COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Leases

The Company’s lease commitments are primarily for real estate, machinery and equipment, and vehicles. The significant real estate leases provide for renewal options and require the Company to pay for property taxes and all other costs associated with the leased property.

Future minimum lease payments under operating leases at December 31, 2016 are as follows (in thousands):



2017	$	9,388
2018	7,978
2019	6,068
2020	4,936
2021	4,116
Thereafter	8,017
Total minimum lease payments	$	40,503

Rent expense for operating leases was $11.5 million, $9.8 million and $8.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Contingent Consideration

In connection with several business acquisitions, if certain sales targets for the acquired products are achieved, the Company would pay additional cash consideration. The Company has recorded a liability for the fair value of this contingent consideration at December 31, 2016 and 2015, based on the present value of the expected future cash flows using a market participant’s weighted average cost of capital of 13.7 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively.

As required, the liability for this contingent consideration is measured at fair value quarterly, considering actual sales of the acquired products, updated sales projections, and the updated market participant weighted average cost of capital. Depending upon the weighted average costs of capital and future sales of the products which are subject to contingent consideration, the Company could record adjustments in future periods.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the Company’s contingent consideration liability for the years ended December 31:



(In thousands)	2016			2015			2014
Balance at beginning of period	$	10,840		$	8,129		$	7,414
Acquisitions	1,322			4,766			3,370
Payments	(4,944		)	(3,974		)	(3,739		)
Accretion ^(a)	1,274			1,196			1,075
Fair value adjustments ^(a)	749			723			9
Balance at end of the period ^(b)	9,241			10,840			8,129
Less current portion in accrued expenses and other current liabilities	(5,829		)	(3,877		)	(3,622		)
Total long-term portion in other long-term liabilities	$	3,412		$	6,963		$	4,507


(a)	Recorded in selling, general and administrative expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

(b)

Amounts represent the fair value of estimated remaining payments. The total estimated remaining undiscounted payments as of December 31, 2016 are $11.6 million. The liability for contingent consideration expires at various dates through September 2029. Certain of the contingent consideration arrangements are subject to a maximum payment amount, while the remaining arrangements have no maximum contingent consideration.

Furrion Distribution and Supply Agreement

In July 2015, the Company entered into a six-year exclusive distribution and supply agreement with Furrion Limited (“Furrion”), a Hong Kong based firm that designs, engineers and supplies premium electronics. This agreement provides the Company with the rights to distribute Furrion’s complete line of products to OEMs and aftermarket customers in the RV, specialty vehicle, utility trailer, horse trailer, marine, transit bus and school bus industries throughout the United States and Canada. Furrion currently supplies a premium line of televisions, sound systems, navigation systems, wireless backup cameras, solar prep units, power solutions and kitchen appliances, primarily to the RV industry.

In connection with this agreement, the Company entered into the following minimum purchase obligations (“MPOs”), which the Company anticipates will be revised from time to time:



	July 2016 - June 2017	$ 90 million
	July 2017 - June 2018	$127 million
	July 2018 - June 2019	$172 million

Furrion and the Company agreed to review these MPOs after the first year on an annual basis and adjust the MPOs as necessary based upon current economic and industry conditions, the development and customer acceptance of new Furrion products, competition and other factors which impact demand for Furrion products. Despite good market acceptance of Furrion products during the first year of the distribution agreement, the MPO was not achieved for the year ended June 30, 2016, primarily due to the timing of development and availability of anticipated new products from Furrion. As a result, the parties are currently in discussions to revise the MPOs, and the Company and Furrion are working together to increase product availability and new product introductions.

Subject to agreed upon revisions to the MPOs, Furrion has the right to either terminate the distribution agreement with six months’ notice or remove exclusivity from the Company if the Company misses an MPO in any given year by more than ten percent, after taking into account excess purchases from the previous year. If exclusivity is withdrawn, the Company at its election may terminate the distribution agreement with six months’ notice. Upon termination of the agreement, Furrion has agreed to purchase from the Company any non-obsolete stocks of Furrion products at the cost paid by the Company.

Product Recalls

From time to time, the Company cooperates with and assists its customers on their product recalls and inquiries, and occasionally receives inquiries directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) regarding reported incidents involving the Company’s products. As a result, the Company has incurred expenses associated with product recalls from time to time, and may incur expenditures for future investigations or product recalls.

Environmental

The Company’s operations are subject to certain Federal, state and local regulatory requirements relating to the use, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous materials used during the manufacturing processes. Although the Company believes its operations have been consistent with prevailing industry standards, and are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, one or more of the Company’s current or former operating sites, or adjacent sites owned by third-parties, have been affected by releases of hazardous materials. As a result, the Company may incur expenditures for future investigation and remediation of these sites, including in conjunction with voluntary remediation programs or third party claims.

Litigation

In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to proceedings, lawsuits, regulatory agency inquiries and other claims. All such matters are subject to uncertainties and outcomes that are not predictable with assurance. While these matters could materially affect operating results when resolved in future periods, it is management’s opinion that, after final disposition, including anticipated insurance recoveries in certain cases, any monetary liability or financial impact to the Company beyond that provided in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2016, would not be material to the Company’s financial position or annual results of operations.

Severance

In 2015, the Company initiated a focused program to reduce indirect labor costs. In connection with this cost reduction program and certain changes at the executive level, the Company incurred severance charges of $3.7 million.