UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On August 16, 2021, Vertex Energy, Inc. (the “Company”) published an updated Company presentation on its website at https://www.vertexenergy.com, a copy of which is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.
The information responsive to Item 7.01 of this Form 8-K and Exhibit 99.1 attached, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing. The furnishing of this Report is not intended to constitute a determination by the Company that the information is material or that the dissemination of the information is required by Regulation FD.
The presentation furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan” and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements relate to the Company’s current expectations and are subject to the limitations and qualifications set forth in the presentation as well as in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, that actual events and/or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. These statements also involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the results of the Company, its divisions and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include comments as to the Company’s beliefs and expectations as to future financial performance, events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the Company’s control. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the “Forward-Looking Statements,” “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s periodic and current filings with the SEC, including the Form 10-Qs and Form 10-Ks, filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov and in the “Investor Relations,” “SEC Filings” page of our website at www.vertexenergy.com. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date, except as otherwise provided by law.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1* | August 2021 Strategy Update Presentation | |
| 104 | Inline XBRL for the cover page of this Current Report on Form 8-K |
* Furnished herewith.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| VERTEX ENERGY, INC. | ||
| Date: August 16, 2021 | By: | /s/ Chris Carlson |
| Chris Carlson | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the matters discussed in this communication and Exhibit 99.1 hereto, which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “strategy,” “expects,” “continues,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “would,” “will,” “estimates,” “intends,” “projects,” “goals,” “targets” and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements.
Important factors that may cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the ability of the parties to close the June 29, 2021 Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company, certain of its subsidiaries and related parties and Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. (“Safety-Kleen” and the “Sale Agreement”) on the terms set forth in, and pursuant to the required timing set forth in, the Sale Agreement, if at all; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or all of Safety-Kleen or the Company (collectively, the “Sale Agreement Parties”) to terminate the Sale Agreement; the effect of such termination, including breakup and other fees potentially payable in connection therewith; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Sale Agreement Parties or their respective directors or officers; the ability to obtain regulatory and other approvals and meet other closing conditions to the Sale Agreement on a timely basis or at all, including the risk that regulatory and other approvals required for the Sale Agreement are not obtained on a timely basis or at all, or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated or the expected benefits of the transaction; the ability to obtain approval by the Company’s shareholders on the expected schedule of the transactions contemplated by the Sale Agreement; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the Sale Agreement; the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel; the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations; uncertainty as to the long-term value of the common stock of the Company following the closing of the Sale Agreement; the business, economic and political conditions in the markets in which Sale Agreement Parties operate; risks associated with the ability of Vertex to complete current plans for expansion and growth of the new operations and other conditions to the completion of the transaction; outstanding credit facilities, including amounts owed, restrictive covenants, security interests thereon and the Company’s ability to repay such facilities and amounts due thereon when due; the level of competition in our industry and our ability to compete; our ability to respond to changes in our industry; the loss of key personnel or failure to attract, integrate and retain additional personnel; our ability to protect our intellectual property and not infringe on others’ intellectual property; our ability to scale our business; our ability to maintain supplier relationships and obtain adequate supplies of feedstocks; our ability to obtain and retain customers; our ability to produce our products at competitive rates; our ability to execute our business strategy in a very competitive environment; trends in, and the market for, the price of oil and gas and alternative energy sources; our ability to maintain our relationships with KMTEX and Bunker One (USA), Inc.; the impact of competitive services and products; our ability to integrate acquisitions; our ability to complete future acquisitions; our ability to maintain insurance; the outcome of pending and potential future litigation, judgments and settlements; rules and regulations making our operations more costly or restrictive, including IMO 2020; changes in environmental and other laws and regulations and risks associated with such laws and regulations; economic downturns both in the United States and globally; risk of increased regulation of our operations and products; negative publicity and public opposition to our operations; disruptions in the infrastructure that we and our partners rely on; an inability to identify attractive acquisition opportunities and successfully negotiate acquisition terms; our ability to effectively integrate acquired assets, companies, employees or businesses; liabilities associated with acquired companies, assets or businesses; interruptions at our facilities; unexpected changes in our anticipated capital expenditures resulting from unforeseen required maintenance, repairs, or upgrades; our ability to acquire and construct new facilities; certain events of default which have occurred under our debt facilities and previously been waived; prohibitions on borrowing and other covenants of our debt facilities; our ability to effectively manage our growth; decreases in global demand for, and the price of, oil, due to COVID-19, state, federal and foreign responses thereto; our ability to acquire sufficient amounts of used oil feedstock through our collection routes, to produce finished products, and in the absence of such internally collected feedstocks, our ability to acquire third-party feedstocks on commercially reasonable terms; risks associated with COVID-19, the global efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, potential downturns in the U.S. and global economies due to COVID-19 and the efforts to stop the spread of the virus, and COVID-19 in general; the lack of capital available on acceptable terms to finance our continued growth; risks associated with the Company’s ability to complete the proposed purchase transaction of the Mobile refinery, as previously disclosed on anticipated terms and timing, if at all, including obtaining regulatory approvals, unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, the ability to recognize synergies, and the ability of Vertex to complete current plans for expansion and growth of the new operations and other conditions to the completion of pending transactions; the expected benefits, output, financial metrics and production of proposed transactions; Vertex’s ability to satisfy closing conditions associated with the previously disclosed acquisition; our ability to raise sufficient capital to complete the acquisition and planned capital projects and the terms of such funding; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the parties failing to complete the acquisition transaction on the terms disclosed, if at all, the right of one or both of Vertex or the counterparty to the acquisition agreement to terminate the acquisition agreement and the result of such termination, including a termination fee of $10 million payable by Vertex under certain conditions; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against any parties or their respective directors in connection with such planned acquisition transaction; the ability to obtain regulatory approvals and other consents, and meet other closing conditions to the acquisition on a timely basis or at all, including the risk that regulatory approvals or other consents required for the acquisition are not obtained on a timely basis or at all, or which are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated or that could adversely affect Vertex’s acquisition or the expected benefits of the transaction; difficulties and delays in integrating the acquired assets businesses; and the Company’s plans for financing the acquisition and planned projects; and other risk factors included from time to time in documents Vertex Energy files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. These reports are available at www.sec.gov. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Vertex Energy’s future results.
Other important factors that may cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements included in this communication and in Exhibit 99.1 are described in the Company’s publicly filed reports, including, but not limited to, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. These reports are available at www.sec.gov.
The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not complete, and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or any person acting on behalf of any Sale Agreement Parties are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements referenced above. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Vertex’s future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Vertex cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Vertex undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release, except as required by law, and takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by Vertex. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the Sale Agreement, the Company currently plans to file with the SEC a proxy statement to seek shareholder approval for the Sale Agreement, which, when finalized, will be sent to the shareholders of the Company seeking their approval of the respective transaction-related proposals. This communication is not a substitute for any proxy statement or other document Vertex may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THAT DOCUMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE AGREEMENT, WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE SALE AGREEMENT AND THE PROPOSED SALE.
Investors and security holders may obtain copies of these documents free of charge through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or from the Company at its website, www.vertexenergy.com. Documents filed with the SEC by the Company will be available free of charge on the “Investor Relations,” “SEC Filings” page of our website at www.vertexenergy.com. or, alternatively, by directing a request by mail, email or telephone to Vertex Energy, Inc. at 1331 Gemini Street, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77058; chrisc@VertexEnergy.com; or (866) 660-8156, respectively.
Participants in the Solicitation
The Company and certain of its respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the respective shareholders of the Company in respect of the Sale Agreement under the rules of the SEC. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of the Company is available in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 7, 2021. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the Sale Agreement when they become available. Investors should read the proxy statement carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from the Company using the sources indicated above.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.