PC Connection Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2024

GENERAL

We are a Fortune 1000 Global Solutions Provider that simplifies the IT customer experience, guiding the connection between people and technology. Our dedicated account managers partner with customers to design, deploy, and support cutting-edge IT environments using the latest hardware, software, and services. We provide a wide range of IT solutions, from the desktop to the cloud—including computer systems, data center solutions, software and peripheral equipment, networking communications, and other products and accessories that we purchase from manufacturers, distributors, and other suppliers. Our Technology Solutions Organization, or TSO, and state-of-the-art Technology Integration and Distribution Center, or TIDC, with ISO 9001:2015 certified technical configuration lab, offer end-to-end services related to the design, configuration, and implementation of IT solutions. Our team also provides a comprehensive portfolio of managed services and professional services. These services are performed by our personnel and by third-party providers. Our GlobalServe offering ensures worldwide coverage for our multinational customers, delivering global procurement solutions through our network of in-country suppliers in over 150 countries.

The “Connection®” brand includes Connection Enterprise Solutions, Connection Business Solutions, and Connection Public Sector Solutions. We united all of our subsidiaries into one cohesive brand, reflecting the promise of our blue arc and our mission to connect people with technology that enhances growth, elevates productivity, and empowers innovation. These entities represent our three operating segments and their respective markets:

• Connection Enterprise Solutions – serving large enterprise customers
• Connection Business Solutions – serving small to medium-sized businesses, or SMBs
• Connection Public Sector Solutions – serving federal, state, and local government and educational institutions

Financial results for each of our segments are included in the financial statements attached hereto. We generate sales through (i) outbound inside sales and field sales contacts by sales representatives focused on the business, educational, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and government markets, (ii) our websites, and (iii) direct responses from customers responding to our advertising media. We offer a broad selection of over 460,000 products at competitive prices, including products from vendors like Apple, Cisco, Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Inc., Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft Corporation, and VMware, and we partner with more than 2,500 suppliers. We are able to leverage our state-of-the art logistic capabilities to rapidly ship product to customers.

Since our founding in 1982, we have consistently served our customers’ needs by providing innovative, reliable, and timely service and technical support, and by offering an extensive assortment of industry-leading products through knowledgeable, well-trained sales and support teams. Our strategy’s effectiveness is reflected in the recognition we have received, including being named to the Fortune 1000 and the CRN Solution Provider 500 for twenty-four straight years. In recent years, we have received numerous awards, including HP U.S. Personal Systems 2024 National Solutions Provider Partner of the Year; Dell Technologies 2024 Federal Rising Star Partner of the Year; and ServiceNow 2024 Americas Reseller Partner of the Year. In addition to being named to the CRN Tech Elite 250, Connection has twice been recognized as one of “America’s Best-in-State Employers” by Forbes, honored as a Gold NH Veteran Friendly Business by the Department of Military Affairs & Veterans Services and NH Employment Security, and earned distinction as one of the “Most Trustworthy Companies in America” by Newsweek for the past three years. Connection made its debut on Newsweek’s ranking of “World’s Most Trustworthy Companies” in 2024. Our technical experts hold more than 5,000 professional certifications, and we have been awarded industry-leading partner authorizations, including Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider status. We believe this pursuit of excellence and our ability to understand our customers’ needs and provide comprehensive and effective IT solutions has earned us strong brand name recognition and a broad and loyal customer base. We also believe that through our strong vendor relationships we can provide an efficient supply chain and be an effective IT solution provider for our diverse customer base.

We strive to identify the unique needs of our corporate, government, educational, and small business customers, and have designed our business processes to enable our customers to effectively manage their IT systems. We provide value by offering our customers efficient design, integration, deployment, and support of their IT environments. As of December 31, 2024, we employed 711 sales representatives. Sales representatives are responsible for managing enterprise, commercial, and public sector accounts, as specialization and a deep understanding of unique customer environments are more important than ever. These sales representatives focus on current and prospective customers and are supported by an increasing number of engineering, technical, and administrative staff through our TSO. Our Industry Solutions Group, or ISG, provides our sales team and customers with insights and guidance customized to the unique needs of our vertical markets, including healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing. We believe that increasing our sales force productivity is important to our future success, and we have increased our headcount and investments in our sales and sales support teams accordingly.

We market our products and services through our websites: www.connection.com (http://www.connection.com), www.connection.com/enterprise (http://www.connection.com/enterprise), www.connection.com/publicsector (http://www.connection.com/publicsector), www.cnxnhelix.com (http://www.cnxnhelix.com), and www.macconnection.com (http://www.macconnection.com). Our websites provide extensive product information, customized pricing, rich content, and a digital platform for online orders. We are not including the information contained in our websites as part of, or incorporating by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

MARKET AND COMPETITION

In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we generated approximately 42.2% of our sales from medium-to-large businesses (Fortune 1000), 37.4% from SMBs, and 20.4% from government and educational institutions.

The largest segment of the United States IT market that we operate within is served by local and regional value-added resellers, or VARs, many of whom engage in the sales of hardware and software products, as well as higher-margin IT services. We have adapted our business over the years to become an enterprise-wide IT solutions supplier. We have also partnered with third-party technology and telecommunications service providers to offer our customers access to the same services and technical expertise as local and regional VARs, but with a more extensive product selection, often at lower prices.

Intense competition for customers has led manufacturers of the IT products we offer to use all available distribution channels, including solutions providers, to distribute their products. Certain manufacturers who have traditionally used resellers to distribute their products have also, from time to time, established their own direct marketing operations, including sales through the Internet.

We believe new entrants to the IT solutions channel must overcome a number of obstacles, including:

• substantial time and resources required to build a customer base of meaningful size and profitability for cost-effective operation;
• significant upfront costs of developing the information systems and operating infrastructure required to successfully compete as a national solutions provider;
• purchasing and operating efficiencies enjoyed by larger and more established competitors;
• difficulty building relationships with vendors needed to gain favorable product allocations and attractive pricing terms; and
• difficulty identifying and recruiting management personnel with significant direct marketing experience in the industry.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

We believe that we have become our customers’ IT provider of choice by calming the confusion surrounding IT procurement and solving complex business challenges with innovative IT solutions designed to meet their increased productivity, mobility, virtualization, and security needs in a continuously evolving IT environment. We offer our customers enhanced value by assisting them with both the design and implementation of IT solutions directed at cost-effectively maximizing the business opportunities created by new technologies and advanced service solutions. The key elements of our business strategies include:

• Providing consistent customer service before, during, and after the sale. We believe that we have earned a reputation for providing superior customer service by consistently focusing on our customers’ needs. Empathy for the challenges technology procurement presents to people is at the heart of our culture and serves as a foundation for long-lasting and rewarding partnerships we create with organizations of every size and industry. We have dedicated our resources to developing strong, long-term relationships with our customers by accurately assessing their IT needs, and providing scalable, high-quality solutions and services through our knowledgeable, well-trained personnel. Through operational excellence, we believe we have created efficient delivery programs that provide a quality buying experience for our customers.
• Offering a broad product selection at competitive prices. We offer a broad range of IT products and solutions, including personal computers and related peripheral products, servers, storage, managed services, cloud solutions, and networking infrastructure, at costs that are designed to allow our customers to be more productive while maximizing their IT budgets. Our integrated and advanced solution offerings include network, server, storage, and mission-critical onsite installation and support using proprietary cloud-based service management software. We offer products and enhanced service capabilities with aggressive price and performance standards, all with the convenience of one-stop shopping for technology solutions.
• Simplifying technology product procurement for corporate customers. We offer Internet-based procurement options to eliminate complexity and enhance customer value, as well as lower the cost of procurement for our customers. We specialize in Internet-based solutions and provide electronic integration between our customers and suppliers.
• Offering targeted IT solutions. Our customers seek solutions to increasingly complex IT infrastructure demands. To better address their business needs, we have focused our solution service capabilities on several key areas: data and automation, workplace transformation, cloud, cybersecurity, and technology services. Our TSO is responsible for understanding the infrastructure needs of our customers, and for designing cost-effective technology solutions to address them. We have also partnered with third-party providers to make available a range of IT support services, including asset assessment, implementation, maintenance, and disposal services. We believe we can leverage these focus areas to enable us to capture a greater share of our customers’ IT expenditures.
• Maintaining a strong brand name and customer awareness. Since our founding in 1982, we have built a strong brand name and customer awareness. We have been named to the Fortune 1000 and the CRN Solution Provider 500 for each of the last twenty-four years. We actively work with our existing customers to become their IT provider of choice for products and enhanced solution services, while seeking to ensure our reputation of high-quality support, tailored marketing programs, and competitive pricing that lead the way to expanding our share of the overall IT market we serve. Through the use of creative, consistent marketing activities, our goal is to strengthen the Connection brand and reinforce our reputation as a trusted IT advisor with a history of innovation and customer-centric service.
• Maintaining long-standing vendor relationships. Our close partnerships with leading technology manufacturers and vendors provide our team with access to the latest product offerings, training assets, and support resources. We have a history of strong relationships with vendors and were among the first global solutions providers qualified by manufacturers to market computer systems to end users. By working closely with our vendors to provide an efficient channel for the advertising and distribution of their products and solutions, we expect to expand market share and generate opportunities for optimizing partner incentive programs. We promote communication and collaboration with our partner community at every level of our organization, from sales and product management to leadership. We meet regularly with our partners to share feedback and explore strategies to promote greater engagement and better serve our mutual customers.

GROWTH STRATEGIES

Our growth strategies are designed to increase revenues by maximizing operational efficiencies while offering innovative products and value-added service offerings, expanding our offerings to our existing customers, and expanding our customer base. Our seven key elements of growth are:

• Expanding hardware and software offerings. We offer our customers an extensive range of IT hardware and software products, and in response to customer demand, we continually evaluate and add new products to our offerings as they become available. We also work closely with vendors to identify and source first-to-market product offerings at aggressive prices.
• Expanding IT solution services offerings. We strive to accelerate solution and service growth by providing creative solutions to the increasingly complex hardware and software needs of our customers. Our cloud, cybersecurity, data center, workplace transformation, and technology services teams consist of industry-certified and product-certified engineers, as well as highly specialized third-party providers. We believe our investment in these areas may increase our share of our existing customers’ annual IT expenditures by broadening the range of products and services they purchase from us.
• Delivering artificial intelligence, or AI, and automation solutions. We believe that the AI services we offer can be deployed in tailored, efficient, and cost-effective manners to drive our clients’ success. We currently offer AI workshops, which we deliver to customers, and AI infrastructure design and optimization services for core AI infrastructure. We are currently in the process of expanding these services to include other areas that we believe are relevant to the broader AI ecosystem of development. Working alongside leaders within our partner ecosystem, we are expanding our capabilities and capacity to identify and bring to market the technologies and guidance that customers—across a broad range of industries and specialized verticals—require to ensure a seamless transition into the AI era. We believe our focus on helping customers understand this intricate landscape, discover and define their unique AI value path, and realize AI’s envisioned potential will enable us to serve as a trusted advisor and deliver a holistic approach to AI and automation that encompasses strategy, technical expertise, and integration. We have developed and are investing in a core AI capability that is driven through our CNXN Helix effort, which was launched in 2023 and brings together industry-leading experts, resources, and support designed to help organizations of all sizes realize the benefits of AI and automation. We believe this effort will set the foundation for our expanded capabilities and services within this fast-growing AI ecosystem.
• Targeting customer segments. Through increased targeted marketing, we seek to expand the number of our active customers and generate additional sales to existing customers by providing more value-added services and solutions. We have also developed digital marketing capabilities, which include but are not limited to digital remarketing, digital buying guides, Google shopping integration, along with social media advertising and search engine optimization. All of these methods also help us to fine tune and optimize our Internet marketing campaigns that focus on select markets, such as healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing.
• Increasing productivity of our sales representatives. We believe that higher sales productivity is the key to leveraging our expense structure and driving future profitability improvements. We invest significant resources in training new sales representatives and providing ongoing training to experienced personnel. Our training and evaluation programs are focused towards assisting our sales personnel in understanding and anticipating our customers’ IT needs, with the goal of fostering loyal customer relationships. We also provide our sales representatives with technical support on more complex sales opportunities through our group of technical solution specialists.
• Migrating to cloud-based solutions for our customers. Cloud computing is a key driver of new IT spending as our customers seek scalable, cost-effective solutions. We plan to expand our cloud-based solution sales and assist our customers in navigating the complex and growing field of multicloud-solution offerings. This focus on cloud includes investing in the training and certification resources required to help our customers adopt and

optimize cloud technologies. Connection is a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider—an exclusive designation that requires an intensive auditing process and a proven record of delivering exceptional customer service and in-depth technical expertise around core cloud competencies.

• Pursuing strategic acquisitions and alliances. We seek acquisitions and alliances that add new customers, strengthen our product and solution offerings, add management talent, and produce operating results which are accretive to our core business earnings.

SERVICE AND SUPPORT

Since our founding in 1982, our primary objective has been to provide products and services that meet the demands and needs of our customers and to supplement those products with up-to-date product information and excellent customer service and support. We believe that offering our customers superior value, through a combination of product knowledge, consistent and reliable service and support, and leading products at competitive prices, differentiates us from other global solutions providers and serves as the foundation for developing a broad and loyal customer base.

We invest in training programs for our service and support personnel, with an emphasis on putting customer needs and service first. Supplementing our sales force, our TSO offers in-depth technical support across a wide range of advanced technology solutions. These teams of engineers and solution architects design end-to-end IT solutions tailored to our customers’ unique environments and serve as technology consultants. Our TIDC ensures a superior customer experience, with seamless configuration, deployment, and support services. Product support technicians assist customers with questions concerning compatibility, installation, and more difficult questions relating to product use. The product support technicians authorize customers to return defective or incompatible products to either the manufacturer or to us for warranty service. In-house TIDC technicians perform both warranty and non-warranty repair on most of the major systems and hardware products.

Using our customized information system, we transmit our customer orders either to our TIDC or to our drop-ship suppliers, depending on product availability, for processing immediately after a customer receives credit approval. At our distribution center, we also perform custom configuration services, which typically includes custom imaging, the installation and integration of additional components, and other technology enhancements. Our customers may select the method of delivery that best meets their needs and is most cost effective, ranging from expedited overnight delivery for urgently needed items to ground freight.

Our inventory stocking strategy is based on economics and the general availability of the product. We will stock product where there is an economic advantage to do so, or the product is in constrained supply. We also will stock product to support customer rollouts, including product that is running through our configuration and integration services prior to shipment.

MARKETING AND SALES

We sell our products through our direct marketing channels to (i) SMBs including small office/home office customers, (ii) government and educational institutions, and (iii) medium-to-large businesses. We strive to be the primary supplier of IT products and solutions to our customers by providing exemplary customer service. We use multiple marketing approaches to reach existing and prospective customers, including:

• outbound inside sales and field sales;
• digital, web, and print media advertising; and
• targeted marketing programs to specific customer populations.

All of our marketing approaches emphasize our broad product offerings, fast delivery, customer support, competitive pricing, and our wide range of service solutions.

Sales Channels. We believe that our ability to establish and maintain long-term customer relationships and to encourage repeat purchases is largely dependent on the strength of our sales personnel and programs. Because our customers’ primary contact with us is through our sales representatives, we are committed to maintaining a qualified, knowledgeable, and motivated sales staff with a principal focus on customer service.

Outbound Inside Sales and Field Sales. We seek to build loyal relationships with potential high-volume customers by assigning them to individual account managers. We believe that customers respond favorably to one-on-one relationships with personalized, well-trained account managers. Once established, these one-on-one relationships are maintained and enhanced through frequent telecommunications and targeted electronic communications, as well as other marketing materials designed to meet each customer’s specific IT needs. We pay most of our account managers a base annual salary plus incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is tied generally to gross profit dollars produced by the individual account manager.

E-commerce Sales. We generally provide product descriptions and prices for all of the products we offer through the e-commerce websites we maintain and operate. Our Connection website also provides updated information for more than 460,000 items. We offer, and continuously update, selected product offerings and other special buys. We believe our websites are an important source of sales and a communication tool for improving customer service.

For example, our Enterprise Solutions Segment’s business process and operations are primarily Web-based. Most of its corporate customers utilize a customized Web page to quickly search, source, and track IT products. Our Enterprise Solution business website aggregates the current available inventories of its largest IT suppliers into a single online source for its corporate customers. Its custom designed Internet-based system, MarkITplace™, provides corporate buyers with comparative pricing from several suppliers as well as special pricing arranged through the manufacturer.

The Internet supports three key business initiatives for us:

• Customer choice — We have built our business on the premise that our customers should be able to choose how they interact with us - whether it be by telephone, or through the use of their desktop or mobile device via email or the Internet.
• Lowering transactions costs — Our website tools include robust product search features and Internet Business Accounts (customized Web pages), which allow customers to quickly and easily find information about products of interest to them. If customers still have questions, they may call our account managers. Such phone calls are typically shorter and have higher close rates than calls from customers who have not visited our websites first.
• Leveraging the time of experienced sales representatives — Our investments in technology-based sales and service programs allow our sales representatives more time to build and maintain relationships with our customers and to help them to solve their business problems.

Operating Segments. We conduct our business operations through three operating segments: Enterprise Solutions, Business Solutions, and Public Sector Solutions.

Enterprise Solutions Segment. Through our custom designed Web-based system, we are able to offer our larger corporate customers an efficient and effective method of sourcing, evaluating, purchasing, and tracking a wide variety of IT products and services. Our strategy is to be the primary single source procurement portal for our large corporate customers.

Business Solutions Segment. Our principal target markets in this segment are small to medium-sized business customers. We use a combination of outbound inside sales, including some on-site sales solicitation by business development managers, and Internet sales through customized Internet Business Accounts, to reach these customers.

Public Sector Solutions Segment. We use a combination of outbound inside sales, including some on-site sales solicitation by business development managers, and Internet sales through customized Internet Business Accounts, to reach these customers. We target each of the four distinct market sectors within this segment—federal government, higher educational institutions, school grades K-12, and state and local governments.

The following table sets forth the relative distribution of net sales by operating segment for the periods presented:

Our ISG works across all operating segments to service the unique needs of healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing customers. Within each of these vertical markets, our ISG experts offer technology solutions and guidance backed by real-world experience. Our ISG combines extensive knowledge of the latest technologies, brands, and trends with industry experience that reassures our customers that we understand their businesses and their technology challenges. Our brand, and each of our operating segments, is supported by targeted marketing campaigns across a variety of media:

Digital. We utilize a series of digital programs, in conjunction with advanced data analytics, to identify prospective customers and generate new leads within our existing customer base. These programs include website, email, blog, social media, electronic catalogs, webinars, and video/multimedia promotions.

Specialty Marketing. In addition to our digital marketing efforts, we maintain a strong presence at industry tradeshows and conventions across the country, including a number of healthcare and education IT conferences. We also host a series of Technology Summits each year, with a focus on building stronger relationships with our customers and reinforcing our reputation as a trusted source of expertise.

Customers. We maintain an extensive database of customers and prospects. However, no single customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenue in 2024, 2023, and 2022. The loss of any single customer would not have a material adverse effect on any of our operating segments. The majority of our backlog historically has been and continues to be open cancelable purchase orders. We do not have individual orders in our backlog that are material to our business, and as a result, we do not believe that backlog as of any particular dates is an indication of future results.

PRODUCTS AND MERCHANDISING

We continuously focus on expanding the breadth of our product and service offerings. We currently offer our customers over 460,000 IT products designed for business applications from more than 2,500 vendors. These products consist of hardware, including devices, peripherals, accessories, servers, storage, and networking products, along with cloud solutions, software and services. We select the products and solutions we sell based upon their technology and effectiveness, market demand, product features, quality, price, margins, and warranties. The following table sets forth our percentage of net sales for major product categories for the periods presented:

We offer a 30-day right of return on most of the products we sell, generally limited to defective merchandise. Returns of non-defective products are subject to restocking fees. Substantially all of the products marketed by us are warranted by the manufacturer. We generally accept returns directly from the customer and then either credit the customer’s account or ship the customer a replacement or similar product from our inventory.

PURCHASING AND VENDOR RELATIONS

Product purchases from Ingram Micro, Inc., TD Synnex Corporation, and Dell Inc. accounted for approximately 25%, 23%, and 11%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2024. Product purchases from Ingram Micro, Inc., TD Synnex Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation accounted for approximately 21%, 19%, and 11%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2023. Product purchases from Ingram Micro, Inc., TD Synnex Corporation, and Dell Inc. accounted for approximately 23%, 22%, and 15%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2022. No other singular vendor supplied more than 10% of our total product purchases in 2024, 2023, and 2022, as applicable. We believe that, while we may experience some short-term disruption if products from Ingram Micro, Inc., TD Synnex Corporation, Dell Inc., Microsoft Corporation, or any of these vendors become unavailable to us, alternative sources are available.

Products manufactured by Microsoft Corporation, HP Inc., and Dell Inc. represented approximately 15%, 12%, and 12%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2024. Products manufactured by Microsoft Corporation, HP Inc., and Dell Inc. represented approximately 15%, 13%, and 11%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2023. Products manufactured by HP Inc., Dell Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Lenovo represented approximately 14%, 13%, 12%, and 11% of our total product purchases in 2022. No other singular product manufacturer produced more than 10% of our total product purchases in 2024, 2023, and 2022, as applicable. We believe that in the event we experience either a short-term or permanent disruption of supply of Microsoft Corporation, HP Inc., or Dell Inc. products, such disruption would likely have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

Throughout the year, we did not experience any significant challenges or disruptions in the supply chain and products were generally available in adequate supply.

Many product suppliers reimburse us for advertisements or other cooperative marketing programs through various marketing vehicles. Reimbursements may be in the form of discounts, advertising allowances, and/or rebates. We also receive allowances from certain vendors based upon the volume of our purchases or sales of the vendors’ products by us. Some of our vendors offer limited price protection in the form of rebates or credits against future purchases. We may also participate in end-of-life product and other special purchases which may not be eligible for price protection.

We believe that we have excellent relationships with our vendors. We generally pay vendors within stated terms, or earlier when favorable cash discounts are offered. We believe our high volume of purchases enables us to obtain product pricing and terms that are competitive with those available to other global IT solutions providers. Although brand names and individual product offerings are important to our business, we believe that competitive products are available in substantially all of the merchandise categories offered by us.

DISTRIBUTION

We fulfill orders from customers both from products we hold in inventory and through drop shipping arrangements with manufacturers and distributors. At our 268,000 square foot technology TIDC in Wilmington, Ohio, we receive and ship inventory, configure and integrate technology solutions, provide depot maintenance and services, and process returned products. The TIDC features a state-of-the-art ISO 9001:2015-certified Configuration Lab that completed more than 550,000 custom configurations in 2024—including personal computing devices, servers, mobile devices, and networking hardware. Our technicians maintain extensive certifications and authorizations from all major manufacturers, with more than 90% of the TIDC technicians holding one or more CompTIA certifications. Through the TIDC, we are able to offer customers turnkey solutions for all of their IT needs, including hardware configuration, imaging and provisioning, asset management, remote management, white glove enrollment services, kitting, custom packaging, and depot repair services.

We also place product orders directly with manufacturers and/or distribution companies for drop shipment directly to our customers. Order status with distributors is tracked online and a confirmation of shipment from manufacturers and/or distribution companies is received prior to initial recording of the transaction. Products drop shipped by suppliers were 69%, 69%, and 71%, of net sales in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Electronic delivery for software licenses were approximately 10%, 12%, and 9% of total net sales in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Our subsidiaries utilize management information systems which have been significantly customized for our use. These systems permit centralized management of key functions, including order taking and processing, inventory and accounts receivable management, purchasing, sales, and distribution, and the preparation of daily operating control reports on key aspects of the business. We also operate advanced telecommunications equipment to support our sales and customer service operations. Key elements of the telecommunications systems are integrated with our computer systems to provide timely customer information to sales and service representatives, and to facilitate the preparation of operating and performance data.

Our success is dependent in large part on the accuracy and proper use of our information systems to manage our inventory and accounts receivable collections, to purchase, sell, and ship our products efficiently and on a timely basis, and to maintain cost-efficient operations. We expect to continue upgrading our information systems in the future to more effectively manage our operations and customer database.

Our investments in IT systems and infrastructure are designed to enable us to operate more efficiently and to provide our customers enhanced functionality.

COMPETITION

The direct marketing and sale of IT-related products is highly competitive. We compete with other national solutions providers of IT products, including CDW Corporation, SHI, and Insight Enterprises, Inc., who are the current leaders in the space. We also compete with:

• certain product manufacturers that sell directly to customers as well as some of our own suppliers, such as Apple, Dell Inc., HP Inc., and Lenovo;
• software publishers, such as Microsoft Corporation, VMware, and Adobe;
• companies that develop and deliver on bespoke AI projects, such as Palantir and Scale.ai;
• local and regional VARs;
• cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft Corporation;
• large service providers and system integrators, such as Accenture, CGI, and IBM;
• communications service providers, such as AT&T and Verizon;
• various franchisers, office supply superstores, and national computer retailers, such as Office Depot and Staples; and
• e-tailers, such as Amazon, with more extensive commercial online networks.

Additional competition may arise if other new methods of distribution emerge in the future. We compete not only for customers, but also for favorable product allocations and cooperative advertising support from product manufacturers. Several of our competitors are larger than we are and have substantially greater financial resources. These and other factors related to our competitive position are discussed more fully in the “Overview” of Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Substantial competition could reduce our market share and may negatively affect our business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We believe that price, product selection and availability, solutions capabilities, and service and support are the most important competitive factors in our industry.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Our trademarks include, among others, Connection®, PC Connection®, GovConnection®, MacConnection®, we solve IT®, Everything Overnight®, Mobile Connection®, Cloud Connection®, Education Connection®, MoreDirect™, CNXN Helix™, WebSPOC®, Softmart®, GlobalServe®, Raccoon Character, Connection Cloud MarkITplace™, ConnectOne™, QaaM™, and their related logos and all iterations thereof. We intend to use and protect these and our other marks, as we deem necessary. We believe our trademarks have significant value and are an important factor in the marketing of our products. We do not maintain a traditional research and development group, but we work closely with computer product manufacturers and other technology developers to stay abreast of the latest developments in computer technology, with respect to the products we both sell and use. For example, we recognize AI as a potentially transformational force and anticipate that AI will significantly impact our product offerings and the business operations of our clientele in both the short term and long term.

REGULATORY MATTERS

Government Contracting

Our Public Sector Solutions segment is heavily regulated and, as a result, our need for compliance awareness and business and employee support is significant. Specifically, our Public Sector Solutions segment is governed by various laws and regulations, including but not limited to laws and regulations relating to: the formation, administration, and performance of contracts; the security and control of information and information systems; international trade compliance; human trafficking; and the mandatory disclosure of “credible evidence” of a violation of certain criminal laws, receipt of significant overpayments, or violations of the civil False Claims Act. In addition, U.S. government contractors are generally subject to other federal and state laws and regulations, including:

• The Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, agency supplements to the FAR, and related regulations, which regulate the formation, administration, and performance of U.S. federal government contracts;
• The False Claims Act, which allows the government and whistleblowers filing on behalf of the government to pursue treble damages, civil penalties and sanctions for the provision of false or fraudulent claims to the U.S. federal government;
• The Truth in Negotiations Act, which requires certification and disclosure of cost and pricing data in connection with the negotiation of certain contracts, modifications, or task orders;
• The Procurement Integrity Act, which regulates access to competitor bid and proposal information, as well as certain internal government procurement sensitive information, and regulates our ability to provide compensation to certain former government procurement officials;
• Laws and regulations restricting the ability of employees of the U.S. government to accept gifts or gratuities from a contractor;
• Post-government employment laws and regulations, which restrict the ability of a contractor to recruit and hire current employees of the U.S. government and deploy former employees of the U.S. government;
• Laws, regulations, and executive orders requiring the safeguarding of and restricting the use and dissemination of information classified for national security purposes or determined to be “controlled unclassified information,” “covered defense information,” or “for official use only”;
• Laws and regulations relating to the export of certain products, services, and technical data, including requirements regarding any applicable licensing of our employees involved in such work;
• Laws, regulations, and executive orders regulating the handling, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information in the course of performing a U.S. government contract;
• Laws, regulations, and executive orders governing organizational conflicts of interest that may prevent us from bidding for or restrict our ability to compete for certain U.S. government contracts because of the work that we currently perform for the U.S. government;
• Laws, regulations, and executive orders that mandate compliance with requirements to protect the government from risks related to our supply chain;
• Laws, regulations, and mandatory contract provisions providing protections to employees or subcontractors seeking to report alleged fraud, waste, and abuse related to a government contract; and
• The Cost Accounting Standards and the Cost Principles, which impose accounting requirements that govern our right to reimbursement under certain cost-based U.S. government contracts and require consistency of accounting practices over time.

Our Public Sector Solutions is also subject to oversight by the U.S. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, or OFCCP, for federal contract and affirmative action compliance, including the following areas:

• affirmative action plans;
• applicant tracking;
• compliance training;
• customized affirmative action databases and forms;
• glass ceiling and compensation audits;
• desk and on-site audits;
• conciliation agreements;
• disability accessibility for applicants and employees;
• diversity initiatives;
• equal employment opportunity compliance;
• employment eligibility verification (known as “E-Verify”);
• internal affirmative action audits;
• internet recruiting and hiring processes;
• OFCCP administrative enforcement actions;
• record-keeping requirements; and
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 compliance.

The U.S. federal government routinely revises its procurement practices and adopts new contract statutes, rules and regulations. The U.S. federal government has a broad range of tools available to enforce its procurement law and policies. These include debarring or suspending a particular contractor, certain of its operations and/ or individual employees from future government business. Individuals, on behalf of the federal government, may also bring qui tam suits against us for any alleged fraud related to payments under a U.S. federal government contract or program.

Moreover, the U.S. federal government generally has the ability to terminate contracts, in whole or in part, with little or no prior notice, for convenience or for default based upon performance. In the event of termination of a contract for convenience, a contractor is normally able to recover costs already incurred on the contract and profit on those costs up to the amount authorized under the contract, but not the remaining profit that would have been earned had the contract been completed. Such a termination could also result in the cancellation of future work on a related contract. A termination resulting from our default could expose us to various liabilities, including excess re-procurement costs, and could have a material effect on our ability to compete for future contracts.

Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices

Under applicable federal and state laws, we are required to comply with a number of requirements when sending commercial email or making telephone calls to consumers. For example, under applicable federal and state unfair competition laws, including the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and U.S. Federal Trade Commission regulations, we must accurately identify product offerings, not make misleading claims on our platforms, and use qualifying disclosures where and when appropriate when distributing commercial emails to consumers. We are also subject to the Federal Telecommunications Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, which generally limit the consumers and types of communications we can make via telephone, text, automatic telephone dialing systems, and artificial and prerecorded voices.

Data Privacy and Security

Numerous state, federal and foreign laws, including consumer protection laws and regulations, govern the collection, dissemination, use, access to, confidentiality and security of personal information. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including data breach notification laws and federal and state consumer protection laws and regulations, that govern the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of personal information could apply to our operations or the operations of our partners. In addition, certain state and non-US laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act govern the privacy and security of personal information, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant civil and/or criminal penalties and private litigation. Privacy and security laws, regulations, and other obligations are constantly evolving, may conflict with each other to complicate compliance efforts, and can result in investigations, proceedings, or actions that lead to significant civil and/or criminal penalties and restrictions on data processing.

HUMAN CAPITAL

Our culture is reflected through our employees, who are driven to serve our customers, our partners, our communities and all of our stakeholders. We provide our employees with support, training, and engagement opportunities to build stronger and more diverse teams. Our culture—and the employees who share that culture with our customers and communities—are essential to our success and our ability to attract and retain top talent. Our Connection Cares initiative, launched in 2021, builds on the company’s long history of inclusivity and social responsibility with working groups focused on key areas: employee recognition, charitable giving, sustainability, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Employees volunteer within these groups to share their ideas, conduct company-wide campaigns, and make a positive impact throughout the company and our wider community. These activities, and the formal structure to support them, help ensure we are able to offer a supportive work environment and corporate culture that today’s workforce demands.

We focus on the following key areas in hiring and developing our employees:

• Training and Development. We focus on skills enhancement, leadership development, innovation excellence and professional growth throughout our employees’ careers. Our leadership program provides leadership trainings to our high-potential emerging leaders.
• Total Rewards. We provide market competitive compensation aligned with company performance. We further align our sales representatives’ compensation to their individual performance by providing excellent commission opportunities. We provide a comprehensive benefits package to our employees, including medical coverage, retirement plans with matching contributions, tuition assistance, inclusive parental leave policies, adoption assistance, paid time off, paid volunteer hours, and wellness hours.
• Oversight and Management. Our Board of Directors understands the importance of our inclusive, performance-driven culture to our ongoing success and is actively engaged with our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President of Human Resources across a broad range of human capital management topics.

As of December 31, 2024, we employed 2,580 persons (full-time equivalent), of whom 1,035 (including 324 management and support personnel) were engaged in sales-related activities, 532 were engaged in providing IT services and customer service and support, 645 were engaged in purchasing, marketing, and distribution-related activities, 153 were engaged in the operation and development of management information systems, and 215 were engaged in administrative and finance functions. We believe we have good relations with our employees. Our employees are not represented by a labor union, and, to date, we have never experienced a labor related work stoppage.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), and accordingly, we file reports, proxy and information statements, and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. The SEC maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains such reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Our website address is www.connection.com (http://www.connection.com) and our investor relations website is located at https://ir.connection.com/. We are not including the information contained in our website as part of, or incorporating by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We make available free of charge through our investor relations website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file these materials with, or otherwise furnish them to, the SEC.

In addition, we routinely post on the “Investor Relations” section of our website news releases, announcements, and other statements about our business, some of which may contain information that may be deemed material to investors. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in our company to review the information we post on the “Investor Relations” section of our corporate website. The contents of our corporate website are not, however, a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings with the SEC. The risks described below are not the only risks facing our Company. The occurrence of any of the following risks, or of additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial, could cause our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition to suffer materially. The risks below also include forward-looking statements, and important factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by these forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Related to our Business, Operations and Industry

We have experienced variability in sales and may not be able to maintain profitable operations.

Several factors have caused our results of operations to fluctuate and we expect some of these fluctuations to continue. Causes of these fluctuations include:

• shifts in customer demand that affect our distribution models, including demand for total solutions;
• loss of customers to competitors;
• rising interest rates;
• inflation;
• industry shipments of new products or upgrades;
• changes in overall demand and timing of product shipments related to economic markets and to government spending;
• supply constraints;
• changes in vendor distribution of products;
• changes in referral fee structures offered to us by partners;
• changes in our product offerings and in merchandise returns;
• changes in distribution models as a result of the growing adoption of cloud and software-as-a-service, or SaaS, offerings; and
• adverse weather conditions that affect response, distribution, or shipping.

Our results also may vary based on our ability to manage personnel levels in response to fluctuations in revenue. We base personnel levels and other operating expenditures on sales forecasts. If our revenues do not meet anticipated levels in the future, we may not be able to reduce our staffing levels and operating expenses in a timely manner to avoid significant losses from operations.

Our sales are dependent on continued innovations in hardware, software and services by our vendor partners and the competitiveness of their offerings, and our ability to partner with new and emerging technology providers.

The technology industry is characterized by rapid innovation and the frequent introduction of new and enhanced hardware, software and services, such as cloud-based solutions and other virtual services, including SaaS, infrastructure as a service, or IaaS, platform as a service, or PaaS, device as a service, or DaaS, the internet of things, or IoT, and AI. We have been and will continue to be dependent on innovations in hardware, software and services, as well as the acceptance of those innovations by customers. Also, customers may delay spending while they evaluate new technologies. A decrease in the rate of innovation, a lack of acceptance of innovations by our customers or delays in technology spending by our customers, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.

In addition, if we are unable to anticipate and expand our capabilities to keep pace with changes in technology and new hardware, software and services, for example by providing the appropriate training to our account managers, technology specialists and engineers to enable them to effectively sell and deliver such new offerings to customers, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.

We also are dependent upon our vendor partners for the development and marketing of hardware, software and services to compete effectively with hardware, software and services of vendors whose products and services we do not currently offer or that we are not authorized to offer in one or more customer channels. To the extent that a vendor’s offering that is in high demand is not available to us for resale in one or more customer channels, and there is not a competitive offering from another vendor that we are authorized to sell in such customer channels, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely impacted.

We use artificial intelligence in our business, as do certain of our business partners, and challenges with properly managing its use could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, significant unexpected expenses and legal liability, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, which are offered by third parties, to add AI-based applications to our offerings. Our offerings utilize machine learning algorithms, predictive analytics, and other artificial intelligence technologies. If these artificial intelligence or machine learning models are incorrectly designed, the performance of our products, services, and business, as well as our reputation, could suffer or we could incur liability through the violation of laws or contracts to which we are a party. If we fail to deploy AI as intended, our competitors may incorporate AI technology into their products or services more successfully than we do, which may impair our ability to effectively compete in the market. In addition, market acceptance of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies is uncertain.

Additionally, we are making, and plan to make in the future, investments in adopting artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies across our business. As a result, the integration of AI into our operations may not be successful despite expending significant time and monetary resources to attempt to do so. Our investments in deploying such technologies may be substantial and may be more expensive than anticipated.

As with many technological innovations, artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that could affect its adoption, and therefore our business. Uncertainty in the legal regulatory regime relating to AI may require significant resources to modify and maintain business practices to comply with U.S. and non-U.S. laws, the nature of which cannot be determined at this time. Several jurisdictions around the globe, including Europe and certain U.S. states, have already proposed or enacted laws governing AI. For example, on October 30, 2023, the Biden administration issued an Executive Order to, among other things, establish extensive new standards for AI safety and security. Other jurisdictions may decide to adopt similar or more restrictive legislation that may render the use of such technologies challenging. These obligations may make it harder for us to conduct our business using AI, lead to regulatory fines or penalties, require us to change our product offerings or business practices, or prevent or limit our use of AI. If we cannot use AI, or that use is restricted, our business may be less efficient, or we may be at a competitive disadvantage. Any of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Substantial competition could reduce our market share and may negatively affect our business.

The direct marketing industry and the computer products retail business, in particular, are highly competitive. We compete with other national solutions providers of hardware and software and computer related products, including CDW Corporation and Insight Enterprises, Inc., who are the current leaders in the space. Certain hardware and software vendors, such as Apple, Dell Inc., Lenovo, and HP Inc., who provide products to us, also sell their products directly to end users through their own direct sales force, catalogs, stores, and via the Internet. We also compete with computer retail stores and websites, who are increasingly selling to business customers and may become a significant competitor, including e-tailers, such as Amazon, with more extensive commercial online networks. As we continue to expand and mature our AI services, we compete with other companies that develop and deliver on bespoke AI projects, such as Palantir and Scale.ai. We compete not only for customers, but also for advertising support from IT product manufacturers. Some of our competitors have larger customer bases and greater financial, marketing, and other resources than we do. In addition, some of our competitors offer a wider range of products and services than we do and may be able to respond more quickly to new or changing opportunities, technologies, and customer requirements. Many current and potential competitors also have greater name recognition, engage in more extensive promotional activities, and adopt pricing policies that are more aggressive than ours. We expect competition to increase as retailers and solution providers who have not traditionally sold computers and related products enter the industry.

In addition, product resellers and national solutions providers are combining operations or acquiring or merging with other resellers and national solutions providers to increase efficiency. Moreover, current and potential competitors have established or may establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties to enhance their products and services. Accordingly, it is possible that new competitors or alliances among competitors may emerge and acquire significant market share. We may not be able to continue to compete effectively against our current or future competitors. If we encounter new competition or fail to compete effectively against our competitors, our business market share, results of operations or cash flows may be adversely impacted.

We face and will continue to face significant price competition, which could result in a reduction of our profit margins.

Generally, pricing is very aggressive in our industry, and we expect pricing pressures to escalate should economic conditions deteriorate or inflationary pressures increase in excess of the amounts our customers are willing to pay. An increase in price competition could result in a reduction of our profit margins. We may not be able to offset the effects of price reductions with an increase in the number of customers we serve, higher sales to existing customers, cost reductions, or otherwise. Such pricing pressures could result in the erosion of our market share, reduced sales, and reduced operating margins, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

Inflation may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure, including cost of products and selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses. In an inflationary environment, we may be unable to raise the prices of our products sufficiently to keep up with the rate of inflation, which would reduce our profit margins and cash flows. Other inflationary pressures could affect wages, and other inputs and our ability to meet our customer demand. Inflation may further exacerbate other risk factors, including supply chain disruptions, the recruitment and retention of qualified employees.

The interruption of the flow of products from suppliers could disrupt our supply chain.

Our business depends on the timely supply of products in order to meet the demands of our customers. Manufacturing interruptions or delays, including as a result of the financial instability or bankruptcy of manufacturers, significant labor disputes such as strikes, armed conflicts, natural disasters, political or social unrest, pandemics or other public health crises, or other adverse occurrences affecting any of our suppliers’ facilities, could disrupt our supply chain. We could experience product constraints due to the failure of suppliers to accurately forecast customer demand, or to manufacture sufficient quantities of product to meet customer demand (including as a result of shortages of product components), among other reasons. Additionally, the relocation of key distributors utilized in our purchasing model could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.

Our supply chain is also exposed to risks related to international operations. While we purchase our products primarily in the markets we serve (for example, products for US customers are sourced in the US), our vendor partners manufacture or purchase a significant portion of the products we sell outside of the US, primarily in Asia. Political, social or economic instability in Asia, or in other regions in which our vendor partners purchase or manufacture the products we sell, could cause disruptions in trade, including exports to the US. Other events related to international activities that could cause disruptions to our supply chain include:

• the imposition of additional trade law provisions or regulations, the adoption or expansion of trade restrictions, including new or expanded economic sanctions in response to the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East;
• the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges on imports and exports, including any resulting retaliatory tariffs or charges and any reductions in the production of products subject to such tariffs and charges;
• foreign currency fluctuations; and
• restrictions on the transfer of funds.

We cannot predict whether the countries in which the products we sell, or any components of those products, are purchased or manufactured will be subject to new or additional trade restrictions or sanctions imposed by the United States or foreign governments, including the likelihood, type or effect of any such restrictions. Trade restrictions, including new or increased tariffs or quotas, embargoes, sanctions, safeguards and customs restrictions against the products we sell, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of product available to us and adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, our supply chain and our cost of goods also may be negatively impacted by unanticipated price increases due to factors such as inflation, including wage inflation, or to supply restrictions beyond our control or the control of our suppliers.

Failure to provide high quality services to our clients could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, results of operations or cash flows.

Our services include end-to-end technical configuration services related to the design, configuration, and implementation of IT solutions as well as warranties. In addition, we deliver and manage mission critical software, systems and network solutions for our customers. We also offer certain services, such as asset assessment, implementation, maintenance, and disposal services, to our customers through various third-party service providers engaged to perform these services on our behalf. If we or our third-party service providers fail to provide high quality services to our customers or such services result in an unplanned disruption of our customers’ businesses, this could, among other things, result in legal claims and proceedings and liability for us. As we expand our services and solutions offerings and provide increasingly complex services and solutions, we may be exposed to additional operational, regulatory and other risks. We could also incur liability for failure to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to new services and solutions we provide to our customers. The occurrence of any such failure could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, results of operations or cash flows.

General economic and political conditions, including unfavorable conditions in a business or industry sector, may lead our clients to delay or forgo investments in IT hardware, software and services.

Our business has been affected by and continues to be subject to changes in economic conditions that are outside of our control, including reductions in business investment, loss of consumer confidence, and fiscal uncertainty. Weak economic conditions generally or any broad-based reduction in IT spending would further adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. A prolonged slowdown in the global economy, including the possibility of recession or financial market instability or similar crisis, or in a business or industry sector, or the tightening of credit markets, could cause our clients to have difficulty accessing capital and credit sources, delay contractual payments, or delay or forgo decisions to upgrade or add to their existing IT environments, license new software or purchase products or services (particularly with respect to discretionary spending for hardware, software and services). For example, our customers exercised greater caution and selectivity with their short-term IT investment plans during 2024, which resulted in lower than anticipated sales across our customer base. Such events have in the past had and may in the future have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Economic or industry downturns could result in longer payment cycles, increased collection costs and defaults in excess of our expectations. A significant deterioration in our ability to collect on accounts receivable could also impact the cost or availability of financing under our credit facility.

Moreover, an adverse change in government spending policies (such as budget cuts or limitations or temporary shutdowns of government operations), shifts in budget priorities or reductions in revenue levels, could cause our Public Sector Solutions customers to reduce or delay their purchases or to terminate or not renew their contracts with us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. These possible actions or the adoption of new or modified procurement regulations or practices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.

Worldwide economic conditions and market volatility as a result of political leadership in certain countries and other disruptions to global and regional economies and markets, including continuing increases in inflation and interest rates, the possibility of recession, or financial market instability, may impact future business activities. External factors, such as potential terrorist attacks, acts of war, geopolitical and social turmoil or epidemics and other similar outbreaks in many parts of the world, could prevent or hinder our ability to do business, increase our costs and negatively affect our stock price. More generally, these geopolitical, social and economic conditions could result in increased volatility in the United States and worldwide in financial markets and in the economy, as well as other adverse impacts. For example, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces launched significant military actions against Ukraine, and sustained conflict and disruption in the region remains ongoing. Potential impacts related to the conflict include further market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, supply chain and logistics disruptions, adverse global economic conditions resulting from escalating domestic and geopolitical tensions, volatility and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates, inflationary pressures on raw materials and heightened cybersecurity threats, all of which could adversely impact our business.

We acquire a majority of our products for resale from a limited number of vendors. The loss of any one of these vendors could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We acquire a majority of our products for resale from a limited number of vendors. The loss of any one of these vendors could have a material adverse effect on our business. We acquire products for resale both directly from manufacturers and increasingly indirectly through distributors and other sources. Although we purchase from a diverse vendor base, product purchases from Ingram Micro, Inc., TD Synnex Corporation, and Dell Inc. accounted for approximately 25%, 23%, and 11%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2024. No other singular vendor supplied more than 10% of our total product purchases in the year 2024. If we are unable to acquire products, or if we experienced a change in business relationship with any of these vendors, we could experience a short-term disruption in the availability of products, and such disruption could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

Products manufactured by Microsoft Corporation, HP Inc., and Dell Inc. represented approximately 15%, 12%, and 12%, respectively, of our total product purchases in 2024. No other singular product manufacturer produced more than 10% of our total product purchases in the year 2024. We believe that in the event we experience either a short-term or permanent disruption of supply of Microsoft Corporation, HP Inc., or Dell Inc. products, such disruption would likely have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

We typically do not have long-term contracts with our vendor partners. As such, substantially all of these arrangements with partners are easily terminable, and there can be no assurance that manufacturers and publishers will continue to sell or will not limit or curtail the availability of their product to resellers like us. Most of our product vendors provide us with trade credit, of which the amount outstanding at December 31, 2024 was $300.2 million. Termination, interruption, or contraction of relationships with our vendors, including a reduction in the level of trade credit provided to us, could have a material adverse effect on our financial position.

Some product manufacturers either do not permit us to sell the full line of their products or limit the number of product units available to national solutions providers such as us. An element of our business strategy is to continue increasing our participation in first-to-market purchase opportunities. The availability of certain desired products, especially in the direct marketing channel, has been constrained in the past due to these limits imposed by product manufacturers. We could experience a material adverse effect to our business if we are unable to source first-to-market purchases or similar opportunities, or if significant availability constraints reoccur.

Virtualization of IT resources and applications, including networks, servers, applications, and data storage may disrupt or alter our traditional distribution models.

Our customers can access, through a cloud-based platform, business-critical solutions without the significant initial capital investment required for dedicated infrastructure. Growing demand for the development of cloud-based and other virtual services including SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, DaaS, and other emerging technologies, including IoT and AI, may reduce the demand for products and services we sell to our customers. Cloud offerings may influence our customers to move workloads to cloud providers, which may reduce the procurement of products and services from us. Changes in the IT industry may also affect the demand for our advanced professional and managed services. We have invested a significant amount of capital in our strategy to provide certain products and services, and this strategy may adversely impact our financial position due to competition or changes in the industry or improper focus or selection of the products and services we decide to offer. If we fail to react in a timely manner to such changes, our results of operations may be adversely affected. Our sales can be dependent on demand for specific product categories, and any change in demand for or supply of such products could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

The methods of distributing IT products are changing, and such changes may negatively impact us and our business.

The manner in which IT hardware and software is distributed and sold is changing, and new methods of distribution and sale have emerged, including distribution through cloud-based and other virtual solutions. In addition, hardware and software manufacturers have sold, and may intensify their efforts to sell, their products directly to end users. From time to time, certain manufacturers have instituted programs for the direct sales of large order quantities of hardware and software to certain major corporate accounts. These types of programs may continue to be developed and used by various manufacturers. Some of our vendors, including Apple, Dell Inc., HP Inc., and Lenovo, currently sell some of their products directly to end users and have stated their intentions to increase the level of such direct sales. In addition, manufacturers may attempt to increase the volume of software products distributed electronically to end users. An increase in the volume of products sold through or used by consumers of any of these competitive programs, or our inability to effectively adapt our business to increased electronic distribution of products and services to end users could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We depend heavily on third-party shippers to deliver our products to customers and would be adversely affected by a service interruption by these shippers.

Many of our customers elect to have their purchases shipped by an interstate common carrier, such as United Parcel Service, Inc., or UPS, or FedEx Corporation. A strike or other interruption in service, including, among other things, inclement weather experienced could adversely affect our ability to market or deliver products to customers on a timely basis.

We may experience increases in shipping and postage costs, which may adversely affect our business if we are not able to pass such increases on to our customers.

Shipping costs are a significant expense in the operation of our business. Increases in postal or shipping rates could significantly impact the cost of shipping customer orders and mailing our catalogs. Postage prices and shipping rates increase periodically, and we have no control over future increases. We have a long-term contract with UPS and believe that we have negotiated favorable shipping rates with our carriers. While we generally invoice customers for shipping and handling charges, we may not be able to pass on to our customers the full cost, including any future increases in the cost, of commercial delivery services, which would adversely affect our business.

We may experience a reduction in the incentive programs offered to us by our vendors.

Some product manufacturers and distributors provide us with incentives such as supplier reimbursements, payment discounts, price protection, rebates, and other similar arrangements. The increasingly competitive technology reseller market has already resulted in the following:

• reduction or elimination of some of these incentive programs;
• more restrictive price protection and other terms; and
• reduced advertising allowances and incentives.

Many product suppliers provide us with advertising allowances, and in exchange, we feature their products on our website and in other marketing vehicles. These vendor allowances, to the extent that they represent specific reimbursements of incremental and identifiable costs, are offset against SG&A expenses. Advertising allowances that cannot be associated with a specific program funded by an individual vendor or that exceed the fair value of advertising expense associated with that program are classified as offsets to cost of sales or inventory. In the past, we have experienced a decrease in the level of vendor consideration available to us from certain manufacturers. The level of such consideration we receive from some manufacturers may decline in the future. Such a decline could decrease our gross profit and have a material adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows.

Should our financial performance not meet expectations, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings for impairment of goodwill and other intangibles.

We test goodwill for impairment each year and more frequently if potential impairment indicators arise. Although the fair value of our Enterprise Solutions and Business Solutions reporting units exceeded their carrying value at our annual impairment test, should the financial performance of a reporting unit not meet expectations due to the economy or otherwise, we would likely adjust downward expected future operating results and cash flows. Such adjustment may result in a determination that the carrying value of goodwill and other intangibles for a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. This determination may in turn require that we record a significant non-cash charge to earnings to reduce the $73.6 million aggregate carrying amount of goodwill held by our Enterprise Solutions and Business Solutions reporting units, resulting in a negative effect on our results of operations.

We are exposed to inventory obsolescence due to the rapid technological changes occurring in the IT industry.

The market for IT products is characterized by rapid technological change and the frequent introduction of new products and product enhancements. Our success depends in large part on our ability to identify and market products that meet the needs of customers in that marketplace. In order to satisfy customer demand and to obtain favorable purchasing discounts, we have and may continue to carry increased inventory levels of certain products. By doing so, we are subject to the increased risk of inventory obsolescence. Also, in order to implement our business strategy, we intend to continue, among other things, placing larger than typical inventory stocking orders of selected products and increasing our participation in first-to-market purchase opportunities. We may also, from time to time, make large inventory purchases of certain end-of-life products, which would increase the risk of inventory obsolescence. In addition, we sometimes acquire special purchase products without return privileges. For these and other reasons, we may not be able to avoid losses related to obsolete inventory. Manufacturers have limited return rights and have taken steps to reduce their inventory exposure by supporting “configure-to-order” programs authorizing distributors and resellers to assemble computer hardware under the manufacturers’ brands. These actions reduce the costs to manufacturers and shift the burden of inventory risk to resellers like us, which could negatively impact our business.

We are exposed to accounts receivable risk and if customers fail to timely pay amounts due to us, our results of operations and/or cash flows could be adversely affected.

We extend credit to our customers for a significant portion of our net sales, typically on 30-day payment terms. We are subject to the risk that our customers may not pay for the products they have purchased or may pay at a slower rate than we have historically experienced. This risk is heightened during periods of global or industry-specific economic downturn or uncertainty, during periods of rising interest rates or, in the case of public sector customers, during periods of budget constraints. Any significant deterioration in our customers’ credit quality could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Customer default risk is influenced by a number of factors outside of our control, including our customers’ financial strength, overall demand for our customers’ products and general macroeconomic conditions. Customers may also initiate payment disputes, including as a result of dissatisfaction with the product, IT solution or service they have purchased from us. We have established provisions for losses of receivables. However, actual losses on customer receivables could differ from those that we currently anticipate and, as a result, we may have to increase our provisions which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We are dependent on key personnel and, more generally, skilled personnel in all areas of our business and the loss of key persons or the inability to attract, train and retain qualified personnel could adversely impact our business.

Our future performance will depend to a significant extent upon the efforts and abilities of our senior executives and other key management personnel. The current environment for qualified management personnel in the computer products industry is very competitive, and the loss of service of one or more of these persons could have an adverse effect on our business. Our success and plans for future growth will also depend on our ability to hire, train, and retain skilled personnel in all areas of our business, especially sales representatives and technical support personnel. Our inability to hire, retain, train and redeploy our professionals to successfully drive our business and keep up with ever-changing technologies, could limit our ability to meet our customers’ needs and attract new customers and jeopardize our competitive position. In addition, we may face wage inflation in the future, in particular due to the strong competition for qualified personnel in our sector. Failure to pass on these cost increases to our customers or mitigate the increase in wages by increasing our operational efficiency could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and results of operations.

We face various risks related to health epidemics, pandemics and similar outbreaks, which may have material adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

We face a wide variety of risks related to health epidemics, pandemics and similar outbreaks, especially of infectious diseases. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted the global health and economic environment, including millions of confirmed cases and deaths, business slowdowns or shutdowns, labor shortages, supply chain challenges, changes in government spending and requirements, regulatory challenges, inflationary pressures and market volatility. As discussed in our prior Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings, our operations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic challenges. However, we have worked hard to address and mitigate adverse impacts attributable to COVID-19, and we do not currently anticipate significant additional direct impacts from the pandemic itself on our operations. Nonetheless, we cannot predict the future course of events.

If, for example, a new health epidemic or outbreak were to occur, we likely would experience broad and varied impacts, including potentially to our workforce and supply chain, with inflationary pressures and increased costs (which may or may not be fully recoverable), schedule or production delays, market volatility and other financial impacts. If any or all of these items were to occur, we could experience adverse impacts on our overall performance, operations and financial results. Given the tremendous uncertainties and variables, we cannot at this time predict the impact of any future health epidemics, pandemics or similar outbreaks, but any one could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Technology, Data and Intellectual Property

Cyberattacks or the failure to safeguard personal information and our IT systems could result in liability and harm our reputation, which could adversely affect our business.

Our business is heavily dependent upon IT networks and systems. We have experienced attacks and attempted attacks that have generally been in the form of active intrusion attempts from the Internet, passive vulnerability mapping from the Internet, and internal malware and or phishing attempts delivered through user actions. Future internal or external attacks on our networks and systems could disrupt our normal operations centers and impede our ability to provide critical products and services to our customers and clients, subjecting us to liability under our contracts and damaging our reputation.

Our business also involves the use, storage and transmission of proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data, including personal information about our employees, our clients and customers of our clients. While we take measures to protect the security of, and prevent unauthorized access to, our systems and personal and proprietary information, the security controls for our systems, as well as other security practices we follow, may not prevent improper access to, or disclosure of, personally identifiable or proprietary information. Furthermore, the evolving nature of threats to data security, in light of new and sophisticated methods used by threat actors, including computer viruses, malware, phishing, misrepresentation, social engineering, and forgery, make it increasingly challenging to anticipate and adequately mitigate these risks. The risk of cyber incidents could also be increased by cyberwarfare in connection with the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, including potential proliferation of malware from the conflict into systems unrelated to the conflict.

Breaches in security could expose us, our supply chain, our customers or other individuals to significant disruptions, a risk of public disclosure, loss or misuse of this information. Security breaches could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers and damage to our brand and reputation. Moreover, media or other reports of perceived vulnerabilities in our network security or perceived lack of security within our environment, even if inaccurate, could adversely impact our reputation and materially impact our business. The cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant. Such breaches, costs and consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations, or cash flows.

Our business could be materially adversely affected by system failures, interruption, integration issues, or security lapses of our IT systems or those of our third-party providers.

Our ability to effectively manage our business depends significantly on our information systems and infrastructure as well as, in certain instances those of our business partners and third-party providers. The failure of our current systems to operate effectively or to integrate with other systems, including integration of upgrades to better meet the changing needs of our customers, could result in transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, and the loss of sales and customers. In addition, cybersecurity threats are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to company or customer data, denial of service attacks, the processing of fraudulent transactions, and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information, and corruption of data. In our case, these attacks and attempted attacks have generally been in the form of active intrusion attempts from the Internet, passive vulnerability mapping from the Internet, and internal malware and or phishing attempts delivered through user actions. Although we have in place various processes, procedures, and controls to monitor and mitigate these threats, these measures may not be sufficient to prevent a material security threat or mitigate these risks for our customers. If any of these events were to materialize, they could lead to disruption of our operations or loss of sensitive information as well as subject us to regulatory actions, litigation, or damage to our reputation, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows. Similar risks exist with respect to our business partners and third-party providers. As a result, we are subject to the risk that the activities of our business partners and third-party providers may adversely affect our business even if an attack or breach does not directly impact our systems.

We are reliant on the continued development of electronic commerce and Internet infrastructure development to grow our overall sales.

We continue to have increasing levels of sales made through our e-commerce sites. The on-line experience for our clients continues to improve, but the competitive nature of the e-commerce channel also continues to increase. Growth of our overall sales is dependent on customers continuing to expand their on-line purchases in addition to traditional channels to purchase products and services. We cannot accurately predict the rate at which on-line purchases will expand.

Our success in growing our Internet business will depend in large part upon our development of an increasingly sophisticated e-commerce experience and infrastructure. Increasing customer sophistication requires that we provide additional website features and functionality in order to be competitive in the marketplace and maintain market share. We will continue to iterate our website features, but we cannot predict future trends and required functionality or our adoption rate for customer preferences. As the number of on-line users continues to grow, such growth may impact the performance of our existing Internet infrastructure, which would adversely impact our business.

We could experience Internet and other system failures which would interfere with our ability to process orders.

We depend on the accuracy and proper use of our management information systems, including our telephone system. Many of our key functions depend on the quality and effective utilization of the information generated by our management information systems, including:

• our ability to purchase, sell, and ship products efficiently and on a timely basis;
• our ability to manage inventory and accounts receivable collection; and
• our ability to maintain our operations.

Our management information systems require continual upgrades to effectively manage our operations and customer database. Although we maintain some redundant systems, with full data backup, a significant component of our computer and telecommunications hardware is located in a single facility in New Hampshire, and a substantial interruption in our management information systems or in our telephone communication systems, including those resulting from extreme weather and natural disasters, as well as power loss, telecommunications failure, or similar events, would substantially hinder our ability to process customer orders and thus could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Privacy concerns with respect to list development and maintenance may materially adversely affect our business.

We mail catalogs and other promotional materials to names in our customer database and to potential customers whose names we obtain from rented or exchanged mailing lists. Public concern regarding the protection of personal information has subjected the rental and use of customer mailing lists and other customer information to increased scrutiny. Legislation enacted limiting or prohibiting the use of rented or exchanged mailing lists could negatively affect our business.

Risks Related to Regulatory and Legal Matters

We are exposed to risks from legal proceedings and audits, which may result in substantial costs and expenses or interruption of our normal business operations.

We are party to various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, which include commercial, employment, tort and other litigation.

We are subject to intellectual property infringement claims against us from time to time in the ordinary course of our business, either because of the products and services we sell or the business systems and processes we use to sell such products and services, in the form of cease-and-desist letters, licensing inquiries, lawsuits and other communications and demands. In our industry, such intellectual property claims have become more frequent as the complexity of technological products and the intensity of competition in our industry have increased. Increasingly, many of these assertions are brought by non-practicing entities whose principal business model is to secure patent licensing revenue, but we may also be subject to demands from inventors, competitors or other patent holders who may seek licensing revenue, lost profits and/or an injunction preventing us from engaging in certain activities, including selling certain products or services.

We also are subject to proceedings, investigations and audits by federal, state, international, national, provincial and local authorities, including as a result of our sales to governmental entities. We also are subject to audits by various vendor partners and large customers, including government agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, we are subject to indemnification claims under various contracts.

Current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings and investigations, audits or indemnification claims that we face may result in substantial costs and expenses and significantly divert the attention of our management regardless of the outcome. In addition, these matters could lead to increased costs or interruptions of our normal business operations. Litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings and investigations, audits or indemnification claims involve uncertainties and the eventual outcome of any such matter could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.

The failure to comply with our public sector contracts could result in, among other things, fines or liabilities.

Revenues from the Public Sector Solutions segment are derived from sales to federal, state, and local government departments and agencies, as well as to educational institutions, through various contracts and open market sales. Government contracting is a highly regulated area. Noncompliance with government procurement regulations or contract provisions could result in civil, criminal, and administrative liability, including substantial monetary fines or damages, termination of government contracts, and suspension, debarment, or ineligibility from doing business with the government. Our current arrangements with these government agencies allow them to cancel orders with little or no notice and do not require them to purchase products from us in the future. The effect of any of these possible actions by any government department or agency could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

We face uncertainties relating to the collection of state sales and use tax.

We collect and remit sales and use taxes in states in which we have either voluntarily registered or have a physical presence. Various states have sought to impose on direct marketers the burden of collecting state sales and use taxes on the sales of products shipped to their residents. Many states have adopted rules that require companies and their affiliates to register in those states as a condition of doing business with those state agencies. Our three sales companies are registered in substantially all states, however, if a state were to determine that our earlier contacts with that state exceeded the constitutionally permitted contacts, the state could assess a tax liability relating to our prior year sales.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our common stock price may be volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance, and holders of our common stock could lose a significant portion of their investment.

The market price for our common stock may be volatile. Our stockholders may not be able to resell their shares of common stock at or above the price at which they purchased such shares, due to fluctuations in the market price of our common stock, which may be caused by a number of factors, many of which we cannot control, including the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the following:

• changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our common stock, our failure to meet these estimates or failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of our common stock;
• downgrades by any securities analysts who follow our common stock;
• future sales of our common stock by our officers, directors and significant stockholders;
• market conditions or trends in our industry or the economy as a whole;
• investors’ perceptions of our prospects;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures or capital commitments; and
• changes in key personnel.

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies, including companies in our industry. In the past, securities class action litigation has followed periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs, and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business.

In the future, we may also issue our securities in connection with investments or acquisitions. The number of shares of our common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of our common stock and depress our stock price.

We are controlled by one principal stockholder.

Patricia Gallup, our principal stockholder, beneficially owned or controlled, in the aggregate, approximately 52% of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of December 31, 2024. Because of her beneficial stock ownership, the stockholder can continue to elect the members of the Board of Directors and decide all matters requiring stockholder approval at a meeting or by a written consent in lieu of a meeting. Similarly, such stockholder can control decisions to adopt, amend, or repeal our charter and our bylaws, or take other actions requiring the vote or consent of our stockholders and prevent a takeover of us by one or more third parties, or sell or otherwise transfer their stock to a third party, which could deprive our stockholders of a control premium that might otherwise be realized by her in connection with an acquisition of our Company. Such control may result in decisions that are not in the best interest of our unaffiliated public stockholders.

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

We have established processes, procedures, and controls to identify, manage, assess, and mitigate material risks from cybersecurity threats which are designed to help protect our information assets and operations from internal and external cyber threats by understanding and seeking to manage risk while ensuring business resiliency, protecting employee and customer information from unauthorized access or attack, and securing our networks, systems, devices, products, and services, or our Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation Practices. We conduct tests on our systems and incident simulations to help discover potential vulnerabilities and ensure the effectiveness of our Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation Practices. We engage external parties, including consultants, independent privacy assessors, computer security firms, and risk management and governance experts, to enhance our cybersecurity oversight. We also regularly consult with industry groups on emerging industry trends. In order to oversee and identify risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our use of third-party service providers, we have a third-party risk management program designed to help protect against the misuse of information technology by third parties and business partners.

As of the date of this Annual Report Form 10-K, we are not aware of any cybersecurity threats that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. However, as discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” specifically the risks titled “Cyberattacks or the failure to safeguard personal information and our IT systems could result in liability and harm our reputation, which could adversely affect our business” and “Our business could be materially adversely affected by system failures, interruption, integration issues, or security lapses of our IT systems or those of our third-party providers,” the sophistication of cyber threats continues to increase, and the preventative actions we take to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our systems and information may be insufficient. Accordingly, no matter how well our controls are designed or implemented, we will not be able to anticipate all security breaches, and we may not be able to implement effective preventive measures against such security breaches in a timely manner.

Cybersecurity Governance and Oversight

Our Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation Practices are managed on a day-to-day basis by members of our Information Security Steering Committee, or the Committee, and are overseen by our Board of Directors. The Committee is composed of senior management, including our Chief Information Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and senior vice presidents from various areas of the organization including IT, compliance, legal, operations and human resources, including the Vice President of Information Security and Compliance. The Vice President of Information Security and Compliance has over 40 years of IT experience and is a certified information systems security professional. The Chief Information Officer has over 10 years of experience managing cybersecurity, data protection, and incident management teams, and over 20 years of experience managing compliance and regulatory processes and controls.

As part of the administration of our Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation Practices, the Committee is tasked with managing and mitigating our exposure to cybersecurity threats, creating our cybersecurity policies, and establishing short and long-term cybersecurity goals and objectives that are designed to protect our information systems. The Committee is also responsible for planning ordinary course security projects and initiatives aimed at ensuring that our organizational leaders are informing our employees about our cybersecurity policies and about cybersecurity basic practices. On a periodic basis, the Committee meets to review the performance and effectiveness of our Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation Practices.

Members of the Committee will present the results of the periodic performance and effectiveness review to our Board of Directors, who oversee our risk management processes directly and through its committees. These results, along with other cybersecurity topics including updates on previously identified material cybersecurity threats or incidents, are presented at regularly scheduled meetings. Members of the Committee will also notify our Board of Directors between such meetings regarding significant new or updates to ongoing cybersecurity threats or incidents.

In December 1997, we entered into a lease agreement for our corporate headquarters located at 730 Milford Road, Merrimack, New Hampshire 03054-4631, with an affiliated company, G&H Post, which is related to us through common ownership, or the Merrimack lease. The Merrimack lease was most recently amended in May 2014 to, among other things, extend the expiration date of the lease to November 2023. We have continued to occupy our corporate headquarters following the expiration of the lease and make rent payments to G&H Post in the amount provided for in the amended Merrimack lease. We have also continued to pay the real estate taxes, insurance, and common area maintenance charges which were required under the Merrimack lease.

We also entered into a lease for an office facility adjacent to our corporate headquarters in August 2008 from the same affiliated company, G&H Post, or the Second Merrimack lease, which is used by our Public Sector Solutions Segment. The Second Merrimack lease included an initial term of ten years and provided us two options to extend the term of the Second Merrimack lease each for an additional two years. We exercised both options to extend the Second Merrimack lease, extending the lease until July 2022. Following the expiration of the Second Merrimack lease, we have continued to occupy the office facility adjacent to our corporate headquarters and make rent payments to G&H Post in the amount provided for in the Second Merrimack lease. We also have continued to pay the real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges, and insurance premiums which were required under the Second Merrimack lease.

We lease a facility in Wilmington, Ohio, which houses our distribution and order fulfillment operations and services all three of our operating segments. We also operate sales and support offices throughout the United States and lease facilities at these locations. These leased facilities are utilized by all three of our operating segments. Leasehold improvements associated with these properties are amortized over the terms of the leases or their useful lives, whichever is shorter. We believe that our physical properties will be sufficient to support our anticipated needs through the next twelve months and beyond.

From time to time and in the ordinary course of business, we are subject to various legal proceedings and claims. While we are unable to predict the outcome of these matters, we do not believe, based upon currently available facts, that the ultimate resolution of any such pending matters will have a material adverse effect on our overall financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, or MD&A, is intended to promote an understanding of our results of operations and financial condition. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This section discusses the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 and year-to-year comparison between the year ended December 31, 2024 and the year ended December 31, 2023. Discussion of the year ended December 31, 2023 and the year-to-year comparison between the year ended December 31, 2023 and the year ended December 31, 2022 can be found in Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussions and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our MD&A also includes discussion of certain forward-looking trends and other statements that predict or anticipate future business or financial results that are subject to important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated. See “Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

OVERVIEW

We are a Fortune 1000 Global Solutions Provider that simplifies the IT customer experience, guiding the connection between people and technology. Our dedicated account managers partner with customers to design, deploy, and support cutting-edge IT environments using the latest hardware, software, and services. We provide a wide range of IT solutions, from the desktop to the cloud—including computer systems, data center solutions, software and peripheral equipment, networking communications, and other products and accessories that we purchase from manufacturers, distributors, and other suppliers. Our TSO and state-of-the-art TIDC, with ISO 9001:2015 certified technical configuration lab, offer end-to-end services related to the design, configuration, and implementation of IT solutions. Our team also provides a comprehensive portfolio of managed services and professional services. These services are performed by our personnel and by third-party providers. Our GlobalServe offering ensures worldwide coverage for our multinational customers, delivering global procurement solutions through our network of in-country suppliers in over 150 countries.

The “Connection®” brand includes Connection Enterprise Solutions, Connection Business Solutions, and Connection Public Sector Solutions, which provide IT solutions and services to enterprise, SMBs, and public sector markets.

Financial results for each of our segments are included in the financial statements attached hereto. We generate sales through (i) outbound inside sales and field sales contacts by sales representatives focused on the business, educational, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and government markets, (ii) our websites, and (iii) direct responses from customers responding to our advertising media. We offer a broad selection of over 460,000 products at competitive prices, including products from vendors like Apple, Cisco, Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Inc., Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft Corporation, and VMware, and we partner with more than 2,500 suppliers. We are able to leverage our state-of-the art logistic capabilities to rapidly ship product to customers.

As a value-added reseller in the IT supply chain, we do not manufacture IT hardware or software products. We are dependent on our suppliers—manufacturers and distributors that historically have only sold to resellers rather than directly to end users. However, certain manufacturers have, on multiple occasions, sold or attempted to sell directly to our customers, and in some cases, have restricted our ability to sell their products directly to certain customers, thereby attempting to and, in some cases successfully, eliminate our role. We believe that the success of these direct sales efforts by manufacturers will depend on their ability to meet our customers’ ongoing demands and provide solutions to meet their needs. We believe more of our customers are seeking out comprehensive and integrated IT solutions, rather than the ability to acquire specific IT products on a one-off basis. Our advantage is our ability to be product-neutral and provide a broader combination of products, services, and advice tailored to our customers’ individual needs. By providing customers with customized solutions from a variety of manufacturers, we believe we can mitigate the negative impact of continued direct sales initiatives from individual manufacturers. Through the formation of our TSO, we are able to provide customers complete IT solutions, from identifying their needs, to designing, developing, and managing the integration of products and services to implement their IT projects. Such service offerings carry higher margins than traditional product sales. Additionally, the technical certifications of our service engineers permit us to offer higher-end, more complex products that generally carry higher gross margins. We expect these service offerings and technical certifications to continue to play a role in sales generation and gross margin improvements in this competitive environment.

The primary challenges we continue to face in effectively managing our business are (1) increasing our product and service revenues while at the same time improving our gross margin in all three segments, (2) recruiting, retaining, and improving the productivity of our sales and technical support personnel, and (3) effectively controlling our SG&A expenses while making major investments in our IT systems and solution selling personnel, especially in relation to changing revenue levels.

To support future growth, we have invested and expect to continue to invest in our IT solutions business, which requires the addition of highly skilled service engineers. Although we expect to realize the ultimate benefit of higher-margin service revenues under this multi-year initiative, we believe that our cost of services will increase as we add additional service engineers. If our service revenues do not grow enough to offset the cost of these headcount additions, our operating results may be negatively impacted.

Market conditions and technology advances significantly affect the demand for our products and services. Virtual delivery of software products and advanced Internet technology providing customers enhanced functionality have substantially increased customer expectations, requiring us to invest on an ongoing basis in our own IT infrastructure to meet these new demands.

Our investments in IT infrastructure are designed to enable us to operate more efficiently and provide our customers enhanced functionality.

Trends and Key Factors Affecting our Financial Performance

• As the AI market continues to evolve, it is difficult to predict and forecast its potential impact on our business and results of operations in the future. We may be required to make significant investments to keep up with increasing competition surrounding AI. Additionally, potential issues with the AI products we sell could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations in the future.
• Inflation due to, among other things, higher interest rates and the uncertain economic environment, impacts product costs and wages. The increased product costs and wages due to inflation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If product costs and wages increase significantly or for an extended period of time, we may not be able to adjust prices to sufficiently offset the effect of the various cost increases without negatively impacting customer demand.
• The Federal Reserve decreased interest rates in 2024, but it is uncertain whether interest rates will remain the same, decrease, or increase in 2025. Although we do not have any borrowing under our credit facility, should we need to borrow in the future, we may be exposed to high interest rates. Additionally, if interest rates were to decrease, our interest income on our cash equivalents and short-term investments would also decrease.
• The impact of proposed tariffs remains uncertain. If the economic impact of any imposed tariff is passed through to us by our vendors, our results of operations could be impacted.
• Changes in partner funding programs could change the amount of incentives received by us, which could impact our results of operations.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table sets forth information derived from our statements of income expressed as a percentage of net sales for the periods indicated:

Net sales of $2,802.1 million in 2024 reflected a decrease of $48.5 million compared to 2023, which was driven by lower net sales for our Enterprise Solutions and Business Solutions segments as shown in the table on page 34 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The decrease in net sales was primarily driven by a decrease in net sales of advanced technology categories including net/com products and software of $85.7 million and $44.1 million, respectively. These decreases were partially offset by increases in net sales of notebooks/mobility and desktops of $42.3 million and $31.3 million, respectively, as shown in Note 2, “Revenue” to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Gross profit increased year-over-year by $8.1 million as shown in the table on page 34 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, primarily due to improved margins in desktops in the current year. Gross margin increased year-over-year by 60 basis points as shown in the above table primarily due to an increase in the amount of software sales recognized on a net basis, combined with improved margins in desktops. SG&A expenses increased year-over-year both in dollars and as a percentage of net sales primarily due to investments in resources to strengthen our sales, technical sales, and services capabilities combined with the decrease in net sales. Operating income decreased year-over-year in dollars but remained consistent as a percentage of net sales primarily due to the increase in SG&A expenses.

Sales Distribution

The following table sets forth our percentage of net sales by operating segment and product mix:

Gross Margins

The following table summarizes our overall gross margins, as a percentage of net sales, for the last three years:

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales includes the invoice cost of the product, direct employee and third-party cost of services, direct costs of packaging, inbound and outbound freight, and provisions for inventory obsolescence, adjusted for discounts, rebates, and other vendor allowances.

Operating Expenses

The following table reflects our most significant operating expenses for the last three years (dollars in millions):

($ in millions)

Restructuring and other charges

During the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we undertook actions to lower our cost structure. In connection with these initiatives, we incurred restructuring and other charges of $0.4 million and $2.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. These restructuring charges were primarily related to an involuntary reduction in our headquarter workforce and included cash severance and other related termination benefits. No amounts related to these costs are included in accrued expenses and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets as all such amounts have been paid as of December 31, 2024. There were no restructuring related costs incurred for the year ended December 31, 2022.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR COMPARISONS

Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023

Changes in net sales and gross profit by operating segment are shown in the following table (dollars in millions):

Net sales decreased by 1.7% to $2,802.1 million in 2024 from $2,850.6 million in 2023, as explained below:

• Net sales of $1,181.2 million for the Enterprise Solutions segment reflect a decrease of $19.9 million, or 1.7%, year-over-year, primarily due to a decrease in net sales of advanced technologies. Net sales of net/com products, notebooks/mobility, software, other hardware/services, and servers/storage decreased year-over-year by $23.1 million, $23.0 million, $19.4 million, $10.9 million, and $10.8 million, respectively. These decreases were partially offset by increases in net sales of desktops, displays and sound, and accessories of $38.3 million, $25.7 million, and $3.1 million, respectively.
• Net sales of $1,049.1 million for the Business Solutions segment reflect a decrease of $26.5 million, or 2.5% year-over-year, primarily due to a decrease in net sales of advanced technologies. Net sales of net/com products, software, and displays and sound decreased year-over-year by $40.6 million, $21.3 million, and $8.9 million, respectively. These decreases were partially offset by increases in net sales of notebooks/mobility, servers/storage, and accessories of $21.2 million, $19.6 million, and $2.7 million, respectively.
• Net sales of $571.8 million for the Public Sector Solutions segment reflect a decrease of $2.1 million, or 0.4%, year-over-year. The decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in sales to state and local government and educational institutions of $21.1 million, partially offset by an increase of sales to federal governments of $19.0 million. Net sales of net/com products, desktops, other hardware/services, servers/storage, software, and displays and sound decreased year-over-year by $22.0 million, $7.3 million, $5.5 million, $5.0 million, $3.5 million, and $2.8 million, respectively. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in net sales of notebooks/mobility of $44.1 million.

Gross profit increased by 1.6% to $519.8 million in 2024, while gross margin increased by 60 basis points to 18.6% in 2024, as explained below:

• Gross profit for the Enterprise Solutions segment remained substantially the same year-over-year as referenced in the above table. Gross margin increased 30 basis points compared to the prior year primarily due to an increase in the amount of software sales recognized on a net basis, as well as improved invoice margins in desktops.
• Gross profit for the Business Solutions segment increased $5.3 million, or 2.2% year-over-year as referenced in the above table, primarily as a result of improved invoice margins in desktops and notebooks/mobility. Gross margin

increased 110 basis points compared to the prior year primarily due to an increase in the amount of software sales recognized on a net basis.

• Gross profit for the Public Sector Solutions segment increased by $1.7 million, or 1.9% year-over-year as referenced in the table on the previous page, primarily as a result of improved invoice margins in notebooks/mobility. Gross margin increased 40 basis points compared to the prior year primarily due to an increase in the amount of software sales recognized on a net basis.

SG&A expense in 2024 increased year-over-year both in dollars and as a percentage of net sales. SG&A expenses attributable to our three operating segments and the remaining unallocated Headquarters/Other expenses are summarized below (dollars in millions):

• SG&A expenses for the Enterprise Solutions segment increased both in dollars and as a percentage of net sales. The year-over-year increase in SG&A dollars was primarily attributable to an increase in the use of shared Headquarter services of $12.8 million. This increase was partially offset by a decrease in personnel costs of $5.7 million. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales were 12.4% for the Enterprise Solutions segment for the year ended December 31, 2024, which reflects an increase of 90 basis points and is primarily due to the decrease in net sales combined with the increase in SG&A expenses.
• SG&A expenses for the Business Solutions segment increased both in dollars and as a percentage of net sales. The year-over-year increase in SG&A dollars was primarily attributable to increases in the use of shared Headquarter services and marketing of $4.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in personnel costs of $2.6 million. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales were 16.7% for the Business Solutions segment for the year ended December 31, 2024, which reflects an increase of 80 basis points and is primarily due to the decrease in net sales combined with the increase in SG&A expenses.
• SG&A expenses for the Public Sector Solutions segment increased both in dollars and as a percentage of net sales. The year-over-year increase in SG&A dollars was primarily attributable to an increase in the use of shared Headquarter services of $2.2 million. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales were 14.9% for the Public Sector Solutions segment for the year ended December 31, 2024, which reflects an increase of 30 basis points and is primarily due to the decrease in net sales combined with the increase in SG&A expenses.
• SG&A expenses for the Headquarters/Other increased by $2.7 million primarily due to increases in personnel costs and service contracts/subscriptions of $17.7 million and $4.0 million, respectively. These increases were partially offset by an increase in the allocated amounts to the sales segments of $19.5 million. The Headquarters/Other provides services to the three segments in areas such as finance, distribution center, human resources, IT, marketing, and product management. Most of the operating costs associated with such corporate Headquarters services are charged to the segments based on their estimated allocation usage of the underlying services.

Restructuring and other charges for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $0.4 million, compared to $2.7 million for the same period in the prior year. The restructuring and other charges were primarily related to expenses incurred in connection with the involuntary reduction in our headquarter workforce and included cash severance and other related termination benefits.

Income from operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased to $97.1 million, compared to $103.2 million for the same period in the prior year, primarily due to the increase in SG&A expenses explained above. Income from operations as a percentage of net sales remained substantially the same for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same period in the prior year.

Interest income, net for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased to $18.7 million, compared to $10.0 million for the same period in the prior year, primarily due to an increase in interest income of $8.9 million as a result of higher cash equivalent balances and interest rates on short-term investments.

Other income for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $1.7 million as a result of a legal settlement received.

Income taxes. Our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $30.4 million, compared to $29.8 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase in our provision for income taxes was primarily due to the increase in interest income, net, partially offset by the decrease in income from operations. Our effective tax rate was 25.9% for the year-ended December 31, 2024, compared to 26.4% for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the release of the valuation allowance on state net operating losses.

Net income increased by $3.8 million to $87.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from $83.3 million in the prior year, primarily due to the increase in interest income, net, partially offset by the decrease in income from operations, as explained above.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Liquidity Overview

Our primary sources of liquidity are internally generated funds from operations, short-term investments, and borrowings under our credit facility. We have historically used and expect to use in the future those funds to meet our capital requirements, which consist primarily of working capital for operational needs, capital expenditures for computer equipment and software used in our business, repurchases of common stock for treasury, dividend payments, and as opportunities arise, possible acquisitions of new businesses.

We believe that funds generated from operations, together with available capacity under our credit facility, will be sufficient to finance our working capital, capital expenditures, and other requirements for at least the next twelve calendar months and beyond such twelve calendar month period. Our investments in IT systems and infrastructure are designed to enable us to operate more efficiently and to provide our customers enhanced functionality.

We expect to meet our cash requirements for 2025 and beyond through a combination of cash on hand, short-term investments, cash generated from operations, and borrowings under our credit facility, as follows:

• Cash on Hand. As of December 31, 2024, we had $178.3 million in cash and cash equivalents.
• Short-term Investments. As of December 31, 2024, we had $264.3 million in short-term investments.
• Cash Generated from Operations. We expect to generate cash flows from operations in excess of operating cash needs by generating earnings and managing net changes in inventories and receivables with changes in payables to generate positive cash flow.
• Credit facility. As of December 31, 2024, no borrowings were outstanding under our $50.0 million credit facility, which is available until March 2025. Accordingly, our entire line of credit was available for borrowing as of December 31, 2024. This line of credit can be increased, at our option, to $80.0 million for approved acquisitions or other uses authorized by the bank. Borrowings are, however, limited by certain minimum collateral and earnings requirements, as described more fully below. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the covenants of our credit facility.

Our ability to continue funding our planned growth, both internally and externally, is dependent upon our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or to obtain additional funds through equity or debt financing, or from other sources of financing, as may be required. While we do not anticipate needing any additional sources of financing to fund our operations at this time, if demand for IT products declines, or our customers are materially adversely impacted by the developing macroeconomic trends characterized by inflation and increased interest rates, our cash flows from operations may be substantially affected. For additional discussion regarding the factors which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, see our discussion under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Summary Sources and Uses of Cash

The following table summarizes our sources and uses of cash over the last three years (in millions):

Cash provided by operating activities was $173.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, which resulted primarily from $87.1 million of net income, $18.4 million of total non-cash charges added back to net income (including $13.0 million of depreciation and amortization and $8.5 million of stock-based compensation expense added back to net income, and $4.2 million of amortization of discount on short-term investments removed from net income), a $36.5 million increase in accounts payable, and a $29.1 million decrease in inventory. The increase in accounts payable was primarily driven by the timing of payments. The decrease in inventory was primarily due to improvements in inventory management in the current year. Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 resulted primarily from net income of $83.3 million, $18.4 million of other non-cash charges added back to net income, including $12.7 million of depreciation and amortization and $7.0 million of stock-based compensation expense, an $84.5 million decrease in inventory, and a $31.1 million increase in accounts payable, partially offset by a decrease in accrued expenses and other liabilities of $11.8 million and an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $8.5 million.

In order to manage our working capital and operating cash needs, we monitor our cash conversion cycle, defined as days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable plus days of supply in inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable, based on a rolling three-month average. Components of our cash conversion cycle are as follows:

(1) Represents the trade receivable at the end of the period divided by average daily net sales for the same three-month period.

(2) Represents the merchandise inventory balance at the end of the period divided by average daily cost of sales for the same three-month period.

(3) Represents the accounts payable balance at the end of the period divided by average daily cost of sales for the same three-month period.

The cash conversion cycle decreased to 40 days for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to 51 days for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, as evidenced in the above cash conversion table. The decrease in DSO is primarily due to an increase in net sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in DIO is consistent with the decrease in inventory discussed above. The increase in DPO is consistent with the increase in accounts payable discussed above.

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 consisted of $358.3 million of purchases of short-term U.S. Government treasury securities, $250.6 million of maturities of U.S. Government treasury securities, and $7.6 million of purchases of property and equipment. The property and equipment expenditures were primarily for computer equipment and capitalized internally-developed software in connection with investments in our IT infrastructure. Cash used in investing activities for the prior year consisted of $150.6 million of purchases of short-term U.S. Government treasury securities and $9.6 million of purchases of property and equipment.

Cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 consisted of $26.1 million of aggregate borrowings and repayments under our credit facility, $12.4 million of treasury repurchases, $10.5 million of dividend payments, $1.1 million of issuances of stock under the 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and $3.4 million of payroll taxes on stock-based compensation through shares withheld. In the prior year period, financing activities consisted of $88.2 million of aggregate borrowings and repayments under our credit facility, $5.4 million of treasury repurchases, $8.4 million of dividend payments, $1.1 million of issuances of stock under the 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and $3.0 million of payroll taxes on stock-based compensation through shares withheld.

Debt Instruments, Contractual Agreements, and Related Covenants

Below is a summary of certain provisions of our credit facilities and other contractual obligations. For more information about the restrictive covenants in our debt instruments and inventory financing agreements, see “Factors Affecting Sources of Liquidity” below. For more information about our obligations, commitments, and contingencies, see our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included in this annual report.

Credit facility. Our credit facility extends until March 2025 and is collateralized by our accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2024, our borrowing capacity under the credit facility was up to $50.0 million. Amounts outstanding under this facility bear interest at the greatest of (i) the prime rate (7.50% at December 31, 2024), (ii) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50% per annum, and (iii) the daily Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR, plus 1.00% per annum, provided that the rate shall at no time be less than 1.00% per annum. In addition, we have the option to increase our borrowing capacity under the credit facility up to an additional $30.0 million provided that we meet certain additional borrowing requirements and obtain the consent of the administrative agent. Our credit facility is subject to certain covenant requirements which are described below under “Factors Affecting Sources of Liquidity”. We did not have any borrowings outstanding under the credit facility as of December 31, 2024.

Cash receipts are automatically applied against any outstanding borrowings. Any excess cash on account may either remain on account to generate earned credits to offset up to 100% of cash management fees, or may be invested in short-term qualified investments. Borrowings under the line of credit are classified as current in our consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2024, the entire $50.0 million facility was available for borrowing.

Operating Leases. We lease facilities from our principal stockholders and facilities from third parties under non-cancelable operating leases. Certain leases require us to pay real estate taxes, insurance, and common area maintenance charges. See “Item 2. Properties” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our operating leases.

Factors Affecting Sources of Liquidity

Internally Generated Funds. The key factors affecting our internally generated funds are our ability to manage costs and fully achieve our operating efficiencies, timely collection of our customer receivables, and management of our inventory levels.

Credit facility. Our credit facility extends until March 2025 and is collateralized by our accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2024, the entire $50.0 million facility was available for borrowing. Our credit facility contains certain financial ratios and operational covenants and other restrictions (including restrictions on additional debt, guarantees, and other distributions, investments, and liens) with which we and all of our subsidiaries must comply. Any failure to comply with these covenants would constitute a default and could prevent us from borrowing additional funds under this line of credit. This credit facility contains two financial tests:

• The funded debt ratio (defined as the average outstanding advances under the line for the quarter, divided by the consolidated trailing twelve months Adjusted Earnings Before Interest Expense, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization, and Special Charges, or Adjusted EBITDA, for the trailing four quarters) must not be more than 2.0 to 1.0. We did not have any outstanding borrowings under the credit facility during the fourth quarter of 2024, and accordingly, the funded debt ratio did not limit potential borrowings as of December 31, 2024. Future decreases in our consolidated trailing twelve months Adjusted EBITDA could limit our potential borrowings under the line of credit.
• Minimum Consolidated Net Worth (defined as our consolidated total assets less our consolidated total liabilities) must be at least $346.7 million, plus 50% of consolidated net income for each quarter, beginning with the quarter ended December 31, 2016 (loss quarters not counted). Such amount was calculated as $646.6 million at December 31, 2024, whereas our actual consolidated stockholders’ equity at that date was $911.0 million.

Capital Markets. Our ability to raise additional funds in the capital market depends upon, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the IT industry, our financial performance and stock price, and the state of the capital markets. In addition, market volatility, inflation and interest rate fluctuations may increase our cost of financing or restrict our access to potential sources of future liquidity.

APPLICATION OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

A critical accounting policy has been defined as one that is both important to the portrayal of the registrant’s financial condition and results and requires management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Further, “critical accounting policies” are those that are reflective of significant judgments and uncertainties, and potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions.

We believe that our accounting policies described below meet the definition of critical accounting policies and estimates.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services. We enter into contracts that can include various combinations of products and services, which are generally capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations. In most instances, when several performance obligations are aggregated into one single transaction, these performance obligations are fulfilled at the same point in time. We account for an arrangement when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights are identified, the contract has commercial substance, and collectability of consideration is probable. We generally obtain oral or written purchase authorizations from our customers for a specified amount of product at a specified price, which constitutes an arrangement. Revenue is recognized at the amount expected to be collected, net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. We generally invoice for our products at the time of shipping, and accordingly there is not a significant financing component included in our arrangements.

Nature of Products and Services

IT products typically represent a distinct performance obligation, and revenue is recognized at the point in time when control is transferred to the customer which is generally upon delivery to the customer. We recognize revenue as the principal in the transaction with the customer (i.e., on a gross basis), as we control the product prior to delivery to the customer and derive the economic benefits from the sales transaction given our control over customer pricing.

We do not recognize revenue for goods that remain in our physical possession before the customer has the ability to direct the use of, and obtain substantially all of the remaining benefits from the products, the goods are ready for physical transfer to and identified as belonging to the customer, and when we have no ability to use the product or to direct it to another customer.

Licenses for on-premise software provide the customer with a right to take possession of the software. Customers may purchase perpetual licenses or enter into subscriptions to the licensed software. We are the principal in these transactions and recognize revenue for the on-premise license at the point in time when the software is made available to the customer and the commencement of the term of the software license or when the renewal term begins, as applicable.

For certain on-premise licenses for security software, the customer derives substantially all of the benefit from these arrangements through the third-party delivered software maintenance, which provides software updates and other support services. We do not have control over the delivery of these performance obligations, and accordingly we are the agent in these transactions. We recognize revenue for security software net of the related cost of sales at the point in time when our vendor and customer accept the terms and conditions in the sales arrangement. Cloud products allow customers to use hosted software over the contractual period without taking possession of the software and are provided on a subscription basis. We do not exercise control over these products or services and therefore are an agent in these transactions. We recognize revenue for cloud products net of the related costs of sales at the point in time when our vendor and customer accept the terms and conditions in the sales arrangements.

We use our own engineering personnel to assist in projects involving the design and installation of systems and networks, and we also engage third-party service providers to perform warranty maintenance, implementations, asset disposal, and other services. Service revenue is recognized in general over time as we perform the underlying services and satisfy our performance obligations. We evaluate such engagements to determine whether we are the principal or the agent in each transaction. For those transactions in which we do not control the service, we act as an agent and recognize the transaction revenue on a net basis at a point in time when the vendor and customer accept the terms and conditions in the sales arrangement.

Similarly, we recognize revenue from agency sales transactions on a net sales basis. In agency sales transactions, we facilitate product sales by equipment and software manufacturers directly to our customers and receive agency, or referral, fees for such transactions. We do not take title to the products or assume any maintenance or return obligations in these transactions; title is passed directly from the supplier to our customer.

Amounts recognized on a net basis included in net sales for such third-party services, agency sales, and off-premise software transactions were $147.5 million, $141.8 million, and $127.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

Certain software sales include on-premise licenses that are combined with software maintenance. Software maintenance conveys rights to updates, bug fixes and help desk support, and other support services transferred over the underlying contract period. On-premise licenses are considered distinct performance obligations when sold with the software maintenance, as we sell these items separately. We recognize revenue related to the software maintenance as the agent in these transactions because we do not have control over the on-going software maintenance service. Revenue allocated to software maintenance is recognized at the point in time when our vendor and customer accept the terms and conditions in the sales arrangements.

Certain of our larger customers are offered the opportunity by vendors to purchase software licenses and maintenance under enterprise agreements, or EAs. Under EAs, customers are considered to be compliant with applicable license requirements for the ensuing year, regardless of changes to their employee base. Customers are charged an annual true-up fee for changes in the number of users over the year. With most EAs, our vendors will transfer the license and bill the customer directly, paying resellers, such as us, an agency fee or commission on these sales. We record these agency fees as a component of net sales as earned and there is no corresponding cost of sales amount. In certain instances, we invoice the customer directly under an EA and account for the individual items sold based on the nature of each item. Our vendors typically dictate how the EA will be sold to the customer.

We also offer extended service plans, or ESPs, on IT products, both as part of the initial arrangement and separately from the IT products. We recognize revenue related to ESPs as the agent in the transaction because we do not have control over the on-going ESPs service and do not provide any service after the sale. Revenue allocated to ESPs is recognized at the point in time when our vendor and customer accept the terms and conditions in the sales arrangement.

All amounts billed to a customer in a sales transaction related to shipping and handling, if any, represent revenues earned for the goods provided, and these amounts have been included in net sales. Costs related to shipping and handling billing are classified as cost of sales. Sales are reported net of sales, use, or other transaction taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our contracts with customers often include promises to transfer multiple products or services to a customer. Determining whether we are the agent or the principal and whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment.

We estimate the standalone selling price, or SSP, for each distinct performance obligation when a single arrangement contains multiple performance obligations and the fulfillment occurs at different points in time. We maximize the use of observable inputs in the determination of the estimate for SSP for the items that we do not sell separately, including on-premise licenses sold with software maintenance, and IT products sold with ESPs. In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when we do not sell the product or service separately, we determine the SSP using information that may include market conditions and other observable inputs.

We provide our customers with a limited thirty-day right of return, which is generally limited to defective merchandise, and gives rise to variable consideration. Revenue is recognized based on the most likely amount to which we are expected to be entitled. The estimated variable consideration is included in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur once the uncertainty is resolved. We make estimates of product returns based on significant historical experience. We record our sales return reserve as a reduction of revenues and either as reduction of accounts receivable or, for customers who have already paid, as accrued expenses and as a reduction of cost of sales and an associated right of return asset. At December 31, 2024, we recorded sales reserves of $3.8 million and $0.1 million as components of accounts receivable and accrued expenses, respectively. At December 31, 2023, we recorded sales reserves of $3.1 million and $0.1 million as components of accounts receivable and accrued expenses, respectively.

We regularly evaluate the adequacy of our estimates for product returns. Future market conditions and product transitions may require us to take action to change such programs and related estimates. When the variables used to estimate these reserves change, or if actual results differ significantly from the estimates, we would be required to increase or reduce revenue to reflect the impact.

Accounts Receivable

We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and adjust credit limits based upon payment history and current creditworthiness. Our allowance for credit losses is generally computed by (1) applying specific percentage reserves on accounts that are past due, and (2) specifically reserving for customers known to be in financial difficulty. Therefore, if the financial conditions of certain customers were to deteriorate, or if we noted there was a lengthening of the timing of the settlement of receivables that was symptomatic of a general deterioration in the ability of our customers to pay, we would have to increase our allowance for credit losses. This would negatively impact our earnings. Our cash flows would be impacted to the extent that receivables could not be collected.

Our bad debt expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $1.9 million, compared to $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

In addition to accounts receivable from customers, we record receivables from our vendors/suppliers for cooperative marketing, price protection, supplier reimbursements, rebates, and other similar arrangements. A portion of such receivables is estimated based on information available from our vendors at discrete points in time. While such estimates have historically approximated actual cash received, a change in estimates could give rise to a reduction in the receivable. This could negatively impact our earnings and our cash flows.

Our trade receivables are charged off in the period in which they are deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of trade receivables previously charged are recorded when received. Write offs of customer and vendor receivables totaled $2.4 million in 2024 and $3.3 million in 2023.

Considerable estimates are used in assessing the ultimate realization of customer receivables and vendor/supplier receivables, including reviewing the financial stability of a customer, vendor information, and gauging current market conditions. If our evaluations are incorrect, we may incur additional charges in the future on our consolidated statements of income.

Inventories

Inventories (all finished goods) are stated at cost (which approximates the first-in, first-out method) or net realizable value, whichever is lower. Inventory quantities on hand are reviewed regularly, and provisions are made for obsolete, slow moving, and non-saleable inventory, based primarily on management’s forecast of customer demand for those products in inventory.

Estimates are used to determine the quarterly inventory allowance provision. Actual future write-offs of inventory for salability and obsolescence reasons may differ from estimates and calculations used to determine valuation allowances due to changes in customer demand, customer negotiations, technology shifts and other factors. The IT industry is characterized by rapid technological change and new product development that could result in increased obsolescence of inventory on hand. Increased obsolescence or decreased customer demand beyond management’s expectations could require additional provisions, which could negatively impact our earnings. Our provision for inventory obsolescence was $2.1 million, $2.4 million, and $4.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. We recorded obsolescence charges of $2.5 million, $2.8 million, and $3.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Historically, there have been no unusual charges precipitated by specific technological or forecast issues.

Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets, Including Intangibles

We carry a variety of long-lived assets on our consolidated balance sheet, which are all currently classified as held for use. These include property and equipment, identifiable intangibles, an Internet domain name, which is an indefinite-lived intangible asset not subject to amortization, and goodwill. An impairment review is undertaken on (1) an annual basis for goodwill and an indefinite-lived intangible; and (2) on an event-driven basis for all long-lived assets when facts and circumstances suggest that cash flows from such assets may be diminished. We have historically reviewed the carrying value of all these assets based partly on our projections of cash flows. Any impairment charge that is recorded negatively impacts our earnings.

Our Enterprise Solutions and Business Solutions segments hold $66.2 million and $7.4 million of goodwill, respectively. We test goodwill for impairment each year and more frequently if potential impairment indicators arise. In 2024 and 2023, we performed a “step 0” qualitative analysis. Accounting Standards Codification 350—Intangible – Goodwill and Other states that an entity may assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. This analysis allows the Company to consider qualitative factors that might impact the carrying amount of its goodwill to determine whether a more detailed quantitative analysis would be necessary. Factors considered when performing the impairment assessment included the Company’s performance relative to historical and projected future operating results, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market trends, cost factors that may have a negative impact on earnings and cash flows, changes in the Company’s stock price and market capitalization, and other relevant entity-specific events. Based on the qualitative analysis, the Company determined goodwill was not impaired as of December 31, 2024 and 2023. While we believe that our conclusions are reasonable, different assumptions could materially affect our valuations and result in impairment charges against the carrying values of those remaining assets in our Enterprise Solutions and Business Solutions segments.

Please see Note 4, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for a discussion of the significant assumptions used in our annual impairment test analysis.

RECENTLY ISSUED FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Recently issued financial accounting standards are detailed in Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We invest cash balances in excess of operating requirements in cash equivalents and short-term investments, generally with maturities of less than one year. In addition, our credit facility provides for borrowings which bear interest at the greatest of (i) the prime rate (7.50% at December 31, 2024), (ii) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50% per annum, and (iii) the daily SOFR Rate plus 1.00% per annum, provided that the rate shall at no time be less than 1.00% per annum. We believe the effect, if any, of reasonably possible near-term changes in interest rates on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows should not be material. Our bank of line credit, along with our cash equivalents and short-term investments exposes earnings to changes in short-term interest rates since interest rates on the underlying obligations are variable. Our average outstanding borrowings during 2024 were minimal, and as such a hypothetical 10% increase or decrease in interest rates is not material. While the nature of our short-term investments protects us from changes in short-term interest rates, a change in short-term interest rates could affect the fair value of our short-term investments. However, the change in earnings resulting from a hypothetical 10% increase or decrease in interest rates is not material. Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor and research, manufacturing and development costs. We believe that inflation has not had a material effect on our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, our operations may be subject to inflation in the future.

Management’s Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (our principal executive officer) and Chief Financial Officer (our principal financial officer), evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2024. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives as described above. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2024, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by our Board of Directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors of the Company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (our principal executive officer) and Chief Financial Officer (our principal financial officer), we conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013).

Based on their assessment, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2024, our internal control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.

Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an audit report on our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. This report appears below.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of PC Connection, Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of PC Connection, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, of the Company and our report dated February 24, 2025, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

February 24, 2025