the operating results of scepter have been included within our consolidated statement of story_separator_special_tag executive overview the company conducts its business activities in two distinct segments : the material handling segment and the distribution segment . the lawn and garden business is classified as discontinued operations and all historical information has been adjusted to reflect the discontinued operations presentation . the company designs , manufactures , and markets a variety of plastic and rubber products . these products range from plastic reusable material handling containers and small parts storage bins to plastic and rubber oem parts , tire repair materials , custom plastic and rubber products , consumer fuel containers , military water containers as well as ammunition packaging and shipping containers . our distribution segment is engaged in the distribution of tools , equipment and supplies used for tire , wheel and under vehicle service on passenger , heavy truck and off-road vehicles , as well as the manufacturing of tire repair and retreading products . results of operations : 2014 versus 2013 net sales : replace_table_token_7_th net sales for 2014 were $ 623.6 million , an increase of $ 38.9 million or 7 % compared to the prior year . net sales increased $ 39.4 million due to the inclusion of scepter corporation group ( `` scepter `` ) acquired july 2 , 2014. the increase in net sales also included $ 12.7 million of improved pricing to mitigate higher resin prices during the year . the increase in net sales was partially offset by lower sales volumes of $ 6.8 million and unfavorable foreign currency translation of $ 6.4 million . net sales in the material handling segment increased $ 51.5 million or 14 % in 2014 compared to 2013 . the increase in net sales was mainly attributable to the inclusion of $ 39.4 million of net sales from the date of acquisition of scepter that was completed july 2 , 2014. also contributing to the increase in net sales was improved pricing of $ 12.6 million to offset raw material costs , and higher volume of $ 5.9 million , driven by strong sales in the industrial , marine and recreational vehicle end markets . the increase in net sales was partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency translation of $ 6.4 million . net sales in the distribution segment decreased $ 12.6 million in 2014 compared to 2013 . the decrease in net sales was attributable to a decline in custom sales and the result of the closure of our canadian branches in the first quarter of 2014. cost of sales & gross profit : replace_table_token_8_th gross profit declined $ 8.3 million in 2014 compared to 2013 despite an increase in sales . gross profit margin as a percentage of sales decreased to 25.9 % for 2014 compared to 29.0 % in the prior year . a weakened demand for our material handling segment 's agricultural and food processing products , along with a challenging brazilian economy , lowered profitability versus the prior year . higher raw material costs during the year compared to the prior year also negatively impacted gross profit . raw material costs , primarily plastic resins , polypropylene and polyethylene , were on average , approximately 9 % higher in 2014 as compared to the prior year . also contributing to the reduction in gross margin was a $ 2.3 million inventory fair value adjustment resulting from our acquisition of scepter and approximately $ 1.0 million of restructuring and other unusual charges in 2014 , as compared to $ 0.2 million in 2013 . 23 selling , general and administrative expenses : replace_table_token_9_th selling , general and administrative ( “ sg & a ” ) expenses increased $ 13.5 million or 11 % from 2013. the inclusion of the scepter acquisition contributed $ 11.1 million of incremental sg & a costs in 2014 compared to the prior year . the increase in sg & a expenses in 2014 also included the establishment of a reserve related to a patent infringement legal suit of $ 3.0 million and approximately $ 3.6 million of transaction costs related to the acquisition of scepter . sg & a expenses were reduced by a decrease in employee related costs of $ 2.8 million , lower outside legal and professional costs of approximately $ 2.0 million , and lower administrative costs related to facilities of approximately $ 0.9 million . also in 2014 , a favorable adjustment of $ 1.2 million was recorded to reduce contingent consideration recorded in a prior period due to a change in projections used to estimate expected payments at december 31 , 2014. in addition , higher freight costs of $ 0.8 million were incurred during 2014 as compared to 2013. sg & a expenses for 2014 included restructuring and other unusual charges of approximately $ 2.2 million compared to $ 0.4 million in the prior year . shipping and handling costs , including freight , are primarily classified as sg & a expenses . interest expense : replace_table_token_10_th net interest expense was $ 8.5 million in 2014 compared to $ 4.5 million in 2013. the increase in net interest expense is due to the higher average debt balance . the increase in outstanding borrowings in 2014 compared to the prior year related to our senior unsecured notes and higher balance outstanding under our credit facility as a result of our scepter acquisition in july 2014. income taxes : replace_table_token_11_th the 2014 effective tax rate of 36.4 % compared to 33.5 % in 2013. the 2014 effective tax rate of 36.4 % reflects a $ 1.8 million reduction in net state andlocal income taxes , offset by the inability to benefit from losses in brazil , an increase of $ 0.6 million in non-deductible acquisition and a $ 0.9 million increase in compensation costs . story_separator_special_tag due to the repayment of the $ 35 million senior notes and net repayment on the credit facility during 2013. income taxes : replace_table_token_16_th the 2013 effective tax rate of 33.5 % reflects a $ 0.8 million reduction in net state and local income taxes and a $ 0.3 million increase in foreign tax incentives . the 2012 effective tax rate reflects approximately $ 0.4 million of tax benefits from changes in unrecognized tax benefits . discontinued operations : loss from discontinued operations , net of income taxes was $ 0.4 million for the year ended december 31 , 2013 compared to income from discontinued operations of $ 3.4 million in the prior year . discontinued operations are comprised of the lawn and garden business and wek . wek and the lawn and garden business were both held for sale at december 31 , 2013. net sales from discontinued operations decreased $ 5.1 million or 2.1 % for the year ended december 31 , 2013 compared to 2012. the decrease in net sales was due to lower sales volume of $ 9.9 million due to timing of customer orders for the coming season , as well as production and distribution start-up issues , primarily in the fourth quarter of 2013 from our business rationalization plan . net sales were also negatively impacted from the effect of unfavorable currency translation of $ 3.2 million . the decrease in net sales was partially offset by improved pricing of $ 8.0 million to help mitigate higher raw material costs . higher restructuring and other related charges of $ 9.3 million for the year ended december 31 , 2013 compared to $ 0.1 million in the prior year , which negatively impacted results . acquisitions on july 2 , 2014 , ca acquisition inc. , now known as scepter canada inc. , and a wholly-owned subsidiary of myers industries , inc. , completed the purchase of substantially all of the assets and assumption of certain liabilities of scepter corporation and certain real property of shi properties inc. , both located in scarborough , ontario , canada . contemporaneously with the asset acquisition , crown us acquisition company , now known as scepter us holding company , and another wholly-owned subsidiary of myers industries , inc. , completed the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of eco one leasing , llc and scepter manufacturing , llc , both located in miami , oklahoma . eco one leasing , llc was subsequently merged into scepter manufacturing , llc . the total purchase price for these acquisitions ( collectively , “ scepter ” ) was $ 156.6 million in cash , which includes a final working capital adjustment . the acquisition of scepter was funded from net proceeds from additional 26 borrowings of approximately $ 134.1 million under the fourth amended and restated loan agreement and cash on hand of $ 22.5 million . in october 2012 , the company acquired 100 % of the stock of jamco , an illinois corporation for $ 15.2 million . the purchase price included a cash payment of $ 15.1 million , net of $ 0.1 million in cash acquired . jamco is a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty industrial steel carts and safety cabinets . the company has made preliminary estimates of the valuation of assets and intangible assets of purchase price allocation . the business is included in the material handling segment . in july 2012 , the company acquired 100 % of the stock of novel , a brazil-based designer and manufacturer of reusable plastic crates and containers used for closed-loop shipping and storage . novel also produces a diverse range of plastic industrial safety products . the total purchase price was approximately $ 30.9 million , which includes a cash payment of $ 3.4 million , net of $ 0.6 million of cash acquired , assumed debt of approximately $ 26.0 million and contingent consideration of $ 0.9 million based on an earnout . the contingent consideration , which is recorded in other liabilities in the consolidated statements of financial position is dependent upon the results of novel exceeding predefined earnings before interest , taxes , depreciation and amortization over the next four years . the business is included in the material handling segment . financial condition & liquidity and capital resources cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations was $ 51.7 million for the year ended december 31 , 2014 compared to $ 74.9 million in 2013. the decrease of $ 23.2 million was attributable to decreased earnings , higher working capital and higher non-cash charges in 2014 compared to the prior year . net income from continuing operations was $ 9.0 million in 2014 compared to $ 26.4 million in 2013. non-cash charges including depreciation and amortization were $ 31.8 million in 2014 compared to non-cash charges of $ 23.2 million in 2013. story_separator_special_tag style= `` font-family : inherit ; font-size:10pt ; `` > , net of deferred financing costs , compared with $ 44.3 million at december 31 , 2013 . the increase in debt outstanding year-over-year is mainly due to cash proceeds of $ 89.0 million from our senior unsecured notes and the net additional borrowings under our amended loan agreement , primarily to fund the acquisition of scepter in july 2014. the company 's loan agreement provides available borrowing up to $ 300 million , reduced for letters of credit issued . as of december 31 , 2014 , the company had $ 4.3 million of letters of credit issued related to insurance and other financing contracts in the ordinary course of business . as of december 31 , 2014 , there was $ 158.6 million available under our loan agreement . as of december 31 , 2014 , the company was in compliance with all its debt covenants . the most restrictive financial covenants for all of the company 's debt are an interest

cash provided by working capital was $ 12.2 million in 2014 compared to cash provided of $ 27.0 million in 2013. in 2014 , cash provided by inventories was approximately $ 2.4 million compared to $ 3.0 million in 2013. in 2014 , the source of funds for accounts receivable was $ 2.7 million compared to the use of $ 2.0 million in 2013. in addition , as a result of timing of payments and extending vendor terms on accounts payable , positive cash flow was realized in both 2014 and 2013. capital expenditures were $ 24.2 million in 2014 compared to $ 20.7 million in 2013. capital spending in 2014 was higher than the preceding year as investments were made for new manufacturing focused on growth and productivity improvements in addition to higher spending due to scepter . in 2014 , the company paid approximately $ 156.6 million in connection with the acquisition of scepter which is included in the material handling segment . in 2013 , the company purchased an equity interest in a non-consolidated subsidiary , included in the distribution segment , for approximately $ 0.6 million . in 2012 , the company paid a combined total of $ 18.5 million in connection with the acquisitions of novel and jamco .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```cash provided by working capital was $ 12.2 million in 2014 compared to cash provided of $ 27.0 million in 2013. in 2014 , cash provided by inventories was approximately $ 2.4 million compared to $ 3.0 million in 2013. in 2014 , the source of funds for accounts receivable was $ 2.7 million compared to the use of $ 2.0 million in 2013. in addition , as a result of timing of payments and extending vendor terms on accounts payable , positive cash flow was realized in both 2014 and 2013. capital expenditures were $ 24.2 million in 2014 compared to $ 20.7 million in 2013. capital spending in 2014 was higher than the preceding year as investments were made for new manufacturing focused on growth and productivity improvements in addition to higher spending due to scepter . in 2014 , the company paid approximately $ 156.6 million in connection with the acquisition of scepter which is included in the material handling segment . in 2013 , the company purchased an equity interest in a non-consolidated subsidiary , included in the distribution segment , for approximately $ 0.6 million . in 2012 , the company paid a combined total of $ 18.5 million in connection with the acquisitions of novel and jamco .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : the operating results of scepter have been included within our consolidated statement of story_separator_special_tag executive overview the company conducts its business activities in two distinct segments : the material handling segment and the distribution segment . the lawn and garden business is classified as discontinued operations and all historical information has been adjusted to reflect the discontinued operations presentation . the company designs , manufactures , and markets a variety of plastic and rubber products . these products range from plastic reusable material handling containers and small parts storage bins to plastic and rubber oem parts , tire repair materials , custom plastic and rubber products , consumer fuel containers , military water containers as well as ammunition packaging and shipping containers . our distribution segment is engaged in the distribution of tools , equipment and supplies used for tire , wheel and under vehicle service on passenger , heavy truck and off-road vehicles , as well as the manufacturing of tire repair and retreading products . results of operations : 2014 versus 2013 net sales : replace_table_token_7_th net sales for 2014 were $ 623.6 million , an increase of $ 38.9 million or 7 % compared to the prior year . net sales increased $ 39.4 million due to the inclusion of scepter corporation group ( `` scepter `` ) acquired july 2 , 2014. the increase in net sales also included $ 12.7 million of improved pricing to mitigate higher resin prices during the year . the increase in net sales was partially offset by lower sales volumes of $ 6.8 million and unfavorable foreign currency translation of $ 6.4 million . net sales in the material handling segment increased $ 51.5 million or 14 % in 2014 compared to 2013 . the increase in net sales was mainly attributable to the inclusion of $ 39.4 million of net sales from the date of acquisition of scepter that was completed july 2 , 2014. also contributing to the increase in net sales was improved pricing of $ 12.6 million to offset raw material costs , and higher volume of $ 5.9 million , driven by strong sales in the industrial , marine and recreational vehicle end markets . the increase in net sales was partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency translation of $ 6.4 million . net sales in the distribution segment decreased $ 12.6 million in 2014 compared to 2013 . the decrease in net sales was attributable to a decline in custom sales and the result of the closure of our canadian branches in the first quarter of 2014. cost of sales & gross profit : replace_table_token_8_th gross profit declined $ 8.3 million in 2014 compared to 2013 despite an increase in sales . gross profit margin as a percentage of sales decreased to 25.9 % for 2014 compared to 29.0 % in the prior year . a weakened demand for our material handling segment 's agricultural and food processing products , along with a challenging brazilian economy , lowered profitability versus the prior year . higher raw material costs during the year compared to the prior year also negatively impacted gross profit . raw material costs , primarily plastic resins , polypropylene and polyethylene , were on average , approximately 9 % higher in 2014 as compared to the prior year . also contributing to the reduction in gross margin was a $ 2.3 million inventory fair value adjustment resulting from our acquisition of scepter and approximately $ 1.0 million of restructuring and other unusual charges in 2014 , as compared to $ 0.2 million in 2013 . 23 selling , general and administrative expenses : replace_table_token_9_th selling , general and administrative ( “ sg & a ” ) expenses increased $ 13.5 million or 11 % from 2013. the inclusion of the scepter acquisition contributed $ 11.1 million of incremental sg & a costs in 2014 compared to the prior year . the increase in sg & a expenses in 2014 also included the establishment of a reserve related to a patent infringement legal suit of $ 3.0 million and approximately $ 3.6 million of transaction costs related to the acquisition of scepter . sg & a expenses were reduced by a decrease in employee related costs of $ 2.8 million , lower outside legal and professional costs of approximately $ 2.0 million , and lower administrative costs related to facilities of approximately $ 0.9 million . also in 2014 , a favorable adjustment of $ 1.2 million was recorded to reduce contingent consideration recorded in a prior period due to a change in projections used to estimate expected payments at december 31 , 2014. in addition , higher freight costs of $ 0.8 million were incurred during 2014 as compared to 2013. sg & a expenses for 2014 included restructuring and other unusual charges of approximately $ 2.2 million compared to $ 0.4 million in the prior year . shipping and handling costs , including freight , are primarily classified as sg & a expenses . interest expense : replace_table_token_10_th net interest expense was $ 8.5 million in 2014 compared to $ 4.5 million in 2013. the increase in net interest expense is due to the higher average debt balance . the increase in outstanding borrowings in 2014 compared to the prior year related to our senior unsecured notes and higher balance outstanding under our credit facility as a result of our scepter acquisition in july 2014. income taxes : replace_table_token_11_th the 2014 effective tax rate of 36.4 % compared to 33.5 % in 2013. the 2014 effective tax rate of 36.4 % reflects a $ 1.8 million reduction in net state andlocal income taxes , offset by the inability to benefit from losses in brazil , an increase of $ 0.6 million in non-deductible acquisition and a $ 0.9 million increase in compensation costs . story_separator_special_tag due to the repayment of the $ 35 million senior notes and net repayment on the credit facility during 2013. income taxes : replace_table_token_16_th the 2013 effective tax rate of 33.5 % reflects a $ 0.8 million reduction in net state and local income taxes and a $ 0.3 million increase in foreign tax incentives . the 2012 effective tax rate reflects approximately $ 0.4 million of tax benefits from changes in unrecognized tax benefits . discontinued operations : loss from discontinued operations , net of income taxes was $ 0.4 million for the year ended december 31 , 2013 compared to income from discontinued operations of $ 3.4 million in the prior year . discontinued operations are comprised of the lawn and garden business and wek . wek and the lawn and garden business were both held for sale at december 31 , 2013. net sales from discontinued operations decreased $ 5.1 million or 2.1 % for the year ended december 31 , 2013 compared to 2012. the decrease in net sales was due to lower sales volume of $ 9.9 million due to timing of customer orders for the coming season , as well as production and distribution start-up issues , primarily in the fourth quarter of 2013 from our business rationalization plan . net sales were also negatively impacted from the effect of unfavorable currency translation of $ 3.2 million . the decrease in net sales was partially offset by improved pricing of $ 8.0 million to help mitigate higher raw material costs . higher restructuring and other related charges of $ 9.3 million for the year ended december 31 , 2013 compared to $ 0.1 million in the prior year , which negatively impacted results . acquisitions on july 2 , 2014 , ca acquisition inc. , now known as scepter canada inc. , and a wholly-owned subsidiary of myers industries , inc. , completed the purchase of substantially all of the assets and assumption of certain liabilities of scepter corporation and certain real property of shi properties inc. , both located in scarborough , ontario , canada . contemporaneously with the asset acquisition , crown us acquisition company , now known as scepter us holding company , and another wholly-owned subsidiary of myers industries , inc. , completed the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of eco one leasing , llc and scepter manufacturing , llc , both located in miami , oklahoma . eco one leasing , llc was subsequently merged into scepter manufacturing , llc . the total purchase price for these acquisitions ( collectively , “ scepter ” ) was $ 156.6 million in cash , which includes a final working capital adjustment . the acquisition of scepter was funded from net proceeds from additional 26 borrowings of approximately $ 134.1 million under the fourth amended and restated loan agreement and cash on hand of $ 22.5 million . in october 2012 , the company acquired 100 % of the stock of jamco , an illinois corporation for $ 15.2 million . the purchase price included a cash payment of $ 15.1 million , net of $ 0.1 million in cash acquired . jamco is a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty industrial steel carts and safety cabinets . the company has made preliminary estimates of the valuation of assets and intangible assets of purchase price allocation . the business is included in the material handling segment . in july 2012 , the company acquired 100 % of the stock of novel , a brazil-based designer and manufacturer of reusable plastic crates and containers used for closed-loop shipping and storage . novel also produces a diverse range of plastic industrial safety products . the total purchase price was approximately $ 30.9 million , which includes a cash payment of $ 3.4 million , net of $ 0.6 million of cash acquired , assumed debt of approximately $ 26.0 million and contingent consideration of $ 0.9 million based on an earnout . the contingent consideration , which is recorded in other liabilities in the consolidated statements of financial position is dependent upon the results of novel exceeding predefined earnings before interest , taxes , depreciation and amortization over the next four years . the business is included in the material handling segment . financial condition & liquidity and capital resources cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations was $ 51.7 million for the year ended december 31 , 2014 compared to $ 74.9 million in 2013. the decrease of $ 23.2 million was attributable to decreased earnings , higher working capital and higher non-cash charges in 2014 compared to the prior year . net income from continuing operations was $ 9.0 million in 2014 compared to $ 26.4 million in 2013. non-cash charges including depreciation and amortization were $ 31.8 million in 2014 compared to non-cash charges of $ 23.2 million in 2013. story_separator_special_tag style= `` font-family : inherit ; font-size:10pt ; `` > , net of deferred financing costs , compared with $ 44.3 million at december 31 , 2013 . the increase in debt outstanding year-over-year is mainly due to cash proceeds of $ 89.0 million from our senior unsecured notes and the net additional borrowings under our amended loan agreement , primarily to fund the acquisition of scepter in july 2014. the company 's loan agreement provides available borrowing up to $ 300 million , reduced for letters of credit issued . as of december 31 , 2014 , the company had $ 4.3 million of letters of credit issued related to insurance and other financing contracts in the ordinary course of business . as of december 31 , 2014 , there was $ 158.6 million available under our loan agreement . as of december 31 , 2014 , the company was in compliance with all its debt covenants . the most restrictive financial covenants for all of the company 's debt are an interest

