Construction Partners (ROAD) Risk Factors

Operating hazards inherent in our business, some of which may be outside of our control, can cause personal injury and loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, and environmental damage. We maintain insurance coverage in amounts and against risks that we believe are consistent with industry practice, but this insurance may be inadequate or unavailable to cover all losses or liabilities we may incur in our operations. Our insurance policies are subject to varying levels of deductibles. Losses up to our deductible amounts are accrued based on our estimates of the ultimate liability for claims incurred and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. However, liabilities subject to insurance are difficult to estimate due to unknown factors, including the severity of an injury, the determination of our liability in proportion to other parties, the number of unreported incidents and the effectiveness of our safety programs. If we experience insurance claims or costs above our estimates, we may be required to use working capital to satisfy these claims rather than for maintaining or expanding our operations.

The success of our business depends on our ability to attract, train and retain qualified, reliable personnel, including, but not limited to, our executive officers and key management personnel. In addition, we rely on engineers, project management personnel, other employees and qualified subcontractors who possess the necessary and required experience and expertise to perform their respective services at a reasonable and competitive rate. Competition for these and other experienced personnel is intense, and it may be difficult to attract and retain qualified individuals with the requisite expertise and within the time frame demanded by our customers. In certain geographic areas, for example, we may not be able to satisfy the demand for our services because of our inability to successfully hire, train and retain qualified personnel. Also, it could be difficult to replace personnel who hold credentials that may be required to perform certain government projects and/or who have significant government contract experience. As some of our executives and other key personnel approach retirement age, we must provide for smooth transitions, which may require that we devote time and resources to identify and integrate new personnel into vacant leadership roles and other key positions. If we are unable to attract and retain a sufficient number of skilled personnel or effectively implement appropriate succession plans, our ability to pursue projects and our strategic plan may be adversely affected, the costs of executing both our existing and future projects may increase, and our financial performance may decline. In addition, the cost of providing our services, including the extent to which we utilize our workforce, affects our profitability. For example, the uncertainty of contract award timing can present difficulties in matching our workforce size with our contracts. If an expected contract award is delayed or not received, we could incur costs resulting from excess staff or redundancy of facilities that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on third parties to sell or lease real property, plants and equipment to us and to provide us with supplies, including liquid asphalt cement, aggregates and other construction materials necessary for our operations. The inability to purchase or lease the properties, plants or equipment that are necessary for our operations could severely impact our business. If we lose our supply contracts and receive insufficient supplies from third parties to meet our customers' needs, or if our suppliers experience price increases or disruptions to their business, such as labor disputes, supply shortages, financial or regulatory difficulties or distribution problems, our ability to bid for or complete contracts could be impaired, in which case our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows would be materially and adversely affected.

The property, plants and equipment needed to produce our products and provide our services are expensive. We must spend a substantial amount of capital to purchase and maintain such assets. Although we believe our current cash balance, along with our projected internal cash flows and available financing sources, will provide sufficient cash to support our currently anticipated operating and capital needs, if we are unable to generate sufficient cash to purchase and maintain the property, plants and equipment necessary to operate our business, or if the timing of payments on our receivables is delayed, we may be required to reduce or delay planned capital expenditures or to incur additional indebtedness. In addition, due to the level of fixed and semi-fixed costs associated with our business, particularly at our HMA production facilities, aggregates facilities and our mobile equipment fleets, volume decreases could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

We provide our customers with products designed to comply with building codes or other regulatory requirements, as well as any applicable contractual specifications, including, but not limited to, with respect to durability, compressive strength and weight-bearing capacity. If our products do not satisfy these requirements and specifications, material claims may arise against us, our reputation could be damaged and, if any such claims are for an uninsured, non-indemnified or product-related matter, then resolution of such claims against us could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Our operations are subject to stringent and complex federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the release of pollutants and materials into the environment or otherwise relating to environmental protection and public health and safety. These laws and regulations impose numerous obligations applicable to our operations, including requirements to obtain a permit or other approval before conducting regulated activities; restrictions on the types, quantities and concentration of materials that can be released into the environment; limitations on activities on certain lands lying within wilderness, wetlands, and other protected areas; and assessments of substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from our operations. For example, a number of governmental bodies have finalized, proposed or are contemplating legislative and regulatory actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, such as monitoring, reporting and emissions control requirements for certain large sources of greenhouse gases and greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programs. Because we emit greenhouse gases through the manufacture of HMA products and through the combustion of fossil fuels as part of our mining and road construction services, any such laws and regulations applicable to jurisdictions in which we operate could require us to incur costs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with our operations. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, required to remediate contaminated properties currently or formerly owned or operated by us or third-party facilities that receive waste generated by our operations, regardless of whether such contamination resulted from our own actions or those of others and whether such actions complied with applicable laws at the time they were taken. In connection with certain acquisitions, we could assume, or be required to provide indemnification against, environmental liabilities that could expose us to material losses. Furthermore, the existence of contamination at properties that we own, lease or operate could result in increased operational costs or restrictions on our ability to use those properties as intended, including for mining purposes. For example, our lease agreements associated with our aggregates facilities could, if not appropriately managed, subject us to specific reclamation obligations, costs, or liabilities for any contamination or regulatory violations arising from our mining operations. Numerous government authorities, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and analogous state agencies, have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and the permits issued under them. Such enforcement actions often involve difficult and costly compliance measures or corrective actions. Certain environmental laws impose strict liability (i.e., no showing of "fault" is required) or joint and several liability for costs required to remediate and restore sites where hazardous substances, hydrocarbons or solid wastes have been stored or released. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil or criminal penalties, compensatory damages, injunctive relief, the imposition of investigatory or remedial obligations, and the issuance of orders limiting or prohibiting some or all of our operations. In addition, we may experience delays in obtaining, or be unable to obtain, required permits, which may delay or interrupt our operations and limit our growth and revenue. In certain instances, citizen groups also have the ability to bring legal proceedings against us if we are not in compliance with environmental laws, or to challenge our ability to receive environmental permits that we need to operate. In addition, claims for damages to persons or property, including natural resources, may result from the environmental, health and safety impacts of our operations. Our insurance may not cover all environmental risks and costs or may not provide sufficient coverage if an environmental claim is made against us. Moreover, public interest in the protection of the environment has increased dramatically in recent years. The trend of more expansive and stringent environmental legislation and regulations applied to our industry could continue, resulting in increased costs of doing business and, consequently, affecting profitability. Additionally, legal requirements are changing frequently and are subject to interpretation. New laws, regulations and changing interpretations by regulatory authorities may increase our future expenditures to comply with environmental requirements, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Inflation and supply chain disruptions have the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, particularly if we are unable to pass through increased costs to our customers. In recent years, we experienced an upward trend in several inflation-sensitive inputs that we use to provide our products and services, including upward pressure on wages and increases in the cost of raw materials used to produce HMA and other items critical to our business, including fuel, concrete and steel. We also experienced disruptions from various participants in our supply chains, including subcontractors, materials suppliers and equipment manufacturers, who provide the raw materials, equipment, vehicles, construction supplies and other services we require in order to manufacture HMA and perform our construction projects. Although we have been able to mitigate some of the effects of inflation, supply chain disruptions and upward wage pressures on our business by increasing prices for our products and including the anticipated cost increases in the construction projects for which we bid, we may not be able to do so in the future. In addition, we are limited in our ability to pass through increased costs for projects already in our backlog, and if we are unable to do so, we may not recoup our losses or diminished profit margins. If we experience significant inflation or supply chain disruptions going forward, we may be required to implement further price adjustments to maintain our profit margin, and any price increases may have a negative effect on demand.

Our construction operations occur outdoors in an area of the country in which weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and tropical storms are common and snow frequently occurs in certain markets in the winter. For example, Hurricanes Debby, Francine and Helene all made landfall in the southeastern United States during our fourth fiscal quarter of 2024 and disrupted operations in various portions of our geographic footprint through flooding, extended power outages and road closures, among other issues. These and similar seasonal changes and adverse weather conditions, such as extended snowy, rainy or cold weather, can adversely affect our business operations through a decline in the use and production of HMA, a decline in the demand for our construction services, alterations and delays in our construction schedules, extended power outages limiting the use of plants and equipment and reduced efficiencies in our contracting operations, resulting in under-utilization of crews and equipment and lower contract profitability. Climate change may lead to increased extreme weather and changes in precipitation and temperature, including natural disasters. Should the impact of climate change be significant or occur for lengthy periods of time, our financial condition or results of operations would be adversely affected.

Government contracts typically can be canceled at any time, with us receiving payment only for the work completed. The cancellation of an unfinished contract could result in lost revenues and cause our equipment to be idled for a significant period of time until other comparable work becomes available. In addition, we could be prohibited from bidding on certain government contracts if we fail to maintain qualifications required by those entities. For example, various laws, including those governing wages, benefits, overtime, working conditions, equal employment opportunity, affirmative action and drug testing, provide for mandatory suspension and/or debarment of contractors in certain circumstances involving violations of those laws. In addition, federal and state laws provide for discretionary suspension and/or debarment in certain circumstances, including as a result of being convicted of, or being found civilly liable for, fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain or performing a public contract or subcontract. The scope and duration of any suspension or debarment may vary depending upon the facts of a particular case and the grounds for debarment. Finally, the timing of project awards is unpredictable and outside of our control. Project awards, including expansions of existing projects, often involve complex and lengthy negotiations and competitive bidding processes.