8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): December 29, 2020

VERTEX ENERGY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Nevada	001-11476	94-3439569
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

1331 Gemini Street

Suite 250

Houston, Texas 77058

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (866) 660-8156

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value Per Share	VTNR	The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq Capital Market)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing

On December 29, 2020, Vertex Energy, Inc. (the “Company”) received a written notice (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Staff”) of the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) that the Company has been granted an additional 180 calendar days, or until June 28, 2021, to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”) as required by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

As previously reported by the Company in its Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 24, 2020 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on April 22, 2020, the Company received a written notice (“Initial Notice”) from the Staff that the Company had not been in compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement for a period of 30 consecutive business days.

In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company had a period of 180 calendar days (beginning after a tolling period which Nasdaq implemented in connection with the unprecedented turmoil in U.S. and world financial markets around the time of the Initial Notice), or until December 28, 2020 (the “Initial Compliance Date”) to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement.

The Company did not regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement by the Initial Compliance Date. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company provided a written notice to Nasdaq of its intent to cure the deficiency and has been afforded a second 180 calendar period to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement.

According to the Notice, if at any time before June 28, 2021, the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock is at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, the Staff will provide written notification that the Company has achieved compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement and the common stock will continue to be eligible for listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. If, however, compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement cannot be demonstrated by June 28, 2021, the Staff will provide written notification that the Company’s common stock will be subject to delisting. At that time, the Company may appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to a Nasdaq Hearing Panel (the “Panel”). There can be no assurance that, if the Company does appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to the Panel, such appeal would be successful.

The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its common stock and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, including, if necessary, affecting a reverse stock split. Management remains vigilant with the Company’s business strategy and is continuing to take steps to increase liquidity.

Item 8.01   Other Events.

On December 31, 2020, the Company filed a press release disclosing the Nasdaq extension discussed above. A copy of the press release is included herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and the information in the press release is incorporated by reference into this Item 8.01.

Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release of Vertex Energy, Inc., dated December 31, 2020

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

	VERTEX ENERGY, INC.
Date: December 31, 2020	By:	/s/ Chris Carlson
		Chris Carlson
		Chief Financial Officer

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release of Vertex Energy, Inc., dated December 31, 2020

EX-99.1

Vertex Energy, Inc.8-K

Exhibit 99.1

Vertex Energy, Inc. Granted 180-Day Extension by

Nasdaq to Regain Compliance with Minimum Bid Price Rule

HOUSTON, TX., December 31, 2020 -- Vertex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTNR, “Vertex” or the “Company”), a leading specialty refiner and marketer of high-quality hydrocarbon products, today announced that the Company received formal notification from the Listing Qualification Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that it has been granted an additional 180-day compliance period, or until June 28, 2021, to regain compliance with the minimum $1.00 bid price per share requirement of Nasdaq’s Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Rule”).

If at any time until June 28, 2021, the bid price of the Company’s common stock closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive trading days, the Company will regain compliance with the Rule, and the matter will be closed.

In accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), Nasdaq staff determined that the Company was eligible for an additional 180-day period to regain compliance based on the Company meeting the continued listing requirement for the market value of publicly held shares and all other applicable requirements for initial listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market, with the exception of the bid price requirement.

If the Company does not meet the minimum bid requirement during the additional 180-day grace period, Nasdaq will provide written notification to the Company that its shares will be subject to delisting. At such time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a Nasdaq Hearings Panel. The Company would remain listed pending the Panel’s decision. There can be no assurance that if the Company does appeal a subsequent delisting determination, that such appeal would be successful.

This current notification from Nasdaq has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s shares, which will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “VTNR”.

ABOUT VERTEX ENERGY

Houston-based Vertex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTNR) is a specialty refiner of alternative feedstocks and marketer of high-purity petroleum products. Vertex is one of the largest processors of used motor oil in the U.S., with operations located in Houston and Port Arthur (TX), Marrero (LA) and Heartland (OH). Vertex also co-owns a facility, Myrtle Grove, located on a 41-acre industrial complex along the Gulf Coast in Belle Chasse, LA, with existing hydro-processing and plant infrastructure assets, that include nine million gallons of storage. The Company has built a reputation as a key supplier of Group II+ and Group III Base Oils to the lubricant manufacturing industry throughout North America.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of Vertex Energy's future expectations, plans and prospects, within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "believes," "hopes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," or "may," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act, and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Any statements made in this news release other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of Vertex Energy, its divisions and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, risks associated with our outstanding credit facilities, including amounts owed, restrictive covenants, security interests thereon and our ability to repay such facilities and amounts due thereon when due; risks associated with our outstanding preferred stock, including redemption obligations in connection therewith, restrictive covenants and our ability to redeem such securities when required pursuant to the terms of such securities and applicable law; the level of competition in our industry and our ability to compete; our ability to respond to changes in our industry; the loss of key personnel or failure to attract, integrate and retain additional personnel; our ability to protect our intellectual property and not infringe on others’ intellectual property; our ability to scale our business; our ability to maintain supplier relationships and obtain adequate supplies of feedstocks; our ability to obtain and retain customers; our ability to produce our products at competitive rates; our ability to execute our business strategy in a very competitive environment; trends in, and the market for, the price of oil and gas and alternative energy sources; our ability to maintain our relationship with KMTEX; the impact of competitive services and products; our ability to integrate acquisitions; our ability to complete future acquisitions; our ability to maintain insurance; potential future litigation, judgments and settlements; rules and regulations making our operations more costly or restrictive, including IMO 2020; changes in environmental and other laws and regulations and risks associated with such laws and regulations; economic downturns both in the United States and globally; risk of increased regulation of our operations and products; negative publicity and public opposition to our operations; disruptions in the infrastructure that we and our partners rely on; an inability to identify attractive acquisition opportunities and successfully negotiate acquisition terms; our ability to effectively integrate acquired assets, companies, employees or businesses; liabilities associated with acquired companies, assets or businesses; interruptions at our facilities; unexpected changes in our anticipated capital expenditures resulting from unforeseen required maintenance, repairs, or upgrades; our ability to acquire and construct new facilities; certain events of default which have occurred under our debt facilities and previously been waived; prohibitions on borrowing and other covenants of our debt facilities; our ability to effectively manage our growth; decreases in global demand for, and the price of, oil, due to COVID-19, state, federal and foreign responses thereto; our ability to acquire sufficient amounts of used oil feedstock through our collection routes, to produce finished products, and in the absence of such internally collected feedstocks, our ability to acquire third-party feedstocks on commercially reasonable terms; risks associated with COVID-19, the global efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, potential downturns in the U.S. and global economies due to COVID-19 and the efforts to stop the spread of the virus, and COVID-19 in general; the lack of capital available on acceptable terms to finance our continued growth; and others risk factors included from time to time in documents Vertex Energy files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. These reports are available at www.sec.gov. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Vertex Energy’s future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Vertex Energy cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Vertex Energy undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release, except as required by law, and takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by Vertex Energy. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Corporate Contact

Noel Ryan

720.778.2415

IR@vertexenergy.com