The purpose of HSB Solomon Associates LLC’s (Solomon’s) studies is to develop valid industry performance criteria that enable each participating facility to evaluate its performance relative to competition. To that end, Solomon sends identical data requests to each subscriber and maintains each participant’s privacy and data confidentiality. Solomon has developed intellectual property—including trade secrets—applied to produce final study reports that present results in groupings or averages using a sufficient number of facilities to prevent identification of individual participants. Although the identity of companies that have been invited to participate may be known, a final list of participants is not disclosed.

Solomon will not disclose to third parties any of the specific company-proprietary information provided by a company or its affiliates in association with this study, including information concerning its business, operations, processes, and input data submissions, without the company’s express written consent. Further, in regards to disclosure, Solomon will not disclose any company- or facility-specific results included in the final study reports and supplemental data analyses unless requested by the participant to do so. Company-proprietary property does not include information that, at the time of disclosure, was in the public domain or afterwards becomes part of the public domain through no fault of Solomon.

Study participants receive various reports that document study findings in text, graphics, and printed data tables, providing a statistical abstract of the industry, as well as extensive statistical abstracts in electronic format. Participants may copy and distribute these materials for use only within their own organizations.

To protect Solomon’s intellectual property, including trade secrets, participants may not disclose the Solomon data, calculations, reports presentations, or information, including summaries or excerpts thereof, any study methodology documents, aggregated industry results, (including study peer groups), company or facility-specific results (including results in the final study reports and supplemental data analyses), and other Solomon-prepared materials to third parties, including but not limited to consultants and/or industry associations, without Solomon’s express written consent, which Solomon may withhold at its sole discretion. If Solomon grants such consent, Solomon will require that such third party enter into a nondisclosure and non-use agreement under terms suitable to Solomon. The purpose of this document is to protect Solomon’s intellectual property. Refer to the Terms and Conditions Item 2 for a more detailed description of use and disclosure of study results. Contact Kevin Henke at +1 (972)-739-1764 or Kevin.Henke@SolomonOnline.com to discuss the applicability of the nondisclosure agreement to your particular situation.