Major Decisions (A) Subject to Sections 7.3(C) and 7.3(D) with respect to the Company, all major decisions of the Company set forth below in clauses (A)(1) through (A)(6) (“Major Decisions”) shall be subject to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and joint approval by the Advisor and Sub-advisor. For the avoidance of doubt, Major Decisions specifically exclude any decisions regarding the day-to-day operations of the Company, the decision-making authority for which has been delegated to the Sub-advisor pursuant to this Agreement. Major Decisions shall consist of the following:
(1) Decisions to recommend to the Board of Directors that the Company acquire or sell Properties, Loans and other Permitted Investments;
(2) Retention of investment banks for the Company;
(3) Marketing methods for the Company’s sale of Shares;
(4) Extending, initiating or terminating the Initial Public Offering or any subsequent Offering of the Shares;
(5) Issuing press releases involving the major decisions of the Company or the Advisor or Sub-advisor or their Affiliates with respect to the business or operations of the Company; provided, that the Sub-advisor need not obtain consent to any press releases regarding acquisitions or dispositions of Properties, Loans or other Permitted Investments; and provided further, however, that notwithstanding the immediately preceding proviso, any mention of the Advisor or its Affiliates in such press releases regarding acquisitions or dispositions shall be pre-approved by the Advisor; and
(6) Merging or otherwise engaging in any change of control transaction for the Company.
(B) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if the Parties do not agree to any action constituting a Major Decision that is described in any of clauses (A)(2) through (A)(6) above and that has been proposed by either Party, the Parties shall meet (in person or by phone) to discuss the issue in dispute in good faith over the five-business day period beginning with the delivery of notice of the proposed action to the other Party.
(C) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, with respect to Major Decisions described in clause (A)(1) above (but subject to Section 7.3(D)), (1) joint approval shall not be required, (2) the Sub-advisor and the Advisor shall discuss the proposed transaction (either in person or by phone) prior to either Party making any recommendation of the proposed transaction to the Board of Directors, and (3) the Sub-Advisor and the Advisor shall each give due consideration to the opinions of the other Party. Ordinarily, such discussions shall begin at least five business days before a recommendation is made to the Board of Directors; however, if in the sole discretion of the Sub-advisor it is in the best interest of the Company to make a recommendation to the Board of Directors more promptly, then the Sub-advisor may do so. In the event the Parties do not agree as to whether to recommend the proposed transaction to the Board of Directors, the Sub-advisor’s decision shall govern.
(D) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7.3 or any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, in all events, including Major Decisions, the Company will be managed under the direction of the Board of Directors.
(E) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary (but subject to Section 7.3(D)), the Sub-advisor shall have sole authority to act on behalf of the Company regarding amending the Advisory Agreement.
Unanimous Consent Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing, and signed by all of the Lenders (or the Administrative Agent at the written direction of the Lenders), do any of the following:
(i) subject the Lenders to any additional obligations or increase the commitment of any Lender;
(ii) reduce the principal of, or interest rates that have accrued or that will be charged on the outstanding principal amount of, the Loan;
(iii) reduce the amount of any fees payable to the Lenders hereunder;
(iv) postpone any date fixed for any payment of principal of, or interest on, the Loan (including, without limitation, the Maturity Date) or for the payment of fees or any other monetary Obligations of Borrower or Guarantor;
(v) modify or amend the organizational documents of Borrower in any manner that could be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(vi) change the Pro Rata Shares;
(vii) amend this Section or amend the definitions of the terms used in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents insofar as such definitions affect the substance of this Section;
(viii) modify the definition of the term “Requisite Lenders” or modify in any other manner the number or percentage of the Lenders required to make any determinations or waive any rights hereunder or to modify any provision hereof;
(ix) release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty except as permitted, and in accordance with, the Loan Documents;
(x) waive a Default under Section 11.1(a) or (b);
(xi) release or dispose of any Collateral unless released or disposed of as permitted by, and in accordance with, the Loan Documents; or
(xii) subordinate the lien of the Deed of Trust other than to a Permitted Easement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent shall have the sole right to approve, in its reasonable discretion, the subordination of the lien of any Deed of Trust to any Permitted Easement.
Trustee Action by Written Consent Without a Meeting To the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act, any action that may be taken at any meeting of the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting and without prior written notice if a consent or consents in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Trustees having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting at which all Trustees on the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof, as the case may be, were present and voted. Written consents of the Trustees may be executed in one or more counterparts. A consent transmitted by electronic transmission (as defined in Section 3806 of the DSTA) by a Trustee shall be deemed to be written and signed for purposes of this Section. All such consents shall be filed with the secretary of the Trust and shall be maintained in the Trust’s records.
Shareholder Action by Written Consent without a Meeting Any action which may be taken at any meeting of Shareholders may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if a consent in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the holders of Shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting at which all Shares entitled to vote on that action were present and voted. All such consents shall be filed with the secretary of the Trust and shall be maintained in the Trust’s records. Any Shareholder giving a written consent or the Shareholder’s proxy holders or a transferee of the Shares or a personal representative of the Shareholder or its respective proxy-holder may revoke the consent by a writing received by the secretary of the Trust before written consents of the number of Shares required to authorize the proposed action have been filed with the secretary. If the consents of all Shareholders entitled to vote have not been solicited in writing and if the unanimous written consent of all such Shareholders shall not have been received, the secretary shall give prompt notice of the action taken without a meeting to such Shareholders. This notice shall be given in the manner specified in the By-Laws.
Matters Requiring Investor Director Approval So long as either (x) the holders of Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to elect one or more Series A Directors or (y) the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to elect one or more Series B Directors, the Company hereby covenants and agrees with each of the Investors that it shall not, nor shall it permit any subsidiary of the Company to, without approval of the Board, which approval must include the affirmative vote of a majority of the Preferred Directors (which majority shall include a Series B Director), or the approval of the Requisite Holders:
(a) make, or permit any subsidiary to make, any loan or advance to, or own any stock or other securities of, any subsidiary or other corporation, partnership, or other entity unless it is wholly owned by the Company;
(b) make, or permit any subsidiary to make, any loan or advance to any Person, including, without limitation, any employee or director of the Company or any subsidiary, in excess of $100,000 (in the case of individuals) or $500,000 (in the case of Persons that are not individuals), except advances and similar expenditures in the ordinary course of business or under the terms of an employee stock or option plan approved by the Board;
(c) guarantee, directly or indirectly, or permit any subsidiary to guarantee, directly or indirectly, any indebtedness of any third party, except for trade accounts of the Company or any subsidiary arising in the ordinary course of business;
(d) make any investment inconsistent with any investment policy approved by the Board;
(e) incur any aggregate indebtedness in excess of $500,000 that is not already included in a budget approved by the Board, other than trade credit incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(f) enter into or be a party to any transaction with any stockholder, director or officer of the Company or any “associate” (as defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of any such Person, except for transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Purchase Agreement or transactions (including agreements related to the compensation of the Company’s executive officers) made in the ordinary course of business upon fair and reasonable terms that are approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board;
(g) increase the shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Company’s equity incentive plan or adopt any other equity incentive plan;
(h) hire or terminate the chief executive officer;
(i) enter into any corporate strategic relationship involving the payment, contribution, or assignment of money or assets which exceeds $5,000,000 in any single transaction or in the aggregate ten percent (10%) of the aggregate value of the Company’s net assets on a consolidated basis in any consecutive twelve-month period;
(j) sell, lease, transfer, exclusively license or otherwise dispose of material assets and/or intellectual property of the Company or its subsidiaries, in one or a series of related transactions, the aggregate value of which exceeds $5,000,000 in any single transaction or in the aggregate ten percent (10%) of the aggregate value of the Company’s net assets on a consolidated basis in any consecutive twelve-month period;
(k) acquire (by merger or stock or asset purchase or otherwise) any Person, business or asset in one or a series of related transactions, the aggregate value of which exceeds $5,000,0000 in any such one or series of related transactions or in the aggregate ten percent (10%) of the aggregate value of the Company’s net assets on a consolidated basis in any consecutive twelve-month period;
(l) make any material change in the business plan or business scope;
(m) settle any material litigation, arbitration or legal disputes;
(n) appoint or remove the Company’s auditor or change materially in accounting policies and standards, including financial year or tax year of the Company;
(o) effect any single capital expenditure, the value of which exceeds $5,000,000 in any single transaction or in the aggregate ten percent (10%) of the aggregate value of the Company’s net assets in any fiscal year; or
(p) enter into an agreement to do any of the foregoing. For purposes of this Section 5.4, the value of any net assets shall be the value as determined by the Company in good faith. Upon the request of any Investor, the Company shall provide such Investor with reasonable written documentation supporting the basis of such determination of value, and provide such Investor with reasonable access to the personnel, properties, books and records of the Company for the purpose of evaluating the foregoing determination. If such Investor raises any reasonable objections to the foregoing determination, the Company shall consider in good faith such objections and make such revisions to the final determination of value as may be mutually agreed between the Company and such Investor. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 5.4, such approval of the Board or the Requisite Holders shall not be required with respect to actions contemplated by any agreements entered into between the Company and its stockholder(s) on or prior to the date hereof.
Approval by the Board Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Advisor may not take any action on behalf of the Company without the prior approval of the Board or duly authorized committees thereof if the Charter or Maryland General Corporation Law require the prior approval of the Board. If the Board or a committee of the Board must approve a proposed investment, financing or disposition or chooses to do so, the Advisor will deliver to the Board or committee, as applicable, all documents required by it to evaluate such investment, financing or disposition.
Approval by Limited Partners (a) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) and Section 14.3(e), the General Partner, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall direct that the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as applicable, be submitted to a vote of Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article XIII. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent and, subject to any applicable requirements of Regulation 14A pursuant to the Exchange Act or successor provision, no other disclosure regarding the proposed merger, consolidation or conversion shall be required.
(b) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) and Section 14.3(e), the Merger Agreement or Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement or Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, effects an amendment to any provision of this Agreement that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement adopted pursuant to Article XIII, would require for its approval the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Units or of any class of Limited Partners, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) and Section 14.3(e), after such approval by vote or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger or articles of conversion pursuant to Section 14.4, the merger, consolidation or conversion may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement or Plan of Conversion, as the case may be.
(d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to convert the Partnership or any Group Member into a new limited liability entity, to merge the Partnership or any Group Member into, or convey all of the Partnership’s assets to, another limited liability entity that shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives from the Partnership or other Group Member if (i) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the conversion, merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of limited liability under the laws of the jurisdiction governing the other limited liability entity (if that jurisdiction is not Delaware) of any Limited Partner as compared to its limited liability under the Delaware Act or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such), (ii) the sole purpose of such conversion, merger, or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity and (iii) the General Partner determines that the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Limited Partners and the General Partner with substantially the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.
(e) Additionally, notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to merge or consolidate the Partnership with or into another limited liability entity if (i) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the merger or consolidation, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited Partner under the laws of the jurisdiction governing the other limited liability entity (if that jurisdiction is not Delaware) as compared to its limited liability under the Delaware Act or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such), (ii) the merger or consolidation would not result in an amendment to this Agreement, other than any amendments that could be adopted pursuant to Section 13.1, (iii) the Partnership is the Surviving Business Entity in such merger or consolidation, (iv) each Unit outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger or consolidation is to be an identical Unit of the Partnership after the effective date of the merger or consolidation, and (v) the number of Partnership Interests to be issued by the Partnership in such merger or consolidation does not exceed 20% of the Partnership Interests (other than Incentive Distribution Rights) Outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of such merger or consolidation.
(f) Pursuant to Section 17-211(g) of the Delaware Act, an agreement of merger or consolidation approved in accordance with this Article XIV may (i) effect any amendment to this Agreement or (ii) effect the adoption of a new partnership agreement for the Partnership if it is the Surviving Business Entity. Any such amendment or adoption made pursuant to this Section 14.3 shall be effective at the effective time or date of the merger or consolidation.
Shareholder Action by Written Consent Any action which may be taken by Shareholders by vote may be taken without a meeting if the holders entitled to vote thereon of the proportion of Shares required for approval of such action at a meeting of Shareholders pursuant to Section 10.4 consent to the action in writing and the written consents are filed with the records of the meetings of Shareholders. Such consent shall be treated for all purposes as a vote taken at a meeting of Shareholders.
Requisite Lenders’ Consent Subject to Section 10.5(b) and 10.5(c), no amendment, modification, termination or waiver of any provision of the Credit Documents, or consent to any departure by any Credit Party therefrom, shall in any event be effective without the written concurrence of the Requisite Lenders.
Local Negotiating Committee (a) A negotiating committee of four (4) employee representatives appointed by the union including the bargaining unit president.
(b) The Employer shall pay representatives of the Negotiating Committee their respective salaries for all time lost from regularly scheduled hours negotiating the Collective Agreement and renewals thereof, up to and including conciliation and mediation. It is agreed that the employer is not responsible for accommodation, parking, transportation and food costs associated with the employee’s participation in bargaining. Mileage allowance provisions will remain status quo at all CCACs.
