Conduct of Business Prior to the Effective Time 6.1 Conduct of Business of the Company. During the period commencing on the date hereof and continuing until the Effective Time, the Company and the Sole Stockholder agree that the Company, except as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement or agreed to in writing by the Parent:
(a) will carry on its business only in the ordinary course and consistent with past practice;
(b) will not declare or pay any dividend on or make any other distribution (however characterized) in respect of shares of its capital stock;
(c) will not, directly or indirectly, redeem or repurchase, or agree to redeem or repurchase, directly or indirectly, any shares of its capital stock;
(d) will not amend its Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws;
(e) will not issue, or agree to issue, any shares of its capital stock, or any options, warrants or other rights to acquire shares of its capital stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of its capital stock;
(f) will not combine, split or otherwise reclassify any shares of its capital stock;
(g) will not form any subsidiaries;
(h) will use its best efforts to preserve intact its present business organization, keep available the services of its officers and key employees and preserve its relationships with clients and others having business dealings with it to the end that its goodwill and ongoing business shall not be materially impaired at the Effective Time;
(i) will not (i) make any capital expenditures individually or in the aggregate in excess of $10,000, (ii) enter into any license, distribution, OEM, reseller, joint venture or other similar agreement other than in the ordinary course, (iii) enter into or terminate any lease of, or purchase or sell, any real property, (iv) enter into any leases of personal property involving individually or in the aggregate in excess of $10,000 annually, (v) incur or guarantee any additional indebtedness for borrowed money other than in the ordinary course, (vi) create or permit to become effective any security interest, mortgage, lien, charge or other encumbrance on any of its properties or assets, or (vii) enter into any agreement to do any of the foregoing;
(j) will not adopt or amend any Benefit Plan for the benefit of Employees, or increase the salary or other compensation (including, without limitation, bonuses or severance compensation) payable or to become payable to its Employees or accelerate, amend or change the period of exercisability or the vesting schedule of options or restricted stock granted under any stock option plan or agreements or enter into any agreement to do any of the foregoing, except as specifically required by the terms of such plans or agreements;
(k) will not accelerate receivables or delay payables;
(l) will promptly advise the Parent of the commencement of, or threat of (to the extent that such threat comes to the knowledge of the Company or the Sole Stockholder) any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation against, relating to or involving the Company or any of its respective officers, employees, agents or consultants in connection with their businesses or the transactions contemplated hereby;
(m) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain in full force and effect all insurance policies maintained by the Company on the date hereof;
(n) will not enter into any agreement to dissolve, merge, consolidate or, sell any material assets of the Company (other than in the ordinary course) or acquire or agree to acquire by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing a substantial equity interest in or substantial portion of the assets of, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership or other business organization or division, or otherwise acquire or agree to acquire any assets in excess of $10,000 in the aggregate; and
(o) will not make any payments to officers or directors other than in the ordinary course;
(p) will not enter into any agreements with contractors or consultants (or amend or authorize additional work orders with respect to any such existing agreements); and
(q) will not change, accelerate or alter, in each case, the payment terms of any existing contract or agreement nor enter into any contract or agreement with payment terms (including timing) not materially consistent with past practice.
6.2 Conduct of Business of Acquisition Corp. During the period commencing on the date hereof and continuing until the Effective Time, Acquisition Corp. shall not engage in any activities of any nature except as provided in or contemplated by this Agreement.
Conduct of Businesses Prior to the Effective Time (a) During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time or earlier termination of this Agreement, except as expressly contemplated or permitted by this Agreement or as otherwise required by Law or regulatory directive, each of FNB and HBI shall, and shall cause each of their respective Subsidiaries to (i) conduct its business in the ordinary course in all material respects, (ii) use reasonable best efforts to maintain and preserve intact its business organization, employees and advantageous business relationships and retain the services of its key officers and key employees and (iii) take no action that would reasonably be likely to prevent or materially impede or delay the obtaining of, or materially adversely affect the ability of the parties expeditiously to obtain, any necessary approvals of any Regulatory Agency, Governmental Entity or any other person or entity required for the transactions this Agreement contemplates or to perform its respective covenants and agreements under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Subject to applicable Law, including Laws with respect to the exchange of information, the disclosure of confidential supervisory information, the protection of personally identifiable information and the exercise of a controlling influence over the management or policies of another Person, HBI agrees that between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time:
(1) the materials to be presented at the meetings of any HBI Bank loan committee shall be provided to a designated representative of FNB at the same time such materials are provided to such loan committee; (2) HBI shall provide the minutes of each such meeting to the designated FNB representative promptly after such meeting; (3) HBI shall prepare and furnish to FNB at least quarterly an update of the reserves and other allowances for loan losses reflected in HBI’s financial statements included in the HBI Reports as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the three months ended March 31, 2021; (4) HBI shall promptly notify FNB if HBI or any HBI Subsidiary has been notified by any state or federal bank Regulatory Agency that its reserves are inadequate or that its practices for establishing its reserves or in accounting for delinquent and classified assets generally fail to comply with applicable accounting or regulatory requirements, or that any Regulatory Agency having jurisdiction over HBI or any HBI Subsidiary or HBI’s independent auditor believes such reserves to be inadequate or inconsistent with the historical loss experience of HBI; and (5) HBI shall prepare and furnish to FNB at least quarterly an updated list of all extensions of credit and OREO that have been classified by HBI or any HBI Subsidiary as other loans specifically mentioned, special mention, substandard, doubtful, loss, classified or criticized, credit risk assets, concerned loans or words of similar import;
(ii) upon request of FNB, HBI shall furnish to FNB such information to which HBI has access or prepares in the ordinary course of business as FNB may reasonably request regarding any loans, loan relationships and commitments of HBI Bank entered into between June 10, 2021, and the date hereof; and
(iii) upon request of FNB, HBI shall furnish to FNB such information to which HBI has access or prepares in the ordinary course of business as FNB may reasonably request regarding any loans, loan relationships and commitments of HBI Bank entered into after the date hereof in which the amount involved is equal to or greater than (i) $10,000,000 on a secured basis and (ii) $2,500,000 on an unsecured or undersecured basis.
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 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 Prior to the Effective Time 5.1 Conduct of Business by Company, Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary -------------------------------------------------------------------- Parent, First Intermediary Parent and Parent. During the period from the date -------------------------------------------- of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms or the Effective Time, Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent and Parent shall cause the Company to and the Company shall, except to the extent that Purchaser shall otherwise consent in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), carry on its business, in the usual, regular and ordinary course, in substantially the same manner as heretofore conducted and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, pay its debts and taxes when due subject to good faith disputes over such debts or taxes, pay or perform other material obligations when due, and use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with past practices and policies to (i) preserve intact its present business organization, (ii) keep available the services of its present officers and employees and (iii) preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, licensors, licensees, and others with which it has significant business dealings. In addition, except as permitted by the terms of this Agreement, and the transactions contemplated hereby, without the prior written consent of Purchaser, during the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms or the Effective Time, neither Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent nor Parent shall permit the Company to, and Company shall not do any of the following:
(a) With respect to Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent or Parent, waive any stock repurchase rights, accelerate, amend or change the period of exercisability of options or restricted stock, or reprice options granted under any employee, consultant, director or other stock plans or authorize cash payments in exchange for any options granted under any of such plans to any employee, consultant or director of the Company, except as provided for under this Agreement or the attached exhibits;
(b) Grant any severance or termination pay to any officer or employee except pursuant to written agreements outstanding, or policies existing, on the date hereof and as previously disclosed in writing or made available to Purchaser, or adopt any new severance plan, or amend or modify or alter in any manner any severance plan, agreement or arrangement existing on the date hereof or hire any new employees or consultants;
(c) Transfer or license to any person or entity or otherwise extend, amend or modify any rights to the Company Intellectual Property, or enter into grants to transfer or license to any person future patent rights;
(d) Declare, set aside or pay any dividends on or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock, equity securities or property) in respect of any capital stock or split, combine or reclassify any capital stock or issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for any capital stock;
(e) Purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock of Company;
(f) Issue, deliver, sell, authorize, pledge or otherwise encumber or propose any of the foregoing with respect to any shares of capital stock, or enter into other agreements or commitments of any character obligating it to issue any such shares;
(g) Cause, permit or propose any amendments to the Company Charter Documents;
(h) Acquire or agree to acquire by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing any equity interest in or a portion of the assets of, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof, or otherwise acquire or agree to enter into any joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances;
(i) Sell, lease, license, encumber or otherwise dispose of any properties or assets except sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(j) Incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such indebtedness of another person, issue or sell any debt securities or options, warrants, calls or other rights to acquire any debt securities of Company, enter into any "keep well" or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of any of the foregoing other than in connection with the financing of ordinary course trade payables by Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent or Parent;
(k) Adopt or amend any material employee policy or arrangement, or enter into any employment contract or collective bargaining agreement (other than offer letters and letter agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice with employees who are terminable "at will"), pay any special bonus or special remuneration to any director or employee, or, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, increase the salaries or wage rates or fringe benefits (including rights to severance or indemnification) of its directors, officers, employees or consultants;
(i) pay, discharge, settle or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), or litigation (whether or not commenced prior to the date of this Agreement) other than the payment, discharge, settlement or satisfaction, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or in accordance with their terms, or liabilities recognized or disclosed in the most recent consolidated financial statements (or the notes thereto) of Company as provided to the Purchasers or incurred since the date of such financial statements, or (ii) waive the benefits of, agree to modify in any manner, terminate, release any person from or knowingly fail to enforce any confidentiality or similar agreement to which Company is a party or of which Company is a beneficiary;
(m) Make any individual or series of related payments outside of the ordinary course of business in excess of $10,000;
(n) Except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, modify, amend or terminate any Material Contract or agreement to which Company is a party or waive, delay the exercise of, release or assign any material rights or claims thereunder;
(o) Enter into, renew or materially modify any contracts, agreements, or obligations relating to the distribution, sale, license or marketing by third parties of Company's products or products licensed by Company other than renewals of existing nonexclusive contracts, agreements or obligations;
(p) Except as required by GAAP, revalue any of its assets or make any change in accounting methods, principles or practices;
(q) Incur or enter into any agreement, contract or commitment requiring Company to pay in excess of $10,000, excluding routine purchase orders consistent with past practices;
(r) Settle any material litigation;
(s) Make or change any election in respect of Taxes, adopt or change any accounting method in respect of Taxes, file any Tax Returns or any amendment to any Tax Return other than in a manner consistent with prior practices, enter into any closing agreement, settle any claim or assessment in respects of Taxes, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of Taxes;
(t) Agree in writing or otherwise to take any of the actions described in Section 5.1(a) through (s) above.
CONDUCT OF BUSINESSES PENDING THE MERGER Section 5.01 Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Merger. Prior to the Effective Time, unless Parent or Acquisition Corp. shall otherwise agree in writing or as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement:
(a) the business of the Company shall be conducted only in the ordinary course;
(b) the Company shall not (i) directly or indirectly redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire or agree to redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of its capital stock; (ii) amend its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws except to effectuate the transactions contemplated in the Disclosures or (iii) split, combine or reclassify the outstanding Company Common Stock or declare, set aside or pay any dividend payable in cash, stock or property or make any distribution with respect to any such stock;
(c) the Company shall not (i) issue or agree to issue any additional shares of, or options, warrants or rights of any kind to acquire any shares of, Company Common Stock, except to issue shares of Company Common Stock in connection with any matter relating to the Disclosures; (ii) acquire or dispose of any fixed assets or acquire or dispose of any other substantial assets other than in the ordinary course of business; (iii) incur additional Indebtedness or any other liabilities or enter into any other transaction other than in the ordinary course of business; (iv) enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement with respect to any of the foregoing or (v) except as contemplated by this Agreement, enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to dissolve, merge, consolidate or enter into any other material business combination;
(d) the Company shall use its best efforts to preserve intact the business organization of the Company, to keep available the service of its present officers and key employees, and to preserve the good will of those having business relationships with it;
(e) the Company will not, nor will it authorize any director or authorize or permit any officer or employee or any attorney, accountant or other representative retained by it to make, solicit, encourage any inquiries with respect to, or engage in any negotiations concerning, any Acquisition Proposal (as defined below for purposes of this paragraph). The Company will promptly advise Parent orally and in writing of any such inquiries or proposals (or requests for information) and the substance thereof. As used in this paragraph, “Acquisition Proposal” shall mean any proposal for a merger or other business combination involving the Company or for the acquisition of a substantial equity interest in it or any material assets of it other than as contemplated by this Agreement. The Company will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing activities, discussions or negotiations with any Person conducted heretofore with respect to any of the foregoing; and
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 PENDING THE MERGER SECTION 5.1 Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Merger. ----------------------------------------------------- Prior to the Effective Time, except to the extent that Purchaser shall otherwise consent (including by virtue of action by the Board of Directors of the Company approved by all of Purchaser's or Merger Sub's designees, as applicable, at such time as they shall constitute a majority of such Board), the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, except as expressly permitted by this Agreement, conduct their respective businesses in, and shall not take any action except in, the ordinary course of business in a manner consistent with past practice; and the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use their respective reasonable best efforts to preserve intact the business organization of the Company and its Subsidiaries, to keep available the services of the current officers, employees and consultants of the Company and its Subsidiaries and to preserve the current business relationships of the Company and its Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, with customers, licensors, suppliers, distributors and others with which the Company or any Subsidiary has business relations. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and except as expressly permitted or specifically contemplated by this Agreement, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, directly or indirectly do, or propose to do, any of the following without the prior written consent of Purchaser (except as otherwise expressly permitted by this Agreement):
(i) declare, set aside or pay any dividends on or other distributions in respect of any of its capital stock (other than dividends and distributions by any direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company to its parent), (ii) split, combine or reclassify any of its capital stock or issue or authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares of its capital stock or (iii) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or permit any Subsidiary to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any shares of capital stock;
(b) issue, deliver, sell, pledge, dispose or encumber, or authorize or propose the issuance, delivery, sale, pledge, disposal or encumbrance of, any shares of its capital stock of any class or any securities convertible into, or any rights, warrants, calls, subscriptions or options to acquire, any such shares or convertible securities, or any other ownership interest other than (i) the issuance of shares of Company Common Stock upon the exercise of stock options granted under the Company Stock Option Plans outstanding on the date of this Agreement and in accordance with the current terms of such options, (ii) issuances by a Subsidiary of its capital stock to the Company or a Subsidiary so long as the Company will, after such issuance, directly or indirectly own all the outstanding capital stock of the issuing Subsidiary and (iii) the grant of stock options to new hires in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and with the written consent of Purchaser;
(c) amend or propose to amend its Certificate of Incorporation or By- Laws;
(d) acquire or agree to acquire, including, without limitation, by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing a substantial equity interest in or substantial portion of the assets of, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof;
(e) sell, lease, license, grant a security interest in, encumber or otherwise dispose of, or agree to sell, lease, grant a security interest in, encumber or otherwise dispose of, any of its material assets other than (i) sales or licenses of its products in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (ii) equipment and property no longer used in the operation of the Company and its Subsidiaries' respective businesses and (iii) assets related to any discontinued operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries which operations were discontinued prior to the date hereof;
(f) incur (which shall not be deemed to include entering into credit agreements, lines of credit or similar arrangements until borrowings are made under such arrangements) any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such indebtedness or issue or sell any debt securities or warrants or rights to acquire any debt securities of the Company or any Subsidiary or guarantee any debt securities of others, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(i) grant any increase in the compensation of any of its directors, officers or employees, except for increases for employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, (ii) grant, pay or agree to pay any pension, retirement allowance or other employee benefit not required or contemplated by any existing employee benefit plan, program, arrangement, agreement or contract (including, without limitation, any "employee benefit plan", as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA), maintained or contributed to by the Company or any Subsidiary, or with respect to which the Company or any Subsidiary could incur liability under Sections 4069, 4212(c) or 4204 of ERISA (the "Company Benefit Plans") as in effect on the date hereof to any director, officer or employee, (iii) enter into any new employment, severance or termination plan, program, arrangement, agreement or contract with any such director, officer or employee or (iv) except as may be required to comply with applicable law, become obligated under any Company Benefit Plan that was not in existence on the date hereof or amend any such plan in existence on the date hereof to enhance the benefits thereunder;
(h) make any capital expenditure or expenditures which exceed $250,000 in the aggregate; or
(i) authorize any of, or commit or agree to take any of, the actions described in paragraphs (a) through (h) of this Section 5.1.
Conduct of Business Pending the Closing During the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms or the Closing, the Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, carry on the Business in the ordinary course of business and, to the extent consistent therewith, use all commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the Business intact and preserve the goodwill of and relationships with Governmental Entities, customers, suppliers, partners, lessors, licensors, licensees, contractors, distributors, agents, officers and employees and others having business dealings with the Business, provided that the foregoing shall not prevent Sellers from rejecting Contracts that are not Assumed Contracts. During the period from the date of this Agreement through the Closing Date, the Company shall endeavor to maintain the Net Receivables Amount, the Inventory Value and each component of Inventory at or in excess of the amounts set forth on Schedule 7.1. Without limiting the generality of the first sentence of this Section 7.1, during the period from the date of this Agreement through the Closing Date, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, without the prior written consent of Buyer:
(a) abandon any rights under any of the Assumed Contracts; terminate, amend, modify or supplement the terms of any Assumed Contract; or fail to honor or perform, the Assumed Contracts;
(b) other than sales of Inventory in the ordinary course of business or the disposition of obsolete equipment, lease, license, surrender, relinquish, sell, transfer, convey, assign or otherwise dispose of any Acquired Assets;
(c) mortgage, pledge or subject to Liens (other than Permitted Liens), any property, business or any of the Acquired Assets, other than as would not result in any Liability that would be or would increase an Assumed Liability as of or subsequent to the Closing;
(d) incur or permit to be incurred any Liability (other than Accounts Payable or in connection with the performance of Assumed Contracts) that would be or would increase an Assumed Liability as of or subsequent to the Closing;
(e) fail to replenish the Inventory and Supplies of the Business in the ordinary course of business;
(f) increase the salary of any Identified Employee at or after the time such person becomes an Identified Employee, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(g) make or rescind any material Tax election or take any material Tax position (unless required by law) or file any Tax Return or change its fiscal year or financial or Tax accounting methods, policies or practices, or settle any Tax Liability, except in each case as would not reasonably be expected to affect the Buyer;
(h) institute, settle or agree to settle any litigation, action or Proceeding before any court or Governmental Entity relating to the Acquired Assets, or modify in any manner that is adverse to the Business or the Acquired Assets, rescind or terminate a material Permit, allowance, or credit (or application therefor) relating to the Business or the Acquired Assets;
(i) transfer or grant any rights under, modify any existing rights under, or enter into any settlement regarding the breach or infringement of, any material Intellectual Property; or
(j) enter into any Contract to do any of the foregoing.
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.
