3. Acquisition

On March 1, 2010, MCL acquired all of the capital stock of AES for a total purchase price of Cdn $4,194,000 (approximately U.S. $3,984,000). AES manufactures, sells and leases “heli-pickers” and associated equipment that is utilized in the deployment and retrieval of seismic equipment by helicopters. The Company made this acquisition to expand the type of equipment available to its customers and to expand the markets in which it operates. The consideration consisted of cash paid at closing in the amount of Cdn $2,200,000 (approximately U.S. $2,100,000), promissory notes in the amount of Cdn $1,500,000 (approximately U.S. $1,425,000), a post-closing working capital adjustment payment of Cdn $194,000 (approximately U.S. $184,000) and deferred cash payments in the amount of Cdn $300,000. The promissory notes bear interest at 6% annually, payable semi-annually. Principal payments on the notes totaling Cdn $750,000 were made in March of 2011, with the remaining balance payable due in March 2012. The deferred cash payments will be made upon the expiration of certain indemnity periods. MCL may offset amounts due pursuant to the promissory notes or the deferred cash payment against indemnity claims due from the sellers. In addition, the sellers are entitled to additional cash payments should AES attain certain levels of revenues during the 24-month period following the acquisition, as specified in the agreement. In April 2011, the Company paid Cdn $150,000 pursuant to the earn-out provision. The sellers may be entitled to up to an additional Cdn $450,000 if certain conditions are met.

The Company hired an outside consulting firm, The BVA Group L.L.C. (“BVA”), to assess the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired in the AES acquisition. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined to be approximately Cdn $200,000. There were no amounts recognized related to other contingencies. The fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired exceeded the total value of consideration paid, resulting in a bargain purchase.

Upon the initial determination that the transaction had resulted in a bargain purchase, management and BVA reviewed the assets and liabilities acquired and the assumptions utilized in estimating their fair value. Certain revisions were made to these estimates, which resulted in a reduction in, but not the elimination of, the gain from bargain purchase. In this review management noted that the information used in determining the fair value of the assets was the same information used to estimate the fair value of the contingent consideration portion of the purchase price. Further revisions to the estimates were not deemed to be appropriate.

Management then undertook a review to determine what factors might contribute to a bargain purchase and if it were reasonable for a bargain purchase to occur. In this review, management noted that at the time the transaction was negotiated with the owners of AES, the oil services industry had recently experienced a decline and there was uncertainty as to the speed or depth of a recovery. Management believed that this situation was particularly difficult on small companies, such as AES, who had limited access to capital and liquidity. Furthermore, it appeared to management that the owners of AES were motivated to complete a transaction for personal financial reasons. Management also noted that there was a limited market for companies such as AES. Based upon all of these factors, management concluded that the occurrence of bargain purchase was reasonable. Accordingly, a gain of $1,304,000 was recorded as of the date of acquisition and no goodwill resulted from the transaction.

The following is a summary of the amounts recognized for assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition (in thousands):


Working capital	$	327
Seismic equipment lease pool		2,990
Deferred taxes		(1,086	)
Intangible assets		3,154

The pro forma effect on the revenues, net income and earnings per share, assuming the acquisition occurred February 1, 2010, are not material.