Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc._2023 Annual Report

increased expenses, such as additional employee compensation or other general and administrative expenses and increased interest expense on any liabilities incurred or deposits solicited to fund increases in assets. Additionally, if our competitors extend credit on terms we find to pose excessive risks, or at interest rates which we believe do not warrant the credit exposure, we may not be able to maintain our lending volume and could experience deteriorating financial performance. Our inability to manage our growth successfully could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. We are highly dependent on our strategic leadership team, and the loss of any of our senior executive officers or other key employees, or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, could harm our ability to implement our strategic plan and impair our relationships with clients. Our success is dependent, to a large degree, upon the continued service and skills of our strategic leadership team. Our business and growth strategies are built primarily upon our ability to retain employees with experience and business relationships within our market area. The loss of any of the members of our strategic leadership team or any of our other key personnel could have an adverse impact on our business and growth because of their skills, years of industry experience, knowledge of our market area, the difficulty of finding qualified replacement personnel and any difficulties associated with transitioning of responsibilities to any new members of the strategic leadership team. As such, we need to continue to attract and retain key personnel and to recruit qualified individuals who fit our culture to succeed existing key personnel to ensure the continued growth and successful operation of our business. Leadership changes may occur from time to time, and we cannot predict whether significant retirements or resignations will occur or whether we will be able to recruit additional qualified personnel. Competition for senior executives and skilled personnel in the financial services and banking industry is intense, which means the cost of hiring, incentivizing and retaining skilled personnel may continue to increase. In addition, our ability to effectively compete for senior executives and other qualified personnel by offering competitive compensation and benefit arrangements may be restricted by our financial condition, and applicable banking laws and regulations. The loss of the services of any senior executive or other key personnel, the inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future or the failure to develop and implement a viable succession plan could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Labor shortages and a failure to attract and retain qualified employees could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. A number of factors may adversely affect the labor force available to us or increase labor costs, including high employment levels and changes in labor force size and participation rates. Although we have not experienced any material labor shortage to date, we continue to observe an overall tightening of and increase in competition in local labor markets. A sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates within our employee base could lead to increased costs, such as increased compensation expense to attract and retain employees, as well as decreased efficiency. In addition, if we are unable to hire and retain employees capable of performing at a high-level, or if mitigation measures we take to respond to a decrease in labor availability have unintended negative effects, our business could be adversely affected. An overall labor shortage, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation, caused by general macroeconomic factors, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Our ability to maintain our reputation is critical to the success of our business, and the failure to do so may materially adversely affect our business and the value of our stock. We rely, in part, on our reputation to attract clients and retain our client relationships. Damage to our reputation could undermine the confidence of our current and potential clients in our ability to provide high - quality financial services. Such damage could also impair the confidence of our counterparties and vendors and ultimately affect our ability to effect transactions. Maintenance of our reputation depends not only on our success in maintaining our service - focused culture and controlling and mitigating the various risks described in this report, but also on our success

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