IRM, §1A diff (2016 → 2017)

Item 1A. Risk Factors. We face many risks. If any of the events or circumstances described below actually occur, we and our businesses, financial condition or results of operations could suffer, and the trading price of our debt or equity securities could decline. Our current and potential investors should consider the following risks and the information contained under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" before deciding to invest in our securities. Operational Risks Our customers may shift from paper and tape storage to alternative technologies that require less physical space. We derive most of our revenues from rental fees for the storage of physical records and computer backup tapes and from storage related services. Alternative storage technologies exist, many of which require significantly less space than physical records and tapes, and as alternative technologies are adopted, storage related services may decline as the paper documents or tapes we store become less active and more archival. We can provide no assurance that our customers will continue to store most or a portion of their records as paper documents or as tapes, or that the paper documents or tapes they do store with us will require our storage related services at the same levels as they have in the past. A significant shift by our customers to storage of data through non-paper or tape-based technologies, whether now existing or developed in the future, could adversely affect our businesses. As stored records and tapes become less active our service revenue growth and profitability may decline. Our records management and data protection service revenue growth is being negatively impacted by declining activity rates as stored records and tapes are becoming less active. The amount of information available to customers through the Internet or their own information systems has been steadily increasing in recent years, and we believe this trend continues to accelerate. As a result, while we continue to experience growth in storage rental, our customers are less likely than they have been in the past to retrieve records and rotate tapes, thereby reducing their service activity levels. At the same time many of our costs related to records and tape related services remain fixed. In addition, our reputation for providing secure information storage is critical to our success, and actions to manage cost structure, such as outsourcing certain transportation, security or other functions, could negatively impact our reputation and adversely affect our business. Ultimately, if we are unable to appropriately align our cost structure with decreased levels of service activity, our operating results could be adversely affected. Changes in customer behavior with respect to document destruction and pricing could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Some customers have taken actions designed to reduce costs associated with the retention of documents, including reducing the volume of documents they store and adopting more aggressive destruction practices. If we are unable to increase pricing over time, or if rates of destruction of documents stored with us increase substantially, particularly in our developed and slower growing markets, our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. Governmental and customer focus on data security could increase our costs of operations. We may not be able to fully offset these costs through increases in our rates. Incidents in which we fail to protect our customers' information against security breaches could result in monetary damages against us and could otherwise damage our reputation, harm our businesses and adversely impact our results of operations. In addition, if we fail to protect our own information, including information about our employees, we could experience significant costs and expenses as well as damage to our reputation. In reaction to publicized incidents in which electronically stored information has been lost, illegally accessed or stolen, almost all states in the United States have adopted breach of data security statutes or regulations that require notification to consumers if the security of their personal information is breached, and, over the past few years, many states expanded the scope of their data breach notifications laws and shortened notification timelines. Some states in the United States have adopted regulations requiring every company that maintains or stores personal information to adopt a comprehensive written information security program. In addition, certain United States federal laws and regulations affecting financial institutions, health care providers and plans and others impose requirements regarding the privacy and security of information maintained by those institutions as well as notification to persons whose personal information is accessed by an unauthorized third party. Some of these laws and regulations provide for civil fines in certain circumstances and require the adoption and maintenance of privacy and information security programs; our failure to comply with any such programs may adversely affect our business. Continued governmental focus on data security may lead to additional legislative action in the United States. For example, the United States Congress has considered, and will likely consider again, legislation that would expand the federal data breach notification requirement beyond the financial and medical fields. Also, an increasing number of countries have introduced and/or increased enforcement of comprehensive data protection and privacy laws, or are expected to do so. In Europe, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (commonly referred to as GDPR) on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data will come into effect in May 2018 and will supersede Directive 95/46/EC, which has governed the processing of personal data since 1995. The new regulation will enhance the security and privacy obligations of entities, such as us, that process data of residents of members of the European Economic Area and substantially increase penalties for violations. The continued emphasis on information security and compliance as well as increasing concerns about government surveillance may lead customers to request that we take additional measures to enhance security, store electronic data locally, and assume higher liability under our contracts. We have experienced incidents in which customers' backup tapes or other records have been lost, and we have been informed by customers that some of the incidents involved the loss of personal information, resulting in monetary costs to those customers for which we have provided reimbursement. As a result of legislative initiatives and client demands, we may have to modify our operations with the goal of further improving data security. Any such modifications may result in increased expenses and operating complexity, and we may be unable to increase the rates we charge for our services sufficiently to offset any increased expenses. In addition to increases in the costs of operations or potential liability that may result from a heightened focus on data security or losses of information, our reputation may be damaged by any compromise of security, accidental loss or theft of our own records, or information that we maintain with respect to our employees, as well as customer data in our possession. We believe that establishing and maintaining a good reputation is critical to attracting and retaining customers. If our reputation is damaged, we may become less competitive, which could negatively impact our businesses, financial condition or results of operations. Attacks on our internal IT systems could damage our reputation, harm our businesses and adversely impact our results of operations. Our reputation for providing secure information storage to customers is critical to the success of our business. We have previously faced attempts by unauthorized users to gain access to our IT systems and expect to continue to face such attempts. Although we seek to prevent, detect and investigate these security incidents and have taken steps to prevent such security breaches, our IT and network infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breaches due to employee error or other disruptions. Moreover, our ability to integrate businesses we acquire may challenge our ability to prevent such security breaches. We have, and expect to continue to, outsource certain accounting, payroll IT, human resource, facility management and back office support services to third parties, which may subject our IT and other sensitive information to additional risk. A successful breach of the security of our IT systems could lead to theft or misuse of our customers' proprietary or confidential information and result in third party claims against us and reputational harm. If our reputation is damaged, we may become less competitive, which could negatively impact our businesses, financial condition or results of operations. Changing fire and safety standards may result in significant expense in certain jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2017, we operated 1,316 records management, off-site data protection, data center and fine art storage facilities worldwide, including 627 in the United States. Many of these facilities were built and outfitted by third parties and added to our real estate portfolio as part of acquisitions. Some of these facilities contain fire suppression and safety features that are different from our current specifications and current standards for new facilities, although we believe all of our facilities were constructed, in all material respects, in compliance with laws and regulations in effect at the time of their construction or outfitting. In some instances local authorities having jurisdiction may take the position that our fire suppression and safety features in a particular facility are insufficient and require additional measures that may involve considerable expense to us. In addition, where we determine that the fire suppression and safety features of a facility require improvement, we will develop and implement a plan to remediate the issue, although implementation may require an extended period to complete. A significant aspect of the integration of Recall (and other businesses we have acquired or may acquire) with our business is the process of making certain investments in the acquired Recall facilities to conform such facilities to our standards of operations. This process is complex and time-consuming. If additional fire safety and suppression measures beyond our current operating plan were required at a large number of our facilities, the expense required for compliance could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our customer contracts may not always limit our liability and may sometimes contain terms that could lead to disputes in contract interpretation. Our customer contracts typically contain provisions limiting our liability regarding the loss or destruction of, or damage to, records, information, or other items stored with us. Our liability for physical storage is often limited to a nominal fixed amount per item or unit of storage (such as per cubic foot) and our liability for Information Governance and Digital Solutions, data center, Destruction and other services unrelated to records, information and other items stored with us is often limited to a percentage of annual revenue under the contract; however, some of our contracts with large customers and some of the contracts assumed in our acquisitions contain no such limits or contain higher limits. We can provide no assurance that our limitation of liability provisions will be enforceable in all instances or, if enforceable, that they would otherwise protect us from liability. In addition to provisions limiting our liability, our customer contracts generally include a schedule setting forth the majority of the customer-specific terms, including storage rental and service pricing and service delivery terms. Our customers may dispute the interpretation of various provisions in their contracts. In the past, we have had relatively few disputes with our customers regarding the terms of their customer contracts, and most disputes to date have not been material, but we can provide no assurance that we will not have material disputes in the future. Moreover, as a large percentage of our growth is driven by acquisitions and customer contracts assumed in acquisitions make up a commensurately larger percentage of our customer contracts, and as we expand our operations in storage of fine arts and other valuable items and respond to customer demands for higher limitation of liability as a result of regulatory changes, our exposure to contracts with higher or no limitations of liability and disputes with customers over the interpretation of their contracts may increase. Although we maintain a comprehensive insurance program, we can provide no assurance that we will be able to maintain insurance policies on acceptable terms in order to cover losses to us in connection with customer contract disputes. International operations may pose unique risks. As of December 31, 2017, we provided storage and information management services in 52 countries outside the United States. Our international operations account for a significant portion of our overall operations, and as part of our growth strategy, we expect to continue to acquire or invest in storage and information management services businesses in select foreign markets, including countries where we do not currently operate. International operations are subject to numerous risks, including: • the impact of foreign government regulations and United States regulations that apply to us in foreign countries where we operate; in particular, we are subject to United States and foreign anticorruption laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the United Kingdom Bribery Act, and, although we have implemented internal controls, policies and procedures and training to deter prohibited practices, our employees, partners, contractors or agents may violate or circumvent such policies and the law; • the volatility of certain foreign economies in which we operate; • political uncertainties and changes in the global political climate which may impose restrictions on global operations; • unforeseen liabilities, particularly within acquired businesses; • costs and difficulties associated with managing international operations of varying sizes and scale; • the risk that business partners upon whom we depend for technical assistance or management and acquisition expertise in some markets outside of the United States will not perform as expected; • difficulties attracting and retaining local management and key employees to operate our business in certain countries; • cultural differences and differences in business practices and operating standards; and • foreign currency fluctuations. In particular, our net income, debt balances or leverage can be significantly affected by fluctuations in currencies. We have operations in numerous foreign countries and, as a result, are subject to foreign exchange translation risk, which could have an adverse effect on our financial results. We conduct business operations in numerous foreign countries through our foreign subsidiaries or affiliates, which primarily transact in their respective local currencies. Those local currencies are translated into United States dollars at the applicable exchange rates for inclusion in our consolidated financial statements. The results of operations of, and certain of our debt balances (including intercompany debt balances) associated with, our international businesses are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations, and as we have expanded our international operations, our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations has increased. Upon translation, operating results may differ materially from expectations, and significant shifts in foreign currencies can impact our short-term results, as well as our long-term forecasts and targets. In addition, because we intend to distribute 100% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders, and any exchange rate fluctuations may negatively impact our REIT taxable income, our distribution amounts (including the classification of our distributions as nonqualified ordinary dividends, qualified ordinary dividends or return of capital, as described more fully in "Item 5. Market For Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities" included in this Annual Report) may fluctuate as a result of exchange rate fluctuations. Failure to comply with certain regulatory and contractual requirements under our United States Government contracts could adversely affect our revenues, operating results and financial position. Having the United States Government as a customer subjects us to certain regulatory and contractual requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements could subject us to investigations, price reductions, up to treble damages, and civil penalties. Noncompliance with certain regulatory and contractual requirements could also result in us being suspended or barred from future United States Government contracting. We may also face private derivative securities claims as a result of adverse government actions. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, operating results, financial position and reputation. We may be subject to certain costs and potential liabilities associated with the real estate required for our business. Because our business is heavily dependent on real estate, we face special risks attributable to the real estate we own or lease. Such risks include: • acquisition and occupancy costs that make it difficult to meet anticipated margins and difficulty locating suitable facilities due to a relatively small number of available buildings having the desired characteristics in some real estate markets; • uninsured losses or damage to our storage facilities due to an inability to obtain full coverage on a cost-effective basis for some casualties, such as fires, earthquakes, or any coverage for certain losses, such as losses from riots or terrorist activities; • inability to use our real estate holdings effectively and costs associated with vacating or consolidating facilities if the demand for physical storage were to diminish; and • liability under environmental laws for the costs of investigation and cleanup of contaminated real estate owned or leased by us, whether or not (i) we know of, or were responsible for, the contamination, or (ii) the contamination occurred while we owned or leased the property. Some of our current and formerly owned or leased properties were previously used by entities other than us for industrial or other purposes, or were affected by waste generated from nearby properties, that involved the use, storage, generation and/or disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, including petroleum products. In some instances this prior use involved the operation of underground storage tanks or the presence of asbestos-containing materials. Where we are aware of environmental conditions that require remediation, we undertake appropriate activity, in accordance with all legal requirements. Although we have from time to time conducted limited environmental investigations and remedial activities at some of our former and current facilities, we have not undertaken an in-depth environmental review of all of our properties, including those acquired in acquisitions we have completed. We therefore may be potentially liable for environmental costs like those discussed above and may be unable to sell, rent, mortgage or use contaminated real estate owned or leased by us. Environmental conditions for which we might be liable may also exist at properties that we may acquire in the future. In addition, future regulatory action and environmental laws may impose costs for environmental compliance that do not exist today. Unexpected events could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our reputation and results of operations. Unexpected events, including fires or explosions at our facilities, natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, war or terrorist activities, unplanned power outages, supply disruptions and failure of equipment or systems, could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations. Our customers rely on us to securely store and timely retrieve their critical information, and these events could result in customer service disruption, physical damage to one or more key operating facilities and the information stored in those facilities, the temporary closure of one or more key operating facilities or the temporary disruption of information systems, each of which could negatively impact our reputation and results of operations. During the past several years we have seen an increase in severe weather events and some of our key facilities worldwide are subject to this inherent risk. Damage to our reputation could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our reputation for providing highly secure information storage to customers is critical to the success of our business. Our reputation or brand, and specifically, the trust our customers place in us, could be negatively impacted in the event of perceived or actual failures by us to store information securely. For example, events such as fires, natural disasters, attacks on our IT systems or security breaches involving us could negatively impact our reputation, particularly if such incidents result in adverse publicity, governmental investigations or litigation. Damage to our reputation could make us less competitive, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Following the consummation of the IODC Transaction, our data center business comprises a greater portion of our overall operations, increasing the likelihood that significant costs or disruptions at our data centers could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. During 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, we made several acquisitions in the data center space and we expect to continue to grow our data center business, both organically and through acquisitions. Our data center business depends on providing customers with highly reliable facilities, power infrastructure and operations solutions, and we will need to retain and hire qualified personnel to manage our data center business. Service interruptions or significant equipment damage could result in difficulty maintaining service level commitment obligations that we owe to certain of our customers. Service interruptions or equipment damage may occur at one or more of our data centers as a result of numerous factors, including: • human error; • equipment failure; • physical, electronic and cyber security breaches; • fire, hurricane, flood, earthquake and other natural disasters; • extreme temperatures; • power loss or telecommunications failure; • war, terrorism and any related conflicts or similar events worldwide; and • sabotage and vandalism. Our data center business is susceptible to regional costs of power, power shortages, planned or unplanned power outages and limitations on the availability of adequate power resources. We rely on third parties to provide power to our data centers. We are therefore subject to an inherent risk that such third parties may fail to deliver such power in adequate quantities or on a consistent basis. If the power delivered to our data centers is insufficient or interrupted, we would be required to provide power through the operation of our on-site generators, generally at a significantly higher operating cost. Additionally, global fluctuations in the price of power can increase the cost of energy. We may be limited in our ability to, or may not always choose to, pass these increased costs on to our customers. We also rely on third party telecommunications carriers to provide internet connectivity to our customers. These carriers may elect not to offer their services within our data centers or may elect to discontinue such services. Furthermore, carriers may face business difficulties, which could affect their ability to provide telecommunications services or the quality of such services. If connectivity is interrupted or terminated, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Events such as these may also impact our reputation as a data center provider which could adversely affect our results of operations. Our data centers are subject to environmental laws and regulations. For example, our emergency generators are subject to regulations and permit requirements governing air pollutants, and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning and fire suppression systems at some of our data centers as well as our data management locations may include ozone-depleting substances that are subject to regulation. Changes in law or our operations could increase compliance costs or impose limitations on our operations. While environmental regulations do not normally impose material costs upon operations at our data centers, unexpected events, equipment malfunctions, human error and changes in law or regulations, among other factors, could result in unexpected costs due to violation of environmental laws, required permits or additional operation limitations or costs. Furthermore, after giving effect to the IODC Transaction, the Credit Suisse transaction and our acquisition in September 2017 of Mag Datacenters LLC, which operated Fortrust, a Denver-based data center provider, we will have paid an aggregate cash purchase price of over $1.5 billion for data center businesses in 2017 and the first quarter of 2018. We may be required to commit significant operational and financial resources in connection with the growth of our data center business. However, there can be no assurance we will have sufficient customer demand to support these data centers or that we will not be adversely affected by the risks noted above, which could make it difficult for us to realize expected returns on our investments, if any. Our shared service center initiative may not create the operational efficiencies that we expect, and may create risks relating to the processing of transactions and recording of financial information, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We have undertaken a shared service center initiative pursuant to which we are centralizing certain finance, human resources and IT functions. We have and will continue to align the design and operation of our financial control environment as part of our shared service center initiative. As part of this initiative, we are outsourcing, and will continue to outsource, certain IT accounting, payroll, IT, facility management, and human resource functions to third party service providers. The parties that we utilize for these services may not be able to handle the volume of activity or perform the quality of service necessary to support our operations. The failure of these parties to fulfill their obligations could disrupt our operations. In addition, the move to a shared service environment, including our reliance on third party providers, may create risks relating to the processing of transactions and recording of financial information. Particularly during the transition period, we could experience a lapse in the operation of internal controls due to turnover, lack of legacy knowledge, inappropriate training and use of third party providers, which could result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Fluctuations in commodity prices may affect our operating revenues and results of operations. Our operating revenues and results of operations are impacted by significant changes in commodity prices. In particular, our secure shredding operations generate revenue from the sale of shredded paper to recyclers. As a result, significant declines in the cost of paper may negatively impact our revenues and results of operations, and increases in other commodity prices, including steel, may negatively impact our results of operations. We may be subject to claims that our technology violates the IP rights of a third party. Third parties may have legal rights (including ownership of patents, trade secrets, trademarks and copyrights) to ideas, materials, processes, names or original works that are the same or similar to those we use. Third parties have in the past, and may in the future, bring claims, or threaten to bring claims, against us that allege that their IP rights are being infringed or violated by our use of IP. Litigation or threatened litigation could be costly and distract our senior management from operating our business. Further, if we cannot establish our right or obtain the right to use the IP on reasonable terms, we may be required to develop alternative IP at our expense to mitigate potential harm. We face competition for customers. We compete with multiple storage and information management services providers in all geographic areas where we operate; our current or potential customers may choose to use those competitors instead of us. We also compete, in some of our business lines, with our current and potential customers' internal storage and information management services capabilities and their cloud-based alternatives. These organizations may not begin or continue to use us for their future storage and information management service needs. Risks Related to Our Indebtedness Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our various debt instruments. We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2017, our total long-term debt was approximately $7.1 billion. Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences to our current and potential investors. These risks include: • inability to satisfy our obligations with respect to our various debt instruments; • inability to make borrowings to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, strategic opportunities, including acquisitions and expansions into adjacent businesses, and other general corporate requirements, including possible required repurchases of our various indebtedness; • limits on our distributions to stockholders; in this regard if these limits prevented us from satisfying our REIT distribution requirements, we could fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT or, if these limits do not jeopardize our qualification for taxation as a REIT but do nevertheless prevent us from distributing 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax, and potentially a nondeductible excise tax, on the retained amounts; • limits on future borrowings under our existing or future credit arrangements, which could affect our ability to pay our indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs; • inability to generate sufficient funds to cover required interest payments; • restrictions on our ability to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms; • limits on our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the information management services industry; and • inability to adjust to adverse economic conditions. In connection with the IODC Transaction, we incurred approximately $825.0 million of additional indebtedness. As a result of the indebtedness we incurred in connection with the IODC Transaction, we are subject to increased risks associated with debt financing, including an increased risk that our cash flow could be insufficient to meet required payments on our debt. Restrictive debt covenants may limit our ability to pursue our growth strategy. Our indentures and our Credit Agreement contain covenants restricting or limiting our ability to, among other things: • incur additional indebtedness; • pay dividends or make other restricted payments; • make asset dispositions; • create or permit liens; and • make acquisitions and other investments. These restrictions may adversely affect our ability to pursue our acquisition and other growth strategies. We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to finance the repurchase of outstanding senior or senior subordinated notes upon a change of control event as required by our indentures. Upon the occurrence of a "change of control," as defined in our indentures we will be required to offer to repurchase all of our outstanding senior or senior subordinated notes. However, it is possible that we will not have sufficient funds at the time of a change of control to make the required repurchase of any outstanding notes or that restrictions in our Credit Agreement will not allow such repurchases. Certain important corporate events, however, such as leveraged recapitalizations that would increase the level of our indebtedness, would not constitute a "change of control" under our indentures. Iron Mountain is a holding company, and, therefore, our ability to make payments on our various debt obligations depends in large part on the operations of our subsidiaries. Iron Mountain is a holding company; substantially all of our assets consist of the stock of our subsidiaries, and substantially all of our operations are conducted by our direct and indirect 100% owned subsidiaries. As a result, our ability to make payments on our various debt obligations will be dependent upon the receipt of sufficient funds from our subsidiaries. However, our various debt obligations are guaranteed, on a joint and several and full and unconditional basis, by our direct and indirect 100% owned United States subsidiaries, that represent the substantial majority of our United States operations. Acquisition and Expansion Risks Elements of our strategic growth plan involve inherent risks. As part of our strategic growth plan, we expect to invest in new business strategies, products, services, technologies and geographies, including data centers and ABOs, and we may selectively divest certain businesses. These initiatives may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including distraction of management from current operations, insufficient revenues to offset expenses and liabilities associated with new investments, inadequate return of capital on these investments and the inability to attract, develop and retain skilled employees to lead and support new initiatives. For example, in recent years, we have expanded our entry into the data center and fine art storage businesses. Our data center expansion in particular requires significant capital commitments and includes other costs associated with the development of real estate to support this business. Many of these new ventures are inherently risky and we can provide no assurance that such strategies and offerings will be successful in achieving the desired returns within a reasonable timeframe, if at all, and that they will not adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results. We also face competition from other companies in our efforts to grow our adjacent businesses, some of which possess substantial financial and other resources. As a result, we may be unable to acquire, or may pay a significant purchase price for, adjacent businesses that support our strategic growth plan. Failure to manage our growth may impact our results of operations. If we succeed in expanding our existing businesses, or in moving into new areas of business, that expansion may place increased demands on our management, operating systems, internal controls and financial and physical resources. If not managed effectively, these increased demands may adversely affect the services we provide to customers. In addition, our personnel, systems, procedures and controls may be inadequate to support future operations, particularly with respect to operations in countries outside of the United States or in new lines of business. Consequently, in order to manage growth effectively, we may be required to increase expenditures to increase our physical resources, expand, train and manage our employee base, improve management, financial and information systems and controls, or make other capital expenditures. Our results of operations and financial condition could be harmed if we encounter difficulties in effectively managing the budgeting, forecasting and other process control issues presented by future growth. Failure to successfully integrate acquired businesses could negatively impact our balance sheet and results of operations. Strategic acquisitions are an important element of our growth strategy and the success of any acquisition we make depends in part on our ability to integrate the acquired business and realize anticipated synergies. The process of integrating acquired businesses, particularly in new markets, may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our management's attention and our financial and other resources. For example, the success of our significant acquisitions, such as IODC and Recall, will depend, in large part, on our ability to realize the anticipated benefits, including cost savings from combining the acquired businesses with ours. To realize these anticipated benefits, we must be able to successfully integrate our business and the acquired businesses, and this integration is complex and time-consuming. We may encounter challenges in the integration process including the following: • challenges and difficulties associated with managing our larger, more complex, company; • conforming standards, controls, procedures and policies, business cultures and compensation structures between the two businesses; • consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures; • coordinating geographically dispersed organizations; • potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen expenses or delays associated with an acquisition; and • our ability to deliver on our strategy going forward. Further, our acquisitions subject us to liabilities (including tax liabilities) that may exist at an acquired company, some of which may be unknown. Although we and our advisors conduct due diligence on the operations of businesses we acquire, there can be no guarantee that we are aware of all liabilities of an acquired company. These liabilities, and any additional risks and uncertainties related to an acquired company not known to us or that we may deem immaterial or unlikely to occur at the time of the acquisition, could negatively impact our future business, financial condition and results of operations. We can give no assurance that we will ultimately be able to effectively integrate and manage the operations of any acquired business or realize anticipated synergies. The failure to successfully integrate the cultures, operating systems, procedures and information technologies of an acquired business could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We may be unable to continue our international expansion. An important part of our growth strategy involves expanding operations in international markets, including in markets where we currently do not operate, and we expect to continue this expansion. Europe, Latin America and Australia have been our primary areas of focus for international expansion, and we have expanded into Asia, Africa and the Middle East to a lesser extent. We have entered into joint ventures or have acquired all or a majority of the equity in storage and information management services businesses operating in these areas and may acquire other storage and information management services businesses in the future, including in new countries or markets where we currently do not operate. A changing global political climate may impose restrictions on our ability to expand internationally. This growth strategy involves risks. We may be unable to pursue this strategy in the future at the desired pace or at all. For example, we may be unable to: • identify suitable companies to acquire or invest in; • complete acquisitions on satisfactory terms; • successfully expand our infrastructure and sales force to support growth; • achieve satisfactory returns on acquired companies, particularly in countries where we do not currently operate; • incur additional debt necessary to acquire suitable companies if we are unable to pay the purchase price out of working capital, common stock or other equity securities; or • enter into successful business arrangements for technical assistance or management expertise outside of the United States. We also compete with other storage and information management services providers as well as other entities for companies to acquire. Some of our competitors may possess substantial financial and other resources. If any such competitor were to devote additional resources to pursue such acquisition candidates or focus its strategy on our international markets, the purchase price for potential acquisitions or investments could rise, competition in international markets could increase and our results of operations could be adversely affected. Our net proceeds from the Divestments may be lower than expected and we may be subject to liabilities as a result of provisions in the sale agreements governing the Divestments. The terms of the sale agreements governing the Divestments (as defined in Note 6 to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report) in the United States, Canada and Australia provide for post-closing adjustments to the purchase prices. As a result, the purchase prices for the Divestments may be adjusted in accordance with the terms of the sale agreements. As such, the expected net proceeds of the Divestments are uncertain and the actual net proceeds we receive from the Divestments may be less than the net proceeds expected by us. Furthermore, in the sale agreements governing the Divestments, we have made certain representations and warranties and are bound by certain covenants following the closings. Any breach of such terms may subject us to liabilities in accordance with the terms of the sale agreements. We have guaranteed certain obligations of Recall to Brambles relating to Brambles' prior demerger transaction. On December 18, 2013, Brambles Limited, an Australian corporation ("Brambles"), implemented a demerger transaction by way of a distribution of shares of Recall to Brambles’ shareholders (the “Demerger”). Prior to and in connection with the Demerger, Brambles spun off certain of its United States and Canadian subsidiaries, directly or indirectly, to Recall. Such spin-offs were intended to be tax-free or tax-deferred under United States and Canadian tax laws, respectively, and Brambles obtained rulings from the IRS (with respect to the United States spin-off) and the Canada Revenue Agency (with respect to the Canadian spin-off), as well as opinions of its tax advisors, to such effect. However, the tax-free status of the spin-off of such United States subsidiaries could be adversely affected under certain circumstances if a 50% or greater interest in such United States subsidiaries were acquired as part of a plan or series of related transactions that included such spin-off. Similarly, the tax-deferred status of the spin-off of the Canadian subsidiaries could be adversely affected under certain circumstances if control of such subsidiaries were acquired as part of a series of transactions or events that included such spin-off. In connection with the Demerger, Recall agreed to indemnify Brambles and certain of its affiliates for taxes to the extent that actions by Recall (e.g., an acquisition of Recall shares) resulted in the United States spin-off or the Canadian spin-off described above failing to qualify as tax-free or tax-deferred for United States or Canadian tax purposes, respectively. In addition, Recall agreed, among other things, that it would not, within two years of the 2013 spin-offs, enter into a proposed acquisition transaction, merger or consolidation (with respect to the United States spin-off) or take any action that could reasonably be expected to jeopardize, directly or indirectly, any of the conclusions reached in the Canadian tax ruling or opinion, without obtaining either a supplemental tax ruling from the relevant taxing authority, the consent of Brambles or an opinion of a tax advisor, acceptable to Brambles in its reasonable discretion, that such transaction should not result in the spin-offs failing to be tax-free under United States federal income tax law or Canadian tax law, respectively. Recall has obtained such tax opinions, based on, among other things, representations and warranties made by Recall and us. Such opinions do not affect Recall’s obligation to indemnify Brambles for an adverse impact on the tax-free status of such prior spin-offs. We have guaranteed the foregoing indemnification obligations of Recall. Consistent with the foregoing tax opinions, we believe that the Recall Transaction is not part of a plan or series of related transactions, or part of a series of transactions or events, that included the United States spin-off or the Canadian spin-off, respectively. However, if the IRS or the Canadian Revenue Agency were to prevail in asserting a contrary view, we would be liable for the resulting taxes, which could be material. Risks Related to Our Taxation as a REIT If we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we will be subject to tax at corporate income tax rates and will not be able to deduct distributions to stockholders when computing our taxable income. We have elected to be taxed as a REIT since our 2014 taxable year; however, we can provide no assurance that we will remain qualified for taxation as a REIT. If we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we will be taxed at corporate income tax rates unless certain relief provisions apply. Qualification for taxation as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), which provisions may change from time to time, to our operations as well as various factual determinations concerning matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. There are limited judicial or administrative interpretations of applicable REIT provisions. If, in any taxable year, we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT and are not entitled to relief under the Code: • we will not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income; • we will be subject to federal and state income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates; and • we would not be eligible to elect REIT status again until the fifth taxable year that begins after the first year for which we failed to qualify as a REIT. Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for other purposes. If we fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we may need to borrow additional funds or liquidate some investments to pay any additional tax liability. Accordingly, funds available for investment and distributions to stockholders could be reduced. As a REIT, failure to make required distributions would subject us to federal corporate income tax. We expect to continue paying regular quarterly distributions; however, the amount, timing and form of our regular quarterly distributions will be determined, and will be subject to adjustment, by our board of directors. To remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we are generally required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gain) each year, or in limited circumstances, the following year, to our stockholders. Generally, we expect to distribute all or substantially all of our REIT taxable income. If our cash available for distribution falls short of our estimates, we may be unable to maintain distributions that approximate our REIT taxable income and may fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT. In addition, our cash flows from operations may be insufficient to fund required distributions as a result of differences in timing between the actual receipt of income and the payment of expenses and the recognition of income and expenses for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of nondeductible expenditures, such as capital expenditures, payments of compensation for which Section 162(m) of the Code denies a deduction, interest expense deductions limited by Section 163(j) of the Code, the creation of reserves or required debt service or amortization payments. To the extent that we satisfy the 90% distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on our undistributed taxable income if the actual amount that we distribute to our stockholders for a calendar year is less than the minimum amount specified under the Code. We may be required to borrow funds, sell assets or raise equity to satisfy REIT distribution requirements, to comply with asset ownership tests or to fund capital expenditures, future growth and expansion initiatives. In order to meet the REIT distribution requirements and maintain our qualification and taxation as a REIT, or to fund capital expenditures, future growth and expansion initiatives, we may need to borrow funds, sell assets or raise equity, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings, sales or offerings. Any insufficiency of our cash flows to cover our REIT distribution requirements could adversely impact our ability to raise short- and long-term debt, to sell assets, or to offer equity securities in order to fund distributions required to maintain our qualification and taxation as a REIT. Furthermore, the REIT distribution requirements may increase the financing we need to fund capital expenditures, future growth and expansion initiatives, which would increase our indebtedness. An increase in our outstanding debt could lead to a downgrade of our credit rating, which could negatively impact our ability to access credit markets. Further, certain of our current debt instruments limit the amount of indebtedness we and our subsidiaries may incur. Additional financing, therefore, may be unavailable, more expensive or restricted by the terms of our outstanding indebtedness. For a discussion of risks related to our substantial level of indebtedness, see "Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness." Whether we issue equity, at what price and the amount and other terms of any such issuances will depend on many factors, including alternative sources of capital, our then-existing leverage, our need for additional capital, market conditions and other factors beyond our control. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity securities or debt convertible into equity securities, the percentage of stock ownership by our existing stockholders may be reduced. In addition, new equity securities or convertible debt securities could have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our current stockholders, which could substantially decrease the value of our securities owned by them. Depending upon the market price of our common stock at the time of any potential issuances of equity securities, we may have to sell a significant number of shares in order to raise the capital we deem necessary to execute our long-term strategy, and our stockholders may experience dilution in the value of their shares as a result. In addition, if we fail to comply with specified asset ownership tests applicable to REITs as measured at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct such failure within 30 days after the end of the applicable calendar quarter or qualify for statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our qualification for taxation as a REIT. As a result, we may be required to liquidate assets or to forgo our pursuit of otherwise attractive investments. These actions may reduce our income and amounts available for distribution to our stockholders. Complying with REIT requirements may limit our flexibility or cause us to forgo otherwise attractive opportunities. To remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we must satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. Thus, compliance with these tests may require us to refrain from certain activities and may hinder our ability to make certain attractive investments, including the purchase of non-REIT qualifying operations or assets, the expansion of non-real estate activities, and investments in the businesses to be conducted by our taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs"), and to that extent limit our opportunities and our flexibility to change our business strategy. Furthermore, acquisition opportunities in domestic and international markets may be adversely affected if we need or require the target company to comply with some REIT requirements prior to closing. We conduct a significant portion of our business activities, including our information management services businesses and several of our international operations, through domestic and foreign TRSs. Under the Code, no more than 25% of the value of the assets of a REIT may be represented by securities of one or more TRSs and other nonqualifying assets. In addition, no more than 20% of the value of the assets of a REIT may be represented by securities of one or more TRSs within the overall 25% nonqualifying assets limitation. These limitations may affect our ability to make additional investments in non-REIT qualifying operations or assets or in international operations through TRSs. Our ability to fully deduct our interest expense may be limited, or we may be required to adjust the tax depreciation of our real property in order to maintain the full deductibility of our interest expense. December 2017 amendments to the Code, which are described more fully in the Tax Reform section of "Critical Accounting Policies" within Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in this Annual Report (the "Tax Reform Legislation"), limit interest deductions for businesses, whether in corporate or passthrough form, to the sum of the taxpayer’s business interest income for the tax year and 30% of the taxpayer’s adjusted taxable income for that tax year. This limitation does not apply to an “electing real property trade or business.” We have not yet determined whether we or any of our subsidiaries will elect out of the new interest expense limitation or whether any of our subsidiaries is eligible to elect out, although legislative history indicates that a real property trade or business includes a trade or business conducted by a corporation or a REIT. Depreciable real property (including specified improvements) held by electing real property trades or businesses must be depreciated for United States federal income tax purposes under the alternative depreciation system of the Code, which generally imposes a class life for depreciable real property of up to 40 years. As a REIT, we are limited in our ability to fund distribution payments using cash generated through our TRSs. Our ability to receive distributions from our TRSs is limited by the rules with which we must comply to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT. In particular, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year as a REIT must be derived from real estate, which principally includes gross income from providing customers with secure storage space or colocation or wholesale data center space. Consequently, no more than 25% of our gross income may consist of dividend income from our TRSs and other nonqualifying types of income. Thus, our ability to receive distributions from our TRSs may be limited, and may impact our ability to fund distributions to our stockholders using cash flows from our TRSs. Specifically, if our TRSs become highly profitable, we might become limited in our ability to receive net income from our TRSs in an amount required to fund distributions to our stockholders commensurate with that profitability. In addition, a significant amount of our income and cash flows from our TRSs is generated from our international operations. In many cases, there are local withholding taxes and currency controls that may impact our ability or willingness to repatriate funds to the United States to help satisfy REIT distribution requirements. Our extensive use of TRSs, including for certain of our international operations, may cause us to fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT. Our operations include an extensive use of TRSs. The net income of our TRSs is not required to be distributed to us, and income that is not distributed to us generally is not subject to the REIT income distribution requirement. However, there may be limitations on our ability to accumulate earnings in our TRSs and the accumulation or reinvestment of significant earnings in our TRSs could result in adverse tax treatment. In particular, if the accumulation of cash in our TRSs causes (1) the fair market value of our securities in our TRSs to exceed 20% of the fair market value of our assets or (2) the fair market value of our securities in our TRSs and other nonqualifying assets to exceed 25% of the fair market value of our assets, then we will fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT. Further, a substantial portion of our TRSs are overseas, and a material change in foreign currency rates could also negatively impact our ability to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT. The Tax Reform Legislation has imposed limitations on the ability of our TRSs to utilize specified income tax deductions, including limits on the use of net operating losses and limits on the deductibility of interest expense. Further, these amendments made substantial changes to the taxation of international income. Some of these changes did not contemplate what we believe were unintended consequences of such reforms on REITs with global operations, and we may be required to recognize income on account of the activities of our foreign TRSs that may not be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests that we are required to satisfy. Our cash distributions are not guaranteed and may fluctuate. A REIT generally is required to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, will determine, on a quarterly basis, the amount of cash to be distributed to our stockholders based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, our results of operations, cash flow and capital requirements, economic conditions, tax considerations, borrowing capacity and other factors, including debt covenant restrictions that may impose limitations on cash payments, future acquisitions and divestitures, any stock repurchase program and general market demand for our space and services. Consequently, our distribution levels may fluctuate. Even if we remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, some of our business activities are subject to corporate level income tax and foreign taxes, which will continue to reduce our cash flows, and we will have potential deferred and contingent tax liabilities. Even if we remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to some federal, state, local and foreign taxes on our income and assets, taxes on any undistributed income, and state, local or foreign income, franchise, property and transfer taxes. In addition, we could in certain circumstances be required to pay an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount, in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Code to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT. Our information management services businesses and several of our international operations are conducted through wholly owned TRSs because these activities could generate nonqualifying REIT income as currently structured and operated. The income of our domestic TRSs will continue to be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. In addition, we and our subsidiaries continue to be subject to foreign income taxes in jurisdictions in which we have business operations or a taxable presence, regardless of whether assets are held or operations are conducted through subsidiaries disregarded for federal income tax purposes or TRSs. Any of these taxes would decrease our earnings and our available cash. We will also be subject to a federal corporate level income tax at the highest regular corporate income tax rate (currently 21%, following the enactment of the Tax Reform Legislation) on gains recognized from a sale of a REIT asset where our basis in the asset is determined by reference to the basis of the asset in the hands of a C corporation (such as (i) an asset that we held as of the effective date of our REIT election, that is, January 1, 2014, or (ii) an asset that we hold in one of our qualified REIT subsidiaries ("QRSs") following the liquidation or other conversion of a former TRS). This 21% tax is generally applicable to any disposition of such an asset during the five-year period after the date we first owned the asset as a REIT asset (e.g., January 1, 2014 in the case of REIT assets we held at the time of our REIT conversion), to the extent of the built-in-gain based on the fair market value of such asset on the date we first held the asset as a REIT asset. In addition, depreciation recapture income that we expect to recognize as a result of certain accounting method changes that we have made will be fully subject to this 21% tax. Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively and increase the cost of our hedging and may cause us to incur tax liabilities. The REIT provisions of the Code limit our ability to hedge assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Generally, income from hedging transactions that we enter into to manage risk of interest rate changes with respect to borrowings made or to be made by us to acquire or carry real estate assets and income from certain currency hedging transactions related to our non-United States operations, as well as income from qualifying counteracting hedges, do not constitute "gross income" for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as nonqualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may need to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through our TRSs. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because our TRSs would be subject to tax on income or gains resulting from hedges entered into by them and may expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates or exchange rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, hedging losses in any of our TRSs generally will not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried forward for possible use against future income or gain in the TRSs. Distributions payable by REITs generally do not qualify for preferential tax rates. Dividends payable by United States corporations to noncorporate stockholders, such as individuals, trusts and estates, are generally eligible for reduced United States federal income tax rates applicable to “qualified dividends.” Distributions paid by REITs generally are not treated as “qualified dividends” under the Code, and the reduced rates applicable to such dividends do not generally apply. However, for tax years beginning after 2017 and before 2026, REIT dividends paid to noncorporate stockholders are generally taxed at an effective tax rate lower than applicable ordinary income tax rates due to the availability of a deduction under the Code for specified forms of income from passthrough entities. More favorable rates will nevertheless continue to apply to regular corporate “qualified” dividends, which may cause some investors to perceive that an investment in a REIT is less attractive than an investment in a non-REIT entity that pays dividends, thereby reducing the demand and market price of our common stock. The ownership and transfer restrictions contained in our certificate of incorporation may not protect our qualification for taxation as a REIT, could have unintended antitakeover effects and may prevent our stockholders from receiving a takeover premium. In order for us to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, no more than 50% of the value of outstanding shares of our capital stock may be owned, beneficially or constructively, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of each taxable year other than the first year for which we elected to be taxed as a REIT. In addition, rents from "affiliated tenants" will not qualify as qualifying REIT income if we own 10% or more by vote or value of the customer, whether directly or after application of attribution rules under the Code. Subject to certain exceptions, our certificate of incorporation prohibits any stockholder from owning, beneficially or constructively, more than (i) 9.8% in value of the outstanding shares of all classes or series of our capital stock or (ii) 9.8% in value or number, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. We refer to these restrictions collectively as the "ownership limits" and we included them in our certificate of incorporation to facilitate our compliance with REIT tax rules. The constructive ownership rules under the Code are complex and may cause the outstanding stock owned by a group of related individuals or entities to be deemed to be constructively owned by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% of our outstanding common stock (or the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock) by an individual or entity could cause that individual or entity or another individual or entity to own constructively in excess of the relevant ownership limits. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of our common stock or of any of our other capital stock in violation of these restrictions may result in the shares being automatically transferred to a charitable trust or may be void. Even though our certificate of incorporation contains the ownership limits, there can be no assurance that these provisions will be effective to prevent our qualification for taxation as a REIT from being jeopardized, including under the affiliated tenant rule. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we will be able to monitor and enforce the ownership limits. If the restrictions in our certificate of incorporation are not effective and as a result we fail to satisfy the REIT tax rules described above, then absent an applicable relief provision, we will fail to remain qualified for taxation as a REIT. In addition, the ownership and transfer restrictions could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders. As a result, the overall effect of the ownership and transfer restrictions may be to render more difficult or discourage any attempt to acquire us, even if such acquisition may be favorable to the interests of our stockholders. Legislative or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on us or our stockholders. At any time, the federal or state income tax laws governing REITs, or the administrative interpretations of those laws, may be amended. Federal and state tax laws are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process, the IRS, the United States Department of the Treasury (the "Treasury") and state taxing authorities. Changes to the tax laws, regulations and administrative interpretations, which may have retroactive application, could adversely affect us. In addition, some of these changes could have a more significant impact on us as compared to other REITs due to the nature of our business and our substantial use of TRSs, particularly non-United States TRSs. The Tax Reform Legislation has made substantial changes to the Code, particularly as it relates to the taxation of both corporate income and international income. Among those changes are a significant permanent reduction in the generally applicable corporate income tax rate and the modification of tax policies, credits and deductions for businesses and individuals. This legislation also imposes additional limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, which may in the future cause us to make distributions that will be taxable to our stockholders to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. The effect of these and other changes made in this legislation is highly uncertain, both in terms of their direct effect on the taxation of an investment in our securities and their indirect effect on the value of properties owned by us. Furthermore, many of the provisions of the new law will require guidance through the issuance of Treasury regulations in order to assess their effect. There may be a substantial delay before such regulations are promulgated, increasing the uncertainty as to the ultimate effect of the statutory amendments on us or our stockholders. It is also possible that there will be technical corrections legislation proposed with respect to the Tax Reform Legislation, the effect of which cannot be predicted and may be adverse to us or our stockholders. Our stockholders are encouraged to consult with their tax advisors about the potential effects that changes in law may have on them and their ownership of our securities. Risks Related to our Common Stock Sales or issuances of shares of our common stock may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Future sales or issuances of common stock or other equity related securities may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, including any shares of our common stock issued to finance capital expenditures, finance acquisitions or repay debt. In October 2017, we established an "at-the-market" stock offering program (the "At The Market (ATM) Equity Program") with a syndicate of 10 banks (the “Agents”), pursuant to which we may sell, from time to time, up to an aggregate sales price of $500.0 million of our common stock through the Agents. As of December 31, 2017, we have sold 1,481,053 shares of our common stock for gross proceeds of approximately $60.0 million under the At The Market (ATM) Equity Program. The ability of our board of directors to change our major policies without the consent of stockholders may not be in the interest of our stockholders. Our board of directors determines our major policies, including policies and guidelines relating to our investments, acquisitions, leverage, financing, growth, operations and distributions to our stockholders. Our board of directors may amend or revise these and other policies and guidelines from time to time without the vote or consent of our stockholders. Accordingly, our stockholders will have limited control over changes in our policies, and any such changes could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, the market price of our common stock and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Item 1B.