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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 


 

x Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

 

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 0-24484

 


 

MPS GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Florida   59-3116655
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
     
1 Independent Drive, Jacksonville, FL   32202
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(Registrant’s telephone number including area code): (904) 360-2000

 


 

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

 

Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 Per Share   New York Stock Exchange
(Title of each class)   (Name of each exchange on which registered)

 

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. x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

 

Yes x No ¨

 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based upon the closing sale price of common stock on, June 30, 2004, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, was approximately $1,243,503,116.

 

As of March 1, 2005 the number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s common stock was 103,541,544.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.

Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2005 Annual Meeting of shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III.

 



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This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks, uncertainties or assumptions and may be affected by certain factors, including but not limited to the specific factors discussed in Part I, Item 1 under ‘Risk Factors,’ in Part II, Item 5 under ‘Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities’, and Part II, Item 7 under ‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.’ In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as ‘will,’ ‘may,’ ‘should,’ ‘could,’ ‘expects,’ ‘plans,’ ‘indicates,’ ‘projects,’ ‘anticipates,’ ‘believes,’ ‘estimates,’ ‘appears,’ ‘predicts,’ ‘potential,’ ‘continues,’ ‘can,’ ‘hopes,’ ‘perhaps,’ ‘would,’ or ‘become,’ or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. In addition, except for historical facts, all information provided in Part II, Item 7A, under ‘Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk’ should be considered forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements are based on beliefs and assumptions of the Company’s management and on information currently available to such management. Forward looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any of them in light of new information or future events. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance.

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I   Page

1.      BUSINESS

  4

         RISK FACTORS

  9

2.      PROPERTIES

  11

3.      LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

  11

4.      SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

  11
PART II    

5.      MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

  11

6.      SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

  12

7.      MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

  14

7A.   QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

  25

8.      FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

  26

9.      CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

  55

9A.   CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

  55

9B.   OTHER INFORMATION

  55
PART III    

Information required by Part III (Items 10-14) is to be included in the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV    

15.    EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

  57

         SIGNATURES

  61

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

 

References to “we”, “our”, “us”, “MPS” or the “Company” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to MPS Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

 

Overall

 

MPS Group, Inc. is a leading provider of business services with over 185 offices throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. We deliver specialty staffing, consulting and business solutions to virtually all industries in the following disciplines, through the following primary brands:

 

Discipline


 

Brand(s)


Information Technology (IT) Services

 

Modis®

Accounting and Finance

 

Badenoch & Clark® , Accounting Principals®

Engineering

 

Entegee®

Legal

 

Special Counsel®

IT Solutions

 

Idea Integration®

Health Care

 

Soliant Health®

Human Capital Automation

 

Beeline®

 

Our strategy is to focus on increasing revenue and profits, through a combination of internal growth and acquisitions, primarily within our core disciplines and, to a lesser extent, expansion into new specialties. Specifically, we aim to maintain a leadership position in our IT-related disciplines, while growing our professional-related disciplines both organically and through acquisitions, which should result in the Professional Services Division providing a larger overall percentage contribution to our total revenues. The key elements to our internal growth strategy include:

 

    increasing penetration of existing markets and customer segments,

 

    expanding current specialties into new and contiguous geographic markets,

 

    concentrating on skill areas that value high levels of service, and

 

    identifying and adding new practice areas.

 

While we look to strengthen relationships with our clients, we are not dependent upon a single customer or a limited number of customers.

 

Pursuant to our acquisition strategy, we acquired ten businesses from 2002 to 2004: four legal staffing businesses acquired in February of 2003, August of 2003, August of 2004, and October of 2004; three health care staffing businesses acquired in June of 2002, February of 2004, and March of 2004; and three accounting staffing businesses acquired in February of 2004, July of 2004, and October 2004. The businesses acquired in 2004, 2003, and 2002, had a combined revenue of $95 million, $22 million, and $18 million at acquisition date, respectively.

 

In addition, we look to focus our efforts intensely on our core businesses. Toward this end, we have divested certain businesses we deemed not central to our strategy, including the 2003 sale of our outplacement unit and the 2004 sale of our retained executive search unit. We feel we are able to execute and profit from our internal growth and acquisition strategies due to our strong management team, our integrated and scalable back office support services, and to the continued development of our strategic management systems.

 

In all of our markets and disciplines, we encounter aggressive and capable competition, with a number of firms offering services similar to ours on a national, regional or local basis. Our ability to compete successfully depends on our reputation, pricing and quality of service provided, our understanding of clients’ specific job requirements, and our ability to provide qualified personnel in a timely manner.

 

The Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Florida in 1992 under the name Accustaff Incorporated, and changed its name to MPS Group, Inc. in 2002. Our principal executive offices are located in Jacksonville, Florida. Strategically, our operations are coordinated primarily from facilities in Jacksonville,

 

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Florida, and London, United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent, Burlington, Massachusetts. Both of our Jacksonville and London facilities provide support and centralized services to our offices in the administrative, marketing, public relations, accounting, training and legal areas. Regional and local office managers are responsible for most activities of their offices, including sales, local and regional marketing and recruitment.

 

Segments

 

Historically, we have presented the financial results of our operations under three reporting segments: Professional services, IT services, and IT solutions. In an effort to better align the reporting of our financial results with the manner in which we currently manage our business, we revised the presentation of our financial results from three to four reporting segments in the fourth quarter of 2004. Our four reporting segments are North American Professional services, European Professional services, North American IT services and European IT services. Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to this presentation.

 

The Company has both a Professional services and an IT services division. The Professional services division is comprised of both the North American Professional services segment and the European Professional services segment. The IT services division is comprised of both the North American IT services segment and the European IT services segment. The below table highlights the percentage contribution of revenue and gross profit from our four segments for 2004 and 2003, respectively:

 

    

2004

Revenue


   

2003

Revenue


   

2004

Gross Profit


   

2003

Gross Profit


 

North American Professional Services

   30.1 %   28.8 %   34.3 %   31.0 %

European Professional Services

   20.3 %   18.1 %   22.3 %   20.3 %
    

 

 

 

Professional Services Division

   50.4 %   46.9 %   56.6 %   51.3 %

North American IT Services

   32.2 %   36.6 %   34.3 %   39.3 %

European IT Services

   17.4 %   16.5 %   9.1 %   9.4 %
    

 

 

 

IT Services Division

   49.6 %   53.1 %   43.4 %   48.7 %

North American Segments

   62.3 %   65.4 %   68.6 %   70.3 %

European Segments

   37.7 %   34.6 %   31.4 %   29.7 %

 

Additional financial information relating to our segments can be found in Footnote 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Professional Services division

 

Our Professional services division provides specialized staffing and recruiting in the disciplines of accounting, finance, law, engineering and healthcare for varying periods of time to companies or other organizations (including government agencies) that have a need for such personnel, but are unable to, or choose not to, engage certain personnel as their own employees. Businesses increasingly view the use of temporary employees as a means of controlling personnel costs and converting the nature of such costs from fixed to variable. Examples of client needs for staffing solutions include the need for specialized or highly-skilled personnel for the completion of a specific project or subproject, substitution for regular employees during vacation or sick leave, and staffing of high turnover positions or during seasonal peaks.

 

We operate this division under a variable cost business model whereby revenue and cost of revenue are primarily recognized and incurred on a time-and-materials basis. The majority of the billable consultants are compensated on an hourly basis only for the hours which are billed to our clients.

 

 

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Clients also hire our skilled consultants on a permanent basis, whether it is from a conversion of a temporary assignment to, or a direct placement of, a full-time position. We earn a one-time fee for these services. These fees represent approximately 6% of this division’s revenue.

 

The principal national and international competitors of our Professional services division include Robert Half International Inc., Resources Connection, Inc., Spherion Corporation, Wallace Law Registry, Ajilon Consulting (a wholly owned subsidiary of Adecco SA), Michael Page International, Robert Walters PLC, Hays PLC, Cross Country Healthcare, Inc., and CDI Corporation.

 

North American Professional Services segment

 

Our North American Professional services segment goes to market under the primary brands and operating units Entegee, Special Counsel, Accounting Principals, and Soliant Health. The demands of our clients (the need for confidentiality, accuracy and reliability, cost-effectiveness, and frequent peak workload periods) are similar among the brands/operating units within this segment.

 

Entegee

 

Our Entegee brand/operating unit provides strategic workforce solutions for technical and engineering needs. From on-site management consulting and in-house project services to temporary and direct placement, Entegee combines industry knowledge and experience to fill highly skilled technical and engineering positions. These positions include, but are not limited to, engineers, designers, drafters, inspectors and assemblers. Entegee operates through a domestic network of national practice branches with offices in 10 markets, and employs approximately 2,400 billable consultants. Entegee also provides engineering and drafting design services through company-owned centers, in Iowa and Minnesota, that utilize state-of-the-art computer technology. Certain of its client base includes government and defense contractors, manufacturing and engineering companies.

 

Special Counsel

 

Our Special Counsel brand/operating unit specializes in placing temporary and full-time employees in attorney, paralegal, legal administrative and legal secretarial positions for workload management, litigation support, business transaction support, pre-litigation and document management support, as well as medical document review, deposition digesting, and other trial-related services. Special Counsel has a network of 34 offices located across the United States, and employs approximately 1,400 billable consultants. Its clients include Fortune 1000 companies and law firms.

 

In 2004, we expanded Special Counsel’s geographic footprint with the acquisition of Legal Networks in August and expanded its service offering with the acquisition of Alderson Court Reporting, a premier provider of court reporting, legal videography and litigation support services, in October. In addition, Alderson is the official court reporter of the United States Supreme Court.

 

Accounting Principals

 

Our Accounting Principals brand/operating unit specializes in placing temporary and full-time employees in accounting, finance, and banking positions. Accounting Principals has a network of 47 offices located across the United States, and employs approximately 1,900 billable consultants.

 

In 2004, we expanded Accounting Principals’ geographic footprint with the acquisitions of Accounting Alternatives in July and Accounting Solutions in October. The Accounting Solutions acquisition added 17 net new markets across the United States. We also expanded Accounting Principals’ service offering in 2004 with the acquisition of Lillian Kloock, a provider of medical billing and medical collection professionals to leading facilities primarily in the Southeastern United States.

 

 

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Soliant Health

 

Our Soliant Health brand/operating unit specializes primarily in placing traveling healthcare professionals, in the areas of nursing, physical and occupational therapy, along with imaging technicians. Soliant Health employs approximately 500 consultants, and its clients include hospitals and healthcare providers across the United States.

 

In 2004, we expanded Soliant Health’s geographic footprint with the acquisitions of Sunbelt Staffing Solutions and Management Search in February and March. During the year, we also expanded its service offering to include school therapists and the permanent placement of physicians.

 

Dispositions

 

In 2003, we sold certain operating assets and transferred certain operating liabilities of our then outplacement unit. The decision to sell our outplacement unit was in keeping with our long-term strategy of focusing on our core businesses. As a result of the sale of our outplacement unit and in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), our Consolidated Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations report the results of operations of this unit as Discontinued Operations for all periods presented. In June 2004, we sold certain assets and transferred certain liabilities of our retained executive search brand.

 

European Professional Services segment

 

Our European Professional services segment is comprised of our Badenoch & Clark brand/operating unit. Since 1980, Badenoch & Clark has been specializing in placing temporary, full-time, contract and interim recruitment employees in positions such as accounting and finance, financial services, legal, human resources, marketing, not-for-profit and public-sector. With the 2004 opening of offices in Essex and Wales, Badenoch & Clark has 18 offices located across the United Kingdom. It also has 1 office in Luxembourg. Badenoch & Clark employs approximately 4,000 billable consultants.

 

IT Services division

 

Our IT services division provides specialty staffing, consulting and business solutions under the brands/operating units Modis, Modis International, Idea Integration and Beeline. We utilize the brand Modis in both our North American and European segments; however, the overall business culture distinguishes the operation of these two segments.

 

We operate this division primarily under a variable cost business model whereby revenue and cost of revenue are primarily recognized and incurred on a time-and-materials basis. The majority of the billable consultants are compensated on an hourly basis only for the hours which are billed to our clients. Less than 1% of this division’s revenue is generated from fees for clients directly hiring our consultants.

 

The principal national and international competitors of our IT services division include Keane, Inc., Computer Horizons Corp., Comsys IT Partners, Inc., CIBER, Inc., Computer People (a division of Ajilon Group), Hays PLC, Elan, Lorien PLC, and Sapient Corporation. In addition, we may compete against the internal management information services and IT departments of clients and potential clients.

 

 

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North American IT Services segment

 

Modis

 

Our Modis brand/operating unit specializes in the placement of IT contract consultants for IT project support and staffing, recruitment of full-time positions, project-based solutions, supplier management solutions, and on-site recruiting support in the areas of application development, systems integration, and enterprise application integration. Modis has a network of 45 offices located across the United States, and employs approximately 3,700 billable consultants.

 

Idea Integration

 

Our Idea Integration brand/operating unit formerly comprised the IT Solutions segment. Idea specializes in Web design and development, information management solutions, wireless workflow applications, portal solutions, and enterprise resource management. Idea utilizes both salaried and hourly consultants to deliver solutions primarily under time-and-materials contracts and to a lesser extent under fixed-fee contracts. It operates in certain markets across the United States and its clients include Fortune 1000 companies, government and middle-market companies.

 

Beeline

 

Our Beeline brand/operating unit provides a software-based human capital management services solution that automates the acquisition and management of both full-time and contingent workers. Beeline operates primarily in the United States and its’ clients are principally Fortune 1000 companies.

 

Beeline maintains a full-time staff to support its operations and seeks to collect a service charge based upon the usage of this service. Subsequent to the initial start up costs and time, minimal cost and resources are required for the usage of Beeline’s services.

 

European IT Services segment

 

Our European IT services segment is comprised of Modis International. Modis International, headquartered in the United Kingdom, specializes in providing IT contract consultants throughout the United Kingdom and certain continental European markets. Modis International has been in operation for over 30 years. It has 10 offices located across the United Kingdom, and an office each in Belgium, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. It employs approximately 1,900 billable consultants.

 

Employees

 

MPS employs approximately 16,400 consultants and approximately 2,500 full-time staff employees. Approximately 250 of the employees work at corporate headquarters.

 

As described below, in most jurisdictions, we, as the employer of the consultants or as otherwise required by applicable law, are responsible for employment administration. This administration includes collection of withholding taxes, employer contributions for social security or its equivalent outside the United States, unemployment tax, maintaining workers’ compensation and fidelity and liability insurance, and other governmental requirements imposed on employers. Full-time employees are covered by life and disability insurance and receive health insurance and other benefits.

 

Government Regulations

 

Outside of the United States and Canada, the staffing services industry is closely regulated. These regulations differ among countries but generally may regulate: (i) the relationship between us and our temporary employees; (ii) registration, licensing, record keeping, and reporting requirements; and (iii) types of operations permitted. Regulation within the United States and Canada has not materially impacted our operations.

 

In many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, staffing services firms are considered the legal employers of the temporary consultants while the consultant is on assignment with a

 

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company client. Therefore, laws regulating the employer/employee relationship, such as tax withholding or reporting, social security or retirement, anti-discrimination, and workers’ compensation, govern us. In other countries, staffing services firms, while not the direct legal employer of the consultant, are still responsible for collecting taxes and social security deductions and transmitting such amounts to the taxing authorities.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We seek to protect our intellectual property through copyright, trade secret and trademark law and through contractual non-disclosure restrictions. Our services often involve the development of work and materials for specific client engagements, the ownership of which is frequently assigned to the client. We do at times, and when appropriate, negotiate to retain the ownership or continued use of development tools or know how created or generated by us for a client in the delivery of our services, which we may then license or use in the delivery of our services to other clients.

 

Seasonality

 

Our quarterly operating results are affected by the number of billing days in the quarter and the seasonality of our customers’ businesses. Demand for our services has historically been lower during the calendar year-end, as a result of holidays, through February of the following year, as our customers approve annual budgets. Extreme weather conditions may also affect demand in the early part of the year as certain of our clients’ facilities are located in geographic areas subject to closure or reduced hours due to inclement weather. In addition, we experience an increase in our cost of sales and a corresponding decrease in gross profit and gross margin in the first fiscal quarter of each year, as a result of certain state and federal employment tax resets.

 

Access to Company Information

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (‘NYSE’) under the ticker symbol ‘MPS’. Our Internet address is www.mpsgroup.com. We make available through our Internet website our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K, as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such material with, or furnishing it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information contained on our website, or on other websites linked to our website, is not part of this document.

 

Risk Factors

 

We are subject to various risks and uncertainties that affect our business. The most important of these risks and uncertainties are as follows:

 

Demand for our services is affected by the economic climate in the industries and markets we serve. The demand for our services, in particular our staffing services, is highly dependent upon the state of economy and upon the staffing needs of our clients. Any variation in the economic condition or unemployment levels of the United States or of any of the foreign countries in which our brands/operating units do business, or in the economic condition of any region of any of the foregoing, or in any specific industry, may severely reduce the demand for our services and thereby significantly decrease our revenues and profits.

 

Our market is highly competitive with low barriers to entry. Our industry is intensely competitive and highly fragmented, and because it is a service business, the barriers to entry are quite low. There are many competitors, and new ones are entering the market constantly. In addition, some of these competitors have greater resources than us. Competition arises locally, regionally, nationally, internationally and in certain cases from remote locations, particularly from offshore locations such as India.

 

Certain of our contracts are awarded on the basis of competitive proposals, which can be periodically re-bid by the client. There can be no assurance that existing contracts will be renewed on satisfactory terms or that additional or replacement contracts will be awarded to us. In addition, long-term contracts form a negligible

 

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portion of our revenue. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will be able to retain clients or market share in the future. Nor can there be any assurance that we will, in light of competitive pressures, be able to remain profitable or, if profitable, maintain our current profit margins.

 

Our business requires a qualified candidate pool, which we may not be able to recruit or maintain. Our staffing services consist of the placement of individuals seeking employment in specialized IT and professional positions. Some of these sectors are characterized by a shortage of qualified candidates. There can be no assurance that suitable candidates for employment will continue to be available or will continue to seek employment through us. Candidates generally seek temporary or regular positions through multiple sources, including us and our competitors. Any shortage of qualified candidates could materially adversely affect us.

 

Our business depends on key personnel, including executive officers, local managers and field personnel. We are engaged in the services business. As such, our success or failure is highly dependent upon the performance of our management personnel and employees, rather than upon technology or upon tangible assets (of which we have few). There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract and retain the personnel that are essential to our success.

 

We have to comply with existing government regulation and are exposed to increased regulation of the workplace. Our business is subject to regulation or licensing in many states and in certain foreign countries. While we have had no material difficulty complying with regulations in the past, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to obtain all necessary licenses or approvals or that the cost of compliance will not prove to be material. Any inability to comply with government regulation or licensing requirements could materially adversely affect us. Additionally, our staffing services entails employing individuals on a temporary basis and placing such individuals in clients’ workplaces. Increased government regulation of the workplace or of the employer-employee relationship could materially adversely affect us.

 

We are exposed to employment-related claims and costs and other litigation. Our staffing services entails employing individuals on a temporary basis and placing such individuals in clients’ workplaces. Our ability to control the workplace environment is limited. As the employer of record of our temporary employees, we incur a risk of liability to our temporary employees for various workplace events, including claims of physical injury, discrimination, harassment, or retroactive entitlement to employee benefits. We also incur a risk of liability to our clients resulting from allegations of errors, omissions, misappropriation, or theft of property or information by our temporary employees. We maintain insurance with respect to many of such claims. While such claims have not historically had a material adverse effect on us, there can be no assurance that we will continue to be able to obtain insurance at a cost that does not have a material adverse effect upon us or that such claims (whether by reason of us not having insurance or by reason of such claims being outside the scope of our insurance) will not have a material adverse effect upon us.

 

We depend on our reputation to sell our services. The success of our brands is highly dependent upon their reputations. The reputations of our staffing businesses in turn depend upon the perceived quality of the professionals we employ and staff with our customers—consequently, if our customers are dissatisfied with our employees, our brands will be harmed. Any event that adversely impacts the reputation of a brand could materially affect our results of operations.

 

The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly. The market price for our common stock can fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, including factors listed in these “Risk Factors,” many of which are beyond our control. These factors include actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results; announcements of new services by our competitors or us; announcements relating to strategic relationships or acquisitions; changes in financial estimates or other statements by securities analysts; and other changes in general economic conditions. Because of this, we may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of our shareholders or of our securities analysts, and the market price for our common stock could fluctuate as a result.

 

 

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

 

Our corporate headquarters, located in Jacksonville, Florida, is on lease through 2012. Our business services are conducted through more than 185 offices located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. Almost all of our offices are on lease, with the terms of an average office lease being from three to six years.

 

We believe that our facilities are generally adequate for our needs and do not anticipate difficulty replacing such facilities or locating additional facilities, if needed. Additional information on lease commitments can be found in Footnote 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We are a party to a number of lawsuits and claims arising out of the ordinary conduct of our business. In the opinion of management, based on the advice of in-house and external legal counsel, the lawsuits and claims pending are not likely to have a material adverse effect on us, our financial position, our results of operations, or our cash flows.

 

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of 2004.

 

PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Market Price and Related Matters

 

The following table sets forth the high and low sale prices of our Common Stock, as reported by the NYSE, during the two years ended December 31, 2004:

 

     2004

   2003

     High

   Low

   High

   Low

Period:

                           

First Quarter

   $ 11.21    $ 9.35    $ 6.24    $ 4.75

Second Quarter

   $ 12.12    $ 9.96    $ 7.58    $ 5.20

Third Quarter

   $ 11.62    $ 7.87    $ 10.10    $ 6.83

Fourth Quarter

   $ 12.38    $ 8.92    $ 10.65    $ 8.55

 

See the factors set forth above in ‘Risk Factors,’ for factors that may impact the price of our Common Stock. As of March 1, 2005, there were approximately 889 holders of record of our Common Stock.

 

We have not paid to-date a cash dividend or other cash distribution with respect to our Common Stock. We currently intend to retain any earnings to provide for the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities

 

In 1999, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $65 million of our Common Stock. Beginning in the third quarter of 2002 through the year-end of 2004, approximately 5.1 million shares at a cost of $39.9 million have been repurchased under this authorization. The following table sets forth information about our Common Stock repurchases for the three months ended December 31, 2004. There is no expiration date for this authorization.

 

 

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Period (1)


  Total Number
of Shares
Repurchased


  Average Price
Paid per Share


 

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
Part of Publicly
Announced

Plans or Programs


 

Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares That
May Yet be Purchased
Under the

Plans or Programs


October 1, 2004 to October 31, 2004

  462,682   $ 8.67   462,682   $ 25,058,171

November 1, 2004 to November 30, 2004

  —       —     —       25,058,171

December 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004

  —       —     —       25,058,171
   
 

 
 

Total

  462,682   $ 8.67   462,682   $ 25,058,171

(1) Based on trade date, not settlement date.

 

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

     Years Ended

 

(in thousands, except per share amounts)


  

Dec. 31,

2004


   

Dec. 31,

2003


   

Dec. 31,

2002


   

Dec. 31,

2001


   

Dec. 31,

2000


 

Consolidated Statements of Operations data:

                                        

Revenue

   $ 1,426,842     $ 1,096,030     $ 1,119,156     $ 1,500,615     $ 1,777,540  

Cost of revenue

     1,066,055       808,890       834,318       1,105,781       1,269,760  
    


 


 


 


 


Gross profit

     360,787       287,140       284,838       394,834       507,780  

Operating expenses

     309,551       251,623       255,929       342,918       388,338  

Amortization of goodwill (1)

     —         —         —         37,312       35,937  

Impairment of investment

     —         —         16,165       —         (694 )

Exit costs (recapture)

     (897 )     (284 )     8,967       —         —    

Asset write-down related to sale of discontinued operations

     —         —         —         —         13,122  
    


 


 


 


 


Operating income

     52,133       35,801       3,777       14,604       71,077  

Other income (expense), net

     1,437       553       (3,947 )     (9,199 )     (21,621