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Note 5 - Related-party Transactions
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Notes to Financial Statements  
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]
5.
Related-Party Transactions
 
SGRP's policy respecting approval of transactions with related persons, promoters and control persons is contained in the SPAR Group Code of Ethical Conduct for its Directors, Executives, Officers, Employees, Consultants and other Representatives Amended and Restated (as of)
March 15, 2018 (
the "Ethics Code").  The Ethics Code is intended to promote and reward honest, ethical, respectful and professional conduct by each director, executive, officer, employee, consultant and other representative of any of SGRP and its subsidiaries (together with SGRP, the "Company") and each other Covered Person (as defined in the Ethics Code) in his or her position with the Company anywhere in the world, including (among other things) serving each customer, dealing with each vendor and treating each other with integrity and respect, and behaving honestly, ethically and professionally with each customer, each vendor, each other and the Company. Article II of the Ethics Code specifically prohibits various forms of self-dealing (including dealing with relatives) and collusion and Article V of the Ethics Code generally prohibits each "Covered Person" (including SGRP's officers and directors) from using or disclosing the Confidential Information of the Company or any of its customers or vendors, seeking or accepting anything of value from any competitor, customer, vendor, or other person relating to doing business with the Company, or engaging in any business activity that conflicts with his or her duties to the Company, and directs each "Covered Person" to avoid any activity or interest that is inconsistent with the best interests of the SPAR Group, in each case except for any "Approved Activity" (as such terms are defined in the Ethics Code). Examples of violations include (among other things) having any ownership interest in, acting as a director or officer of or otherwise personally benefiting from business with any competitor, customer or vendor of the Company other than pursuant to any Approved Activity. Approved Activities include (among other things) any contract with an affiliated person (each an "Approved Affiliate Contract") or anything else disclosed to and approved by SGRP's Board of Directors (the "Board"), its Governance Committee or its Audit Committee, as the case
may
be, as well as the ownership, board, executive and other positions held in and services and other contributions to affiliates of SGRP and its subsidiaries by certain directors, officers or employees of SGRP, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective family members. The Company's senior management is generally responsible for monitoring compliance with the Ethics Code and establishing and maintaining compliance systems, including those related to the oversight and approval of conflicting relationships and transactions, subject to the review and oversight of SGRP's Governance Committee as provided in clause
IV.11
of the Governance Committee's Charter, and SGRP's Audit Committee as provided in clause
I.2
(l) of the Audit Committee's Charter. The Governance Committee and Audit Committee each consist solely of independent outside directors (see
Domestic Related Party Services, International Related Party Services, Related Party Transaction Summary, Related Party Transaction Summary, Affinity Insurance, and Other Related Party Transactions and Arrangements, below)
.
 
SGRP's Audit Committee has the specific duty and responsibility to review and approve the overall fairness and terms of all material related-party transactions. The Audit Committee receives affiliate contracts and amendments thereto for its review and approval (to the extent approval is given), and these contracts are periodically (often annually) again reviewed, in accordance with the Audit Committee Charter, the Ethics Code, the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. ("Nasdaq"), and other applicable law to ensure that the overall economic and other terms will be (or continue to be)
no
less favorable to the Company than would be the case in an arms-length contract with an unrelated provider of similar services (i.e., its overall fairness to the Company, including pricing, payments to related parties, and the ability to provide services at comparable performance levels). The Audit Committee periodically reviews all related party relationships and transactions described below.
 
In addition, in order to (among other things) assist the Board and the Audit Committee in connection with an overall review of the Company's related party transactions and certain worker classification-related litigation matters, in
April 2017
the Board formed a special subcommittee of the Audit Committee (the "Special Subcommittee") to (among other things) review the structure, documentation, fairness, conflicts, fidelity, appropriateness, and practices respecting each of the relationships and transactions discussed in this Note.
 
The Special Subcommittee engaged Morrison Valuation & Forensic Services, LLC ("Morrison"), to perform a
third
-party financial evaluation of certain domestic related party relationships and transactions (principally with SAS and SBS of the Company, which included the review of certain financial records of the Company (but
not
those of its affiliates)) and discussions with management of the Company.  Their task included (among other things) the identification and mapping of and apparent purposes for and benefits from cash flows between the Company and its affiliates.  Morrison identified a number of transactions between the parties, while
not
material, were inefficient, time consuming and of limited business value to the parties.  They included expense reimbursement for indirect charges for supply purchases, corporate vendor service cost and use of corporate credit cards in the payment of vendor services. These inefficiencies have been and will continue to be addressed by the Company.  The Special Subcommittee also engaged Holland & Knight to provide ongoing legal advice on related party issues, and Paul Hastings to provide ongoing legal advice on independent contractor classification issues (including the SBS Clothier Case).  See Note
8
to the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements,
Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Matters
-
SBS Clothier Litigation
, below.
 
The Company is currently unable to predict the remaining duration and final results of this review by the Special Subcommittee.
 
Domestic Related Party Services:
 
 
SPAR Business Services, Inc. ("SBS"), SPAR Administrative Services, Inc. ("SAS"), and SPAR InfoTech, Inc. ("SIT"), are affiliates of SGRP but are
not
under the control or part of the consolidated Company. Mr. Robert G. Brown, a major stockholder and through
May 3, 2018,
the Chairman and a Director of SGRP, and Mr. William H. Bartels, a Director, Vice Chairman and a major stockholder of SGRP, are the sole stockholders of SBS. Mr. Brown is the sole stockholder of SIT. Mr. Brown is a director and officer of SBS and SIT. Mr. Bartels is a director and officer of SAS.  The stockholders of SAS are Mr. Bartels and parties related to Mr. Brown and his family, each of whom is considered an affiliate of the Company for related party purposes because of their family relationships with Mr. Brown.
 
The Company executes the services it provides to its domestic clients primarily through field merchandising, auditing, assembly and other field personnel (each a "Field Specialist"), substantially all of whom have been independent contractors provided by SBS, and administers those services through local, regional, district and other personnel (each a "Field Administrator"), substantially all of whom have been provided by SAS. The Company paid
$6.8
million and
$5.9
million during the
three
months ended
March 31, 2018
and
2017,
respectively, to SBS for its provision as needed of approximately
4,220
of SBS's available Field Specialists in the U.S.A. (which amounted to approximately
52%
and
83%
of the Company's total domestic Field Specialist expense for the
three
months ended
March 31, 2018
and
2017,
respectively). The Company paid
$1.1
million for both the
three
months ended
March 31, 2018
and
2017,
respectively, to SAS for its provision of its
57
and
55
full-time regional and district administrators (which amounted to approximately
91%
and
92%
of the Company's total domestic field administrative service cost for the
three
months ended
March 31, 2018
and
2017
). In addition to these field service and administration expenses, SAS also incurs other administrative expenses related to benefit and employment tax expenses of SAS and payroll processing, legal and other administrative expenses and SBS incurs expenses for processing vendor payments, legal defense and other administrative expenses (but those expenses are only reimbursed by SGRP to the extent approved by the Company as described below). The total cost recorded by the Company for the expenses of SBS and SAS in providing their services to the Company, including the "Cost Plus Fee" arrangement (as defined and discussed below) and other expenses paid directly by the Company on behalf of and invoiced to SBS and SAS, was
$7.9
million and
$6.9
million, for the
three
months ended
March 31, 2018
and
2017,
respectively.
 
The terms of the Amended and Restated Field Service Agreement with SBS dated as of
January 1, 2004,
as amended in
2011,
and the Amended and Restated Field Management Agreement with SAS dated as of
January 1, 2004 (
each a "Prior Agreement"), defined reimbursable expenses and established a "Cost Plus Fee" arrangement where the Company paid SBS and SAS for their costs of providing those services plus a fixed percentage of such reimbursable expenses (the "Cost Plus Fee"). The parties have had negotiations respecting replacement agreements since the Prior Agreements expired on
November 30, 2014.
As further described below, a new Field Administration Agreement was entered into with SAS in
2016.
 
The Company and SBS have agreed to an arrangement for a revised Cost Plus Fee equal to
2.96%
of the Field Specialists costs and certain other approved reimbursable expenses incurred by SBS in performing services for the Company, subject to certain offsetting credits. This arrangement went into effect on and has applied since
December 1, 2014.
The Company has offered a new agreement to SBS confirming that reimbursable expenses are subject review and approval by the Company, but SBS has rejected that proposal.
 
The Company believes its net costs for Field Specialists for the
three
month period ending
March 31, 2018
could have been approximately
$270,000
less if it had been feasible for the Company to directly engage those Field Specialists on terms substantially similar to SBS.
 
No
SBS compensation to any officer, director or other related party has been reimbursed or approved to date by the Company, and
no
such compensation reimbursements were made or approved under SBS's Prior Agreement.  This is
not
a restriction on SBS since SBS is
not
controlled by the Company and
may
pay any compensation to any person that SBS desires out of its own funds.  However, SBS has invoiced the Company monthly for certain such compensation payments from
July 2017
to
March 31, 2018,
but the Company has rejected those invoices as non-reimbursable expenses.  Since SBS is a "Subchapter S" corporation, all income from SBS is allocated to its stockholders (see above).
 
The Company has determined that the rates charged by SBS for the services of its field merchandising, auditing, assembly and other field personnel (each a "Field Specialist") are favorable to the Company when compared to other possible non-affiliate providers. SBS has advised the Company that those favorable rates are dependent (at least in part) on SBS's ability to continue to use independent contractors as its Field Specialists, that such Field Specialists generally provide greater flexibility at lower total costs as a result of their business independence and initiative, and that it has an agreement with each Field Specialist clearly confirming his, her, or its status as an independent contractor.
 
The appropriateness of SBS's treatment of its Field Specialists as independent contractors has been periodically subject to legal challenge (both currently and historically) by various states and others, SBS's expenses of defending those challenges and other proceedings have historically been reimbursed by the Company under SBS's Prior Agreement, and SBS's expenses of defending those challenges and other proceedings were reimbursed by the Company for the
three
months ended
March 31, 2018
and
2017
(in the amounts of
$60,000
and
$85,000,
respectively), after determination (on a case by case basis) that those defense expenses were costs of providing services to the Company. The Company has advised SBS that, since there is
no
currently effective comprehensive written services agreement with SBS, the Company will continue to review and decide each request by SBS for reimbursement of its legal defense expenses (including appeals) on a case-by-case basis in its discretion, including the relative costs and benefits to the Company. The Company has
not
agreed, and does
not
currently intend, to reimburse SBS for any judgment or similar amount (including any damages, settlement, or related tax, penalty, or interest) in any legal challenge or other proceeding against or involving SBS, and the Company does
not
believe it has ever done so (other than in insignificant nuisance amounts). However, there can be
no
assurance that SBS will be able to satisfy any such judgment or similar amount resulting from any adverse legal determination, that SBS or someone else will
not
claim, or that SBS will be able to successfully defend any claim, that the Company is liable (under applicable law, through reimbursement or indemnification, or otherwise) for any such judgment or similar amount imposed against SBS. Furthermore, there can be
no
assurance that SBS will succeed in defending any such legal challenge, the legal expenses of prolonged litigation and appeals could continue to be (and have from time to time been) significant, and prolonged litigation and appeals and any adverse determination in any such challenge could have a material adverse effect on SBS's ability to provide services needed by the Company and the Company's costs of doing business.
 
Current material and potentially material proceedings against SBS and, in
one
instance, the Company are described in Note
8
to the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements -
Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Matters
, below. These descriptions are based on an independent review by the Company and do
not
reflect the views of SBS, its management or its counsel.
 
Any prolonged continuation of or material increase in the legal defense costs of SBS (and thus the reimbursable expenses SBS
may
charge to and that
may
be paid by the Company to the extent reimbursement is approved by the Company in its discretion), the failure of SBS to satisfy any such judgment or similar amount resulting from any adverse legal determination against SBS, any claim by SBS, SAS, any other related party or any
third
party that the Company is somehow liable for any such judgment or similar amount imposed against SBS or SAS or any other related party, any judicial determination that the Company is somehow liable for any such judgment or similar amount imposed against SBS or SAS or any other related party (in whole or in part), any decrease in SBS's or SAS's performance (quality or otherwise), any inability by SBS or SAS to execute the services for the Company, or any increase in the Company's use of employees (rather than independent contractors) as its domestic Field Specialists, in each case in whole or in part, could have a material adverse effect on the Company or its performance or condition (including its assets, business, clients, capital, cash flow, credit, expenses, financial condition, income, liabilities, liquidity, locations, marketing, operations, prospects, sales, strategies, taxation or other achievement, results or condition), whether actual or as planned, intended, anticipated, estimated or otherwise expected.
 
On
June 14, 2016,
SAS and SPAR Marketing Force, Inc. ("SMF") entered into a new Field Administration Agreement (the "SAS Agreement"). In order to provide continuity with SAS's Prior Agreement, the SAS Agreement is effective and governs the relationship of the parties as of
December 1, 2014,
and amends, restates and completely replaces SAS's Prior Agreement. The SAS Agreement more clearly defines reimbursable and excluded expenses and the budget and approval procedures and continues the indemnifications and releases provided by SAS's Prior Agreement (which indemnifications and releases were and are comparable to those applicable to SGRP's directors and executive officers under its By-Laws and applicable law). Specifically, the SAS Agreement reduced the Cost Plus Fee from
4%
to
2%
effective as of
June 1, 2016.
 
On
May 7, 2018,
the Company gave a termination notice to SAS specifying
July 31, 2018,
as the end of the Service Term under (and as defined in) SAS Agreement.  The Company is negotiating and anticipates reaching a non-exclusive agreement with an independent
third
party vendor to provide substantially all of the domestic Field Administrators used by the Company.  The Company expects a smooth and seamless transition to such new vendor that will provide the Company with continuity of great execution and be virtually unnoticeable to the Company's Clients.  (See Note
13
to the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements -
Subsequent Events,
below)
.
 
SGRP's Audit Committee has approved the SAS Agreement pursuant to its specific duty and responsibility to review and approve the overall fairness of all material related-party transactions, as more fully provided above in this note.
 
No
SAS compensation to any officer, director or other related party (other than to Mr. Peter W. Brown, a related party as noted below, pursuant to previously approved budgets) has been reimbursed or approved to date by the Company, and
no
such compensation reimbursements were made or approved under SAS's Prior Agreement. This is
not
a restriction on SAS since SAS is
not
controlled by the Company and
may
pay any compensation to any person that SAS desires out of its own funds. Since SAS is a "Subchapter S" corporation, all income from SAS is allocated to its stockholders (see above).
 
Peter W. Brown ("Peter Brown") was an employee of SAS, is the nephew of SGRP's major stockholder (and former Chairman, Director and Officer), Mr. Robert G. Brown, and is a director of SPAR BSMT and owns EILLC which owns
10%
interest in the Company’s Brazilian subsidiary. Peter W. Brown was an official observer at the meetings of SGRP's Board from
2014
through
December 2016
and was appointed as a Director on the Board as of
May 3, 2018,
replacing Mr. Brown upon his retirement from the Board and Company at that date.  Peter W. Brown also is, and since
2013
has been, a director of Affinity Insurance, Ltd (see Affinity Insurance, below).  Accordingly, Peter W. Brown is an affiliate and related party in respect of the Company.
 
National Merchandising Services, LLC ("NMS"), is a consolidated domestic subsidiary of the Company and is owned jointly by SGRP through its indirect ownership of
51%
of the NMS membership interests and by National Merchandising of America, Inc. ("NMA"), through its ownership of the other
49%
of the NMS membership interests. Mr. Edward Burdekin is the Chief Executive Officer and President and a director of NMS and also is an executive officer and director of NMA. Ms. Andrea Burdekin, Mr. Burdekin's wife, is the sole stockholder and a director of NMA and a director of NMS. NMA is an affiliate of the Company but is
not
under the control of or consolidated with the Company.
 
Resource Plus, Inc. ("RPI"), is a consolidated domestic subsidiary of the Company and is owned jointly by SGRP through its indirect ownership of
51%
of the RPI membership interests and by Mr. Justus through his ownership of the other
49%
of the RPI membership interests.  (See Note
10
to the Company's Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements -
Purchase of Interest in Subsidiaries
, below).
 
International Related Party Services:
 
SGRP Meridian (Pty), Ltd. ("Meridian") is a consolidated international subsidiary of the Company and is owned
51%
by SGRP and
49%
by the following individuals: Mr. Brian Mason, Mr. Garry Bristow, and Mr. Adrian Wingfield. Mr. Mason is President and a director and Mr. Bristow is an officer and director of Meridian. Mr. Mason is also an officer and director and
50%
shareholder of Merhold Property Trust ("MPT"). Mr. Mason and Mr. Bristow are both officers and directors and both own
50%
of Merhold Cape Property Trust ("MCPT"). Mr. Mason, Mr. Bristow and Mr. Wingfield are all officers and own
46.7%,
20%
and
33.3%,
respectively of Merhold Holding Trust ("MHT") which provides similar services like MPT. MPT owns the building where Meridian is headquartered and also owns
2
vehicles both of which are subleased to Meridian. MCPT provides a fleet of
126
vehicles to Meridian under a
4
year lease program. These leases are provided to Meridian at local market rates included in the summary table below.
 
SPAR Todopromo is a consolidated international subsidiary of the Company and is owned
51%
by SGRP and
49%
by the following individuals: Mr. Juan F. Medina Domenzain, Juan Medina Staines, Julia Cesar Hernandez Vanegas, and Jorge Medina Staines. Mr. Juan F. Medina Domenzain is an officer and director of SPAR Todopromo and is also majority shareholder (
90%
) of CONAPAD ("CON") which supplied administrative and operational consulting support to SPAR Todopromo in
2016.
 
In
August 2016,
Mr. Juan F. Medina Domenzain ("JFMD"), partner in SPAR Todopromo, purchased the warehouse that was being leased by SPAR Todopromo. The lease expired on
December 31, 2017,
and was renewed until
December 31, 2020.
 
The Company’s subsidiary in Brazil, SPAR Brasil Serviços de Merchandising e Tecnologia S.A., a Brazilian corporation ("SPAR BSMT") has contracted with Ms. Karla Dagues Martins, a Brazilian citizen and resident sister to Mr. Jonathan Dagues Martins, President and a part owner of SPAR BSMT, to handle the labor litigation cases for SPAR BSMT and its subsidiaries.  These legal services are being provided to them at local market rates by Ms. Martins' company, Karla Martins Sociedade de Advogados ("KMSA"). Accordingly, Mr. Jonathan Dagues Martins and Ms. Karla Dagues Martins are each an affiliate and a related party in respect of the Company.
 
Summary of Related Party Transactions:
 
The Company believes it is the largest and most important customer of SBS, SAS, MPT, MCPT, MHT, CON, JFMD and KMSA (and from time to time
may
be their only customer), and accordingly the Company generally has been able to negotiate better terms, receives more personal and responsive service and is more likely to receive credits and other financial accommodations from SBS, SAS, MPT, MCPT, MHT, CON, JFMD and KMSA than the Company could reasonably expect to receive from an unrelated service provider who has significant other customers and business. SBS, SAS and other material affiliate contracts and arrangements are annually reviewed and considered for approval by SGRP's Audit Committee, subject to the ongoing negotiations with SBS as described above. 
 
The following costs of affiliates were charged to the Company (in thousands): 
 
   
Three Months
Ended
March 31
,
 
   
201
8
   
201
7
 
Services provided by affiliates:
               
Field merchandiser and other expenses (SBS)
 
$
6,729
    $
5,875
 
Field administration and other expenses (SAS)
 
 
1,149
     
1,074
 
Office and vehicle rental expenses (MPT)
 
 
19
     
15
 
Vehicle rental expenses (MCPT)
 
 
339
     
297
 
Office and vehicle rental expenses (MHT)
 
 
53
     
40
 
Consulting and administrative services (CON)
   
59
     
96
 
Legal Services (KMSA)
 
 
26
     
24
 
Warehousing rental (JFMD)
   
12
     
11
 
                 
Total services provided by affiliates
 
$
8,386
    $
7,432
 
 
* Includes substantially all overhead (in the case of SAS and SBS), or related overhead, plus any applicable markup.
 
Due to affiliates consists of the following (in thousands):
 
March 31
,
   
December 31,
 
   
201
8
   
201
7
 
Loans from local investors:(1)
               
Australia
 
$
246
    $
250
 
Mexico
 
 
1,001
     
1,001
 
Brazil
 
 
139
     
139
 
China
 
 
719
     
719
 
South Africa
 
 
33
     
24
 
Resource Plus
 
 
731
     
 
                 
Accrued Expenses due to affiliates:
               
SBS/SAS
 
 
2,109
     
893
 
Total due to affiliates
 
$
4,978
    $
3,026
 
 
(
1
)     Represent loans from the local investors into the Company's subsidiaries (representing their proportionate share of working capital loans). The loans have
no
payment terms and are due on demand and as such have been classified as current liabilities in the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
Affinity Insurance:
 
In addition to the above, SAS purchases insurance coverage for worker compensation, casualty and property insurance risk for itself, for SBS on behalf of its Field Specialists that require such insurance coverage (all who do
not
provide their own), and for the Company from Affinity Insurance, Ltd. ("Affinity"). SAS owns a minority (less than
1%
) of the common stock in Affinity. Based on informal arrangements between the parties, the Affinity insurance premiums for such coverage are ultimately charged (through SAS) for their fair share of the costs of that insurance to SMF, SAS (which then charges the Company) and SBS.
 
In addition to those required periodic premiums, Affinity also requires payment of cash collateral deposits ("Cash Collateral"), and Cash Collateral amounts are initially determined and from time to time re-determined (upward or downward) by Affinity.  The Cash Collateral deposit with Affinity since
2012
now totals approximately
$965,000;
approximately
$379,000
of that Cash Collateral was allocable to SBS and approximately
$296,000
of that Cash Collateral was allocable to SMF and the balance of approximately
$290,000
was allocated to other affiliates of the Company.  The Cash Collateral deposits allocable to SBS have been paid by SAS on behalf of SBS, SAS received advances to make such payments from SBS, and SBS in turn received advances to make such payments from SMF.  The Cash Collateral deposits allocable to SMF have been paid by SAS on behalf of SMF, and SAS received advances to make such payments from SMF.  SAS, SBS and SMF are currently negotiating reimbursement and security agreements to document and confirm those advances totaling approximately
$675,000
and repayment obligations.
 
Affinity from time to time
may (
in the case of a downward adjustment in such periodic premiums or the Cash Collateral) make refunds, rebates or other returns of such periodic premiums and Cash Collateral deposits to SAS for the benefit of itself, SBS and SMF (as returned, "Affinity Refunds").  SAS is obligated to return to SBS, and SBS is obligated to return to SMF, any and all Affinity Refunds allocable to SBS in repayment of the corresponding advances.  SAS is obligated to return to SMF any and all Affinity Refunds allocable to SMF in repayment of the corresponding advances.
 
Other Related Party Transactions and Arrangements:
 
In
July 1999,
SMF, SBS and SIT entered into a perpetual software ownership agreement providing that each party independently owned an undivided share of and had the right to unilaterally license and exploit their "Business Manager" internet job scheduling software (which had been jointly developed by such parties), and all related improvements, revisions, developments and documentation from time to time voluntarily made or procured by any of them at its own expense. Business Manager and its other proprietary software and applications are used by the Company for (among other things) the scheduling, tracking, coordination and reporting of its merchandising and marketing services and are accessible via the internet or other applicable telecommunication network by the authorized representatives of the Company and its clients through their respective computers and mobile devices. In addition, SPAR Trademarks, Inc. ("STM"), a wholly owned subsidiary of SGRP, SBS and SIT entered into separate perpetual trademark licensing agreements whereby STM has granted non-exclusive royalty-free licenses to SIT and SBS (and through them to their commonly controlled subsidiaries and affiliates by sublicenses, including SAS) for their continued use of the name "SPAR" and certain other trademarks and related rights of STM. SBS and SAS provide services to the Company, as described above, SIT assisted in the Brazilian acquisition at a cost to the Company of
$49,000,
as described below, and SIT
no
longer provides services to and does
not
compete with the Company.
 
Through arrangements with the Company, SBS (owned by Mr. Bartels and Mr. Brown), SAS (owned by Mr. Bartels and family members of Mr. Brown), and other companies owned by Mr. Brown participate in various benefit plans, insurance policies and similar group purchases by the Company, for which the Company charges them their allocable shares of the costs of those group items and the actual costs of all items paid specifically for them. All such transactions between the Company and the above affiliates are paid and/or collected by the Company in the normal course of business.