L.B. Foster Reaches Agreement With 22NW, LP Invites Alexander B. Jones to Serve as a Board Observer
L.B. Foster Company (NASDAQ: FSTR) announced a strategic agreement with 22NW, LP, one of its largest shareholders. As part of this agreement, Alexander B. Jones will serve as a non-voting Board Observer, effective immediately. Jones, a Research Analyst at 22NW, brings experience overseeing investments in various sectors. Company Chairman Raymond T. Betler expressed optimism about the collaboration, envisioning beneficial insights on capital allocation and shareholder value enhancement. Aron R. English, 22NW’s Portfolio Manager, acknowledged the productive dialogue and expressed excitement over L.B. Foster's progress in its strategic transformation. The agreement also includes customary standstill and voting provisions, with details to be filed with the SEC.
- Engagement with a significant shareholder could enhance shareholder relations.
- The addition of Alexander B. Jones may provide valuable insights into capital allocation and corporate strategies.
- None.
PITTSBURGH, April 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- L.B. Foster Company (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: FSTR) today announced that it has reached an agreement with 22NW, LP, one of the Company’s largest shareholders, and various related parties.
Pursuant to the agreement, the Company has invited Alexander B. Jones to serve as a non-voting Board Observer, effective immediately. Mr. Jones is currently a Research Analyst at 22NW where he oversees the firm’s investments in the industrials, materials, consumer, and other cyclical sectors.
Raymond T. Betler, L.B. Foster Company Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented on the agreement, “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with 22NW. As we continue to execute on our strategic transformation plan, we look forward to having the benefit of Alex’s perspectives and insights, particularly on issues like capital allocation, material corporate transactions, investor communications, and additional opportunities for us to enhance shareholder value.”
Aron R. English, 22NW’s Portfolio Manager, commented “We appreciate the constructive dialogue we have had with L.B. Foster over the past year. We are excited about the progress that L.B. Foster has made in executing on its strategic transformation and believe that, through closer, more regular collaboration with the L.B. Foster Board and management team, we can be helpful to the Company in its ongoing efforts to enhance value for all shareholders.”
In the Agreement, L.B. Foster and 22NW have also agreed to customary standstill, voting, and other provisions. The complete agreement between L.B. Foster and 22NW will be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to a Form 8-K.
About L.B. Foster Company
Founded in 1902, L.B. Foster Company is a global solutions provider of engineered, manufactured products and services that builds and supports infrastructure. The Company’s innovative engineering and product development solutions address the safety, reliability, and performance needs of its customers’ most challenging requirements. The Company maintains locations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.lbfoster.com.
About 22NW, LP
22NW, LP is a Seattle-based investment firm that specializes in small and microcap investments that have multi-year investment horizons.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Sentences containing words such as “believe,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “expect,” “should,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” or their negatives, or other similar expressions of a future or forward-looking nature generally should be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about future events that involve inherent risks and uncertainties and may concern, among other things, L.B. Foster Company’s (the “Company’s”) expectations relating to our strategy, goals, projections, and plans regarding our financial position, liquidity, capital resources, and results of operations and decisions regarding our strategic growth initiatives, market position, and product development. While the Company considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory, and other risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control. The Company cautions readers that various factors could cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Among the factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties related to: the COVID-19 pandemic, and any future global health crises, and the related social, regulatory, and economic impacts and the response thereto by the Company, our employees, our customers, and national, state, or local governments; volatility in the prices of oil and natural gas and the related impact on the midstream energy markets, which could result in cost mitigation actions, including shutdowns or furlough periods; a continuation or worsening of the adverse economic conditions in the markets we serve, including recession, whether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, including its impact on labor markets and supply chains, macroeconomic factors, including the impact of inflation and pricing pressures, travel and demand for oil and gas, the continued volatility in the prices for oil and gas, governmental travel restrictions, project delays, and budget shortfalls, or otherwise; volatility in the global capital markets, including interest rate fluctuations, which could adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets on terms that are favorable to us; restrictions on our ability to draw on our credit agreement, including as a result of any future inability to comply with restrictive covenants contained therein; a continuing decrease in freight or transit rail traffic, including as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, strikes, or labor stoppages; environmental matters, including any costs associated with any remediation and monitoring of such matters; the risk of doing business in international markets, including compliance with anti-corruption and bribery laws, foreign currency fluctuations, and trade restrictions or embargoes; our ability to effectuate our strategy, including cost reduction initiatives, and our ability to effectively integrate acquired businesses or to divest businesses, such as the recent dispositions of the Track Components, Piling, and IOS Test and Inspection businesses, and acquisitions of the Skratch Enterprises Ltd., Intelligent Video Ltd., and VanHooseCo Precast LLC businesses and to realize anticipated benefits; costs of and impacts associated with shareholder activism; continued customer restrictions regarding the on-site presence of third party providers due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the timeliness and availability of materials from our major suppliers, including any continuation or worsening of the disruptions in the supply chain experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the impact on our access to supplies of customer preferences as to the origin of such supplies, such as customers’ concerns about conflict minerals; labor disputes; cyber-security risks such as data security breaches, malware, ransomware, “hacking,” and identity theft, which could disrupt our business and may result in misuse or misappropriation of confidential or proprietary information, and could result in the disruption or damage to our systems, increased costs and losses, or an adverse effect to our reputation; the continuing effectiveness of our ongoing implementation of an enterprise resource planning system; changes in current accounting estimates and their ultimate outcomes; the adequacy of internal and external sources of funds to meet financing needs, including our ability to negotiate any additional necessary amendments to our credit agreement or the terms of any new credit agreement, and reforms regarding the use of SOFR as a benchmark for establishing applicable interest rates; the Company’s ability to manage its working capital requirements and indebtedness; domestic and international taxes, including estimates that may impact taxes; domestic and foreign government regulations, including tariffs; economic conditions and regulatory changes caused by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union; geopolitical conditions, including the conflict in Ukraine; a lack of state or federal funding for new infrastructure projects; an increase in manufacturing or material costs; the loss of future revenues from current customers; and risks inherent in litigation and the outcome of litigation and product warranty claims. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual outcomes could vary materially from those indicated. Significant risks and uncertainties that may affect the operations, performance, and results of the Company’s business and forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth under Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, or as updated and amended by our other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date of this release and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by the federal securities laws.
Investor Relations:
Stephanie Listwak
(412) 928-3417
investors@lbfoster.com
L.B. Foster Company
415 Holiday Drive
Suite 100
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
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