9. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows:

 

 

 

December 31,
2025

 

 

December 31,
2024

 

Beginning balance

 

$

7,050,963

 

 

$

7,050,963

 

Goodwill acquired in current‑period business combinations

 

 

16,459,686

 

 

 

 

Ending balance

 

$

23,510,649

 

 

$

7,050,963

 

 

Additions to goodwill were from acquisitions detailed in Note 3 – Business Combinations. The Company did not identify any goodwill impairment triggering events during years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023.

Intangible assets consist of the following at December 31, 2025. The Company had no intangible assets balance at December 31, 2024.

 

 

Cost

 

Accumulated Amortization

 

Carrying Value

 

Backlog

$

7,542,000

 

$

(6,479,500

)

$

1,062,500

 

Customer relationships

 

14,600,000

 

 

(523,808

)

 

14,076,192

 

Trade name

 

500,000

 

 

(125,000

)

 

375,000

 

Total

$

22,642,000

 

$

(7,128,308

)

$

15,513,692

 

The estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the next five years is as follows:

2026

 

$

3,523,214

 

2027

 

 

2,085,714

 

2028

 

 

2,085,714

 

2029

 

 

2,085,714

 

2030

 

 

2,085,714

 

Thereafter

 

 

3,647,622

 

Total

 

$

15,513,692

 

About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures

Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.

Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.