CORRESP 1 filename1.htm Correspondence

THE

GOLDFIELD

CORPORATION

 

1684 W. HIBISCUS BLVD.

   TELEPHONE            321 724-1700

MELBOURNE, FLORIDA 32901-2631

   FAX    321 308-1163

January 12, 2010

Mr. John Hartz

Sr. Asst. Chief Accountant

United States Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, DC 20549-4631

Re: The Goldfield Corporation

Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008

Filed March 17, 2009

Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2009

Filed on November 9, 2009

File No. 1-7525

Dear Mr. Hartz:

We submit this letter in response to comments from the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff”) received by letter dated December 18, 2009, relating to The Goldfield Corporation’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 2009, filed on November 9, 2009, and The Goldfield Corporation’s Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2008, filed on March 17, 2009.

Set forth below are the Staff’s comments followed by our response.

FORM 10-K FOR THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2008

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, page 28

Comment:

 

  1. We note that cash flows relating to discontinued operations are not required to be set out separately in the statement of cash flows. However, whether or not cash flows from discontinued operations are set out separately, the reconciliation of net income to net cash flows from operations must begin with net income, as required by ASC topic 230.10.45 paragraphs 45-28 and 45-29. Please revise your statements of cash flows accordingly.


Response:

As noted in your comment, the Company prepared its statement of cash flows in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 with discontinued operations set out separately with the reconciliation of net income to net cash flows from operations beginning with net loss from continuing operations instead of beginning with net income (loss). In the exhibits included below, we have prepared a reconciliation of net income to net cash flows from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and each of the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, beginning with the presentation as reported in the statements of cash flows included in our Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008. We have adjusted the “as filed” amounts with the amounts related to discontinued operations.

As detailed in exhibits 1 through 3 below, we note that for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, and the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, the changes to the line item “net loss”, resulting from the inclusion of discontinued operations, are $387, $111,022 and $18,519, respectively, a difference of 0.03% for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, 2.1% for 2008 and 0.8% for 2007. The Company believes that these changes are not significant to an understanding of the Company’s operating cash flows in the applicable period. We note that this presentation had no impact on the Company’s financing or investing cash flows for any periods presented. Furthermore, the Company notes that the net income information relating to discontinued operations is also included in the statement of operations in our Form 10-Q and Form 10-K and was available at the time each was filed. In light of the foregoing, the Company respectfully proposes to address the Staff’s comment by revising future filings to begin the reconciliation of net income to net cash flows from operations with net income (loss), but does not propose to amend the statement of cash flows in its Form 10-Q filings in 2009 or its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

FORM 10-Q FOR THE PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Critical Accounting Estimates, page 14

General

Comment:

 

  2. We note that your market capitalization is significantly lower than your book value. With a view towards future disclosure, please provide us with a specific and comprehensive discussion regarding how you have considered this fact in your impairment testing.

Response:

As noted in your comment, the Company’s market capitalization is significantly lower than our book value. The Company respectfully submits that while its market capitalization is an indicator of market sentiment on a particular day, the day-to-day share price of the Company’s stock at particular points in time may not, and frequently does not, fairly reflect the value of the

 

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Company’s significant assets, primarily the real estate inventory of our real estate segment and the investment in the equipment of our electrical construction segment. We further note that in almost all of the past fifteen years our market capitalization has been significantly below our book value.

Under these circumstances, we do not consider such market capitalization to be a specific triggering event necessitating impairment testing, particularly in light of the fact that the Company does not have any goodwill or similar intangible assets recorded on its balance sheet. Regardless, the Company reviews the book value of its assets on a regular basis to determine possible impairments in accordance with ASC Topic 360, as it believes it will continue as a viable business in the future. Specifically, in its evaluation for potential impairment, the Company determines the value of its real estate inventory, as well as its investments in electrical construction property and equipment using a fair value methodology, as further described in “Note 1 – Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Inventory”, “Note 1 – Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Property, Buildings, Equipment and Depreciation”, and “Note 3 – Inventory” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and as discussed in detail below.

The Company carefully monitors the value of its inventory. The Company’s real estate inventory is reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount or basis is not expected to be recovered, impairment losses are recorded and the related assets are adjusted to their estimated fair value. As a result of these reviews, the Company has recorded write downs to the carrying value of our real estate condominium inventory amounting to approximately $473,000, $37,000 and $3,137,000 during the quarters ended September 30, 2007, June 30, 2008 and December 31, 2008, respectively.

During 2009, we continued to review the real estate inventory for possible impairment on a quarterly basis and, as of September 30, 2009, determined that no additional impairment write down was necessary, particularly in view of the fact that in 2009 the Company has been effecting sales of the Company’s condominium units at prices in excess of their carrying value. As reported in our filing on Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 in note 2 to our financial statements, “we had nine completed condominium units [in inventory] within the Pineapple House project, as compared to fourteen units [in inventory] as of December 31, 2008.” We note that the five units were sold in excess of their carrying values and that the units sold are similar to the units remaining to be sold, which provided relevant market information for our determination that additional impairment was not required. In future filings, we will expand our disclosure to include this information and any other significant known trends and our consideration of these trends in our evaluation of the carrying value of our remaining real estate inventory, as well as the other information noted in our response to question #3 below.

We also regularly perform an impairment analysis on the electrical construction segment’s property and equipment balances. As of December 31, 2008, we concluded that we did not have an impairment issue with respect to those assets.

We note that our property and equipment balance primarily relates to our electrical construction segment, which is the relevant asset grouping based on our determination that our segments are the lowest level of identifiable cash flows for impairment testing purposes due to the nature of our business activities. As of December 31, 2008, our analysis showed that future cash flows

 

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from the electrical construction segment were more than sufficient to recover the carrying value of those assets. In addition, over the past five years, our electrical construction segment has provided an average of $3.5 million annually in net cash from operating activities as of December 31, 2008. Furthermore, operating cash flows of this segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, totaling $3.45 million, support our expectations that future cash flows will continue to be more than sufficient to recover the carrying value of those assets, which totaled $7.3 million as of September 30, 2009, over their remaining useful lives.

Real Estate Inventory Valuation, page 15

Comment:

 

  3. To provide investors a better understanding of your impairment assessment relative to current market conditions, as well as allowing investors to better assess the likelihood of potential future impairments, please revise future filings to include the following for each period presented:

 

   

A detailed discussion of how you determined that your condominium units were not impaired, if applicable;

 

   

Specific and quantified disclosure of your critical assumptions and a sensitivity analysis of those assumptions;

 

   

Quantitative information regarding any significant known trends;

 

   

Any material and useful information that you gather and analyze regarding the risks of recoverability of your assets.

Response:

In future filings, the Company will comply with this comment.

Liquidity and Capital Resources, page 22

Comment:

 

  4. We note that the Company’s debt arrangements contain various financial and other covenants and that you were in compliance with such covenants at the end of your reporting period. Given the importance of available funding to your business, please revise future filings to present, for your most significant and restrictive covenants, your actual ratios and other actual amounts versus the minimum/maximum ratios/amounts permitted as of each reporting date. Such a presentation may allow an investor to more easily understand your current status in meeting your financial covenants. See Sections I.D. and IV.C of the SEC Interpretative Release No. 33-8350.

Response:

In future filings, the Company will comply with this comment.

 

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The Company acknowledges that:

 

   

the Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in its Commission filings;

 

   

staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments in the filings reviewed by the staff do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing; and

 

   

the Company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.

If you have any additional questions or comments, please contact me directly at (321) 308-1166.

Sincerely,

 

THE GOLDFIELD CORPORATION
/s/ Stephen R. Wherry

Stephen R. Wherry, CPA

Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

 

cc: John H. Sottile, Goldfield, CEO

 

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Exhibit 1

The Goldfield Corporation

Operating Segment of Statement of Cash Flows

 

     Quarter Ended September 30, 2009  
     As Filed     Adjusted for
Discontinued
Operations
    As Adjusted  

Cash flows from operating activities

      

Net loss from continuing operations

   $ (1,280,669   $ 387      $ (1,280,282

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

      

Depreciation

     2,143,071          2,143,071   

(Gain) loss on sale of assets

     (52,704       (52,704

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

      

Accounts receivable and accrued billings

     3,334,473          3,334,473   

Remediation insurance receivable

     —          65,247        65,247   

Real estate inventory

     693,659          693,659   

Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts

     (117,652       (117,652

Land and land development costs

     48,276          48,276   

Income taxes recoverable

     316,688          316,688   

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     (381,133       (381,133

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     (992,735       (992,735

Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts

     (6,594       (6,594

Reserve for remediation

     —          (147,789     (147,789
                        

Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations

     3,704,680        (82,155     3,622,525   
            

Net cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations

     (82,155     82,155     
                  

Net cash provided by operating activities

     3,622,525        —       
                  

Discontinued Operations net loss % of total net loss

     -0.03    

 

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Exhibit 2

The Goldfield Corporation

Operating Segment of Statement of Cash Flows

 

     Year Ended December 31, 2008  
     As Filed     Adjusted for
Discontinued
Operations
    As Adjusted  

Cash flows from operating activities

      

Net loss from continuing operations

   $ (5,275,799   $ (111,022   $ (5,386,821

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:

      

Depreciation

     3,159,398          3,159,398   

Write down of inventory

     3,173,506          3,173,506   

Deferred income taxes

     118,400        74,500        192,900   

Loss on sale of assets

     7,260          7,260   

Minority interest

     (3,361       (3,361

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

      

Accounts receivable and accrued billings

     (827,585       (827,585

Remediation insurance receivable

     —          77,452        77,452   

Construction inventory

     2,218          2,218   

Real estate inventory

     2,291,477          2,291,477   

Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts

     523,422          523,422   

Income taxes recoverable

     (86,835       (86,835

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     415,035          415,035   

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     944,562          944,562   

Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts

     7,564          7,564   

Reserve for remediation

     —          (45,482     (45,482
                        

Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations

     4,449,262        (4,552     4,444,710   
            

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities of discontinued operations

     (4,552     4,552     
                  

Net cash provided by operating activities

     4,444,710        —       
                  

Discontinued Operations net loss % of total net loss

     2.1    

 

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Exhibit 3

The Goldfield Corporation

Operating Segment of Statement of Cash Flows

 

     Year Ended December 31, 2007  
     As Filed     Adjusted for
Discontinued
Operations
    As Adjusted  

Cash flows from operating activities

      

Net loss from continuing operations

   $ (2,302,254   (18,519   $ (2,320,773

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:

      

Depreciation

     3,076,505          3,076,505   

Write down of inventory

     473,227          473,227   

Deferred income taxes

     (720,003   (70,897     (790,900

Loss on sale of assets

     14,479          14,479   

Minority interest

     3,361          3,361   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

      

Accounts receivable and accrued billings

     (972,919       (972,919

Contracts receivable

     10,623,909          10,623,909   

Remediation insurance receivable

     —        153,061        153,061   

Construction inventory

     214,771          214,771   

Real estate inventory

     (7,460,555       (7,460,555

Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts

     700,026          700,026   

Residential properties under construction

     3,784,165          3,784,165   

Income taxes recoverable

     (241,314       (241,314

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     (471,962       (471,962

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     (3,429,810       (3,429,810

Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts

     (24,444       (24,444

Reserve for remediation

     —        (9,371     (9,371
                      

Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations

     3,267,182      54,274        3,321,456   
            

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities of discontinued operations

     54,274      (54,274  
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

     3,321,456      —       
                

Discontinued Operations net loss % of total net loss

     0.8    

 

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