CDW-2014.12.31-10K
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549 

 
FORM 10-K
 
(Mark One)
ý
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014
or
¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from              to             
Commission File Number 001-35985
 
CDW CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
 
26-0273989
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
 
 
200 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Vernon Hills, Illinois
 
60061
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
(847) 465-6000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
None
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
  ____________________________________________ 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class:
 
Name of each exchange on which registered
 
 
 
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share
 
NASDAQ Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
  ____________________________________________
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    ý  Yes    ¨  No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    ¨  Yes    ý  No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    ý  Yes    ¨  No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    ý  Yes    ¨  No
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):
Large accelerated filer
x 
Accelerated filer
¨
Non-accelerated filer
¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    ¨  Yes    ý  No


Table of Contents

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2014, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $2,762.3 million, based on the per share closing sale price of $31.88 on that date.
As of February 20, 2015, there were 172,275,656 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for use in connection with its 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed not later than 120 days after December 31, 2014, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

 



CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
Year Ended December 31, 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item
 
Page
PART I
 
 
Item 1.
Item 1A.
Item 1B.
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
PART II
 
 
Item 5.
Item 6.
Item 7.
Item 7A.
Item 8.
Item 9.
Item 9A.
Item 9B.
PART III
 
 
Item 10.
Item 11.
Item 12.
Item 13.
Item 14.
PART IV
 
 
Item 15.
SIGNATURES

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this report are forward-looking statements. These statements relate to analyses and other information, which are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements also relate to our future prospects, developments and business strategies. We claim the protection of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for all forward-looking statements in this report.
These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will” and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. However, these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve those plans, intentions or expectations. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, or cautionary statements, are disclosed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report as well as other cautionary statements that are made from time to time in our other Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings and public communications. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this report in the context of these risks and uncertainties.
We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our operations in the way we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this report are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

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PART I
Item 1. Business
Our Company
CDW is a Fortune 500 company and a leading provider of integrated information technology (“IT”) solutions in the U.S. and Canada. We help our customer base of approximately 250,000 small, medium and large business, government, education and healthcare customers by delivering critical solutions to their increasingly complex IT needs. Our broad array of offerings ranges from discrete hardware and software products to integrated IT solutions such as mobility, security, data center optimization, cloud computing, virtualization and collaboration. We are technology "agnostic," with a product portfolio that includes over 100,000 products from more than 1,000 brands. We provide our products and solutions through sales force and service delivery teams consisting of nearly 4,600 coworkers, including more than 1,800 field sellers, highly-skilled technology specialists and advanced service delivery engineers.
  
We are a leading U.S. sales channel partner for many original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and software publishers (collectively, our “vendor partners”), whose products we sell or include in the solutions we offer. We believe we are an important extension of our vendor partners' sales and marketing capabilities, providing them with a cost-effective way to reach customers and deliver a consistent brand experience through our established end-market coverage and extensive customer access.
We provide value to our customers by simplifying the complexities of technology across design, selection, procurement, integration and management. Our goal is to have our customers, regardless of their size, view us as an indispensable extension of their IT staffs. We seek to achieve this goal by providing our customers with superior service through our large and experienced sales force and service delivery teams. Our multi-brand offering approach enables us to identify the products or combination of products that best address each customer's specific organizational IT requirements and to evolve our offerings as new technologies develop.
We believe we offer the following value proposition to our customers and our vendor partners:
Our value proposition to our customers
Our value proposition to our vendor partners
Ÿ Broad selection of products and multi-branded IT solutions
Ÿ    Value-added services with integration capabilities
Ÿ Highly-skilled specialists and engineers
Ÿ Solutions across a very broad IT landscape

Ÿ    Access to approximately 250,000 customers throughout the U.S. and Canada
Ÿ    Large and established customer channels
Ÿ Strong distribution and implementation capabilities
Ÿ    Value-added solutions and marketing programs that generate end-user demand

Our customers include private sector businesses many of which employ fewer than 5,000 employees, government agencies and educational and healthcare institutions. We serve our customers through channel-specific sales teams and service delivery teams with extensive technical skills and knowledge of the specific markets they serve. This market segmentation allows us to customize our offerings and to provide enhanced expertise in designing and implementing IT solutions for our customers. We currently have five dedicated customer channels: medium/large business, small business, government, education and healthcare, each of which generated nearly $1 billion or more in net sales in 2014. The scale and diversity of our customer channels provide us with multiple avenues for growth and a balanced customer base to weather economic and technology cycles.

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The following table provides information regarding our reportable segments and our customer channels:
 
Corporate Segment
 
Public Segment
 
 
Customer Channels
Medium/Large Business
 
Small Business
 
Government
 
Education
 
Healthcare
 
Other
 Target Customers
100 - 5,000 employees
 
10 - 100 employees
 
Various federal, state and local agencies
 
Higher education and K-12
 
Hospitals, ambulatory service providers and long-term care facilities
 
Advanced services customers plus Canada
2014 Net Sales
(in billions)
$5.5
 
$1.0
 
$1.5
 
$1.8
 
$1.6
 
$0.7
For further information on our segments, including financial results, see Note 17 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
We offer more than 1,000 brands, from well-established companies such as APC, Apple, Cisco, EMC, Google, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, NetApp, Samsung, Symantec and VMware to emerging vendor partners such as Aerohive Networks, Box, Inc., Drobo, Jive, Nimble Storage, Nutanix, and Ruckus. In 2014, we generated over $1 billion of revenue for each of four of our vendor partners and over $100 million of revenue for each of 12 other vendor partners. We have received the highest level of certification from major vendor partners such as Cisco, EMC and Microsoft, which reflects the extensive product and solution knowledge and capabilities that we bring to our customers' IT challenges. These certifications also provide us with access to favorable pricing, tools and resources, including vendor incentive programs, which we use to provide additional value to our customers. Our vendor partners also regularly recognize us with top awards and select us to develop and grow new customer solutions.
History
CDW was founded in 1984. In 2003, we purchased selected U.S. assets and the Canadian operations of Micro Warehouse, which extended our growth platform into Canada. In 2006, we acquired Berbee Information Networks Corporation, a regional provider of technology products, solutions and customized engineering services in advanced technologies primarily across Cisco, IBM and Microsoft portfolios. This acquisition increased our capabilities in customized engineering services and managed services.
On October 12, 2007, CDW Corporation, an Illinois corporation, was acquired through a merger transaction by an entity controlled by investment funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. (the “Acquisition”). CDW Corporation continued as the surviving corporation and same legal entity after the Acquisition, but became a wholly owned subsidiary of VH Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
On December 31, 2009, CDW Corporation merged into CDWC LLC, an Illinois limited liability company owned by VH Holdings, Inc., with CDWC LLC as the surviving entity. This change had no impact on our operations or management. On December 31, 2009, CDWC LLC was renamed CDW LLC (“CDW LLC”). On August 17, 2010, VH Holdings, Inc. was renamed CDW Corporation (“Parent”), a Delaware corporation.

Throughout this report, the terms “the Company” and “CDW” refer to Parent and its 100% owned subsidiaries.

Prior to July 2, 2013, the date of our initial public offering (“IPO”), Parent was owned directly by CDW Holdings LLC ("CDW Holdings"), a company controlled by investment funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. (the "Sponsors"), certain other co-investors and certain members of CDW management. Before the IPO, Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. owned 46.0% and 40.6% of our common stock, respectively. After the IPO and through subsequent secondary offerings in fourth quarter of 2013 and during 2014, the Sponsors' ownership has significantly decreased. As of December 31, 2014, the Sponsors own 15.5% and 13.7% of our common stock, respectively.

 



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On July 2, 2013, Parent completed the IPO of its common stock. In connection with the IPO, CDW Holdings distributed all of its shares of Parent's common stock to its members in June 2013 in accordance with the members' respective membership interests and was subsequently dissolved in August 2013. See Note 9 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for additional discussion of the IPO.
On November 10, 2014, we completed the acquisition of a 35% non-controlling equity interest in Kelway TopCo Limited ("Kelway"), a UK-based IT solutions provider, which has global supply chain relationships that enable it to conduct business in more than 100 countries. This investment strengthens our ability to provide a more comprehensive solution to our customers and enhances our ability to serve our existing multi-national customers.
Our Market
We operate in the U.S. and Canadian IT markets, which are large and growing markets. According to IDC, the overall U.S. IT market generated approximately $675 billion in sales in 2014. We believe our addressable market in the U.S. in the indirect sales channel represents more than $215 billion in annual sales and for the year ended December 31, 2014, our U.S. net sales of $11.5 billion represented approximately 5% of that highly diverse and fragmented market. According to IDC, the overall Canadian IT market generated more than $50 billion in sales in 2014. We believe our addressable market in Canada in the indirect sales channel represents more than $11 billion in annual sales and for the year ended December 31, 2014, our net sales of $532 million in Canada represented approximately 5% of that market. We believe we have the largest market share in our addressable market, with our 2014 net sales exceeding the cumulative North American net sales of our four largest publicly traded sales channel competitors, based upon publicly available information for those companies. New technologies, including cloud, virtualization and mobility, coupled with the resulting increase in demand for data as well as aging infrastructure, are increasingly requiring businesses and institutions to seek integrated solutions to their IT needs. We expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future, with end-user demand for business efficiency and productivity driving future IT spending growth.
Our Offerings
Our offerings range from discrete hardware and software products and services to complex integrated solutions that include one or more of these elements. We believe our customers increasingly view technology purchases as integrated solutions rather than discrete product and service categories and we estimate that approximately 47% of our net sales in 2014 came from sales of product categories and services typically associated with solutions. Our hardware products include notebooks/mobile devices (including tablets), network communications, enterprise and data storage, video monitors, printers, desktop computers and servers. Our software products include application suites, security, virtualization, operating systems, network management and Software as a Service (“SaaS”) offerings. We also provide a full suite of value-added-services, which range from basic installation, warranty and repair services to custom configuration, data center and network implementation services, as well as managed services that include Infrastructure as a Service (“IaaS”) offerings.
We also offer a variety of integrated solutions, such as:
Mobility: We assist our customers with the selection, procurement and integration of mobile security software, hardware devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, and cellular wireless activation systems. We also provide mobile device management applications with policy and security management capabilities across a variety of mobile operating systems and platforms.
Security: We assess our customers' security needs and provide them with threat prevention tools in order to protect their networks, servers and applications, such as anti-virus, anti-spam, content filtering, intrusion prevention, firewall and virtual private network services, and network access control. We also design and implement data loss prevention solutions, using data monitoring and encryption across a wide array of devices to ensure the security of customer information, personal employee information and research and development data.
Data Center Optimization: We help our customers evaluate their data centers for convergence and optimization opportunities. Our data center optimization solutions consist of server virtualization, physical server consolidation, data storage management and energy-efficient power and cooling systems.
Cloud Computing: We provide our customers with a broad portfolio of cloud-based solutions, which are technology delivered as a service. Our cloud offerings include: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which delivers compute, networking, storage, and data center capabilities via the cloud; Software as a Service (SaaS), which connects users to cloud-based software applications; and Platform as a Service (PaaS), which enables development and ongoing maintenance of cloud-based solutions. We provide public cloud solutions which reside off customer premises on a public (shared) infrastructure, and private cloud solutions, which reside on customer premises. We also offer hybrid cloud solutions that deliver the benefits of both public and private solutions. Our migration, integration and managed

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services offerings help our customers simplify cloud adoption, as well as the ongoing management of cloud solutions across the entire IT lifecycle. Dedicated Cloud Client Executives work with our customers to architect cloud solutions that meet their organizational, technology and financial objectives.
Virtualization: We design and implement server, storage and desktop virtualization solutions. Virtualization enables our customers to efficiently utilize hardware resources by running multiple, independent, virtual operating systems on a single computer and multiple virtual servers simultaneously on a single server. Virtualization also can separate a desktop environment and associated application software from the hardware device that is used to access it, and provides employees with remote desktop access. Our specialists assist customers with the steps of implementing virtualization solutions, including evaluating network environments, deploying shared storage options and licensing platform software.
Collaboration: We provide our customers with communication tools that allow employees to share knowledge, ideas and information among each other and with clients and partners effectively and quickly. Our collaboration solutions unite communications and applications via the integration of products that facilitate the use of multiple enterprise communication methods including email, instant messaging, presence, social media, voice, video, hardware, software and services. We also host cloud-based collaboration solutions.
While we believe customers increasingly view technology purchases as solutions rather than discrete product and service categories, the following table shows our net sales by major category, based upon our internal category classifications.
 
 
Year Ended December 31, 2014
 
Year Ended December 31, 2013 (1)
 
Year Ended December 31, 2012 (1)
 
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage
of Total Net Sales
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage
of Total Net Sales
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage
of Total Net Sales
Notebooks/Mobile Devices
 
$
2,352.3

 
19.5
%
 
$
1,698.4

 
15.8
%
 
$
1,462.8

 
14.4
%
NetComm Products
 
1,615.9

 
13.4

 
1,486.3

 
13.8

 
1,351.5

 
13.3

Enterprise and Data Storage (Including Drives)
 
1,024.3

 
8.5

 
999.2

 
9.3

 
981.5

 
9.7

Other Hardware
 
4,549.2

 
37.6

 
4,178.5

 
38.8

 
4,075.7

 
40.3

Software (2)
 
2,076.7

 
17.2

 
1,993.1

 
18.5

 
1,877.7

 
18.5

Services
 
371.4

 
3.1

 
332.7

 
3.1

 
285.0

 
2.8

Other (3)
 
84.7

 
0.7

 
80.4

 
0.7

 
94.0

 
1.0

Total net sales
 
$
12,074.5

 
100.0
%
 
$
10,768.6

 
100.0
%
 
$
10,128.2

 
100.0
%
(1)
Amounts have been reclassified for changes in individual product classifications to conform to the presentation for the year ended December 31, 2014.
(2)
The decline in software as a percentage of total net sales is primarily driven by a higher proportion of revenue recorded on a net basis, including SaaS.
(3)
Includes items such as delivery charges to customers and certain commission revenue.
Our Customers
We provide integrated IT solutions to approximately 250,000 small, medium and large business, government, education and healthcare customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Sales to the U.S. federal government, which are diversified across multiple agencies and departments, collectively accounted for approximately 7%, 7% and 10% of total net sales in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. However, there are several independent purchasing decision-makers across these agencies and departments. Excluding these sales to the federal government, we are not reliant on any one customer, as our next five largest customers cumulatively comprised approximately 3% of our net sales in 2014.
Inventory Management
We utilize our IT systems to manage our inventory in a cost-efficient manner, resulting in a rapid-turn inventory model. We generally only stock items that have attained a minimum sales volume.

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Our distribution process is highly automated. Once a customer order is received and credit approved, orders are automatically routed to one of our distribution centers for picking and shipping as well as configuration and imaging services. We operate two distribution centers: a 450,000 square foot facility in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and a 513,000 square foot facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada. We ship almost 37 million units annually on an aggregate basis from our two distribution centers. We believe that the location of our distribution centers allows us to efficiently ship products throughout the U.S. and provide timely access to our principal distributors. In addition, in the event of weather-related or other disruptions at one of our distribution centers, we are able to shift order processing and fulfillment from one center to the other quickly and efficiently, enabling us to continue to ship products in a timely manner. We believe that competitive sources of supply are available in substantially all of the product categories we offer. We continue to improve the productivity of our distribution centers as measured by key performance indicators such as units shipped per hour worked and bin accuracy.
We also have drop-shipment arrangements with many of our OEMs and wholesale distributors, which permit us to offer products to our customers without having to take physical delivery at either of our distribution centers. These arrangements generally represent approximately 40% to 50% of total net sales, including approximately 15% to 20% related to electronic delivery for software licenses.
Information Technology Systems
We maintain customized IT and unified communication systems that enhance our ability to provide prompt, efficient and expert service to our customers. In addition, these systems enable centralized management of key functions, including purchasing, inventory management, billing and collection of accounts receivable, sales and distribution. Our systems provide us with thorough, detailed and real-time information regarding key aspects of our business. This capability helps us to continuously enhance productivity, ship customer orders quickly and efficiently, respond appropriately to industry changes and provide high levels of customer service. We believe that our websites, which provide electronic order processing and advanced tools, such as order tracking, reporting and asset management, make it easy for customers to transact business with us and ultimately strengthen our customer relationships.
Product Procurement
We may purchase all or only some of the products that our vendor partners offer for resale to our customers or for inclusion in the solutions we offer. Each vendor partner agreement provides for specific terms and conditions, which may include one or more of the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as purchase or sales rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements. We also purchase software from major software publishers for resale to our customers or for inclusion in the solutions we offer. Our agreements with software publishers allow the end-user customer to acquire software or licensed products and services.
In addition to purchasing products directly from our vendor partners, we purchase products from wholesale distributors for resale to our customers or for inclusion in the solutions we offer. These wholesale distributors provide logistics management and supply-chain services for us, as well as for our vendor partners. For the year ended December 31, 2014, we purchased 54% of the products we sold as discrete products or as components of a solution directly from our vendor partners and the remaining 46% from wholesale distributors. Purchases from our three largest wholesale distributors, Tech Data, SYNNEX and Ingram Micro each represented 9% of our total purchases. Sales of products manufactured by Apple, Cisco, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Microsoft, whether purchased directly from these vendor partners or from a wholesale distributor, represented in the aggregate 54% of our net sales in 2014. Sales of products manufactured by Hewlett-Packard and Cisco represented 18% and 14%, of our 2014 net sales, respectively.
Competition
The market for technology products and services is highly competitive. Competition is based on the ability to tailor specific solutions to customer needs, quality and breadth of product and service offerings, knowledge and expertise of sales force, customer service, price, product availability, speed of delivery and credit availability. Our competition includes:
resellers such as Dimension Data, ePlus, Insight Enterprises, PC Connection, PCM, Presidio, Softchoice, World Wide Technology and many smaller resellers;
manufacturers who sell directly to customers, such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple;
large service providers and system integrators, such as IBM, Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and Dell;
e-tailers such as Amazon, Newegg, and TigerDirect.com;
cloud providers such as AT&T, Amazon Web Services and Box; and

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retailers (including their e-commerce activities) such as Staples and Office Depot.
We expect the competitive landscape in which we compete to continue to change as new technologies are developed. While innovation can help our business as it creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new and stronger competitors. For a discussion of the risks associated with competition, see “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report.
Marketing
We market the CDW brand to both national and local audiences using a variety of channels that include online, broadcast, print, social and other media. This promotion is supported by integrated communication efforts that target decision-makers, influencers and the general public using a combination of news releases, case studies, media interviews and speaking opportunities. We also market to current and prospective customers through integrated marketing programs that include behaviorally targeted email, print, online media, events and sponsorships, as well as broadcast media.
As a result of our relationships with our vendor partners, a significant portion of our advertising and marketing expenses are reimbursed through cooperative advertising reimbursement programs. These programs are at the discretion of our vendor partners and are typically tied to sales or purchasing volumes or other commitments to be met by us within a specified period of time. We believe that our national scale and analytical techniques that measure the efficacy of our marketing programs differentiate us from our competitors.
Coworkers
As of December 31, 2014, we employed 7,211 coworkers, none of whom is covered by collective bargaining agreements. We consider our coworker relations to be good.
Intellectual Property
The CDW trademark and certain variations thereon are registered or subject to pending trademark applications in the U.S., Canada and certain other jurisdictions. We believe our trademarks have significant value and are important factors in our marketing programs. In addition, we own registrations for domain names, including cdw.com and cdwg.com, for certain of our primary trademarks. We also have unregistered copyrights in our website content.
Item 1A. Risk Factors

There are many factors that affect our business, results of operations and cash flows, some of which are beyond our control. The following is a description of some important factors that may cause our actual results of operations and cash flows in future periods to differ materially from those currently expected or desired.
Risks Related to Our Business
General economic conditions could negatively affect technology spending by our customers and put downward pressure on prices, which may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Weak economic conditions generally, sustained uncertainty about global economic conditions, U.S. federal government spending cuts and the impact of new government programs, or a tightening of credit markets could cause our customers and potential customers to postpone or reduce spending on technology products or services or put downward pressure on prices, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Our financial performance could be adversely affected by decreases in spending on technology products and services by our Public segment customers.
Our sales to our Public segment customers are impacted by government spending policies, budget priorities and revenue levels. Although our sales to the federal government are diversified across multiple agencies and departments, they collectively accounted for approximately 7% of 2014 net sales. An adverse change in government spending policies (including ongoing budget cuts at the federal level), budget priorities or revenue levels could cause our Public segment customers to reduce their purchases or to terminate or not renew their contracts with us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. For example, in 2013, as a result of sequestration and related budget uncertainty and the partial shutdown of the federal government for 16 days, we experienced significantly reduced Federal sales in our Public segment.
Our business depends on our vendor partner relationships and the availability of their products.

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We purchase products for resale from vendor partners, which include OEMs and software publishers, and wholesale distributors. For the year ended December 31, 2014, we purchased approximately 54% of the products we sold directly from vendor partners and the remaining amount from wholesale distributors. We are authorized by vendor partners to sell all or some of their products via direct marketing activities. Our authorization with each vendor partner is subject to specific terms and conditions regarding such things as sales channel restrictions, product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor partner programs and funding, including purchase rebates, sales volume rebates, purchasing incentives and cooperative advertising reimbursements. However, we do not have any long-term contracts with our vendor partners and many of these arrangements are terminable upon notice by either party. A reduction in vendor partner programs or funding or our failure to timely react to changes in vendor partner programs or funding could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, a reduction in the amount of credit granted to us by our vendor partners could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows, particularly given our substantial indebtedness.
From time to time, vendor partners may terminate or limit our right to sell some or all of their products or change the terms and conditions or reduce or discontinue the incentives that they offer us. For example, there is no assurance that, as our vendor partners continue to sell directly to end users and through resellers, they will not limit or curtail the availability of their products to solutions providers like us. Any such termination or limitation or the implementation of such changes could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Although we purchase from a diverse vendor base, in 2014, products we purchased from distributors Tech Data, SYNNEX and Ingram Micro each represented 9% of our total purchases. In addition, sales of Apple, Cisco, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Microsoft products comprise a substantial portion of our sales, representing approximately 54% of net sales in 2014. Sales of products manufactured by Hewlett-Packard and Cisco represented approximately 18% and 14%, respectively, of our 2014 net sales. The loss of, or change in business relationship with, any of these or any other key vendor partners, the diminished availability of their products, or backlogs for their products leading to manufacturer allocation, could reduce the supply and increase the cost of products we sell and negatively impact our competitive position.
Additionally, the relocation of key distributors utilized in our purchasing model could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. Further, the sale, spin-off or combination of any of our vendor partners and/or certain of their business units, including any such sale to or combination with a vendor with whom we do not currently have a commercial relationship or whose products we do not sell, could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Our sales are dependent on continued innovations in hardware, software and services offerings by our vendor partners and the competitiveness of their offerings, and our ability to partner with new and emerging technology providers.
The technology industry is characterized by rapid innovation and the frequent introduction of new and enhanced hardware, software and services offerings, such as cloud-based solutions, including SaaS, IaaS and PaaS. We have been and will continue to be dependent on innovations in hardware, software and services offerings, as well as the acceptance of those innovations by customers. A decrease in the rate of innovation, or the lack of acceptance of innovations by customers, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition, if we are unable to keep up with changes in technology and new hardware, software and services offerings, for example by providing the appropriate training to our account managers, sales technology specialists and engineers to enable them to effectively sell and deliver such new offerings to customers, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
We also are dependent upon our vendor partners for the development and marketing of hardware, software and services to compete effectively with hardware, software and services of vendors whose products and services we do not currently offer or that we are not authorized to offer in one or more customer channels. In addition, our success is dependent on our ability to develop relationships with and sell hardware, software and services from new emerging vendors and vendors that we have not historically represented in the marketplace. To the extent that a vendor's offering that is highly in demand is not available to us for resale in one or more customer channels, and there is not a competitive offering from another vendor that we are authorized to sell in such customer channels, or we are unable to develop relationships with new technology providers or companies that we have not historically represented, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely impacted.
Substantial competition could reduce our market share and significantly harm our financial performance.
Our current competition includes:

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resellers, such as Dimension Data, ePlus, Insight Enterprises, PC Connection, PCM, Presidio, Softchoice, World Wide Technology and many smaller resellers;
manufacturers who sell directly to customers, such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple;
large service providers and system integrators, such as IBM, Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and Dell;
e-tailers, such as Amazon, Newegg and TigerDirect.com;
cloud providers, such as AT&T, Amazon Web Services and Box; and
retailers (including their e-commerce activities), such as Staples and Office Depot.
 
We expect the competitive landscape in which we compete to continue to change as new technologies are developed. While innovation can help our business as it creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new and stronger competitors. For instance, while cloud-based solutions present an opportunity for us, cloud-based solutions and technologies that deliver technology solutions as a service could increase the amount of sales directly to customers rather than through solutions providers like us, or could reduce the amount of hardware we sell, leading to a reduction in our sales and/or profitability. In addition, some of our hardware and software vendor partners sell, and could intensify their efforts to sell, their products directly to our customers. Moreover, traditional OEMs have increased their services capabilities through mergers and acquisitions with service providers, which could potentially increase competition in the market to provide comprehensive technology solutions to customers. If any of these trends becomes more prevalent, it could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We focus on offering a high level of service to gain new customers and retain existing customers. To the extent we face increased competition to gain and retain customers, we may be required to reduce prices, increase advertising expenditures or take other actions which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. Additionally, some of our competitors may reduce their prices in an attempt to stimulate sales, which may require us to reduce prices. This would require us to sell a greater number of products to achieve the same level of net sales and gross profit. If such a reduction in prices occurs and we are unable to attract new customers and sell increased quantities of products, our sales growth and profitability could be adversely affected.
The success of our business depends on the continuing development, maintenance and operation of our information technology systems.
Our success is dependent on the accuracy, proper utilization and continuing development of our information technology systems, including our business systems, such as our sales, customer management, financial and accounting, marketing, purchasing, warehouse management, e-commerce and mobile systems, as well as our operational platforms, including voice and data networks and power systems. The quality and our utilization of the information generated by our information technology systems, and our success in implementing new systems and upgrades, affects, among other things, our ability to:
conduct business with our customers, including delivering services and solutions to them;
manage our inventory and accounts receivable;
purchase, sell, ship and invoice our hardware and software products and provide and invoice our services efficiently and on a timely basis; and
maintain our cost-efficient operating model while scaling our business.
 
The integrity of our information technology systems is vulnerable to disruption due to forces beyond our control. While we have taken steps to protect our information technology systems from a variety of threats, including computer viruses, malware, phishing, social engineering, unauthorized access and other malicious attacks, both internal and external, and human error, there can be no guarantee that those steps will be effective. Furthermore, although we have redundant systems at a separate location to back up our primary systems, there can be no assurance that these redundant systems will operate properly if and when required. Any disruption to or infiltration of our information technology systems could significantly harm our business and results of operations.
Breaches of data security could adversely impact our business.

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Our business involves the storage and transmission of proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data, including personal information of coworkers, customers and others. In addition, we operate data centers for our customers which host their technology infrastructure and may store and transmit both business-critical data and confidential information. In connection with our services business, our coworkers also have access to our customers' confidential data and other information. We have privacy and data security policies in place that are designed to prevent security breaches; however, as newer technologies evolve, we could be exposed to increased risk of breaches in security. Breaches in security could expose us, our customers or other individuals to a risk of public disclosure, loss or misuse of this information, resulting in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers and damage to our brand and reputation. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant. Such breaches, costs and consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
The failure to comply with our Public segment contracts or applicable laws and regulations could result in, among other things, termination, fines or other liabilities, and changes in procurement regulations could adversely impact our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Revenues in our Public segment are derived from sales to governmental entities, educational institutions and healthcare customers, through various contracts and open market sales of products and services. Sales to Public segment customers are highly regulated. Noncompliance with contract provisions, government procurement regulations or other applicable laws or regulations (including but not limited to the False Claims Act and the Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Kickback Statute) could result in civil, criminal and administrative liability, including substantial monetary fines or damages, termination of government contracts or other Public segment customer contracts, and suspension, debarment or ineligibility from doing business with the government and other customers in the Public segment. In addition, contracts in the Public segment are generally terminable at any time for convenience of the contracting agency or group purchasing organization (“GPO”) or upon default. Furthermore, our inability to enter into or retain contracts with GPOs may threaten our ability to sell to customers in those GPOs and compete. The effect of any of these possible actions could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, the adoption of new or modified procurement regulations and other requirements may increase our compliance costs and reduce our gross margins, which could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
If we fail to provide high-quality services to our customers, or if our third-party service providers fail to provide high-quality services to our customers, our reputation, business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
Our service offerings include field services, managed services, warranties, configuration services, partner services and telecom services. Additionally, we deliver and manage mission critical software, systems and network solutions for our customers. We also offer certain services, such as implementation and installation services and repair services, to our customers through various third-party service providers engaged to perform these services on our behalf. If we or our third-party service providers fail to provide high quality services to our customers or such services result in a disruption of our customers' businesses, this could, among other things, result in legal claims and proceedings and liability. Moreover, as we expand our services and solutions business, we may be exposed to additional operational, regulatory and other risks. We also could incur liability for failure to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to the new services and solutions we provide to our customers. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our reputation with our customers, our brand and our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
If we lose any of our key personnel, or are unable to attract and retain the talent required for our business, our business could be disrupted and our financial performance could suffer.
Our success is heavily dependent upon our ability to attract, develop, engage and retain key personnel to manage and grow our business, including our key executive, management, sales, services and technical coworkers.
Our future success will depend to a significant extent on the efforts of Thomas E. Richards, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, as well as the continued service and support of our other executive officers. Our future success also will depend on our ability to retain our customer-facing coworkers, who have been given critical CDW knowledge regarding, and the opportunity to develop strong relationships with, many of our customers. In addition, as we seek to expand our offerings of value-added services and solutions, our success will even more heavily depend on attracting and retaining highly skilled technology specialists and engineers, for whom the market is extremely competitive.
Our inability to attract, develop and retain key personnel could have an adverse effect on our relationships with our vendor partners and customers and adversely affect our ability to expand our offerings of value-added services and solutions. Moreover, our inability to train our sales, services and technical personnel effectively to meet the rapidly changing technology

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needs of our customers could cause a decrease in the overall quality and efficiency of such personnel. Such consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
The interruption of the flow of products from suppliers could disrupt our supply chain.
A significant portion of the products we sell are manufactured or purchased by our vendor partners outside of the U.S., primarily in Asia. Political, social or economic instability in Asia, or in other regions in which our vendor partners purchase or manufacture the products we sell, could cause disruptions in trade, including exports to the U.S. Other events that could also cause disruptions to our supply chain include:
the imposition of additional trade law provisions or regulations;
the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges on imports and exports;
foreign currency fluctuations;
natural disasters or other adverse occurrences at, or affecting, any of our suppliers' facilities;
restrictions on the transfer of funds;
the financial instability or bankruptcy of manufacturers; and
significant labor disputes, such as strikes.
 
We cannot predict whether the countries in which the products we sell are purchased or manufactured, or may be purchased or manufactured in the future, will be subject to new or additional trade restrictions or sanctions imposed by the U.S. or foreign governments, including the likelihood, type or effect of any such restrictions. Trade restrictions, including new or increased tariffs or quotas, embargoes, sanctions, safeguards and customs restrictions against the products we sell, as well as foreign labor strikes and work stoppages or boycotts, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of product available to us and adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, our exports are subject to regulations and noncompliance with these requirements could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at one of our primary facilities or customer data centers could damage our business.
Substantially all of our corporate, warehouse and distribution functions are located at our Vernon Hills, Illinois facilities and our second distribution center in North Las Vegas, Nevada. If the warehouse and distribution equipment at one of our distribution centers were to be seriously damaged by a natural disaster or other adverse occurrence, we could utilize the other distribution center or third-party distributors to ship products to our customers. However, this may not be sufficient to avoid interruptions in our service and may not enable us to meet all of the needs of our customers and would cause us to incur incremental operating costs. In addition, we operate three customer data centers and numerous sales offices which may contain both business-critical data and confidential information of our customers. A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at any of the customer data centers or at any of our major sales offices could negatively impact our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We are heavily dependent on commercial delivery services.
We generally ship hardware products to our customers by FedEx, United Parcel Service and other commercial delivery services and invoice customers for delivery charges. If we are unable to pass on to our customers future increases in the cost of commercial delivery services, our profitability could be adversely affected. Additionally, strikes, inclement weather, natural disasters or other service interruptions by such shippers could adversely affect our ability to deliver products on a timely basis.
We are exposed to accounts receivable and inventory risks.
We extend credit to our customers for a significant portion of our net sales, typically on 30-day payment terms. We are subject to the risk that our customers may not pay for the products they have purchased, or may pay at a slower rate than we have historically experienced, the risk of which is heightened during periods of economic downturn or uncertainty or, in the case of Public segment customers, during periods of budget constraints.
We are also exposed to inventory risks as a result of the rapid technological changes that affect the market and pricing for the products we sell. We seek to minimize our inventory exposure through a variety of inventory management procedures and policies, including our rapid-turn inventory model, as well as vendor price protection and product return programs. However, if we were unable to maintain our rapid-turn inventory model, if there were unforeseen product developments that

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created more rapid obsolescence or if our vendor partners were to change their terms and conditions, our inventory risks could increase. We also from time to time take advantage of cost savings associated with certain opportunistic bulk inventory purchases offered by our vendor partners or we may decide to carry high inventory levels of certain products that have limited or no return privileges due to customer demand or request. These bulk purchases could increase our exposure to inventory obsolescence.
We could be exposed to additional risks if we continue to make strategic investments or acquisitions or enter into alliances.
We may continue to pursue transactions, including strategic investments, acquisitions or alliances, in an effort to extend or complement our existing business. These types of transactions involve numerous business risks, including finding suitable transaction partners and negotiating terms that are acceptable to us, the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns, extending our product or service offerings into areas in which we have limited experience, entering into new geographic markets, the potential loss of key coworkers or business relationships and successfully integrating acquired businesses, any of which could adversely affect our operations.
In addition, our financial results could be adversely affected by financial adjustments required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) in connection with these types of transactions where significant goodwill or intangible assets are recorded. To the extent the value of goodwill or identifiable intangible assets with indefinite lives becomes impaired, we may be required to incur material charges relating to the impairment of those assets.
Our future operating results may fluctuate significantly.
We may experience significant variations in our future quarterly results of operations. These fluctuations may cause the market price of our common stock to be volatile and may result from many factors, including the condition of the technology industry in general, shifts in demand and pricing for hardware, software and services and the introduction of new products or upgrades.
Our operating results are also highly dependent on our level of gross profit as a percentage of net sales. Our gross profit percentage fluctuates due to numerous factors, some of which may be outside of our control, including general macroeconomic conditions; pricing pressures; changes in product costs from our vendor partners; the availability of price protection, purchase discounts and incentive programs from our vendor partners; changes in product, order size and customer mix; the risk of some items in our inventory becoming obsolete; increases in delivery costs that we cannot pass on to customers; and general market and competitive conditions.
In addition, our cost structure is based, in part, on anticipated sales and gross margins. Therefore, we may not be able to adjust our cost structure quickly enough to compensate for any unexpected sales or gross margin shortfall, and any such inability could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We are exposed to risks from legal proceedings and audits.
We are party to various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, which include commercial, employment, tort and other litigation.
We are subject to intellectual property infringement claims against us in the ordinary course of our business, either because of the products and services we sell or the business systems and processes we use to sell such products and services, in the form of cease-and-desist letters, licensing inquiries, lawsuits and other communications and demands. In our industry, such intellectual property claims have become more frequent as the complexity of technological products and the intensity of competition in our industry have increased. Increasingly, many of these assertions are brought by non-practicing entities whose principal business model is to secure patent licensing revenue, but we may also be subject to suits from inventors, competitors or other patent holders who may seek licensing revenue, lost profits and/or an injunction preventing us from engaging in certain activities, including selling certain products and services.
Because of our significant sales to governmental entities, we also are subject to audits by federal, state and local authorities. We also are subject to audits by various vendor partners and large customers, including government agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, we are subject to indemnification claims under various contracts.
Current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings, audits or indemnification claims that we face may result in substantial costs and expenses and significantly divert the attention of our management regardless of the outcome. In addition, current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings, audits or indemnification claims could lead to increased costs or interruptions of our normal business operations. Litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings, audits or indemnification claims involve uncertainties and the eventual outcome of any litigation,

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infringement claim, governmental proceeding, audit or indemnification claim could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Failure to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to our operations could adversely impact our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Our operations are subject to numerous U.S. and foreign laws and regulations in a number of areas including, but not limited to, areas of labor and employment, advertising, e-commerce, tax, import and export requirements, anti-corruption, data privacy requirements, anti-competition, and environmental, health, and safety. Compliance with these laws, regulations and similar requirements may be onerous and expensive, and they may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, further increasing the cost of compliance and doing business, and the risk of noncompliance. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, but there can be no guarantee against coworkers, contractors, or agents violating such laws and regulations or our policies and procedures.
We have significant deferred cancellation of debt income.
As a result of a 2009 debt modification, we realized $395.5 million of cancellation of debt income (“CODI”). We made an election under Code Section 108(i) to defer this CODI from taxable income, pursuant to which we are also required to defer certain original issue discount (“OID”) deductions as they accrue. As of December 31, 2013, we had deferred approximately $114.5 million of OID deductions. Starting in 2014, we were required to include the deferred CODI and the deferred OID into taxable income ratably over a five-year period ending in 2018. Because we have more CODI than the aggregate of our deferred OID on the relevant remaining debt instruments, we will have a future cash tax liability associated with our significant deferred CODI. We have reflected the associated cash tax liability in our deferred taxes for financial accounting purposes.
All of our deferred CODI will be accelerated into current taxable income if, prior to 2018, we engage in a so-called “impairment transaction” and the gross value of our assets immediately afterward is less than 110% of the sum of our total liabilities and the tax on the net amount of our deferred CODI and OID (the “110% test”) as determined under the applicable Treasury Regulations. An “impairment transaction” is any transaction that impairs our ability to pay the tax on our deferred CODI, and includes dividends or distributions with respect to our equity and charitable contributions, in each case in a manner that is not consistent with our historical practice within the meaning of the applicable Treasury Regulations.
Prior to 2018, our willingness to pay dividends or make distributions with respect to our equity could be adversely affected if, at the time, we do not meet the 110% test and, as a result, the payment of a dividend or the making of a distribution would accelerate the tax payable with respect to our deferred CODI. We believe that, based on our interpretation of applicable Treasury Regulations, the gross value of our assets exceeds 110% of the sum of our total liabilities and the tax on the net amount of our deferred CODI and OID as of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, we cannot assure you that this will continue to be true in the future.
Risks Related to Our Indebtedness
We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which could have important consequences to our business.
We have a substantial amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2014, we had $3.2 billion of total long-term debt outstanding, as defined by GAAP, and $332.1 million of obligations outstanding under our inventory financing agreements, and the ability to borrow an additional $935.6 million under our senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Loan”). Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences, including the following:
making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness;
requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to debt service payments on our and our subsidiaries' debt, which reduces the funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
requiring us to comply with restrictive covenants in our senior credit facilities and indentures, which limit the manner in which we conduct our business;
making it more difficult for us to obtain vendor financing from our vendor partners, including original equipment manufacturers and software publishers;
limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the industry in which we operate;

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placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to any of our less-leveraged competitors;
increasing our vulnerability to both general and industry-specific adverse economic conditions; and
limiting our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general corporate requirements and increasing our cost of borrowing. 
Restrictive covenants under our senior credit facilities and, to varying degrees, our indentures may adversely affect our operations and liquidity.
Our senior credit facilities and, to varying degrees, our indentures contain, and any future indebtedness of ours may contain, various covenants that limit our ability to, among other things:
incur or guarantee additional debt;
pay dividends or make distributions to holders of our capital stock or to make certain other restricted payments or investments;
repurchase or redeem capital stock;
make loans, capital expenditures or investments or acquisitions;
receive dividends or other payments from our subsidiaries;
enter into transactions with affiliates;
create liens;
merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets;
transfer or sell assets, including capital stock of subsidiaries; and
prepay, repurchase or redeem debt.
As a result of these covenants, we are limited in the manner in which we conduct our business and we may be unable to engage in favorable business activities or finance future operations or capital needs. A breach of any of these covenants or any of the other restrictive covenants would result in a default under our senior credit facilities. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our senior credit facilities, the lenders:
will not be required to lend any additional amounts to us;
could elect to declare all borrowings outstanding thereunder, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be due and payable; or
could require us to apply all of our available cash to repay these borrowings.
The acceleration of amounts outstanding under our senior credit facilities would likely trigger an event of default under our existing indentures.
If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our senior credit facilities could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure our borrowings thereunder. We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under our senior credit facilities. If the lenders under our senior credit facilities accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets to repay our senior credit facilities and our other indebtedness or the ability to borrow sufficient funds to refinance such indebtedness. Even if we were able to obtain new financing, it may not be on commercially reasonable terms, or terms that are acceptable to us.
In addition, under our Revolving Loan, we are permitted to borrow an aggregate amount of up to $1,250.0 million. However, our ability to borrow under our Revolving Loan is limited by a borrowing base and a liquidity condition. The borrowing base at any time equals the sum of up to 85% of CDW LLC and its subsidiary guarantors’ eligible accounts receivable (net of accounts reserves) (up to 30% of such eligible accounts receivable which can consist of federal government accounts receivable) plus the lesser of (i) 75% of CDW LLC and its subsidiary guarantors’ eligible inventory (valued at cost and net of inventory reserves) and (ii) the product of 85% multiplied by the net orderly liquidation value percentage multiplied by eligible inventory (valued at cost and net of inventory reserves), less reserves (other than accounts reserves and inventory

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reserves). The borrowing base in effect as of December 31, 2014 was $1,253.4 million, and therefore, did not restrict our ability to borrow under our Revolving Loan as of that date.
Our ability to borrow under our Revolving Loan is also limited by a minimum liquidity condition, which provides that, if excess cash availability is less than the lesser of (i) $125.0 million and (ii) the greater of (A) 10% of the borrowing base and (B) $100.0 million, the lenders are not required to lend any additional amounts under our Revolving Loan unless the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement for our Revolving Loan) is at least 1.0 to 1.0. Moreover, our Revolving Loan provides discretion to the agent bank acting on behalf of the lenders to impose additional availability reserves, which could materially impair the amount of borrowings that would otherwise be available to us. We cannot assure you that the agent bank will not impose such reserves or, were it to do so, that the resulting impact of this action would not materially and adversely impair our liquidity.
We will be required to generate sufficient cash to service our indebtedness and, if not successful, we may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. Our outstanding long-term debt will impose significant cash interest payment obligations on us and, accordingly, we will have to generate significant cash flow from operating activities to fund our debt service obligations. We cannot assure you that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources” included elsewhere in this report.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital, restructure or refinance our indebtedness, or revise or delay our strategic plan. We cannot assure you that we would be able to take any of these actions, that these actions would be successful and permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations or satisfy our capital requirements, or that these actions would be permitted under the terms of our existing or future debt agreements, including our senior credit facilities and indentures. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. Our senior credit facilities and the indenture governing our 8.5% Senior Notes due 2019 ("2019 Senior Notes") restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds which we could realize from them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. Furthermore, the Sponsors have no obligation to provide us with debt or equity financing.
If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and, as a result:
our debt holders could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable;
the lenders under our senior credit facilities could foreclose against the assets securing the borrowings from them and the lenders under our term loan facility could terminate their commitments to lend us money; and
we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Despite our indebtedness levels, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantially more debt, including secured debt. This could further increase the risks associated with our leverage.
We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of our senior credit facilities and indentures do not fully prohibit us or our subsidiaries from doing so. To the extent that we incur additional indebtedness or such other obligations, the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness described above, including our possible inability to service our debt, will increase. As of December 31, 2014, we had approximately $935.6 million available for additional borrowing under our Revolving Loan after taking into account borrowing base limitations (net of $2.1 million of issued and undrawn letters of credit and $332.1 million of reserves related to our floorplan sub-facility).
Variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
Certain of our borrowings, primarily borrowings under our senior credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. As of December 31, 2014, we had $1,513.5 million of variable rate debt outstanding. If interest rates increase above 1% per annum, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income would decrease. Although we have entered into interest rate cap

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agreements on our term loan facility to reduce interest rate volatility, we cannot assure you we will be able to enter into interest rate cap agreements in the future on acceptable terms or that such caps or the caps we have in place now will be effective.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our common stock price may be volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance, and holders of our common stock could lose a significant portion of their investment.
The market price for our common stock may be volatile. Our stockholders may not be able to resell their shares of common stock at or above the price at which they purchased such shares, due to fluctuations in the market price of our common stock, which may be caused by a number of factors, many of which we cannot control, including the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the following:
changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our common stock, our failure to meet these estimates or failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our common stock;
downgrades by any securities analysts who follow our common stock;
future sales of our common stock by our officers, directors and significant stockholders, including the Sponsors;
market conditions or trends in our industry or the economy as a whole;
investors’ perceptions of our prospects;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures or capital commitments;
changes in key personnel; and
our limited public float in light of the Sponsors’ beneficial ownership of a majority of our common stock, which may result in the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders having a disproportionate positive or negative influence on the market price of our common stock.
In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies, including companies in our industry. In the past, securities class action litigation has followed periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs, and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business.
The Sponsors have influence over significant corporate activities and their interests may not align with yours.
Madison Dearborn beneficially owns approximately 15.5% of our common stock and Providence Equity beneficially owns approximately 13.7% of our common stock as of February 20, 2015. As a result of their ownership, each Sponsor, so long as it holds a sizable portion of our outstanding common stock, will have substantial voting power with respect to matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. In addition, so long as each Sponsor has representation on our board of directors, it will have the ability to exercise influence over decision-making with respect to our business direction and policies. Matters over which each of the Sponsors may, directly or indirectly, exercise influence include:
the election of our board of directors and the appointment and removal of our officers;
mergers and other business combination transactions, including proposed transactions that would result in our stockholders receiving a premium price for their shares;
other acquisitions or dispositions of businesses or assets;
incurrence of indebtedness and the issuance of equity securities;
repurchase of stock and payment of dividends; and
the issuance of shares to management under our equity incentive plans.

Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, each Sponsor and its affiliates do not have any obligation to present to us, and each Sponsor may separately pursue, corporate opportunities of which it becomes aware, even if those opportunities are ones that we would have pursued if granted the opportunity.

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Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.
Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional shares. As of February 20, 2015, there were 172,275,656 shares of our common stock outstanding. The shares of our common stock sold in our initial public offering and in registered secondary offerings are freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), except that any shares of our common stock that may be acquired by our directors, executive officers and other affiliates, as that term is defined in the Securities Act, may be sold only in compliance with certain volume limitations and other restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
The remaining shares of our common stock, to the extent not previously sold pursuant to an exemption from registration, will continue to be “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act and subject to certain restrictions on resale. Restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if they are registered under the Securities Act or are sold pursuant to an exemption from registration such as Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
As of February 20, 2015, the holders of approximately 53,000,000 shares of our common stock will continue to have the right to require us to register the sales of such shares under the Securities Act, under the terms of an agreement between us and the holders.
In the future, we may also issue our securities in connection with investments or acquisitions. The number of shares of our common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of the Company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors. These provisions:
authorize the issuance of undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and the shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include super voting, special approval, dividend, or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of common stock;
establish a classified board of directors so that not all members of our board of directors are elected at one time;
generally prohibit stockholder action by written consent, requiring all stockholder actions be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;
provide that special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by or at the direction of (i) our board of directors pursuant to a written resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of the majority of the total number of directors that the Company would have if there were no vacancies;
establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings; and
provide that our board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our amended and restated bylaws.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also contains a provision that provides us with protections similar to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, and will prevent us from engaging in a business combination with a person who acquires at least 15% of our common stock for a period of three years from the date such person acquired such common stock, unless board or stockholder approval is obtained prior to the acquisition. These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions under Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of the Company, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions our stockholders desire.

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Conflicts of interest may arise because some of our directors are principals of our largest stockholders.
Paul Finnegan and Robin Selati, who are principals of Madison Dearborn, and Glenn Creamer and Michael Dominguez, who are managing directors of Providence Equity, serve on our board of directors. As of February 20, 2015, Madison Dearborn and Providence Equity each continue to hold a sizable portion of our outstanding common stock. The Sponsors and the entities respectively controlled by them may hold equity interests in entities that directly or indirectly compete with us, and companies in which they currently invest may begin competing with us. As a result of these relationships, when conflicts arise between the interests of Madison Dearborn or Providence Equity, on the one hand, and of other stockholders, on the other hand, these directors may not be disinterested. Although our directors and officers have a duty of loyalty to us under Delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, transactions that we enter into in which a director or officer has a conflict of interest are generally permissible so long as (1) the material facts relating to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest as to the transaction are disclosed to our board of directors and a majority of our disinterested directors approves the transaction, (2) the material facts relating to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest as to the transaction are disclosed to our stockholders and a majority of our disinterested stockholders approve the transaction or (3) the transaction is otherwise fair to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that any principal, officer, member, manager and/or employee of a Sponsor or any entity that controls, is controlled by or under common control with a Sponsor (other than us or any company that is controlled by us) or a Sponsor-managed investment fund will not be required to offer any transaction opportunity of which they become aware to us and could take any such opportunity for themselves or offer it to other companies in which they have an investment, unless such opportunity is offered to them solely in their capacities as our directors.
We cannot assure you that we will continue to pay dividends on our common stock or repurchase any of our common stock under our share repurchase program, and our indebtedness and certain tax considerations could limit our ability to continue to pay dividends on, or make share repurchases of, our common stock. If we do not continue to pay dividends, you may not receive any return on investment unless you are able to sell your common stock for a price greater than your purchase price.
We expect to continue to pay a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.0675 per share per quarter, or $0.27 per share per annum. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Any determination to pay dividends on, or repurchase, shares of our common stock in the future will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, business prospects, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, including those under our senior credit facilities and indentures, any potential indebtedness we may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law, tax considerations and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends on, or repurchase, shares of our common stock will be limited by restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or make distributions to our stockholders and on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, in each case, under the terms of our current and any future agreements governing our indebtedness. There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay a dividend at the current rate or at all or that we will repurchase shares of our common stock. If we do not pay dividends in the future, realization of a gain on your investment will depend entirely on the appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may never occur. See “--Risks Related to Our Business--We have significant deferred cancellation of debt income” for a discussion of certain tax considerations that could affect our willingness to pay dividends in the future.
We are a holding company and rely on dividends, distributions and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.
We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. As a result, we are largely dependent upon cash dividends and distributions and other transfers from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations. The agreements governing the indebtedness of our subsidiaries impose restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could also limit or impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
As of December 31, 2014, we owned or leased a total of 2.3 million square feet of space throughout the U.S. and Canada. We own two properties: a combined office and a 450,000 square foot distribution center in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and a 513,000 square foot distribution center in North Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, we conduct sales, services and administrative activities in various leased locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, including data centers in Madison, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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We believe that our facilities are well maintained, suitable for our business and occupy sufficient space to meet our operating needs. As part of our normal business, we regularly evaluate sales center performance and site suitability. Leases covering our currently occupied leased properties expire at varying dates, generally within the next ten years. We anticipate no difficulty in retaining occupancy through lease renewals, month-to-month occupancy or replacing the leased properties with equivalent properties. We believe that suitable additional or substitute leased properties will be available as required.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
We are party to various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, which include commercial, intellectual property, employment, tort and other litigation matters. We are also subject to audit by federal, state and local authorities, and by various partners, group purchasing organizations and customers, including government agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, we are subject to indemnification claims under various contracts. From time to time, certain of our customers file voluntary petitions for reorganization or liquidation under the U.S. bankruptcy laws. In such cases, certain pre-petition payments received by us could be considered preference items and subject to return to the bankruptcy administrator.
As of December 31, 2014, we do not believe that there is a reasonable possibility that any material loss exceeding the amounts already recognized for these proceedings and matters, if any, has been incurred. However, the ultimate resolutions of these proceedings and matters are inherently unpredictable. As such, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings or matters.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.

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Executive Officers
Name
Age
Position
Thomas E. Richards
60

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Director
Dennis G. Berger
50

Senior Vice President and Chief Coworker Services Officer
Neal J. Campbell
53

Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Christina M. Corley
47

Senior Vice President - Corporate Sales
Douglas E. Eckrote
50

Senior Vice President - Strategic Solutions and Services
Christine A. Leahy
50

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Christina V. Rother
51

Senior Vice President - Public and Advanced Technology Sales
Jonathan J. Stevens
45

Senior Vice President - Operations and Chief Information Officer
Matthew A. Troka
44

Senior Vice President - Product and Partner Management
Ann E. Ziegler
56

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Thomas E. Richards serves as our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, as a member of our board of directors and as a manager of CDW LLC. Mr. Richards has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since October 2011 and was named Chairman on January 1, 2013. From September 2009 to October 2011, Mr. Richards served as our President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining CDW, Mr. Richards held leadership positions with Qwest Communications International Inc. ("Qwest"), a broadband Internet-based communications company. From 2008 to 2009, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operation and performance of Qwest, and before assuming that role, was the Executive Vice President of the Business Markets Group from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Richards also has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Communications Corporation and as Executive Vice President of Ameritech Corporation. Mr. Richards serves as a board member of Junior Achievement of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richards also is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Executives’ Club of Chicago. Mr. Richards is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a Master of Science in Management as a Sloan Fellow.
Dennis G. Berger serves as our Senior Vice President and Chief Coworker Services Officer. Mr. Berger joined CDW in September 2005 as Vice President-Coworker Services. In January 2007, he was named Senior Vice President and Chief Coworker Services Officer. Mr. Berger is responsible for leading CDW’s programs in coworker learning and development, benefits, compensation, performance management, coworker relations and talent acquisition. Prior to joining CDW, he served as Vice President of Human Resources at PepsiAmericas, a beverage company, from 2002 to 2005. Mr. Berger has also held human resources positions of increasing responsibility at Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc., Pepsico, Inc. and GTE Corporation. Mr. Berger serves on the board of directors of Glenwood Academy, Anti-Defamation League of Chicago and Skills for Chicagoland’s Future. Mr. Berger is a graduate of Northeastern University where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis where he earned a Master of Business Administration.
Neal J. Campbell serves as our Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Campbell joined CDW in January 2011, and is responsible for the strategy and development of CDW’s advertising, public relations, channel marketing, marketing intelligence and research, merchandising, microsites, creative services and direct marketing content, along with relationship marketing, corporate communications and e-commerce initiatives including content development, online marketing and e-procurement. Prior to joining CDW, Mr. Campbell served as Chief Executive Officer of TrafficCast, a provider of real-time and predictive traffic information to Google, Yahoo and others from 2008 to 2011. From 2006 to 2008, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager-Strategic Marketing and Next Generation Products for ISCO International, a manufacturer of wireless telecommunications components. Mr. Campbell also spent 17 years with Motorola, most recently as Vice President and General Manager, GSM Portfolio Marketing and Planning for the company’s mobile device business. He currently serves as a board member of TrafficCast and Junior Achievement of Chicago, and is on the Executive Advisory Council of Bradley University. Mr. Campbell is a graduate of Bradley University where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where he earned a Master of Business Administration.
Christina M. Corley serves as our Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales and is responsible for managing all aspects of our corporate sales force, including sales force strategy, structure, goals, operations, revenue generation and training and development. Prior to joining CDW in September 2011, Ms. Corley served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Zones, Inc., a provider of IT products and solutions, from 2006 to 2011. She served as Executive Vice President of Purchasing and Operations for Zones, Inc. from April 2005 to October 2006. She served as President of Corporate PC Source (“CPCS”), a

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wholly owned subsidiary of Zones, Inc., from March 2003 to April 2005. Prior to its acquisition by Zones, Inc., Ms. Corley served as Chief Executive Officer of CPCS from 1999 to 2003. Ms. Corley began her career in sales and marketing, holding various positions at IBM, Dataflex and VisionTek. She currently serves as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago. Ms. Corley is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where she earned a Master of Business Administration in management and strategy.
Douglas E. Eckrote serves as our Senior Vice President of Strategic Solutions and Services and is responsible for our technology specialist teams focusing on servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions. He also holds responsibility for CDW Canada, Inc. Mr. Eckrote joined CDW in 1989 as an account manager. Mr. Eckrote was appointed Director of Operations in 1996, Vice President of Operations in 1999 and Senior Vice President of Purchasing in April 2001. In October 2001, he was named Senior Vice President of Purchasing and Operations. He was named Senior Vice President of Operations, Services and Canada in 2006 and assumed his current role in 2009. Prior to joining CDW, Eckrote worked in outside sales for Arrow Electronics and Cintas Uniform Company. From 2003 to 2009, Mr. Eckrote served on the board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, completing the last two years as board chair, and served on the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Chapter Performance Committee from 2009-2014. Mr. Eckrote also served on the board of directors of the Center for Enriched Living from 2002-2011, serving as Vice President from 2004-2005, President from 2006-2008, board emeritus from 2009-2011 and currently serves as a trustee. Mr. Eckrote is a graduate of Purdue University where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where he earned an Executive Master of Business Administration.
Christine A. Leahy serves as our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and is responsible for our legal, corporate governance, enterprise risk management and ethics and compliance functions. She also is responsible for our international strategy and serves on the board of directors of Kelway, a UK-based technology solutions provider in which CDW has a minority investment. Ms. Leahy joined CDW in January 2002. Prior to that, Ms. Leahy served as a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP where she specialized in mergers and acquisitions, strategic counseling, corporate governance and securities law. Ms. Leahy serves on the board of trustees of Children’s Home and Aid. Ms. Leahy is a graduate of Brown University where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of Boston College Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor. She also completed the CEO Perspective and Women’s Director Development Programs at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Christina V. Rother serves as our Senior Vice President of Public and Advanced Technology Sales and is responsible for managing all aspects of our public sector and advanced technology sales forces, including sales force strategy, structure, goals, operations, revenue generation and training and development. Ms. Rother joined CDW in 1991 as an account manager. In 2002, she was appointed Vice President for Education and State and Local Sales. In 2005, she was chosen to lead our newly formed healthcare sales team. Beginning in 2006, Ms. Rother has held various positions ranging from Group Vice President of CDW Government LLC, President of CDW Government LLC and Senior Vice President of Sales. In September 2011, Ms. Rother assumed her current role as Senior Vice President of Public and Advanced Technology Sales. Prior to joining CDW, Ms. Rother held a number of sales positions with technology companies including Laser Computers and Price Electronics. Ms. Rother currently serves as chair of the board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois. Ms. Rother is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago where she earned a bachelor’s degree.
Jonathan J. Stevens serves as our Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Stevens joined CDW in June 2001 as Vice President-Information Technology, was named Chief Information Officer in January 2002 and Vice President-International and Chief Information Officer from 2005 until December 2006. In January 2007, he was named Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer and assumed his current role in November 2009. Mr. Stevens is responsible for the strategic direction of our information technology. Additionally, he holds responsibility for our distribution centers, transportation, facilities, customer relations and operational excellence practices. Prior to joining CDW, Mr. Stevens served as regional technology director for Avanade, an international technology integration company formed through a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture from 2000 to 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Stevens was a principal with Microsoft Consulting Services and led an information technology group for a corporate division of AT&T/NCR. He currently serves on the board of directors of SingleWire Software, LLC and Northeast Illinois Council: Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Stevens is a graduate of the University of Dayton where he earned a bachelor’s degree.
Matthew A. Troka serves as our Senior Vice President of Product and Partner Management. Mr. Troka is responsible for managing our relationships with all of our vendor partners. In addition, he directs the day-to-day operations of our purchasing department. Mr. Troka joined CDW in 1992 as an account manager and became a sales manager in 1995. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Corporate Sales Director. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Troka was Senior Director of Purchasing. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Troka served as Vice President of Purchasing. From 2006 to 2011, Mr. Troka was Vice President of Product and Partner Management. On March 3, 2011, Mr. Troka was elected Senior Vice President of Product and Partner Management.

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Mr. Troka serves as a member of the board of directors of Encompass Championship Charities. Mr. Troka is a graduate of the University of Illinois where he earned a bachelor’s degree.
Ann E. Ziegler joined CDW in April 2008 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining CDW, Ms. Ziegler spent 15 years at Sara Lee Corporation (“Sara Lee”), a global consumer goods company, in a number of executive roles including finance, mergers and acquisitions, strategy and general management positions in both U.S. and international businesses. Most recently, from 2005 until April 2008, Ms. Ziegler served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Administration for Sara Lee Food and Beverage. Prior to joining Sara Lee, Ms. Ziegler was a corporate attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Ms. Ziegler serves on the board of directors of Hanesbrands, Inc, Groupon, Inc., and the board of governors of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. During the previous five years, Ms. Ziegler also served on the board of directors of Unitrin, Inc. Ms. Ziegler is a graduate of The College of William and Mary where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor.

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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock has been listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market since June 27, 2013 under the symbol “CDW.” Prior to that date, there was no public market for our common stock. Shares sold in our initial public offering ("IPO") were priced at $17.00 per share on June 26, 2013. The following table sets forth the ranges of high and low sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and the cash dividends per share of common stock declared for the periods indicated.
Year ended December 31, 2014
High
Low
Dividends declared per share
Fourth quarter
$
36.08

$
27.59

$
0.0675

Third quarter
$
33.80

$
30.07

$
0.0425

Second quarter
$
32.41

$
26.70

$
0.0425

First quarter
$
27.53

$
22.72

$
0.0425

 
 
 
 
Year ended December 31, 2013
High
Low
Dividends declared per share
Fourth quarter
$
23.56

$
20.50

$
0.0425

Third quarter
$
24.51

$
18.26

$

Second quarter (beginning June 27, 2013)
$
19.17

$
17.38

$

Holders
As of February 20, 2015, there were 71 holders of record of our common stock. The number of beneficial stockholders is substantially greater than the number of holders of record because a portion of our common stock is held through brokerage firms.
Dividends
On February 10, 2015, we announced that our board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.0675 per share. The dividend will be paid on March 10, 2015 to all stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 25, 2015.
We expect to continue to pay quarterly cash dividends on our common stock in the future, but such payments remain at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, business prospects, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, any potential indebtedness we may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law, tax considerations and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock will be limited by restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or make distributions to our stockholders and on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, in each case, under the terms of our current and any future agreements governing our indebtedness. For a discussion of our cash resources and needs and restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” included elsewhere in this report. For additional discussion of restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, see Note 7 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On November 6, 2014, we announced that the board of directors approved a $500 million share repurchase program, which became effective immediately, under which we may repurchase shares of our common stock in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, depending on share price, market conditions and other factors. The share repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares, and repurchases may be commenced or

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suspended from time to time without prior notice. As of the date of this filing, no shares have been repurchased under the share repurchase program.
Stock Performance Graph
The information contained in this Stock Performance Graph section shall not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or "filed" or incorporated by reference in future filings with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return, calculated on a dividend reinvested basis, on $100.00 invested at the opening of the market on June 27, 2013, the date our common stock first traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, through and including the market close on December 31, 2014, with the cumulative total return for the same time period of the same amount invested in the S&P MidCap 400 index and a peer group index. Our peer group index for 2014 consists of the following companies: Accenture plc, Anixter International, Inc., Arrow Electronics, Inc., Avnet, Inc., CGI Group Inc., Genuine Parts Company, Henry Schein, Inc., Insight Enterprises, Inc., Owens & Minor, Inc., Patterson Companies, Inc., SYNNEX Corporation, United Stationers Inc., W.W. Grainger, Inc. and Wesco International, Inc. This peer group was selected based on a review of publicly available information about these companies and our determination that they met one or more of the following criteria: (i) similar size in terms of revenue and/or enterprise value (one-third to three times our revenue or enterprise value); (ii) operates in a business-to-business distribution environment; (iii) members of the technology industry; (iv) similar customers (i.e., business, government, healthcare, and education); (v) companies that provide services and/or solutions; and (vi) similar EBITDA and gross margins. 
Shareholder returns over the indicated period are based on historical data and should not be considered indicative of future shareholder returns.

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June 27, 2013
 
December 31, 2013
 
December 31, 2014
CDW Corp
 
$
100

 
$
138

 
$
208

S&P MidCap 400 index
 
100

 
118

 
130

CDW Peers
 
100

 
113

 
147


Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.
Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
None.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The selected financial data set forth below are not necessarily indicative of the results of future operations and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report.
We have derived the selected financial data presented below as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included elsewhere in this report. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements as of and for those periods, which are not included in this report.
The following are some of the items affecting comparability of the selected financial data for the periods presented:

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During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011, we recorded net losses on extinguishments of long-term debt of $90.7 million, $64.0 million, $17.2 million, and $118.9 million, respectively. The losses represented the difference between the amount paid upon extinguishment, including call premiums and expenses paid to the debt holders and agents, and the net carrying amount of the extinguished debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs. Refer to Note 7 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for additional information on long-term debt.
During the year ended December 31, 2013, we recorded IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses of $75.0 million. Refer to Note 9 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for additional information on the IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses.



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Years Ended December 31,
(dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts)
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010
Statement of Operations Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales
 
$
12,074.5

 
$
10,768.6

 
$
10,128.2

 
$
9,602.4

 
$
8,801.2

Cost of sales
 
10,153.2

 
9,008.3

 
8,458.6

 
8,018.9

 
7,410.4

Gross profit
 
1,921.3

 
1,760.3

 
1,669.6

 
1,583.5

 
1,390.8

Selling and administrative expenses
 
1,110.3

 
1,120.9

 
1,029.5

 
990.1

 
932.1

Advertising expense
 
138.0

 
130.8

 
129.5

 
122.7

 
106.0

Income from operations
 
673.0

 
508.6

 
510.6

 
470.7

 
352.7

Interest expense, net
 
(197.3
)
 
(250.1
)
 
(307.4
)
 
(324.2
)
 
(391.9
)
Net (loss) gain on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
(90.7
)
 
(64.0
)
 
(17.2
)
 
(118.9
)
 
2.0

Other income, net
 
2.7

 
1.0

 
0.1

 
0.7

 
0.2

Income (loss) before income taxes
 
387.7

 
195.5

 
186.1

 
28.3

 
(37.0
)
Income tax (expense) benefit
 
(142.8
)
 
(62.7
)
 
(67.1
)
 
(11.2
)
 
7.8

Net income (loss)
 
$
244.9

 
$
132.8

 
$
119.0

 
$
17.1

 
$
(29.2
)
Net income (loss) per common share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
 
$1.44
 
$0.85
 
$0.82
 
$0.12
 
$(0.20)
Diluted
 
$1.42
 
$0.84
 
$0.82
 
$0.12
 
$(0.20)
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
 
170.6

 
156.6

 
145.1

 
144.8

 
144.4

Diluted
 
172.8

 
158.7

 
145.8

 
144.9

 
144.4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance Sheet Data (at period end):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
344.5

 
$
188.1

 
$
37.9

 
99.9

 
$
36.6

Working capital
 
985.4

 
810.9

 
666.5

 
538.1

 
675.4

Total assets
 
6,099.9

 
5,924.6

 
5,720.0

 
5,967.7

 
5,943.8

Total debt and capitalized lease obligations (1)
 
3,190.0

 
3,251.2

 
3,771.0

 
4,066.0

 
4,290.0

Total shareholders’ equity (deficit)
 
936.5

 
711.7

 
136.5

 
(7.3
)
 
(43.5
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other Financial Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Capital expenditures
 
$
55.0

 
$
47.1

 
$
41.4

 
45.7

 
$
41.5

Depreciation and amortization
 
207.9

 
208.2

 
210.2

 
204.9

 
209.4

Gross profit as a percentage of net sales
 
15.9
%
 
16.3
%
 
16.5
%
 
16.5
%
 
15.8
%
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges (2)
 
2.9

 
1.8

 
1.6

 
1.1

 
(a)

EBITDA (3)
 
$
792.9

 
$
653.8

 
$
703.7

 
557.4

 
$
564.3

Adjusted EBITDA (3)
 
907.0

 
808.5

 
766.6

 
717.3

 
601.8

Non-GAAP net income (4)
 
409.9

 
314.3

 
247.1

 
198.8

 
85.7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of Cash Flows Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net cash provided by (used in):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating activities
 
$
435.0

 
$
366.3

 
$
317.4

 
$
214.7

 
$
423.7

Investing activities
 
(164.8
)
 
(47.1
)
 
(41.7
)
 
(56.0
)
 
(125.4
)
Financing activities
 
(112.0
)
 
(168.3
)
 
(338.0
)
 
(95.4
)
 
(350.1
)
 
(1)
Excludes borrowings of $332.1 million, $256.6 million, $249.2 million, $278.7 million and $28.2 million, as of December 31, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010, respectively, under our inventory financing agreements. We do not include these borrowings in total debt because we have not in the past incurred, and in the future do not expect to incur, any interest expense or late fees under these agreements.

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(2)
For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings consist of earnings before income taxes minus income from equity investments plus distributed income from equity investments and fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense and the portion of rental expense we believe is representative of the interest component of rental expense.
(a)
For the year ended December 31, 2010, earnings available for fixed charges were inadequate to cover fixed charges by $37.0 million.
(3)
EBITDA is defined as consolidated net income (loss) before interest expense, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a measure defined in our credit agreements, is calculated by adjusting EBITDA for certain items of income and expense including (but not limited to) the following: (a) non-cash equity-based compensation; (b) goodwill impairment charges; (c) sponsor fees; (d) certain consulting fees; (e) debt-related legal and accounting costs; (f) equity investment income and losses; (g) certain severance and retention costs; (h) gains and losses from the early extinguishment of debt; (i) gains and losses from asset dispositions outside the ordinary course of business; and (j) non-recurring, extraordinary or unusual gains or losses or expenses.
We have included a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in the table below. Both EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance, financial position or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by the Company may differ from similar measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide helpful information with respect to our operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our credit agreements.
The following unaudited table sets forth reconciliations of net income (loss) to EBITDA and EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
(in millions)
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010
Net income (loss)
 
$
244.9

 
$
132.8

 
$
119.0

 
$
17.1

 
$
(29.2
)
Depreciation and amortization
 
207.9

 
208.2

 
210.2

 
204.9

 
209.4

Income tax expense (benefit)
 
142.8

 
62.7

 
67.1

 
11.2

 
(7.8
)
Interest expense, net
 
197.3

 
250.1

 
307.4

 
324.2

 
391.9

EBITDA
 
792.9

 
653.8

 
703.7

 
557.4

 
564.3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-cash equity-based compensation
 
16.4

 
8.6

 
22.1

 
19.5

 
11.5

Sponsor fees
 

 
2.5

 
5.0

 
5.0

 
5.0

Consulting and debt-related professional fees
 

 
0.1

 
0.6

 
5.1

 
15.1

Net loss (gain) on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
90.7

 
64.0

 
17.2

 
118.9

 
(2.0
)
Litigation, net (i)
 
(0.9
)
 
(4.1
)
 
4.3

 

 

IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses
 
1.4

 
75.0

 

 

 

Other adjustments (ii)
 
6.5

 
8.6

 
13.7

 
11.4

 
7.9

Adjusted EBITDA
 
$
907.0

 
$
808.5

 
$
766.6

 
$
717.3

 
$
601.8

(i)
Relates to unusual, non-recurring litigation matters.
(ii)
Other adjustments primarily include certain retention costs and equity investment income.

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The following unaudited table sets forth a reconciliation of EBITDA to net cash provided by operating activities for the periods presented:
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
(in millions)
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010
EBITDA
 
$
792.9

 
$
653.8

 
$
703.7

 
$
557.4

 
$
564.3

Depreciation and amortization
 
(207.9
)
 
(208.2
)
 
(210.2
)
 
(204.9
)
 
(209.4
)
Income tax (expense) benefit
 
(142.8
)
 
(62.7
)
 
(67.1
)
 
(11.2
)
 
7.8

Interest expense, net
 
(197.3
)
 
(250.1
)
 
(307.4
)
 
(324.2
)
 
(391.9
)
Net income (loss)
 
244.9

 
132.8

 
119.0

 
17.1

 
(29.2
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
 
207.9

 
208.2

 
210.2

 
204.9

 
209.4

Equity-based compensation expense
 
16.4

 
46.6

 
22.1

 
19.5

 
11.5

Amortization of deferred financing costs, debt premium, and debt discount, net
 
6.4

 
8.8

 
13.6

 
15.7

 
18.0

Deferred income taxes
 
(89.1
)
 
(48.7
)
 
(56.3
)
 
(10.2
)
 
(4.3
)
Allowance for doubtful accounts
 
0.3

 

 

 
0.4

 
(1.3
)
Realized loss on interest rate swap agreements
 

 

 

 
2.8

 
51.5

Net loss (gain) on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
90.7

 
64.0

 
17.2

 
118.9

 
(2.0
)
Income from equity investments
 
(1.2
)
 

 

 

 

Changes in assets and liabilities
 
(41.8
)
 
(47.1
)
 
(9.4
)
 
(158.3
)
 
165.3

Other non-cash items
 
0.5

 
1.7

 
1.0

 
3.9

 
4.8

Net cash provided by operating activities
 
$
435.0

 
$
366.3

 
$
317.4

 
$
214.7

 
$
423.7


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(4)
Non-GAAP net income is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance, financial position or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by the Company may differ from similar measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. We believe that non-GAAP net income provides meaningful information regarding our operating performance and our prospects for the future. This supplemental measure excludes, among other things, charges related to the amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, non-cash equity-based compensation and gains and losses from the early extinguishment of debt. The following unaudited table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss) to non-GAAP net income for the periods presented:
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
(in millions)
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010
Net income (loss)
 
$
244.9

 
$
132.8

 
$
119.0

 
$
17.1

 
$
(29.2
)
Amortization of intangibles (i)
 
161.2

 
161.2

 
163.7

 
165.7

 
166.8

Non-cash equity-based compensation
 
16.4

 
8.6

 
22.1

 
19.5

 
11.5

Litigation, net (ii)
 
(0.6
)
 
(6.3
)
 

 

 

Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
90.7

 
64.0

 
17.2

 
118.9

 
(2.0
)
Interest expense adjustment related to extinguishments of long-term debt (iii)
 
(1.1
)
 
(7.5
)
 
(3.3
)
 
(19.4
)
 
(0.7
)
IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses (iv)
 
1.4

 
75.0

 

 

 

Debt-related refinancing costs (v)
 

 

 

 
3.8

 
5.6

Aggregate adjustment for income taxes (vi)
 
(103.0
)
 
(113.5
)
 
(71.6
)
 
(106.8
)
 
(66.3
)
Non-GAAP net income
 
$
409.9

 
$
314.3

 
$
247.1

 
$
198.8

 
$
85.7

(i)
Includes amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, primarily customer relationships and trade names.
(ii)
Relates to unusual, non-recurring litigation matters.
(iii)
Reflects adjustments to interest expense resulting from debt extinguishments. Represents the difference between interest expense previously recognized under the effective interest method and actual interest paid.
(iv)
IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses consist of the following:
(in millions)
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
2014
 
2013
Acceleration charge for certain equity awards and related employer payroll taxes
 
$

 
$
40.7

RDU Plan cash retention pool accrual
 

 
7.5

Management services agreement termination fee
 

 
24.4

Other expenses
 
1.4

 
2.4

IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses
 
$
1.4

 
$
75.0

(v)
Represents fees and costs expensed related to the December 2010 and March 2011 amendments to our prior senior secured term loan facility.
(vi)
Based on a normalized effective tax rate of 39.0%.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, as used in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the terms “we,” “us,” “the Company,” “our,” “CDW” and similar terms refer to CDW Corporation and its subsidiaries. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.
Overview
CDW is a Fortune 500 company and a leading provider of integrated information technology (“IT”) solutions in the U.S. and Canada. We help our customer base of approximately 250,000 small, medium and large business, government, education and healthcare customers by delivering critical solutions to their increasingly complex IT needs. Our broad array of offerings ranges from discrete hardware and software products to integrated IT solutions such as mobility, security, data center optimization, cloud computing, virtualization and collaboration. We are technology "agnostic," with a product portfolio that includes more than 100,000 products from more than 1,000 brands. We provide our products and solutions through sales force and service delivery teams consisting of nearly 4,600 coworkers, including more than 1,800 field sellers, highly-skilled technology specialists and advanced service delivery engineers.
We are a leading U.S. sales channel partner for many original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and software publishers (collectively, our “vendor partners”), whose products we sell or include in the solutions we offer. We believe we are an important extension of our vendor partners' sales and marketing capabilities, providing them with a cost-effective way to reach customers and deliver a consistent brand experience through our established end-market coverage and extensive customer access.
We have two reportable segments: Corporate, which is comprised primarily of private sector business customers, and Public, which is comprised of government agencies and education and healthcare institutions. Our Corporate segment is divided into a medium/large business customer channel, primarily serving customers with more than 100 employees, and a small business customer channel, primarily serving customers with up to 100 employees. We also have three other operating segments, CDW Advanced Services, Canada and Kelway TopCo Limited ("Kelway"), which do not meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are combined together as “Other.” In November 2014, we acquired a 35% non-controlling equity interest in Kelway. See Note 15 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for additional details.
The CDW Advanced Services business consists primarily of customized engineering services delivered by technology specialists and engineers, and managed services that include Infrastructure as a Service (“IaaS”) offerings. Revenues from the sale of hardware, software, custom configuration and third-party provided services are recorded within our Corporate and Public segments.
We may sell all or only select products that our vendor partners offer. Each vendor partner agreement provides for specific terms and conditions, which may include one or more of the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as purchase or sales rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements. We also resell software for major software publishers. Our agreements with software publishers allow the end-user customer to acquire software or licensed products and services. In addition to helping our customers determine the best software solutions for their needs, we help them manage their software agreements, including warranties and renewals. A significant portion of our advertising and marketing expenses is reimbursed through cooperative advertising reimbursement programs with our vendor partners. These programs are at the discretion of our vendor partners and are typically tied to sales or purchasing volumes or other commitments to be met by us within a specified period of time.
Trends and Key Factors Affecting our Financial Performance
We believe the following trends may have an important impact on our financial performance:
Our Public segment sales are impacted by government spending policies, budget priorities and revenue levels. An adverse change in any of these factors could cause our Public segment customers to reduce their purchases or to terminate or not renew contracts with us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. Although our sales to the federal government are diversified across multiple

33

Table of Contents

agencies and departments, they collectively accounted for approximately 7%, 7% and 10% of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. In 2013, and through the second quarter of 2014, Public segment results were impacted by the combined and residual negative effects of sequestration, the partial shutdown of the federal government in 2013 and federal government budget uncertainty. However, with the finalization of federal budget allocations in early 2014, we began to see improvement in federal sales in the second quarter of 2014. The momentum continued through the third quarter of 2014 in conjunction with the federal fiscal year-end. This recovery continued into the fourth quarter of 2014 in connection with increased customer confidence that a federal budget for 2015 would be in place.
An important factor affecting our ability to generate sales and achieve our targeted operating results is the impact of general economic conditions on our customers’ willingness to spend on information technology. While macroeconomic uncertainty drove a cautious approach to customer spending in the early part of 2013, uncertainty began to dissipate in the back half of 2013 and continued to dissipate throughout 2014. Our sales to small business customers increased in 2014 as a result of the improvement in the macroeconomic environment. We will continue to closely monitor macroeconomic conditions during 2015. Uncertainties related to potential reductions in government spending, requirements associated with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, potential changes in tax and regulatory policy, weakening consumer and business confidence or increased unemployment could result in reduced or deferred spending on information technology products and services by our customers and result in increased competitive pricing pressures.
We believe that our customers’ transition to more complex technology solutions will continue to be an important growth area for us in the future. However, because the market for technology products and services is highly competitive, our success at capitalizing on this transition will be based on our ability to tailor specific solutions to customer needs, the quality and breadth of our product and service offerings, the knowledge and expertise of our sales force, price, product availability and speed of delivery. In 2014, market dynamics, including client device refresh and digital testing needs for K-12 students, drove customer demand for transactional products, primarily client devices, which include notebooks/mobile devices and desktops. Our diverse product suite of more than 100,000 products from over 1,000 leading and emerging brands and efficient, distribution capabilities enabled us to capitalize on this demand. While sales growth for transactional products was strong during the year, growth in solutions-focused products, including netcomm and software, also contributed to the increase in net sales during 2014. We expect the demand for client devices to moderate in 2015, both from the client device refresh slowing and a wind-down in preparation for digital testing requirements.
Key Business Metrics
Our management monitors a number of financial and non-financial measures and ratios on a regular basis in order to track the progress of our business and make adjustments as necessary. We believe that the most important of these measures and ratios include average daily sales, gross margin, operating margin, net income, Non-GAAP net income, net income per diluted share, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, return on invested capital, cash and cash equivalents, cash flow, net working capital, cash conversion cycle (defined to be days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable plus days of supply in inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable, based on a rolling three-month average), debt levels including available credit and leverage ratios, sales per coworker and coworker turnover. These measures and ratios are compared to standards or objectives set by management, so that actions can be taken, as necessary, in order to achieve the standards and objectives. Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP net income per diluted share and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. We believe these measures provide helpful information with respect to the company’s operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures, dividend payments, and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our senior credit facilities. See "Selected Financial Data" included elsewhere in this report for the definitions of Non-GAAP net income and Adjusted EBITDA and reconciliations to net income.

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The results of certain key business metrics are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Net sales
$
12,074.5

 
$
10,768.6

 
$
10,128.2

Gross profit
1,921.3

 
1,760.3

 
1,669.6

Income from operations
673.0

 
508.6

 
510.6

Net income
244.9

 
132.8

 
119.0

Non-GAAP net income
409.9

 
314.3

 
247.1

Adjusted EBITDA
907.0

 
808.5

 
766.6

Average daily sales
47.5

 
42.4

 
39.9

Net debt (defined as total debt minus cash and cash equivalents)
2,845.5

 
3,063.1

 
3,733.1

Cash conversion cycle (in days) (1)
21

 
23

 
24

(1)
Cash conversion cycle is defined as days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable plus days of supply in inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable, based on a rolling three-month average. The prior periods have been revised to conform to the current definition.
Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2013
The following table presents our results of operations, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013: 
 
 
Year Ended December 31, 2014
 
Year Ended December 31, 2013
 
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage of
Net Sales
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage of
Net Sales
Net sales
 
$
12,074.5

 
100.0
 %
 
$
10,768.6

 
100.0
 %
Cost of sales
 
10,153.2

 
84.1

 
9,008.3

 
83.7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross profit
 
1,921.3

 
15.9

 
1,760.3

 
16.3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling and administrative expenses
 
1,110.3

 
9.2

 
1,120.9

 
10.4

Advertising expense
 
138.0

 
1.1

 
130.8

 
1.2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from operations
 
673.0

 
5.6

 
508.6

 
4.7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense, net
 
(197.3
)
 
(1.6
)
 
(250.1
)
 
(2.3
)
Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
(90.7
)
 
(0.8
)
 
(64.0
)
 
(0.6
)
Other income, net
 
2.7

 

 
1.0

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income before income taxes
 
387.7

 
3.2

 
195.5

 
1.8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income tax expense
 
(142.8
)
 
(1.2
)
 
(62.7
)
 
(0.6
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
$
244.9

 
2.0
 %
 
$
132.8

 
1.2
 %

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Table of Contents

Net sales
The following table presents our net sales by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of total net sales, and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in net sales for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
 
 
 
2014
 
2013
 
 
 
 
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage of
Total Net Sales
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage of
Total Net Sales
 
Dollar Change
 
Percent
Change
(1)
Corporate
$
6,475.5

 
53.6
%
 
$
5,960.1

 
55.3
%
 
$
515.4

 
8.6
%
Public
4,879.4

 
40.4

 
4,164.5

 
38.7

 
714.9

 
17.2

Other
719.6

 
6.0

 
644.0

 
6.0

 
75.6

 
11.7

Total net sales
$
12,074.5

 
100.0
%
 
$
10,768.6

 
100.0
%
 
$
1,305.9

 
12.1
%
(1)
There were 254 selling days in both the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
The following table presents our net sales by customer channel for our Corporate and Public segments and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in net sales for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. Net sales of $150.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 have been reclassified from the small business customer channel to the medium/large customer channel to conform to the current period presentation.
(dollars in millions)
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014
 
2013
 
Dollar Change
 
Percent Change
Corporate:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Medium / Large
 
$
5,485.4

 
$
5,052.7

 
$
432.7

 
8.6
%
Small Business
 
990.1

 
907.4

 
82.7

 
9.1

Total Corporate
 
$
6,475.5

 
$
5,960.1

 
$
515.4

 
8.6
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Public:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Government
 
$
1,449.4

 
$
1,250.6

 
$
198.8

 
15.9
%
Education
 
1,824.0

 
1,449.0

 
375.0

 
25.9

Healthcare
 
1,606.0

 
1,464.9

 
141.1

 
9.6

Total Public
 
$
4,879.4

 
$
4,164.5

 
$
714.9

 
17.2
%
Total net sales in 2014 increased $1,305.9 million, or 12.1%, to $12,074.5 million, compared to $10,768.6 million in 2013. There were 254 selling days for both the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. The increase in total net sales was primarily the result of continued growth in transactional products driven by notebooks/mobile devices and desktop computers as customers across all channels refreshed their client devices and K-12 customers continued to prepare for digital testing requirements, and the addition of more than 140 customer-facing coworkers, the majority in pre- and post-sale technical positions such as technical specialists and service delivery roles. Growth in solutions-focused products, including netcomm and software, also contributed to the increase in net sales during 2014.
Corporate segment net sales in 2014 increased $515.4 million, or 8.6%, compared to 2013, driven by sales growth in the medium/large customer channel. Within our Corporate segment, net sales to medium/large customers increased $432.7 million, or 8.6%, between years primarily due to customers refreshing their client devices and making continued investments in technology infrastructure and a continued focus on seller productivity. This increase was led by growth in notebooks/mobile devices, netcomm products, software, and desktop computers. Net sales to small business customers increased $82.7 million, or 9.1%, between years, driven by growth in notebooks/mobile devices and desktop computers due to customers refreshing their client devices.
Public segment net sales in 2014 increased $714.9 million, or 17.2%, between years, driven by strong performance across all channels. In 2013, and through the second quarter of 2014, Public segment results were impacted by the combined and residual negative effects of sequestration, the partial shutdown of the federal government in 2013 and federal government budget uncertainty. However, with the finalization of federal budget allocations in early 2014, we began to see improvement in federal sales in the second quarter of 2014 and saw continued momentum through the third quarter of 2014 in conjunction with

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the federal fiscal year-end. This recovery continued into the fourth quarter of 2014 in connection with increased customer confidence that a federal budget for 2015 would be in place. Net sales to government customers increased $198.8 million, or 15.9%. The increase in net sales to the federal government was led by increases in sales of notebooks/mobile devices and desktop computers. The increase in net sales to state/local government customers was led by growth in sales of notebooks/mobile devices, netcomm products, enterprise storage, and software due to a continued focus on public safety solutions. Net sales to education customers increased $375.0 million, or 25.9%, between years, led by growth in net sales to K-12 customers, reflecting increased sales of notebooks/mobile devices to support digital testing requirements. Net sales to healthcare customers increased $141.1 million, or 9.6%, between periods, driven by growth in netcomm products, notebook/mobile devices, and desktop computers.
Gross profit
Gross profit increased $161.0 million, or 9.1%, to $1,921.3 million in 2014, compared to $1,760.3 million in 2013. As a percentage of total net sales, gross profit decreased 40 basis points to 15.9% during 2014, down from 16.3% in 2013. Gross profit margin was negatively impacted 30 basis points by unfavorable price/mix changes within product margin, as transactional product categories such as notebooks/mobile devices and desktops experienced a higher rate of net sales growth than our overall net sales growth, accompanied by continuing product margin compression in these product categories. Additionally, we experienced an unfavorable impact of 10 basis points from vendor funding in 2014. Although vendor funding dollars increased, it represented a lower percentage of net sales in 2014 compared to 2013. Vendor funding includes purchase discounts, volume rebates and cooperative advertising.
The gross profit margin may fluctuate based on various factors, including vendor incentive and inventory price protection programs, cooperative advertising funds classified as a reduction of cost of sales, product mix, net service contract revenue, commission revenue, pricing strategies, market conditions and other factors, any of which could result in changes in gross profit margins.
Selling and administrative expenses
Selling and administrative expenses decreased $10.6 million, or 0.9%, to $1,110.3 million in 2014, compared to $1,120.9 million in 2013. The overall decrease was largely driven by the absence of $74.3 million in costs incurred during 2013 related to the completion of our IPO. This decrease was partially offset by an increase of $31.4 million, or 14.3%, of certain coworker costs between years which was primarily due to higher compensation consistent with increased coworker count and attainment-based compensation accruals tied to annual performance. Total coworker count was 7,211, up 244 from 6,967 at December 31, 2013. In addition, sales payroll, including sales commissions and other variable compensation costs, increased $18.6 million, or 3.9% between years, consistent with higher sales and gross profit. Further offsetting the decrease in selling and administrative expenses was an increase in long-term compensation expense and equity compensation expense of $7.2 million during 2014.
As a percentage of total net sales, selling and administrative expenses decreased 120 basis points to 9.2% in 2014, down from 10.4% in 2013. The decrease in selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales was largely driven by a decline of 70 basis points in costs related to the IPO in 2013. Sales payroll as a percentage of net sales also decreased 30 basis points during 2014 reflecting the lower cost to serve transactional sales compared to solutions-focused sales, consistent with our variable compensation cost structure.
Advertising expense
Advertising expense increased $7.2 million, or 5.5%, to $138.0 million in 2014, compared to $130.8 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, advertising expense remained relatively consistent at 1.1% in 2014, compared to 1.2% in 2013. The dollar increase in advertising expense was due to a continued focus on advertising our solutions and products, which reinforces our reputation as a leading IT solutions provider.

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Income from operations
The following table presents income from operations by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, and the year-over-year percentage change in income from operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:
 
 
Year Ended December 31, 2014
 
Year Ended December 31, 2013
 
 
 
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Operating
Margin
Percentage
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Operating
Margin
Percentage
 
Percent Change
in Income
from Operations
Segments: (1)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate
 
$
439.8

 
6.8
%
 
$
363.3

 
6.1
%
 
21.1
%
Public
 
313.2

 
6.4

 
246.5

 
5.9

 
27.1

Other
 
32.9

 
4.6

 
27.2

 
4.2

 
20.9

Headquarters (2)
 
(112.9
)
 
nm*

 
(128.4
)
 
nm*

 
12.0

Total income from operations
 
$
673.0

 
5.6
%
 
$
508.6

 
4.7
%
 
32.3
%
 
* Not meaningful
(1)
Segment income (loss) from operations includes the segment’s direct operating income (loss) and allocations for Headquarters’ costs, allocations for income and expenses from logistics services, certain inventory adjustments and volume rebates and cooperative advertising from vendors.
(2)
Includes certain Headquarters’ function costs that are not allocated to the segments.
Income from operations was $673.0 million in 2014, an increase of $164.4 million, or 32.3%, compared to $508.6 million in 2013. The increase in income from operations was driven by higher net sales and gross profit and the absence of IPO-related costs. Total operating margin percentage increased 90 basis points to 5.6% in 2014, from 4.7% in 2013. Operating margin percentage benefited from the decrease in selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales, which was driven by the absence of $74.3 million in costs related to our IPO in 2013, and was partially offset by a decrease in gross profit margin.
Corporate segment income from operations was $439.8 million in 2014, an increase of $76.5 million, or 21.1%, compared to $363.3 million in 2013. This increase was primarily driven by higher net sales and gross profit. Corporate segment operating margin percentage increased 70 basis points to 6.8% in 2014, from 6.1% in 2013. Operating margin percentage benefited from the decrease in selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales, which was driven by the absence of costs related to our IPO in 2013, and was partially offset by a decrease in gross profit margin.
Public segment income from operations was $313.2 million in 2014, an increase of $66.7 million, or 27.1%, compared to $246.5 million in 2013. This increase was primarily driven by higher net sales and gross profit. Public segment operating margin percentage increased 50 basis points to 6.4% in 2014, from 5.9% in 2013. Operating margin percentage benefited from the decrease in selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales, which was driven by the absence of costs related to our IPO in 2013, and was partially offset by a decrease in gross profit margin.
Interest expense, net
At December 31, 2014, our outstanding long-term debt totaled $3,190.0 million, compared to $3,251.2 million at December 31, 2013. We reduced our long-term debt during 2014 through refinancing activities to redeem our higher interest debt. Net interest expense in 2014 was $197.3 million, a decrease of $52.8 million compared to $250.1 million in 2013. This decrease was primarily due to lower debt balances and effective interest rates for 2014 compared to 2013 as a result of debt repayments and refinancing activities completed during 2014 and 2013. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" below for a description of the significant debt refinancings in 2014.
Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt

During 2014, we recorded a net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt of $90.7 million compared to $64.0 million in 2013.    

In December 2014, we redeemed $541.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Senior Notes. We recorded a
loss on extinguishment of debt of $36.9 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying
amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs and unamortized premium.

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In September 2014, we redeemed $234.7 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Senior Notes. We recorded a
loss on extinguishment of debt of $22.1 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying
amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs and unamortized premium.

In August 2014, we redeemed all of the remaining $325.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 8.0% Senior Secured Notes due 2018 ("Senior Secured Notes"). We recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of $23.7 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for the remaining unamortized deferred financing costs.

In June 2014, we entered into the Senior Secured Asset-Based Revolving Credit Facility ("Revolving Loan"), a new five-year $1,250.0 million senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility. The Revolving Loan replaces our previous revolving loan credit facility that was to mature on June 24, 2016. In connection with the termination of the previous facility, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $0.4 million, representing a write-off of a portion of unamortized deferred financing costs.

In May 2014, we redeemed all of the remaining $42.5 million aggregate principal amount of the 12.535% Senior Subordinated Exchange Notes due 2017 ("Senior Subordinated Notes"). We recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $2.2 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for the remaining unamortized deferred financing costs.

In March 2014, we repurchased $25.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Senior Notes. We recorded a
loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $2.7 million, representing the difference between the repurchase price and the net
carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.

In January and February 2014, we redeemed $50.0 million aggregate principal amounts of the Senior Subordinated Notes. We recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $2.7 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.

In October 2013, we redeemed $155.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Subordinated Notes. In connection with this redemption, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $8.5 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.

In August 2013, we redeemed $324.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Subordinated Notes. In connection with this redemption, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $24.6 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.

In July 2013, we redeemed $175.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Secured Notes. In connection with this redemption, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $16.7 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.

In April 2013, we entered into a new seven-year, $1,350.0 million aggregate principal amount Senior Secured Term Loan Facility ("Term Loan"). Substantially all of the proceeds were used to repay the $1,299.5 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of the prior senior secured term loan facility. In connection with this refinancing, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $10.3 million, representing a write-off of the remaining unamortized deferred financing costs related to the prior senior secured term loan facility.

In March 2013, we redeemed $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Subordinated Notes. We recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $3.9 million, representing the difference between the redemption price and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.

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Table of Contents

Income tax expense
Income tax expense was $142.8 million in 2014, compared to $62.7 million in 2013. The effective income tax rate, expressed by calculating income tax expense or benefit as a percentage of income before income taxes, was 36.8% and 32.1% for 2014 and 2013, respectively.

For 2014, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes, including current year state income tax credits. For 2013, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes, including current year state income tax credits and an adjustment to deferred state income taxes due to changes in apportionment factors. The higher effective tax rate for 2014 as compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to the favorable impact of changes in state tax apportionment factors had on deferred state income taxes in 2013 and a lower rate impact of state income tax credits due to the increase in income before income taxes in 2014.
Net income
Net income was $244.9 million in 2014, compared to $132.8 million in 2013. Significant factors and events causing the net changes between the periods are discussed above.
Non-GAAP net income
Non-GAAP net income was $409.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, an increase of $95.6 million, or 30.4%, compared to $314.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.
We have included a reconciliation of Non-GAAP net income for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 below. Non-GAAP net income excludes, among other things, charges related to the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, non-cash equity-based compensation, and gains and losses from the early extinguishment of debt. Non-GAAP net income is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by the Company may differ from similar measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. We believe that Non-GAAP net income provides helpful information with respect to our operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures and working capital requirements.

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Table of Contents

(in millions)
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
2014
 
2013
Net income
 
$
244.9

 
$
132.8

Amortization of intangibles (1)
 
161.2

 
161.2

Non-cash equity-based compensation
 
16.4

 
8.6

Litigation, net (2)
 
(0.6
)
 
(6.3
)
Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
90.7

 
64.0

Interest expense adjustment related to extinguishments of long-term debt (3)
 
(1.1
)
 
(7.5
)
IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses (4)
 
1.4

 
75.0

Aggregate adjustment for income taxes (5)
 
(103.0
)
 
(113.5
)
Non-GAAP net income
 
$
409.9

 
$
314.3

(1)
Includes amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, primarily customer relationships and trade names.
(2)
Relates to unusual, non-recurring litigation matters.
(3)
Reflects adjustments to interest expense resulting from debt extinguishments. Represents the difference between interest expense previously recognized under the effective interest method and actual interest paid.
(4)
IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses consist of the following:
(in millions)
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
2014
 
2013
Acceleration charge for certain equity awards and related employer payroll taxes
 
$

 
$
40.7

RDU Plan cash retention pool accrual
 

 
7.5

Management services agreement termination fee
 

 
24.4

Other expenses
 
1.4

 
2.4

IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses
 
$
1.4

 
$
75.0


(5)
Based on a normalized effective tax rate of 39.0%.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA was $907.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, an increase of $98.5 million, or 12.2%, compared to $808.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA was 7.5% for both the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
We have included a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 in the tables below. EBITDA is defined as consolidated net income before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a measure defined in our credit agreements, means EBITDA adjusted for certain items which are described in the table below. Both EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by the Company may differ from similar measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide helpful information with respect to our operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our credit agreements.

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Table of Contents

 
(in millions)
Years Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
Net income
$
244.9

 
$
132.8

Depreciation and amortization
207.9

 
208.2

Income tax expense
142.8

 
62.7

Interest expense, net
197.3

 
250.1

EBITDA
792.9

 
653.8

 
 
 
 
Adjustments:
 
 
 
Non-cash equity-based compensation
16.4

 
8.6

Sponsor fee

 
2.5

Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt
90.7

 
64.0

Litigation, net (1)
(0.9
)
 
(4.1
)
IPO- and secondary-offering related expenses (2)
1.4

 
75.0

Other adjustments (3)
6.5

 
8.7

Total adjustments
114.1

 
154.7

 
 
 
 
Adjusted EBITDA
$
907.0

 
$
808.5

(1)
Relates to unusual, non-recurring litigation matters.
(2)
As defined under Non-GAAP net income above.
(3)
Other adjustments primarily include certain retention costs and equity investment income.
The following table sets forth a reconciliation of EBITDA to net cash provided by operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. 
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
(in millions)
 
2014
 
2013
EBITDA
 
$
792.9

 
$
653.8

Depreciation and amortization
 
(207.9
)
 
(208.2
)
Income tax expense
 
(142.8
)
 
(62.7
)
Interest expense, net
 
(197.3
)
 
(250.1
)
Net income
 
244.9

 
132.8

Depreciation and amortization
 
207.9

 
208.2

Equity-based compensation expense
 
16.4

 
46.6

Deferred income taxes
 
(89.1
)
 
(48.7
)
Amortization of deferred financing costs, debt premium, and debt discount, net
 
6.4

 
8.8

Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
90.7

 
64.0

Other
 
(0.4
)
 
1.7

Changes in assets and liabilities
 
(41.8
)
 
(47.1
)
Net cash provided by operating activities
 
$
435.0

 
$
366.3



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Table of Contents

Year Ended December 31, 2013 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2012
The following table presents our results of operations, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012: 
 
 
Year Ended December 31, 2013
 
Year Ended December 31, 2012
 
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage of
Net Sales
 
Dollars in
Millions
 
Percentage of
Net Sales
Net sales
 
$
10,768.6

 
100.0
 %
 
$
10,128.2

 
100.0
 %
Cost of sales
 
9,008.3

 
83.7

 
8,458.6

 
83.5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross profit
 
1,760.3

 
16.3

 
1,669.6

 
16.5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling and administrative expenses
 
1,120.9

 
10.4

 
1,029.5

 
10.2

Advertising expense
 
130.8

 
1.2

 
129.5

 
1.3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from operations
 
508.6

 
4.7

 
510.6

 
5.0

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense, net
 
(250.1
)
 
(2.3
)
 
(307.4
)
 
(3.0
)
Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt
 
(64.0
)
 
(0.6
)
 
(17.2
)
 
(0.2
)
Other income, net
 
1.0

 

 
0.1

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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