MANAGEMENT OF THE BUSINESS Pursuant to Section 00-00-000 of the Act, and as stated in its Articles, the Company’s day to day affairs are managed by the Member. The Member is responsible for the daily operations of the business.
Management of the Company The Company's business and affairs shall be conducted and managed by the Member(s) in accordance with this Agreement and the laws of the State of the Formation. Single-Member (Applies ONLY if Single-Member): The Member(s) of the Company has sole authority and power to act for or on behalf of the Company, to do any act that would be binding on the Company or incur any expenditures on behalf of the Company. The Member(s) shall not be liable for the debts, obligations, or liabilities of the Company, including under a judgment, decree, or order of a court. The Company is organized as a “member-managed” limited liability company. The Member(s) is designated as the initial managing Member(s). Multi-Member (Applies ONLY if Multi-Member): Except as expressly provided elsewhere in this Agreement, all decisions respecting the management, operation, and control of the business and affairs of the Company and all determinations made in accordance with this Agreement shall be made by the affirmative vote or consent of Member(s) holding a majority of the Members’ Percentage Interests. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Member shall not, without the prior written consent of the unanimous vote or consent of the Member(s), sell, exchange, lease, assign or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; sell, exchange, lease (other than space leases in the ordinary course of business), assign or transfer the Company’s assets; mortgage, pledge or encumber the Company’s assets other than is expressly authorized by this Agreement; prepay, refinance, modify, extend or consolidate any existing mortgages or encumbrances; borrow money on behalf of the Company; lend any Company funds or other assets to any person or entity; establish any reserves for working capital repairs, replacements, improvements or any other purpose; confess a judgment against the Company; settle, compromise or release, discharge or pay any claim, demand or debt, including claims for insurance; approve a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into any other limited liability company, corporation, partnership or other entity; or change the nature or character of the business of the Company. The Member(s) shall receive such sums for compensation as Member(s) of the Company as may be determined from time to time by the affirmative vote or consent of Member(s) holding a majority of the Member(s)’ Percentage Interests.
Operation of the Company’s Business (a) During the Pre-Closing Period:
(i) the Company shall ensure that each of the Company Entities conducts its business and operations: (A) in the ordinary course and in accordance with past practices; and (B) in material compliance with all applicable Laws and with the requirements of all Contracts of Company Entities that constitute Material Contracts;
(ii) the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that each of the Company Entities preserves intact its current business organization, keeps available the services of its current officers and other key employees and maintains its relations and goodwill with all suppliers, customers, landlords, creditors, licensors, licensees, distributors, resellers, employees and other Persons having material business relationships with the respective Company Entities;
(iii) the Company shall promptly notify Parent in writing of (A) any notice from any Person alleging that the Consent of such Person is or may be required in connection with any of the Transactions and (B) any Legal Proceeding commenced, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against, relating to, involving or otherwise affecting any of the Company Entities that relates to the Merger or any of the other Transactions;
(iv) use commercially reasonable efforts to keep in full force all insurance policies referred to in Section 3.26 (other than any such policies that are immediately replaced with substantially similar policies), provided that if it is unable to do so, it shall notify Parent at least 20 days before such policies terminate or otherwise lapse; and
(v) the Company shall (to the extent requested by Parent and permitted under applicable Law) cause the officers and other key employees of the Company Entities to freely communicate (without limitation) with Parent regarding the Company Entities’ results of operations and material developments.
(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, during the Pre-Closing Period, except as set forth in Schedule 5.2(b) or with Parent’s prior written consent and except as permitted by Section 6.2(d), the Company (A) shall not, and (B) shall not permit any of the other Company Entities to:
(i) amend its certificate of incorporation or bylaws or comparable organizational documents or create any new Subsidiaries;
(ii) issue, sell, deliver or agree or commit to issue, sell or deliver (whether through the issuance or granting of options, warrants, commitments, subscriptions, rights to purchase or otherwise) any security of any Company Entity, except for the issuance and sale of shares of Company Common Stock pursuant to Company Equity Awards outstanding as of the date of this Agreement upon the exercise or vesting thereof, as applicable;
(iii) directly or indirectly acquire, repurchase or redeem any security of any Company Entity, except in connection with Tax withholdings and exercise price settlements upon the exercise, vesting or issuance of shares under Company Equity Awards;
(iv) (A) split, combine, subdivide or reclassify any shares of capital stock, or (B) declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, shares or property or any combination thereof) in respect of any shares of capital stock, or make any other actual, constructive or deemed distribution in respect of the shares of capital stock, except for cash dividends made by any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or one of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries;
(v) propose or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of any Company Entity, except for this Agreement and the Transactions;
(vi) (A) redeem, repurchase, prepay, defease, cancel, incur, create, assume or otherwise acquire or modify in any material respect any long-term or short-term debt for borrowed monies or issue or sell any debt securities or calls, options, warrants or other rights to acquire any debt securities of any Company Entity or enter into any agreement having the economic effect of any of the foregoing, except for (1) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business under letters of credit, lines of credit or other credit facilities or arrangements in effect on the date hereof, (2) loans or advances between the Company and any direct or indirect Subsidiaries, or between any direct or indirect Subsidiaries of the Company in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, and (3) the issuance of credit to new customers for the purchase of products or services of the Company Entities in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, (B) assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become liable or responsible (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) for the obligations of any other Person, except with respect to obligations of direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiaries of the Company in place on the date of this Agreement, (C) make any loans, advances (other than any retainer for legal services) or capital contributions to or investments in any other Person (other than the Company or any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiaries), except for travel advances or business expenses in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice to employees of the Company Entities, or (D) mortgage or pledge any asset owned or used by any Company Entity, or create or suffer to exist any Encumbrance thereupon (other than Permitted Encumbrances), except pursuant to the terms of any letters of credit, lines of credit or other credit facilities or arrangements, in effect on the date hereof;
(vii) except as may be required by applicable Law or the terms of this Agreement or of any Company Employee Plan as in effect on the date of this Agreement, (A) enter into, adopt, amend (including acceleration of vesting), modify or terminate any bonus, profit sharing, incentive, compensation, severance, retention, termination, option, appreciation right, performance unit, stock equivalent, share purchase agreement, pension, retirement, deferred compensation, employment, change in control, pension, retirement, collective bargaining or other employee benefit agreement, trust, plan, fund or other arrangement for the compensation, benefit or welfare of any Company Associate, (B) increase the compensation payable or to become payable to any Company Associate, pay or agree to pay any special bonus or special remuneration to any Company Associate, or pay or agree to pay any benefit not required by any Company Employee Plan as in effect as of the date hereof, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice with respect to any Company Associate who is not a member of the board of directors or officer, (C) hire any employee with an annual base salary in excess of $100,000 or at the level of Vice President, (D) grant or pay any severance or termination pay to (or amend any such existing arrangement with) any current or former member of the board of directors, officer, employee or independent contractor of any Company Entity, except in the ordinary course of business with respect to any employee or independent contractor who is not a member of the board of directors or officer, (E) increase benefits payable under any existing severance or termination pay policies or similar employment agreements, or (F) accelerate the vesting or payment of, or fund or in any other way secure the payment, compensation or benefits under, any Company Employee Plan to the extent not required by the terms of this Agreement or such Company Employee Plan as in effect on the date of this Agreement;
(viii) commence any Legal Proceeding or settle any pending or threatened Legal Proceeding, except for the settlement of any Legal Proceeding solely for money damages not in excess of $250,000 in the aggregate and as would not be reasonably likely to have any adverse impact on any other Legal Proceeding;
(ix) except as may be required as a result of a change in applicable Law or in GAAP, make any material change in any of the accounting methods, principles or practices used by it or change an annual accounting period;
(x) (A) make or change any material Tax election, (B) settle or compromise any material federal, state, local or foreign income Tax liability, (C) consent to any extension or waiver of any limitation period with respect to any claim or assessment for material Taxes, (D) change any annual Tax accounting period or method of Tax accounting, (E) file any materially amended Tax Return, (F) enter into any closing agreement with respect to any Tax or (G) surrender any right to claim a material Tax refund;
(xi) (A) acquire (by merger, consolidation or acquisition of stock or assets or otherwise) any other Entity or any material equity interest therein, (B) sell or otherwise dispose of, lease or license any properties or assets of any Company Entity (other than in the ordinary course of business), which are material to the Company Entities, taken as a whole, (C) acquire, lease or license any material right or other asset from any Person (other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice);
(xii) make any capital expenditures in excess of $50,000 individually or $200,000 in the aggregate;
(xiii) make any material changes or modifications to any investment or risk management policy or other similar policies (including with respect to hedging), or any cash management policy;
(xiv) other than in the ordinary course of business, enter into, or amend in any material respect, terminate or fail to renew, any Material Contract;
(xv) change any of its product return policies, product maintenance polices, service policies, product modification or upgrade policies in any material respect;
(xvi) enter into any material transaction with any of its Affiliates (other than a Company Entity) other than pursuant to written arrangements in effect on the date of this Agreement and excluding any employment, compensation or similar arrangements otherwise expressly permitted pursuant to this Section 5.2(b);
(xvii) abandon or permit to lapse any right to any material patent or patent application;
(xviii) take any action that is intended or is reasonably likely to result in the conditions set forth in Sections 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 (except after compliance with Section 6.2(d)), 7.5, 7.7, 7.11, 7.12, 7.13, 7.15 and 7.16 not being satisfied; or
(xix) agree or commit to take any of the actions described in clauses above in this Section 5.2(b).
(c) During the Pre-Closing Period, the Company shall promptly notify Parent in writing of any event, condition, fact or circumstance that would make the timely satisfaction of any of the conditions set forth in ARTICLE 7 impossible or unlikely or that has had or could reasonably be expected to have or result in a Material Adverse Effect. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company shall promptly advise Parent in writing of any Legal Proceeding or material claim commenced or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened against or with respect to any of the Company Entities. No notification given to Parent pursuant to this Section 5.2(c) or any information or knowledge obtained pursuant to Section 5.1 shall limit or otherwise affect any of the representations, warranties, covenants or obligations of the Company contained in this Agreement or any of the remedies available to Parent under this Agreement.
(d) During the Pre-Closing Period, the Company shall promptly notify Parent in writing if the Company has the right to exercise any right or option to repurchase shares of its capital stock from any Company Associate or other Person upon termination of such Person’s service to any of the Company Entities. The Company shall not exercise any such repurchase right except to the extent directed by Parent in writing.
Conduct of the Company’s Business During the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the Effective Time and the date nominees of Parent or Subsidiary constitute a majority of the members of the board of trustees of the Company (such earlier time, the “Control Time”), except either as consented to in writing (including by email or other electronic transmission) by Parent in response to a written or oral request therefore from the Company (which response shall not be unreasonably delayed), the Company shall, and shall cause its subsidiaries to, conduct its and their business in the ordinary course and use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct its and their business relationships with third parties and to keep available the services of their present officers and employees, provided that it does not require additional compensation, and preserve its and their relationships with customers, suppliers and others having business dealings with the Company and its subsidiaries, and to maintain the Company’s qualification as a REIT, in each case subject to the terms of or contemplated by this Agreement. In addition, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as expressly permitted in this Agreement, from the date hereof until the Control Time, the Company shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not to:
(a) (i) authorize, declare or pay any dividends on or make other distributions in respect of any of its stock (except for dividends by a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company to its parent and except for distributions necessary for the Company to maintain its REIT qualification, avoid the incurrence of any taxes under Section 857 of the Code, avoid the imposition of any excise taxes under Section 4981 of the Code, or avoid the need to make one or more extraordinary or disproportionately larger distributions to meet any of the three preceding objectives), (ii) split, combine or reclassify any of its stock or issue or authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities or (iii) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any shares of stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other securities thereof or any rights, warrants or options to acquire any such shares or other securities;
(b) except in accordance with the Share Option Agreement, issue, deliver, sell, pledge or encumber, or authorize or propose the issuance, delivery, sale, pledge or encumbrance of, any shares of its beneficial interests, stock or any other security;
(c) amend or propose to amend its declaration of trust, certificate of incorporation or bylaws (or similar organizational documents);
(d) (i) acquire or agree to acquire any material assets (including securities) outside the ordinary course or merge or consolidate with any person or engage in any similar transaction or (ii) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other person, other than to the Company or any wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and other than loans to auto dealers in the ordinary course of business which would, when originated, qualify as Eligible Receivables under the Warehouse Line;
(e) sell, lease, license, encumber or otherwise dispose of any of its assets or any interest therein, other than in the ordinary course (including the disposition of any assets acquired as a result of a foreclosure), or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring or other reorganization;
(f) incur or suffer to exist any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such indebtedness, guarantee any debt of others, enter into any “keep-well” or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition of another person or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of any of the foregoing, except for borrowings under the Warehouse Line;
(g) make or rescind any Tax election or settle or compromise any Tax liability of the Company or any of its subsidiaries;
(h) make or agree to make any capital expenditures other than in amounts of less than $75,000 in the aggregate;
(i) pay, discharge, settle or satisfy any Claim (whether absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than the payment, discharge, settlement or satisfaction, in the ordinary course of business or in accordance with their terms, of Claims whether recognized or disclosed in the most recent financial statements (or the notes thereto) of the Company included in the Company Filed SEC Documents or incurred since the date of such financial statements in the ordinary course of business except for cash payments (x) paid by any insurer or person other than the Company and any subsidiary of the Company, plus (y) an amount paid by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company not exceeding $100,000 per Claim, liability or obligation or $500,000 for all Claims in the aggregate.
(j) (i) modify, amend or terminate any material contract, (ii) waive, release or assign any material rights or claims, (iii) waive the benefits of, or agree to modify in any manner, any confidentiality, standstill or similar agreement, or fail to enforce any such agreement to the fullest extent practicable, including by seeking injunctive relief and specific performance or (iv) except, with respect to this clause (iv), in the ordinary course of business, enter into any material contracts or transactions;
(i) increase the compensation or benefits of any director, trustee, officer or employee, except for, in the cases of non-officer employees, increases in the ordinary course that are consistent with past practice, (ii) adopt any material amendment to a Benefit Plan, (iii) enter into, amend or modify any employment, consulting, severance, termination or similar agreement with any director, trustee, officer or employee, (iv) accelerate the payment of compensation or benefits to any director, officer or employee, (v) take any action to fund or in any other way secure the payment of compensation or benefits under any Benefit Plan or compensation agreement or arrangement; or change any actuarial or other assumption used to calculate funding obligations with respect to any pension plan or change the timing or manner in which contributions to any pension plan are made or the basis on which such contributions are determined or (vi) take any action that could give rise to severance benefits payable to any officer, trustee, director, or employee of the Company or any subsidiary as a result of consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided that nothing in this paragraph (k) shall preclude the payment by the Company of accrued, but unpaid bonuses to employees for 2004 and retroactive salary adjustments in each case as set forth in Section 6.1(k) of the Company Disclosure Schedule;
(l) take any action to exempt or make not subject to or to otherwise waive or cause to be inapplicable (x) the provisions of any Takeover Statute or (y) Section 7.2 of the Declaration of Trust, in each case to any individual or entity (other than Parent or its subsidiaries), or any action taken thereby, which individual, entity or action would have otherwise been subject to the restrictive provisions thereof and not exempt therefrom;
(m) take any action to delist the Shares from Nasdaq;
(n) make any material change to its methods of accounting in effect on the date hereof, except as required by changes in GAAP as concurred with by the Company’s independent auditors, or change its fiscal year;
(o) enter into any transaction with any of its affiliates other than pursuant to arrangements in effect on the date hereof which have been disclosed to Parent;
(p) accelerate the collection of receivables or defer the payment of payables, or modify the payment terms of any receivables or payables, in each case, other than in the ordinary course of business;
(q) securitize, or create any financing arrangements in the nature of a collateralized debt obligation with respect to, any accounts receivable, loans or other assets;
(r) amend or modify the existing agreement between Company and Company Financial Advisor; or
(s) authorize any of, or commit or agree to take any of, the foregoing actions or any action that would result in a breach of any representation, warranty or agreement of the Company contained in this Agreement as of the date when made or as of any future date or would result in any of the conditions to the Merger not being satisfied or in a material delay in the satisfaction of such conditions.
No Control of the Company’s Business Nothing contained in this Agreement is intended to give Parent, directly or indirectly, the right to control or direct the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ operations prior to the Effective Time. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall exercise, consistent with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, complete control and supervision over its and its subsidiaries’ operations.
Business of the Company The purpose of the Company is to carry on any lawful business, purpose or activity for which limited liability companies may be formed in accordance with Section 18-106 of the Act.
Return of the Company’s Property If Executive’s employment is terminated for any reason, the Company shall have the right, at its option, to require Executive to vacate his or her offices prior to or on the effective date of termination and to cease all activities on the Company’s behalf. Upon the termination of his or her employment in any manner, as a condition to the Executive’s receipt of any post-termination benefits described in this Agreement, Executive shall immediately surrender to the Company all lists, books and records of, or in connection with, the Company’s business, and all other property belonging to the Company, it being distinctly understood that all such lists, books and records, and other documents, are the property of the Company. Executive shall deliver to the Company a signed statement certifying compliance with this Section 4(j) prior to the receipt of any post-termination benefits described in this Agreement.
Non-Company Business Except with the prior written consent of the Board, Executive will not during the term of Executive’s employment with the Company undertake or engage in any other employment, occupation or business enterprise, other than ones in which Executive is a passive investor. Executive may engage in civic and not-for-profit activities so long as such activities do not materially interfere with the performance of Executive’s duties hereunder.
Management and Control of the Company The Manager shall direct, manage and control the business of the Company to the best of such Manager’s ability and shall have full and complete authority, power and discretion to make any and all decisions and to do any and all things which the Manager shall deem to be reasonably required in light of the Company’s business and objectives.
(1) No Member except one who shall also be a Manager may participate in or have any control over the Company business or have any authority or right to act for or bind the Company. The Member hereby consents to the exercise by the Manager of the powers respectively conferred on it by this Agreement.
(2) The Manager may, if appropriate, establish, if Company funds are available, reserves for working capital and for payment of taxes, insurance, debt service, repairs, replacements or renewals, or other costs and expenses incident to the operation of the Company and the property of the Company and for such other purposes as the Manager may determine and thereafter shall maintain such reserves in such amounts as the Manager deems appropriate under the circumstances to the extent that any such reserves are not in conflict with any other provisions of this Agreement regarding any required disbursements.
Capitalization of the Company and its Subsidiaries The Company's authorized capital stock consists solely of (a) 20,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.05 par value per share ("Company Common Stock"), and (b) 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $1.00 par value per share ("Company Preferred Stock"). As of October 31, 1997, (i) 3,891,981 shares of Company Common Stock were issued and outstanding, (ii) 201,385 shares of Company Common Stock were issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options, an additional 230,749 shares of Company Common Stock were issuable upon the exercise of options that are not currently outstanding but are reserved for issuance upon the designation of optionees by the Board of Directors of the Company and 154,175 shares of Company Common Stock were issuable upon the exercise or conversion of outstanding warrants or convertible securities granted or issuable (on a contingent basis or otherwise) by the Company, and (iii) no shares of Company Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding. Since October 31, 1997, except as disclosed in Section 4.4 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company has not issued any shares of its capital stock except upon the exercise of such options, warrants or convertible securities. Each outstanding share of capital stock of the Company and each Subsidiary is duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free of any preemptive rights. As of the date hereof, other than as set forth above, in the Company SEC Documents (as defined in Section 4.7) or in Section 4.4 to the Company Disclosure Schedule, there are no outstanding shares of capital stock or subscriptions, options, warrants, puts, calls, agreements, understandings, claims or other commitments or rights of any type relating to the issuance, sale or transfer by the Company or either Subsidiary of any securities of the Company or either Subsidiary, nor are there outstanding any securities which are convertible into or exchangeable for any shares of capital stock of the Company or either Subsidiary; and neither the Company nor either Subsidiary has any obligation of any kind to issue any additional securities or to pay for securities of the Company or either Subsidiary or any predecessor. The Company has no outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other similar obligations the holders of which have the right to vote generally with holders of Company Common Stock.
