SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
Exhibit
10.1
This
Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”)
is
dated as of May 3, 2007, by and among Millennium Quest, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, and all predecessors thereto (the “Company”)
and the
investors identified on the signature pages hereto (each, an “Investor”
and
collectively, the “Investors”).
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx and Xx Xxxx join as additional parties to this Agreement for
purposes of Sections 5 and 7 only (each a “Beneficial
Owner”
and
together the “Beneficial
Owners”).
R
E C
I T A L S
A. Subject
to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to Section
4(2) of the Securities Act (as defined below) and Rule 506 promulgated
thereunder, the Company desires to issue and sell to each Investor, and each
Investor, severally and not jointly, desires to purchase from the Company
certain securities of the Company, as more fully described in this
Agreement.
B. Prior
to
the consummation of the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities pursuant
to this Agreement, the Company shall consummate its acquisition (“Lorain
Acquisition”)
of all
of the outstanding capital shares of International Lorain Holding, Inc., a
Cayman Islands company (“Lorain”),
in
consideration of the Company’s issuance of 697,663 shares of its Series B Voting
Convertible Preferred Stock, pursuant to that certain Share Exchange Agreement
of even date herewith (“Share
Exchange Agreement”)
between the Company, Lorain and Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx.
A
G R
E E M E N T
NOW,
THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement,
and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which
are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Investors agree as
follows:
ARTICLE
1.
DEFINITIONS
1.1. Definitions.
In
addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes
of
this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated in this
Section 1.1:
“2007
Guaranteed ATNI” has
the
meaning set forth in Section 5.2(a).
“2007
Make Good Shares” has
the
meaning set forth in Section 5.2(a).
“2008
Guaranteed
ATNI” has
the
meaning set forth in Section 5.2(b).
“2008
Make Good Shares” has
the
meaning set forth in Section 5.2(b).
“Action”
means
any action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding (including any
partial proceeding such as a deposition) or investigation pending or threatened
in writing against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their
respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or
administrative agency, regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local
or
foreign), stock market, stock exchange or trading facility.
“Affiliate”
means
any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries,
controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such
terms are used in and construed under Rule 144.
“Amendment
Filing”
shall
mean the filing of a certificate of amendment to the restated certificate of
incorporation of the Company with the Delaware Secretary of State for purposes
of effecting (i) an increase in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock
to 200,000,000 shares, (ii) a change in the corporate name of the Company to
“Lorain International Food Group, Inc.”, and (iii) the Reverse
Split.
“Business
Day”
means
any day except Saturday, Sunday and any day which is a federal legal holiday
or
a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York or the State of
Utah are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to
close.
“Buy-In”
has
the
meaning set forth in Section 4.1(c).
"Certificate
of Designation" shall
mean a Certificate of Designation to be filed prior to the Closing by the
Company with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, setting forth
the
rights, preferences and privileges of the Shares, in the form attached as
Exhibit
A
hereto.
“Closing”
means
the closing of the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to Article
II.
“Closing
Date”
means
the Business Day on which all of the conditions set forth in Sections 6.1 and
6.2 hereof are satisfied, or such other date as the parties may
agree.
"Closing
Escrow Agreement"
means
the Closing Escrow Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, between the Placement
Agent, the Company and the Escrow Agent pursuant to which the Investors shall
deposit their Investment Amounts with the Escrow Agent to be applied to the
transactions contemplated hereunder, in the form of Exhibit
B
hereto.
“Commission”
means
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common
Stock”
means
the common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share, and any securities
into which such common stock may hereafter be reclassified or for which it
may
be exchanged as a class.
“Common
Stock Equivalents”
means
any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary which entitle the holder thereof
to acquire Common Stock at any time, including without limitation, any debt,
preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any
time convertible into or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder
thereof to receive, Common Stock or other securities that entitle the holder
to
receive, directly or indirectly, Common Stock.
2
“Company
Counsel”
means
Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxx Raysman & Xxxxxxx LLP.
“Company
Deliverables”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 2.2(a).
“Disclosure
Materials”
means
the SEC reports, the Draft S-1 Registration Statement and the schedules to
this
Agreement.
“Disclosure
Schedules”
means
the Disclosure Schedules of the Company delivered by the Company to Investors
contemporaneously with this Agreement.
“Draft
S-1 Registration Statement”
means
a
draft registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act, draft
dated April 24, 2007, to be filed by the Company (with such changes as are
needed to finalize such draft) with the Commission, pursuant to the Registration
Rights Agreement, for purposes of registering the resale of the Underlying
Shares and Warrant Shares.
“Effective
Date”
means
the date that the Registration Statement required by Section 2(a) of the
Registration Rights Agreement is first declared effective by the
Commission.
“Escrow
Agent”
means
Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxx Raysman & Xxxxxxx LLP, 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx X.X., Xxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000.
“Evaluation
Date” has
the
meaning set forth in Section 3.1(t).
“Exchange
Act”
means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“FCPA”
means
the
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
“FCPA
Subsidiary”
means
any Subsidiary of the Company that has been subject to the FCPA prior to the
Closing Date, and specifically excluding Lorain and its subsidiaries.
“GAAP”
means
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, consistently
applied.
“Intellectual
Property Rights”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 3.1(q).
“Investment
Amount”
means,
with respect to each Investor, the Investment Amount indicated on such
Investor’s signature page to this Agreement.
“Investor
Deliverables”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 2.2(b).
“Investor
Party”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 4.7.
“Lien”
means
any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, right of first refusal, right
of participation or other restrictions of any kind.
“Lorain
Acquisition”
has
the
meaning set forth in Recital B to this Agreement.
3
“Make
Good Escrow Agreement” means
the
Make Good Escrow Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, among the Company,
the
Placement Agent, the Securities Transfer Corporation, as the Make Good Escrow
Agent (the “Make
Good Escrow Agent”)
and the
Beneficial Owners, in the form of Exhibit
C
hereto.
“Material
Adverse Effect”
means
any of (i) a material and adverse effect on the legality, validity or
enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material and adverse effect
on the results of operations, assets, prospects, business or condition
(financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
or (iii) an adverse impairment to the Company’s ability to perform on a timely
basis any of its obligations under any Transaction Document.
“New
York Courts”
means
the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of
Manhattan.
“Outside
Date”
means
the 15th
following the date of this Agreement.
“Person”
means an
individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated
association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company,
government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any
kind.
“Placement
Agent”
means
Sterne, Agee & Xxxxx, Inc.
“Proceeding”
means an
action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation,
an investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced
or threatened.
“Registration
Rights Agreement”
means
the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of the date of this Agreement,
among
the Company and the Investors, in the form of Exhibit
D
hereto.
“Registration
Statement”
means a
registration statement meeting the requirements set forth in the Registration
Rights Agreement and covering the resale by the Investors of the Underlying
Shares and Warrant Shares.
“Reverse
Split”
means a
1 for 32.84 reverse stock split of the Company’s Common Stock.
“Rule
144”
means
Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such
Rule may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation
hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same effect as
such
Rule.
“SEC
Reports”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 3.1(h).
“Securities”
means
the Shares, Warrants, Underlying Shares and Warrant Shares.
“Securities
Act”
means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
4
“Series
B Preferred Stock”
means
the Series B Voting Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001, of the
Company.
“Share
Delivery Date”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 4.1(c).
“Share
Exchange Agreement”
has the
meaning set forth in Recital B to this Agreement.
“Shares”
means
the shares of Series B Preferred Stock issued or issuable to the Investors
pursuant to this Agreement.
“Short
Sales”
include,
without limitation, all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 promulgated under
Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act and all types of direct and indirect
stock
pledges, forward sale contracts, options, puts, calls, swaps and similar
arrangements (including on a total return basis), and sales and other
transactions through non-US broker dealers or foreign regulated
brokers.
“Stockholder
Approval”
has the
meaning set forth in Section 4.13.
“Subsidiary”
means
any subsidiary of the Company as set forth on Schedule 3.1(a).
“Trading
Day”
means
(i) a day on which the Common Stock is traded on a Trading Market (other than
the OTC Bulletin Board), or (ii) if the Common Stock is not listed on a Trading
Market (other than the OTC Bulletin Board), a day on which the Common Stock
is
traded in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the OTC Bulletin Board,
or
(iii) if the Common Stock is not quoted on any Trading Market, a day on which
the Common Stock is quoted in the over-the-counter market as reported by the
Pink Sheets LLC (or any similar organization or agency succeeding to its
functions of reporting prices); provided, that in the event that the Common
Stock is not listed or quoted as set forth in (i), (ii) and (iii) hereof, then
Trading Day shall mean a Business Day.
“Trading
Market”
means
whichever of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the
NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market
or OTC Bulletin Board on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading
on the date in question.
“Transaction
Documents”
means
this Agreement, the Certificate of Designation, the Registration Rights
Agreement, the Closing Escrow Agreement, the Make Good Escrow Agreement and
any
other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions
contemplated hereunder.
“Underlying
Shares”
means
the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion or exchange of the
Shares.
“Warrants”
means
collectively the Common Stock purchase warrants, in the form of Exhibit
E,
delivered to the Investors at the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a)
and
6.1(e) hereof, which Warrants shall be (i) immediately exercisable subject
to
Shareholder Approval at an exercise price of $0.1294153 per share (pre-Reverse
Split), (ii) have a term of exercise equal to three years, and (iii) issued
to
each Investor in a number equal to 20% of the shares of common stock issuable
upon conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock purchased by such Investor.
5
“Warrant
Shares”
means
the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
ARTICLE
2.
PURCHASE
AND SALE
2.1. Closing.
Subject
to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing the
Company shall issue and sell to each Investor, and each Investor shall,
severally and not jointly, purchase from the Company, the number of Shares
and
Warrants set forth on each respective Investor’s signature page attached hereto,
in consideration of the Investor’s payment of the Investment Amount set forth
thereon. The Closing shall take place at the offices of Escrow Agent on the
Closing Date or at such other location or time as the parties may
agree.
2.2. Closing
Deliveries.
(a)
On or
prior to the Closing, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to
each
Investor the following (the “Company
Deliverables”):
(i) this
Agreement duly executed by the Company and each Beneficial Owner;
(ii) a
copy of
the executed, filed and effective Certificate of Designation, accompanied by
a
certified copy thereof issued by the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware;
(iii) a
certificate, executed by the Secretary of the Company and dated as of the
Closing Date, as to (i) the resolutions consistent with Section 3.1(c) as
adopted by the Company's Board of Directors in a form reasonably acceptable
to
the Investors, and (ii) the current certificate of incorporation, as amended,
and bylaws, as amended, of the Company;
(iv) executed
consents of at least a majority of (i) the shares of Common Stock then
outstanding, and (ii) the share of Common Stock and Series A Preferred Stock
then outstanding voting as a group, irrevocably approving the items set forth
in
Section 4.13 herein;
(v) the
legal
opinion of King & Wood, People’s Republic of China, Counsel to the Company
addressed to the Investors, in the form of Exhibit
F
attached
hereto;
(vi) the
legal
opinion of Company Counsel addressed to the Investors, in the form of Exhibit
G
attached hereto;
(vii) the
Closing Escrow Agreement, duly executed by all parties thereto;
6
(viii) the
Make
Good Escrow Agreement, duly executed by all parties thereto;
(ix) the
Registration Rights Agreement, duly executed by the Company; and
(x) the
Draft
S-1 Registration Statement.
(b) On
or
prior to the Closing Date, each Investor shall deliver or cause to be delivered
the following (the “Investor
Deliverables”):
(i) to
the
Company, this Agreement duly executed by the Investor;
(ii) to
the
Escrow Agent for deposit and disbursement in accordance with the Closing Escrow
Agreement, Investment Amount, in United States dollars and in immediately
available funds, by wire transfer to an account designated in writing by the
Company for such purpose; and
(iii) to
the
Company, the Registration Rights Agreement, duly executed by such
Investor.
(c) Within
three (3) Business Days following the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver
or
cause to be delivered the following:
(i) one
or
more stock certificates evidencing Shares with a stated value equal to such
Investor’s Investment Amount, registered in the name of such Investor;
and
(ii) a
Warrant
registered in the name of such Investor evidencing the number of Warrants set
forth on such Investor’s signature page attached hereto.
ARTICLE
3.
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
3.1. Representations
and Warranties of the Company.
Except
as set forth under the corresponding section of the Disclosure Schedules which
Disclosure Schedules shall be deemed a part hereof and to qualify any
representation or warranty otherwise made herein to the extent of such
disclosure, the Company hereby makes the following representations and
warranties to each Investor:
(a) Subsidiaries.
All of
the direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company are set forth on Schedule
3.1(a).
Except
as disclosed in Schedule
3.1(a),
the
Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock of each
Subsidiary free and clear of any and all Liens, and all the issued and
outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and
are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights. The
Company owns all of the outstanding capital stock of Lorain in accordance with
the Share Exchange Agreement, free and clear of all Liens. For the sake of
clarity, as used herein the term Subsidiaries includes Lorain and all direct
and
indirect subsidiaries of Lorain.
7
(b) Organization
and Qualification.
The
Company and each Subsidiary are duly incorporated or otherwise organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of
its
incorporation or organization (as applicable), with the requisite power and
authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business
as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation
of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of
incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. The Company
and each Subsidiary are duly qualified to conduct its respective businesses
and
are in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each
jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned
by
it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not, individually
or in
the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(c) Authorization;
Enforcement.
Subject
to Shareholder Approval and the Amendment Filing, the Company has the requisite
corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions
contemplated by each of the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out
its
obligations thereunder. The execution and delivery of each of the Transaction
Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions
contemplated thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the
part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, its board
of directors or its stockholders in connection therewith, other than Shareholder
Approval or the Amendment Filing. Each Transaction Document has been (or upon
delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in
accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding
obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with
its
terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating
to,
or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’ rights and remedies or by
other equitable principles of general application.
(d) No
Conflicts.
The
execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company
and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby
do
not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or
any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other
organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a
default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become
a
default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment,
acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both)
of,
any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company
or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company
or
any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company
or
any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) result in a violation of any
law,
rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction
of
any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is
subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by
which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected;
except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not,
individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result
in a
Material Adverse Effect.
8
(e) Filings,
Consents and Approvals.
The
Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order
of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court
or
other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person
in
connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the
Transaction Documents, other than (i) the filing with the Commission of one
or
more Registration Statements in accordance with the requirements of the
Registration Rights Agreement, (ii) filings required by state securities laws,
(iii) the filing of a Notice of Sale of Securities on Form D with the Commission
under Regulation D of the Securities Act, (iv) the information statement
referred to in Section 4.13; (v) an information statement that complies with
Section 14(f) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14f-1 thereunder; (vi) the Amendment
Filing; and (vii) the filings required in accordance with Section 4.5
(collectively, the “Required
Approvals”).
(f) Issuance
of the Shares.
The
Shares and the Warrants have been duly authorized and, when issued and paid
for
in accordance with the Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued,
fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens other than
restrictions on transfer provided for in the Transaction Documents. Upon
Stockholder Approval and the Amendment Filing, the Company will reserve from
its
duly authorized capital stock the shares of Common Stock issuable upon
conversion of the Shares and exercise of the Warrants. Subject to Shareholder
Approval and the Amendment Filing, the Underlying Shares and Warrant Shares,
when issued in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Documents, will
be
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens other
than restrictions on transfer provided for in the Transaction Documents.
(g) Capitalization.
The
capitalization of the Company is as set forth on Schedule
3.1(g).
No
Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation,
or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by the
Transaction Documents. Except as set forth in Schedule
3.1(g),
there
are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or
commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights
or
obligations convertible into or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any
right
to subscribe for or acquire, any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary,
or
contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company
or
any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional securities of the
Company or any Subsidiary. The issue and sale of the Securities will not,
immediately or with the passage of time, obligate the Company to issue shares
of
Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Investors) and
will not result in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the
exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under such securities. All of
the
outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and
state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in
violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or
purchase securities. Except for Shareholder Approval, no further approval or
authorization of any stockholder, the board of directors of the Company or
others is required for the issuance and sale of the Securities. Except for
the
Transaction Documents and as set forth on Schedule
3.1(g),
there
are no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements
with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or,
to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s
stockholders.
9
(h) SEC
Reports; Financial Statements.
The
Company has filed all reports required to be filed by it under the Securities
Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof,
since January 1, 2004 (collectively, the “SEC
Reports”)
on a
timely basis or has timely filed a valid extension of such time of filing and
has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension.
As
of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects
with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules
and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, and none of the SEC
Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
in
order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included
in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting
requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect
thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have
been
prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis during the
periods involved, except as may be otherwise specified in such financial
statements or the notes thereto, and fairly present in all material respects
the
financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and
for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the
periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal,
immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.
(i) Lorain
Financial Statements; Draft S-1 Registration Statement.
The
Company has delivered to each Investor the following financial statements:
(i)
audited consolidated balance sheet of Lorain as of December 31, 2006; (ii)
audited consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows
of Lorain for the period from August 4, 2006 (date of incorporation of Lorain)
to December 31, 2006; and (iii) the pro forma unaudited combined balance sheet
and statements of income and cash flows of Lorain as of and for the three years
ended December 31, 2006 (collectively, the “Lorain Financial Statements”). The
Lorain Financial Statements comply in all material respects with applicable
accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with
respect thereto. The Lorain Financial Statements have been prepared in
accordance with GAAP, except as may be otherwise specified in such financial
statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements
may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all
material respects the financial position of Lorain and its consolidated
subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations
and
cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited
statements, to normal, year-end audit adjustments.
The
Company has delivered to each Investor the Draft S-1 Registration Statement.
After giving effect to the Lorain Acquisition and the transactions contemplated
by the Transaction Documents, the Draft S-1 Registration Statement does not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact
required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
10
(j) Press
Releases.
The
press releases disseminated by the Company during the twelve months preceding
the date of this Agreement taken as a whole do not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made and when made, not
misleading.
(k) Material
Changes.
(A) Since
the
date of the latest balance sheet included within the SEC Reports, except as
specifically disclosed in the SEC Reports, (i) there has been no event,
occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected
to
result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any
liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued
expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s
financial statements pursuant to GAAP or required to be disclosed in filings
made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of
accounting or the identity of its auditors, (iv) the Company has not declared
or
made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders
or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares
of its capital stock, and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities
to any officer, director or Affiliate. The Company does not have pending before
the Commission any request for confidential treatment of
information.
(B) Lorain.
Since
the date of the latest balance sheet included within the Lorain Financial
Statements, except as specifically disclosed in the Draft S-1 Registration
Statement, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has
had
or that could reasonably be expected by the Company or Lorain to result in
a
Material Adverse Effect, (ii) none of Lorain or any of its direct or indirect
subsidiaries have incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other
than
(A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to
be
reflected in the Lorain Financial Statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed
in
the Draft S-1 Registration Statement as filed with the Commission under the
Securities Act, (iii) none of Lorain or any of its direct or indirect
subsidiaries have altered their method of accounting, (iv) none of Lorain or
any
of its direct or indirect subsidiaries has declared or made any dividend or
distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased,
redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital
stock and (v) none of Lorain or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries
has
issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate.
(l) Litigation.
There
is no Action which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity
or
enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents, the Securities or the Share
Exchange Agreement or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision,
individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result
in a
Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any
director or officer thereof (in his or her capacity as such), is or has been
the
subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under
U.S.
or foreign federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary
duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not
pending any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current
or former director or officer of the Company (in his or her capacity as such).
The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the
effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company under the
Exchange Act or the Securities Act.
11
(m) Labor
Relations.
No
material labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company or any
Subsidiary, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company
or
any Subsidiary which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in Schedule
3.1(m),
none of
the Company's or its Subsidiaries' employees is a member of a union that relates
to such employee's relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining
agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships
with their employees are good. No executive officer of the Company or any
Subsidiary, to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now
expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract,
confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or
non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive
covenant, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does
not
subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect
to
any of the foregoing matters. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance
with all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating
to
employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and
wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(n) Compliance.
Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary (i) is in default under or in violation of (and
no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of
time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under),
nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is
in
default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit
agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by
which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or
violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any order of any U.S. or
foreign court, arbitrator or governmental body, or (iii) is or has been in
violation of any U.S. or foreign statute, rule or regulation of any governmental
authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local
laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and
safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except
in
each case as could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably
be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Share Exchange Agreement
and the transaction contemplated thereby comply with all applicable laws, rules
and regulations of the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
(o) Regulatory
Permits.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and
permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory
authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in
the
Disclosure Documents, except where the failure to possess such permits could
not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result
in a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has
received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification
of
any such permits.
12
(p) Title
to Assets.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property
owned by them that is material to their respective businesses and good and
marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to
their respective businesses, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except
for Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not
materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property
by the Company and the Subsidiaries. Any real property and facilities held
under
lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid,
subsisting and enforceable leases of which the Company and the Subsidiaries
are
in compliance, except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, have
or
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Patents
and Trademarks.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent
applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names,
copyrights, licenses and other similar rights that are necessary or material
for
use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the
Disclosure Documents and which the failure to so have could, individually or
in
the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual
Property Rights”).
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a written notice that the
Intellectual Property Rights used by the Company or any Subsidiary violates
or
infringes upon the rights of any Person. All such Intellectual Property Rights
are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of
any
of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have
taken
reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value
of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could
not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(r) Insurance.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial
responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent
and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are
engaged. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that
it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such
coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may
be
necessary to continue its business on terms consistent with market for the
Company’s and such Subsidiaries’ respective lines of business without a
significant increase in cost.
(s) Transactions
With Affiliates and Employees.
Except
as set forth in Schedule
3.1(s),
none of
the officers, directors or employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is
presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other
than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract,
agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to
or
by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, or otherwise
requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to
the
knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any
such
employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or
partner, in each case in excess of $60,000 other than (i) for payment of salary
or consulting fees for services rendered, or (ii) reimbursement for bona fide
expenses incurred on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary.
13
(t) Internal
Accounting Controls.
The
Company is in compliance with all requirements of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of
2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, that are applicable
to it. The Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting
controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are
executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations,
(ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii)
access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or
specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is
compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action
is taken with respect to any differences. The Company has established disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e)) for the Company and designed such disclosure controls and procedures
to ensure that information required
to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the
Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time
periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms.
The
Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures as
of the
end of the period covered by the Company’s most recently filed periodic report
under the Exchange Act (such
date, the “Evaluation
Date”).
The
Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange
Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the
disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the
Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no significant
changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting (as such
term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting.
(u) Solvency.
Based
on the financial condition of the Company as of the Closing Date (and assuming
that the Closing shall have occurred), (i) the Company’s fair saleable value of
its assets exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect
of the Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known
contingent liabilities) as they mature, (ii) the Company’s assets do not
constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business for the current
fiscal year as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its
capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the
business conducted by the Company, and projected capital requirements and
capital availability thereof, and (iii) the current cash flow of the Company,
together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate
all
of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash,
would
be sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its debt when such amounts
are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond
its
ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and
amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt).
(v) Certain
Fees.
Except
for fees payable to the Placement Agent, no brokerage or finder’s fees or
commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any
broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment
banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated
by
the Transaction Documents. The Investors shall have no obligation with respect
to any fees or with respect to any claims (other than such fees or commissions
owed by an Investor pursuant to written agreements executed by such Investor
which fees or commissions shall be the sole responsibility of such Investor)
made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this
Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by
this
Agreement.
14
(w) Certain
Registration Matters.
Assuming the accuracy of the Investors’ representations and warranties set forth
in Section 3.2(b)-(e), no registration under the Securities Act is required
for
the offer and sale of the Securities by the Company to the Investors under
the
Transaction Documents. The Company is eligible to register its Common Stock
for
resale by the Investors under Form S-1 promulgated under the Securities Act.
Except as set forth on Schedule
3.1(w),
the
Company has not granted or agreed to grant to any Person any rights (including
“piggy-back” registration rights) to have any securities of the Company
registered with the Commission or any other governmental authority that have
not
been satisfied.
(x) Listing
and Maintenance Requirements.
The
Company’s Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the
Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to
its
knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of
the
Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any
notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration.
The Company has not during the two years preceding the date hereof, received
notice from any Trading Market to the effect that the Company is not in
compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements thereof. The Company
is,
and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue
to be, in compliance with the listing and maintenance requirements for continued
listing of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock
is
currently listed or quoted. The issuance and sale of the Securities under the
Transaction Documents does not contravene the rules and regulations of the
Trading Market on which the Common Stock is currently listed or quoted, and
no
approval of the stockholders of the Company thereunder is required for the
Company to issue and deliver to the Investors the Securities contemplated by
the
Transaction Documents.
(y) Investment
Company.
The
Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately following the
Closing will not have become, an “investment company” within the meaning of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(z) Application
of Takeover Protections.
The
Company and its Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any,
in
order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business
combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement)
or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of
incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of
incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Investors as a result
of
the Investors and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their
rights under the Transaction Documents, including without limitation the
Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Investors’ ownership of the
Securities.
(aa) No
Additional Agreements.
The
Company does not have any agreement or understanding with any Investor with
respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents other
than
as specified in the Transaction Documents.
15
(bb) Consultation
with Auditors.
The
Company has consulted its independent auditors concerning the accounting
treatment of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, and
in
connection therewith has furnished such auditors complete copies of the
Transaction Documents.
(cc) Disclosure.
The
Company confirms that neither it nor any Person acting on its behalf has
provided any Investor or its respective agents or counsel with any information
that the Company believes constitutes material, non-public information
concerning the Company, the Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, except
insofar as the existence and terms of the proposed transactions contemplated
hereunder may constitute such information. The Company understands and confirms
that the Investors will rely on the foregoing representations and covenants
in
effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All disclosure provided
to
the Investors regarding the Company, the Subsidiaries or their respective
businesses and the transactions contemplated hereby, furnished by or on behalf
of the Company (including the Company’s representations and warranties set forth
in this Agreement) are true and correct and do not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to
make
the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
were
made, not misleading. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Investor
has
made nor makes any representations or warranties with respect to the
transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in
Section 3.2 hereof.
(dd) No
Integrated Offering.
Assuming
the accuracy of the Investors’ representations and warranties set forth in
Section 3.2, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person
acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers
or
sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under
circumstances that would cause this offering of the Securities to be integrated
with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of the Securities Act or any
applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any
of
the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
(ee) Tax
Status.
Except
as set forth on Schedule
3.1(ee),
and for
matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably
be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each Subsidiary
has filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax
returns and has paid or accrued all taxes shown as due thereon, and the Company
has no knowledge of a tax deficiency which has been asserted or threatened
against the Company or any Subsidiary.
(ff) No
General Solicitation.
Neither
the Company nor any person acting on behalf of the Company has offered or sold
any of the Securities by any form of general solicitation or general
advertising. The Company has offered the Securities for sale only to the
Investors and certain other “accredited investors” within the meaning of Rule
501 under the Securities Act.
(gg) Foreign
Corrupt Practices.
Neither
the Company, any FCPA Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company or any
FCPA Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company
or
any FCPA Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful
contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to
foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to
foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or
domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed
to
disclose fully any contribution made by the Company, any FCPA Subsidiary (or
made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company or any FCPA
Subsidiary is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in any
material respect any provision of the FCPA, as amended.
16
(hh) Accountants.
The
Company’s and Lorain’s accountants are set forth on Schedule
3.1(hh)
of the
Disclosure Schedule. To the knowledge of the Company, such accountants, who
the
Company expects will express their opinions with respect to the financial
statements of the Company and Lorain to be included in the Registration
Statement, are each a registered public accounting firms as required by the
Securities Act and are independent of the Company and Lorain, as the case may
be, in accordance with Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act.
(ii) Acknowledgment
Regarding Investors’ Purchase of Securities.
The
Company acknowledges and agrees that each of the Investors is acting solely
in
the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction
Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further
acknowledges that no Investor is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary
of
the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction
Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by
any
Investor or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection
with
the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely
incidental to the Investors’ purchase of the Securities. The Company further
represents to each Investor that the Company’s decision to enter into this
Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on the
independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company
and its representatives.
(jj) Acknowledgement
Regarding Investors’ Trading Activity.
Anything
in this Agreement or elsewhere herein to the contrary notwithstanding (except
for Sections 3.2(f) and 4.5 hereof), it is understood and acknowledged by the
Company (i) that none of the Investors have been asked to agree, nor has any
Investor agreed, to desist from purchasing or selling, long and/or short,
securities of the Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities issued
by the Company or to hold the Securities for any specified term; (ii) that
past
or future open market or other transactions by any Investor, including Short
Sales, and specifically including, without limitation, Short Sales or
“derivative” transactions, before or after the closing of this or future private
placement transactions, may negatively impact the market price of the Company’s
publicly-traded securities; (iii) that any Investor, and counter-parties in
“derivative” transactions to which any such Investor is a party, directly or
indirectly, presently may have a “short” position in the Common Stock, and (iv)
that each Investor shall not be deemed to have any affiliation with or control
over any arm’s length counter-party in any “derivative” transaction. The Company
further understands and acknowledges that (a) one or more Investors may engage
in hedging activities at various times during the period that the Securities
are
outstanding, including, without limitation, during the periods that the value
of
the Warrant Shares deliverable with respect to Securities are being determined
and (b) such hedging activities (if any) could reduce the value of the existing
stockholders' equity interests in the Company at and after the time that the
hedging activities are being conducted. The Company acknowledges that such
aforementioned hedging activities do not constitute a breach of any of the
Transaction Documents.
17
(kk) Regulation
M.
The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has,
(i)
taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in
the
stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to
facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for,
purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the
Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any person any compensation for
soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than,
in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Company’s
placement agent in connection with the placement of the Securities.
3.2. Representations
and Warranties of the Investors.
Each
Investor hereby, for itself and for no other Investor, represents and warrants
to the Company as follows:
(a) Organization;
Authority.
Such
Investor is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization with the requisite
corporate or partnership power and authority to enter into and to consummate
the
transactions contemplated by the applicable Transaction Documents and otherwise
to carry out its obligations thereunder. The execution, delivery and performance
by such Investor of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement has been
duly authorized by all necessary corporate or, if such Investor is not a
corporation, such partnership, limited liability company or other applicable
like action, on the part of such Investor. Each of this Agreement and the
Registration Rights Agreement has been duly executed by such Investor, and
when
delivered by such Investor in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute
the valid and legally binding obligation of such Investor, enforceable against
it in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited
by
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation
or
similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’
rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general
application.
(b) Investment
Intent.
Such
Investor is acquiring the Securities as principal for its own account for
investment purposes only and not with a view to or for distributing or reselling
such Securities or any part thereof, without prejudice, however, to such
Investor’s right at all times to sell or otherwise dispose of all or any part of
such Securities in compliance with applicable federal and state securities
laws.
Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, nothing contained herein shall
be
deemed a representation or warranty by such Investor to hold the Securities
for
any period of time. Such Investor is acquiring the Securities hereunder in
the
ordinary course of its business. Such Investor does not have any agreement
or
understanding, directly or indirectly, with any Person to distribute any of
the
Securities.
(c) Investor
Status.
At the
time such Investor was offered the Securities, it was, and at the date hereof
it
is, an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act.
Such Investor is not a registered broker-dealer under Section 15 of the Exchange
Act.
(d) General
Solicitation.
Such
Investor is not purchasing the Securities as a result of any advertisement,
article, notice or other communication regarding the Securities published in
any
newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over television or radio
or
presented at any seminar or any other general solicitation or general
advertisement.
18
(e) Access
to Information.
Such
Investor acknowledges that it has reviewed the Disclosure Materials and has
been
afforded (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary
of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning
the
terms and conditions of the offering of the Securities and the merits and risks
of investing in the Securities; (ii) access to information about the Company
and
the Subsidiaries and their respective financial condition, results of
operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable
it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such
additional information that the Company possesses or can acquire without
unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment
decision with respect to the investment. Neither such inquiries nor any other
investigation conducted by or on behalf of such Investor or its representatives
or counsel shall modify, amend or affect such Investor’s right to rely on the
truth, accuracy and completeness of the Disclosure Materials and the Company’s
representations and warranties contained in the Transaction Documents.
(f) Certain
Trading Activities.
Such
Investor has not directly or indirectly, nor has any Person acting on behalf
of
or pursuant to any understanding with such Investor, engaged in any transactions
in the securities of the Company (including, without limitations, any Short
Sales involving the Company’s securities) since the earlier to occur of (1) the
time that such Investor was first contacted by the Company or the Placement
Agent regarding an investment in the Company and (2) the 30th
day
prior to the date of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the
case
of an Investor that is a multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate
portfolio managers manage separate portions of such Investor's assets and the
portfolio managers have no direct knowledge of the investment decisions made
by
the portfolio managers managing other portions of such Investor's assets, the
representation set forth above shall only apply with respect to the portion
of
assets managed by the portfolio manager that made the investment decision to
purchase the Securities covered by this Agreement. Such Investor covenants
that
neither it nor any Person acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding
with it will engage in any transactions in the securities of the Company
(including Short Sales) prior to the time that the transactions contemplated
by
this Agreement are publicly disclosed.
(g) Independent
Investment Decision.
Such
Investor has independently evaluated the merits of its decision to purchase
the
Securities pursuant to the Transaction Documents, and such Investor confirms
that it has not relied on the advice of any other Investor’s business and/or
legal counsel in making such decision. Such Investor has not relied on the
business or legal advice of Placement Agent or any of its agents, counsel or
Affiliates in making its investment decision hereunder, and confirms that none
of such Persons has made any representations or warranties to such Investor
in
connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction
Documents.
19
ARTICLE
4.
OTHER
AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES
4.1. (a) Securities
may only be disposed of in compliance with state and federal securities laws.
In
connection with any transfer of the Securities other than pursuant to an
effective registration statement, to the Company, to an Affiliate of an Investor
or in connection with a pledge as contemplated in Section 4.1(b), the Company
may require the transferor thereof to provide to the Company an opinion of
counsel selected by the transferor, the form and substance of which opinion
shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such
transfer does not require registration of such transferred Securities under
the
Securities Act.
(b) Certificates
evidencing the Securities will contain the following legend, until such time
as
they are not required under Section 4.1(c):
[NEITHER
THESE SECURITIES NOR THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON CONVERSION OF THESE SECURITIES
HAVE BEEN REGISTERED] [THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED] WITH THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE
IN
RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR
SOLD
EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES
ACT
OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT
TO,
THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH
APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL
TO
THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY
ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY. [THESE SECURITIES AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON
CONVERSION OF THESE SECURITIES] [THESE SECURITIES] MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION
WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES.
The
Company acknowledges and agrees that an Investor may from time to time pledge,
and/or grant a security interest in some or all of the Securities pursuant
to a
bona fide margin agreement in connection with a bona fide margin account and,
if
required under the terms of such agreement or account, such Investor may
transfer pledged or secured Securities
to the
pledgees or secured parties. Such a pledge or transfer would not be subject
to
approval or consent of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel to
the
pledgee, secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection with the
pledge, but such legal opinion may be required in connection with a subsequent
transfer following default by the Investor transferee of the pledge. No notice
shall be required of such pledge. At the appropriate Investor’s expense, the
Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee
or
secured party of Securities may reasonably request in connection with a pledge
or transfer of the Securities including the preparation and filing of any
required prospectus supplement under Rule 424(b)(3) of the Securities Act or
other applicable provision of the Securities Act to appropriately amend the
list
of Selling Stockholders thereunder. Except as otherwise provided in Section
4.1(c), any Securities subject to a pledge or security interest as contemplated
by this Section 4.1(b) shall continue to bear the legend set forth in this
Section 4.1(b) and be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in
Section 4.1(a).
20
(c) Certificates
evidencing Underlying Shares shall not contain any legend (including the legend
set forth in Section 4.1(b)): (i) following a sale or transfer of such
Underlying Shares pursuant to an effective registration statement (including
a
Registration Statement), or (ii) following a sale or transfer of such Underlying
Shares pursuant to Rule 144 (assuming the transferee is not an Affiliate of
the
Company), or (iii) while such Underlying Shares are eligible for sale under
Rule
144(k). If an Investor shall make a sale or transfer of Underlying Shares either
(x) pursuant to Rule 144 or (y) pursuant to a registration statement and in
each
case shall have delivered to the Company or the Company’s transfer agent the
certificate representing Underlying Shares containing a restrictive legend
which
are the subject of such sale or transfer
and a representation letter in customary form (the
date of
such sale or transfer and Underlying Share delivery being the “Share
Delivery Date”)
and (1)
the Company shall fail to deliver or cause to be delivered to such Investor
a
certificate representing such Underlying Shares that is free from all
restrictive or other legends by the third Trading Day following the Share
Delivery Date and (2) following such third Trading Day after the Share Delivery
Date and prior to the time such Underlying Shares are received free from
restrictive legends, the Investor, or any third party on behalf of such
Investor, purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of
Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Investor of such
Underlying Shares (a "Buy-In"),
then
the Company shall pay in cash to the Investor (for costs incurred either
directly by such Investor or on behalf of a third party) the amount by which
the
total purchase price paid for Common Stock as a result of the Buy-In (including
brokerage commissions, if any) exceed the proceeds received by such Investor
as
a result of the sale to which such Buy-In relates. The Investor shall provide
the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Investor in
respect of the Buy-In.
4.2. Furnishing
of Information.
As long
as any Investor owns the Securities, the Company covenants to timely file (or
obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace
period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof
pursuant to the Exchange Act. As long as any Investor owns Securities, if the
Company is not required to file reports pursuant to such laws, it will prepare
and furnish to the Investors and make publicly available in accordance with
Rule
144(c) such information as is required for the Investors to sell the
Underlying
Shares
under Rule 144. The Company further covenants that it will take such further
action as any holder of Securities may reasonably request, all to the extent
required from time to time to enable such Person to sell the Underlying
Shares
and Warrant Shares without registration under the Securities Act within the
limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144.
21
4.3. Integration.
The
Company shall not, and shall use its best efforts to ensure that no Affiliate
of
the Company shall, sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise
negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities
Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities in a
manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the
sale
of the Securities to the Investors, or that would be integrated with the offer
or sale of the Securities for purposes of the rules and regulations of any
Trading Market in a manner that would require stockholder approval of the sale
of the Securities to the Investors.
4.4. Subsequent
Registrations.
Other
than pursuant to the Registration Statement, prior to the Effective Date, the
Company may not file any registration statement (other than on Form S-8) with
the Commission with respect to any securities of the Company.
4.5. Securities
Laws Disclosure; Publicity.
By 9:00
a.m. (New York time) on the Trading Day following the Closing Date, the Company
shall issue a press release disclosing the transactions contemplated hereby
and
the Closing. By the fourth Trading Day following the execution of this Agreement
the Company will file a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing the material
terms
of the Transaction Documents (and attach as exhibits thereto the Transaction
Documents), and by the fourth Trading Day following the Closing Date the Company
will file a Current Report on Form 8-K to disclose the Closing and the
information and financial statements required by Item 9.01(c) of Form 8-K.
In
addition, the Company will make such other filings and notices in the manner
and
time required by the Commission and the Trading Market on which the Common
Stock
is listed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not publicly
disclose the name of any Investor, or include the name of any Investor in any
filing with the Commission (other than the Registration Statement and any
exhibits to filings made in respect of this transaction in accordance with
periodic filing requirements under the Exchange Act) or any regulatory agency
or
Trading Market, without the prior written consent of such Investor, except
to
the extent such disclosure is required by law or Trading Market
regulations.
4.6. Limitation
on Issuance of Future Priced Securities
.
During
the six months following the Closing Date, the Company shall not issue any
“Future Priced Securities” as such term is described by NASD
IM-4350-1.
4.7. Indemnification
of Investors.
Subject
to the provisions of this Section 4.7, the Company will indemnify and hold
each
Investor and its directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees
and agents (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a
Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other
title), each Person who controls such Investor (within the meaning of Section
15
of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors,
officers, shareholders, agents, members, partners or employees (and any other
Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles
notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling
persons (each, a “Investor
Party”)
harmless from any and all actual losses, liabilities, obligations, claims,
contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments, amounts
paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of
investigation that any such Investor Party may suffer or incur as a result
of or
relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants
or agreements made by the Company or the Beneficial Owners in this Agreement
or
in the other Transaction Documents or (b) any action instituted against an
Investor, or any of them or their respective Affiliates, by any stockholder
of
the Company with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by the
Transaction Documents (unless such action is based upon a breach of such
Investor’s representations, warranties or covenants under the Transaction). If
any action shall be brought against any Investor Party in respect of which
indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Agreement, such Investor Party shall
promptly notify the Company in writing, and the Company shall have the right
to
assume the defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably
acceptable to the Investor Party. Any Investor Party shall have the right to
employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense
thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense
of
such Investor Party except to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has
been specifically authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has
failed after a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ
counsel or (iii) in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of such
separate counsel, a material conflict on any material issue between the position
of the Company and the position of such Investor Party, in which case the
Company shall be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more
than one such separate counsel. The Company will not be liable to any Investor
Party under this Agreement (i) for any settlement by a Investor Party effected
without the Company’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed; or (ii) to the extent, but only to the extent that a loss,
claim, damage or liability is attributable to any Investor Party’s breach of any
of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by such
Investor Party in this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents as
determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court of competent
jurisdiction.
22
4.8. Reimbursement.
If any
Investor becomes involved in any capacity in any Proceeding by or against any
Person who is a stockholder of the Company (except as a result of (i)
Proceedings brought by another Investor against such Investor, (ii) sales,
pledges, margin sales and similar transactions by such Investor to or with
any
other stockholder or (iii) as a result of a breach of such Investor’s
representations, warranties or covenants under the Transaction Documents or
any
violations by such Investor of state or federal securities laws or any conduct
by such Investor which constitutes fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct
or malfeasance), solely as a result of such Investor’s acquisition of the
Securities under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse such Investor for
its reasonable legal and other expenses (including the cost of any
investigation, preparation and travel in connection therewith) incurred in
connection therewith, as such expenses are incurred. The reimbursement
obligations of the Company under this paragraph shall be in addition to any
liability which the Company may otherwise have, shall extend upon the same
terms
and conditions to any Affiliates of the Investors who are actually named in
such
action, proceeding or investigation, and partners, directors, agents, employees
and controlling persons (if any), as the case may be, of the Investor and any
such Affiliate, and shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any
successors, assigns, heirs and personal representatives of the Company, the
Investors and any such Affiliate and any such Person. The Company also agrees
that neither the Investors nor any such Affiliates, partners, directors, agents,
employees or controlling persons shall have any liability to the Company or
any
Person asserting claims on behalf of or in right of the Company solely as a
result of acquiring the Securities under this Agreement, except if such claim
arises primarily from a breach of such Investor’s representations, warranties or
covenants under the Transaction Documents or any agreements or understandings
such Purchaser may have with any such stockholder or any violations by the
Investor of state or federal securities laws or any conduct by such Investor
which constitutes fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or
malfeasance.
23
4.9. Non-Public
Information.
The Company covenants and agrees that neither it nor any other Person acting
on
its behalf will provide any Investor or its agents or counsel with any
information that the Company believes constitutes material non-public
information, unless prior thereto such Investor shall have executed a written
agreement regarding the confidentiality and use of such information. The Company
understands and confirms that each Investor shall be relying on the foregoing
representations in effecting transactions in securities of the
Company.
4.10. Listing
of Securities.
The
Company agrees, (i) if the Company applies to have the Common Stock traded
on
any other Trading Market, it will include in such application the Underlying
Shares and Warrant Shares, and will take such other action as is necessary
or
desirable to cause the Underlying Shares and Warrant Shares to be listed on
such
other Trading Market as promptly as possible, and (ii) it will take all action
reasonably necessary to continue the listing and trading of its Common Stock
on
a Trading Market and will comply in all material respects with the Company’s
reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules of the Trading
Market.
4.11. Use
of
Proceeds.
The
Company will use the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares hereunder for
working capital purposes and not for the satisfaction of any portion of the
Company’s debt (other than payment of trade payables and accrued expenses in the
ordinary course of the Company’s business and consistent with prior practices),
or to redeem any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents.
4.12. Make
Good Shares.
The
Company covenants and agrees that upon any transfer under Article 5 of 2007
Make
Good Shares and 2008 Make Good Shares to the Investors in accordance with
Section 5 of the Make Good Escrow Agreement, the Company shall promptly reissue
such 2007 Make Good Shares or 2008 Make Good Shares in the applicable Investor’s
name and deliver the same as directed by such Investor.
4.13. Stockholder
Approval. The Company covenants and agrees to effect the approval of its
stockholders of (i) an increase in the number of authorized shares of Common
Stock to 200,000,000 shares, (ii) the change the name of the Company from
Millennium Quest, Inc. to Lorain International Food Group, Inc., and (iii)
the
Reverse Split, which stockholder approval shall be deemed to occur on the
twentieth day following the mailing by the Company of the definitive information
statement on Schedule 14C pertaining thereto (collectively “Stockholder
Approval”)
in
accordance with Rule 14c-2(b) under the Exchange Act. The Company agrees to
effect Stockholder Approval as soon as possible, but in no event later than
May
31, 2007.
4.14. Acknowledgment
of Dilution. The Company acknowledges that the issuance of Underlying Shares
upon conversion of Shares will result in substantial dilution of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock. The Company further acknowledges that its obligation
to
honor conversions under the Shares is unconditional and absolute and not subject
to any right of set off, counterclaim, delay or reduction, regardless of the
effect of any such dilution or any claim that the Company may have against
any
Investor.
4.15. Reservation
of Shares. Upon Stockholder Approval and the Amendment Filing, the Company
shall maintain a reserve from its duly authorized shares of Common Stock to
comply with its conversion obligations under the Shares and exercise obligation
under the Warrants. If on any date the Company would be, if notice of conversion
or exercise were to be delivered on such date, precluded from issuing the number
of Underlying Shares or Warrant Shares issuable upon conversion in full of
the
Shares or exercise of the Warrants due to the unavailability of a sufficient
number of authorized but unissued or reserved shares of Common Stock, then
the
Board of Directors of the Company shall promptly prepare and mail to the
stockholders of the Company proxy materials or other applicable materials
requesting authorization to amend the Company’s certificate of incorporation or
other organizational document to increase the number of shares of Common Stock
which the Company is authorized to issue so as to provide enough shares for
issuance of the Underlying Shares and Warrant Shares. In connection therewith,
the Board of Directors shall (a) adopt proper resolutions authorizing such
increase, (b) recommend to and otherwise use its best efforts to promptly and
duly obtain stockholder approval (including the hiring of a nationally
recognized proxy solicitor firm) to carry out such resolutions (and hold a
special meeting of the stockholders as soon as practicable, but in any event
not
later than the 60th
day
after delivery of the proxy or other applicable materials relating to such
meeting) and (c) within five Business Days of obtaining such stockholder
authorization, file an appropriate amendment to the Company’s certificate of
incorporation or other organizational document to evidence such
increase.
24
4.16. Retention
of U.S. Counsel. As a further inducement to the Investors to enter into this
Agreement and purchase the Securities offered hereby, the Company covenants
and
agrees to use its good faith best efforts to retain, and rely upon, the law
firm
of Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxx Raysman & Xxxxxxx LLP as primary counsel on matters
relating to U.S. corporate and securities laws, including, but not limited
to,
the representation of the Company in connection with the preparation, filing
and
prosecution of the Registration Statement and all other reports, registration
statements and filings to be made by the Company with the Commission.
ARTICLE
5.
REPRESENTATIONS,
WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS
OF
THE
BENEFICIAL OWNERS
5.1. Representations
and Warranties of the Company.
As an
inducement to the Investors to enter into this Agreement and purchase the
Securities, each of the Beneficial Owner hereby makes the following
representations and warranties to, and covenants and agreements with, each
Investor:
(a) Authority.
Such
Beneficial Owner has all individual power and authority to enter into this
Agreement and to carry out its obligations hereunder. This Agreement has been
duly executed by such Beneficial Owner, and when delivered by such Beneficial
Owner in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally
binding obligation of such Beneficial Owner, enforceable against it in
accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation
or
similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’
rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.
(b) Record
and Beneficial Ownership.
Immediately prior to the closing of the transactions under the Share Exchange
Agreement, Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx was the sole record and beneficial owner of all
of
the outstanding capital shares of Lorain, as the term beneficial owner is
defined under Rule 13d-3(d) under the Exchange Act, free and clear of all
pledges, liens and encumbrances. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx is the sole record owner,
and
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx and Xx Xxxx are the sole beneficial owners, of all 697,633
shares Series B Preferred Stock issued by the Company under the Share Exchange
Agreement, as the term beneficial owner is defined under Rule 13d-3(d) under
the
Exchange Act, free and clear of all pledges, liens and encumbrances.
25
(c) Share
Exchange Agreement.
The
representations and warranties of Lorain and Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx contained in the
Share Exchange Agreement were true and correct in all material respects as
of
the date when made and as of the closing of the transactions thereunder as
though made on and as of such date. Lorain and Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx performed,
satisfied and complied in all material respects with all covenants, agreements
and conditions required to be performed, satisfied or complied with by them
under the Share Exchange Agreement at or prior to the closing of the
transactions thereunder.
5.2. Make
Good Shares.
(a) 2007
Make Good.
The
Beneficial Owners agree that if the After-Tax Net Income for the fiscal year
ended December
31, 2007
reported
in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December
31, 2007, as filed with the Commission (the “2007
Annual Report”)
is less
than $9,266,000, inclusive of all commissions, legal fees, auditing fees and
other fees and expenses incurred in the Lorain Acquisition (the “2007
Guaranteed ATNI”),
the
Beneficial Owners will transfer to each Investor, for no additional
consideration, their pro rata share of 302,337 shares of Series B Preferred
Stock or the equivalent amount of Common Stock (adjusted for the Reverse Split)
following a conversion of such shares of Series B Preferred Stock in accordance
with the Certificate of Designation (for this purpose, any such conversion
to be
conducted without regard to any restrictions or caps on conversion contained
in
the Certificate of Designation or otherwise applicable to such shares) (the
“2007
Make Good Shares”).
If the
Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2007 specify that the 2007 Guaranteed ATNI shall have been
achieved, no transfer of the 2007 Make Good Shares shall be required by this
Section 5.2(a) and all 2007 Make Good Shares deposited with the Make Good Escrow
Agent shall be returned to the Beneficial Owners within seven Business Days
after the date which the 2007 Annual Report is filed with the Commission and
otherwise in accordance with the Make Good Escrow Agreement. Transfers of 2007
Make Good Shares required under this Section 5.2(a) shall be made to Investors
within seven Business Days after the date which the 2007 Annual Report is filed
with the Commission and otherwise in accordance with the Make Good Escrow
Agreement.
(b) 2008
Make Good.
The
Beneficial Owners agree that, if the Company’s After-Tax Net Income reported in
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2008, as filed with the Commission (the “2008
Annual Report”)
is less
than $12,956,000 (the “2008
Guaranteed ATNI”),
the
Beneficial Owners will transfer to each Investor for no additional
consideration, their pro rata share of 302,337 shares of Series B Preferred
Stock, or the equivalent amount of Common Stock (adjusted for the Reverse Split)
following a conversion of such shares of Series B Preferred Stock in accordance
with the Certificate of Designation (for this purpose, any such conversion
to be
conducted without regard to any restrictions or caps on conversion contained
in
the Certificate of Designation or otherwise applicable to such shares) (the
“2008
Make Good Shares”).
If the
2008 Annual Report indicates that the Company shall have satisfied the 2008
Guaranteed ATNI test specified above for such period, then no transfer to
Investors of 2008 Make Good Shares shall be required by this Section 5.2(b)
and
all 2008 Make Good Shares deposited with the Make Good Escrow Agent shall be
returned to the Beneficial Owners within seven Business Days after the date
which the Company’s 2008 Annual Report is filed with the Commission and
otherwise in accordance with the Make Good Escrow Agreement. Transfers of 2008
Make Good Shares required under this Section 5.2(b) shall be made to Investors
within seven Business Days after the date which the Company’s 2008 Annual Report
is filed with the Commission and otherwise in accordance with the Make Good
Escrow Agreement.
26
(c) Make
Good Escrow.
In
connection with the foregoing, the Beneficial Owners agree that within one
Trading Day following the Closing, the Beneficial Owners will deposit all
potential 2007 Make Good Shares and 2008 Make Good Shares into escrow in
accordance with the Make Good Escrow Agreement along with undated stock powers
with Medallion guarantees (or with such other instruments of transfer as in
accordance with the requirements of the Company’s transfer agent), in the form
and number acceptable to the Investors in their reasonable discretion, and
the
handling and disposition of the 2007 Make Good Shares and 2008 Make Good Shares
shall be governed by this Section 5.2 and such Make Good Escrow Agreement.
The
parties hereby agree that the Beneficial Owners’ obligation to transfer shares
of Common Stock to Investors pursuant to this Section 5.2 shall continue to
run
to the benefit of an Investor only to the extent of the portion of such Shares
or, in the case of their conversion, Underlying Shares which have not been
transferred or sold by such Investor as of the date the Company files with
the
Commission the 2007 Annual Report or 2008 Annual Report, as the case may be,
and
that Investors shall not have the right to assign their rights to receive all
or
any such shares of Common Stock to other Persons in conjunction with negotiated
sales or transfers of any of their Securities or otherwise. The
2007
Make Good Shares or 2008 Make Good Shares, as applicable, corresponding to
Shares or, in the case of their conversion, Underlying Shares which have been
transferred or sold by an Investor, shall be released from the Make Good Escrow
and returned to the Beneficial Owners within seven Business Days after the
date
which the Company’s 2007 Annual Report or 2008 Annual Report, as applicable, is
filed with the Commission.
(d) After-Tax
Net Income.
For
purposes of this Section 5.2, the term After-Tax Net Income or ATNI shall mean
the after-tax net income of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries
prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied; provided in the event
that the release of the 2007 Make Good Shares or the 2008 Make Good Shares
to the Investors or the Beneficial Owners is deemed to be an expense or
deduction from revenues/income of the Company for the applicable year, as
required under GAAP, then such expense or deduction shall be excluded for
purposes of determining whether or not the 2007 Guaranteed ATNI or the 2008
Guaranteed ATNI has been achieved by the Company.
(e) Pro
Rata Share.
Each
Investor’s pro rata share of the 2007 Make Good Shares or the 2008 Make Good
Shares shall be determined by dividing the 2007 Make Good Shares or the 2008
Make Good Shares, as the case may be, by a fraction the denominator of which
is
the aggregate Investment Amount of all Shares or, in the case of their
conversion, Underlying Shares held by the Investors as of the date the Company
files with the Commission the 2007 Annual Report or 2008 Annual Report, as
the
case may be (each such date, a “Make
Good Determination Date”),
and
the numerator of which is the Investment Amount of the Shares or, in the case
of
their conversion, Underlying Shares held by such Investor as of such Make Good
Determination Date.
27
ARTICLE
6.
CONDITIONS
PRECEDENT TO CLOSING
6.1. Conditions
Precedent to the Obligations of the Investors toPurchase
Securities.
The
obligation of each Investor to acquire the Shares and Warrants at the Closing
is
subject to the satisfaction or waiver by such Investor, at or before the
Closing, of each of the following conditions:
(a) Representations
and Warranties.
The
representations and warranties of the Company and the Beneficial Owners shall
be
true and correct in all material respects (except for those representations
and
warranties that are qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, which
shall be true and correct in all respects) as of the date when made and as
of
the Closing Date as though made at that time (except for representations and
warranties that speak as of a specific date, which shall remain true and correct
as of such specific date);
(b) Performance.
The
Company and the Beneficial Owners shall have performed, satisfied and complied
in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required
by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by
each
of them at or prior to the Closing;
(c) No
Injunction.
No
statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall
have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental
authority of competent jurisdiction that prohibits the consummation of any
of
the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents;
(d) Adverse
Changes.
Since
the date of execution of this Agreement, no event or series of events shall
have
occurred that reasonably could have or result in a Material Adverse Effect
or a
material adverse change with respect to the Company or Lorain;
(e) Company
Deliverables.
The
Company shall have delivered the Company Deliverables in accordance with Section
2.2(a); and
(f) Termination.
This
Agreement shall not have been terminated as to such Investor in accordance
with
Section 7.5.
6.2. Conditions
Precedent to the Obligations of the Companyto sell Securities.
The
obligation of the Company to sell Shares and Warrants at the Closing is subject
to the satisfaction or waiver by the Company, at or before the Closing, of
each
of the following conditions:
(a) Representations
and Warranties.
The
representations and warranties of the Investors shall be true and correct in
all
material respects (except for those representations and warranties that are
qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, which shall be true and
correct in all respects) as of the date when made and as of the Closing Date
as
though made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak
as of a specific date, which shall remain true and correct as of such specific
date);
28
(b) Performance.
Each
Investor shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects
with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction
Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by such Investor at or
prior to the Closing;
(c) No
Injunction.
No
statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall
have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental
authority of competent jurisdiction that prohibits the consummation of any
of
the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents;
(d) Investors
Deliverables.
Each
Investor shall have delivered its Investors Deliverables in accordance with
Section 2.2(b); and
(e) Termination.
This
Agreement shall not have been terminated as to such Investor in accordance
with
Section 7.5.
ARTICLE
7.
MISCELLANEOUS
7.1. Fees
and Expenses.
Each
party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants
and
other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident
to
the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of the
Transaction Documents. The Company shall pay all stamp and other taxes and
duties levied in connection with the sale of the Securities.
7.2. Entire
Agreement.
The
Transaction Documents, together with the Exhibits and Schedules thereto, contain
the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter
hereof and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, discussions and
representations, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the
parties acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and
schedules.
7.3. Notices.
Any and
all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to
be
provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective
on the earliest of (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication
is delivered via facsimile (provided the sender receives a machine-generated
confirmation of successful transmission) at the facsimile number specified
in
this Section prior to 3:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b)
the
next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication
is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number specified in this Section
on
a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 3:30 p.m. (New York City time)
on
any Trading Day, (c) the Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent
by
U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (d) upon actual receipt
by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such
notices and communications shall be as follows:
29
If to the Company: | Millennium
Quest, Inc.
Beihuan
Road
Junan
County
Shandong,
China
Attn:
Mr. Xx Xxxx
Facsimile:
(0086539) 7314886 7311026
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With a copy to: | Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxx Raysman & Xxxxxxx LLP
000
0xx
Xxxxxx XX
Xxxxxxxxxx,
X.X. 00000
Facsimile:
(000) 000-0000
Attn.:
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx, Esq.
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If to an Investor: | To the address set forth under such Investor’s name on the signature pages hereof; | |
If to the Beneficial Owners: | Beihuan Road
Junan
County
Shandong,
China
Facsimile:
(0086539) 7314886 7311026
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With a copy to: | King and Wood PRC Lawyers
40th
Floor, Office Tower A, Beijing Fortune Plaza,
7
Dongsanhuan Zhoulu, Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx
000000, Xxxxx
Facsimile:
(008610) 5878-5566
Attn.:
Xxxxxxx Law
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or
such
other address as may be designated in writing hereafter, in the same manner,
by
such Person.
7.4. Amendments;
Waivers; No Additional Consideration.
No
provision of this Agreement may be waived or amended except in a written
instrument signed by the Company and the Investors holding a majority of the
Shares or, in the event of their conversion, Underlying Shares. No waiver of
any
default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this
Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver
of
any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or
requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of either party to exercise
any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right. No
consideration shall be offered or paid to any Investor to amend or consent
to a
waiver or modification of any provision of any Transaction Document unless
the
same consideration is also offered to all Investors who then hold Securities.
In
the event of any discrepancy between this Agreement and the Make Good Escrow
Agreement, the terms of the Make Good Escrow Agreement shall apply to the extent
of such discrepancy.
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7.5. Termination.
This
Agreement may be terminated prior to Closing:
(a) by
written agreement of the Investors and the Company; and
(b) by
the
Company or an Investor (as to itself but no other Investor) upon written notice
to the other, if the Closing shall not have taken place by 6:30 p.m. Eastern
time on the Outside Date; provided,
that
the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 7.5(b) shall not
be available to any Person whose failure to comply with its obligations under
this Agreement has been the cause of or resulted in the failure of the Closing
to occur on or before such time.
In
the
event of a termination pursuant to this Section, the Company shall promptly
notify all non-terminating Investors. Upon a termination in accordance with
this
Section 7.5, the Company and the terminating Investor(s) shall not have any
further obligation or liability (including as arising from such termination)
to
the other and no Investor will have any liability to any other Investor under
the Transaction Documents as a result therefrom.
7.6. Construction.
The
headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this
Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions
hereof. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language
chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict
construction will be applied against any party. This Agreement shall be
construed as if drafted jointly by the parties, and no presumption or burden
of
proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship
of any provisions of this Agreement or any of the Transaction
Documents.
7.7. Successors
and Assigns.
This
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and
their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not assign this
Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written
consent of the Investors. Any Investor may assign any or all of its rights
under
this Agreement to any Person to whom such Investor assigns or transfers any
Shares, provided such transferee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect
to
the transferred Shares, by the provisions hereof that apply to the
“Investors.”
7.8. No
Third-Party Beneficiaries
.
This
Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective
successors and permitted assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any
provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except as otherwise set
forth
in Section 4.7 (as to each Investor Party).
7.9. Governing
Law.
All
questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation
of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance
with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the
principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all Proceedings
concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents (whether
brought against a party hereto or its respective Affiliates, employees or
agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the New York Courts. Each party hereto
hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New York Courts
for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or
with
any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect
to the enforcement of the any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby
irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any Proceeding, any claim that
it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such New York Court,
or
that such Proceeding has been commenced in an improper or inconvenient forum.
Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and
consents to process being served in any such Proceeding by mailing a copy
thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence
of
delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this
Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient
service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed
to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law.
Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted
by
applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding
arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated
hereby. If either party shall commence a Proceeding to enforce any provisions
of
a Transaction Document, then the prevailing party in such Proceeding shall
be
reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs
and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of
such Proceeding.
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7.10. Survival.
The
representations, warranties, agreements and covenants contained herein shall
survive the Closing and the delivery of the Shares and Warrants.
7.11. Execution.
This
Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken
together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become
effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to
the
other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same
counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile
transmission, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of
the
party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same
force and effect as if such facsimile signature page were an original
thereof.
7.12. Severability.
If any
provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable in any
respect, the validity and enforceability of the remaining terms and provisions
of this Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and
the
parties will attempt to agree upon a valid and enforceable provision that is
a
reasonable substitute therefor, and upon so agreeing, shall incorporate such
substitute provision in this Agreement.
7.13. Rescission
and Withdrawal Right.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting
any
similar provisions of) the Transaction Documents, whenever any Investor
exercises a right, election, demand or option under a Transaction Document
and
the Company does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods
therein provided, then such Investor may rescind or withdraw, in its sole
discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any relevant
notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future
actions and rights.
7.14. Replacement
of Securities.
If any
certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is mutilated, lost, stolen
or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and
substitution for and upon cancellation thereof, or in lieu of and substitution
therefor, a new certificate or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction and
customary and reasonable indemnity, if requested. The applicants for a new
certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable
third-party costs associated with the issuance of such replacement Securities.
If a replacement certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is
requested due to a mutilation thereof, the Company may require delivery of
such
mutilated certificate or instrument as a condition precedent to any issuance
of
a replacement.
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7.15. Remedies.
In
addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted
by
law, including recovery of damages, each of the Investors and the Company will
be entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The parties
agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss
incurred by reason of any breach of obligations described in the foregoing
sentence and hereby agrees to waive in any action for specific performance
of
any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be
adequate.
7.16. Payment
Set Aside.
To the
extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to any Investor pursuant
to
any Transaction Document or an Investor enforces or exercises its rights
thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of such enforcement
or
exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated, declared to be
fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged by or are
required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company, a trustee,
receiver or any other person under any law (including, without limitation,
any
bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause of action),
then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or part thereof
originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full
force
and effect as if such payment had not been made or such enforcement or setoff
had not occurred.
7.17. Independent
Nature ofInvestors’
Obligations and Rights.
The
obligations of each Investor under any Transaction Document are several and
not
joint with the obligations of any other Investor, and no Investor shall be
responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other
Investor under any Transaction Document. The decision of each Investor to
purchase Securities pursuant to the Transaction Documents has been made by
such
Investor independently of any other Investor. Nothing contained herein or in
any
Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Investor pursuant thereto,
shall be deemed to constitute the Investors as a partnership, an association,
a
joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the
Investors are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such
obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
Each
Investor acknowledges that no other Investor has acted as agent for such
Investor in connection with making its investment hereunder and that no Investor
will be acting as agent of such Investor in connection with monitoring its
investment in the Securities or enforcing its rights under the Transaction
Documents. Each Investor shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce
its rights, including without limitation the rights arising out of this
Agreement or out of the other Transaction Documents, and it shall not be
necessary for any other Investor to be joined as an additional party in any
proceeding for such purpose. The Company acknowledges that each of the Investors
has been provided with the same Transaction Documents for the purpose of closing
a transaction with multiple Investors and not because it was required or
requested to do so by any Investor. Each Investor represents that it has been
represented by its own separate legal counsel in its review and negotiations
of
this Agreement and the Transaction Documents.
7.18. Limitation
of Liability.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company acknowledges and
agrees that the liability of an Investor arising directly or indirectly, under
any Transaction Document of any and every nature whatsoever shall be satisfied
solely out of the assets of such Investor, and that no trustee, officer, other
investment vehicle or any other Affiliate of such Investor or any investor,
shareholder or holder of shares of beneficial interest of such a Investor shall
be personally liable for any liabilities of such Investor.
[REMAINDER
OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SIGNATURE
PAGES FOLLOW]
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase
Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as
of
the date first indicated above.
MILLENNIUM
QUEST, INC.
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By:______________________________
Xx
Xxxx, Chief
Executive Officer
Only
as to Sections 5 and 7 herein:
____________________________
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx
____________________________
Xx
Xxxx
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[REMAINDER
OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SIGNATURE
PAGES FOR INVESTORS FOLLOW]
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase
Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as
of
the date first indicated above.
NAME
OF INVESTOR
_________________________________________
By:
______________________________________
Name:
Title:
Shares
Subscribed For: ______________________
Warrants
Subscribed For:____________________
Investment
Amount: $_______________________
Tax
ID No.:_______________________________
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ADDRESS
FOR NOTICE
c/o:
___________________________________
Street:
_________________________________
City/State/Zip:___________________________
Attention:______________________________
Tel:___________________________________
Fax:___________________________________
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DELIVERY
INSTRUCTIONS
(if
different from above)
c/o:
___________________________________
Street:
_________________________________
City/State/Zip:___________________________
Attention:______________________________
Tel:___________________________________
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