As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28,December 9, 2020
RegistrationNo. 333-236940333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 2
To
FORMS-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.MP MATERIALS CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 84-4465489 | |||
(State or
| (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer
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1345 Avenue of the Americas6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450
46th Floor
New York, New York 10105Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
Telephone: (212)(702) 798-6100844-6111
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
R. Edward Albert IIIJames H. Litinsky
PresidentChief Executive Officer
c/o Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450
1345 Avenue of the Americas
46th Floor
New York, New York 10105Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
Telephone: (212)(702) 798-6100844-6111
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Sidley Austin LLP
787 7th Avenue New York, New York 10019 Attention: Daniel A. O’Shea Michael P. Heinz Tel: (212) 839-5900 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.Registration Statement.
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, anon-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”filer” and “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
Emerging Growth Company | ☒ |
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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐☒
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered | Amount to be Registered(1) | Proposed Offering Price Per Share | Proposed Offering Price | Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
Warrant Shares Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share(2) | 11,499,968 | $26.26(4) | $301,989,159.68 | $32,947.02 | ||||
Selling Securityholder Shares Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share(3) | 118,047,154 | $26.26(4) | $3,099,918,264.04 | $338,201.08 | ||||
Total | $3,401,907,423.72 | $371,148.10 | ||||||
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(1) | In the event of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction involving our common stock, the number of shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) registered shall automatically be adjusted to cover the additional shares of common stock issuable pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
(2) | Consists of 11,499,968 shares of Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of the public warrants (as such term is defined under “Selected Definitions”) based on the number of public warrants outstanding as of December 7, 2020; |
(3) | Consists of 118,047,154 shares of Common Stock registered for sale by the selling securityholders named in this registration statement. |
(4) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) of the Securities Act, based upon the average of the high and low sales prices of the Registrant’s common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on December 7, 2020. |
The Registrant hereby 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 thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until thethis Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information contained 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 it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdictionstate where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 28,DECEMBER 9, 2020
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUSPreliminary Prospectus
$300,000,000
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.
30,000,000 Units
MP MATERIALS CORP.
118,047,154 shares of Common Stock
Up to 11,499,968 shares of Common Stock Issuable upon Exercise of the Warrants
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. is a newly incorporated blank check company formed forThis prospectus relates to: (1) the purposeissuance by us of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we referup to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
This is an initial public offering11,499,968 shares of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock, andone-thirdpar value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitlesMP Materials Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “our”) that may be issued upon exercise of the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stockpublic warrants (as such term is defined under “Selected Definitions”) at aan exercise price of $11.50 per share subjectof Common Stock, and (2) the offer and sale, from time to adjustment astime, by the selling security holders identified in this prospectus (the “Selling Securityholders”), or their permitted transferees of up to 118,047,154 shares of Common Stock.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of such securities and the general manner in which we and the Selling Securityholders may offer or sell the securities. More specific terms of any securities that we and the Selling Securityholders may offer or sell may be provided herein. Only wholein a prospectus supplement that describes, among other things, the specific amounts and prices of the securities being offered and the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus.
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the securities under this prospectus, although we could receive up to approximately $132,249,632 for the issuance by us of the Common Stock registered under this prospectus assuming the exercise of all the outstanding public warrants, to the extent such warrants are exercisable. The warrantsexercised for cash. However, we will become exercisable onpay the laterexpenses associated with the sale of 30 days aftersecurities pursuant to this prospectus. Any amounts we receive from such exercises will be used for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Information regarding the completionSelling Securityholders, the amounts of our initial business combinationshares of Common Stock that may be sold by them and 12 months from the closingtimes and manner in which they may offer and sell the shares of Common Stock under this offering,prospectus is provided under the sections entitled “Selling Securityholders” and will expire five years after the completion“Plan of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as describedDistribution,” respectively, in this prospectus. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separationWe have not been informed by any of the unitsSelling Securityholders that they intend to sell their securities covered by this prospectus and only whole warrants will trade. We have also granteddo not know when or in what amount the underwriters a45-day option to purchase up to an additional 4,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders withSelling Securityholders may offer the opportunity to redeemsecurities for sale. The Selling Securityholders may sell any, all, or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at aper-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding shares of Class A common stock that were sold as partnone of the units insecurities offered by this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares throughout this prospectus, subject toprospectus.
The Selling Securityholders and intermediaries through whom such securities are sold may be deemed “underwriters” within the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering we will redeem 100%meaning of the public shares at aper-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000Securities Act of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and1933, as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (which we refer to as our “sponsor” throughout this prospectus) has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,333,333 warrants (or 5,933,333 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($8,000,000 in the aggregate or $8,900,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the private placement warrants. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
Prior to this offering, our sponsor purchased 8,625,000 shares of our Class F common stock (up to 1,125,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). We refer to these shares of Class F common stock as the founder shares throughout this prospectus. The shares of Class F common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on aone-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of the business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class F common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class F common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustmentamended, with respect to the securities offered hereby, and any such issuanceprofits realized or commissions received may be deemed issuance) so that the number of share of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class F common stock will equal, in the aggregate, 20%underwriting compensation. We have agreed to indemnify certain of the sum ofSelling Securityholders against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion ofSecurities Act.
You should read this offering, plus all shares of Class A common stockprospectus and equity-linked securities issuedany prospectus supplement or deemed issuedamendment carefully before you invest in connection with the business combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination. Holders of the Class F common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors prior tosecurities.
Our Common Stock and our initial business combination. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of the Class F common stock and holders of the Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or the applicable rules ofpublic warrants, which are not being registered hereunder, are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or the “NYSE,” then in effect.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We will apply to list our units on the NYSE, under the symbol “FVAC.U” on or promptly after“MP” and “MPWS” respectively. On December 7, 2020, the datelast reported sale prices of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing onCommon Stock was $27.68 per share and the NYSE. The Class A common stock andlast reported sales price of our public warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC (the “Representatives”) inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “FVAC” and “FVAC WS,” respectively.was $8.89 per warrant.
We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will beare subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securitiesCommon Stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 31 for a discussion8 of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.this prospectus.
Neither the SECSecurities 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.
Per Unit | Total | |||||||
Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 300,000,000 | ||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | $ | 0.55 | $ | 16,500,000 | ||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | $ | 9.45 | $ | 283,500,000 |
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Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus $300,000,000 or $345,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights orpre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.2020
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2020.
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MARKET INFORMATION AND DIVIDEND POLICY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS | 32 | |||
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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION | 35 | |||
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS | 49 | |||
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT | 122 | |||
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UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS | 142 | |||
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F-1 |
, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to provide you with information about the Company, except for the information contained in this prospectus. The information contained in this prospectus is complete and accurate only as of the date on the front cover page of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or the sale of any securities. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained in this prospectus may change after the date of this prospectus. Do not assume after the date of this prospectus that the information contained in this prospectus is still correct.
For investors outside the United States: We have not done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering and the underwritersdistribution of this prospectus outside the United States.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, from time to time, the Selling Securityholders may offer and sell the securities offered by them described in this prospectus in one or more offerings from time to time through any means described in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.” We may use the shelf registration statement to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the public warrants. We will receive proceeds from any exercise of the public warrants for cash. Additional information about any offering may be provided in a prospectus supplement that describes, among other things, the specific amounts and prices of the Common Stock being offered and the terms of the offering.
A prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information included in this prospectus. Any statement contained in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in such prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified will be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus only as so modified, and any statement so superseded will be deemed not to constitute a part of this prospectus. You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Neither we nor the Selling Securityholders have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with differentany information or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it.to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus we have prepared. We are not, and the underwriters are not, makingSelling Securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information containedappearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents only, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus.
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Trademarksprospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement, or any sale of a security. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
This prospectus contains referencessummaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solelythe actual documents for convenience, trademarks and trade namescomplete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to inherein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may appear withoutobtain copies of those documents as described below under “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
On November 17, 2020, the® or™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, Company, formerly known as Fortress Value Acquisition Corp., consummated the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of July 15, 2020, as amended on August 26, 2020, the “Merger Agreement,” by and among FVAC, FVAC Merger Corp. I, a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of FVAC (“MPMO Merger Corp.”), FVAC Merger LLC II, a Delaware limited liability company that the applicable licensor will not assert,is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of FVAC (“SNR Merger Company”), FVAC Merger LLC III, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of FVAC (“MPMO Merger LLC”), FVAC Merger LLC IV, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of FVAC (“SNR Merger LLC”), MP Mine Operations LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“MPMO”) and Secure Natural Resources LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SNR”). Pursuant to the fullest extent under applicable law,Merger Agreement, among other things, MPMO and SNR, each became indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of FVAC. In connection with the completion of the Business Combination (as defined below), the Company changed its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.name from Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.
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to MP Materials Corp. The above description of the Merger Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Merger Agreement, which is included as Exhibit 2.1 to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and is incorporated herein by reference. Common terms and their meaning are set forth below under the heading “Selected Definitions.”
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SUMMARYMARKET AND OTHER INDUSTRY DATA
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors”Certain market and our financial statements and the related notesindustry data included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.including the size of certain markets and our size or position within these markets, including our products, are based on estimates of our management and third-party reports. Management estimates have been derived from our management’s knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate, as well as information obtained from surveys, reports by market research firms, our customers, distributors, suppliers, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate, which, in each case, we believe are reliable.
We are responsible for all of the disclosure in this prospectus and while we believe the data from these sources to be accurate and complete, we have not independently verified data from these sources or obtained third-party verification of market share data and this information may not be reliable. In addition, these sources may use different definitions of the relevant markets. Data regarding our industry is intended to provide general guidance, but is inherently imprecise.
Assumptions and estimates of our future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business and Industry.” These and other factors could cause our future performance to differ materially from our assumptions and estimates. See “Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
“Amended and Restated Bylaws” means the certain Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, adopted at the closing of the Business Combination.
“A&R RRA” means that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement entered into at the closing of the Business Combination, by and among FVAC, the Insiders and the other parties signatory thereto.
“A&R RRA Parties” means FVAC, the Insiders, and the other parties signatory to “we,” “us,” “our,” “company,”the A&R RRA.
“closing” means the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.
“Closing Date” means November 17, 2020.
“Common Stock” means the shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of MPMC.
“Earnout Shares” means the up to 12,860,000 shares of Common stock that the holders of MPMO HoldCo preferred stock and common stock, MPMO HoldCo and SNR HoldCo common stock immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination, have the contingent right to receive.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Founder Shares” means shares of FVAC Class F common stock initially purchased by the Insiders whether or “our company” are tonot converted into shares of FVAC Class A common stock.
“FVAC” means Fortress Value Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (n/k/a MP Materials Corp. following the consummation of the Business Combination).
“FVAC Class A common stock” means the shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of FVAC, (following the consummation of the Business Combination, “Common Stock”).
“FVAC Class F common stock” means the shares of Class F common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of FVAC, which upon consummation of the Business Combination were converted into FVAC Class A common stock.
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“FVAC Common Stock” means the shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of FVAC, consisting of FVAC Class A common stock and references to:FVAC Class F common stock, prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.
“Insiders” means holders of Founder Shares prior to FVAC’s IPO.
“FVAC’s IPO” means FVAC’s initial public offering, consummated on May 4, 2020, through the sale of 34,500,000 units (including 4,500,000 units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option) at $10.00 per unit.
“MPMC” means MP Materials Corp. (f/k/a Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. prior to the consummation of the Business Combination) and its consolidated subsidiaries.
“MPMC Board” or “our Board” means the board of directors of MPMC.
“MPMO” means MP Mine Operations LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
“MPMO Board” means the board of managers of MPMO.
“MPMO Merger Corp.” means FVAC Merger Corp. I, which was a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of FVAC prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.
“MPMO Merger LLC” means FVAC Merger LLC III, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
“MPMO Transition Sub” means MPMO Transition Sub, LLC, which was a Delaware limited liability company that was treated as an entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes, formed by MPMO HoldCo as a wholly-owned subsidiary pursuant to the Merger Agreement.
“MPMO HoldCo” means MPMO Holding Company, which was a Delaware corporation formed by MPMO or an Affiliate of a MPMO unitholder pursuant to the Merger Agreement.
“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange.
“Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement” means that certain amended and restated letter agreement dated July 15, 2020, and amended and restated on August 26, 2020, by and among FVAC and the Class F Holders.
“Parent Sponsor Warrant Exchange Agreement” means that certain exchange agreement dated July 15, 2020, by and between FVAC and Sponsor.
“PIPE Investors” means the Sponsor and certain other investors who entered into Subscription Agreements with FVAC (together with any permitted assigns under the Subscription Agreements) in connection with the Business Combination.
“public warrants” means the warrants included in the public units issued in FVAC’s IPO, each of which is exercisable for one share of Common Stock, in accordance with its terms.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Second Amended and Restated Charter” means the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of MPMC, adopted at the closing of the Business Combination.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“SNR” means Secure Natural Resources LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
“SNR Board” means the board of managers of SNR.
“SNR HoldCo” means SNR Holding Company, LLC, which was a Delaware limited liability company that was treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, formed by SNR pursuant to the Merger Agreement.
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“SNR Merger LLC” means FVAC Merger LLC IV, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
“SNR Merger Company” means FVAC Merger LLC II, which was a Delaware limited liability company that was treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of FVAC prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.
“SNR Transition Sub” means SNR Transition Sub, LLC, which was a Delaware limited liability company that was treated as an entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes, formed by SNR HoldCo as a wholly-owned subsidiary pursuant to the Merger Agreement.
“Sponsor” means Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.
“Subscription Agreements” means those certain Subscription Agreements, each dated as of July 15, 2020, by and between FVAC and each of the PIPE Investors.
“Vesting Shares” means the shares of FVAC Class A common stock issued upon the conversion of the Founder Shares (shares of FVAC Class F common stock initially purchased by holders of Founder Shares prior to the FVAC IPO), which are subject to certain vesting and forfeiture provisions.
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CAUTIONARY NOTES REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements included in this prospectus that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the words such as “ estimate,” “plan,” “shall,” “may,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target,” or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this prospectus, and on the current expectations of the Company’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of the Company.
These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including:
Unanticipated costs or delays associated with our Stage II optimization project;
Uncertainties relating to our commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore);
The ability to convert current commercial discussions with customers for the sale of REO products into contracts;
Potential Changes in China’s political environment and policies;
Fluctuations in demand for, and prices of, rare earth minerals and products;
Uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic;
The intense competition within the rare earths mining and processing industry;
Uncertainties regarding the growth of existing and emerging uses for rare earth products;
Potential power shortages at the Mountain Pass facility;
Increasing costs or limited access to raw materials may adversely affect our profitability;
Fluctuations in transportation costs or disruptions in transportation services;
Inability to meet individual customer specifications;
Diminished access to water;
Uncertainty in our estimates of REO reserves;
Uncertainties regarding our ability to vertically integrate into further downstream processing and reach full revenue potential;
Risks associated with work stoppages;
A shortage of skilled technicians and engineers;
Loss of key personnel;
Risks associated with the inherent dangers involved in mining activity;
Risks associated with events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, wars or health epidemics or pandemics
Risks related to technology systems and security breaches;
Risks associated with our intellectual property rights;
Ability to compete with substitutions for rare earth minerals;
Ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations; and
Risks relating to extensive and costly environmental regulatory requirements;
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Unless we tell you otherwise,If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the informationresults implied by these forward-looking statements.
These and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this prospectus assumesare more fully described under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. The risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” are not exhaustive. Other sections of this prospectus describe additional factors that could adversely affect the business, financial condition or results of operations of the Company. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all such risk factors on the business of the Company or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. The Company, undertakes no obligations to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
In addition, statements of belief and similar statements reflect the beliefs and opinions of the Company on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to the Company, as applicable, as of the date of this prospectus, and while the Company believes such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and statements should not be read to indicate that the underwriters willCompany has conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and you are cautioned not exercise their over-allotment option.to unduly rely upon these statements.
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. It does not contain all the information that you may consider important in making your investment decision. Therefore, you should read the entire prospectus carefully, including, in particular, the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes.
As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires or indicates, references to “MPMC,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us,” refer to MP Materials Corp. and its subsidiaries.
Overview
We own and operate the Mountain Pass facility, one of the world’s largest integrated rare earth mining and processing facilities and the only major rare earths resource in the Western Hemisphere. Our wholly owned subsidiary, MPMO, acquired the Mountain Pass mine and processing facilities out of bankruptcy in July 2017. Our wholly owned subsidiary, SNR, holds the mineral rights to the Mountain Pass mine and surrounding areas as well as intellectual property rights related to the processing and development of rare earth minerals. Since acquiring Mountain Pass, we have implemented a disciplined operating approach that has already produced superior product output and performance compared to that of the prior ownership, while also generating cash flow from the sale of its rare earth concentrate. We are now beginning to reinvest that cash flow into the further optimization of the facility to enable integrated separation operations, thereby ensuring upstream supply of rare earth oxide equivalents (“REOs”) and setting a foundation for long-term growth and value creation for stakeholders.
Our Companymission is to maximize shareholder returns over the long-term by executing a disciplined business strategy to re-establish a secure and sustainable domestic supply chain for critical sectors of the modern global economy. We believe we can generate positive outcomes for U.S. national security and industry, the U.S. workforce, and the environment.
We areThe mailing address of our principal executive office is 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450, Las Vegas, NV 89119. The telephone number of MPMC is (702) 844-6111. For more information about MPMC, please see the sections entitled “Description of Business,” “Selected Historical Financial Information,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Management” and “Executive Compensation” in this prospectus.
Company History
MPMO acquired the Mountain Pass mine and the rare earth processing and separation facilities located at the mine out of bankruptcy in July 2017. In the five years prior to the acquisition, the prior owner of Mountain Pass, Molycorp, Inc., invested over $1.7 billion of capital in the Mountain Pass mine, primarily in constructing rare earth processing and separation facilities on the Mountain Pass mine site. During its tenure, Molycorp encountered operating challenges, struggling to achieve stable production at their designed capacity due to execution issues in concentrate production and challenges in implementing a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated on January 24, 2020 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses,revised process flow, which we referbelieve sacrificed the natural advantages of Mountain Pass bastnasite ore and its inherent suitability to low-cost processing. In the refining process further downstream, Molycorp removed the critical oxidizing roasting circuit, which previously had been used at Mountain Pass since 1966, and is a well-accepted process throughout the world. We believe this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.was done to maximize the production of cerium, one of the lower-value rare earth minerals in the Mountain Pass ore.
AlthoughSince acquiring Mountain Pass, we may pursue an acquisition in any industry or geography, we intendhave implemented a disciplined operating approach that has already produced superior product output and performance compared to capitalize onthat of the abilityprior ownership, while also generating cash flow from the sale of our management teamrare earth concentrate. Now, we are beginning to reinvest that cash flow into the further optimization of our facility to enable integrated separation operations, thereby ensuring upstream supply of REOs and the broader Fortress platformsetting a foundation for long-term growth and value creation for stakeholders. As part of our plan, we are committed to identify, acquire and operate a business that may providecreating employment opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns.U.S. workers. Since relaunching production at Mountain Pass in July 2017, we have increased our full-time employee base from eight contractors in 2017 to approximately 270 employees in 2020. We anticipate hiring approximately 200 additional full-time employees as part of our Stage II optimization plan.
Our Business
As of July 1, 2020, SRK, an independent consulting firm that we have retained to assess our reserves, estimates total proven reserves of 0.03 million short tons of REO contained in 0.3 million short tons of ore at Mountain Pass, with an average ore grade of 8.19%, and probable reserves of 1.47 million short tons of REO contained in 20.8 million short tons of ore, with an average ore grade of 7.04%. Our total proven and probable reserves are estimated to have an average ore grade of 7.06%. In each case, these estimates use the estimated economical cutoff of 3.83% total rare earth oxide (“TREO”). Based on these estimated reserves and our expected annual production rate of REO upon completion of our Stage II optimization project, our expected mine life is approximately 24 years. We expect to be able to significantly grow our expected mine life through exploratory drilling programs and incorporation of the profitability uplift of our Stage II optimization plan over time.
Our Properties
We intendown the Mountain Pass facility. We also lease our executive office space at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suites 450 and 430, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, which lease expires December 31, 2022, subject to identify and acquire a business that could benefit from ahands-on owner with extensive investment and operational expertise and that presents potential for an attractive risk-adjusted return profile under our stewardship. Even fundamentally sound companies can often under-perform their potential due to underinvestment, inefficient capital allocation, over-levered capital structures, excessive cost structures, incomplete management teams and/or inappropriate business strategies. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing such full potential acquisitions across industries and business cycles. In addition, our management hashands-on experience working with companies as active owners and directors by working closely with these companies to continue their transformations and help create value.renewal option.
We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive risk-adjusted returnsRecent Developments
On November 17, 2020, we completed the Business Combination described below in the marketplace. Our management team’s contacts and transaction sources, ranging from industry executives, private owners, private equity funds, credit funds andSection entitled “Description of Business”.
Risk Factors
An investment bankers in addition to the extensive global industry and geographical reach of the Fortress platform will enable us to pursue a broad range of opportunities. Our management believes that its ability to identify and implement value creation initiatives has been an essential driver of past performance and will remain central to its differentiated acquisition strategy.
Our management team’s objective is to generate attractive returns and create value for our stockholders by applying our disciplined strategy of underwriting intrinsic worth and affecting changes after making an acquisition to unlock value. While our approach is value-oriented, and focusing on industries where we have differentiated insights, we also rigorously drive change through a comprehensive value creation plan framework. We favor opportunities where we can improve the risk-reward by driving change and accelerating the target’s growth initiatives. Our management team has successfully applied this approach over the past decade and has deployed capital successfully in a range of market cycles. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
We will seek to capitalize on the more than 15 years of investment and operational experience of our Chief Executive Officer, Andrew A. McKnight. Mr. McKnight is a Managing Partner of the Credit Funds business at Fortress. Mr. McKnight is based in San Francisco andCo-Heads the Corporate Debt and Securities Group at Fortress, serves on the investment committee for the Credit Funds business at Fortress and is a member of the Management Committee of Fortress.
Our management team also includes Daniel N. Bass, our Chief Financial Officer, who has served as Fortress’s Chief Financial Officer since 2003, and Micah B. Kaplan, our Chief Operating Officer, who is a Managing Director at Fortress.
As a result of Fortress’s significant ownership interest in our sponsor, the company may be deemed to be an affiliatecommon stock involves substantial risk. The occurrence of Fortress. Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to affiliates of Fortress do not include the company.
Fortress is a leading, highly diversified global investment management firm with approximately $41.5 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2019. Fortress applies its deep experience and specialized expertise across a range of investment strategies—credit, private equity and liquid markets—on behalf of its over 1,750 institutional clients and private investors worldwide. Its primary business is to sponsor the formation of, and provide investment management services for, various investment funds, permanent capital vehicles and related managed accounts. Fortress generally makes investments in these funds.
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Fortress is sponsoring the company through its credit business, Fortress Credit. Fortress Credit manages approximately $32.8 billion of capital or capital commitments as of September 30, 2019 and is focused on investing globally in credit, hard assets and real estate. Fortress Credit’s investment team, led byCo-CIOs Pete Briger and Dean Dakolias, has a long and established track record investing throughout a number of credit cycles around the world. Fortress Credit applies a diversified investment approach across it main areas of investment and a disciplined focus on asset-liability management. Fortress Credit’s team has invested over $100 billion of capital since its launch in 2002, over $75 billion of which corresponds to the period starting with the 2008 credit crisis. As of September 30, 2019, the Fortress Credit team consists of over 500 professionals and is focused on investing globally, primarily in undervalued assets and distressed and illiquid credit investments. With over 100 professionals dedicated to asset management in 14 geographic locations, the Fortress Credit team also has the experience and expertise to manage and service assets with operational complexity. As such, the company intends to draw upon Fortress Credit’s significant expertise in corporate acquisitions, opportunistic lending, distressed debt investing, structured credits, corporate securities, structured finance, bankruptcy procedures, tax structuring and asset management to assist in the identification of investment opportunities and management. On February 14, 2017, Fortress and SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”) announced that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement under which a limited partnership or other entity (the “Parent”) controlled by SoftBank acquired Fortress (the “Fortress Merger”). SoftBank is a global technology company, comprised of the holding company SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984) and its global portfolio of companies, which includes advanced telecommunications, internet services, artificial intelligence, smart robotics, “Internet of Things” and clean energy technology providers. SoftBank manages the SoftBank Vision Fund I, L.P., which generally makes investments in entities in the technology (including telecoms, internet and media) sector, for which the aggregate amount committed to be invested (in one or more tranches)of the events or circumstances described in each such investment exceeds $100 million. Fortress operates within Softbank as an independent business.
In July 2017, Fortressco-founded Mosaic Acquisition Corp. (“Mosaic”)the section entitled “Risk Factors, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. Mr. McKnight and Mr. Pack served as directors, and Mr. Albert served as Chief Operating Officer, of Mosaic. Mosaic completed its initial public offering” alone or in October 2017, in which it sold 34,500,000 units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share andone-third of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating $345,000,000. In January 2020, Mosaic completed its business combination with Vivint Smart Home, Inc. (“Vivint”). Vivint is oneother events or circumstances, may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of the largest smart home companiesoperations. Important factors and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the world, delivering integrated smart homeforward-looking statements include, among others:
Unanticipated costs or delays associated with our Stage II optimization project;
Uncertainties relating to our commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore);
The ability to convert current commercial discussions with customers for the sale of REO products into contracts;
Potential Changes in China’s political environment and cloud-enabled servicespolicies;
Fluctuations in demand for, and prices of, rare earth minerals and products;
Uncertainties relating to subscribers across the U.S.COVID-19 pandemic;
The intense competition within the rare earths mining and Canada. Vivint’s Class processing industry;
Uncertainties regarding the growth of existing and emerging uses for rare earth products;
Potential power shortages at the Mountain Pass facility;
Increasing costs or limited access to raw materials may adversely affect our profitability;
Fluctuations in transportation costs or disruptions in transportation services;
Inability to meet individual customer specifications;
Diminished access to water;
Uncertainty in our estimates of REO reserves;
Uncertainties regarding our ability to vertically integrate into further downstream processing and reach full revenue potential;
Risks associated with work stoppages;
A common stock is traded onshortage of skilled technicians and engineers;
Loss of key personnel;
Risks associated with the New Yorkinherent dangers involved in mining activity;
Risks associated with events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, wars or health epidemics or pandemics
Risks related to technology systems and security breaches;
Risks associated with our intellectual property rights;
Ability to compete with substitutions for rare earth minerals;
Ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations; and
Risks relating to extensive and costly environmental regulatory requirements;
Risks related to our Common Stock Exchange under the symbol “VVNT” and its warrants are traded under the symbol “VVNT.WS”.this offering, including:
Past performance by
Risks that our management team is not a guarantee either (i) that weprincipal stockholders will be able to identify a suitable candidateexert significant influence over matters submitted to stockholders for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate.approval;
Certain
Volatility in the price of our directors have fiduciary and contractual dutiesCommon Stock;
Risks related to Fortress and its affiliates. As a result, certainlack of liquidity in the trading of our directors will have a dutyCommon Stock;
Potential declines in the value of our Common Stock due to offer acquisition opportunities to certain Fortress funds and other entities and will have no duty to offer such opportunities to the company unless presented to them in their capacity as a directorsubstantial future sales of the company. However, weour Common Stock and/or warrants;
Dilution of your investment;
We do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to identify targets for our initial business combination. We believe this conflict of interest will be naturally mitigated, to some extent, by the differing nature of the acquisition targets we expect the company to find most attractive. While Fortress and its affiliates will not have any dutycurrent plans to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Fortress or its affiliates may become aware of a potential transaction that is not a fit for Fortress or its affiliates but that is an attractive opportunity for us, which they may decide to share with us. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, certain of our officers and directors have time and attention requirements for Fortress or its affiliates.
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In addition, Fortress and its affiliates, including our officers and directors who are affiliated with Fortress, may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Currently, the equity interests in our Sponsor are owned by Fortress. Following the date hereof, Fortress may transfer the equity interests in our Sponsor to one or more investment funds or accounts managed by Fortress for such consideration as Fortress deems appropriate. Stockholders will not have the right to approve or receive notice of any such transfer.
Business Strategy
Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, to build a company in the public markets. We intend to seek a company in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our management team and is a business that we think our transformative operating skills can help improve. Our selection process will leverage our team’s network of industry, private equity sponsor, credit fund sponsor and lending community relationships as well as relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We intend to deploy apro-active, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, capital and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to transform companies and can help accelerate the target business’ growth and performance.
In addition, we intend to utilize the networks and industry experience of our management team and our board of directors in seeking an initial business combination. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team and board of directors have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships that we believe will serve as a useful source of acquisition opportunities. This group has experience in:
operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, mentoring and recruiting world-class talent;
developing and growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions and strategic transactions and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of a number of target businesses;
sourcing, structuring, acquiring, and selling businesses;
accessing the capital markets, including financing businesses and helping companies transition to public ownership;
fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams;pay cash dividends; and
executing transactionsAnti–takeover provisions could make a third party acquisition of us difficult.
You should carefully review and consider the risk factors set forth under the section entitled “Risk Factors”.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions.
We believe thatSection 2(a)(19) of the networkSecurities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of contacts and relationships2012, or the “JOBS Act.” As such, we will take advantage of our management team will provide us with an important source of acquisition opportunities. In addition, given our profile and thematic approach, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attentioncertain exemptions from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their network of relationshipsreporting requirements applicable to articulate our acquisition criteria, including the parameters of our search for a target business, and will begin the disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads.
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Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe:
are underperforming their potential in industriesother public companies that are otherwise exhibiting stable or improving fundamentals. We intendnot emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to evaluate each industry and the target businesses within those industries based on several factors,be an emerging growth company, including the potential for sustainable competitive advantage, growth in excess of gross domestic product, ability to generate attractive returns and the sustainability of profit margins. We plan to seek targets that will be compatible with our rigorous value creation process, whereby we identify several value enhancing initiatives prior to making the acquisition and install processes to implement and optimize those initiatives.
are at an inflection point, such as those requiring additional management expertise, are able to innovate by developing new products or services, or where we believe we can drive improved financial performance and where an acquisition may help facilitate growth. We believe that we are well-positioned to evaluate and improve a company’s growth prospects and help them realize the opportunities to create stockholder value following the consummation of a business combination.
our management team understands well, including those where we believe we can drive meaningful operational improvements and efficiency gains, or enhance its strategic position by using technology solutions to differentiate its offering.
have significant embedded and/or underexploited expansion opportunities. This can be accomplished through a combination of accelerating organic growth and finding attractiveadd-on acquisition targets. Our management team has significant experience in identifying such targets and helping target management assess the strategic and financial fit. Similarly, our management has the expertise to assess the likely synergies and a process to help a target integrate acquisitions.
exhibit unrecognized value or other characteristics that we believe have been misevaluated by the marketplace based on our company specific analysis and due diligence review. For a potential target company, this process will include, among other things, a review and analysis of the company’s capital structure, quality of earnings, potential for operational improvements, corporate governance, customers, material contracts, and industry background and trends. We intend to leverage the operational experience and disciplined investment approach of our team to identify opportunities to unlock value that our experience in complex situations allows us to pursue.
will offer attractive risk-adjusted equity returns for our stockholders. We will seek to acquire a target on terms and in a manner that leverages our experience in transformational investing. Financial returns will be evaluated based on (i) the potential for organic growth in cash flows, (ii)exemption from the ability to achieve cost savings, (iii) the ability to accelerate growth, including through the opportunity forfollow-on acquisitions and (iv) the prospects for creating value through other value creation initiatives. Potential upside from growth in the target business’ earnings and an improved capital structure will be weighed against any identified downside risks.
These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
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Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own shares of our common stock and/or private placement warrants following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interestauditor attestation requirements with respect to evaluatinginternal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Actof 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), (ii) the exemptions from say-on-pay,say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. As a particularresult, MPMC’s stockholders may not have access to certain information they deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following May 4, 2024, the fifth anniversary of the closing of FVAC’s IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion or (c) in which MPMC is deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common Stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business combination ifday of our prior second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the retentiondate on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the exemption from complying with new or resignationrevised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act as long as it is an emerging growth company. An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, but any such officerselection to opt out is irrevocable. MPMC has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Fortress is from time to time made aware of potential business opportunities, oneit has different application dates for public or more of whichprivate companies, we, may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with any business combination target. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity. We expect that if an opportunity is presented to one of our officers or directors in his or her capacity as an officeremerging growth company, can adopt the new or director of one of those other entities, such opportunity would be presented to such other entity and not to us. For more information on the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary or contractual obligations, please refer to “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if any, and excluding the amount of any
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deferred underwriting discount held in trust)revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our signing a definitive agreement in connectionfinancial statements with our initial business combination. If our boardanother public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of directors is not able to independently determineusing the fair market valueextended transition period difficult or impossible because of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independentpotential differences in accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.standards used.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the “Investment Company Act.” Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act.” As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated on January 24, 2020 as a Delaware corporation under the name “Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.” and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar Business Combination with one or more businesses. On November 17, 2020, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we changed our name to “MP Materials Corp.”.
Our principal executive offices are located at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450, Las Vegas, NV 89119 and our telephone number is (702) 844-6111. Our website is www.mpmaterials.com. The information found on, or that can be accessed from or that is hyperlinked to, our website is not part of this prospectus.
THE OFFERING
We are registering the issuance by us of up to 11,499,968 shares of our Common Stock that may be issued by us upon exercise of public warrants to purchase Common Stock. We are also registering the resale by the Selling Securityholders or their permitted transferees of up to 118,047,154 shares of Common Stock. Any investment in the securities offered hereby is speculative and involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors.”
As of December 7, 2020, we had 155,920,632 shares of Common Stock outstanding. The following information is as of December 7, 2020 and does not give effect to issuances of shares of our Common Stock after such date.
Issuance of Securities – Common Stock
Shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise of all public warrants | 11,499,968 |
Use of proceeds | We will receive up to an aggregate of approximately $132,249,632 from the exercise of all public warrants, assuming the exercise in full of all such warrants for cash. Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we intend to use the net proceeds from the exercise of such warrants for general corporate purposes which may include acquisitions or other strategic investments or repayment of outstanding indebtedness. |
Resale of Common Stock
Shares of Common Stock offered by the Selling Securityholders | 118,047,154 |
Use of proceeds | We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Common Stock to be offered by the Selling Securityholders. |
Restrictions to Sell | Pursuant to the A&R RRA the restricted stockholders agreed not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of certain securities they hold or receive, for certain time periods specified therein. For more information, please see the section entitled “Plan of Distribution – Restrictions to Sell.” |
NYSE Ticker Symbols | Common Stock: MP |
Public Warrants: MPWS |
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Investors should carefully consider the risks described below and all of the other information set forth in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, including our financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding to invest in our Common Stock. If any of the events or developments described below occur, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially or adversely affected. As a result, the market price of our Common Stock could decline, and investors could lose all or part of their investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. The risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements, and our actual results may differ substantially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Risks Relating to our Business and Industry
The production of rare earth products is a capital-intensive business and the completion of our Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility will require the commitment of substantial resources. Unanticipated costs or delays associated with our ongoing Stage II optimization project could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
The completion of our Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility will require the commitment of substantial resources and capital expenditures. We expect to incur approximately $170 million in capital costs to complete the project and reach anticipated production rates for the separation of REOs by the end of 2022. Our estimated expenses may increase as consultants, personnel and equipment associated with our efforts are added. The progress of our Stage II optimization project, the amounts and timing of expenditures and the success of this project will depend in part on the following:
the operational resumption of a portion of the existing process, plant and equipment, certain of which is currently in a cold-idle state, and the further enhancement and development of such existing process, plant and equipment;
our ability to timely procure new equipment or repair existing equipment, certain of which may involve long lead-times;
maintaining, and procuring, as required, applicable federal, state and local permits;
the results of consultants’ analysis and recommendations;
negotiating contracts for equipment, earthwork, construction, equipment installation, labor and completing infrastructure and construction work;
impact of planned and unplanned shut-downs and delays in our production;
impact of stoppages or delays on construction projects;
disputes with contractors or other third parties;
negotiating sales and offtake contracts for our planned production;
the execution of any joint venture agreements or similar arrangements with strategic partners;
the impact of COVID-19 or similar pandemics on our business, our strategic partners’ or suppliers’ businesses, logistics or the global economy; and
other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Most of these activities require significant lead times and must be advanced concurrently. Unanticipated costs or delays associated with our Stage II optimization project could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations and could require us to seek additional capital, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms or at all.
The actual amount of capital required for the Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility may vary materially from our current estimates, in which case we may need to raise additional funds, which could delay completion and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
The anticipated funding required to complete the Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility is based on certain estimates and assumptions we have made about the additional equipment, labor, permits and other factors required to complete the project. If any of these estimates or assumptions change, the actual timing and amount of capital required to complete the Stage II optimization project may vary materially from what we anticipate. Additional funds may be required in the event of significant departures from our current plans, unforeseen delays, cost overruns, engineering design changes or other unanticipated events or expenses. There can be no assurance that additional financing will be available to us, or, if available, that it can be obtained on a timely basis and on commercially acceptable terms.
Our continued growth depends on our ability to complete the Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility, which is our only rare earth mining and processing facility.
Our only rare earth mining and processing facility at this time is the Mountain Pass facility. Our continued growth is based on successfully completing the Stage II optimization project and reaching anticipated production rates for the separation of REOs in accordance with our expected timeframe. The deterioration or destruction of any part of the Mountain Pass facility, or a delay in the procurement of any necessary equipment, may significantly hinder our ability to reach or maintain anticipated production rates within the expected time frame or at all. If we are unsuccessful in reaching and maintaining expected production rates for REOs at the Mountain Pass facility, within expected time frames or at all, we may not be able to build a sustainable or profitable business as currently expected or at all.
We currently rely on Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to purchase all of our rare earth concentrate product on a “take-or-pay” basis and sell that product to end users in China. We cannot assure you that they will continue to honor their contractual obligations to purchase and sell our products, or that they will make optimum efforts to market and sell our products.
Our current ability to generate revenues from the sale of our rare earth concentrate is reliant on our arrangement under our amended and restated offtake agreement (the “A&R Offtake Agreement”) with Shenghe Resources (Singapore). While Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is obligated under the A&R Offtake Agreement to purchase all of our rare earth concentrate product on a “take-or-pay” basis (such that they are obliged to pay for product even if they are unable or unwilling to take delivery), we cannot guarantee that Shenghe Resources (Singapore) will continue to purchase all of the products that it is contractually bound to purchase.
Additionally, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) sells the rare earth concentrate it acquires under our A&R Offtake Agreement to customers in China who separate and extract the individual rare earth elements from our rare earth concentrate. We do not control the amount and timing of resources that Shenghe Resources (Singapore) will dedicate to their sales efforts, which could impact the duration of the A&R Offtake Agreement.
Under the A&R Offtake Agreement, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is entitled to retain the gross profits from the sales of our products, and those gross profits are credited against the prepayment funding provided by Shenghe Resources (Singapore). When Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has recouped all of its prepayment funding, the A&R Offtake Agreement will terminate. Any decline or delay in Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s sales efforts will prolong the duration of the A&R Offtake Agreement. As of September 30, 2020, the prepayment funding balance under the A&R Offtake Agreement was approximately $78.4 million. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR—Shenghe Agreements.”
The loss of business from our arrangement with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) would materially and adversely affect our results of operations until such time, if ever, as we are able to replace the lost business. To
the extent we remain reliant on Shenghe Resources (Singapore), we are also subject to the risks faced by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) where such risks impede their ability to stay in business, make timely payments to us, perform their obligations to us, or sell our products to their end-customers.
We may not be able to convert current commercial discussions with customers for the sale of REO products into contracts, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Currently, we sell all of our rare earth concentrate product to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) on a take-or-pay basis under our A&R Offtake Agreement. That A&R Offtake Agreement will terminate after Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has recovered the full amount of the funding it has provided to us, which funding effectively constitutes a prepayment for products to be supplied by us under the A&R Offtake Agreement. After the A&R Offtake Agreement terminates, we will no longer have a contractual agreement requiring Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to purchase rare earth products from the Mountain Pass facility. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR—Shenghe Agreements.”
We are actively working on our Stage II optimization project, which includes installing a concentrate drying and roasting circuit, reconfiguring and restarting the product leaching circuit, recommissioning separation and extraction circuits, and enlarging product finishing capacity to re-establish the full capability to produce separated, individual rare earth products at Mountain Pass. Upon reaching anticipated production rates for REOs and other planned downstream products at the Mountain Pass facility, we expect to produce approximately 20,000 mt of separated REO per year, excluding cerium concentrate, consisting of approximately 6,075 mt of NdPr per year. Prior to reaching expected production rates for REOs and other planned downstream products at the Mountain Pass facility, we intend to enter into short- and long-term sales contracts with new customers. However, there can be no assurance that these customers will enter into sales contracts for REOs. The failure to enter into such contracts may have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Changes in China’s political environment and policies, including changes in export policy or the interpretation of China’s export policy and policy on rare earths production or the import of rare earth feedstock may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Because all of our rare earth concentrate product is currently sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) under our A&R Offtake Agreement, which subsequently sells the product to customers in China, the possibility of adverse changes in trade or political relations with China, political instability in China, increases in labor or shipping costs, the occurrence of prolonged adverse weather conditions or a natural disaster such as an earthquake or typhoon, or the continuation of COVID-19 or the outbreak of another global pandemic disease could severely interfere with the sale and/or shipment of our products and would have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Our sales may be adversely affected by the current and future political environment in China and the policies of the China Central Government. China’s government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over nearly all sectors of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to ship products to China may be adversely affected by changes in Chinese laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, import and export tariffs, raw materials, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. Under its current leadership, China’s government has been pursuing economic reform policies that encourage private economic activity and greater economic decentralization. There is no assurance, however, that China’s government will continue to pursue these policies, or that it will not significantly alter these policies from time to time without notice. The United States government has called for substantial changes to foreign trade policy with China and has raised (as well as has proposed to further raise in the future), tariffs on several Chinese goods. China has retaliated with increased tariffs on United States goods. Any further changes in United States trade policy could trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries, including China, resulting in trade wars. Any changes in United States and China relations, including through
changes in policies by the Chinese government could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations, including: changes in laws, regulations or the interpretation thereof, confiscatory taxation, governmental royalties, restrictions on currency conversion, imports or sources of supplies, or the expropriation or nationalization of private enterprises.
In addition, there may be circumstances where we may have to incur premium freight charges to expedite the delivery of our products to customers or as a result of being required to ship to alternative ports due to local Chinese government regulations or delays at the ports that we typically utilize. If we incur a significant amount of freight charges, our gross profit will be negatively affected if we are unable to pass on those charges to customers.
We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in demand for, and prices of, rare earth minerals and products.
Because our revenue is, and will for the foreseeable future be, from the sale of rare earth products, changes in demand for, and the market price of, and taxes and other tariffs and fees imposed upon rare earth minerals and products could significantly affect our profitability. Our financial results may be significantly adversely affected by declines in the prices of rare earth minerals and products. Rare earth minerals and product prices may fluctuate and are affected by numerous factors beyond our control such as interest rates, exchange rates, taxes, inflation or deflation, fluctuation in the relative value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies on the world market, shipping and other transportation and logistics costs, global and regional supply and demand for rare earth minerals and products, potential industry trends, such as competitor consolidation or other integration methodologies, and the political and economic conditions of countries that produce and procure rare earth minerals and products. Furthermore, supply side factors have a significant influence on price volatility for rare earth minerals. Supply of rare earth minerals is dominated by Chinese producers. The Chinese Central Government regulates production via quotas and environmental standards, and has and may continue to change such production quotas and environmental standards. Over the past few years, there has been significant restructuring of the Chinese market in line with Chinese Central Government policy; however, periods of over supply or speculative trading of rare earth minerals can lead to significant fluctuations in the market price of rare earth minerals.
A prolonged or significant economic contraction in the United States or worldwide could put downward pressure on market prices of rare earth minerals and products. Protracted periods of low prices for rare earth minerals and products could significantly reduce revenues and the availability of required development funds in the future. This could cause substantial reductions to, or a suspension of, REO production operations, impair asset values and reduce our proven and probable rare earth ore reserves.
Demand for our products may be impacted by demand for downstream products incorporating rare earths, including hybrid and electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical equipment, military equipment and other high-growth, advanced motion technologies, as well as demand in the general automotive and electronic industries. Lack of growth in these markets may adversely affect the demand for our products.
In contrast, extended periods of high commodity prices may create economic dislocations that may be destabilizing to rare earth minerals supply and demand and ultimately to the broader markets. Periods of high rare earth mineral market prices generally are beneficial to our financial performance. However, strong rare earth mineral prices also create economic pressure to identify or create alternate technologies that ultimately could depress future long-term demand for rare earth minerals and products, and at the same time may incentivize development of competing mining properties.
The COVID-19 pandemic could have an adverse effect on our business.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is significantly impacting the national and global economy and commodity and financial markets. The full extent and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown and to date
has included, among other things, extreme volatility in financial markets, a slowdown in economic activity, extreme volatility in commodity prices and an increased possibility of a global recession. The response to COVID-19 has led to significant restrictions on travel, temporary business closures, quarantines, global stock market volatility and a general reduction in consumer activity and sentiment, globally. The outbreak has affected our business and operations and may continue to do so, by among others, increasing the cost of operations and reducing employee productivity, limiting travel of our personnel, adversely affecting the health and welfare of our personnel, or preventing or delaying important third party service providers from performing normal and contracted activities crucial to the operation of our business.
The outbreak has resulted in significant governmental measures being implemented to control the spread of the virus, including, among others, restrictions on manufacturing and the movement of employees in many regions of China, the U.S. and other countries. These disruptions could continue to impact the rare earth market, particularly the supply chain for China and the U.S., which in turn could impact our business or business prospects as under our A&R Offtake Agreement with Shenghe Resources (Singapore), pursuant to which we rely on Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to purchase all of our rare earth concentrate products and sell those products to customers in China. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR—Shenghe Agreements.”
Decisions beyond our control, such as canceled events, restricted travel, barriers to entry, temporary closures or limited availability of county, state or federal government agencies, or other factors may affect our ability to perform mining operations, corporate activities, and other actions that would normally be accomplished without such limitations. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak will impact our operations, our business and the economy is highly uncertain. We cannot predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We operate in a highly competitive industry.
The rare earths mining and processing markets are capital intensive and competitive. Production of rare earths is dominated by our Chinese competitors. These competitors may have greater financial resources, as well as other strategic advantages to operate, maintain, improve and possibly expand their facilities. Additionally, our Chinese competitors have historically been able to produce at relatively low costs due to domestic economic and regulatory factors, including less stringent environmental and governmental regulations and lower labor and benefit costs. For instance, many of our Chinese competitors dispose of the waste material from beneficiation in wet tailings dams, which are significantly less expensive to operate and potentially more harmful to the environment than the dry tailings method that we employ. Even upon successful completion of our Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility, if we are not able to achieve our anticipated costs of production, then any strategic advantages that our competitors may have over us, including, without limitation, lower labor, compliance and production costs, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Industry consolidation may result in increased competition, which could result in a reduction in revenue.
Some of our competitors have made, or may make acquisitions or enter into partnerships or other strategic relationships to achieve competitive advantages. In addition, new entrants not currently considered competitors may enter our market through acquisitions, partnerships or strategic relationships. We expect these trends to continue as demand for rare earth materials increases. Industry consolidation may result in competitors with more compelling product offerings or greater pricing flexibility than we have, or business practices that make it more difficult for us to compete effectively, including on the basis of price, sales, technology or supply. These competitive pressures could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The success of our business will depend, in part, on the growth of existing and emerging uses for rare earth products.
The success of our business will depend, in part, on the growth of existing and emerging uses for rare earth products. Our strategy is to develop rare earth products, including NdPr, which are used in critical existing and
emerging technologies, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical equipment, military equipment and other high-growth, advanced motion technologies. The success of our business depends on the continued growth of these end markets and successfully commercializing rare earth products, including NdPr, in such markets. If the market for these critical existing and emerging technologies does not grow as we expect, grows more slowly than we expect, or if the demand for our products in these markets decreases, then our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be harmed. In addition, the market for these technologies, particularly in the automotive industry, tends to be cyclical, which exposes us to increased volatility, and it is uncertain as to how such macroeconomic factors will impact our business. Any unexpected costs or delays in the commercialization of NdPr or any of our other expected products, or less than expected demand for the critical existing and emerging technologies that use rare earth products, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
An increase in the global supply of rare earth products, dumping, predatory pricing and other tactics designed to inhibit our further downstream integration by our competitors may materially adversely affect our profitability.
The pricing and demand for rare earth products is affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including growth of economic development and the global supply and demand for REO products. According to CRU, China was projected to account for approximately 83% of global REO production in 2020. China also dominates the manufacture of metals and NdFeB magnets from rare earths, capabilities that are not currently present in the United States, and the Chinese Central Government regulates production via quotas and environmental standards. Over the past few years, there has been significant restructuring of the Chinese markets in line with China Central Government policy. Assuming that we reach anticipated production rates for REOs and other planned downstream products and subsequently become fully operational and integrated, the increased competition may lead our competitors to engage in predatory pricing or other behaviors designed to inhibit our further downstream integration. Any increase in the amount of rare earth products exported from other nations and increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced margins or loss of potential market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our profitability. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to compete effectively against current and future competitors.
A power shortage at the Mountain Pass facility could temporarily delay mining and processing operations and increase costs, which may materially adversely impact our business.
Our facilities currently rely on electricity provided by a single utility company in Southern California. Instability in electrical supply could cause sporadic outages and brownouts. Any such outages or brownouts could have a negative impact on our production. The natural gas-powered CHP plant that was installed at the Mountain Pass facility to produce electricity and steam and to minimize or eliminate reliance on the regional electric power grid is currently idle. Subject to any required permit approvals and other required certifications, we plan to restart the CHP facility in 2021, and we have incorporated the assumed cost savings associated with restarting the CHP facility in the estimation of our reserves, however there can be no assurance that we will be successful in these efforts. If the CHP plant remains idle or is unable to provide sufficient energy for the operation of our Mountain Pass facility, we will incur higher operating costs, remain subject to the effects of occasional power outages and brownouts and could experience temporary interruptions of mining and processing operations. We then may be unable to fill customer orders in a timely manner and may be subject to higher power costs at the Mountain Pass facility. As a result, our revenue could be adversely impacted and our relationships with our customers could suffer, adversely impacting our ability to generate future revenue and otherwise perform our contractual obligations. In addition, if power to the Mountain Pass facility is disrupted during certain phases of our REO extraction process, we may incur significant expenses that may adversely affect our business.
Increasing costs or limited access to raw materials may adversely affect our profitability.
We use significant amounts of chemical reagents to process REOs. Even though the Mountain Pass facility includes a chlor-alkali facility that we expect to restart and believe will enable us to produce much of our chemical reagents demand on-site by the end of 2023, on-site production of these reagents could be delayed and any production could be hampered by any disruptions in the process used to produce these chemicals. Prior to commencing production of these chemicals, during any disruption to such production or for chemicals we cannot produce, we will need to purchase chemical reagents in the open market and as a result, we could be subject to significant volatility in the cost and availability of these chemicals and to restrictions on chemical use imposed by environmental regulations or law. We may not be able to pass increased prices for these chemicals through to our customers in the form of price increases. A significant increase in the price, or decrease in the availability of these chemicals before we restart our ability to produce them on-site, or restrictions imposed by environmental regulations or law on chemical use, could materially increase our operating costs and adversely affect our profit margins and production volumes.
Fluctuations in transportation costs or disruptions in transportation services or damage or loss during transport could decrease our competitiveness or impair our ability to supply rare earth minerals or products to our customers, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
We currently transport our rare earth concentrate product to China to be purchased by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) under our A&R Offtake Agreement. In the future, we will need to transport our products to our future customers wherever they may be located. Finding affordable and dependable transportation is important because it allows us to supply customers around the world. Labor disputes, embargos, government restrictions, work stoppages, pandemics, derailments, damage or loss events, adverse weather conditions, other environmental events, changes to rail or ocean freight systems or other events and activities beyond our control could interrupt or limit available transport services, which could result in customer dissatisfaction and loss of sales potential and could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
We will need to process REOs to exacting specifications in order to provide future customers with a consistently high quality product. An inability to perfect the mineral extraction processes to meet individual customer specifications may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Upon the completion of our Stage II optimization project, we expect to be able to process REOs to meet customer needs and specifications and to provide customers with a consistently high quality product and to meet ever-stricter purity requirements. An inability to perfect the mineral extraction processes to meet individual customer specifications may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. In addition, customer needs and specifications may change with time. Any delay or failure in developing processes to meet changing customer needs and specifications may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Such events and conditions, including flooding and other natural disasters, could also impact the facilities of our customers which could have a material adverse affect on our ability to deliver our product to our customers.
Diminished access to water may adversely affect our operations.
Processing of REOs requires significant amounts of water. The technology we currently use to beneficiate REOs is a sustainable, “green” process with dry tailings that limits the need for fresh water usage. Although we believe our current process is sustainable, any disruption in the process could prompt the need for significant access to fresh water. Additionally, once we complete our Stage II optimization project, we will require an even greater amount of water for our separation and extraction operations, including additional fresh water. We maintain and operate one water supply well field for potable and process water and own land and wells in another water supply well field that we may be able to operate in the future. Any disruption to our current process or decrease in available water supply may have a material adverse effect on our operations and our financial condition or results of operations.
Uncertainty in our estimates of REO reserves could result in lower than expected revenues and higher than expected costs.
We base our REO reserve estimates on engineering, economic and geological data assembled and analyzed by outside firms, which are reviewed by our engineers and geologists. Ore reserve estimates, however, are necessarily imprecise and depend to some extent on professional interpretation, including statistical inferences drawn from available drilling data, which may prove unreliable. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities and qualities of REO reserves and costs to mine recoverable reserves, including many factors beyond our control. Estimates of economically recoverable REO reserves necessarily depend upon a number of variable factors and assumptions, all of which may vary considerably from actual results, such as:
geological, mining and processing conditions and/or effects from prior mining that may not be fully identified by available data or that may differ from experience;
changes to the strategic approach to mining and processing the deposit depending upon market demand, corporate strategy and other prevailing economic conditions;
assumptions concerning future prices of rare earth products, foreign exchange rates, process recovery rates, transportation costs, operating costs, capital costs and reclamation costs; and
assumptions concerning future effects of regulation, including the issuance of required permits and taxes by governmental agencies and foreign government policies relating to the import or export of rare earth products.
Uncertainty in our estimates related to our REO reserves could result in lower than expected revenues and higher than expected costs or a shortened estimated life for the mine at the Mountain Pass facility. Fluctuations in factors out of our control such as changes in future product pricing, foreign government policies on the import or export of rare earths and foreign exchange rates can have a significant impact on the estimates of reserves and can result in significant changes in the quantum of our reserves period-to-period.
Period-to-period conversion of probable REO reserves to proven ore reserves may result in increases or decreases to the total reported amount of ore reserves. Conversion rates are affected by a number of factors, including geological variability, applicable mining methods and changes in safe mining practices, economic considerations and new regulatory requirements.
We may not successfully establish or maintain collaborative, joint venture and licensing arrangements, which could adversely affect our ability to vertically integrate into further downstream processing of our REOs.
A key element of our long-term business strategy is to vertically integrate into further downstream processing of our REOs into rare earth metal alloys and finished magnets for clean-energy, high-growth, advanced motion technologies. To implement this vertical integration strategy successfully, we may need to license certain intellectual property related to these downstream processes and/or develop the ability, or collaborate with, purchase or form a joint venture with, an existing magnet producer for the final production of finished rare earth magnets. In addition, other licenses that may be necessary for some of these downstream processing steps have not yet been obtained. Any failure to establish or maintain collaborative, joint venture or licensing arrangements for the production of downstream products on favorable terms could adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition or ability to develop and commercialize downstream rare earth products.
Our ability to reach our full revenue potential is dependent on our ability to fully fund, commence and complete our Stage III downstream expansion strategy.
Our ability to reach our full revenue potential will be dependent on our ability to fully fund and commence Stage III and complete our downstream expansion strategy to process our REOs into rare earth metal alloys and
finished magnets. We expect to commence Stage III downstream expansion in 2025 or thereafter, however our proposed timeline is based on certain estimates and assumptions we have made about our business over the next few years, including the successful completion of our Stage II optimization project. If any of these estimates or assumptions prove to be wrong or we are unable to complete our Stage II optimization project, it may significantly hinder our ability to commence Stage III downstream expansion within the expected time frame or at all. If we are unsuccessful in being able to fully fund, commence and complete our Stage III downstream expansion strategy, within the expected time frame or at all, we will not be able to take advantage of our downstream value creation opportunity and thus we may not be able to reach our full revenue potential.
Work stoppages or similar difficulties could significantly disrupt our operations, reduce our revenues and materially adversely affect our results of operations.
A work stoppage by any of the third-parties providing services in connection with the construction projects at the Mountain Pass facility could significantly delay our Stage II optimization project and disrupt our operations, reduce our revenues and materially adversely affect our results of operations.
A shortage of skilled technicians and engineers may further increase operating costs, which may materially adversely affect our results of operations.
Efficient production of rare earth products using modern techniques and equipment requires skilled technicians and engineers. In addition, our optimization and eventual downstream efforts will significantly increase the number of skilled operators, maintenance technicians, engineers and other personnel required to successfully operate our business. In the event that we are unable to hire, train and retain the necessary number of skilled technicians, engineers and other personnel there could be an adverse impact on our labor costs and our ability to reach anticipated production levels in a timely manner, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We depend on key personnel for the success of our business.
We depend on the services of our senior management team and other key personnel. The loss of the services of any member of senior management or a key employee could have an adverse effect on our business. We may not be able to locate, attract or employ on acceptable terms qualified replacements for senior management or other key employees if their services are no longer available.
Because of the dangers involved in the mining of minerals and the manufacture of mineral products, there is a risk that we may incur liability or damages as we conduct our business.
The mining of minerals and the manufacture of mineral products involves numerous hazards, including:
unusual and unexpected rock formations affecting ore or wall rock characteristics;
ground or slope failures (including open pits, waste rock and tailings disposal areas);
environmental hazards;
industrial accidents;
bodily injury or harm;
processing problems;
periodic interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions or other acts of God; and
mechanical equipment failure and facility performance problems.
Although we maintain insurance to address certain risks involved in our business, such as coverage for property damage, business interruption, natural disasters, terrorism and workers compensation, there can be no
assurance that we will be able to maintain insurance to cover these risks at economically feasible premiums. Additionally, we cannot be certain that all claims we may make under our insurance policies will be deemed to be within the scope of, or fully covered by, our policies. We might also become subject to liability for environmental issues, damage or other hazards that may be uninsurable or for which we may elect not to insure because of premium costs or commercial impracticality. These policies contain limits of coverage and exclusions that are typical of such policies generally. The payment of such premiums, or the assumption of such liabilities, may have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Our facilities or operations could be adversely affected by events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, wars or health epidemics or pandemics.
We may be impacted by natural disasters, wars, health epidemics or pandemics or other events outside of our control. For example, our Mountain Pass rare earth facility is located in San Bernardino County, California near active faults, which could lead to nearby earthquakes. If major disasters such as earthquakes, wild fires, health epidemics or pandemics, floods or other events occur, or our information system or communications network breaks down or operates improperly, our ability to continue operations at the Mountain Pass facility may be seriously damaged, or we may have to stop or delay production and shipment of our products. We may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of our control, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We are dependent upon information technology systems, which are subject to cyber threats, disruption, damage and failure.
We depend upon information technology systems in the conduct of our operations. Our information technology systems are subject to disruption, damage or failure from a variety of sources, including, without limitation, computer viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks, natural disasters and defects in design. Cybersecurity incidents, in particular, are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information or the corruption of data. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to information technology systems and network disruptions. However, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of information technology disruptions, we could potentially be subject to downtimes, operational delays, the compromising of confidential or otherwise protected information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks or financial losses from remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights. If we fail to adequately enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, our business may be harmed.
Much of the technology used in the markets in which we compete is protected by patents and trade secrets, and our commercial success will depend in significant part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and trade secret protection for our products and methods. To compete in these markets, we rely on a combination of trade secret protection, nondisclosure and licensing agreements, patents and trademarks to establish and protect our proprietary intellectual property rights, including our proprietary rare earth production processes that are not patented. Our intellectual property rights may be challenged or infringed upon by third parties or we may be unable to maintain, renew or enter into new license agreements with third-party owners of intellectual property on reasonable terms. In addition, our intellectual property may be subject to infringement or other unauthorized use outside of the United States. In such case, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights by legal recourse or otherwise may be limited, particularly in countries where laws or enforcement practices are undeveloped or do not recognize or protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights or our inability to preserve existing intellectual property rights could adversely impact our competitive position and results of operations. The loss of our patents could
reduce the value of the related products. In addition, the cost to litigate infringements of our patents, or the cost to defend ourselves against patent infringement actions by others, could be substantial and, if incurred, could materially affect our business and financial condition.
Proprietary trade secrets and unpatented know-how are also very important to our business. We rely on trade secrets to protect certain aspects of our technology, especially where we do not believe that patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. Our employees, consultants, contractors, outside scientific collaborators and other advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose our confidential information to competitors, and confidentiality agreements may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential or proprietary information. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.
We may not be able to obtain additional patents and the legal protection afforded by any additional patents may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage.
Our ability to obtain additional patents is uncertain and the legal protection afforded by these patents is limited and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage. In addition, the specific content required of patents and patent applications that are necessary to support and interpret patent claims is highly uncertain due to the complex nature of the relevant legal, scientific and factual issues. Changes in either patent laws or interpretations of patent laws in the United States or elsewhere may diminish the value of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patent protection. Even if patents are issued regarding our products and processes, our competitors may challenge the validity of those patents. Patents also will not protect our products and processes if competitors devise ways of making products without infringing our patents.
If we infringe, or are accused of infringing, the intellectual property rights of third parties, it may increase our costs or prevent us from being able to commercialize new products.
There is a risk that we may infringe, or may be accused of infringing, the proprietary rights of third parties under patents and pending patent applications belonging to third parties that may exist in the United States and elsewhere in the world that relate to our rare earth products and processes. Because the patent application process can take several years to complete, there may be currently pending applications that may later result in issued patents that cover our products and processes. In addition, our products and processes may infringe existing patents.
Defending ourselves against third-party claims, including litigation in particular, would be costly and time consuming and would divert management’s attention from our business, which could lead to delays in our Stage II optimization project or Stage III downstream expansion. If third parties are successful in their claims, we might have to pay substantial damages or take other actions that are adverse to our business. As a result of intellectual property infringement claims, or to avoid potential claims, we might:
be prohibited from, or delayed in, selling or licensing some of our products or using some of our processes unless the patent holder licenses the patent to us, which it is not required to do;
be required to pay substantial royalties or grant a cross license to our patents to another patent holder; or
be required to redesign a product or process so it does not infringe a third party’s patent, which may not be possible or could require substantial funds and time.
In addition, we could be subject to claims that our employees, or we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of third parties.
If we are unable to resolve claims that may be brought against us by third parties related to their intellectual property rights on terms acceptable to us, we may be precluded from offering some of our products or using some of our processes.
Our ability to generate revenue will be diminished if we are unable to compete with substitutions for our rare earth materials.
Technology changes rapidly in the industries and end markets that utilize our materials. If these industries introduce new technologies or products that no longer require the rare earth materials we produce to function or suitable substitutes become available, it could result in a decline in demand for our rare earth materials. If the demand for our rare earth materials decreases, it will have a material adverse effect on our business and the results of our operations and financial condition.
Our profitability could be adversely affected if we fail to maintain satisfactory labor relations.
Production in our Mountain Pass facility is dependent upon the efforts of our employees. Although none of our employees are currently subject to any collective bargaining arrangements, our employees could, in the future, choose to be represented as a collective unit, which may result in labor disputes, work stoppages or other disruptions in our production efforts that could adversely affect us.
Risks Related to Environmental Regulation
Our operations are subject to extensive and costly environmental requirements; and current and future laws, regulations and permits impose significant costs, liabilities or obligations or could limit or prevent our ability to continue our current operations or to undertake new operations.
We are subject to numerous and detailed, federal, state and local environmental laws, certifications, regulations and permits, including, without limitation, those pertaining to employee health and safety, air emissions, water usage, wastewater and stormwater discharges, air quality standards, greenhouse gas (“GHG”), emissions, water usage and pollution, waste management, plant and wildlife protection, handling and disposal of radioactive substances, remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, land use, reclamation and restoration of properties, the discharge of materials into the environment, procurement of certain materials used in our operations and groundwater quality and availability. These requirements may result in significant costs, liabilities and obligations, impose conditions that are difficult to achieve or otherwise delay, limit or prohibit current or planned operations. Consequently, the modernization and expansion of the Mountain Pass facility may be delayed, limited or prevented and current operations may be curtailed. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations and permits, including as they evolve, may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the issuance of injunctions to limit or cease operations, fines, or the suspension or revocation of permits and other sanctions. Pursuant to such requirements, we may also be subject to third-party claims, including for damages to property or injury to persons arising from our operations. Moreover, environmental legislation and regulation are evolving in a manner which may require stricter standards and enforcement, increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, cessation of operations, more stringent environmental assessments, and a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors and employees. Any changes in these laws, regulations or permits (or the interpretation or enforcement thereof) or any sanctions, damages, costs, obligations or liabilities in respect of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or the results of our operations and financial condition.
Examples of some of the current U.S. federal laws that may affect our business and planned operations include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), and comparable state laws, impose strict, joint and several liability on current and former owners and operators of sites and on persons who disposed of or arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances
found at such sites, regardless of the lawfulness of the original activities that led to the contamination. Moreover, current owners or operators of sites can be held liable for contamination caused by others, including former owners or operators, even if the current owners or operators did not contribute to the contamination. CERCLA authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and, in some cases, third parties to take actions in response to threats to public health or the environment and to seek to recover from the potentially responsible parties the costs of such actions. It is not uncommon for the government to file claims requiring cleanup actions, demands for reimbursement for government-incurred cleanup costs, or natural resource damages, or for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by hazardous substances released into the environment. |
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), and comparable state statutes, govern the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste and authorize the imposition of substantial fines and penalties for noncompliance, as well as requirements for corrective actions. Although certain mining, beneficiation, and mineral processing wastes currently are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, EPA has limited the disposal options for certain wastes designated as hazardous wastes under RCRA. It is possible that certain wastes generated by our operations may in the future be designated as hazardous wastes and may therefore become subject to more rigorous and costly management, disposal and clean-up requirements.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”), pursuant to its authority under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the “Atomic Energy Act”), oversees the regulatory framework governing the control of radioactive materials, including beneficiation and processing of rare earth elements (“REE”) that contain radioactive source materials such as uranium and thorium. The NRC is responsible for issuing licenses that govern the handling of source material involving certain concentrations of radioactive material. Our operations, including waste generation, may be subject to NRC regulations in order to receive title to, possess, use, transfer, deliver or export source and byproduct materials.
The Clean Air Act (“CAA”), and comparable state statutes, restrict the emission of air pollutants from many stationary and mobile sources, including mining, beneficiation, and processing activities. Our operations may produce air emissions, including fugitive dust and other air pollutants, from stationary equipment, storage facilities, and the use of mobile sources, such as trucks and heavy construction equipment, that are subject to review, monitoring, control requirements and emission limits under the CAA and state air quality laws. New sources, equipment or process enhancements, including with respect to the growth of our operations and Stage II optimization project, may require additional permits, and existing sources may be required to incur capital costs to remain in compliance. In addition, permitting rules and issued permits or licenses may impose conditions or other limitations on production levels or result in additional capital or other expenditures to comply with such rules or permits. In certain circumstances, private citizens may also sue sources of pollutants for alleged violations of the CAA.
The Clean Water Act (“CWA”) and comparable state statutes impose restrictions and controls on the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States. The CWA can regulate storm water from mining facilities and requires a storm water discharge permit for certain activities. Such a permit requires the regulated facility to monitor and sample storm water run-off from its operations. The CWA and regulations implemented thereunder also prohibit discharges of dredged and fill material in wetlands and other waters of the United States unless authorized by an appropriately issued permit. CWA regulations and controls generally have become more stringent over time, and it is possible that additional restrictions will be imposed in the future. Violation of the CWA and similar state regulatory programs can result in civil, criminal and administrative penalties for unauthorized discharges of hazardous substances and other pollutants and substantial liability for the costs of removal or remediation associated with such discharges. The CWA and comparable state statutes provide for civil, criminal and administrative penalties for unauthorized discharges of pollutants and impose liability on
parties responsible for those discharges for the costs of cleaning up any environmental damage caused by the releases and for natural resource damages resulting from the releases. |
The Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) and comparable state statutes, the Underground Injection Control (“UIC”) program, and related state-administered programs regulate the drilling and operation of subsurface injection wells. Violation of these regulations and/or contamination of groundwater by mining related activities may result in fines, penalties, and/or remediation costs, among other sanctions and liabilities under the SDWA and state laws.
The Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) and comparable state statutes regulate activities that could have an adverse effect on threatened and endangered species, including the habitat and ecosystems upon which they depend. Compliance with ESA requirements can significantly delay, limit, or even prevent the development of projects, including the development of mining claims, and can also result in increased development costs. In addition, the ESA authorizes both civil and criminal penalties for ESA violations and authorizes citizen suits against any person alleged to be in violation of the ESA.
The National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) and comparable state statutes require agencies to integrate environmental considerations into their decision-making processes by evaluating the environmental impacts of their proposed actions, including issuance of permits to mining facilities, and assessing alternatives to those actions. If a proposed action could significantly affect the environment, the agency must prepare a detailed statement known as an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”). EPA, other agencies, and any interested third parties will review and comment on the scoping of the EIS and the adequacy of and findings set forth in the draft and final EIS. This process can cause delays in issuance of required permits or result in changes to a project to mitigate its potential environmental impacts, which can in turn impact the economic feasibility of a proposed project.
We may be unable to obtain, maintain, exchange or renew permits necessary for the development or operation of the Mountain Pass facility, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We must obtain, including by way of exchanging or amending currently held permits, a number of additional permits that impose strict conditions, requirements and obligations relating to various environmental and health and safety matters in connection with our current and future operations, including the modernization and expansion of the Mountain Pass facility. To obtain certain permits, we may be required to conduct environmental studies and collect and present data to governmental authorities pertaining to the potential impact of our current and future operations upon the environment and to take steps to avoid or mitigate those impacts. The permitting rules, and interpretation thereof, are complex and have generally become more stringent over time. In some cases, the public (including environmental interest groups) has rights to comment upon, and submit objections to, permit applications and environmental impact statements prepared in connection therewith, and otherwise participate in the permitting process, including challenging the issuance of permits, validity of environmental impact statements and determinations and performance of permitted activities. Accordingly, permits required for our operations, including the modernization and expansion of the Mountain Pass facility, may not be issued, maintained, exchanged, amended or renewed in a timely fashion or at all, or may be issued or renewed upon conditions that restrict our ability to conduct our operations economically. Any such failure to obtain, maintain, exchange, amend or renew permits, or other permitting delays or conditions, including in connection with any environmental impact analyses, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and the California Occupational Safety and Health Program, and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, which impose stringent health and safety standards on numerous aspects of our operations.
Our operations at the Mountain Pass facility are subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, and the regulations adopted
by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which impose stringent health and safety standards on numerous aspects of mineral extraction and processing operations, including training of mine personnel, mining procedures, blasting, the equipment used in mining operations and other matters. Our failure to comply with such standards, or changes in such standards or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or otherwise impose significant restrictions on our ability to conduct mining operations.
Our operations may affect the environment or cause exposure to hazardous substances, any of which could result in material costs, obligations or liabilities.
Our operations currently use, and in the past have used, hazardous materials and generate, and in the past have generated, hazardous and naturally occurring radioactive wastes. While we maintain policies and other standard operation procedures as they relate to the handling and disposing of chemicals or other substances by personnel in supporting our operations, risks, including bodily injury and property damage, persist. The Mountain Pass facility has also been used for mining and related purposes since 1952, and contamination is known to exist around the facility. We may be subject to claims under environmental laws, regulations and permits for toxic torts, natural resource damages and other liabilities, as well as for the investigation and remediation of soil, surface water, groundwater and other environmental media. The Mountain Pass facility is subject to an order issued by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board pursuant to which we have conducted various investigatory and remedial actions, primarily related to contamination emanating from certain on-site impoundments during prior periods of operation, including groundwater monitoring, extraction and treatment. We are still in the process of delineating the extent of groundwater contamination at and around the facility and cannot assure you that we will not incur material costs relating to the remediation of such contamination. Also, prior to our acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility, leaks in a wastewater pipeline from the Mountain Pass facility to offsite evaporation ponds on the Ivanpah dry lake bed caused contamination. Pursuant to a settlement agreement, that contamination has been remediated by Chevron Mining Inc., which retained ownership of the ponds and the pipeline and provided a full indemnity to the previous buyer of the Mountain Pass Mine for liabilities related to the Ivanpah wastewater pipeline. A small portion of the pipeline extends onto the Mountain Pass facility. In addition to claims arising out of our current or former properties, such claims may arise in connection with contaminated third-party sites at which we have disposed of waste. As a matter of law, and despite any contractual indemnity or allocation arrangements or acquisition agreements to the contrary, our liability for these claims may be joint and several, so that we may be held responsible for more than our share of any contamination, or even for the entire share. These and similar unforeseen impacts that our operations may have on the environment, as well as human exposure to hazardous or radioactive materials or wastes associated with our operations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operation and financial condition.
Our inability to acquire, maintain or renew financial assurances related to the reclamation and restoration of mining property could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Under the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act we are generally obligated to restore property after it has been mined in accordance with regulatory standards and our approved mining plan. Additionally, we are required under various federal, state and local laws to maintain financial assurances, such as surety bonds, to secure such obligations. The failure to acquire, maintain or renew such assurances, as required by federal, state and local laws, could subject us to fines and penalties as well as the revocation of our mining permits. Such failure could result from a variety of factors, including:
the lack of availability, higher expense or unreasonable terms of such financial assurances;
the ability of current and future financial assurance counterparties to increase required collateral; and
the exercise by third-party financial assurance counterparties of any rights to refuse to renew the financial assurance instruments.
Our inability to acquire or failure to maintain or renew such financial assurances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If the assumptions underlying our reclamation plan and mine closure obligations are inaccurate, we could be required to expend materially greater amounts than anticipated to reclaim mined property, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Federal, state and local laws and regulations establish reclamation and closure standards applicable to our surface mining and other operations as well. Estimates of our total reclamation and mine closing liabilities are based upon our reclamation plan, third-party expert reports, current applicable laws and regulations, certain permit terms, our engineering expertise related to these requirements and review by regulatory agencies. Any change in the underlying assumptions, permissions, or other variation between the estimated liabilities and actual costs could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Regulations and evolving legislation governing issues involving climate change could result in increased operating costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
A number of international, federal, state or local governments or governmental bodies have introduced or are contemplating regulatory changes in response to the potential impact of climate change. For example, EPA issued a notice of finding and determination that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) present an endangerment to human health and the environment, which allowed EPA to begin regulating emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA. Legislation and increased regulation regarding climate change could impose significant costs on us and our suppliers, including costs related to increased energy requirements, capital equipment, environmental monitoring, permitting, reporting and other costs to comply with such regulations. Any adopted future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas and countries not subject to such limitations. Given the political significance, regulatory or compliance obligations and uncertainty around the impact of climate change and how it should be addressed, we cannot predict how legislation and regulation will affect our financial condition, operating performance and ability to compete. Furthermore, even without such regulation, increased awareness and any adverse publicity in the global marketplace about potential impacts on climate change by us or other companies in our industry could harm our reputation. The potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain, and would be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we operate. These impacts may adversely impact the cost, production and financial performance of our operations.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our stock price may change significantly and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result.
The trading price of our Common Stock is likely to be volatile. The stock market recently has experienced extreme volatility. This volatility often has been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. You may not be able to resell your shares at an attractive price due to a number of factors such as those listed in “—Risks Relating to our Business and Industry” and the following:
results of operations that vary from the expectations of securities analysts and investors;
changes in expectations as to MPMC’s future financial performance, including financial estimates and investment recommendations by securities analysts and investors;
declines in the market prices of stocks generally;
strategic actions by MPMC or its competitors;
announcements by MPMC or its competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures, other strategic relationships or capital commitments;
any significant change in MPMC’s management;
changes in general economic or market conditions or trends in MPMC’s industry or markets;
changes in business or regulatory conditions, including new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to MPMC’s business;
future sales of MPMC’s common stock or other securities;
investor perceptions or the investment opportunity associated with MPMC’s common stock relative to other investment alternatives;
the public’s response to press releases or other public announcements by MPMC or third parties, including MPMC’s filings with the SEC;
litigation involving MPMC, MPMC’s industry, or both, or investigations by regulators into MPMC’s operations or those of MPMC’s competitors;
guidance, if any, that MPMC provides to the public, any changes in this guidance or MPMC’s failure to meet this guidance;
the development and sustainability of an active trading market for MPMC’s stock;
actions by institutional or activist stockholders;
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles; and
other events or factors, including those resulting from natural disasters, war, acts of terrorism, health pandemics or responses to these events.
These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock, regardless of MPMC’s actual operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our Common Stock is low.
In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation. If MPMC was involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of executive management from MPMC’s business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.
Because there are no current plans to pay cash dividends on our Common Stock for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We intend to retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and there are no current plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends on shares of our Common Stock will be at the sole discretion of our Board. Our Board may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax, and regulatory restrictions, implications on the payment of dividends to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries to us and such other factors as our Board may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any future indebtedness we incur. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our Common Stock unless you sell our Common Stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade our stock or our sector, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Common Stock will rely in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We will not control these analysts. In addition, some financial
analysts may have limited expertise with our model and operations. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade our stock or industry, or the stock of any of our competitors, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, by us or our stockholders in the public market could cause the market price for our Common Stock to decline.
The sale of shares of Common Stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of Common Stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
Certain holders of Common Stock and the Insiders have each agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock during the period from the date of the closing of the Business Combination continuing through the date (i) in the case of Common Stock of the New Holders other than the JHL Holders (as each such term is defined in the A&R RRA), 180 days after the Closing Date or (ii) in the case of Common Stock of the Insiders and of the JHL Holders, one year after the Closing Date.
Upon the expiration or waiver of the lock-ups described above, shares held by the Insiders and certain other stockholders of MPMC will be eligible for resale, subject to volume, manner of sale and other limitations under Rule 144.
As restrictions on resale end, the market price of the Common Stock could drop significantly if the holders of these shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of Common Stock or other securities.
In addition, Common Stock reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will become eligible for sale in the public market once those shares are issued, subject to provisions relating to various vesting agreements, lock-up agreements and, in some cases, limitations on volume and manner of sale applicable to affiliates under Rule 144, as applicable. The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plan is 9,653,671. The compensation committee of our Board may determine the exact number of shares to be reserved for future issuance under its equity incentive plans at its discretion. We will file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to our equity incentive plans. Any such Form S-8 registration statements will automatically become effective upon filing. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statements will be available for sale in the open market.
In the future, we may also issue its securities in connection with investments or acquisitions. The amount of shares of Common Stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of Common Stock. Any issuance of additional securities in connection with investments or acquisitions may result in additional dilution to our stockholders.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change of control.
Certain provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a merger, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders.
These provisions provide for, among other things:
there is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of the our Board;
the division of the our Board into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year;
the ability of our Board to issue one or more series of preferred stock;
advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at our annual meetings;
certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings;
limiting the ability of stockholders to act by written consent;
the ability of our Board to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death, or removal of a director in certain circumstances;
providing that our Board is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our bylaws;
the removal of directors only for cause; and
that certain provisions may be amended only by the affirmative vote of at least 66.7% of the shares of Common Stock entitled to vote generally in the election of our directors.
These anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third-party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.
Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
The Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that, subject to limited exceptions, any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of MPMC, (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, stockholder or employee to MPMC or its stockholders, (iii) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or our Amended and Restated Bylaws or (iv) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, another state or federal court located within the State of Delaware. The Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation also provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the United States federal securities laws, including the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Additionally, investors cannot waive our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation described above. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with MPMC or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against MPMC and its directors, officers and employees. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such an exclusive forum provision with respect to claims under the Securities Act. If a court were to find these provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of,
one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Affiliates of JHL Capital Group will control MPMC, and their interests may conflict with MPMC’s or yours in the future.
Affiliates of JHL Capital Group (as defined below) beneficially own approximately 26.7% of our outstanding Common Stock. For so long as JHL Capital Group continues to beneficially own a significant percentage of our Common Stock, JHL Capital Group will still be able to significantly influence the composition of MPMC’s board of directors and the approval of actions requiring stockholder approval. Accordingly, for such period of time, JHL Capital Group will have significant influence with respect to MPMC’s management, business plans and policies, including the appointment and removal of MPMC’s officers. In particular, for so long as JHL Capital Group continues to beneficially own a significant percentage of our Common Stock, JHL Capital Group will be able to cause or prevent a change of control of MPMC or a change in the composition of MPMC’s board of directors and could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of MPMC. The concentration of ownership could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your shares of common stock as part of a sale of MPMC and ultimately might affect the market price of our Common Stock. In addition, JHL Capital Group may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in its judgment, could enhance its investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to you. For example, JHL Capital Group could cause MPMC to make acquisitions that increase MPMC’s indebtedness or cause MPMC to sell revenue-generating assets. In certain circumstances, acquisitions of debt at a discount by purchasers that are related to a debtor can give rise to cancellation of indebtedness income to such debtor for U.S. federal income tax purposes. So long as JHL Capital Group continues to beneficially own a significant amount of our combined voting power, even if such amount is less than 50%, JHL Capital Group will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions.
Notwithstanding JHL Capital Group’s control of or substantial influence over MPMC, MPMC may from time to time enter into transactions with JHL Capital Group and its affiliates, or enter into transactions in which JHL Capital Group or its affiliates otherwise have a direct or indirect material interest. In connection with the Business Combination, we adopted a formal written policy for the review and approval of transactions with related persons. A description of certain transactions FVAC entered into with JHL Capital Group and its affiliates in connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, as well as a description of the policy MPMC adopted with respect to the approval or ratification of transactions in which related persons, such as JHL Capital Group and its affiliates, have a direct or indirect material interest is included in this prospectus.
Certain of MPMC’s stockholders, including JHL Capital Group, the Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC and the QVT Holders, and any affiliates thereof, may engage in business activities which compete with MPMC or otherwise conflict with MPMC’s interests.
JHL Capital Group, Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC, the QVT Holders (as defined in the A&R RRA) and their affiliates are in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with MPMC.
The JOBS Act permits “emerging growth companies” like us to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
MPMC qualifies as an “emerging growth company,”company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act,” as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, orwhich we refer to as the “JOBS Act.” As such, we are eligible toMPMC will take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emergingemerging growth companies”companies for as long as it continues to be an emerging growth company, including but not limited to, not being required to comply with(i) the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements ofwith respect to internal control
over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, of 2002, or(ii) the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act,”exemptions from say-on-pay,say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in ourits periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding anon-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive asstatements. As a result, thereMPMC’s stockholders may not have access to certain information they deem important. MPMC will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following May 4, 2024, the fifth anniversary of the closing of FVAC’s IPO, (b) in which MPMC has total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion or (c) in which MPMC is deemed to be a less active tradinglarge accelerated filer, which means the market for our securities and the pricesvalue of our securities may beCommon Stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of MPMC’s prior second fiscal quarter, and (ii) the date on which MPMC has issued more volatile.than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
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In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emergingemerging growth company”company can take advantage of the extended transition periodexemption from complying with new or revised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words,as long as MPMC is an “emergingemerging growth company”company. An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held bynon-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion innon-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of RegulationS-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock that is held bynon-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock that is held bynon-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
Our executive offices are located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 46th Floor, New York, New York 10105 and our telephone number is (212)798-6100. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be . Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
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The Offering
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
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Risks
We are a newly incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
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Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
January 31, 2020 | ||||
Actual | ||||
Balance Sheet Data: | ||||
Working capital | $ | (178,300 | ) | |
Total assets | $ | 222,800 | ||
Total liabilities | $ | 203,300 | ||
Value of common stock that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share) | $ | — | ||
Stockholder’s equity (deficit) | $ | 19,500 |
If no business combination is completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such24-month time period.
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would typically require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, the NYSE rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business—Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the initial stockholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with an initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them, in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 11,250,001, or approximately 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), or 1,875,001, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), of the 30,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order
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to have such initial business combination approved (or, if the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect require approval by a majority of the votes cast by public stockholders, we would need 15,000,001 of public shares sold in the offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) in order to have an initial business combination approved). We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder approval. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, theper-share value of shares held bynon-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay and the payment of the deferred underwriting commissions. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public stockholder to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business
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combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such24-month period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at aper-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the
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number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business—Business Strategy—Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination—Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights.”
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You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights orpre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, in order for our Class A common stock to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our total market capitalization would be required to be at least $200,000,000, the aggregate market value of publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $100,000,000 and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot holders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on anover-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the state of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form8-K, including an audited balance sheet of the company demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your
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investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, if we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeemed and, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we make purchases of our Class A common stock, potentially reducing the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also
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use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a“no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we may depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,100,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $900,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $900,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us in such circumstances. Any such advances may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down orwrite-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks,
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unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may benon-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assumingpre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all third parties, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them, and to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, theper-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our
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sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by third parties and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and theper-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, theper-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation would be reduced.
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If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
restrictions on the issuance of securities.
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
registration as an investment company with the SEC;
adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are not currently subject to.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to consummate a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
If we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months of the closing of this offering, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such 24 months before redemption from our trust account.
If we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less up to $100,000 of the
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net interest earned thereon to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public stockholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the initial 24 months before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and only then in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial business combination with the required time period and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior thereto.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
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We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our public stockholders will not have the right to elect directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. In addition, as holders of our shares of Class A common stock, our public stockholders will not have the right to vote on the election of directors. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We are not registering the issuance of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the issuance of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the issuance of shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the stock under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, nor will we be required to issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying the shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
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The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and holders of our private placement warrants may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, at or after the time of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares, after those shares convert to our Class A common stock. In addition, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered for resale.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry, sector or location. However, we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value of their securities.
Past performance by Fortress, our management team and their respective affiliates, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with Fortress, our management team and their respective affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by Fortress, our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of Fortress or our management team’s performance or the performance of their respective affiliates as indicative of our future performance or of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Furthermore, an investment in us is not an investment in Fortress or any fund of Fortress.
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We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors related to such acquisition. Accordingly, any securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class F common stock at a ratio greater thanone-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class F common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 154,666,667 and 12,500,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of Class A and Class F common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the conversion of the Class F common stock. Shares of Class F common stock are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, initially at aone-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of the Class F common stock at a ratio greater thanone-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and
may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
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Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, Mr. McKnight and our other officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, certain of our officers and directors have time and attention requirements for other employers, including Fortress, and other third parties with which they are affiliated, and, in the case of our officers and directors affiliated with Fortress, may have time and attention requirements for other blank check companies that Fortress may sponsor in the future. We do not have an employment agreement with, orkey-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Delaware law. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates’ key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, certain of our officers and directors are employed by Fortress or its affiliates, which may make investments in securities or other interests of or
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relating to companies in industries that we may make target for our initial business combination. Fortress and its affiliates will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us. Our officers and directors also serve or may in the future serve as officers and board members for other entities. In addition, our officers and directors affiliated with Fortress may have time and attention requirements for other blank check companies that Fortress may sponsor in the future. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management—Directors and Executive Officers.”
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours or that is focused on a particular industry. Moreover, Fortress and its affiliates, including our officers and directors who are affiliated with Fortress, may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in their capacity as our director or officer and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management—Directors and Executive Officers,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, securityholders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, securityholders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation of, or participation in, one or more other blank check companies. For example, our officers and directors who are affiliated with Fortress or its affiliates, may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
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In particular, Fortress and its affiliates have invested in diverse industries. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates. In addition, Fortress and its affiliates engage in the business of originating, underwriting, syndicating, acquiring and trading loans and debt securities of corporate and other borrowers, and may provide or participate in any debt financing arrangement in connection with any acquisition of any target business that we may make. If Fortress or any of its affiliates provides or participates in any such debt financing arrangement it may present a conflict of interest and will have to be approved under our related person transaction policy or by our independent directors.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers and directors, including Fortress. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
In January 2020, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 8,625,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share. Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor intends to transfer 25,000 founder shares to our independent director nominee at their original purchase price. As such, our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend, share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class F common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,333,333 (or 5,933,333 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, for a purchase price of $8,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,900,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.50 per warrant. The private placement warrants will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. Each private placement warrant may be exercised for one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
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The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (i) only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination; (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions; (iii) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with (1) the completion of our initial business combination and (2) a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights orpre-initial business combination activity and (B) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); (iv) the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on aone-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (v) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect theper-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
In addition, Fortress and its affiliates engage in the business of originating, underwriting, syndicating, acquiring and trading loans and debt securities of corporate and other borrowers, and may provide or participate in any debt financing arrangement in connection with any acquisition of any target business that we may make. If Fortress or any of its affiliates provides or participates in any such debt financing arrangement it may present a conflict of interest and will have to be approved under our related person transaction policy or by our independent directors.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with approximately $301,100,000 (or $346,100,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after payment of $10,500,000, or up to $12,075,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account, and excludes estimated offering expenses of $900,000).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional
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risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a business that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a business that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a controlling 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), and the agreement relating to our initial business combination may have additional net tangible asset or cash requirements. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our
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sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in many similar blank check company offerings in the past, and, accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the public warrants is higher than is typical in many similar blank check companies in the past. Historically, the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. As a result, the warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that some of our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments, including their warrant agreements, in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to ourpre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’spre-business combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the company’s shares. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shares. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related topre-business combination activity, other than amendments relating to the appointment of directors, which require the approval of holders of a majority of at least 90% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders, as described herein), may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions
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of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern ourpre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and theper-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by holders of at least 90% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial
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stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of Class A common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution upon the purchase of our Class A common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 94.4% (or $9.44 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.56 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the shares of Class F common stock result in the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock on a greater thanone-to-one basis upon conversion of the shares of Class F common stock at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant; provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of such redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time
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when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as described below under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants for Class A common stock”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
In addition, we may redeem your warrants after they become exercisable for $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock. Please see “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants for Class A common stock” Any such redemption may have similar consequences to a cash redemption described above. In addition, such redemption may occur at a time when the warrants are“out-of-the-money,” in which case you would lose any potential embedded value from a subsequent increase in the value of the Class A common stock had your warrants remained outstanding.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 11,500,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 5,333,333 (or 5,933,333 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment as provided herein). Prior to this offering, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 8,625,000 founder shares in a private placement. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on aone-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In addition, if our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance, will increase the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described below under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants for Class A common stock”), (ii) they (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis, and (iv) they (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
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Because each unit containsone-third of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit containsone-third of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate forone-third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for use to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a newly issued price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the newly issued price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:
the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
prior offerings of those companies;
our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;
a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
our capital structure;
an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;
general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
other factors as were deemed relevant.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
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There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held bynon-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act
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provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply tonon-emerging growth companies, but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We haveMPMC has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we,MPMC, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of ourMPMC’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we areWe cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because MPMC will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of RegulationS-K. Smaller reporting companiesresult, there may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. be a less active trading market for Common Stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
We will remainincur significant increased expenses and costs as a smaller reportingpublic company, untilwhich may disrupt the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market valueregular operations of our business.
We expect to incur additional legal, regulatory, finance, accounting, investor relations and other administrative expenses as a result of having publicly traded common stock that is held bynon-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock that is held bynon-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Compliance obligations understock. In addition, pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may make it more difficult for usas well as rules adopted by the SEC and the NYSE, we have implemented specified corporate governance practices that did not previously apply to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.either MPMO or SNR.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company,We will we be required to ensure that we has the ability to prepare financial statements on a timely basis that fully comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on ourall SEC reporting requirements and maintain effective internal controlcontrols over financial reporting.
The fact that we areadditional demands associated with being a blank checkpublic company makes compliance withmay disrupt regular operations of our business by diverting the requirementsattention of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacysome of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entitysenior management team away from revenue producing activities to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions includetwo-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Data privacy and security breaches, including, but not limited to, those resulting from cyber incidents or attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, computer viruses and/or misplaced or lost data, could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption, reputational harm, criminal liability and/or financial loss.
In searching for targets for our initial business combination, we may depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties
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with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or privacy and security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information, and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data privacy or security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences and therefore could be liable for privacy and security breaches, including potentially those caused by any of our subcontractors. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents or other incidents that result in a privacy or security breach. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to reputational harm, criminal liability and/or financial loss.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
We may pursue a business combination with a target business in any geographic location. If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with difficult commercial and legal requirements of the overseas market;
rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
tariffs and trade barriers;
regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
longer payment cycles;
tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
rates of inflation;
challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
cultural and language differences;
employment regulations;
crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
deterioration of political relations with the United States; and
government appropriation of assets.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which mayadministrative oversight, adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
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After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affectaffecting our ability to find an attractive targetattract and complete business opportunities and increasing the difficulty in both retaining professionals and managing and growing our businesses. In addition, failure to comply with whichany laws or regulations applicable to consummate our initial business combinationus as a public company may result in legal proceedings and/or regulatory investigations, and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire anon-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalentreputational damage. Any of these effects could harm our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business, or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if
Any failure to develop or maintain effective internal controls, or difficulties encountered in implementing or improving our internal controls, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.
Effective internal controls will be necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a currency appreciatespublic company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results will be harmed. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop and maintain our internal controls will be successful, that we will be able to maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in value against the dollar priorfuture or that we will be able to comply with our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act. Any failure to develop or maintain effective internal controls, or difficulties encountered in implementing or improving our internal controls, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. For example, MPMO identified a material weakness in its internal controls over financial reporting in that, as of December 31, 2019, it did not have sufficient resources with the appropriate level of experience in U.S. GAAP and financial reporting. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.
Our management has limited experience in operating a public company.
Our executive officers have limited experience in the management of a publicly traded company. Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage our transition to a public company that will be subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws. Their limited experience in dealing with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could be a significant disadvantage in that it is likely that an increasing amount of their time may be devoted to these activities which will result in less time being devoted to the consummationmanagement and growth of our initial business combination, the costCompany. We may not have adequate personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience, and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal controls over financial reporting required of public companies in the United States. The development and implementation of the standards and controls necessary for the Company to achieve the level of accounting standards required of a target business as measuredpublic company in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
The recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the impact on businesses and debt and equity markets could have a material adverse effect on our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout the world, including the United States may require costs greater than expected. It is possible that we will be required to expand our employee base and Europe. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declaredhire additional employees to support our operations as a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare communitycompany which will increase our operating costs in responding to the coronavirus, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has adversely impacted the economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally. There is no way of being certain how long these adverse impacts will last. The coronavirus, or other disease outbreaks, could have a material adverse effect on the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to the coronavirus pandemic continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the coronavirus pandemic and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by the coronavirus or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination.
In addition, our ability to consummate a business combination may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing and the coronavirus pandemic and other related events could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise adequate financing, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus are forward-looking in nature. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
our ability to complete our initial business combination;
our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;
our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
our pool of prospective target businesses;
the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
the lack of a market for our securities;
the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
our financial performance following this offering.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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We are offering 30,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds ofnot selling any securities under this offering together with the fundsprospectus and we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of securities by the private placementSelling Securityholders, although we could receive up to approximately $132,249,632 assuming the exercise of all of the outstanding public warrants, for cash. Any amounts we receive from such exercises will be used as set forth in the following table.
Without Over- Allotment Option | Over- Allotment Option Fully Exercised | |||||||
Gross proceeds | ||||||||
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $ | 300,000,000 | $ | 345,000,000 | ||||
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement | 8,000,000 | 8,900,000 | ||||||
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Total gross proceeds | $ | 308,000,000 | $ | 353,900,000 | ||||
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Estimated offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | $ | 6,000,000 | $ | 6,900,000 | ||||
Legal fees and expenses | 400,000 | 400,000 | ||||||
Accounting fees and expenses | 100,000 | 100,000 | ||||||
SEC filing fee | 44,781 | 44,781 | ||||||
FINRA filing fee | 52,250 | 52,250 | ||||||
Travel and road show | 40,000 | 40,000 | ||||||
Directors and officers insurance | 150,000 | 150,000 | ||||||
NYSE listing and filing fees | 85,000 | 85,000 | ||||||
Miscellaneous expenses | 27,969 | 27,969 | ||||||
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Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | $ | 900,000 | $ | 900,000 | ||||
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses | $ | 301,100,000 | $ | 346,100,000 | ||||
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Held in trust account(3) | $ | 300,000,000 | $ | 345,000,000 | ||||
% of public offering size | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||
Not held in trust account(2) | $ | 1,100,000 | $ | 1,100,000 | ||||
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for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The following table shows the useholders of the approximately $1,100,000public warrants are not obligated to exercise the public warrants and we cannot assure you that the holders of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(4)
Amount | % of Total | |||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5) | $ | 150,000 | 13.6 | % | ||||
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | 170,000 | 15.5 | % | |||||
Payment for office space, administrative and support services ($20,000 per month for up to 24 months) | 480,000 | 43.6 | % | |||||
Reserve for liquidation expenses | 100,000 | 9.1 | % | |||||
NYSE continued listing fees | 85,000 | 7.7 | % | |||||
Other miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes, if needed) | 115,000 | 10.5 | % | |||||
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Total | $ | 1,100,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
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64public warrants will choose to exercise any or all of the public warrants.
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The rulesoffering price of the NYSE provide that at least 90%shares of Common Stock underlying the public warrants offered hereby is determined by reference to the exercise price of the gross proceeds frompublic warrant of $11.50 per share. The public warrants are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “MPWS.”
We cannot currently determine the price or prices at which shares of our Common Stock may be sold by the Selling Securityholders under this offering andprospectus.
MARKET INFORMATION AND DIVIDEND POLICY
AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Prior to the salecompletion of the private placementBusiness Combination on November 17, 2020, Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.’s publicly-traded units, Class A common stock and warrants be deposited in a trust account. Ofwere listed on the net proceeds of this offeringNYSE under the symbols “FVAC.U”, “FVAC” and the sale of the private placement“FVAC WS”, respectively. The Company listed its publicly-traded Common Stock and warrants $300,000,000 (or $345,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $10,500,000 (or up to $12,075,000if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will,effective upon the consummation of this offering, be placed
65
in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule2a-7Business Combination on the NYSE under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $1,500,000per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.5% per year. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offeringsymbols “MP” and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights orpre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes.“MPWS”, respectively.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertakein-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertakingin-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will enter into an agreement with an affiliate of our sponsor pursuant to which we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsorCompany has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses related to the organization of our company and this offering. As of January 31, 2020, there were no outstanding borrowings under the promissory note provided by our sponsor. This loan isnon-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of December 31, 2020 and the closing of this offering. This loan will be repaid upon the completion of this offering out of the $900,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
66
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any materialnon-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights orpre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with (x) the completion of our initial business combination and (y) a stockholder vote to
67
amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights orpre-initial business combination activity and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor, officers and directors acquire public, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stockits Common Stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination.date. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon ourthe Company’s revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination.condition. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combinationthe Business Combination will be within the discretion of our board of directorsBoard at such time. In addition, our board of directorsthe Company is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case weas it is currently expected that available cash resources will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class F common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtednessbe utilized in connection with our initial business combination,ongoing operations and development projects, including our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.Stage II optimization project.
69As of December 7, 2020, there were 62 record holders of our Common Stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
At January 31, 2020, our net tangible book value was $(178,300), or approximately $(0.02) per share of Class F common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 30,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at January 31, 2020 would have been $5,000,010 or $0.56 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 28,561,949 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $0.58 per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $10.00 per share or 100% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. Total dilution to public stockholders from this offering will be $9.44 per share. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.51 per share or 95.1%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on aper-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Net tangible book value before this offering | $ | (0.02 | ) | |||||
Increase attributable to public stockholders | 0.58 | |||||||
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Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants | $ | 0.56 | ||||||
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Dilution to public stockholders | $ | 9.44 | ||||||
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For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $285,619,490 because holders of up to approximately 95.2% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at aper-share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering.
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price per | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | Share | ||||||||||||||||
Initial Stockholders(1)(2) | 7,500,000 | 20.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.003 | |||||||||||
Public Stockholders | 30,000,000 | 80.00 | % | 300,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
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37,500,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 300,025,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
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The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering is calculated as follows:
Numerator: | ||||
Net tangible book value before this offering | $ | (178,300 | ) | |
Proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of expenses | 301,100,000 | |||
Offering costs excluded from net tangible book value before this offering | 197,800 | |||
Less: deferred underwriters’ commissions payable | (10,500,000 | ) | ||
Less: amount of shares of Class A common stock subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001 | (285,619,490 | ) | ||
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$ | 5,000,010 | |||
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Denominator: | ||||
Shares of Class F common stock outstanding prior to this offering | 8,625,000 | |||
Shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (1,125,000 | ) | ||
Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered | 30,000,000 | |||
Less: shares subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001 | (28,561,949 | ) | ||
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8,938,051 | ||||
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CAPITALIZATIONSELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following table setsselected historical financial information and other data for MPMO set forth our capitalization at Januarybelow should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and MPMO’s historical financial statements and the related notes thereto contained elsewhere in this prospectus.
The selected historical financial information and other data presented below for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the selected balance sheet and other data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 have been derived from MPMO’s audited financial statements included in this prospectus. The selected historical financial information and other data presented below for the year ended December 31, 2017 and the selected balance sheet and other data as of December 31, 2017 have been derived from MPMO’s unaudited financial statements which are not included in this prospectus.
The selected financial data as of September 30, 2020 and asfor the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 have been derived from MPMO’s unaudited condensed financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited financial data presented have been prepared on a basis consistent with MPMO’s audited financial statements. In the opinion of management, such unaudited financial data reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results for those periods. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or any future period. Information below is in thousands (except production and sales volumes, Realized Price per REO MT and Cost of Production per REO MT).
Our product sales are not comparable between periods due to changes in our contractual arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore). See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
Nine months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
Statements of Operations Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Product sales (including sales to related parties) | $ | 92,132 | $ | 52,363 | $ | 73,411 | $ | 67,418 | $ | 5,838 | ||||||||||
Operating costs and expenses (excluding one-time settlement charge) | (67,961 | ) | (61,596 | ) | (81,031 | ) | (76,302 | ) | (23,467 | ) | ||||||||||
One time settlement charge | (66,615 | ) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
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Operating loss | (42,444 | ) | (9,234 | ) | (7,620 | ) | (8,884 | ) | (17,629 | ) | ||||||||||
Interest expense, net | (3,582 | ) | (2,671 | ) | (3,412 | ) | (5,420 | ) | (3,149 | ) | ||||||||||
Other income, net | 298 | 4,114 | 4,278 | 839 | 203 | |||||||||||||||
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Loss before income taxes | (45,728 | ) | (7,791 | ) | (6,754 | ) | (13,465 | ) | (20,575 | ) | ||||||||||
Income tax expense | (211 | ) | (1 | ) | (1 | ) | (1 | ) | (1 | ) | ||||||||||
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Net loss | $ | (45,939 | ) | $ | (7,792 | ) | $ | (6,755 | ) | $ | (13,466 | ) | $ | (20,576 | ) | |||||
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As of September 30, 2020 | As of December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | ||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 30,244 | $ | 2,757 | $ | 2,832 | $ | 3,427 | ||||||||
Total assets | $ | 157,187 | $ | 101,794 | $ | 96,270 | $ | 116,183 | ||||||||
Total debt | $ | 90,897 | $ | 18,078 | $ | 20,897 | $ | 49,834 | ||||||||
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity | $ | (10,116 | ) | $ | (18,022 | ) | $ | (11,267 | ) | $ | 2,199 |
Nine months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
Statement of Cash Flows Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | (318 | ) | $ | (2,501 | ) | $ | (437 | ) | $ | 20,196 | $ | (26,655 | ) | ||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | $ | (9,695 | ) | $ | 6,240 | $ | 5,624 | $ | (5,880 | ) | $ | (36,168 | ) | |||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | $ | 36,186 | $ | (3,934 | ) | $ | (4,096 | ) | $ | (30,740 | ) | $ | 66,250 |
Nine months Ended September 30, | As of December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
REO Production Volume (MTs) | 29,166 | 18,947 | 27,620 | 13,914 | ||||||||||||
REO Sales Volume (MTs) | 28,047 | 18,260 | 26,821 | 13,378 | ||||||||||||
Realized Price per REO MT | $ | 3,031 | $ | 2,982 | $ | 2,793 | $ | 3,382 | ||||||||
Cost of Production per REO MT | $ | 1,371 | $ | 2,157 | $ | 1,980 | $ | 2,822 |
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Unless the context otherwise requires, the “Company” refers to MPMC and its subsidiaries after closing of the Business Combination, and FVAC prior to the closing of the Business Combination.
The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information present the combination of the financial information of FVAC, MPMO, and SNR adjusted to give effect to the Business Combination. The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 combines the historical balance sheet of FVAC, the historical balance sheet of MPMO, and the historical balance sheet of SNR on a pro forma basis as if the Business Combination, summarized below, had been consummated on September 30, 2020. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the nine months ended September 30, 2020, combine the historical statements of operations of FVAC, MPMO, and SNR for such periods on a pro forma basis as if the Business Combination, summarized below, had been consummated on January 1, 2019, the beginning of the earliest period presented, giving effect to:
the Reverse Recapitalization between FVAC and MPMO;
FVAC’s acquisition of SNR, via the SNR Mergers;
the issuance and sale of our 30,000,000 units20,000,000 shares of FVAC Class A common stock at a purchase price of $10.00 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $200 million pursuant to the PIPE Investment;
the exchange of 5,933,333 of FVAC Private Placement Warrants for an aggregate of 890,000 shares of FVAC Class A common stock pursuant to the Parent Sponsor Warrant Exchange Agreement; and
the redemption of 35,849 shares of Class A FVAC Common Stock at a redemption price of $10.00 per share
The historical financial statements have been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements to give pro forma effect to events that are: (i) directly attributable to the Business Combination; (ii) factually supportable; and (iii) with respect to the statement of operations, expected to have a continuing impact on the results following the completion of the Business Combination.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been developed from and should be read in conjunction with:
the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements;
• | the historical audited financial statements of MPMO for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the related notes which are included elsewhere in this prospectus; |
the historical unaudited financial statements of MPMO as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the related notes which are included elsewhere in this offeringprospectus ;
the historical audited financial statements of SNR for $300,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit)the year ended December 31, 2019 and the salerelated notes which are included elsewhere in this prospectus;
the historical unaudited financial statements of 5,333,333 private placement warrantsSNR as of and for $8,000,000 (or $1.50 per warrant)the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the applicationrelated notes which are included elsewhere in this prospectus;
the historical audited financial statements of FVAC for the period ended January 24, 2020 (inception) and the historical unaudited financial statements of FVAC as of and for the period from inception through September 30, 2020 and the related notes which are included elsewhere in this prospectus; and
other information relating to FVAC, MPMO and SNR which are included elsewhere in this prospectus, including the Merger Agreement.
The Business Combination was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization, in accordance with U.S. GAAP (the “Reverse Recapitalization”). Under this method of accounting, FVAC was treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the Business Combination was treated as the equivalent of MPMO issuing stock for the net assets of FVAC, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of FVAC were stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations prior to the Business Combination are those of MPMO. The SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition (as defined below) was treated as an asset acquisition as it does not meet the definition of a business under ASC 805, and is accounted for in accordance with the “Acquisition of Assets Rather Than a Business” subsections of ASC 805-50 by using a cost accumulation model.
MPMO was determined to be the accounting acquirer based on the following predominate factors:
MPMO’s unitholders hold greatest voting interest in the combined entity with approximately 48.8%;
MPMO’s former executive management make up the vast majority of the estimated net proceeds derived frommanagement of MPMC;
MPMO’s existing directors and individuals designated by, or representing, MPMO unitholders constitute a majority of the saleinitial MPMC board of such securities:directors following the consummation of the Business Combination;
MPMC will continue to operate under the MP Materials tradename and the headquarters of MPMC will remain as MPMO’s headquarters; and
MPMO has a larger employee base and substantive operations.
Assumptions and estimates underlying the unaudited pro forma adjustments set forth in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements are described in the accompanying notes. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been presented for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the operating results and financial position that would have been achieved had the Business Combination occurred on the dates indicated. Further, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements do not purport to project the future operating results or financial position of the Company following the completion of the Business Combination. The unaudited pro forma adjustments represent management’s estimates based on information available as of the date of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements and are subject to change as additional information becomes available and analyses are performed.
Description of the Business Combination
MPMO and SNR unitholders received 71,941,543 and 20,000,000 of Common Stock, respectively, as a result of the Business Combination. Therefore, the aggregate consideration for the Business Combination is $1,323.0 million based on the FVAC trading share price as of the date of closing.
Additionally, MPMO and SNR unitholders have the contingent right to receive up to 12,860,000 additional shares of Common Stock contingent upon achieving certain market share price milestones within a period of 10 years post Business Combination.
The following summarizes the pro forma Common Stock shares outstanding (excluding the potential dilutive effect of the Earnout Shares, Vesting Shares, and exercise of FVAC public warrants):
January 31, 2020 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
Deferred underwriting commissions | $ | — | $ | 10,500,000 | ||||
Notes payable(2) | — | — | ||||||
Class A common stock, subject to redemption(3) | — | 285,619,490 | ||||||
Stockholders’ equity (deficit): | ||||||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding (actual and as adjusted) | — | — | ||||||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 220,000,000shares authorized (actual and adjusted): | ||||||||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; no shares outstanding (actual); 200,000,000 shares authorized; 1,438,051 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 28,561,949 shares subject to redemption) (as adjusted) | — | 144 | ||||||
Class F common stock, $0.0001 par value 20,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); 8,625,000(4) shares outstanding (actual); 7,500,000(4) shares outstanding (as adjusted) | 863 | 750 | ||||||
Additionalpaid-in capital(5) | 24,137 | 5,004,616 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (5,500 | ) | (5,500 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
| |||||
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) | 19,500 | 5,000,010 | ||||||
|
|
|
| |||||
Total capitalization | $ | 19,500 | $ | 301,119,500 | ||||
|
|
|
|
Final Redemption | % | |||||||
FVAC Public Stockholders | 34,464,151 | 23.4 | % | |||||
Private Placement Warrants (upon conversion to FVAC Class A common stock) | 890,000 | 0.6 | % | |||||
|
|
|
| |||||
FVAC Total | 35,354,151 | 24.0 | % | |||||
MPMO Unitholders | 71,941,543 | 48.8 | % | |||||
SNR Unitholders | 20,000,000 | 13.6 | % | |||||
PIPE Investment | 20,000,000 | 13.6 | % | |||||
|
|
|
| |||||
Pro Forma Common Stock at September 30, 2020 | 147,295,694 | 100 | % | |||||
|
|
|
|
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
(in thousands)
As of September 30, 2020 | As of September 30, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (Historical) | MP Mine Operations LLC (Historical) | Secure Natural Resources LLC (Historical) | Reclassification Adjustments (Note 2) | Pro Forma Adjustments | Pro Forma Combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current Assets: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 909 | 30,244 | 6,464 | — | 345,069 | (A | ) | 517,293 | ||||||||||||||||||||
200,000 | (B | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(12,075 | ) | (C | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(21,753 | ) | (D | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(19,327 | ) | (F | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(11,742 | ) | (G | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(137 | ) | (N | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(359 | ) | (M | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trade accounts receivable from related party | 3,574 | — | — | — | 3,574 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Inventories | 31,040 | — | — | — | 31,040 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Royalty revenue receivable from related party | — | 1,054 | — | (1,054 | ) | (H | ) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 334 | 8,810 | 92 | — | (506 | ) | (H | ) | 2,679 | |||||||||||||||||||
(6,051 | ) | (F | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total current assets | 1,243 | 73,668 | 7,610 | — | 472,065 | 554,586 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-current Assets: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Restricted cash | 25,405 | — | — | — | 25,405 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net property, plant, and equipment | 57,325 | — | (2,967 | ) | — | 54,358 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred tax assets | 131 | — | 131 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mineral rights and intangible assets (net of depletion) | 200 | 2,967 | 433,142 | (E | ) | 433,342 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(2,967 | ) | (H | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other non-current assets | 789 | — | — | 789 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investments held in Trust Account | 345,069 | — | (345,069 | ) | (A | ) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total non-current assets | 345,069 | 83,519 | 331 | — | 85,106 | 514,025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total Assets | 346,312 | 157,187 | 7,941 | — | 557,171 | 1,068,611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET (cont.)
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
(in thousands)
As of September 30, 2020 | As of September 30, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (Historical) | MP Mine Operations LLC (Historical) | Secure Natural Resources LLC (Historical) | Reclassification Adjustments (Note 2) | Pro Forma Adjustments | Pro Forma Combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current Iiabilities: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 3,396 | 16,700 | 1,964 | 173 | (2,595 | ) | (D | ) | 15,854 | |||||||||||||||||||
(1,681 | ) | (F | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2,516 | ) | (G | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
550 | (O | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(137 | ) | (N | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities—related patties | 2,154 | 5 | — | 2,159 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred revenue - related parties | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current installments of long-term debt—third party | 2,056 | — | — | 2,056 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Franchise tax payable | 137 | — | (137 | ) | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
State tax payable | — | 41 | (41 | ) | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Current installments of long-term debt—related parties | 38,248 | — | (5,201 | ) | (D | ) | 33,047 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Finance lease liabilities | 2,011 | — | — | 2,011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other current liabilities | 4,179 | — | — | 4,179 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other current liabilities - related parties | 484 | — | (484 | ) | (H | ) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total current liabilities | 3,533 | 65,832 | 2,005 | — | (12,064 | ) | 59,306 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Non-current Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asset retirement obligation | 25,157 | — | — | 25,157 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Environmental obligation | 16,604 | — | — | 16,604 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred revenue - related parties, net of current portion | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long-term debt - third party, net of current portion | 1,308 | — | — | 1,308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred underwriting commissions | 12,075 | — | (12,075 | ) | (C | ) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
Long-term debt - related parties, net of current portion | 52,649 | — | (13,595 | ) | (D | ) | 39,054 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Finance lease liabilities, net of current portion | 473 | — | — | 473 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deferred tax liabilities | — | 111,369 | (Q | ) | 111,369 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Other non-current liabilities | 5,280 | — | (3,323 | ) | (H | ) | 1,957 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total non-current liabilities | 12,075 | 101,471 | — | — | 82,376 | 195,922 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total liabilities | 15,608 | 167,303 | 2,005 | — | 70,312 | 255,228 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET (cont.)
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
(in thousands)
As of September 30, 2020 | As of September 30, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (Historical) | MP Mine Operations LLC (Historical) | Secure Natural Resources LLC (Historical) | Reclassification Adjustments (Note 2) | Pro Forma Adjustments | Pro Forma Combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | 325,704 | — | (325,704 | ) | (I) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stockholders’ Equity: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common Units | — | 20,500 | — | — | (20,500 | ) | (J) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock | — | — | — | — | 3 | (I) | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 | (B) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (J) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | (E) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(0 | ) | (M) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class F common stock | 1 | — | — | — | (1 | ) | (K) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred Units | — | 2,275 | — | — | (2,275 | ) | (J) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred Warrants | 53,846 | — | — | (53,846 | ) | (J) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 8,388 | — | — | — | 325,701 | (I) | 918,663 | |||||||||||||||||||||
199,998 | (B) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(3,389 | ) | (L) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
76,613 | (J) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(720 | ) | (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
321,771 | (E) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(6,051 | ) | (F) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(9,226 | ) | (G) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5,936 | (P) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | (K) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(359 | ) | (M) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (3,389 | ) | (86,737 | ) | — | — | 3,389 | (L) | (105,295 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
(362 | ) | (D) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(17,646 | ) | (F) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(550 | ) | (O) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Members’ Equity | 5,936 | — | (5,936 | ) | (P) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) | 5,000 | (10,116 | ) | 5,936 | — | 812,563 | 813,383 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | 346,312 | 157,187 | 7,941 | — | 557,171 | 1,068,611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
For the Period from January 24, 2020 (inception) to September 30, | For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 | For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (Historical) | MP Mine Operations LLC (Historical) | Secure Natural Resources LLC (Historical) | Reclassification Adjustments (Note 2) | Pro Forma Adjustments | Pro Forma Combined | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Product sales (including sales to related parties) | — | 92,132 | — | — | — | 92,132 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Royalty revenue from related party | 2,464 | (2,464 | ) | (AA) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total revenue | — | 92,132 | 2,464 | — | (2,464 | ) | 92,132 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Operating costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales (including cost of sales to related parties) | 44,957 | — | 44,957 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Royalty expense paid to related party | 1,908 | — | (1,908 | ) | (AA) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses | 3,321 | 14,573 | 2,113 | — | (364 | ) | (BB) | 20,224 | ||||||||||||||||||||
(2,825 | ) | (CC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(101 | ) | (DD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3,507 | (II) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation, depletion and amortization | 4,832 | — | 13,456 | (EE) | 18,288 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of asset retirement obligation and environmental remediation obligation | 1,691 | — | — | 1,691 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
One-time settlement charge | 66,615 | — | — | 66,615 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Franchise tax expense | 137 | — | — | 137 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Total operating cost and expenses | 3,458 | 134,576 | 2,113 | — | 11,765 | 151,912 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) | (3,458 | ) | (42,444 | ) | 351 | — | (14,229 | ) | (59,780 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Other income, net | 298 | — | — | 298 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gain on partial extinguishment of debt | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income | 69 | 12 | — | (69 | ) | (FF) | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense | (3,582 | ) | — | 1,947 | (GG) | (1,287 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
— | 348 | (AA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes | (3,389 | ) | (45,728 | ) | 363 | — | (12,003 | ) | (60,757 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Income tax benefit (expense) | (211 | ) | (368 | ) | — | 3,079 | (HH) | 2,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | (3,389 | ) | $ | (45,939 | ) | $ | (5 | ) | $ | — | $ | (8,924 | ) | $ | (58,257 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding—Class A common stock | 34,500,000 | 147,295,694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share—Class A | $ | — | $ | (0.40 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding—Class F common stock | 8,625,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share—Class F | $ | (0.39 | ) |
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
For the Year ended December 31, 2019 | Pro Forma Adjustments | For the Year ended December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (Historical)(1) | MP Mine Operations LLC (Historical) | Secure Natural Resources LLC (Historical) | Pro Forma Combined | |||||||||||||||||||||
Product sales (including sales to related parties) | $ | — | $ | 73,411 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 73,411 | ||||||||||||||
Royalty revenue from related party | 2,020 | (2,020 | ) | (AA) | — | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Total revenue | — | 73,411 | 2,020 | (2,020 | ) | 73,411 | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales (including cost of sales to related parties) | 61,261 | — | 61,261 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Royalty expense paid to related party | 1,885 | (1,885 | ) | (AA) | — | |||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative expenses | 11,104 | 590 | 8,752 | (II) | 20,446 | |||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation, depletion and amortization | 4,687 | 17,942 | (EE) | 22,629 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accretion of asset retirement obligation and environmental remediation obligation | 2,094 | — | 2,094 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Franchise tax expense | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Total operating cost and expenses | — | 81,031 | 590 | 24,809 | 106,430 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) | — | (7,620 | ) | 1,430 | (26,829 | ) | (33,019 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Other income, net | 4,278 | — | 4,278 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income | 73 | — | 73 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense | (3,412 | ) | 2,890 | (GG) | (50 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
472 | (AA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes | — | (6,754 | ) | 1,503 | (23,467 | ) | (28,718 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Income tax benefit (expense) | (1 | ) | 368 | 6,020 | (HH) | 6,387 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | — | $ | (6,755 | ) | $ | 1,871 | $ | (17,447 | ) | $ | (22,331 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding—Class A common stock | 147,295,694 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share—Class A | $ | (0.15 | ) |
(1) |
|
NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
1. | Basis of |
The Business Combination will be accounted for as a reverse recapitalization in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Under this method of accounting, FVAC will be treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the Business Combination will be treated as the equivalent of MPMO issuing stock for the net assets of FVAC, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of the FVAC will be stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations prior to the Business Combination will be those of MPMO. The SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition will be treated as an asset acquisition under ASC 805, and is accounted for in accordance with the “Acquisition of Assets Rather Than a Business” subsections of ASC 805-50 by using a cost accumulation model.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, MPMO and SNR unitholders have the contingent right to receive up to 12,860,000 additional shares of Common Stock contingent upon achieving certain market share price milestones within a period of 10 years post-Business Combination.
In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, 8,625,000 Founder Shares will be Vesting Shares and will vest upon achieving certain market share price milestones within a period of ten years post-Business Combination. These shares will be forfeited if the set milestones are not reached.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 assumes that the Business Combination occurred on September 30, 2020. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019 give pro forma effect to the Business Combination as if it had been completed on January 1, 2019. All periods are presented on the basis of MPMO as the accounting acquirer.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 has been prepared using, and should be read in conjunction with, the following:
FVAC’s unaudited balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 and the related notes for the period ended September 30, 2020, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus;
MPMO’s unaudited balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 and the related notes for the period ended September 30, 2020, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus; and
SNR’s unaudited balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 and the related notes for the period ended September 30, 2020, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 has been prepared using, and should be read in conjunction with, the following:
FVAC’s audited statement of operations for the period ended January 24, 2020 (inception) and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus;
FVAC’s unaudited statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus;
MPMO’s unaudited statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus; and
SNR’s unaudited statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 has been prepared using, and should be read in conjunction with, the following:
MPMO’s audited statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus; and
SNR’s audited statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Management has made significant estimates and assumptions in its determination of the pro forma adjustments. As the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared based on these preliminary estimates, the final amounts recorded may differ materially from the information presented.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information does not give effect to any anticipated synergies, operating efficiencies, tax savings, or cost savings that may be associated with the Business Combination.
The pro forma adjustments reflecting the consummation of the Business Combination are based on certain currently available information and certain assumptions and methodologies that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances. The unaudited pro forma adjustments, which are described in the accompanying notes, may be revised as additional information becomes available and is evaluated. Therefore, it is likely that the actual adjustments will differ from the pro forma adjustments and it is possible the difference may be material. The Company believes that its assumptions and methodologies provide a reasonable basis for presenting all of the significant effects of the Business Combination based on information available to management at this time and that the pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions and are properly applied in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is not necessarily indicative of what the actual results of operations and financial position would have been had the Business Combination taken place on the dates indicated, nor are they indicative of the future consolidated results of operations or financial position of the post-combination company. They should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements and notes thereto of FVAC, MPMO, and SNR.
2. | Accounting Policies |
Management will perform a comprehensive review of the three entities’ accounting policies. As a result of the review, management may identify differences between the accounting policies of the three entities which, when conformed, could have a material impact on the financial statements of the post-combination company. Based on its initial analysis, management did not identify any differences that would have a material impact on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. As a result, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information does not assume any differences in accounting policies.
As part of the preparation of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements, certain reclassifications were made to align FVAC, MPMO and SNR’s financial statement presentation.
Reclassification Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet
MPMO Reclassifications | Historical | Reclassification Amount | ||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||
Net property, plant, and equipment | $ | 57,325 | $ | (2,967 | )(a) | |||
Mineral rights and intangible assets (net of depletion) | $ | — | $ | 2,967 | (a) |
(a) | Reflects the reclassification of mineral rights of $2,967 thousand from net property, plant, and equipment to |
FVAC Reclassifications | Historical | Reclassification Amount | ||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 3,396 | $ | 132 | (a), (b) | |||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities—related parties | $ | — | 5 | (b) | ||||
Franchise tax payable | $ | 137 | (137 | )(a) |
(a) | Reflects the |
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SNR Reclassifications | Historical | Reclassification Amount | ||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 1,964 | $ | 41 | (a) | |||
State tax payable | $ | 41 | $ | (41 | )(a) |
(a) | Reflects the reclassification of state tax payable of $41 thousand to |
3. | Adjustments to |
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared to illustrate the effect of the Business Combination and has been prepared for informational purposes only.
The historical financial statements have been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information to give pro forma effect to events that are (1) directly attributable to the Business Combination, (2) factually supportable, and (3) with respect to the statements of operations, expected to have a continuing impact on the results of the post-combination company. MPMO and FVAC have not had any historical relationship prior to the Business Combination. Accordingly, no pro forma adjustments were required to eliminate activities between the companies. As it relates to the Mineral Rights Lease and Intellectual Property License between MPMO and SNR, certain pro forma adjustments were included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information to eliminate such activities between MPMO and SNR.
The pro forma combined provision for income taxes does not necessarily reflect the amounts that would have resulted had the post-combination company filed consolidated income tax returns during the periods presented.
The pro forma basic and diluted earnings per share amounts presented in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations are based upon the number of the post-combination company’s shares outstanding, assuming the Business Combination occurred on January 1, 2019.
Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet
The adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 are as follows:
(A) | Reflects the reclassification of $345.1 million of investments held in the |
(B) | Reflects the net proceeds of |
(C) | Reflects the settlement of $12.1 million of deferred underwriters’ fees. |
(D) |
|
(in thousands) | ||||
Represents current portion of MPMO historical debt paid off | $ | (5,563 | ) | |
Represents noncurrent portion of MPMO historical debt paid off | (13,595 | ) | ||
Represents accrued interest of MPMO historical debt paid off (1) | (2,595 | ) | ||
|
| |||
Total pro forma adjustments to cash and cash equivalents | $ | (21,753 | ) | |
|
| |||
Represents current portion of MPMO historical debt paid off | $ | (5,563 | ) | |
Represents discount on current portion of MPMO historical debt paid off | 362 | |||
|
| |||
Total pro forma adjustments to current installments of Iong-term debt-related parties | $ | (5,201 | ) | |
|
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(1) | Represents $2.4 million of accrued interest as of September 30, 2020 and an additional $0.2 million of accrued interest for the period October 1, 2020 to the close of the transaction. |
(E) | Reflects the fair value adjustment to the mineral rights acquired in the SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition recognized on the basis of relative fair value in accordance with ASC 805. |
(in thousands) | ||||
Consideration transferred to SNR(1) | $ | 287,800 | ||
Add: Transaction costs | 1,607 | |||
Add: Fair Value of SNR’s Earnout Shares(2) | 37,248 | |||
|
| |||
Total Cost of Acquisition | 326,655 | |||
Less: Total value non-qualifying assets | (4,682 | ) | ||
|
| |||
Relative Fair Value Mineral Rights | 321,973 | |||
Add: Deferred tax liability(3) | 111,369 | |||
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| |||
Final Carrying Value Mineral Rights | $ | 433,342 | ||
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(1) | Represents consideration transferred to SNR based on the fair value of 20,000,000 shares |
(2) |
|
(3) |
|
(F) | Represents the payment of $23.9 million in total transaction costs incurred by MPMO. Of this amount, $6.1 million was capitalized and $6.5 million had been accrued as of September 30, 2020. These costs are not included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations as they are nonrecurring. |
(G) | Represents transaction costs incurred by FVAC that are not capitalized as part of the Business Combination. These costs are not included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations as they are nonrecurring. |
(H) | Reflects the settlement of the pre-existing relationship balances between MPMO and SNR. |
(I) | Reflects the reclassification of $325.7 million of FVAC Class A common stock subject to possible redemption to permanent equity. |
(J) | Reflects the recapitalization of MPMO and issuance of 71,941,543 of the post-combination company’s Common Stock to MPMO equity holders as consideration in the Business Combination. Additionally, reflects the conversion of 890,000 Private Placement Warrants to Class F common stock pursuant to the Parent Sponsor Warrant Exchange Agreement, which convert to Common Stock upon consummation of |
(K) | Reflects the adjustment to the historical Founder Shares as a result of the Surrender Shares pursuant to the Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement. |
72
(L) | Reflects the elimination of FVAC’s historical accumulated deficit. |
(M) | Reflects redemptions of 34,849 FVAC public shares for $0.4 million at a redemption price of $10.00 per share on the date the Business Combination was consummated. |
(N) | Reflects the reduction to cash used to settle SNR’s franchise tax payable. |
(O) | Reflects one-time, lump-sum payments payable immediately following the closing of the Business Combination in accordance with new executed executive employment agreements. |
(P) | Reflects the elimination of SNR’s historical members’ equity. |
(Q) | Reflects an increase in deferred tax liabilities as a result of the SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition. The deferred tax liability and resulting adjustment to the carrying amount of the acquired mineral rights were calculated using the simultaneous equations method under ASC 740. The initial temporary difference was calculated based on the book to tax basis difference of approximately $322.0 million. A factor was applied to the initial temporary difference resulting in an estimated deferred tax liability of $111.4 million. The tax rate was based on an estimated blended federal and state statutory tax rate of 25.7%. The estimated blended federal and state tax rate is not necessarily indicative of the effective tax rate of the combined company. |
Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Operations
The pro forma adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the period ended September 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019 are as follows:
(AA) | Reflects elimination of MPMO and SNR related party transactions. |
(BB) | Reflects elimination of MPMO historical transaction costs incurred for the Reverse Recapitalization. |
(CC) | Reflects elimination of FVAC historical transaction costs incurred for the Reverse Recapitalization. |
(DD) | Reflects elimination of historical expenses related to FVAC’s office space and related support services, which will terminate upon consummation of the Business Combination. |
(EE) | Reflects the elimination of historical depletion and the recognition of new depletion based on the relative fair value of the mineral rights acquired through the SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition. The |
new depletion is based on the estimated useful life of the mineral rights of 24 years, which is based on proven and probable reserves, and is calculated on a straight-line basis. |
For the nine months ended September 30, | For the year ended December 31, 2019 | |||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||
Represents new depletion of acquired mineral rights | $ | 13,542 | $ | 18,056 | ||||
Represents elimination of historical depletion | (86 | ) | (114 | ) | ||||
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Total pro forma adjustments to depreciation, depletion and amortization | $ | 13,456 | $ | 17,942 | ||||
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(FF) | Reflects elimination of investment income related to the investment held in the Trust Account. |
(GG) | Reflects elimination of historical interest expense recorded by MPMO related to MPMO’s historical debt that will be settled concurrently with the close of the Business Combination, comprised of the MPMO Unsecured Note and the MPMO Secured Note. |
(HH) | Reflects the income tax effect of pro forma adjustments using the estimated statutory tax rate of 25.7%, compromised of the federal statutory corporate tax rate of 21.0% and a blended state tax rate of 4.7%. |
(II) | Reflects stock compensation expense related to time-based incentive awards granted to two executives and the partial vesting of the initial equity award equal to 1.7% of the pre-money Combined Company Equity Value in the form of a restricted stock award granted to one executive upon the closing of the Business Combination. Additionally, reflects the base salary expense increases contingent upon the closing of the Business Combination in accordance with new executed executive employment agreements that were entered into in connection with the Business Combination. |
4. | Net Loss per Share |
Represents the net loss per share calculated using the historical weighted average shares outstanding, and the issuance of additional shares in connection with the Business Combination, assuming the shares were outstanding since January 1, 2019. As the Business Combination is being reflected as if it had occurred at the beginning of the periods presented, the calculation of weighted average shares outstanding for basic and diluted net loss per share assumes that the shares issuable in connection with the Business Combination have been outstanding for the entire periods presented. For shares redeemed, this calculation is retroactively adjusted to eliminate such shares for the entire period.
For the nine months ended September 30, | For the year ended December 31, 2019 | |||||||
Pro forma net loss (in thousands) | $ | (58,257 | ) | $ | (22,331 | ) | ||
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock | 147,295,694 | 147,295,694 | ||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share—Class A(1) | $ | (0.40 | ) | $ | (0.15 | ) |
(1) | For the purposes of applying the if converted method for calculating diluted earnings per share, it was assumed that all outstanding public warrants are exchanged for MPMO Class A common stock. However, since this results in anti-dilution, the effect of such exchange was not included in calculation of diluted loss per share. |
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
As a result of the completion of the Business Combination, the financial statements of the MPMO and SNR are now the financial statements of the Company. Prior to the Business Combination, the Company had no operating assets but, upon consummation of the Business Combination, the business and operating assets of the MPMO and SNR sold to the Company became the sole business and operating assets of the Company. Accordingly, the financial statements of the MPMO and SNR and their respective subsidiaries as they existed prior to the Business Combination and reflecting the sole business and operating assets of the Company going forward, are now the financial statements of the Company. Thus, the following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes of MPMO and SNR set forth under the heading “Index to Financial Statements” elsewhere in this prospectus and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information, under the heading “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information.”. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting the Company’s current expectations, estimates, plans and assumptions concerning events and financial trends that involve risks and may affect the Company’s future operating results or financial position. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in the sections entitled “Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”
Overview
We own and operate one of the world’s largest integrated rare earth mining and processing facilities and the only major rare earths resource in the Western Hemisphere.
Rare earth elements (“REE”) are fundamental building blocks of the modern economy, enabling trillions of dollars in global GDP through the distribution of end products across industries, including transportation, consumer electronics, national defense and clean energy, among others. Neodymium (“Nd”) and praseodymium (“Pr”) are rare earth elements which in combination form neodymium-praseodymium (“NdPr”), which represents our primary revenue opportunity. NdPr is most often utilized in NdPr magnets, which are also commonly referred to as “neo,” “NdFeB,” “NIB” or permanent magnets and are made predominantly from an alloy of NdPr, iron and boron. NdPr magnets are the most widely used type of rare earth magnets and are critical for many advanced technologies that are experiencing strong secular growth, including electric vehicles, drones, defense systems, medical equipment, wind turbines, robotics and many others. Demand for NdPr is expected to grow rapidly as advanced motion technologies fuel a global industrial transformation of sectors, including transportation, clean energy, consumer electronics, and national defense.
We produce our materials at Mountain Pass, one of the world’s richest rare earth deposits, co-located with integrated state-of-the-art processing and separation facilities. We believe Mountain Pass is the only such integrated facility in the Western Hemisphere and one of the few separation facilities outside of Asia. Current ownership and management acquired the Mountain Pass assets out of bankruptcy in 2017, restarted operations from cold-idle status and embarked on a deliberate, two-stage plan to optimize the facility and position us for growth and profitability. See the section entitled “Description of Business—History of Ownership and Current Operations.” Approximately $1.7 billion has been invested in the Mountain Pass facility since 2011, in addition to the investments in utilities and active infrastructure completed between the 1960s and 2008. We commenced mining, comminution, beneficiation and tailings management operations, which we designated Stage I of our multi-stage restart plan, between December 2017 and February 2018. We currently produce a rare earth concentrate that we sell to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) which, in turn, sells that product to end customers in China. These customers separate the constituent REEs contained in our concentrate and sell the separated products to various end users. We believe our concentrate represents approximately 15% of the rare earth content consumed in the global market during the last twelve (12) months. Upon completion of Stage II of our optimization plan, we anticipate separating REEs at Mountain Pass and selling our products directly to end users, at which time we would no longer sell our concentrate.
As technological innovation drives significant anticipated global growth in demand for REEs, we also believe global economic trends, geopolitical realities and sustainability mandates are combining to further support an opportunity for us to create shareholder value. We believe businesses are increasingly prioritizing diversification and security of their global supply chains so as to reduce reliance on a single producer or region for critical supplies. This trend has national security implications as well, illustrated by U.S. Presidential directives to seek the onshoring of production in industries deemed critical, including rare earth minerals. According to CRU, China was projected to account for approximately 83% of global REO production in 2020. We believe an even higher percentage of the NdPr magnet supply chain is based in China. Finally, public and private interests are increasingly demanding sustainability throughout production value chains to limit negative environmental and societal impacts from business activity, including pollution and acceleration of climate change. As the only scaled source in North America for critical rare earths, with a processing facility designed to operate with best-in-class sustainability and a competitive cost structure, we believe we are well-positioned to thrive in a transforming global economy.
Recent Developments and Comparability of Results
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) began to impact the population of China, where our customer, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is located. The outbreak of COVID-19 has grown both in the United States and globally, and related government and private sector responsive actions have adversely affected the global economy. In December 2019, a series of emergency quarantine measures taken by the Chinese government disrupted domestic business activities in China during the weeks after the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Since that time, an increasing number of countries, including the United States, have imposed restrictions on travel to and from China and elsewhere, as well as general movement restrictions, business closures and other measures imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19. The situation continues to develop rapidly, however, and it is impossible to predict the effect and ultimate impact of the COVID 19 outbreak on our business operations and results. While the quarantine, social distancing and other regulatory measures instituted or recommended in response to COVID-19 are expected to be temporary, the duration of the business disruptions, and related financial impact, cannot be estimated at this time. We experienced shipping delays at the onset of the outbreak due to overseas port slowdowns and container shortages, however, we have not experienced a reduction in production, sales or shipments due to COVID-19, though we may in the future, for example as a result of the reduced consumption of products made with rare earth products by its end users, such as participants in the automotive industry supply chain.
The Business Combination
The Business Combination was consummated on November 17, 2020, pursuant to the terms of a merger agreement entered into on July 15, 2020. Pursuant to the agreement, we and Secure Natural Resources LLC (“SNR”), a company controlled by our majority equityholder and that holds the mineral rights to our mine, were combined with Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (“FVAC”), a special purpose acquisition company (the “Business Combination”), and became indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of FVAC, which was in turn renamed MP Materials Corp. (“MPMC”).
MPMO’s merger with FVAC was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded, in accordance with U.S. GAAP. SNR’s acquisition by FVAC was treated as an asset acquisition. The Business Combination is expected to significantly impact our reported financial position and results, as a consequence of reverse capitalization treatment (with respect to FVAC) and asset acquisition accounting (with respect to SNR). Our pro forma cash amounted to $512.7 million as of September 30, 2020. This pro forma cash amount is net of approximately $47.7 million in transaction-related costs and (x) the repayment of our existing related-party debt, which amounted to $21.8 million as of September 30, 2020, as described further below. See the sections entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Certain
Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR—Shenghe Agreements,” and “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information.”
The acquisition of SNR, a company that was controlled by our majority equityholder (the “SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition”), did not meet the criteria for the acquisition of a business and was accounted for as an asset acquisition. The principal asset acquired in the SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition was the mineral rights for the rare earth ores contained in our mine, which SNR acquired in 2016 and which was SNR’s sole operating asset. The value attributed to the SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition in the Business Combination is approximately $433.3 million, which was recorded as an amortizable intangible asset on MPMC’s balance sheet and is amortized on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life (approximately 24 years). As a result, we expect to record materially higher amortization charges in MPMC’s consolidated financial statements for periods following the Business Combination.
In April 2017, we entered into a 30-year lease and license agreement with SNR under which we pay royalties to SNR in the amount of 2.5% of gross revenue from the sale of rare earth products made from ores extracted from the mine, subject to a minimum non-refundable royalty of $0.5 million per year. Our consolidated results of operations for reporting periods following the consummation of the Business Combination will no longer reflect the payment of such royalties. SNR’s results of operations and cash-flows will be substantially eliminated in consolidation in our next consolidated financial statements and, except as otherwise disclosed above, we do not expect the SNR Mineral Rights Acquisition to materially impact the comparability of MPMO’s historical results of operations with MPMC’s results of operations for periods following the Business Combination.
Pursuant to the Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement entered into concurrently with the Merger Agreement, all of the shares of FVAC Class A common stock issued upon the conversion of the Founder Shares (shares of FVAC Class F common stock initially purchased by holders of Founder Shares prior to the FVAC IPO), shall be subject to certain vesting and forfeiture provisions (the “Vesting Shares”), as follows: (i) 50% of the Vesting Shares shall vest if a $12.00 stock price level is achieved, (ii) 25% of the Vesting Shares shall vest if a $14.00 stock price level is achieved and (iii) 25% of the Vesting Shares shall vest if a $16.00 stock price level is achieved, in each case for any twenty (20) trading days during any consecutive thirty (30) trading day period within ten years following the consummation of the Business Combination. In the event MPMC enters into a binding agreement with respect to a “Parent Sale” (as defined in the Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement) prior to the date that is ten (10) years following the Closing Date, such that the consideration paid for each share of Parent Stock (as defined in the Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement) in such Parent Sale is equal to or in excess of the respective earnout targets set forth in the Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement then such Vesting Shares shall be deemed vested as of one day prior to consummation of the Parent Sale.
The holders of MPMO HoldCo preferred stock and common stock, MPMO HoldCo and SNR HoldCo common stock immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination have the contingent right to receive up to an additional 12,860,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Earnout Shares”). Half of the Earnout Shares will be issued if the VWAP of Common Stock exceeds $18.00 and the other half will be issued if the VWAP of Common Stock exceeds $20.00, in each case, for any twenty (20) trading days during any consecutive thirty (30) trading day period within ten years following the consummation of the Business Combination. In the event MPMC enters into a binding agreement with respect to a “Parent Sale” (as defined in the Merger Agreement) prior to the date that is ten (10) years following the Closing Date, such that the consideration paid for each share of Parent Stock (as defined in the Merger Agreement) in such Parent Sale is equal to or in excess of the respective earnout targets set forth in the Merger Agreement, then such Earnout Shares shall be issued effective as of one day prior to consummation of the Parent Sale.
Public Company Costs
MPMC became the successor to an SEC-registered and NYSE-listed company, which requires us to hire additional staff and implement procedures and processes to address public company regulatory requirements and
customary practices. We expect to incur additional annual expenses for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees and additional internal and external accounting, legal and administrative resources and fees. MPMC estimates that these incremental costs will range between approximately $5.0 million and $7.0 million per year.
Our Relationship with Shenghe
In connection with the acquisition and development of the Mountain Pass facility, we entered into a set of commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore), including the Original Offtake Agreement, the TSA and the distribution and marketing agreement entered into in 2017 (the “DMA”). In addition, Leshan Shenghe Rare Earth Co., Ltd. (“Leshan Shenghe”), the majority stockholder of Shenghe Resources (Singapore), acquired MPMO preferred units, representing, on a current basis, a 9.24% interest in the overall equity of MPMO. See the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR—Shenghe Agreements.” Our Original Offtake Agreement, entered into in May 2017, required Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to advance to us an initial $50 million, in the form of prepayments for future deliveries of REO, to enable us to fund the restart of operations at our mine. In consideration of this and other obligations under the TSA and DMA, we agreed, upon the mine achieving certain milestones and being deemed commercially operational, to sell to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) agreed to purchase on a firm take-or-pay basis, our entire rare earths production, until Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s advances were fully recouped. Commercial operations were deemed to have commenced on July 1, 2019. From that date, until the modification of the Original Offtake Agreement on June 5, 2020, we would periodically agree upon a cash sales price with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for each metric ton of rare earth concentrate delivered by us. This price was intended to approximate our cash cost of production. We recognized this amount as revenue upon each sale. Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit, which, with respect to each sale of REO, was the difference between Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s realized sales price to its customers (net of taxes, tariffs, and certain other adjustments, such as demurrage) and the agreed-upon cash price Shenghe Resources (Singapore) would pay to us, was retained by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and was applied to reduce the prepayment balance and consequently our contractual commitments to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) (which we refer to as Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit retention right), and was recognized as revenue in the manner described below. Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit is influenced by market conditions as well as import duties, which were imposed on our products by the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China during this period. The drivers of our production costs are described below under “—Key Performance Indictors—Production Cost per REO MT.”
In June 2017, the Original Offtake Agreement was supplemented by a letter agreement that required Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to advance to us $30.0 million in the form of a non-interest-bearing loan. In consideration of the loan, the contractual balance that was subject to Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit retention right was increased by an additional $30.0 million. Under the terms of these agreements, the amounts funded by Shenghe Resources (Singapore), other than the amount recorded as a non-interest-bearing loan, constituted prepayments for the rare earth products to be sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore). Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s initial advances were recorded as deferred revenue, which stood at $35.5 million at December 31, 2019, which amount included $3.5 million allocated from the $30.0 million advance received pursuant to the June 2017 modification, and the non-interest-bearing loan was recorded as debt in the amount of $26.5 million (based on a relative fair value allocation), an implicit debt issuance discount of $3.5 million. The $30.0 million increase in the contractual balance that remained subject to Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit retention right was not recorded in our financial statements and was to be satisfied, together with the initial offtake advances, through an implied discount on our rare earth product sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) under the Original Offtake Agreement (this implied discount mechanism being referred to as the “Shenghe implied discount”).
The $30.0 million non-interest-bearing loan was repaid in 2018; however, Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit retention right continued under the Original Offtake Agreement and the incremental $26.5 million of
additional offtake product (the difference between the amount of the loan subject to Shenghe’s gross profit retention right ($30.0 million) and the amount of prepayments recognized as deferred revenue ($3.5 million)), which we refer to as the adjusted offtake product delivery amount, resulted in the Shenghe implied discount. The Mountain Pass facility reached commercial operations as of July 1, 2019, and from that date onwards all our rare earth product sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) were subject to a non-cash recoupment mechanism through Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit. A portion of the gross profit (approximately 64%) was applied as a reduction to our deferred revenue balance and recognized as revenue, while the remainder, the Shenghe implied discount (approximately 36% of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit) was applied as a reduction to the adjusted offtake product delivery amount and therefore was not recognized as revenue. For example, for a hypothetical shipment of REO to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) on which it realized gross profit of $1.00 (the difference between its sales price to its customers and its cash cost paid to us), we recognized $0.64 as revenue, with a corollary reduction to deferred revenue, while the remaining $0.36 reduced the notional amount of our contractual commitment but was not recorded as revenue.
In addition, during the same period in which the Shenghe implied discount applied, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) was typically afforded a discount, which typically equaled between 3% and 6% of the initial cash price of our rare earth products sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) (the “Shenghe sales discount”), in consideration of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s sales efforts to resell our rare earth products. The Shenghe sales discount was not recognized as revenue and was not applied to reduce our other obligations to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), except that it was considered as part of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s cost of acquiring our product in the calculation of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit. Due to the revenue treatment resulting from the Shenghe implied discount described above, the amount of revenue we recorded for periods that included any portion of the period from July 1, 2019 until June 5, 2020 (the date the Original Offtake Agreement was modified, as described below), is not comparable, in the aggregate or on a per unit basis, to the amount of revenue recorded in other periods that concluded before July 1, 2019 or that commenced after June 5, 2020. See “ —Key Performance Indicators—Realized Price per REO MT.”
In May 2020, we entered into a framework agreement and amendment (the “Framework Agreement”) with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) that significantly restructured the parties’ relationship. Pursuant to the Framework Agreement, we entered into a new, amended and restated offtake agreement with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) (the “A&R Offtake Agreement”) and issued to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) a warrant (the “Shenghe Warrant”), exercisable at a nominal price for 89.88 of our preferred units, reflecting approximately 7.5% of our equity on a diluted basis, subject to certain restrictions. Pursuant to the Framework Agreement, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) funded the remaining portion of its initial $50.0 million advance commitment under the Original Offtake Agreement and agreed to fund an additional $35.5 million advance to us, which amounts were fully funded on June 5, 2020. Upon such funding, the DMA and TSA were terminated pursuant to the Framework Agreement, and the A&R Offtake Agreement and the Shenghe Warrant became effective.
In accounting for these modifications, we recorded the following impacts:
a $66.6 million one-time non-cash settlement charge (reflecting a deemed payment to terminate the DMA);
the issuance of a non-interest-bearing debt instrument in an original principal amount of $94.0 million, with a carrying value at June 30, 2020 of $84.7 million and an imputed debt issuance discount in the amount of $8.6 million (with an implied debt discount of 4.4%), corresponding, as of the modification date, to the elimination of $37.5 million of deferred revenue, $21.0 million in remaining adjusted offtake product delivery amounts, and the additional $35.5 million advance from Shenghe Resources (Singapore); and
the issuance of the Shenghe Warrant, with a fair value of $53.8 million as of the same date.
The A&R Offtake Agreement changed our repayment terms in relation to the advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore). The Shenghe implied discount was effectively renegotiated (along with the associated
accounting consequences) and, assuming static market prices, we expect to record more revenue per REO MT sold in subsequent periods. Due to the impacts of these modifications, our results for the year ending December 31, 2019 (or any interim portion thereof) will not be comparable to other periods. See “—Key Performance Indicators—Realized Price per REO MT.”
Further, we eliminated the Shenghe sales discount and replaced it with a fixed monthly sales charge (which charge is accounted for in substantially the same way as the Shenghe sales discount – as a reduction to the transaction price); this did not and in the short-term is not expected to materially impact our results of operations.
The A&R Offtake Agreement maintains the key take-or-pay, amounts owed on actual and deemed advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore), and other terms of the Original Offtake Agreement, with the following material changes: (i) modifies the definition of “offtake products” in order to remove from the scope of that definition lanthanum, cerium and other rare earth products that do not meet the specifications agreed to under the A&R Offtake Agreement; (ii) as to the offtake products subject to the A&R Offtake Agreement, provides that if we sell such offtake products to a third party, then, until the balance owed on actual and deemed advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has been reduced to zero, we will pay an agreed percentage of our revenue from such sale to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), to be credited against the amounts owed on advances; (iii) replaces the Shenghe sales discount under the Original Offtake Agreement with the aforementioned fixed monthly sales charge; (iv) provides that the cash purchase price to be paid by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for our rare earth products will be based on market prices (net of taxes, tariffs and certain other agreed charges) less applicable discounts, instead of our cash cost of production; (v) obliges us to pay Shenghe Resources (Singapore), on an annual basis, an amount equal to our annual net income, less any amounts recouped through Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profit recoupment mechanism over the course of the year, until the balance owed on actual and deemed advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has been reduced to zero; (vi) obliges us to pay Shenghe Resources (Singapore) the net after-tax profits from certain sales of assets until the balance owed on actual and deemed advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has been reduced to zero (this obligation was previously contained in the TSA); and (vii) provides for certain changes to the payment, invoicing and delivery terms and procedures for products. The cash purchase price and other terms applicable to a quantity of offtake products are set forth in monthly purchase agreements between MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore). The A&R Offtake Agreement will terminate when Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has fully recouped the balance owed on actual and deemed advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and following such termination we will have no contractual arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for the distribution, marketing or sale of rare earth products.
Certain Tariff-related Rebates
Starting in May 2020, the government of the People’s Republic of China granted retroactive tariff relief to certain importers of rare earth minerals including Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and its affiliates, relating to periods prior to the formal lifting of the tariffs. As a result, Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s actual realized prices for the REO sold prior to May 2020 were higher than originally reported to us and resulted in rebates to Shenghe Resources (Singapore). On account of these rebates in the second and third quarters of 2020, we received from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) certain credits against our contractual commitments to them. As a result of these credits, we recognized non-cash revenue of $10.3 million and a reduction in debt principal of $9.7 million and implied debt discount of $0.8 million.
Key Performance Indicators
Our management uses the following key performance indicators to evaluate the performance of our business and prospects. Our calculation of these performance indicators may differ from similarly-titled measures published by other companies in our industry or in other industries.
The following table presents our key performance indicators for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
(in whole units or dollars) | ||||||||||||||||
REO Production Volume (MTs) | 29,166 | 18,947 | 27,620 | 13,914 | ||||||||||||
REO Sales Volume (MTs) | 28,047 | 18,260 | 26,821 | 13,378 | ||||||||||||
Realized Price per REO MT | $ | 3,031 | $ | 2,982 | $ | 2,793 | $ | 3,382 | ||||||||
Cost of Production per REO MT | $ | 1,371 | $ | 2,157 | $ | 1,980 | $ | 2,822 |
REO Production Volume (MTs)
We measure our rare earth oxide equivalent (“REO”) production volume for a given period in metric tons (“MTs”), our principal unit of sale. This refers to the REO content contained in the rare earth concentrate we produce. Our REO production volume is a key indicator of our mining and processing capacity and efficiency.
The rare earth concentrate we currently produce is a processed, concentrated form of our mined rare earth-bearing ores. While our unit of production and sale is an MT of embedded REO, the actual weight of our rare earth concentrate is significantly greater, as the concentrate also contains non-REO minerals and water. We target REO content of greater than 60% (“REO grade”) per dry metric ton of concentrate. The elemental distribution of REO in our concentrate is relatively consistent over time and batch. We consider this the natural distribution, as it reflects the distribution of elements contained, on average, in our ore. Upon the completion of our Stage II optimization project, we expect to refine our rare earth concentrate to produce separated rare earths, including separated NdPr oxide. See “—Key Factors Affecting Our Performance—Development of Our Refining Capabilities and Other Opportunities.”
In connection with our acquisition of Mountain Pass in July 2017, we also inherited a stockpile of rare earth fluoride (“REF”) and certain other inventories, which were not included in our REO production volume for any period reported in this prospectus. These stockpiles had largely been sold by the end of 2018.
REO Sales Volume (MTs)
Our REO sales volume for a given period is calculated in MTs. A unit, or MT, is considered sold once we recognize revenue on its sale. See “ —Key Components of Sales and Expenses—Product Sales.” Our REO sales volume is a key measure of our ability to convert our production into revenue.
In addition to the rare earth concentrate we sold for the periods presented in this prospectus, we completed the sale of our acquired legacy stockpiles in 2018. Our REO sales volume excludes the sale of REF and other acquired stockpiles. We recognized approximately $22.2 million in revenue from our legacy stockpile sales in 2018.
Realized Price per REO MT
We calculate the realized price per REO MT for a given period as the quotient of (i) our total value realized for a given period and (ii) our REO sales volume for the same period. We calculate our total value realized as the sum of (x) the revenue recognized on our sales of REO in a given period (excluding the revenue impact of tariff-related credits from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) on account of prior sales) and (y) in connection with our sales of REO to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) between July 1, 2019 and June 5, 2020, the total amount of the Shenghe implied discount, which reduced the adjusted offtake product delivery amount. The consideration described in clause (y) is the difference between (1) Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s average realized price, net of taxes, tariffs and certain other agreed-upon charges (such as one-time demurrage charges) on our products when they sold them to their customers and (2) the amount of revenue we recognized on the sales of those
products to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) in the period, which includes a non-cash portion (as discussed above). For sales under the Original Offtake Agreement, a portion of this non-cash consideration—the Shenghe implied discount—was not recorded as revenue in our financial statements but was applied as a reduction to the adjusted offtake product delivery amount to Shenghe Resources (Singapore). Under the terms of the Original Offtake Agreement, for the period between July 1, 2019 and June 5, 2020, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) purchased our rare earth products at an agreed price per MT, which was net of the Shenghe Resources (Singapore) gross profit, and in turn resold it at market prices. Our treatment of this non-cash consideration resulted from the effects of prior modifications to the Original Offtake Agreement and the resulting relative fair value allocations of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s prepaid advances, which differed from the amounts we owed contractually. The contractual amounts effectively provided Shenghe Resources (Singapore) with an enhanced margin in consideration of the $30 million deemed additional advance (as discussed above). This arrangement was terminated effective June 5, 2020, whereupon we began to recognize revenue at the full value of our product. Accordingly, we calculate realized price per REO MT for the period between July 1, 2019 and June 5, 2020 by adding back the value of the Shenghe implied discount. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
The table below presents our total realized price on our REO Sales Volumes for the periods indicated, reconciled to our GAAP product sales for the same periods (numbers in the table may not foot due to rounding):
REO Sales Volume | Realized Price per REO MT | Total Realized Price(1) | Other(2) | Shenghe Implied Discount(3) | Product Sales (GAAP) | |||||||||||||||||||
(MTs) | (in whole dollars) | (in thousands of dollars) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Year Ended December 31, 2018 | 13,378 | $ | 3,382 | $ | 45,238 | $ | 22,180 | — | $ | 67,418 | ||||||||||||||
Year Ended December 31, 2019 | 26,821 | $ | 2,793 | $ | 74,899 | $ | 394 | $ | (1,882 | ) | $ | 73,411 | ||||||||||||
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 | 18,260 | $ | 2,982 | $ | 54,446 | $ | 315 | $ | (2,398 | ) | $ | 52,363 | ||||||||||||
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 | 28,047 | $ | 3,031 | $ | 85,016 | $ | 10,780 | $ | (3,664 | ) | $ | 92,132 |
(1) | REO Sales Volume multiplied by Realized Price per REO MT. |
(2) | Includes mainly sales of existing REF stockpiles in 2018 and the net impact of a tariff rebate from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) due to the retroactive effect of lifting of a Chinese tariff in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 (an additional $10.3 million in tariff “rebate” was applied to reduce our adjusted offtake product delivery amount). For all other periods, this reflects mainly sales of PhosFix stockpiles. |
(3) | Shenghe implied discount represents to the difference between the contractual amount realized by Shenghe and the amount of deferred revenue we recognized. |
Realized price per REO MT is an important measure of the market price of our product and, therefore, our ultimate revenue opportunity. Accordingly, we calculate realized price per REO MT as described above, to reflect a consistent basis between periods by eliminating the impact of recognizing revenue at a discount in the period between July 1, 2019 and June 5, 2020.
Production Cost per REO MT
Our production cost per REO MT is a non-GAAP financial measure, which we calculate as our cost of sales (excluding depletion, depreciation and amortization), less costs attributable to sales of legacy stockpiles and shipping and freight costs, for a given period divided by our REO sales volume for the same period. Production cost per REO MT sold is a key indicator of our production efficiency. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for a reconciliation of our production cost to our cost of sales (excluding depletion, depreciation and amortization).
As our cash costs of Stage I production are largely fixed, our production cost per MT is influenced by mineral recovery, REO grade, plant feed rate and production uptime.
Key Factors Affecting Our Performance
We believe we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the key trends of electrification and supply chain security, particularly as domestic EV production grows. Our success depends to a significant extent on our ability to take advantage of the following opportunities and meet the challenges associated with them.
Demand for REE
The key demand driver for REEs is their use in a diverse array of growing end markets, including: Clean-Energy and Transportation Technologies (e.g., traction motors in EVs and generators in wind power turbines); High-Technology Applications (e.g., miniaturization of smart phones and other mobile devices, fiber optics, lasers, robotics, medical devices, etc.); Critical Defense Applications (e.g., guidance and control systems, global positioning systems, radar and sonar, drones, etc.); and essential Industrial Infrastructure (e.g., advanced catalyst applications in oil refining and pollution-control systems in traditional internal-combustion automobiles, etc.). We believe these drivers will fuel the continued growth of the rare earth market, particularly the market for NdPr. See the section entitled “Description of Business—Rare Earth Industry Overview and Market Opportunity.”
We believe we benefit from several demand tailwinds for REEs, and particularly for NdPr. These include the trend toward geographic supply chain diversification, particularly in relation to China, which is expected to account for approximately 83% of global REE production in 2020, U.S. government strategy to restore domestic supply of key minerals, and increasing acceptance of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) mandates, which impact global capital allocation throughout production value chains to limit negative environmental and societal impacts.
However, changes in technology may drive down the use of REEs, including NdPr, in the components in which they are now used, or lead to a decline in reliance on such components altogether. We also operate in a competitive industry, and many of our key competitors are based in China, where production costs are typically lower than in the United States. If our assumptions about the growth in demand for REE, and particularly NdPr, prove wrong, our business prospects and results of operations could suffer materially.
Our Mineral Reserves
Our ore body has proven over more than 60 years of operations to be one of the world’s largest and highest-grade rare earth resources. As of July 1, 2020, SRK, an independent consulting firm that we have retained to assess our reserves, estimates total proven and probable reserves of 1.5 million short tons of REO contained in 21.1 million short tons of ore at Mountain Pass, with an average ore grade of 7.06%. In each case, these estimates use an estimated economical cut-off of 3.83% total rare earth oxide. Based on these estimated reserves and our expected annual production rate of REO upon completion of our Stage II optimization project, our expected mine life is approximately 24 years. We expect to be able to significantly grow our expected mine life through exploratory drilling programs and incorporation of the profitability uplift of our Stage II optimization plan over time.
Mining activities in the United States are heavily regulated, particularly in California. Regulatory changes may make it more challenging for us to access our reserves. In addition, new mineral deposits may be discovered elsewhere, which could make our operations less competitive.
Maximizing Production Efficiency
Over the last twelve months REO production is approximately 3.2x greater than the highest ever production in a twelve-month period by the former operator using the same capital equipment. We have achieved these results through an optimized reagent scheme, lower temperature, better management of the tailings facility, and a commitment to operational excellence, driving approximately 94% uptime—a significant improvement to that of
our predecessor. We also believe that these “Stage I” optimization initiatives have enabled us to achieve world-class production cost levels for rare earth concentrate. All of these achievements have enabled us to become cash flow positive, despite significant Chinese trade tariffs on ore and concentrates in place over the optimization period. These trade tariffs have recently been suspended, further enhancing the earnings power of our Stage I operations. See the section entitled “Description of Business—History of Ownership and Current Operations—Stage I Execution Successful.”
We believe that the success of our business will reflect our ability to manage our costs. Our “Stage II” optimization plan, discussed below, is designed to enable us to manage our cost structure for separating REE through a revised facility process flow. The reintroduction of the oxidizing roasting step will allow us to capitalize on the inherent advantages of the bastnasite ore at Mountain Pass, which is uniquely suitable to low-cost refining by selectively eliminating the need to carry lower-value cerium through the separations process. The recommissioning of our natural gas-powered combined heat and power (“CHP”) facility will reduce energy, heating and steam costs as well as minimize or eliminate our reliance on the regional electric power grid. The anticipated re-start of chlor-alkali operations (with a revised, higher-reliability process flow as well as redundancy for the discharge of waste brine) will enable us to produce our own hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide at the Mountain Pass facility and recycle our acid and base inputs, thereby reducing our reliance on external sources of reagents, and providing additional cost leverage with suppliers as a leading consumer of hydrochloric acid in the United States. Further, our location offers significant transportation advantages that create meaningful cost efficiencies in securing incoming supplies and shipping of our final products.
We currently operate a single site in a single location, and any stoppage in activity, including for reasons outside of our control, could adversely impact our production, results of operations and cash flows. See “—Key Performance Indictors—Production Cost per REO MT.” In addition, several of our current and potential competitors are government supported and may have access to substantially greater capital, which may allow them to make similar or greater efficiency improvements or undercut market prices for our product.
Development of Our REE Refining Capabilities and Other Opportunities
Our “Stage II” optimization process is focused on advancing from concentrate production to the separation of individual REEs. Engineering, procurement, preliminary construction and other recommissioning activities are underway and involve upgrades and enhancements to the existing facility process flow to produce separated REEs more reliably, at significantly lower cost and with an expected smaller environmental footprint per volume of REO produced than the prior operator of the Mountain Pass facility. As part of our Stage II optimization plan, we plan to reintroduce a roasting circuit, reorient the plant process flow, increase product finishing capacity, improve wastewater management and make other improvements to materials handling and storage, in addition to restarting our currently idled CHP plant to produce electricity and steam and our chlor-alkali facility to produce chemical reagents. Our process redesign and engineering for our Stage II optimization plan is substantially complete and we believe that our Stage II optimization plan investments will enable us to materially increase the recovery of NdPr from our concentrate, increase NdPr production and dramatically lower the cost of production, in each case, as compared to the prior owner’s operations. Upon the completion of Stage II, we expect to be a low-cost producer of separated NdPr oxide, which represents a majority of the value contained in our ore. See the section entitled “Description of Business—History of Ownership and Current Operations—Stage II Underway.”
In the longer term, following our completion of the Stage II optimization plan, we believe we will then be in a position to consider opportunities to integrate further downstream into the business of upgrading NdPr into metal alloys and magnets, ultimately expanding our presence as a global source for rare earth magnetics. We also believe integration into magnet production would provide some protection from commodity pricing volatility, while enhancing our business profile as the producer of a critical industrial output in addition to a producer of resources. We expect these “Stage III” downstream opportunities to be driven by geopolitical developments, including bringing critical rare earth mining and refining production capability to the United States, as well as the restoration of the full U.S. magnetics supply chain. See the section entitled “Description of Business—History of Ownership and Current Operations—Stage III Downstream Expansion Opportunity.”
The completion of our Stage II optimization plan and any development of Stage III is expected to be capital intensive. We expect to invest approximately $170 million to complete our Stage II optimization plan and reach anticipated production rates for the separation of REEs by the end of 2022, and our estimated costs or estimated time to completion may increase, potentially significantly, due to factors outside of our control. See the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business and Industry.” While we believe that the proceeds we obtain in the Business Combination and the PIPE Investment will be sufficient to fund our Stage II optimization and operating working capital in the near term, we cannot assure this. Any delays in our ongoing optimization plans or substantial cost increases related to their execution could significantly impact our ability to maximize our revenue opportunities and adversely impact our business and cash flows.
Key Components of Sales and Expenses
Product sales
A substantial majority of our product sales are generated from the sale of REO concentrate to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), although we also sell small amounts to third parties. The table below presents our product sales by customer type for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Product sales—Shenghe | $ | 91,699 | $ | 52,048 | $ | 73,017 | $ | 67,013 | ||||||||
Product sales—third parties | 433 | 315 | 394 | 405 | ||||||||||||
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Total product sales | $ | 92,132 | $ | 52,363 | $ | 73,411 | $ | 67,418 | ||||||||
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We recognize a product sale when we have a binding purchase agreement and the product is loaded at the agreed-upon shipping point, at which point the control of the product is transferred to the customer. The transaction price is typically based on an agreed upon price per REO MT, subject to certain quality adjustments and discounts. Product sales are recorded net of taxes collected from customers that are remitted to governmental authorities. See Note 2 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Costs and expenses
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization). Our cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) consists of production- and processing-related labor costs (including wages and salaries, benefits and bonuses), mining and processing supplies (such as reagents), parts and labor for the maintenance of our processing facility, facilities-related costs, packaging materials and freight and shipping costs.
Royalty expense paid to related party. Our royalty expense paid to related party relates to our obligation to pay SNR for the right to extract REO from our mine and is based on 2.5% of product sales, subject to certain minimums. See Note 11 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. On a consolidated basis, we will not incur royalty expenses following the Business Combination.
General and administrative expenses. Our general and administrative expenses (“G&A”) expenses consist primarily of accounting, finance and administrative personnel costs, professional services (including legal, regulatory, audit and others), certain engineering expenses, insurance, license and permit costs, facilities rent and other costs, office supplies, property taxes, general facilities expenses, and certain environmental, health, and safety expenses.
Depreciation, depletion and amortization. Our depreciation, depletion and amortization expenses consist of depreciation of property, plant, and equipment related to our mining equipment and processing facility, amortization of capitalized computer software and depletion of our mineral resources.
Accretion of asset retirement obligations (ARO) and environmental remediation obligations. Our accretion of ARO is based on the requirement to reclaim and remediate the land surrounding our mine and processing facility upon the expiration of the lease. Our accretion of environmental obligations is based on the estimated future cash flow requirement to monitor groundwater contamination related to prior owners’ activities.
Other income, net. Other income consists mainly of gains on the disposal of idle mining assets and interest income on restricted cash. Other expense consists mainly of settlements of advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore).
Interest expense.Interest expense consists mainly of the amortization of the discount on our debt obligations to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) (all of which is non-cash) and, to a lesser extent, interest on other debt instruments.
Income tax expense.Provision for income taxes consists of an estimate of U.S. federal and state income taxes and income taxes in the jurisdictions in which we conduct business, adjusted for federal, state and local allowable income tax benefits, the effect of permanent differences and the valuation allowance against deferred tax assets. We have not incurred material tax expense until the first half of 2020, and we anticipate that the only tax expense for all of 2020 will be for California state income tax expense, mainly attributable to our inability to offset this obligation with state net operating losses due to new legislation. See Note 10 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Results of Operations
Comparison of Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
The following table summarizes our statement of operations for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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2020 | 2019 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
(in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||||
Product sales (including sales to related parties) | $ | 92,132 | $ | 52,363 | $ | 39,769 | 76% | |||||||||
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Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) | (44,957 | ) | (45,033 | ) | 76 | 0% | ||||||||||
Royalty expense paid to related party | (1,908 | ) | (1,085 | ) | (823 | ) | 76% | |||||||||
General and administrative expenses | (14,573 | ) | (10,167 | ) | (4,406 | ) | 43% | |||||||||
Depreciation, depletion and amortization | (4,832 | ) | (3,735 | ) | (1,097 | ) | 29% | |||||||||
Accretion of asset retirement obligation and environmental remediation obligation | (1,691 | ) | (1,577 | ) | (114 | ) | 7% | |||||||||
One-time settlement charge | (66,615 | ) | — | (66,615 | ) | n.m. | ||||||||||
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Total operating expenses | (134,576 | ) | (61,596 | ) | (72,979 | ) | 118% | |||||||||
Operating loss | (42,444 | ) | (9,234 | ) | (33,210 | ) | n.m. | |||||||||
Other income, net | 298 | 4,114 | (3,816 | ) | -93% | |||||||||||
Interest expense | (3,582 | ) | (2,671 | ) | (911 | ) | 34% | |||||||||
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Loss before income taxes | (45,728 | ) | (7,791 | ) | (37,937 | ) | n.m. | |||||||||
Income tax expense | (211 | ) | (1 | ) | (210 | ) | n.m. | |||||||||
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Net loss | $ | (45,939 | ) | $ | (7,792 | ) | $ | (38,147 | ) | -490% | ||||||
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Product sales. Product sales increased by $39.8 million, or 76%, to $92.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $52.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The increase was driven primarily by higher REO sales volume, which increased to 28,047 MTs in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 from 18,260 MTs in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting the improved efficiency of our processing operations, while our average realized price per REO MT increased approximately 2% between periods, primarily reflecting the lower tariffs. Tariff credits from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) contributed $10.3 million in product sales in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. However, product sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were negatively impacted by the accounting treatment of the Shenghe implied discount in connection with the Original Offtake Agreement, pursuant to which approximately $3.7 million of the value of products sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) from January 1, 2020 until June 5, 2020 was not recognized as product sales but was applied as a reduction of the adjusted offtake product delivery amount to Shenghe Resources (Singapore). See “—RecentDevelopments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” Starting June 5, 2020, the accounting impact of the Shenghe implied discount was eliminated under the A&R Offtake Agreement and, going forward, we will recognize product sales on the full value of our sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore).
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization). Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) decreased by $0.1 million to $45.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $45.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The decrease was driven by lower per unit production costs and offset by higher sales volume and higher shipping costs, reflecting more shipments to less accessible overseas ports. Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) improved significantly on a per unit basis. The significant decrease in production cost per REO MT, from $2,157 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 to $1,371 in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 reflected the increased efficiency in processing our rare earth concentrate, driven by higher mineral recoveries in our froth flotation circuit and improved operational uptime. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for a reconciliation of our total production cost to our cost of sales (excluding depletion, depreciation and amortization). We believe our cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) on a per unit basis has stabilized in the short-term, although we anticipate additional efficiency opportunities as we increase REO production volumes in our milling and flotation circuit over time.
Royalty expense paid to related party. Royalty expense paid to related party increased by $0.8 million, or 76%, to $1.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $1.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting our increased product sales (the royalty rate is 2.5% of our gross revenue from products derived from mined ore).
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by $4.4 million, or 43%, to $14.6 million in the nine-months ended September 30, 2020, from $10.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting a $3.4 million increase in professional service fees, mainly accounting advisory services related to the Business Combination.
Depreciation, depletion and amortization. Depreciation, depletion and amortization increased by $1.1 million, or 29%, to $4.8 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $3.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting the impact of additional equipment purchases.
Accretion of asset retirement obligations (ARO) and environmental remediation obligations. Accretion of ARO and environmental remediation obligations remained relatively flat between periods.
One-time settlement charge. We recorded a one-time non-cash settlement charge of $66.6 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 in connection with the termination of the DMA. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
Other income, net. Other income, net, was $0.3 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, reflecting interest income on restricted cash and an environmental incentive credit, compared to other income,
net of $4.1 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, mainly reflecting a gain on the disposal of idle assets and interest income.
Interest expense. Interest expense increased by $0.9 million, or 34%, to $3.6 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $2.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2018, mainly reflecting an increase in the interest expense from the issuance of a non-interest-bearing debt instrument to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) in connection with the amended offtake agreement that was entered in June 2020. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
Income tax expense. Income tax expense was $0.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and negligible in the nine months ended September 30, 2019.
Net income (loss).Net loss increased by $38.1 million to $45.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, from $7.8 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, due to the one-time settlement charge and the other reasons discussed above.
Comparison of Year Ended December 31, 2019 to Year Ended December 31, 2018
The following table summarizes our statement of operations for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31, | 2019 vs. 2018 | |||||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
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Product sales (including sales to related parties) | $ | 73,411 | $ | 67,418 | $ | 5,993 | 9 | % | ||||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) | (61,261 | ) | (56,252 | ) | (5,009 | ) | 9 | % | ||||||||
Royalty expense paid to related party | (1,885 | ) | (1,032 | ) | (853 | ) | 83 | % | ||||||||
General and administrative expenses | (11,104 | ) | (14,565 | ) | 3,461 | -24 | % | |||||||||
Depreciation, depletion and amortization | (4,687 | ) | (2,455 | ) | (2,232 | ) | 91 | % | ||||||||
Accretion of asset retirement obligation and environmental remediation obligation | (2,094 | ) | (1,998 | ) | (96 | ) | 5 | % | ||||||||
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Total operating expenses | (81,031 | ) | (76,302 | ) | (4,729 | ) | 6 | % | ||||||||
Operating loss | (7,620 | ) | (8,884 | ) | 1,264 | -14 | % | |||||||||
Other income, net | 4,278 | 839 | 3,439 | 410 | % | |||||||||||
Interest expense | (3,412 | ) | (5,420 | ) | 2,008 | -37 | % | |||||||||
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Loss before income taxes | (6,754 | ) | (13,465 | ) | 6,711 | -50 | % | |||||||||
Income tax expense | (1 | ) | (1 | ) | — | n.m. | ||||||||||
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Net loss | $ | (6,755 | ) | $ | (13,466 | ) | $ | 6,711 | -50 | % | ||||||
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Product sales. Product sales increased by $6.0 million, or 9%, to $73.4 million in 2019 from $67.4 million in 2018. The increase was primarily driven by higher REO sales volume, which increased to 26,821 MTs in 2019 from 13,378 MTs in 2018, reflecting mainly the improved efficiency of our processing operations starting in the second half of 2019. In 2018, we sold $22.2 million in acquired stockpiles of REF; we had no such sales in 2019. Realized price per REO MT decreased from $3,382 in 2018 to $2,793 in 2019, mainly due to the imposition of a 10% Chinese import duty on our product in July 2018 and its increase to 25% which took effect in May 2019. Product sales for the second half of 2019 were also negatively impacted by the accounting treatment of the Shenghe implied discount in connection with the Original Offtake Agreement, where approximately $1.9 million of the value of products sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) in 2019 was not recognized as product sales but
was applied as a reduction of the adjusted offtake product delivery amount to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), while in 2018 we recognized product sales on the full market value of our REO concentrate sales. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization). Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) increased by $5.0 million, or 9%, to $61.3 million in 2019 from $56.3 million in 2018. The increase was driven by our higher sales volume and, to a lesser extent, the need to ship certain deliveries to less accessible overseas ports. Cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) improved significantly on a per unit basis. The significant decrease in production cost per REO MT, from $2,822 in 2018 to $1,980 in 2019, was driven by a significant efficiency improvement in processing our rare earth concentrate starting in the second half of 2019, for the reasons discussed above. See “—Non-GAAP FinancialMeasures” below for a reconciliation of our total production cost to our cost of sales (excluding depletion, depreciation and amortization).
Royalty expense paid to related party. Royalty expense paid to related party increased by $0.9 million, or 83%, to $1.9 million in 2019 from $1.0 million in 2018, reflecting our increased product sales.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses decreased by $3.5 million, or 24%, to $11.1 million in 2019, from $14.6 million in 2018, primarily due to reclassification of certain facilities expenses to cost of sales as portions of the mine and processing facilities entered commercial operations, and lower premiums on surety bonding.
Depletion, depreciation and amortization. Depletion, depreciation and amortization increased by $2.2 million, or 91%, to $4.7 million in 2019, from $2.5 million in 2018, reflecting the impact of equipment purchases following the Mountain Pass acquisition.
Accretion of asset retirement obligation ARO and environmental remediation obligations. Accretion of ARO and environmental remediation obligations remained relatively flat between periods.
Other income, net. Other income, net increased by $3.5 million to $4.3 million in 2019 from $0.8 million in 2018. The increase was primarily due to a higher gain on sales of idle equipment in 2019 compared to 2018.
Interest expense. Interest expense decreased by $2.0 million, or 37%, to $3.4 million in 2019, from $5.4 million in 2018, mainly reflecting our repayment of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s $30.0 million loan (which was non-interest-bearing for the first 12 months) in November 2018. At the time of repayment, we accrued $2.1 million on the loan in 2018, mainly in amortized debt discount. See Note 7 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense was negligible in both periods.
Net loss. Net loss decreased by $6.7 million, or 50%, to $6.8 million in 2019, from $13.5 million in 2018, for the reasons discussed above.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We present Production Costs, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These measures are similar to measures reported by other companies in our industry and are regularly used by securities analysts and investors to measure companies’ financial performance. Production Costs, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are not intended to be a substitute for any U.S. GAAP financial measure and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance or liquidity of other companies within our industry or in other industries.
Production Costs
Production cost, which we use to calculate our key performance indicator, production cost per REO MT, is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as our cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization), less costs attributable to sales of legacy stockpiles and shipping and freight costs. The table below presents our production cost reconciled to our cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales—as reported | $ | 44,957 | $ | 45,033 | $ | 61,261 | $ | 56,252 | ||||||||
Adjusted for: | ||||||||||||||||
Costs attributable to sales of stockpiles | (406 | ) | (300 | ) | (374 | ) | (13,309 | ) | ||||||||
Shipping and freight | (6,096 | ) | (5,352 | ) | (7,793 | ) | (5,188 | ) | ||||||||
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Non-GAAP production cost | $ | 38,455 | $ | 39,381 | $ | 53,094 | $ | 37,755 | ||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA
We define and calculate Adjusted EBITDA as our U.S. GAAP net income (loss) before depreciation, depletion and amortization, interest expense and income tax expense or benefit for a given period, further adjusted to eliminate the impact of transaction-related costs, other non-recurring costs, accretion of asset retirement obligations (ARO) and environmental reserves and gain on sale or disposal of long-lived assets. We present Adjusted EBITDA because it is used by management to evaluate our underlying operating and financial performance and trends.
Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses that are required in accordance with U.S. GAAP because they are non-recurring, non-cash or are not related to our underlying business performance. This non-GAAP financial measure is intended to supplement our U.S. GAAP results and should not be used as a substitute for financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Our Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our results of operations on a comparable basis between periods because of the accounting consequences of the modifications of our agreements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore). See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” Accordingly, our Adjusted EBITDA trend for the periods presented may not be indicative of future trends. If the adjusted offtake product delivery amount to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) pursuant to the Original Offtake Agreement had been included in our deferred revenue (See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”), our Adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and for fiscal year 2019 would have been higher by $3.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively.
The table below presents our Adjusted EBITDA reconciled to our net income (loss), the closest U.S. GAAP measure, for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | (45,939 | ) | $ | (7,792 | ) | $ | (6,755 | ) | $ | (13,466 | ) | ||||
Adjusted for: | ||||||||||||||||
Depreciation, depletion and amortization | 4,832 | 3,735 | 4,687 | 2,455 | ||||||||||||
Interest expense | 3,582 | 2,671 | 3,412 | 5,420 | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense | 211 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
Transaction-related costs(1) | 1,652 | — | 270 | — | ||||||||||||
Accretion of ARO and environmental reserves | 1,691 | 1,577 | 2,094 | 1,998 | ||||||||||||
Other non-recurring costs(2) | 738 | 250 | 618 | — | ||||||||||||
Royalties to SNR(3) | 1,908 | 1,085 | 1,885 | 1,032 | ||||||||||||
One-time settlement charge(4) | 66,615 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Tariff credits(5) | (10,347 | ) | — | — | — | |||||||||||
Other income, net(6) | (298 | ) | (4,114 | ) | (4,278 | ) | (839 | ) | ||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 24,645 | $ | (2,587 | ) | $ | 1,934 | $ | (3,399 | ) | ||||||
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(1) | Includes mainly advisory, consulting, accounting and legal expenses in connection with the Business Combination. |
(2) | Includes mainly non-recurring costs for SAP implementation in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and, in 2019, one-time severance payments to certain former members of our executive team. |
(3) | Our royalty payments to SNR will be eliminated upon the consummation of the Business Combination. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—The Business Combination.” |
(4) | One-time settlement charge in connection with the termination of the DMA. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” |
(5) | Represents non-cash revenue recognized in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 in connection with the tariff credits received from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) relating to product sales prior to May 2020. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Certain Tariff-related Rebates.” |
(6) | Includes gains on sale of idle mining equipment following the 2017 acquisition of Mountain Pass and interest income on restricted cash. |
Free Cash Flow
We calculate Free Cash Flow as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less additions to property, plant and equipment. We believe Free Cash Flow is useful for comparing our ability to generate cash with that of our peers. The presentation of Free Cash Flow is not meant to be considered in isolation or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities and does not necessarily indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash needs.
The following table presents a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
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Cash used in operating activities | $ | (318 | ) | $ | (2,501 | ) | $ | (437 | ) | $ | 20,196 | |||||
Additions to property, plant and equipment | (9,695 | ) | (2,388 | ) | (2,274 | ) | (7,790 | ) | ||||||||
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Free Cash Flow | $ | (10,013 | ) | $ | (4,889 | ) | $ | (2,711 | ) | $ | 12,406 | |||||
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Quarterly Performance Trend
While our business is not significantly seasonal in nature, we sometimes experience a timing lag between production and sales, which may result in volatility in our results of operations between periods. In addition, the efficiency improvements we made in the processing of our rare earth materials has resulted in significantly higher production of REO starting in the second half of 2019. Our realized price per REO MT was also adversely impacted by the imposition of Chinese import duties in July 2018, and the subsequent increase of such tariffs in May 2019. The lifting of tariffs contributed to the improvement in realized price per REO MT in the second and third quarter of 2020.
The following table presents our REO production and sales volumes, as well as our realized price per REO MT, for the quarterly periods indicated:
FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in whole units or dollars) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
REO Production Volume (MTs) | 2,168 | 4,030 | 4,289 | 3,427 | 4,040 | 5,490 | 9,417 | 8,673 | 9,682 | 9,287 | 10,197 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
REO Sales Volume (MTs) | 2,231 | 3,361 | 4,736 | 3,050 | 3,875 | 4,533 | 9,852 | 8,561 | 8,321 | 10,297 | 9,429 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Realized Price per REO MT(1) | $ | 2,646 | $ | 4,118 | $ | 3,508 | $ | 2,912 | $ | 2,902 | $ | 3,081 | $ | 2,967 | $ | 2,389 | $ | 2,544 | $ | 3,093 | $ | 3,393 |
(1) | Realized price per REO MT for certain periods prior to May 2020 would have generally been higher if the tariff credits received from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) were applied in the same periods the relevant sales occurred. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Certain Tariff-related Rebates.” |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity refers to our ability to generate sufficient cash flows to meet the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital and capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations, debt service and other commitments. Our principal sources of liquidity to date have included customer advances and loans from Shenghe Resources (Singapore), cash from operating activities and debt.
We believe that our cash flows from operations and cash on hand, together with the proceeds of the PIPE Investment and FVAC’s cash in trust that we received upon the consummation of the Business Combination will be adequate to meet our liquidity requirements for at least the 12 months following the date of this prospectus. Our current working capital needs relate mainly to our mining and beneficiation operations. Our principal capital expenditure requirements relate mainly to the periodic replacement of mining or processing equipment, as well as funding our Stage II project to optimize and recommission our idled refining facilities. Our future capital requirements will depend on several factors, including future acquisitions and potential additional investments in further downstream production (for example, if we move forward with plans to develop our Stage III project for the production of rare-earth based magnets and/or other finished components). If our available resources prove inadequate to fund our plans or commitments, we may be forced to revise our strategy and business plans or could be required, or elect, to seek additional funding through public or private equity or debt financings; however, such funding may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
We had cash and cash equivalents of $30.2 million as of September 30, 2020. On a pro forma basis, assuming the consummation of the Business Combination on September 30, 2020, we would have had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $512.7 million. As of September 30, 2020, we had $90.9 million of related-party debt, of which $72.1 million (excluding the recorded implied discount discussed below) relates to amounts owed to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) due to the June 2020 contract modifications described above. The
promissory notes with JHL Capital Group and QVT Financial and their affiliates (described below), which amounted to $21.8 million (including accrued interest) as of September 30, 2020, were repaid in full upon the consummation of the Business Combination.
Debt
As of September 30, 2020, we had $90.9 million in outstanding related-party debt, as further described below.
Debt for offtake advances (Shenghe). As of September 30, 2020, we had recorded debt to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) in a total amount of $78.4 million, of which $72.1 million was deemed principal and $6.3 million was deemed to be amortizable debt discount. The debt is an accounting consequence of the June 2020 modifications to our agreements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore). The debt to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is to be satisfied primarily through sales of offtake products, as described above, where partial non-cash consideration is received by MPMO in the form of debt relief (generally equal to approximately 15% of the ultimate market value of the REO, excluding tariffs, duties and certain other charges). See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” Following an imputed interest rate model to calculate the embedded discount, the amortization of which is recognized as non-cash interest expense, as of September 30, 2020, we estimated the timing of repayment at approximately four years from the date of the modification, and an updated imputed interest rate of 5.3%.
Promissory note. On April 4, 2017, we issued an unsecured promissory note (the “MPMO Unsecured Note”) to certain investment funds managed by or affiliated with JHL Capital Group and QVT Financial, in exchange for loans extended by those entities. The MPMO Unsecured Note bears interest at a rate of 5% per annum and is payable in arrears on the maturity date. Amounts owed under the MPMO Unsecured Note are due upon demand by the lenders and may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty. As of September 30, 2020, the principal amount outstanding (including accrued interest) under the MPMO Unsecured Note was approximately $6.3 million. This note was repaid in full upon the consummation of the Business Combination.
Secured promissory note. On August 7, 2017, we issued a secured promissory note (the “MPMO Secured Note”) to certain investment funds managed by and/or affiliated with JHL Capital Group and QVT Financial, in exchange for a loan extended by those entities to enable us to purchase certain equipment. The MPMO Secured Note is secured by a lien on certain equipment that was purchased by us with the proceeds of the note. The MPMO Secured Note bears interest at a rate of 10% per annum, payable in kind on each date on which a payment on the principal amount is made, with the amount of such interest being added to the principal balance. Payments on the principal amount under the MPMO Secured Note are due (i) at any time we sell any of the equipment securing the loans under the MPMO Secured Note, with the proceeds of such sale being used to repay the loans, and (ii) upon the final maturity date, February 15, 2021. The MPMO Secured Note may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty. As of September 30, 2020, the principal amount (including accrued interest) under the MPMO Secured Note was approximately $15.2 million. This note was repaid in full upon the consummation of the Business Combination.
Equipment notes. We entered into several financing agreements for the purchase of equipment, including trucks, tractors, loaders, graders, and various other machinery. As of September 30, 2020, we had approximately $2.3 million in principal (and accrued interest) outstanding under the equipment notes.
PPP loan. On April 16, 2020, we obtained a loan of $3.4 million pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) under Division A, Title I of the CARES Act, which was enacted on March 27, 2020. The loan, which was in the form of a Note dated April 15, 2020 issued by CIBC Bank USA, matures on April 14, 2022 and bears interest at a rate of 1% per annum, payable monthly commencing on November 15, 2020. Under the terms of the PPP, the loan may be forgiven if they are used for qualifying expenses as described in the CARES Act, which include payroll costs, costs used to continue group health care benefits, rent and utilities. We
have used the entire loan amount for qualifying expenses. While we may apply for forgiveness of the PPP loan in accordance with the requirements and limitations under the CARES Act and Small Business Administration (“SBA”) regulations and requirements, no assurance can be given that any portion of the PPP loan will be forgiven. Based on guidance from the United States Department of the Treasury, since our total PPP loan proceeds exceeded $2.0 million, our forgiveness application will be subject to audit by the SBA. We applied for forgiveness of the entire loan in November 2020 and are awaiting a determination.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the period indicated:
Nine Months Ended September 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (318 | ) | $ | (2,501 | ) | $ | (437 | ) | $ | 20,196 | |||||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | $ | (9,695 | ) | $ | 6,240 | $ | 5,624 | $ | (5,880 | ) | ||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | $ | 36,186 | $ | (3,934 | ) | $ | (4,096 | ) | $ | (30,740 | ) |
Cash Flows Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities. Our cash used in operating activities was $0.3 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared to $2.5 million in cash used in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The improvement mainly reflected the improvement in our net income, excluding non-cash items such as one-time settlement charge in connection with the termination of the DMA, revenue recognized in exchange for debt principal reduction and gain on the partial debt extinguishment, between periods, for the reasons discussed above under “—Results of Operations,” partially offset by changes in operating working capital items, mainly a $7.0 million increase in inventory in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared to an increase of $1.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, reflecting the significant ramp in commercial production starting in the second half of 2019.
Net cash used in operating activities was $0.4 million in 2019 compared to $20.2 million in net cash provided by operating activities in 2018, mainly reflecting a $20.6 million negative net change in operating working capital items, mainly reflecting a $9.6 million net increase in inventory in 2019, attributable to the ramp in commercial production discussed above, compared to a $4.3 million decrease in inventory in 2018, reflecting the sale of stockpiles acquired in the Mountain Pass acquisition. The change in accounts receivable, which increased slightly in 2019, compared to a $4.7 million decrease in 2018, also contributed to the change in trend, reflecting the acceleration of prepayments for REO shipments from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) upon our mine achieving commercial operations (as defined in the Original Offtake Agreement) in July 2019. Deferred revenue increased by $7.1 million in 2019, compared to an increase of $11.0 million in 2018, reflecting the impact of the higher non-cash consideration component in our 2019 sales relative to 2018. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” Our improved operating results, from a net loss of $13.5 million in 2018 to a net loss of $6.8 million in 2019, for the reasons discussed above under “—Results of Operations,” partially offset the negative working capital impact.
Cash Flows Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities. Our current, recurring capital expenditure needs consist mainly of purchases of property, plant and equipment, including mining equipment.
Net cash used in investing activities amounted to $9.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to net cash provided by investing activities of $6.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The change was mainly attributable to capitalized costs related to our Stage II optimization plan in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Conversely, we sold long-lived assets in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, from which we received $8.6 million.
Net cash provided by investing activities amounted to $5.6 million in 2019 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $5.9 million in 2018. The change was primarily due to a $6.0 million increase in cash
received from the sale of idled equipment in 2019 and a $5.5 million decrease in additions to property, plant and equipment compared to 2018, primarily due to the impact of the implementation of our SAP ERP system in 2018.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities. Net cash provided by financing activities was $36.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared to $3.9 million cash used in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, primarily reflecting the advances from Shenghe Resources (Singapore) in June 2020 in connection with the agreement modifications described elsewhere in this prospectus, a $1.6 million increase in the payment of underwriting and transaction costs and a reduction of $5.9 million in net principal repayments on our financing obligations between periods.
Net cash used in financing activities decreased by $26.6 million, to $4.1 million in 2019 from $30.7 million in 2018, reflecting a reduction in net principal repayments on our financing obligations and an increase in net borrowing in 2019.
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes our contractual obligations and commitments as of September 30, 2020.
Payments due by period | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total | Less than 1 year | 1-3 Years | 3-5 Years | More than 5 Years | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lease obligations(1) | $ | 3,393 | $ | 2,369 | $ | 933 | $ | 91 | — | |||||||||||
Debt obligations(2) | 27,178 | 24,180 | 2,750 | 248 | — | |||||||||||||||
Debt for offtake advances (Shenghe)(3) | 78,414 | 19,452 | 58,962 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
ARO and environmental obligations(4) | 42,315 | 543 | 1,076 | 1,067 | 39,629 | |||||||||||||||
Service contracts(5) | 592 | 592 | —�� | — | — | |||||||||||||||
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Total | $ | 151,892 | $ | 47,136 | $ | 63,721 | $ | 1,406 | $ | 39,629 | ||||||||||
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(1) | Includes future minimum lease payments required under non-cancellable operating leases and finance leases that have initial or remaining non-cancellable lease terms in excess of one year. |
(2) | Includes scheduled or expected cash principal payments on our debt obligations, including accrued interest, original issuance discount and debt issuance costs on the promissory notes; equipment notes; and the PPP loan (excluding accrued interest). |
(3) | Represents the debt obligation with Shenghe Resources (Singapore), including the unamortized debt discount. |
(4) | Represents payments that we are expecting to make in the future based on our estimates of asset retirement obligations and environmental obligations. |
(5) | Represents a contractual commitment related to services for the overburden stripping of our mine. |
The promissory note and secured promissory note were repaid in full upon the consummation of the Business Combination. See “—Liquidity and Capital Resources —Debt.”
Off-Balance Sheet Commitments and Arrangements
We do not currently have any interests in variable interest entities or any off-balance sheet arrangements of the type required to be reported under SEC rules.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments,
estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of product sales and operating expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our critical accounting policies are described below.
Revenue
We recognize revenue from sales of rare earth products produced from our mine. Our principal customer, Shenghe Resources (Singapore), purchased substantially all of our production in the periods presented and is an affiliate of an equityholder of MPMO. We recognize revenue at the point in time control of the products transfers to the customer and, under our offtake arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore), our performance obligation is satisfied when we deliver products to the agreed delivery point. The transaction price with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is typically based on an agreed upon price per MT but subject to certain quality adjustments based on REO content, with an adjustment for the ultimate market price of the product realized by Shenghe Resources (Singapore), adjusted for certain contractually negotiated amounts. We typically negotiate with and bill an initial price to Shenghe Resources (Singapore); such prices are then updated based on final adjustments for REO content and/or actual sales prices realized by Shenghe Resources (Singapore). Sales to Shenghe under the Original Offtake Agreement also reflect an adjustment for the Shenghe implied discount, which did not apply to sales prior to July 1, 2019 or after June 5, 2020. See “—Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.”
Debt obligations and imputed interest rate applied to debt discount
In connection with our entry into the A&R Offtake Agreement, we recorded a total principal amount of $94.0 million in debt due to the nature of our obligations, including a carrying amount upon issuance of $85.7 million based on the fair value of the instrument upon issuance, and offset by the resulting discount on debt issuance of $8.3 million. See “Recent Developments and Comparability of Results—Our Relationship with Shenghe.” Since the arrangement does not have a stated rate, and the timing and method of repayment is contingent on several factors, including our production and sale volumes, market prices realized by Shenghe Resources (Singapore), our sales to other parties, our asset sales and the amount of our annual net income, we estimated the timing of payments and other reductions to the outstanding balance to determine an imputed interest rate. The debt discount represents the difference between the fair value of the debt liability issued and the total amount of the contractual obligation as a consequence of our entry into the A&R Offtake Agreement. The imputed interest rate is calculated by amortizing the debt discount over the time period that management expects to bring the total outstanding principal balance to zero and determining the annualized interest rate necessary to fully amortize the discount in the same period when final principal reduction is expected to occur. Actual repayments or reductions in the principal balance may differ in timing and amount from our estimates, and we therefore expect to update our estimates on a quarterly basis. Accordingly, the imputed interest rate is likely to differ in future periods. We have determined that we will recognize adjustments from these estimates using the prospective method. Under the prospective method, we will update our estimate of the effective imputed interest rate in future periods based on revised estimates of the timing of remaining principal reductions. This rate will then be used to recognize interest expense for subsequent reporting periods, until the estimates are updated again. Under this method, the effective interest rate is not constant, and changes are recognized prospectively as an adjustment to the effective yield. See Note 6 to our unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further discussion.
Asset Retirement Obligations
We recognize asset retirement obligations for estimated costs of legally and contractually required closure, dismantlement, and reclamation activities associated with the Mountain Pass facility and the mine. Asset
retirement obligations are initially recognized at their estimated fair value in the period in which the obligation is incurred. Fair value is based on the expected timing of reclamation activities, cash flows to perform activities, amount and uncertainty associated with the cash flows, including adjustments for a market risk premium, and discounted using a credit-adjusted risk-free rate. The liability is accreted over time through periodic charges to earnings and reduced as reclamation activities occur; differences between estimated and actual amounts are recognized as an adjustment to operating expense. Subsequent increments in expected undiscounted cash flows are measured at their discounted values using updated estimates of our credit-adjusted risk-free rate applied to the increment only. Subsequent decrements are reduced based on the weighted average discount rate associated with the obligation. As of December 31, 2019, the credit-adjusted risk-free rate ranges between 7.1% and 8.2%, depending on the timing of expected settlement and when the layer or increment was recognized. Associated asset retirement costs, including the effect of increments and decrements, are recognized as adjustments to the related asset’s carrying value and depreciated over its remaining useful life.
Environmental Obligations
We have assumed certain environmental remediation obligations that primarily relate to groundwater monitoring activities. Estimated remediation costs are accrued based on management’s best estimate at the end of each period of the costs expected to be incurred at a site to settle the obligation when those amounts are probable and estimable. Such cost estimates may include ongoing care, maintenance and monitoring costs associated with remediation activities. Changes in remediation estimates are reflected in earnings in the period. Remediation costs included in environmental remediation obligations are discounted to their present value as cash flows when payments are readily estimable, and are discounted using a risk-free rate, which we derive from US Treasury yields. Our discounted obligations primarily relate to groundwater monitoring activities.
Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements and Regulatory Items
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 2 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Emerging Growth Company Accounting Election
Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”) exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable. FVAC is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, and has irrevocably elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and has different application dates for public or private companies, FVAC or, following the consummation of the Business Combination, we, for so long as we remain an emerging growth company, may adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies are required to adopt the new or revised standard.
Following the consummation of the Business Combination, we expect to remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of the FVAC IPO, (b) in which we have total annual revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common equity that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter and our net sales for the year exceed $100 million; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the preceding, rolling three-year period.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We have in the past and may in the future be exposed to certain market risks, including commodity price risks, in the ordinary course of our business, as discussed further below.
In addition to commodity pricing risk, our product sales are highly concentrated, with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) accounting for more than 90% of our product sales for all periods presented.
Commodity Price Risk
The results of our operations depend in large part upon the market prices of REO and particularly the price of rare earth concentrate. Concentrate prices are less transparent than those of many other commodities. Rare earth concentrate is not quoted on any major commodities market or exchange and demand is currently limited to a relatively limited number of refiners, a significant majority of which are based in China. We believe that we are a leading, low-cost producer of rare earth concentrate containing significant levels of embedded NdPr. We expect demand for NdPr to continue to grow driving demand for our concentrate and ultimately, upon the completion of our Stage II optimization, separated NdPr oxide, but actual demand and pricing may fluctuate for numerous reasons beyond our control, including, among other things, discoveries of new mineral properties, technological changes that lead to diminished reliance on NdPr and/or permanent magnets, and shifts in underlying end-user demand for products or components manufactured with NdPr. See “—Key Factors Affecting Our Performance—Demand for REO.” While we currently generate revenue in the United States and in U.S. dollars, the market transactions are denominated mainly in the Chinese Yuan and we are therefore indirectly exposed to currency volatility and devaluation risks. For example, we negotiate monthly U.S. dollar REO prices with Shenghe Resources (Singapore), which are based in part on the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Chinese Yuan. Geopolitical tensions between the United States and China may lead to increased tariffs, preferences for local producers, some of which may be government-supported, changes in taxing regimes or other trade barriers. We have not entered into derivative contracts to protect the selling price for our REO and do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, as there is no liquid market for such contracts and their cost may be prohibitive, if they could be obtained at all.
Overview
We own and operate the Mountain Pass facility, one of the world’s largest integrated rare earth mining and processing facilities and the only major rare earths resource in the Western Hemisphere. Our wholly owned subsidiary, MPMO, acquired the Mountain Pass mine and processing facilities out of bankruptcy in July 2017. Our wholly owned subsidiary, SNR, holds the mineral rights to the Mountain Pass mine and surrounding areas as well as intellectual property rights related to the processing and development of rare earth minerals. Since acquiring Mountain Pass, we have implemented a disciplined operating approach that has already produced superior product output and performance compared to that of the prior ownership, while also generating cash flow from the sale of its rare earth concentrate. We are now beginning to reinvest that cash flow into the further optimization of the facility to enable integrated separation operations, thereby ensuring upstream supply of REOs and setting a foundation for long-term growth and value creation for stakeholders.
On November 17, 2020, we consummated the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we changed our name to “MP Materials Corp.”
We own the Mountain Pass facility. We also lease our executive office space at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suites 450 and 430, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, which lease expires December 31, 2022, subject to a renewal option at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450, Las Vegas, NV 89119 and our telephone number is (702) 844-6111. Our website is www.mpmaterials.com. The information found on, or that can be accessed from or that is hyperlinked to, our website is not part of this prospectus.
Recent History of MPMC
As indicated above, the Company completed the Business Combination on November 17, 2020, in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.
In accordance with the Merger Agreement, among other things, (a) MPMO and SNR, prior to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, completed reorganizations (the “Pre-Closing Reorganization”), pursuant to which, among other things, (i) an affiliate of an MPMO equityholder formed a new Delaware corporation (“MPMO HoldCo”), and SNR formed a new Delaware limited liability company that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes (“SNR HoldCo”), (ii) each of MPMO HoldCo and SNR HoldCo formed wholly-owned subsidiaries, MPMO Transition Sub, LLC and SNR Transition Sub, LLC, respectively, and (iii) each of MPMO and SNR merged with MPMO Transition Sub, LLC and SNR Transition Sub, LLC, respectively, with MPMO and SNR as the surviving company of each merger and becoming wholly-owned subsidiaries of MPMO HoldCo and SNR HoldCo, respectively, (b) through two consecutive mergers constituting part of the same overall transaction, MPMO Merger Corp. , merged with and into MPMO HoldCo, with MPMO HoldCo being the surviving corporation, and immediately thereafter MPMO HoldCo merged with and into MPMO Merger LLC, with MPMO Merger LLC being the surviving company (such mergers, the “MPMO Mergers”) and (c) through two consecutive mergers constituting part of the same overall transaction, SNR Merger Company merged with and into SNR HoldCo, with SNR HoldCo being the surviving company, and immediately thereafter SNR HoldCo merged with and into SNR Merger LLC, with SNR Merger LLC being the surviving company (such mergers, the “SNR Mergers”, and together with the MPMO Mergers and the other transactions and ancillary agreements contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Business Combination”).
On November 17, 2020, immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination and pursuant to the Parent Sponsor Warrant Exchange Agreement, entered into by the Company and the Sponsor on July 15, 2020, the Sponsor exchanged all 5,933,333 of its Private Placement Warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) for an aggregate of 890,000 shares of FVAC Class F common stock that, upon the consummation of the Business Combination, were converted into FVAC Class A common stock (which is not subject to vesting or forfeiture
restrictions under the Parent Sponsor Letter Agreement) (which, after the consummation of the Business Combination is referred to as “Common Stock”).
On November 17, 2020, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company issued, in a private placement transaction (the “PIPE Financing”), an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $200,000,000, to the PIPE Investors pursuant to the terms of respective Subscription Agreements entered into separately between the Company and each PIPE Investor, each dated July 15, 2020 (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”).
At the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company and the A&R RRA Parties entered into the Second Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement (the “A&R RRA”), pursuant to which the A&R RRA Parties and their permitted transferees are entitled to, among other things, customary registration rights, including demand, piggy-back and shelf registration rights, subject to cut-back provisions. The A&R RRA Parties have agreed in the Registration Rights Agreements not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of shares of Common Stock they hold or receive for certain time periods, subject to certain exceptions specified therein. Pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company is obligated to file a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, or Form S-1 if unavailable, and may be required to register up to approximately 98,558,548 shares of Common Stock (excluding Vesting Shares and Earnout Shares).
Certain affiliates, officers and directors of the Company had material relationships with FVAC, MPMO and SNR prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, as described in the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions”.
On November 17, 2020, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company amended and restated the FVAC amended and restated certificate of incorporation (such FVAC amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the “FVAC Charter” and, such second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the “Second Amended and Restated Charter”) to:
a) | change the name of the Company from “Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.” to “MP Materials Corp.”; |
b) | increase the total number of authorized shares of all classes of capital stock from 221,000,000 shares to 500,000,000, consisting of (i) 450,000,000 shares of the Common Stock and (ii) 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock; |
c) | provide for the board of directors of MPMC to be divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected each year and members of each class (except for those directors appointed to Class I and Class II in connection with the Business Combination) serving a three-year term; |
d) | remove or amend those provisions of the FVAC Charter which terminated or otherwise ceased to be applicable following the completion of the Business Combination, including removal of certain provisions relating to the Company’s prior status as a blank check company and the Company’s Class F Common Stock that no longer apply; |
e) | provide that the Company will not be governed by Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) and included a provision that is substantially similar to Section 203 of the DGCL, but excludes the Sponsor, JHL Capital Group and any Exempt Transferee (as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Charter) and their respective affiliates or successors or any “group”, or any member of any such group, to which such persons are a party from the definition of “interested stockholder,” and to make certain related changes; |
f) | to provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation other than with respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the United States federal securities laws for which the federal courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive jurisdiction to the fullest extent permitted by law; and |
g) | require that any amendments relating to Article V (Board of Directors) of the Second Amended and Restated Charter may only be amended, in addition to any vote required by applicable law, by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66.7% of the voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of MPMC entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. |
Following the completion of the PIPE Financing and the Business Combination, there were 155,920,632 shares of Common Stock outstanding. Immediately following the completion of such transactions, the Company’s share capital consisted of: (A) 91,941,481 shares of Common Stock issued to the unitholders of MPMO and SNR in the Business Combination, (B) 9,515,000 shares of Common Stock issued to the Sponsor and Insiders following the automatic conversion of an equivalent number of shares of FVAC Class F common stock pursuant to the terms of the FVAC Charter, (C) 20,000,000 shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Subscription Agreements and, (D) 34,464,151 shares of Common Stock, representing outstanding shares held by the Company’s public stockholders and not redeemed in connection with the Business Combination and (E) 11,499,971 outstanding warrants to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share.
The issuance of the shares of Common Stock to the unitholders of MPMO and SNR was registered with the SEC on the registration statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC (File No. 333-248433) (as amended, the “Registration Statement”) and effective on October 27, 2020. The issuance of the shares of Common Stock to holders of equity awards issued under the MP Materials Corp. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”) will be registered with the SEC on a registration statement on Form S-8. The Company has agreed in the Registration Rights Agreement and the Subscription Agreements to file a registration statement in respect of shares of Common Stock held by the parties to the Registration Rights Agreement and the Subscription Agreements with the SEC on a registration statement on Form S-3, or Form S-1 if Form S-3 is not available, as soon as practicable but in no event later than fifteen business days following the completion of the Business Combination.
The foregoing descriptions of the Subscription Agreements, the Registration Rights Agreement, and the Second Amended and Restated Charter do not purport to be complete and are subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to the Subscription Agreements, the Registration Rights Agreement, and the Second Amended and Restated Charter, copies of which are included as Exhibits 10.1, 10.6 and 3.1, respectively, of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
The Business
We own and operate one of the world’s largest integrated rare earth mining and processing facilities and the only major rare earths resource in the Western Hemisphere.
Rare earth elements (“REE”) are fundamental building blocks of the modern economy, enabling trillions of dollars in global GDP through the distribution of end products across industries including transportation, consumer electronics, national defense and clean energy, among others. Neodymium (“Nd”) and praseodymium (“Pr”) are rare earth elements which in combination form neodymium-praseodymium (“NdPr”), which represents the Company’s primary revenue opportunity. NdPr is most often utilized in NdPr magnets, which are also commonly referred to as “neo,” “NdFeB,” “NIB” or permanent magnets and are made predominantly from an alloy of NdPr, iron, and boron. NdPr magnets are the most widely used type of rare earth magnets and are critical for many advanced technologies that are experiencing strong secular growth, including electric vehicles, drones, defense systems, medical equipment, wind turbines, robotics and many others. Demand for NdPr is expected to grow rapidly as advanced motion technologies fuel a global industrial transformation of sectors including transportation, clean energy, consumer electronics, and national defense.
We produce our materials at Mountain Pass, one of the world’s richest rare earth deposits, co-located with integrated state-of-the-art processing and separation facilities. We believe Mountain Pass is the only such integrated facility in the Western Hemisphere and one of the few separation facilities outside of Asia. Current ownership and management acquired the Mountain Pass assets out of bankruptcy in 2017, restarted operations
from cold-idle status and embarked on a deliberate, two-stage plan to optimize the facility and position the company for growth and profitability. Approximately $1.7 billion has been invested in the Mountain Pass facility since 2011, in addition to the investments in utilities and active infrastructure completed between the 1960s and 2008. We commenced mining, comminution, beneficiation and tailings management operations, which we designated Stage I of our multi-stage restart plan, between December 2017 and February 2018. We currently produce a rare earth concentrate that we sell to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) which, in turn, sells that product to end customers in China. These customers separate the constituent rare earth oxides (“REO”) contained in our concentrate and sell the separated products to various end users. We believe our concentrate represents approximately 15% of the rare earth content consumed in the global market during the last twelve (12) months. Upon completion of Stage II of our optimization plan, we anticipate separating REO at Mountain Pass and selling our products directly to end users, at which time we would no longer sell our concentrate.
As technological innovation drives significant anticipated global growth in demand for REO, we also believe global economic trends, geopolitical realities and sustainability mandates are combining to further support an opportunity for us to create shareholder value. We believe businesses are increasingly prioritizing diversification and security of their global supply chains so as to reduce reliance on a single producer or region for critical supplies. This trend has national security implications as well, illustrated by U.S. Presidential directives to seek the onshoring of production in industries deemed critical, including rare earth minerals. According to CRU, China was projected to account for approximately 83% of global REO production in 2020. We believe an even higher percentage of the NdPr magnet supply chain is based in China. Finally, public and private interests are increasingly demanding sustainability throughout production value chains to limit negative environmental and societal impacts from business activity, including pollution and acceleration of climate change. As the only scaled source in North America for critical rare earths, with a processing facility designed to operate with best-in-class sustainability and a competitive cost structure, we believe MP is well-positioned to thrive in a transforming global economy.
Our mission is to maximize shareholder returns over the long-term by executing a disciplined business strategy to re-establish a secure and sustainable domestic supply chain for critical sectors of the modern global economy. We believe we can generate positive outcomes for U.S. national security and industry, the U.S. workforce, and the environment.
History of Ownership and Current Operations
MPMO acquired the Mountain Pass mine and the rare earth processing and separation facilities located at the mine out of bankruptcy in July 2017. In the five years prior to our acquisition, the prior owner of Mountain Pass, Molycorp, Inc., invested over $1.7 billion of capital in the Mountain Pass mine, primarily in constructing rare earth processing and separation facilities on the Mountain Pass mine site. During its tenure, Molycorp encountered operating challenges, struggling to achieve stable production at their designed capacity due to execution issues in concentrate production and challenges in implementing a revised process flow, which we believe sacrificed the natural advantages of Mountain Pass bastnasite ore and its inherent suitability to low-cost processing. In the refining process further downstream, Molycorp removed the critical oxidizing roasting circuit, which previously had been used at Mountain Pass since 1966, and is a well-accepted process throughout the world. We believe this was done to maximize the production of cerium, one of the lower-value rare earth minerals in the Mountain Pass ore.
We believe that Molycorp also implemented a novel, complicated, reagent-intensive, and, ultimately, unreliable multi-stage leaching and cracking process, which resulted in low recovery of NdPr and high operating costs.
We acquired Mountain Pass with the vision of reincorporating proven process technologies to create an integrated, secure domestic supply chain company at the center of the electric transportation ecosystem to power the coming electric vehicle (“EV”) revolution and to provide a sustainable source of supply for critical sectors of the modern global economy. Our business plan, in contrast to Molycorp, focuses primarily on producing the higher-value rare earths, Neodymium and Praseodymium, and optimizing costs through the reintroduction of the
oxidizing roasting circuit. We plan to eliminate the cracking process and focus on a single-stage leach, providing flexibility to reduce the production of cerium, maximize NdPr production and dramatically reduce costs.
Since acquiring Mountain Pass, we have implemented a disciplined operating approach that has already produced superior product output and performance compared to that of the prior ownership, while also generating cash flow from the sale of our rare earth concentrate. Now, we are beginning to reinvest that cash flow into the further optimization of our facility to enable integrated separation operations, thereby ensuring upstream supply of REOs and setting a foundation for long-term growth and value creation for stakeholders. As part of our plan, we are committed to creating employment opportunities for U.S. workers. Since relaunching production at Mountain Pass in July 2017, we have increased our full-time employee base from eight contractors in 2017 to approximately 270 employees in 2020. We anticipate hiring approximately 200 additional full-time employees as part of our Stage II optimization plan.
Prior to acquiring the Mountain Pass facility, we entered into contractual arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore), an affiliate of Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd., a leading global rare earth company that is publicly listed in China. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) agreed to offtake our products under the original offtake agreement entered into in 2017 (the “Original Offtake Agreement”) and agreed to provide technical assistance under the technical services agreement entered into in 2017 (the “TSA”). The TSA with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has been terminated by mutual agreement, but the offtake arrangement continues under the A&R Offtake Agreement. U.S. employees of the Company lead the Company’s operating, engineering, strategic and management activities.
Upon completion of our Stage II optimization plan, processing at our Mountain Pass facility will include five (5) primary process steps: mining and crushing; milling and flotation; impurity removal, separation and extraction; and product finishing. Having completed Stage I of our optimization plan, we are engaged in the first two of these steps. The first step includes mining the primarily bastnasite ore followed by comminution, which involves crushing and grinding the ore into a milled slurry. In the second step, the milled bastnasite slurry is then processed by froth flotation, whereby the bastnasite floats to the surface while the gangue, or non-desired, elements are suppressed and disposed as tailings. We believe we are unique among scaled rare earth producers in our use of a dry tailings process that allows recycling of the water used in our milling and flotation circuit and eliminates the need for high-risk wet tailings ponds and traditional impoundment dams. This reclaimed water accounts for 95% of our current water consumption, representing approximately 5% of the fresh water use of a comparable milling and flotation circuit. As a result, we believe our milling and flotation operations enable us to achieve best-in-class sustainability relative to other producers of REE.
MP MATERIALS’S PROCESS
REVIVING ROASTING PROCESS PIONEERED AT MOUNTAIN PASS
Stage I Execution Successful
Current ownership and management began implementing Stage I of its optimization plan following the 2017 acquisition of Mountain Pass. Utilizing technical assistance from Shenghe and our own engineers, management implemented changes in the milling, flotation and tailings management processes; implemented a new, advanced reagent scheme that improved mineral recovery and enabled operation at lower temperatures; and implemented operational best practices. Together, these changes have driven enhanced flotation reliability, throughput, recovery and production as well as tailings facility reliability and throughput at significantly lower cost per processed ton. We already have established our ability to achieve approximately 3.2x the production volume of rare earth concentrate versus our predecessor using the same capital equipment, whose insufficient concentrate production drove downtime throughout the facility. We have achieved these results through an optimized reagent scheme, lower temperature, better management of the tailings facility, and a commitment to operational excellence, driving approximately 94% up time—a significant improvement to that of our predecessor. We also believe that our Stage I optimization initiatives have enabled us to achieve world-class production cost levels for rare earth concentrate. All of these achievements have enabled us to become cash flow positive, despite significant Chinese trade tariffs on ore and concentrates in place over the optimization period. These trade tariffs have recently been suspended, further enhancing the earnings power of our Stage I operations.
Stage II Underway
Stage II of our optimization plan is focused on advancing from concentrate production to the separation of individual REOs. Engineering, procurement, preliminary construction, and other recommissioning activities are underway and involve upgrades and enhancements to the existing facility process flow to produce separated rare earth oxides more reliably, at significantly lower cost and with an expected smaller environmental footprint than the prior operator of the Mountain Pass facility. As part of our Stage II optimization plan, we are in the process of reintroducing a roasting circuit, reorienting the plant process flow, increasing product finishing capacity, improving wastewater management, and making other improvements to materials handling and storage. The reintroduction of the oxidizing roasting circuit also allows subsequent stages of the production process to occur at lower temperatures, and with significantly lower volumes of materials and reagents, supporting lower operating and maintenance costs and higher uptime – in many ways mirroring the types of changes we implemented successfully in Stage I. Upon the completion of Stage II, we expect to be a low-cost producer of NdPr, which represents a majority of the value contained in our ore.
The roasting step that oxidizes the rare earth concentrate in a rotary kiln is crucial to ensuring the cost-competitiveness of our site. Roasting of bastnasite concentrate was pioneered at Mountain Pass in 1966 and continued to be practiced until 2008. Under the prior owner’s operation, this practice was discontinued in order to maximize production of cerium, a lower-value rare earth. We believe this decision was a key factor in the deterioration of operating and financial performance under prior ownership. One of the unique attributes of bastnasite is the ability to convert the trivalent form of cerium in the mixed rare earth concentrate to tetravalent cerium, which has a low propensity to dissolve, enabling cerium to be separated expediently along with other insoluble gangue elements without selective extraction. As compared to the process employed by the prior owner of Mountain Pass, the removal of low-value cerium early in our separations process allows for up to a 40% reduction in the mass of material to be separated and finished, thus dramatically reducing the energy, reagents, and wastewater required to produce the higher-value NdPr. We believe these changes are well-documented in academic literature, have been extensively piloted in both small and large scale by our team and outside laboratories, were used for decades at Mountain Pass prior to Molycorp’s ownership and operational changes, and are standard processes for other bastnasite ore mines throughout the world.
We have substantially completed our process redesign and engineering for our Stage II optimization plan and we hold all intellectual property and expertise necessary to operate independently of our relationship with Shenghe Resources (Singapore). We believe that our Stage II optimization plan investments will enable us to materially increase the recovery of NdPr from our concentrate, increase NdPr production and dramatically lower the cost of production, in each case, as compared to the prior owner’s operations.
Our currently idled natural gas-powered combined heat and power (“CHP”) facility includes two 15MW natural gas-fired turbines (that are each capable of producing up to 12MW at our altitude and subject to weather conditions) to produce electricity and steam. We plan to restart the CHP facility in 2021, enabling us to produce low-cost electricity and steam while enhancing the reliability and redundancy of our utility supply. The CHP and required water pre-treatment asset restart is expected to cost approximately $7 million and generate significant annualized run-rate savings prior to completion of our Stage II optimization plan. When we are fully operational upon completion of the Stage II optimization plan, we believe that our cost of electricity will be approximately half the cost of electricity from the grid per MW consumed, not including the value of the steam produced.
The Mountain Pass site also is equipped with a chlor-alkali facility to manufacture reagents used in our rare earth separation and processing. Following completion of our Stage II optimization plan, we intend to bring this facility back on-line, which would further integrate our operations, yield additional cost savings and supply redundancy, and further enhance our sustainability profile. Restart of the chlor-alkali facility is currently anticipated in 2023, subject to the timing of a capital plan, operational preparations and any permitting or other regulatory obligations. Reagents produced from the chlor-alkali facility would be used in the leach, solvent extraction, brine neutralization and finishing processes.
We hold the necessary permits to operate our facility, including conditional use and minor use permits from San Bernardino County, California, and an associated environmental impact report, all of which were issued in 2004, which allow continued operation of the Mountain Pass facility through 2042. We hold numerous other permits and approvals, including permits to operate from the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board for groundwater treatment. We may have to obtain new permits, including, without limitation, air permits issued by the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District and construction and occupancy permits issued by San Bernardino County to complete the Stage II optimization project.
Combined with other site-specific technical and operational advantages, we believe the execution of our Stage II optimization plan will ensure we become a global low-cost producer of NdPr oxide, just as we are of concentrate at present.
Stage III Downstream Expansion Opportunity
Aside from our collocated refining facility, there are very few integrated rare earth mining and refining plants of scale globally, and none outside of China. This is a core driver behind our mission to restore this critical production capability to the United States. We also seek to facilitate the restoration of the full magnetics supply chain to the U.S. by participating in the further downstream integration of our rare earth materials into high-strength rare earth permanent magnets. Upon completion of the Stage II optimization plan we expect to be a cost-competitive, high-volume producer of separated REO. We believe we will then be in position to consider opportunities to integrate further downstream into the business of upgrading NdPr into metal alloys and magnets, ultimately expanding MP Materials’ presence as a global source for rare earth magnetics.
Downstream integration would be completed either via building a captive magnet production operation or investing in this capability via an acquisition, partnership or joint venture. The integration of magnet production would establish us as the first and only fully-integrated source of supply for rare earth magnets in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to offering end-market magnet customers a complete Western supply chain solution, we believe downstream integration would also create a material incremental value creation opportunity. We believe that the ability to capture significant value from magnet production requires a scaled, steady, cost-effective source of supply of NdPr, which we believe only we are positioned to provide in the West. Because we will be creating that supply, an owned or partnered magnet production operation would benefit from lower costs and higher margins compared to stand-alone magnet producers. We also believe integration into magnet production would provide some protection from commodity pricing volatility, while also enhancing our business profile as the producer of a critical industrial output in addition to a producer of resources.
While we remain primarily focused on the execution of our Stage II optimization plan over the near term, we intend to focus our business development efforts on a “buy, build, or joint venture” strategy designed to capture value downstream in electrification.
Rare Earth Industry Overview and Market Opportunity
The REE group includes 17 elements, namely the 15 lanthanide elements. Cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium are considered “light REE” that are more predominant in bastnasite; samarium, europium, and gadolinium are often referred to as “medium REE”; while terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium and lutetium are considered “heavy REE”. Depending upon the rare-earth carrying material, the mixture of light, medium and heavy REE will differ.
The aggregate global market for REO totals approximately $3.4 billion annually, or 165,000 metric tons, and is growing at a rate of approximately 3.7%, according to research by CRU. REO are used in a diverse array of end markets, including:
Clean-Energy and Transportation Technologies: traction motors in EVs and hybrid electric vehicles (“HEVs”), generators in wind power turbines, and linear motors in mag-lev trains;
High-Technology Applications: miniaturization of smart phones and other mobile devices, computing devices, speakers and microphones, as well as fiber optics, lasers, robotics, medical devices and optical temperature sensors in medical and industrial environments;
Critical Defense Applications: guidance and control systems, communications, global positioning systems, radar and sonar, drones, and railguns; and
Essential Industrial Infrastructure: advanced catalyst applications in both oil refining, pollution-control systems in traditional internal-combustion automobiles, glass polishing, and LED lighting and phosphors.
REO DEMAND FORECAST BY INTERMEDIATE USE
Source: Rare Earth Market Study, 2020, CRU
CRU estimates that the NdPr segment of the REO market—which makes up the significant majority of the market value—is expected to grow at a 6.1% compound annual growth rate from 2020 through 2035, well in excess of the overall REO market. This anticipated growth will be driven by secular growth in demand for NdPr magnets used to enable emerging technology applications including EVs and electrified transportation modes such as trains, as well as defense and alternative energy solutions such as wind turbines and robotics. These categories comprise approximately 25% of the total NdPr market today but are expected to grow at a significantly higher compound annual growth rate as the global economy increasingly embraces sustainable solutions that replace traditional technologies like the internal combustion engine.
Electric Vehicle Market Opportunity.
NdPr magnets are critical components in permanent magnet traction motors, the dominant EV motor technology with approximately 90% market share among leading automotive original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). EVs primarily are differentiated from vehicles powered by internal combustion engines by their rechargeable power sources and their electric motors. While the EV battery market is evolving, with multiple approaches to battery composition, in EV motors NdPr magnets are already the widely accepted technology standard. NdPr magnets are superior to other types of magnets for this application due to their unequaled efficiency in translating stored energy into motion with a superior energy-to-weight ratio versus alternatives.
According to research by CRU, annual production of EVs is expected to grow to 57 million units by 2035 from 7 million in 2019. Per CRU, each EV with a permanent magnet traction motor represents incremental demand of approximately 1kg of NdPr. As a result, it is estimated that EV production alone would consume approximately 100% of today’s annual global production of NdPr, versus consuming just 9% in 2019. Global EV production will not be able to meet this expected increase in demand without an additional, stable supply of NdPr.
NdPr GLOBAL SUPPLY AND DEMAND
DEMAND FOR NdPr OUTPACES PROJECTED GLOBAL SUPPLY
Source: Rare Earth Market Study, 2020, CRU
Wind Turbine Opportunity.
NdPr magnets also are a key component of direct-drive wind turbines, which are gaining market share in wind power installations. The use of rare earth magnets eliminates the need for a gearbox in the wind turbine,
making them lighter, cheaper, more reliable, easier to maintain and capable of generating electricity at lower wind speeds. The wind turbine market is anticipated to account for approximately 15% of the global growth in the use of NdPr in rare earth magnets from 2020 to 2035, according to CRU. Every megawatt of direct-drive wind power installed generates approximately 650kg of incremental NdPr demand.
According to CRU, the anticipated rapid increase in demand for rare earth products, particularly NdPr, has the potential to cause supply shortages within the next several years. As EVs, wind turbines and other advanced applications generate an increasing percentage of global GDP, we believe individual nations and enterprises will require a competitive, diversified and reliable supply chain for REO. We believe that our onshoring of a North American supply chain for REO will help meet the demand for EVs and other emerging industries while lowering single point-of-failure risk.
CRU further expects that this anticipated market dynamic will underpin a strong pricing environment, with an anticipated doubling in “magnet metal” prices in real terms as deficits emerge starting in 2025.
NdPr FORECASTED PRICING
Source: Rare Earth Market Study, 2020, CRU
Supply Chain, Geopolitical and Sustainability Forces Driving Market Opportunity.
We believe global economic trends, geopolitical realities and sustainability mandates are reshaping the business and investing landscape to create tailwinds supporting our market opportunity. More importantly, we believe these trends together create a need to establish a fully onshore REO supply chain in the United States, consistent with our mission. Over the past several decades, U.S. companies have moved critical manufacturing and supply chain operations to lower-cost markets. While this trend has enabled U.S. companies to realize lower production costs and furthered the globalization of the macroeconomy, the strategy of “offshoring” creates supply chain complexities that increase business risk. This circumstance was made more visible during the global COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses across many industries were forced to take rapid action to mitigate disruption of their global supply chains due to variable, cross-border restrictions on economic and business activity. Mitigating actions include increasing the diversification of supply chains, both in number of suppliers and source locations, including back into the United States. As a result, we believe many companies will be re-evaluating their approach to building supply chains, seeking an appropriate balance between assuring diversity and security of supply and managing cost.
China dominance of REO market.
Governments are taking steps to strengthen national presence in key industries and seeking to secure domestic supply chains for their domestic industrial base. China has dominated the global supply of rare earth products for the last twenty (20) years and will account for approximately 83% of global REO production in 2020. Other than Mountain Pass and deposits in Australia and Myanmar, there are limited reliable sources of REE supply outside of China. Since 2013, stricter regulations on mining production as well as tighter environmental standards and export controls resulted in the formation of six (6) large government-backed production groups in China. This consolidation has resulted in more streamlined management and tighter control of rare earth supply flows and pricing. Export controls on both product and technology, production quotas, and direct and indirect subsidies have ensured that China’s market share of REO production exceeds its share of global reserves. Further, given China’s significant investment in downstream REO- consuming processes such as metallization and magnet manufacturing, Chinese domestic demand is projected to rapidly increase, which could create a shortage of REO available to consumers outside of China. Chinese government actions and strategic political visits to rare earth facilities have in the past heightened international supply concerns, including China’s potential implementation of export restrictions in conjunction with international disputes.
China also dominates in downstream rare earth production, manufacturing substantially all of the world’s supply of rare earth alloys/metals and high-end NdPr magnets. Currently, no production-scale capacity for rare earth metalmaking or permanent magnet production exists in the United States. The remaining global high-end NdPr alloy/metal and magnet production is conducted primarily in Japan or Japanese-aligned facilities elsewhere in Asia, primarily in Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand.
U.S. actions to restore domestic supply of key minerals.
The United States is taking action to secure domestic sources of supply of REE and we believe that we are uniquely positioned to answer several of the U.S. government’s calls to action regarding critical materials supply. On December 20, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13817, “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals,” calling on agencies across the government to develop a strategy to reduce the susceptibility of the United States to critical mineral supply disruptions. On February 16, 2018, the United States Secretary of the Interior presented a list of 35 minerals deemed critical under the definition provided in the Executive Order, including the entirety of the REE group. On July 22, 2019, President Trump issued five Presidential Determinations reiterating the importance of domestic production capability of rare earth products and rare earth permanent magnets to the national defense. In April 2020, we were selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (the “DoD”) for a preliminary contract to support the initial phase of a DoD effort to restore domestic heavy rare earths production and separation capabilities to the United States. The construction of a heavy rare earths separation facility at Mountain Pass would be independent of, but complementary to, our Stage II optimization project. The heavy rare earths award contract was formally issued to us on July 10, 2020, and is now underway, though there is no guarantee that we will proceed with any contract for subsequent phases of the DoD’s heavy rare earths efforts, or receive any additional U.S. government funding.
ESG mandates impacting global capital allocation throughout value chain.
Public and private interests are increasingly demanding sustainability throughout production value chains to limit negative environmental and societal impacts from business activity, including pollution and acceleration of climate change. According to a survey by the Global Impact Investing Network, assets devoted to investments focused on ESG factors increased to $715 billion in April 2020, a 42% increase from $502 billion in April 2019.
REO will play a critical role in enabling the global expansion of sustainable industries like EVs and alternative energy solutions, but we also believe that governments, investors and our customers will increasingly demand that REO be produced sustainably. For example, current prevalent practices for extracting REO from hard rock utilize a wet tailings process that requires excessive groundwater usage and poses significant environmental and safety risks. We are differentiated among many large producers in our use of a dry tailings process, which allows recycling of the water used in our milling and flotation circuit and eliminates the need for high-risk wet tailings ponds and traditional impoundment dams. As part of our two-stage optimization plan to restore fully integrated development of REO, we are designing what we believe to be additional environmentally responsible production methods into our process that we believe will enable us to achieve best-in-class sustainability. While sustainable production processes can be more costly than traditional mining and processing approaches, we believe the high ore grade at Mountain Pass combined with our scale will enable us to make these investments and still achieve our objective of being a low-cost producer.
We believe our Company advances 11 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, across environmental areas including clean energy and green mining, as well as social areas including ownership culture, employee empowerment and securing of strategic resources.
Overall, we believe the trends toward onshoring of supply chains, protection of U.S. national interests in vital industries and heightened focus on sustainable production and investing support our unique opportunity to become a lower-risk solution for customers in Western and allied nations for the supply of critical rare earth materials.
Our Strengths
Our Location: We are the only integrated, scaled producer in the Western Hemisphere, with significant cost advantages
As worldwide demand for rare earth products increases, the supply of REO is limited by available production capacity, which is currently concentrated in China. A confluence of geopolitical and economic factors is causing downstream customers, such as automotive OEMs, to be increasingly focused on supply risk, highlighting the need to develop domestic production of REE and products. The U.S. government is actively seeking to end the country’s reliance on foreign REE sources, and we believe that our constructive relationship with key regulators and the relative stability of U.S. policies provides us with an advantage relative to non-U.S. REE producers. Within North America, our Mountain Pass facility is the only scaled source for critical rare earths in operation and there are high barriers to entry in the ex-China REE Market. We believe it would take years and significant capital for any meaningful domestic competition to develop.
Moreover, the location of our facility affords significant cost and operational advantages that we believe are difficult to replicate, including:
the benefits of a fully-integrated, world-class facility benefitting from greater than $1.7 billion of prior capital investments;
efficient accessibility to/from our facility, which is located approximately 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas, NV and immediately adjacent to Interstate 15, within truck drive time of one hour to a major rail-head and four hours to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach;
ready access to sufficient water supply; and
a rural setting without competing commercial interests.
We believe the self-contained nature of our operations—with mining, milling, separations, and finishing all on one site—creates additional cost advantages and operational risk mitigation.
Our Platform: Positioned to play a prominent role in the transformation of America’s industrial economy
Since restarting operations in 2017 from cold-idle status, we have increased production of our rare earth concentrate to approximately 37,000 metric tons of equivalent REE annually, which we believe approximated 15% of global REE production during the last twelve months. In the most recent twelve months ended September 30, 2020, we generated revenue of $113.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $29.2 million. This financial performance has been achieved without significant capital investment, as the primary cost of building the Mountain Pass processing facility was borne by prior ownership. As a result, we believe we are in a strong operating and capital position to execute on our Stage II optimization plan and ultimately to integrate downstream processing of REO via a Stage III downstream expansion strategy, which will create the opportunity to drive additional revenue growth and profits, and position us as a competitively advantaged provider of a key industrial output.
Our current operating success and strategic plan create a strong foundation at a critical moment in the global economy. As the adoption of electric transportation grows, U.S. leadership in automotive, defense, and aerospace manufacturing and within the healthcare industry is increasingly at-risk without a stable, competitive domestic magnetics industry. Commercial and government customers are increasingly demanding redundancy, visibility and cost competitiveness in their supply chains. For example, the United States Department of Defense in the National Defense and Authorization Act of 2019 required that NdPr magnets (and the relevant supply chain) be sourced from Allied nations, identifying rare earth elements and permanent magnets as critical to the defense and industrial security of the United States. Automotive OEMs will demand supply chain redundancy as they transition their engine, transmission and motor manufacturing facilities to build EV components. In addition, end consumers will demand that the materials used to build these vehicles be extracted sustainably. We believe we are positioned to address these converging demands to provide customers with a lower-risk solution for rare earth supply, as a low-cost, domestic, environmentally-friendly producer of materials crucial to the “green” economy.
Our Resource: We own and operate one of the richest rare earth deposits in the world
More than 60 years of operation have proven that our ore body is one of the world’s largest and highest-grade rare earth resources. The low-volume nature of rare earth mining coupled with the exceptional scale and quality of the ore body results in a resource with significant viability well into the future. Our bastnasite ore is well-suited to the proven separation technologies upon which our Stage II optimization plan is based. Further, bastnasite contains significantly lower levels of radioactive thorium and uranium than most other REE-bearing ore types, reducing costs and operational risks.
As of July 1, 2020, SRK, an independent consulting firm that we have retained to assess our reserves, estimates total proven reserves of 0.03 million short tons of REO contained in 0.3 million short tons of ore at Mountain Pass, with an average ore grade of 8.19%, and probable reserves of 1.47 million short tons of REO contained in 20.8 million short tons of ore, with an average ore grade of 7.04%. Our total proven and probable reserves are estimated to have an average ore grade of 7.06%. In each case, these estimates use the estimated economical cutoff of 3.83% total rare earth oxide (“TREO”). Based on these estimated reserves and our expected annual production rate of REO upon completion of our Stage II optimization project, our expected mine life is approximately 24 years.
The open pit mine is located on approximately 2,222 fee simple acres with approximately 15,000 acres of mineral rights. We believe there is opportunity to grow the reserve base over time with exploratory drilling, which has not been conducted since 2011.
Our Sustainable Operations: We believe we operate the most environmentally responsible rare earth facility in the world
Mountain Pass is a state-of-the-art rare earth facility operating with what we believe to be best-in-class environmental standards. Our paste tailings process—where waste from beneficiation is de-watered and that water is recycled back into the process, allowing the remaining solids to be deposited into a lined impoundment—dramatically reduces water consumption, the risk of seepage issues and our environmental footprint and eliminates the need for “tailings ponds” often associated with mining operations that can present a higher risk than paste disposal. Upon the anticipated restart of our chlor-alkali facility, we expect to consume waste brine from the separations process to produce the key reagents used in separation and finishing. We expect this “closed loop” process will reduce third-party reagent consumption, reduce processing or disposal costs of brine, and further reduce our environmental impact. Clean natural gas will fuel our CHP facility that, upon restart, will provide power and steam to the entire site, which we believe will improve energy efficiency and remove dependence on grid-based power. Our facilities are fully permitted and comply with all Federal and California environmental regulations, which are among the highest environmental standards in the world. As we grow, we will seek out and obtain such permits and licenses necessary to ensure our facilities continue to comply with required standards. As global industry increasingly considers and works to reduce the environmental impact of operations—and while consumers increasingly understand the “net” environmental impact of adopting green technologies—we believe our sustainable process for producing key materials for the clean-energy economy is a distinct advantage.
According to independent research conducted by the Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK) of the German government research center Forschungszentrum Jülich, rare earth production from the Mountain Pass deposit “demonstrates superiority… in terms of environmental effects” compared to the Mount Weld deposit in Australia and the Bayan Obo deposit in China. The research studied the impact of rare earth production on environmental categories including climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity and particulate matter formation.
Our Operating Approach: We are focused on achieving status as the industry’s low-cost producer, led by a mission-driven management team invested in long-term success
We have a unique mission in the minerals industry: to re-establish a secure and sustainable supply chain in the U.S. for critical sectors of the modern global economy. The team who purchased Mountain Pass out of
bankruptcy and leads the Company today is substantially invested alongside stockholders of FVAC and future public stockholders and is committed to the fulfillment of this mission. We believe that fulfillment of this mission will maximize shareholder returns over the long-term and generate positive outcomes for U.S. national security and industry, the U.S. workforce, and the environment.
We believe that fulfilling our mission requires execution of a disciplined business strategy. The rare earths market is highly competitive and given its concentration in China is potentially subject to anti-competitive behavior. As a result, we are pursuing a strategy that is differentiated from our predecessor and focused on long-term outcomes. For example, since restarting operations at Mountain Pass, our Stage I optimization plan was designed to re-establish stable, scaled production of rare earth concentrate, leveraging the current processing facility. That plan has resulted in the restoration of Mountain Pass as an important producer in the global REE market and has generated revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth that has strengthened our capital position. We also believe we are a low-cost producer of REE concentrate.
Our Stage II optimization plan is designed to make separated rare earth oxides more reliably at significantly lower cost and with an expected smaller environmental footprint, which we believe positions MP to ultimately act as a low-cost producer of REO, extending the value of our domestic supply chain and eliminating the need to sell our concentrate to Chinese REO producers. In so doing, we have made intentional strategic choices to focus primarily on NdPr versus lower-value REE such as cerium, in contrast to our predecessor’s strategy. We believe our strategic choices will make our higher-value NdPr less costly to produce and will generate less waste, improving our sustainability profile.
Our Business Strategy
Offer the Western Hemisphere a trusted, sustainable source of supply for materials that enable the development of critical industries
Upon the completion of our Stage II optimization plan, Mountain Pass will be one of the largest, most advanced and efficient fully-integrated REO processing facilities in the world, and the only such facility located in North America. We hope to reinvigorate the industrial history of the rare earths supply chain that originated in the United States, and provide a domestic alternative to both current and future users of rare earths globally that helps them avoid the risks associated with the single point-of-failure currently represented by China in the global supply chain.
The global effort to curb carbon emissions and reverse climate change often focuses on the impact of the transportation system, and we believe that our products will play a significant role in advancing those efforts. To date 11 states in the U.S. have adopted zero emission vehicle mandates. We have seen similar mandates in other countries globally. The NdPr products that we intend to produce at Mountain Pass are essential to the dominant permanent magnet motor technology deployed in approximately 90% of current EVs. We are committed to protecting biodiversity and our environmental management plans cover biodiversity impacts, waste and noise management, air and water pollution, and natural resource and toxic chemical usage. We believe that our commitment to environmentally responsible production of REOs will be a strong competitive advantage in building relationships with EV manufacturers, who share our commitment to sustainability.
To meet the anticipated growth in demand for EVs, we believe automotive OEMs will redesign their supply chains to ensure a ready and stable supply of rare earth products. We believe nearly 30 percent of domestic factories for U.S. automotive OEMs could become obsolete as internal-combustion engine demand wanes. We aim to capitalize on and accelerate this opportunity by seeking to partner with our future customers in their efforts to re-position the capital and labor in their supply chain.
Recommission the largest, most advanced and efficient fully-integrated REO processing facility in the world
With our Stage I optimization plan complete, our immediate strategic focus is on our Stage II optimization plan, which includes installing a redesigned roasting circuit, repositioning our leach and impurity removal
circuits, and increasing product finishing capacity at Mountain Pass. Our abilities to leverage the process experience of our engineering team and implement a culture of achievement, combined with process know-how from a world class global rare earth operator, have led to successful implementation of our optimization plans to date. Since May 2019, we have achieved consistent recovery and have maintained mill uptime of approximately 94% with REO production over the last twelve months that is approximately 3.2x greater than the highest ever production in a twelve-month period by the former operator using the same capital equipment. We expect to leverage this track record, as well as our commitment to best practices and methodical execution to successfully manage our Stage II optimization plan.
Leverage our low-cost position to maximize earnings power in all commodity price environments
The success of our business will reflect our ability to manage our costs. Our Stage II optimization plan is designed to enable us to manage our cost structure through a revised facility process flow. This process flow will allow us to use significantly less energy and raw materials per ton of REO produced. Installing the roasting circuit to oxidize our rare earth concentrate in a rotary kiln is crucial to ensuring the cost-competitiveness of our site. Additionally, the recommissioning of our natural gas-powered CHP facility will reduce energy, heating and steam costs as well as minimize or eliminate our reliance on the regional electric power grid. The anticipated re-start of chlor-alkali operations will enable us to produce our own hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide at the Mountain Pass facility and recycle our acid and base inputs, thereby reducing our reliance on external sources of reagents, and providing additional cost leverage with suppliers as a leading consumer of hydrochloric acid in the United States.
Optimization of logistics is also central to maintaining a low-cost position relative to other global producers. Our location offers significant transportation advantages that create meaningful cost efficiencies in securing incoming supplies and shipping of our final products. Additionally, upon the completion of Stage II, our integrated site will no longer incur the packaging, handling and transportation costs incurred by competitors who lack co-located processing.
Secure customer relationships and develop a leading rare earth marketing and distribution platform
We plan to build an efficient and effective marketing and sales organization to engage our customers and better capitalize on the benefits of our position as a sole source of rare earths supply in the Western Hemisphere. We intend to invest significant time and resources with the largest North American consumers of rare earth products, with the objective of building strong relationships and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
Further our mission and ability to capture the full rare earth value chain through downstream integration into NdPr magnet production and exploration of other adjacencies
Beyond re-establishing a Western supply chain for REOs through the completion of our strategic plans, we recognize compelling longer-term opportunities to further our mission through the capture of additional value by pairing our attractive access to a large domestic rare earth supply with growing industry demands. We intend to explore long-term vertical integration through further downstream processing of our REO into rare earth metals, alloys and finished magnets. Such integration could take many forms, including joint ventures with customers, brownfield/greenfield development, or strategic transactions or acquisitions. In addition, we will explore future opportunities to invest in, develop, and/or sponsor new downstream opportunities for REO, rare earth metals and alloys and rare earth products that contribute to the green revolution of the industrial economy.
We believe our successes to date at Mountain Pass demonstrate a competency in identifying undervalued assets, creating a disciplined, execution-focused strategy, and assembling the management talent to create value. We intend to apply our experience and skillsets across the rare earth value chain, while allocating capital effectively and responsibly, toward opportunities demonstrated to be in the best interest of stockholders and consistent with our mission.
The Mountain Pass Facility
At the Mountain Pass facility, we own an open-pit mine containing one of the world’s most fully developed rare earth deposits outside of China. In addition to the mine, the Mountain Pass facility includes associated infrastructure, and crushing, milling, flotation and separation facilities. Some of these facilities are currently in a cold-idle state and must be reactivated for us to reach our anticipated planned production rates by 2022. The Mountain Pass facility is located approximately 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada near Mountain Pass, San Bernardino County, California. The Mountain Pass facility directly abuts Interstate 15 and may be accessed by existing hard-surface roads, which we use to transport products from the Mountain Pass facility to our customers.
The Mountain Pass facility represents the only developed commercial source of rare earth material in the Western hemisphere. Molybdenum Corporation of America began REO mining operations at the Mountain Pass facility in 1952. REO production at the Mountain Pass facility, as well as milling and separation processes, continued under Unocal Corporation, which purchased Molybdenum Corporation of America in 1977, until 1998. In 1998, all chemical processing operations were suspended, primarily due to leaks in a wastewater pipeline that transported waste salt water to evaporation ponds on the Ivanpah dry lake bed. Subsequently in 2005, ChevronTexaco Corporation acquired Unocal Corporation and then in 2008 Molycorp Minerals, LLC acquired the Mountain Pass facility from Chevron Mining Inc. Mining and milling operations continued under Molycorp until they were placed into cold-idle status after Molycorp declared bankruptcy in June 2015. On July 10, 2017, we acquired the Mountain Pass facility real property and associated assets from Molycorp. After the acquisition, we engaged the services of approximately eight (8) contractors who were former employees of
Molycorp, covering various disciplines, retained through the bankruptcy to satisfy environmental obligations and support the bankruptcy trustee’s efforts to sell the Molycorp assets.
We hold the necessary permits to operate our facility, including conditional use and minor use permits from San Bernardino County, California, and an associated environmental impact report, all of which were issued in 2004, which allow continued operation of the Mountain Pass facility through 2042. Since restarting mining operations at the facility in the fourth quarter of 2017, our activities have focused on the milling and flotation processes, leading to production of a bastnasite concentrate, rich in rare earth elements, and our first concentrate sales in the first quarter of 2018. We now consistently achieve world-class results in our flotation facility as measured by throughput, uptime, REO recovery, and final product grade. A summary of our operating results for the periods indicated is presented below.
Six months ended June 30, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Ore mined(1) | (short tons) | 682,775 | 261,621 | 598,683 | 564,228 | |||||||||||||
Waste mined—internal | (short tons) | 143,884 | 225,852 | 289,819 | 355,550 | |||||||||||||
Waste mined—contractor stripping(2) | (short tons) | 3,345,904 | 3,773,907 | 7,546,121 | 7,724,980 | |||||||||||||
Rehandle—ore | (short tons) | 346,896 | 249,804 | 592,176 | 414,159 | (3) | ||||||||||||
Rehandle—paste tailings | (short tons) | 355,186 | 270,344 | 615,524 | 418,536 | (3) | ||||||||||||
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Total mined and rehandled | (short tons) | 4,874,645 | 4,781,528 | 9,642,323 | 9,477,454 | |||||||||||||
Mill feed | (dry metric tons) | 331,556 | 230,576 | 542,668 | 342,891 | |||||||||||||
Mill feed | (% REO) | 8.7 | % | 8.6 | % | 8.6 | % | 7.9 | % | |||||||||
Concentrate production | (wet metric tons) | 34,535 | 20,447 | 56,892 | 29,453 | |||||||||||||
Concentrate grad | (% REO) | 60.0 | % | 51.7 | % | 53.5 | % | 52.1 | % | |||||||||
TREO production | (metric tons) | 18,969 | 9,530 | 27,620 | 13,914 | |||||||||||||
TREO recovery to concentrate | (%) | 65.8 | % | 48.3 | % | 58.9 | % | 51.1 | % |
(1) | Including low grade ore. |
(2) | From December 2017-July 2020, MP Materials engaged an outside contractor to assist with various mining activities. This was partially necessitated by the previous operator’s deviation from its scheduled mine plan, which prompted unusually high waste stripping. MP Materials undertook these efforts to return to a sustainable plan. |
(3) | Data was not available for the first quarter of 2018 for rehandled tons; data was estimated by using average ratio of rehandling of ore and paste tailings tons to ore tons fed to mill for the last three quarters of 2018. |
The Mountain Pass facility is located on 2,222 acres of owned property, while we own mining and mill site claims over a further 15,000 acres of adjacent land. Approximately 938 acres of the 2,222 fee simple acres are currently in use (e.g., existing buildings, infrastructure or active disturbance). Portions of the fee lands are subject to mineral reservations in favor of the United States for some properties and the State of California for other properties. The specific minerals reserved on those parcels vary according to the type of land patent or conveyance document through which the land was acquired or conveyed. The lands surrounding the Mountain Pass facility are mostly public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. In addition we also hold 525 unpatented lode and mineral mining claims and mill sites under the provisions of The Mining Law of 1872. SNR acquired our mineral rights at the Mountain Pass facility from Molycorp in 2016 and MPMO acquired our Mountain Pass facility real property and associated assets from Molycorp in 2017. These mining claims and mill sites provide land for mining, ancillary facilities and expansion capacity around the Mountain Pass facility.
The Mountain Pass facility includes an open-pit mine, infrastructure supporting mining and processing operations, overburden stockpiles, a crusher and mill/flotation plant, leach assets, separation plants, product finishing facilities, a tailings filter plant, tailings storage areas and on-site evaporation ponds, as well as
laboratory facilities to support research and development activities, offices, maintenance shops, warehouses and support buildings.
The bastnasite ore body at the Mountain Pass facility has been mined as a principal source of REEs for over 60 years. The Mountain Pass REE deposit is located within an uplifted block of Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks that are bounded to the south and east by basin-fill deposits in California’s Ivanpah Valley. The two main groups of rocks in the Mountain Pass area are Early Proterozoic high-grade metamorphic rocks and Middle Proterozoic ultrapotassic rocks and monazitic carbonatites, which carbonatites are associated with higher levels of REEs. The currently defined zone of REE mineralization exhibits a strike length of approximately 2,750 feet in a north-northwest direction and extends for approximately 1,500 feet down dip from surface. The true thickness of the greater than 3.0% REO zone ranges from 15 feet to 250 feet. The percentage of each rare earth material contained in the Mountain Pass facility bastnasite ore is estimated to be as follows:
Element | Estimated Distribution of TREO Content | |||
Cerium | 49.1 | % | ||
Lanthanum | 33.4 | % | ||
Neodymium | 11.5 | % | ||
Praseodymium | 4.3 | % | ||
SEG+ | 1.7 | % |
Rare Earth Reserves
As of July 1, 2020, SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. (“SRK”), an independent consulting firm that we have retained to assess our reserves, estimates total proven reserves of 0.03 million short tons of REO contained in 0.3 million short tons of ore at Mountain Pass, with an average ore grade of 8.19%, and probable reserves of 1.47 million short tons of REO contained in 20.8 million short tons of ore, with an average ore grade of 7.04%. Our total proven and probable reserves are estimated to have an average ore grade of 7.06%. In each case, these estimates use the estimated economical cutoff of 3.83% TREO.
SEC Guidelines
The SEC has established guidelines contained in Industry Guide No. 7 to assist registered companies as they estimate ore reserves. These guidelines set forth technical, legal and economic criteria for determining whether our ore reserves can be classified as proven and probable.
“Reserves” are defined by the SEC Industry Guide 7 as that part of a mineral deposit that could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination. SEC Industry Guide 7 divides reserves between “proven (measured) reserves” and “probable (indicated) reserves,” which are defined as follows:
“Proven (measured) reserves” are reserves for which:
quantity is computed from dimensions revealed in outcrops, trenches, workings or drill holes; grade and/or quality are computed from the results of detailed sampling; and
sites for inspection sampling and measurement are spaced so closely and the geologic character is so well defined that size, shape, depth and mineral content of reserves are well-established.
“Probable (indicated) reserves” are reserves for which
quantity and grade and/or quality are computed from information similar to that used for proven (measured) reserves, but the sites for inspection, sampling, and measurement are farther apart or are otherwise less adequately spaced
The degree of assurance for probable (indicated) reserves, although lower than that for proven (measured) reserves, is high enough to assume continuity between points of observation.
Methodology
When estimating proven and probable reserves, we rely on interpretations made during current and prior mining campaigns at our Mountain Pass facility, the U.S. Geological Survey and various consulting companies, including SRK, to identify the regional and mine area geology and hydrogeology, regional and local structure, deposit geology, current pit slope stability conditions and REE recoveries.
SRK compiled a drillhole database from prior drilling at the Mountain Pass site that includes a total of 137 drillholes with a cumulative length of 79,453.3 feet. Individual drillholes range in length from 56 feet to 2,012 feet, and averaged 580 feet. The majority of core samples in the deposit area analyzed by SRK range from 50 feet to 250 feet along strike of the ore body and 150 feet to 350 feet down dip. The sample data for proven ore reserves consists of survey data, lithologic data and assay results.
Based on the review of historic sample preparation and analytical procedures, SRK initiated a sample check assay program of 1% of the assay database. The material remaining from previous drilling programs consisted of split core stored at the Mountain Pass facility. SRK examined the existing split core using third-party preparation and analytical laboratories. In SRK’s opinion, based on the sample check assay program, our historic data was acceptable for use in preparing their report.
SRK generated a resource estimate as an intermediate step in the estimation of mineral reserves. The mineral resource estimate was based on composites derived from drillhole sample assay results. Grade interpolation was based on the geology, drillhole spacing and geo-statistical analysis of the data. The resources were classified by their proximity to the sample locations and number of drillholes. SRK considers the resource model and resource classification to be consistent with Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy guidelines. The distances utilized for resource classification are based on omni-directional variogram results, as follows:
Measured mineral resources: Blocks in the model estimated using a minimum of two drill holes which are at maximum average distance of 50 ft;
Indicated mineral resources: Blocks in the model estimated using a minimum of two drill holes which are at maximum average distance of 200 ft; and
Inferred mineral resources: Blocks in the model that do not meet the criteria for indicated resources but are within a maximum distance of 300 ft from a drillhole.
Stockpiles resources, as of June 30, 2020, are based on detailed grade control, established bulk density and accurate survey data, and have been depleted forward according to a detailed short-term mine plan and blending schedule. Stockpiles are considered to be measured mineral resources.
Where appropriate, estimated resources are constrained by any known or anticipated restrictive geologic features.
Mineral resources were then converted to mineral reserves through the application of appropriate modifying factors such as mining dilution, mining recovery, cut-off grade calculation, pit optimization and costs, as represented in a life of mine production plan. Measured mineral resources, included in the life of mine plan, that met all criteria established for modifying factors were converted to proven reserves. Indicated mineral resources, included in the life of mine plan, that met all criteria established for modifying factors were converted to probable reserves. Inferred mineral resources were treated as waste for the purposes of estimating the mineral reserves.
Results
As of July 1, 2020, SRK estimates total proven reserves of 0.03 million short tons of REO contained in 0.3 million short tons of ore at Mountain Pass, with an average ore grade of 8.19%, and probable reserves of
1.47 million short tons of REO contained in 20.8 million short tons of ore, with an average ore grade of 7.04%. Our total proven and probable reserves are estimated to have an average ore grade of 7.06%. In each case, these estimates use the estimated economical cutoff of 3.83% TREO. Based on these estimated reserves and our expected annual production rate of REO upon completion of our Stage II optimization project, our expected mine life is approximately 24 years. Today, we hold total proven and probable reserves of 1.5 million short tons of REO contained in 21.1 million short tons of ore, although we believe there is opportunity to grow the reserve base over time with exploratory drilling.
The following table provides information as of July 1, 2020 on the amount of our proven and probable REO reserves.
Category of Reserves | Average Ore Grade (%) | Ore (Short Tons) | Contained REO (Short Tons) | |||||||||
Proven | 8.19 | % | 327,314 | 26,807 | ||||||||
Probable | 7.04 | % | 20,814,041 | 1,465,308 |
In making the estimate above, SRK:
assumed we have a 100% working interest in the Mountain Pass facility;
included only measured and indicated resources (inferred resources are treated as waste);
assumed full mining recovery;
assumed that mine reserves are fully diluted;
assumed production of a rare earth concentrate (60% TREO content) for third party sale;
assumed an average selling price consistent with historical results resulting in an economic cut-off grade of 3.83% REO within the pit design;
assumed a variable metallurgical recovery factor, based on ore grade, derived from historic results;
June 30, 2020 topography;
included ore stockpiles as proven reserves;
assumed all mineral within our patented claim area could be extracted, including mineral outside our currently permitted mining boundaries; and
rounded values to the nearest significant number.
Pricing assumptions were derived from a three-year average of historic pricing for rare earth concentrate, as quoted by Asia Metals (TREO ³70%), for the period from June 30, 2017 to June 10, 2020.
This pricing data was then adjusted to reflect typical forecast concentrate production from Mountain Pass, including the following:
prices quoted as RMB per tonne were converted to US$ based on exchange rates queried from Bloomberg;
average sales price per tonne of rare earth oxide was calculated and then adjusted to the targeted concentrate grade for Mountain Pass;
13% Chinese value added tax (VAT) was deducted from the sales price; and
3% sales charge was deducted from the price.
Based on the above, the adjusted benchmark prices to MP Materials over this period are presented in the table below. Further, during the period from approximately August 2018 through May 2020, imports of rare earth concentrates to China were subject to a tariff. This tariff was originally implemented at a 10% level in the second round of retaliatory tariffs imposed by China as part of the ongoing trade dispute between the USA and China. The tariff was increased to 25% in June of 2019. The current status of this import tariff is that it was suspended as of May 19, 2020, for a period of one year. For comparative purposes, we have included a calculation for a 25% tariff, consistent with the tariff from June 2019 through May 2020, in the table below.
Chinese Tariff Assumption | Units | Spot (June 10, 2020) | 1-Year Trailing Average | 2-Year Trailing Average | 3-Year Trailing Average | |||||||||||||
With Tariff | US$/dry metric tonne | 1,298 | 1,507 | 1,577 | 1,720 | |||||||||||||
Without Tariff | US$/dry metric tonne | 1,731 | 2,010 | 2,103 | 2,294 | |||||||||||||
With Tariff | US$/dry short ton | 1,178 | 1,368 | 1,431 | 1,561 | |||||||||||||
Without Tariff | US$/dry short ton | 1,571 | 1,823 | 1,908 | 2,081 |
For the purposes of the reserve calculation, SRK selected the three-year trailing average without a deduction for the tariff (i.e. US$2,081/dry short ton). The selection of the three-year trailing average is consistent with SEC
guidance for pricing assumptions for metals and mining reserve calculations under Industry Guide 7. SRK did not include a tariff as no tariff is the current status of the market; however, there remains uncertainty as to the outlook on this tariff. If this tariff is re-introduced in 2021, it will result in a lower price for MP Materials for any rare earth concentrate sold into China.
SRK checked these calculated pricing assumptions against actual monthly pricing received by MP Materials. Variability between the actual price and benchmark price was high, ranging from as close as +/-1% to as much as 31% lower than the benchmark and 16% higher than the benchmark. However, comparing the actual prices to benchmark prices for each month, on average, has resulted in MP Materials receiving an average price 3% lower than the calculated benchmark price for that month and a median price 1% lower than the calculated benchmark providing support that this formula presents a reasonable estimate for saleable concentrate price.
There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities and qualities of REO reserves and costs to mine recoverable reserves, including many factors beyond our control. We will regularly evaluate our REO reserve estimates. This may be done in conjunction with additional exploration drilling programs. We also gain information from blast hole cuttings generated during operations. The estimates of REO reserves as to both quantity and quality will also be updated to reflect new drilling or other data received. Estimates of economically recoverable REO reserves, however, necessarily depend upon a number of variable factors and assumptions, all of which may vary considerably from actual results, such as:
geological, mining and processing conditions and/or effects from prior mining that may not be fully identified by available data or that may differ from experience;
the strategic approach to mining and processing the deposit may change depending upon market demand, corporate strategy and other prevailing economic conditions;
assumptions concerning future prices of rare earth products, foreign exchange rates, process recovery rates, transportation costs, operating costs, capital costs, and reclamation costs; and
assumptions concerning future effects of regulation, including the issuance of required permits and taxes by governmental agencies and foreign government policy relating to import or export of rare earth products.
Actual REO tonnage recovered from identified REO reserves and revenues and expenditures with respect to the same may vary materially from estimates. Further, period-to-period our future estimates of REO reserves may fluctuate significantly as macroeconomic conditions and our level of understanding with respect to the deposit change. These estimates may not accurately reflect our actual REO reserves. Any inaccuracy in our estimates related to our REO reserves could result in lower than expected revenues and higher than expected costs.
Reserve Estimate
SRK completed a review of the operation including, among other things, the size of the underlying ore body and a life of mine plan for the Mountain Pass mine. The purpose of this review was to complete an estimate of the mineral reserve for the operation utilizing assumptions consistent with current operating conditions (i.e.; production and sale of a rare earth concentrate). Below is a summary of some of the information from the reserve estimate.
Key project data
Mine type | Open pit | |
Process description | Crushing, milling, flotation | |
Open pit mine life | 24 years | |
Mill throughput | 2,455 average short tons per day | |
Initial capital costs(1) | $0 million | |
Sustaining capital costs | $149 million |
Average Ore Grade (%) | Ore (Millions of Short Tons) | Contained REO (Millions of Pounds) | ||||||||||
Contained minerals | ||||||||||||
Proven | 8.19 | % | 0.327 | 54 | ||||||||
Probable | 7.04 | % | 20.814 | 2,930 |
(1) | SRK excluded the restart of on-site rare earth separation activities from its estimate and therefore no initial capital expenditure is required given the operation is already actively producing rare earth concentrate for sale. |
Customers
Currently we make sales of our rare earth concentrate to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) based on our arrangement under the A&R Offtake Agreement. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is contractually obligated under the A&R Offtake Agreement to purchase all of our rare earth concentrate product on a “take-or-pay basis” (such that they are obliged to pay for product even if they are unable or unwilling to take delivery). Shenghe Resources (Singapore) sells the rare earth concentrate it acquires under the A&R Offtake Agreement to customers in China, which process and resell these refined products. Over the next few years, we intend to commence our downstream expansion and enter into short- and long-term sales contracts with existing and new customers for separated REO. For certain REEs where the market demand is high, we may decide not to enter into letters of intent or contracts prior to commencing production. None of our existing customer relationships are from contracts we assumed from Molycorp.
Suppliers
We use certain proprietary chemical reagents in our flotation process, which we currently purchase from third-party suppliers. These products are subject to pricing volatility, supply availability and other restrictions and guidelines. In the event of a supply disruption or any other restriction, we believe that alternative reagents could be sourced. The solvent extraction process is highly reliant upon standard commodity reagents, particularly hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Even though we expect to produce these chemicals on-site upon the commissioning and restart of our chlor-alkali facility, these plans may not be achievable or could be hampered by any disruptions in the process used to produce these chemicals. In the meantime, we are subject to significant volatility in the cost and availability of these chemicals. We may not be able to pass increased prices for these chemicals through to our customers in the form of price increases. A significant increase in the price, a decrease in the availability of, or any other restrictions upon our use of these chemicals before we restart our ability to produce them on-site could materially increase our operating costs and adversely affect our profit margins from quarter to quarter.
Patents, Trademarks and Licenses
We rely on a combination of trade secret protection, nondisclosure and licensing agreements, patents and trademarks to establish and protect our proprietary intellectual property rights. We utilize trade secret protection and nondisclosure agreements to protect our proprietary rare earth technology. Our intellectual property rights may be challenged or infringed upon by third parties or we may be unable to maintain, renew or enter into new
license agreements with third-party owners of intellectual property on reasonable terms. In addition, our intellectual property will be subject to infringement or other unauthorized use outside of the United States. In such case, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights by legal recourse or otherwise may be limited, particularly in countries where laws or enforcement practices are undeveloped or do not recognize or protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights or inability to preserve existing intellectual property rights could adversely impact our competitive position and results of operations.
Competition
The rare earths mining and processing markets are capital intensive and competitive. Outside of the six (6) major rare earth producers in China, and those consolidated under their production quotas—there are only two other producers operating at scale, MP Materials and Lynas, which processes its rare earth materials in Malaysia. MP Materials’ competitors may have greater financial resources, as well as other strategic advantages to maintain, improve and possibly expand their facilities.
Once we reach anticipated production rates for REOs and other planned downstream products, the increased competition may lead our competitors to engage in predatory pricing behavior. Any increase in the amount of rare earth products exported from other nations, and increased competition, whether legal or illegal, may result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of potential market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our profitability. Additionally, our Chinese competitors have historically been able to produce at relatively low costs due to domestic economic and regulatory factors, including less stringent environmental regulations. For instance, many of our Chinese competitors use wet-tailing to store the waste material resulting from their production processes which is significantly less expensive and more harmful to the environment than the dry-tailing method that we use. Even upon successful completion of our Stage II optimization project at the Mountain Pass facility, if we are not able to achieve anticipated costs of production, then any strategic advantages that our competitors may have over us, such as lower labor and production costs, could have a material adverse effect on our business. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to compete effectively against current and future competitors.
Environmental, Health and Safety Matters
We are subject to numerous and extensive federal, state and local laws, regulations, permits and other legal requirements applicable to the mining and mineral processing industry, including those pertaining to employee health and safety, air emissions, water usage, wastewater and stormwater discharges, air quality standards, GHG emissions, waste management, plant and wildlife protection, handling and disposal of hazardous and radioactive substances, remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, land use, reclamation and restoration of properties, the discharge of materials into the environment and groundwater quality and availability. These laws, regulations, permits and legal requirements have had, and will continue to have, a newly incorporatedsignificant effect on our results of operations, earnings and competitive position. Environmental laws and regulation continue to evolve which may require us to meet stricter standards and give rise to greater enforcement, result in increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, and result in a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors and employees. Future laws, regulations, permits or legal requirements, as well as the interpretation or enforcement of existing requirements, may require substantial increases in capital or operating costs to achieve and maintain compliance or otherwise delay, limit or prohibit operations, or other restrictions upon, our current or future operations or result in the imposition of fines and penalties for failure to comply. Complying with this panoply of regulations is complicated and requires significant attention and resources. Our employees have a significant amount of experience working with various federal, state and local authorities to address compliance with such laws, regulations and permits; however, we cannot assure you that at all times we have been or will be in compliance with such requirements.
We expect to continue to incur significant sums for ongoing operating environmental expenditures, including salaries, and the costs for monitoring, compliance, reporting, pollution control equipment and
permitting. In addition, we plan to invest significant capital to maintain and upgrade certain infrastructure to ensure we operate in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner.
Permits and Approvals
We hold the necessary permits to operate our facility, including conditional use and minor use permits from San Bernardino County, California, and an associated environmental impact report, all of which were issued in 2004, which allow continued operation of the Mountain Pass facility through 2042. We hold numerous other permits and approvals, including permits to operate from the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and groundwater treatment. We may be required to obtain new permits, including, without limitation, air permits issued by the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District and construction and occupancy permits issued by San Bernardino County government, to complete the Stage II optimization project and our general growth plans. To obtain, maintain and renew these and other environmental permits and perform any required monitoring activities, we may be required to conduct environmental studies and collect and present to governmental authorities data pertaining to the potential impact that our current or future operations may have upon the environment.
Our ability to obtain permits for expanded operations may require us to avoid or mitigate our impact on the environment, particularly impacts to desert flora and fauna. The permitting processes and development of supporting materials, including any environmental impact statements, may be costly and time consuming. Any failure to obtain, maintain or renew required permits, or other permitting delays or conditions, may delay, limit, prohibit or otherwise result in new restrictions upon our current or future operations and failure to comply with these requirements could result in us incurring fines and penalties. Consequently, the continued optimization of the Mountain Pass facility may be delayed, curtailed or prevented, particularly in the event any environmental impact statement is required in connection therewith. These permit processes and requirements, and the interpretation and enforcement thereof, change frequently, and any such future changes could materially adversely affect our mining operations and results of operations.
Mine Health and Safety Laws
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, and the regulations adopted by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, impose stringent health and safety standards on numerous aspects of mining operations, including training of mine personnel, mining procedures, blasting, the equipment used in mining operations and other matters. Mine safety has been the subject of increasing scrutiny resulting in federal and state legislatures and other regulatory authorities imposing more stringent regulatory requirements on mining operations. In 2006, Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) promulgated new emergency mine safety rules addressing mine safety equipment, training and emergency reporting requirements. In addition, in the United States enacted the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, which significantly amended the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, by requiring improvements in mine safety practices, increasing criminal penalties and establishing a maximum civil penalty for non-compliance, and expanding the scope of federal oversight, inspection and enforcement activities. The MSHA continues to interpret and implement various provisions of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act. These and other mine safety rules could potentially result in or require significant expenditures, as well as additional safety training and planning, enhanced safety equipment, more frequent mine inspections, stricter enforcement practices and enhanced reporting, amongst other, requirements. It is not possible to predict the full effect that new or proposed statutes, regulations and policies will have on our operating costs, but any expansion of existing regulations, or making such regulations more stringent may have a negative impact on our business.
The Mountain Pass facility maintains a comprehensive safety program. Our employees and contractors are required to complete 24 hours of initial training sessions, as well as annual refresher sessions, which cover potential hazards that may be present at the facility. During the training, our commitment to a safe work
environment is reinforced through our Stop Work Authority program, which allows any employee or contractor at the facility to stop work that they deem to be unsafe.
Workers’ Compensation
We are required to compensate employees for work-related injuries. The states in which we operate consider changes in workers’ compensation laws from time to time. Our costs will vary based on the number of accidents that occur at the Mountain Pass facility and our costs of addressing these claims. We are insured under various state workers’ compensation programs for our operations at the Mountain Pass facility and our offices in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
Our San Bernardino County conditional use permit, approved mining plan, reclamation plan and state laws and regulations establish operational, reclamation and closure standards for all aspects of our surface mining operations. Comprehensive environmental protection and reclamation standards must be met during the course of, and upon completion of, mining activities, and our failure to meet such standards may subject us to fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Although we expect the Mountain Pass facility to remain open for significantly longer than the expiration of our 22-year county-approved mine plan, the plan requires that we restore the surface area upon completion of mining. In addition, we must provide financial assurances to secure the performance of these reclamation obligations. To satisfy these financial assurance requirements, we typically obtain surety bonds, which are renewable on an annual basis. We expect to continue to obtain and renew such bonds, however, the cost of doing so is increasing. It has become increasingly difficult for mining companies to secure new or renew existing surety bonds without posting partial or full collateral to secure the bonds. In addition, the cost to obtain surety bonds have increased while the market terms of the surety bonds generally have become less favorable. It is possible that surety bond issuers may refuse to provide or renew bonds or may demand additional collateral upon the issuance or renewal of the bonds. Our inability to obtain or failure to maintain or renew these bonds could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
As of September 30, 2020, we have procured approximately $38.3 million in surety bonds that are issued to federal agencies, State of California agencies and the County of San Bernardino to secure the performance of our reclamation obligations. As of September 30, 2020, we had posted $25.0 million in cash collateral and posted as cash in trust to secure these obligations. This cash is reflected as restricted on our balance sheet.
Water Usage and Pollution Control
The federal Clean Water Act and similar state and local laws regulate aspects of surface mining and processing operations by imposing restrictions on the discharge of pollutants, including tailings and other material, into waters of the United States. These requirements are complex and subject to amendments, legal challenges and changes in implementation. Recent court decisions, regulatory actions and proposed legislation have created uncertainty over the jurisdiction and permitting requirements of the federal Clean Water Act. Individual or general permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act are required if we discharge dredged or fill materials into jurisdictional waters of the United States. In addition, our Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board permit establishes standards for wastewater that can be discharged to the on-site evaporation ponds. Regular monitoring by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, as well as compliance with reporting requirements and performance standards, are preconditions for the issuance and renewal of our permits. The Companies spend significant sums on an annual basis to monitor, pump, sample, and maintain wells to track underground watertable contamination and on shipping and analysis of well samples. We also maintain surety bonds with the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board to secure our satisfaction of these activities.
Air Pollution Control
The federal Clean Air Act and similar state and local laws and regulations directly and indirectly regulate our surface mining and processing operations. We currently maintain and operate numerous air pollution control devices required by or necessary to comply with permits from the California Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District. We generally must obtain permits before we install new sources of air pollution, which may require us to do air quality studies and obtain emission offset credits, which can be costly and time consuming to procure. We expect that our new and expanded facilities and growth plans will require us to secure additional approvals or other permits to allow for our planned growth and to obtain emission credits or offsets for nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (10 microns), sulfur oxide and volatile organic compounds. The increased emissions from these facilities may trigger permitting under Title V of the Clean Air Act. Furthermore, although we are currently in compliance with all emissions regulations of the California Air Resources Board, if emissions regulations change we could be required to retrofit or replace off-road, on-road and forklift vehicles to achieve emission standards for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter (10 microns).
Our operations also emit GHGs and we expect to produce emissions exceeding the minimum required for participation in the California cap-and-trade program once the CHP is in sustained operation in 2021 or 2022. The amount of credits we will receive and any excess credits we expect to need to purchase are under evaluation. We may also be required to purchase GHG credits in relation to small number of GHG-producing equipment that were in intermittent operation during 2018 and 2019. Moreover, the regulation of GHG emissions is in various stages of development and it is possible that both the federal government and California will promulgate additional requirements. Any new GHG regulations could require us to modify existing permits or obtain new permits, implement additional pollution control technology, curtail operations or increase significantly our operating costs. Any further regulation of GHG emissions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, reputation, operating performance and product demand. However, such regulations might also present opportunities for our industry to the extent they increase the demand for rare earth products used in clean-technology applications, such as hybrid and electric vehicles and wind power turbines.
The Mountain Pass facility consumes significant amounts of energy and, accordingly, is subject to fluctuations in energy costs. These costs may increase significantly in part as an indirect result of GHG and other air emission regulations applicable to third-party power suppliers.
Hazardous and Radioactive Substances and Wastes
The Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) and analogous state laws impose liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes of persons that are considered to have contributed to the actual or threatened release of a “hazardous substance” into the environment. In addition, these laws impose liability for the costs to investigate and remediate contamination or natural resource damage on a joint and several basis on persons who are or were responsible for such releases of hazardous substances, which can include waste generators, site owners, lessees and others. Accordingly, we may be subject to liability under CERCLA and similar state laws for properties that we currently own, lease or operate or that we or our predecessors previously owned, leased or operated, and sites to which our predecessors or we sent waste materials.
REOs contain naturally occurring radioactive substances, such as thorium and uranium. The mining and processing of REOs involves the handling and disposal of such substances, which requires us to comply with extensive safety, health and environmental laws, regulations and permits regarding radioactive substances. We may incur significant costs, obligations or liabilities with respect to such requirements, and any future changes in such requirements (or the interpretation or enforcement thereof) may have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. One such permit we currently maintain for our operations is a Radioactive Materials License issued and administered by the California Department of Health Services Radiologic Health Branch. The license applies to the use of sealed radioactive sources used for gauging volumes of materials, as
well as certain other activities. A failure to maintain or renew this license could materially adversely affect our business or results of operations.
We generate, manage and dispose of solid and hazardous waste associated with processing and remediation activities. In addition, the demolition of structures in connection with facility expansion and modernization will result in the generation of additional waste. We must comply with a variety of environmental laws, rules and regulations concerning the management, storage and disposal of such wastes. Moreover, in connection with our modernization and expansion effort at the Mountain Pass facility, we will incur additional costs to handle, store and dispose of such wastes.
Endangered Species Act and Mine Reclamation Plan
The federal Endangered Species Act and counterpart state legislation protect species threatened with possible extinction. Such laws and related regulations may have the effect of prohibiting or delaying us from obtaining mining permits and may impose restrictions on pipeline or road building and other mining or construction activities in areas containing the affected species or their habitats. Before we disturb any new land, we conduct a biological survey of the area to determine if nesting birds, protected vegetation, or protected animals are or have been present. Currently, our planned development activities are not anticipated to encroach the habitat of any threatened or endangered species. In particular our Stage II optimization project will not affect any undisturbed land. Our offsite freshwater wells are also within certain protected flora and fauna habitats.
Before disturbing new land for our operations, we conduct a biological survey of the area to determine if nesting birds, protected vegetation, or protected animals are or have been present. To date, none of the surveys have identified the presence of any species with conservation status or protected habitat on or near our ore reserve. The Golden Eagle is protected in the surrounding area, though we have not had any nesting on the site. One of our offsite freshwater fields and related infrastructure is located within a critical desert tortoise habitat. We support this habitat by providing fresh water to support the Ivanpah Desert Tortoise Research Facility which breeds and releases tortoises into the wild.
Under the Mining Conditional Use Permit and Mine Reclamation Plan granted by San Bernardino County for the Mountain Pass facility, we stockpile topsoil and vegetation to be used for revegetation as part of the approved reclamation plan. Revegetation will be supplemented by broadcast seeding with native and locally adapted seed and planting of established seedlings and/or shrubs. As part of the approved reclamation plan, which may be updated from time to time, we are complying with the County Development Code regarding the removal or salvage of Joshua Tree, Yucca, and various Cacti. We currently have no conservation status vegetation on or near the ore reserve.
Use of Explosives
In connection with our surface mining activities, we engage contractors who store explosives and blasting agents offsite prior to use on-site, which are subject to regulation, including under the federal Safe Explosives Act and the MSHA Violation of these regulatory requirements may result in fines, imprisonment, revocation of permits and/or seizure or forfeiture of explosive materials.
Other Environmental Laws
We are required to comply with numerous other federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations in addition to those previously discussed. These additional laws include, for example, the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and the California Accidental Release Prevention Program.
Facilities and Employees
We own the Mountain Pass facility. We also lease our executive office space at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suites 450 and 430, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, which lease expires December 31, 2022, subject to a renewal option.
As of December 7, 2020, we had approximately 280 employees. In connection with our Stage II optimization plan at the Mountain Pass facility, we expect to hire approximately 200 additional employees. We have not experienced any work stoppages and consider our employee relations to be good.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may be subject to legal and governmental proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. We are not currently a party to any material legal or governmental proceedings and, to our knowledge, none is threatened.
Management and Board of Directors
The below is a list of our executive officers and directors and their respective ages and a brief account of each of their business experience:
Name | Age | Position(s) | ||||
James Litinsky | 42 | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Gen. Richard B. Myers | 78 | Director | ||||
Andrew A. McKnight | 43 | Director | ||||
Daniel Gold | 52 | Director | ||||
Randall Weisenburger | 62 | Director | ||||
Maryanne R. Lavan | 61 | Director | ||||
Connie K. Duckworth | 66 | Director | ||||
Michael Rosenthal | 42 | Chief Operating Officer | ||||
Ryan Corbett | 31 | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Sheila Bangalore | 42 | Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel |
Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, the size of the our Board was increased from five directors to seven directors, and each of the above directors was elected by our stockholders at the special meeting of our stockholders held on November 13, 2020 to approve the Business Combination. In addition, pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement, Mr. Rosenthal has the right to attend all MPMC Board meetings as a non-voting observer for so long as he remains employed by MPMC. We have determined that each of Mr. Weisenburger, Ms. Lavan, Ms. Duckworth, Gen. Myers, Mr. McKnight and Mr. Gold meet the objective independence standards established by the NYSE and have determined that, independent of such objective standards, no relationship exists that would impair the independence of any of Mr. Weisenburger, Ms. Lavan, Ms. Duckworth, Gen. Myers, Mr. McKnight or Mr. Gold.
James Litinsky is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of JHL Capital Group. Before founding JHL Capital Group in 2006, Mr. Litinsky was a member of the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund at Fortress Investment Group. Prior to Fortress, he was a Director of Finance at Omnicom Group, and he worked as a merchant banker at Allen & Company. Mr. Litinsky received a B.A. in Economics from Yale University, cum laude, and a J.D./M.B.A. from the Northwestern University School of Law and the Kellogg School of Management. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar. Mr. Litinsky serves on the Boards of AbilityLab and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Retired U.S. Air Force General Richard B. Myers serves as the President of Kansas State University, where he is also a professor of military history and leadership. Gen. Myers loyally served his country for forty years and retired as a four-star general. Since 2006, Mr. Myers has also served as the President of R Myers and Associate, LLC. From 2001-2005, he served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Mr. Myers was the highest-ranking uniformed officer of U.S. military forces and served as the principal military adviser to President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the National Security Council. Since retirement from the military, Myers has served on several public and non-profit boards, and also held the Colin Powell Chair for National Security Leadership, Ethics, and Character at National Defense University. During the past five years, Mr. Myers has been a director of the following public or formerly public companies: Deere and Co., Northrop Grumman Corp., United Technologies and Aon PLC. Mr. Myers also currently serves on the board of non-profits Fisher House and MRI Global and on the board of the governmental entity Defense Health Board. In addition, Mr. Myers has also been a director of several private companies in various industries. Mr. Myers is well-qualified to serve as a member of the our Board because of his substantial knowledge about strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, finance, accounting, capital structure and board practices and his extensive experience serving as a director of public and private companies in various industries.
Andrew A. McKnight served as a director and Chief Executive Officer of FVAC from January 2020 to the consummation of the Business Combination. Mr. McKnight is a Managing Partner of the Credit Funds business at Fortress. Mr. McKnight is based in San Francisco and heads the liquid credit investment strategies at Fortress, serves on the investment committee for the Credit Funds business at Fortress and is a member of the Management Committee of Fortress. Mr. McKnight previously served on the board of directors of Mosaic Acquisition Corp. from 2017 to 2020. Prior to joining Fortress in February 2005, he was the trader for Fir Tree Partners where he was responsible for analyzing and trading high yield and convertible bonds, bank debt, derivatives and equities for the value-based hedge fund. Prior to Fir Tree, Mr. McKnight worked on Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s distressed bank debt trading desk. Mr. McKnight received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia.
Daniel Gold serves as the CEO, managing partner and founder of QVT Financial LP, an asset management company with offices in New York and New Delhi. QVT Financial, through its managed and affiliated multi-strategy funds, is an experienced global investor in multiple industries, including biotech, financial, shipping and offshore industries. Mr. Gold founded QVT Financial LP in 2003. Mr. Gold holds an AB in Physics from Harvard College. Mr. Gold also currently serves on the board of public companies, Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp. and Awilco Drilling PLC, in addition to various private companies, including Roivant Sciences Ltd. Mr. Gold is well-qualified to serve as a member of the MPMC Board because of his substantial knowledge about strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, finance, accounting, capital structure and board practices and his extensive experience serving as a director of public and private companies in various industries.
Randall Weisenburger is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), the global media, marketing and corporate communications holding company, where he served from 1998 through 2014. After Omnicom, he formed Mile 26 Capital in 2015. Mr. Weisenburger was a founding member of Wasserstein Perella, and from 1993 to 1998 was President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm’s merchant banking subsidiary, Wasserstein & Co. He also held various roles within WP’s portfolio of investment companies including: Co-Chairman of Collins & Aikman Corp., CEO of Wickes Manufacturing, Vice Chairman of Maybelline Inc., and Chairman of American Law Media. Before Wasserstein Perella, he was a member of the First Boston Corporation. Mr. Weisenburger currently serves as the Lead Independent Director of Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), where he is the Chairman of the Compensation and Compliance Committees, and a member of the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees. He is also a Director of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO), where is he Chairman of the Audit Committee, and a Director of Corsair Components Inc. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named the Henry Ford Scholar, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Accounting from Virginia Tech.
Maryanne R. Lavan is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Lockheed Martin Corporation, a global security and aerospace company principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services operating in four business segments: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems and Space. In this role, she is responsible for the legal affairs and law department of Lockheed Martin, including serving as counsel to its senior leadership and Board of Directors. She previously served as the Vice President of Corporate Internal Audit for Lockheed Martin, providing independent assessments of governance, internal controls and risk management. She joined Lockheed Martin in 1990. Ms. Lavan graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany with a Bachelor of Science degree. She received her juris doctor degree from the Washington College of Law, American University. Ms. Lavan is a member of the Public Contract Law Section of the American Bar Association. She serves on the governing bodies for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Equal Justice Works, Council for Court Excellence, University at Albany Foundation, and Fordham University.
Connie K. Duckworth is a former Partner and Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, and retired in 2000, following a nineteen-year career. She was named Partner in 1990, the first woman sales and trading partner in the
firm’s history. After Goldman Sachs, Ms. Duckworth founded ARZU in 2004 to empower destitute women weavers in rural Afghanistan and served pro bono as its Chairman and CEO until its merger with UK-based Turquoise Mountain in 2019. Ms. Duckworth is a Trustee of Equity Residential (EQR) in Chicago and a Director of Steelcase Inc. (SCS) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Previously, she served on the boards of directors of Northwestern Mutual, Russell Investment Group, Nuveen Investments, Smurfit Stone Container Corporation, and DNP Select Income Fund. In her philanthropic work, Ms. Duckworth is a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, an Overseer of The Wharton School, and a member of the International Board of Advisors of the University of Texas at Austin. She serves on the board of NorthShore University HealthSystem, in Evanston, Illinois, where she was the first and only woman Chairman of the Board. She is a founding member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in Washington, D.C. and a member of the Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Policy Advisory Council in Dallas. The recipient of numerous awards for leadership, social impact and innovation, Ms. Duckworth holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.
Michael Rosenthal co-founded MPMO and has been managing the Mountain Pass operation since MPMO took control of the site in 2017. Mr. Rosenthal is currently a Partner at QVT Financial, an investment firm. At QVT, Mr. Rosenthal concentrated on investments in the global automotive sector and in China. Prior to joining QVT, he worked as a senior high yield credit analyst for Shenkman Capital Management. Mr. Rosenthal graduated from Duke University with an A.B. degree in Economics and Comparative Area Studies.
Ryan Corbett joined MPMO as Chief Financial Officer in 2019. He joined JHL Capital Group as a Managing Director to focus on the firm’s investment in MP in 2019. Prior to joining JHL Capital Group, he was an Analyst at Brahman Capital Corp. and King Street Capital Management, both alternative asset managers based in New York, where he focused on special situations investments across the capital structure, from 2012 to 2019. Mr. Corbett started his career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley & Co. He graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Finance.
Sheila Bangalore joined MPMO as its Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel in 2020. Prior to joining MPMO, Ms. Bangalore was most recently Assistant General Counsel at Aristocrat Technologies from 2015 to 2020, and previously held legal roles at Zappos and Bally Technologies. Ms. Bangalore began her career at Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP. She is currently a board member of the United Way of Southern Nevada, and a former board member and President of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Nevada Chapter. Ms. Bangalore received her B.A. in Literature from Tufts University and her J.D. from the Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently an MBA Candidate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Board of Directors
In accordance with our Second Amended and Restated Charter, we have a classified Board of Directors, with two directors in Class I (James Litinsky and Andrew A. McKnight), three directors in Class II (Maryanne R. Lavan, General (Retired) Richard B. Myers, and Connie K. Duckworth) and two directors in Class III (Randall Weisenburger and Daniel Gold), with only one class of directors being elected in each year.
The term of the initial Class I Directors shall expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC; the term of the initial Class II Directors shall expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC; and the term of the initial Class III Directors shall expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC. At each succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC, beginning with the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting shall be elected for a three-year term or until the election and qualification of their respective successors in office, subject to their earlier death, resignation or removal.
To strengthen the role of the independent directors and encourage independent leadership, the MPMC Board appointed Mr. Weisenburger as lead independent director at the special meeting of stockholders on
November 17, 2020. The position of lead independent director has been structured to serve as an effective balance to Mr. Litinsky’s leadership as the combined Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. In addition, we believe that the lead independent director serves as a conduit between the other independent directors and the Chairman.
Committees of the Board of Directors
MPMC has three standing committees—an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Governance Committee, composed solely of independent directors. The MPMC Board may from time to time establish other committees. Each of the committees will report to the MPMC Board as it deems appropriate and as the MPMC Board may request. The composition, duties and responsibilities of these committees are set forth below.
Audit Committee
Randall Weisenburger, Connie K. Duckworth, and Maryanne R. Lavan are the members of the Audit Committee. Randall Weisenburger is the chairman of the Audit Committee. Each proposed member of the audit committee qualifies as an independent director under the NYSE corporate governance standards and the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Our Board has determined that each of Randall Weisenburger and Maryanne R. Lavan qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K and that each of the members is financially literate, as defined under the rules of the NYSE.
Under its charter, the functions of the Audit Committee include:
the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by MPMC;
the pre-approval of all non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by MPMC;
setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm;
obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or
investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC;
discussing with management and the independent auditor, as appropriate, any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response, and MPMC’s risk assessment and risk management policies, including MPMC’s major financial risk exposure and steps taken by management to monitor and mitigate such exposure; and
reviewing MPMC’s financial reporting and accounting standards and principles, significant changes in such standards or principles or in their application and the key accounting decisions affecting MPMC’s financial statements, including alternatives to, and the rationale for, the decisions made.
Compensation Committee
Andrew A. McKnight, Randall Weisenburger, and Daniel Gold are the members of the Compensation Committee. Andrew A. McKnight is the chairman of the Compensation Committee. All of the members of the
Compensation Committee are independent directors and are considered to be a “non-employee director” under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. Under its charter, the functions of the Compensation Committee include:
reviewing and approving annually corporate goals and objectives relating to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), evaluating the performance of the CEO in light of those goals and reviewing and establishing the CEO’s annual compensation and incentive plan participation levels and bases of participation;
reviewing and approving annually the evaluation process and compensation structure for MPMC’s or its subsidiaries’ other officers; to evaluate, review and recommend to the MPMC Board any changes to, or additional, stock-based and other incentive compensation plans; and to recommend inclusion of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis in the annual proxy statement and annual report on Form 10-K to be filed with the SEC.
In addition, on an annual basis, the Compensation Committee will conduct an in-depth, broad scope and detailed review of succession planning efforts at multiple levels of the MPMC management team.
The Compensation Committee charter also provides that the Compensation Committee shall have the sole authority to retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the Compensation Committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by NYSE and the SEC.
Nominating and Governance Committee
Connie K. Duckworth, General (Retired) Richard B. Myers, and Maryanne R. Lavan are members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Connie K. Duckworth is the chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee. All of the members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are independent directors.
Under its charter, the functions of the Compensation Committee include:
identifying individuals qualified to become MPMC Board member and recommending to the MPMC Board the director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders;
recommending to the Board the corporate governance guidelines applicable to MPMC;
leading the MPMC Board in its annual review of the performance of (a) the MPMC Board; (b) the MPMC Board committees; and (c) management;
recommending to the MPMC Board nominees for each MPMC Board committee; and
reviewing and recommending annually for approval by the MPMC Board, the form and amount of non-management director compensation and benefits.
The Nominating and Governance Committee shall have the sole authority to retain and terminate any search firm to be used to identify director candidates and shall have sole authority to approve the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
The Nominating and Governance Committee has not set specific minimum qualifications for director positions. Instead, the Nominating and Governance Committee will review nominations for election or re-election to the Board on the basis of a particular candidate’s merits and MPMC’s needs after taking into account the current composition of the MPMC Board. When evaluating candidates annually for nomination for election, the Nominating and Governance Committee will consider an individual’s skills, diversity, independence, experience in areas that address the needs of the MPMC Board and ability to devote adequate time
to MPMC Board duties. The Nominating and Governance Committee does not specifically define diversity, but values diversity of experience, perspective, education, race, gender and national origin as part of its overall annual evaluation of director nominees for election or re-election. Whenever a new seat or a vacated seat on the MPMC Board is being filled, candidates that appear to best fit the needs of the MPMC Board and MPMC will be identified, interviewed and evaluated by the Nominating and Governance Committee. Candidates selected by the Nominating and Governance Committee will then be recommended to the full MPMC Board.
Code of Ethics
MPMC has adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to its directors, executive officers and employees that complies with the rules and regulations of the NYSE. The Code of Ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of MPMC’s business. A copy of the Code of Ethics has been filed with the SEC and will be provided without charge upon written request to Sheila Bangalore, Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel, in writing at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119. MPMC intends to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of its Code of Ethics on MPMC’s website.
As we are an emerging growth company, we have opted to comply with the executive compensation disclosure rules applicable to emerging growth companies. The scaled down disclosure rules are those applicable to “smaller reporting companies,” as such term is defined in the rules promulgated under the Securities Act, which require compensation disclosure for MPMO’s principal executive officer and its two most highly compensated executive officers other than the principal executive officer whose total compensation for 2019 exceeded $100,000 and who were serving as executive officers as of December 31, 2019. We refer to these individuals as “named executive officers.”
2019 Compensation
During 2019, neither Mr. Rosenthal nor Mr. Corbett were separately compensated by MPMO for their service to MPMO. Instead, Mr. Rosenthal received compensation from QVT Financial for his services to QVT Financial, which included serving as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MPMO, and Mr. Corbett received compensation from JHL Capital Group for his services to JHL Capital Group, which included serving as Chief Financial Officer of MPMO. Because Mr. Rosenthal and Mr. Corbett each performed a number of services for QVT Financial and JHL Capital Group, respectively, MPMO is unable to allocate compensation received from QVT Financial and JHL Capital Group for their services to MPMO. Mr. Litinsky was not compensated for his services to MPMO in 2019.
2019 Summary Compensation Table
The following table shows information regarding the compensation of the named executive officers for services performed in the year ended December 31, 2019. Mr. Litinsky is excluded from this table as he did not receive compensation for his services to MPMO in 2019.
Name and Principal Position(1) | Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||
Michael Rosenthal | 2019 | — | (2) | — | (2) | — | (3) | — | (2) | |||||||||||
Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ryan Corbett | 2019 | — | (2) | — | (2) | — | — | (2) | ||||||||||||
Chief Financial Officer |
(1) | Reflects principal position as of December 31, 2019. Mr. Corbett assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer of MPMO in November 2019. |
(2) | As noted above, during 2019, neither Mr. Rosenthal nor Mr. Corbett were separately compensated by MPMO for their service to MPMO. Instead, Mr. Rosenthal received compensation from QVT Financial for his services to QVT Financial, which included serving as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MPMO, and Mr. Corbett received compensation from JHL Capital Group for his services to JHL Capital Group, which included serving as Chief Financial Officer of MPMO. Because Mr. Rosenthal and Mr. Corbett each performed a number of services for QVT Financial and JHL Capital Group, respectively, MPMO is unable to allocate compensation received from QVT Financial and JHL Capital Group for their services to MPMO. |
(3) | MPMO maintains corporate housing for employees of Shenghe Resources (Singapore) when they travel to the United States for MPMO matters. During 2019, Mr. Rosenthal intermittently utilized such housing. Because MPMO maintains such housing primarily for the use of employees of Shenghe Resources (Singapore), there was no additional incremental cost associated with providing this benefit to Mr. Rosenthal and, accordingly, no amounts are included in this table for such benefit. |
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2019 Fiscal Year-End
As of December 31, 2019, none of the named executive officers held outstanding equity awards with respect to MPMO.
Tax-Qualified Retirement Plan
MPMO has a tax-qualified retirement savings plan, the MP Materials 401K Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), under which participating employees may contribute up to the yearly statutory maximum under IRS guidelines into their 401(k) Plan accounts. In addition, under the 401(k) Plan, MPMO matches amounts contributed by the participant up to a certain percent of earnings, not to exceed the statutory maximum. MPMO currently makes matching contributions under the 401(k) Plan at a rate of 100% of the first 1 to 2% of eligible compensation contributed by participants, 50% for employee contributions of 3 to 4%, with an annual cap of $4,000. The 401(k) Plan also allows MPMO to make discretionary profit sharing contributions to the 401(k) Plan accounts for the benefit of participating employees who have worked at least 1,000 hours and are employed on the last day of the plan year in an amount determined by the MPMO Board.
2020 Executive Compensation
Our 2020 executive compensation program consists of an annual base salary to provide a level of compensation sufficient to attract and retain an effective management team, when considered in combination with the other components of the executive compensation program. In addition, during 2020, our executive officers are eligible to participate in an annual incentive program designed to hold executives accountable, reward the executives based on actual business results and help create a “pay for performance” culture. As noted below, in connection with the Business Combination, our named executive officers received equity awards at the time of the closing.
Employment Agreements and Other Arrangements with Executive Officers
In connection with the Business Combination, we entered into new employment agreements with each of the MPMO’s current executive officers as well as Mr. Litinsky, as summarized below.
James Litinsky
Mr. Litinsky entered into an employment agreement with, MPMO effective August 7, 2020, pursuant to which he serves as Chairman of the Board. Effective upon the closing of the Business Combination MPMC assumed the employment agreement and, pursuant to such agreement, Mr. Litinsky also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MPMC. During the term of Mr. Litinsky’s employment with MPMC he will devote his full business time, attention, skill and best efforts to the performance of his duties for MPMC. Mr. Litinsky may also provide services to JHL Capital Group LLC during the term of his employment with MPMC, provided that such services do not materially interfere with the performance of his duties to MPMC. Under the terms of Mr. Litinsky’s employment agreement, Mr. Litinsky will not initially receive a base salary. At any time on or after the one-year anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, Mr. Litinsky may request that the compensation committee, in consultation with such committee’s compensation consultant, prepare and present a proposal to Mr. Litinsky of a compensation package (including base salary, annual cash and equity incentives and severance) that is competitive for a publicly-traded company of comparable size and consistent with the company’s then-current pay strategy for senior executives, with the parties to negotiate in good faith a compensation package for Mr. Litinsky.
In the event Mr. Litinsky’s employment is terminated by the company without cause or by Mr. Litinsky due to good reason, Mr. Litinsky will be entitled to a $2,000,000 severance payment, payable in installments over the 12-month period following such termination. The severance payment is subject to Mr. Litinsky’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation for 12-months following termination.
Michael Rosenthal
Effective as of July 1, 2020, Mr. Rosenthal entered into an employment agreement with MPMO, assumed by MPMC upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to which he serves as Chief Operating Officer and has the right to attend all MPMC Board meetings as a non-voting observer for so long as he remains employed by MPMC. Under the employment agreement, Mr. Rosenthal will receive an initial base salary of $250,000 and will be eligible to participate in the company’s annual incentive program, with a 2020 annual incentive target equal to $450,000 and payouts ranging from 0% to 150% of target based on performance. Mr. Rosenthal’s employment agreement also provided for an initial equity award upon the consummation of the Business Combination with respect to 1,563,006 restricted shares of our common stock, which was equal to 1.7% of the pre-money Combined Company Equity Value. The initial equity award will be eligible to vest over four years, with 40% vesting on the 15-month anniversary of the grant date, 20% vesting on the 27-month anniversary of the grant date, and 20% vesting on each of the 39-month and four-year anniversary of the grant date, subject to Mr. Rosenthal’s continued employment through the applicable vesting date and accelerated vesting in the event of a change of control (as defined in the 2020 Plan), termination without “cause” or resignation due to “good reason” (each as defined in the employment agreement), death or disability. Combined Company Equity Value is defined as the aggregate value of MPMO, SNR and their respective successors, as determined based on the definitive agreements with respect to the Business Combination and disregarding any equity compensation awarded in connection with the Business Combination.
In the event Mr. Rosenthal’s employment is terminated by the company without cause or by Mr. Rosenthal due to good reason, Mr. Rosenthal will be entitled to severance payments equal to 6-months of base salary, payable in installments over the six-month period following such termination. The severance payment is subject to Mr. Rosenthal’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition during employment and non-solicitation of customers, service providers and suppliers for 12-months following termination.
Ryan Corbett
Effective as of July 13, 2020, Mr. Corbett entered into an employment agreement with MPMO, assumed by MPMC upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to which he serves as Chief Financial Officer. Under the employment agreement, Mr. Corbett will receive an initial base salary of $300,000 and will be eligible to participate in the company’s annual incentive program, with an annual cash incentive target of not less than $300,000 and payouts determined based on performance. Mr. Corbett’s employment agreement also provided that, effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, Mr. Corbett was granted (i) an initial equity award of 200,000 shares of fully vested common stock and subject to customary lock-up provisions, and (ii) a restricted stock award with respect to 150,000 shares of common stock, which will be eligible to vest with respect to 40% of the award on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and in 20% annual increments on the second, third and fourth anniversaries of the grant date, subject to Mr. Corbett’s continued employment and accelerated vesting in the event of a change of control (as defined in the 2020 Plan) or termination without “cause” or resignation due to “good reason” (each as defined in the employment agreement). Mr. Corbett also received a $350,000 bonus, payable in connection with the closing of the Business Combination.
In the event Mr. Corbett’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, Mr. Corbett will receive the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year as well as a pro-rated target bonus for the year of termination, based on days served during such calendar year. In the event Mr. Corbett’s employment is terminated by the company without cause or by Mr. Corbett due to good reason, Mr. Corbett will receive (i) the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year, (ii) a bonus for the year of termination, based on actual performance for the calendar year and pro-rated based on days served during the calendar year, and (iii) severance in the form of continued base salary for 12-months post-termination. The severance benefits are subject to Mr. Corbett’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in
favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation for a period of 12-months following termination.
Sheila Bangalore
Effective as of July 13, 2020, Ms. Bangalore entered into an employment agreement with MPMO, assumed by MPMC upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to which she serves as the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel. Under the employment agreement, Ms. Bangalore receives an initial base salary of $300,000, which was increased to $350,000 following the closing of the Business Combination, and will be eligible to participate in the company’s annual incentive program, with an annual incentive target equal to 60% of Ms. Bangalore’s base salary and payouts determined based on performance. With respect to 2020 only, Ms. Bangalore’s employment agreement provides for a minimum annual incentive payment equal to $125,000 subject to Ms. Bangalore’s continued employment in good standing through the payment date. Ms. Bangalore’s employment agreement also provided that she was granted, effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, a restricted stock award with respect to 100,000 shares of common stock, which will be eligible to vest in 25% annual increments on each anniversary of the grant date, subject to Ms. Bangalore’s continued employment and accelerated vesting in the event of a change of control (as defined in the 2020 Plan). Ms. Bangalore also received a $200,000 bonus, payable in connection with the closing of the Business Combination.
In the event Ms. Bangalore’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, Ms. Bangalore will receive the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year as well as a pro-rated target bonus for the year of termination, based on days served during such calendar year. In the event Ms. Bangalore’s employment is terminated by the company without “cause” or by Ms. Bangalore due to “good reason” (each as defined in the employment agreement), Ms. Bangalore will receive (i) the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year, (ii) a bonus for the year of termination, based on actual performance for the calendar year and pro-rated based on days served during the calendar year, and (iii) severance in the form of continued base salary for 12 months post-termination. The severance benefits are subject to Ms. Bangalore’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation for a period of 12-months following termination.
Stock Ownership Guidelines
Following the closing of the Business Combination, we adopted stock ownership guidelines pursuant to which our Chief Executive Officer is required to own stock equal to 5x his annual base salary and our other executive officers are required to own stock equal to two times their annual base salary. Executive officers are required to achieve the applicable level of ownership within five (5) years of the later of (i) the November 2020 effective date of the guidelines and (ii) the date the person first became a covered executive or covered director.
2020 Stock Incentive Plan
In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, our Board and our stockholders approved the MP Materials Corp. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”). Effective as of the consummation of the Business Combination, 9,653,671 shares of Common Stock were reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan. The number of shares of our Common Stock available under the 2020 Plan will increase annually on the first day of each calendar year, beginning with the calendar year ending December 31, 2021, and continuing until (and including) the calendar year ending December 31, 2030, with such annual increase equal to the lesser of (i) 2% of the number of shares of our Common Stock issued and outstanding on December 31st of the immediately preceding fiscal year and (ii) an amount determined by the Board.
The purposes of the 2020 Plan are: (a) to align the interests of our shareholders and recipients of awards under the 2020 Plan by increasing the proprietary interest of such recipients in our growth and success; (b) to
advance our interests by attracting and retaining officers, other employees, non-employee directors, consultants, independent contractors and agents; and (c) to motivate such persons to act in the long-term best interests of us and our shareholders. Under the 2020 Plan, we may grant: (i) non-qualified stock options; (ii) “incentive stock options” (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code); (iii) stock appreciation rights; (iv) restricted stock, restricted stock units and other stock awards; and (v) performance awards.
Director Compensation
During 2019, managers serving on the MPMO Board or the SNR Board, as applicable, did not receive any compensation for such service. In August 2020, the SNR Board, with Randall Weisenburger abstaining, approved the payment of deferred director fees in the amount of $500,000 to be paid to Mr. Weisenburger prior to the closing of the Business Combination in recognition of his service as the sole disinterested member of the Board since April 15, 2016, including his efforts in negotiating the definitive agreement with FVAC.
In connection with the Business Combination, MPMO retained FW Cook to assist in developing the director compensation program set forth below, which became effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, with pro-rated payments for the period following the Business Combination through the remainder of 2020. The following director compensation program relates to our non-employee and non-affiliated directors. Accordingly, Messrs. Litinsky, McKnight and Gold will not receive compensation for their services on the MPMC Board.
• | Annual Board Cash Retainer: $60,000 |
• | Additional Lead Independent Director Cash Retainer: $20,000 |
• | Committee Member Cash Retainers: |
Audit Committee: $7,500
Compensation Committee: $5,000
Governance and Nominating Committee: $5,000
• | Additional Committee Chair Cash Retainers: |
Audit Committee: $15,000
Compensation Committee: $10,000
Governance and Nominating Committee: $7,500
• | Annual Restricted Stock Unit Award: $100,000 (vesting upon the earlier to occur of the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the next annual meeting of shareholders following the grant date) |
Directors are also be subject to stock ownership guidelines equal to five times the annual board cash retainer. Effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, the non-employee and non-affiliated members of the MPMC Board received a pro-rated restricted stock unit award, with a value determined based on an annual restricted stock unit grant value of $100,000 and pro-rated based on the period of time since the closing of the Business Combination and the first expected annual stockholders meeting. Accordingly, General Myers, Mr. Weisenburger, Ms. Lavan and Ms. Duckworth received prorated restricted stock unit awards, effective as of the closing of the Business Combination
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—FVAC
Founder Shares
On January 31, 2020, FVAC issued the Founder Shares in exchange for an aggregate capital contribution of $25,000. The Sponsor had agreed to forfeit an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters. On May 4, 2020, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in full. As a result, the 1,125,000 Founder Shares were no longer subject to forfeiture. The Founder Shares automatically converted into Common Stock upon the consummation of the Business Combination.
The Insiders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of the Business Combination, (b) subsequent to the Business Combination, if the last reported sale price of theCommon Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted) for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period commencing at 150 days after the Business Combination, and (c) following the completion of the Business Combination, such future date on which completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. During April 2020, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to an independent director of FVAC for the same per-share price initially paid for by the Sponsor. Subsequent to June 30, 2020, the Sponsor transferred an additional 25,000 Founder Shares to another independent director of FVAC for the same per-share price initially paid for by the Sponsor. Subsequent to these transfers, the Sponsor held 8,575,000 Founder Shares. Certain directors and officers of FVAC hold membership interests in the Sponsor which entitle them to a pecuniary interest in the Founder Shares held by Sponsor.
Private Placement Warrants
Substantially concurrently with the closing of the FVAC’s IPO, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate 5,933,333 Private Placement Warrants. Each Private Placement Warrant was exercisable to purchase one share of FVAC Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the proceeds from the FVAC’s IPO held in the Trust Account. If FVAC had not completed a business combination by May 4, 2022, the Private Placement Warrants would have expired worthless. The Sponsor and FVAC’s officers and directors had agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination. In connection with the Business Combination, all of the Private Placement Warrants were exchanged for an aggregate of 890,000 shares of FVAC Class F Common Stock, that upon consummation of the Business Combination was converted into Common Stock.
Promissory Note-Related Party
Prior to FVAC’s IPO, the Sponsor loaned FVAC an aggregate of $211,382 to cover expenses related to the FVAC’s IPO pursuant to a promissory note. The promissory note was non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on the earlier of December 31, 2020 and the closing of the FVAC’s IPO. The Company repaid the promissory note in full on May 4, 2020.
Office Space and Related Support Services
Effective April 30, 2020, FVAC entered into an agreement with an affiliate of the Sponsor to pay a monthly fee of $20,000 for office space and related support services. This agreement was terminated upon consummation of the Business Combination o. During the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 FVAC incurred approximately $41,000 in expenses for services provided by an affiliate of the Sponsor in connection with the aforementioned agreement.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of FVAC’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan FVAC funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If FVAC completes a business combination, FVAC may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to FVAC. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a business combination does not close, FVAC may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of September 30, 2020, no Working Capital Loans were outstanding.
PIPE Investment
In connection with the PIPE Investment and consummation of the Business Combination, the Sponsor purchased 500,000 shares of FVAC Class A common stock at $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $5 million. The Chief Executive Officer of FVAC, Andrew A. McKnight, and certain other directors and officers of FVAC participated in the PIPE Investment indirectly through an investment in the Sponsor.
Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR
The following is a summary of transactions since January 1, 2017, to which either of MPMO or SNR has been a participant and in which the amount involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000, and in which any of such MPMO’s or SNR’s then directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of any class of such MPMO’s or SNR’s equity interests at the time of such transaction, or any members of their immediate family, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
MPMO LLC Agreement
In connection with the formation of MPMO and the acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility, MPMO entered into a limited liability company agreement with its equity holders in 2017 (the “MPMO LLC Agreement”). The MPMO LLC Agreement sets forth understandings and agreements with respect to corporate governance matters, including the following:
JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC, on the one hand, and the QVT Holders, on the other hand, who are each referred to as the “Principal Common Members,” each has the right to designate one manager to MPMO’s board of managers for so long as such Principal Common Member or its affiliates owns at least 50% of the MPMO units initially acquired by such Principal Common Member or its affiliates at the time of execution of the MPMO LLC Agreement. Additionally, (1) any action by the members requires the affirmative vote of each Principal Common Member, and (2) any action by the board of managers requires the affirmative vote of the manager designated by each Principal Common Member, in each case, for so long as such Principal Common Member or its affiliates owns at least 50% of the MPMO units initially acquired by such Principal Common Member or its affiliates at the time of execution of the MPMO LLC Agreement.
For so long as Leshan Shenghe owns any MPMO units, it has the right to designate one individual to attend all MPMO Board meetings as a non-voting observer, and has had such right since the execution of the MPMO LLC Agreement in 2017. MPMO and the MPMO Board have the right to restrict such
attendance under certain circumstances. Leshan Shenghe’s right to designate a Board observer will terminate upon completion of the Pre-Closing Reorganization. |
The MPMO LLC Agreement also contains restrictions on the transfer of MPMO’s units, tag-along rights with respect to a sale transaction, drag along rights with respect to a sale transaction, preemptive rights, registration rights, and confidentiality agreements.
The rights of the existing MPMO unitholders under the MPMO LLC Agreement terminated in connection with the Pre-Closing Reorganization steps.
SNR LLC Agreement
In connection with the formation of SNR and the acquisition of the subterranean mineral rights located under the surface of the Mountain Pass facility, SNR entered into a limited liability company agreement with its equity holders (the “SNR LLC Agreement”). The SNR LLC Agreement sets forth understandings and agreements with respect to corporate governance matters, and also contains restrictions on the transfer of SNR’s units, tag-along rights with respect to a sale transaction, drag along rights with respect to a sale transaction, registration rights, and confidentiality agreements.
The rights of the existing SNR unitholders under the SNR LLC Agreement terminated in connection with the Pre-Closing Reorganization steps.
MPMO Unsecured Note
On April 4, 2017, MPMO issued the MPMO Unsecured Note. The largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding under MPMO Unsecured Note at any time since its issuance was approximately $7.8 million. On January 19, 2018, MPMO made a payment in respect of the MPMO Unsecured Note in the amount of $2.0 million. As of June 30, 2020, the principal amount outstanding (including accrued interest) under the MPMO Unsecured Note was approximately $6.2 million. In accordance with the Merger Agreement, the MPMO Unsecured Note was repaid in full (principal and accrued interest) by FVAC (on behalf of MPMO) at the closing of the Business Combination.
MPMO Secured Note
On August 7, 2017, MPMO issued the MPMO Secured Note. The largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding under MPMO Secured Note at any time since its issuance was approximately $19.8 million. On June 10, 2019 MPMO made a payment in respect of the MPMO Secured Note in the amount of $3.1 million. On July 22, 2019, MPMO made a payment in respect of the MPMO Secured Note in the amount of $3.0 million. As of June 30, 2020, the principal amount outstanding (including accrued interest) under the MPMO Secured Note was approximately $14.9 million. In accordance with the Merger Agreement, the MPMO Secured Note was repaid in full (principal and accrued interest) by FVAC (on behalf of MPMO) at the closing of the Business Combination.
MPMO-SNR Lease
On April 3, 2017, MPMO and SNR entered into a lease and license agreement (the “MPMO-SNR Lease”). MPMO and SNR are both majority owned by investment funds managed by and/or affiliated with JHL Capital Group or QVT Financial.
Pursuant to the MPMO-SNR Lease, SNR agreed to (1) lease to MPMO, on an exclusive basis, all of SNR’s interests in the subterranean minerals rights located below the surface of the real property comprising the Mountain Pass facility (the “Mineral Rights Lease”), and (2) grant an exclusive license to MPMO to use certain intellectual property to develop, use, process, design, market, sale or otherwise dispose of rare earth products and any apparatus and equipment necessary therefor (the “Intellectual Property License”).
The initial term of the MPMO-SNR Lease runs for 30 years from the date of execution of the MPMO-SNR Lease, and thereafter will be renewed for so long as MPMO mines rare earths, or produces or processes rare earth products, on the Mountain Pass facility or other adjacent or contiguous properties owned or controlled by MPMO.
In consideration for the Mineral Rights Lease and Intellectual Property License, MPMO pays to SNR (1) annual “Advanced Minimum Royalties,” which are currently $500,000 and will remain that amount for the term of the MPMO-SNR Lease, and (2) quarterly “Gross Revenue Royalties” equal to 2.5% of MPMO’s gross proceeds from its sales of rare earth products. The Advanced Minimum Royalty payment made in a certain year will be credited against Gross Revenue Royalty payments that become due in that year. The amounts paid by MPMO pursuant to the MPMO-SNR lease totaled approximately $1.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $1.2 million, $0.6 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Shenghe Agreements
Original Commercial Arrangements
In connection with the acquisition and development of the Mountain Pass facility, MPMO entered into a set of commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International Trading Pte. Ltd. (“Shenghe Resources (Singapore)”), a majority owned subsidiary of Leshan Shenghe Rare Earth Co., Ltd (“Leshan Shenghe”) whose ultimate parent is Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd., a Shanghai Stock Exchange listed company. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and its affiliates primarily engage in the mining, separation, processing and distribution of rare earth products. MPMO also issued to Leshan Shenghe, 110.98 MPMO preferred units, which represented all of the issued and outstanding MPMO preferred units. These MPMO units were exchanged for MPMO HoldCo preferred stock and eventually our Common Stock and the contingent right to receive Earnour Shares in connection with the Business Combination.
The original commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) were entered into on May 22, 2017, prior to MPMO’s acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility. These agreements principally consisted of a technical services agreement (the “TSA”), an offtake agreement (the “Original Offtake Agreement”), and a distribution and marketing agreement (the “DMA”).
Under the TSA, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) provided technical services, know-how and other assistance to MPMO in order to facilitate Mountain Pass facility development and operations. In addition, both the TSA and Original Offtake Agreement imposed certain funding obligations on Shenghe Resources (Singapore). The Original Offtake Agreement required Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to advance to MPMO an initial $50 million and the TSA required Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to fund any additional operating and capital expenditures required to bring the Mountain Pass facility to full operability. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) also agreed to provide additional funding in the amount of $30 million to MPMO pursuant to a separate letter agreement dated June 20, 2017, in connection with MPMO’s acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility. Under the terms of these agreements, the amounts funded by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) constitute prepayments for the rare earth products to be sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) historically under the Original Offtake Agreement (and currently under the A&R Offtake Agreement (as defined below)).
Under the Original Offtake Agreement, MPMO sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) purchased on a firm “take or pay” basis, all of the rare earth products produced by the Mountain Pass facility. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) marketed and sold these products to customers, and retained the gross profits earned on subsequent sales. The gross profits were credited against the above-noted prepayments, and provided the means by which MPMO repaid, and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) recovered, such amounts. The Original Offtake Agreement provided for an open book verification of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profits. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) was obliged to prioritize sales to U.S. and European
markets and such other markets as designated by MPMO, provided such sales could be made on reasonably commercial terms. Under the Original Offtake Agreement MPMO was obliged to sell all Mountain Pass facility rare earth products to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) until Shenghe Resources (Singapore) had fully recouped all of its prepayment funding, at which point that agreement would terminate automatically. Product sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) totaled approximately $91.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $73 million, $67 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
As originally entered, the DMA was to become effective upon termination of the Original Offtake Agreement. The DMA provided for a distribution and marketing arrangement between MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore), subject to certain agreed exceptions. MPMO retained the right to distribute its products directly to certain categories of customers. As compensation for its distribution and marketing services, the DMA entitled Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to 35% of the net profits from the sale of Mountain Pass facility rare earth products.
In order to secure Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s performance under the Original Offtake Agreement and TSA, Leshan Shenghe issued a parent guaranty to MPMO on May 22, 2017 (the “Shenghe Guaranty”), and entered into an equity pledge agreement (the “Shenghe Pledge Agreement”) on June 18, 2017.
With regard to Leshan Shenghe’s ownership interest in MPMO, it did not constitute a covered transaction under the relevant regulations administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”). For these purposes, informal, yet detailed, consultations regarding Leshan Shenghe’s ownership of the preferred units and the commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) were undertaken with representatives of CFIUS prior to entering into the original agreements.
Framework Agreement and Restructured Commercial Arrangements
On May 6, 2020, MPMO, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and Leshan Shenghe entered into a framework agreement and amendment (the “Framework Agreement”) that restructures the parties’ commercial arrangements and provided for, among other things, a revised funding amount and schedule to settle Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s prepayment obligations to MPMO, as well as either the amendment or termination of the various agreements between the parties. The revised funding amount and schedule covered the remaining (unfunded) portion of the $50 million initial advance under the Original Offtake Agreement and an additional $35.5 million.
In accordance with the Framework Agreement, MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) entered into an amended and restated offtake agreement on May 19, 2020 (the “A&R Offtake Agreement”), which, upon effectiveness, superseded and replaced the Original Offtake Agreement, and MPMO issued to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) a warrant on June 2, 2020 (the “Shenghe Warrant”), exercisable for 89.88 MPMO preferred units, subject to certain restrictions. Both the A&R Offtake Agreement and Shenghe Warrant became effective on June 5, 2020, the date that Shenghe Resources (Singapore) fully satisfied its revised prepayment funding obligations. The Shenghe Warrant was exercised in full for MPMO preferred units which were exchanged for MPMO HoldCo preferred stock and eventually our Common Stock and the contingent rights to receive Earnout Shares in connection with the Business Combination.
Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s full satisfaction of its revised prepayment funding obligations, also automatically triggered the following other events under the Framework Agreement, without the need for any further action by either party:
the termination of the TSA;
the termination of the DMA (which, by its own terms had never become effective) and, thereby, the termination of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s right to a 35% share of the net profits from the sales of Mountain Pass facility rare earth products; and
the termination of both the Shenghe Guaranty and the Shenghe Pledge Agreement.
Thus, at the present time, Leshan Shenghe’s and Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s involvement with MPMO and the Mountain Pass facility consists of only the A&R Offtake Agreement.
The A&R Offtake Agreement maintains the core take-or-pay and other key terms of the original Offtake Agreement, making only the following material alterations to the original arrangements. In material part, the A&R Offtake Agreement: (i) modifies the definition of “offtake products” in order to remove from the scope of that definition lanthanum, cerium and other rare earth products that do not meet the specifications agreed to under the A&R Offtake Agreement; (ii) as to the offtake products subject to the A&R Offtake Agreement, provide that if MPMO sells such products to a third party, then, until the prepayment funding balance has been reduced to zero, MPMO will pay an agreed percentage of its revenue from such sale to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) which is credited to the prepayment funding balance; (iii) replaces the structure under the Original Offtake Agreement where Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s actual costs and expenses would reduce its gross profits with a fixed monthly sales charge to cover certain of those costs and expenses; (iv) provides that the cash purchase price to be paid by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for Mountain Pass facility rare earth products will be based on market prices (net of taxes, tariffs and certain other agreed charges) less applicable discounts (whereas the Original Offtake Agreement had based pricing on the cost of production); (v) obliges MPMO to pay to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), on an annual basis, an amount equal to MPMO’s annual net income (less income attributable to amounts recouped by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) through the market price discount reference above or otherwise) until the prepayment funding balance has been reduced to zero; (vi) obliges MPMO to pay to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) MPMO’s net after-tax profits from any applicable sale of assets until the prepayment funding balance has been reduced to zero (which obligation was contained previously in the TSA); and (vii) provides for certain changes to the payment, invoicing and delivery terms and procedures for products. The cash purchase price and other terms applicable to a quantity of offtake products are set forth in monthly purchase agreements between MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore). As with the original Offtake Agreement, the A&R Offtake Agreement will terminate when Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has fully recouped all of its prepayment funding. Following that termination, MPMO will have no contractual arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for the distribution, marketing or sale of rare earth products. As of September 30, 2020, the prepayment funding balance under the A&R Offtake Agreement was approximately $78.4 million. Product sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) totaled approximately $91.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
With regard to the Shenghe Warrant, certain restrictions in the warrant and in the Framework Agreement required entering into consultations with CFIUS before either (i) converting preferred units acquired through the Shenghe Warrant into any MPMO common units, or (ii) otherwise converting units that would cause Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s and Leshan Shenghe’s aggregate interest in either preferred units or common units to fall within the scope of CFIUS jurisdiction. These restrictions are consistent with the initial consultations with CFIUS at the time of entering into the original commercial arrangements. The Shenghe Warrant also entitled Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to participate in any dividends or distributions by MPMO at the time those dividends or distributions are made, even if made prior to the exercise of the warrant.
Reagent Purchases
MPMO occasionally purchases reagent products used in the milling process at the Mountain Pass facility from Shenghe Resources (Singapore). Such purchases are made on a case by case basis pursuant to standard purchase orders. Such purchases totaled approximately $2.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $3.2 million, $3.1 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Expense Reimbursements
MPMO reimbursed JHL Capital Group and the QVT Holders $0.1 million in 2017 for recruitment and/or administrative expenses incurred in recruiting and hiring individuals to perform key leadership roles for MPMO.
MPMO has reimbursed JHL Capital Group for travel-related expenses incurred by JHL Capital Group personnel in connection with MPMO business. Such travel-related expense reimbursements totaled $0.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $0.2 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Registration Rights Agreement
In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we entered into the A&R RRA with the parties thereto, including certain of the existing MPMO and SNR equity holders.
Employment Arrangements
In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, MPMO entered into employment agreements with each of its named executive officers. For more information regarding these agreements with MPMO’s executive officers, please see “Executive Compensation”.
Equity Award Grants to Executive Officers
In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, MPMC adopted a Incentive Plan.
Under the terms of the employment agreements entered into with Ms. Bangalore and Messrs. Rosenthal and Corbett, they each received incentive equity awards upon consummation of the Business Combination. For more information regarding the incentive equity awards granted to MPMO’s executive officers, please see “Executive Compensation—Employment Agreements and Other Arrangements with Executive Officers”.
Indemnification Agreements
In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, MPMC entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers. Those indemnification agreements and the Amended and Restated Bylaws require MPMC to indemnify all directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law against any and all expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, and amounts paid in settlement of any claims. The indemnification agreements also provide for the advancement or payment of all expenses to the indemnitee and for reimbursement to MPMC if it is found that such indemnitee is not entitled to such indemnification under applicable law.
Procedures with Respect to Review and Approval of Related Person Transactions
Upon consummation of the Business Combination, MPMC’s board of directors adopted a written related person transaction policy that sets forth the following policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related person transactions.
A “Related Person Transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship in which MPMC or any of its subsidiaries was, is or will be a participant, the amount of which involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any related person had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. A “Related Person” means:
any person who is, or at any time during the applicable period was, one of MPMC’s executive officers or a member of MPMC’s board of directors;
any person who is known by MPMC to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of our voting stock;
any immediate family member of any of the foregoing persons, which means any child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law,father-in-law,daughter-in-law,brother-in-law or
sister-in-law of a director, officer or a beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of our voting stock, and any person (other than a tenant or employee) sharing the household of such director, executive officer or beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of our voting stock; and |
any firm, corporation or other entity in which any of the foregoing persons is a partner or principal or in a similar position or in which such person has a 10 percent (10%) or greater beneficial ownership interest.
MPMC also adopted policies and procedures designed to minimize potential conflicts of interest arising from any dealings it may have with its affiliates and to provide appropriate procedures for the disclosure of any real or potential conflicts of interest that may exist from time to time. Specifically, pursuant to its audit committee charter, the audit committee will have the responsibility to review related person transactions.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth certain information concerning the ownership of Common Stock on December 7, 2020, by (i) those persons who are known to the Company to be the beneficial owner(s) of more than five percent of the Common Stock, (ii) each of the Company’s directors and named executive officers and (iii) all directors and executive officers of the Company as a group.
The number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by each entity, person, director or executive officer is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and the information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership generally includes any shares of Common Stock over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any shares of Common Stock that the individual has the right to acquire within 60 days of December 7, 2020, through the exercise of warrants or other rights. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, the Company believes each of the stockholders named in this table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares of Common Stock indicated as beneficially owned.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Shares Beneficially Owned | Percentage of Beneficial Ownership | ||||||
5% or Greater Stockholders | ||||||||
JHL Capital Group LLC and affiliated entities(1)(11) | 41,706,001 | 26.7 | % | |||||
Fourth Avenue FF Opportunities LP—Series E(2)(11) | 10,142,787 | 6.5 | % | |||||
QVT Financial LP and affiliated entities(3)(11) | 9,879,479 | 6.3 | % | |||||
Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd. and affiliated entities(4)(11) | 12,033,190 | 7.7 | % | |||||
Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC(5) | 9,965,000 | 6.4 | % | |||||
James Henry Litinsky, Trustee of James Henry Litinsky Revocable Trust u/a/d 10/19/2011(11) | 15,940,281 | 10.2 | % | |||||
James H. Litinsky(1)(7)(11) | 57,646,282 | 37.0 | % | |||||
Daniel Gold(2)(3)(11) | 20,022,266 | 12.8 | % | |||||
Named Executive Officers and Directors(6) | ||||||||
James H. Litinsky(1)(7)(11) | 57,646,282 | 37.0 | % | |||||
Andrew A. McKnight(8) | — | — | ||||||
Daniel Gold(2)(3)(11) | 20,022,266 | 12.8 | % | |||||
Gen. Richard B. Myers(9) | 3,998 | * | ||||||
Randall Weisenburger(9) | 3,998 | * | ||||||
Maryanne R. Lavan(9) | 3,998 | * | ||||||
Connie K. Duckworth(9) | 3,998 | * | ||||||
Ryan Corbett(10) | 280,917 | * | ||||||
Michael Rosenthal(10) | 1,563,006 | * | ||||||
Sheila Bangalore(10) | 100,000 | * | ||||||
All current executive officers and directors as a group (10 individuals) | 79,628,463 | 51.1 | % |
* | Less than one percent |
(1) | Represents 2,208 shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group (as defined below), 10,498,799 shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC, and 31,204,994 shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. JHL Capital Group Master Fund L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership (“JHL Master Fund”), is the 100% owner of each of JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. JHL Capital Group Master Fund GP Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“JHL Master Fund GP”), is the general partner of JHL Master Fund. JHL Capital Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“JHL Capital |
Group”), is the investment manager of JHL Master Fund, and is also the 100% owner of JHL Master Fund GP. JHL Capital Group L.P. is the 100% owner of JHL Capital Group. James H. Litinsky holds a controlling interest in JHL Capital Group L.P. and serves as Chief Executive Officer of JHL Capital Group, as well as director of JHL Master Fund GP. Accordingly, JHL Master Fund, JHL Master Fund GP, JHL Capital Group, JHL Capital Group L.P. and Mr. Litinsky may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. Each such person or entity disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address of each such person or entity is c/o JHL Capital Group LLC, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60611. |
(2) | Represents shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF Opportunities LP—Series E (“Fourth Avenue FF-E”). Management of Fourth Avenue FF-E is vested in its general partner, Fourth Avenue Capital Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Fourth Avenue GP”), which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E. The Managing Members of Fourth Avenue GP are Daniel Gold, Nicholas Brumm, Arthur Chu and Tracy Fu, each of whom shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. Each such person or entity disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address of each such person or entity is c/o QVT Financial LP, 444 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022. |
(3) | Represents 1,661,002 shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Family Office Onshore LP (“QVT Onshore”), and 8,218,477 shares of Common Stock held directly by Saratoga Park Ltd. (“Saratoga”). Management of QVT Onshore is vested in its general partner, QVT Associates GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“QVT Associates GP”), which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore. QVT Financial LP, a Delaware limited partnership, is the investment manager of QVT Onshore and Saratoga, and shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore and Saratoga. QVT Financial GP LLC (“QVT Financial GP”), a Delaware limited liability company, is the general partner of QVT Financial LP. The Managing Members of each of QVT Associates GP and QVT Financial GP are Daniel Gold, Nicholas Brumm, Arthur Chu and Tracy Fu, each of whom shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore and Saratoga and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. Each such person or entity disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address for each of the foregoing is c/o QVT Financial LP, 444 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022. |
(4) | Represents 6,648,628 shares of Common Stock held directly by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (“Shenghe Resources (Singapore)”) and 5,384,562 shares of Common Stock held directly by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International Trading Pte. Ltd. (“Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International”). Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International are controlled by Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd. (“Shenghe Resources Holding”). Accordingly, Shenghe Resources Holding may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International. Shenghe Resources Holding disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest it may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address of (i) Shenghe Resources (Singapore) is 10 Anson Road #13-15, International Plaza Singapore (079903) (ii) Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International is 60 Paya Lebar Road #08-05, Paya Lebar Square Singapore (409051), and (iii) Shenghe Resources Holding is 7/F Chengnan Tianfu, No. 66 Shenghe Yilu, High-tech Zone, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. |
(5) | Represents shares of Common Stock directly held by Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC (“Sponsor”). The managing member of Sponsor is Principal Holdings I LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Principal Holdings”), which may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the Common Stock held directly by Sponsor and has voting and investment discretion in respect of such shares. Each of Sponsor and Principal |
Holdings disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The address of Sponsor and Principal Holdings is 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105. |
(6) | The business address of the individuals is 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450 Las Vegas, Nevada. |
(7) | Includes 15,940,281 shares of Common Stock held by James Henry Litinsky, Trustee of James Henry Litinsky Revocable Trust u/a/d 10/19/2011. |
(8) | Such individual has an indirect pecuniary interest in shares of Common Stock of the issuer through his ownership of membership interests of Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company but does not beneficially own such shares. |
(9) | Represents restricted stock units, which represent a contingent right to receive one share of Common Stock. |
(10) | Represents shares of restricted stock granted to such individual on the Closing Date pursuant to the terms of his or her employment agreement. |
(11) | Each of the entities that directly hold these shares of Common Stock acquired them on November 17, 2020, as consideration for such entity’s shares of MPMO Holding Company and/or SNR Holding Company, LLC, which MPMC acquired in the Business Combination on November 17, 2020. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the entities will have the contingent right to receive additional shares of Common Stock, (a) if, at any time during the ten years following the closing of the Business Combination, the VWAP of the shares of Common Stock is greater than or equal to $18.00 for any twenty trading days within any thirty-trading day period; and (b) if, at any time during the ten years following the closing of the Business Combination, the VWAP of the shares of Common Stock is greater than or equal to $20.00 for any twenty trading days within any thirty-trading day period. |
The Selling Securityholders listed in the table below may from time to time offer and sell any or all of the shares of Common Stock set forth below pursuant to this prospectus. When we refer to the “Selling Securityholders” in this prospectus, we refer to the persons listed in the table below, and the pledgees, donees, permitted transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the Selling Securityholders’ interest in the shares of Common Stock after the date of this prospectus other than through a public sale.
The following table sets forth, as of the date of this prospectus:
the name of the Selling Securityholders for whom we are registering shares of Common Stock for resale to the public,
the number and percentage of shares of Common Stock that the Selling Securityholders beneficially owned prior to the offering for resale of the securities under this prospectus,
the number and percentage of shares of Common Stock that may be offered from time to time for resale for the account of the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus, and
the number and percentage of shares to be beneficially owned by the Selling Securityholders after the offering of the resale securities (assuming all of the offered shares of Common Stock are sold by the Selling Securityholders).
Our registration of the shares of Common Stock does not necessarily mean that the Selling Securityholders will sell all or any of such Common Stock. A Selling Securityholder may sell all, some or none of such securities in this offering. The 11,499,968 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants (i) are not included in the “Beneficial Ownership Before the Offering” column below and (ii) are included in the “Shares Offered” column below. See “Plan of Distribution.”
Shares of Common Stock
Beneficial Ownership Before the Offering | Shares Offered | Beneficial Ownership After the Shares Offered are Sold | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Selling Securityholder | Number of Shares | %(1) | Number of Shares | %(2) | Number of Shares | % | ||||||||||||||||||
JHL Capital Group LLC and affiliated entities(3)(8) | 41,706,001 | 26.7 | 47,539,477 | 26.4 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Fourth Avenue FF Opportunities LP—Series E(4)(8) | 10,142,787 | 6.5 | 11,561,473 | 6.4 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
QVT Financial LP and affiliated entities(5)(8) | 9,879,479 | 6.3 | 11,261,333 | 6.2 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC(6) | 9,965,000 | 6.4 | 9,965,000 | 6.0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
James Henry Litinsky, Trustee of James Henry Litinsky Revocable Trust u/a/d 10/19/2011(7)(8) | 15,940,281 | 10.2 | 18,169,871 | 10.0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Aaron F. Hood | 25,000 | * | 25,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Alberta Investment Management Corporation(9) | 500,000 | * | 763,068 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Alyeska Investment Group(10) | 1,835,463 | 1.2 | 1,658,466 | * | 335,463 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Brian Kreiter | 60,000 | * | 60,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Carmen Policy | 25,000 | * | 25,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
ChaChaCha 2019 Trust DTD 9/20/2019(11) | 2,500,000 | 1.6 | 2,500,000 | 1.4 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
DSAM Partners(12) | 1,865,878 | 1.2 | 1,000,000 | * | 865,878 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Grandview LLC(13) | 1,527,285 | * | 1,314,039 | * | 527,285 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Jaws Capital LP(14) | 500,000 | * | 550,000 | * | 200,000 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Jordan Tomalty | 69,000 | * | 50,000 | * | 19,000 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Ilan Shalit | 590,000 | * | 590,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Magnetar Financial(15) | 500,000 | * | 500,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Moore Global Investments, LLC(16) | 1,615,779 | 1.0 | 1,833,333 | 1.0 | 115,779 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Nineteen 77 Entities(17) | 500,000 | * | 590,850 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Omega Capital Partners, L.P.(18) | 2,000,000 | 1.3 | 2,000,000 | 1.1 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
RDA Ventures, LLC(19) | 1,500,000 | * | 1,500,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Slate Path Master Fund LP(20) | 4,330,000 | 2.8 | 4,000,000 | 2.2 | 330,000 | * | ||||||||||||||||||
Sycomore L/S Opportunities(21) | 250,000 | * | 250,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Tech Opportunities LLC(22) | 250,000 | * | 250,000 | * | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
The Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd.(23) | 1,500,000 | * | 1,500,000 | * | — | — |
* | Less than 1% |
(1) | Based on 155,920,632 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on December 7, 2020. |
(2) | Based on (i) 155,920,632 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding, (ii) 11,499,968 shares of Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of the public warrants on December 7, 2020 and (iii) 12,859,898 earnout shares (as defined below). |
(3) | Represents 2,208 shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group (as defined below), 10,498,799 shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC, and 31,204,994 shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. “Shares Offered” includes 306 earnout shares, 1,468,482 earnout shares and 4,364,688 earnout shares, respectively, that JHL Capital Group, JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC have the contingent right to receive. JHL Capital Group Master Fund L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership (“JHL Master Fund”), is the 100% owner of each of JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. JHL Capital Group Master Fund GP Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“JHL Master Fund GP”), is the general partner of JHL Master Fund. JHL Capital Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“JHL Capital Group”), is the investment manager of JHL Master Fund, and is also the 100% owner of JHL Master Fund GP. JHL Capital Group L.P. is the 100% owner of JHL Capital Group. James H. Litinsky holds a controlling interest in JHL Capital Group L.P. and serves as Chief Executive Officer of JHL Capital Group, as well as director of JHL Master Fund GP. Accordingly, JHL Master Fund, JHL Master Fund GP, JHL Capital Group, JHL Capital Group L.P. and Mr. Litinsky may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. Each such person or entity disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address of each such person or entity is c/o JHL Capital Group LLC, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60611. |
(4) | Represents shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF Opportunities LP—Series E (“Fourth Avenue FF-E”). “Shares Offered” includes 1,418,686 earnout shares that Fourth Avenue FF-E has the contingent right to receive. Management of Fourth Avenue FF-E is vested in its general partner, Fourth Avenue Capital Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Fourth Avenue GP”), which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E. The Managing Members of Fourth Avenue GP are Daniel Gold, Nicholas Brumm, Arthur Chu and Tracy Fu, each of whom shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. Each such person or entity disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest |
they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address of each such person or entity is c/o QVT Financial LP, 444 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022. |
(5) | Represents 1,661,002 shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Family Office Onshore LP (“QVT Onshore”), and 8,218,477 shares of Common Stock held directly by Saratoga Park Ltd. (“Saratoga”). “Shares Offered” includes 232,324 earnout shares and 1,149,530 earnout shares, respectively, that QVT Onshore and Saratoga have the contingent right to receive. Management of QVT Onshore is vested in its general partner, QVT Associates GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“QVT Associates GP”), which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore. QVT Financial LP, a Delaware limited partnership, is the investment manager of QVT Onshore and Saratoga, and shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore and Saratoga. QVT Financial GP LLC (“QVT Financial GP”), a Delaware limited liability company, is the general partner of QVT Financial LP. The Managing Members of each of QVT Associates GP and QVT Financial GP are Daniel Gold, Nicholas Brumm, Arthur Chu and Tracy Fu, each of whom shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore and Saratoga and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. Each such person or entity disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The business and/or mailing address for each of the foregoing is c/o QVT Financial LP, 444 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022. |
(6) | Represents shares of Common Stock directly held by Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC (“Sponsor”). The managing member of Sponsor is Principal Holdings I LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Principal Holdings”), which may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the Common Stock held directly by Sponsor and has voting and investment discretion in respect of such shares. Each of Sponsor and Principal Holdings disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. The address of Sponsor and Principal Holdings is 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105. |
(7) | “Shares Offered” includes 2,229,590 earnout shares that James Henry Litinsky, Trustee of James Henry Litinsky Revocable Trust u/a/d 10/19/2011 has the contingent right to receive. |
(8) | Each of the entities that directly hold these shares of Common Stock acquired them on November 17, 2020, as consideration for such entity’s shares of MPMO Holding Company and/or SNR Holding Company, LLC, which MPMC acquired in the Business Combination on November 17, 2020. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the entities will have the contingent right to receive additional shares of Common Stock, (a) if, at any time during the ten years following the closing of the Business Combination, the VWAP of the shares of Common Stock is greater than or equal to $18.00 for any twenty trading days within any thirty-trading day period; and (b) if, at any time during the ten years following the closing of the Business Combination, the VWAP of the shares of Common Stock is greater than or equal to $20.00 for any twenty trading days within any thirty-trading day period (the “earnout shares”). |
(9) | Alberta Investment Management Corporation is a body corporate established as an agent of the Crown in right of the Province of Alberta and manages funds on behalf of a diverse set of Alberta public sector clients for which it serves as investment manager. “Shares Offered” includes 263,068 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of public warrants. |
(10) | Includes (i) 13,259 shares of shares of Common Stock held by Alyeska Master Fund 3, L.P. and (ii) 1,822,204 shares of Common Stock held by Alyeska Master Fund, L.P. Alyeska Investment Group, L.P., the investment manager of Alyeska Master Fund, L.P. and Alyeska Master Fund 3, L.P. (the “Alyeska Investors”), has voting and investment control of the shares held by the Alyeska Investors. Anand Parekh is the Chief Executive Officer of Alyeska Investment Group, L.P. and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of such shares. Mr. Parekh, however, disclaims any beneficial ownership of the shares held by the Alyeska Investors. The address of the entities discussed in this footnote and Mr. Parekh is 77 W. Wacker, Suite 700, Chicago, Illinois 60601. “Shares Offered” includes 158,466 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of public warrants. |
(11) | Chamath Palihapitiya may be deemed to beneficially own securities held by ChaChaCha 2019 Trust DTD 9/20/2019 (the “ChaChaCha Trust”) by virtue of his voting and investment control over the ChaChaCha Trust. The address of the ChaChaCha Trust is 405 El Camino Real #153, Menlo Park, California 94025. |
(12) | Includes (i) 1,450,091 shares of shares of Common Stock held by DSAM+ Master Fund and (ii) 415,787 shares of Common Stock held by LMA SPC—MAP 112 Segregated Portfolio. DSAM Partners (London) Ltd. (“DSAM Partners”) is the investment advisor to DSAM+ Master Fund and LMA SPC—MAP 112 Segregated Portfolio (the “DSAM Investors”) and, as such, may be deemed to have voting and investment power over the securities held by the DSAM Investors. DSAM Partners is ultimately controlled by Mr. Guy Shahar. The DSAM Investors and Mr. Shahar disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities listed above. The address of DSAM+ Master Fund is c/o Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box Ugland House, Grand Cayman. The address of LMA SPC—MAP 112 Segregated Portfolio is c/o Walkers Corporate Services Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-1104. |
(13) | Millennium Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Millennium Management”), is the managing member of Grandview LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Grandview”) and may be deemed to have shared voting control and investment discretion over securities owned by Grandview. Millennium Group Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Millennium Group Management”), is the managing member of Millennium Management and may also be deemed to have shared voting control and investment discretion over securities owned by Grandview. The managing member of Millennium Group Management is a trust of which Mr. Israel A. Englander, a United States citizen, currently serves as the sole voting trustee. Therefore, Mr. Englander may also be deemed to have shared voting control and investment discretion over securities owned by Grandview. The foregoing should not be construed in and of itself as an admission by Millennium Management, Millennium Group Management or Mr. Englander as to beneficial ownership of the securities owned by Grandview. The address of Grandview is c/o Millennium Management LLC, 666 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10103. “Shares Offered” includes 314,039 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of public warrants. |
(14) | Voting and investment control over the shares held by Jaws Capital LP is shared by Barry Sternlicht and David Stein. The address of the stockholder is 591 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. “Shares Offered” includes 250,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of public warrants. |
(15) | Includes (i) 64,000 shares of Common Stock held by Magnetar Structured Credit Fund, LP, (ii) 59,000 shares of Common Stock held by Magnetar Xing He Master Fund Ltd, (iii) 23,000 shares of Common Stock held by Purpose Alternative Credit Fund – F LLC, (iv) 11,500 shares of Common Stock held by Purpose Alternative Credit Fund – T LLC, (v) 44,500 shares of Common Stock held by Magnetar SC Fund Ltd, (vi) 170,500 shares of Common Stock held by Magnetar Constellation Master Fund, Ltd., (vii) 100,000 shares of Common Stock held by Magnetar Capital Master Fund, Ltd, and (viii) 27,500 shares of Common Stock held by Magnetar Longhorn Fund LP. Magnetar Financial LLC (“MFL”) serves as investment manager of each Magnetar Capital Master Fund, Ltd, Magnetar Constellation Master Fund, Ltd., Magnetar Longhorn Fund LP, Magnetar SC Fund Ltd and Magnetar Xing He Master Fund Ltd. MFL is the manager of Purpose Alternative Credit Fund—F LLC and Purpose Alternative Credit Fund—T LLC. MFL is the general partner of Magnetar Structured Credit Fund, LP (together with all of the foregoing funds, the “Magnetar Funds”). In such capacities, MFL exercises voting and investment power over the securities held for the accounts of the Magnetar Funds. MFL is a registered investment adviser under Section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Magnetar Capital Partners LP (“MCP”), is the sole member and parent holding company of MFL. Supernova Management LLC (“Supernova”), is the sole general partner of MCP. The manager of Supernova is Alec N. Litowitz, a citizen of the United States of America. Each of the Magnetar Funds, MFL, MCP, Supernova and Alec N. Litowitz disclaim beneficial ownership of these securities except to the extent of their pecuniary interest in the securities. The address of the stockholders is 1603 Orrington Ave., 13th FL, Evanston, IL. 60201. |
(16) | Moore Capital Management, LP, the investment manager of Moore Global Investments, LLC (“MGI LLC”), has voting and investment control of the shares held by MGI LLC. Mr. Louis M. Bacon controls the general partner of Moore Capital Management, LP and may be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares held by MGI LLC. Mr. Bacon also is the indirect majority owner of MGI LLC. The address of MGI LLC, Moore Capital Management, LP and Mr. Bacon is 11 Times Square, New York, New York 10036. “Shares Offered” includes 333,333 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the public warrants. |
(17) | Includes (i) 250,000 shares of Common Stock held by Nineteen77 Global Merger Arbitrage Master Limited, (ii) 150,000 shares of Common Stock held by Nineteen77 Global Multi-Strategy Alpha Master Limited, (iii) 50,000 shares of Common Stock held by Nineteen77 Environmental Focus Fund (Cayman) Master Limited and (iv) 50,000 shares of Common Stock held by Select Alternative Strategies II ICAV, solely on behalf of Nineteen77 Environmental Focus Fund (EU) (collectively, the “Nineteen77 Entities”). Kevin Russell, the Chief Investment Officer of UBS O’Connor LLC, is deemed to have power to vote or dispose of the shares held by the Nineteen77 Entities. The address of the Nineteen77 Entities and Mr. Russell is c/o UBS O’Connor LLC, One North Wacker Drive, 31st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606. “Shares Offered” includes 90,850 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of public warrants. |
(18) | Omega Associates, LLC, as the general partner of Omega Capital Partners, L.P., exercises voting and investment power with respect to the securities. Leon G. Cooperman as the managing member of Omega Associates, LLC may be deemed the beneficial owner of the securities held by Omega Capital Partners, L.P. The address of Omega Associates, LLC is 810 Seventh Avenue, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10019. |
(19) | David Broser as the managing member of RDA Ventures, LLC may be deemed the beneficial owner of the securities held by RDA Ventures, LLC. The address of RDA Ventures, LLC is 104 W 40th Street, 19th Floor, New York, NY, 10018. |
(20) | Mr. David Greenspan serves as the Managing Member and Chief Executive Officer of Slate Path Capital GP LLC, the general partner of Slate Path Master Fund LP. The address of Slate Path Master Fund LP is 717 Fifth Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
(21) | The shares of Common Stock are held of record by Sycomore L/S Opportunities as a management company acting on behalf of open-ended European UCITS mutual funds. The address of Sycamore L/S Opportunities is 14 Avenue Hoche – 75008 Paris, France. |
(22) | Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, the investment manager of Tech Opportunities LLC, has voting and investment power over these securities. Sander Gerber is the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP. Each of Tech Opportunities LLC and Sander Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership over these securities. The address of Tech Opportunities LLC is c/o Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, 777 Third Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, New York, 10017. |
(23) | Includes (i) 1,350,000 shares of Common Stock held by Shotfut Menayot Hul – Phoenix Amitim and (ii) 150,000 shares of Common Stock held by The Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd. Nostro. The Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd. – Nostro and Shotfut Menayot Hul - Phoenix Amitim are managed and controlled by The Phoenix Holdings Ltd. (the “Phoenix”) as subsidiaries of it. The subsidiaries manage their own funds and/or the funds of others, including for members of pension or provident funds. The Phoenix and each of the subsidiaries operates under independent management and makes its own independent voting and investment decisions. The address for the Phoenix and each of the subsidiaries is 53 Derech Hashalom Street, Givatyim, Israel. |
Each of the Selling Securityholders that is a broker-dealer or an affiliate of a broker-dealer has represented to us that it purchased the securities offered by this prospectus in the ordinary course of business and, at the time of purchase of those securities, did not have any agreements, understandings or other plans, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute those shares.
Material Relationships with the Selling Holders
For a description of our relationships with the Selling Securityholders and their affiliates see the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Description of Securities.”
Other Material Relationships
JHL Master Fund is the 100% owner of each of JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital group Holdings Two LLC. JHL Master Fund GP is the general partner of JHL Master Fund. JHL Capital Group is the investment manager of JHL Master Fund, and is also the 100% owner of JHL Master Fund GP. JHL Capital Group L.P. is the 100% owner of JHL Capital Group. James H. Litinsky, our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of our Board, holds a controlling interest in JHL Capital Group L.P. and serves as Chief Executive Officer of JHL Capital Group, as well as director of JHL Master Fund GP. Accordingly, JHL Master Fund, JHL Master Fund GP, JHL Capital Group, JHL Capital Group L.P. and Mr. Litinsky may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. James H. Litinsky disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly.
Management of Fourth Avenue FF-E is vested in its general partner, Fourth Avenue GP, which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E. Management of QVT Onshore is vested in its general partner, QVT Associates GP, which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore. QVT Financial LP is the investment manager of QVT Onshore and Saratoga and shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore and Saratoga. QVT Financial GP is the general partner of QVT Financial LP. Daniel Gold, a member of our Board, is a Managing Member of Fourth Avenue GP, QVT Associates GP and QVT Financial GP and shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E, QVT Onshore and Saratoga and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. Daniel Gold disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly.
Andrew A. McKnight, a member of our Board, is a Managing Partner of the Credit Funds business at Fortress, and has an indirect pecuniary interest in shares of our Common Stock through his ownership of membership interests of Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company but does not beneficially own such shares.
General
These summaries are not intended to be a complete discussion of the rights of Company stockholders and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the Delaware General Corporation Law and the various documents of the Company that are referred to in the summaries, as well as reference to the Second Amended and Restated Charter and Amended and Restated Bylaws, copies of which are included as Exhibits 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Authorized Capital Stock
The Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of 500,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (i) 450,000,000 shares of common stock, consisting entirely of 450,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share and (ii) 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0,0001 per share
Common Stock
Voting Power
Except as otherwise required by law or as otherwise provided in any certificate of designation for any series of preferred stock, under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the holders of Common Stock will possess all voting power for the election of our directors and all other matters requiring stockholder action and are entitled or will be entitled, as applicable, to one vote per share on matters to be voted on by stockholders.
Dividends
Subject to the rights, if any of the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock, under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, holders of the Common Stock will be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the our Board in its discretion out of funds legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.
Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up
The Second Amended and Restated Charter provides that subject to applicable law and the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the preferred stock, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of MPMC, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of MPMC, the holders of shares of Common Stock will be entitled to share ratably in all the remaining assets of MPMC available for distribution to its stockholders.
Preemptive or Other Rights
Under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, MPMC stockholders will have no preemptive or other subscription rights and there will be no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to Common Stock.
Number and Election of Directors
Under the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the MPMC Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with only one class of directors being elected in each
year and each class (except for those directors appointed to Class I and Class II in connection with the Business Combination) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the Class I directors will expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class II directors will expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class III directors will expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
Under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, there is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that following the consummation of the Business Combination, directors of MPMC will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of the MPMC stockholders by holders of Common Stock.
Preferred Stock
Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our Board is authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional, special and other rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our Board is able, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the Common Stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of the our Board to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.
Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
Each whole public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of FVAC’s IPO or 30 days after the consummation of the Business Combination. A warrant holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of shares of Common Stock. This means that only a whole public warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. The public warrants will expire five years after the completion of the Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We are not obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a public warrant and will have no obligation to settle such public warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the public warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No public warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their public warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption is available. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a public warrant, the holder of such public warrant will not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash to settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised public warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such public warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Common Stock underlying such unit.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days, after the closing of the Business Combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) business days after the closing of the Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the public warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the above, if our Common Stock is at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of Warrants for Cash. Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may call the public warrants for redemption:
in whole and not in part;
at a price of $0.01 per public warrant;
upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and
if, and only if, the last reported sale price of shares of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30) trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the public warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its public warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Common Stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption of Warrants for Common Stock. Commencing ninety days after the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants:
in whole and not in part;
at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value”(as defined below) of the Common Stock except as otherwise described below;
if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and
if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given.
The numbers in the table below represent the number of shares of Common Stock that a warrant holder will receive upon exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Common Stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per public warrant), determined based on the average of the last reported sales price for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the public warrants, each as set forth in the table below.
The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a public warrant is adjusted as set forth below. The adjusted stock prices in the column headings will equal the stock prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a public warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a public warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a public warrant.
Redemption Date | Fair Market Value of Common Stock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(period to expiration of warrants) | 10.00 | 11.00 | 12.00 | 13.00 | 14.00 | 15.00 | 16.00 | 17.00 | 18.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
57 months | 0.257 | 0.277 | 0.294 | 0.310 | 0.324 | 0.337 | 0.348 | 0.358 | 0.365 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
54 months | 0.252 | 0.272 | 0.291 | 0.307 | 0.322 | 0.335 | 0.347 | 0.357 | 0.365 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
51 months | 0.246 | 0.268 | 0.287 | 0.304 | 0.320 | 0.333 | 0.346 | 0.357 | 0.365 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
48 months | 0.241 | 0.263 | 0.283 | 0.301 | 0.317 | 0.332 | 0.344 | 0.356 | 0.365 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
45 months | 0.235 | 0.258 | 0.279 | 0.298 | 0.315 | 0.330 | 0.343 | 0.356 | 0.365 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
42 months | 0.228 | 0.252 | 0.274 | 0.294 | 0.312 | 0.328 | 0.342 | 0.355 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
39 months | 0.221 | 0.246 | 0.269 | 0.290 | 0.309 | 0.325 | 0.340 | 0.354 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
36 months | 0.213 | 0.239 | 0.263 | 0.285 | 0.305 | 0.323 | 0.339 | 0.353 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
33 months | 0.205 | 0.232 | 0.257 | 0.280 | 0.301 | 0.320 | 0.337 | 0.352 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 months | 0.196 | 0.224 | 0.250 | 0.274 | 0.297 | 0.316 | 0.335 | 0.351 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 months | 0.185 | 0.214 | 0.242 | 0.268 | 0.291 | 0.313 | 0.332 | 0.350 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 months | 0.173 | 0.204 | 0.233 | 0.260 | 0.285 | 0.308 | 0.329 | 0.348 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 months | 0.161 | 0.193 | 0.223 | 0.252 | 0.279 | 0.304 | 0.326 | 0.347 | 0.364 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 months | 0.146 | 0.179 | 0.211 | 0.242 | 0.271 | 0.298 | 0.322 | 0.345 | 0.363 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 months | 0.130 | 0.164 | 0.197 | 0.230 | 0.262 | 0.291 | 0.317 | 0.342 | 0.363 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 months | 0.111 | 0.146 | 0.181 | 0.216 | 0.250 | 0.282 | 0.312 | 0.339 | 0.363 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 months | 0.090 | 0.125 | 0.162 | 0.199 | 0.237 | 0.272 | 0.305 | 0.336 | 0.362 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 months | 0.065 | 0.099 | 0.137 | 0.178 | 0.219 | 0.259 | 0.296 | 0.331 | 0.362 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 months | 0.034 | 0.065 | 0.104 | 0.150 | 0.197 | 0.243 | 0.286 | 0.326 | 0.361 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0 months | — | — | 0.042 | 0.115 | 0.179 | 0.233 | 0.281 | 0.323 | 0.361 |
The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of shares of our Common Stock to be issued for each public warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the average last reported sale price of our Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the public warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the public
warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their public warrants for 0.277 shares of our Common Stock for each whole public warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the average last reported sale price of our Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the public warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the public warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their public warrants for 0.298 shares of our Common Stock for each whole public warrant. In no event will the public warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.365 shares of our Common Stock per public warrant. Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the public warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any shares of our Common Stock.
This redemption feature differs from the typical public warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of public warrants for cash when the trading price for the Common Stock exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding public warrants to be redeemed when the Common Stock is trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Common Stock is below the exercise price of the public warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the public warrants without the public warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “—Redemption of Warrants for Cash.” Holders choosing to exercise their public warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their public warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding public warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the public warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed and we will be required to pay the redemption price to public warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the public warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the public warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the public warrants and pay the redemption price to the public warrant holders.
As stated above, we can redeem the public warrants when the Common Stock is trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing public warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the public warrants when the Common Stock is trading at a price below the exercise price of the public warrants, this could result in the public warrant holders receiving fewer Common Stock than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their public warrants for Common Stock if and when such Common Stock were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.
No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Common Stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the public warrants are exercisable for a security other than the shares of Common Stock pursuant to the warrant agreement, the public warrants may be exercised for such security.
Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise. If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above under “—Redemption of Warrants for Cash,” management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its public warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of public warrants would pay the
exercise price by surrendering their public warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of shares of the Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the public warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a public warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the public warrants after the Business Combination. If we call our public warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, the Sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their Private Placement Warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other public warrant holders would have been required to use had all public warrant holders been required to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a public warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such public warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the public warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock to all or substantially all holders of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock, in determining the price payable for Common Stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the public warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to all or substantially all holders of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the public warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends or (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Common Stock in connection with the Business Combination, then the public warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Common Stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective
date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Common Stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants is adjusted, as described above, the public warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the public warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the public warrants and in lieu of our shares of Common Stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the public warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their public warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each public warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the outstanding Common Stock, the holder of a public warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such public warrant holder had exercised the public warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustment (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Common Stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Common Stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the public warrant properly exercises the public warrant within thirty (30) days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant.
The public warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and FVAC. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which was filed as an exhibit to the registration statement pertaining to FVAC’s IPO, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective
provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.
The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Common Stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Common Stock. After the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law, MPMC’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Provisions of the DGCL and our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws could make it more difficult to acquire MPMC by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, or to remove incumbent officers and directors. These provisions, summarized below, are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control the Company to first negotiate with the board of directors. We believe that the benefits of these provisions outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging certain takeover or acquisition proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms and enhance the ability of the MPMC Board to maximize stockholder value. However, these provisions may delay, deter or prevent a merger or acquisition of us that a stockholder might consider is in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price of tour Common Stock.
Business Combinations
The Company has opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL; however the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that are substantially similar to Section 203 of the DGCL. These provisions prevent the Company, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with (i) a stockholder who owns fifteen percent (15%) or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”); (ii) an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or (iii) an associate of an interested stockholder, in each case, for three years following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder.
A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions do not apply if:
the MPMC Board approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction;
after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than certain excluded shares of common stock; or
on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the MPMC Board and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.
In addition, our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provide for certain other provisions that may have an anti-takeover effect:
There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors.
Our Board is empowered to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death, or removal of a director in certain circumstances.
Directors may only be removed from the board of directors for cause.
A prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders.
A prohibition on stockholders calling a special meeting and the requirement that a meeting of the stockholders may only be called by members of our Board, by our Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairman, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors.
Our authorized but unissued Common Stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Common Stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Classified Board:
Under the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the MPMC Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed to Class I and Class II in connection with the Business Combination) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the Class I directors will expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class II directors will expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class III directors will expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Members of the MPMC Board will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at each annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC. Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of the stockholders by holders of our Common Stock. So long as the MPMC Board is classified, it would take at least two elections of directors for any individual or group to gain control of the MPMC Board. Accordingly, while the classified board is in effect, these provisions could discourage a third party from initiating a proxy contest, making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to gain control of MPMC.
Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations
Our Amended and Restated Bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before the annual meeting of the stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at the annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of the stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our Amended and Restated Bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude the stockholders of MPMC from bringing matters before our annual meeting of the stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of the stockholders.
Exclusive Forum
The Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that unless MPMC consents to the selection of an alternative forum, any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of MPMC, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, stockholder or employee to MPMC or its stockholders, (3) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Second
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Amended and Restated Bylaws or (4) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, another state or federal court located within the State of Delaware. Additionally, the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will also provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the United States federal securities laws, including the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of MPMC shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation; however, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such an exclusive forum provision with respect to claims under the Securities Act. Additionally, investors cannot waive MPMC’s compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Rule 144
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company, such as the Company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;
the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and
at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.
Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company ceased to be a shell company.
When and if Rule 144 becomes available for the resale of our securities, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our Common Stock for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities, provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our Common Stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
one percent (1%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding; or
the average weekly reported trading volume of the Common Stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 will also be limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
We are registering the issuance by us of up to 11,499,968 shares of our Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of the public warrants to purchase Common Stock.
We are also registering the resale by the Selling Securityholders or their permitted transferees of up to 118,047,154 shares of Common stock.
The Selling Securityholders may offer and sell, from time to time, their respective shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus. The Selling Securityholders will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale. Such sales may be made on one or more exchanges or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise, at prices and under terms then prevailing or at prices related to the then current market price or in negotiated transactions. The Selling Securityholders may sell their securities by one or more of, or a combination of, the following methods:
on the NYSE, in the over-the-counter market or on any other national securities exchange on which our securities are listed or traded;
in privately negotiated transactions;
in underwritten transactions;
in a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell the offered securities as agent but may purchase and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
through purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account pursuant to this prospectus;
in ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker solicits purchasers;
through the writing of options (including put or call options), whether the options are listed on an options exchange or otherwise;
through the distribution of the securities by any Selling Securityholder to its partners, members or stockholders;
in short sales entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part;
by pledge to secured debts and other obligations;
to or through underwriters or agents;
“at the market” or through market makers or into an existing market for the securities; and
any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.
The Selling Securityholders may sell the securities at prices then prevailing, related to the then prevailing market price or at negotiated prices. The offering price of the securities from time to time will be determined by the Selling Securityholders and, at the time of the determination, may be higher or lower than the market price of our securities on the NYSE or any other exchange or market. The Selling Securityholders may also sell our securities short and deliver the securities to close out their short positions or loan or pledge the securities to broker-dealers or other financial institutions that in turn may sell the securities. The shares may be sold directly or through broker-dealers or other financial institutions acting as principal or agent or pursuant to a distribution by one or more underwriters on a firm commitment or best-efforts basis. The Selling Securityholders may also enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions. In connection with such transactions, broker-dealers or other financial institutions may engage in short sales of our securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume with the Selling Securityholders. The Selling Securityholders may also
enter into options or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction). In connection with an underwritten offering, underwriters or agents may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the Selling Securityholders or from purchasers of the offered securities for whom they may act as agents. In addition, underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. The Selling Securityholders and any underwriters, dealers or agents participating in a distribution of the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any profit on the sale of the securities by the Selling Securityholders and any commissions received by broker-dealers may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act.
The Selling Securityholders party to the A&R RRA have agreed, and the other Selling Securityholders may agree, to indemnify the underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act), against certain liabilities related to the sale of the securities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the securities must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
The Selling Securityholders are subject to the applicable provisions of the Exchange Act, including Regulation M. This regulation, if applicable to sales hereunder, may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the securities offered in this prospectus by the Selling Securityholders. The anti-manipulation rules under the Exchange Act may apply to sales of the securities in the market and to the activities of the Selling Securityholders and their affiliates. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the securities to engage in market-making activities for the particular securities being distributed for a period of up to five business days before the distribution. The restrictions may affect the marketability of the securities and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities for the securities.
At the time a particular offer of securities is made, if required, a prospectus supplement will be distributed that will set forth the number of securities being offered and the terms of the offering, including the name of any underwriter, dealer or agent, the purchase price paid by any underwriter, any discount, commission and other item constituting compensation, any discount, commission or concession allowed or reallowed or paid to any dealer, and the proposed selling price to the public.
To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended and/or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution. Instead of selling the securities under this prospectus, the Selling Securityholders may sell the securities in compliance with the provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, or pursuant to other available exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
Restrictions to Sell
Pursuant to the A&R RRA the restricted stockholders agreed not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock during the period (i) in the case of shares of Common Stock held by the New Holders other than the JHL Holders (as each such term is defined in the A&R RRA), 180 days after the Closing Date or (ii) in the case of shares of Common Stock held by the Insiders and the JHL Holders, one year after the Closing Date.
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS
The following discussion is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our Common Stock by non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). This summary is based upon U.S. federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, which is subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary does not discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular non-U.S. Holders in light of their individual circumstances, including non-U.S. Holders subject to special tax rules (e.g., financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations), taxpayers that have elected mark-to-market accounting, passive foreign investment companies, or controlled foreign corporations), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ materially from those summarized below. In addition, this summary does not discuss other U.S. federal tax consequences (e.g., estate or gift tax), any state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations, the Medicare tax or alternative minimum tax. In addition, this summary is limited to non-U.S. Holders that will hold our Common Stock as a “capital asset” (generally, property held for investment) under the U.S. Tax Code. No ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has been or will be sought regarding any matter discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax aspects set forth below.
A “non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our Common Stock (other than an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, any of the following:
an individual citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation (or any other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person.
If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our Common Stock, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner of such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership, and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership holding our Common Stock, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our Common Stock.
THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR COMMON STOCK, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.
Taxation of Distributions
In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a non-U.S. Holder of shares of our Common Stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business
within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Common Stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Common Stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders—Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below.
Dividends we pay to a non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. If the non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).
Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock
A non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Common Stock, unless:
the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. Holder within the United States (or, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder);
the non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or
(i) we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the non-U.S. Holder held our Common Stock, and (ii) shares of our Common Stock (A) are not regularly traded on an established securities market or (B) are regularly traded on an established securities market, but the non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Common Stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our Common Stock. There can be no assurance that our Common Stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.
Gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties.
If the third bullet point above applies to a non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such non-U.S. holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Common Stock, including distributions not constituting a dividend described above, will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, if our stock is not regularly traded on an established securities market, or such non-U.S. Holder owns more than 5% of our Common Stock as described above a buyer of our Common Stock from such non-U.S. Holder may be
required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition, and we may be required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% on distributions not constituting a dividend, as described above. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We believe that we currently are a United States real property holding corporation. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
Additional U.S. Federal Tax Considerations
Backup Withholding and Additional Information Reporting
Distributions paid to a non-U.S. Holder and the amount of any tax withheld with respect to such distributions generally will be reported to the IRS. Copies of the information returns reporting such distributions and any withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. Holder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty.
A non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to backup withholding on dividends received if such holder certifies under penalty of perjury that it is a non-U.S. Holder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person as defined under the Code), or such holder otherwise establishes an exemption.
Information reporting and, depending on the circumstances, backup withholding will apply to the proceeds of a sale or other disposition of our Common Stock made within the United States or conducted through certain United States-related financial intermediaries, unless the beneficial owner certifies under penalty of perjury that it is a non-U.S. Holder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a United States person as defined under the Code), or such owner otherwise establishes an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a non-U.S. Holder’s United States federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Sections 1471 through 1474 of the U.S. Tax Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of Common Stock held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. Department of Treasury. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which Common Stock is held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our Common Stock held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our Common Stock.
The financial statements of Fortress Acquisition Corp. as of June 30, 2020 and from the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 have been audited by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, an independent registered public accounting firm as set forth in their report thereon, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The financial statements of MP Mine Operations, LLC as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, have been included herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The consolidated financial statements of Secure Natural Resources, LLC as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and for the years then ended, included in this Registration Statement, have been audited by RSM US, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report appearing elsewhere herein, and have been included in this prospectus in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The information appearing in this prospectus concerning estimates of our proven and probable REO reserves for the Mountain Pass facility was derived from the report of SRK Consulting, independent mining consultants, and has been included herein upon the authority of SRK Consulting as experts with respect to the matters covered by such report and in giving such report.
Sidley Austin LLP will pass upon the validity of the Common Stock and warrants covered by this prospectus. Any underwriters or agents will be advised about other issues relating to the offering by counsel to be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which forms a part of such registration statement, does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information pertaining to us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and to its exhibits. The registration statement has been filed electronically and may be obtained in any manner listed below. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are not necessarily complete. If a contract or document has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or a report we file under the Exchange Act, you should refer to the copy of the contract or document that has been filed. Each statement in this prospectus relating to a contract or document filed as an exhibit to a registration statement or report is qualified in all respects by the filed exhibit.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on our website, free of charge, at www.mpmaterials.com. The information found on, or that can be accessed from or that is hyperlinked to, our website is not part of this prospectus. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided herein.
On November 17, 2020, the Audit Committee of the MPMC’s Board approved the engagement of KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to audit the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. KPMG served as the independent registered public accounting firm of MPMO prior to the Business Combination. Accordingly, WithumSmith+Brown, PC (“Withum”), FVAC’s independent registered public accounting firm prior to the Business Combination, was informed that it would be replaced by KPMG as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm following completion of the Business Combination.
Withum’s report on FVAC’s balance sheet as of June 30, 2020, and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows, for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 did not contain any adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles. During the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 and the subsequent period through November 17, 2020, there were no: (i) disagreements with Withum on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosures or audited scope or procedures, which disagreements if not resolved to Withum’s satisfaction would have caused Withum to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its report or (ii) reportable events as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
During the year period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 and the interim period through November 17, 2020, FVAC did not consult KPMG with respect to either (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed; or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on FVAC’s financial statements, and no written report or oral advice was provided to FVAC by KPMG that KPMG concluded was an important factor considered by FVAC in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a disagreement, as that term is described in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act and the related instructions to Item 304 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act, or a reportable event, as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act.
FVAC has provided Withum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures and has requested that Withum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the statements made by the registrant in response to this Item 304(a) and, if not, stating the respects in which it does not agree. A letter from Withum is attached as Exhibit 16.1 to the Registration Statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
GLOSSARY OF SELECTED MINING TERMS
The following is a glossary of selected mining terms used in this proxy statement/consent solicitation/prospectus that may be technical in nature:
Assay | The analysis of the proportions of metals in ore, or the testing of an ore or mineral for composition, purity, weight, or other properties of commercial interest. | |
Bastnasite | Bastnasite is a mixed Lanthanide fluoro-carbonate mineral (Ln F CO3) that currently provides the bulk of the world’s supply of the light REEs. Bastnasite and monazite are the two most common sources of cerium and other REEs. Bastnasite is found in carbonatites, igneous carbonate rocks that melt at unusually low temperatures. | |
Cerium | Cerium (Ce) is a soft, silvery, ductile metal which easily oxidizes in air. Cerium is the most abundant of the REEs, and is found in a number of minerals, including monazite and bastnasite. | |
Concentrate | A mineral processing product that generally describes the material that is produced after crushing and grinding ore effecting significant separation of gangue (waste) minerals from the metal and/or metal minerals, and discarding the waste and minor amounts of metal and/or metal minerals. The resulting “concentrate” of minerals typically has an order of magnitude higher content of minerals than the beginning ore material. | |
Core Sample | One or several pieces of whole or split parts of core selected as a sample for analysis or assay. | |
Cut-off grade | The lowest grade of mineralized material that qualifies as ore in a given deposit. The grade above which minerals are considered economically mineable considering the following parameters: estimates over the relevant period of mining costs, ore treatment costs, general and administrative costs, refining costs, royalty expenses, by-product credits, process and refining recovery rates and price. | |
Dysprosium | Dysprosium (Dy) is used in high power neodymium iron boron magnets to enhance thermal stability. | |
Europium | Europium (Eu) is desirable due to its photon emission. Excitation of the europium atom, by absorption of electrons or by UV radiation, results in changes in energy levels that create a visible emission. Almost all practical uses of europium utilize this luminescent behavior. | |
Gadolinium | Gadolinium (Gd) is a silvery-white, malleable and ductile rare-earth metal. Gadolinium has exceptionally high absorption of neutrons and therefore is used for shielding in neutron radiography and in nuclear reactors. Because of its paramagnetic properties, solutions of organic gadolinium complexes and gadolinium compounds are the most popular intravenous medical magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents in MRI. | |
Grade | The average REE content, as determined by assay of a ton of ore. | |
Lanthanum | Lanthanum (La) is the first member of the Lanthanide series. Lanthanum is a strategically important rare earth element due to its use in fluid bed cracking catalysts, FCCs, which are used in the production of transportation and aircraft fuel. Lanthanum is also used in fuel cells and batteries. | |
Metamorphic | Affected by physical, chemical, and structural processes imposed by depth in the earth’s crust. |
Mill | A processing plant that produces a concentrate of the valuable minerals contained in an ore. | |
Neodymium | Neodymium (Nd) is used in the production of NdFeB permanent magnets. These permanent magnets, which maximize the power/cost ratio, are used in a large variety of motors and mechanical systems. Cellular phones, vehicle systems and certain lasers contain both neodymium magnets and capacitors, which produce powerful electronic generation and boost the power of these devices. | |
Open pit | A mine working or excavation open to the surface. | |
Ore | That part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of reserve determination. | |
Overburden | In surface mining, overburden is the material that overlays an ore deposit. Overburden is removed prior to mining. | |
Praseodymium | Praseodymium (Pr) comprising about 4% of the lanthanide content of bastnasite, is a common coloring pigment. Along with neodymium, praseodymium is used to filter certain wavelengths of light. Praseodymium is used in photographic filters, airport signal lenses, and welder’s glasses. As part of an alloy, praseodymium is used in permanent magnet systems designed to make smaller and lighter motors. Praseodymium is also used in automobile and other internal combustion engine pollution control catalysts. | |
Probable (indicated) reserves | Reserves for which quantity and grade and/or quality are computed from information similar to that used for proven (measured) reserves, but the sites for inspection, sampling, and measurement are farther apart or are otherwise less adequately spaced. The degree of assurance, although lower than that for proven (measured) reserves, is high enough to assume continuity between points of observation. | |
Proven (measured) reserves | Reserves for which (a) quantity is computed from dimensions revealed in outcrops, trenches, workings or drill holes; grade and/or quality are computed from the results of detailed sampling and (b) sites for inspection sampling and measurement are spaced so closely and the geologic character is so well defined that size, shape, depth and mineral content of reserves are well-established. | |
Reclamation | The process of returning land to another use after mining is completed. | |
Recovery | The percentage of contained metal actually extracted from ore in the course of processing such ore. | |
Reserves | Part of a mineral deposit that could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination. | |
Samarium | Samarium (Sm) is a silvery-white metallic element that is predominantly used to produce high temperature, high power samarium cobalt. | |
SEG+ | Samarium, europium and gadolinium, plus other rare earth elements such as dysprosium and terbium | |
Short ton | Short ton is a mass measurement unit equal to 2,000 pounds-mass. | |
Strike | The direction of the line of intersection of a REE deposit with the horizontal plane of the ground. The strike of a deposit is the direction of a straight line that connects two points of equal elevation on the deposit. | |
Tailings | That portion of the mined material that remains after the valuable minerals have been extracted. |
Terbium | Terbium (Tb) is a soft, malleable, silvery-grey element of the lanthanide series, used in x-ray and color television tubes. | |
Yttrium | Yttrium (Y) is predominantly utilized in auto-catalysts. Other uses include resonators, microwave communication devices and other electronic devices. |
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Fortress Value Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of June 30, 2020, and the related statement of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows, for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
New York, New York
August 26, 2020
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
June 30, 2020
Assets: | ||||
Current assets: | ||||
Cash | $ | 1,430,152 | ||
Prepaid expenses | 450,706 | |||
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Total current assets | 1,880,858 | |||
Investments held in Trust Account | 345,036,875 | |||
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Total Assets | $ | 346,917,733 | ||
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Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity: | ||||
Current liabilities: | ||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 984,828 | ||
Franchise tax payable | 86,814 | |||
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Total current liabilities | 1,071,642 | |||
Deferred underwriting commissions | 12,075,000 | |||
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Total Liabilities | 13,146,642 | |||
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Commitments and Contingencies: | ||||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 32,877,109 shares subject to possible redemption | 328,771,090 | |||
Stockholders’ Equity: | ||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | |||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 1,622,891 issued and outstanding (excluding 32,877,109 shares subject to possible redemption) | 162 | |||
Class F common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 8,625,000 shares issued and outstanding | 863 | |||
Additional paid-in capital | 5,320,817 | |||
Accumulated deficit | (321,841 | ) | ||
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Total Stockholders’ Equity | 5,000,001 | |||
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Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | $ | 346,917,733 | ||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
For the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 | ||||
General and administrative expenses | $ | 271,902 | ||
Franchise tax expense | 86,814 | |||
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Loss from operations | (358,716 | ) | ||
Interest income | 36,875 | |||
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Net loss | $ | (321,841 | ) | |
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Weighted average shares outstanding—Class A common stock | 34,500,000 | |||
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Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class A | $ | 0.00 | ||
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Weighted average shares outstanding—Class F common stock | 8,625,000 | |||
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Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class F | $ | (0.04 | ) | |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
For the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020
Common stock | Additional Paid-In Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Total Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance—January 24, 2020 (inception) | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of Class F common stock to the Sponsor | — | — | 8,625,000 | 863 | 24,137 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sale of units in initial public offering, net of offering costs | 34,500,000 | 3,450 | — | — | 325,164,482 | — | 325,167,932 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sale of private placement warrants to the Sponsor | — | — | — | — | 8,900,000 | — | 8,900,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | (32,877,109 | ) | (3,288 | ) | — | — | (328,767,802 | ) | — | (328,771,090 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | — | (321,841 | ) | (321,841 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Balance—June 30, 2020 | 1,622,891 | $ | 162 | 8,625,000 | $ | 863 | $ | 5,320,817 | $ | (321,841 | ) | $ | 5,000,001 | |||||||||||||||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
For the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
Net loss | $ | (321,841 | ) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||
Interest income from investments held in Trust Account | (36,875 | ) | ||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
Prepaid expenses | (450,706 | ) | ||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 333,642 | |||
Franchise tax payable | 86,814 | |||
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Net cash used in operating activities | (388,966 | ) | ||
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Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||
Cash deposited in Trust Account | (345,000,000 | ) | ||
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Net cash used in investing activities | (345,000,000 | ) | ||
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Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
Proceeds from issuance of Class F common stock to the Sponsor | 25,000 | |||
Proceeds received under loan from the Sponsor | 211,382 | |||
Repayment of loan from the Sponsor | (211,382 | ) | ||
Proceeds received from initial public offering, net of underwriting commission | 338,100,000 | |||
Payment of offering costs | (205,882 | ) | ||
Proceeds received from private placement | 8,900,000 | |||
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Net cash provided by financing activities | 346,819,118 | |||
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Net change in cash | 1,430,152 | |||
Cash—beginning of the period | — | |||
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Cash—end of the period | $ | 1,430,152 | ||
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Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities: | ||||
Offering costs included in accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 651,186 | ||
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Deferred underwriting commissions in connection with the initial public offering | $ | 12,075,000 | ||
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Value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 328,771,090 | ||
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
1. Description | of Organization and Business Operations |
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as ain Delaware corporation andon January 24, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses which we refer(“Business Combination”). Although the Company is not limited to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Although we may pursue an acquisition in anya particular industry or geography, we intendgeographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, the Company intends to capitalize on the ability of ourits management team and the broader Fortress platform to identify, acquire and operate a business that may provide opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns.
The issuance of additional shares of our stock in a business combination:
may significantly diluteAll activity from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 relates to the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class F common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A common stock on a greater thanone-to-one basis upon conversionCompany’s formation, completion of the Class F common stock;
may subordinateinitial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), and, since the rightsclosing of holders of our common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;
could causethe initial public offering, the search for a change of control if a substantial number of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A common stock and/or warrants; and
may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
73
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
At January 31, 2020 we held cash of $25,000 and deferred offering costs of $197,800. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, weBusiness Combination candidate. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of ouran initial business combination. WeBusiness Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generatenon-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on cashApril 29, 2020. On May 4, 2020, the Company consummated its initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) of 34,500,000 units (“Units” and, funds investedwith respect to the Class A common stock included in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the dateUnits being offered, the “Public Shares”), which included the issuance of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses4,500,000 Units as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accountingthe underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $345.0 million and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially afterincurring offering costs of approximately $19.8 million, inclusive of approximately $12.1 million in deferred underwriting commissions (Note 5).
Substantially concurrently with the closing of this offering.the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated a private placement (“Private Placement”) of 5,933,333 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, with the Company’s sponsor, Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $8.9 million (Note 4).
LiquidityUpon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior toPrivate Placement, $345.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the completionaggregate net proceeds of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder sharesUnits in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement was placed in a U.S.-based trust account (“Trust Account”) at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. The proceeds held in the Trust Account were invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
As of June 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $1.4 million in cash held outside of the Trust Account. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to our sponsor and up to $300,000 under the promissory note provided by our sponsor. We estimate thatspecific application of the net proceeds from (i)of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the unitsnet proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company’s initial Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in this offering, after deducting offering expensesthe Trust Account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if any, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of the Company signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act.
Subsequent to June 30, 2020, a definitive agreement to merge was announced between the Company and MP Materials, owner and operator of Mountain Pass, the only rare mining and processing site of scale in North America, to effect a Business Combination with FVAC Merger Corp. I, a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“MPMO Merger Corp.”), FVAC Merger LLC II, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“SNR Merger Company”), FVAC Merger LLC III, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“MPMO Merger LLC”), FVAC Merger LLC IV, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“SNR Merger LLC” and, together with MPMO Merger Corp., SNR Merger Company and MPMO Merger LLC, the “Merger Subs”), MP Mine Operations LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“MPMO”) and Secure Natural Resources LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SNR” and, together with MPMO, each a “Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Subsidiaries”). The Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby will constitute a “Business Combination” as contemplated by the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The Merger Agreement and the Business Combination were unanimously approved by the board of directors of the Company in July 2020. For further information, refer to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on July 15, 2020.
The Company will provide its stockholders of Public Shares (“Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it will: (i) conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and (ii) file proxy materials with the SEC. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount in the Trust Account (initially approximately $900,000$10.00 per share), plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and underwriting commissionsnot previously released to the Company to pay for the Company’s tax obligations, calculated as of $6,000,000 ($6,900,000iftwo business days prior to the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excludingconsummation of the Business Combination. The per-share amount to be distributed to public stockholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions of $10,500,000 (or upthe Company will pay to $12,075,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercisedunderwriters (as discussed in full)),Note 5). These Public Shares will be recorded at a redemption value and (ii)classified as temporary equity upon the salecompletion of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $8,000,000 (or $8,900,000if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercisedInitial Public Offering, in full), will be $301,100,000 (or $346,100,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $300,000,000 or $345,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, including $10,500,000 (or up to $12,075,000if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions) will be deposited into the trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. The remaining $1,100,000will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $900,000we may fund such excessaccordance with funds not to be held in the trust account.Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the amountCompany will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of funds we intendat least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial stockholders (as defined below) have agreed to vote their
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Founder Shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination. In addition, the initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be held outsiderestricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely,Class A common stock sold in the eventInitial Public Offering, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors (the “initial stockholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the offering expenses are lesssubstance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A common stock in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 24 months (May 2022) from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (the “Combination Period”), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than our estimateten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of $900,000, the amountoutstanding Public Shares which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of funds we intendthe remaining stockholder and the Company’s board of directors, proceed to be held outsidecommence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the trust account would increase byCompany, subject in each case to its obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law.
In connection with the redemption of 100% of the Company’s outstanding Public Shares for a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially allportion of the funds held in the trust account, includingTrust Account, each holder will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account, plus any amounts representingpro rata interest earned on the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions)funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to complete our initial business combination. We may withdrawthe Company to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay our taxes,dissolution expenses).
The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if any. We estimate our annual franchise tax obligations, based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstandingCompany fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial stockholders should acquire Public Shares in or after the completionInitial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of this offering,the Company’s Public Shares.
In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.00 per share initially held in the Trust Account (or less than that in certain circumstances). In order to be $200,000, which is the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation per annum. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned onprotect the amounts held in the trust account. ToTrust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company, if and to the extent that our capital stockany claims by a third party for services rendered or debt is used,products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in wholethe Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
74
proceedsclaim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account will be used as working capitalTrust Account or to financeany claims under the operationsCompany’s indemnity of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Priorunderwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the completionextent of our initial business combination, weany liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have available to us $1,100,000indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of proceeds held outsidecreditors by endeavoring to have all third parties, service providers (other than the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations ofCompany’s independent auditors), prospective target businesses or their representativesother entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or owners, review corporate documentsclaim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
On June 17, 2020, the Company announced that, commencing June 22, 2020, the holders of the Company’s units may elect to separately trade the Class A common stock and material agreementswarrants comprising the units. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiatethe units and complete a business combinationonly whole warrants will trade. Those units not separated will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FVAC.U,” and each of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants that are separated will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols “FVAC” and “FVAC WS,” respectively.
Liquidity
As of June 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $1.4 million in its operating bank account, $36,875 of interest income available in the Trust Account to pay for taxes if needed.
(less up to $100,000 to pay for dissolution expenses) and working capital surplus of $809,216. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor,a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsorthe Sponsor, or certain of ourthe Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan usthe Company funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, werequired (“Working Capital Loans”) (see Note 4). Based on the foregoing, management believes that the Company will have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet the Company’s needs through the earlier of consummation of a Business Combination or one year from the issuance of these financial statements. Over this time period, the Company will be using these funds for paying existing accounts payable, and transaction expenses related to the Company’s proposed Business Combination.
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in December 2019 and continues to impact global markets. This coronavirus has resulted in closing borders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to markets, supply chains and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus continues to evolve and is affecting the economies of many nations, individual companies and markets in general and may repay such loaned amounts outcontinue to last for an extended period of time.
Management will continue to evaluate the impact of the proceeds ofCOVID-19 pandemic and while the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outsidevirus could have an adverse effect on the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor future financial results, cash flows and/or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $150,000for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $170,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations; $85,000 for NYSE continued listing fees; $20,000 for office space, administrative and support services; $100,000as a reserve for liquidation expenses and approximately $115,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes, if needed).
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business orcompany, the specific impact is not readily determinable as a down payment or to fund a“no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although weof the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
2. | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
Basis of presentation
The accompanying financial statements have any current intentionbeen prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) pursuant to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a“no-shop” provision would be determined based on the termsrules and regulations of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.SEC.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertakingin-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
75
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emergingEmerging growth company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the JOBSSecurities Act, would we be required to comply withas modified by the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement onJumpstart our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we intend toBusiness Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firmauditor attestation requirement.
Prior to the closingrequirements of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small andmid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
reconciliation of accounts;
proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The independent auditorsJOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their auditmake comparison of internal control overthe Company’s financial reporting.statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market RiskUse of estimates
The net proceedspreparation of this offeringthe financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 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.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed as of June 30, 2020, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Offering costs
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Initial Public Offering and totaled approximately $19.8 million, inclusive of approximately $12.1 million in deferred underwriting commissions. Offering costs were charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in May 2020.
Income taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the United States of America is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of June 30, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020.
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including Class A common stock that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A common stock are classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of June 30, 2020, 32,877,109 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption at the redemption amount are presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
Net loss per share
The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of income per share for common stock subject to redemption in a manner similar to the two-class method of income per share.
Net income (loss) per common stock, basic and diluted for Class A common stock for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 was calculated by dividing the interest income earned on the Trust Account of $36,875, net of funds available to be withdrawn from the Trust Account for taxes of $36,875, which resulted in net income of none, respectively, by the weighted average number of Class A common stock outstanding for the period.
Net income (loss) per common stock, basic and diluted for Class F common stock for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 was calculated by dividing the net income (loss), less income attributable to Class A common stock by the weighted average number of Class F common stock outstanding for the period.
The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering (including the consummation of the over-allotment) and Private Placement to purchase an aggregate of 17,433,333 shares of Class A common stock in the calculation of diluted loss per share, since their inclusion would be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method as of June 30, 2020.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. As of June 30, 2020, the Company had not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Fair value of financial instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Fair value measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the private placement warrants heldmeasurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturityfair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
As of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule2a-7 underJune 30, 2020, the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Duerecorded values of cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses and franchise tax payable approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these investments, weinstruments.
Recent accounting pronouncements
Management does not believe therethat any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
3. | Initial Public Offering |
On May 4, 2020, the Company sold 34,500,000 Units, including the issuance of 4,500,000 Units as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will be no associated material exposureentitle the holder to interest rate risk.purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6).
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
4. |
Management and Board of Directors The below is a list of our executive officers and directors and their respective ages and a brief account of each of their business experience:
Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, the size of the our Board was increased from five directors to seven directors, and each of the above directors was elected by our stockholders at the special meeting of our stockholders held on November 13, 2020 to approve the Business Combination. In addition, pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement, Mr. Rosenthal has the right to attend all MPMC Board meetings as a non-voting observer for so long as he remains employed by MPMC. We have determined that each of Mr. Weisenburger, Ms. Lavan, Ms. Duckworth, Gen. Myers, Mr. McKnight and Mr. Gold meet the objective independence standards established by the NYSE and have determined that, independent of such objective standards, no relationship exists that would impair the independence of any of Mr. Weisenburger, Ms. Lavan, Ms. Duckworth, Gen. Myers, Mr. McKnight or Mr. Gold. James Litinsky is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of JHL Capital Group. Before founding JHL Capital Group in 2006, Mr. Litinsky was a member of the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund at Fortress Investment Group. Prior to Fortress, he was a Director of Finance at Omnicom Group, and he worked as a merchant banker at Allen & Company. Mr. Litinsky received a B.A. in Economics from Yale University, cum laude, and a J.D./M.B.A. from the Northwestern University School of Law and the Kellogg School of Management. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar. Mr. Litinsky serves on the Boards of AbilityLab and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Retired U.S. Air Force General Richard B. Myers serves as the President of Kansas State University, where he is also a professor of military history and leadership. Gen. Myers loyally served his country for forty years and retired as a four-star general. Since 2006, Mr. Myers has also served as the President of R Myers and Associate, LLC. From 2001-2005, he served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Mr. Myers was the highest-ranking uniformed officer of U.S. military forces and served as the principal military adviser to President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the National Security Council. Since retirement from the military, Myers has served on several public and non-profit boards, and also held the Colin Powell Chair for National Security Leadership, Ethics, and Character at National Defense University. During the past five years, Mr. Myers has been a director of the following public or formerly public companies: Deere and Co., Northrop Grumman Corp., United Technologies and Aon PLC. Mr. Myers also currently serves on the board of non-profits Fisher House and MRI Global and on the board of the governmental entity Defense Health Board. In addition, Mr. Myers has also been a director of several private companies in various industries. Mr. Myers is well-qualified to serve as a member of the our Board because of his substantial knowledge about strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, finance, accounting, capital structure and board practices and his extensive experience serving as a director of public and private companies in various industries. Andrew A. McKnight served as a director and Chief Executive Officer of FVAC from January 2020 to the consummation of the Business Combination. Mr. McKnight is a Managing Partner of the Credit Funds business at Fortress. Mr. McKnight is based in San Francisco and heads the liquid credit investment strategies at Fortress, serves on the investment committee for the Credit Funds business at Fortress and is a member of the Management Committee of Fortress. Mr. McKnight previously served on the board of directors of Mosaic Acquisition Corp. from 2017 to 2020. Prior to joining Fortress in February 2005, he was the trader for Fir Tree Partners where he was responsible for analyzing and trading high yield and convertible bonds, bank debt, derivatives and equities for the value-based hedge fund. Prior to Fir Tree, Mr. McKnight worked on Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s distressed bank debt trading desk. Mr. McKnight received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia. Daniel Gold serves as the CEO, managing partner and founder of QVT Financial LP, an asset management company with offices in New York and New Delhi. QVT Financial, through its managed and affiliated multi-strategy funds, is an experienced global investor in multiple industries, including biotech, financial, shipping and offshore industries. Mr. Gold founded QVT Financial LP in 2003. Mr. Gold holds an AB in Physics from Harvard College. Mr. Gold also currently serves on the board of public companies, Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp. and Awilco Drilling PLC, in addition to various private companies, including Roivant Sciences Ltd. Mr. Gold is well-qualified to serve as a member of the MPMC Board because of his substantial knowledge about strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, finance, accounting, capital structure and board practices and his extensive experience serving as a director of public and private companies in various industries. Randall Weisenburger is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), the global media, marketing and corporate communications holding company, where he served from 1998 through 2014. After Omnicom, he formed Mile 26 Capital in 2015. Mr. Weisenburger was a founding member of Wasserstein Perella, and from 1993 to 1998 was President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm’s merchant banking subsidiary, Wasserstein & Co. He also held various roles within WP’s portfolio of investment companies including: Co-Chairman of Collins & Aikman Corp., CEO of Wickes Manufacturing, Vice Chairman of Maybelline Inc., and Chairman of American Law Media. Before Wasserstein Perella, he was a member of the First Boston Corporation. Mr. Weisenburger currently serves as the Lead Independent Director of Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), where he is the Chairman of the Compensation and Compliance Committees, and a member of the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees. He is also a Director of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO), where is he Chairman of the Audit Committee, and a Director of Corsair Components Inc. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named the Henry Ford Scholar, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Accounting from Virginia Tech. Maryanne R. Lavan is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Lockheed Martin Corporation, a global security and aerospace company principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services operating in four business segments: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems and Space. In this role, she is responsible for the legal affairs and law department of Lockheed Martin, including serving as counsel to its senior leadership and Board of Directors. She previously served as the Vice President of Corporate Internal Audit for Lockheed Martin, providing independent assessments of governance, internal controls and risk management. She joined Lockheed Martin in 1990. Ms. Lavan graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany with a Bachelor of Science degree. She received her juris doctor degree from the Washington College of Law, American University. Ms. Lavan is a member of the Public Contract Law Section of the American Bar Association. She serves on the governing bodies for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Equal Justice Works, Council for Court Excellence, University at Albany Foundation, and Fordham University. Connie K. Duckworth is a former Partner and Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, and retired in 2000, following a nineteen-year career. She was named Partner in 1990, the first woman sales and trading partner in the firm’s history. After Goldman Sachs, Ms. Duckworth founded ARZU in 2004 to empower destitute women weavers in rural Afghanistan and served pro bono as its Chairman and CEO until its merger with UK-based Turquoise Mountain in 2019. Ms. Duckworth is a Trustee of Equity Residential (EQR) in Chicago and a Director of Steelcase Inc. (SCS) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Previously, she served on the boards of directors of Northwestern Mutual, Russell Investment Group, Nuveen Investments, Smurfit Stone Container Corporation, and DNP Select Income Fund. In her philanthropic work, Ms. Duckworth is a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, an Overseer of The Wharton School, and a member of the International Board of Advisors of the University of Texas at Austin. She serves on the board of NorthShore University HealthSystem, in Evanston, Illinois, where she was the first and only woman Chairman of the Board. She is a founding member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in Washington, D.C. and a member of the Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Policy Advisory Council in Dallas. The recipient of numerous awards for leadership, social impact and innovation, Ms. Duckworth holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Michael Rosenthal co-founded MPMO and has been managing the Mountain Pass operation since MPMO took control of the site in 2017. Mr. Rosenthal is currently a Partner at QVT Financial, an investment firm. At QVT, Mr. Rosenthal concentrated on investments in the global automotive sector and in China. Prior to joining QVT, he worked as a senior high yield credit analyst for Shenkman Capital Management. Mr. Rosenthal graduated from Duke University with an A.B. degree in Economics and Comparative Area Studies. Ryan Corbett joined MPMO as Chief Financial Officer in 2019. He joined JHL Capital Group as a Managing Director to focus on the firm’s investment in MP in 2019. Prior to joining JHL Capital Group, he was an Analyst at Brahman Capital Corp. and King Street Capital Management, both alternative asset managers based in New York, where he focused on special situations investments across the capital structure, from 2012 to 2019. Mr. Corbett started his career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley & Co. He graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Finance. Sheila Bangalore joined MPMO as its Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel in 2020. Prior to joining MPMO, Ms. Bangalore was most recently Assistant General Counsel at Aristocrat Technologies from 2015 to 2020, and previously held legal roles at Zappos and Bally Technologies. Ms. Bangalore began her career at Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP. She is currently a board member of the United Way of Southern Nevada, and a former board member and President of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Nevada Chapter. Ms. Bangalore received her B.A. in Literature from Tufts University and her J.D. from the Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently an MBA Candidate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Board of Directors In accordance with our Second Amended and Restated Charter, we have a classified Board of Directors, with two directors in Class I (James Litinsky and Andrew A. McKnight), three directors in Class II (Maryanne R. Lavan, General (Retired) Richard B. Myers, and Connie K. Duckworth) and two directors in Class III (Randall Weisenburger and Daniel Gold), with only one class of directors being elected in each year. The term of the initial Class I Directors shall expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC; the term of the initial Class II Directors shall expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC; and the term of the initial Class III Directors shall expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC. At each succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC, beginning with the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting shall be elected for a three-year term or until the election and qualification of their respective successors in office, subject to their earlier death, resignation or removal. To strengthen the role of the independent directors and encourage independent leadership, the MPMC Board appointed Mr. Weisenburger as lead independent director at the special meeting of stockholders on November 17, 2020. The position of lead independent director has been structured to serve as an effective balance to Mr. Litinsky’s leadership as the combined Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. In addition, we believe that the lead independent director serves as a conduit between the other independent directors and the Chairman. Committees of the Board of Directors MPMC has three standing committees—an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Governance Committee, composed solely of independent directors. The MPMC Board may from time to time establish other committees. Each of the committees will report to the MPMC Board as it deems appropriate and as the MPMC Board may request. The composition, duties and responsibilities of these committees are set forth below. Audit Committee Randall Weisenburger, Connie K. Duckworth, and Maryanne R. Lavan are the members of the Audit Committee. Randall Weisenburger is the chairman of the Audit Committee. Each proposed member of the audit committee qualifies as an independent director under the NYSE corporate governance standards and the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Our Board has determined that each of Randall Weisenburger and Maryanne R. Lavan qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K and that each of the members is financially literate, as defined under the rules of the NYSE. Under its charter, the functions of the Audit Committee include: the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by MPMC; the pre-approval of all non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by MPMC; setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC; discussing with management and the independent auditor, as appropriate, any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response, and MPMC’s risk assessment and risk management policies, including MPMC’s major financial risk exposure and steps taken by management to monitor and mitigate such exposure; and reviewing MPMC’s financial reporting and accounting standards and principles, significant changes in such standards or principles or in their application and the key accounting decisions affecting MPMC’s financial statements, including alternatives to, and the rationale for, the decisions made. Compensation Committee Andrew A. McKnight, Randall Weisenburger, and Daniel Gold are the members of the Compensation Committee. Andrew A. McKnight is the chairman of the Compensation Committee. All of the members of the Compensation Committee are independent directors and are considered to be a “non-employee director” under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. Under its charter, the functions of the Compensation Committee include: reviewing and approving annually corporate goals and objectives relating to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), evaluating the performance of the CEO in light of those goals and reviewing and establishing the CEO’s annual compensation and incentive plan participation levels and bases of participation; reviewing and approving annually the evaluation process and compensation structure for MPMC’s or its subsidiaries’ other officers; to evaluate, review and recommend to the MPMC Board any changes to, or additional, stock-based and other incentive compensation plans; and to recommend inclusion of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis in the annual proxy statement and annual report on Form 10-K to be filed with the SEC. In addition, on an annual basis, the Compensation Committee will conduct an in-depth, broad scope and detailed review of succession planning efforts at multiple levels of the MPMC management team. The Compensation Committee charter also provides that the Compensation Committee shall have the sole authority to retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the Compensation Committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by NYSE and the SEC. Nominating and Governance Committee Connie K. Duckworth, General (Retired) Richard B. Myers, and Maryanne R. Lavan are members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Connie K. Duckworth is the chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee. All of the members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are independent directors. Under its charter, the functions of the Compensation Committee include: identifying individuals qualified to become MPMC Board member and recommending to the MPMC Board the director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders; recommending to the Board the corporate governance guidelines applicable to MPMC; leading the MPMC Board in its annual review of the performance of (a) the MPMC Board; (b) the MPMC Board committees; and (c) management; recommending to the MPMC Board nominees for each MPMC Board committee; and reviewing and recommending annually for approval by the MPMC Board, the form and amount of non-management director compensation and benefits. The Nominating and Governance Committee shall have the sole authority to retain and terminate any search firm to be used to identify director candidates and shall have sole authority to approve the search firm’s fees and other retention terms. The Nominating and Governance Committee has not set specific minimum qualifications for director positions. Instead, the Nominating and Governance Committee will review nominations for election or re-election to the Board on the basis of a particular candidate’s merits and MPMC’s needs after taking into account the current composition of the MPMC Board. When evaluating candidates annually for nomination for election, the Nominating and Governance Committee will consider an individual’s skills, diversity, independence, experience in areas that address the needs of the MPMC Board and ability to devote adequate time to MPMC Board duties. The Nominating and Governance Committee does not specifically define diversity, but values diversity of experience, perspective, education, race, gender and national origin as part of its overall annual evaluation of director nominees for election or re-election. Whenever a new seat or a vacated seat on the MPMC Board is being filled, candidates that appear to best fit the needs of the MPMC Board and MPMC will be identified, interviewed and evaluated by the Nominating and Governance Committee. Candidates selected by the Nominating and Governance Committee will then be recommended to the full MPMC Board. Code of Ethics MPMC has adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to its directors, executive officers and employees that complies with the rules and regulations of the NYSE. The Code of Ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of MPMC’s business. A copy of the Code of Ethics has been filed with the SEC and will be provided without charge upon written request to Sheila Bangalore, Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel, in writing at 6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119. MPMC intends to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of its Code of Ethics on MPMC’s website. As we are an emerging growth company, we have opted to comply with the executive compensation disclosure rules applicable to emerging growth companies. The scaled down disclosure rules are those applicable to “smaller reporting companies,” as such term is defined in the rules promulgated under the Securities Act, which require compensation disclosure for MPMO’s principal executive officer and its two most highly compensated executive officers other than the principal executive officer whose total compensation for 2019 exceeded $100,000 and who were serving as executive officers as of December 31, 2019. We refer to these individuals as “named executive officers.” 2019 Compensation During 2019, neither Mr. Rosenthal nor Mr. Corbett were separately compensated by MPMO for their service to MPMO. Instead, Mr. Rosenthal received compensation from QVT Financial for his services to QVT Financial, which included serving as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MPMO, and Mr. Corbett received compensation from JHL Capital Group for his services to JHL Capital Group, which included serving as Chief Financial Officer of MPMO. Because Mr. Rosenthal and Mr. Corbett each performed a number of services for QVT Financial and JHL Capital Group, respectively, MPMO is unable to allocate compensation received from QVT Financial and JHL Capital Group for their services to MPMO. Mr. Litinsky was not compensated for his services to MPMO in 2019. 2019 Summary Compensation Table The following table shows information regarding the compensation of the named executive officers for services performed in the year ended December 31, 2019. Mr. Litinsky is excluded from this table as he did not receive compensation for his services to MPMO in 2019.
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2019 Fiscal Year-End As of December 31, 2019, none of the named executive officers held outstanding equity awards with respect to MPMO. Tax-Qualified Retirement Plan MPMO has a tax-qualified retirement savings plan, the MP Materials 401K Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), under which participating employees may contribute up to the yearly statutory maximum under IRS guidelines into their 401(k) Plan accounts. In addition, under the 401(k) Plan, MPMO matches amounts contributed by the participant up to a certain percent of earnings, not to exceed the statutory maximum. MPMO currently makes matching contributions under the 401(k) Plan at a rate of 100% of the first 1 to 2% of eligible compensation contributed by participants, 50% for employee contributions of 3 to 4%, with an annual cap of $4,000. The 401(k) Plan also allows MPMO to make discretionary profit sharing contributions to the 401(k) Plan accounts for the benefit of participating employees who have worked at least 1,000 hours and are employed on the last day of the plan year in an amount determined by the MPMO Board. 2020 Executive Compensation Our 2020 executive compensation program consists of an annual base salary to provide a level of compensation sufficient to attract and retain an effective management team, when considered in combination with the other components of the executive compensation program. In addition, during 2020, our executive officers are eligible to participate in an annual incentive program designed to hold executives accountable, reward the executives based on actual business results and help create a “pay for performance” culture. As noted below, in connection with the Business Combination, our named executive officers received equity awards at the time of the closing. Employment Agreements and Other Arrangements with Executive Officers In connection with the Business Combination, we entered into new employment agreements with each of the MPMO’s current executive officers as well as Mr. Litinsky, as summarized below. James Litinsky Mr. Litinsky entered into an employment agreement with, MPMO effective August 7, 2020, pursuant to which he serves as Chairman of the Board. Effective upon the closing of the Business Combination MPMC assumed the employment agreement and, pursuant to such agreement, Mr. Litinsky also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MPMC. During the term of Mr. Litinsky’s employment with MPMC he will devote his full business time, attention, skill and best efforts to the performance of his duties for MPMC. Mr. Litinsky may also provide services to JHL Capital Group LLC during the term of his employment with MPMC, provided that such services do not materially interfere with the performance of his duties to MPMC. Under the terms of Mr. Litinsky’s employment agreement, Mr. Litinsky will not initially receive a base salary. At any time on or after the one-year anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, Mr. Litinsky may request that the compensation committee, in consultation with such committee’s compensation consultant, prepare and present a proposal to Mr. Litinsky of a compensation package (including base salary, annual cash and equity incentives and severance) that is competitive for a publicly-traded company of comparable size and consistent with the company’s then-current pay strategy for senior executives, with the parties to negotiate in good faith a compensation package for Mr. Litinsky. In the event Mr. Litinsky’s employment is terminated by the company without cause or by Mr. Litinsky due to good reason, Mr. Litinsky will be entitled to a $2,000,000 severance payment, payable in installments over the 12-month period following such termination. The severance payment is subject to Mr. Litinsky’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation for 12-months following termination. Michael Rosenthal Effective as of July 1, 2020, Mr. Rosenthal entered into an employment agreement with MPMO, assumed by MPMC upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to which he serves as Chief Operating Officer and has the right to attend all MPMC Board meetings as a non-voting observer for so long as he remains employed by MPMC. Under the employment agreement, Mr. Rosenthal will receive an initial base salary of $250,000 and will be eligible to participate in the company’s annual incentive program, with a 2020 annual incentive target equal to $450,000 and payouts ranging from 0% to 150% of target based on performance. Mr. Rosenthal’s employment agreement also provided for an initial equity award upon the consummation of the Business Combination with respect to 1,563,006 restricted shares of our common stock, which was equal to 1.7% of the pre-money Combined Company Equity Value. The initial equity award will be eligible to vest over four years, with 40% vesting on the 15-month anniversary of the grant date, 20% vesting on the 27-month anniversary of the grant date, and 20% vesting on each of the 39-month and four-year anniversary of the grant date, subject to Mr. Rosenthal’s continued employment through the applicable vesting date and accelerated vesting in the event of a change of control (as defined in the 2020 Plan), termination without “cause” or resignation due to “good reason” (each as defined in the employment agreement), death or disability. Combined Company Equity Value is defined as the aggregate value of MPMO, SNR and their respective successors, as determined based on the definitive agreements with respect to the Business Combination and disregarding any equity compensation awarded in connection with the Business Combination. In the event Mr. Rosenthal’s employment is terminated by the company without cause or by Mr. Rosenthal due to good reason, Mr. Rosenthal will be entitled to severance payments equal to 6-months of base salary, payable in installments over the six-month period following such termination. The severance payment is subject to Mr. Rosenthal’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition during employment and non-solicitation of customers, service providers and suppliers for 12-months following termination. Ryan Corbett Effective as of July 13, 2020, Mr. Corbett entered into an employment agreement with MPMO, assumed by MPMC upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to which he serves as Chief Financial Officer. Under the employment agreement, Mr. Corbett will receive an initial base salary of $300,000 and will be eligible to participate in the company’s annual incentive program, with an annual cash incentive target of not less than $300,000 and payouts determined based on performance. Mr. Corbett’s employment agreement also provided that, effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, Mr. Corbett was granted (i) an initial equity award of 200,000 shares of fully vested common stock and subject to customary lock-up provisions, and (ii) a restricted stock award with respect to 150,000 shares of common stock, which will be eligible to vest with respect to 40% of the award on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and in 20% annual increments on the second, third and fourth anniversaries of the grant date, subject to Mr. Corbett’s continued employment and accelerated vesting in the event of a change of control (as defined in the 2020 Plan) or termination without “cause” or resignation due to “good reason” (each as defined in the employment agreement). Mr. Corbett also received a $350,000 bonus, payable in connection with the closing of the Business Combination. In the event Mr. Corbett’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, Mr. Corbett will receive the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year as well as a pro-rated target bonus for the year of termination, based on days served during such calendar year. In the event Mr. Corbett’s employment is terminated by the company without cause or by Mr. Corbett due to good reason, Mr. Corbett will receive (i) the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year, (ii) a bonus for the year of termination, based on actual performance for the calendar year and pro-rated based on days served during the calendar year, and (iii) severance in the form of continued base salary for 12-months post-termination. The severance benefits are subject to Mr. Corbett’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation for a period of 12-months following termination. Sheila Bangalore Effective as of July 13, 2020, Ms. Bangalore entered into an employment agreement with MPMO, assumed by MPMC upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to which she serves as the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel. Under the employment agreement, Ms. Bangalore receives an initial base salary of $300,000, which was increased to $350,000 following the closing of the Business Combination, and will be eligible to participate in the company’s annual incentive program, with an annual incentive target equal to 60% of Ms. Bangalore’s base salary and payouts determined based on performance. With respect to 2020 only, Ms. Bangalore’s employment agreement provides for a minimum annual incentive payment equal to $125,000 subject to Ms. Bangalore’s continued employment in good standing through the payment date. Ms. Bangalore’s employment agreement also provided that she was granted, effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, a restricted stock award with respect to 100,000 shares of common stock, which will be eligible to vest in 25% annual increments on each anniversary of the grant date, subject to Ms. Bangalore’s continued employment and accelerated vesting in the event of a change of control (as defined in the 2020 Plan). Ms. Bangalore also received a $200,000 bonus, payable in connection with the closing of the Business Combination. In the event Ms. Bangalore’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, Ms. Bangalore will receive the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year as well as a pro-rated target bonus for the year of termination, based on days served during such calendar year. In the event Ms. Bangalore’s employment is terminated by the company without “cause” or by Ms. Bangalore due to “good reason” (each as defined in the employment agreement), Ms. Bangalore will receive (i) the unpaid portion of any bonus earned with respect to the prior calendar year, (ii) a bonus for the year of termination, based on actual performance for the calendar year and pro-rated based on days served during the calendar year, and (iii) severance in the form of continued base salary for 12 months post-termination. The severance benefits are subject to Ms. Bangalore’s execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the company. The employment agreement also contains customary restrictive covenants, including covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation for a period of 12-months following termination. Stock Ownership Guidelines Following the closing of the Business Combination, we adopted stock ownership guidelines pursuant to which our Chief Executive Officer is required to own stock equal to 5x his annual base salary and our other executive officers are required to own stock equal to two times their annual base salary. Executive officers are required to achieve the applicable level of ownership within five (5) years of the later of (i) the November 2020 effective date of the guidelines and (ii) the date the person first became a covered executive or covered director. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, our Board and our stockholders approved the MP Materials Corp. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”). Effective as of the consummation of the Business Combination, 9,653,671 shares of Common Stock were reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan. The number of shares of our Common Stock available under the 2020 Plan will increase annually on the first day of each calendar year, beginning with the calendar year ending December 31, 2021, and continuing until (and including) the calendar year ending December 31, 2030, with such annual increase equal to the lesser of (i) 2% of the number of shares of our Common Stock issued and outstanding on December 31st of the immediately preceding fiscal year and (ii) an amount determined by the Board. The purposes of the 2020 Plan are: (a) to align the interests of our shareholders and recipients of awards under the 2020 Plan by increasing the proprietary interest of such recipients in our growth and success; (b) to advance our interests by attracting and retaining officers, other employees, non-employee directors, consultants, independent contractors and agents; and (c) to motivate such persons to act in the long-term best interests of us and our shareholders. Under the 2020 Plan, we may grant: (i) non-qualified stock options; (ii) “incentive stock options” (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code); (iii) stock appreciation rights; (iv) restricted stock, restricted stock units and other stock awards; and (v) performance awards. Director Compensation During 2019, managers serving on the MPMO Board or the SNR Board, as applicable, did not receive any compensation for such service. In August 2020, the SNR Board, with Randall Weisenburger abstaining, approved the payment of deferred director fees in the amount of In connection with the Business Combination, MPMO retained FW Cook to
Audit Committee: $7,500 Compensation Committee: $5,000 Governance and Nominating Committee: $5,000
Audit Committee: $15,000 Compensation Committee: $10,000 Governance and Nominating Committee: $7,500
Directors are also be subject to stock ownership guidelines equal to five times the annual board cash retainer. Effective as of the closing of the Business Combination, the non-employee and non-affiliated members of the MPMC Board received a pro-rated restricted stock unit award, with a value determined based on an annual restricted stock unit grant value of $100,000 and pro-rated based on the period of time since the closing of the Business Combination and the first expected annual stockholders meeting. Accordingly, General Myers, Mr. Weisenburger, Ms. Lavan and Ms. Duckworth received prorated restricted stock unit awards, effective as of the closing of the Business Combination CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—FVAC Founder Shares On January 31, 2020, FVAC issued the Founder Shares in exchange for an aggregate capital contribution of $25,000. The Sponsor had agreed to forfeit an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters. On May 4, 2020, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in full. As The Insiders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earliest of (a) one year after the completion of the Business Combination, (b) subsequent to the Business Combination, if the last reported sale price of theCommon Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted) for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period commencing at 150 days after the Business Combination, and (c) following the completion of the Business Combination, such future date on which completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in Private Placement Warrants Substantially concurrently with the closing of the FVAC’s IPO, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate 5,933,333 Private Placement Warrants. Each Private Placement Warrant was exercisable to purchase
Promissory Note-Related Party Prior to FVAC’s IPO, the Office Space and Related Support Services Effective April 30, 2020, FVAC entered into an agreement with an affiliate of the Related Party Loans In
PIPE Investment In connection with the PIPE Investment and consummation of the Business Combination, the Sponsor purchased 500,000 shares of FVAC Class A common stock at $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $5 million. The Chief Executive Officer of FVAC, Andrew A. McKnight, and certain other directors and officers of FVAC participated in the Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions—MPMO/SNR The following is a summary of transactions since January 1, 2017, to which either of MPMO or SNR has been a participant and in which the amount involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000, and in which any of such MPMO’s or SNR’s then directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of any class of such MPMO’s or SNR’s equity interests at the time of such transaction, or any members of their immediate family, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. MPMO LLC Agreement In connection with the formation of MPMO and the acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility, MPMO entered into a limited liability company agreement with its equity holders in 2017 (the “MPMO LLC Agreement”). The MPMO LLC Agreement sets forth understandings and agreements with respect to corporate governance matters, including the following: JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC, on the one hand, and the QVT Holders, on the other hand, who are each referred to as the “Principal Common Members,” each has the right to designate one manager to MPMO’s board of managers for so long as such Principal Common Member or its affiliates owns at least 50% of the MPMO units initially acquired by such Principal Common Member or its affiliates at the time of execution of the MPMO LLC Agreement. Additionally, (1) any action by the members requires the affirmative vote of each Principal Common Member, and (2) any action by the board of managers requires the affirmative vote of the manager designated by each Principal Common Member, in each case, for so long as such Principal Common Member or its affiliates owns at least 50% of the MPMO units initially acquired by such Principal Common Member or its affiliates at the time of execution of the MPMO LLC Agreement. For so long as Leshan Shenghe owns any MPMO units, it has the right to designate one individual to attend all MPMO Board meetings as a non-voting observer, and has had such right since the execution of the MPMO LLC Agreement in 2017. MPMO and the MPMO Board have the right to restrict such
The MPMO LLC Agreement also contains restrictions on the transfer of MPMO’s units, tag-along rights with respect to a sale transaction, drag along rights with respect to a sale transaction, preemptive rights, registration rights, and confidentiality agreements. The rights of the existing MPMO unitholders under the MPMO LLC Agreement terminated in connection with the Pre-Closing Reorganization steps. SNR LLC Agreement In connection with the formation of SNR and the acquisition of the subterranean mineral rights located under the surface of the Mountain Pass facility, SNR entered into a limited liability company agreement with its equity holders (the “SNR LLC Agreement”). The SNR LLC Agreement sets forth understandings and agreements with respect to corporate governance matters, and also contains restrictions on the transfer of SNR’s units, tag-along rights with respect to a sale transaction, drag along rights with respect to a sale transaction, registration rights, and confidentiality agreements. The rights of the existing SNR unitholders under the SNR LLC Agreement terminated in connection with the Pre-Closing Reorganization steps. MPMO Unsecured Note On April 4, 2017, MPMO issued the MPMO Unsecured Note. The largest aggregate MPMO Secured Note On August 7, 2017, MPMO issued the MPMO Secured Note. The largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding under MPMO Secured Note at any time since its issuance was approximately $19.8 million. On June 10, 2019 MPMO made a payment in respect of the MPMO Secured Note in the amount of $3.1 million. On July 22, 2019, MPMO made a payment in respect of the MPMO Secured Note in the amount of $3.0 million. As of June 30, 2020, the principal amount outstanding (including accrued interest) under the MPMO Secured Note was approximately $14.9 million. In accordance with the Merger Agreement, the MPMO Secured Note was repaid in full (principal and accrued interest) by FVAC (on behalf of MPMO) at the closing of the Business Combination. MPMO-SNR Lease On April 3, 2017, MPMO and SNR entered into a lease and license agreement (the “MPMO-SNR Lease”). MPMO and SNR are both majority owned by investment funds managed by and/or affiliated with JHL Capital Group or QVT Financial. Pursuant to the MPMO-SNR Lease, SNR agreed to (1) lease to MPMO, on an exclusive basis, all of SNR’s interests in the subterranean minerals rights located below the surface of the real property comprising the Mountain Pass facility (the “Mineral Rights Lease”), and (2) grant an exclusive license to MPMO to use certain intellectual property to develop, use, process, design, market, sale or otherwise dispose of rare earth products and any apparatus and equipment necessary therefor (the “Intellectual Property License”). The initial term of the MPMO-SNR Lease runs for 30 years from the date of execution of the MPMO-SNR Lease, and thereafter will be renewed for so long as MPMO mines rare earths, or produces or processes rare earth products, on the Mountain Pass facility or other adjacent or contiguous properties owned or controlled by MPMO. In consideration for the Mineral Rights Lease and Intellectual Property License, MPMO pays to SNR (1) annual “Advanced Minimum Royalties,” which are currently $500,000 and will remain that amount for the term of the MPMO-SNR Lease, and (2) quarterly “Gross Revenue Royalties” equal to 2.5% of MPMO’s gross proceeds from its sales of rare earth products. The Advanced Minimum Royalty payment made in a certain year will be credited against Gross Revenue Royalty payments that become due in that year. The amounts paid by MPMO pursuant to the MPMO-SNR lease totaled approximately $1.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $1.2 million, $0.6 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Shenghe Agreements Original Commercial Arrangements In connection with the acquisition and development of the Mountain Pass facility, MPMO entered into a set of commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International Trading Pte. Ltd. (“Shenghe Resources (Singapore)”), a majority owned subsidiary of Leshan Shenghe Rare Earth Co., Ltd (“Leshan Shenghe”) whose ultimate parent is Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd., a Shanghai Stock Exchange listed company. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and its affiliates primarily engage in the mining, separation, processing and distribution of rare earth products. MPMO also issued to Leshan Shenghe, 110.98 MPMO preferred units, which represented all of the issued and outstanding MPMO preferred units. These MPMO units were exchanged for MPMO HoldCo preferred stock and eventually our Common Stock and the contingent right to receive Earnour Shares in connection with the Business Combination. The original commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) were entered into on May 22, 2017, prior to MPMO’s acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility. These agreements principally consisted of a technical services agreement (the “TSA”), an offtake agreement (the “Original Offtake Agreement”), and a distribution and marketing agreement (the “DMA”). Under the TSA, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) provided technical services, know-how and other assistance to MPMO in order to facilitate Mountain Pass facility development and operations. In addition, both the TSA and Original Offtake Agreement imposed certain funding obligations on Shenghe Resources (Singapore). The Original Offtake Agreement required Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to advance to MPMO an initial $50 million and the TSA required Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to fund any additional operating and capital expenditures required to bring the Mountain Pass facility to full operability. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) also agreed to provide additional funding in the amount of $30 million to MPMO pursuant to a separate letter agreement dated June 20, 2017, in connection with MPMO’s acquisition of the Mountain Pass facility. Under the terms of these agreements, the amounts funded by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) constitute prepayments for the rare earth products to be sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) historically under the Original Offtake Agreement (and currently under the A&R Offtake Agreement (as defined below)). Under the Original Offtake Agreement, MPMO sold to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) purchased on a firm “take or pay” basis, all of the rare earth products produced by the Mountain Pass facility. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) marketed and sold these products to customers, and retained the gross profits earned on subsequent sales. The gross profits were credited against the above-noted prepayments, and provided the means by which MPMO repaid, and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) recovered, such amounts. The Original Offtake Agreement provided for an open book verification of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s gross profits. Shenghe Resources (Singapore) was obliged to prioritize sales to U.S. and European markets and such other markets as designated by MPMO, provided such sales could be made on reasonably commercial terms. Under the Original Offtake Agreement MPMO was obliged to sell all Mountain Pass facility rare earth products to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) until Shenghe Resources (Singapore) had fully recouped all of its prepayment funding, at which point that agreement would terminate automatically. Product sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) totaled approximately $91.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $73 million, $67 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As originally entered, the DMA was to become effective upon termination of the Original Offtake Agreement. The DMA provided for a distribution and marketing arrangement between MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore), subject to certain agreed exceptions. MPMO retained the right to distribute its products directly to certain categories of customers. As compensation for its distribution and marketing services, the DMA entitled Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to 35% of the net profits from the sale of Mountain Pass facility rare earth products. In order to secure Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s performance under the Original Offtake Agreement and TSA, Leshan Shenghe issued a parent guaranty to MPMO on May 22, 2017 (the “Shenghe Guaranty”), and entered into an equity pledge agreement (the “Shenghe Pledge Agreement”) on June 18, 2017. With regard to Leshan Shenghe’s ownership interest in MPMO, it did not constitute a covered transaction under the relevant regulations administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”). For these purposes, informal, yet detailed, consultations regarding Leshan Shenghe’s ownership of the preferred units and the commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) were undertaken with representatives of CFIUS prior to entering into the original agreements. Framework Agreement and Restructured Commercial Arrangements On May 6, 2020, MPMO, Shenghe Resources (Singapore) and Leshan Shenghe entered into a framework agreement and amendment (the “Framework Agreement”) that restructures the parties’ commercial arrangements and provided for, among other things, a revised funding amount and schedule to settle Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s prepayment obligations to MPMO, as well as either the amendment or termination of the various agreements between the parties. The revised funding amount and schedule covered the remaining (unfunded) portion of the $50 million initial advance under the Original Offtake Agreement and an additional $35.5 million. In accordance with the Framework Agreement, MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore) entered into an amended and restated offtake agreement on May 19, 2020 (the “A&R Offtake Agreement”), which, upon effectiveness, superseded and replaced the Original Offtake Agreement, and MPMO issued to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) a warrant on June 2, 2020 (the “Shenghe Warrant”), exercisable for 89.88 MPMO preferred units, subject to certain restrictions. Both the A&R Offtake Agreement and Shenghe Warrant became effective on June 5, 2020, the date that Shenghe Resources (Singapore) fully satisfied its revised prepayment funding obligations. The Shenghe Warrant was exercised in full for MPMO preferred units which were exchanged for MPMO HoldCo preferred stock and eventually our Common Stock and the contingent rights to receive Earnout Shares in connection with the Business Combination. Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s full satisfaction of its revised prepayment funding obligations, also automatically triggered the following other events under the Framework Agreement, without the need for any further action by either party: the termination of the TSA; the termination of the DMA (which, by its own terms had never become effective) and, thereby, the termination of Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s right to a 35% share of the net profits from the sales of Mountain Pass facility rare earth products; and the termination of both the Shenghe Guaranty and the Shenghe Pledge Agreement. Thus, at the present time, Leshan Shenghe’s and Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s involvement with MPMO and the Mountain Pass facility consists of only the A&R Offtake Agreement. The A&R Offtake Agreement maintains the core take-or-pay and other key terms of the original Offtake Agreement, making only the following material alterations to the original arrangements. In material part, the A&R Offtake Agreement: (i) modifies the definition of “offtake products” in order to remove from the scope of that definition lanthanum, cerium and other rare earth products that do not meet the specifications agreed to under the A&R Offtake Agreement; (ii) as to the offtake products subject to the A&R Offtake Agreement, provide that if MPMO sells such products to a third party, then, until the prepayment funding balance has been reduced to zero, MPMO will pay an agreed percentage of its revenue from such sale to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) which is credited to the prepayment funding balance; (iii) replaces the structure under the Original Offtake Agreement where Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s actual costs and expenses would reduce its gross profits with a fixed monthly sales charge to cover certain of those costs and expenses; (iv) provides that the cash purchase price to be paid by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for Mountain Pass facility rare earth products will be based on market prices (net of taxes, tariffs and certain other agreed charges) less applicable discounts (whereas the Original Offtake Agreement had based pricing on the cost of production); (v) obliges MPMO to pay to Shenghe Resources (Singapore), on an annual basis, an amount equal to MPMO’s annual net income (less income attributable to amounts recouped by Shenghe Resources (Singapore) through the market price discount reference above or otherwise) until the prepayment funding balance has been reduced to zero; (vi) obliges MPMO to pay to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) MPMO’s net after-tax profits from any applicable sale of assets until the prepayment funding balance has been reduced to zero (which obligation was contained previously in the TSA); and (vii) provides for certain changes to the payment, invoicing and delivery terms and procedures for products. The cash purchase price and other terms applicable to a quantity of offtake products are set forth in monthly purchase agreements between MPMO and Shenghe Resources (Singapore). As with the original Offtake Agreement, the A&R Offtake Agreement will terminate when Shenghe Resources (Singapore) has fully recouped all of its prepayment funding. Following that termination, MPMO will have no contractual arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) for the distribution, marketing or sale of rare earth products. As of September 30, 2020, the prepayment funding balance under the A&R Offtake Agreement was approximately $78.4 million. Product sales to Shenghe Resources (Singapore) totaled approximately $91.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. With regard to the Shenghe Warrant, certain restrictions in the warrant and in the Framework Agreement required entering into consultations with CFIUS before either (i) converting preferred units acquired through the Shenghe Warrant into any MPMO common units, or (ii) otherwise converting units that would cause Shenghe Resources (Singapore)’s and Leshan Shenghe’s aggregate interest in either preferred units or common units to fall within the scope of CFIUS jurisdiction. These restrictions are consistent with the initial consultations with CFIUS at the time of entering into the original commercial arrangements. The Shenghe Warrant also entitled Shenghe Resources (Singapore) to participate in any dividends or distributions by MPMO at the time those dividends or distributions are made, even if made prior to the exercise of the warrant. Reagent Purchases MPMO occasionally purchases reagent products used in the milling process at the Mountain Pass facility from Shenghe Resources (Singapore). Such purchases are made on a case by case basis pursuant to standard purchase orders. Such purchases totaled approximately $2.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $3.2 million, $3.1 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Expense Reimbursements MPMO reimbursed JHL Capital Group and the QVT Holders $0.1 million in 2017 for recruitment and/or administrative expenses incurred in recruiting and hiring individuals to perform key leadership roles for MPMO. MPMO has reimbursed JHL Capital Group for travel-related expenses incurred by JHL Capital Group personnel in connection with MPMO business. Such travel-related expense reimbursements totaled $0.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and $0.2 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Registration Rights Agreement In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, we entered into the A&R RRA with the parties thereto, including certain of the existing MPMO and SNR equity holders. Employment Arrangements In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, MPMO entered into employment agreements with each of its named executive officers. For more information regarding these agreements with MPMO’s executive officers, please see “Executive Compensation”. Equity Award Grants to Executive Officers In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, MPMC adopted a Incentive Plan. Under the terms of the employment agreements entered into with Ms. Bangalore and Messrs. Rosenthal and Corbett, they each received incentive equity awards upon consummation of the Business Combination. For more information regarding the incentive equity awards granted to MPMO’s executive officers, please see “Executive Compensation—Employment Agreements and Other Arrangements with Executive Officers”. Indemnification Agreements In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, MPMC entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers. Those indemnification agreements and the Amended and Restated Bylaws require MPMC to indemnify all directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law against any and all expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, and amounts paid in settlement of any claims. The indemnification agreements also provide for the advancement or payment of all expenses to the indemnitee and for reimbursement to MPMC if it is found that such indemnitee is not entitled to such indemnification under applicable law. Procedures with Respect to Review and Approval of Related Person Transactions Upon consummation of the Business Combination, MPMC’s board of directors adopted a written related person transaction policy that sets forth the following policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related person transactions. A “Related Person Transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship in which MPMC or any of its subsidiaries was, is or will be a participant, the amount of which involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any related person had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. A “Related Person” means: any person who is, or at any time during the applicable period was, one of MPMC’s executive officers or a member of MPMC’s board of directors; any person who is known by MPMC to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of our voting stock; any immediate family member of any of the foregoing persons, which means any child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law,father-in-law,daughter-in-law,brother-in-law or
any firm, corporation or other entity in which any of the foregoing persons is a partner or principal or in a similar position or in which such person has a 10 percent (10%) or greater beneficial ownership interest. MPMC also adopted policies and procedures designed to minimize potential conflicts of interest arising from any dealings it may have with its affiliates and to provide appropriate procedures for the disclosure of any real or potential conflicts of interest that may exist from time to time. Specifically, pursuant to its audit committee charter, the audit committee will have the responsibility to review related person transactions. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT The following table sets forth certain information concerning the ownership of Common Stock on December 7, 2020, by (i) those persons who are known to the Company to be the beneficial owner(s) of more than five percent of the Common Stock, (ii) each of the Company’s directors and named executive officers and (iii) all directors and executive officers of the Company as a group. The number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by each entity, person, director or executive officer is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and the information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership generally includes any shares of Common Stock over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any shares of Common Stock that the individual has the right to acquire within 60 days of December 7, 2020, through the exercise of warrants or other rights. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, the Company believes each of the stockholders named in this table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares of Common Stock indicated as beneficially owned.
The Selling Securityholders listed in the table below may from time to time offer and sell any or all of the shares of Common Stock set forth below pursuant to this prospectus. When we refer to the “Selling Securityholders” in this prospectus, we refer to the persons listed in the table below, and the pledgees, donees, permitted transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the Selling Securityholders’ interest in the shares of Common Stock after the date of this prospectus other than through a public sale. The following table sets forth, as of the date of this prospectus: the name of the Selling Securityholders for whom we are registering shares of Common Stock for resale to the public, the number and percentage of shares of Common Stock that the Selling Securityholders beneficially owned prior to the offering for resale of the securities under this prospectus, the number and percentage of shares of Common Stock that may be offered from time to time for resale for the account of the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus, and the number and percentage of shares to be beneficially owned by the Selling Securityholders after the offering of the resale securities (assuming all of the offered shares of Common Stock are sold by the Selling Securityholders). Our registration of the shares of Common Stock does not necessarily mean that the Selling Securityholders will sell all or any of such Common Stock. A Selling Securityholder may sell all, some or none of such securities in this offering. The 11,499,968 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants (i) are not included in the “Beneficial Ownership Before the Offering” column below and (ii) are included in the “Shares Offered” column below. See “Plan of Distribution.” Shares of Common Stock
Each Material Relationships with the Selling Holders For a description of our relationships with the Selling Securityholders and their affiliates see the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Description of Securities.” Other Material Relationships JHL Master Fund is the 100% owner of each of JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital group Holdings Two LLC. JHL Master Fund GP is the general partner of JHL Master Fund. JHL Capital Group is the investment manager of JHL Master Fund, and is also the 100% owner of JHL Master Fund GP. JHL Capital Group L.P. is the 100% owner of JHL Capital Group. James H. Litinsky, our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of our Board, holds a controlling interest in JHL Capital Group L.P. and serves as Chief Executive Officer of JHL Capital Group, as well as director of JHL Master Fund GP. Accordingly, JHL Master Fund, JHL Master Fund GP, JHL Capital Group, JHL Capital Group L.P. and Mr. Litinsky may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by JHL Capital Group Holdings One LLC and JHL Capital Group Holdings Two LLC. James H. Litinsky disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. Management of Fourth Avenue FF-E is vested in its general partner, Fourth Avenue GP, which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E. Management of QVT Onshore is vested in its general partner, QVT Associates GP, which may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore. QVT Financial LP is the investment manager of QVT Onshore and Saratoga and shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by QVT Onshore and Saratoga. QVT Financial GP is the general partner of QVT Financial LP. Daniel Gold, a member of our Board, is a Managing Member of Fourth Avenue GP, QVT Associates GP and QVT Financial GP and shares voting and investment control over the shares of Common Stock held directly by Fourth Avenue FF-E, QVT Onshore and Saratoga and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. Daniel Gold disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. Andrew A. McKnight, a member of our Board, is a Managing Partner of the Credit Funds business at Fortress, and has an indirect pecuniary interest in shares of our Common Stock through his ownership of membership interests of Fortress Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company but does not beneficially own such shares. General These summaries are not intended to be a complete discussion of the rights of Company stockholders and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the Delaware General Corporation Law and the various documents of the Company that are referred to in the summaries, as well as reference to the Second Amended and Restated Charter and Amended and Restated Bylaws, copies of which are included as Exhibits 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Authorized Capital Stock The Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of 500,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (i) 450,000,000 shares of common stock, consisting entirely of 450,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share and (ii) 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0,0001 per share Common Stock Voting Power Except as otherwise required by law or as otherwise provided in any certificate of designation for any series of preferred stock, under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the holders of Common Stock will possess all voting power for the election of our directors and all other matters requiring stockholder action and are entitled or will be entitled, as applicable, to one vote per share on matters to be voted on by stockholders. Dividends Subject to the rights, if any of the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock, under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, holders of the Common Stock will be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the our Board in its discretion out of funds legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions. Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up The Second Amended and Restated Charter provides that subject to applicable law and the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the preferred stock, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of MPMC, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of MPMC, the holders of shares of Common Stock will be entitled to share ratably in all the remaining assets of MPMC available for distribution to its stockholders. Preemptive or Other Rights Under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, MPMC stockholders will have no preemptive or other subscription rights and there will be no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to Common Stock. Number and Election of Directors Under the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the MPMC Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed to Class I and Class II in connection with the Business Combination) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the Class I directors will expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class II directors will expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class III directors will expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Under the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, there is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that following the consummation of the Business Combination, directors of MPMC will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of the MPMC stockholders by holders of Common Stock. Preferred Stock Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our Board is authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional, special and other rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our Board is able, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the Common Stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of the our Board to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. Warrants Public Stockholders’ Warrants Each whole public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of
We are not obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a public warrant and will have no obligation to settle such public warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the public warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No public warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days, after the closing of the Business Combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Redemption of Warrants for Cash. Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may call the public warrants for redemption: in whole and not in part; at a price of $0.01 per public warrant; upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and if, and only if, the last reported sale price of shares of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30) trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants. We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the public warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its public warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Common Stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued. Redemption of Warrants for Common Stock. Commencing ninety days after the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants: in whole and not in part; at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value”(as defined below) of the Common Stock except as otherwise described below; if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given. The numbers in the table below represent the number of shares of Common Stock that a warrant holder will receive upon exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Common Stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per public warrant), determined based on the average of the last reported sales price for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the public warrants, each as set forth in the table below. The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a public warrant is adjusted as set forth below. The adjusted stock prices in the column headings will equal the stock prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a public warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a public warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a public warrant.
The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of shares of our Common Stock to be issued for each public warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the average last reported sale price of our Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the public warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the public warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their public warrants for 0.277 shares of our Common Stock for each whole public warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the average last reported sale price of our Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the public warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the public warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their public warrants for 0.298 shares of our Common Stock for each whole public warrant. In no event will the public warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.365 shares of our Common Stock per public warrant. Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the public warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any shares of our Common Stock. This redemption feature differs from the typical public warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of public warrants for cash when the trading price for the Common Stock exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding public warrants to be redeemed when the Common Stock is trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Common Stock is below the exercise price of the public warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the public warrants without the public warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “—Redemption of Warrants for Cash.” Holders choosing to exercise their public warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their public warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding public warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the public warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed and we will be required to pay the redemption price to public warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the public warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the public warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the public warrants and pay the redemption price to the public warrant holders. As stated above, we can redeem the public warrants when the Common Stock is trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing public warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the public warrants when the Common Stock is trading at a price below the exercise price of the public warrants, this could result in the public warrant holders receiving fewer Common Stock than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their public warrants for Common Stock if and when such Common Stock were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Common Stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the public warrants are exercisable for a security other than the shares of Common Stock pursuant to the warrant agreement, the public warrants may be exercised for such security. Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise. If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above under “—Redemption of Warrants for Cash,” management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its public warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of public warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their public warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of shares of the Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the public warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a public warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the public warrants after the Business Combination. If we call our public warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, the Sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their Private Placement Warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other public warrant holders would have been required to use had all public warrant holders been required to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below. A holder of a public warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such public warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the public warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock to all or substantially all holders of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock, in determining the price payable for Common Stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. In addition, if we, at any time while the public warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to all or substantially all holders of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the public warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends or (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Common Stock in connection with the Business Combination, then the public warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Common Stock in respect of such event. If the number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Common Stock. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants is adjusted, as described above, the public warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the public warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the public warrants and in lieu of our shares of Common Stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the public warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their public warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each public warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the outstanding Common Stock, the holder of a public warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such public warrant holder had exercised the public warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustment (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Common Stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Common Stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the public warrant properly exercises the public warrant within thirty (30) days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The public warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and FVAC. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which was filed as an exhibit to the registration statement pertaining to FVAC’s IPO, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Common Stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Common Stock. After the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law, MPMC’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws Provisions of the DGCL and our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws could make it more difficult to acquire MPMC by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, or to remove incumbent officers and directors. These provisions, summarized below, are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control the Company to first negotiate with the board of directors. We believe that the benefits of these provisions outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging certain takeover or acquisition proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms and enhance the ability of the MPMC Board to maximize stockholder value. However, these provisions may delay, deter or prevent a merger or acquisition of us that a stockholder might consider is in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price of tour Common Stock. Business Combinations The Company has opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL; however the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that are substantially similar to Section 203 of the DGCL. These provisions prevent the Company, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with (i) a stockholder who owns fifteen percent (15%) or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”); (ii) an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or (iii) an associate of an interested stockholder, in each case, for three years following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder. A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions do not apply if: the MPMC Board approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction; after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than certain excluded shares of common stock; or on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the MPMC Board and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder. In addition, our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provide for certain other provisions that may have an anti-takeover effect: There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors. Our Board is empowered to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death, or removal of a director in certain circumstances. Directors may only be removed from the board of directors for cause. A prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders. A prohibition on stockholders calling a special meeting and the requirement that a meeting of the stockholders may only be called by members of our Board, by our Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairman, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors. Our authorized but unissued Common Stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Common Stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise. Classified Board: Under the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the MPMC Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed to Class I and Class II in connection with the Business Combination) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the Class I directors will expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class II directors will expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The term of office of the Class III directors will expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC following the effectiveness of the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Members of the MPMC Board will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at each annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC. Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of the stockholders by holders of our Common Stock. So long as the MPMC Board is classified, it would take at least two elections of directors for any individual or group to gain control of the MPMC Board. Accordingly, while the classified board is in effect, these provisions could discourage a third party from initiating a proxy contest, making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to gain control of MPMC. Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations Our Amended and Restated Bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before the annual meeting of the stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at the annual meeting of the stockholders of MPMC must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of the stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our Amended and Restated Bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude the stockholders of MPMC from bringing matters before our annual meeting of the stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of the stockholders. Exclusive Forum The Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that unless MPMC consents to the selection of an alternative forum, any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of MPMC, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, stockholder or employee to MPMC or its stockholders, (3) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Amended and Restated Bylaws or (4) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, another state or federal court located within the State of Delaware. Additionally, the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will also provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the United States federal securities laws, including the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of MPMC shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation; however, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such an exclusive forum provision with respect to claims under the Securities Act. Additionally, investors cannot waive MPMC’s compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Rule 144 Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company, such as the Company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met: the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company ceased to be a shell company. When and if Rule 144 becomes available for the resale of our securities, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our Common Stock for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities, provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our Common Stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of: one percent (1%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding; or the average weekly reported trading volume of the Common Stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 will also be limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us. We are registering the issuance by us of up to 11,499,968 shares of our Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of the public warrants to purchase Common Stock. We are also registering the resale by the Selling Securityholders or their permitted transferees of up to 118,047,154 shares of Common stock. The Selling Securityholders may offer and sell, from time to time, their respective shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus. The Selling Securityholders will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale. Such sales may be made on one or more exchanges or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise, at prices and under terms then prevailing or at prices related to the then current market price or in negotiated transactions. The Selling Securityholders may sell their securities by one or more of, or a combination of, the following methods: on the NYSE, in the over-the-counter market or on any other national securities exchange on which our securities are listed or traded; in privately negotiated transactions; in underwritten transactions; in a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell the offered securities as agent but may purchase and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; through purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account pursuant to this prospectus; in ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker solicits purchasers; through the writing of options (including put or call options), whether the options are listed on an options exchange or otherwise; through the distribution of the securities by any Selling Securityholder to its partners, members or stockholders; in short sales entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; by pledge to secured debts and other obligations; to or through underwriters or agents; “at the market” or through market makers or into an existing market for the securities; and any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. The Selling Securityholders may sell the securities at prices then prevailing, related to the then prevailing market price or at negotiated prices. The offering price of the securities from time to time will be determined by the Selling Securityholders and, at the time of the determination, may be higher or lower than the market price of our securities on the NYSE or any other exchange or market. The Selling Securityholders may also sell our securities short and deliver the securities to close out their short positions or loan or pledge the securities to broker-dealers or other financial institutions that in turn may sell the securities. The shares may be sold directly or through broker-dealers or other financial institutions acting as principal or agent or pursuant to a distribution by one or more underwriters on a firm commitment or best-efforts basis. The Selling Securityholders may also enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions. In connection with such transactions, broker-dealers or other financial institutions may engage in short sales of our securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume with the Selling Securityholders. The Selling Securityholders may also enter into options or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction). In connection with an underwritten offering, underwriters or agents may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the Selling Securityholders or from purchasers of the offered securities for whom they may act as agents. In addition, underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. The Selling Securityholders and any underwriters, dealers or agents participating in a distribution of the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any profit on the sale of the securities by the Selling Securityholders and any commissions received by broker-dealers may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act. The Selling Securityholders party to the A&R RRA have agreed, and the other Selling Securityholders may agree, to indemnify the underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act), against certain liabilities related to the sale of the securities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the securities must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with. The Selling Securityholders are subject to the applicable provisions of the Exchange Act, including Regulation M. This regulation, if applicable to sales hereunder, may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the securities offered in this prospectus by the Selling Securityholders. The anti-manipulation rules under the Exchange Act may apply to sales of the securities in the market and to the activities of the Selling Securityholders and their affiliates. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the securities to engage in market-making activities for the particular securities being distributed for a period of up to five business days before the distribution. The restrictions may affect the marketability of the securities and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities for the securities. At the time a particular offer of securities is made, if required, a prospectus supplement will be distributed that will set forth the number of securities being offered and the terms of the offering, including the name of any underwriter, dealer or agent, the purchase price paid by any underwriter, any discount, commission and other item constituting compensation, any discount, commission or concession allowed or reallowed or paid to any dealer, and the proposed selling price to the public. To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended and/or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution. Instead of selling the securities under this prospectus, the Selling Securityholders may sell the securities in compliance with the provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, or pursuant to other available exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Restrictions to Sell Pursuant to the A&R RRA the restricted stockholders agreed not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock during the period (i) in the case of shares of Common Stock held by the New Holders other than the JHL Holders (as each such term is defined in the A&R RRA), 180 days after the Closing Date or (ii) in the case of shares of Common Stock held by the Insiders and the JHL Holders, one year after the Closing Date. UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS The following discussion is a A “non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our Common Stock (other than an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, any of the following: an individual citizen or resident of the United States; a corporation (or any other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person. If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our Common Stock, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner of such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership, and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership holding our Common Stock, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our Common Stock. THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR COMMON STOCK, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS. Taxation of Distributions In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a non-U.S. Holder of shares of our Common Stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will Dividends we pay to a non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. If the non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty). Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock A non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Common Stock, unless: the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. Holder within the United States (or, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder); the non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or (i) we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the non-U.S. Holder held our Common Stock, and (ii) shares of our Common Stock (A) are not regularly traded on an established securities market or (B) are regularly traded on an established securities market, but the non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Common Stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our Common Stock. There can be no assurance that our Common Stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this Gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties. If the third bullet point above applies to a non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such non-U.S. holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Common Stock, including distributions not constituting a dividend described above, will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, if our stock is not regularly traded on an established securities market, or such non-U.S. Holder owns more than 5% of our Common Stock as described above a buyer of our Common Stock from such non-U.S. Holder may be required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition, and we may be required to Additional U.S. Federal Tax Considerations Backup Withholding and Additional Information Reporting Distributions paid to a non-U.S. Holder and the amount of any tax withheld with respect to such distributions generally will be reported to the IRS. Copies of the information returns reporting such distributions and any withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. Holder resides under the A non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to backup withholding on dividends received if such holder certifies under penalty of perjury that it is a non-U.S. Holder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person as defined under the Code), or such holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Information reporting and, Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Sections 1471 through 1474 of the U.S. Tax Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of Common Stock held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to The financial statements of Fortress Acquisition Corp. as of June 30, 2020 and from the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 have been audited by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, an independent registered public accounting firm as set forth in their report thereon, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The financial statements of MP Mine Operations, LLC as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and for The consolidated financial statements of Secure Natural Resources, LLC as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and for the years then ended, included in this Registration Statement, have been audited by RSM US, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report appearing elsewhere herein, and have been included in this prospectus in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The information appearing in this prospectus concerning estimates of our proven and probable REO reserves for the Mountain Pass facility was derived from the report of SRK Consulting, independent mining consultants, and has been included herein upon the authority of SRK Consulting as experts with respect to the matters covered by such report and in giving such report. Sidley Austin LLP will WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION We have filed with the SEC a registration statement
Withum’s report on FVAC’s balance sheet as of June 30, 2020, and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows, for the period from January During the year period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020 and the interim period through November 17, 2020, FVAC did not FVAC has provided Withum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures and has requested that Withum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the statements made by the registrant in response to this Item 304(a) and, if not, stating the respects in which it does not agree. A letter from Withum is attached as Exhibit 16.1 to the Registration Statement of which this prospectus forms a part. GLOSSARY OF SELECTED MINING TERMS The following is a glossary of selected mining terms used in this proxy statement/consent solicitation/prospectus that may be technical in nature:
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. Opinion on the Financial Statements We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of /s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC We have served as the New York, New York August 26, 2020 FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. June 30, 2020
The accompanying notes are an integral part of FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. For the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June 30, 2020
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP.
Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, $345.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the aggregate net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement was placed in a U.S.-based trust account (“Trust Account”) at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by As of June 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $1.4 million in cash held outside of the Trust Account. The Company’s management
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS However, the
Subsequent to
The
as to whether
Company. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or it will: (i) conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer (ii) file proxy materials with the SEC.
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Founder Shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination. In addition,
In connection with the redemption of 100% of the Company’s outstanding Public Shares for a portion of the funds held in the Trust Account, each holder will The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights
In the event of
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS claim of any kind in or to
On June 17, 2020, the Company announced that, commencing June 22, 2020, the holders of the
As of June 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $1.4 million in its operating bank account, $36,875 of interest income available in the Trust Account to pay for taxes (less up to $100,000 to pay for dissolution expenses) and working capital surplus of $809,216. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in December 2019 and continues to impact global markets. This coronavirus has resulted in closing borders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to markets, supply chains and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus continues to evolve and is affecting the economies of many nations, individual companies and markets in general and may continue to last for an extended period of time. Management will continue to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and while the virus could have an adverse effect on the future financial results, cash flows and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis of presentation The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with
FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Emerging growth company The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the
but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in
Use of estimates The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 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. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed as of June 30, 2020, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates. Offering costs Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Initial Public Offering and totaled approximately $19.8 million, inclusive of approximately $12.1 million in deferred underwriting commissions. Offering costs were charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of Income taxes The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS and rates applicable to the periods in which ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including Class A common stock that Net loss per share The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of income per share for common stock subject to redemption in a manner similar to the two-class method of income per share. Net income (loss) per common stock, basic and diluted for Class A common stock for the period from January 24, 2020 (inception) through June
The Company has not considered the effect of the FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Concentration of credit risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. As of June 30, 2020, the Company had not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account. Fair value of financial instruments The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature. Fair value measurements Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which In some circumstances, the As of June 30, 2020, the recorded values of cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses and franchise tax payable approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Recent accounting pronouncements Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
On May 4, 2020, the Company sold 34,500,000 Units, including the issuance of 4,500,000 Units as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock FORTRESS VALUE ACQUISITION CORP. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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