Exhibit 99.2
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS SECURITIES PURCHASE
AGREEMENT (the Agreement), is
made and entered into as of ,
2010, by and between Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. a Minnesota
corporation (the Company), and
the undersigned prospective investor (the Investor) who
is subscribing for shares (the Shares) of
common stock of the Company, no par value per share (the Common Stock).
In consideration of the
mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the
Company and the Investor agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this
Agreement, the following capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth
below:
Closing
means the closing of the purchase and sale of the Shares under this Agreement.
Environmental
Laws means all federal, state, regional or local statutes, laws,
rules, regulations, codes, Orders, plans, or ordinances, or similar laws of
foreign jurisdictions where the Company conducts business, any of which govern
(or purport to govern) or relate to pollution, protection of the environment,
public health and safety, air emissions, water discharges, hazardous or toxic
substances, solid or hazardous waste or occupational health and safety, as any
of these terms are defined in such statutes, laws, rules, regulations, codes,
Orders, or ordinances, including without limitation the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by
the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act of 1986, 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601, et.
seq.; the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act of 1976 and subsequent Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of
1984, 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901 et. seq.; the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act,
as amended, 49 U.S.C. §§ 1801, et. seq.; the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C.
§§ 1311, et. seq.; the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401-7642; the
Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601 et. seq.; the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act as amended, 7 U.S.C. §§ 136-136y;
the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 as amended, 42 U.S.C.
§§ 11001, et. seq. (Title III of SARA); and the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970, as amended, 29 U.S.C. §§ 651, et. seq.
Exchange Act
means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
FINRA
means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Governmental Entity means a court, administrative agency or
commission or other governmental authority or instrumentality, whether domestic
or foreign.
Hazardous Substances means any toxic or hazardous substance,
material, or waste, and any other contaminant, pollutant or constituent
thereof, whether liquid, solid, semi-solid, sludge and/or gaseous, including
without limitation, chemicals, compounds, by-products, pesticides,
asbestos-containing materials, petroleum or petroleum products, and
polychlorinated biphenyls, the presence of which requires investigation or
remediation under any Environmental Laws, or which are or become regulated,
listed or controlled by, under or pursuant to any Environmental Laws.
Memorandum
means the Confidential Private Placement Memorandum, dated March 26, 2010,
including all appendices and exhibits thereto, delivered to the Investor in
connection with the Offering.
Order means a decree, judgment, injunction, ruling, or other
order of a Governmental Entity having jurisdiction, whether temporary,
preliminary, or permanent.
Person shall mean an individual, partnership, corporation,
association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, joint
stock company, trust, joint venture, unincorporated organization or
governmental entity (or any department, agency, or political subdivision
thereof).
Registration
Statement means a registration statement on Form S-3.
Rules and
Regulations means the rules and regulations promulgated under the
Securities Act.
SEC
means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SEC
Documents means all documents that the Company was required to file
under the Exchange Act since January 1, 2007.
Securities
Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Trading
Market means any of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock
Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ
Capital Market or the OTC Bulletin Board.
ARTICLE
2
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF SHARES; CLOSING
2.1 Purchase and Sale of the
Shares.
(a) Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Investor agrees to purchase
from the Company the number of Shares indicated on the signature page hereto
(the Subscription Amount) at a
purchase price of $2.00 per Share (the Share
Price) for an aggregate purchase price indicated on the signature page
hereto (the Aggregate Purchase Price). The Company reserves the right in its sole
discretion to accept or reject the Subscription (as defined below) in whole or
in part or to allot to the Investor less than the Subscription Amount. The actual Subscription Amount, if any,
accepted by the Company is referred to in this Agreement as the Actual Subscription Amount. If the Actual Subscription Amount differs
from the Subscription Amount, the term Aggregate Purchase Price shall refer to
the sum derived by multiplying the Share Price by the Actual Subscription
Amount. Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor
the number of Shares equal to the Actual Subscription Amount.
(b) Within
one (1) business day of the date of this Agreement, the Investor shall deliver
the Aggregate Purchase Price by wire transfer to the client trust account of
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. (the Trust Account), in accordance with the wire transfer
instructions attached hereto as Exhibit A.
2.2 Aggregate Number of Shares
Offered. The Company has entered and
intends to enter into this same form of Securities Purchase Agreement with
certain other investors (the Other Investors)
and desires to offer and sell (the Offering)
up to 915,000 shares of Common Stock (the
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Offering Amount); provided, that, the Offering Amount may be
decreased in the discretion of the Company.
2.3 Escrow Account. All payments for Shares made by the Investor
as contemplated by Section 2.1(b) will be held in the Trust Account for the
Investors benefit in a non-interest bearing escrow account. The payment will be returned promptly,
without interest or deduction, if the Subscription (as defined below) is
rejected or the Offering is terminated by the Company for any reason.
2.4 Binding Effect of this
Agreement. The
Investor acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement shall be binding upon the
Investor upon the submission to the Company of the Investors signed
counterpart signature page to this Agreement (the Subscription); provided that, if the Closing Date (as defined
below) has not occurred on or prior to April ,
2010 (the Termination Date),
this Agreement shall automatically terminate and be of no force and
effect. The Company may terminate the
Offering at any time prior to the Closing Date.
The execution of this Agreement by the Investor or solicitation of the
investment contemplated hereby shall create no obligation on the part of the
Company to accept the Subscription, in part or in full, or complete the
Offering. The Investor hereby acknowledges
and agrees that the Subscription is irrevocable by the Investor, and that,
except as required by law, the Investor is not entitled to cancel, terminate or
revoke this Agreement or any agreements of the Investor hereunder and that if
the Investor is an individual this Agreement shall survive the death or
disability of the Investor and shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit
of the parties and their respective heirs, executors, administrators,
successors, legal representatives, and permitted assigns. The Investor also agrees that the Company may
reduce the Subscription with respect to the number of Shares to be purchased
without any prior notice or further consent of the Investor. If such a reduction occurs, the part of the
Aggregate Purchase Price attributable to the reduction shall be promptly
returned, without interest, offset or deduction.
2.5 Closing.
(a) The
Closing shall occur, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions
set forth in Section 2.6 and Section 2.7 (other than those intended to be
satisfied at Closing), at the offices of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
L.L.P., 2800 LaSalle Plaza, 800 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402,
or such other place as the Company may designate. The date upon which the Closing actually
occurs is referred to herein as the Closing
Date.
(b) At
the Closing, the Company shall authorize its transfer agent to issue and the
transfer agent shall issue to the Investor one (1) or more stock certificates
registered in the name of the Investor, or in such name of nominee(s) designated
by the Investor in writing, representing the number of Shares comprising the
Subscription Amount.
2.6 Conditions to the Companys
Obligation to Complete Purchase and Sale. Upon acceptance of the Subscription, the
Companys obligation to issue and sell the Shares to the Investor at Closing is
subject to the satisfaction, on or before the Closing Date, of each of the
following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Companys sole
benefit and may be waived by the Company at any time in its sole discretion by
providing the Investor with prior written notice thereof:
(a) Payment
of Aggregate Purchase Price. The Investor shall have delivered to the
Trust Account the Aggregate Purchase Price in accordance with Section 2.1; and
(b) Representations
and Warranties; Covenants. The representations and warranties of the
Investor set forth in Article 3 shall be true and correct as of the date hereof
and as of the Closing Date as though made at that time (except for
representations and warranties that speak as of a specific
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date
(which shall be true and correct as of such date)), and the Investor shall have
performed, satisfied and complied with in all material respects the covenants,
agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied
or complied with by the Investor on or prior to the Closing Date.
2.7 Conditions to the Investors
Obligation to Complete Purchase and Sale. The obligation of the Investor hereunder to
purchase the Shares from the Company at the Closing is subject to the
satisfaction, on or before the Closing Date, of each of the following
conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Investors sole benefit
and may be waived by the Investor at any time in its sole discretion by
providing the Company with prior written notice thereof:
(a) Opinion
of Counsel. Receipt by the Investor of an opinion letter
of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., counsel to the Company, dated
the Closing Date, addressing the matters set forth on Exhibit B;
(b) Representations
and Warranties; Covenants. The representations and warranties of the
Company set forth in Article 3 shall be true and correct in all material
respects as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date as though made at
that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a
specific date (which shall be true and correct in all material respects as of
such date)), and the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied with
in all material respects the covenants, agreements and conditions required by
this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company on or
prior to the Closing Date;
(c) Officers
Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to the
Investor a certificate, dated the Closing Date, duly executed on behalf of the
Company by its Chief Executive Officer certifying that each of the conditions
specified in Section 2.7(b) is satisfied in all respects;
(d) Secretarys
Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to the
Investor a certificate, dated the Closing Date, duly executed by its Secretary
or Assistant Secretary or other appropriate officer, certifying that the
attached copies of the Companys Articles of Incorporation, by-laws and the
resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company approving this Agreement
and the transactions contemplated hereby, are all true, complete and correct
and remain unamended and in full force and effect; and
(e) No
Litigation. On the Closing Date, no legal action, suit or
proceeding shall be pending or overtly threatened which seeks to restrain or
prohibit the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
ARTICLE
3
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except as set forth on the
Schedule of Exceptions attached hereto as Schedule A, the
Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor as follows:
3.1 Subsidiaries; Organization. The Company has no subsidiaries (as defined
by Rule 405 under the Securities Act except as disclosed in its Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2010 (the Subsidiaries). The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is
duly organized and validly existing and is in good standing under the laws of
the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has
full corporate power and authority to own, operate and occupy its properties
and to conduct its business as presently conducted and is registered or
qualified to do business and in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it
owns or leases property or transacts business and where the failure to be so
qualified would have a material adverse effect upon the
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business, assets, financial
condition or results of operation of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as
a whole (a Material Adverse Effect),
and to the Companys knowledge, no proceeding has been instituted in any such
jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing, or seeking to revoke, limit or
curtail, such power and authority or qualification.
3.2 Due Authorization. The Company has all requisite corporate power
and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this
Agreement. This Agreement has been duly
authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by the Investor, constitutes a valid and
legally binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms, except (a)
to the extent rights to indemnity and contribution may be limited by state or
federal securities laws or the public policy underlying such laws, (b) enforceability
may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent
conveyance, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors and contracting
parties rights generally and (c) enforceability may be limited by general
principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law).
3.3 Non-Contravention. The execution and delivery of this Agreement,
the issuance and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company under this
Agreement, the performance by the Company of its obligations under this
Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not
conflict with or result in any violation of, or default (with or without notice
or lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of termination,
cancellation, or acceleration of any obligation or to the loss of a material
benefit under, or the creation of a lien, pledge, security interest, charge, or
other encumbrance on assets pursuant to (a) any material bond, debenture, note
or other evidence of indebtedness, or any material lease, indenture, mortgage,
deed of trust, loan agreement, joint venture or other agreement or instrument
to which the Company is a party or by which it or its properties are bound, (b)
any provision of the Articles of Incorporation, by-laws or other organizational
documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (c) any Order applicable
to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or their respective properties. No consent, approval, authorization or other
order of, or registration, qualification or filing with, any Governmental Entity
in the United States is required for the execution and delivery of this
Agreement and the valid issuance and sale of the Shares to be sold pursuant to
this Agreement, other than such as have been made or obtained, and except for
any securities filings required to be made under federal or state securities
laws.
3.4 Incorporated Documents;
Reporting Status. The
documents incorporated by reference in the Memorandum, at the time they became
effective or were filed with the SEC, as the case may be, complied in all
material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange
Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, and
none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading, and any further documents so filed and
incorporated by reference in the Memorandum, when such documents become
effective or are filed with the SEC, as the case may be and as the same may be
amended or supplemented, will conform in all material respects to the
requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules
and regulations of the SEC thereunder and will not contain an untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they are made, not misleading. The Company has filed in a timely manner all
SEC Documents.
3.5 Capitalization. The Company has authorized and outstanding
capital stock as set forth under the caption Description of Capital Stock in
the Memorandum. All of the issued and
outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly and validly issued and are
fully paid and non-assessable. There are
no statutory preemptive or other similar rights to subscribe for or to purchase
or acquire any shares of
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Common Stock or any such
rights pursuant to the Companys Articles of Incorporation or by-laws or any
agreement or instrument to or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is a party or bound. The Shares, when
issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued,
fully paid and non-assessable and none of them will be issued in violation of
any preemptive or other similar right.
Except as disclosed in the Memorandum there is no outstanding option,
warrant or other right calling for the issuance of, and there is no commitment,
plan or arrangement to issue, any share of stock of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries or any security convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable
for, such stock. The Common Stock and
the Shares conform in all material respects to all statements in relation
thereto contained in the Memorandum. All
outstanding shares of capital stock of each of the Companys Subsidiaries have
been duly authorized and validly issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable
and are owned directly by the Company or by another wholly-owned Subsidiary of
the Company free and clear of any security interests, liens, encumbrances,
equities or claims, other than those described in the Memorandum.
3.6 Legal Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents,
there is no action, suit or proceeding before any Governmental Entity, now
pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, overtly
threatened against the Company or its Subsidiaries wherein an unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding would reasonably be expected to materially
adversely affect the validity or enforceability of, or the authority or ability
of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement.
3.7 No Violations. Neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries is in violation of its Articles of Incorporation, by-laws, or
other organizational document, or is in violation of any Order applicable to
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, which violation, individually or in the
aggregate, would be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, or is
in default (and there exists no condition which, with or without the passage of
time or giving of notice or both, would constitute a default) in any material
respect in the performance of any bond, debenture, note or any other evidence
of indebtedness in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust or any other material
agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a
party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or by which
the properties of the Company are bound, which would be reasonably likely to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.8 Governmental Permits, Etc. The Company and its Subsidiaries possess all
necessary franchises, licenses, certificates and other authorizations from any
Governmental Entity that are currently necessary for the operation of their
respective business as currently conducted (Licenses),
except where the failure to possess a License would not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.9 Intellectual Property. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents or
in Section 3.9 of Schedule A hereto, the Company and its Subsidiaries own or
possess sufficient rights to use all patents, patent rights, trademarks,
copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, trade names and know-how that
are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as now conducted
except where the failure to own or possess would not have a Material Adverse
Effect (the Company Intellectual Property). Except as set forth in the SEC Documents or
in Section 3.9 of Schedule A hereto, (a) neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has received any written notice of, or has any knowledge of, any
infringement by the Company or its Subsidiaries of intellectual property rights
of any third party that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (b) neither the Company nor any
of its Subsidiaries has received any written notice of any infringement by a
third party of any Company Intellectual Property that, individually or in the
aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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3.10 Financial Statements. The financial statements of the Company
(including all notes and schedules thereto) included in the Memorandum present
fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries
at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders equity
and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries for the periods
specified; and such financial statements and related schedules and notes
thereto, and the unaudited financial information included as part of the
Memorandum, have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles, consistently applied throughout the periods involved (subject in
the case of the unaudited financial information to normal recurring year-end
adjustments and the absence of notes).
The summary financial data included in the Memorandum present fairly the
information shown therein as at the respective dates and for the respective
periods specified and have been presented on a basis consistent with the
consolidated financial statements set forth in the Memorandum and other
financial information. As of their
respective dates, the financial statements of the Company included in the SEC
Documents complied as to form in all respects with applicable accounting
requirements and published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect
thereto. Such financial statements have
been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,
consistently applied, during the periods involved (except as may be otherwise
indicated in such financial statements or the notes thereto) and fairly present
the financial position of the Company as of the dates thereof and the results
of its operations and cash flows for the periods then ended (subject, in the
case of unaudited statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments).
3.11 No Material Adverse Change. Except as set forth in the Memorandum or as
publicly disclosed in the SEC Documents, press releases or in other public
disclosures as such term is defined in Section 101(e) of Regulation FD of the
Exchange Act, since January 2, 2010, there has not been (a) any material
adverse change in the business, assets, financial condition or results of
operation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (b) any obligation, direct
or contingent, that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, incurred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except obligations
incurred in the ordinary course of business, (c) any dividend or distribution
of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company, or (d) any
loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the physical property of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries which has had a Material Adverse Effect.
3.12 Listing. Except as specified in the SEC Documents, the
Company has not, in the two (2) years preceding the date hereof, received
notice from any Trading Market to the effect that the Company is not in
compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements thereof. The Company is, and has no reason to believe
that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with
the listing and maintenance requirements for continued listing of the Common
Stock on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is currently listed or
quoted, including the eligibility rules thereunder. The issuance and sale of
the Shares does not contravene the rules and regulations of the Trading Market
on which the Common Stock is currently listed or quoted, and no approval of the
stockholders of the Company thereunder is required for the Company to issue and
deliver the Shares to the Investor.
3.13 No Manipulation of Stock. The Company has not taken and will not, in
violation of applicable law, take, any action designed to or that might
reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of
the price of the Common Stock to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
3.14 Insurance. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries
maintains and will continue to maintain insurance against loss or damage by
fire or other casualty and such other insurance, including, but not limited to,
product liability insurance, in such amounts and covering such risks as is
reasonably adequate consistent with industry practice for the conduct of their
respective businesses and the value of their respective properties.
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3.15 Tax Matters. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has
timely filed all material federal, state, local and foreign income and
franchise and other tax returns required to be filed by any jurisdiction to
which it is subject and has paid all taxes due in accordance therewith, and no
tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries which has had (nor does the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
have any knowledge of any tax deficiency which, if determined adversely to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to have) a
material adverse effect on the business, assets, financial condition or results
of operation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
3.16 Investment Company. The Company is not an investment company
within the meaning of such term under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and
the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.
3.17 No Registration. Assuming the accuracy of the representations
and warranties made by, and compliance with the covenants of, the Investor in Article 3,
no registration of the Shares under the Securities Act is required in
connection with the offer and sale of the Shares by the Company to the Investor
as contemplated by this Agreement.
3.18 Press Releases. The press releases disseminated by the
Company during the two (2) years preceding the date of this Agreement
taken as a whole do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading.
3.19 Labor Relations. No material labor dispute exists or, to the
knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of
the Company.
3.20 Title to Assets. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good
and marketable title to all real property owned by them that is material to
their respective businesses and good and marketable title in all personal
property owned by them that is material to their respective businesses, in each
case free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, right
of first refusal or other restrictions of any kind (Liens), except for Liens that do not materially affect the
value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and
proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its Subsidiaries. Any
real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and its Subsidiaries
are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases of which the
Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance, except as could not,
individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a
Material Adverse Effect.
3.21 Transactions With Affiliates and
Employees. Except as set forth in
the SEC Documents, none of the officers or directors of the Company and, to the
knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company is presently a
party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for
services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract,
agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or
by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, or otherwise
requiring payments to or from any officer, director or employee or, to the
knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any
employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner.
3.22 Environmental Laws.
(a) The
Company and its Subsidiaries are and have at all times been in material
compliance with all Environmental Laws governing their respective business and
operations, including, without limitation: (i) all requirements of
Environmental Law relating to the discharge and handling of
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Hazardous
Substances; (ii) all requirements of Environmental Law relating to notice,
record keeping and reporting; and (iii) all requirements of Environmental
Law relating to obtaining and maintaining Licenses for the ownership of their properties and
assets and the operation of their businesses as presently conducted, including
Licenses relating to the handling and discharge of Hazardous Substances.
(b) There
are no notices or proceedings pending or, to the Companys knowledge,
threatened against the Company or its Subsidiaries, or their respective
businesses, operations, properties, or assets, issued by any Governmental
Entity or third party with respect to any Environmental Laws (or Licenses
issued to the Company thereunder) in connection with, related to or arising out
of the ownership by the Company and its Subsidiaries of their respective
properties or assets or the operation of their businesses.
(c) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has discharged, nor has it allowed or
arranged for any third party to discharge Hazardous Substances to, at, or upon
any location other than a site lawfully permitted to receive such Hazardous
Substances. To the Companys knowledge,
there has not occurred, nor is there presently occurring, a discharge of any
Hazardous Substance on, into or beneath the surface of any leased property, in
an amount requiring the Company or its Subsidiaries to make a notice or report
to a Governmental Entity.
(d) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries owns or operates any aboveground
storage tanks or any underground storage tanks as defined in any applicable
Environmental Law, and to the Companys knowledge, there are not now nor have
there ever been any such underground storage tanks beneath any property owned
or leased by the Company or its Subsidiaries that are required to be registered
under applicable Environmental Laws.
3.23 Solicitation; Other Issuances of
Securities. Neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, (a) has
engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the
meaning of Regulation D under the Securities Act) in connection with the offer
or sale of the Shares, (b) has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or
sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under any
circumstances that would require registration of the Shares under the Securities
Act or (c) has issued any shares of Common Stock or shares of any series
of preferred stock or other securities or instruments convertible into,
exchangeable for or otherwise entitling the holder thereof to acquire shares of
Common Stock which would be integrated with the sale of the Shares to the
Investor and Other Investors in the Offering for purposes of the Securities Act
or of any applicable stockholder approval provisions, including, without
limitation, under the rules and regulations of any exchange or automated
quotation system on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or
designated, nor will the Company or any of its Subsidiaries take any action or
steps that would require registration of any of the Shares under the Securities
Act or cause the Offering to be integrated with other offerings. Assuming the accuracy of the representations
and warranties of Investor in this Agreement, the offer and sale of the Shares
by the Company to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement will be exempt from
the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
3.24 Disclosure. None of the representations and warranties of
the Company appearing in this Agreement or any information appearing in the
Memorandum, when considered together as a whole, contains, or on the Closing
Date will contain, any untrue statement of a material fact or omits, or on the
Closing Date will omit, to state any material fact required to be stated herein
or therein in order for the statements herein or therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not to be misleading.
9
ARTICLE 4
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE INVESTOR
The Investor represents, warrants and covenants to the Company as
follows:
4.1 Securities Law
Representations and Warranties.
(a) The
Investor is an accredited investor as defined in Regulation D under the
Securities Act and the Investor has the knowledge, sophistication and
experience necessary to make, and is qualified to make decisions with respect
to, investments in securities presenting an investment decision like that
involved in the purchase of the Shares, including investments in securities
issued by the Company and investments in comparable companies, can bear the
economic risk of a total loss of its investment in the Shares and has
requested, received, reviewed and considered all information it deemed relevant
in making an informed decision to purchase the Shares;
(b) The
Investor is acquiring the Shares for its own account for investment only and
not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or
distribution thereof;
(c) The
Investor was not organized for the specific purpose of acquiring the Shares;
(d) The
Investor will not, directly or indirectly, offer, sell, pledge, transfer or
otherwise dispose of (or solicit any offers to buy, purchase or otherwise
acquire or take a pledge of) any of the Shares except in compliance with the
Securities Act, applicable state securities laws and the respective rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder;
(e) The
Investor understands that the Shares are being offered and sold to it in
reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the
United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying
upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Investors compliance with, the
representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgements and understandings of
the Investor set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such
exemptions and the eligibility of the Investor to acquire the Shares;
(f) The
Investor understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other
government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or
endorsement of the Shares or the fairness or suitability of an investment in
the Shares nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the
Offering; and
(g) If
the Investor is located or domiciled outside the United States it agrees to comply
with all applicable laws and regulations in each foreign jurisdiction in which
it purchases, offers, sells or delivers the Shares or has in its possession or
distributes any offering material, in all cases at its own expense.
4.2 Legends.
(a) The
Investor understands that, until the end of the one-year holding period for
non-affiliates under Rule 144(b)(1)(i) of the Securities Act (or any
successor provision) with respect to the Shares, any certificate representing
the Shares shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
THE
SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT
OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR
10
SALE,
SOLD, TRANSFERRED, ASSIGNED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN
EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF
1933, AS AMENDED, OR AN EXEMPTION THEREFROM.
The legend set forth above
shall be removed and the Companys transfer agent shall issue the Common Stock
without such legend to the holder of the Common Stock upon which it is stamped,
as applicable (i) if the Common Stock has been resold or transferred
pursuant to the Registration Statement contemplated by Article 6 and the
Registration Statement was effective at the time of such transfer, (ii) if,
in connection with a sale transaction, such holder provides the Company with an
opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company to the effect that a
public sale, assignment or transfer of the Common Stock may be made without
registration under the Securities Act, or (iii) upon expiration of the
one-year holding period for non-affiliates under Rule 144(b)(1)(i) of
the Securities Act (or any successor rule); provided that the Investor is not
and has not been within three (3) months prior to such date, an affiliate
of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 144 of the Securities
Act). The Company shall not require such
opinion of counsel for the sale of the Shares in accordance with Rule 144
of the Securities Act, provided that the Seller provides such representations
that the Company shall reasonably request confirming compliance with the
requirements of Rule 144.
(b) The
Investor understands that, in the event Rule 144 as promulgated under the
Securities Act (or any successor rule) is amended to change the one-year
holding period for non-affiliates under Rule 144(b)(1)(i) (or the
corresponding period under any successor rule), (i) each reference in
Sections 4.2(a) and (b) of this Agreement to one year or the one-year
period shall be deemed for all purposes of this Agreement to be references to
such changed period, and (ii) all corresponding references in the Shares
shall be deemed for all purposes to be references to the changed period,
provided that such changes shall not become effective if they are otherwise
prohibited by, or would otherwise cause a violation of, the then-applicable
federal securities laws.
4.3 Authorization; Enforcement;
Validity. The Investor has full
right, power, authority and capacity (corporate, statutory or otherwise) to
enter into this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated
hereby and has taken all necessary action to authorize the execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement. This
Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Investor
enforceable against the Investor in accordance with its terms, except (a) to
the extent rights to indemnity and contribution may be limited by state or
federal securities laws or the public policy underlying such laws, (b) enforceability
may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent
conveyance, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors and contracting
parties rights generally and (c) enforceability may be limited by general
principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law).
4.4 Certain Trading Limitations.
The Investor represents that on and from the date the Investor first became
aware of the Offering until the date hereof it has not, and covenants
that for the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the public
announcement of the Offering it will not, engage in any hedging or other
transaction which is designed to or could reasonably be expected to lead to or
result in, or be characterized as, a sale, an offer to sell, a solicitation of
offers to buy, disposition of, loan, pledge or grant of any right with respect to
(collectively, a Disposition)
the Common Stock by the Investor or any other Person in violation of the
Securities Act. Such prohibited hedging
or other transactions would include without limitation effecting any short sale
or having in effect any short position (whether or not such sale or position is
against the box and regardless of when such position was entered into) or any
purchase, sale or grant of any right (including without limitation any put or
call option) with respect to the Common Stock or with respect to any security
(other than a broad-based
11
market basket or index) that
includes, relates to or derives any significant part of its value from the
Common Stock.
4.5 No Sale of Securities. The
Investor hereby covenants with the Company not to make any sale of the Shares without (a) complying
with all of the provisions of this Agreement and (b) satisfying
the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder, including, without limitation, causing the prospectus
delivery requirement under the Securities Act to be satisfied, if applicable.
The Investor acknowledges that there may occasionally be times when the
Company, based on the advice of its counsel, determines that, subject to the
limitations of Section 6.2, it must suspend the use of the prospectus
forming a part of the Registration Statement until such time as an amendment to
the Registration Statement has been filed by the Company and declared effective
by the SEC or until the Company has amended or supplemented such prospectus.
4.6 Investor
Suitability Questionnaire. The information contained in the Investor
Suitability Questionnaire in the form attached as Exhibit C delivered by the Investor in connection with
this Agreement is complete and accurate in all material respects.
4.7 Registration Statement
Questionnaire. The Investor has
completed or caused to be completed the Registration Statement Questionnaire
attached hereto as Exhibit D
for use in preparation of the Registration Statement and the answers to the
Registration Statement Questionnaire are true and correct in all material
respects as of the date of this Agreement and will be true and correct as of
the effective date of the Registration Statement; provided that the Investor
shall be entitled to update such information by providing written notice
thereof to the Company prior to the effective date of the Registration
Statement.
4.8 No Advice. The Investor understands that nothing in this
Agreement or any other materials presented to the Investor in connection with
the purchase and sale of the Shares constitutes legal, tax or investment
advice. The Investor has consulted such
legal, tax and investment advisors as it, in its sole discretion, has deemed
necessary or appropriate in connection with its purchase of the Shares.
4.9 No General Solicitation. The Investor represents that no Shares were
offered or sold to it by means of any form of general solicitation or general
advertising, and in connection therewith the Investor did not (a) receive
or review any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published
in a newspaper or magazine or similar media or broadcast over television or
radio, whether closed circuit or generally available or (b) attend any
seminar, meeting or industry investor conference whose attendees were invited
by any general solicitation or general advertising.
4.10 FINRA Compliance. The Investor acknowledges that if it is a
Registered Representative (as defined by the FINRA) of a FINRA member firm, the
Investor must give such firm notice required by the FINRAs Rules of Fair
Practice, receipt of which must be acknowledged by such firm on the signature page hereof.
ARTICLE 5
COVENANTS
5.1 Form D; Blue Sky Laws. The Company agrees to file one or more Forms
D with respect to the Shares on a timely basis as required under Regulation D
under the Securities Act to claim the exemption provided by Rule 506 of
Regulation D and to comply with federal securities and state blue sky or
securities laws.
12
5.2 Securities Laws Disclosure;
Publicity. After the Closing, the Company shall issue a press release
disclosing the transactions contemplated hereby and file a Current Report on Form 8-K
disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby. In addition, the Company will make such other
filings and notices in the manner and time required by the SEC and the Trading
Market on which the Common Stock is listed.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not publicly disclose
the name of the Investor, or include the name of the Investor in any filing
with the SEC (other than the Registration Statement and any exhibits to filings
made in respect of this transaction in accordance with periodic filing
requirements under the Exchange Act) or any regulatory agency or Trading
Market, without the prior written consent of the Investor, except to the extent
such disclosure is required by law or Trading Market regulations, in which case
the Company shall provide the Investor with prior notice of such disclosure.
5.3 Indemnification of Investors.
In addition to the indemnity provided in Article 6, the Company will
indemnify and hold the Investor and its directors, officers, stockholders,
partners, employees and agents (each, an Investor
Party) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations,
claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments,
amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys fees and
costs of investigation (collectively, Losses)
that any Investor Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to any
misrepresentation, breach or inaccuracy of any representation, warranty,
covenant or agreement made by the Company in this Agreement.
5.4 Non-Public Information. The
Company covenants and agrees that neither it nor any other Person acting on its
behalf will provide the Investor or its agents or counsel with any information
that the Company believes constitutes material non-public information, unless
prior thereto the Investor shall have executed a written agreement regarding
the confidentiality and use of such information. The Company understands and confirms that the
Investor shall be relying on the foregoing representations in effecting
transactions in securities of the Company.
5.5 Use of Proceeds. The Company
shall use the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares hereunder for the
purposes set forth in the Memorandum.
ARTICLE 6
REGISTRATION OF SHARES; COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT
6.1 Registration
Procedures and Expenses. The Company
shall:
(a) subject
to receipt of necessary information from the Investor and the Other Investors,
including the Registration Statement Questionnaire, file with the SEC, within
sixty (60) days after the Closing Date, the Registration Statement to enable
the resale of the Shares by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under
Rule 415 of the Securities Act;
(b) use
its reasonable best efforts, subject to receipt of necessary information from
the Investor and the Other Investors, including the Registration Statement
Questionnaire, to cause the Registration Statement to become effective within
one hundred twenty (120) days of the Closing Date;
(c) use
its reasonable best efforts to prepare and file with the SEC such amendments
and supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (as defined
below) used in connection therewith and take all such other actions as may be
necessary to keep the Registration Statement current and effective for a period
(the Registration Period)
ending, with respect to the Shares, on the earliest of (i) the date on
which all Shares then held by the Investor may be sold or transferred in
compliance with
13
Rule 144
under the Securities Act, (ii) the date on which all Shares then held by
the Investor may be sold or transferred by a Person who is not an affiliate of
the Company pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act (or any other
similar provisions then in force) without any volume or manner of sale
restrictions thereunder, or (iii) such time as all Shares held by the
Investor have been sold (1) pursuant to a registration statement, (2) to
or through a broker or dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or a
public securities transaction, or (3) in a transaction exempt from the
registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act under Section 4(1) thereof
so that all transfer restrictions and restrictive legends with respect thereto,
if any, are removed upon the consummation of such sale;
(d) promptly
furnish to the Investor with respect to the Shares registered under the
Registration Statement such reasonable number of copies of the Registration
Statement and Prospectus, including any supplements to or amendments of the
Prospectus or Registration Statement, in order to facilitate the public sale or
other disposition of all or any of the Shares by the Investor;
(e) promptly
take such action as may be necessary to qualify, or obtain, an exemption for
the Shares under such of the state securities laws of United States
jurisdictions as shall be necessary to qualify, or obtain an exemption for, the
sale of the Shares in states specified in writing by the Investor; provided, however, that the Company shall not
be required to qualify to do business or consent to service of process in any
jurisdiction in which it is not now so qualified or has not so consented;
(f) bear
all expenses in connection with the procedures in Section 6.1(a) through
(e) and Section 6.1(g) and the registration of the Shares
pursuant to the Registration Statement, regardless of whether a Registration
Statement becomes effective, including without limitation: (i) all registration
and filing fees and expenses; (ii) fees
and expenses of compliance with federal securities and state blue sky or securities laws; (iii) expenses of
printing (including printing certificates for the Shares and
Prospectuses); (iv) all application and filing fees
in connection with listing the Shares on any Trading Market, if
applicable; and (v) all fees and disbursements of
counsel of the Company and the independent registered public accounting firm of
the Company; provided, however, that the Investor shall be responsible for
paying the underwriting commissions or brokerage fees, and taxes of any kind
(including, without limitation, transfer taxes) applicable to any disposition,
sale or transfer of the Investors Shares.
The Company shall, in any event, bear its internal expenses (including,
without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees
performing legal or accounting duties); and
(g) advise
the Investor, within two (2) business days by e-mail, fax or other type of
communication, and, if requested by the Investor,
confirm such advice in writing: (i) after it receives notice or obtains
knowledge of the issuance of any stop order by the SEC delaying or suspending
the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of the initiation or threat
of any proceeding for that purpose, or any other order issued by any state
securities commission or other regulatory authority suspending the
qualification or exemption from qualification of such Shares under state
securities or blue sky laws; and it will promptly use its reasonable best
efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other order or to obtain
its withdrawal at the earliest possible moment if such stop order or other
order should be issued and (ii) when the Prospectus (as defined below) or
any supplements to or amendments of the Prospectus have been filed, and, with
respect to the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto,
when the same has become effective.
6.2 Transfer of
Shares; Suspension.
(a) The
Investor agrees that it will not effect any Disposition of the Shares or its
right to purchase the Shares that would constitute a sale within the meaning of
the Securities Act, except as contemplated in the Registration Statement
referred to in Section 6.1 or in accordance with the
14
Securities
Act, and that it will promptly notify the Company of any changes in the
information set forth in the Registration Statement regarding the Investor or
its plan of distribution.
(b) Except
in the event that Section 6.2(c) below applies, the Company shall use
its reasonable best efforts to, at all times during the Registration Period,
promptly (i) prepare and file from time to time with the SEC a
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or a supplement to the
related Prospectus or a supplement or amendment to any document incorporated
therein by reference or file any other required document so that such
Registration Statement will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, and so that, as thereafter delivered to purchasers of the Shares
being sold thereunder, such Prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of
a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading; (ii) provide the Investor
copies of any documents filed pursuant to Section 6.2(b)(i); and (iii) inform
the Investor that the Company has complied with its obligations in Section 6.2(b)(i) (or
that, if the Company has filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration
Statement which has not yet been declared effective, the Company will notify
the Investor to that effect, will use its commercially reasonable efforts to
secure the effectiveness of such post-effective amendment as promptly as
possible and will promptly notify the Investor when the amendment has become
effective).
(c) Subject
to Section 6.2(d) below, in the event of (i) any request by the
SEC or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of
effectiveness of the Registration Statement for amendments or supplements to a
Registration Statement or related Prospectus or for additional information; (ii) the
issuance by the SEC or any other federal or state governmental authority of any
stop order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement or the
initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) the receipt by the
Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification
or exemption from qualification of any of the Shares for sale in any
jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) any event or
circumstance which necessitates the making of any changes in the Registration
Statement or Prospectus, or any document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated therein by reference, so that, in the case of the Registration
Statement, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, and that in the case of the Prospectus, it
will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, then the Company
shall deliver a notice in writing to the Investor (the Suspension Notice) to the effect of the
foregoing and, upon receipt of such Suspension Notice, the Investor will
refrain from selling any Shares pursuant to the Registration Statement (a Suspension) until the Investors receipt
of copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus prepared and filed by the
Company, or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the current
Prospectus may be used. In the event of
any Suspension, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts,
consistent with the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, to
cause the use of the Prospectus so suspended to be resumed as soon as
reasonably practicable after the delivery of a Suspension Notice to the
Investor.
(d) Notwithstanding
the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 6.2, the Investor shall not be
prohibited from selling Shares under the Registration Statement as a result of
Suspensions on more than two (2) occasions of not more than sixty (60)
days each in any twelve (12) month period.
(e) In
the event of a sale of Shares by the Investor under the Registration Statement,
the Investor must also deliver to the Companys transfer agent, with a copy to
the Company, a Certificate of Subsequent Sale substantially in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit E,
so that the Shares may be properly transferred.
15
6.3 Indemnification. For the purpose of this Section 6.3, the
term Registration Statement
shall include any preliminary or final prospectus, exhibit, supplement or
amendment included in or relating to the Registration Statement.
(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees
to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Investor Party and each Person, if
any, who controls the Investor within the meaning of the Securities Act,
against any Losses to which the Investor or such controlling Person may become
subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or any other federal or
state statutory law or regulation insofar as the Losses arise out of or are
based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any
material fact contained in the Registration Statement, including the
Prospectus, financial statements and schedules, and all other documents filed
as a part thereof, as amended at the time of effectiveness of the Registration
Statement, including any information deemed to be a part thereof as of the time
of effectiveness pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A, or pursuant
to Rule 434 of the Rules and Regulations, or the Prospectus, in the
form first filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the
Regulations, or filed as part of the Registration Statement at the time of
effectiveness if no Rule 424(b) filing is required (the Prospectus), or any amendment or
supplement thereto, (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any
of them a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements in any of them, in light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading, or (iii) any inaccuracy in the representations and
warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement, or any failure of the
Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, and will reimburse the
Investor and each such controlling Person for any legal and other expenses as
such expenses are reasonably incurred by the Investor or such controlling Person in connection with
investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any Loss; provided,
however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent
that any Loss arises out of or is based upon (1) an untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement of the
Registration Statement or Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with
written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Investor
expressly for use in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (2) the
failure of the Investor to comply with the covenants and agreements contained
in Sections 4.5 or 6.2 of this Agreement respecting resale of Shares, (3) the
inaccuracy of any representations made by the Investor in this Agreement or (4) any
untrue statement or omission of a material fact in any Prospectus that is
corrected in any subsequent Prospectus that was delivered to the Investor
before the pertinent sale or sales by the Investor.
(b) Indemnification by the Investor. The Investor will
indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of
its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who
controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, against any
Losses to which the Company, any of its directors, any of its officers who sign
the Registration Statement or any controlling Person may become subject, under
the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or any other federal or state statutory
law or regulation insofar as such Losses arise out of or are based upon (i) any
failure on the part of the Investor to comply with the covenants and agreements
contained in Sections 4.5 or 6.2 of this Agreement respecting the sale of the
Shares, (ii) the inaccuracy of any representation or warranty made by the
Investor in this Agreement, or (iii) any untrue or alleged untrue
statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or
Prospectus, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission
was made in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or any amendment or
supplement thereto, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Investor expressly for use
therein; provided, however, that the Investor shall not be liable for any such
untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission of which the
Investor has delivered to the Company in writing a correction at least five (5) business
days
16
before
the occurrence of the transaction from which such Loss was incurred, and the
Investor will reimburse the Company, each of its directors, each of its
officers who signed the Registration Statement and each controlling Person for
any legal and other expense reasonably incurred by the Company, each of its
directors and officers who signed the Registration Statement or each
controlling Person in connection with investigating, defending, settling,
compromising or paying any Loss for which such Person is entitled to be
indemnified in accordance with this Section 6.3(b).
(c) Indemnification Procedure.
(i) Promptly after
receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 6.3 of notice of the
threat or commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim
in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 6.3,
promptly notify the indemnifying party in writing of the claim; but the
omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any
liability which it may have to any indemnified party for contribution or
otherwise under the obligations to indemnify contained in this Section 6.3
to the extent it is not prejudiced as a result of such failure.
(ii) In case any
such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party
seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying
party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it may wish,
jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, to assume the
defense thereof; provided, however, if the defendants in any such action
include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the
indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict
between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in
conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses
available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or
additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party
or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal
defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf
of such indemnified party or parties.
Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified
party of its election so to assume the defense of such action, the indemnifying
party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 6.3
for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party
in connection with the defense thereof unless:
(1) the indemnified
party shall have employed such counsel in connection with the assumption of
legal defenses in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it
being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for
the expenses of more than one separate counsel, approved by such indemnifying
party (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld) representing all of the
indemnified parties who are parties to such action); or
(2) the
indemnifying party shall not have counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified
party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice
of commencement of action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees and
expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6.3,
the Investor shall not be liable for any indemnification obligation under this
Agreement in excess of the amount of net proceeds received by the Investor from
the sale of the Shares, unless such obligation has resulted from the gross
negligence or willful misconduct of the Investor.
(d) Contribution. If a claim for indemnification under this Section 6.3
is unavailable to an indemnified party (by reason of public policy or
otherwise), then each indemnifying party, in lieu of
17
indemnifying
such indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such
indemnified party as a result of any Losses, in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party and
indemnified party in connection with the actions, statements or omissions that
resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative fault of
such indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference
to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission of
a material fact, has been taken or made by, or relates to information supplied
by, such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the parties relative
intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent
such action, statement or omission. The
amount paid or payable by a party as a result of any Losses shall be deemed to
include, subject to the limitations set forth in this Section 6.3, any
reasonable attorneys or other reasonable fees or expenses incurred by such
party in connection with any proceeding to the extent such party would have
been indemnified for such fees or expenses if the indemnification provided for
in this Section was available to such party in accordance
with its terms.
The
parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution
pursuant to this Section 6.3
were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation
that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the
immediately preceding paragraph.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6.3, the Investor
shall not be required to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in excess of
the amount by which the net proceeds from the sale of Shares by the Investor
exceeds the amount of any damages that the Investor has otherwise been required
to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission. No party to this
Agreement guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of
the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any other party to
this Agreement who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
6.4 Termination of
Conditions and Obligations. The restrictions imposed by Article 4 or
Article 6 upon the transferability of the Shares shall cease and terminate
as to any particular number of the Shares upon the termination of the
Registration Period with respect to such Shares.
6.5 Rule 144. During the Registration Period, the Company
shall use its reasonable best efforts to:
(a) comply with the requirements of Rule 144(c) under
the Securities Act with respect to current public information about the
Company; and
(b) file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other
documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act
(at any time it is subject to such reporting requirements).
ARTICLE
7
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
7.1 Notices. Except as specifically permitted by Section 6.1(g),
all notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be
sent by manual delivery, facsimile transmission, overnight courier, or United
States mail (postage prepaid) to such party at its address specified below, or
at such other address as such party specifies to the other party in
writing. All periods of notice shall be
measured from the date of delivery if manually delivered, from the date of
sending if sent by facsimile transmission, from the first business day after
the date of sending if sent by overnight courier, or from three business days
after the date of mailing if mailed.
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if to the Company, to:
Mr. Edward R. (Jack)
Cameron
Chief Executive Officer
Appliance Recycling Centers
of America, Inc.
7400 Excelsior Blvd.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55426
(fax) (952) 930-1800
with a copy to:
Eric O. Madson, Esquire
Robins, Kaplan, Miller &
Ciresi L.L.P.
2800 LaSalle Plaza, 800
LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
(fax) (612) 339-4181
if to the Investor, at its address on the signature page hereto,
or at such other address or addresses as may have been furnished to the Company
in writing.
7.2 Changes. This Agreement may not be modified or amended
except pursuant to an instrument in writing signed by the Company and the
Investor.
7.3 Headings. The headings of the various sections of this
Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be
deemed to be part of this Agreement.
7.4 Severability. In case any provision contained in this
Agreement should be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the
validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained
herein shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
7.5 Survival of
Representations, Warranties and Agreements. Notwithstanding any investigation made by any
party to this Agreement, all covenants, agreements, representations and
warranties made by the Company and the Investor herein shall survive the full
execution and delivery of this Agreement.
7.6 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and
construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of Minnesota,
without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of law.
7.7 Entire
Agreement. This
Agreement and the documents referenced herein constitute the entire agreement
among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and
thereof. There are no restrictions,
promises, warranties or undertakings, other than those set forth or referred to
herein and therein. This Agreement
supersedes all prior agreements and understandings.
7.8 Finders Fees. Neither the Company nor the Investor nor any
affiliate thereof has incurred any obligation which will result in the
obligation of the other party to pay any finders fee or commission in
connection with this transaction.
7.9 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two (2) or
more counterparts and via facsimile or other similar electronic transmission,
each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which, when taken
together, shall constitute but one (1) instrument, and shall become
effective when one
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(1) or more
counterparts have been signed by each party hereto and delivered to the other
party, it being understood that all parties need not sign the same counterpart.
7.10 Successors and
Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to
the benefit of and be binding upon the successors, heirs, executors and
administrators and permitted assigns of the parties hereto. With respect to transfers that are not made
pursuant to the Registration Statement (or Rule 144 but are otherwise made
in accordance with all applicable laws and the terms of this Agreement), the
rights and obligations of the Investor under this Agreement shall be
automatically assigned by the Investor to any transferee of all or any portion
of the Investors Shares who is a Permitted Transferee (as defined below);
provided, however, that no later than two (2) business days prior to the
transfer, (a) the Company is provided written notice of the transfer
including the name and address of the transferee and the number of Shares
transferred; and (b) that such transferee agrees in writing to be bound by
the terms of this Agreement as if such transferee was the Investor. (For purposes of this Agreement, a Permitted Transferee means any Person who (i) is
an accredited investor, as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of
Regulation D under the Securities Act, (ii) receives the Shares in a
transaction which is in compliance with the federal and applicable state
securities law, and (iii) is a transferee of at least 25,000 shares of Common Stock.) Upon any transfer permitted by this Section 7.10,
the Company shall be obligated to such transferee to perform all of its
covenants under this Agreement as if such transferee was the Investor.
7.11 Expenses. Each of the Company and the Investors shall
bear its own expenses in connection with the preparation and negotiation of the
Agreement.
7.12 Third Party
Rights. Except as explicitly set forth
in this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement shall create or be deemed to
create any rights in any Person not a party to this Agreement.
7.13 No Waiver. It is agreed that a waiver by either party of
a breach of any provision of this Agreement shall not operate, or be construed,
as a waiver of any subsequent breach by that same party.
7.14 Further
Assurances. The parties
agree to execute and deliver all such further documents, agreements and
instruments and take such other and further action as may be necessary or
appropriate to carry out the purposes and intent of this Agreement.
[Signature pages follow.]
20
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to
be duly executed as of the date first written above.
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COMPANY:
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APPLIANCE RECYCLING CENTERS OF
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AMERICA, INC.
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By:
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Edward
R. (Jack) Cameron
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Chief
Executive Officer
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Amount
of Subscription Accepted:
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$
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[Company Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused
this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed as of the
date first written above.
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INVESTOR:
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(print full legal name of Investor)
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By:
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(signature of authorized representative)
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Name:
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Its:
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Address:
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Telephone:
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Email:
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Tax
I.D. or SSN:
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Address
where Shares should be sent (if different from above)
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NUMBER
OF SHARES SUBSCRIBED FOR:
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AGGREGATE PURCHASE PRICE:
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*If
Subscriber is a Registered Representative with an FINRA member firm, have the
following acknowledgment signed by the appropriate party:
The undersigned FINRA member
firm acknowledges receipt of the notice required by Rule 3040 of the FINRA
Conduct Rules.
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Name
of FINRA Member
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Investor Signature Page to Securities Purchase
Agreement]