair
value of the Warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing
method with the following assumptions (not accounting for the Reverse Split and
any adjustment in the exercise price such Warrants as a result
thereof):
Stock
based compensation
We
adopted SFAS No. 123R effective January 1, 2006, and are using the modified
prospective method, in which compensation cost is recognized beginning with the
effective date based on the requirements of SFAS No. 123R for all share-based
payments granted after the effective date that remain unvested on the effective
date. We account for stock option and warrant grants issued and
vesting to non-employees in accordance with EITF No. 96-18: “Accounting for
Equity Instruments that are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring, or in
Conjunction with Selling, Goods or Services” and EITF No. 00-18 “Accounting
Recognition for Certain Transactions involving Equity Instruments Granted to
Other Than Employees” whereas the value of the stock compensation is based upon
the measurement date as determined at either a) the date at which a performance
commitment is reached, or b) at the date at which the necessary performance to
earn the equity instruments is complete.
Recently
issued accounting pronouncements
In June
2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance on accounting standards
codification and the hierarchy of generally accepted accounting principles
effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after September 15,
2009. The FASB accounting standards codification (“ASC,
“Codification”) has become the source of authoritative accounting principles
recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities in the
preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP. All existing
accounting standard documents are superseded by the Codification and any
accounting literature not included in the Codification will not be
authoritative. However, rules and interpretive releases of the SEC issued under
the authority of federal securities laws will continue to be sources of
authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. The Codification does not
change or alter existing GAAP and, therefore, it does not have an impact on our
financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
We also
adopted authoritative guidance issued by the FASB on business combinations. The
guidance retains the fundamental requirements that the acquisition method of
accounting (previously referred to as the purchase method of accounting) be used
for all business combinations, but requires a number of changes, including
changes in the way assets and liabilities are recognized and measured as a
result of business combinations. It also requires the capitalization of
in-process research and development at fair value and requires the expensing of
acquisition-related costs as incurred. We will apply this guidance to
business combinations completed after July 1, 2009. Adoption of the
new guidance did not have a material impact on our financial
statements.
In June
2009, the FASB made an update to consolidation of variable interest
entities. Among other things, the update replaces the calculation for
determining which entities, if any, have a controlling financial interest in a
VIE from a quantitative based risks and rewards calculation, to a qualitative
approach that focuses on identifying which entities have the power to direct the
activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the
obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the
VIE. The update also requires ongoing assessments as to whether an entity is the
primary beneficiary of a VIE (previously, reconsideration was only required upon
the occurrence of specific events), modifies the presentation of consolidated
VIE assets and liabilities, and requires additional disclosures about a
company’s involvement in VIEs. This update will be effective for
fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2009. The Company does not currently
believe the adoption of this update will have any effect on its consolidated
financial position and results of operations. 37
In
October 2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance on revenue recognition that
will become effective for us beginning July 1, 2010, with earlier adoption
permitted. Under the new guidance on arrangements that include software
elements, tangible products that have software components that are essential to
the functionality of the tangible product will no longer be within the scope of
the software revenue recognition guidance, and software-enabled products will
now be subject to other relevant revenue recognition guidance. Additionally, the
FASB issued authoritative guidance on revenue arrangements with multiple
deliverables that are outside the scope of the software revenue recognition
guidance. Under the new guidance, when vendor specific objective evidence or
third party evidence for deliverables in an arrangement cannot be determined, a
best estimate of the selling price is required to separate deliverables and
allocate arrangement consideration using the relative selling price method. The
new guidance includes new disclosure requirements on how the application of the
relative selling price method affects the timing and amount of revenue
recognition. We believe the adoption of this new guidance will
not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure
None.
38
INDUSTRY
OVERVIEW
The
global forestry industry provides timber resources and processed wood products
for numerous industries. The industry is generally divided into
upstream and downstream activities. Upstream activities focus on forest resource
management, including forest planning, planting, stand tending and/or management
of the forest, as well as harvesting and transportation of logs. The wood-based
downstream activities consist of processing of logs into products such as sawn
timber, plywood, reconstituted panel products, pulp and paper, as well as
further value-added processing activities, including production of housing and
building materials, including flooring and furniture.
In China,
the State Forestry Administration of the PRC, or the SFA, is the state bureau in
charge of the national forestry industry. Its principal functions include the
formulation of policies and regulations for the national forestry industry,
forest management and forestry resources protection and the supervision of their
implementation. Under the PRC Forest Law, the PRC strictly implements
a quota system for the logging of forest wood. The forestry bureaus at the
provincial level are responsible for compiling annual logging quotas. The annual
quota is reviewed by the local government at the same level and is submitted to
the PRC State Council for approval. Domestic log supply in China is
ultimately determined by the planted area and standing volume of resources
inside China. Increases in planted area and standing volume are ultimately going
to affect allowable quotas.
According
to the FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 and the website of the
State Forestry Administration Bureau of the PRC, China ranks fifth in the world
with approximately 195 million hectares of forest. However, China’s
forest area per capita is approximately 0.145 hectare, only about 22.2% of the
global average. China’s forest area, in terms of percentage of land
area, is 18.21%, which is lower than the world average of 30.3%. The forest
growing stock in China is, by area, 67 m 3 per
hectares, which is only about 60.9% of the global average. As a
result, China has become the second largest timber-importer in the
world.
At
present, China’s comprehensive utilization rate of timber (the percentage of
harvested forest actually used to make saleable products) is only 60%, while it
is 80% to 90% in developed countries. Increasing the comprehensive
utilization rate of timber, especially by utilizing MDF, not only increases the
comprehensive utilization rate of timber and saves forest resources, but it also
provides various high value-added wood products, with large-size, multiple
specifications and wide application.
FORESTRY
POLICIES IN THE PRC
The
following is a brief overview of certain recent forestry policies in the
PRC:
39
Forest
management
All
forest land in the PRC is either owned by the state or rural collective economic
organizations. Ownership of forestry land is not transferable in the
PRC. However, forest land use rights, forest trees use rights and forest trees
ownership rights are transferable as long as the transfer is conducted in
accordance with PRC law (including the requirement that a forest land cannot be
converted into a non-forest land).
Forests
are divided into the following five categories:
(1)
Forests for special uses: forests and trees mainly aimed at national defense,
environmental protection and scientific experiments.
(2)
Protection forests: forests, trees and bushes mainly aimed at protection,
inclusive of water source storage forests, forests for water and soil
conservation, wind protection and sand bind forests, forests for farmland and
grassland protection, river bank protective belts and road protection
belts;
(3)
Timber stands: forests and trees mainly aimed at timber production, inclusive of
bamboo groves mainly aimed at bamboo production;
(4)
Economic forests: trees mainly aimed at the production of fruits; edible oils,
soft drinks and ingredients; industrial raw materials; and medicinal materials;
and
(5)
Firewood forests: trees mainly aimed at the production of fuels.
Only the
timber stands, economic forests and firewood forests and the forest land use
right thereof and the forest land use right of other forests, trees and other
woodlands stipulated by the State Council, are transferable under the PRC laws.
Moreover, according to the PRC laws, they can be priced and converted into
shares or used as capital contribution for equity joint ventures or cooperation
conditions for cooperative joint ventures. However, forest lands may not be
converted into non-forest lands.
According
to the PRC Forestry Law enacted by SCNPC on September 20, 1984 and amended on
April 29, 1998, and the Implementation Regulations of PRC Forestry Law effective
as of January 29, 2000, the State adopted a registration system of forest,
forest wood and forest land. All forest, forest wood or forest land is to be
registered by local governments at or above the county level and records
maintained and certificates issued confirming the ownership or right to
use.
Logging
in forests is strictly regulated in the PRC under its forestry laws and
regulations. Forestry bureaus at the national, provincial, municipal, county and
township levels are responsible for checking and organizing the forestry
resources, formulating forestry operation plans, and compiling annual logging
quotas in their area based on these forestry resources and forestry operation
plans.
Logging
quotas
Under the
PRC Forestry Law, the PRC government strictly implements a quota system for
logging of forest wood, to uphold the overriding principle that the amount of
consumption of timber must be less than that grown.
Each
year, the forestry bureaus at the lower levels of government (mainly the county
level), based on their regular check on conditions (including the maturity of
trees and the forestry resources) and the forestry operation plans of all
forestry lands within their respective area, prepare proposed annual logging
quotas. The annual quota is reviewed by the local governments at the same level
and submitted to the forest bureau at the provincial level. The forestry bureaus
at the provincial level are then responsible for compiling annual logging quotas
by adjusting the proposed logging quotas submitted by the lower level forestry
bureaus and submitting them to the PRC State Council for final
approval.
According
to the Implementation Regulations, the annual quota for certain key forest zones
will be approved by the PRC State Council and the quota will be set every five
years. The Implementation Regulations of the PRC Forestry Law (which was enacted
on September 20, 1984 and amended on 29 April 1998) further stipulate that the
logging of a foreign-invested timber forest up to a certain scale is subject to
the approval of the forestry bureaus at the provincial level within the annual
forest logging quota approved by the PRC State Council and is to be listed
separately in respect of the logging quota.
Annual
logging quotas are subject to review and strictly implemented by the different
levels of forestry bureaus. In order to ensure logging quotas are strictly
implemented: (1) before logging, forestry operators are required to obtain the
pre-approval and logging permits from the relevant forest bureaus; (2) during
logging, the local forest bureaus selectively conduct on-site investigation and
supervise the logging activities of the forest operators; (3) after logging, the
transportation of the timber out of the forestry zone requires a separate
transportation permit from the forestry bureau; and (4) in respect of
transportation, timber inspection posts are set up along the roads heading out
from the forestry zones to inspect the timber transport and stop the transport
of timber without permit. 40
Logging
permits
The PRC
Forestry Law provides that logging of trees requires logging permits. When a
state-owned forestry enterprise or institution applies for a logging permit, it
is required to develop a logging area survey, design document and logging and
renewal verification proof of the previous year. For non-state-owned forestry
operators, they must apply for a logging permit with a document that contains
contents such as logging objectives, location, tree species, tree situation,
area, stock, approach and reforestation measures.
Upon
receipt of an application of logging permit from a forest operator, the
respective forestry bureau at the county level will examine the application and
assess whether the accumulated area/volume of timber to be harvested will exceed
the logging quota for the year initially allocated to the specific piece of
forestry land based on its own annual assessment reports on the relevant
forestry land, or the aggregate logging quota for the year allocated to the
whole county.
Logging
permits will not be issued to the applicant:
The
logging permits usually contain details of logging, including the location, the
species of trees, its origin, ownership, logging method, intensity of logging,
area for logging, the amount of timber and the term of validity of the
permit. Forestry operators must carry out the harvesting activities
pursuant to such details specified on the logging permits. After
logging, the forestry bureaus which issued the logging permits examine and
inspect whether the logging activities comply with the terms of the logging
permits. If it is found that the relevant forestry operator has not
conducted logging activities or the re-plantation in accordance with the
requirements of the logging permits, the forestry bureau will not approve
further applications for logging permits.
Violations
Illegal
logging, or logging in excess of timber production plans or logging permits, is
punishable by fines and the confiscation of illegally logged timber and the
proceeds from sales thereof. Illegal loggers may be asked to replant trees. If
any logging unit or individual logger fails to fulfill reforestation tasks
pursuant to the prescribed provisions, the department issuing the logging permit
has the power to stop issuing such permits. In the case of serious violations,
the relevant forestry bureaus may impose fines and administrative
sanctions.
Processing
of timber in forest zones
Timber
processing in forest areas must be approved by the forestry bureau at the county
or higher level. The current PRC Forestry Law and its implementation regulations
do not stipulate detailed requirements for timber processing in forest zones.
Generally, anyone who is engaged in timber processing can apply for approval by
submitting the application form and relevant documents. However,
there is a limit, depending on the volume of the local forestry resources, for
the total number of approved timber processors within a forest. Any unapproved
timber processing in a forest zone will be subject to penalties including the
confiscation of illegal proceeds generated therefrom and a fine of not more than
2 times the proceeds.
Transportation
of timber
Other
than the logging quotas and logging permits, timber transportation permit is
another measure implemented by the PRC government to further monitor the logging
activities in the PRC.
According
to the PRC Forestry Law and its implementation regulations, transportation of
timber (unless the timber is uniformly allocated and transferred by the state)
out of forestry zones to destination points requires a transportation permit to
be issued by the forestry bureau at the county level or above. No entity or
individual carrier may transport any timber without a timber transportation
permit. To apply for a timber transportation permit, the applicant must submit
the relevant forest logging permit, the quarantine certificate and other
documents as may be required by the forestry bureau at the provincial level. The
competent forestry bureau shall, within 3 days after it has received an
application, issue to the applicant a timber transportation permit which
specifies the total volume of timber permitted to be transported.
The local
forestry bureau sets up timber inspection stations in forest zones for the
inspection of timber transportation. For any timber transportation without any
permit, the timber inspection station must stop it, and may temporarily detain
the timber not covered by a transportation permit and immediately report it to
the competent forestry bureau at the county or higher level. When anyone
transports any timber without any permit or using a forged or altered timber
transportation permit or in excess of the approved timber amount stated in the
timber transportation permit, the law provides that (i) the timber may be
confiscated; (ii) a fine of up to 50% of the price of the timber may be imposed
on the owner; (iii) the transportation fee paid to the carrier may be
confiscated; and (iv) a fine up to one to three times of the transportation fee
may be imposed on the carrier. 41
Environmental
impact assessment
According
to the PRC Environmental law, the PRC Environmental Impact Assessment Law and
other relevant regulations, if an entity performs clear logging, an
environmental impact report must be prepared to provide a comprehensive
assessment of the resulting environmental impact; if an entity plants in the
environmental non-sensitive area, an environmental impact registration form must
be filled in and submitted to the relevant environmental bureau.
Environmentally
sensitive areas include the following:
An
environmental impact report generally is required to cover the
following:
1. a
brief introduction to the construct project;
2. the
existing environment of the construction project;
3. an
analysis, prediction and assessment of the environmental effects from the
construction project;
4. the
protective measures for the environment of the construction project, and the
technical and economic demonstrations of such measures;
5. an
analysis of the environmental effects from the economic losses and benefits of
the construction project;
6. a
proposal for monitoring the environment of the construction project;
and
7. a
conclusion on the evaluation of environmental effects.
According
to the contents and format promulgated by SFA, the environmental impact report
form must contain the following contents:
1. the
project name, location, types of industry and total investment
amount;
2. the
main targets of the environmental protection which may be the resident area, the
school, hospital, cultural relic, landscape area, water resources or other
sensitive points;
3. the
analysis of the impact and suggestions or measures to protect the environment;
and
4. the
conclusion on the evaluation of environmental effects.
An
environmental impact report is for a construction project which may have more
significant environmental impact and therefore is required to contain a more
comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact. The
environmental impact report is to be submitted by an enterprise which is engaged
in construction activity, (1) if a feasibility study of the relevant
construction project is required by PRC laws and regulation, at the time it
conducts such feasibility study; and (2) if such feasibility study is not
required by PRC laws and regulations, before it commences the construction or
obtains the business license (if required).
Pusheng
has conducted environmental impact assessments for its MDF project (as described
below) and same was approved by the Environmental Protection Bureau of the
Karamai municipality. Additional government approvals are still
required in order to continue with its MDF project.
Reforestation
In order
to protect forests, the PRC Forestry Law and the Implementation Regulations of
PRC Forestry Law provide that entities and individuals that have harvested the
forest must, according to the area, number of trees, tree species and period of
time specified in the logging permits, plant a number of trees equal to the ones
logged. After the planting of saplings is completed, the forestry
bureaus which issue logging permits examine the area and quality of
reforestation and issue an Acceptance Certificate of
Reforestation. 42
Should
forest logging entities or individuals fail to finish the reforestation task in
compliance with the relevant requirements, the authorities which have issued the
logging permit may stop issuing further logging permits to them until they have
completed their reforestation tasks. Under any of the following circumstances,
the local forestry bureau may order the forest logging entities or individuals
to complete the reforestation task within a prescribed period, and if they fail
to do so, a fine of not more than 2 times the expenses required for completing
the uncompleted reforestation task, may be imposed: (1) the forest logging
entities or individuals fail to complete the reforestation in two consecutive
years; (2) the reforestation area completed within the current year is less than
50% of the area of reforestation required; (3) except for the arid or semi-arid
areas as specially provided for by the state, the reforestation survival rate of
the year is less than 85%; or (4) the forest logging entities or individuals
fail to complete the reforestation task as scheduled in accordance with
applicable requirements. The poplar saplings grown by the Company
regenerate after harvesting if they are cut at the base, rather then removed at
the root level. The Company plans to meet the reforestation
requirements by doing the last harvest as cut trees so no additional costs are
expected to be incurred for reforestation.
Taxation
According
to the PRC EIT Law and its implementing rules, both domestic and
foreign-invested enterprises are now subject to a uniform enterprise income tax
rate of 25%. Income generated from the cultivation of forest trees
and the gathering of forest products, however, is exempt from the enterprise
income tax pursuant to relevant PRC EIT Law, which became effective in 2008.
Therefore w e paid this income tax for 2008 and will be reimbursed by the
Chinese government in 2010.
In
addition, under the EIT Law, an enterprise incorporated outside of the PRC may
be deemed to be a “non-resident enterprise” or “resident enterprise” according
to their definitions thereunder. If that enterprise is deemed to be a
“non-resident enterprise” without an establishment or place of business in the
PRC, a withholding tax at the rate of 10% may be applicable to any dividends it
receives from a resident enterprise, unless it is entitled to reduction or
exemption of such tax, for example, pursuant to relevant tax
treaties. On the other hand, if that enterprise has “de facto
management bodies” located within the PRC territory, it may be considered a
“resident enterprise” under the EIT Law, and: (i) its worldwide taxable income
will normally be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25%; and
(ii) any dividends it pays to its non-PRC resident shareholders and any gains
realized by such shareholders from the sale or other transfer of the shares of
that enterprise may be regarded as China-sourced income, and as a result, be
subject to a PRC income tax at a rate up to 10%.
Because
the Company is categorized as in a farm and forest industry, it is entitled to
participate in a government subsidy program for its sapling business. Under the
program, the Company collects value added tax (VAT) from customers in an amount
equal to 3% of sales during the year ended December 31, 2009 and 6% of sales
during the year ended December 31, 2008. This amount is not required
to be remitted to the government. VAT, which is included in revenue, was
$682,735 and $1,251,786 for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
respectively.
MDF
MDF and
particleboard are wood products produced from sub-quality and small fuel wood, a
process encouraged as part of the government’s national timber industry
policy. Pursuant to the MDF sector investment outlook forecast for
2010 to 2015 published by the Chinese government, it is estimated that in 2010,
the demand for MDF in China will be 27 million m 3 but the
production will only be 24 million m 3
. In 2015, the annual demand for MDF in China is expected to be 35
million m 3
. Since 2000, China has been importing more than 1 million m 3 of MDF
each year.
MDF in
China is widely used in the following industries:
We
believe access to raw timber is critical to the success of any MDF
manufacturer. Some MDF producers have been forced to stop production,
and some have had to declare bankruptcy due to a shortage of raw
materials. The Company has been creating the raw materials planting
base for the last 5 years through plantings of its genetically modified
saplings. Even with so many competitors in the current domestic
market, there is only one MDF manufacturing plant in Xinjiang Province which has
its own raw materials planting base. Once our planting base matures to the point
where we can harvest and utilize the timber, and once our MDF manufacturing
facilities are operational, we believe we will have a competitive advantage in
Xinjiang Province as we expect our raw material costs to be 10% to 15% lower
than our competitors who do not have their own supply of raw
materials. 43
Demand
of Real Estate Market and Building Decoration Industry
The
annual timber consumption of China’s building industry is 65 million m2, which
is 21.3% of the total national timber consumption. Currently, MDF is
used in for approximately 25% of the Chinese building industry’s timber
needs.
Pursuant
to the Current Status and Development and Trends of China Wood Floor published
by the Chinese State Forestry Administration in 2006, the predicted annual
demand of MDF for decoration material is more than RMB 30 billion Yuan
(approximately $44.13 billion using the conversion rate in effect on June 21,
2010 of 1:6.7976). Floor board is the No.1 interior decoration
material in China, with annual floor board production of over 200 million m
2
and sales of more than RMB 30 billion Yuan ($4.41 billion as of June 21,
2010). Approximately 60% (120 million m2 ) of the
floor board is long-wearing intensified floor, which is mainly made from MDF. In
2010, the production of long-wearing intensified floor is expected to be 200
million m2
.
We
believe that in order to be successful in the MDF industry in China, companies
must, among other things, increase production capacity and improve product
quality. With the overall development of the Chinese economy,
increases in national per capita income level and urban and rural residents’
increasing improved housing conditions, we believe there will continue to be
increasing demand for MDF.
We
believe the key for rapid development of the MDF processing industry is the
accessing of raw materials. However, as a result of the Chinese
government’s strict controls on logging, the development of the MDF processing
industry may be slowed for those companies who do not own and control the raw
materials and who are not well capitalized. For those that are, they
have the ability to more successfully develop and profit from large scale MDF
production capabilities.
We
believe establishing an annual production capacity of 15,000 m3 MDF
requires a more than RMB 20 million Yuan (approximately $2.96 million as of June
21, 2010) investment in equipment and other ancillary facilities, and an
additional RMB 50 million Yuan (approximately $17.87 million as of June 21,
2010) for the improvement of conditions in these facilities. Although
we seek to construct such a facility in the future, we have not made any
material efforts in this regard to date.
New and
larger production lines must be built to support the expected increase in
demand. Further, existing MDF facilities are located primarily other
than in Western China where we are focusing our efforts. We believe
this gives us a unique opportunity to establish a modern facility designed to
meet MDF production needs.
With the
rapid economic and social development and increase in people’s living standards,
China's demand for wood products continues to grow. We believe raw
materials supply, production scale, product quality and management will be the
key elements in establishing our competitiveness.
Competition
in the MDF industry in China is mainly reflected in the purchase of raw
materials, particularly by the large-scale production lines. We
expect this pattern to continue in the future, as the demand for raw materials
by the wood processing industry continues to outpace supply. In
short, we believe the continuous and stable supply of raw materials will be key
to survival of any company involved in MDF production.
Another
key competitive factor in China's MDF industry is the quality of the products.
In 2005, the Comprehensive Medium Density Fiberboard Quality Integrated pass
rate in China was 73%. This is a large difference compared with
foreign advanced technology. In particular, many of China's MDF exports cannot
meet the quality certification standards in European countries. The
increase in environmental standards around the world has presented challenges to
existing Chinese MDF manufacturers as they must expend resources getting their
facilities and products up to international quality certification
standards. We feel we will have a distinct advantage over existing
competitors in this regard as our facilities are intended to be built in order
to comply with ever-stricter international standards. 44
China
For-Gen Corp. is a Delaware corporation formed on February 26, 2008 for the
purpose of acquiring all of the equity interests of Liaoning Shengsheng
Biotechnological Co., Ltd. (“Liaoning Shengsheng”), a limited liability company
incorporated in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) on November 24,
2000. Since its inception, Liaoning Shengsheng has been an
agricultural and forestry company engaged in the breeding, cloning and sale of
plant seedlings and specialized transgenic plant seedlings, and the research and
development of seedling breeding technologies. The Company also owns
a poplar tree plantation of 8,300 mu in the Xingjiang Province in western
China.
The
majority of our operations are located in western China. The primary
technologies used in our business are tissue culture technology and transgenic
seedling technology. This is a popular type of cell breeding technology
utilized in agriculture which takes advantage of cell division of a plant’s
branches and leaves. By the appropriate control of temperature and
humidity, we can increase the dividing speed of plant cells, thereby
cultivating a large amount of plant seedlings in the shortest possible
time. Our core products are transgenic poplar seedlings, which
require less water and are disease free and insect and pest resistant. The
poplar seedlings are characterized by fast growth, maturing in 3-5 years,
instead of the normal maturation time of 13-15 years for regular poplar
seedlings. Through our intended business model expansion, we also seek to
become a leading supplier of wood products (including MDF and particleboard) and
plant seedlings in China. An overwhelming majority of our revenues are derived
from transgenic poplar seedlings.
From
September 25, 2001 through September, 2003 and through October 2002 to June
2004, Liaoning Shengsheng conducted research projects together with Dalian
Technology University (“DTU”), pursuant to various Technology Development
Contracts, regarding transgenic poplar research, including cellulose syntheses
transgenic research. As a result of such cooperation, the Company was
able to develop Shengsheng No.1 and No.2 transgenic poplar
seedlings. The resulting technology is co-owned by both
parties. Liaoning Shengsheng and DTU are entitled to 70% and 30% of
the profit, respectively, resulting from the use of the patent received on such
technology by either party. However, as no patent was ever applied
for, the Company has not paid, and is not obligated to make any payment to, DTU
for any profit received. DTU is not currently commercializing this
technology and, to our knowledge, has no plans to do so. The Company
now markets and sells Shengsheng No. 1 and No. 2 transgenic seedlings as a
result of such development efforts. Pursuant to a confirmation letter issued by
DTU dated May 28, 2010, DTU has waived its right to apply for any intellectual
property protection of such research results, as well as its rights in any
products resulting from this cooperative project.
Liaoning
Shengsheng also entered into a Technology Development Contract with Shenyang
Agriculture University Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“SAU”) regarding cloning and
insect and pest resistant transgenic poplar research project, providing that SAU
would provide complete information (including research data and materials)
relating to the transgenic seedling technology and Liaoning Shengsheng would
reimburse SAU’s research in consideration. The agreement provides
that Liaoning Shengsheng would own all technologies and intellectual properties
produced from the project and would have the exclusive right to commercialize
and transfer such intellectual properties. On March 31, 2010, the
Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory of Shenyang Agriculture University, an affiliate
of SAU, issued a confirmation letter stating that Liaoning Shengsheng has the
sole right to commercialize the technical achievements and is entitled to all of
the economic benefit generated thereafter.
Transgenic
poplar seedlings collectively researched and developed by Shengsheng with DTU
and SAU won the National Gold Invention Award in 2003, an award given by the
Technology Exposition Committee of the Ministry of Science and
Technology. Plants developed by the Company are used for forestation
in western China. Major clients include departments in the Chinese
government (at the provincial and local levels) and other social organizations
responsible for tree planting in China
Recent
Developments
On May
10, 2009, Liaoning Shengsheng and Tuqiang Forestry Bureau of Daxinganling (the
“Tuqiang Forestry Bureau”) entered into an acquisition agreement (the “Beijisong
Agreement”) pursuant to which Liaoning Shengsheng has the right to acquire
67.74% of the outstanding equity of Daxinganling Tuqiang Beijisong Wooden Boards
Industry Co., Ltd. (“Beijisong”), a manufacturer of MDF, in exchange for 21
million RMB, or approximately $3.09 million. On May 13, 2009, the
Company and Tuqiang Forestry Bureau executed an amendment to the Beijisong
Agreement pursuant to which Liaoning Shengsheng has the right to acquire up to
80% of the outstanding equity of Beijisong for a total consideration equal to
80% of the appraised valuation of Beijisong. Liaoning Shengsheng has
made payments of $877,693 for the Beijisong acquisition. No further
payments are due at this time and a portion of the proceeds of this offering are
intended to be used for such remaining payment when the appraisal of Beijisong
has been completed. We anticipate such appraisal will be concluded in
2010, although no assurances thereof can be given. 45
Products
The
Company’s primary products are fast growing poplar saplings. These trees
are grown in the far northwest regions of China, in Xinjiang province near the
city of Karamai. Our current major product is its Shengsheng Fast-Growing
Poplar Seedlings.
We have different types of cloned seedlings (bottle seedlings),
seedlings, one-year old seedlings, one-year old cutting seedlings, two-year old
seedlings and three-year old seedlings. Our transgenic fast-growing poplar
seedlings have important features such as drought tolerant, disease resistant
and a dense fiber plant (limited water requirements). The Company grows
two distinct types of poplar saplings: Shengsheng No. 1 and Shengsheng No.
2. Each product is separated into 5 different subcategories (1-5 years old
trees) according to their age. The characteristics of the two types of
trees are as follows:
In 2002,
we co-developed anti-insect-and-disease poplar seedlings and dense plant fiber
seedlings in conjunction with SAU and DTU, respectively. We began pilot
planting of these new seedlings in 2003 in Xinjiang Province. We clone and
cultivate the seedlings in a greenhouse environment for transplantation into the
ground. Each seedling can be cut into about 10 pieces, and each piece can
be cultivated as a new seedling.
Resources
and Raw Material Supply
We do not
need to purchase large amounts of raw materials. The seedlings, being the
critical material, are cloned in a greenhouse and can be mass cultivated at our
headquarters in Dongsifangtai, Haicheng City, or at a project site according to
demands. Other major production costs include irrigation (twice a year),
labor costs such as planting, cutting, digging, watering and leveling off the
site, and lease expenses.
According
to the PRC Agriculture Network published by the State Agriculture Department in
2001, the primary resources needed for our business are land and water.
Land is used mainly for nursery purposes. For every mu, 6,000-8,000
saplings can be planted. A “mu” is a measurement of area used in the PRC
and is equal to 1/15 of a hectare. For greenhouses, 20,000-28,000 plants
(seedlings) can be planted for every mu. Other raw materials include
fertilizer, chemicals, nutrient solutions and general agricultural production
materials. These are all ordinary agricultural production materials that
are generally available and there are numerous suppliers we can turn to in the
event of disruption in business with our current suppliers for any reason.
Land can be rented privately or the Company can choose to rent land offered by
the government.
Research
and Product Development
We
currently have limited resources to conduct the development of new
products. We have only 2 employees engaged in research and development,
and we are dependent on our relationships with third party research and
development institutes such as DTU and SAU to perform research and development
for us. There were no research and d | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||