Conduct of Business of Parent Except as set forth in Section 6.2 of the Parent Disclosure Schedule, during the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time (unless the Company shall otherwise agree in writing and except as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement), Parent will conduct its operations according to its ordinary and usual course of business consistent with past practice and shall use all reasonable efforts to preserve intact its current business organizations, keep available the service of its current officers and employees, maintain its material Permits and Contracts and preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers and others having business dealings with it. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and except as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth in Section 6.2 of the Parent Disclosure Schedule, Parent will not, without the prior written consent of the Company (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld):
(i) issue, sell, grant, dispose of, pledge or otherwise encumber, or authorize or propose the issuance, sale, disposition or pledge or other encumbrance of (A) any additional shares of capital stock of any class (including the shares of Parent Common Stock), or any securities or rights convertible into, exchangeable for, or evidencing the right to subscribe for any shares of capital stock, or any rights, warrants, options, calls, commitments or any other agreements of any character to purchase or acquire any shares of capital stock or any securities or rights convertible into, exchangeable for, or evidencing the right to subscribe for, any shares of capital stock or (B) any other securities in respect of, in lieu of, or in substitution for, shares of Parent Common Stock outstanding on the date hereof;
(ii) redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, or propose to redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, any of its outstanding shares of Parent Common Stock;
(iii) split, combine, subdivide or reclassify any shares of Parent Common Stock or declare, set aside for payment or pay any dividend, or make any other actual, constructive or deemed distribution in respect of any capital stock of Parent or otherwise make any payments to stockholders in their capacity as such, other than the declaration and payment of regular quarterly cash dividends on the Parent Common Stock in an amount no greater than $.72 per share per annum and in accordance with past dividend policy and other than the declaration and payment of dividends on Parent Preferred Stock pursuant to Parent's Certificate of Incorporation as in effect on the date hereof and except for dividends by a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Parent;
(iv) adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of Parent or any of the Parent Subsidiaries (other than the Merger), except for Parent Subsidiaries which are not material to the assets, liabilities, financial condition or results of operations of Parent and the Parent Subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(v) adopt any amendments to its Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws or alter through merger, liquidation, reorganization, restructuring or in any other fashion the corporate structure or ownership of any direct or indirect subsidiary of Parent, except for Parent Subsidiaries which are not material to the assets, liabilities, financial condition or results of operations of Parent and the Parent Subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(vi) make, or permit any Parent Subsidiary to make, any material acquisition, by means of merger, consolidation or otherwise, or material disposition, of assets or securities;
(vii) other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, incur, or permit any Parent Subsidiary to incur, any material indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such indebtedness or make any material loans, advances or capital contributions to, or material investments in, any other person other than Parent or any Parent Subsidiary;
(viii) change any method of accounting or accounting practice by Parent or any Parent Subsidiary, except for any such required change in GAAP or applicable statutory accounting principles;
(ix) permit any Parent Insurance Subsidiary to materially change its investment guidelines or policies and approved programs or transactions or conduct transactions in investments except in material compliance with the investment guidelines and policies of such Parent Insurance Subsidiary and all applicable insurance Laws;
(x) enter, or permit any Parent Insurance Subsidiary to enter, into any material reinsurance, coinsurance or similar Contract, whether as reinsurer or reinsured, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(xi) (x) take, or agree or commit to take, or permit any Parent Subsidiary to take, or agree or commit to take, any action that would make any representation and warranty of Parent hereunder inaccurate in any material respect at the Effective Time (except for representations and warranties which speak as of a particular date, which need be accurate only as of such date), (y) omit, or agree or commit to omit, or permit any Parent Subsidiary to omit, or agree or commit to omit, to take any action necessary to prevent any such representation or warranty from being inaccurate in any material respect at the Effective Time (except for representations and warranties which speak as of a particular date, which need be accurate only as of such date), provided however that Parent shall be permitted to take or omit to take such action which can be cured, and in fact is cured, at or prior to the Effective Time or (z) take, or agree or commit to take, or permit any Parent Subsidiary to take, or agree or commit to take, any action that would result in, or is reasonably likely to result in, any of the conditions of the Merger set forth in Article VII not being satisfied; or
(xii) authorize, recommend, propose or announce an intention to do any of the foregoing, or enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to do any of the foregoing.
Conduct of Business of the Company Except as expressly ---------------------------------- contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth on Schedule 6.01 hereto, during the period from the date hereof to the Effective Time, the Company and its subsidiaries will each conduct its operations according to its ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, and the Company and its subsidiaries will each use its reasonable best efforts to (i) preserve intact its business organization, (ii) keep available the services of its officers and employees, other than those officers and employees identified on Schedule 6.01 hereto, and (iii) maintain existing relationships with its lenders, suppliers and others having business relationships with it. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and except as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth on Schedule 6.01 hereto, prior to the Effective Time, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries will, without the prior written consent of Acquisition:
(a) amend or propose to amend any of their respective certificates or articles of incorporation or by-laws;
(b) authorize for issuance, issue, sell, deliver or agree or commit to issue, sell, pledge, encumber, deliver or otherwise dispose of (whether through the issuance or granting of options, warrants, commitments, subscriptions, rights to purchase or otherwise) any stock of any class or any other equity securities or equity equivalents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or amend in any material respect any of the terms of any such securities outstanding as of the date hereof;
(c) split, combine or reclassify any shares of its capital stock or the capital stock of any of its subsidiaries, declare, set aside or pay any dividend (other than dividends (whether in cash, stock, or property or any combination thereof), if any, paid by wholly-owned subsidiaries to the Company or another wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company) or other distribution in respect of its capital stock or redeem, repurchase or otherwise acquire any of its securities or any securities of its subsidiaries or any options, warrants or other rights to acquire any shares of its capital stock or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation or resolutions providing for or authorizing such liquidation or a dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than the redemption, repurchase or other acquisition of the equity securities of any subsidiary of the Company which is not wholly-owned by the Company for aggregate consideration not in excess of the book value of such securities;
(i) except as set forth in clause (e), incur any additional indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse the obligations of any other person except for the obligations of wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (ii) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other person (other than to wholly- owned subsidiaries of the Company and advances to employees for travel or other business related expenses in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices); (iii) pledge or otherwise encumber shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (iv) mortgage or pledge any of its material assets, tangible or intangible, or create or suffer to exist any material Lien thereupon; or (v) enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to do any of the foregoing;
(e) incur any advances pursuant to that certain Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of June 18, 1991, among the Company, various subsidiaries of the Company and Xxxxxx (as successor in interest to HCR Partners), as amended (the "Credit Agreement"), other than advances which at any time outstanding do not exceed $3,000,000.
(f) enter into, adopt or (except as may be required by law) amend or terminate any bonus, profit sharing, compensation, severance, termination, stock option, stock appreciation right, restricted stock, performance unit, stock equivalent, stock purchase, pension, retirement, deferred compensation, employment, severance or other employee benefit agreement, trust, plan, fund or other arrangement for the benefit or welfare of any director, officer or employee, or (except for normal increases in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that, in the aggregate, do not result in a material increase in benefits or compensation expense to the Company or an increase in excess of 5% in the case of any individual (other than compensation based upon the payment of commissions pursuant to commission schedules previously made available to Parent or Acquisition by the Company)) increase in any manner the compensation or fringe benefits of any director, officer or employee or pay any benefit not required by any plan or arrangement in effect as of the date hereof (including, without limitation, the granting of stock appreciation rights or performance units) or enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to do any of the foregoing;
(g) acquire, sell, lease or dispose of any assets outside the ordinary course of business or any assets which in the aggregate are material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or commit or agree to do any of the above;
(h) except as required by GAAP, change any of the accounting principles or practices used by it;
(i) make any tax election or settle or compromise any income tax liability material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(j) pay, discharge or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than the payment, discharge or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or in accordance with their terms, of liabilities reflected or reserved against in, or contemplated by, the consolidated financial statements (or the notes thereto) of the Company and its subsidiaries or incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; provided that, in no event shall the Company and its subsidiaries repay any long-term indebtedness except to the extent required by the terms thereof;
(i) acquire (by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets) any corporation, partnership or other business organization or division thereof; (ii) enter into or commit to enter into any contract or agreement other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or which requires the payment of amounts in excess of $100,000 or which gives rise to obligations which extend beyond ninety (90) days from the date hereof other than agreements to provide services to customers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (iii) authorize any capital expenditures, other than those as to which the Company or its subsidiaries have committed as set forth on Schedule 6.01 hereto, individually in excess of $100,000, or in the aggregate in excess of $1,000,000, except with the consent of Parent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld); or (iv) enter into or amend any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement with respect to any of the foregoing;
(i) make or enter into any new lease of real property other than any new lease of real property which will replace an existing lease or (ii) extend or amend any existing lease of real property other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or on terms and conditions no less favorable to the Company or the subsidiary than the existing lease;
(m) enter into or commit to enter into any amendment or modification to any contract, agreement or arrangement with any vendor or supplier identified on Schedule 6.01(m) hereto which individually or in the aggregate with all other such amendments and modifications is or could reasonably be expected to be material to such contract, agreement or arrangement;
(n) intentionally take or omit to take, or enter into an agreement to take or agree to omit to take, any action that would result in any of the conditions to the Offer set forth in Annex A attached hereto or the conditions to the Merger set forth in Article VII hereof not being timely satisfied;
(o) release or relinquish any material contractual rights, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(p) settle any pending or threatened material action, suit, claim or proceeding involving the Company or any subsidiary, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and other than any settlements which require only the payment of money not in excess of $50,000 individually or $250,000 in the aggregate;
(q) enter into or commit to enter into any contract, agreement or arrangement or any amendment or modification to any existing contract, agreement or arrangement with Xxxxxx Holdings, Inc. or any affiliate thereof; or
(r) commit or agree in writing or otherwise to take any of the actions described in Sections 6.01(a) through 6.01(q) hereof or any action which would make any of the representations or warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement untrue or incorrect in any material respect as of the date when made or as of the Effective Time, or omit to take or commit or agree to omit to take any action necessary to prevent any such representation or warranty from being untrue or incorrect in any material respect in any respect at any time which would result in any of the conditions set forth in this Agreement not being satisfied.
Conduct of Business by Parent (a) From and after the date hereof until the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, and except (i) as may be required by Law or the regulations or requirements of any stock exchange or regulatory organization applicable to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) as may be consented to in writing by the Partnership (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), (iii) as may be contemplated or required by this Agreement or (iv) as set forth in Section 5.2(a) of the Parent Disclosure Schedule, Parent covenants and agrees that Parent shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to (x) conduct their businesses in the ordinary course, and (y) preserve substantially intact their present lines of business and preserve their relationships with significant customers and suppliers; provided, however, that no action by Parent or its Subsidiaries with respect to matters specifically addressed by any provision of Section 5.2(b) shall be deemed a breach of this covenant unless such action would constitute a breach of such other provision.
(b) Parent agrees with the Partnership, on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries, that from the date hereof and prior to the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, except (w) as may be required by Law or the regulations or requirements of any stock exchange or regulatory organization applicable to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, (x) as may be consented to by the Partnership (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), (y) as may be contemplated or required by this Agreement or (z) as set forth in Section 5.2(b) of the Parent Disclosure Schedule, Parent:
(i) shall not adopt any amendments to the Organizational Documents of Parent or Parent GP and shall not permit any of Parent’s Subsidiaries to adopt any material amendments to its Organizational Documents;
(ii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, encumber, split, combine or reclassify or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, encumbrance, split, combination or reclassification of any of its Equity Interests, other than (1) issuances of Parent Common Units in respect of the vesting, exercise or settlement of any Parent equity awards outstanding on the date hereof or as may be granted after the date hereof as permitted under any Parent Equity Plan that is in the ordinary course of business consistent with Parent’s past practices, (2) for transactions among Parent and its wholly owned Subsidiaries or among Parent’s wholly owned Subsidiaries which remain Subsidiaries after the consummation of such transaction or (3) pledges or encumbrances due to Parent Permitted Liens;
(iii) except in the ordinary course of business, shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries that is not wholly owned by Parent or wholly owned Subsidiaries of any such Subsidiaries to, authorize or pay any dividends on or make any distribution with respect to its Equity Interests (whether in cash, assets, partnership units, stock or other securities of Parent or its Subsidiaries), except (1) dividends or distributions by any Subsidiaries only to Parent or any Subsidiary of Parent in the ordinary course of business, (2) dividends or distributions required under the applicable Organizational Documents of such Person, and (3) regular quarterly cash distributions with customary record and payment dates on the Parent Common Units of $0.625 per Parent Common Unit per quarter;
(iv) shall not, and shall not permit any of its material Subsidiaries to, adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization, other than any mergers, consolidations, restructurings or reorganizations solely among Parent and its wholly owned Subsidiaries or among Parent’s wholly owned Subsidiaries or in connection with an acquisition not prohibited by Section 5.2(b)(v);
(v) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make, directly or indirectly, any acquisition by merging or otherwise purchasing any assets (including Equity Interests) or any business of any Person or make loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (other than any of Parent’s Subsidiaries), in each case in excess of $150.0 million in the aggregate or that would reasonably be expected to prevent, materially impede or materially delay the consummation of the LP Merger;
(vi) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, sell, lease, license, transfer, exchange or swap, or otherwise dispose of any properties or non-cash assets with a value in excess of $150.0 million in the aggregate;
(vii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, materially change financial accounting policies or procedures or any of its methods of reporting income, deductions or other material items for financial accounting purposes, except as required by GAAP, SEC rule or policy or Law;
(viii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, incur, assume, guarantee or otherwise become liable for any indebtedness for borrowed money or any guarantee of such indebtedness for borrowed money, except for (1) any indebtedness for borrowed money so long as the Total Leverage Ratio (as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of October 16, 2018, by and among Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, as borrower, the lenders party thereto, and Xxxxx Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent, as in effect on the date hereof), is less than 3.75 to 1.00 and (2) any indebtedness incurred in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(ix) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to (except in the ordinary course of business), (1) change its fiscal year or any material method of Tax accounting, (2) make, change or revoke any material Tax election, (3) enter into any closing agreement with respect to, or otherwise settle or compromise, any material liability for Taxes, (4) file any material amended Tax Return or (5) surrender a claim for a material refund of Taxes;
(x) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, engage in any activity or conduct its business in a manner that would cause less than 90% of the gross income of Parent for any calendar quarter since its formation and prior to the Effective Time to be treated as “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Code; and
(xi) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, agree, in writing or otherwise, to take any of the foregoing actions that are prohibited pursuant to clauses (i) through (x) of this Section 5.2(b).
(xii) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.2, from the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, Parent and its Subsidiaries may take or refrain from taking any COVID-19 Action so long as (i) prior thereto, Parent consults with, and considers in good faith, the Partnership’s suggestions and/or feedback, or (ii) such COVID-19 Action would not reasonably be expected to materially impact Parent’s ability to operate in the ordinary course of business or materially delay or impede the consummation of the LP Merger.
Conduct of Business Pending Closing Between the date of this Agreement and the Funding and Consummation Date, the Company will, except as set forth on Schedule 7.2:
(i) carry on its business in substantially the same manner as it has heretofore and not introduce any material new method of management, operation or accounting;
(ii) use its reasonable efforts to maintain its properties and facilities, including those held under leases, in as good working order and condition as at present, ordinary wear and tear excepted;
(iii) perform in all material respects all of its obligations under agreements relating to or affecting its respective assets, properties or rights;
(iv) use its reasonable efforts to keep in full force and effect present insurance policies or other comparable insurance coverage;
(v) use its reasonable efforts to maintain and preserve its business organization intact, retain its respective present key employees and maintain its relationships with suppliers, customers and others having business relations with the Company;
(vi) use its reasonable efforts to maintain compliance with all Licenses, laws, rules and regulations, consent orders, and all other orders of applicable courts, regulatory agencies and similar governmental authorities applicable to it;
(vii) maintain present debt and lease instruments and not enter into new or amended debt or lease instruments without the knowledge and consent of TCI (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), provided that debt and/or lease instruments may be replaced without the consent of TCI if such replacement instruments are on terms at least as favorable to the Company as the instruments being replaced; and
(viii) maintain or reduce present salaries and commission levels for all officers, directors, employees and agents except for ordinary and customary bonus and salary increases for employees in accordance with past practices.
Conduct of Business in Ordinary Course INT'X.xxx will carry on its business in the ordinary course in substantially the same manner as heretofore conducted and, to the extent consistent with such business, use all reasonable best efforts consistent with past practice and policies to preserve intact its present business organization, keep available the services of its present officers, consultants and employees and preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers and distributors and others having business dealings with it. INT'X.xxx will confer on a regular and frequent basis with representatives of Parent to report operational matters of a material nature and to report the general status of the ongoing operations of the business of INT'X.xxx. The foregoing notwithstanding, INT'X.xxx will not:
(a) other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice, enter into any material commitment or transaction, including but not limited to any purchase of assets (other than raw materials, supplies or cash equivalents) for a purchase price in excess of $50,000;
(b) grant any bonus, severance or termination pay to any officer, director, independent contractor or employee of INT'X.xxx;
(c) enter into or amend any agreements pursuant to which any other party is granted support, service, marketing or publishing rights, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice, or is granted distribution rights of any type or scope with respect to any products of INT'X.xxx;
(d) other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice, enter into or terminate any contracts, arrangements, plans, agreements, leases, licenses, franchises, permits, indentures, authorizations, instruments, or commitments, or amend or otherwise change in any material respect the terms thereof in a manner adverse to INT'X.xxx;
(e) commence a lawsuit other than: (i) for the routine collection of bills, (ii) in such cases where INT'X.xxx in good faith determines that failure to commence suit would result in a material impairment of a valuable aspect of INT'X.xxx's business PROVIDED THAT INT'X.xxx consults with Parent prior to filing such suit, or (iii) for a breach of this Agreement or any agreement related hereto;
(f) modify in any material respect existing discounts or other terms and conditions with dealers, distributors and other resellers of INT'X.xxx's products or services in a manner adverse to INT'X.xxx;
(g) accelerate the vesting or otherwise modify any INT'X.xxx Option, restricted stock or other outstanding rights or other securities other than any acceleration or modification that results from the execution and performance of this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby;
(h) take any action which would make any representation or warranty in this Agreement untrue or incorrect, as if made as of such time; or
(i) agree in writing or otherwise to take any of the foregoing actions.
Conduct of Business Prior to Closing Between the date of the execution of this Agreement and the Closing, the Borrower and the Guarantor Parties: (a) shall not enter into any agreements of any nature relating to or affecting the Loan Collateral or the business of the Borrower or Guarantor, including any agreement which may restrict the Borrower or Guarantor, as applicable, from operating its business as currently conducted unless the written consent of the Lender shall first be obtained, (b) shall not convey or remove from any location where now located, any of the Loan Collateral to be conveyed under the Conveyance Documents, (c) shall not cancel any insurance policies with respect to the Loan Collateral and shall preserve and maintain its permits and licenses including any cannabis related licenses, (d) shall use commercially reasonable efforts to continue to operate the Cannabis Business and the Loan Collateral in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, subject to the availability of sufficient working capital and the Borrower and Guarantor’s reasonable business judgment, (e) shall use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the rights, franchises, goodwill and relationships of its employees, customers, lenders, suppliers, regulators and others having business relationships with the Borrower and Guarantor and shall maintain the Loan Collateral in a state of repair and condition that is consistent with the requirements and normal conduct of the business of the Borrower and Guarantor, subject to the availability of sufficient working capital and the Borrower and Guarantor’s reasonable business judgment, (f) shall maintain its books and records in accordance with past practice, (g) shall not incur any Indebtedness other than Permitted Indebtedness or authorize or commit to the same, (h) shall not lend money to or guarantee the debts of any other Person or authorize or commit to the same, (i) shall not issue or amend any securities or authorize or commit to the same, except as contemplated by the Call Option Agreement, (j) shall not take any action that would materially delay, prohibit or impede the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Call Option Agreement, (k) shall fully cooperate with any reasonable requests of appraisers retained by the Lender or its counsel, (l) shall comply in all material respects with applicable laws, (m) shall not lend money to, or guarantee the debts of, any other Person, (n) shall not settle or commence any claim, action, cause of action, demand, lawsuit, arbitration, inquiry, audit, notice of violation, proceeding, litigation, citation, summons, subpoena or investigation of any nature, civil, criminal, administrative, regulatory or otherwise, whether at law or in equity commenced to which the Borrower or Guarantor is a party, (o) shall not amend its constating documents, (p) shall not effect any split, consolidation, reclassification, redemption or repurchase of its securities, (q) shall not reorganize, amalgamate or merge, (r) shall not undertake any voluntary dissolution, liquidation or winding-up or any other disposition of its assets for the purpose of winding up, (s) shall not declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other disposition of any kind or nature (whether in cash, stock or property or any combination thereof) in respect of any securities, (t) shall not make any bonus or profit sharing distribution or similar payment of any kind, (u) except as required by applicable law, shall not agree to or make any severance, change of control or termination payment or increase the compensation of any employee, officer, director or consultant, (v) shall not terminate, dismiss, demote or otherwise decrease the job requirement of any officer, (w) shall not appoint any officer, (x) shall complete on a timely basis all requisite filings with Governmental Authorities or as may otherwise be required under applicable law, (y) shall allow a representative of the Lender to attend and observe any meeting of the board of directors of the Borrower or Guarantor, (z) shall not make or enter into any commitment or agreement in contravention of the foregoing and (aa) shall use best efforts to satisfy the conditions to Closing set forth in Section 3 of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the Existing Events of Default, the Borrower and Guarantor Parties shall comply with all covenants contained in the Loan Agreement and the other Loan Documents subject to the continuation of the Existing Events of Default; provided, that the Lender hereby consents to the Transfer of the Loan Collateral to the Designee and such Transfer shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default under the Loan Documents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent the Modesto Planning Department informs the Lender that any covenant contained in Section 4 of this Agreement constitutes “control” requiring thirty (30) day prior written consent from the Modesto Planning Department, the parties hereto agree that (i) upon written notice from the Lender such covenant shall be deemed to be of no force and effect until such thirty (30) day prior written notice from the Modesto Planning Department has been obtained, (ii) to the extent requested by the Lender in writing, the parties shall agree to amend this Agreement to remove or modify such covenant only to the extent required so as to not trigger such thirty (30) day prior written consent requirement, and (iii) solely to the extent the Lender elects in its sole discretion by written notice to the other parties, this Agreement shall be deemed terminated.
Conduct of the Business (a) From the date hereof until the Closing Date, or the earlier termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article IX, except to the extent described in Schedule 5.01 or otherwise required or specifically permitted by this Agreement, the Company shall: (i) conduct the Business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in all material respects (including with respect to capital expenditures, the timely making of any budgeted or emergency capital expenditures or capital expenditures that are required to maintain the Business in compliance with any applicable Laws), unless the Parent shall have otherwise consented in writing (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); (ii) maintain in effect the insurance coverage described on Schedule 7.16 (or reasonably equivalent replacement coverage); (iii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the present relationships of the Business with suppliers, vendors, licensees and other Persons with which the Business has business relations; (iv) maintain in effect the Business Licenses (if any) in accordance with the terms thereof and renew any Business License that would otherwise expire pursuant to the terms thereof between the date of this Agreement and the Closing; (v) use its commercially reasonable efforts to keep, or to cause Spoonful to keep, available the services of the Business Employees subject to the normal hiring and firing of Business Employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (vi) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact its business organization, value as a going concern and relationships with third parties (including lessors, licensors, suppliers, distributors and customers) and employees.
(b) From the date hereof until the Closing Date, or the earlier termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article IX, except to the extent described in Schedule 5.01 or otherwise required or specifically permitted by this Agreement or consented to in writing by the Parent (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Company shall refrain from: (i) issuing, selling or delivering any of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests or issuing or selling any securities convertible into, or options with respect to, or warrants to purchase or rights to subscribe for, any of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests (or amending any term of any of the foregoing); (ii) effecting any recapitalization, reclassification, dividend, split or like change in its capitalization other than dividends in the in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and the terms and conditions of the Company’s Organizational Documents; (iii) amending its Organizational Documents; (iv) making any redemption or purchase of any of its of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests; (v) (A) merging, consolidating or combining with any Person or (B) acquiring any material assets, except for acquisitions of inventory, equipment and supplies in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (vi) permitting any of the assets of the Company to become subject to a Lien (other than a Permitted Lien) or selling, leasing, licensing or otherwise disposing of any assets or securities, including by merger, consolidation, asset sale or other business combination, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (vii) making any loans or advances to, or any investments in, any other Person (in the case of loans or advances to employees, in excess of $100,000 in the aggregate for all such loans and advances); (viii) pledging or otherwise encumbering of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests; (ix) excepting as required or specifically permitted by this Agreement, entering into or amending any Contract with the Manager or any officer of the Company; (x) increasing any benefits under any Employee Benefit Plan or increasing the compensation payable or paid, whether conditionally or otherwise, to any employee, officer, manager or consultant of Company (other than (A) any increase adopted in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in respect of the compensation of any employee whose annual base compensation does not exceed $125,000 after giving effect to such increase or (B) any increase in benefits or compensation required by Law or required pursuant to the terms of an existing Employee Benefit Plan); (xi) becoming liable in respect of any guarantee (other than a guarantee by the Company of a Liability of the Company that is made in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice) or incur, assume or otherwise become liable in respect of any Indebtedness; (xii) repaying, prepaying or otherwise discharging or satisfying any Indebtedness or other material Liabilities, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, or waiving, cancelling or assigning any claims or rights of substantial value other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (xiii) making any capital expenditures that are in the aggregate in excess of $100,000 (other than capital expenditures contemplated by the capital expenditure budget attached to Schedule 5.01, emergency capital expenditures or capital expenditures that are required to maintain the Business in compliance with any applicable Laws); (xiv) making any change in its methods of accounting or accounting practices (including with respect to reserves) or any Tax election; filing any amended Tax Return; electing or changing any method of accounting for Tax purposes; settling any Action or claim in respect of Taxes; or consenting to any extension or waiver of the limitations period for the assessment of any Tax; (xv) settling, agreeing to settle, waiving or otherwise compromising any pending or threatened Actions or claims (A) involving potential payments by or to the Company of more than $100,000 in aggregate, (B) that admit Liability or consent to non-monetary relief, or (C) that otherwise are or would reasonably be expected to be material to the Company or the Business; (xvi) entering into, adopt, terminate, modify, renew or amend in any material respect (including by accelerating material rights or benefits under) any Contract unless such Contract requires payments by the Company of less than $10,000 per month and that can be terminated by the Company upon 60 days’ or less notice without penalty; (xvii) writing up or writing down any of its material assets of the Company or revalue its inventory or reserves in respect of its accounts receivable; (xviii) taking any action or failing to take any action that would result in any of the representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement becoming false or inaccurate in any material respect; or (xix) authorizing, agreeing or committing or entering into a Contract to do any of the foregoing.
Conduct of Business Pending Consummation 7.1 Affirmative Covenants of Each Party. From the date of this Agreement ----------------------------------- until the earlier of the Effective Time or the termination of this Agreement, unless the prior written consent of the other Party shall have been obtained, and except as otherwise expressly contemplated herein, each Party shall and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to (a) operate its business only in the usual, regular, and ordinary course, (b) preserve intact its business organization and Assets and maintain its rights and franchises, and (c) take no action which would (i) materially adversely affect the ability of either Party to obtain any Consents required for the transactions contemplated hereby without imposition of a condition or restriction of the type referred to in the last sentences of Section 9.1(b) or 9.1(c), or (ii) materially adversely affect the ability of either Party to perform its covenants and agreements under this Agreement.
Conduct of Business Prior to the Closing (a) Without the consent of Buyer, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, except (x) as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement, the Closing Agreements or the Restructuring, (y) as disclosed on Section 5.1 of the Seller Disclosure Schedule or (z) as required by Law or Order, during the Pre-Closing Period, Seller shall cause the Sold Companies to conduct their businesses (other than in respect of the Legacy Defense Business, which shall not be subject to this Section 5.1(a)) in the ordinary course of business and, to the extent consistent therewith, use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain satisfactory relationships with suppliers, customers, and other third parties having material business relationships with the Sold Companies (other than in respect of the Legacy Defense Business, which shall not be subject to this Section 5.1(a)).
(b) In furtherance of Section 5.1(a), without the consent of Buyer, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, except (x) as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement, the Closing Agreements or the Restructuring, (y) as disclosed on Section 5.1 of the Seller Disclosure Schedule or (z) as required by Law or Order, during the Pre-Closing Period, Seller shall cause each Sold Company (other than in respect of any actions relating to the Legacy Defense Business, which shall not be subject to this Section 5.1(b)) not to (and in the case of Section 5.1(b)(ii)(B), Seller shall not):
(i) amend its certificate of incorporation or bylaws or comparable organizational documents;
(ii) (A) issue, deliver, sell, pledge, dispose of or encumber any shares of capital stock or other ownership interests, or any options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights of any kind to acquire or receive any shares of capital stock or other ownership interests, in the Sold Companies, or (B) issue or grant any Seller Options;
(iii) reclassify, combine, split, subdivide, redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of capital stock or ownership interests;
(iv) (A) incur any obligations or commitments to make any capital expenditures in excess of $250,000 in the aggregate following the Closing, or (B) cease to continue to make capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business;
(v) with respect to Company Products, make any material change in the selling, distribution, advertising, terms of sale or collection practices outside of the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(vi) after the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Closing Date, declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution in respect of the capital stock or other ownership interests of any of the Sold Companies or repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or grant any rights or enter into any Contracts or commitments to repurchase, redeem or acquire, any outstanding shares of the capital stock or ownership interests of any of the Sold Companies;
(vii) acquire (whether by merger, consolidation or acquisition of stock or assets or otherwise) any corporation, partnership or other business organization or division thereof or any assets, other than purchases of inventory and other assets in the ordinary course of business and pursuant to existing Contracts made available to Buyer prior to the date hereof;
(viii) sell, lease, license, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of (whether by merger, consolidation or acquisition of stock or assets or otherwise) (A) any corporation, partnership or other business organization or division thereof or (B) any Inventory, equipment, assets, rights or properties (including Intellectual Property) for consideration in excess of $50,000, or abandon or allow to expire any issued patent or material registration or application included in the Company-Owned Intellectual Property, in each case, other than (w) sales or dispositions of Inventory and licenses of products and services, in each case, in the ordinary course of business, (x) pursuant to existing Contracts made available to Buyer prior to the date hereof, (y) non-exclusive licenses of Company-Owned Intellectual Property granted in the ordinary course of business as necessary to make available the Company Products or (z) sales of dispositions of obsolete and worthless assets or scrap;
(ix) sell, lease, license, assign, pledge transfer, abandon, permit any Lien on or otherwise dispose of any Company-Owned Intellectual Property used in or necessary for the operation of the businesses of the Sold Companies, other than (x) non-exclusive licenses of Company-Owned Intellectual Property granted in the ordinary course of business or (y) pursuant to existing Contracts made available to Buyer prior to the date hereof;
(x) modify, amend, terminate or waive any rights under any Material Contract in any material respect or enter into any new Contract that would be a Material Contract if entered into prior to the date of this Agreement;
(xi) acquire or obtain any license to any Intellectual Property or technology other than in the ordinary course of business (including commercially available computer software available or design tools on standard terms and in object-code form) for consideration not to exceed $100,000 in the aggregate;
(xii) permit the loss, expiration or termination of any material license or right to any third party Intellectual Property used in or necessary for the operation of the businesses of the Sold Companies other than in the ordinary course of business;
(xiii) agree to by any exclusivity, non-competition, most favored nation, or similar provision or covenant restricting the Sold Companies from competing in any line of business or with any Person or in any area or engaging in any activity or business (including with respect to the development, manufacture, marketing or distribution of their respective products or services);
(xiv) disclose any material trade secrets or other material proprietary or confidential information of the Sold Companies to any Person not subject to a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement;
(xv) except in the ordinary course of business, make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (other than in a Subsidiary or sister Subsidiary of such Person);
(xvi) except to the extent required under any Company Benefit Plan or Seller Benefit Plan in existence as of the date hereof or as required by applicable Law: (A) hire or terminate (other than for cause) any Business Employee who holds (or, if hired, would hold) the position of “vice president”, “director”, “manager”, “senior engineer”, “executive” or any other individual in a salary grade of 07 or higher or any individual consultant of the Sold Companies, except with respect to individual consultants who perform services for any of the Sold Companies whose aggregate fees are less than $100,000, (B) increase or establish, or commit to increase or establish, the compensation or benefits of any Business Employee or individual consultant of the Sold Companies, (C) establish, adopt, enter into, amend in any material respect or terminate any Seller Benefit Plan or Company Benefit Plan, in each case, affecting any Business Employees, (D) accelerate the vesting or payment of any compensation or benefits under any Seller Benefit Plan or Company Benefit Plan, in each case, with respect to any Business Employees, or (E) grant any cash bonus, incentive, performance or other incentive compensation to any Business Employee;
Conduct of Business by Company Pending the Closing Company agrees that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, unless Parent shall otherwise agree in writing, and except as a result of entering into this Agreement (x) the respective businesses of Company and the Company Subsidiaries shall be conducted only in, and Company and the Company Subsidiaries shall not take any action except in, the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (y) Company shall use all reasonable efforts to keep available the services of such of the current officers, significant employees and consultants of Company and the Company Subsidiaries and to preserve the current relationships of Company and the Company Subsidiaries with such of the corporate partners, customers, suppliers and other persons with which Company or any Company Subsidiary has significant business relations in order to preserve substantially intact its business organization. By way of amplification and not limitation, neither Company nor any Company Subsidiary shall, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, directly or indirectly, do, or agree to do, any of the following without the prior written consent of Parent and except as a result of entering into this Agreement:
(a) amend or otherwise change its certificate of incorporation or bylaws or equivalent organizational documents;
(b) issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant, transfer, lease, license, guarantee or encumber, or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant, transfer, lease, license or encumbrance of, (i) any shares of capital stock of Company or any Company Subsidiary of any class, or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any shares of such capital stock, or any options, warrants or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock, or any other ownership interest (including, without limitation, any phantom interest), of Company or any Company Subsidiary, other than (A) the issuance of shares of Company Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of stock options theretofore outstanding as of the date of this Agreement or (B) the issuance of options to purchase up to 250,000 shares of Company Common Stock under the Company's 1999 Stock Incentive Plan, 200,000 shares of which may be issued to newly hired management employees and 50,000 shares of which may be issued to existing non-executive employees, or (ii) any property or assets of Company or any Company Subsidiary except entering into alliance agreements or providing products and services in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(i) acquire (including, without limitation, by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets) any interest in any corporation, partnership, other business organization or person or any division thereof; (ii) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for, the obligations of any person (other than Company and Company Subsidiaries) for borrowed money or make any loans or advances, other than routine employee loans to employees other than Company officers (not to exceed $1,000 to any individual), material to the business, assets, liabilities, financial condition or results of operations of Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (iii) terminate, cancel or request any material change in, or agree to any material change in, any Company Material Contract or other License Agreement; (iv) make or authorize any capital expenditure, other than capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that have been budgeted for fiscal year 1999 and disclosed in writing to Parent and that are not, in the aggregate, in excess of $3,000,000 for Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole; or (v) enter into or amend any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement that, if fully performed, would not be permitted under this Section 6.01(c);
(d) declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution, payable in cash, stock, property or otherwise, with respect to any of its capital stock, except that any Company Subsidiary may pay dividends or make other distributions to Company or any other Company Subsidiary;
(e) reclassify, combine, split, subdivide or redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock;
(f) amend or change the period (or permit any acceleration, amendment or change unless required pursuant to the terms of existing agreements of Company previously provided to Parent) of exercisability of options granted under the Company Stock Plans or authorize cash payments in exchange for any Company Stock Options granted under any of such plans;
(g) amend the terms of, repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or permit any Company Subsidiary to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any of its securities or any securities of any Company Subsidiary or propose to do any of the foregoing;
(h) other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices or pursuant to existing agreements of Company previously provided to Parent increase the compensation payable or to become payable to its directors, officers, consultants or employees, grant any rights to severance or termination pay to, or enter into any employment or severance agreement which provides benefits upon a change in control of Company that would be triggered by the Merger with, any director, officer, consultant or other employee of Company or any Company Subsidiary who is not currently entitled to such benefits from the Merger, establish, adopt, enter into or amend any collective bargaining, bonus, profit sharing, thrift, compensation, stock option, restricted stock, pension, retirement, deferred compensation, employment, termination, severance or other plan, agreement, trust, fund, policy or arrangement for the benefit of any director, officer, consultant or employee of Company or any Company Subsidiary, except to the extent required by applicable Law or the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, or enter into or amend any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement between Company or any Company Subsidiary and any of Company's directors, officers, consultants or employees;
(i) pay, discharge or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than the payment, discharge or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice of liabilities reflected or reserved against on the consolidated balance sheet of Company and the consolidated the Company Subsidiaries dated as of March 31, 1999 included in Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period then ended (the "Company Balance Sheet") and only to the extent reflected or to the extent of such reserves or incurred in the ordinary course of business since March 31, 1999;
(j) make any change with respect to Company's accounting policies, principles, methods or procedures, including, without limitation, revenue recognition policies, other than as required by U.S. GAAP;
(k) make any material Tax election or settle or compromise any material Tax liability; or
(l) authorize or enter into any formal or informal agreement or otherwise make any commitment to do any of the foregoing or to take any action which would make any of the representations or warranties of Company contained in this Agreement untrue or incorrect in any material respect or result in any of the conditions to the Merger set forth herein not being satisfied.
