Stran & Company, Inc.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Strand and Company Fiscal Year 2024 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode, and the floor will be open for questions following the presentation. If anyone should require operator assistance during this conference, please press star zero on your phone keypad. Please note this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the conference over to your host, Alexandra Schult. Alexandra, the floor is yours.

Thank you. Good morning, and thank you for joining Strawn & Company's year-end 2024 Financial Results and Business Update Conference Call. With us today are Andy Shape, Chief Executive Officer, and David Browner, Chief Financial Officer. The company issued a press release yesterday, April 14, 2025, detailing its financial results for the year-ended December 31, 2024. The release is also available on its website. If you have any questions following today's call or would like additional information, please contact Crescendo Communications at 212-671-1020. Today's remarks will include a review of Strong's financial and operational performance, followed by a Q&A session. Please note that the company may make forward-looking statements during the call that involves risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of its control. We encourage you to review Strong's filings with the SEC for a full discussion of these risk factors. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Andy Shape. Please go ahead, Andy.

Thank you, Allie, and good morning, everyone. I'm extremely pleased to be back with you and resume our quarterly conference calls. I'd like to begin by discussing the critical event that shaped much of our internal focus in 2024, the comprehensive re-audit of our historical financials. This process became necessary after the SEC barred our previous audit firm from working with public companies. While this disruption was entirely out of our control, we responded with transparency and urgency. We partnered with Markham, which is now part of CBiz, a top-tier public accounting firm with deep expertise in public accounting audits. Together, we completed a detailed, rigorous re-audit process that extended across multiple years of financial statements and included thorough internal control testing and documented documentation reviews. While the process temporarily diverted resources and paused certain growth initiatives, it ultimately reinforced the strength and reliability of our financial reporting infrastructure. Today, Stroud operates with upgraded compliance protocols, greater internal controls, and a more credible audit partner, enhancements that will serve as a foundation for future growth and investor competence. I'll go through our financial performance and strategic highlights. Despite these internal demands, 2024 was a year of meaningful progress. We reported revenues of $82.7 million, which was an 8.8% year-over-year increase, and gross profit of $25.8 million, achieving a 31.2% gross margin. These results underscore the strength of our business model and the dedication of our team. A highlight of the year was our acquisition of Gander Group Assets in August 2024. Gander is a highly respected loyalty incentive and merchandise provider in the gaming sector, a vertical we view as rich with opportunity. In just a few months post-acquisition through the end of 2024, Gander contributed $9.9 million in revenue and has become a key pillar of our newly established strong loyalty solutions, also known as SLS segment. With Gander, we're expecting our addressable market diversifying our customer base and gaining deeper penetration in experience-driven industries. We've also begun to build cross-selling bridges between Gander and legacy strong accounts, creating synergies we expect to further develop in 2025 and help us drive towards our next milestone of $100 million in annual revenue. From a profitability standpoint, Gander operates at somewhat lower gross margin profile, reflecting a different mix of product categories and pricing dynamics, but it enhances our total revenue base and expands our addressable market. Most importantly, it has validated our belief that targeted, well-integrated acquisitions can accelerate both our top line and strategic momentum without compromising quality or culture. In 2024, we also secured multiple six-figure multi-year contracts across sectors such as residential real estate, diagnostics, public transportation, and premium consumer products. These wins reflect both versatility of our platform and our reputation as a trusted partner, not just a vendor. We grew existing relationships with large enterprise clients across sectors, including automotive, infrastructure, and energies. In many cases, our work has evolved beyond branded merchandise into digital store management, loyalty platforms, and data-driven campaign execution. This evolution speaks to the scalability of our solutions and the long-term stickiness of our customer relationships. One of our new partnerships is with the National Residential Housing Developer, a company that is expanding across multiple U.S. markets, It needed a scalable brand and merchandise solution for tenant engagement, internal onboarding, and community programming. We were able to deliver a centralized promotional platform that integrated seamlessly with our operations and aligned with their brand vision. Another standout win was with a molecular diagnostics company. This client was looking for a creative and compliant way to support patient outreach programs and provide engagement across the country. Through a combination of curated merchandise kits, fulfillment, and real-time reporting tools, we provided a turnkey solution that addressed both our marketing and regulatory needs. And in the consumer product space, we began working with a premium recreational watercraft manufacturer that selected Strana as its brand and merchandise partner. This client was drawn to our fulfillment capabilities, particularly for high-end dealer-focused merchandise programs that require customization and precision logistics. In total, these wins will represent millions of dollars in potential recurring revenue diversified across industries and geography. Shifting to technology advancements and operational enhancements, one of our most significant milestones in 2024 was the preparation of our NetSuite ERP, culminating with the successful launch of NetSuite in January 2025. The enterprise-wide platform is a tremendous step as we look to replace legacy tools that will automate many processes and centralize our operations. NetSuite is already delivering greater visibility, more automation, and accuracy across departments. It also has improved our ability to respond quickly to client needs, support higher volumes, and scale efficiently. It will be the cornerstone of our efforts to drive operational excellence in 2025. As we look towards the remainder of 2025, operating efficiency will be a major area of focus. With the Gander acquisition integrated, NetSuite Live and compliance investments behind us, We are now turning our attention towards expense management, process streamlining, and margin expansion. We believe this discipline will position STRON to convert more top-line revenue into bottom-line performance, improving profitability while maintaining a strong customer experience. For our strategic priorities for 2025, moving forward, our strategic roadmap is clear and actionable, built around multiple core principles. First, we want to accelerate growth across both STRON and SLS, by executing on a robust enterprise sales pipeline. Second, we look to broaden our customer base in high-potential verticals like hospitality, healthcare, infrastructure, and gaming. Third, we look to deepen existing client relationships by expanding our service portfolio to areas like loyalty programs, analytics, and branded customer experiences. Fourth, leverage our technology stack, particularly NetSuite, to enhance operational efficiency and improve fulfillment performance. And fifth, optimize operating expenses across both segments with a focus on sustainable margin accretive growth. Collectively, these priorities position us to execute with more precision, scalability, and client impact than ever. In terms of macroeconomic and forward outlooks, we recognize the broader macroeconomic environment remains complex. Ongoing inflationary pressures, global trade disruptions, and tariff-related costs continue to create uncertainty across all industries. However, we believe STRON is very well positioned to navigate these challenges. Our diversified client base, strong cash position, zero long-term debt, and scalable operating model provide us with flexibility and resilience. Most importantly, we remain committed to delivering value to our customers and long-term returns to our shareholders. Regarding tariffs, The recent tariffs consistently demonstrated the agility, creativity, and operational discipline needed to navigate an evolving global trade environment. We've been proactively preparing for potential tariff increases and supply chain disruption, and we've already been executing on those contingency plans. These efforts have included expanding our domestic sourcing, diversifying manufacturing partners, tightening cost controls, and maintaining clear, transparent communication with our customers. Our priority is to ensure continuity, value, and quality for our customers without compromising our profitability. Ultimately, our guiding principle remains the same. Deliver high-impact, high-quality branded solutions in the most efficient and resilient way possible. I'd also like to briefly address the status of our share repurchase program. Due to trading restrictions related to the reorder of our historical financials, we were unable to execute any share repurchases during 2024. That said, Strong's board previously authorized a $10 million share repurchase program, and as of year end 2024, approximately $6.6 million of that authorization remains available. With 2024 audit process now behind us and a more stable operating environment ahead, we intend to resume our buyback efforts in 2025. We view this as an important lever to enhance shareholder value and reflect our confidence in the company's long-term prospects. We view 2025 as a pivotal year, one in which we will begin to fully realize the strategic investments made over the past 18 months. I'm confident that we're turning the corner towards more efficient, scalable, and profitable phase of growth. With that, I'll now turn the call over to our CFO, David Browner, to walk through the financial results in more detail. David, please go ahead.

Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Andy. Sales increased 8.8% to approximately $82.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from approximately $76 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Sales from the strand segment decreased to approximately $72.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from approximately $76 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Sales from the Strand Loyalty Solutions segment increased to approximately $9.9 million from year-ended December 31, 2024, from zero in the year-ended December 31, 2023. The increase in the total sales was primarily due to the acquisition of the Gander Group assets in August of 2024. For the Strand segment, the decrease in sales was primarily due to lower spending from new and existing clients. For the SLS segment, the increase in sales was due to the acquisition of the Gander Group assets in August of 2024. Gross profit increased 3.9% to approximately 25.8 million or 31.2% of sales for the year ended December 31st, 2024, from approximately 24.9 million or 32.7% of sales for the year ended December 31st, 2023. Gross profit of the strand segment decreased to approximately $23.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from approximately $24.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The gross profit of the SLS segment increased to approximately $2.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from zero in the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in the dollar amount for the total gross profit was primarily due to the acquisition of the Gander Group assets in August 2024. For the Strand segment, the decrease in the dollar amount of the gross profit was due to the decrease in sales of approximately $3.3 million, which was primarily offset by a decrease in cost of sales of approximately $2.2 million. For the SLS segment, the increase in the dollar amount of gross profit was due to the acquisition of the Gander Group assets. in August of 2024. The decrease in the total gross profit margin to 31.2 for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 32.7 for the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily due to the acquisition of the Gander Group assets in August of 2024, which operates at a lower gross profit margin than the Strand segment. The gross profit margin for the Strand segment remains unchanged at 32.9% for the year ended December 31st, 2024 and 2023. The gross profit margin for the SLS segment was 20.8% at year end December 31st, 2024. Operating expenses increased 17.6% to approximately 30.7 million for the year ended December 31st, 2024 from approximately 26.1 million for the year ended December 31st, 2023. Operating expenses for the strand segment increased to approximately $27.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from approximately $26.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Operating expenses of the SLS segment increased to approximately $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from zero for the year ended December 31, 2023. As a percentage of sales, operating expenses increased to 37.2% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 34.4% for the year ended December 31, 2023. As a percentage of sales, operating expenses for the strand segment increased to 37.9% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 34.4% for the year ended December 31, 2023. As a percentage of sales, operating expenses for the SLS segment were 31.4% for the year ended December 31, 2024. For the STRAND segment, the increase in the dollar amount of operating expenses was primarily due to expenses related to STRAND's NetSuite Enterprise Resource Planning System implementation, acquisition and integration of the Gander Group assets, and legal and accounting expenses related to the re-audit of historical financial statements. For the SLS segment, the increase in dollar amount of the operating expenses was due to the acquisition of the Gander Group assets in August of 2024. Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2024 was approximately $4.1 million compared to approximately $0.4 million for year ended December 31, 2023. This change was primarily due to the increase in operating expenses including extraordinary extraordinary professional fees related to the re-audit and successful completion of the acquisition of the Gander Group. At December 31st, 2024, the company had approximately 18.2 million of cash, cash equivalents and investments and no long-term debt. At this point, I'll turn the call back over to Andy.

Thank you, David. Before we open up the call to questions, I want to take a moment to recap what we've covered today. We've made significant strides over the past year successfully completing a complex but essential re-audit process that has strengthened our financial foundation and internal controls. We delivered solid full-year results, including $82.7 million in revenue and completed the strategic acquisition of Gander Group, which has already begun to contribute meaningfully to our growth. We also secured new long-term client partnerships across diverse and high-potential industries. Importantly, we achieved this growth while maintaining a strong balance sheet, a healthy cash position, no long-term debt, and a scalable operating model that positions us well for the future. As we look ahead, we're focused on execution, growing our core business, scaling our new SLS segment, expanding into new markets, and driving operating efficiencies. We believe 2025 will be a transformational year for Strong, a true inflection point as we shift from a period of foundational investment to one of strategic acceleration. Our team is energized, our platform is stronger than ever, and we are well-positioned to lead in an evolving marketplace. While the broader macroeconomic environment remains uncertain with inflation, tariffs, global supply chain dynamics continue to present headwinds, we remain confident in our ability to adapt, deliver, and grow. Our diversified business, strong balance sheet, and scalable infrastructure give us the resilience to thrive even in challenging conditions. Thank you again for joining us today and for your continued interest in STRON. With that, We'll now open up the call to questions. Operator?

Thank you very much. We are now opening the floor for questions. If you would like to ask a question, you can press star 1 on your phone keypad now. A confirmation tone will indicate that your line is in the queue. You may press star 2 if you would like to remove your questions from the queue. For any participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before you press the keys. Please wait a moment whilst we poll for questions. Thank you. Our first question is coming from Bill Jordan of TSA Investments. Bill, your line is live.

Thank you. Congratulations on getting through that re-audit. I'm sure it was a major distraction for the company. Obviously, there were a lot of one-time expenses during the year. As you look ahead, can you just provide some light on your goals for profitability this year coming forward?

Sure. Yeah, so thank you. Yes, that was a heavy lift on our end, and I'm really proud of our team for the resiliency that we put towards getting that re-audit done. It took a lot of focus, energy, time, and resources to put towards that, but it was a necessary step to, you know, maintaining and preserving shareholder value in the public company that we have and the long-term success. So, We did put a lot of energy to that. So in terms of our profitability efforts this year, first and foremost, the fees associated with the audit itself will inherently go down because we don't have to do a re-audit of nearly three years. Instead, we're in a cadence now. Our new audit firm knows more about our business. We have outside consultants that understand our business and really have better process controls in place. So First and foremost, those fees will drop significantly, both from a hard dollar and then from a soft dollar perspective, it will allow myself as CEO, David as the CFO, and our other executives to concentrate more on the operating business than on the re-audit. So that allows us to go manage our OPEX, make adjustments where necessary, as well as concentrate more on our revenue growth and profitability growth by driving margins, targeting additional customers, and really looking towards growing the business. So those are some of the things that we're able to do for profitability. And when we look at our goals this year, our goals are to continue to have revenue growth while driving revenue and creating operational efficiencies. And the final aspect is the final implementation of NetSuite. So it's taken us years to implement NetSuite because we have combined over hundreds of years with all the acquisitions together. of business working separately. Now that we have NetSuite as our central hub for all that data to go into, it allows us to create efficiencies, create automation, and really reduce some of the manual work that goes into some of the legacy business that we have that now we're able to automate and really create more efficiencies driven that. So that's the first step was having NetSuite as our core base system to build off of. And we're really excited about the progress that we've made and the potential future efficiencies that we can gain for that so hopefully that answers your question about you know how we're going to really concentrate on reducing opex while continuing to maintain growth and that's the combination that we're looking for is we continue to grow the company increase our margin our gross margin and increase our net margin by reducing operational expenses thank you very much that was that was great that cleared it up for me thank you yep

Thank you very much. Just a reminder there, if anyone has any remaining questions, you can join the queue by pressing star 1 on your phone keypad now. I'm not seeing anyone else come into queue just at the moment. I can hand back over to the management team for any further comments.

Great. Well, thank you everybody for joining us. I'm glad to be back. It's been over a year since we've had a earnings call. It's exciting to be back explaining what STRON is doing and giving everyone visibility on what we're doing. Thank you for your support of STRON. We're very excited about the rest of 2025, being able to get back to concentrating on our business, concentrating on growth, concentrating on reducing our operational expenses and gain operational efficiencies. to really create long-term shareholder value. This is a business that's been in business for 30 years. If we look at the macroeconomic trends that are happening right now, there's some uncertainty, but that's where we thrive. We have thrived in the past, and we're planning on doing that moving forward where we're well positioned with a strong team, a leadership team, and a management team that knows how to really continue to grow business and capture market share when things may be uncertain, because we're not uncertain about the future of STRON. There may be some, you know, very short-term uncertainty about the macroeconomic trends, but that doesn't deter us from the long-term value that we know STRON has and we're confident in. So we're very excited about 2025, being able to get back to work on what we do best, and thank you for everyone supporting us, and look forward to giving more reports in the future. Thank you for your time, and talk to you soon.

thank you very much this does conclude today's conference you may disconnect your phone lines at this time and have a wonderful day thank you for your participation