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Operator
Hello and welcome to EVI Industries' earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. I am Henry Namid, Chairman and CEO of EVI. Before we proceed, we would like to disclose our cautionary statement. This earnings call contains forward-looking statements as defined by SEC rules and regulations. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including those set forth in our earnings press release issued today and in our SEC filings, including the risk factors section of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Before we get started, I want to share my appreciation to the over 750 valued employees that make up EVI today. Our people are the most valuable asset we have, and without their devotion to our company, our mission, and the thousands of customers we serve, the consistent progress we have made towards achieving our long-term growth goals would not be possible. Today, I will summarize our operating results for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and we'll share our progress in connection with our long-term goals. Fiscal 24 is highlighted by a record $33 million in operating cash flow, a 71% reduction in net debt to $8.3 million, record gross profit of $105 million, and record gross margin of 30%. Two acquisitions, and a third acquisition consummated immediately subsequent to fiscal 24, and the implementation of new field service technologies across certain regional operations. This was achieved all while we continued to make investments across our business in the pursuit of our long-term growth goals. And now, our operating results. Fiscal 24 revenue was $354 million. and flat compared to revenue for fiscal 23, during which we achieved record results in key financial metrics, including a 32% increase in revenue over fiscal 22. Given the nature of our industry, we measure organic revenue growth by evaluating revenue over a multi-year period, and I am pleased to share that the three-year compounded annual revenue growth rate for businesses we have owned for at least four years is 8%. The essential nature of the products and services we provide to thousands of commercial laundry customers offers a consistent base of revenue opportunities in the light industrial, on-premise, and vended laundry categories. It is important to remember that while we also generate revenue from larger industrial projects, The timing of revenue related to larger industrial projects is subject to longer sales cycles and complex installations that from time to time are uneven as compared to revenue derived from other commercial laundry categories. Excluding the impact of larger industrial customer sales order contracts, during fiscal 24 equipment revenue was flat, while parts revenue increased 6.6% and service revenue increased 7.8%. This reflects continued increase in the installed base of light industrial on-premise and vented laundry products we represent and the benefit we derive from supporting our customers with a wide range of parts, accessories, and services throughout the useful life of such laundry products. Moving to gross profit and margin, during fiscal 24, we set another fiscal year record for gross profit at $105 million and another fiscal year record for gross margin at 30%. These gains reflect, in part, a slight shift in the mix to higher margin parts and services, as well as the benefit derived from solution selling, which, as an example, has resulted in new sales of machinery aimed to lower the operating cost of a commercial laundry by automating historically labor-intensive tasks and new sales in consumables. Finally, a summary of investments across our business. Given the essential nature and the steady demand for the products and services we provide, a strong backlog of confirmed customer sales orders, and an acquisition pipeline that has consistently delivered new growth opportunities, we increased investments across areas critical to scaling our operations. We grew our sales team by 6% to over 190 professionals and increased our service team by 5% to approximately 400 technicians, and we implemented new field service technologies in certain regional service operations. Additions to our sales team aim to support our OEM representations, increase penetration in existing distribution territories, and expand into new distribution territories and ensure sales continuity. The addition of service technicians aims to capture growing demand for our installation and maintenance capabilities across our growing installed base. And the implementation of our field service technologies is designed to improve the efficiency of our service operations and customer satisfaction. While the expenses incurred in connection with these investments adversely impacted our fiscal 24 operating profits, We expect that these investments will yield positive returns in the forthcoming periods. From a financial strength and liquidity perspective, during fiscal 24, we generated a record $33 million in operating cash flow, which contributed to the 71% decrease in net debt from $29 million at June 30 of 23 to $8.3 million at June 30 of 24. This includes a record $12 million in operating cash flow during the fourth quarter of fiscal 24, which represents a $4.8 million increase compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. Given our growth and profitability prospects, solid cash flows, and strong balance sheet with over $100 million of available liquidity, I am pleased to share that our board of directors declared a special cash dividend on the company's common stock of 31 cents per share, representing a 10% increase over the special cash dividend declared this time last year. On technology investments, in 2020, we initiated a comprehensive technology initiative to transform EVI into a modern data-driven company. Since that time, our technology group has grown significantly. Various third-party technology professionals have been retained, and multiple technology initiatives were undertaken with a goal to accelerate sales and profit growth increase the speed, convenience, and efficiency in serving customers, extend our reach into new geographies and sales channels, and create scalable operating processes. During fiscal 24, our technology team successfully led efforts to consolidate business units into end-state enterprise resource planning systems, implemented our field service technology at certain regional service operations, and commenced the configuration and implementation of our planned e-commerce site. While the cost and expenses associated with these and other modernization initiatives has adversely impacted EVI's financial performance in the near term, we believe these technological capabilities will be a catalyst to achieving our long-term growth and profitability goals. On acquisitions, during fiscal 24, we completed the acquisition of two commercial laundry distributors and service providers, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Texas. We also executed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire a third distributor and service provider in Florida, which was completed on July 1 of 24, immediately following the completion of fiscal 24. In each case, we added similar distribution and service businesses comprised of experienced sales and service professionals with a loyal customer base in geographic areas where we believe there are market share gain opportunities. While we have added many businesses to the EVI family, on average four to five per year, extensive work goes into building an EVI business unit following the completion of a transaction. The following is one of our many buy and build success stories. A little over four years ago, we purchased a commercial laundry business we underwrote at approximately $5.6 million in revenue. During the diligence period, We collaborated with the owner and management team to create a strategic plan that included revenue and profitability goals. Over the last three years, this EVI business unit increased revenue by over 160% organically, increased operating income by over 280%, and increased operating margin by 440 basis points to 14%. We believe these exceptional results were achieved as a result of three key factors. One, under the owner's leadership, the business unit expanded into new geographies, added OEM representations, and enhanced its product offerings to include consumables, all while maintaining business continuity. Two, the business unit effectively utilized EVI's financial and functional resources in support of its growing operations. And three, the team embraced the wealth of knowledge and experience provided by other members of the EVI family. Our acquisitions have been internally sourced, negotiated, diligent, executed, and integrated by our team that has been working together in Miami, Florida for seven years. Our team has a profound appreciation for the sensitive process a family undertakes when contemplating the divestiture of a family-owned business. we exercise flexibility and consideration throughout the buying process and have a tremendous reputation in our industry given our record of successful acquisitions. Considering our growth record and reputation, we continue to actively pursue many acquisitions and strategic transactions and opportunities in the commercial laundry industry and related industries. In summary, I have said time and again that we will be aggressive in the pursuit of long-term growth, yet conservative in the way we finance our growth so that we are able to execute on buy and build opportunities at any time. Today, EVI is a fundamentally solid business that under our continuous leadership has demonstrated consistent growth over many years. We believe that we are well positioned for continued growth and intend to continue executing on our long-term growth strategy. This concludes my comments related to the fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended June 30 of 24. As always, I want to thank our valued employees, our loyal suppliers and customers, and our shareholders for your support and participation in EVI. Until next time, be well.
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