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Related Party Transactions and Operating Lease Commitments
12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2014
Related Party Transactions and Operating Lease Commitments [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions and Operating Lease Commitments
Note 6. Related Party Transactions and Operating Lease Commitments
 
The Company leases operating facilities from entities controlled by its Chief Executive Officer, his family and affiliates. The original terms of these leases, which are accounted for as operating leases, range from two to fifteen years.
 
A summary of significant related party transactions follows:
 
  
Year Ended October 31,
 
  
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
Rent expense paid to affiliated entities for operating facilities for operating facilities $460,000 $493,000 $517,000 
Sales of office products, office furniture and printing services to affiliated entities
  465,000  
767,000
  
968,000
 
 
In addition, the Company leases property and equipment from unrelated entities under operating leases. Rent expense from continuing operations amounted to $417,000, $547,000, and $470,000 for the years ended October 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Under the terms and conditions of the above-mentioned leases, the Company is primarily responsible for all taxes, assessments, maintenance, repairs or replacements, utilities and insurance. The Champion Output Solutions' lease includes only a pro rata portion of the property taxes. The Company has renewal options for certain leases covering varying periods.
 
In addition, the Company purchased vehicles from an entity controlled by family members of its Chief Executive Officer in the amounts of $327,000, $313,000, and $66,000 for the years ended October 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
 
Future minimum rental commitments for all non-cancelable operating leases including related party commitments with initial terms of one year or more consisted of the following at October 31, 2014:
 
2015
 
$
442,560
 
2016
  
427,348
 
2017
  
367,939
 
2018
  
278,632
 
2019   174,088 
Residual
  
21,000
 
  
$
1,711,567
 
 
The Company participates in a self-insurance program for employee health care benefits with affiliates controlled by its Chief Executive Officer and as such is responsible for paying claims of Company participants as required by the plan document. The Company is allocated costs primarily related to the reinsurance premiums based on its proportionate share to provide such benefits to its employees in addition various personnel of the Company perform certain administrative functions for the independent third party administrator. The Company’s allocated expense related to this program (excluding claims paid) for the years ended October 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was approximately $0.3, $0.3 million, and $0.4 million. (expenses are inclusive of discontinued operations for 2013 and 2012)
 
During 2013 and 2012, the Company utilized an aircraft from an entity controlled by its Chief Executive Officer and reimbursed the controlled entity for the use of the aircraft, fuel, aircrew, ramp fees and other expenses attendant to the Company’s use, in amounts aggregating $34,000 and $128,000. The Company did not utilize this aircraft during 2014 and thus incurred no related expenses. When this service is used, the Company believes that such amounts are at or below the market rate charged by third-party commercial charter companies for similar aircraft.
 
The Company is self-insured for certain of the claims made under its employee medical insurance programs. The Company had recorded liabilities totaling $0.5 million and $0.7 million for estimated costs related to outstanding claims as of October 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. These costs include an estimate for expected settlements on pending claims, administrative fees and an estimate for claims incurred but not reported that we incorporated into a trend and lag analysis utilizing a variety of factors including historical claims trends and various processing statistics provided by the Company’s third party claims administrator. These estimates are based on management’s assessment of outstanding claims, historical analyses and current payment trends. The Company recorded an estimate for the claims incurred but not reported using an estimated lag period based upon historical information. The Company believes the reserves recorded are adequate based upon current facts and circumstances.

On December 29, 2009, the Company, Marshall T. Reynolds, Fifth Third Bank, as Administrative Agent for lenders under the Company's Credit Agreement dated September 14, 2007, and the other lenders entered into a Forbearance Agreement. The Forbearance Agreement, among other provisions, required Marshall T. Reynolds to lend to the Company $3,000,000 in exchange for a subordinated unsecured promissory note in like amount, payment of principal and interest on which is prohibited until payment of all liabilities under the Credit Agreement. The subordinated unsecured promissory note, bearing interest at a floating Wall Street Journal prime rate and maturing September 14, 2014, and a debt subordination agreement, both dated December 29, 2009, were executed and delivered, and Mr. Reynolds advanced $3,000,000 to the Company. The $3,000,000 was applied to prepayment of $3,000,000 of the Company's loans. The Forbearance Agreement expired on March 31, 2010 and the Company entered into a Second Amendment and Waiver to Credit Agreement.

On July 18, 2011, the Company and Mr. Reynolds entered into and consummated an Exchange Agreement pursuant to which the $3,000,000 subordinated unsecured promissory note, dated December 29, 2009 and delivered in connection with the Forbearance Agreement, together with $147,875 in accrued interest, was exchanged for 1,311,615 shares of common stock. The ratio of exchange was $2.40 of principal and accrued interest for one share of common stock. The transaction was completed at a discount of approximately 42.5% of the face value of the subordinated unsecured promissory note and related accrued interest. The transaction was approved by a majority of the disinterested directors in a separate board meeting chaired by a disinterested director. The transaction resulted in a net gain on early extinguishment of debt from a related party which is reflected in our consolidated statements of operations. As a result of the Exchange Agreement, Marshall T. Reynolds beneficially owned over 50% of the Company's outstanding common stock as a result of the transaction.
 
As required by the Second Amendment, the Company, Marshall T. Reynolds and the Administrative Agent entered into a Contribution Agreement and Cash Collateral Security Agreement dated March 31, 2010 (the “Contribution Agreement”) pursuant to which Mr. Reynolds deposited $2,500,000 as cash collateral with the Administrative Agent, which the Administrative Agent may withdraw upon an event of default under the Credit Agreement. This cash collateral was in an account in Mr. Reynolds name with the Administrative Agent and was not reflected on the Company’s financial statements at October 31, 2011 and 2010.
 
In connection with the Contribution Agreement, the Company has executed and delivered to Mr. Reynolds a Subordinated Promissory Note in an amount up to $2,500,000 (or less, based on draws by the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of the Contribution Agreement), payment of principal and interest on which is prohibited prior to January 31, 2011, and thereafter only with the Administrative Agent’s consent. The amount, if any, owed under the Subordinated Promissory Note is contingent upon a draw having been made under the Contribution Agreement. The Subordinated Promissory Note bears interest at the Wall Street Journal prime rate (3.25% at inception and at October 31, 2014 and 2013), original maturity September 14, 2014 and pursuant to Term Note A maturity adjusted to April 2015 and is unsecured. In the event of a draw under the terms of the Contribution Agreement, the cash proceeds shall be deemed to be a subordinated loan made by Mr. Reynolds to the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the Contribution Agreement, the triggers which may require a draw and subsequent issuance of subordinated debt include a payment violation, a fixed charge coverage ratio violation and a delivery violation by the Company failing to deliver a Compliance Certificate to the Administrative Agent when due under the Credit Agreement. Upon a draw on Mr. Reynolds’ cash collateral account, he is deemed to have made a loan in like amount under the Contribution Agreement and Subordinated Promissory Note, in amounts up to $2.5 million, the proceeds of which will be used by the Administrative Agent to repay outstanding term loans in the inverse order of maturity.
 
On December 28, 2011, pursuant to the terms of the Limited Forbearance Agreement, a draw of $2.0 million was made on the cash collateral and $2.0 million was funded in the form of the subordinated unsecured promissory note. On September 14, 2012, in accordance with the provisions of the September Forbearance Agreement a draw of $500,000 was made under the provisions of the Contribution Agreement and was funded in the form of a subordinated unsecured promissory note. The draws of $2.0 million and $0.5 million were both used to pay term debt to a syndicate of banks. The promissory note was unfunded from inception through October 31, 2011 and fully funded at October 31, 2012. This note is fully funded at October 31, 2014 and 2013 and is reported on the balance sheet under the line item “Notes payable – related party”.

On June 25, 2013 the Company's wholly owned subsidiary Blue Ridge Printing Co., Inc. sold substantially all the assets of its operations headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina to BRP Company, Inc. and 544 Haywood Rd, LLC pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement among Champion, Seller and Buyers dated June 24, 2013. These entities include as investors the division manager and the son of director Glenn W. Wilcox. The Company’s investment advisor had conducted a nationwide marketing process for the sale of Seller which yielded no comparable offers. The Company received $1,013,000 or $942,403 net of selling commissions and pro-rated taxes. This transaction was subject to a net liquidity adjustment to occur no later than 45 days from closing which resulted in the Company paying approximately $22,000 to the buyer.

On July 12, 2013 the Company's wholly owned subsidiary Champion Publishing sold substantially all the assets of its newspaper operations headquartered in Huntington, West Virginia to HD Media Company, LLC pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement among Champion, Seller and Buyer dated July 12, 2013. This entity includes as an investor Mr. Douglas Reynolds, son of Chairman & CEO Marshall T. Reynolds. The Company's investment advisor had conducted a nationwide marketing process for the sale of the Herald-Dispatch, which resulted in one other offer. Champion's board of directors, in consultation with its independent advisors, determined that Mr. Douglas Reynolds' offer was the better offer both in terms of price and conditions. The Company received $10,000,000 or approximately $9,700,000 net of selling commissions and pro-rated taxes. The proceeds of this transaction were utilized to pay down term debt and the revolving credit line at the discretion of the Administrative Agent.

The Company issued warrants to purchase Class B Common Stock concurrent with the Restated Credit Agreement. The Warrants entitle the Holders thereof to purchase that number of shares of Company Class B Common Stock equal to thirty percent (30%) of the then issued and outstanding Common Stock of the Company, on a fully diluted, post-exercise basis. Based on the 11,299,528 shares of Company Common Stock currently issued and outstanding, exercise in full of the Warrants would result in the Company’s issuance of an additional 4,842,654 shares to the Warrant Holders. In the event a greater number of issued and outstanding common shares exist at the time of option exercise, a greater number of options of shares of Class B Common Stock would be issuable. The Previous Secured Lenders assigned the warrants to Marshall T. Reynolds in consideration for his personal guaranty and stock pledge and security agreement to assist in facilitating the consummation of the October 2013 Credit Agreement.

The Company believes that the terms of its related party transactions are no less favorable to the Company than could be obtained with an independent third party.