10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K FOR RESOURCES CONNECTION Form 10-K for Resources Connection
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITION REPORTS

PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

(Mark One)

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2004

 

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                      to                     

 

Commission File Number: 0-32113

 


 

RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 


 

Delaware   33-0832424

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

695 Town Center Drive, Suite 600, Costa Mesa, California 92626

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (714) 430-6400

 

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

None.

 

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

 

Title of each class

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

 


 

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 12b-2). Yes x No ¨

 

As of November 28, 2003, the approximate aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was $571,635,000 (based upon the closing price for shares of the Registrant’s common stock as reported by The Nasdaq National Market). As of August 5, 2004, there were approximately 23,320,698 shares of common stock, $.01 par value, outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

The Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, is incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K to the extent stated herein.

 


 



Table of Contents

RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         

Page

No.


     PART I     

ITEM 1.

   BUSINESS    1

ITEM 2.

   PROPERTIES    13

ITEM 3.

   LEGAL PROCEEDINGS    14

ITEM 4.

   SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS    14
     PART II     

ITEM 5.

   MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED
STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
   14

ITEM 6.

   SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA    16

ITEM 7.

   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS    17

ITEM 7A.

   QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK    33

ITEM 8.

   FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA    34

ITEM 9.

   CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE    55

ITEM 9A.

   CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES    55
     PART III     

ITEM 10.

   DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT    55

ITEM 11.

   EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION    55

ITEM 12.

   SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
   56

ITEM 13.

   CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS    56

ITEM 14.

   PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES    56
     PART IV     

ITEM 15.

   EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K    57

 

In this Report on Form 10-K, “Resources Connection,” “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to the business of Resources Connection, Inc. and its subsidiaries. References in this Report on Form 10-K to “fiscal,” “year” or “fiscal year” refer to our fiscal years that consist of the 52- or 53-week period ending on the Saturday in May closest to May 31.

 

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This Report on Form 10-K, including information incorporated herein by reference, contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to expectations concerning matters that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements and all phases of our operations are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are identified herein. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements and those of our industry may be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements in this filing.

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

 

Overview

 

Resources Connection is an international professional services firm that provides experienced accounting and finance, risk management and internal audit, information technology, human resources and supply chain management professionals to clients on a project basis. We assist our clients with discrete projects requiring specialized expertise in accounting and finance, such as mergers and acquisitions due diligence, financial analyses (e.g., product costing and margin analyses), corporate reorganizations and tax-related projects. In addition, we provide human resources management services, such as compensation program design and implementation, information technology services, such as transitions of management information systems, and internal audit services, such as documenting internal controls. We also assist our clients with periodic needs such as budgeting and forecasting, audit preparation, public reporting and with their compliance efforts under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes”).

 

We were founded in June 1996 by a team at Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte & Touche”), led by our current chief executive officer, Donald B. Murray, who was then a senior partner with Deloitte & Touche. Additional founding members include our current chief financial officer, Stephen J. Giusto, then also a Deloitte & Touche partner, and Karen M. Ferguson, the current regional managing director of our Northeast practice offices. Our founders created Resources Connection to capitalize on the increasing demand for high quality outsourced professional services. We operated as a division of Deloitte & Touche from our inception in June 1996 until January 1997. From January 1997 until April 1999, we operated as a subsidiary of Deloitte & Touche. In April 1999, we completed a management-led buyout. Prior to the management-led buyout, we were unable to provide certain accounting services to audit clients of Deloitte & Touche due to regulatory constraints applicable to us as a part of a Big Four accounting firm. Subsequent to the management-led buyout, we were able to expand the scope of services we provide to our clients. The Company is an independent company which is no longer affiliated with Deloitte & Touche.

 

Our business model combines the client service orientation and commitment to quality of a Big Four accounting firm with the entrepreneurial culture of an innovative, high-growth company. We are positioned to take advantage of what we believe are two converging trends in the outsourced professional services industry: increasing global demand for outsourced professional services by corporate clients and a supply of professionals interested in working in a non-traditional professional services firm. We believe our business model allows us to offer challenging yet flexible career opportunities, attract highly qualified, experienced professionals and, in turn, attract clients with challenging professional needs.

 

As of May 31, 2004, we employed approximately 2,100 professional service associates on assignment. Our associates have professional experience in a wide range of industries and functional areas. Based upon an internal, annual survey conducted in late calendar year 2003, to which approximately 47% of all then active associates responded, 49% of respondents were CPAs, 37% had advanced professional degrees, and the average years of professional experience was about 18. We offer our associates careers that combine the flexibility of project-based work with many of the advantages of working for a traditional professional services firm.

 

We have served a diverse client base of over 1,600 clients during fiscal 2004, ranging from large corporations to mid-sized companies to small entrepreneurial entities, in a broad range of industries. For example, our clients include approximately half of the Fortune 100, which accounted for approximately 11.1% and 15.2% of our revenues in fiscal 2004 and 2003, respectively, and all of the Big Four accounting firms. We have grown revenues from $71.4 million in fiscal 1999 to $328.3 million in fiscal 2004, a five-year compounded annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 35.7% and our income from operations over the same period has increased from

 

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$9.1 million to $40.5 million, a five-year CAGR of 34.8%. We have been profitable every year since our inception. As of May 31, 2004, we served our clients through 49 offices in the United States and 15 offices abroad. During fiscal 2004, we completed three transactions that increased our ability to serve clients throughout the world. In fiscal 2004, $265.3 million, $43.8 million and $19.2 million of our revenues were generated in the United States, in the Netherlands and in other countries, respectively, compared with fiscal 2003 revenue of $194.0 million and $8.0 million generated in the United States and other countries, respectively.

 

The three transactions completed in the first quarter of fiscal 2004 enhance our international presence as well as our ability to assist clients with the compliance efforts under Sarbanes. The largest of the three was the all cash acquisition for $29.8 million of the outstanding capital shares of Ernst & Young’s subsidiary, Executive Temporary Management BV (“ETM”) in the Netherlands on July 15, 2003. ETM, renamed Resources Connection.NL BV (“RC.NL”), is considered a market leader in the interim management industry in the Netherlands. We believe this acquisition provides a foundation in continental Europe and allows us to market to our current and prospective multinational clients seeking an alternative to Big Four firms, particularly in light of concerns about auditor independence. RC.NL has seven offices in the Netherlands and contracted with, or employed, over 240 professional service associates as of May 31, 2004.

 

In addition to the international expansion driven by the acquisition of RC.NL, we also acquired the operations of Deloitte Re:sources Pty Ltd. from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia in an all cash deal for $1 million on June 1, 2003. We originally launched the subsidiary, now renamed Resources Connection Australia Pty. Ltd., in 1998 on behalf of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia firm. The acquisition presented the opportunity to expand our Asia Pacific presence.

 

Finally, in July 2003, we acquired for $2 million the company that developed policyIQTM, a web-based solution for internal controls documentation and content management. The purchase included upfront cash and provision for contingent payments based on sales volume. policyIQ is a tool that our clients can use to assist in complying with Sarbanes, among other initiatives.

 

We believe our distinctive culture is a valuable asset and is in large part due to our management team, which has extensive experience in the professional services industry. Most of our senior management and office managing directors have Big Four experience and an equity interest in our company. This team has created a culture of professionalism that we believe fosters in our associates a feeling of personal responsibility for, and pride in, client projects and enables us to deliver high-quality service to our clients.

 

Industry Background

 

Demand for Project Professional Services

 

Resources Connection’s services address a range of professional areas, with a majority of revenues derived from accounting and finance related services. The market for professional services is broad, and independent data on the size of the market is fragmented. For instance, a recent study published by Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc. estimates the size of the professional sector of the U.S. staffing market at $81.8 billion in 2004, but this is just a measure of the staffing component of professional services. Other components include, but are not limited to, CPA services and consulting services, each of which address multibillion dollar markets. Because of the corporate scandals documented in the media over the last few years, we believe the market for professional services is changing rapidly and that companies may be willing to choose alternatives to traditional professional service providers. We believe Resources Connection is a viable alternative to traditional accounting and consulting firms in numerous instances because, by using project professionals, companies can:

 

  strategically access specialized skills and expertise;

 

  effectively supplement internal resources;

 

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  increase labor flexibility; and

 

  reduce their overall hiring and training costs.

 

Typically, companies use a variety of alternatives to fill their project professional services needs. Companies outsource entire projects to consulting firms; this provides them access to the expertise of the firm but often entails significant cost and less management control of the project. Companies also supplement their internal resources with employees from the Big Four accounting firms; however, these arrangements are on an ad hoc basis and have been increasingly limited by regulatory concerns focused on external auditor independence. Companies use temporary employees from traditional and Internet-based staffing firms, who may be less experienced or less qualified than employees of professional services firms. Finally, some companies rely solely on their own employees who may lack the requisite time, experience or skills.

 

Supply of Project Professionals

 

Concurrent with the growth in demand for outsourced professional services, we believe, based on discussions with our associates, that the number of professionals seeking to work on a project basis has increased due to a desire for:

 

  more flexible hours and work arrangements, coupled with competitive wages and benefits and a professional culture;

 

  challenging engagements that advance their careers, develop their skills and add to their experience base; and

 

  a work environment that provides a diversity of, and more control over, client engagements.

 

The employment alternatives historically available to professionals may fulfill some, but not all, of an individual’s career objectives. A professional working for a Big Four firm or a consulting firm may receive challenging assignments and training, but may encounter a career path with less flexible hours and limited control over work engagements. Alternatively, a professional who works as an independent contractor faces the ongoing task of sourcing assignments and significant administrative burdens.

 

Resources Connection Solution

 

We believe that Resources Connection is positioned to capitalize on the confluence of these industry trends. We believe, based on discussions with our clients, that Resources Connection provides clients seeking project professionals with high-quality services because we are able to combine all of the following:

 

  a relationship-oriented approach to assess our clients’ project needs;

 

  highly qualified professionals with the requisite skills and experience;

 

  competitive rates on an hourly, instead of a per project, basis; and

 

  significant client control of their projects.

 

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Resources Connection Strategy

 

Our Business Strategy

 

We are dedicated to providing highly qualified and experienced accounting and finance, risk management, human resources management, supply chain and information technology professionals to meet our clients’ project and interim professional services needs. Our objective is to be the leading provider of these project-based professional services. We have developed the following business strategies to achieve this objective:

 

  Maintain our distinctive culture. Our corporate culture is central to our business strategy and we believe has been a significant component of our success. Our senior management, virtually all of whom are Big Four alumni, has created a culture that combines the commitment to quality and the client service focus of a Big Four firm with the entrepreneurial energy of an innovative, high-growth company. We seek associates and management with talent, integrity, enthusiasm and loyalty (“TIEL”) to strengthen our team and support our ability to provide clients with high-quality services. We believe that our culture has been instrumental to our success in hiring and retaining highly qualified associates and, in turn, attracting clients.

 

  Hire and retain highly qualified, experienced associates. We believe our highly qualified, experienced associates provide us with a distinct competitive advantage. Therefore, one of our priorities is to continue to attract and retain high-caliber associates. We believe we have been successful in attracting and retaining qualified professionals by providing challenging work assignments, competitive compensation and benefits, and continuing education and training opportunities, while offering flexible work schedules and more control over choosing client engagements.

 

  Build consultative relationships with clients. We emphasize a relationship-oriented approach to business rather than a transaction-oriented or assignment-oriented approach. We believe the professional services experience of our management and associates enables us to understand the needs of our clients and to deliver an integrated, relationship-oriented approach to meeting their professional services needs. We regularly meet with our existing and prospective clients to understand their business issues and help them define their project needs. Once a project is defined, we identify associates with the appropriate skills and experience to meet the client’s needs. We believe that by establishing relationships with our clients to solve their professional services needs, we are more likely to generate new opportunities to serve them. The strength of our client relationships is demonstrated by the fact that all of our largest 50 clients in fiscal 2003 remained clients in fiscal 2004.

 

  Build the Resources Connection brand. Our objective is to build Resources Connection’s reputation as the premier provider of project-based professional services. Our primary means of building our brand is by consistently providing high-quality, value-added services to our clients. We have also focused on building a significant referral network through our approximately 2,100 associates on assignment as of May 31, 2004 and over 450 management employees, most of whom have established relationships with a number of potential clients. In addition, we have ongoing national and local marketing efforts that reinforce the Resources Connection brand. These efforts include continuing our advertising campaign that commenced in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002 in targeted business publications.

 

Our Growth Strategy

 

Most of our growth since inception has been organic rather than through acquisition. We believe we have significant opportunity for continued strong organic growth in our core business and have completed a few strategic acquisitions. In both our core and acquired businesses, key elements of our growth strategy include:

 

 

Expanding work from existing clients. A principal component of our strategy is to secure additional project work from the clients we have served. We believe, based on discussions with our clients, that the amount of revenue we currently receive from most of our clients represents a relatively small percentage

 

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of the amount they spend on professional services, and that, consistent with industry trends, they may continue to increase the amount they spend on these services. We believe that by continuing to deliver high-quality services and by further developing our relationships with our clients, we will capture a significantly larger share of our clients’ expenditures for professional services.

 

  Growing our client base. We will continue to focus on attracting new clients. We plan to develop new client relationships primarily by leveraging the significant contact networks of our management and associates and through referrals from existing clients. In addition, we believe we will attract new clients by building our brand name and reputation and through our national and local marketing efforts. During this past year, we have seen more revenue growth within larger, existing clients, though we also experienced the addition of new middle market clients. The total number of clients served in 2004 was over 1,600 versus 1,200 in 2003. We anticipate that our growth efforts this year will continue to focus on identifying strategic target accounts that tend to be large companies.

 

  Expanding geographically. We plan to expand geographically to meet the demand for project professional services. We believe that there are significant opportunities to grow our business internationally and, consequently, we intend to continue to expand our international presence on a strategic and opportunistic basis. We also expect to add to our existing domestic office network with a few new offices strategically located to meet the needs of our existing clients and to create additional new client opportunities.

 

  Providing additional professional services lines. We will continue to explore, and consider entry into, new professional services lines. Since fiscal 1999, we have diversified our professional services lines by entering into the areas of human resources management, information technology, internal audit and supply chain management. Our considerations when evaluating new professional services lines include growth potential, profitability, cross-marketing opportunities and competition.

 

Associates

 

We believe that an important component of our success has been our highly qualified and experienced associates. As of May 31, 2004, we employed approximately 2,100 associates on assignment. Our associates have professional experience in a wide range of industries and functional areas. We provide our associates with challenging work assignments, competitive compensation and benefits, and continuing education and training opportunities, while offering flexible work schedules and more control over choosing client engagements.

 

Our associates in the United States are primarily employees of Resources Connection. We typically pay each associate an hourly rate, overtime premiums as required by law, and offer benefits, including paid vacation and holidays; referral bonus programs; group medical, dental and vision programs, each with an approximate 50% contribution by the associate; a basic term life insurance program; a matching 401(k) retirement plan; and professional development and career training. Typically, an associate must work a threshold number of hours to be eligible for all of the benefits. We also have a long-term incentive plan for our associates, that provides the opportunity to earn an annual cash bonus vesting over time. In addition, we offer our associates the ability to participate in the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. We intend to maintain competitive compensation and benefit programs.

 

Internationally, our associates are a mix between employees and independent contractors. Such arrangements are more common due to the laws and customs of the international markets we serve.

 

Clients

 

We provide our services to a diverse client base in a broad range of industries. In fiscal 2004, we served over 1,600 clients. Our revenues are not concentrated with any particular client or clients, or within any particular industry. In fiscal 2004, no single client accounted for more than 6% of our revenue and our 10 largest clients accounted for approximately 25% of our revenues.

 

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The clients listed below represent the geographic and industry diversity of our client base in fiscal 2004.

 

American Honda Financial Corporation

   El Paso Corporation

Blue Shield of California

   Exelon Corporation

C&H Sugar

   Great West Life and Annuity Life Insurance Company

CB Richard Ellis

   PepsiCo Inc.

Conoco Phillips

   Siemens Corporation

Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation

   Southwest Airlines

Dolby Laboratories, Inc

   Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.

 

Services

 

Our current professional services capabilities include accounting and finance, risk management and internal audit, information technology, human resources and supply chain management. In fiscal 2004, our revenue from providing accounting and finance services accounted for a majority of our revenue. Our engagements are project-based and often last three months or longer.

 

Accounting and Finance

 

Our accounting and finance services include:

 

Special Projects:  Our accounting and finance associates work on a variety of special projects including:

 

  financial analyses, such as product costing and margin analyses;

 

  tax-related projects, such as tax compliance and analysis of tax liabilities resulting from acquisitions; and

 

  resolving complex accounting problems, such as large out-of-balance accounts and unreconciled balances.

 

Sample Engagement:  We provided five associates over a 12-month period to assist a large non-profit health plan in creating a uniform chart of accounts in preparation for an ERP financial system implementation. Our associates were responsible for:

 

  acting as a liaison between functional and technical user groups;

 

  managing project plans for the respective areas affected by the chart of accounts changes including all financial systems, human resources groups and supply chain departments; and

 

  developing the change management plan.

 

MD&A - Divestitures and Carve Outs:  Our accounting and finance associates assist with the following functions for clients involved in divestitures and carve outs:

 

  preparation of public filings related to the transactions;

 

  preparation for carve out audits; and

 

  providing subject matter experts to perform technical research of complex accounting transactions, implementations and interpretations of pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

 

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Sample Engagement:  We have provided more than 20 associates to assist a large energy client with the divestiture of a business unit and the sale of other significant assets. The project included three project teams each led by a seasoned project manager assigned to oversee the delivery of our services and provide subject matter expertise. Our associates were responsible for:

 

  preparing financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and related footnotes for carve out businesses;

 

  performing net book value calculations for assets sold and subsequent reconciliation and retirement of sold assets;

 

  preparing Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and other regulatory filings associated with the transactions;

 

  performing research of technical GAAP accounting issues related to the transaction;

 

  project management of the Sarbanes implementation for the divested business unit; and

 

  pre and post divestiture integration balance sheet cleanup.

 

ERP Implementations and Conversions:  Our accounting and finance associates work on a variety of projects that arise when a company implements or converts to a new system including:

 

  project management;

 

  assisting with technical support;

 

  performing ERP implementations;

 

  developing and executing training programs;

 

  change management; and

 

  maintaining daily operations during the implementation.

 

Sample Engagement:  We provided 11 associates over a two-year period to assist a leading producer, marketer and distributor of refined sugar products in the western United States in a SAP implementation. The system conversion impacted accounting and finance, human resources, customer service, planning, warehouse management, production and operations. Our associates were responsible for:

 

  developing, documenting and evaluating business requirements;

 

  leading the vendor selection process, including vendor negotiations and management;

 

  project management of the ERP implementation;

 

  providing technical support and guidance to the implementation team;

 

  assisting with change management, leadership and communication;

 

  performing pre and post conversion tests;

 

  designing training programs and managing the training function;

 

  management of system optimization; and

 

  maintaining daily accounting and finance operations during the implementation and conversion process in order to minimize disruption to the organization.

 

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Human Resources Management

 

Our human resources management professional services group was formed in June 1999. Our human resources management services include:

 

  supporting day-to-day human resources (“HR”) operations;

 

  selecting, implementing and optimizing HR Technology;

 

  assisting with optimizing a company’s workforce; and

 

  providing interim human resources management.

 

Sample Engagement:  A client that needed to restate its financials identified that it was necessary to reorganize and optimize its financial and accounting team. Our HR associates assisted by:

 

  helping to create a new, centralized organizational chart;

 

  writing job descriptions;

 

  integrating the new jobs with the company’s compensation structure;

 

  mapping the employees to the new roles; and

 

  designing and implementing programs to train the employees or to help them exit the company.

 

Sample Engagement:  As a client neared the end of an update of its internal control documentation, it identified the need to communicate the changes to the diverse workforce. Our HR associates assisted by:

 

  creating a change management and communication plan;

 

  facilitating seminars; and

 

  developing a feedback mechanism to collect responses to the training.

 

As that company began to implement its shared services organization, we provided a training expert to help with team development and change management.

 

Information Technology

 

Our information technology professional services group was formed in June 1998. Our information management services include:

 

  financial system/enterprise resource planning implementation and post implementation optimization;

 

  human resource information system (“HRIS”) implementation and integration; and

 

  supporting analytical systems such as consolidation and budgeting and planning tools.

 

Sample Engagement:  We provided four associates over a six-month period to redesign the reporting process and re-implement an enterprise-wide software application for a diversified international manufacturing corporation. The challenge included managing the complexities of balancing United States financial accounting reporting, international financial accounting reporting and internal operational reporting while creating as little disruption as possible to the users. Our team included a project manager, a technical expert and report writing specialists. Our associates were responsible for:

 

  creating new reports to satisfy statutory and operational requirements and streamlining and rationalizing 400 existing reports;

 

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  re-implementing a chart of accounts to support reporting requirements of diverse operational segments;

 

  executing a communication plan to educate and create buy-in with the users; and

 

  completing other special projects such as legal entity rationalization.

 

Sample Engagement:  A highly decentralized banking client was challenged to shorten its close process and improve the accuracy of its financial reporting and needed assistance in selecting a system to meet these objectives. Resources’ associates:

 

  assisted with creating system selection criteria which would encompass Sarbanes section 404 and 409 requirements;

 

  managed the system selection process;

 

  provided project management through the implementation phase; and

 

  assisted with follow up documentation to ensure ongoing compliance with federal regulations.

 

Resources Audit Solutions (RAS): Internal Audit, Internal Controls and Sarbanes-Oxley Services

 

Our RAS subsidiary was formed in June 2002 to assist our clients with a variety of governance-related projects, including:

 

  assisting internal audit departments with the execution of audit plans, assessing risk management practices and special projects;

 

  assisting clients with the development of a process designed to more effectively and efficiently distribute, monitor and manage financial reporting–related policies utilizing policyIQ, our proprietary web-based solution for enterprise-wide policy development and management. policyIQ is a tool that clients can use to assist with policy management and compliance programs, including regulations associated with Sarbanes; and

 

  assisting clients around the world with compliance efforts related to Sarbanes, including: project management support; documenting existing business processes, practices, workflows and identifying internal controls; testing internal controls; remediation of deficiencies, including changes to policies and procedures; and planning and implementation of an ongoing Sarbanes compliance process for subsequent years.

 

Sample Engagement:  We provided 42 associates, covering eight countries over a two-month period, to assist a global conglomerate with the execution of its global internal audit plan. Our associates were responsible for:

 

  working under the direction of the corporate internal audit function; and

 

  executing audit testing of selected business units around the world.

 

Sample Engagement:  We are supporting an initiative to automate the financial reporting policy distribution and management process for a Fortune 500 conglomerate, implementing policyIQ.

 

Sample Engagement:  Serving as one of two external service providers (the other is a Big Four firm), we provided 30 associates to assist a Fortune 500 financial services company with their Sarbanes compliance efforts. Our associates worked with eight business units in ten global locations to assist client teams with various elements of Sarbanes compliance, including:

 

  documenting existing business processes, practices, and workflows;

 

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  testing selected internal controls within those processes;

 

  performing selected elements of project management within the client’s project management office;

 

  executing remediation efforts; and

 

  planning for the following year compliance documentation and testing.

 

Supply Chain Management

 

We purchased The Procurement Centre in October 2002. The practice was renamed Resources Connection Supply Chain Management in fiscal year 2004. Our supply chain management services include:

 

  providing qualified supply chain professionals with a variety of skill-sets and backgrounds including: working as sourcing team members, leading strategic sourcing efforts, negotiating contracts, serving as commodity/category experts, developing strategies and performing tactical purchasing;

 

  performing evaluation and execution of processes, procedures, policies and organizational design in the supply chain management and procurement functions of large corporations;

 

  offering a variety of supply chain management solutions, including strategic sourcing, inventory rationalization, supplier diversity assistance, ERP implementations and procurement card programs; and

 

  presenting a variety of onsite training and education seminars to keep customers updated on the latest trends in purchasing and supply chain management.

 

Sample Engagement:  For a global chemical manufacturer, our associate reviewed the current organization, supply chain processes, tools and methods utilized by each of six chemical plants located in North America. Our associate produced the following:

 

  plant comparison matrix;

 

  listing of major issues and risks;

 

  “as-is” process maps by plant;

 

  proposed high-level “to-be” process maps; and

 

  proposed organization structure, metrics, reports and transition plan.

 

Sample Engagement:  Over the past year, we have provided associates who have assisted a Fortune 500 transportation company by:

 

  serving as subject matter experts for strategic sourcing initiatives in the freight and print spend areas; and

 

  leading strategic sourcing initiatives for information technology and other critical spend areas.

 

Sample Engagement:  Over a six-month period, we provided an entire curriculum of supply chain management training and education courses for a Fortune 500 retailer, training approximately 70 client professionals. Courses included:

 

  contract writing;

 

  strategic planning;

 

  analytical methods and strategic sourcing;

 

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  advanced purchasing and supply chain management techniques; and

 

  negotiation skills.

 

Operations

 

We generally provide our professional services to clients at a local level, with the oversight and consultation of our corporate management team, located in our corporate service center, and our regional managing directors. The managing director, client service director(s) and recruiting director(s) in each office are responsible for initiating client relationships, identifying associates specifically skilled to perform client projects, ensuring client and associate satisfaction throughout engagements and maintaining client relationships post-engagement. Throughout this process, the corporate management team and regional managing directors are available to consult with the managing director with respect to client services.

 

Our offices are operated in a decentralized, entrepreneurial manner. The managing directors of our offices are given significant autonomy in the daily operations of their respective offices, and with respect to such offices, are responsible for overall guidance and supervision, budgeting and forecasting, sales and marketing, pricing and hiring. We believe that a substantial portion of the buying decisions made by our clients are made on a local or regional basis and that our offices most often compete with other professional services providers on a local or regional basis. Because our managing directors are in the best position to understand the local and regional outsourced professional services market and because clients often prefer local relationships, we believe that a decentralized operating environment maximizes operating performance and contributes to employee and client satisfaction.

 

We believe that our ability to successfully deliver professional services to clients is dependent on our managing directors working together as a collegial and collaborative team, at times working jointly on client projects. To build a sense of team effort and increase camaraderie among our managing directors, we have an incentive program for our office management that awards annual bonuses based on both the performance of the company and the performance of the director’s particular office. In addition, most members of our office management own equity in our company. We also have a managing director program whereby new managing directors attend a regularly scheduled series of seminars led by experienced managing directors. This program allows the veteran managing directors to share their success stories, foster the culture of the Company with the new managing directors and review specific client and associate development programs. We believe these team-based practices enable us to better serve clients who prefer a centrally organized service approach.

 

From our corporate headquarters in Costa Mesa, California, we provide our domestic and some international offices with centralized administrative, human resources, marketing, finance and legal support. Our corporate service center handles billing, accounts payable and accounts receivable, and administers human resources including employee compensation and benefits. In addition, we have a corporate networked information technology platform with centralized financial reporting capabilities and a front office client management system. These centralized functions minimize the administrative burdens on our office management and allow them to spend more time focused on client and associate development. Our practice in the Netherlands provides its own administrative, marketing, finance and legal support and some of our other international practices subcontract these services.

 

Business Development

 

Our business development initiatives are composed of:

 

  local sales initiatives focused on existing clients and target companies;

 

  brand marketing activities; and

 

  national and local direct mail programs.

 

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Our business development efforts are driven by the networking and sales efforts of our management. The managing directors and client service directors in our offices develop a list of potential clients and key existing clients. In addition, the directors are assisted by management professionals focused on business development efforts on a national basis. These business development professionals, teamed with the managing directors and client service group, are responsible for initiating and fostering relationships with the senior management of our targeted client companies. These local efforts are supplemented with national marketing assistance. We believe that these efforts have been effective in generating incremental revenues from existing clients and developing new client relationships.

 

Our brand marketing initiatives help develop Resources Connection’s image in the markets we serve. Our brand is reinforced by our professionally designed website, brochures and pamphlets, direct mail, public relations efforts and advertising materials. We believe that our branding initiatives coupled with our high-quality client service differentiate us from our competitors and establish Resources Connection as a credible and reputable professional services firm.

 

Our national marketing group develops our direct mail campaigns to focus on our targeted client and associate populations. These campaigns are intended to support our branding, sales and marketing, and associate hiring initiatives.

 

Competition

 

We operate in a competitive, fragmented market and compete for clients and associates with a variety of organizations that offer similar services. Our principal competitors include:

 

  consulting firms;

 

  independent contractors;

 

  loaned employees of the Big Four firms;

 

  traditional and Internet-based staffing firms and their specialized divisions; and

 

  the in-house resources of our clients.

 

We compete for clients on the basis of the quality of professionals, the timely availability of professionals with requisite skills, the scope and price of services, and the geographic reach of services. We believe that our attractive value proposition, consisting of our highly qualified associates, relationship-oriented approach and professional culture, enables us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Although we believe we compete favorably with our competitors, many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources, generate greater revenues and have greater name recognition than our company.

 

Employees

 

As of May 31, 2004, we had a total of 2,550 employees, including 464 corporate and office-level employees and 2,086 professional services associates. None of our employees is covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

 

Available Information

 

The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 695 Town Center Drive, Suite 600, Costa Mesa, California 92626. The Company’s telephone number is (714) 430-6400 and its web site address is http://www.resourcesconnection.com. The information set forth in the web site does not constitute part of

 

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this Report on Form 10-K. We file our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with the SEC electronically. The public may read or copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov.

 

A free copy of our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports may be obtained as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such reports with the SEC on our website at http://www.resourcesconnection.com.

 

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

 

As of May 31, 2004, we maintained a total of 49 domestic offices, a few with multiple office locations in the same city, which are located in the following metropolitan areas:

 

Phoenix, Arizona

  Boise, Idaho   Cincinnati, Ohio

Costa Mesa, California

  Chicago, Illinois   Cleveland, Ohio

Los Angeles, California

  Indianapolis, Indiana   Columbus, Ohio

Sacramento, California

  Baltimore, Maryland   Portland, Oregon

Santa Clara, California

  Boston, Massachusetts   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

San Diego, California

  Detroit, Michigan   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

San Francisco, California

  Minneapolis, Minnesota   Nashville, Tennessee

Walnut Creek, California

  Kansas City, Missouri   Austin, Texas

Denver, Colorado

  St. Louis, Missouri   Dallas, Texas

Hartford, Connecticut

  Las Vegas, Nevada   Fort Worth, Texas

Stamford, Connecticut

  Parsippany, New Jersey   Houston, Texas

Jacksonville, Florida

  Princeton, New Jersey   San Antonio, Texas

Orlando, Florida

  Long Island, New York   Seattle, Washington

Tampa, Florida

  New York, New York   Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Atlanta, Georgia

  Syracuse, New York   Washington, D.C.

Honolulu, Hawaii

  Charlotte, North Carolina    

 

As of May 31, 2004, we maintained 15 international offices, which are located in the following cities and countries:

 

Melbourne, Australia

  Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China    Amsterdam, Netherlands   Groningen, Netherlands

Sydney, Australia

  Taipei, Taiwan    Apeldoorn, Netherlands   Maarssen, Netherlands

Toronto, Canada

  Birmingham, United Kingdom    Den Haag, Netherlands   Rotterdam, Netherlands

Tokyo, Japan

  London, United Kingdom    Eindhoven, Netherlands    

 

Our corporate offices are located in Costa Mesa, California office in a 19,048 square foot facility under a lease expiring in June 2007.

 

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ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings; however, we are a party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business.

 

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 fiscal 2004.

 

PART II

 

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

 

Price Range of Common Stock

 

Our common stock has traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “RECN” since December 15, 2000. Prior to that time, there was no public market for our common stock. The approximate number of holders of record of our common stock as of May 31, 2004 was 326.

 

The following table sets forth the range of high and low closing sales prices reported on the Nasdaq National Market for our common stock for the periods indicated.

 

    

Price Range of

Common Stock


     High

   Low

Fiscal 2003:

             

First Quarter

   $ 27.30    $ 16.50

Second Quarter

   $ 19.00    $ 11.57

Third Quarter

   $ 23.21    $ 16.54

Fourth Quarter

   $ 23.54    $ 17.81

Fiscal 2004:

             

First Quarter

   $ 28.30    $ 20.35

Second Quarter

   $ 29.03    $ 24.09

Third Quarter

   $ 36.06    $ 26.72

Fourth Quarter

   $ 44.94    $ 32.80

Fiscal 2005:

             

First Quarter (June 1, 2004 through August 5, 2004)

   $ 46.70    $ 35.09

 

Dividend Policy

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We will periodically evaluate our cash position and may declare a special dividend if we deem our cash to be excessive. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the growth and development of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business condition, contractual restrictions contained in other agreements, and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors.

 

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Issuances of Unregistered Securities

 

On October 11, 2002, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”), with RC Transaction Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“RC”), The Procurement Centre, LLC (the “Seller”), and certain members of the Seller, pursuant to which RC acquired certain assets and liabilities of the Seller. As part of the consideration, on October 11, 2002, the Company issued 116,000 shares of its common stock to the Seller. The Agreement valued such shares at approximately $1,504,000.

 

The issuance of the common stock by the Company to the Seller was a transaction not involving a public offering, and is exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The facts relied on to make this exemption available include, without limitation, the following: (i) the offering did not involve any general solicitation or advertising; (ii) the offering was made to the Seller solely in connection with the acquisition of the assets of the Seller; (iii) the Company obtained representations from the members of the Seller regarding, among other things, investment intent, status as accredited investors, and access to information.

 

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ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

You should read the following selected historical consolidated financial data in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes beginning on page 34 and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing on page 17. The consolidated statements of income data for the years ended May 31, 2001 and May 31, 2000 and the consolidated balance sheet data at May 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000 were derived from our consolidated financial statements that have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and are not included in this Report on Form 10-K. The consolidated statements of income data for the years ended May 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002 and the consolidated balance sheet data at May 31, 2004 and 2003 were derived from our consolidated financial statements that have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and are included elsewhere in this Report on Form 10-K. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any future periods.

 

     YEARS ENDED MAY 31,

     2004

    2003

    2002

    2001

    2000

     (in thousands, except net income per common share and other data)

Consolidated Statements of Income Data:

                                      

Revenue

   $ 328,333     $ 202,022     $ 181,677     $ 191,496     $ 127,459

Direct cost of services

     199,870       121,648       108,715       112,555       74,668
    


 


 


 


 

Gross profit

     128,463       80,374       72,962       78,941       52,791

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     84,301       58,248       50,688       49,964       34,648

Amortization of intangible assets

     1,716       655       125       2,273       2,231

Depreciation expense

     1,907       1,290       1,180       866       285
    


 


 


 


 

Income from operations

     40,539       20,181       20,969       25,838       15,627

Interest income

     (593 )     (1,077 )     (1,183 )     (633 )     -

Interest expense

     -       -       -       3,629       4,717
    


 


 


 


 

Income before provision for income taxes

     41,132       21,258       22,152       22,842       10,910

Provision for income taxes

     16,798       8,716       8,861       9,137       4,364
    


 


 


 


 

Net income

   $ 24,334     $ 12,542     $ 13,291     $ 13,705     $ 6,546
    


 


 


 


 

Net income per common share:

                                      

Basic

   $ 1.06     $ 0.57     $ 0.63     $ 0.77     $ 0.42
    


 


 


 


 

Diluted

   $ 1.00     $ 0.55     $ 0.58     $ 0.71     $ 0.42
    


 


 


 


 

Weighted average common shares outstanding:

                                      

Basic

     22,992       21,849       21,241       17,864       15,630
    


 


 


 


 

Diluted

     24,390       22,869       22,862       19,421       15,714
    


 


 


 


 

Other Data:

                                      

Number of offices opened at end of period

     64       55       47       44       35

Total number of associates on assignment at
end of period

     2,086       1,175       1,060       1,283       1,056
     MAY 31,

     2004

    2003

    2002

    2001

    2000

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

                                      

Cash, cash equivalents and long-term marketable securities

   $ 69,839     $ 68,078     $ 55,745     $ 34,503     $ 4,490

Working capital

     78,528       60,177       43,135       42,965       7,664

Total assets

     226,263       155,937       130,588       105,345       70,106

Long-term debt, including current portion

     -       -       -       -       41,771

Stockholders’ equity

     180,334       133,531       113,471       86,032       17,185

 

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

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors including, but not limited to, those discussed in “Risk Factors” starting on page 27 and elsewhere in this Report on Form 10-K.

 

Overview

 

Resources Connection is an international professional services firm that provides experienced accounting and finance, risk management and internal audit, information technology, human resources and supply chain management professionals to clients on a project basis. We assist our clients with discrete projects requiring specialized expertise in accounting and finance, such as mergers and acquisitions due diligence, financial analyses (e.g., product costing and margin analyses), corporate reorganizations and tax-related projects. In addition, we provide human resources management services, such as compensation program design and implementation, information technology services, such as transitions of management information systems, and internal audit services, such as documenting internal controls. We also assist our clients with periodic needs such as budgeting and forecasting, audit preparation, public reporting and with their compliance efforts under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes”).

 

We began operations in June 1996 as a division of Deloitte & Touche and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Deloitte & Touche from January 1997 until April 1999. In November 1998, our management formed RC Transaction Corp., renamed Resources Connection, Inc., to raise capital for an intended management-led buyout. In April 1999, we completed the management-led buyout in partnership with, among others, an investor, Evercore Partners, Inc. In December 2000, we completed our initial public offering of common stock and began trading on the Nasdaq National Market.

 

Growth in revenue, to date, has generally been the result of establishing offices in major markets. We established nine offices during fiscal 1997, our initial fiscal year, all in the Western United States. In fiscal 1998, we established nine additional offices, which extended our geographic reach to the Midwest and Eastern United States. For the year ended May 31, 1999, we opened ten more offices and established a new service line in information technology. In fiscal 2000, we established four more domestic offices, established a new service line in human resources management and also began operations in Toronto, Canada; Taipei, Taiwan; and Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China. In fiscal 2001, we established nine additional domestic offices. In fiscal 2002, we began operations in London, England and opened two more domestic offices. In addition, we purchased an interim management division of one of the Big Four accounting firms in the United Kingdom.

 

During fiscal 2003, we commenced operations of Resources Audit Solutions, LLC (“RAS”), an entity focused primarily on providing internal audit services, and we acquired The Procurement Centre, LLC (now operating as our Resources Connection Supply Chain Management subsidiary (“SCM”)), a Texas based provider of supply chain management services to companies on a project basis. We opened six offices domestically during fiscal 2003 and an office in Birmingham, England.

 

During fiscal 2003, we also started a practice named Resources Consulting Group, LP (“RCG”). This entity focused on expanding our executive compensation consulting practice. In October 2003, the employees of RCG left Resources Connection to work for another employer and their office was subsequently closed. Services provided by RCG continue to be provided by the other operating units of Resources Connection. No material impact on operations has been experienced because of this change.

 

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During the first quarter of fiscal 2004, we completed three transactions to enhance our international presence as well as our ability to assist clients with compliance efforts under Sarbanes. The largest of the three was the all cash acquisition for $29.8 million of the outstanding capital shares of Ernst & Young’s subsidiary, Executive Temporary Management BV (“ETM”) in the Netherlands on July 15, 2003. ETM, renamed Resources Connection.NL BV (“RC.NL”), is considered a market leader in the interim management industry in the Netherlands. We believe this acquisition provides a foundation in continental Europe and will allow us to market to our current and prospective multinational clients seeking an alternative to Big Four firms, particularly in light of concerns about auditor independence. RC.NL has seven offices in the Netherlands and contracted with, or employed, over 240 professional service associates on assignment as of May 31, 2004.

 

In addition to the European expansion driven by the acquisition of RC.NL, we also acquired the operations of Deloitte Re:sources Pty Ltd. from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia in an all cash deal for $1 million on June 1, 2003. We originally launched the subsidiary, now renamed Resources Connection Australia Pty. Ltd., in 1998 on behalf of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia firm. The acquisition presented the opportunity to expand our Asia Pacific presence.

 

Finally, in July 2003, we acquired the company that developed policyIQ, a web-based solution for internal controls documentation and content management. The purchase included upfront cash of $2 million and a provision for contingent payments based on sales volume. policyIQ is a tool that our clients can use to assist in complying with Sarbanes, among other initiatives.

 

In the third quarter of fiscal 2004, we opened an office in Tokyo, Japan, continuing to expand our operations in the Asia Pacific region. We have also opened two domestic offices during the current fiscal year. As of May 31, 2004, we served our clients through 49 offices in the United States and 15 offices abroad.

 

We primarily charge our clients on an hourly basis for the professional services of our associates. We recognize revenue once services have been rendered and invoice the majority of our clients in the United States on a weekly basis. Our clients are contractually obligated to pay us for all hours billed. To a much lesser extent, we also earn revenue if a client hires one of our associates. This type of contractually non-refundable revenue is recognized at the time our client completes the hiring process and represented 0.6%, 1.0% and 1.6% of our revenue for the years ended May 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. We periodically review our outstanding accounts receivable balance and determine an estimate of the amount of those receivables we believe may prove uncollectible. Our provision for bad debts is included in our selling, general and administrative expenses.

 

The costs to pay our professional associates and all related benefit and incentive costs, including provisions for paid time off and other employee benefits, are included in direct cost of services. We pay most of our associates on an hourly basis for all hours worked on client engagements and, therefore, direct cost of services tends to vary directly with the volume of revenue we earn. We expense the benefits we pay to our associates as they are earned. These benefits include paid vacation and holidays; a bonus incentive plan; referral bonus programs; subsidized group health, dental and life insurance programs; a matching 401(k) retirement plan; the ability to participate in the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan; and professional development and career training. In addition, we pay the related costs of employment, including state and federal payroll taxes, workers’ compensation insurance, unemployment insurance and other costs. Typically, an associate must work a threshold number of hours to be eligible for all of the benefits. We recognize direct cost of services when incurred.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses include the payroll and related costs of our internal management as well as general and administrative, marketing and recruiting costs. Our sales and marketing efforts are led by our management team who are salaried employees and earn bonuses based on operating results for our company as a whole and within each manager’s geographic market.

 

The Company’s fiscal year consists of 52 or 53 weeks, ending on the last Saturday in May. For fiscal years of 53 weeks, such as fiscal 2003, the first three quarters consist of 13 weeks each and the fourth quarter consists

 

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of 14 weeks. The actual quarter end dates for fiscal 2004 and 2003 were as follows: for fiscal 2004, August 30, 2003 (first quarter); November 29, 2003 (second quarter); February 28, 2004 (third quarter); and May 29, 2004 (fourth quarter); and for fiscal 2003, August 24, 2002 (first quarter); November 23, 2002 (second quarter); February 22, 2003 (third quarter); and May 31, 2003 (fourth quarter). For convenience, all references herein to years or periods are to years or periods ended May 31.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

 

The following represents a summary of our critical accounting policies, defined as those policies that we believe: (a) are the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and (b) involve inherently uncertain issues that require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments.

 

Valuation of long-lived assets—We assess the potential impairment of long-lived tangible and intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Under the current accounting standard, our goodwill and certain other intangible assets are no longer subject to periodic amortization over their estimated useful lives. These assets are now considered to have an indefinite life and their carrying values are required to be assessed by us for impairment at least annually. Depending on future market values of our stock, our operating performance and other factors, these assessments could potentially result in impairment reductions of these intangible assets in the future.

 

Allowance for doubtful accounts—We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from our clients failing to make required payments for services rendered. We estimate this allowance based upon our knowledge of the financial condition of our clients, review of historical receivable and reserve trends and other pertinent information. If the financial condition of our clients deteriorates or we note an unfavorable trend in aggregate receivable collections, additional allowances may be required.

 

Income taxes—In order to prepare our consolidated financial statements, we are required to make estimates of income taxes, if applicable, in each jurisdiction in which we operate. The process incorporates an assessment of any current tax exposure together with temporary differences resulting from different treatment of transactions for tax and financial statement purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities that are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The recovery of deferred tax assets from future taxable income must be assessed and, to the extent recovery is not likely, we will establish a valuation allowance. An increase in the valuation allowance results in recording additional tax expense. If the ultimate tax liability differs from the amount of tax expense we have reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Income, an adjustment of tax expense may need to be recorded.

 

We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

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Results of Operations

 

The following tables set forth, for the periods indicated, our consolidated statements of income data. These historical results are not necessarily indicative of future results.

 

                  For The Years Ended May 31,              

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 
     (amounts in thousands)  

Revenue

   $ 328,333     $ 202,022     $ 181,677  

Direct cost of services

     199,870       121,648       108,715  
    


 


 


Gross profit

     128,463       80,374       72,962  

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     84,301       58,248       50,688  

Amortization of intangible assets

     1,716       655       125  

Depreciation expense

     1,907       1,290       1,180  
    


 


 


Income from operations

     40,539       20,181       20,969  

Interest income

     (593 )     (1,077 )     (1,183 )
    


 


 


Income before provision for income taxes

     41,132       21,258       22,152  

Provision for income taxes

     16,798       8,716       8,861  
    


 


 


Net income

   $ 24,334     $ 12,542     $ 13,291  
    


 


 


 

Our operating results for the periods indicated are expressed as a percentage of revenue below.

 

              For The Years Ended May 31,         

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Revenue

   100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %

Direct cost of services

   60.9     60.2     59.8  
    

 

 

Gross profit

   39.1     39.8     40.2  

Selling, general and administrative expenses

   25.7     28.8     27.9  

Amortization of intangible assets

   0.5     0.3     0.1  

Depreciation expense

   0.6     0.7     0.7  
    

 

 

Income from operations

   12.3     10.0     11.5  

Interest income

   (0.2 )   (0.5 )   (0.7 )
    

 

 

Income before provision for income taxes

   12.5     10.5     12.2  

Provision for income taxes

   5.1     4.3     4.9  
    

 

 

Net income

   7.4 %   6.2 %   7.3 %
    

 

 


Year Ended May 31, 2004 Compared to Year Ended May 31, 2003

 

The comments following for the year ended May 31, 2004 include the results of operations for the full year for Resources Connection Australia Pty Ltd; from July 15, 2003 for RC.NL; and from July 30, 2003 for policyIQ. The acquisitions, completed in the first quarter of fiscal 2004, are referred to in the comments below as “the acquisitions”. The results of operations of SCM are included for the year ended May 31, 2003 from October 11, 2002. Finally, the results of operations for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2003 consist of 53 weeks, while the results of operations for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2004 consist of 52 weeks.

 

Revenue.    Revenue increased $126.3 million or 62.5% to $328.3 million for the year ended May 31, 2004 from $202.0 million for the year ended May 31, 2003. The acquisitions contributed $51.1 million to the growth in revenues compared to the prior year. Without the additional revenue from the acquisitions, revenues increased 37.2%. This increase was triggered by the continued expansion of our scope of services and improved overall demand for our services, resulting in more billable hours for our associates and an improvement in rate per hour. We believe our services expanded in finance and accounting, information technology and Sarbanes related engagements by increasing market awareness of our ability to provide those types of services. Additional

 

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regulatory changes, such as the New York Stock Exchange requirement that all listed companies maintain or create an internal audit department, may generate opportunities for expanding our services. Average bill rates improved by 8.6% compared to the prior year average bill rate. The increase in revenue for the year is also reflected by the increase in the number of associates on assignment from 1,175 at the end of fiscal 2003 to 2,086 at the end of fiscal 2004 (including 284 associates working for the Australian and Netherlands practices as of May 31, 2004). We operated 64 offices during the final quarter of fiscal 2004, compared to 55 offices in the last quarter of fiscal 2003. While general economic conditions improved in the United States in fiscal 2004, the market for our Dutch practice (13.3% of revenue in fiscal 2004) remains difficult. In addition, our clients do not sign long-term contracts with us. Therefore, our future revenue or operating results cannot be reliably predicted from previous quarters or from extrapolation of past results.

 

Direct Cost of Services.    Direct cost of services increased $78.2 million or 64.3% to $199.9 million for the year ended May 31, 2004 from $121.6 million for the year ended May 31, 2003. The increase in direct cost of services was attributable to the previously described expansion of the scope of services resulting in more chargeable hours for our associates at higher average pay rates as well as the impact of the services provided by associates employed by the acquisitions. Overall, the average pay rate per hour increased 13.9% year-over-year. The direct cost of services increased as a percentage of revenue from 60.2% for fiscal year 2003 to 60.9% for fiscal year 2004. Among the factors contributing to this increase were: 1) the incremental increase in pay rate per hour compared to bill rate per hour; 2) the greater impact of international operations which use a higher percentage of independent contractors; 3) the increase in dollar volume of zero margin client expense reimbursements, as the Company’s projects in fiscal 2004 requiring associate travel increased significantly; and 4) the decrease in conversion fees as a percentage of revenues in fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003 (conversion fees are non-refundable fees recognized when a client hires one of our associates).

 

The cost of compensation and related benefits offered to the associates of our international offices is greater as a percentage of revenue than our domestic operations. In addition, international offices use independent contractors more extensively. Thus, the direct cost of services percentage of our international offices has usually exceeded our domestic operation’s targeted direct cost of services percentage of 60%.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.    Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased as a percentage of revenue from 28.8% for the year ended May 31, 2003 to 25.7% for the year ended May 31, 2004 as a result of improved leverage. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $26.1 million or 44.7% to $84.3 million for the year ended May 31, 2004 from $58.2 million for the year ended May 31, 2003. This increase was primarily attributable to the acquisitions. In particular, compensation and related benefit expenses increased because management and administrative headcount grew from 344 at the end of fiscal 2003 to 464 at the end of fiscal 2004. Excluding the acquisitions, management and administrative headcount was 359 at the end of fiscal 2004. The increase in dollars spent (apart from the acquisitions) was attributable to the increase in salaries and benefit costs driven by the larger headcount and occupancy and related costs from new offices opened. In addition, marketing and advertising expenses increased in the current fiscal year, primarily related to the Netherlands practice; bonus expense increased as a result of the Company’s improved revenue results; and the Company increased its provision for bad debts in fiscal 2004 as compared to fiscal 2003 with the increase in revenues during the year.

 

Amortization and Depreciation Expenses.    Amortization of intangible assets increased to $1.7 million for fiscal 2004 compared to $655,000 in fiscal 2003. The increase is related to the acquisitions in the first quarter of fiscal 2004. During the third quarter of fiscal 2004, the Company completed its allocation of the purchase price of the acquisitions, and considered a number of factors in performing this valuation, including a valuation of identifiable intangible assets. As a result, approximately $5.5 million of the purchase price was assigned to amortizable intangible assets related to contractually based customer relationships, acquired databases of potential associates and technology related to the policyIQ software. These intangibles will be amortized over one to five years. The Company is also amortizing intangible assets related to the SCM acquisition through fiscal 2006. In the prior year, amortization expense related primarily to the amortization of the SCM intangible assets.

 

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Depreciation expense increased from $1.3 million for the year ended May 31, 2003 to $1.9 million for the year ended May 31, 2004. This increase reflects the impact of depreciation related to the acquisitions, the other offices opened since the beginning of fiscal 2004, a full year of depreciation of assets acquired during fiscal 2003 and our incremental investment in information technology.

 

Interest Income.    During fiscal 2004, the Company generated interest income of $593,000 compared to interest income of $1.1 million in the year ended May 31, 2003. The decrease in interest income is a combination of a lower average cash balance available for investment in fiscal 2004 (as a result of the use of approximately $30 million for the acquisitions in the first quarter of fiscal 2004) and the lower interest rates available year over year. The Company earned approximately 2.0%, annualized, on its money market, commercial paper and other marketable securities investments during the year.

 

The Company has invested available cash in money market and commercial paper investments that have been classified as cash equivalents due to the short maturities of these investments. As of May 31, 2004, the Company has $18 million of government-agency bonds with remaining maturity dates in excess of one year from the balance sheet date. The bonds mature through 2006 and have coupon rates ranging from 2.0% to 2.9%. These investments have been classified in the May 31, 2004 consolidated balance sheet as “held-to-maturity” securities.

 

Income Taxes.    The provision for income taxes increased from $8.7 million for the year ended May 31, 2003 to $16.8 million for the year ended May 31, 2004 as a result of the increase in the Company’s pre-tax income. The effective tax rate in fiscal 2003 was 41.0% compared with 40.8% in fiscal 2004. Periodically, the Company reviews the components of both book and taxable income to analyze the adequacy of the provision. There can be no assurance that the Company’s effective tax rate will not increase in the future.

 

Year Ended May 31, 2003 Compared to Year Ended May 31, 2002

 

Revenue.    Revenue increased $20.3 million or 11.2% to $202.0 million for the year ended May 31, 2003 from $181.7 million for the year ended May 31, 2002. Growth in revenues resulted primarily from continued expansion of our scope of services resulting in more billable hours for our associates and an improvement in rate per hour. Our scope of services expanded by increasing market awareness of our ability to provide information technology, human capital and Sarbanes-related services. We also added SCM operations. These measures partially offset the effects of the negative economy experienced in fiscal 2003. To a lesser extent, revenue benefited from the fifty-third week of activity in fiscal 2003. Overall bill rates improved by 4.9% compared to the prior year average bill rate. The increase in revenue for the year is also reflected by the increase in the number of associates on assignment from 1,060 at the end of fiscal 2002 to 1,175 at the end of fiscal 2003. We operated 55 offices during the final quarter of fiscal 2003, compared to 47 offices in the last quarter of fiscal 2002.

 

Direct Cost of Services.    Direct cost of services increased $12.9 million or 11.9% to $121.6 million for the year ended May 31, 2003 from $108.7 million for the year ended May 31, 2002. The increase in direct cost of services was attributable to the previously described expansion of the scope of services resulting in more chargeable hours for our associates at higher average pay rates. Overall, the average pay rate per hour increased 6.8% year-over-year. The number of associates on assignment increased from 1,060 at the end of fiscal 2002 to 1,175 at the end of fiscal 2003. The direct cost of services increased as a percentage of revenue from 59.8% for fiscal year 2002 to 60.2% for fiscal year 2003. The net increase primarily reflects the incremental increase in pay rate per hour compared to bill rate per hour and the decrease in conversion fees as a percentage of revenues in fiscal 2003 year compared to the prior year.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.    Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $7.6 million or 14.9% to $58.2 million for the year ended May 31, 2003 from $50.7 million for the year ended May 31, 2002. This increase was primarily attributable to the increase in management and administrative

 

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headcount from 312 at the end of fiscal 2002 to 344 at the end of fiscal 2003, causing an increase in compensation and related benefits expense. The increase in headcount arose from the addition of internal personnel of SCM, the incremental hiring for the seven additional offices opened during fiscal 2003, as well as the full year of operation for those offices opened in fiscal 2002. The Company also continued throughout fiscal 2003 the advertising campaign in targeted business publications begun in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002. The increase was also attributable to an increase in occupancy costs from the addition of the new offices, an increase in bonus expense from the Company’s improved revenue results and an increase in insurance costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased as a percentage of revenue from 27.9% for the year ended May 31, 2002 to 28.8% for the year ended May 31, 2003. This percentage increase resulted from the aforementioned increase in salary expense and related benefits, occupancy expenses and national advertising expenses.

 

Amortization and Depreciation Expenses.    Amortization of intangible assets increased from $125,000 for the year ended May 31, 2002 to $655,000 for the year ended May 31, 2003. The increase is attributable to the amortization of intangible assets in the current year related to the Company’s acquisition of SCM, as well as the purchase of a United Kingdom (“UK”) practice in fiscal 2002. The Company recognized approximately $356,000 in amortization expense on non-compete agreements and candidate, prospect and client databases related to the SCM acquisition and $193,000 related to the UK practice. In the prior year, amortization expense related only to the amortization of the non-compete agreement entered into when the Company acquired Resources Connection LLC (“LLC”) on April 1, 1999. The balance of $106,000 remaining for that non-compete agreement at the end of fiscal 2002 was fully amortized in fiscal 2003.

 

Depreciation expense increased from $1.2 million for the year ended May 31, 2002 to $1.3 million for the year ended May 31, 2003. This increase reflects the investment in our UK offices as well as the SCM acquisition, the other offices opened since the beginning of fiscal 2003, a full year of depreciation of assets acquired during fiscal 2002 and our investment in information technology.

 

Interest Income.    During fiscal 2003, the Company generated interest income of $1.1 million compared to interest income of $1.2 million in the year ended May 31, 2002. Although the average cash balance for investment increased from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003, the lower interest rates year-over-year more than offset the cash balance increase. The Company earned approximately 1.7%, annualized, on its money market, commercial paper and other marketable securities investments during the year.

 

The Company has invested available cash in money market and commercial paper investments that have been classified as cash equivalents due to the short maturities of these investments. As of May 31, 2003, the Company has $20 million of government-agency bonds with remaining maturity dates in excess of one year from the balance sheet date. The bonds mature through 2005 and have coupon rates ranging from 1.8% to 3.0%. These investments have been classified in the May 31, 2003 consolidated balance sheet as “held-to-maturity” securities.

 

Income Taxes.    The provision for income taxes decreased from $8.9 million for the year ended May 31, 2002 to $8.7 million for the year ended May 31, 2003 due to the decrease in income from operations in fiscal 2003. The decrease in income from operations was offset by the increase in the effective tax rate in fiscal 2003 to 41.0% from approximately 40.0% in fiscal 2002. The increase is primarily due to an increase in the federal statutory rate of 1.0%, which resulted from applying a 35.0% federal tax rate in fiscal 2003 as opposed to a 34.0% tax rate as in prior years.

 

Quarterly Results

 

The following table sets forth our unaudited quarterly consolidated statements of income data for each of the eight quarters in the two-year period ended May 31, 2004. In the opinion of management, this data has been prepared on a basis substantially consistent with our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this document, and include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary

 

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for a fair presentation of the data. The quarterly data should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this document. The operating results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in any future period.

 

     Quarters Ended

 
     May 31,
2004


    Feb. 29,
2004


    Nov. 30,
2003


    Aug. 31,
2003


    May 31,
2003


    Feb. 28,
2003


    Nov. 30,
2002


    Aug. 31,
2002


 
     (in thousands, except net income per common share)  

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME DATA (unaudited):

 

Revenue

   $ 107,018     $ 87,758     $ 74,016     $ 59,541     $ 59,048     $ 49,237     $ 50,209     $ 43,528  

Direct cost of services

     64,042       54,353       45,420       36,055       35,285       30,153       29,909       26,301  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Gross profit

     42,976       33,405       28,596       23,486       23,763       19,084       20,300       17,227  

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     23,877       22,724       20,471       17,229       16,534       14,170       14,526       13,018  

Amortization of intangible assets

     504       514       392       306       200       298       126       31  

Depreciation expense

     580       507       433       387       335       328       312       315  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income from operations

     18,015       9,660       7,300       5,564       6,694       4,288       5,336       3,863  

Interest income

     (171 )     (147 )     (103 )     (172 )     (238 )     (231 )     (270 )     (338 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income before provision for income taxes

     18,186       9,807       7,403       5,736       6,932       4,519       5,606       4,201  

Provision for income taxes

     7,456       4,021       2,998       2,323       2,843       1,853       2,298       1,722  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income

   $ 10,730     $ 5,786     $ 4,405     $ 3,413     $ 4,089     $ 2,666     $ 3,308     $ 2,479  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income per common share (1):

                                                                

Basic

   $ 0.46     $ 0.25     $ 0.20     $ 0.15     $ 0.19     $ 0.12     $ 0.15     $ 0.11  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Diluted

   $ 0.43     $ 0.24     $ 0.19     $ 0.15     $ 0.18     $ 0.12     $ 0.15     $ 0.11  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


(1) Net income per common share calculations for each of the quarters were based upon the weighted average number of shares outstanding for each period, and the sum of the quarters may not necessarily be equal to the full year net income per common share amount.

 

Our quarterly results have fluctuated in the past and we believe they will continue to do so in the future. Certain factors that could affect our quarterly operating results are described below in the section of this report entitled “Risks Related to Our Business.” Due to these and other factors, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our results of operations are not meaningful indicators of future performance.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our primary source of liquidity is cash provided by our operations and, to the extent necessary, available commitments under our revolving line of credit. We have generated positive cash flows from operations since inception, and we continued to do so during the year ended May 31, 2004.

 

At May 31, 2004, the Company had operating leases, primarily for office premises, expiring at various dates. At May 31, 2004, the Company had no significant capital leases. Future minimum rental commitments under operating leases are as follows:

 

                             Payments due by period (amounts in thousands)                        

Contractual obligations    Total

   Less than 1 year

   1-3 years

   3-5 years

  

More than 5

      years      


Operating lease

obligations

   $ 23,961    $ 6,343    $ 8,694    $ 4,193    $ 4,731
    

  

  

  

  

 

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The Company’s original August 2001 $10.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility with Bank of America was replaced effective March 26, 2004 with a new $10.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility with substantially the same terms (the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement allows the Company to choose the interest rate applicable to advances. The interest rate options are Bank of America’s prime rate, a London Inter-Bank Offered (“LIBOR”) rate plus 1.5% or Bank of America’s Grand Cayman Banking Center (“IBOR”) rate plus 1.5%. Interest, if any, is payable monthly. There is an annual facility fee of 0.25% payable on the unutilized portion of the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement expires December 1, 2005. As of May 31, 2004 and 2003, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility and is in compliance with all covenants included in the Credit Agreement.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $20.6 million in fiscal 2004 compared to $17.0 million in fiscal 2003. Cash provided by operations resulted primarily from the net income of the Company of $24.3 million. Another of the components of the net increase in cash provided by operations was the increase in the accrual for management incentive bonus as well as the profit sharing plan for associates as of May 31, 2004 compared to May 31, 2003, reflecting the Company’s revenue increase. The increase in the number of associates on assignment at the end of fiscal 2004 as compared to fiscal 2003 also caused the Company’s accrued salary obligation to increase. The Company also experienced an increase in the volume of stock option exercises during the year, resulting in a $6.8 million tax benefit. These favorable operating cash flow activities were offset by the increase in the Company’s accounts receivable balance in fiscal 2004 of $25.8 million, triggered by the Company’s higher revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003. The Company had $51.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and $18 million of long-term marketable securities at May 31, 2004.

 

Net cash used in investing activities totaled $32.2 million for fiscal 2004 compared to $4.7 million for fiscal 2003. The Company used approximately $31.0 million in cash in the first, second and fourth quarters of fiscal 2004 to complete the acquisitions as well as related transaction costs. In addition, the Company spent approximately $3.2 million on leasehold improvements, office equipment and technology upgrades in fiscal 2004, up from $675,000 in the previous fiscal year.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities totaled $15.1 million for the year ended May 31, 2004 compared to $4.2 million for the year ended May 31, 2003. The increased volume of stock option exercises in fiscal 2004 caused this change.

 

Our ongoing operations and anticipated growth in the geographic markets we currently serve will require us to continue to make investments in capital equipment, primarily technology hardware and software. In addition, we may consider making additional strategic acquisitions. We anticipate that our current cash, existing availability under our revolving line of credit and the ongoing cash flows from our operations will be adequate to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next 12 months. If we require additional capital resources to grow our business, either internally or through acquisition, we may seek to sell additional equity securities or to secure additional debt financing. The sale of additional equity securities or the addition of new debt financing could result in additional dilution to our stockholders. We may not be able to obtain financing arrangements in amounts or on terms acceptable to us in the future. In the event we are unable to obtain additional financing when needed, we may be compelled to delay or curtail our plans to develop our business, which could have a material adverse affect on our operations, market position and competitiveness.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

The Company has no off-balance sheet arrangements.

 

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2003, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104, “Revenue Recognition”. SAB No. 104 revises and rescinds certain sections of SAB No. 101 in order to make this interpretive guidance consistent with current authoritative accounting and auditing guidance and SEC rules and regulations. Accordingly there is no impact to our results of operations, financial position or cash flows as a result of the issuance of SAB No. 104.

 

On December 23, 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 132 (revised 2003), “Employers’ Disclosures about Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits, an amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88 and 106, and a revision of FASB Statement No. 132 (“FAS 132 (revised 2003)”)”. This statement revises employers’ disclosures about pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans. It does not change the measurement or recognition of those plans required by SFAS No. 87, “Employers’ Accounting for Pensions”, SFAS No. 88, “Employers’ Accounting for Settlements and Curtailments of Defined Benefit Pension Plans and for Termination Benefits”, and SFAS No. 106, “Employers’ Accounting for Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions”. The new rules require additional disclosures about the assets, obligations, cash flows, and net periodic benefit cost of defined benefit pension plans and postretirement benefit plans. The new disclosures are generally effective for 2003 calendar year-end financial statements of public companies, with a delayed effective date for certain disclosures and for foreign plans. The adoption of SFAS No. 132 did not have an effect on our consolidated financial statements.

 

In December 2003, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 46R (“FIN 46R”), a revision to FIN 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities”. FIN 46R clarifies some of the provisions of FIN 46 and exempts certain entities from its requirements. FIN 46R is effective at the end of the first interim period ending after March 15, 2004. Entities that have adopted FIN 46 prior to this effective date can continue to apply the provisions of FIN 46 until the effective date of FIN 46R. The adoption of FIN 46R did not have an effect on our consolidated financial statements.

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

You should carefully consider the risks described below before making a decision to buy shares of our common stock. The order of the risks is not an indication of their relative weight or importance. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those risks set forth in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, may also adversely impact and impair our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business could be harmed. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you might lose all or part of your investment. When determining whether to buy our common stock, you should also refer to the other information in this Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements and the related notes.

 

This Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about our industry and us. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, as more fully described in this section and elsewhere in this Report on Form 10-K. We do not undertake to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.

 

We must provide our clients with highly qualified and experienced associates, and the loss of a significant number of our associates, or an inability to attract and retain new associates, could adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

Our business involves the delivery of professional services, and our success depends on our ability to provide our clients with highly qualified and experienced associates who possess the skills and experience necessary to satisfy their needs. Such professionals are in great demand, particularly in certain geographic areas given some economic recovery, and are likely to remain a limited resource for the foreseeable future. Our ability to attract and retain associates with the requisite experience and skills depends on several factors including, but not limited to, our ability to:

 

  provide our associates with full-time employment;

 

  obtain the type of challenging and high-quality projects that our associates seek;

 

  pay competitive compensation and provide competitive benefits; and

 

  provide our associates with flexibility as to hours worked and assignment of client engagements.

 

We cannot assure you that we will be successful in accomplishing any of these factors and, even if we are, that we will be successful in attracting and retaining the number of highly qualified and experienced associates necessary to maintain and grow our business.

 

The market for professional services is highly competitive, and if we are unable to compete effectively against our competitors our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

 

We operate in a competitive, fragmented market, and we compete for clients and associates with a variety of organizations that offer similar services. The competition is likely to increase in the future due to the expected growth of the market and the relatively few barriers to entry. Our principal competitors include:

 

  consulting firms;

 

  independent contractors

 

  employees loaned by the Big Four accounting firms;

 

  traditional and Internet-based staffing firms; and

 

  the in-house resources of our clients.

 

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We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete effectively against existing or future competitors. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources, greater revenues and greater name recognition, which may afford them an advantage in attracting and retaining clients and associates. In addition, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to changes in companies’ needs and developments in the professional services industry.

 

An economic downturn or change in the use of outsourced professional services associates may adversely affect our business.

 

During the recent downturn in the U.S. economy our business was affected. As the general level of economic activity slowed, our clients delayed or cancelled plans that involved professional services, particularly outsourced professional services. Consequently, we experienced fluctuations in the demand for our services. In addition, the use of professional services associates on a project basis could decline for non-economic reasons. In the event of a non-economic reduction in the demand for our associates, our financial results could suffer.

 

Our business depends upon our ability to secure new projects from clients and, therefore, we could be adversely affected if we fail to do so.

 

We do not have long-term agreements with our clients for the provision of services. The success of our business is dependent on our ability to secure new projects from clients. For example, if we are unable to secure new client projects because of improvements in our competitors’ service offerings or because of an economic downturn decreasing the demand for outsourced professional services, our business is likely to be materially adversely affected. New impediments to our ability to secure projects from clients may develop over time, such as the increasing use by large clients of companies that manage their relationship with service providers.

 

We may be legally liable for damages resulting from the performance of projects by our associates or for our clients’ mistreatment of our associates.

 

Many of our engagements with our clients involve projects that are critical to our clients’ businesses. If we fail to meet our contractual obligations, we could be subject to legal liability or damage to our reputation, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. It is likely, because of the nature of our business, that we will be sued in the future. Claims brought against us could have a serious negative effect on our reputation and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Because we are in the business of placing our associates in the workplaces of other companies, we are subject to possible claims by our associates alleging discrimination, sexual harassment, negligence and other similar activities by our clients. We may also be subject to similar claims from our clients based on activities by our associates. The cost of defending such claims, even if groundless, could be substantial and the associated negative publicity could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain associates and clients.

 

We may not be able to grow our business, manage our growth or sustain our current business.

 

We grew rapidly from our inception in 1996 until 2001 by opening new offices and by increasing the volume of services we provide through existing offices. We experienced a decline in revenue in fiscal 2002 to $181.7 million, but then rebounded in fiscal 2003 to revenue of $202.0 million. Although revenue increased in fiscal 2004, as compared to fiscal 2003, by 37% (excluding the acquisitions), there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain or expand our market presence in our current locations or to successfully enter other markets or locations. Our ability to successfully grow our business will depend upon a number of factors, including our ability to:

 

  grow our client base;

 

  expand profitably into new cities;

 

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  provide additional professional services lines;

 

  hire associates;

 

  maintain margins in the face of pricing pressures; and

 

  manage costs.

 

Even if we are able to continue our growth, the growth will result in new and increased responsibilities for our management as well as increased demands on our internal systems, procedures and controls, and our administrative, financial, marketing and other resources. Failure to adequately respond to these new responsibilities and demands may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.

 

The increase in our international activities will expose us to additional operational challenges that we might not otherwise face.

 

As we increase our international activities, we will have to confront and manage a number of risks and expenses that we would not otherwise face if we conducted our operations solely in the United States. If any of these risks or expenses occur, there could be a material negative effect on our operating results. These risks and expenses include:

 

  difficulties in staffing and managing foreign offices as a result of, among other things, distance, language and cultural differences;

 

  less flexible labor laws and regulations;

 

  expenses associated with customizing our professional services for clients in foreign countries;

 

  foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, when we sell our professional services in denominations other than U.S. dollars;

 

  protectionist laws and business practices that favor local companies;

 

  political and economic instability in some international markets;

 

  multiple, conflicting and changing government laws and regulations;

 

  trade barriers;

 

  reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; and

 

  potentially adverse tax consequences.

 

We have acquired, and may continue to acquire, companies, and these acquisitions could disrupt our business.

 

We have acquired several companies and may continue to acquire companies in the future. Entering into an acquisition entails many risks, any of which could harm our business, including:

 

  diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;

 

  failure to integrate the acquired company with our existing business;

 

  failure to motivate, or loss of, key employees from either our existing business or the acquired business;

 

  potential impairment of relationships with our employees and clients;

 

  additional operating expenses not offset by additional revenue;

 

  incurrence of significant non-recurring charges;

 

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  incurrence of additional debt with restrictive covenants or other limitations;

 

  dilution of our stock as a result of issuing equity securities; and

 

  assumption of liabilities of the acquired company.

 

Our business could suffer if we lose the services of one or more key members of our management.

 

Our future success depends upon the continued employment of Donald B. Murray, our chief executive officer, and Stephen J. Giusto, our chief financial officer. The departure of Mr. Murray, Mr. Giusto or any of the other key members of our senior management team could significantly disrupt our operations. Key members of our senior management team include Karen M. Ferguson, an executive vice president, John D. Bower, our vice president, finance, and Kate W. Duchene, our chief legal officer and executive vice president of human relations. We do not have employment agreements with Mr. Bower or Ms. Duchene.

 

Our quarterly financial results may be subject to significant fluctuations that may increase the volatility of our stock price.

 

Our results of operations could vary significantly from quarter to quarter. Factors that could affect our quarterly operating results include:

 

  our ability to attract new clients and retain current clients;

 

  the mix of client projects;

 

  the announcement or introduction of new services by us or any of our competitors;

 

  the expansion of the professional services offered by us or any of our competitors into new locations both nationally and internationally;

 

  changes in the demand for our services by our clients;

 

  the entry of new competitors into any of our markets;

 

  the number of associates eligible for our offered benefits as the average length of employment with Resources increases;

 

  the number of holidays in a quarter, particularly the day of the week on which they occur;

 

  changes in the pricing of our professional services or those of our competitors;

 

  the amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures relating to management and expansion of our business;

 

  the timing of acquisitions and related costs, such as compensation charges that fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock; and

 

  the periodic fourth quarter consisting of 14 weeks.

 

Due to these factors, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our results of operations are not meaningful indicators of future performance. It is possible that in some future periods, our results of operations may be below the expectations of investors. If this occurs, the price of our common stock could decline.

 

We may be subject to laws and regulations that impose difficult and costly compliance requirements and subject us to potential liability and the loss of clients.

 

In connection with providing services to clients in certain regulated industries, such as the gaming and energy industries, we are subject to industry-specific regulations, including licensing and reporting requirements. Complying with these requirements is costly and, if we fail to comply, we could be prevented from rendering services to clients in those industries in the future.

 

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It may be difficult for a third party to acquire our company, and this could depress our stock price.

 

Delaware corporate law and our second restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could delay, defer or prevent a change of control of our company or our management. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. As a result, these provisions could limit the price that future investors are willing to pay for your shares. These provisions:

 

  authorize our board of directors to establish one or more series of undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which can be determined by the board of directors at the time of issuance;

 

  divide our board of directors into three classes of directors, with each class serving a staggered three-year term. Because the classification of the board of directors generally increases the difficulty of replacing a majority of the directors, it may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us and may make it difficult to change the composition of the board of directors;

 

  prohibit cumulative voting in the election of directors which, if not prohibited, could allow a minority stockholder holding a sufficient percentage of a class of shares to ensure the election of one or more directors;

 

  require that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing;

 

  state that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, our chief executive officer, by the board of directors after a resolution is adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors, or by the holders of not less than 10% of our outstanding voting stock;

 

  establish advance notice requirements for submitting nominations for election to the board of directors and for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at a meeting;

 

  provide that certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation can be amended only by supermajority vote of the outstanding shares and that our bylaws can be amended only by supermajority vote of the outstanding shares of our board of directors;

 

  allow our directors, not our stockholders, to fill vacancies on our board of directors; and

 

  provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors.

 

The Company’s board of directors has adopted a stockholder rights plan, which is described further in Note 10 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in this Report on Form 10-K. The existence of this rights plan may also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of our company or our management by deterring acquisitions of our stock not approved by our board of directors.

 

We may be unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, including our brand name. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, the value of such rights may diminish and our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

 

We believe that establishing, maintaining and enhancing the Resources Connection brand name is essential to our business. We have obtained U.S. registrations on our service mark and logo, Registration No. 2,516,522 registered December 11, 2001, and No. 2,524,226 registered January 1, 2002 and No. 2,613,873, registered September 3, 2002. We have been aware from time to time of other companies using the name “Resources Connection” or some variation thereof. There could be potential trade name or service mark infringement claims brought against us by the users of these similar names and marks and those users may have service mark rights

 

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that are senior to ours. If these claims were successful, we could be forced to cease using the service mark “Resources Connection” even if an infringement claim is not brought against us. It is also possible that our competitors or others will adopt service names similar to ours or that our clients will be confused by another company using a name, service mark or trademark similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity. We cannot assure you that our business would not be adversely affected if confusion did occur or if we are required to change our name.

 

Our clients may be confused by the presence of competitors and other companies that have names similar to our name and we may change the name of the Company.

 

We are aware of other companies using the name “Resources Connection” or some variation thereof. The existence of these companies may confuse our clients, thereby impeding our ability to build our brand identity. To avoid confusion, we may consider changing the name of the operating company and that could entail risks.

 

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ITEM 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Interest Rate Risk.    At the end of fiscal 2004, we had approximately $69.8 million of cash, highly liquid short-term investments and long-term marketable securities. These investments are subject to changes in interest rates, and to the extent interest rates were to decline, it would reduce our interest income.

 

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk.    Prior to fiscal 2004, our foreign operations were not significant to our overall operations, and our exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk was low. However, as our strategy to continue expanding foreign operations progresses, more of our revenues will be derived from foreign operations denominated in the currency of the applicable markets. As a result, our operating results could become subject to fluctuations based upon changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. Although we intend to monitor our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations, including the use of financial hedging techniques when we deem it appropriate, we cannot assure you that exchange rate fluctuations will not adversely affect our financial results in the future.

 

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ITEM 8.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

     Page

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   35

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of May 31, 2004 and 2003

   36

Consolidated Statements of Income for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2004

   37

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2004

   38

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2004

   40

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

   41
FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE     

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Financial Statement Schedule

   60

Schedule II— Valuation and Qualifying Accounts for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2004

   61

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of

Resources Connection, Inc.

 

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Resources Connection, Inc. and its subsidiaries at May 31, 2004 and 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2004 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

Orange County, California

July 30, 2004

 

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RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

     May 31,

 
     2004

    2003

 
     (amounts in thousands)  

ASSETS

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 51,839     $ 48,078  

Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $3,262 and $2,388 as of May 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively

     59,766       26,635  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     3,955       2,035  

Prepaid income taxes

     535       1,774  

Deferred income taxes

     3,674       2,596  
    


 


Total current assets

     119,769       81,118  

Investments in marketable securities

     18,000       20,000  

Goodwill

     76,048       47,876  

Intangible assets, net

     5,005       1,203  

Property and equipment, net

     6,655       4,341  

Other assets

     786       1,399  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 226,263     $ 155,937  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

   $ 13,700     $ 2,784  

Accrued salaries and related obligations

     27,059       17,899  

Other liabilities

     482       258  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     41,241       20,941  

Deferred income taxes

     4,688       1,465  
    


 


Total liabilities

     45,929       22,406  
    


 


Commitments and contingencies (Note 13)

                

Stockholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 5,000 shares authorized; zero shares issued and outstanding

                

Common stock, $0.01 par value, 35,000 shares authorized; 23,355 and 22,251 shares issued, and 23,201 and 22,110 shares outstanding as of May 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively

     233       222  

Additional paid-in capital

     108,849       86,676  

Deferred stock compensation

     (168 )     (480 )

Accumulated other comprehensive gain

     514       293  

Notes receivable from stockholders

     -       (55 )

Retained earnings

     71,210       46,876  

Treasury stock at cost, 154 and 141 shares at May 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively

     (304 )     (1 )
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     180,334       133,531  
    


 


Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 226,263     $ 155,937  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

 

     For The Years Ended May 31,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 
     (amounts in thousands, except net income per common share)  

Revenue

   $ 328,333     $ 202,022     $ 181,677  

Direct cost of services

     199,870       121,648       108,715  
    


 


 


Gross profit

     128,463       80,374       72,962  

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     84,301       58,248       50,688  

Amortization of intangible assets

     1,716       655       125  

Depreciation expense

     1,907       1,290       1,180  
    


 


 


Income from operations

     40,539       20,181       20,969  

Interest income

     (593 )     (1,077 )     (1,183 )
    


 


 


Income before provision for income taxes

     41,132       21,258       22,152  

Provision for income taxes

     16,798       8,716       8,861  
    


 


 


Net income

   $ 24,334     $ 12,542     $ 13,291  
    


 


 


Net income per common share

                        

Basic

   $ 1.06     $ 0.57     $ 0.63  
    


 


 


Diluted

   $ 1.00     $ 0.55     $ 0.58  
    


 


 


Weighted average common shares outstanding

                        

Basic

     22,992       21,849       21,241  
    


 


 


Diluted

     24,390       22,896       22,862  
    


 


 


 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(Amounts in thousands)

 

     Common Stock

   Additional
Paid-In
Capital


    Deferred
Stock
Compensation


    Treasury Stock

    Notes
Receivable
From
Stockholders


    Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
(Loss) Gain


    Retained
Earnings


   Total
Stockholders’
Equity


 
     Shares

   Amount

       Shares

   Amount

          

Balances as of May 31, 2001

   20,735    $ 207    $ 66,507     $ (1,507 )   48    $ (1 )   $ (164 )   $ (53 )   $ 21,043    $ 86,032  

Secondary offering of common stock

   230      2      4,552                                                   4,554  

Costs related to stock offering

                 (793 )                                                 (793 )

Exercise of stock options

   599      6      3,859                                                   3,865  

Tax benefit from exercise of stock options

                 4,169                                                   4,169  

Issuance of common stock under Employee Stock Purchase Plan

   97      1      1,895                                                   1,896  

Repurchase of treasury stock

                               53                                        

Reversal of deferred compensation for restricted stock and stock options forfeited

                 (198 )     198                                &