NOTE 7– INVESTMENT IN PARAGON WASTE SOLUTIONS LLC

In 2010, the Company and Black Stone Management Services, LLC (“Black Stone”) formed PWS, whereby a total of 1,000,000 membership units were issued, 600,000 membership units to the Company and 400,000 membership units to Black Stone. Fortunato Villamagna, who serves as President of our PWS subsidiary, is a managing member and Chairman of Black Stone. In June 2012, the Company and Blackstone each allocated 10% of their respective membership units in PWS to Mr. J John Combs III, an officer and shareholder of the Company and Mr. Michael Cardillo, a shareholder of the Company and an officer of a subsidiary. There was no value attributable to the units at the time of the allocation. At December 31, 2017 and 2016 the Company owned 54% of the membership units, Black Stone owned 26% of the membership units, an outside third party 10% of the membership units and two related parties (as noted above), each owned 5% of the membership units.

In August, 2011, we acquired certain intellectual property in regards to waste destruction technology (the “IP”) from Black Stone in exchange for 1,000,000 shares of our common stock valued at $100,000. We estimated the useful life of the IP at ten years, which was consistent with the useful life of other technology included in our intangible assets, and management’s initial assessment of the potential marketability of the IP. In March 2012, the Company entered into an Irrevocable License & Royalty Agreement with PWS that grants PWS an irrevocable world-wide license to the IP in exchange for a 5% royalty on all revenues from PWS and its affiliates. The term commenced as of the date of the Agreement and shall continue for a period not to exceed the life of the patent or patents filed by the Company. PWS may sub license the IP and any revenue derived from sub licensing shall be included in the calculation of Gross Revenue for purposes of determining royalty payments due the Company. Royalty payments are due 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter. PWS generated licensing revenues of approximately $161,500 and $156,500 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, as such, royalties of $25,300 and $17,225 were due at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Since its inception through December 31, 2017, we have provided approximately $6.1 million in funding to PWS for working capital and the further development and construction of various prototypes and commercial waste destruction units. No members of PWS have made capital contributions or other funding to PWS other than SEER. The intent of the operating agreement is that we will provide the funding as an advance against future earnings distributions made by PWS.

Licensing Agreements

In 2014, Sterall ordered a total of six CoronaLux™ units, of which one unit was delivered during the year ending December 31, 2014, and five units have been pending delivery since that time. Sterall paid a non-refundable placement fee of $236,300 for the unit delivered in 2014 which the Company has been recognizing over the term of the agreement. Sterall also paid a deposit of $330,000 for the five units ordered leaving a balance of $851,500 still owed. The Company fully reserved the amount owed. In July 2017, the Company and Sterall signed a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release which allows Sterall to keep the one unit delivered in 2014 and another unit also on site, in exchange for the Company’s retention of the $330,000 deposit paid by Sterall and the issuance of 300,000 shares of restricted common stock valued at $174,000. The two units written off by the Company related to this settlement agreement had a net book value of $290,100. In addition, a third unit located on the Sterall site was abandoned by the Company during 2017 and the Company recorded a full impairment of that unit’s net book value at December 31, 2017 equal to $120,900. As part of the settlement agreement, Sterall also forfeits all rights to operate the CoronoLux technology anywhere in the U.S. territories, but is granted an exclusive right to operate the systems in the limited and sole territory of Haiti for a period of 10 years in exchange for a 5% royalty payable to the Company on gross revenue derived from any source arising out of or related to the operation of the CoronoLux technology.

On February 22, 2014, SEER and PWS entered into an Agreement with Daniel McAteer & Associates (“DMA”) to develop, permit and exploit the PWS waste destruction technology in Ireland and United Kingdom (“Limited Territory”). The Agreement called for the formation of a Joint Venture to be owned 50% by SEER and 50% by DMA. In accordance with the agreement, DMA was to pay a one-time license fee of $350,000 for an exclusive license for the limited purpose of medical waste destruction in the Limited Territory. On June 10, 2014 Paragon Waste (UK) Ltd (“Paragon UK”, “UK Joint Venture”), was formed in accordance with the laws of Northern Ireland. A total of 300,100 shares were issued upon formation, 100 Ordinary A voting shares were issued, of which PWS received 50 Ordinary A shares and 300,000 Ordinary B non-voting shares were issued. In 2015, the Agreement with DMA was amended to where Paragon UK purchased the CoronaLux™ unit from PWS for $350,000. Operations to date of the Paragon UK Joint Venture have been limited to formation, the delivery of a CoronaLux™ unit with a third party in the United Kingdom and application and permitting efforts with regulatory entities. As of December 31, 2017, a balance of $176,000 is still owed and has been fully reserved by the Company.

On March 4, 2014, PWS entered into a Licensing and Equipment Lease Agreement with eCycling International of South Carolina, LLC (“eCycling”). The License Agreement grants to eCycling the use of the PWS Technology and the CoronaLux™ waste destruction units for an initial term of five years and requires a payment of $176,875 as a non-refundable initial licensing fee and distributions of 50% of net operating profits, as defined in the agreement, in lieu of continuing royalty payments for the use of the licensed technology. eCycling originally paid the $176,875 placement fee to PWS and an additional $176,875 per the amended agreement during the year ended December 31, 2016 and the revenue is being recognized over the term of the Agreement. eCycling is still in the process of permitting the unit, and therefore, has not yet generated any NOP. During the year ending December 31, 2017, the Company recorded an impairment of this unit of approximately $75,000.

On November 17, 2014, PWS entered into an Exclusive Licensing and Equipment Lease Agreement, for a limited license territory, with Medical Waste Services, LLC ("MWS"). The License Agreement grants to MWS the use of the PWS Technology and the CoronaLux™ waste destruction units for an initial term of seven years and requires a payment of $225,000 as a non-refundable initial licensing fee and distributions of 50% of net operating profits, as defined in the agreement, in lieu of continuing royalty payments for the use of the licensed technology. PWS and Medical Waste Services, LLC ("MWS") formed a contractual joint venture to exploit the PWS medical waste destruction technology. MWS has received approval from the California Department of Public Health and a restricted permit from the South Coast Air Quality Management District ("SCAQMD") to operate the CoronaLux™ unit licensed by MWS at its facility in Southern California. Operations to date have included the destruction of medical waste under a temporary operating permit issued by SCAQMD since May 2015 and efforts to obtain a full operating permit from SCAQMD were successful and SCAQMD issued a ‘Notice of Intent to Issue Permit to Operate’ in March 2017. In November 2017, the full operating permit was issued by SCAQMD.

In February 2015, PWS entered into a License Agreement with Particle Science Tech of Environmental Protection, Inc (“Particle”) a US subsidiary of Xinhua Energy Environmental Technology Co., Ltd (“Xinhua”), a large multi-national environmental company based in China. The agreement provides for the exclusive rights to distribute PWS’s patented technology in China, Hong Kong, Macau and the Taiwan territories (“Territory”). The grant was for both the medical waste, as well as the refinery vertical markets within the Territory. The Agreement calls for, among other things, the formation of a U.S. joint venture company, (“P&P Company”, to be owned 50/50 by PWS and Particle) and an obligation by Xinhua to fund all necessary and reasonable capital requirements to permit and roll out the PWS technology in the Territory as well as staff and manage the JV Entity’s operations. In 2015, PWS sold a CoronaLux™ unit to Xinhua for $430,500.

Upon the occurrence of certain events and timely performance by Xinhua, a second placement fee of $350,000 is required to be paid and, upon that second payment, it will then be granted exclusive manufacturing rights to produce the units to be deployed in the Territory.

In December 2017, PWS and GulfWest Waste Solutions, LLC ("GWWS") formed Paragon Southwest Medical Waste, LLC (“PSMW”) to exploit the PWS medical waste destruction technology. PSMW will have an exclusive license to the CoronaLux™ technology in a six-state area of the Southern United States. In addition to the equity position, PWS will be the operating partner for the business and sell a number of additional systems to the joint venture over the next five years. In 2017, PSMW purchased and installed three CoronaLux™ units for $600,000. PWS incurred costs of $525,700 to prepare the three units for sale. Operations in the form of medical waste destruction began in the first quarter of 2018. 

Payments received for non-refundable licensing and placement fees have been recorded as deferred revenue in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2017 and 2016 and are recognized as revenue ratably over the term of the contract.