Questions Flashcards

1
Q

Business Model

Describe the value proposition SES brings?

A

Let me explain to you what happens if SES does not perform our services:
1. Customers experience costly shutdowns/downtime
2. Production levels suffer or come to a halt - Can be $$$
3. Customers incur increase maintenance & repair costs
4. Help customer meet environmental and sustainability goals & regulatory requirements

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2
Q

Business Model

2- Describe the value proposition SES brings ?

SERVICES

A
  1. Services are Daily/Weekly/Qtrly: reoccuring, predictable and planned by customers
    IS
  2. Routine - Required to keep plant processes running (Daily/Weekly/Monthly)
  3. Outages - Weekly Monthly 1 -2 year (Spring /Fall)
  4. Unplanned - Unit goes down
    Contaminated process
    PD - Routine Safety devices
    WM - Routine EPA Regulations
  5. Have MSAs (“hunting licenses”) with nearly all customers
    • ~80% IS business (Core IS & Hydro/Waterblasting) business is recurring, preventative maintenance;
  6. ~20% of IS business is outage related
    • ES (Comprehensive Waste Management, Environmental Technical Services and Product Destruction; ~25% of revenue) is regulatory driven in nature
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3
Q

Business Model

How recurring is the nature of each service?

A
  1. We are a Prevenative Maintenance Company
  2. Services are Daily/Weekly/Qtrly: reoccuring, predictable and planned by customer
    • The nature of customers work, in addition to dated equipment and plants, also makes this recurring – these have to be regularly maintained. SES is in the *preventative maintenance business *and there are negative consequences if SES does not show up; work is so critical all customers have backup vendors

SES defines “recurring” as revenue recognized by a customer in three of

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4
Q

Business Model

Discuss the Company’s primary competitors and SES’ market positioning

A

Clean Harbors (Veolia/Hydrochem/Thompson)- IS and Waste
Heritage - Waste
Debusk & Evergreen North American for IS (South)
HTH - IS West

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5
Q

Business Model

Why do you believe that SES has outperformed peers in the space, particularly other companies that have or are owned by private equity

e.g., Thompson, Envirovac, K2, etc

A
  • Can answer with: we are different from these companies that may have the same look and feel Diversification of service offerings
    1.Comprehensive Waste Management
    1. Product Destruction & Environmental Technical Services are not something competitors can offer
      3.Hydro automated services
  • Focus on premium, high-margin end markets Ag/Grain/Food Processing, Chemicals and Utilities are top end markets
  • *

Metals is #2 end market but lowest overall margin)

Do not have any current exposure to Oil & Gas; plan to grow into select Midwest refineries with higher margins and additional outage work; although, do have not plans to perform any type of work in the Gulf Coast

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6
Q

Business Model

How do you expect SES to perform in an economic cycle?

A
  • Expect to perform very well due to diversified services & end markets
    For example: Have pushed Ag/Grain/Food Processing; steady end market regardless of an economic cycle
  • SES is the last outsourced provider to be forced from a facility
  • Oftentimes customers bring in SES to augment their own staff during these times
  • Environmental Services business is decoupled from economic cycles (e.g., airbags need destroyed & hazardous waste needs processed regardless of economic conditions)
    ~~~

* If any changes in dem& occurs, SES is a business “on wheels” & can re-

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7
Q

Business Model

To what extent is SES influenced by regulatory demand drivers?

A
  • ~30% of the business (EBITDA) is driven by regulatory demand drivers
    Waste Mgmt 20% driven by RCRA 90/180 day rule
    Product Destruction 10% & is driven primarily by mandatory recalls of safety devies
  • The other ~70% of the business is primarily recurring preventative maintenance (Core IS & Hydro/Waterblasting)

IS - Keep Equipment efficient to meet emissions and discharge standards
## Footnote

EBITDA: Waste 20% PD 10% IS 70%

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8
Q

Business Model

How have you been able to mitigate labor constraints?

Discuss employee turnover / wage inflation over the past few years.

A

Hhiring the correct/best professionals

Having a clear career path
that incorporates set promotion schedules & pay increases

Employees referral bonuses; SES employees to recruit in the industry - great tool

Wage inflation, SES is able to push through price increases that “stick” with customers

70% Turnover (improving YOY) better than competitors

Fully loaded field hourly rate of ~$29/hour

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9
Q

Service Offering

Describe how the services fit together & the synergy between Industrial Services & Environmental Services offerings.

A
  • Nearly every customer needs all of these services; e.g. - all preventative maintenance customers have a need for Comprehensive Waste Management & Environmental Technical Services
  • SES can compete with any competitor on a basis of Industrial Services while also handling mid-size volumes of waste (i.e., Comprehensive Waste Management & Environmental Technical Services)
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10
Q

Service Offering

Why did the Product Destruction business tail off in 2021, & how can we get comfortable with the sustainability of the new Product Destruction work (e.g., TK Services)?

A

TK was originally working with SES, General Dynamics & Clean Harbors (did not like CH) in 2020; contract with General Dynamics was two-year agreement (compared to SES’ one-year contract) & were bound to this contractually so went with General Dynamics after 2020

  • TK was happy with SES’ services originally & sought out new contract for 2023; evergreen contract

SES has more environmentally friendly process; processes & recycles materials rather than incinerating &/or disposing in a landfill

General Dynamics is focused on military munitions & SES is one of few providers of scale that TK can utilize

~30M desiccant airbags being investigated from TK
~30-50M airbag inflators being investigated from another airbag manufacturer
* It will take 20+ years to work through existing inventory, creating a very predictable volume for Product Destruction

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11
Q

Service Offering

Discuss the waste & recycling business – what are the items SES is recycling & what are the drivers of this business? Are you handling hazardous waste?

A

Haz and Non Haz waste is handle in containers 5 g - 30 yd3 boxes
Recyclables - Pastics / Cardboard / Wood in compators -metals

Haz - SES handles processing but is not liable for disposal; generators

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12
Q

Service Offering

How predictable is the Environmental Technical Services business? Is this episodic/one-time business?

A

Typically small, regular-way events & re-occurring - e.g., pump failures, drum spills, etc.; 300+ jobs per year

We don’t chase the large events like the East Palistine derailment - Cu

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13
Q

Customers/End Markets

Who are some of your top customers for each service line?

How much more potential is there (e.g., new sites, service extensions) w

  • Do you have contracts with each customer? MSAs? How are they structured? Is there a renewal process?
A

Overall
* Cleveland Cliffs: $8.3mm
* North Star: $7.9mm
* Primient: $6.8mm
* Honda: $4.8mm
* Cargill: $4.1mm
* ** Core IS & Hydro/Waterblasting:**
* North Star: $7.9mm
* Cleveland Cliffs: $7.1mm
* Primient: $6.8mm

* Comprehensive Waste Management:
* AstraZeneca: $1.5mm
Gorilla Glue: ~$590k
Milacron: ~$445k*
* Product Destruction:

* Honda: $4.4mm
TK Services: $3.5mm
Quantum Metals: $1.5mm
* Environmental Technical Services:
* Cleveland Cliffs: $1.1mm
* Suncoke: $900k

  • No contracts for the most part; do have MSAs with ~90% of customers
  • Contracted on a PO basis; gives SES the ability to raise prices more easily
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14
Q

Customers/End Markets

How is pricing determined for each service/customer?

Have you had price increases recently?

A
  • Every project is evaluated independently based on scope, resources & potential of the customer
  • Average ticket size is ~$3,500
  • Pricing is based on PO; gives SES the ability to raise prices more easily
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15
Q

Customers/End Markets

What are nested customers?
How many do you have?

A
  • ~20 nested sites; SES employees report directly to customer sites
  • See page 11 of CIP for detail on nested sites
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16
Q

Customers/End Markets

Why are you focused on the ag/grain/food processing & chemicals end markets?

A
  • Ag/food/grain is much less cyclical & premium margins
  • Chemicals is more technical; not all competitors can handle this work
17
Q

Customers/End Markets

How do you feel about the O&G & refinery end market?

A
  • Would not look at Gulf Coast O&G – but do like Midwest refineries business
  • High level of nested work
  • Focus on safety
  • Need for automated services, which SES has
  • High barriers to entry
  • Pricing in Midwest is up to 30% higher than compared to Gulf Coast
    Aging equipment needs to be serviced
18
Q

Customers/End Markets

How have you been able to grow/increase wallet share with customers?

A

Diverse offering along with performance during routine and outage work

19
Q

Customers/End Markets

What is a typical sales cycle & how are opportunities won?

(RFP, bid process?)

A
  • Sales cycle could be longer than 1-year, but once won, have great relationships
  • Top-notch sales team within each service line; led by Jim Keuhn
20
Q

Customers/End Markets

Any significant / recent lost customers?

Why do you lose customers?

A
  • Overall – “win some & lose some business”
    We have won many more customers than lost

* “You win some, you lose some”; competitive tension like in any other business

21
Q

Customers/End Markets

Any bonding requirement?

A

No current bonding requirements

22
Q

Management Team

Describe your transition to becoming CEO.

A
  • Not new to CEO suite; have been in seat for two years & with company longer/prior to that
  • Was recruited to be CEO & have been groomed directly by Dean Wallace for this position
23
Q

Management Team

What is Dean Wallace’s role today in the business? What role is Dean contemplating post-close?

A
  • Member of the Board
  • Dean is active from an M&A - he connects well with founder/owners);
  • I see Dean 1-2 Qtr (no office at SES)

when it comes to diligence & integration the SES team is in charge - Equipment and Team evaluation as well a the Strategic plan

Dean has great relationships, I’m confident in my ability to duplicate with relationships & can also initiate these same conversations; note

Dean does not have an office at SES any longer

24
Q

What is management looking for in a new partner?

A
  • Looking for a partner that can help drive growth; have bold & ambitious growth plan
    ???Someone that has taken 100M company to 400M???
  • Rosewood has been a great partner but have been invested for ~5 years & is at the end of investment hold period
  • Want a partner who is going to form a board, which includes outside expertise (e.g., customer relationships, experience with ERPs, integration, etc.)
25
Q
  • Are there any management roles you are looking to fill or augment?
A
  • Have a complete team & proud of success the company has had

As we continue to grow help around
M&A / Integration
HR (Challenging times in the labor market)

26
Q

What keeps the management team “up at night?”

A
  • Answer with: “What doesn’t keep you up at night”: Customer demand & growing the business
    Out performing our competition

Safety: Industrial Settings Always focused on improving - LPS

EMR is 0.85

27
Q

Why do you believe that SES has outperformed peers in the space, particularly other companies that have or are owned by private equity

A

Diversification (WM PD TS)
Technology - pushed to be paperless
Water jetting automation - Handsfree
Lead with Safety
Partnership approach
Availability of Resources (Sharing people and Equip)

Process: Quote to Cash
(Technology)
Centralized Quoting (Reviews)
CPQ - JEL Sets quoting
Tablets (Job info from quote pushed to field)
Tablets push data to billers
Easy metrics to evaluate for BM Man/HR rate
Focus on utilization & other KPIs
Price Increases
Lastly cost controls
Travel/MX etc