AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER Among LINEAGE POWER HOLDINGS, INC., LINEAGE POWER OHIO MERGER SUB, INC. and PECO II, INC. Dated as of February 18, 2010
Exhibit
2.1
Among
LINEAGE
POWER HOLDINGS, INC.,
LINEAGE
POWER OHIO MERGER SUB, INC.
and
PECO
II, INC.
Dated as
of February 18, 2010
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE
1 THE MERGER
|
2
|
|
1.1
|
The
Merger.
|
2
|
1.2
|
Closing.
|
2
|
1.3
|
Effective Time.
|
2
|
1.4
|
Effect
of the Merger.
|
2
|
1.5
|
Articles of Incorporation; Code of
Regulations.
|
2
|
1.6
|
Directors and
Officers.
|
2
|
1.7
|
Meeting
of Shareholders to Adopt this Agreement and the Merger.
|
2
|
ARTICLE
2 CONVERSION OF SECURITIES IN THE MERGER
|
4
|
|
2.1
|
Conversion of
Securities.
|
4
|
2.2
|
Payment
for Securities; Surrender of Certificates
|
4
|
2.3
|
Dissenting Shares.
|
6
|
2.4
|
Treatment of Options; Restricted
Stock; Stock Plans
|
7
|
ARTICLE
3 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
|
8
|
|
3.1
|
Organization and Qualification;
Subsidiaries.
|
8
|
3.2
|
Capitalization.
|
9
|
3.3
|
Authority.
|
10
|
3.4
|
No
Conflict.
|
11
|
3.5
|
Required Filings and
Consents.
|
11
|
3.6
|
Permits; Compliance With
Law.
|
12
|
3.7
|
SEC
Filings; Financial Statements.
|
12
|
3.8
|
Internal Controls; Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx
Act.
|
14
|
3.9
|
Brokers.
|
14
|
3.10
|
No
Undisclosed Liabilities.
|
15
|
3.11
|
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events.
|
15
|
3.12
|
Employee Benefit Plans and Employee
Matters.
|
15
|
3.13
|
Contracts;
Indebtedness.
|
22
|
3.14
|
Litigation.
|
24
|
3.15
|
Environmental
Matters.
|
25
|
3.16
|
Intellectual
Property
|
28
|
3.17
|
Tax
Matters
|
30
|
3.18
|
Insurance.
|
30
|
3.19
|
Properties and
Assets.
|
30
|
3.20
|
Real
Property.
|
31
|
3.21
|
Opinion
of Financial Advisor.
|
31
|
3.22
|
Information in the Proxy
Statement.
|
31
|
3.23
|
Required Vote.
|
31
|
3.24
|
Related
Party Transactions.
|
31
|
3.25
|
Customers.
|
32
|
3.26
|
Suppliers.
|
32
|
i
ARTICLE
4 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGER SUB
|
32
|
|
4.1
|
Organization and
Qualification.
|
32
|
4.2
|
Authority.
|
33
|
4.3
|
No
Conflict.
|
33
|
4.4
|
Required Filings and
Consents.
|
33
|
4.5
|
Litigation.
|
34
|
4.6
|
Information in the Proxy
Statement.
|
34
|
4.7
|
Sufficient Funds.
|
34
|
4.8
|
Ownership of Merger Sub; No Prior
Activities.
|
34
|
4.9
|
Brokers.
|
34
|
4.10
|
Parent
Balance Sheet; Debt.
|
34
|
ARTICLE
5 COVENANTS
|
35
|
|
5.1
|
Conduct
of Business by the Company Pending the Closing.
|
35
|
5.2 | Cooperation | 38 |
5.3
|
Access
to Information; Confidentiality.
|
38
|
5.4
|
No
Solicitation of Transactions.
|
39
|
5.5
|
Appropriate Action; Consents;
Filings.
|
42
|
5.6
|
Certain
Notices.
|
44
|
5.7
|
Public
Announcements.
|
44
|
5.8
|
Company
Options.
|
44
|
5.9 | Indemnification of Directors and Officers | 45 |
5.10
|
State
Takeover Laws.
|
46
|
5.11
|
Section
16 Matters.
|
46
|
5.12 | Termination of Benefit Plans | 47 |
5.13
|
Stockholder
Litigation.
|
47
|
5.14
|
Cooperation with
Financing.
|
47
|
5.15
|
Powers
of Attorney.
|
48
|
ARTICLE
6 CONDITIONS TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER
|
48
|
|
6.1
|
Conditions to Each Party’s
Obligation to Effect the Merger.
|
48
|
6.2
|
Conditions to Obligations of Parent
and Merger Sub.
|
48
|
6.3
|
Conditions to Obligations of the
Company.
|
49
|
6.4
|
Frustration of Closing
Conditions.
|
50
|
ARTICLE
7 TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER
|
50
|
|
7.1
|
Termination.
|
50
|
7.2
|
Effect
of Termination.
|
51
|
7.3
|
Amendment.
|
52
|
7.4
|
Waiver.
|
52
|
ARTICLE
8 GENERAL PROVISIONS
|
53
|
|
8.1
|
Non-Survival of Representations and
Warranties.
|
53
|
8.2
|
Fees
and Expenses.
|
53
|
ii
8.3 | Notices. | 53 |
8.4
|
Certain
Definitions.
|
54
|
8.5
|
Terms
Defined Elsewhere.
|
59
|
8.6
|
Headings.
|
61
|
8.7
|
Severability.
|
61
|
8.8
|
Entire
Agreement.
|
61
|
8.9
|
Assignment.
|
61
|
8.10
|
Parties
in Interest.
|
61
|
8.11
|
Mutual
Drafting; Interpretation.
|
62
|
8.12
|
Governing Law; Consent to
Jurisdiction; Waiver of Trial by Jury.
|
62
|
8.13
|
Counterparts.
|
63
|
8.14
|
Specific
Performance.
|
63
|
8.15
|
Tender
Offer.
|
63
|
8.16
|
Non-Recourse.
|
64
|
iii
COMPANY
DISCLOSURE LETTER
|
Section
3.1
|
Organization
and Qualification; Subsidiaries
|
|
Section
3.2
|
Capitalization
|
|
Section
3.4
|
No
Conflict
|
|
Section
3.6
|
Permits;
Compliance with Law
|
|
Section
3.11
|
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events
|
|
Section
3.12
|
Employee
Benefit Plans and Employee Matters
|
|
Section
3.13
|
Contracts;
Indebtedness
|
|
Section
3.14
|
Litigation
|
|
Section
3.15
|
Environmental
Matters
|
|
Section
3.16
|
Intellectual
Property
|
|
Section
3.17
|
Tax
Matters
|
|
Section
3.20
|
Real
Property
|
|
Section
3.25
|
Related
Party Transactions
|
|
Section
3.26
|
Customers
|
|
Section
3.27
|
Suppliers
|
|
Section
5.1
|
Conduct
of Business by the Company Pending the
Closing
|
|
Section
5.3
|
Transition
Working Group
|
|
Section
5.9
|
Indemnification
of Directors and Officers
|
|
Section
8.4
|
Certain
Definitions
|
PARENT
DISCLOSURE LETTER
|
Section
4.3
|
No
Conflict
|
|
Section
4.10
|
Parent
Balance Sheet
|
iv
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of February 18, 2010 (this “Agreement”), by and
among Lineage Power Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), Lineage
Power Ohio Merger Sub, Inc., an Ohio corporation and a wholly-owned Subsidiary
of Parent (“Merger
Sub”), and PECO II, Inc., an Ohio corporation (the “Company”). All
capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meanings assigned to
such terms in Section
8.4 or as otherwise defined elsewhere in this Agreement unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise.
RECITALS
WHEREAS,
the respective boards of directors of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have
deemed it advisable and in the best interests of their respective corporations
and shareholders to consummate the merger of Merger Sub with and into the
Company upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
Agreement;
WHEREAS,
in the Merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement,
each common share, without par value, of the Company will be converted into the
right to receive the Merger Consideration;
WHEREAS,
the respective boards of directors of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have
approved and declared advisable this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby, including the Merger;
WHEREAS,
the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Company Board”) has,
upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, unanimously
(i) determined that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
including the Merger, are fair to and in the best interests of the Company and
its shareholders and (ii) recommended that the Company’s shareholders adopt this
Agreement and the Merger (the “Company Board
Recommendation”);
WHEREAS,
as a condition to and inducement to Parent’s and Merger Sub’s willingness to
enter into this Agreement, simultaneously with the execution of this Agreement,
certain shareholders of the Company are entering into a voting agreement with
Parent, Merger Sub and the Company (the “Voting Agreement”);
and
WHEREAS,
Parent, Merger Sub and the Company desire to make certain representations,
warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with the Merger and also to
prescribe various conditions to the Merger.
AGREEMENT
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and premises contained in
this Agreement and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement agree
as follows:
1
ARTICLE
1
THE
MERGER
1.1 The Merger.
Upon the
terms and subject to satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in this
Agreement, and in accordance with the Ohio General Corporation Law (the “OGCL”), at the
Effective Time, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company (the “Merger”), and the
separate corporate existence of Merger Sub will cease and the Company will
continue as the surviving corporation of the Merger (the “Surviving
Corporation”).
1.2 Closing. Upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, the closing of
the Merger (the “Closing”) shall take
place at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, on a date to be specified by the parties,
which shall be no later than the third business day after the satisfaction or
(to the extent permitted by applicable Law) waiver of the conditions set forth
in Article 6
(other than those that, by their terms, cannot be satisfied until the time of
the Closing), at the offices of Porter, Wright, Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx, LLP, 00 X.
Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxx, 00000, or at such other time, date or place agreed
to in writing by Parent and the Company. The date on which the
Closing occurs is referred to in this Agreement as the “Closing
Date”.
1.3 Effective Time.
Upon the
terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing, the
parties hereto shall cause the Merger to be consummated by filing a certificate
of merger (the “Certificate of
Merger”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Ohio, in such form
as required by, and executed in accordance with the relevant provisions of, the
OGCL (the date and time of such filing, or if another date and time is specified
in such filing, such specified date and time, being the “Effective
Time”).
1.4 Effect of the Merger.
At the
Effective Time, the effect of the Merger shall be as provided in the applicable
provisions of the OGCL. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, at the Effective Time, except as otherwise provided herein, all the
property, rights, privileges, powers and franchises of the Company and Merger
Sub shall vest in the Surviving Corporation, and all debts, liabilities and
duties of the Company and Merger Sub shall become the debts, liabilities and
duties of the Surviving Corporation.
1.5 Articles of Incorporation;
Code of Regulations. At the
Effective Time, the articles of incorporation and the code of regulations of the
Surviving Corporation shall be amended in their entirety to contain the
provisions set forth in the articles of incorporation and the code of
regulations of Merger Sub, each as in effect immediately prior to the Effective
Time.
1.6 Directors and
Officers. The
directors of Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the
initial directors of the Surviving Corporation, each to hold office in
accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations of the
Surviving Corporation. The officers of the Company immediately prior
to the Effective Time shall be the initial officers of the Surviving
Corporation, each to hold office in accordance with the articles of
incorporation and code of regulations of the Surviving Corporation until the
earlier of their resignation or removal.
1.7 Meeting of
Shareholders to
Adopt this Agreement and the Merger.
(a) As soon
as reasonably practicable after the date of this Agreement, the Company shall
prepare and file with the SEC the proxy statement in preliminary form
2
relating
to the Special Meeting (defined below) (such proxy statement, as amended or
supplemented from time to time, the “Proxy
Statement”). In addition, the Company shall prepare and file
with the SEC any Other Filings, as and when required by the SEC. The
Company, after consultation with Parent, will use reasonable best efforts to
respond to and resolve any comments made by the SEC with respect to the Proxy
Statement or any Other Filings. The Company will use reasonable best
efforts to cause the Proxy Statement to be disseminated to the holders of the
Shares, as and to the extent required by applicable federal securities Laws, as
soon as reasonably practicable following clearance from the SEC. The
Proxy Statement will contain the Company Board Recommendation.
(b) Parent
and Merger Sub will provide for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the
Proxy Statement of all required information regarding Parent and Merger
Sub. Merger Sub and its counsel shall be given the opportunity to
reasonably review and reasonably comment on the Proxy Statement before it is
filed with the SEC. In addition, the Company will provide Merger Sub
and its counsel, in writing, with any comments, whether written or oral, that
the Company or its counsel may receive from time to time from the SEC or its
staff with respect to the Proxy Statement promptly after the receipt of such
comments or other communications, and the opportunity to reasonably review and
reasonably comment on such comments.
(c) Each of
the Company, Parent and Merger Sub agrees to promptly (i) correct any
information provided by it for use in the Proxy Statement if and to the extent
that such information shall have become false or misleading in any material
respect and (ii) supplement the information provided by it specifically for
use in the Proxy Statement to include any information that shall become
necessary in order to make the statements in the Proxy Statement, in light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The
Company further agrees to cause the Proxy Statement as so corrected or
supplemented to be filed with the SEC and to be disseminated to the holders of
the Shares, in each case as and to the extent required by applicable federal
securities Laws.
(d) Other
than amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement made in compliance with
Section 5.4, no
amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement or any Other Filing will be made
by the Company without the approval of Parent (which shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed).
(e) Subject
to the terms of this Agreement, the Company, acting through the Company Board,
shall, in accordance with and subject to the requirements of applicable Law: (i)
as promptly as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, in consultation
with Parent, duly set a record date for, call and give notice of a special
meeting of its shareholders (the “Special Meeting”) for
the purpose of considering and taking action upon this Agreement; (ii) as
promptly as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, file the Proxy
Statement with the SEC, cause the Proxy Statement to be printed and mailed to
the shareholders of the Company and convene and hold the Special Meeting; and
(iii) use reasonable best efforts to solicit from its shareholders proxies in
favor of the adoption of this Agreement and the Merger, and secure any approval
of shareholders of the Company that is required by applicable Law to effect the
Merger.
3
(f) At the
Special Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof, Parent shall vote,
or cause to be voted, all of the Shares then owned by Parent, or with respect to
which Parent or Merger Sub otherwise then has, directly or indirectly, sole
voting power, in favor of the adoption of this Agreement and the Merger and to
deliver or provide, in its capacity as a shareholder of the Company, any other
approvals that are required by applicable Law to effect the Merger.
ARTICLE
2
CONVERSION
OF SECURITIES IN THE MERGER
2.1 Conversion of
Securities. At the
Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of
Parent, Merger Sub, the Company or the holders of any capital stock of Parent,
Merger Sub, or the Company:
(a) Conversion of Company Common
Stock. Each share (“Share”) of the
Company’s common shares, without par value (the “Company Common
Stock”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time,
other than Shares to be cancelled in accordance with Section 2.1(b) and
other than Dissenting Shares, will be converted into the right to receive
(subject to Section
2.2(e)) $5.86 per share in cash, without interest (the “Merger
Consideration”).
(b) Cancellation of Treasury
Stock and Parent-Owned Stock. All Shares that are held in the
treasury of the Company or owned of record by any Company Subsidiary, and all
Shares owned by Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective wholly-owned
Subsidiaries will be cancelled and will cease to exist, with no payment being
made with respect thereto.
(c) Merger Sub Common
Stock. Each common share, without par value, of Merger Sub
(the “Merger Sub
Common Stock”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time will be converted into and become one newly and validly issued, fully paid
and nonassessable common share of the Surviving Corporation.
(d) Adjustments. If,
between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, there is a
reclassification, recapitalization, stock split, stock dividend, subdivision,
combination or exchange of shares with respect to, or rights issued in respect
of, the Company Common Stock, the Merger Consideration shall be adjusted
accordingly, without duplication, to provide the holders of the Company Common
Stock the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement prior to such
event.
2.2 Payment for Securities;
Surrender of Certificates.
(a) Paying
Agent. Prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall designate a
reputable bank or trust company reasonably acceptable to the Company to act as
the paying agent for purposes of effecting the payment of the Merger
Consideration in connection with the Merger (the “Paying
Agent”). At or prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall
deposit, or cause to be deposited, with the Paying Agent the aggregate Merger
Consideration to which holders of Shares shall be entitled at the Effective Time
pursuant to this Agreement, together with the aggregate Option Payments (the
“Exchange
Fund”). The Paying Agent shall invest any cash
4
included
in the Exchange Fund, as set forth in an agreement between the Paying Agent and
the Company; provided, however, that no part of any such earnings on such
investments shall accrue to the benefit of holders of Shares; provided, further, that such
investments shall be in obligations of or guaranteed by the United States of
America or any agency or instrumentality thereof and backed by the full faith
and credit of the United States of America, in commercial paper obligations
rated A-1 or P-1 or better by Xxxxx’x Investor Service, Inc. or Standard &
Poor’s Corporation, respectively, in certificates of deposit, bank repurchase
agreements or banker’s acceptances of commercial banks with capital exceeding
$1.0 billion (based on the most recent financial statements of such banks that
are then publicly available) or in money market funds that are eligible under
Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended.
(b) Procedures for
Surrender. As promptly as reasonably practicable after the
Effective Time, Parent shall cause the Paying Agent to mail to each holder of
record of a certificate or certificates that represented Shares (the “Certificates”), which
Shares were converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration at the
Effective Time pursuant to this Agreement: (i) a letter of transmittal, which
shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to the
Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the Certificates to the Paying
Agent, and shall otherwise be in such form and have such other provisions as
Parent or the Paying Agent may reasonably specify, and (ii) instructions for
effecting the surrender of the Certificates in exchange for payment of the
Merger Consideration. Upon surrender of Certificates for cancellation
to the Paying Agent or to such other agent or agents as may be appointed by
Parent in accordance with the agreement between Parent and Paying Agent, and
upon delivery of a letter of transmittal, duly executed and in proper form, with
respect to such Certificates, the holder of such Certificates shall be entitled
to receive the Merger Consideration for each Share formerly represented by such
Certificates. Any Certificates so surrendered shall forthwith be
cancelled. If payment of the Merger Consideration is to be made to a
Person other than the Person in whose name any surrendered Certificate is
registered, it shall be a condition precedent of payment that the Certificate so
surrendered shall be properly endorsed or shall be otherwise in proper form for
transfer, and the Person requesting such payment shall have paid any transfer
and other similar Taxes required by reason of the payment of the Merger
Consideration to a Person other than the registered holder of the Certificate so
surrendered and shall have established to the satisfaction of the Surviving
Corporation that such Taxes either have been paid or are not required to be
paid. Until surrendered as contemplated hereby, each Certificate
shall be deemed at any time after the Effective Time to represent only the right
to receive the Merger Consideration in cash as contemplated by this Agreement,
without interest thereon.
(c) Transfer Books; No Further
Ownership Rights in Shares. At the Effective Time, the stock
transfer books of the Company shall be closed and thereafter there shall be no
further registration of transfers of Shares on the records of the
Company. From and after the Effective Time, the holders of
Certificates outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to
have any rights with respect to such Shares except as otherwise provided for
herein or by applicable Law. If, after the Effective Time,
Certificates are presented to the Surviving Corporation for any reason, they
shall be cancelled and exchanged as provided in this Agreement.
5
(d)
Termination of Fund;
Abandoned Property; No Liability. At any time following twelve (12)
months after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall be entitled
to require the Paying Agent to deliver to it any funds (including any interest
received with respect thereto) made available to the Paying Agent and not
disbursed to holders of Certificates, and thereafter such holders shall be
entitled to look only to the Surviving Corporation (subject to abandoned
property, escheat or other similar Laws) with respect to the Merger
Consideration payable upon due surrender of their Certificates and compliance
with the procedures in Section 2.2(b),
without interest and subject to any withholding of Taxes required by applicable
Law in accordance with Section
2.2(e). If, prior to five (5) years after the Effective Time
(or otherwise immediately prior to such time on which any payment in respect
hereof would escheat to or become the property of any Governmental Entity
pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Laws), any
holder of Certificates has not complied with the procedures in Section 2.2(b) to
receive payment of the Merger Consideration to which such holder would otherwise
be entitled, the payment in respect of such Certificates shall, to the extent
permitted by applicable Law, become the property of the Surviving Corporation,
free and clear of all claims or interest of any Person previously entitled
thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Surviving
Corporation nor the Paying Agent shall be liable to any holder of a Certificate
for Merger Consideration delivered to a public official pursuant to any
applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.
(e) Withholding
Rights. Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Corporation and the
Paying Agent, as the case may be, shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from
the relevant Merger Consideration, Option Payment or other consideration
otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement to any holder of Shares or Options
such amounts that Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Corporation or the Paying
Agent reasonably determines in good faith is required to deduct and withhold
with respect to the making of such payment under the Code, the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder or any provision of applicable Law, including
with respect to stock transfer Taxes payable by the seller. To the
extent that amounts are so withheld by Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving
Corporation or the Paying Agent, such amounts shall be treated for all purposes
of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of Shares or Options in
respect of which such deduction and withholding was made by Parent, Merger Sub,
the Surviving Corporation or the Paying Agent.
(f) Lost, Stolen or Destroyed
Certificates. In the event that any Certificates shall have
been lost, stolen or destroyed, the Paying Agent shall issue in exchange for
such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificates, upon the making of an affidavit of
that fact by the holder thereof, the Merger Consideration payable in respect
thereof pursuant to Section 2.1(a)
hereof; provided, however, that Parent
may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the payment of such
Merger Consideration, require the owners of such lost, stolen or destroyed
Certificates to deliver a bond in such sum as it may reasonably direct as
indemnity against any claim that may be made against Parent, Merger Sub, the
Surviving Corporation or the Paying Agent with respect to the Certificates
alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed.
2.3 Dissenting Shares.
Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Shares outstanding immediately prior
to the Effective Time and held by a holder who is entitled to demand and has
properly demanded appraisal for such Shares in accordance with, and who complies
in all respects with, Sections 1701.84 and 1701.85 of the OGCL (such Shares,
the
6
“Dissenting
Shares”) shall not be converted into the right to receive the Merger
Consideration, and shall instead represent the right to receive payment of the
fair cash value of such Dissenting Shares in accordance with and to the
extent provided by Sections 1701.84 and 1701.85 of the OGCL. If any
such holder fails to perfect or otherwise waives, withdraws or loses his right
to appraisal under Section 1701.85 of the OGCL or other applicable Law, then the
right of such holder to be paid the fair cash value of such Dissenting Shares
shall cease and such Dissenting Shares shall be deemed to have been converted,
as of the Effective Time, into and shall be exchangeable solely for the right to
receive the Merger Consideration, without interest and subject to any
withholding of Taxes required by applicable Law in accordance with Section 2.2(e). The
Company shall give Parent prompt notice of any demands received by the Company
for appraisal of Shares, attempted withdrawals of such demands and any other
instruments served pursuant to the OGCL and received by the Company relating to
rights to be paid the fair cash value of Dissenting Shares, and Parent shall
have the right to participate in and to control all negotiations and proceedings
with respect to such demands. Prior to the Effective Time, the
Company shall not, except with the prior written consent of Parent, make any
payment with respect to, or settle or compromise or offer to settle or
compromise, any such demands, or approve any withdrawal of any such demands, or
agree to do any of the foregoing.
2.4 Treatment of Options;
Restricted Stock; Stock Plans.
(a) Treatment of Options.
Prior to the Effective Time, the Company Board (or, if appropriate, any
committee thereof) shall adopt appropriate resolutions and take all other
actions necessary and appropriate to provide that, immediately prior to the
Effective Time, each unexpired and unexercised option to purchase Shares (the
“Company
Options”), under any stock option plan of the Company, including the
Amended 2000 Performance Plan (as amended) or any other plan, agreement or
arrangement (the “Company Stock Option
Plans”), whether or not then exercisable or vested, shall be cancelled
and, in exchange therefor, each former holder of any such cancelled Company
Option shall be entitled to receive, in consideration of the cancellation of
such Company Option and in settlement therefor, a payment in cash (subject to
any applicable withholding or other Taxes required by applicable Law to be
withheld in accordance with Section 2.2(e)) of an
amount, if any, equal to the product of (i) the total number of Shares
previously subject to such Company Option and (ii) the excess, if any, of the
Merger Consideration over the exercise price per Share previously subject to
such Company Option (such amounts payable hereunder being referred to as the
“Option
Payments”). For the avoidance of
doubt, in no event shall any former holder of any such cancelled Company Option
be entitled to receive any such cash payment if the exercise price per Share
previously subject to such Company Option is greater than the Merger
Consideration. From
and after the Effective Time, any such cancelled Company Option shall no longer
be exercisable by the former holder thereof, but shall only entitle such holder
to the payment of the Option Payment, and the Company will use its reasonable
best efforts to obtain all necessary consents to ensure that former holders of
Company Options will have no rights other than the right to receive the Option
Payment.
(b) Treatment of Restricted
Stock. Immediately prior to the Effective Time, each unvested
Share subject to forfeiture restrictions, repurchase rights or other
restrictions under the Company Stock Option Plans (“Restricted Stock”)
shall vest in full and all restrictions (including forfeiture restrictions or
repurchase rights) otherwise applicable to such
7
Restricted
Stock shall lapse and the Restricted Stock shall be converted into the right to
receive the Merger Consideration, without interest, as provided in Section
2.1(a), subject to any withholding of Taxes required by applicable Law in
accordance with Section 2.2(e).
(c) Termination of Company Stock Option Plans. After the Effective Time, all Company Stock Option Plans shall be terminated and no further Company Options or other rights with respect to Shares shall be granted thereunder.
(d) Treatment of Employee Stock
Purchase Plan. The current offerings in progress as of the
date hereof under the Company's 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) shall
continue, and the shares of Company Common Stock shall be issued to participants
thereunder on the next currently scheduled purchase dates thereunder occurring
after the date hereof as provided under, and subject to the terms and conditions
of, the ESPP. In accordance with the terms of the ESPP, any offering
in progress as of the Effective Time shall be shortened, and the next purchase
date shall be the business day immediately preceding the Effective
Time. Each then outstanding option under the ESPP shall be exercised
automatically on such purchase date. Notwithstanding any restrictions
on transfer of stock in the ESPP, the treatment in the Merger of any stock under
this provision shall be in accordance with Section 2.1(a). The
Company shall terminate the ESPP as of or prior to the Effective
Time. The Company shall promptly after the date hereof amend the ESPP
as appropriate to avoid the commencement of any new offering of options
thereunder at or after the date hereof and prior to the earlier of the
termination of this Agreement or the Effective Time.
ARTICLE
3
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except
(A) as identified in and reasonably apparent from the Company SEC Documents
filed by the Company with the SEC since December 31, 2008, and publicly
available prior to the date of this Agreement (the “Filed Company SEC
Documents”) and only as and to the extent disclosed therein (other than
any “risk factor” disclosure, forward looking discussions, or any other
disclosure that is predictive, cautionary or forward looking in nature) and,
without giving effect to any change of fact or circumstances subsequent to the
date on which any such Filed Company SEC Document was filed, or (B) as set forth
in the letter, dated as of the date of this Agreement, from the Company to
Parent and Merger Sub (the “Company Disclosure
Letter”) (it being understood that any information set forth in one
section or subsection of the Company Disclosure Letter shall be deemed to apply
to and qualify the section or subjection of this Agreement to which it
corresponds in number and each other section or subsection of this Agreement
only to the extent that the relevance of such disclosure is reasonably
apparent), the Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent as
follows:
3.1 Organization and
Qualification; Subsidiaries.
(a) The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries (each a “Company Subsidiary”)
is a corporation or other legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or
organization and has all requisite corporate or organizational, as the case may
be, power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and
to carry on its business as it is now being conducted. The Company
and each Company Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business and is in good
standing
8
in each
jurisdiction where the ownership, leasing or operation of its properties or
assets or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where
the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, individually or in the
aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Company
Material Adverse Effect.
(c) Section 3.1(c)
of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of: (i) the
Company Subsidiaries, together with the jurisdiction of organization or
incorporation, as the case may be, of each Company Subsidiary, (ii) the
jurisdictions in which the Company and each Company Subsidiary is qualified to
do business as a foreign corporation or other legal entity and (iii) the
directors and officers of the Company and each Company Subsidiary, as of the
date of this Agreement.
3.2 Capitalization.
(a) The
authorized capital stock of the Company consists of (i) 150,000,000 shares
of Company Common Stock, of which, as of the close of business on February 12,
2010 (the “Capitalization
Date”), there were 2,859,466 shares issued and outstanding and (ii)
5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, without par value (the “Company Preferred
Stock”), of which no shares are issued and outstanding. All of
the outstanding shares of Company Common Stock have been duly authorized and
validly issued and are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive
rights.
(b) As of the
Capitalization Date, the Company has no shares of Company Common Stock or
Company Preferred Stock reserved for or otherwise subject to issuance, except
for 269,976 shares of Company Common Stock reserved for and available for
issuance under the Company Stock Option Plans, and 20,746 shares of Company
Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Company’s ESPP. The
Company reasonably estimates that no more than 360 shares of Company Common
Stock will be issued to participants under the Company’s ESPP on the next
currently scheduled purchase dates thereunder in accordance with Section 2.4(d)
hereof. All shares of Company Common Stock subject to issuance under the Company
Stock Option Plans and the Company’s ESPP, upon issuance prior to the Effective
Time on the terms and conditions specified in the instruments pursuant to which
they are issuable, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. Section 3.2(b) of the
Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of (i) each holder
of Company Options, (ii) the number of Company Options held by such holder as of
the date hereof, (iii) the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to
each such Company Option (i.e., the original amount less exercises and any
cancellations), (iv) the exercise price, expiration date and vesting schedule of
each such Company Option and (v) whether each such Company Option is intended to
qualify as an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the
Code.
9
(c) As of the
date of this Agreement, except for 18,164 shares of Restricted Stock under
Company Stock Option Plans, Company Options to purchase not more than 96,000
shares of Company Common Stock, and 20,746 shares of Company Common Stock
reserved for issuance under the Company’s ESPP, there are no options, warrants
or other similar rights,
agreements, arrangements or commitments of any character (i) relating to any
Equity Interests of the Company or any Company Subsidiary or (ii) obligating the
Company or any Company Subsidiary to issue, acquire or sell any Equity Interests
of the Company or any Company Subsidiary. Except as set forth on
Section 3.2(c)
of the Company Disclosure Letter, since the close of business on December 31,
2008, the Company has not issued any shares of its capital stock or other Equity
Interests (other than Company Options, Company Common Stock issued upon the
exercise of Company Options, or Restricted Stock issued in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice and shares issued pursuant to the
ESPP).
(d) Except as
set forth on Section
3.2(d) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there are no outstanding
obligations of the Company or any Company Subsidiary (i) restricting the
transfer of, (ii) affecting the voting rights of, (iii) requiring the
repurchase, redemption or disposition of, or containing any right of first
refusal with respect to, (iv) requiring the registration for sale of or (v)
granting any preemptive or antidilutive rights with respect to, any shares of
Company Common Stock or other Equity Interests in the Company or any Company
Subsidiary.
(e) Section 3.2(e) of the
Company Disclosure Letter sets forth, for each Company Subsidiary, as
applicable: (i) its authorized capital stock or other Equity Interests, (ii) the
number of its outstanding shares of capital stock or other Equity Interests and
type(s) of such outstanding shares of capital stock or other Equity Interests
and (iii) the record owner(s) thereof. The Company or another Company
Subsidiary owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding
shares of capital stock or other Equity Interests of each of the Company
Subsidiaries, free and clear of any Liens, and all of such shares of capital
stock or other Equity Interests have been duly authorized and validly issued and
are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. Except
for Equity Interests in the Company Subsidiaries or as set forth on Section 3.2(e) of the
Company Disclosure Letter, neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary owns
directly or indirectly any Equity Interest in any Person, or has any obligation
or has made any commitment to acquire any such Equity Interest, to provide funds
to, or to make any investment (in the form of a loan, capital contribution or
otherwise) in, any Company Subsidiary or any other Person. Since the
close of business on December 31, 2008, no Company Subsidiary has issued any
shares of capital stock or other Equity Interests.
3.3 Authority.
(a) The
Company has all necessary corporate power and authority to execute and deliver
this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and, subject to the Company
Shareholder Approval, to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby,
including the Merger. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by
the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated
hereby, including the Merger, have been duly and validly authorized by all
necessary corporate action, and no other corporate proceedings on the part of
the Company and no shareholder votes are necessary to authorize this Agreement
or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby other than, with respect
to
10
the
Merger, the Company Shareholder Approval. This Agreement has been duly
authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by Parent and Merger Sub, constitutes a
legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against
the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be
limited (i) by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium and other similar
Laws, now or hereinafter in effect, affecting creditors’ rights generally and
(ii) by general principles of equity.
(b) The
Company and its shareholders have taken all appropriate action, if any, so that
the restrictions contained in Section 1701.831 and Sections 1701.01(Y) through
1701.01(CC) of the OGCL, relating to control share acquisitions will not apply
with respect to or as a result of the execution of this Agreement or the Voting
Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or
thereby, including the Merger, without any further action on the part of the
Company’s shareholders or the Company Board. A true and complete copy
of the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Code of Regulations has been
previously provided to Parent.
3.4 No Conflict.
None of
the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by the Company, the
consummation by the Company of the Merger or any other transaction contemplated
by this Agreement, or the Company’s compliance with any of the provisions of
this Agreement will (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both): (a)
subject to obtaining the Company Shareholder Approval, conflict with or violate
any provision of the Company Articles or Company Code of Regulations or any
equivalent organizational or governing documents of any Company Subsidiary; (b)
assuming that all consents, approvals, authorizations and permits described in
Section 3.5 have
been obtained and all filings and notifications described in Section 3.5 have
been made and any waiting periods thereunder have terminated or expired,
conflict with or violate any Law applicable to the Company or any Company
Subsidiary or any of their respective properties or assets; or (c) except as set
forth on Section
3.4(c) to the Company Disclosure Letter, require any consent or approval
under, violate, conflict with, result in any breach of or any loss of any
benefit under, or constitute a change of control or default under, or result in
termination or give to others any right of termination, vesting, amendment,
acceleration or cancellation of, or result in the creation of a Lien upon any of
the respective properties or assets of the Company or any Company Subsidiary
pursuant to, any Contract, Company Permit or other instrument or obligation to
which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party or by which they or any
of their respective properties or assets may be bound or affected; other than,
in the case of clauses (b) and (c) above, any such items that, individually or
in the aggregate, have not had and would not be reasonably expected to have a
Company Material Adverse Effect.
3.5 Required Filings and
Consents. None of
the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by the Company, the
consummation by the Company of the Merger or any other transaction contemplated
by this Agreement, or the Company’s compliance with any of the provisions of
this Agreement will require (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both)
any consent, approval, authorization or permit of, or filing or registration
with or notification to, any Governmental Entity, other than (a) the filing and
recordation of the Certificate of Merger as required by the OGCL, (b) the
Company Shareholder Approval, (c) compliance with the applicable
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
11
amended,
and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act”), (d)
filings with the SEC or any state Blue Sky Laws as may be required by the
Company in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby, (e) such filings as may be required under the rules and
regulations of NASDAQ, and (f) where the failure to obtain such consents,
approvals, authorizations or permits of, or to make such filings, registrations
with or notifications to any Governmental Entity or any other Person,
individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be
expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
3.6 Permits; Compliance With
Law.
(a) The
Company and the Company Subsidiary hold all authorizations, licenses, permits,
certificates, variances, exemptions, approvals, orders, registrations and
clearances of any Governmental Entity material for the Company and the Company
Subsidiary to carry on and operate their businesses as currently conducted (the
“Company
Permits”). Section 3.6(a) of the
Company Disclosure Letter contains a true and complete list of the Company
Permits. The Company and the Company Subsidiary possess or have
applied for all Company Permits to own, lease and operate its properties and
assets, except for any Company Permits for which the failure to possess, obtain
or hold would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the
aggregate a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company and each
Company Subsidiary is in compliance with the terms of the Company Permits, and
all of the Company Permits are valid and in full force and effect, except where
the failure to be in compliance with any Company Permits, or the failure of any
Company Permits to be valid or in full force and effect, individually or in the
aggregate, has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Company
Material Adverse Effect. No suspension, modification, revocation or
cancellation of any of the Company Permit is pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, threatened.
(b) Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary is or since December 31, 2008, has been
in conflict with, default under or violation of, or is being or since December
31, 2008, has been investigated for, or charged by any Governmental Entity with
a violation of, any Law applicable to the Company or any Company Subsidiary or
by which any property or asset of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is bound
or affected, except for any conflicts, defaults, violations, investigations or
charges that, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would not
reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. This Section 3.6(b) does
not relate to matters with respect to Taxes, which are the Subject of Section 3.17, or
matters with respect to Company Benefit Plans, which are the subject of Section 3.12. There
are no investigations or reviews by any Governmental Entity with respect to the
Company or any Company Subsidiary pending or, to the Company’s knowledge,
threatened, and no Governmental Entity has indicated an intention to conduct any
such investigation or review, except for such investigations or reviews, the
outcomes of which if determined adversely to the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and would not
reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
3.7 SEC Filings; Financial
Statements.
(a) Since
December 31, 2007, the Company has timely filed or otherwise furnished (as
applicable) all registration statements, prospectuses, forms, reports,
definitive proxy statements, schedules, statements and documents required to be
filed or
12
furnished by it under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules
and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Securities Act”) or
the Exchange Act, as the case may be, together with all certifications required
pursuant to the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) (such documents
and any other documents filed by the Company or any Company Subsidiary with the
SEC, as have been supplemented, modified or amended since the time of filing,
collectively, the “Company SEC
Documents”). As of their respective filing dates the Company
SEC Documents (i) did not (or with respect to Company SEC Documents filed after
the date hereof, will 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 made therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading and (ii) complied in all material respects
with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, as
the case may be, the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act and the applicable rules and regulations
of the SEC thereunder. None of the Company Subsidiaries is currently
required to file any forms, reports or other documents with the
SEC. To the knowledge of the Company, none of the Company SEC
Documents is the subject of ongoing SEC review or outstanding SEC
comment. All of the audited consolidated financial statements and
unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of the Company and the
consolidated Company Subsidiaries included in the Company SEC Documents
(collectively, the “Company Financial
Statements”) (A) have been or will be, as the case may be, prepared from,
are in accordance with, and accurately reflect the books and records of the
Company and the consolidated Company Subsidiaries in all material respects, (B)
have been or will be, as the case may be, prepared in accordance with GAAP
applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be
indicated in the notes thereto or, in the case of interim financial statements,
for normal and recurring year-end adjustments that are not material in amount or
nature and as may be permitted by the SEC on Form 10-Q, Form 8-K or any
successor or like form under the Exchange Act) and (C) fairly present in all
material respects the consolidated financial position and the consolidated
results of operations, cash flows and changes in shareholders’ equity of the
Company and the consolidated Company Subsidiaries as of the dates and for the
periods referred to therein. Neither the Company nor any of the
Company Subsidiaries is a party to, or has any commitment to become a party to,
any off-balance sheet joint venture or partnership (including any Contract or
arrangement relating to any transaction or relationship between or among the
Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any
unconsolidated affiliate, on the other hand, including any structured finance,
special purpose or limited purpose entity or person) or any “off-balance sheet
arrangements” as defined in Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.
(b) Without
limiting the generality of Section 3.7(a), (i)
Battelle & Battelle LLP has not resigned or been dismissed as independent
public accountant of the Company as a result of or in connection with any
disagreement with the Company on a matter of accounting principles or practices,
financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, (ii) no executive
officer of the Company has failed in any respect to make, without qualification,
the certifications required of him or her under Section 302 or 906 of the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act with respect to any form, report or schedule filed by the
Company with the SEC since the enactment of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act and (iii) no
enforcement action has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened against the Company by the SEC relating to disclosures contained in
any Company SEC Document.
13
3.8 Internal
Controls;
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(a) The
Company has designed and maintains a system of internal controls over financial
reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the
Exchange Act)
sufficient to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of
financial reporting for the Company and the Company Subsidiaries. The
Company (i) has designed and maintains disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) to reasonably
ensure that material information required to be disclosed by the Company in the
reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and
forms and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as
appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and
(ii) has disclosed to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the
Company Board (and made summaries of such disclosures available to Parent)
(A) any significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably
likely to adversely affect in any material respect the Company’s ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information and (B) any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who
have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial
reporting. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with
all effective provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(b) Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any
director, officer, auditor, accountant or representative of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary has received or otherwise had or obtained knowledge of any
substantive complaint, allegation, assertion or claim, whether written or oral,
that the Company or any Company Subsidiary has engaged in questionable
accounting or auditing practices. No current or former attorney
representing the Company or any Company Subsidiary has reported evidence of a
material violation of securities Laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar
violation by the Company or any Company Subsidiary, or any of their respective
officers, directors, employees or agents, to the current Company Board or any
committee thereof or to any current director or executive officer of the
Company.
(c) To the
knowledge of the Company, no employee of the Company or any Company Subsidiary
has provided or is providing information to any law enforcement agency regarding
the commission or possible commission of any crime or the violation or possible
violation of any applicable legal requirements of the type described in
Section 806 of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act by the Company or any Company
Subsidiary. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge
of the Company, any director, officer, employee, contractor, subcontractor or
agent of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, has discharged, demoted,
suspended, threatened, harassed or in any other manner discriminated against an
employee of the Company or any Company Subsidiary in the terms and conditions of
employment because of any lawful act of such employee described in
Section 806 of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
3.9 Brokers. Except
for the Company’s obligations to the Company Financial Advisor, neither the
Company nor any shareholder, director, officer, employee or affiliate of the
Company, has incurred or will incur on behalf of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, any brokerage, finders’, financial advisory or similar fee in
connection with the
14
transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, including the Merger. The Company has heretofore
made available to Parent true and complete copies of all agreements between the
Company and the Company Financial Advisor pursuant to which such firm would be
entitled to any payment or commission relating to the Merger or any other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
3.10 No Undisclosed
Liabilities. Except
for those liabilities and obligations (a) specifically reserved against or
provided for in the consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of December 31,
2008, or
in the notes thereto, (b) incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice since December 31, 2008, (c) which, individually or in the
aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a Company
Material Adverse Effect, or (d) incurred under this Agreement or in connection
with the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, neither the
Company nor any Company Subsidiary has incurred any liabilities or obligations
of any nature, whether or not accrued, absolute, determined, determinable, fixed
or contingent and whether or not required to be recorded or reflected on a
balance sheet under GAAP.
3.11 Absence of Certain Changes
or Events. Since
December 31, 2008, there has not been any Company Material Adverse Effect or any
change, event, development, condition, occurrence or effect that, individually
or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Company
Material Adverse Effect. Except in connection with the execution and performance
of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby,
and except as set forth on Section 3.11 of
the Company Disclosure Letter:
(a) Since
December 31, 2008, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have conducted their
respective businesses in all material respects in the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice.
(b) There has
not been any action taken by the Company or any Company Subsidiary from December
31, 2008, through the date of this Agreement that, if taken during the period
from the date of this Agreement through the Effective Time, would constitute a
breach of subparagraphs (a), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (m), (o), (r),
(t), or (v) of Section
5.1.
3.12 Employee Benefit
Plans and
Employee Matters. Except as
otherwise set forth on Section 3.12 of the
Company Disclosure Letter:
(a) Section 3.12(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter lists, with respect to the Company, any Company
Subsidiary and any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) which is
treated as a single employer with the Company (an “ERISA Affiliate”)
within the meaning of Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code, and with
respect to which there may be any obligation or liability, (i) all
“employee benefit plans” within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”),
(ii) each loan to an employee in excess of $10,000 (based on the amount
outstanding as of the date of this Agreement; provided, however, with respect to
loans to participants under the PECO II Profit Sharing Plan and Trust, any such
loan amounts disclosed will be as of the amount outstanding on December 31,
2009), (iii) all stock option, stock purchase, phantom stock, stock
appreciation right, supplemental retirement, severance, sabbatical, medical,
dental, vision care, disability, employee relocation, cafeteria benefit
(Section 125 of the Code), dependent care (Section 129 of the Code),
life insurance or accident insurance plans, programs or arrangements,
15
(iv) all
bonus, pension, profit sharing, savings, severance, retirement, deferred
compensation or incentive plans, programs or arrangements, (v) all other
fringe or employee benefit plans, programs or arrangements that apply to senior
management and that do not generally apply to all employees,
and (vi) all employment or executive compensation or severance agreements,
written or otherwise, as to which unsatisfied obligations of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary of greater than $10,000 remain for the benefit of, or
relating to, any former employee, consultant or non-employee director of the
Company or any Company Subsidiary (all of the foregoing described in
clauses (i), (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi), collectively, but excluding Foreign
Plans, shall mean the “Company Employee
Plans”).
(b) The
Company has furnished to Parent a true, correct and complete copy of the current
version of each of the Company Employee Plans and related plan documents
(including trust documents, insurance policies or Contracts, employee booklets,
and summary plan descriptions). With respect to each Company Employee
Plan which is subject to ERISA reporting requirements, the Company has provided
to Parent true, correct and complete copies of the Form 5500 reports filed for
the last three plan years. Any Company Employee Plan intended to be
qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has either obtained from the
Internal Revenue Service a favorable determination letter as to its qualified
status under the Code, including all amendments to the Code effected by the Tax
Reform Act of 1986 and subsequent legislation, or has applied (or has time
remaining in which to apply) to the Internal Revenue Service for such a
determination letter prior to the expiration of the requisite period under
applicable Treasury Regulations or Internal Revenue Service pronouncements in
which to apply for such determination letter and to make any amendments
necessary to obtain a favorable determination or has been established under a
standardized prototype plan for which an Internal Revenue Service opinion letter
has been obtained by the plan sponsor and is valid as to the adopting
employer. The Company has also provided to Parent a true, correct and
complete copy of the most recent Internal Revenue Service determination or
opinion letter issued with respect to each such Company Employee Plan intended
to be a qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Code, and, to the knowledge
of the Company, nothing has occurred since the issuance of each such letter
which would reasonably be expected to cause the loss of the Tax-qualified status
of any Company Employee Plan subject to Section 401(a) of the
Code. The Company has also provided to Parent all prospectuses
prepared in connection with each Company Employee Plan. The Company
has also provided to Parent a true, correct and complete copy of the following,
if applicable, (i) the three most recent actuarial reports and financial
statements, if any, relating to each Company Employee Plan, (ii) the three most
recent nondiscrimination tests performed under the Code (including 401(k) and
401(m) tests) for each Company Employee Plan and (iii) all filings made
with any Governmental Entity, including but not limited to any filings under the
Voluntary Compliance Resolution or Closing Agreement Program or the Department
of Labor Delinquent Filer Program. All individuals who, pursuant to
the terms of any Company Employee Plan, are entitled to participate in any
Company Employee Plan, are currently participating in such Company Employee Plan
or have been offered an opportunity to do so. Section 3.12(b) of
the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth the total number of employees of the
Company or any Company Subsidiary and any person subject to any health plan of
the Company or any Company Subsidiary who have made medical claims through any
such health plan during the 12 months preceding December 31, 2009, and for which
the Company or such Company Subsidiary is responsible, with such total number
broken down as follows: (i) medical claims for more than $25,000 but
less than $100,000 in the aggregate, (ii) medical claims for $100,000 or
16
greater but less than $250,000 in the aggregate, and (iii) medical claims
for $250,000 or greater, in the aggregate.
(c) None of the Company Employee Plans promises or provides any post-employment, retiree medical or other retiree welfare benefits to any person other than as required under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“COBRA”) or similar state law. There has been no “prohibited transaction” (within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code and not exempt under Section 408 of ERISA and regulatory guidance thereunder) with respect to any Company Employee Plan. In all material respects, each Company Employee Plan has been administered in accordance with its terms and in compliance with the requirements prescribed by any and all statutes, rules and regulations (including ERISA and the Code), and the Company, each Company Subsidiary and each ERISA Affiliate has performed all obligations required to be performed by it under, is not in default under or in violation of, any of the Company Employee Plans. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary or ERISA Affiliate is subject to any liability or penalty under Sections 4976 through 4980 of the Code or Title I of ERISA with respect to any of the Company Employee Plans. With respect to the Company Employee Plans, no event has occurred and, to the knowledge of the Company, there exists no condition or set of circumstances in connection with which the Company could be subject to any material liability (other than for routine benefit liabilities) under the terms of, or with respect to, such Company Employee Plans, ERISA, the Code or any other applicable Law. All contributions required to be made by the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any ERISA Affiliate to any Company Employee Plan have been made on or before their due dates in all material respects and a reasonable amount has been accrued for contributions to each Company Employee Plan for the current plan years (and no further contributions will be due or will have accrued thereunder as of the Effective Time, other than contributions accrued in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice, after the December 31, 2008 as a result of the operations of Company and the Company Subsidiaries after the December 31, 2008). In addition, with respect to each Company Employee Plan intended to include a Code Section 401(k) arrangement, the Company, the Company Subsidiaries and ERISA Affiliates have at all times made timely deposits of employee salary reduction contributions and participant loan repayments, as determined pursuant to regulations issued by the United States Department of Labor in all material respects. No Company Employee Plan is covered by, and neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary or ERISA Affiliate has incurred or expects to incur any liability under Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code. Each Company Employee Plan can be amended, terminated or otherwise discontinued after the Effective Time in accordance with its terms, without liability to Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Corporation and/or any Company Subsidiary (other than with respect to the restrictions of Section 401(k) of the Code and ordinary administrative expenses typically incurred in a termination event). With respect to each Company Employee Plan subject to ERISA as either an employee pension benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA or an employee welfare benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(1) of ERISA, the Company has prepared in good faith and timely filed all requisite governmental reports (which were true, correct and complete as of the date filed), including any required audit reports, and has properly and timely filed and distributed or posted all notices and reports to employees required to be filed, distributed or posted with respect to each such Company Employee Plan. No suit, administrative proceeding, action or other litigation has been brought, or to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened, against or with respect to any such
17
Company Employee Plan, including any audit or inquiry by the Internal
Revenue Service or United States Department of Labor.
(d) With
respect to each Company Employee Plan, each of the Company and each United
States Company Subsidiary has complied in all material respects with
(i) the applicable health care continuation and notice provisions of COBRA
and the regulations (including the COBRA provisions set forth in the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and any applicable proposed regulations)
thereunder, (ii) the applicable requirements of the Family Medical and
Leave Act of 1993 and the regulations (including proposed regulations)
thereunder, (iii) the applicable requirements of the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the regulations (including
proposed regulations) thereunder, (iv) the applicable requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended and the regulations
(including proposed regulations) thereunder, (v) the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967, as amended, and (vi) the applicable requirements of
the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 and the regulations (including
proposed regulations) thereunder.
(e) Except as
set forth in Section
3.12(e) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there has been no amendment to,
written interpretation or announcement (whether or not written) by the Company,
any Company Subsidiary or other ERISA Affiliate relating to, or change in
participation or coverage under, any Company Employee Plan which would
materially increase the expense of maintaining such Company Employee Plan above
the level of expense incurred with respect to such Company Employee Plan for the
most recent fiscal year included in the Company Financial
Statements. No Company Employee Plan will be subject to any surrender
fees or service fees upon termination other than the normal and reasonable
administrative fees and normal and reasonable fair market value adjustments
associated with the termination of benefit plans.
(f) Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary or current or former ERISA Affiliate
currently maintains, sponsors, participates in or contributes to, or has ever
maintained, established, sponsored, participated in, or contributed to, any
pension plan (within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA) which is subject
to Part 3 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA, Title IV of
ERISA or Section 412 of the Code.
(g) Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary or ERISA Affiliate is a party to, or has
made any contribution to or otherwise incurred any obligation under, any
“multiemployer plan” as such term is defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA or
any “multiple employer plan” as such term is defined in Section 413(c) of
the Code.
(h) Each
compensation and benefit plan maintained or contributed to by the Company or any
Company Subsidiary under the law or applicable custom or rule of the relevant
jurisdiction outside of the United States (each such plan, a “Foreign Plan”) is
listed in Section 3.12(h)
of the Company Disclosure Letter. With respect to each Foreign Plan,
(i) such Foreign Plan is in material compliance with the provisions of the
Laws of each jurisdiction in which such Foreign Plan is maintained, to the
extent those Laws are applicable to such Foreign Plan, (ii) in all material
respects all contributions to, and payments from, such Foreign Plan which may
have been required to be made in accordance with the terms of such Foreign Plan,
18
and, when applicable, the Laws of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign
Plan is maintained, have been timely made or shall be made by the Effective
Time, and all such contributions to such Foreign Plan, and all payments under
such Foreign Plan, for any period ending before the Closing
Date that are not yet, but will be, required to be made, are reflected as an
accrued liability on the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of
December 31, 2008, (iii) the Company, each Company Subsidiary, and each
ERISA Affiliate has materially complied with all applicable reporting and notice
requirements, and such Foreign Plan has obtained from the Governmental Entity
having jurisdiction with respect to such Foreign Plan any required
determinations, if any, that such Foreign Plan is in compliance with the Laws of
the relevant jurisdiction if such determinations are required in order to give
effect to such Foreign Plan, (iv) such Foreign Plan has been administered
in all material respects at all times in accordance with its terms and
applicable Laws, (v) to the knowledge of the Company, there are no pending
investigations by any governmental body involving such Foreign Plan, and no
pending claims (except for claims for benefits payable in the normal operation
of such Foreign Plan), suits or proceedings against such Foreign Plan or
asserting any rights or claims to benefits under such Foreign Plan,
(vi) the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
will not by itself create or otherwise result in any liability with respect to
such Foreign Plan, and (vii) except as required by applicable Laws, no
condition exists that would prevent the Company or any Company Subsidiary from
terminating or amending any Foreign Plan at any time for any reason in
accordance with the terms of each such Foreign Plan without the payment of any
fees, costs or expenses (other than the payment of benefits accrued on the
audited consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of December 31, 2008 and
any normal and reasonable expenses typically incurred in a termination
event). No Foreign Plan has unfunded Liabilities that will not be
offset by insurance or that are not fully accrued on the financial statements of
the Company.
(i) Except as
set forth in Section
3.12(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, none of the execution and
delivery of this Agreement, the consummation of the Merger or any other
transaction contemplated hereby or any termination of employment or service or
any other event in connection therewith or subsequent thereto will, individually
or together or with the occurrence of some other event, (i) result in any
payment (including severance, unemployment compensation, golden parachute, bonus
or otherwise) becoming due to any Person, (ii) materially increase or
otherwise enhance any benefits otherwise payable by the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, (iii) result in the acceleration of the time of payment or
vesting of any such benefits, except as required under Section 411(d)(3) of
the Code, (iv) increase the amount of compensation due to any Person, or
(v) result in the forgiveness in whole or in part of any outstanding loans
made by the Company or any Company Subsidiary to any Person.
(j) Each of
the Company and each Company Subsidiary is in compliance in all material
respects with all currently applicable Laws respecting employment,
discrimination in employment, terms and conditions of employment, worker
classification (including the proper classification of workers as independent
contractors and consultants), wages, hours and occupational safety and health
and employment practices, including the Immigration Reform and Control Act, and
is not engaged in any unfair labor practice. In all material
respects, each of the Company and each Company Subsidiary has withheld all
amounts required by law or by agreement to be withheld from the wages, salaries,
and other payments to employees; and is not liable for any arrears of wages,
compensation, Taxes, penalties or other
19
sums for failure to comply with any of the foregoing. In all material
respects, the Company and each Company Subsidiary has paid in full to all
employees, independent contractors and consultants
all wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, benefits and other compensation due
to or on behalf of such employees, independent contractors and
consultants. In all material respects, neither the Company nor any
Company Subsidiary is liable for any payment to any trust or other fund or to
any Governmental Entity, with respect to unemployment compensation benefits,
social security or other benefits or obligations for employees (other than
routine payments to be made in the normal course of business and consistently
with past practice). There are no pending claims against the Company
and/or any Company Subsidiary under any workers compensation plan or policy or
for long term disability. Neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary has any obligations under COBRA with respect to any former employees
or qualifying beneficiaries thereunder, except for obligations that are not
material in amount. There are no controversies pending or, to the
knowledge of the Company, threatened, between the Company or any Company
Subsidiary and any of their respective employees, which controversies have or
would reasonably be expected to result in an action, suit, proceeding, claim,
arbitration or investigation before any Governmental Entity.
(k) Section 3.12(k)
of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true, correct and complete list as
of the date of this Agreement of all severance Contracts and employment
Contracts to which the Company and/or any Company Subsidiary has any liability
or potential liability and is a party or by which the Company and/or any Company
Subsidiary is bound. Neither Company nor any Company Subsidiary has
any obligation to pay any amount or provide any benefit to any former employee
or officer, other than obligations (i) for which Company has established a
reserve for such amount on the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Company
as of December 31, 2008 and (ii) pursuant to Contracts entered into after
the December 31, 2008 and disclosed on Section 3.12(k)
of the Company Disclosure Letter. Neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary is a party to or bound by any collective bargaining agreement,
Contract or other agreement or understanding with any labor organization, works
council, employee representative, union or association, no collective bargaining
agreement is being negotiated by the Company or any Company Subsidiary, and
neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has any duty to bargain with any
labor organization, works council, employee representative, union or
association. There is no pending demand for recognition or any other
request or demand from a labor organization, works council, employee
representative, union or association for representative status with respect to
any Person employed by the Company or any Company Subsidiary. Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has knowledge of any activities or
proceedings of any labor organization, works council, employee representative,
union or association, or to organize their respective employees. To
the knowledge of the Company, there is no labor dispute, strike or work stoppage
against the Company or any Company Subsidiary pending or threatened which may
interfere with the respective business activities of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary, nor to
the knowledge of the Company and each Company Subsidiary, any of their
respective representatives or employees, has committed any unfair labor practice
in connection with the operation of the respective businesses of the Company or
any Company Subsidiary, and there is no charge or complaint against the Company
or any Company Subsidiary by the National Labor Relations Board or any
comparable Governmental Entity pending or to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened. Except as set forth on Section 3.12(k) of
the Company Disclosure Letter, no employee of the Company or any
20
Company Subsidiary at the level of Vice President or higher has been
dismissed in the last 12 month period.
(l) No
employee of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is in violation of any term of
any employment agreement, non-competition agreement, or any restrictive covenant
to a former employer relating to the right of any such employee to be employed
by the Company or any Company Subsidiary because of the nature of the business
conducted or presently proposed to be conducted by the Company or any Company
Subsidiary or to the use of trade secrets or proprietary information of
others. Except as set forth on Section 3.12(l)
of the Company Disclosure Letter, no employee of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary has given notice to the Company or any Company Subsidiary, nor does
the Company or any Company Subsidiary otherwise have knowledge, that any such
employee intends to terminate his or her employment with the Company or any
Company Subsidiary. The employment of each of the employees of the
Company or any Company Subsidiary is “at will” (except for non-U.S. employees of
the Company or any Company Subsidiary located in a jurisdiction that does not
recognize the “at will” employment concept) and the Company and each Company
Subsidiary does not have any obligation to provide any particular form or period
of notice prior to terminating the employment of any of their respective
employees, except as set forth on Section 3.12(l)
of the Company Disclosure Letter. As of the date hereof, the Company
and each Company Subsidiary has not, and to the knowledge of Company or any
Company Subsidiary, no other Person has, (i) entered into any Contract that
obligates or purports to obligate Parent to make an offer of employment to any
present or former employee or consultant of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary and/or (ii) promised or otherwise provided any assurances
(contingent or otherwise) to any present or former employee or consultant of the
Company or any Company Subsidiary of any terms or conditions of employment with
Parent following the Effective Time.
(m) There is
no agreement, plan, arrangement or other Contract covering any current or former
employee or other service provider of the Company or any Company Subsidiary or
ERISA Affiliate to which the Company and/or any Company Subsidiary is a party or
by which the Company and/or any Company Subsidiary is bound that, considered
individually or considered collectively with any other such agreements, plans,
arrangements or other Contracts, will, or could reasonably be expected to, as a
result of the transactions contemplated hereby (whether alone or upon the
occurrence of any additional or subsequent events), give rise directly or
indirectly to the payment of any amount that could reasonably be expected to be
non-deductible under Section 162 of the Code (or any corresponding or
similar provision of state, local or foreign Tax law) or characterized as a
“parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code (or any
corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign Tax
law). Section 3.12(m)
of the Company Disclosure Letter lists each Person who the Company reasonably
believes is, with respect to the Company, any Company Subsidiary and/or any
ERISA Affiliate, a “disqualified individual” (within the meaning of
Section 280G of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder), as
determined as of the date of this Agreement.
(n) Section 3.12(n)
to the Company Disclosure Letter lists all “nonqualified deferred compensation
plans” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code) to which the
Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party. Each such nonqualified
deferred
21
compensation plan to which the Company or its Subsidiaries is a party
complies in all material respects with the requirements of paragraphs (2),
(3) and (4) of Section 409A(a) by its terms and has been operated in
accordance with such requirements. No event has occurred that would
be treated
by Section 409A(b) as a transfer of property for purposes of
Section 83 of the Code. The Company has not in the last five
years terminated and liquidated a non-qualified deferred compensation plan
pursuant to Treasury Regulation 1.409A3(j)(4)(ix)(C). The Company is
not a party to, or otherwise obligated under, any Company Employee Plan that
provides for the gross-up of the Tax imposed by Section 409A(a)(1)(B) of the
Code. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and
the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (either alone
or upon the occurrence of any additional or subsequent events) constitute an
event under any Company Employee Plan or Contract that will or may result in any
payment of deferred compensation which will not be in compliance with Section
409A of the Code
(o) The
exercise price of all Company Options is at least equal to the fair market value
of the Company Common Stock on the date such Company Options were granted, and
neither the Company nor Parent has incurred or will incur any liability or
obligation to withhold taxes under Section 409A of the Code upon the
vesting of any Company Options.
(p) The
Company and each Company Subsidiary is in compliance in all material respects
with the Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act of 1988, as amended
(“WARN Act”),
or any similar state or local law. In the past two years,
(i) the Company has not effectuated a “plant closing” (as defined in the
WARN Act) affecting any site of employment or one or more facilities or
operating units within any site of employment or facility of its business;
(ii) there has not occurred a “mass layoff” (as defined in the WARN Act)
affecting any site of employment or facility of the Company; and (iii) the
Company has not been affected by any transaction or engaged in layoffs or
employment terminations sufficient in number to trigger application of any
similar state, local or foreign law or regulation.
3.13 Contracts;
Indebtedness.
(a) Section 3.13(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of each
Contract to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party or which
binds or affects their respective properties or assets, and which falls within
any of the following categories: (i) any agreement that limits the freedom of
the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any of the Company’s current or future
affiliates to compete in any line of business or sell, supply or distribute any
product or service, in each case, in any geographic area, or to hire any
individual or group of individuals, (ii) any agreement that, after the Effective
Time, would have the effect of limiting the freedom of Parent or any of its
Subsidiaries or current or future affiliates to compete in any line of business
or sell, supply or distribute any product or service, in each case, in any
geographic area, or to hire any individual or group of individuals, (iii) any
joint venture or partnership agreement, (iv) any agreement with a supplier or a
customer providing for annual payments or receipts in excess of $250,000 with a
term in excess of one year, (v) any agreement that involves future expenditures
or receipts by the Company or any Company Subsidiary of more than $100,000 in
any one year period, (vi) any agreement that by its terms limits the payment of
dividends or other distributions by the Company or any Company Subsidiary, (vii)
any agreement that grants any right of first refusal or right of first offer or
similar right or that limits or purports to limit the ability of the Company of
any Company
22
Subsidiary to own, operate, sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of
any material amount of assets or businesses, (viii) any acquisition agreement
with a purchase price in excess of $100,000,
and that contains “earn-out” provisions or other contingent payment obligations
that are still effective as of the date of this Agreement, (ix) any divestiture
agreement with a purchase price in excess of $100,000 within the last five years
since the date of this Agreement, and that contains ongoing material
indemnification obligations or other material obligations, (x) any material
agreement or plan that will increase, or accelerate the vesting of, the benefits
to any party by the occurrence of any of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, or will calculate the value of any of the benefits to any party on
the basis of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (xi) any
agreement relating to indebtedness for borrowed money or any financial guaranty,
(xii) any material lease, sublease or other Contract with respect to the Leased
Real Property (“Lease
Agreements”), (xiii) any material license or Contract relating to the
Material Intellectual Property, (xiv) any other “material contract” (as such
term is defined in Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the SEC), or (xv) any
other agreement which would prohibit or materially delay the consummation of the
Merger or any other transaction contemplated by this Agreement. Each
Contract of the type described in this Section 3.12(a) is
referred to herein as a “Company Material
Contract.” True and complete copies of each Company Material
Contract have been provided by the Company to Parent, or publicly filed with the
SEC.
(b) Except as
had not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the
aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect or except as set forth in Section 3.13(b) of
the Disclosure Letter: (i) each Company Material Contract is a valid, binding
and enforceable obligation of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries and, to
the knowledge of the Company, of the other party or parties thereto, in
accordance with its terms; (ii) each Company Material Contract is in
full force and effect and, upon consummation of the Merger, shall continue to be
in full force and effect without penalty, acceleration, termination, repurchase
right or other adverse consequence; (iii) the Company and each Company
Subsidiary has in all material respects performed all obligations required to be
performed by it under each Company Material Contract and, to the knowledge of
the Company, each other party to each Company Material Contract has in all
material respects performed all obligations required to be performed by it under
such Company Material Contract; (iv) none of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary knows of, or has received notice of, any violation or default under
(nor does there exist any condition which upon the passage of time or the giving
of notice or both would cause such a violation of or default under) any Company
Material Contract or any other Contract to which it is a party or by which it or
any of its properties or assets is bound or affected; and (v) neither the
Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received any notice from any other party
to any such Company Material Contract, and otherwise has no knowledge, that such
party intends to terminate, or not renew, any such Company Material
Contract.
(c) Section 3.13(c) of
the Company Disclosure Letter sets
forth all Indebtedness of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the date
hereof.
(d) B+W II, Inc., an Ohio
corporation, (i) has no material non-cash or non-cash equivalent assets, (ii)
has no material liabilities or material Indebtedness and (iii) is not party to
any material Contract.
23
(a) Except as
is set forth in Section 3.14(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter, there is no suit, claim, action, proceeding,
hearing, notice of violation, investigation, arbitration or demand letter
pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the
Company or any Company Subsidiary (including by virtue of indemnification or
otherwise) or their respective assets or properties, or any executive officer or
director of the Company or any Company Subsidiary that, individually or in the
aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any Company Subsidiary has
had or would reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect,
or has resulted or would reasonably be expected to result in damages in excess
of $100,000 or the imposition of an injunction, or challenges the validity or
propriety of the Merger, or otherwise seeks to prevent or materially delay
consummation of the Merger or performance by the Company of any of its material
obligations under this Agreement.
(b) Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary is subject to any outstanding material
order, writ, injunction, judgment, decree or arbitration ruling, award or other
finding.
3.15 Environmental
Matters.
(a) Each of
the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (collectively, the “Inclusive
Companies”), is now and for the past three (3) years has been in material
compliance with all Environmental Laws and each has all Environmental Permits
materially necessary for the conduct and operation of the Business as now being
conducted, and all such Environmental Permits are in good standing.
(b) To the
knowledge of the Company, there is not now and has not been any Hazardous
Substances used, generated, treated, stored, transported, disposed of, released,
handled or otherwise existing on, under, about, or emanating from or to, any
property currently owned, leased or operated by the Inclusive Companies, or any
property previously owned, leased or operated by the Inclusive Companies at the
time the Inclusive Companies owned, leased or operated said property, except in
material compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws.
(c) The
Inclusive Companies have not received any notice of alleged, actual or potential
responsibility or liability for, or any inquiry or investigation regarding, any
release or threatened release of or exposure to any Hazardous Substances or
alleged violation of, or non-compliance with, or liability under any
Environmental Law, nor are the Inclusive Companies aware of any information
which might form the basis of any such notice or claim.
(d) To the
knowledge of the Company, there is no site to which the Inclusive Companies has
transported or arranged for the transport of Hazardous Substances which is the
subject of any environmental action or finding.
(e) Except as
set forth on Section
3.15(e) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there is not now nor, to the
knowledge of any of the Inclusive Companies, has there ever been, any
underground or aboveground storage tank at any property currently owned, leased
or
24
operated
by the Inclusive Companies or at any property previously owned, leased or
operated by the Inclusive Companies at the time the Inclusive Companies owned,
leased or operated said property.
(f) The
Inclusive Companies have not released any other Person from claims or liability
under any Environmental Law nor have waived any material rights concerning any
claims under any Environmental Law.
(g) No
Inclusive Company is an indemnitor in connection with any potential or actual
claim for any liability or responsibility under any Environmental
Law.
(h) The
Inclusive Companies have not entered into or agreed to any consent order or
decree, or Contract, or is subject to any judgment, settlement, order, or
agreement relating to, compliance with, or liability under, any Environmental
Law, Environmental Permit, or the investigation, sampling, monitoring,
treatment, remediation, removal or cleanup of Hazardous Substance.
(i) True and
complete copies, in the Inclusive Companies’ possession or control, of all
sampling results, environmental or safety audits or inspections, or other
written reports concerning environmental, health or safety issues, pertaining to
any current or former operations of the Inclusive Companies or property
currently or formerly owned, leased or operated by the Inclusive Companies, have
been provided to Parent.
(j) None of
the Inclusive Companies has manufactured, sold or distributed any products
containing asbestos or asbestos-containing materials and, except as set forth in
Section 3.15(j)
of the Company Disclosure Letter, none of the Inclusive Companies is subject to
any claim, notice or demand alleging liability associated with exposure to
asbestos or asbestos-containing materials or products.
3.16 Intellectual
Property.
(a) General. Section 3.16(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth the following registered Intellectual
Property Rights owned by the Company (the “Registered Company
Intellectual Property”) and each Company Subsidiary: (i) each patent and
patent application, including the patent number or application serial number for
each jurisdiction in which the patent or application has been filed, the date
filed or issued, and the present status thereof; (ii) each registered trademark,
tradename or service xxxx, including the application serial number or
registration number, for each country, province and state, and the class of
goods covered, (iii) each material registered URL or domain name, including the
registration date, any renewal date and name of registry; (iv) each registered
mask work, including the registration number and date of registration; and (v)
each registered copyrighted work, including the number and date of registration
for each among country, province and state, in which a copyright application has
been registered. True and complete copies of all applications filed
and registrations (including all pending applications and application related
documents) related to the Registered Company Intellectual Property listed on
Section 3.16(a)
of the Company Disclosure Letter have been provided or made available to
Parent.
25
(b) Sufficiency. Except as would not
reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company
Material Adverse Effect, all of the Intellectual Property
Rights and Technology necessary for the conduct of the Business as presently
conducted or proposed to be conducted, including the design, manufacture,
license and sale of all products currently under development or in production
(collectively, the “Material Intellectual
Property”) are either owned by or licensed to the Company or the Company
Subsidiary using such Intellectual Property Rights and
Technology.
(c) Ownership. Except
as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a
Company Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each Company Subsidiary either
owns all right, title and interest in and to the Material Intellectual Property,
including the Intellectual Property Rights and Technology listed on Section 3.16(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter, free and clear of Liens (other than Permitted
Liens), or has a valid and enforceable right or license to use all other
Material Intellectual Property Rights, and any and all such licensed Material
Intellectual Property (the “Licensed Material
Intellectual Property”) will not cease to be valid and enforceable rights
of the Company or any Company Subsidiary by reason of the execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby. Except as would reasonably be expected to have,
individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, without
limiting the foregoing, the Material Intellectual Property other than the
Licensed Material Intellectual Property (the “Owned Material Intellectual
Property”) has been: (i) developed by employees of the Company or a
Company Subsidiary, as the case may be, within the scope of their employment;
(ii) developed by independent contractors who have assigned their rights to the
Company or a Company Subsidiary pursuant to enforceable written agreements; or
(iii) otherwise acquired by the Company or a Company Subsidiary from a third
party who assigned all Intellectual Property Rights and Technology it has
developed to the Company or such Company Subsidiary.
(d) Absence of Claims;
Non-infringement. (i) No proceedings, claims, or actions have
been instituted or are pending against the Company or any Company Subsidiary,
or, to the knowledge of the Company, are threatened, that challenge the right of
the Company or any Company Subsidiary with respect to the use or ownership of
the Material Intellectual Property; (ii) no interference, opposition, reissue,
reexamination, or other proceeding is or has been pending or, to the knowledge
of the Company, threatened, in which the scope, validity, or enforceability of
any of the Owned Material Intellectual Property is being, has been, or could
reasonably be expected to be contested or challenged; (iii) to the knowledge of
the Company, neither the Company’s or any Company Subsidiary’s past nor present
use of the Material Intellectual Property, or conduct of the Business including
the design, manufacture, license and sale of all products currently under
development or in production, infringes upon or misappropriates, breaches or
otherwise conflicts with the rights of any other Person; (iv) the Company has
not received any notice alleging, and otherwise has no knowledge of, the
invalidity of, or limitation on the Company’s or any Company Subsidiary’s right
to use, any of the Material Intellectual Property, or the alleged infringement,
misappropriation or breach of any rights of others by the Company or any Company
Subsidiary; (v) no Person has notified the Company that it is claiming any
ownership of or right to use any Owned Material Intellectual Property; (vi) the
Owned Material Intellectual Property is not subject to any outstanding judgment,
decree, order, writ, award, injunction or determination of an arbitrator or
court or other Governmental Entity
26
affecting the rights of the Company or any Company Subsidiary with respect
thereto; and (vii) to the
knowledge of the Company, no Person has interfered with, infringed upon or
misappropriated any of the Owned Material Intellectual Property, or is currently
doing so.
(e) Protection of Intellectual
Property Rights. Except as would not reasonably be expected to
have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, all of the
registrations and pending applications to governmental or regulatory bodies
disclosed in Section
3.16(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter with respect to the Material
Intellectual Property have been timely and duly filed, prosecution for such
applications has been attended to, all maintenance and related fees have been
paid (except as otherwise disclosed on Section 3.16(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter), and the Company and each Company Subsidiary has
taken all other actions required to maintain their validity and
effectiveness. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have,
individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, (x) the Company and
each Company Subsidiary has taken all reasonable steps necessary or appropriate
(including, entering into written confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements
with officers, directors, subcontractors, employees, licensees and customers in
connection with its assets or the Business) to safeguard and maintain the
secrecy and confidentiality of trade secrets that are material to the Business,
(y) no funding, facilities, or Personnel of any Governmental Entity or
educational institution were used, directly or indirectly, to develop or create,
in whole or in part, any of the Owned Material Intellectual Property, and (z)
neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has made any submission or
suggestion to, and is not subject to any agreement with, standards bodies or
other entities that would obligate the Company or any Company Subsidiary to
grant licenses to or otherwise impair its control of the Owned Material
Intellectual Property. To the knowledge of the Company, (i) there has
been no misappropriation of any trade secrets or other material confidential
Intellectual Property Rights or Technology used in connection with the Business
by any Person; (ii) no employee, independent contractor or agent of the Company
or any Company Subsidiary has misappropriated any trade secrets of any other
Person in the course of performance as an employee, independent contractor or
agent of the Business; and (iii) no employee, independent contractor or agent of
the Company or any Company Subsidiary is in default or breach of any term of any
employment agreement, nondisclosure agreement, assignment of invention agreement
or similar agreement or Contract relating in any way to the protection,
ownership, development, use or transfer of the Owned Material Intellectual
Property.
(f) Software;
Escrow. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have,
individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, any Software
incorporated in the Company’s or the Company Subsidiaries’ products performs in
all material respects free of any bugs, viruses, worms, trojan horses, or
programming errors affecting its functionality. None of the Software
is, in whole or in part, subject to the provisions of any “copyleft,” open
source or quasi-open source license agreement, or any other agreement obligating
the Company or any Company Subsidiary to make source code available to third
parties or to publish source code. None of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary has entered into any agreement requiring the Company or any Company
Subsidiary to place the Software source code or other Technology in escrow so
that a licensee might obtain access upon the occurrence of any release
condition.
(g) Export
Control. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect, the Company has obtained all approvals necessary for
exporting
27
the
Company’s or the Company Subsidiaries’ products, including Software, outside the
United States in accordance with all applicable United States export control
regulations, and importing the products and Software into any country in which
the products and Software are now sold or licensed for use, and all such export
and import approvals in the United States and throughout the world are valid,
current, outstanding and in full force and effect.
3.17 Tax
Matters.
(a) Tax
Returns. The Company and each Company Subsidiary have timely
filed with the appropriate taxing authorities all material Tax Returns required
to be filed (taking into account any extensions of time within which to file
such Tax Returns). All such Tax Returns are true, correct and
complete in all material respects. All material Taxes due and owing
by the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (whether or not shown on any Tax
Return) have been paid. Neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary have received any written notice or inquiry that has not been
resolved that either of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is or may be
subject to taxation in a jurisdiction where the Company or any Company
Subsidiary has not or does not file Tax Returns.
(b) Payment of Taxes. The
unpaid Taxes of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (i) did not, as of the
dates of the Company Financial Statements, materially exceed the reserve for Tax
liability (excluding any reserve for deferred Taxes established to reflect
timing differences between book and Tax income) set forth on the face of the
balance sheets (rather than in any notes thereto) contained in the Company
Financial Statements, and (ii) will not materially exceed that reserve as
adjusted for operations and transactions through the Closing Date in accordance
with the past custom and practice of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries in
filing their Tax Returns. Since the date of the most recent Company
Financial Statement, neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has
incurred any material liability for Taxes outside the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice or otherwise inconsistent with past
custom and practice.
(c) Audits, Investigations or
Claims. No deficiencies for any material Taxes against any of
the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have been claimed, proposed or assessed
by any taxing authority or other Governmental Entity that have not been
resolved. There are no current, pending, or scheduled audits,
unresolved notices, assessments or other actions for or relating to any
liability in respect of any material Taxes of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary. The Company has delivered or made available to Parent
true and complete copies of all federal and other material, state and local Tax
Returns of each of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and their
predecessors for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and true
and complete copies of all examination reports and statements of deficiencies
assessed against or agreed to by the Company or any Company Subsidiary or any
predecessors since January 1, 2007. Neither the Company nor any of
the Company Subsidiaries have waived any statute of limitations in respect of
Taxes or agreed to any extension of time with respect to a Tax assessment or
deficiency.
(d) Liens. There
are no Liens for Taxes other than Permitted Liens on any assets of any of the
Company and the Company Subsidiaries.
28
(e) Tax
Elections. Neither the Company
nor any Company Subsidiary (i) has consented at any time under
Section 341(f)(1) of the Code to have the provisions of Section 341(f)(2)
of the Code apply to any disposition of the assets of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary; (ii) has agreed, or is required, to make any adjustment under
Section 481(a) of the Code by reason of a change in accounting method
or otherwise, other than as set forth on Section 3.17(e) of
the Company Disclosure Letter; (iii) has made an election, or is required,
to treat any of its assets as owned by another Person pursuant to the provisions
of Section 168(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or as tax-exempt
bond financed property or tax-exempt use property within the meaning of
Section 168 of the Code; (iv) has acquired or owns any assets that
directly or indirectly secure any debt the interest on which is tax exempt under
Section 103(a) of the Code; (v) has made or will make a consent
dividend election under Section 565 of the Code; or (vi) made any of the
foregoing elections or is required to apply any of the foregoing rules under any
comparable state or local Tax provision.
(f) Tax Sharing
Agreements. There are no Tax-sharing agreements or similar
arrangements (including indemnity arrangements) with respect to or involving any
of the Company or any Company Subsidiary with any third party, that after the
Effective Time would give rise to an indemnification obligation.
(g) Other Entity
Liability. None of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has
been a member of an affiliated group filing a consolidated federal income Tax
Return (other than a group the common parent of which is the
Company). None of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has any
liability for the Taxes of any Person (other than Taxes of the Company and the
Company Subsidiaries) (i) under Treasury regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or
any similar provision of state, local or foreign law), (ii) as a transferee or
successor, (iii) by Contract, or (iv) otherwise.
(h) No
Withholding. Each of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries
has withheld and paid all material Taxes required to have been withheld and paid
in connection with amounts paid or owing to any employee, independent
contractor, creditor, shareholder or other third party.
(i) USRPHC. None
of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has been a United States real property
holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897(c)(2) of the Code during
the applicable period specified in Section 897(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the
Code.
(j) Partnerships, Single Member
LLCs, CFCs and PHCs. Neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary (i) is a partner for Tax purposes with respect to any joint venture,
partnership, or other arrangement or Contract which is treated as a partnership
for Tax purposes, (ii) owns a single member limited liability company which is
treated as a disregarded entity, or (iii) is a shareholder of a “controlled
foreign corporation” as defined in Section 957 of the Code (or any similar
provision of state, local or foreign law).
(k) Spin-Offs. Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has distributed the stock of any
corporation in a transaction satisfying or intending to satisfy the requirements
of Section 355 of the Code, and neither the stock of the Company nor the stock
of
29
any Company Subsidiary has been distributed in a transaction satisfying or
intending to satisfy the requirements of Section 355 of the Code.
(l) Tax
Shelters. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has
entered into any transaction identified as a “listed transaction” for purposes
of Treasury Regulations Sections 1.6011-4(b)(2) or
301.6111-2(b)(2).
(m) Net Operating
Losses. To the knowledge of the Company, neither the Company
nor any Company Subsidiary has undergone any ownership changes that would cause
an annual limitation on the utilization of its net operating losses pursuant to
Section 382 of the Code.
3.18
Insurance.
Except as
would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a
Company Material Adverse Effect, (a) the Company and each Company Subsidiary
maintains insurance coverage with reputable and financially sound insurers, or
maintains self-insurance practices, in such amounts and covering such risks as
are in accordance with customary industry practice for companies engaged in
businesses similar to that of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, and (b)
each of the insurance policies of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (the
“Insurance
Policies”) is in full force and effect, all premiums due thereon have
been paid in full and the Company and the Company Subsidiaries are in compliance
in all material respects with the terms and conditions of such insurance
policies.
3.19 Properties and
Assets. The
Company and the Company Subsidiaries have, and immediately following the
Effective Time will continue to have, good and valid title to their owned
material assets and properties, or in the case of assets and properties they
lease, license, or have other rights in, good and valid rights by lease, license
or other agreement to use, all material assets and properties (in each case,
tangible and intangible) necessary and desirable to permit the Company and the
Company Subsidiaries to conduct their respective businesses in all material
respects as currently conducted. The assets and properties (in each
case, tangible or intangible) owned or used by the Company or the Company
Subsidiaries are in satisfactory condition for their continued use as they have
been used and adequate in all material respects for their current use, subject
to reasonable wear and tear.
3.20 Real
Property.
(a) Section 3.20(a) of
the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of all real
property and interest in real property owned in fee by the Company or any
Company Subsidiary (collectively, the “Owned Real Property”)
and the address for each Owned Real Property. The Company or a
Company Subsidiary, as the case may be, holds good, valid, legal and marketable
fee title to the Owned Real Property, free and clear of all Liens, except for
Permitted Liens, and all buildings, structures, improvements and fixtures
located on, under, over or within the Owned Real Property are in a state of good
operating condition and are sufficient for the ordinary conduct of business,
subject to reasonable wear and tear between the date hereof and the Effective
Time.
(b) Section 3.20(b) of
the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth (i) a true and complete list of all
real property leased, subleased or otherwise occupied by the
30
Company or any Company Subsidiary (collectively, the “Leased Real
Property”), (ii) the address for each Leased Real Property, (iii) a
description of the applicable lease, sublease or other agreement therefore and
any and all amendments, modifications, side letters relating thereto and (iv) the
current rent amounts payable by the Company or any Company Subsidiary related to
each Leased Real Property. No Lease Agreement is subject to any Lien,
including any right to the use or occupancy of any Leased Real Property, other
than Permitted Liens.
(c) The Owned
Real Property and the Leased Real Property are referred to collectively herein
as the “Real
Property.” Each parcel of Real Property is in material
compliance with all existing Laws applicable to such Real
Property. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received
written notice of any proceedings in eminent domain, condemnation or other
similar proceedings that are pending, and, to the knowledge of the Company,
there are no such proceedings threatened, affecting any portion of the Real
Property and neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received written
notice of the existence of any outstanding writ, injunction, decree, order or
judgment or of any pending proceeding, and there is no such writ, injunction,
decree, order, judgment or proceeding threatened, relating to the ownership,
lease, use, occupancy or operation by any Person of the Real
Property.
3.21 Opinion of Financial
Advisor. The
Company Board has received the written opinion (the “Fairness Opinion”)
of Western Reserve Partners LLC (the “Company Financial
Advisor”), dated as of the date of this Agreement, to the effect that, as
of the date of this Agreement, the consideration to be received by the
shareholders of the Company pursuant to the Merger is fair to such shareholders
from a financial point of view. The Company shall provide a true and
complete signed copy of such opinion to Parent solely for information purposes
as soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement.
3.22 Information in the Proxy
Statement. The Proxy
Statement (and any amendment thereof or supplement thereto), at the date mailed
to the Company’s shareholders and at the time of any meeting of the Company’s
shareholders to be held in connection with the Merger, will not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except
that no representation or warranty is made by the Company with respect to
statements made therein based on information supplied by Parent or Merger Sub in
writing expressly for inclusion in the Proxy Statement. The Proxy
Statement will comply as to form in all material respects with the provisions of
the Exchange Act and any other applicable federal securities laws.
3.23 Required Vote.
The
affirmative vote of the holders of shares representing a majority of the
outstanding shares of the Company Common Stock to adopt this Agreement and the
Merger (the "Company
Shareholder Approval") is the only vote required, if any, of the holders
of any class or series of capital stock or other Equity Interests of the Company
to adopt this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the
Merger.
3.24 Related Party
Transactions. Except as
set forth in Section
3.24 of the Company Disclosure Letter, neither the Company nor any
Company Subsidiary is a party to any material Contract or transaction with, any
holder of 5% or more of the Company Common Stock
31
or any director, officer, employee or affiliate of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary, or to any relative of any of the foregoing, in each case,
that is the type that would be required to be disclosed
under Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, and except for
employment or compensation agreements or arrangements with directors, officers
and employees made in the ordinary course consistent with past
practice.
3.25 Customers.
Section 3.25 of the
Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of the names of
the Company’s and the Company Subsidiaries’ then ten (10) largest customers
(based on sales) for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2009 and for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 showing the approximate aggregate total
sales in dollars by the Company or Company Subsidiary to each such customer
during each such period. None of the customers listed in Section 3.25 of the
Company Disclosure Letter has advised the Company or any Company Subsidiary in
writing or, to the knowledge of the Company, verbally, that it has ceased, or
will cease, to use the Company’s products, equipment, goods or services, or has
substantially reduced, or will substantially reduce, the use of such products,
equipment, good or services at any time.
3.26 Suppliers.
Section 3.26 of the
Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of the names of
the Company’s and the Company Subsidiaries’ then five (5) largest suppliers
(based on dollar value of suppliers) for the nine-month period ended
September 30, 2009, and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008,
showing the approximate aggregate total purchases in dollars by the Company or
Company Subsidiary from each such supplier during each such
period. None of the suppliers listed in Section 3.26 of the
Company Disclosure Letter has advised the Company or any Company Subsidiary in
writing or, to the knowledge of the Company, verbally, that it will not sell raw
materials, supplies, merchandise and other goods or provide services to the
Company or such Company Subsidiary at any time after the Effective Time on terms
and conditions substantially similar to those currently in effect, subject only
to general and customary price increases. Neither the Company nor any
Company Subsidiary has a customer or supplier relationship with, or is a party
to any Contract with, any Person (a) organized or domiciled in or that is a
citizen of Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria (including any
Governmental Authority within any such country) or (b) that appears on the
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List of the Office of Foreign
Assets Controls in the United States Department of the Treasury, or in the
Annexes to the United States Executive Order 13224 – Blocking Property and
Prohibiting Transactions with Person Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support
Terrorism.
ARTICLE
4
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGER SUB
Except as
set forth in the Disclosure Letter delivered by Parent and Merger Sub to the
Company prior to the execution of this Agreement (the “Parent Disclosure
Letter”), which identifies items of disclosure by reference to a
particular Section or subsection of this Agreement, Parent and Merger Sub hereby
represent and warrant to the Company as follows:
4.1 Organization and
Qualification. Parent is
a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the
laws of the state of Delaware and has all requisite corporate power and
authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to carry on
its business as it is now being conducted. Merger Sub is a
corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws
of the state of Ohio and has all
32
requisite corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its
properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being
conducted. Each of Parent and Merger Sub is duly qualified
to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership,
leasing or operation of its properties or assets or the conduct of its business
requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in
good standing, individually or in the aggregate, has not had and would not
reasonably be expected to have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
4.2 Authority.
Each of
Parent and Merger Sub has all necessary corporate power and authority to execute
and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, including the
Merger. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and by each of
Parent and Merger Sub, as applicable, and the consummation by Parent and Merger
Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, have been
duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporation action, and no other
corporate proceedings on the part of Parent or Merger Sub and no shareholder
votes are necessary to authorize this Agreement or to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly
authorized and validly executed and delivered by Parent and Merger Sub, and
assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Company, constitutes a
legal, valid and binding obligation of Parent and Merger Sub, enforceable
against Parent and Merger Sub in accordance with its terms.
4.3 No Conflict.
None of
the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by Parent or Merger
Sub, the consummation by Parent or Merger Sub of the Merger or any other
transaction contemplated by this Agreement, or compliance by Parent or Merger
Sub with any of the provisions of this Agreement will (with or without notice or
lapse of time, or both): (a) conflict with or violate any provision of the
certificate of incorporation or bylaws of Parent or the articles of
incorporation or code of regulations of Merger Sub; (b) assuming that all
consents, approvals, authorizations and permits described in Section 4.4 have
been obtained and all filings and notifications described in Section 4.4 have
been made and any waiting periods thereunder have terminated or expired,
conflict with or violate any Law applicable to Parent or Merger Sub or any other
Subsidiary of Parent (each a “Parent Subsidiary”
and, collectively, the “Parent Subsidiaries”)
or any of their respective properties or assets; or (c) except as set forth on
Section 4.3 of
the Parent Disclosure Letter, require any consent or approval under, violate,
conflict with, result in any breach of or any loss of any benefit under, or
constitute a default under, or result in termination or give to others any right
of termination, vesting, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, or result
in the creation of a Lien upon any of the respective properties or assets of
Parent, Merger Sub or any Parent Subsidiary pursuant to, any Contract, permit or
other instrument or obligation to which Parent, Merger Sub or any Parent
Subsidiary is a party or by which they or any of their respective properties or
assets may be bound or affected, except, with respect to clauses (b) and (c),
for any such conflicts, violations, consents, breaches, losses, defaults, other
occurrences or Liens which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and
would not reasonably be expected to have a Parent Material Adverse
Effect.
4.4 Required Filings and
Consents. None of
the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement by Parent and Merger
Sub, the consummation by Parent and Merger Sub of the Merger or any other
transaction contemplated by this Agreement, or compliance by Parent or Merger
Sub with any of the provisions of this Agreement will require (with or without
notice or lapse of time, or both) any consent, approval, authorization or permit
of, or filing or registration with or notification to, any Governmental Entity,
other than (a) the
33
filing and recordation of the Certificate of Merger and articles
of incorporation, as amended, of the Surviving Corporation as required by the
OGCL, (b) compliance with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act, (c)
compliance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, (d)
compliance with any applicable foreign or state securities or Blue Sky Laws, (e)
filings with the SEC as may be required by Parent or Merger Sub in connection
with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, (f) such filings
as may be required under the rules and regulations of NASDAQ and (g) where the
failure to obtain such consents, approvals, authorizations or permits of, or to
make such filings, registrations with or notifications to any Governmental
Entity or any other Person, individually or in the aggregate, has not has and
would not reasonably be expected to have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
4.5 Litigation.
There is
no suit, claim, action, proceeding, hearing, notice of violation, investigation,
arbitration or demand letter pending or, to the knowledge of Parent, threatened
against or affecting Parent or Merger Sub, or any executive officer or director
of Parent or Merger Sub, that, individually or in the aggregate, challenges the
validity or propriety of the Merger, or otherwise seeks to prevent or materially
delay consummation of the Merger or performance by Parent and Merger Sub of
their material obligations under this Agreement.
4.6 Information in the Proxy
Statement. The
information supplied by Parent or Merger Sub in writing expressly for inclusion
or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement (and any amendment thereof
or supplement thereto) will not, at the date mailed to the Company’s
shareholders and at the time of the meeting of the Company’s shareholders to be
held in connection with the Merger, contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
4.7 Sufficient Funds.
Parent
and Merger Sub will have all of the funds available as and when needed that are
necessary to consummate the Merger and to perform their respective obligations
under this Agreement.
4.8 Ownership of Merger Sub; No
Prior Activities.
(a) Merger
Sub was formed solely for the purpose of engaging in the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Except
for obligations or liabilities incurred in connection with its incorporation or
organization and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, Merger Sub has
not and will not prior to the Effective Time have incurred, directly or
indirectly, through any Subsidiary or affiliate, any obligations or liabilities
or engaged in any business activities of any type or kind whatsoever or entered
into any agreements or arrangements with any Person.
4.9 Brokers. Except
for The Gores Group, LLC, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by Parent
or Merger Sub, no broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other person
is entitled to any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s or other similar fee
or commission in connection with the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of
Parent or Merger Sub.
4.10 Parent Balance Sheet;
Debt. Parent
has delivered to the Company a copy of Parent’s balance sheet, dated as of
September 30, 2009 (“Parent Balance
Sheet”), which is attached in Section 4.10 of the
Parent Disclosure Letter. Parent Balance Sheet (i) was
34
prepared in accordance with the books and records of Parent; (ii) is true
and correct in all material respects; (iii) fairly and accurately presents in
all material respects the financial position of Parent as of the date
thereof. As of the date of Parent Balance Sheet, Parent was not
liable for or obligated with respect to any material debt (including the debt of
Parent’s affiliates) other than as reflected on Parent Balance
Sheet. Since the date of the Parent Balance Sheet through the date
hereof, there has been no material diminution in the value of the assets of
Parent nor has their been a material increase in the outstanding debt of Parent,
in either case which would materially adversely effect the ability of Parent to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
ARTICLE
5
COVENANTS
5.1 Conduct of Business by the
Company Pending the Closing. The
Company agrees that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time,
except as expressly permitted by any other provision of this Agreement (and
Section 5.1 of
the Company Disclosure Letter) or as required to comply with applicable Law,
unless Parent shall otherwise agree in writing (which shall not be unreasonably
withheld), the Company will, and will cause each Company Subsidiary to, (a)
conduct its operations only in the ordinary and usual course of business
consistent with past practice, (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to
keep available the services of the current officers, employees and consultants
of the Company and each Company Subsidiary and preserve the goodwill and current
relationships of the Company and each Company Subsidiary with customers,
suppliers and other Persons with which the Company or any Company Subsidiary has
significant business relations, (c) preserve intact its business organization,
and (d) comply in all material respects with all applicable
Laws. Without limiting the foregoing, and as an extension thereof,
except as set forth in Section 5.1 of the
Company Disclosure Letter or as expressly permitted by any other
provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not (unless required by
applicable Law), and shall not permit any Company Subsidiary to, between the
date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, directly or indirectly, do, or
agree to do, any of the following without the prior written consent of
Parent:
(a) amend or
otherwise change its articles of incorporation or code of regulations or
equivalent organizational documents;
(b) issue,
sell, pledge, dispose of, grant, transfer or encumber, or authorize the
issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant, transfer, or encumbrance of, any
shares of capital stock of, or other Equity Interests in, the Company or any
Company Subsidiary of any class, or securities convertible into, or exchangeable
or exercisable for, any shares of such capital stock or other Equity Interests,
or any options, warrants or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of
such capital stock or other Equity Interests or such convertible or exchangeable
securities, or any other ownership interest (including, without limitation, any
such interest represented by Contract right), of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, other than the issuance of Shares upon the exercise of Company
Options outstanding as of the date hereof or pursuant to the ESPP in accordance
with their terms;
(c) (i) sell,
pledge, dispose of, transfer, lease (as lessor), license, guarantee or encumber
(other than a Permitted Lien), or authorize the sale, pledge, disposition,
transfer, lease (as lessor), license, guarantee or encumbrance of (other than a
Permitted Lien), any material property or assets (including Intellectual
Property Rights and Technology) of the
35
Company or any Company Subsidiary, except (A) pursuant to existing
contracts or commitments or the sale, lease, purchase or other disposition of
goods in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (B) in
connection with liens granted to secure Indebtedness permitted to be incurred
pursuant to Section
5.1(h), and (C) sales, lease or other dispositions of assets other than
in the ordinary course of business having a fair market value not in excess of
$50,000 in the aggregate; or (ii) enter into any commitment or transaction
outside the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice other than
transactions between a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary and the Company or
another wholly-owned Company Subsidiary;
(d) declare,
set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether payable in
cash, stock, property or a combination thereof) with respect to any of its
capital stock (other than dividends paid by a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary to
the Company or another wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) or enter into any
agreement with respect to the voting or registration of its capital
stock;
(e) reclassify,
combine, split, subdivide or amend the terms of, or redeem, purchase or
otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock, other
Equity Interests or any other securities;
(f) merge or
consolidate the Company or any Company Subsidiary with any Person or adopt a
plan of complete or partial liquidation or resolutions providing for a complete
or partial liquidation, dissolution, restructuring, recapitalization or other
reorganization of the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(g) acquire
(including, without limitation, by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of
stock or assets) any interest in any Person or any division thereof, except as
permitted by Section
5.1(i);
(h) incur any
indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume,
guarantee or endorse, or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for
(whether directly, contingently or otherwise), the obligations of any Person
(other than a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) for borrowed money, except for
borrowings under the Company’s existing credit facilities for working capital
purposes in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice (or
any refinancing of such existing credit facilities so long as such refinancing
does not result in aggregate Indebtedness greater than that outstanding as of
the date of such refinancing or other terms less favorable to the Company than
the existing credit facilities);
(i) make any
loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person
(other than any wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) in excess of $10,000 in the
aggregate;
(j) terminate,
cancel, renew, or request or agree to any material change in or waiver under any
Company Material Contract, or enter into or amend any Contract that, if existing
on the date hereof, would be a Company Material Contract;
36
(k) make or
authorize any capital expenditure (i) in the aggregate (together with all
previous capital expenditures) in excess of the Company’s capital expenditure
budget as disclosed to Parent prior to the date hereof or (ii) individually in
excess of $25,000;
(l) (i)
increase the compensation or benefits payable or to become payable to its
directors, officers, employees or consultants (except for increases in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in salaries or wages
of employees (other than officers) of the Company or any Company Subsidiary);
(ii) grant any rights to severance or termination pay to, or enter into any
employment, change in control, retention, severance or similar agreement with,
any current or former director, officer, consultant or employee of the Company
or any Company Subsidiary, or establish, adopt, enter into or amend any
collective bargaining, bonus, profit sharing, thrift, compensation, stock
option, restricted stock, pension, retirement, deferred compensation,
consulting, employment, change in control, retention, termination, severance or
other plan, agreement, trust, fund, policy or arrangement for the benefit of any
director, officer, employee or consultant; (iii) take any action to amend or
waive any performance or vesting criteria or accelerate vesting, exercisability
or funding under any Company Benefit Plan; or (iv) terminate the employment
(other than for cause), change the title, office or position, or materially
reduce the responsibilities of any management, supervisory or other key
personnel of the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(m) forgive
any loans to directors, officers, employees or any of their respective
affiliates;
(n) (i)
pre-pay any long-term debt; (ii) waive, release, pay, discharge or satisfy any
claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise),
except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and in
accordance with their terms; (iii) accelerate or delay collection of notes or
accounts receivable in advance of or beyond their regular due dates or the dates
when the same would have been collected in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practice; (iv) delay or accelerate payment of any
account payable in advance of its due date or the date such liability would have
been paid in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; or
(v) vary its inventory practices in any material respect from past
practices;
(o) make any
change in accounting policies, practices, principles, methods or procedures
materially affecting the reported consolidated assets, liabilities or results of
operations of the Company, other than as required by GAAP or by a Governmental
Entity; provided, that the
Company shall promptly notify Parent in the event of any material change in
accounting policies, practice, principles, methods or procedures;
(p) waive,
release, assign, settle or compromise any material claims;
(q) compromise,
settle or agree to settle any suit, action, claim, proceeding or investigation
(including any suit, action, claim, proceeding or investigation relating to this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby) other than compromises,
settlements or agreements in the ordinary course of business consistent with
past practice that involve only the payment of monetary damages not in excess of
$25,000 individually or
37
$100,000 in the aggregate, in any case without the imposition of equitable
relief on, or the admission of wrongdoing by, the Company or any Company
Subsidiary;
(r) make or
change any material tax election or settle or compromise any material liability
for Taxes, file any amended Tax Return involving a material amount of additional
Taxes (except as required by Law), enter into any closing agreement relating to
a material amount of Taxes, or waive or extend the statute of limitations in
respect of Taxes (other than pursuant to extensions of time to file Tax Returns
obtained in the ordinary course of business);
(s) write up,
write down or write off the book value of any assets, in the aggregate, in
excess of $25,000 except in accordance with GAAP consistently
applied;
(t) take any
action (i) to make the Company subject (A) to the provisions of Section 1701.831
of the OGCL or (B) any other state takeover law or state law that purports to
limit or restrict business combinations or the ability to acquire or vote shares
or any action taken thereby, or (ii) to opt out of or cause the restrictions
contained in Section 1704 of the OGCL to not apply to the Company or its
shareholders;
(u) take any
action that is intended or would reasonably be expected to result in any of the
conditions to the Merger set forth in Article 6 not being
satisfied;
(v) convene
any regular or special meeting (or any adjournment thereof) of the shareholders
of the Company other than a shareholder meeting to adopt this Agreement and the
Merger (if such a meeting is required by applicable Law);
(w) fail to
keep in force insurance policies or replacement or revised provisions providing
insurance coverage with respect to the assets, operations and activities of the
Company and the Company Subsidiaries as are currently in effect;
(x) spend, or
commit to spend, more than $25,000 on any information technology products or
services; or
(y) authorize
any of, enter into any Contract to do any of, or otherwise make any commitment
to do any of, the foregoing.
5.2 Cooperation.
The
Company and Parent shall coordinate and cooperate in connection with
(a) the preparation of the Proxy Statement and any Other Filings, (b)
determining whether any action by or in respect of, or filing with, any
Governmental Entity is required, or any actions are required to be taken under,
or consents, approvals or waivers are required to be obtained from parties to,
any material Contracts of the Company, in connection with the Merger or the
other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and (c) timely taking any
such actions, seeking any such consents, approvals or waivers or making any such
filings or furnishing information required in connection therewith or with the
Proxy Statement or any Other Filings.
5.3 Access to Information;
Confidentiality. Except as
prohibited by applicable Law, the Company shall, and shall cause each Company
Subsidiary to afford to Parent
38
and its
directors, officers, employees, accountants, consultants, legal counsel,
advisors, agents and other representatives (collectively, “Representatives”),
reasonable access during normal business hours during the period prior to the
Effective Time to all their respective properties, books and records (including
Tax Returns), contracts, commitments, personnel and records, and to those
employees of the Company to whom Parent reasonably requests access, but to the
extent that such access does not unreasonably interfere with the business or
operations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and, during such period,
the Company shall, and shall cause each of the Company Subsidiaries to, furnish
promptly to Parent (a) a copy of each report, schedule, registration statement
and other document filed by it during such period pursuant to the requirements
of Federal or state securities laws and (b) all other information concerning its
business, properties and personnel as Parent may reasonably request; provided,
however, that the Company may withhold (i) any document or information that is
subject to the terms of a confidentiality agreement with a third party, or (ii)
any document or information to the extent that the disclosure thereof would
result in the loss of attorney-client privilege. If any material is withheld by
the Company or a Company Subsidiary pursuant to the proviso to the preceding
sentence, such party shall inform Parent as to the general nature of what is
being withheld. The Company will permit Parent and its Representatives, on
reasonable advance notice, to perform customary environmental inspections at and
of the Owned Real Property and the Leased Property of the Company and the
Company Subsidiaries. Parent and the Company shall form a
transitional working group, comprised of the persons set forth on Section 5.3 of the
Company Disclosure Letter, which shall meet at the reasonable request of Parent
(which shall be no more frequently than weekly without the Company’s consent,
not to be unreasonably withheld) prior to the Closing to discuss transitional
planning matters relating to the Company. As part of such meetings,
subject to the requirements of applicable Law, Parent shall be permitted to
inquire as to, and management of the Company shall undertake commercially
reasonable efforts to respond with respect to, all material matters relating to
the Company, including the financial and operating results, conditions, plans
and prospects of the Company. No investigation conducted pursuant to
this Section
5.3 shall affect or be deemed to modify or limit any representation or
warranty made by the Company in this Agreement. All information
exchanged pursuant to this Section 5.3 shall be
subject to the Confidentiality Agreement.
5.4 No Solicitation of
Transactions.
(a) Subject
to Section
5.4(b), from and after the date hereof until the Effective Time or, if
earlier, the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 7, the
Company shall not, and shall cause the Company Subsidiaries and the Company
Representatives not to, directly or indirectly: (i) initiate, solicit
or knowingly encourage (including by way of providing information) the
submission of any inquiries, proposals or offers or any other efforts or
attempts that constitute, or could reasonably be expected to lead to, any
Acquisition Proposal or engage in any discussions or negotiations with respect
thereto or otherwise cooperate with or assist or participate in or facilitate
any such inquiries, proposals, offers, discussions or negotiations, (ii) approve
or recommend, or publicly propose to approve or recommend, an Acquisition
Proposal, (iii) withdraw, change, amend, modify or qualify, or propose publicly
to withdraw, change, amend, modify or qualify, in a manner adverse to Parent or
Merger Sub, or otherwise make any statement or proposal inconsistent with, the
Company Board Recommendation, (iv) enter into any merger agreement, letter of
intent, agreement in principle, share purchase agreement, asset purchase
agreement, share exchange agreement, option
39
agreement
or other similar agreement relating to an Acquisition Proposal or enter into any
agreement or agreement in principle requiring the Company to abandon, terminate
or fail to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or breach its
obligations hereunder, or (v) resolve, propose or agree to do any of the
foregoing (any action or failure to act set forth in the foregoing clauses (ii),
(iii) or (v) (to the extent related to the foregoing clauses (ii) or (iii)), a
“Change of Board
Recommendation”). The Company shall immediately cease and
cause to be terminated any solicitation, encouragement, discussion or
negotiation with any Persons conducted theretofore by the Company, the Company
Subsidiaries or any of the Company Representatives with respect to any
Acquisition Proposal and cause to be returned or destroyed all confidential
information provided by or on behalf of the Company or any Company Subsidiary to
such Person.
(b) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in Section 5.4(a),
if at any time following the date hereof and prior to the obtaining Company
Shareholder Approval (the “Acceptance Time”) (i)
the Company has received a bona fide written Acquisition Proposal from a third
party, (ii) the Company has not breached this Section 5.4, (iii)
the Company Board determines in good faith, after consultation with its
financial advisors and outside counsel, that such Acquisition Proposal
constitutes or would be reasonably likely to result in a Superior Proposal and
(iv) after consultation with its outside counsel, the Company Board determines
in good faith that failing to take such action is reasonably likely to be
inconsistent with its fiduciary duties to the shareholders of the Company under
applicable Law, then the Company may (A) furnish information with respect to the
Company and the Company Subsidiaries to the Person (and its Representatives)
making such Acquisition Proposal and (B) participate in discussions or
negotiations with the Person (and its Representatives) making such Acquisition
Proposal regarding such Acquisition Proposal; provided that the
Company (x) will not, and will not allow the Company Subsidiaries and the
Company Representatives to, disclose any information to such Person without
first entering into an Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement and (y) will
promptly provide to Parent any information concerning the Company or the Company
Subsidiaries provided to such other Person which was not previously provided to
Parent.
(c) The
Company shall promptly (and in any event within 48 hours) notify Parent in the
event that the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any Company Representative
receives (i) any Acquisition Proposal or indication by any Person that it is
considering making an Acquisition Proposal, (ii) any request for non-public
information relating to the Company or any Company Subsidiary other than
requests for information in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice and unrelated to an Acquisition Proposal or (iii) any inquiry or
request for discussions or negotiations regarding any Acquisition
Proposal. The Company shall notify Parent promptly (and in any event
within 48 hours) with the identity of such Person and a copy of such Acquisition
Proposal, indication, inquiry or request (or, where no such copy is available, a
reasonably detailed description of such Acquisition Proposal, indication,
inquiry or request), including any modifications thereto. The Company
shall keep Parent reasonably informed (orally and in writing) on a current basis
(and in any event at Parent’s request and otherwise no later than 48 hours after
the occurrence of any changes, developments, discussions or negotiations) of the
status of any Acquisition Proposal, indication, inquiry or request (including
the terms and conditions thereof and of any modification thereto), and any
material developments, discussions and negotiations, including furnishing copies
of any
40
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in Section 5.4(a),
if the Company receives an Acquisition Proposal which the Company Board
concludes in good faith, after consultation with outside counsel and its
financial advisors, constitutes a Superior Proposal, after giving effect to all
of the adjustments to the terms of this Agreement which may be offered by Parent
(including pursuant to clause (ii) below), the Company Board may at any time
prior to the Acceptance Time, if it determines in good faith, after consultation
with outside counsel, that such action is necessary to comply with its fiduciary
duties to the shareholders of the Company under applicable Law, effect a Change
of Board Recommendation with respect to such Superior Proposal; provided, however, that the
Company Board may not withdraw, modify or amend the Company Board Recommendation
in a manner adverse to Parent pursuant to the foregoing clause unless
(A) the Company shall not have breached this Section 5.4 and
(B):
(i.) the
Company shall have provided prior written notice to Parent, at least four (4)
Business Days in advance (the “Notice Period”), of
its intention to take such action with respect to such Superior Proposal, which
notice shall specify the material terms and conditions of such Superior Proposal
(including the identity of the party making such Superior Proposal), and shall
have contemporaneously provided a copy of the relevant proposed transaction
agreements with the party making such Superior Proposal and other material
documents, including the definitive agreement with respect to such Superior
Proposal (the “Alternative Acquisition
Agreement”); and
(ii.) prior to
effecting such Change of Board Recommendation, the Company shall, and shall
cause the Company Representatives to, during the Notice Period, negotiate with
Parent in good faith (to the extent Parent desires to negotiate) to make such
adjustments in the terms and conditions of this Agreement so that such
Acquisition Proposal ceases to constitute a Superior
Proposal.
41
In the
event of any material revisions to the Superior Proposal, the Company shall be
required to deliver a new written notice to Parent and to comply with the
requirements of this Section 5.4(d) with
respect to such new written notice.
(e) The
Company agrees that any violation of the restrictions set forth in this Section 5.4 by any of
the Company Representatives shall be deemed to be a material breach of this
Agreement (including this Section 5.4) by the
Company.
(f) Nothing
contained in this Section 5.4 or
elsewhere in this Agreement shall prohibit the Company from (i) taking and
disclosing to its stockholders a position contemplated by 14d-9 and 14e-2(a)
promulgated under the Exchange Act, or (ii) making any disclosure to the
Company’s shareholders if, in the good faith judgment of the Company Board,
after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel,
failure so to disclose would be inconsistent with applicable Law, it being
understood, however, that such disclosure (other than a “stop, look and listen”
letter or similar communication of the type contemplated by Rule 14d-9(f) under
the Exchange Act) shall be deemed to be a Change of Board Recommendation unless
the Board concurrently expressly and publicly reconfirms the Company Board
Recommendation and expressly rejects any applicable Acquisition Agreement; provided, however, that in no
event shall the Company or the Company Board or any committee thereof take,
agree or resolve to take any action prohibited by Section
5.4(a).
5.5 Appropriate Action;
Consents; Filings.
(a) The
Company and Parent shall use their reasonable best efforts to (i) take, or cause
to be taken, all appropriate action and do, or cause to be done, all things
necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Law or otherwise to consummate
and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as promptly
as practicable, (ii) obtain from any Governmental Entities any consents,
licenses, permits, waivers, approvals, authorizations or orders required to be
obtained by Parent or the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries, or to
avoid any action or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, in connection with
the authorization, execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation
of the transactions contemplated herein, including without limitation the
Merger, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably practicable, make all necessary
filings, and thereafter make any other required submissions, and pay any fees
due in connection therewith, with respect to this Agreement, the Merger required
under (A) the Exchange Act, and any other applicable federal or state securities
Laws, and (B) any other applicable Law; provided, that the Company and
Parent shall cooperate with each other in connection with (x) preparing and
filing the Proxy Statement and any Other Filings, (y) determining whether
any action by or in respect of, or filing with, any
Governmental Entity is required, in connection with the consummation of the
Merger and (z) seeking any such actions, consents, approvals or waivers or
making any such filings. The Company and Parent shall furnish to each
other all information required for any application or other filing under the
rules and regulations of any applicable Law in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) The
Company and Parent shall give (or shall cause their respective Subsidiaries to
give) any notices to third parties, and use, and cause their respective
Subsidiaries to use, their reasonable best efforts to obtain any third
party consents, (i) necessary, proper or advisable to consummate the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) required to be
42
disclosed
in the Company Disclosure Letter or the Parent Disclosure Letter, as applicable,
or (iii) required to prevent a Company Material Adverse Effect from
occurring prior to or after the Effective Time; provided, however that the
Company and Parent shall coordinate and cooperate in determining whether any
actions, consents, approvals or waivers are required to be obtained from parties
to any Company Material Contracts in connection with consummation of the Merger
and seeking any such actions, consents, approvals or waivers. In the
event that either party shall fail to obtain any third party consent described
in the first sentence of this Section 5.5(b),
such party shall use its reasonable best efforts, and shall take any such
actions reasonably requested by the other party hereto, to minimize any adverse
effect upon the Company and Parent, their respective Subsidiaries, and their
respective businesses resulting, or which could reasonably be expected to
result, after the Effective Time, from the failure to obtain such
consent.
(c) Without
limiting the generality of anything contained in this Section 5.5, each
party hereto shall: (i) give the other parties prompt notice of the making or
commencement of any request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding
by or before any Governmental Entity with respect to the Merger or any of the
other transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (ii) keep the other parties
informed as to the status of any such request, inquiry, investigation, action or
legal proceeding; and (iii) promptly inform the other parties of any
communication to or from the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice
or any other Governmental Entity regarding the Merger. Each party
hereto will consult and cooperate with the other parties and will consider in
good faith the views of the other parties in connection with any filing,
analysis, appearance, presentation, memorandum, brief, argument, opinion or
proposal made or submitted in connection with the Merger or any of the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In addition, except as
may be prohibited by any Governmental Entity or by any Law, in connection with
any such request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal proceeding, each party
hereto will permit authorized representatives of the other parties to be present
at each meeting or conference relating to such request, inquiry, investigation,
action or legal proceeding and to have access to and be consulted in connection
with any document, opinion or proposal made or submitted to any Governmental
Entity in connection with such request, inquiry, investigation, action or legal
proceeding.
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, in connection with obtaining any
approval or consent from any Person with respect to the Merger, (i) without the
prior written consent of Parent, none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary
shall pay or commit to pay to such Person whose approval or consent is being
solicited any cash or other consideration, make any commitment or incur any
liability or other obligation due to such Person, and (ii) neither Parent nor
Merger Sub shall be required to pay or commit to pay to such Person whose
approval or consent is being solicited any cash or other consideration, make any
commitment or incur any liability or other obligation.
(e) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, in connection with the receipt of
any necessary approvals or clearances of a Governmental Entity, neither Parent
nor the Company (nor any of their respective Subsidiaries or affiliates) shall
be required to sell, hold separate or otherwise dispose of or conduct their
business in a specified manner, or agree to sell, hold separate or otherwise
dispose of or conduct their businesses in a specified manner, or enter into or
agree to enter into a voting trust arrangement, proxy
43
arrangement,
“hold separate” agreement or arrangement or similar agreement or arrangement
with respect to the assets, operations or conduct of their business in a
specified manner, or permit the sale, holding separate or other disposition of,
any assets of Parent, the Company or their respective Subsidiaries or
affiliates. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing contained in this
Agreement shall restrict Parent from developing, soliciting, considering,
communicating, exchanging or furnishing information, negotiating, disclosing,
entering into or consummating potential or definitive strategic transactions
through both internally generated and third-party proposals.
5.6 Certain
Notices.From and
after the date of this Agreement until the Effective Time, each party hereto
shall promptly notify the other party hereto of (a) the occurrence, or
non-occurrence, of any event that would be likely to cause any condition to the
obligations of any party to effect the Merger or any other transaction
contemplated by this Agreement not to be satisfied or (b) the failure of the
Company or Parent, as the case may be, to comply with or satisfy any covenant,
condition or agreement to be complied with or satisfied by it pursuant to this
Agreement which would reasonably be expected to result in any condition to the
obligations of any party to effect the Merger or any other transaction
contemplated by this Agreement not to be satisfied; provided, however, that the
delivery of any notice pursuant to this Section 5.6 shall not
cure any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement contained
in this Agreement or otherwise limit or affect the remedies available hereunder
to the party receiving such notice.
5.7 Public Announcements.
Except
with respect to a Board Recommendation Change, each of the Company, Parent and
Merger Sub agrees that no public release or announcement concerning the
transactions contemplated hereby shall be issued by any party without the prior
written consent of the Company and Parent (which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld or delayed), except as such release or announcement may be
required by applicable Law or the rules or regulations of any applicable United
States securities exchange or regulatory or governmental body to which the
relevant party is subject, in which case the party required to make the release
or announcement shall use its reasonable best efforts to allow each other party
reasonable time to comment on such release or announcement in advance of such
issuance. The Company, Parent and Merger Sub agree that the press
release announcing the execution and delivery of this Agreement shall be a joint
release of, and shall not be issued prior to the approval of each of, the
Company and Parent.
5.8 Company Options.
Following
the date hereof, the Company shall take, or cause to be taken, any and all
actions necessary to terminate or cancel (as the case may be), effective
immediately prior to the Effective Time, all of the Company Options (whether or
not
then exercisable or vested) under the Company Stock Option Plans without any
liability to the Company following the Closing Date or any liability to Parent
and any of its affiliates (in each case, as determined by Parent, and except as
specifically provided for in this Agreement), in accordance with the terms of
such plans and the agreements entered into thereunder, and subject to Section
2.4(a). Following the date hereof, the Company shall also
provide to Parent evidence acceptable to Parent of all such terminations or
cancellations (as applicable) and shall take any and all other actions in
furtherance of terminating such Company Options as Parent may
require.
44
5.9 Indemnification of Directors
and Officers.
(a) For a
period of six (6) years from and after the Effective Time, the Surviving
Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless all past and present directors,
officers and employees of the Company to the same extent such Persons are
indemnified as of the date of this Agreement by the Company pursuant to
applicable Law, the Company Articles, the Company Code of Regulations and
indemnification agreements, if any, in existence on the date of this Agreement
with any directors, officers and employees of the Company arising out of acts or
omissions in their capacity as directors, officers or employees of the Company
or any Company Subsidiary occurring at or prior to the Effective
Time. The Surviving Corporation shall advance expenses (including
reasonable legal fees and expenses) incurred in the defense of any claims,
action, suit, proceeding or investigation with respect to the matters subject to
indemnification pursuant to this Section 5.9(a) in
accordance with the procedures set forth in the Company Articles, the Company
Code of Regulations and indemnification agreements, if any, in existence on the
date of this Agreement; provided, however, that the
director, officer or employee of the Company to whom expenses are advanced
undertakes to repay such advanced expenses to the Surviving Corporation within
five (5) Business Days if it is ultimately determined that such director,
officer or employee is not entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section
5.9(a).
(b) For a
period of six (6) years from and after the Effective Time, the articles of
incorporation and code of regulations of the Surviving Corporation shall contain
provisions no less favorable with respect to exculpation, indemnification and
advancement of expenses of directors, officers and employees of the Company for
periods at or prior to the Effective Time than are currently set forth in the
Company Articles and the Company Code of Regulations. The
indemnification agreements, if any, in existence on the date of this Agreement
with any of the directors, officers or employees of the Company shall continue
in full force and effect in accordance with their terms following the Effective
Time.
(c) For six
(6) years from and after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall
maintain, with a reputable insurance company rated at least equally to the
Company’s existing policy, for the benefit of the Company’s directors and
officers, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Effective Time, an
insurance and indemnification policy that provides coverage for events occurring
prior to the Effective Time (the “D&O Insurance”)
that is substantially equivalent to and in any event not less favorable in the
aggregate than the Company’s existing policy (true and complete copies which
have been previously provided to Parent) or, if substantially equivalent
insurance coverage is unavailable, the best available coverage; provided, however, that the
Surviving Corporation shall not be required to pay an annual premium for the
D&O Insurance in excess of 200% of the last annual premium paid prior to the
date of this Agreement, which premium the Company represents and warrants to be
approximately as set forth on Section 5.9(c) of the
Company Disclosure Letter. The provisions of the immediately
preceding sentence shall be deemed to have been satisfied if prepaid policies
have been obtained prior to the Effective Time, which policies provide such
directors and officers with coverage for an aggregate period of six (6) years
with respect to claims arising from facts or events that occurred on or before
the Effective Time, including, without limitation, in respect of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement. If such prepaid policies
have been obtained prior to the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall
maintain such policies in
45
full
force and effect, and continue to honor the obligations
thereunder. Parent and Surviving Corporation shall be entitled to
satisfy their obligations under this Section 5.9(c) by
purchasing an extended reporting period “tail” policy under the Company’s
existing directors’ and officers’ insurance policy which (i) has a term of six
(6) years from the Effective Time, (ii) covers those persons who are
currently covered by the Company’s directors’ and officers insurance policy in
effect as of the date hereof, and (iii) contains terms and conditions (including
coverage amounts) which are no less advantageous than those contained in the
terms and conditions of the Company’s directors’ and officers’ insurance
policies in effect as of the date hereof; provided, however, that Parent
and Surviving Corporation shall not be required to pay an amount in excess of
200% of the last annual premium paid prior to the date of this Agreement for
such extended reporting “tail” policy.
(d) In the
event Parent or the Surviving Corporation (i) consolidates with or merges into
any other Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or
entity of such consolidation or merger or (ii) transfers all or substantially
all of its properties and assets to any Person, then proper provision shall be
made so that such continuing or surviving corporation or entity or transferee of
such assets, as the case may be, shall assume the obligations set forth in this
Section
5.9.
(e) The
obligations under this Section 5.9 shall not
be terminated or modified in such a manner as to adversely affect in any
material respect any indemnitee to whom this Section 5.9 applies
without the consent of such affected indemnitee (it being expressly agreed that
the indemnitees to whom this Section 5.9 applies
shall be third party beneficiaries of this Section
5.9).
5.10 State Takeover Laws.
If any
“control share acquisition”, “fair price”, “business combination” or other
anti-takeover Laws becomes or is deemed to be applicable to the Company, Parent
or Merger Sub, the Merger, or the Voting Agreement or any other transaction
contemplated by this Agreement, then the Company Board shall take all action
necessary to render such Law inapplicable to the foregoing.
5.11 Section 16 Matters.
Prior to
the Effective Time, the Company Board, or an appropriate committee of
non-employee directors thereof, shall adopt a resolution consistent with the
interpretive guidance of the SEC so that the disposition by any officer or
director of the Company who is a covered Person of the Company for purposes of
Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder (“Section 16”) of
Shares or Company Options pursuant to this Agreement and the Merger shall be an
exempt transaction for purposes of Section 16.
5.12 Termination of Benefit Plans. Effective
as of the day immediately preceding the Closing Date, the Company shall
terminate all Company Employee Plans that are intended to include a Code
Section 401(k) arrangement (unless Parent provides written notice to the
Company no later than three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing Date that
such 401(k) plans shall not be terminated). Unless Parent provides
such written notice to the Company, no later than three (3) Business Days prior
to the Closing Date, the Company shall provide Parent with evidence that such
Company Employee Plan(s) have been terminated (effective no later than the day
immediately preceding the Closing Date) pursuant to resolutions of the Company
Board. The form and substance of such resolutions shall be subject to
review and approval of
46
Parent. In
the event that termination of the Company’s 401(k) Plan would reasonably be
anticipated to trigger liquidation charges, surrender charges or other fees,
then the Company shall take such actions as are necessary to reasonably estimate
the amount of such charges and/or fees and provide such estimate in writing to
Parent no later than ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing
Date. If, after the performance of any or all transactions
contemplated by this Agreement the Company group health plan is terminated or
modified so that coverage in eliminated, Parent or Merger Sub shall be
responsible for providing contribution coverage required under Section 4980B of
the Code and Title I, Part 6 of ERISA to all former employees of the Company who
terminated employment on or before such date and to all persons who are
considered “M&A qualified beneficiaries” as defined under Treas. Reg.
Section 54.4980B-9 in connection with this transaction.
5.13 Stockholder
Litigation. To the
extent permitted by applicable Law, in the event that any shareholder litigation
relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is brought or, to
the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any members of
the Company Board prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall promptly notify
Parent and keep Parent reasonably informed with respect to the status
thereof. The Company shall give Parent the opportunity to participate
in the defense or settlement of any shareholder litigation against the Company
or any members of the Company Board relating to the transaction contemplated by
this Agreement, at Parent’s cost. Notwithstanding anything herein to
the contrary, the Company shall not give Parent the opportunity to participate
in the defense or settlement of any shareholder litigation against the Company
or any members of the Company Board relating to the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement to the extent that it would require the Company to disclose
information subject to attorney-client privilege, unless and until Parent and
the Company shall have entered into a joint defense agreement with respect
thereto, reasonably acceptable to both parties. The Company agrees to
use commercially reasonable efforts to enter into such joint defense agreement
with Parent, if requested by Parent. The Company shall not agree to
any settlement of any stockholder litigation for an amount in excess of $100,000
individually or $200,000 in the aggregate without Parent’s prior written consent
(such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).
5.14 Cooperation with
Financing. The
Company shall provide, shall cause the Company Subsidiaries to provide and shall
use its reasonable best efforts to cause its and their Representatives to
provide, such reasonable cooperation in connection with the arrangement of any
debt financing as may be reasonably requested by Parent, including (a)
participation in meetings, presentations, drafting sessions, and due diligence
sessions, (b) furnishing Parent and its financing sources with financial and
other pertinent information regarding the Company as may be reasonably requested
by Parent to consummate such debt financing, (c) cooperating with the marketing
efforts of Parent and its financing sources for any portion of such debt
financing, reasonably facilitating the pledging of collateral and execution and
delivery of definitive financing documents and customary deliverables and (e)
using reasonable best efforts to obtain legal opinions, surveys, certificates
and title insurance as reasonably requested by Parent; provided, however, that
nothing contained in this Section 5.14 shall
act as an exception to the representation of each of Parent and Merger Sub
contained in Section
4.10 or serve as a condition to the obligations of Parent and Merger Sub
to effect the Merger pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
47
5.15 Powers of Attorney.
Any
powers of attorney or other authorizations that grant to any person the
authority to represent the Company or any Company Subsidiary in connection with
any Tax matter shall be revoked as of the Closing Date.
ARTICLE
6
CONDITIONS
TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER
6.1 Conditions to Each Party’s
Obligation to Effect the Merger. The
respective obligation of each party to effect the Merger is subject to the
satisfaction at or prior to the Effective Time of each of the following
conditions, any and all of which may be waived in whole or in part by the
Company, Parent or Merger Sub, as the case may be, to the extent permitted by
applicable Law:
(a) Company Shareholder
Approval. The Company Shareholder Approval shall have been
obtained.
(b) No Injunctions or
Restraints. No Order or Law shall have been entered, enacted,
promulgated, enforced or issued by any court of competent jurisdiction, or any
other Governmental Entity, or other legal restraint or prohibition
(collectively, “Restraints”) shall be
in effect preventing the consummation of the Merger; provided, however, that each of
the parties to this Agreement shall have used its reasonable best efforts to
prevent the entry of any such Restraints and to appeal as promptly as possible
any such Restraints that may be entered.
6.2 Conditions to Obligations of
Parent and Merger Sub. The
obligation of Parent and Merger Sub to effect the Merger is further subject to
the satisfaction or waiver of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and
Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company
contained in Sections
3.2, 3.3
and 3.23 shall
be true and correct in all respects (except in the case of Section 3.2, for
which any inaccuracies are de minimis in the aggregate) at and as of the date of
this Agreement and at and as of the Effective Time as though made at and as of
such time (or, if made as of a specific date, at and as of such
date). Each of the other representations and warranties of the
Company contained in Article 3 of this
Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and the
Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date, except to the extent
such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date (in
which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct on and
as of such earlier date), and except where the failure of such representations
and warranties to be so true and correct as of the Closing Date (without giving
effect to any qualifications or limitations as to materiality or Material
Adverse Effect), would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Performance of Obligations
of the Company. The Company shall have performed in all
material respects (or with respect to any obligation or agreement qualified by
materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) all obligations and
agreements, and complied in all material respects (or with respect to any
covenant qualified by materiality, in all respects) with all covenants,
contained in this Agreement to be performed or complied with by it prior to the
Effective Time.
48
(c) Company
Options. All Company Options (whether or not then exercisable
or vested) under the Company Stock Option Plans shall have been terminated or
cancelled, as the case may be, effective immediately prior to the Effective Time
or earlier, without any liability to the Company following the Closing Date or
any liability to Parent and any of its affiliates (except as specifically
provided for in this Agreement), in accordance with the terms of such plans and
the agreements entered into thereunder. The Company shall have
provided to Parent evidence reasonably acceptable to Parent of all such
terminations or cancellations, as applicable.
(d) Officer’s
Certificate. The Company shall have furnished Parent with a
certificate dated the date of the consummation of the Merger signed on its
behalf by an executive officer to the effect that the conditions set forth in
Section 6.2(a),
(b) and (c) have been
satisfied.
(e) No Company Material Adverse
Effect. No circumstance, effect, event or change shall have
occurred prior to the Effective Time that, individually or in the aggregate, has
had or would reasonably be expected to have, a Company Material Adverse
Effect.
(f) FIRPTA
Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to Parent a
certificate, dated not more than thirty (30) days prior to the Closing Date, in
accordance with Code Section 1445(b)(3) and Treasury Regulation Section
1.1445-2(c), which statement certifies that the Company is not, and has not
been, a “United States real property holding corporation” (as defined in Section
897(c)(2) of the Code) during the applicable period specified in Section
897(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Code and sets forth the Company’s name, taxpayer
identification number and address.
6.3 Conditions to Obligations of
the Company. The
obligation of the Company to effect the Merger is further subject to the
satisfaction or waiver of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and
Warranties. The representations and warranties of Parent and
Merger Sub contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct at and as of
the Effective Time (without regard to any qualifications therein as to
materiality or material adverse effect), as though made at and as of such time
(or, if made as of a specific date, at and as of such date), except for such
failures to be true and correct as would not reasonably be expected to prevent
or materially delay the consummation of the Merger.
(b) Performance of Obligations
of Parent and Merger Sub. Each of Parent and Merger Sub shall
have performed in all material respects all obligations and agreements to be
performed or complied with by it at or prior to the Effective Time.
(c) Officer’s
Certificate. Each of Parent and Merger Sub shall have
furnished the Company with a certificate dated the Closing Date signed on its
behalf by an executive officer to the effect that the conditions set forth in
Section 6.3(a)
and (b) have
been satisfied.
49
ARTICLE
7
TERMINATION,
AMENDMENT AND WAIVER
7.1 Termination. This
Agreement may be terminated, and the Merger contemplated hereby may be
abandoned, at any time prior to the Effective Time, by action taken or
authorized by the Board of Directors of the terminating party or parties,
whether before or after approval of the Merger by the shareholders of the
Company:
(a) by mutual
written consent of Parent and the Company, by action of their respective Boards
of Directors or similar governing body;
(b) by either
the Company or Parent, if the Merger shall not have been consummated prior to
July 19, 2010 (the “Outside Date”); provided, that the
right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 7.1(b)
shall not be available to any party whose failure to fulfill any obligation
under this Agreement has been the cause of, or resulted in, the failure of the
Merger to occur on or before such date;
(c) by either
the Company or Parent, if any court of competent jurisdiction or other
Governmental Entity shall have issued an order, decree or ruling or taken any
other action permanently restraining, enjoining or otherwise prohibiting, prior
to the Effective Time, the Merger, and such order, decree, ruling or other
action shall have become final and nonappealable (which order, decree, ruling or
other action the party seeking to terminate this Agreement shall have used
reasonable best efforts to resist, resolve or
lift, as applicable, subject to the provisions of Section
5.5);
(d) by either
Parent or the Company, if at a duly held shareholders meeting to obtain Company
Shareholder Approval, as such may be adjourned or postponed, the Company
Shareholder Approval is not obtained;
(e) by Parent
if (i) the Company Board shall have withdrawn or modified in a manner adverse to
Parent the Company Board Recommendation, (ii) the Company Board shall have
failed to reconfirm the Company Board Recommendation after receiving a written
request from Parent to do so on or before the earlier of (x) ten (10) Business
Days after receiving such request and (y) two (2) Business Days prior to the
Shareholder Meeting, (iii) the Company Board shall have determined to recommend
to the shareholders of the Company that they approve an Acquisition Proposal
other than that contemplated by this Agreement or shall have determined to
accept a Superior Proposal, (iv) a tender offer or exchange offer that, if
successful, would result in any person or group becoming a beneficial owner of
20% or more of the outstanding shares of Company Common Stock is commenced
(other than by Parent or an affiliate of Parent) and the Company Board fails to
recommend within ten (10) Business Days
50
that the
shareholders of the Company not tender their shares in such tender or exchange
offer or (v) the Company shall have initiated a Notice Period pursuant to Section
5.4(d)(i);
(f) By the
Company, if the Company Board determines to accept a Superior Proposal, but only
if the Company shall have complied in all respects with its obligations under
Section 5.4
with respect to such Superior Proposal (and any Acquisition Proposal that was a
precursor thereto) and is otherwise permitted to accept such Superior Proposal
pursuant to Section
5.4(d);
provided, however, that the
Company shall simultaneously with such termination pay the Breakup Fee to
Parent;
(g) By
Parent, if since the date of this Agreement, there shall have been any event,
development or change of circumstance that constitutes, has had or could
reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company
Material Adverse Effect and such Company Material Adverse Effect is not cured
within twenty (20) Business Days after written notice thereof or if (i)(A) there
shall be breached any covenant or agreement on the part of a party other than
Parent or Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, (B)
any representation or warranty of a party other than Parent or Merger Sub set
forth in this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement that is qualified as to
materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall have become untrue or (C) any
representation or warranty of a party other than Parent or Merger Sub set forth
in this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement that is not so qualified shall have
become untrue in any material respect, (ii) such breach or misrepresentation is
not cured, as applicable, within twenty (20) Business Days after written notice
thereof in the case of a breach or misrepresentation of a representation or
warranty or ten (10) calendar days after written notice thereof in the case of a
breach of a covenant and (iii) such breach of misrepresentation would cause the
conditions set forth in Section
6.1(a), Section 6.2(a)
or Section 6.2(b)
not to be satisfied (a “Terminating Company
Breach”); or
(h) By the
Company, if (i)(A) Parent has breached any covenant or agreement on the part of
Parent or Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, (B)
any representation or warranty of Parent or Merger Sub that is qualified as to
materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall have become untrue or (C) any
representation or warranty of Parent or Merger Sub that is not so qualified
shall have become untrue in any material respect, (ii) such breach or
misrepresentation is not cured within 10 days after written notice thereof and
(iii) such breach or misrepresentation would cause the conditions set forth in
Section 6.3(a)
or Section 6.3(b)
not to be satisfied (a “Terminating Parent
Breach”).
7.2 Effect of
Termination.
(a) In the
event of termination of this Agreement by either the Company or Parent as
provided in Section
7.1, this Agreement shall forthwith become void and there shall be no
liability or obligation on the part of Parent, Merger Sub or the Company or
their respective Subsidiaries, officers or directors, except (i) with respect to
Section 5.3
(last sentence only), Section 5.7, this
Section 7.2 and
Article 8,
which provisions shall survive such termination, and (ii) with respect to any
liabilities or damages incurred or suffered by a party as a result of the
willful and material breach by another party of any of its representations,
warranties, covenants or other agreements set forth in this
Agreement.
51
(b) In the
event that this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7.1(e)
or Section 7.1(f),
then the Company shall pay to Parent simultaneously with such termination, in
the case of a termination by the Company, or within two (2) Business Days
thereafter, in the case of a termination by Parent, $1,100,000 (the “Breakup Fee”). In the
event that (i) an Acquisition Proposal has been made to the Company or shall
have been made directly to the stockholders of the Company generally (and not
subsequently withdrawn) by any person (other than Parent or any of its
affiliates), (ii) thereafter this Agreement is terminated (A) pursuant to Section 7.1(d),
or (B) pursuant to Section 7.1(b) (but
only if the Shareholder Meeting has not been held by the date that is prior to
the date of such termination) and (iii) within twelve (12) months after such
termination the Company or any Company Subsidiary enters into a definitive
agreement with respect to any Acquisition Proposal (other than with Parent or
its affiliates), or any Acquisition Proposal shall have been consummated (other
than with Parent or its affiliates, and in each case whether or not such
Acquisition Proposal is the same as the original Acquisition Proposal made,
communicated or disclosed) (it being understood that for purposes of this Section 7.2(b),
all references in the definition of Acquisition Proposal to 20% shall be deemed
to be references to “more than 50%” instead), then the Company shall pay to
Parent the Breakup Fee within two (2) Business Days of the first to occur of the
events set forth in subsection (iii) of this sentence.
(c) All
payments under Section
7.2(b) shall be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to
an account designated in writing by Parent.
(d) Each of
the Company, Parent and Merger Sub acknowledges that (i) the agreements
contained in this Section 7.2 are an
integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) without
these agreements, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company would not enter into this
Agreement and (iii) the Breakup Fee is not a penalty, but rather is liquidated
damages in a reasonable amount that will compensate Parent and Merger Sub in the
circumstances in which such Breakup Fee, as the case may be, is
payable.
7.3 Amendment.
Subject
to Section
1.4(c), this Agreement may be amended by the Company, Parent and Merger
Sub by action taken by or on behalf of their respective Boards of Directors at
any time prior to the Effective Time; provided, however, that, after
the Acceptance Time, no amendment may be made which, by Law or in accordance
with the rules of any relevant stock exchange, requires further approval by such
shareholders. This Agreement may not be amended except by an
instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto.
7.4 Waiver.
At any
time prior to the Effective Time, Parent and Merger Sub, on the one hand, and
the Company, on the other hand, may (a) extend the time for the performance
of any of the obligations or other acts of the other, (b) waive any uncured
inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of any other party contained
herein or in any document delivered pursuant hereto and (c) waive compliance by
the other with any of the agreements or conditions contained herein; provided, however, that after
the Acceptance Time, there may not be, without further approval of such
shareholders, any extension or waiver of this Agreement or any portion thereof
which, by Law or in accordance with the rules of any relevant stock exchange,
requires further approval by such shareholders. Any such extension or
waiver shall be valid only if set forth in an instrument in writing signed by
the party or parties to be bound thereby, but such extension or waiver or
failure to insist on strict compliance with an
52
obligation,
covenant, agreement or condition shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel
with respect to, any subsequent or other failure.
ARTICLE 8
GENERAL PROVISIONS
8.1 Non-Survival of
Representations and Warranties. None of
the representations and warranties in this Agreement or in any instrument
delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall survive the Effective
Time. This Section 8.1 shall not
limit any covenant or agreement of the parties which by its terms contemplates
performance after the Effective Time.
8.2 Fees and Expenses.
Subject
to Section 7.2
hereof, all fees and expenses incurred by the parties hereto shall be borne
solely and entirely by the party which has incurred the same, whether or not the
Merger is consummated. For the avoidance of doubt, the Merger
Consideration shall in no way be adjusted by or subject to the fees and expenses
of the parties.
8.3 Notices. Any
notices or other communications required or permitted under, or otherwise given
in connection with, this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to
have been duly given (a) when delivered or sent if delivered in Person or sent
by facsimile transmission (provided confirmation of facsimile transmission is
obtained), (b) on the third Business Day after dispatch by registered or
certified mail, or (c) on the next Business Day if transmitted by national
overnight courier:
|
If
to Parent or Merger Sub, addressed to it
at:
|
|
c/o
The Gores Group, LLC
|
|
00000
Xxxxxxxx Xxxx., 00xx Xxxxx
|
|
Xxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
|
|
Attention: Fund
General Counsel
|
|
Facsimile
No: (000) 000-0000
|
|
with
a copy to (for information purposes
only):
|
|
Xxxxxx
& Xxxxxxx LLP
|
|
000
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, X.X., Xxxxx 0000
|
|
Xxxxxxxxxx,
X.X. 00000-0000
|
|
Attention: Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx, Xx., Esq.
|
|
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
|
If the Company, addressed to it at: | |
PECO II, Inc. | |
0000 Xxxxx Xxxxx 000 | |
Xxxxxx, Xxxx 00000 | |
Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Chief Executive Officer | |
Facsimile No.: (000) 000-0000 |
53
|
with
a copy to (for information purposes
only):
|
|
Porter,
Wright, Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx LLP
|
|
00
X. Xxxx Xx., Xxxxx 0000
|
|
Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxx 00000
|
|
Attention: Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx, Esq.
|
|
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx,
Esq.
|
|
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
|
8.4 Certain
Definitions. For
purposes of this Agreement, the term:
“Acceptable Confidentiality
Agreement” means a confidentiality and standstill agreement that contains
confidentiality and standstill provisions that are no less favorable in the
aggregate to the Company than those contained in the Confidentiality
Agreement.
“affiliate” means a
Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries,
controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the first-mentioned
Person.
“Acquisition Proposal”
means any offer or proposal from any person or group (other than Parent or
Merger Sub) concerning any (a) merger, consolidation, other business combination
or similar transaction involving the Company or any Company Subsidiary, (b)
sale, lease or other disposition directly or indirectly by merger,
consolidation, business combination, share exchange, joint venture or otherwise,
of assets of the Company (including Equity Interests of a Company Subsidiary) or
any Company Subsidiary representing 20% or more of the consolidated assets,
revenues or net income of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries,
(c) issuance or sale or other disposition (including by way of merger,
consolidation, business combination, share exchange, joint venture or similar
transaction) of Equity Interests representing 20% or more of the voting power of
the Company, (d) transaction in which any Person will acquire beneficial
ownership or the right to acquire beneficial ownership or any group has been
formed which beneficially owns or has the right to acquire beneficial ownership
of, Equity Interests representing 20% or more of the voting power of the Company
or (e) any combination of the foregoing (in each case, other than the
Merger).
“beneficial ownership”
(and related terms such as “beneficially owned” or “beneficial owner”) has the
meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act.
“Blue Sky Laws” means
any state securities or “blue sky” law.
“Business” means the
business conducted by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries in the design,
development, research, manufacture, supply, distribution, sale, installation,
support and maintenance of power systems, power distribution equipment and
systems integration products.
“Business Day” has the
meaning set forth in Rule 14d-1(g)(3) of the Exchange Act.
“CERCLA” means the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (42 U.S.C.
§ 9601 et seq.).
“Code” means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations
thereunder.
54
“Company Material Adverse
Effect” means any change, event, development, occurrence or
effect (any such item, an “Effect”) that (a) is,
or would reasonably be expected to be, materially adverse to the business,
condition (financial or otherwise), assets, liabilities or results of operations
of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or
(b) prevents the consummation of the Merger or performance by the Company
of any of its material obligations under this Agreement; provided, however, that none of
the following shall be deemed in themselves, either alone or in combination, to
constitute, and none of the following shall be taken into account in determining
whether there has been or will be, a Company Material Adverse Effect: (i) any
Effect generally affecting the economy, financial or securities markets or
political or regulatory conditions, or that are the result of acts of war or
terrorism, to the extent such changes do not adversely affect the Company or the
Company Subsidiaries in a disproportionate manner; (ii) any Effect generally
affecting the industries in which the Company and the Company Subsidiaries
operate, to the extent such changes do not adversely affect the Company and the
Company Subsidiaries in a disproportionate manner relative to other participants
in such industries; (iii) actions or omissions of the Company or any Company
Subsidiaries taken with the prior written consent of Parent; (iv) any change in
the price or trading volume of the company Common Stock in and of itself (it
being understood that the Effects underlying such change may be deemed to
constitute, or may be taken into account in determining whether there has been,
a Company Material Adverse Effect); (v) any failure by the Company to meet any
published projections, forecasts or revenue or earnings predictions (it being
understood that the Effects giving rise to or contributing to such failure may
be deemed to constitute, and may be taken into account in determining whether
there has been, a Company Material Adverse Effect); (vi) changes in Law or GAAP
or the adoption of financial accounting standards by the Financial Accounting
Standards Board; (vii) any Effect that is or will be the result of the
announcement, pendency, or consummation of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, or the identity of Parent as the acquiror of the
Company (and not principally the result of any other Effects)) or (viii) as set
forth on Section
8.4 of the Company Disclosure Letter; and provided, further, that the
parties agree that the occurrence of any event described on Section 8.4 of the
Company Disclosure Letter shall be considered to be a Company Material Adverse
Effect.
“Confidentiality
Agreement” means that certain letter agreement dated November 18, 2009,
by and among the Company, The Gores Group, LLC and Lineage Power Holdings,
Inc.
“Contracts” means any
of the agreements, arrangements, commitments, understandings, contracts, leases
(whether for real or personal property), powers of attorney, notes, bonds,
mortgages, indentures, deeds of trust, loans, evidences of indebtedness,
purchase orders,
letters of credit, settlement agreements, franchise agreements, undertakings,
covenants not to compete, employment agreements, licenses, instruments,
obligations, commitments, understandings, policies, purchase and sales orders,
quotations and other commitments to which a Person is a party or to which any of
the assets of such Person or its Subsidiaries are subject, whether oral or
written, express or implied.
“control” (including
the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”) means the possession,
directly or indirectly or as trustee or executor, of the power to direct or
cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through
the ownership of stock or as trustee or executor, by Contract or credit
arrangement or otherwise.
55
“Environmental
Laws” means any and all international, federal, state, local or foreign
Laws, statutes, ordinances, regulations, treaties, policies, guidance, rules,
judgments, orders, writs, court decisions or rule of common law, stipulations,
injunctions, consent decrees, permits, restrictions and licenses, which (a)
regulate or relate to the protection or clean up of the environment; the use,
treatment, storage, transportation, handling, disposal or release of Hazardous
Substances, the preservation or protection of waterways, groundwater, drinking
water, air, wildlife, plants or other natural resources; or the health and
safety of Persons or property, including protection of the health and safety of
employees, and exposure or alleged exposure to Hazardous Substances; or (b)
impose liability or responsibility with respect to any of the foregoing,
including CERCLA, or any other law of similar effect.
“Environmental
Permits” means any permit, approval, identification number, license and
other authorization required under any applicable Environmental
Law.
“Equity Interest”
means any share, capital stock, partnership, member or similar interest in any
Person, and any option, warrant, right or security (including debt securities)
convertible, exchangeable or exercisable thereto or therefor.
“Expenses” includes
all out-of-pocket expenses (including all fees and expenses of counsel,
accountants, investment bankers, financing sources, experts and consultants to a
party hereto and its affiliates) incurred by a party or on its behalf in
connection with or related to the authorization, preparation, negotiation,
execution and performance of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby, including the preparation, printing, filing and mailing of the Proxy
Statement and any solicitation of shareholder approvals and all other matters
related to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
“GAAP” means generally
accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States.
“Governmental Entity”
means any nation, federal, state, county municipal, local or foreign government,
or other political subdivision thereof and any entity exercising executive,
legislative, judicial, regulatory, taxing or administrative functions of or
pertaining to government.
“group” has the
meaning ascribed to in the Exchange Act, except where the context otherwise
requires.
“Hazardous Substances”
means any pollutant, chemical, substance and any toxic, infectious,
carcinogenic, reactive, corrosive, ignitable or flammable chemical, or chemical
compound, or hazardous substance, material or waste, whether solid, liquid or
gas, that is subject to regulation, control or remediation under any
Environmental Laws, including without limitation,
any quantity of asbestos in any form, silica, urea formaldehyde, PCBs, radon
gas, crude oil or any fraction thereof, all forms of natural gas, petroleum
products or by-products or derivatives.
“Indebtedness” means
(a) any indebtedness of the Company or any Company Subsidiary for borrowed money
incurred on or prior to the Closing Date (including the aggregate principal
amount thereof, the aggregate amount of accrued but unpaid interest thereon and
any prepayment penalties or other similar amounts payable in connection with the
repayment thereof), (b) obligations of the Company or any Company Subsidiary
evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures, letters of credit or similar instruments,
(c) obligations of the Company or any
56
Company
Subsidiary under capitalized leases, (d) obligations of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary under conditional sale, title, retention or similar
agreements or arrangements creating any obligations of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary with respect to the deferred purchase price of property, (e)
obligations in respect of interest rate and currency obligation swaps, xxxxxx or
similar arrangements, and (f) all obligations of any of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary to guarantee any of the foregoing types of obligations on
behalf of any person other than the Company or any Company
Subsidiary.
“Intellectual Property
Rights” means all
(a) U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications and disclosures relating
thereto (and any patents that issue as a result of those patent applications),
and any renewals, reissues, reexaminations, extensions, continuations,
continuations-in-part, divisions and substitutions relating to any of the
patents and patent applications, as well as all related foreign patent and
patent applications that are counterparts to such patents and patent
applications, (b) U.S. and foreign trademarks, service marks, trade dress,
logos, trade names and corporate names, whether registered or unregistered, and
the goodwill associated therewith, together with any registrations and
applications for registration thereof, (c) U.S. and foreign copyrights and
rights under copyrights, whether registered or unregistered, including moral
rights, and any registrations and applications for registration thereof, (d)
U.S. and foreign mask work rights and registrations and applications for
registration thereof, (e) rights in databases and data collections (including
knowledge databases, customer lists and customer databases) under the laws of
the United States or any other jurisdiction, whether registered or unregistered,
and any applications for registration therefor; (f) trade secrets and other
rights in know-how and confidential or proprietary information (including any
business plans, designs, technical data, customer data, financial information,
pricing and cost information, bills of material, or other similar information),
(g) URL and domain name registrations, (h) inventions (whether or not
patentable) and improvements thereto, (i) all claims and causes of action
arising out of or related to infringement or misappropriation of any of the
foregoing, and (j) other proprietary or intellectual property rights now known
or hereafter recognized in any jurisdiction.
“IRS” means the United
States Internal Revenue Service.
“knowledge” of a
Person means the actual knowledge after reasonable investigation of the
individuals identified in Section 8.4 of the
Company Disclosure Letter.
“Law” means any
federal, state, local or foreign law, statute, code, ordinance, rule,
regulation, order, judgment, writ, stipulation, award, injunction, decree or
arbitration award or finding.
“Lien” means any lien,
mortgage, pledge, conditional or installment sale agreement, encumbrance,
covenant, condition, restriction, charge, option, right of first refusal, easement,
security interest, deed of trust, right-of-way, encroachment, community property
interest or other claim or restriction of any nature, whether voluntarily
incurred or arising by operation of Law (including any restriction on the voting
of any security, any restriction on the transfer of any security or other asset,
and any restriction on the possession, exercise or transfer of any other
attribute of ownership of any asset).
“on a fully diluted
basis” means, as of any date, (a) the number of Shares outstanding, plus
(b) the number of Shares the Company is then required to issue pursuant to
options, rights or other obligations outstanding at such date under any employee
stock option or other benefit plans or otherwise (assuming all options and other
rights to acquire or obligations
57
to issue
such Shares are fully vested and exercisable and all Shares issuable at any time
have been issued), including, without limitation, pursuant to the Company Stock
Option Plans.
“Other Filings” means
all filings made by, or required to be made by, the Company with the SEC in
connection with the Special Meeting or the Merger, other than the Proxy
Statement.
“Parent Material Adverse
Effect” means any change, event, development, condition, occurrence or
effect that prevents or materially delays, or would reasonably be expected to
prevent or materially delay, consummation of the Merger or performance by Parent
or Merger Sub of any of their material obligations under this
Agreement.
“Permitted Liens”
means (a) Liens for Taxes, assessments and governmental charges or levies not
yet due and payable, (b) Liens imposed by applicable Law, (c) easements,
covenants, and rights of way (unrecorded and of record) and other similar
restrictions of record that do not materially adversely affect the current use
of the applicable property owned, leased or held for use by the Company or a
Company Subsidiary; (d) Liens in favor of vendors, carriers, warehousemen,
repairmen, mechanics, workmen, materialmen, construction or similar liens or
other encumbrances arising by operation of Law; and (e) zoning, building or
other similar restrictions that do not adversely affect in any material respect
the use of applicable Company Property.
“Person” means an
individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association,
trust, unincorporated organization, other entity or group (as defined in Section
13(d) of the Exchange Act).
“SEC” means the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities Act” means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
“Software” means
computer software, programs and databases in any form, including Internet web
sites, web content and links, source code, executable code, tools, developers
kits, utilities, graphical user interfaces, menus, images, icons, and forms, and
all versions, updates, corrections, enhancements and modifications thereof, and
all related documentation, developer notes, comments and annotations related
thereto.
“Subsidiary” of
Parent, the Company or any other Person means any corporation, partnership,
joint venture or other legal entity of which Parent, the Company or such other
Person, as the case may be (either alone or through or together with any other
Subsidiary), owns, directly or indirectly, a majority of the stock or other
equity interests the holders of which are generally entitled to vote for the
election of the board of directors or other governing body of such
corporation, partnership, joint venture or other legal entity, or any Person
that would otherwise be deemed a “subsidiary” under Rule 12b-2 promulgated under
the Exchange Act.
“Superior Proposal”
means a bona fide written Acquisition Proposal (except the references therein to
20% shall be replaced by 50%) made by a third party which was not solicited by
the Company, any Company Subsidiary, any Company Representative or any other
Company affiliate and which, in the good faith judgment of the Company Board
(after consultation with its financial advisor and outside counsel), taking into
account the various legal, financial and regulatory aspects of the proposal
(including the financing terms thereof and the Person making such proposal), (a)
if accepted, is reasonably likely to be consummated, and (b) if
58
consummated
would, based upon the advice of the Company’s financial advisor, result in a
transaction that is more favorable to the Company’s shareholders, from a
financial point of view, than the Merger (after giving effect to all adjustments
to the terms thereof which may be offered by Parent (including pursuant to Section
5.4(d)(ii)).
“Taxes” means any and
all taxes, fees, levies, duties, tariffs, imposts and other charges of any kind
(together with any and all interest, penalties, additions to tax and additional
amounts imposed with respect thereto) imposed by any Governmental Entity,
including income, franchise, windfall or other profits, gross receipts,
property, sales, use, net worth, capital stock, payroll, employment, social
security, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, excise, withholding,
ad valorem, stamp, transfer, value-added, gains tax and license, registration
and documentation fees.
“Tax Return” means any
report, return (including information return), claim for refund, election,
estimated tax filing or declaration required to be supplied to any Governmental
Entity or domestic or foreign taxing authority with respect to Taxes, including
any schedule or attachment thereto, and including any amendments
thereof.
“Technology” means
tangible embodiments of Intellectual Property Rights, whether in electronic,
written, tangible or other media, including Software, technical documentation,
specifications, designs, bills of material, build instructions, test reports,
schematics, algorithms, application programming interfaces, user interfaces,
routines, formulae, test vectors, IP cores, databases, lab notebooks, processes,
prototypes, samples, studies, or other know-how and other works of
authorship.
8.5 Terms Defined
Elsewhere. The
following terms are defined elsewhere in this Agreement, as indicated
below:
“Acceptance Time”
|
Section
5.4(b)
|
“Agreement”
|
Preamble
|
“Alternative Acquisition
Agreement”
|
Section
5.4(d)(i)
|
“Breakup Fee”
|
Section
7.2(b)
|
“Capitalization Date”
|
Section
3.2(a)
|
“Certificate of Merger”
|
Section
1.3
|
“Certificates”
|
Section
2.2(b)
|
“Change of Board
Recommendation”
|
Section
5.4(a)
|
“Closing”
|
Section
1.2
|
“Closing Date”
|
Section
1.2
|
“COBRA”
|
Section
3.12(c)
|
“Company”
|
Preamble
|
“Company Articles”
|
Section
3.1(b)
|
“Company Benefit Plan”
|
Section
3.12(a)
|
“Company Board”
|
Recitals
|
“Company Board
Recommendation”
|
Recitals
|
“Company Code of
Regulations”
|
Section
3.1(b)
|
“Company Common Stock”
|
Section
2.1(a)
|
“Company Disclosure Letter”
|
Article
3
|
“Company Employee Plans”
|
Section
3.12(a)
|
“Company Financial Advisor”
|
Section
3.21
|
“Company Financial
Statements”
|
Section
3.7(a)
|
“Company Material Contract”
|
Section
3.13(a)
|
“Company Options”
|
Section
2.4(a)
|
“Company Permits”
|
Section
3.6(a)
|
“Company Preferred Stock”
|
Section
3.2(a)
|
59
“Company SEC Documents”
|
Section
3.7(a)
|
“Company Stock Option Plans”
|
Section
2.4(a)
|
“Company Shareholder
Approval”
|
Section
3.23
|
“Company Subsidiary”
|
Section
3.1(a)
|
“D&O Insurance”
|
Section
5.9(c)
|
“Dissenting Shares”
|
Section
2.3
|
“Effective Time”
|
Section
1.3
|
“ERISA”
|
Section
3.12(a)
|
“ERISA Affiliate”
|
Section
3.12(a)
|
“ESPP”
|
Section
2.4(d)
|
“Exchange Act”
|
Section
3.5
|
“Exchange Fund”
|
Section
2.2(a)
|
“Fairness Opinion”
|
Section
3.21
|
“Filed Company SEC
Documents”
|
Article
3
|
“Foreign Plan”
|
Section
3.12(h)
|
“Inclusive Companies”
|
Section
3.15(a)
|
“Insurance Policies”
|
Section
3.18
|
“Lease Agreements”
|
Section
3.13(a)
|
“Leased Real Property”
|
Section
3.20(b)
|
“Licensed Material Intellectual
Property”
|
Section
3.16(c)
|
“Material Intellectual
Property”
|
Section
3.16(b)
|
“Merger”
|
Section
1.1
|
“Merger Consideration”
|
Section
2.1(a)
|
“Merger Sub”
|
Preamble
|
“Merger Sub Common Stock”
|
Section
2.1(c)
|
“Minimum Condition”
|
Section
8.15
|
“Notice Period”
|
Section
5.4(d)(i)
|
“OGCL”
|
Section
1.1
|
“Option Payments”
|
Section
2.4(a)
|
“Outside Date”
|
Section
7.1(b)
|
“Owned Material Intellectual
Property”
|
Section
3.16(c)
|
“Owned Real Property”
|
Section
3.20(a)
|
“Parent”
|
Preamble
|
“Parent Balance Sheet”
|
Section
4.10
|
“Parent Disclosure Letter”
|
Article
4
|
“Parent Subsidiary”
|
Section
4.3
|
“Paying Agent”
|
Section
2.2(a)
|
“Proxy Statement”
|
Section
1.7(a)
|
“Real Property”
|
Section
3.20(c)
|
“Registered Company Intellectual
Property”
|
Section
3.16(a)
|
60
“Representatives”
|
Section
5.3
|
“Restraints”
|
Section
6.1(b)
|
“Restricted Stock”
|
Section
2.4(b)
|
“Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”
|
Section
3.7(a)
|
“Securities Act”
|
Section
3.7(a)
|
“Section 16”
|
Section
5.11
|
“Share”
|
Section
2.1(a)
|
“Special Meeting”
|
Section
1.7(e)
|
“Surviving Corporation”
|
Section
1.1
|
“Tender Offer”
|
Section
8.15
|
“Tender Offeror”
|
Section
8.15
|
“Terminating Company Breach”
|
Section
7.1(g)
|
“Terminating Parent Breach”
|
Section
7.1(h)
|
“Voting Agreement”
|
Recitals
|
“WARN Act”
|
Section
3.12(p)
|
8.6 Headings.
The
headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall
not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this
Agreement.
8.7 Severability.
If any
term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of
being enforced by any rule of Law or public policy, all other conditions and
provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect
so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated
hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any
party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is
invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall
negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original
intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end
that transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the extent
possible.
8.8 Entire Agreement.
This
Agreement (together with the Exhibits, Parent Disclosure Letter and Company
Disclosure Letter and the other documents delivered pursuant hereto) and the
Confidentiality Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties and
supersede all prior agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among
the parties, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof and,
except as otherwise expressly provided herein, are not intended to confer upon
any other Person any rights or remedies hereunder.
8.9
Assignment. The
Agreement shall not be assigned by any party by operation of Law or otherwise
without the prior written consent of the other parties, provided that Parent or Merger Sub may (a) assign any of their respective rights
and obligations to any direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent or
(b) collaterally assign its rights under this Agreement to any party providing
debt financing to it, but no such assignment shall relieve Parent or Merger Sub,
as the case may be, of its obligations hereunder.
8.10
Parties in Interest. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of
each party hereto and their respective successors and assigns, and nothing in
this Agreement, express or implied is intended to or shall confer upon any other
Person any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason
of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding
sentence, the Indemnified Persons as set forth
in
61
Section 5.9 of this
Agreement are intended to be third-party beneficiaries of Section 5.9 of this
Agreement and shall have the right to enforce such provision
directly.
8.11 Mutual Drafting; Interpretation.
Each
party hereto has participated in the drafting of this Agreement, which each
party acknowledges is the result of extensive negotiations between the
parties. If an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation
arises, 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 provision. For purposes of
this Agreement, whenever the context requires: the singular number shall include
the plural, and vice versa; the masculine gender shall include the feminine and
neuter genders; the feminine gender shall include the masculine and neuter
genders; and the neuter gender shall include masculine and feminine
genders. As used in this Agreement, the words “include” and
“including,” and variations thereof, shall not be deemed to be terms of
limitation, but rather shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without
limitation.” Except as otherwise indicated, all references in this Agreement to
“Sections,” “Exhibits,” “Annexes” and “Schedules” are intended to refer to
Sections of this Agreement and Exhibits, Annexes and Schedules to this
Agreement. All references in this Agreement to “$” are intended to
refer to U.S. dollars. Unless otherwise specifically provided for
herein, the term “or” shall not be deemed to be exclusive.
8.12 Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction;
Waiver of Trial by Jury.
(a) This
Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of
the State of Delaware, without regard to laws that may be applicable under
conflicts of laws principles, except to the extent the provisions of the OGCL
are mandatorily applicable to the Merger.
(b) Each of
the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself
and its property, to the jurisdiction of any Delaware state court, or Federal
court of the United States of America, sitting in Delaware, and any appellate
court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating
to this Agreement or the agreements delivered in connection herewith or the
transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or for recognition or enforcement of
any judgment relating thereto, and each of the parties hereby irrevocably and
unconditionally (i) agrees not to commence any such action or proceeding
except in such courts, (ii) agrees that any claim in respect of any such
action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such Delaware state court
or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court, (iii) waives, to
the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it
may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such action or
proceeding in any such
Delaware state or Federal court, and (iv) waives, to the fullest extent
permitted by Law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of
such action or proceeding in any such Delaware state or Federal
court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any
such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other
jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by
Law. Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of
process in the manner provided for notices in Section
8.3. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any
party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by
Law.
62
(c) EACH
PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS
AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE
IT HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A
TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF
OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY OF THE AGREEMENTS DELIVERED IN CONNECTION
HEREWITH OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. EACH
PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (I) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR
ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH
OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE EITHER OF
SUCH WAIVERS, (II) IT UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF
SUCH WAIVERS, (III) IT MAKES SUCH WAIVERS VOLUNTARILY, AND (IV) IT HAS
BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL
WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 8.12(c).
8.13 Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, and by the different
parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be
deemed to be an original but all of which taken together shall constitute one
and the same agreement.
8.14 Specific Performance.
The
parties hereto agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any
provision of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with its specific
terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the parties
hereto shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of
this Agreement to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof in any
Delaware state court or any court of the United States or any state having
jurisdiction, this being in addition to any other remedy to which they are
entitled at Law or in equity.
8.15 Tender
Offer. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Confidentiality Agreement or
otherwise, after the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer by a third
party unaffiliated with Parent or Merger Sub that, if successful, would result
in any Person or group becoming a beneficial owner of fifty percent (50%) or
more of the issued and outstanding shares of Company Common Stock, Parent shall
have the right, in its sole discretion, but not the obligation, to commence, or
to cause Merger Sub or another one of its affiliates (such entity, the “Tender Offeror”) to
commence, at any time after the date hereof, a cash tender offer for 100% of the
issued and outstanding Shares at a purchase price per share, net to the holders
thereof, equal or greater to the Merger Consideration (the “Tender Offer”); provided, that if
Parent or the Tender Offeror elects to commence a Tender Offer (i) it shall be a
condition to the obligation of the Tender Offeror to accept for payment and pay
for Shares tendered in the Tender Offer that more than 50% of the outstanding
Shares be tendered in the Tender Offer (such condition, the “Minimum Condition”),
(ii) except for the Minimum Condition, the obligation of the Tender Offeror to
accept for payment and pay for Shares tendered in the Tender Offer shall not be
materially more conditional than the obligation of Parent and Merger Sub to
consummate the Merger, (iii) following satisfaction of the conditions set forth
in Article 4,
Parent, Merger Sub and/or the Tender Offeror shall be obligated to consummate
(x) the Merger or (y) a merger providing for cash consideration at least equal
to the
63
Merger
Consideration and which shall otherwise be on terms and conditions no less
favorable to the holders of Shares than the Merger, and (iv) the Tender Offer
shall comply with all applicable Laws, including the Exchange Act and the rules,
regulations and schedules promulgated thereunder. The parties hereto
shall (a) negotiate in good faith and as expeditiously as practicable, any and
all amendments, modifications or waivers of this Agreement and the
Confidentiality Agreement necessary or appropriate to allow Parent or Tender
Offeror to implement the Tender Offer, (b) make any and all amendments or
modifications to the Proxy Statement or any Other Filings, (c) make any and all
filings with or submissions to (and/or make any and all amendments or
modifications to existing filings or submissions), and seek any and all
consents, authorizations and permits from, any Governmental Entity necessary or
appropriate in light of the Tender Offer, and (d) otherwise use commercially
reasonable efforts to implement the provisions of this Section 8.15 and to
ensure the Merger and the Tender Offer comply with all applicable Law and are
consummated. For avoidance of doubt, to the extent requested by
Parent or the Tender Offeror, the Company acknowledges that the representations
and warranties set forth in the last sentence of Section 3.3(b) apply
to the Tender Offer described in this Section
8.15.
8.16 Non-Recourse.
Any claim
or cause of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement may
only be brought against Persons that are expressly named as parties hereto, and
then only with respect to the specific obligations set forth
herein. No former, current or future direct or indirect equity
holders, controlling Persons, shareholders, directors, officers, employees,
agents, affiliates, members, managers, general or limited partners or assignees
of the Company, Parent or Merger Sub or any of their respective affiliates shall
have any liability or obligation for any of the representations, warranties,
covenants, agreements, obligations or liabilities of the Company, Parent or
Merger Sub under this Agreement or of or for any action, suit, arbitration,
claim, litigation, investigation, or proceeding based on, in respect of, or by
reason of, the transactions contemplated hereby (including the breach,
termination or failure to consummate such transactions), in each case whether
based on Contract, tort, strict liability, other Laws or otherwise and whether
by piercing the corporate veil, by a claim by or on behalf of a party hereto or
another Person or otherwise.
[Signature Page
Follows]
64
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have caused this Agreement
to be executed as of the date first written above by their respective officers
thereunto duly authorized.
LINEAGE POWER HOLDINGS, INC. | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Chief Executive Officer | |||
LINEAGE POWER OHIO MERGER SUB, INC. | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Chief Executive Officer | |||
PECO II, INC. | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |
Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxx
|
|||
Chairman,
President, Chief Executive Officer,
|
|||
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
[Signature
Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger]