NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NATURE OF BUSINESS

Continental Materials Corporation (the Company) is a Delaware corporation, incorporated in 1954. The Company operates primarily within two industry groups, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Construction Products. The Company has identified two reportable segments in each of the two industry groups: the Heating and Cooling segment and the Evaporative Cooling segment in the HVAC industry group and the Concrete, Aggregates and Construction Supplies segment and the Door segment in the Construction Products industry group.

The Heating and Cooling segment produces and sells gas-fired wall furnaces, console heaters and fan coils from the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Williams Furnace Co. (WFC) of Colton, California. The Evaporative Cooling segment produces and sells evaporative coolers from the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Phoenix Manufacturing, Inc. (PMI) of Phoenix, Arizona. Concrete, Aggregates and Construction Supplies (CACS) are offered from numerous locations along the Southern portion of the Front Range of Colorado operated by the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries Castle Concrete Company and Transit Mix Concrete Co., of Colorado Springs and Transit Mix of Pueblo, Inc. of Pueblo (the three companies collectively referred to as TMC). Doors are fabricated and sold along with the related hardware, including electronic access hardware, from the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, McKinney Door and Hardware, Inc. (MDHI), which operates out of facilities in Pueblo and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In addition to the above reporting segments, an “Unallocated Corporate” classification is used to report the unallocated expenses of the corporate office which provides treasury, insurance and tax services as well as strategic business planning and general management services. Expenses of the corporate information technology group are allocated to all locations, including the corporate office. An “Other” classification is used to report a real estate operation and the activity of a new business venture, Williams EcoLogix, Inc. (WEI). This corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of WFC, entered into an agreement to distribute a product currently being developed by a third party. Should the product be successfully developed such that it results in a commercially salable product, the Company is likely to incur start-up costs and expenses above the current amount associated with the subsidiary’s sole employee and miscellaneous related expenses.

PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

The consolidated financial statements include Continental Materials Corporation and all of its subsidiaries (the Company). Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. All subsidiaries of the Company are wholly-owned.

RECLASSIFICATIONS

Certain reclassifications have been made to the fiscal 2010 Consolidated Financial Statements to conform to the 2011 presentation. The reclassifications had no effect on the consolidated results of operations, the net increase in cash or the total assets, liabilities or shareholders’ equity of the Company.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

During September 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2011-08 which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011 although early adoption is allowed. The ASU allows an entity the option to make a qualitative evaluation about the likelihood of goodwill impairment to determine whether it should calculate the fair value of a reporting unit. The ASU expands upon the examples of events and circumstances that an entity should consider between annual impairment tests in determining whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The adoption of ASU 2011-8 did not have an impact on the profit or loss of the Company during the fiscal 2011 year.

Currently there are no other significant prospective accounting pronouncements that are expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

USE OF ESTIMATES IN THE PREPARATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2011 and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during both of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2011. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

The Company considers all highly-liquid debt instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents approximates fair value.

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Fair value of the Company’s debt is estimated based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for bank loans with similar terms, maturities and credit risks. The carrying amount of long-term debt represents a reasonable estimate of the corresponding fair value as the Company’s debt is held at variable interest rates.

INVENTORIES

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market and are reviewed periodically for excess or obsolete stock with a provision recorded, where appropriate. Cost for inventory in the HVAC industry group is determined using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method. These inventories represent approximately 73% at December 31, 2011 and 74% of total inventories at January 1, 2011. The cost of all other inventory is determined by the first-in, first-out (FIFO) or average cost methods. Some commodity prices such as copper, steel, cement and diesel fuel have experienced significant fluctuations in recent years, generally higher although cement prices have declined from the prices prevalent a year ago. Steel prices and copper prices are principally relevant to the inventories of our two HVAC businesses. These two businesses use the LIFO costing method for inventory valuation purposes. The general effect of using LIFO is that the higher steel and copper prices are not reflected in the inventory carrying value. Those higher current costs are principally reflected in the cost of sales. Cement and fuel are relevant to our construction materials business. These businesses use either FIFO or an average costing method for valuing inventories. These inventories turn over frequently and at any point in time the amount of cement or fuel inventory is not significant. Due to these circumstances, the commodity fluctuations have primarily affected the cost of sales with little effect on the valuation of inventory. We believe that our inventory valuation reserves are not material. Inventory reserves were less than 2% of the total FIFO inventory value. Due to the nature of our products, obsolescence is not typically a significant exposure. Our HVAC businesses will from time to time contend with some slow-moving inventories or parts that are no longer used due to engineering changes. The recorded reserves are intended for such items.

REAL ESTATE HELD FOR RESALE AND RELATED NOTE RECEIVABLE — RELATED PARTY

Related to WEI, the Company purchased the residence of and made a loan of $352,000 to an executive of one of the Company’s subsidiaries in connection with his relocation to head up WEI. The residence is classified as real estate held for resale of $723,000. The loan is secured by marketable securities and bears interest at 5%. As the note is with a related party, it is not practical to estimate its fair value.

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Property, plant and equipment are carried at cost. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the related assets using the straight-line method as follows:

Land improvements	5 to 31 years
Buildings and improvements	10 to 31 years
Leasehold improvements	Shorter of the term of the lease or useful life
Machinery and equipment	3 to 20 years

Depletion of rock and sand deposits and amortization of deferred development costs are computed by the units-of-production method based upon estimated recoverable quantities of rock and sand. The estimated recoverable quantities are periodically reassessed.

The cost of property sold or retired and the related accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in operating income. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives.

OTHER ASSETS

As of December 31, 2011, the Company has recorded $7,229,000 of goodwill consisting of $6,229,000 related to the Concrete, Aggregates and Construction Supplies segment and $1,000,000 related to the Door segment. The Company annually assesses goodwill for potential impairment at the end of each year. In addition, the Company will reassess the recorded goodwill to determine if impairment has occurred if events arise or circumstances change in the relevant reporting segments or in their industries. No goodwill impairment was recognized for any of the periods presented.

Amortizable intangible assets consist of a non-compete-agreement, a restrictive land covenant and customer relationships related to certain acquisitions. The non-compete agreement and the restrictive land covenant are being amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective lives of five and ten years. The customer relationships amount is being amortized over its estimated life of ten years using the sum-of-the-years digits method.

The Company is party to three aggregate property leases which require royalty payments. One of the leases calls for minimum annual royalty payments. Prepaid royalties relate to payments made for aggregate materials not yet extracted.

RETIREMENT PLANS

The Company and certain subsidiaries have various contributory profit sharing retirement plans for specific employees. The plans allow qualified employees to make tax deferred contributions pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k). Prior to March 1, 2010, the Company matched employee contributions up to 3%. Since March 1, 2010, the Company no longer matches employee contributions. However, the Company may make annual contributions, at its discretion, based primarily on profitability. In addition, any individuals whose compensation is in excess of the amount eligible for the Company matching contribution to the 401(k) plan as established by Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code, participate in an unfunded Supplemental Profit Sharing Plan. This plan accrues an amount equal to the difference between the amount the person would have received as Company contributions to his account under the 401(k) plan had there been no limitations and the amount the person will receive under the 401(k) plan giving effect to the limitations. Costs under the plans are charged to operations as incurred. As of December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2011, the unfunded liabilities related to the Supplemental Profit Sharing Plan were $732,000 and $782 000, respectively.

RESERVE FOR SELF-INSURED AND INSURED LOSSES

The Company’s risk management program provides for certain levels of loss retention for workers’ compensation, automobile liability, healthcare plan coverage and general and product liability claims. The components of the reserve for self-insured losses have been recorded in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) requirements that an estimated loss from a loss contingency shall be accrued if information available prior to issuance of the financial statements indicates that it is probable that a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. The recorded reserve represents management’s best estimate of the future liability related to these claims up to the associated deductible.

GAAP also requires an entity to accrue the gross amount of a loss even if the entity has purchased insurance to cover the loss. Therefore the Company has recorded losses for workers’ compensation, automobile liability, medical plan coverage and general and product liability claims in excess of the deductible amounts, i.e., amounts covered by insurance contracts, in “Liability for unpaid claims covered by insurance” with a corresponding “Receivable for insured losses” on the balance sheet. The components of the liability represent both unpaid settlements and management’s best estimate of the future liability related to open claims. Management has evaluated the creditworthiness of our insurance carriers and determined that recovery of the recorded losses is probable and, therefore, the receivable from insurance has been recorded for the full amount of the insured losses.

RECLAMATION

In connection with permits to mine properties in Colorado, the Company is obligated to reclaim the mined areas whether the property is owned or leased. The Company records a reserve for future reclamation work to be performed at its various aggregate operations based upon an estimate of the total expense that would be paid to a third party to reclaim the disturbed areas. Reclamation expense is determined during the interim periods using the units-of-production method. The adequacy of the recorded reserve is assessed quarterly. At each fiscal year-end, a more formal and complete analysis is performed and the expense and reserve is adjusted to reflect the estimated cost to reclaim the then disturbed and unreclaimed areas. The assessment of the reclamation liability may be done more frequently if events or circumstances arise that may indicate a change in estimated costs, recoverable material or period of mining activity. As part of the year-end analysis, the Company engages an independent specialist to assist in reevaluating the estimates of both the quantities of recoverable material and the cost of reclamation. Most of the reclamation on any mining property is generally performed soon after each section of the deposit is mined. The Company’s reserve for reclamation activities was $1,115,000 at December 31, 2011 and $1,205,000 at January 1, 2011. The Company classifies a portion of the reserve as a current liability, $195,000 at December 31, 2011 and $115,000 at January 1, 2011 based upon historical expenditures.

REVENUE RECOGNITION

The Company recognizes revenue as products are shipped to customers. Sales are recorded net of applicable provisions for discounts, volume incentives, returns and allowances. At the time of revenue recognition, the Company also provides an estimate of potential bad debt and warranty expense as well as an amount anticipated to be granted to customers under cooperative advertising programs based upon current program terms and historical experience. In addition, the revenues received for shipping and handling are included in sales while the costs associated with shipping and handling are reported as cost of sales.

The Company is responsible for warranty related to the manufacture of its HVAC products. The Company does not perform installation services except for installation of electronic access systems in the Door segment, nor are maintenance or service contracts offered. Changes in the aggregated product warranty liability for the fiscal years 2011 and 2010 were as follows (amounts in thousands):

	2011			2010
Beginning balance	$	135		$	172
Warranty related expenditures	(227		)	(332		)
Warranty expense accrued	226			295
Ending balance	$	134		$	135

INCOME TAXES

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method that requires deferred income taxes to reflect the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the tax and financial reporting bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities recognized are based on the tax rates in effect in the year in which differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, based on available positive and negative evidence, it is “more likely than not” (greater than a 50% likelihood) that some or all of the net deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Income tax returns are subject to audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state tax authorities. The amounts recorded for income taxes reflect our tax positions based on research and interpretations of complex laws and regulations. We accrue liabilities related to uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in our tax returns.

CONCENTRATIONS

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of trade receivables and temporary cash investments. The Company invests its excess cash in commercial paper of companies with strong credit ratings. The Company has not experienced any losses on these investments.

The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does not require collateral. In many instances in the Concrete, Aggregates and Construction Supplies segment and in the Heating and Cooling segment (as it relates to the fan coil product line), the Company retains lien rights on the properties served until the receivable is collected. The Company writes off accounts when all efforts to collect the receivable have been exhausted. The Company maintains allowances for potential credit losses based upon the aging of accounts receivable and historical experience and such losses have been within management’s expectations. See Note 14 for a description of the Company’s customer base.

Substantially all of the Heating and Cooling Segment’s factory employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement through the Carpenters Local 721 Union under a contract that expires on December 31, 2014.

IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS

In the event that facts and circumstances indicate that the cost of any long-lived assets may be impaired, an evaluation of recoverability would be performed. If an evaluation were required, the estimated future undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset would be compared to the asset’s carrying amount to determine if a write-down to market value or discounted cash flow value is required. The Company has determined that there was no impairment of the long-lived assets as of December 31, 2011.

FISCAL YEAR END

The Company’s fiscal year end is the Saturday nearest December 31. Fiscal 2011 and 2010 each consisted of 52 weeks.