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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 


 

FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITIONAL REPORTS

PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

x Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003.

 

Commission file number: 0-27778

 


 

PTEK HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Georgia   59-3074176

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

3399 Peachtree Road, N.E., The Lenox Building, Suite 700, Atlanta, Georgia 30326

(address of principal executive office)

 

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code): (404) 262-8400

 


 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

None   None
(Title of each class)   (Name of each exchange on which registered)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 Per Share

(Title of class)

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12-b-2)     Yes  x    No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing sale price of common stock on June 30, 2003 as reported by The Nasdaq Stock Market’s National Market, was approximately $232,045,585. As of March 8, 2004 there were 58,009,287 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

 

List hereunder the documents incorporated by reference and the part of the Form 10-K (e.g., Part I, Part II, etc.) into which the document is incorporated: Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for its 2004 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K.

 



Table of Contents

INDEX

 

          Page

Part I

         

Item 1.

   Business    1

Item 2.

   Properties    8

Item 3.

   Legal Proceedings    8

Item 4.

   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    9

Part II

         

Item 5.

   Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters    10

Item 6.

   Selected Financial Data    11

Item 7.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    13

Item 7A.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    50

Item 8.

   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    51

Item 9.

   Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure    91

Item 9A.

   Controls and Procedures    91

Part III

         

Item 10.

   Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant    92

Item 11.

   Executive Compensation    92

Item 12.

   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters    92

Item 13.

   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions    92

Item 14.

   Principal Accountant Fees and Services    92

Part IV

         

Item 15.

   Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K    93

Signatures

   102

Exhibit Index

   103


Table of Contents

PART I

 

Item 1. Business

 

Overview

 

PTEK Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (“PTEK” or the “Company”), is a global provider of business communications services to large- and medium-sized enterprise customers. The Company has two business units, Premiere Conferencing and Xpedite. Premiere Conferencing offers a variety of conferencing and Web-based data collaboration services, and Xpedite offers enhanced electronic messaging services through various modalities, including e-mail, fax, wireless and voice. The Company has a worldwide presence and an established customer base of over 32,000 corporate accounts, including a majority of the Fortune 500, spanning virtually every major industry.

 

A large number of businesses rely on data, audio and Web conferencing or electronic transactional messaging to manage a wide variety of important business communications. The rapid proliferation of these technologies and the growing complexity of service requirements have motivated companies to outsource these managed group communications requirements. In addition, the current geopolitical climate and corporate cost-cutting trends have encouraged companies to replace business travel with more convenient, reliable and economical communications such as conferencing and messaging.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2003, segment revenues for Premiere Conferencing and Xpedite were 41.4% and 58.7%, respectively, before eliminations of consolidated revenues. Geographic revenues for North America, Asia Pacific and Europe were 64.7%, 17.1% and 18.2%, respectively, of consolidated revenues for 2003.

 

To better serve PTEK’s global corporate customers, the Company has launched new services and enhancements to existing services at each of its business units to help position them in larger market categories. Premiere Conferencing has expanded into automated and Web-based data conferencing services, and Xpedite has developed a suite of transactional e-mail, wireless and voice-based messaging services.

 

PTEK was incorporated in Florida in 1991 and reincorporated in Georgia in 1995. The Company’s corporate headquarters are located at 3399 Peachtree Road, NE, The Lenox Building, Suite 700, Atlanta, GA 30326, and the telephone number is (404) 262- 8400.

 

Industry Background

 

Nearly everywhere in the world, the bulk of business communications is done through telephone and Web-based conferencing, e-mail, fax and voice mail messaging. This explosion of communications in various forms has forced more and more companies to outsource their managed group communications needs.

 

The conferencing and Web-based collaboration market is projected to reach $4.3 billion by 2006 (Source: Wainhouse Research). The multimedia messaging segment, which traditionally combines outsourced e-mail, voice and fax, is projected to reach $2.7 billion by 2006 (Source: Davidson Consulting). PTEK provides market leading services in both of these categories.

 

Today, PTEK’s services, combined with its global infrastructure, are the primary conduits for literally billions of business communications each year.

 

Service Offerings

 

PTEK’s business communications services are provided through its two business units — Premiere Conferencing and Xpedite.

 

Premiere Conferencing offers a full suite of integrated audio conferencing and Web-based data collaboration services for all forms of group communications activities, from large events, such as investor relations calls and training sessions, to smaller meetings, such as sales planning calls and project team meetings. Premiere Conferencing provides group communications services for leading companies in virtually every major industry. Premiere Conferencing hosted more than 1.3 billion conferencing minutes in 2003.

 

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Utilizing proprietary software technology, Premiere Conferencing offers ReadyConference®, its automated conferencing service that does not require hands-on involvement from an operator. These automated services allow users to begin and conduct their conference calls without the assistance of an operator or the need of a reservation via a dedicated dial-in number and passcode available for use anytime. In addition, Premiere Conferencing’s Ready Conference® Global Meet service provides local access for international users for audio conferencing via a voice-over-IP (“VoIP”)-based network. This service enables international callers to dial into a local number and connect to a conference call in North America without the need to use international long distance toll calls.

 

Premiere Conferencing’s PremiereCall services provide customers with operator assistance to introduce the speakers and topics, give participants instructions and monitor all facets of a conference. In addition, PremiereCall Event management services provide a dedicated team and professional announcer to work with any customization requests. Typical PremiereCall applications include sales meetings, investor relations calls, press conferences, customer seminars, product rollouts, continuing medical and legal education and branded customer seminars. Premiere Conferencing’s automated entry into an operator-assisted service, PremiereCall Auditorium®, enables customers to start a larger-scale conference immediately using automated passcode access, while still utilizing the resource of a dedicated operator during the entire call. Premiere Conferencing’s client services team understands the importance of professional, secure communications and works closely with its customers to ensure a successful conference.

 

Premiere Conferencing’s suite of Web-based data collaboration services efficiently combine the visual power of the Internet with its audio conferencing capabilities to provide real-time, multimedia presentation services. Premiere Conferencing recently released ReadyConference Plus, a data collaboration service which offers customers a simplified web interface to manage audio conference calls and share slide presentations. Premiere Conferencing also offers VisionCast® and ReadyCast®. Customers use VisionCast to conduct large, interactive events, such as training, seminars, company meetings, focus groups and media conferences. VisionCast can be used in conjunction with PremiereCall services and includes features such as chat, Web tours, polling, whiteboarding, record and playback capabilities, roll call and live demo options. ReadyCast combines similar data collaboration capabilities for smaller meetings with the cost efficiency and convenience of the ReadyConference automated conferencing service. As part of its Web-based services, Premiere Conferencing also offers SoundCast®, an audio streaming technology that provides live Internet streaming to simulcast a live conference call or recorded presentation over the Web.

 

Premiere Conferencing services are available globally through its network of operations centers and international toll-free numbers. Premiere Conferencing has bridging and sales infrastructure in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

 

Xpedite offers a comprehensive suite of messaging services that enables actionable two-way communications which allow companies to better acquire and retain customers as well as automate their core business processes. Xpedite provides tailored services that help businesses manage the electronic delivery of critical time-sensitive information, such as mortgage rate updates, equity research reports and regulatory updates to their customers, trading partners and constituents. Xpedite also offers transaction-based communications services for reservation confirmations, proof of delivery notices, lab results, subscription renewal notices, account statements, invoices and collection notices. By automating key business processes, Xpedite can also help global enterprise customers better manage their electronic order fulfillment and account payment settlement. Xpedite provides services to almost half of the global Fortune 500 companies across nearly every business sector, including financial services, professional associations, travel, hospitality, publishing, technology and manufacturing. Xpedite processed nearly three billion messages in 2003 through its proprietary communications platform.

 

Xpedite’s messageREACH® e-mail service provides control, tracking, security, personalization and automated administration for high volume e-mail and e-commerce applications. This service includes transactional message support for applications such as trade and account balance confirmations, billing and invoicing, as well as campaign management capabilities for large-scale e-marketing applications. Among the advanced features built into the service are support for the distribution and collection of forms, multiple layers of encryption and levels of password protection, anti-spam, opt-out protection, automated personalization of messages

 

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with text and graphical inserts, opt-in list building and the hosting of customer databases for campaign management. Customers can also utilize secureMAILSM to deliver confidential, transaction-based data via e-mail as a password-protected HTML attachment. Xpedite’s e-statement and e-invoicing services provide customers with secure document delivery via the Web, e-mail or fax. In addition, Xpedite offers bill payment services as part of its Web-based e-invoicing services. messageREACH customers can access a proprietary software tool, intelliSENDSM Wizard, to help with the creation of HTML documents with graphics, tables or links to Web sites or other documents.

 

Xpedite offers enhanced fax messaging through faxREACH®, which utilizes Web-based interfaces and proprietary software for personalized fax distribution to multiple recipients. In addition, Xpedite recently launched its fax2MAIL service which allows customers to send and receive faxes from their computer utilizing a local or toll-free number, with no additional software required.

 

Xpedite also provides voiceREACH®, an automated service that simultaneously delivers large volumes of pre-recorded voice messages to any size list of phone numbers, voice mailboxes or other answering devices. Typical users of voiceREACH services include associations, political organizations, securities firms, trade show operators and collections companies.

 

Xpedite also provides smsREACHSM, short message services for wireless users which allows text messages to be delivered to GSM phones using existing Xpedite access methods.

 

Xpedite’s services support multiple protocols and can be accessed through a variety of methods including ftp, TCP/IP, PC-Xpedite software, or SMTP. Xpedite services are available throughout the world with local sales and customer support available in 18 countries throughout North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

 

Customer Base

 

PTEK customers represent nearly every major industry, and the Company serves a majority of the Fortune 500. Millions of business people worldwide depend on PTEK services everyday.

 

Premiere Conferencing has over 11,000 domestic and international corporate accounts, supporting over 120,000 active conferencing hosts. The business unit has successfully penetrated key accounts in various industries including technology, healthcare, investor relations, financial services, public relations and market research.

 

One of Premiere Conferencing’s customers, IBM, accounts for a significant amount of revenues. Sales to that customer accounted for approximately 11% of consolidated revenues from continuing operations (27% of Premiere Conferencing’s segment revenue) in 2003, 12% of consolidated revenues from continuing operations (29% of Premiere Conferencing’s segment revenue) in 2002, and 10% of consolidated revenues from continuing operations (29% of Premiere Conferencing’s segment revenue) in 2001. The initial term of the IBM agreement ends December 31, 2004. Thereafter, it will automatically renew for additional one-month periods unless IBM provides 30 days’ notice of non-renewal prior to the expiration of the initial term. During the initial term, neither party can terminate the agreement without cause. IBM may terminate the agreement without cause upon 30 days’ notice during any renewal term. The agreement does not contain any revenue commitments, termination charges or use requirements. Premiere Conferencing’s relationship with IBM may not continue at historical levels, and there is no long-term price protection for services provided to IBM.

 

Xpedite has more than 21,000 corporate accounts worldwide and has successfully targeted industries such as securities, banking, mortgage, publishing, collections, healthcare, associations, investor relations, public relations, travel and hospitality.

 

While the Company’s business is generally not seasonal, it has experienced and can expect to continue to experience lower levels of sales and usage during periods which have reduced numbers of working days. For example, the Company’s operating results have decreased during the summer months (particularly in its international operations), as well as during Thanksgiving, December and New Year holidays. The Company expects that its revenues during these periods will not grow at the same rates as compared with other periods of the year because of decreased use of its services by business customers.

 

The Company typically does not enter into long-term contracts with its customers, with most customer agreements having terms of one to three years. Customers may generally terminate without penalty, unless their agreement contains an annual minimum revenue commitment that would require payment by the customer of any unused minimum amount upon termination.

 

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Sales and Marketing

 

Each of PTEK’s business units primarily markets its services through a globally distributed direct sales force focused on enterprise customers. The centrally managed national and global accounts program focuses on multi-location businesses that are better served by dedicated representatives with responsibility across different geographic regions. The direct sales force is organized by services and by industry on a global scale. The Company employs nearly 750 sales and marketing professionals around the world.

 

As a service organization, PTEK’s customer service teams play a major role in managing customer relationships as well as selling additional value-added services to existing accounts. PTEK employs more than 600 customer service professionals deployed in local markets.

 

In addition, the Company has agreements with various resellers and agents and utilizes direct marketing programs to target sales of its services to small- and medium-sized customers.

 

Suppliers

 

The Company purchases telecommunications services and equipment for use in its operations from a variety of suppliers. Some of the Company’s telecommunications supply agreements contain commitments that require that the Company purchase a minimum amount of services through 2009. These costs total approximately $20.7 million, with annual costs of $9.2 million, $8.8 million, $1.1 million, $0.7 million, $0.7 million and $0.2 million in 2004 through 2009, respectively. The Company currently purchases telecommunications and other network services from WorldCom, Inc. (“MCI”) under service agreements which do not contain minimum commitments. The Company has significant outstanding disputes with MCI regarding charges billed under these agreements, and MCI rejected in bankruptcy the settlement agreement the Company had previously entered into with MCI. The Company’s ability to maintain network connections is dependent upon access to transmission facilities provided by MCI or an alternative provider. See also “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Commitments and Contingencies”, and”—Risk Factors Affecting Future Performance – Our inability to resolve pending billing disputes with MCI could result in significant costs or service disruptions.”

 

Platforms and Network Infrastructure

 

The Company, through its two business units, operates global Internet and telecom-based networks that allow customers to access the Company’s various services through the Internet and through local and toll-free numbers.

 

Premiere Conferencing operates over 68,000 conferencing ports worldwide. Its services are provided from full-service operations centers in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Lenexa, Kansas; Sydney, Australia; and Clonakilty, Ireland. Automated bridging nodes are maintained in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Complex, operator-assisted calls are supported on various commercially available bridging platforms. Internally developed conference bridges are used to support automated conferencing services. Customers access these conferencing platforms through direct inward dialing, toll-free numbers, the Internet and virtual network access.

 

Xpedite services are provided through its enhanced messaging network with more than 68,000 messaging ports that uses servers to perform all primary processing and switching functions. Xpedite’s proprietary platform supports multiple input methods including, but not limited to, PC-based software, e-mail gateways and high speed IP-based interconnects. Outgoing communications are delivered through line group controllers, which are deployed in a decentralized fashion to exploit local delivery costs. The remote line group controllers are connected to servers over a wide area network via either private lines or Xpedite’s global TCP/IP based network. Mission critical information is transported from one location domain to another using MCP to MCP protocol. The current domains include Australia, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and France. Remote nodes on the network are located in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

The Company has converted and will continue to convert some of both of its business units’ traffic to VoIP networks. Xpedite currently utilizes VoIP for origination and termination traffic for its voice and fax services, with a significant portion of its origination and fax2MAIL traffic delivered via VoIP. In addition, Premiere Conferencing currently utilizes VoIP for its ReadyConference Global Meet service.

 

Research and Development

 

PTEK’s ability to design, develop, test and support new software technology for product enhancements in a timely manner is an important ingredient to its future success. Products or next generation versions of the Company’s services recently released include ReadyConference Plus, fax2MAIL and secureMAIL. Xpedite expects to release fax2MAIL

 

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in Europe and Asia in the second quarter of 2004 and currently has smsREACH in development for North America. Premiere Conferencing is continuing to enhance its Web-based data collaboration services following its recent launch of ReadyConference Plus. These services are critical additions to the suite of communications and data services PTEK provides to its customers, not only to position the operating units in larger market segments, but more importantly to meet changing customer needs and respond to the overall technological changes in the marketplace.

 

The Company devotes significant resources to the development of enhancements for existing services and to introduce new services. Each PTEK operating unit includes research, development and engineering personnel who are responsible for designing, developing, testing and supporting proprietary software applications, as well as creating and improving enhanced system features and services. The Company’s research and development strategy is to focus its efforts on enhancing its proprietary software and integrating it with readily available industry standard software and hardware when feasible. Research, development and engineering personnel also engage in joint development efforts with the Company’s strategic partners and vendors. PTEK employs over 85 research and development professionals. The Company’s research and development costs for 2003, 2002 and 2001 were $8.6 million, $7.2 million and $11.1 million, respectively.

 

Competition

 

Premiere Conferencing competes with major telecommunications service providers around the world such as AT&T Corp., MCI, Global Crossing Limited, Sprint Corporation and the international PTTs. Because these telecommunications providers own the underlying telecommunications network, they may have lower per minute long distance costs than the Company. Although these providers hold a large market share, conferencing is not the primary focus of their businesses. The Company believes that it has been able to compete with these providers on the basis of quality of customer service. Premiere Conferencing also competes with companies like West Corporation’s conferencing services segment, Raindance Communications, Inc., ACT Teleconferencing, Inc., WebEx Communications, Inc. and Genesys S.A. The Company believes that Premiere Conferencing is the second largest independent audio conferencing provider based on conferencing minutes hosted.

 

While the multimedia messaging industry is highly fragmented, the Company believes that Xpedite is the largest worldwide provider of these services. As Xpedite evolves into more of a business services company, its services will be positioned to displace existing services provided by companies such as West Corporation, TeleTech Holdings, Inc. and others in the customer relationship management (“CRM”) category, and it will continue to compete with EasyLink Services Corporation, Critical Path, Inc., DoubleClick Inc. and j2 Global Communications, Inc. in the multimedia messaging category. The Company’s newer service offerings, particularly those services that will compete in the CRM market, may not achieve the market acceptance of existing providers’ services.

 

In all cases, PTEK’s strategy is to gain a competitive advantage in winning and keeping customers by enabling its business units to deliver leading technology-driven services to its customers and to support them with superior customer service. The Company believes that its comprehensive package of conferencing and messaging services provides it an advantage over many of its competitors that have more limited service offerings. In addition, the Company believes that its global reach allows it to pursue contract opportunities with multinational enterprises providing an advantage over competitors that only focus on limited geographies.

 

Government Regulation

 

Federal, state, local and international laws regulating the provision of traditional telecommunications services may adversely impact the Company’s business. Management believes that the Company’s business units, Xpedite and Premiere Conferencing, operate as providers of unregulated information services. Consequently, the Company is not subject to Federal Communications Commission (“FCC’) or state public utility commission regulations applicable to providers of traditional telecommunications services in the United States. However, the Company may be affected by regulatory decisions, trends or policies issued or implemented by such federal, state, local or international telecommunications regulatory authorities. In addition, those authorities may seek to regulate, or impose requirements with respect to, the services provided by the Company. Management believes that the Company exercises reasonable efforts to monitor telecommunications laws, regulations, decisions and trends and to comply with any applicable legal requirements. The Company could, nevertheless, be subject to litigation, fines or other penalties for any non-compliance.

 

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Federal and state laws regulate telemarketing practices, and may adversely impact the Company’s business and that of its customers and potential customers. The FCC promulgated rules in 1992 to implement the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (the “TCPA”). These rules, among others, regulate telemarketing methods and activities, including the use of prerecorded messages, the time of day when telemarketing calls may be made, maintenance of company-specific “do not call” databases, and restrictions on unsolicited facsimile advertising. Facsimile broadcast providers, such as Xpedite, generally are not liable for their customers’ violations of the TCPA, although facsimile broadcast providers that have a “high degree of involvement” in their customers’ facsimile advertisements or “actual knowledge” of a customer’s violation of the TCPA may be held liable under the TCPA. Although Xpedite has conducted its operations to meet the facsimile broadcaster provider exemption, third parties may seek to challenge this exemption which could lead to litigation and its accompanying costs and uncertainties.

 

In 2003, the FCC amended its rules under the TCPA. The FCC retained an exemption from liability for sending unsolicited commercial facsimile advertisements for facsimile broadcast providers, such as Xpedite, which solely transmit such advertisements on behalf of others. However, the FCC ordered that a sender may fax unsolicited commercial advertisements only to those from whom the sender has received prior express consent in writing. The 2003 rule amendments modified the FCC’s prior policy, which permitted such faxes when an “established business relationship” existed between the sender of a commercial unsolicited facsimile advertisement and the recipient. Several parties challenged the new rules, and the FCC has delayed the requirement to have prior written consent and the deletion of the established business relationship exemption until January 1, 2005. The FCC is also reviewing several appeals of these rules. The Company cannot predict the outcome of these proceedings. However, if the FCC decides to retain the rule amendments that deleted the established business relationship exemption, and requires advance written consent, these actions could have a material adverse effect on our customers’ use of Xpedite’s services.

 

The FCC, with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), has also instituted a national “do not call” registry for residential and wireless telephone numbers. Telemarketers are barred from calling consumers who register their telephone numbers in the national database. In summary, with certain exceptions, telemarketers are required to access the list before engaging in telemarketing in any particular area code. Xpedite, as a service provider to companies that engage in telemarketing, has subscribed to the federal do not call registry. Although the Company believes it has taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the do not call registry and other rule amendments, regulators or third parties could seek to challenge the Company’s compliance with the federal do not call registry, federal telemarketing laws, and FCC and FTC rules. The national do not call registry, while currently in effect, remains subject to legal challenges in federal court.

 

In addition to the federal legislation and regulations, there are numerous state statutes and regulations governing telemarketing activities, including state do not call list requirements, and state registration and bonding requirements. Xpedite has compliance policies in place with regarding to telemarketing laws and regulations; however, there can be no assurance that the Company would not be subject to litigation alleging a violation of state or federal telemarketing laws or regulations.

 

A number of states have adopted laws restricting and/or governing the distribution of unsolicited e-mails, or spam. Other states are considering similar legislation. Congress recently passed federal legislation regulating at the federal level, for the first time, unsolicited commercial e-mails. This legislation will require unsolicited e-mail marketing messages to have a valid return address. E-mail marketers will also be required to remove customers from their mailing lists if requested. The legislation allows the FTC to impose fines, and gives state attorneys general the power to bring lawsuits. The federal legislation also preempts state laws in many respects, although it allows states to continue to regulate deceptive e-mails. Xpedite provides a service for its customers to distribute e-mails, including e-mails that may be subject to the new legislation. The Company will need to assess what changes, if any, need to be made to its current compliance policies regarding spam. There can be no assurance that the Company would not be subject to litigation alleging a violation of the new legislation. The federal anti-spam legislation may be subject to judicial review, and the impact of the law and the eventual implementing regulations on the Company cannot be predicted at this time.

 

The Company monitors applicable legislation and regulatory developments to minimize the risk of its participation in activities that violate anti-spam legislation. In addition, a number of legislative and regulatory proposals are under consideration by federal and state lawmakers and regulatory bodies and may be adopted with respect to the Internet. Some of the issues that such laws or regulations may cover include user privacy, obscenity, fraud, pricing and characteristics and quality of

 

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products and services. The adoption of any such laws or regulations may decrease the growth of the Internet, which could in turn decrease the projected demand for the Company’s products and services or increase its cost of doing business. In addition, the sending of spam through the Company’s network could result in third parties asserting claims against the Company. Moreover, the applicability to the Internet of existing U.S. and international laws governing issues such as property ownership, copyright, trade secret, libel, taxation and personal privacy is uncertain and developing. Any new legislation or regulation, or application or interpretation of existing laws, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, Xpedite’s operations may be subject to state laws and regulations regulating the unsolicited transmission of facsimiles. The Company monitors such laws and regulations, and its service agreements with customers state that customers are responsible for their compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Company could, nevertheless, be subject to litigation, fines, losses, and possible other relief under such laws and regulations.

 

In conducting its business, the Company is subject to various laws and regulations relating to commercial transactions generally, such as the Uniform Commercial Code and is also subject to the electronic funds transfer rules embodied in Regulation E promulgated by the Federal Reserve. It is possible that Congress, the states or various government agencies could impose new or additional requirements on the electronic commerce market or entities operating therein. If enacted, such laws, rules and regulations could be imposed on the Company’s business and industry and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations. The Company’s international activities also are subject to regulation by various international authorities and the inherent risk of unexpected changes in such regulation.

 

Proprietary Rights and Technology

 

The Company’s ability to compete is dependent in part upon its proprietary technology. The Company currently has three issued U.S. patents relating to its fax distribution services, each of which will expire in 2013, and three pending U.S. patents covering aspects of its conferencing services. In addition, the Company owns and uses a number of federally registered trademarks in connection with its products and services, such as PTEK®, ReadyCast®, ReadyConference®, SoundCast®, VisionCast®, faxREACH®, messageREACH®, Auditorium®, voiceREACH® and Xpedite®. Applications for ReadyClick & ConferenceSM, smsREACHSM and intelliSENDSM are pending in the United States. The Company also owns applications and registrations for many of these and other trademarks and service marks in the United States and in other countries. The Company relies primarily on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual provisions to protect its proprietary rights and technology. These laws and contractual provisions provide only limited protection of the Company’s proprietary rights and technology, which include confidential information and trade secrets that the Company attempts to protect through confidentiality and nondisclosure provisions in its agreements. The Company typically attempts to protect its confidential information and trade secrets through these contractual provisions for the terms of the applicable agreement and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, for some negotiated period of time following termination of the agreement. Despite the Company’s efforts to protect its proprietary rights and technology, there can be no assurance that others will not be able to copy or otherwise obtain and use the Company’s proprietary technology without authorization, or independently develop technologies that are similar or superior to the Company’s technology. However, the Company believes that, due to the rapid pace of technological change in communications and data services, factors such as the technological and creative skills of its personnel, new product developments, frequent product enhancements and the timeliness and quality of support services are of equal or greater importance to establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage in the industry.

 

Available Information

 

The Company’s corporate Internet address is www.ptek.com. The Company has made available free of charge through its Web site (follow the Invest tab to Investor Relations to link to “SEC Filings”) its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as practicable after such material was electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2003, PTEK employed 1,973 people. PTEK employees are not represented by a labor union or covered by any collective bargaining agreements.

 

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Item 2. Properties

 

PTEK’s corporate headquarters occupy approximately 42,000 square feet of office space in Atlanta, Georgia under a lease expiring August 2007. This office space also includes both Xpedite’s and Premiere Conferencing’s corporate headquarters. Xpedite occupies additional office space of approximately 45,000 square feet in Tinton Falls, New Jersey under a lease expiring in May 2016. Premiere Conferencing occupies additional office space of approximately 106,000 square feet in Colorado Springs, Colorado under a lease expiring August 2006, and approximately 46,000 square feet of office space in Lenexa, Kansas under a lease expiring August 2009.

 

The Company also leases various data and switching centers and sales offices within and outside the United States. The Company believes that its current facilities and office space are sufficient to meet its present needs and does not anticipate any difficulty securing additional space, as needed, on terms acceptable to the Company.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

 

The Company has several litigation matters pending, as described below, which it is defending vigorously. Due to the inherent uncertainties of the litigation process and the judicial system, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of such litigation matters. If the outcome of one or more of such matters is adverse to the Company, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

A lawsuit was filed on November 4, 1998 against the Company and certain of its officers and directors in the Southern District of New York. Plaintiffs are shareholders of Xpedite who acquired common stock of the Company. Plaintiffs allege causes of action against the Company for breach of contract, against all defendants for negligent misrepresentation, violations of Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and against the individual defendants for violation of Section 15 of the Securities Act. Plaintiffs seek undisclosed damages together with pre- and post-judgment interest, recission or recissory damages as to violation of Section 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act, punitive damages, costs and attorneys’ fees. The defendants’ motion to transfer venue to Georgia has been granted. The defendants’ motion to dismiss has been granted in part and denied in part. By Order dated September 26, 2003, the Court granted in its entirety the defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment and denied as moot the defendants’ Motion in Limine. On September 30, 2003, the Court entered judgment for the defendants and against the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs have appealed the Court’s rulings on summary judgment to the 11th Circuit. That appeal is pending.

 

On December 10, 2001, Voice-Tel filed a Complaint against Voice-Tel franchisees JOBA, Inc. (“JOBA”) and Digital Communication Services, Inc. (“Digital”) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The Complaint sought injunctive relief and a declaratory judgment with respect to Voice-Tel’s right to terminate the franchise agreements with JOBA and Digital. On January 7, 2002, JOBA and Digital answered Voice-Tel’s Complaint and asserted counterclaims against Voice-Tel for alleged breach of franchise agreements and other alleged franchise-related agreements. JOBA and Digital also asserted claims alleging tortious interference of contract against Premiere Communications, Inc. (“PCI”) and PTEK. On January 18, 2002, Voice-Tel, PCI and PTEK filed responses and answers to the counterclaims and filed additional breach of contract and tort claims against JOBA and Digital. The Digital Franchise Agreement contained a mandatory arbitration provision, which was not found in the JOBA Franchise Agreement, and the breach of franchise claims pertaining to Digital were severed and sent to arbitration. On July 16, 2002, Voicecom Telecommunications, LLC (“Voicecom”) was added as a party Plaintiff in the lawsuit against JOBA and Digital. On March 31, 2003, the Federal court granted PTEK and PCI’s Motion for Summary Judgment, and dismissed them from the case. The court also granted Partial Summary Judgment in favor of each of the parties such that the only remaining claims in the case arise out of alleged breaches in the franchise agreement and alleged overpayments of certain fees between the franchisor and the franchisee. In 2004, JOBA filed a Motion for Relief from the Summary Judgment Orders dismissing PTEK and PCI as well as a Motion to Disqualify Counsel for plaintiffs and third party defendants to which plaintiffs and third party defendants responded and objected. The trial court has not yet ruled on these motions and there is no date set for trial in the federal case.

 

On August 28, 2003, the arbitrator issued his ruling relating to the Digital franchise disputes. The arbitrator found that the Digital franchise was constructively terminated in December 2001 and that the franchise value was approximately $1.0 million. The arbitrator rejected other pending claims, except a $15,000 award to the franchisor for equipment that was ordered and used by the franchisee for which no payment was made. The arbitration award was paid in full by Voice-Tel in November 2003.

 

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On November 17, 2003, Xpedite filed suit against Cable & Wireless USA, Inc. (“C&W”) in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia. The lawsuit arises out of Xpedite’s purchase of certain voice, e-mail and fax messaging assets from C&W. Pursuant to a transition services agreement, C&W was to continue to provide certain services to Xpedite until such time C&W circuits were assigned to Xpedite. Xpedite alleges that C&W failed to perform these services in accordance with the agreement and improperly invoiced Xpedite for charges incurred by CW which were not provided for in the agreement. On November 18, 2003, a day after the above-referenced Georgia lawsuit was filed, C&W filed a Complaint against Xpedite in Virginia State Court. The Virginia lawsuit sought recovery for those charges allegedly incurred by C&W relating to C&W’s telecommunications charges of not less than $776,619.49. Xpedite answered the Virginia Complaint, denying that is was liable for the charges. Xpedite also asserted counterclaims against C&W, which were identical to the claims set forth in Xpedite’s Georgia Complaint. C&W filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code in December 2003. In 2004, the Georgia lawsuit by Xpedite was dismissed without prejudice, and the Virginia lawsuit by C&W was stricken from the docket without prejudice to either party. In February 2004, Xpedite filed a proof of claim in the C&W bankruptcy case asserting a claim in the case based on the same facts as set forth in the Georgia lawsuit. While Xpedite expects this claim to be dealt with in the C&W bankruptcy case’s claim resolution process, at this time the Company cannot predict the outcome of the claim.

 

The Company is also involved in various other legal proceedings which the Company does not believe will have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations, although no assurance can be given as to the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings.

 

The Company has settled the litigation matter described below.

 

On March 25, 2003, EasyLink Services Corporation (“EasyLink”) filed an amended complaint against the Company, Xpedite and AT&T Corp. (“AT&T”), in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division: Middlesex County (referred to as “EasyLink I”). EasyLink’s complaint alleged, among other things, that the Company entered into agreements to purchase a secured promissory note in the original principal amount of $10 million (the “Note”) and 1,423,980 shares of EasyLink’s Class A common stock (the “Stock”) for the purpose of obtaining EasyLink’s business by using the acquired securities to block a debt restructuring that EasyLink was allegedly pursuing with its creditors, including AT&T, and for other improper motives. EasyLink claimed that these various actions have impaired its ability to restructure its debt effectively and caused it to suffer various other commercial losses. On July 11, 2003, the court entered an order granting AT&T’s, the Company’s and Xpedite’s motions to dismiss EasyLink’s complaint, without prejudice and without costs. EasyLink appealed, and the Company and Xpedite cross-appealed on the ground that the lower court should have dismissed the claims “with prejudice.” Simultaneously with noticing an appeal, EasyLink filed a new complaint on July 31, 2003 against the Company, Xpedite and AT&T in the Law Division of the same Superior Court (referred to as “EasyLink II”). The claims against the Company and Xpedite in EasyLink II, which substantially reasserted allegations from EasyLink I, are styled “unfair competition” and “tortious interference with contracts/prospective business advantage.” On October 20, 2003, the parties entered into a settlement agreement for EasyLink I and EasyLink II. Pursuant to the settlement, EasyLink consented to the transfer of the Note and the Stock to PTEK and the parties agreed to dismiss with prejudice the lawsuits and exchanged mutual releases. In exchange for the Note and Stock, PTEK paid AT&T approximately $1.9 million in cash and issued to AT&T a seven-year warrant to purchase 250,000 shares of PTEK common stock at $9.36 per share and costs associated with the investment. In addition, PTEK and EasyLink modified the Note to, among other things, amend the payment schedule of the Note as follows: PTEK is entitled to receive aggregate payments of approximately $13.8 million, consisting of ten quarterly payments of $0.8 million which commenced on December 1, 2003, and a balloon payment of approximately $5.8 million on June 1, 2006.

 

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

No matter was submitted to a vote of the Company’s security holders during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report.

 

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Part II

 

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

 

The Company’s common stock, $.01 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), has traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “PTEK” since its initial public offering on March 5, 1996. The following table sets forth the high and low closing sales prices of the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq National Market for the periods indicated.

 

2003


   High

   Low

Fourth Quarter

     9.80      8.01

Third Quarter

     8.74      5.19

Second Quarter

     5.20      3.70

First Quarter

   $ 4.54    $ 3.29

2002


   High

   Low

Fourth Quarter

     4.69      2.74

Third Quarter

     5.82      4.35

Second Quarter

     5.73      4.07

First Quarter

   $ 4.40    $ 3.24

 

The closing price of the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq National Market on March 8, 2004 was $9.44. As of March 8, 2004 there were 509 record holders of the Company’s Common Stock.

 

The Company has never paid cash dividends on its Common Stock, and the current policy of the Company’s Board of Directors is to retain any available earnings for use in the operation and expansion of the Company’s business. The payment of cash dividends on the Common Stock is unlikely in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend upon the Company’s earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and any other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors.

 

In November 2003, the Company entered into a three-year, senior secured revolving credit facility with LaSalle Bank National Association, as agent (“Line of Credit”). See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Capital resources.” The credit agreement related to the Line of Credit contains customary prohibitions on the Company’s ability to declare any cash dividends on its Common Stock until all obligations under the Line of Credit are paid in full and all letters of credit have been terminated.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2003, certain current and former employees exercised options to purchase an aggregate of 313,730 shares of Common Stock at prices ranging from $0.71 per share to $1.61 per share in transactions exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) and Rule 701 of the Securities Act. In the third quarter of 2002, the Company issued 601,997 shares of Common Stock, of which 352,997 shares were returned in November 2002, pursuant to the terms of a settlement to multiple class action lawsuits in the United Stated District Court for the Northern District of Georgia brought by a class of individuals (including a subclass of former Voice-Tel Enterprises, Inc. franchisees and a subclass of former Xpedite Systems, Inc. shareholders) who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company’s Common Stock from as early as February 11, 1997 through June 10, 1998. The remaining 249,000 shares were exempt from registration pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Act.

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

In August 2003, the Company completed a private placement exempt under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of $85 million aggregate principal amount of 5% convertible subordinated notes due 2008 raising net proceeds of $82.7 million, which were used to repurchase and redeem a portion of the Company’s 2004 Convertible Notes. The 2008 Convertible Notes were subsequently resold by the initial purchaser, CIBC World Markets Corp., to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The 2008 Convertible Notes are convertible at any time at the option of the holder into the Company’s common stock at a conversion rate of 149.3786 shares per $1,000 principal amount of notes (equal to a conversion price of approximately $6.6944 per share), subject to

 

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adjustment in certain events. The 2008 Convertible Notes and the common stock issuable upon conversion of those notes were subsequently registered for resale pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act, which was declared effective on February 6, 2004.

 

As part of the settlement agreement reached on October 20, 2003 related to the Easylink I and Easylink II litigation, the Company issued a seven-year warrant to AT&T to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $9.36 per share. This warrant was issued in reliance upon the exemption from registration set forth in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. The Company did not receive any cash proceeds from the issuance of this warrant.

 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

 

The following selected consolidated statement of operations data, balance sheet data, and cash flow data as of and for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999 have been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the notes hereto.

 

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    Year Ended December 31,

 
    2003

    2002

    2001

    2000

    1999

 
    (in thousands, except per share data)  

Statement of Operations Data:

                                       

Revenues

  $ 381,280     $ 341,253     $ 330,416     $ 303,244     $ 292,731  

Operating income (loss)

    37,199       24,905       (177,142 )     (58,206 )     (84,889 )

Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to common and common equivalent shares for shareholders for:

                                       

—basic net income (loss) per share

    26,913       14,423       (209,658 )     (46,602 )     5,754  

—diluted net income (loss) per share

    27,886       14,423       (209,658 )     (46,602 )     5,754  

Income (loss) from continuing operations per common and common equivalent shares for:

                                       

—basic (1)

  $ 0.50     $ 0.27     $ (4.19 )   $ (0.97 )   $ 0.12  

—diluted (1)

  $ 0.45     $ 0.26     $ (4.19 )   $ (0.97 )   $ 0.12  

Loss from discontinued operations

    (976 )     (12,532 )     (32,462 )     (12,264 )     (39,245 )

Net income (loss) attributable to common and common equivalent shares for shareholders for:

                                       

—basic net income (loss) per share

    25,937       1,891       (242,120 )     (58,866 )     (33,491 )

—diluted net income (loss) per share

    26,910       1,891       (242,120 )     (58,866 )     (33,491 )

Net income (loss) per common and common equivalent shares for: