John R. Hewitt
Analyst · First Analysis
Thank you, Kevin, and good morning, everyone. As we announced in our press release yesterday, Matrix Service Company achieved record performance in many aspects of our business in fiscal 2013. During the year, the company achieved a total recordable incident rate, or TRIR, of 0.61, the best annual safety performance in our history. Many of our operating units and job sites completed the year injury free. This level of performance is best in class and is a testament to the effort, teamwork and personal commitment of all our employees. While we are very proud of this performance, we owe it to our employees, their families and our customers to do even better. Safety is a core value of Matrix Service Company, and we truly believe that an injury-free workplace is attainable. In fiscal 2013, we focused our employees on culture, personal commitment and expectations with one-on-one employee meetings, enhanced safety programs, technology and resources. We believe a safety culture built on corporate commitment and individual accountability is making a difference in our business and further differentiates us from our competition. In fiscal 2013, the company also achieved record project bookings of over $1 billion and record revenue of $893 million. There are many factors contributing to these record results which are noteworthy. First of all, our Storage Solutions segment continues to see strong demand for aboveground storage tanks, terminal projects and balance of plant work in North America. Revenues in this segment increased to $393 million with a backlog at year-end of $320 million, both of which are records for the company. While the revenue and backlog growth in Storage Solutions segment exceeded our estimates in fiscal 2013, margins were below our expectations due in large part to a loss on our project in Western Canada that we discussed on previous calls. We also mentioned that we expected to see improved margins in this segment, which we realized in the fourth quarter as gross margins increased to 11.3%. Considerable growth opportunities are emerging across North America as the oil and gas infrastructure is being reconfigured to handle growing production and shifting sources of supply and demand. Many of our midstream and downstream clients are investing considerable amounts of capital to expand or upgrade processing, transportation and storage terminal assets, which is driving our growth. As a leader in the Storage Solutions market, Matrix Service Company is well positioned to capitalize on these trends. This is clearly evident by our press release this morning announcing our exclusive alliance with TransCanada for tanks and storage terminals across North America. We're proud of our relationship with TransCanada, and we look forward to this partnership as we complete the extensive build-out and expansion of their pipeline network. The Oil Gas & Chemical segment significantly contributed to our record results in fiscal 2013. Revenues in this segment increased 33% year-over-year with gross margins improving from 9.8% to 12% in the year. The success in this segment is due primarily to outstanding results of our turnaround groups as they continue to expand our service territory and client relationships and brand strength. The expansion of our industrial cleaning group due to the successful midyear acquisition of Pelichem, as well as critical investments in people and equipment, added to the success of this segment. Our Electrical Infrastructure segment had a very strong year with record revenues of $171 million and gross margins of 12.7%. In fiscal 2013, our leadership team was successful in expanding our high-voltage transmission and distribution services. In addition, the results in this segment include a sizable contribution from storm restoration work to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in our core service territory. We have invested heavily over the past 3 years to expand the scale of our storm response team, and during Hurricane Sandy we deployed nearly 300 tradesmen throughout the impacted area. As we seek to expand geographically and strengthen our capacity, acquisitions will be a critical factor in this growth strategy. However, we continue to make organic investments, such as the recently opened office in Nevada, targeting -- targeted to capture high-voltage electrical opportunities in the Southwest. Finally, fiscal 2013 was a building year for the Industrial segment, completing a strong year with revenues increasing 172% year-over-year. Our mining and minerals operations in the Mountain West states continue to gain traction as customers appreciate our capabilities and become aware of our reputation for safe and high-quality work. We are pleased to report that this segment is achieving our performance expectations and is positioned for improved profitability in the next fiscal year. In closing, the strong growth over the past 2 years represents an average annual growth rate of 19.3% achieved principally on an organic basis. Our ability to continue this high rate of growth without significant acquisitions will challenge the capacity of the organization, highlighting the importance of risk management practices, process improvements and organizational development initiatives. While growth of the business is a key part of our strategy, we will not grow in a manner that compromises our ability to deliver high-quality projects safely to our customers. Based on the favorable conditions in our end markets, our near-record backlog, strong client relationships and robust bidding activity, we're expecting continued controlled growth in fiscal 2014. Please keep in mind that our fiscal 2014 guidance does not contemplate any acquisitions. However, acquisitions will continue to be a focus area for the company, and, upon the execution of future acquisitions, we will modify guidance appropriately. With this in mind, our guidance for fiscal 2014 is revenue between $980 million and $1.04 billion and earnings of $1 to $1.15 per fully diluted share. Lastly, I would like to announce the appointment of Jim W. Mogg to the Matrix Service Company Board of Directors effective August 27th. Mr. Mogg is an experienced executive and board member. In his 35-plus-year career at DCP Midstream Partners, Duke Energy, TEPPCO and Pan Energy, Jim held numerous positions in the upstream and midstream oil and natural gas industries. We are pleased Jim has joined the board and believe his vast experience will be very beneficial to Matrix in the future. I'll now turn the call back to Kevin to discuss details of our financial performance. Kevin?