Operation of the Business During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Closing Date, the Stockholders shall cause the Company to conduct its operations and the Business in the Ordinary Course of Business and in material compliance with all laws applicable to the Company or any of its properties or assets and, to the extent consistent therewith, use its Reasonable Best Efforts to preserve intact its current business organization, keep its physical assets in good working condition, keep available the services of its current officers and employees and preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers and others having business dealings with it to the end that its goodwill and ongoing business shall not be impaired in any material respect. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, prior to the Closing Date, the Company and the Stockholders shall not and shall cause the Company not to, in each case, without the prior written consent of the Buyer (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) and except as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement, incur any funded indebtedness:
(a) issue or sell, or redeem or repurchase, any stock or other securities of the Company or any warrants, options or other rights to acquire any such stock or other securities (except pursuant to the conversion or exercise of outstanding convertible securities, options or warrants outstanding on the date hereof), or amend any of the terms of (including without limitation the vesting of) any such convertible securities or options or warrants;
(b) except as otherwise contemplated under Section 4.4(h), below, split, combine or reclassify any shares of its capital stock; or, except as may be required to enable Stockholders to pay taxes on the Pre-Tax Profits of the Company through the Closing Date, and except as otherwise contemplated under Section 4.4(h), below, declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, stock or property or any combination thereof) in respect of its capital stock;
(c) except in connection with the Required Financing (hereinafter described), create, incur, assume or guaranty any indebtedness for borrowed money (including obligations in respect of capital leases) except in the Ordinary Course of Business or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become liable or responsible (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) for the obligations of any other person or entity; or make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other person or entity;
(d) enter into, adopt or amend any Employee Benefit Plan or any employment or severance agreement or arrangement or (except for normal increases in the Ordinary Course of Business for employees who are not Affiliates) increase in any manner the compensation or fringe benefits of, or materially modify the employment terms of, its directors, officers or employees, generally or individually, or pay any bonus or other benefit to its directors, officers or employees;
(e) acquire, sell, lease, license or dispose of any assets or property (including without limitation any shares or other equity interests in or securities of the Company or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof), other than purchases and sales of Inventories and other assets in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(f) except in connection with the Required Financing (hereinafter described), mortgage or pledge any of its property or assets (including without limitation any shares or other equity interests in or securities of the Company or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof), or subject any such property or assets to any Security Interest;
(g) discharge or satisfy any Security Interest or pay any obligation or liability other than in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(h) as at the Closing Date, and after giving effect to the declaration or funding of any dividends or distributions to the Stockholders, whether in cash or in property, (A) the combined stockholders’ equity of both the Company and DiscCo shall be not less than $4,000,000, (B) neither the Company nor DiscCo will have an indebtedness in excess of $100,000, and (C) not less than $500,000 of the combined assets of both the Company and DiscCo will be in the form of cash, cash equivalents or immediately marketable securities which is necessary to cover operating expenses of the Company and DiscCo incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(i) amend the charter, by-laws or other organizational documents of the Company;
(j) change in any material respect its accounting methods, principles or practices, except insofar as may be required by a generally applicable change in GAAP;
(k) enter into, amend, terminate, take or omit to take any action that would constitute a violation of or default under, or waive any rights under, any material Contract or agreement;
(l) institute or settle any Legal Proceeding;
(m) take any action or fail to take any action permitted by this Agreement with the knowledge that such action or failure to take action would result in (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement becoming untrue in any material respect or (ii) any of the conditions to the Closing set forth in Article V not being satisfied; or
(n) agree in writing or otherwise to take any of the foregoing actions.
