MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
TO: GKM Advisers, LLC
00000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Dear Sirs:
The GKM Funds (the "Trust") herewith confirms our agreement with you.
The Trust has been organized to engage in the business of an investment
company. The Trust currently offers one series of shares to investors, the GKM
Growth Fund (the "Fund").
You have been selected to act as the sole investment adviser of the Fund
and to provide certain other services, as more fully set forth below, and you
are willing to act as such investment adviser and to perform such services under
the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth. Accordingly, the Trust agrees
with you as follows effective upon the date of the execution of this Agreement.
1. ADVISORY SERVICES
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You will regularly provide the Fund with such investment advice as you
in your discretion deem advisable and will furnish a continuous investment
program for the Fund consistent with the Fund's investment objectives and
policies. You will determine the securities to be purchased for the Fund, the
portfolio securities to be held or sold by the Fund and the portion of the
Fund's assets to be held uninvested, subject always to the Fund's investment
objectives, policies and restrictions, as each of the same shall be from time to
time in effect, and subject further to such policies and instructions as the
Board may from time to time establish. You will advise and assist the officers
of the Trust in taking such steps as are necessary or appropriate to carry out
the decisions of the Board and the appropriate committees of the Board regarding
the conduct of the business of the Fund.
2. ALLOCATION OF CHARGES AND EXPENSES
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You will pay all operating expenses of the Fund not specifically
assumed by the Fund, including the compensation and expenses of any employees of
the Fund and of any other persons rendering any services to the Fund; clerical
and shareholder service staff salaries; office space and other office expenses;
fees and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with membership in
investment company organizations; legal, auditing and accounting expenses;
expenses of registering shares under federal and state securities laws,
including expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with the organization and
initial registration of shares of the Fund; insurance expenses; fees and
expenses of the custodian, transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent,
shareholder service agent, plan agent, administrator, accounting and pricing
services agent and underwriter of the Fund; expenses, including clerical
expenses, of issue, sale, redemption or repurchase of shares of the Fund; the
cost of preparing and distributing reports and notices to shareholders, the cost
of printing or preparing prospectuses and statements of additional information
for delivery to shareholders; the cost of printing or preparing stock
certificates or any other documents, statements or reports to shareholders;
expenses of shareholders' meetings and proxy solicitations; and all other
operating expenses not specifically assumed by the Fund. For purposes of this
Agreement, "operating expenses of the Fund" shall not include advertising,
promotion and other expenses incurred directly or indirectly in connection with
the sale or distribution of the Fund's shares (including expenses which the Fund
is authorized to pay pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").
The Fund will pay all brokerage fees and commissions, taxes, borrowing
costs (such as (a) interest and (b) dividend expenses on securities sold short),
fees and expenses of the non-interested person trustees and such extraordinary
or non-recurring expenses as may arise, including litigation to which the Fund
may be a party and indemnification of the Trust's trustees and officers with
respect thereto. The Fund will also pay expenses which it is authorized to pay
pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. You may obtain reimbursement from the
Fund, at such time or times as you may determine in your sole discretion, for
any of the expenses advanced by you, which the Fund is obligated to pay, and
such reimbursement shall not be considered to be part of your compensation
pursuant to this Agreement.
3. COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISER
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For all of the services to be rendered and payments to be made by you
as provided in this Agreement, as of the last business day of each month, the
Fund will pay you a fee at the annual rate of 1.40% of the average value of its
daily net assets.
The average value of the daily net assets of the Fund shall be
determined pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Declaration of Trust of
the Trust or a resolution of the Board, if required. If, pursuant to such
provisions, the determination of net asset value of the Fund is suspended for
any particular business day, then for the purposes of this paragraph, the value
of the net assets of the Fund as last determined shall be deemed to be the value
of the net assets as of the close of the business day, or as of such other time
as the value of the Fund's net assets may lawfully be determined, on that day.
If the determination of the net asset value of the Fund has been suspended for a
period including such month, your compensation payable at the end of such month
shall be computed on the basis of the value of the net assets of the Fund as
last determined (whether during or prior to such month).
4. EXECUTION OF PURCHASE AND SALE ORDERS
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In connection with purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the
account of the Fund, it is understood that you will arrange for the placing of
all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for the account
with brokers or dealers selected by you, subject to review of this selection by
the Board from time to time. You will be responsible for the negotiation and the
allocation of principal business and portfolio brokerage. In the selection of
such brokers or dealers and the placing of such orders, you are directed at all
times to seek for the Fund the best qualitative execution, taking into account
such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer
spread), the execution capability, financial responsibility and responsiveness
of the broker or dealer and the brokerage and research services provided by the
broker or dealer.
You should generally seek favorable prices and commission rates that
are reasonable in relation to the benefits received. In seeking best qualitative
execution, you are authorized to select brokers or dealers who also provide
brokerage and research services to the Fund and/or the other accounts over which
you exercise investment discretion. You are authorized to pay a broker or dealer
who provides such brokerage and research services a commission for executing a
Fund portfolio transaction which is in excess of the amount of commission
another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if
you determine in good faith that the amount of the commission is reasonable in
relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by the
executing broker or dealer. The determination may be viewed in terms of either a
particular transaction or your overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund
and to accounts over which you exercise investment discretion. The Fund and you
understand and acknowledge that, although the information may be useful to the
Fund and you, it is not possible to place a dollar value on such information.
The Board shall periodically review the commissions paid by the Fund to
determine if the commissions paid over representative periods of time were
reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Fund.
Consistent with the Rules of Fair Practice of the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc., and subject to seeking best qualitative execution
as described above, you may give consideration to sales of shares of the Fund as
a factor in the selection of brokers and dealers to execute Fund portfolio
transactions.
Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, and other applicable law,
you, any of your affiliates or any affiliates of your affiliates may retain
compensation in connection with effecting the Fund's portfolio transactions,
including transactions effected through others. If any occasion should arise in
which you give any advice to clients of yours concerning the shares of the Fund,
you will act solely as investment counsel for such client and not in any way on
behalf of the Fund. Your services to the Fund pursuant to this Agreement are not
to be deemed to be exclusive and it is understood that you may render investment
advice, management and other services to others, including other registered
investment companies.
5. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF ADVISER
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You may rely on information reasonably believed by you to be accurate
and reliable. Except as may otherwise be required by the 1940 Act or the rules
thereunder, neither you nor your shareholders, members, officers, directors,
employees, agents, control persons or affiliates of any thereof shall be subject
to any liability for, or any damages, expenses or losses incurred by the Trust
in connection with, any error of judgment, mistake of law, any act or omission
connected with or arising out of any services rendered under, or payments made
pursuant to, this Agreement or any other matter to which this Agreement relates,
except by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the
part of any such persons in the performance of your duties under this Agreement,
or by reason of reckless disregard by any of such persons of your obligations
and duties under this Agreement.
Any person, even though also a director, officer, employee, member,
shareholder or agent of you, who may be or become an officer, director, trustee,
employee or agent of the Trust, shall be deemed, when rendering services to the
Trust or acting on any business of the Trust (other
than services or business in connection with your duties hereunder), to be
rendering such services to or acting solely for the Trust and not as a director,
officer, employee, member, shareholder or agent of you, or one under your
control or direction, even though paid by you.
6. DURATION AND TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT
------------------------------------------
This Agreement shall take effect on the date of its execution, and
shall remain in force for a period of two (2) years from the date of its
execution, and from year to year thereafter, subject to annual approval by (i)
the Board or (ii) a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the Fund, provided that in either event continuance is also approved by a
majority of the trustees who are not interested persons of you or the Trust, by
a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting such
approval.
This Agreement may, on sixty days written notice, be terminated with
respect to the Fund, at any time without the payment of any penalty, by the
Board, by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund,
or by you. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment.
7. USE OF NAME
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The Trust and you acknowledge that, as between such parties, all
rights to the name "GKM" or any variation thereof belong to you, and that the
Trust has been granted a limited right to use such name in its Fund name . In
the event you cease to be the adviser to the Fund, the Trust's right to the use
of the name "GKM" shall automatically cease upon termination of this Agreement.
The right to the name may also be withdrawn by you during the term of this
Agreement upon ninety (90) days' written notice by you to the Trust. Nothing
contained herein shall impair or diminish in any respect, your right to use the
name "GKM" in the name of, or in connection with, any other business enterprises
with which you are or may become associated. There is no charge to the Trust for
the right to use this name.
8. AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT
---------------------------
No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or
terminated orally, and no amendment of this Agreement shall be effective until
approved by the Board, including a majority of the trustees who are not
interested persons of you or of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called
for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (if required under
interpretations of the 1940 Act by the Securities and Exchange Commission or its
staff) by vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities
of the series to which the amendment relates.
9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY TO TRUST PROPERTY
-----------------------------------------
The term "The GKM Funds" means and refers to the Trustees from time to
time serving under the Trust's Declaration of Trust as the same may subsequently
thereto have been, or subsequently hereto be, amended. It is expressly agreed
that the obligations of the Trust hereunder shall not be binding upon any of the
trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents or employees of the Trust
personally, but bind only the trust property of the Trust, as provided in the
Declaration
of Trust of the Trust. The execution and delivery of this Agreement have been
authorized by the trustees and shareholders of the Trust and signed by officers
of the Trust, acting as such, and neither such authorization by such trustees
and shareholders nor such execution and delivery by such officers shall be
deemed to have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability
on any of them personally, but shall bind only the trust property of the Trust
as provided in its Declaration of Trust. A copy of the Agreement and Declaration
of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of the State of Ohio.
10. SEVERABILITY
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In the event any provision of this Agreement is determined to be void
or unenforceable, such determination shall not affect the remainder of this
Agreement, which shall continue to be in force.
11. QUESTIONS OF INTERPRETATION
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(a) This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
Ohio.
(b) For the purpose of this Agreement, the terms "majority of the
outstanding voting securities," "control" and "interested person" shall have
their respective meanings as defined in the 1940 Act and rules and regulations
thereunder, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act; and the term "brokerage
and research services" shall have the meaning given in the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934.
(c) Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this
Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision
of the 1940 Act shall be resolved by reference to such term or provision of the
1940 Act and to interpretation thereof, if any, by the United States courts or
in the absence of any controlling decision of any such court, by the Securities
and Exchange Commission or its staff. In addition, where the effect of a
requirement of the 1940 Act, reflected in any provision of this Agreement, is
revised by rule, regulation, order or interpretation of the Securities and
Exchange Commission or its staff, such provision shall be deemed to incorporate
the effect of such rule, regulation, order or interpretation.
12. NOTICES
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Any notices under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and
delivered or mailed postage paid to the other party at such address as such
other party may designate for the receipt of such notice. Until further notice
to the other party, it is agreed that the address of the Trust is 00000 Xxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000, and your address for this purpose shall
be 00000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000.
13. COUNTERPARTS
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This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute
one and the same instrument.
14. BINDING EFFECT
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Each of the undersigned expressly warrants and represents that he has
the full power and authority to sign this Agreement on behalf of the party
indicated, and that his signature will operate to bind the party indicated to
the foregoing terms.
15. CAPTIONS
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The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of
reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or
otherwise affect their construction or effect.
If you are in agreement with the foregoing, please sign the form of
acceptance on the accompanying counterpart of this letter and return such
counterpart to the Trust, whereupon this letter shall become a binding contract
upon the date thereof.
Yours very truly,
THE GKM FUNDS
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
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Print Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
Title: President
Date: August 20, 2003
ACCEPTANCE
The foregoing Agreement is hereby accepted.
GKM ADVISERS, LLC
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
---------------------------
Print Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
Title: President
Date: August 20, 2003
