2.	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies:

Cash and Cash Equivalents:

Cash and cash equivalents consist of commercial paper, U.S. Treasury obligations and other liquid securities purchased with initial maturities less than 90 days and are stated at cost which approximates market value. The Company has foreign bank balances of approximately $2,627 and $1,299 at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The Company maintains cash and cash equivalent balances with financial institutions that exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses related to these balances. Management believes its credit risk is minimal.

 

Restricted Investments:

The Company's restricted investments are trading securities carried at fair market value which represent assets held in a Rabbi Trust to fund deferred compensation liabilities owed to the Company's employees. See Note 11, Deferred Compensation Plan.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts:

The Company establishes the allowance for doubtful accounts using the specific identification method and also provides a reserve in the aggregate. The estimates for calculating the aggregate reserve are based on historical collection experience. Increases to the allowance for doubtful accounts result in a corresponding expense. The Company writes off individual accounts receivable when collection becomes improbable. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $641 and $520 as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Inventories:

Inventories consisting predominantly of finished goods are valued at the lower of cost or market, cost being determined principally on the weighted average cost method. Excess and obsolete inventories are carried at net realizable value. The historical usage rate is the primary factor used by the Company in assessing the net realizable value of excess and obsolete inventory. A reduction in the carrying value of an inventory item from cost to market is recorded for inventory with no usage in the preceding 24 month period or with on hand quantities in excess of 24 months average usage. The inventory reserve amounts were $7,406 and $11,010 at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Property and Equipment:

Property and equipment, including assets acquired under capital leases, are carried at cost and include expenditures for new facilities and major renewals. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. When assets are sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from their respective accounts, and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in income from operations.

Costs incurred to develop software for internal use are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the software. Costs related to maintenance of internal-use software are expensed as incurred. Costs used for the development of internal-use software were capitalized in the amount of $161 in the Successor year ended December 31, 2011, $1,134 in the Successor seven month period ended December 31, 2010, $246 in the Predecessor period ended May 28, 2010 and $2,837 for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Depreciation:

For financial accounting purposes, depreciation, including that related to plant and equipment acquired under capital leases, is computed on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally three to ten years or over the terms of the related leases, whichever is shorter.

 

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets:

Goodwill represents the excess purchase cost over the fair value of net assets of companies acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is an indefinite lived asset and is tested for impairment at least annually or more frequently if a triggering event occurs. If the carrying amount of goodwill is greater than the fair value, impairment may be present. In connection with the Merger Transaction, an independent appraiser assessed the value of its goodwill based on a discounted cash flow model and multiple of earnings. Assumptions critical to the Company's fair value estimates under the discounted cash flow model include the discount rate, projected average revenue growth and projected long-term growth rates in the determination of terminal values.

The Company also evaluates indefinite-lived intangible assets (primarily trademarks and trade names) for impairment annually. The Company also tests for impairment if events and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is below its carrying amount. In connection with the Merger Transaction, an independent appraiser assessed the value of its intangible assets based on a relief from royalties, excess earnings, and lost profits discounted cash flow model. Assumptions critical to the Company's evaluation of indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment include the discount rate, royalty rates used in its evaluation of trade names, projected average revenue growth, and projected long-term growth rates in the determination of terminal values. An impairment charge is recorded if the carrying amount of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the estimated fair value on the measurement date.

No impairment charges were recorded by the Company as a result of the annual impairment testing in the year ended December 31, 2011, the seven month period ended December 31, 2010 or the year ended December 31, 2009.

Long-Lived Assets:

The Company evaluates its long-lived assets for financial impairment including an evaluation based on the estimated undiscounted future cash flows as events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully recoverable. No impairment charges were recognized for long-lived assets in the year ended December 31, 2011, the seven months ended December 31, 2010, the five months ended May 28, 2010 or the year ended December 31, 2009.

Income Taxes:

Deferred income taxes are computed using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and income tax basis of assets and liabilities, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided for tax benefits where management estimates it is more likely than not that certain tax benefits will not be realized. Adjustments to valuation allowances are recorded for changes in utilization of the tax related item. See Note 6, Income Taxes, for additional information.

 

Risk Insurance Reserves:

The Company self-insures its product liability, automotive, workers' compensation and general liability losses up to $250 per occurrence. Catastrophic coverage has been purchased from third party insurers for occurrences in excess of $250 up to $40,000. The two risk areas involving the most significant accounting estimates are workers' compensation and automotive liability. Actuarial valuations performed by the Company's outside risk insurance expert were used to form the basis for workers' compensation and automotive liability loss reserves. The actuary contemplated the Company's specific loss history, actual claims reported, and industry trends among statistical and other factors to estimate the range of reserves required. Risk insurance reserves are comprised of specific reserves for individual claims and additional amounts expected for development of these claims, as well as for incurred but not yet reported claims. The Company believes the liability recorded for such risk insurance reserves is adequate as of December 31, 2011, but due to judgments inherent in the reserve estimation process, it is possible the ultimate costs will differ materially from this estimate.

The Company self-insures its group health claims up to an annual stop loss limit of $200 per participant. Aggregate coverage is maintained for annual group health insurance claims in excess of 125% of expected claims. Historical group insurance loss experience forms the basis for the recognition of group health insurance reserves. The Company believes the liability recorded for such health insurance reserves is adequate as of December 31, 2011, but due to judgments inherent in the reserve estimation process, it is possible the ultimate costs will differ materially from this estimate.

Retirement Benefits:

Certain employees of the Company are covered under a profit-sharing and retirement savings plan ("defined contribution plan"). The plan provides for a matching contribution for eligible employees of 50% of each dollar contributed by the employee up to 6% of the employee's compensation. The matching contribution for all eligible employees was reduced to 25% of each dollar contributed up to 6% of the employee's compensation in February 2009, but was reinstated at the 50% level in July 2009. In addition, the plan provides an annual contribution in amounts authorized by the Board of Directors, subject to the terms and conditions of the plan.

The Company's defined contribution plan costs were $1,327 in the Successor year ended December 31, 2011, $710 in the Successor seven month period ended December 31, 2010, $594 in the Predecessor five month period ended May 28, 2010 and $1,035 for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Revenue Recognition:

Revenue is recognized when products are shipped or delivered to customers depending upon when title and risks of ownership have passed and the collection of the relevant receivables is probable, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists and the sales price is fixed or determinable. Sales tax collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are accounted for on a net basis and therefore excluded from revenues in the consolidated statements of operations.

 

The Company offers a variety of sales incentives to its customers primarily in the form of discounts and rebates. Discounts are recognized in the consolidated financial statements at the date of the related sale. Rebates are estimated based on the revenue to date and the contractual rebate percentage to be paid. A portion of the estimated cost of the rebate is allocated to each underlying sales transaction. Rebates and discounts are included in the determination of net sales.

The Company also establishes reserves for customer returns and allowances. The reserve is established based on historical rates of returns and allowances. The reserve is adjusted quarterly based on actual experience. Returns and allowances are included in the determination of net sales.

Shipping and Handling:

The costs incurred to ship product to customers, including freight and handling expenses, are included in selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses on the Company's consolidated statements of operations. The Company's shipping and handling costs were $21,695 in the Successor year ended December 31, 2011, $16,105 in the Successor seven month period ended December 31, 2010, $3,153 in the Predecessor period ended May 28, 2010 and $16,667 in the year ended December 31, 2009.

Research and Development:

The Company expenses research and development costs consisting primarily of internal wages and benefits in connection with improvements to the key duplicating and engraving machines. The Company's research and development costs were $1,187 in the Successor year ended December 31, 2011, $476 in the Successor seven month period ended December 31, 2010, $446 in the Predecessor period ended May 28, 2010 and $1,198 in the year ended December 31, 2009.

Common Stock:

After consummation of the Merger Transaction, Hillman Companies has one class of Common Stock. All outstanding shares of Hillman Companies common stock are owned by Holdco.

Under the terms of the Stockholders Agreement for the Holdco Common Stock, management shareholders have the ability to put their shares back to Holdco under certain conditions, including death or disability. ASC 480-10-S99 requires shares to be classified outside of permanent equity if they can be redeemed and the redemption is not solely within control of the issuer. Further, if it is determined that redemption of the shares is probable the shares are marked to market at each balance sheet date with the change in fair value recorded in additional paid-in capital. Accordingly, the 198.3 shares of common stock held by management are recorded outside permanent equity and have been adjusted to the fair value of $12,247 as of December 31, 2011. See Note 13, Common and Preferred Stock.

Stock Based Compensation:

The Company has a stock-based employee compensation plan, which is more fully described in Note 14, Stock Based Compensation. The options have certain put features available to the holder and, therefore, liability classification is required. The Company has elected to use the intrinsic value method to value the common option in accordance with ASC Topic 718, "Compensation-Stock Compensation".

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments:

Cash, restricted investments, accounts receivable, short-term borrowings, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are reflected in the consolidated financial statements at book value, which approximates fair value, due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The carrying amounts of the long-term debt under the revolving credit facility and variable rate senior term loan approximate the fair value at December 31, 2011 and 2010 because of the short maturity of these instruments. The fair values of the fixed rate senior notes and junior subordinated debentures at December 31, 2011 and 2010 were determined utilizing current trading prices obtained from indicative market data. See Note 16, Fair Value Measurements.

Interest Rate Swaps

The Company uses derivative instruments, consisting primarily of interest rate swap agreements, to manage exposure to changes in the future cash flows of some of our long-term debt. The Company enters into interest rate swap transactions with financial institutions acting as the counter-party. The Company does not use derivative instruments for trading or other speculative purposes.

The relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items are formally documented, in addition to the risk management objective and strategy for each hedge transaction. For interest rate swaps, the notional amounts, rates and maturities of our interest rate swaps are closely matched to the related terms of hedged debt obligations. The critical terms of the interest rate swap are matched to the critical terms of the underlying hedged item to determine whether the derivatives used for hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of the underlying hedged item. If it is determined that a derivative ceases to be a highly effective hedge, we discontinue hedge accounting and recognize all subsequent derivative gains and losses in our income statement.

Derivative instruments designated in hedging relationships that mitigate exposure to the variability in future cash flows of our variable-rate debt are considered cash flow hedges. We record all derivative instruments in other assets or other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets at their fair values. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge and the hedging relationship qualifies for hedge accounting, the effective portion of the change in the fair value of the derivative is recorded in other comprehensive income and reclassified to interest expense when the hedged debt affects interest expense. Instruments not qualifying for hedge accounting are recognized in interest expense in the period of the change. Hedge transactions that qualify for hedge accounting and have no ineffectiveness have no net effect on our consolidated results of operations. See Note 15, Derivatives and Hedging.

Translation of Foreign Currencies:

The translation of the Company's Canadian, Mexican and Australian local currency based financial statements into U.S. dollars is performed for balance sheet accounts using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and for revenue and expense accounts using an average exchange rate during the period. Cumulative translation adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders' equity.

 

Comprehensive Income (Loss):

The components of comprehensive loss were as follows:

 

		Successor										Predecessor
		Year				Seven Months						Five Months				Year
		ended				ended						ended				ended
		December 31,				December 31,						May 28,				December 31,
		2011				2010						2010				2009
Net loss		$	(9,779	)		$	(8,038	)				$	(25,208	)		$	(1,230	)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net			(179	)			(1	)					17				(197	)
Change in derivative security value, net (1)			624				(624	)					1,161				297
Comprehensive loss		$	(9,334	)		$	(8,663	)				$	(24,030	)		$	(1,130	)

 

(1)	Utilizing an income tax rate of 38.7%, 38.6%, 38.7%, and 38.7% for the periods ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, May 28, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.

The accumulated other comprehensive loss of $180 at December 31, 2011 consisted entirely of the cumulative change in foreign currency translation adjustment. The accumulated other comprehensive loss of $625 at December 31, 2010 consisted of $1 for the cumulative change in foreign currency translation adjustment and $624 for the cumulative change in derivative security value.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements:

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting period. Actual results may differ from these estimates.