Exhibit 2.1
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER
by and among
CUTTER & BUCK
INC.,
NEW WAVE GROUP AB
(Publ),
and
NEWPORT ACQUISITION
CORPORATION
Dated as of April 12,
2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
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1
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Section 1.1
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Definitions
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1
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Section 1.2
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Interpretation and Rules of
Construction
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7
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ARTICLE II THE MERGER
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8
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Section 2.1
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Merger
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8
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Section 2.2
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Articles and Bylaws
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8
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Section 2.3
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Effective Time of the Merger
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9
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Section 2.4
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Closing
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9
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Section 2.5
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Directors and Officers of the Surviving
Corporation
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9
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ARTICLE III EFFECTS OF THE MERGER
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10
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Section 3.1
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Effects of the Merger on Company
Securities
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10
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Section 3.2
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Effects of the Merger on MergerCo
Securities
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11
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Section 3.3
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Payment of Merger Consideration; Stock Transfer
Books
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11
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Section 3.4
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Withholding Rights
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13
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Section 3.5
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Dissenting Shares
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13
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ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE
COMPANY
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14
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Section 4.1
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Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries;
Authority
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14
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Section 4.2
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Organizational Documents
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15
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Section 4.3
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Capitalization
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15
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Section 4.4
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Authority Relative to this Agreement, Validity
and Effect of Agreements
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16
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Section 4.5
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No Conflict; Required Filings and
Consents
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17
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Section 4.6
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Permits; Compliance with Laws
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18
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Section 4.7
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SEC Filings; Financial Statements
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18
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Section 4.8
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Absence of Certain Changes or Events
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20
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Section 4.9
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Absence of Litigation
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20
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Section 4.10
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Employee Benefit Plans
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21
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Section 4.11
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Information Supplied
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22
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Section 4.12
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Intellectual Property
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23
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Section 4.13
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Taxes
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24
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Section 4.14
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Environmental Matters
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25
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Section 4.15
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Material Contracts
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26
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Section 4.16
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Interested Party Transactions
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27
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Section 4.17
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Brokers
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27
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Section 4.18
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Opinion of Financial Advisor
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28
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Section 4.19
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State Takeover Statute
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28
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Section 4.20
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Insurance
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28
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Section 4.21
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Labor Matters
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28
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ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE
BUYER PARTIES
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29
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Section 5.1
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Organization
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29
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i
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Section 5.2
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Ownership of MergerCo; No Prior
Activities
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29
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Section 5.3
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Power and Authority
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29
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Section 5.4
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No Conflict; Required Filings and
Consents
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30
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Section 5.5
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Information Supplied
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31
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Section 5.6
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Absence of Litigation
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31
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Section 5.7
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Availability of Funds
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31
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Section 5.8
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No Ownership of Company Capital Stock
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31
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Section 5.9
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Other Agreements or Understandings
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31
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Section 5.10
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Brokers
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32
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Section 5.11
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No Additional Representations
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32
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ARTICLE VI CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE
MERGER
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32
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Section 6.1
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Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the
Merger
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32
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Section 6.2
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Conduct of Business by Buyer Parties Pending the
Merger
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35
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Section 6.3
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Tax Matters
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36
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Section 6.4
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MergerCo
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36
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Section 6.5
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Financing
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36
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ARTICLE VII ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS
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36
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Section 7.1
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Company Proxy Statement; Other Filings;
Shareholders’ Meeting
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36
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Section 7.2
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Access to Information;
Confidentiality
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38
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Section 7.3
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No Solicitation of Transactions by the
Company
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39
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Section 7.4
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Employee Benefits Matters
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40
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Section 7.5
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Directors’ and Officers’
Indemnification and Insurance
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42
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Section 7.6
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Further Action; Best Efforts
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45
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Section 7.7
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Public Announcements
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46
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Section 7.8
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Notification
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47
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Section 7.9
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Shareholder Litigation
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47
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ARTICLE VIII CONDITIONS TO THE
MERGER
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47
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Section 8.1
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Conditions to the Obligations of Each
Party
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47
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Section 8.2
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Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and
MergerCo
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47
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Section 8.3
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Conditions to the Obligations of the
Company
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48
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Section 8.4
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Frustration of Conditions
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49
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ARTICLE IX TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND
WAIVER
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49
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Section 9.1
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Termination
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49
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Section 9.2
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Effect of Termination
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51
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Section 9.3
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Expenses
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51
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Section 9.3
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Expenses
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51
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Section 9.5
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Waiver
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51
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ARTICLE X GENERAL PROVISIONS
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51
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Section 10.1
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Non—Survival of Representations and
Warranties
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51
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Section 10.2
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Notices
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52
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Section 10.3
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Severability
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53
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Section 10.4
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Amendment
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53
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ii
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Section 10.5
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Entire Agreement; Assignment
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53
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Section 10.6
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Performance Guaranty
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53
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Section 10.7
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Specific Performance
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54
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Section 10.8
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Parties in Interest
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54
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Section 10.9
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Governing Law; Forum
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54
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Section 10.10
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Waiver of Jury Trial
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55
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Section 10.11
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Headings
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55
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Section 10.12
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Counterparts
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55
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Section 10.13
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Waiver
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55
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iii
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER
THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER,
dated as of April 12, 2007 (this “ Agreement ”)
is by and among Cutter & Buck Inc., a Washington corporation
(the “ Company ”), New Wave Group AB (Publ), a
company organized under the laws of Sweden (“ Parent
”) and Newport Acquisition Corporation, a Washington
corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“
MergerCo ” and, together with Parent, the “
Buyer Parties ”).
WHEREAS, the parties wish to effect
a business combination through a merger of MergerCo with and into
the Company (the “ Merger ”) on the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement and in
accordance with the Washington Business Corporation Act (the
“ WBCA ”); and
WHEREAS, the board of directors of
the Company (the “ Company Board ”) and the
boards of directors of each of Parent and MergerCo deem it
advisable and in the best interests of their respective
shareholders to consummate the Merger on the terms and subject to
the conditions set forth in this Agreement, and each of the Company
Board and the boards of directors of Parent and MergerCo have
approved this Agreement and declared its advisability and, in the
case of the Company Board, recommended that this Agreement be
adopted by the Company’s shareholders; and
WHEREAS, concurrently with the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, certain shareholders of
the Company are executing and delivering to Parent voting
agreements in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A
.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the foregoing and the mutual covenants and agreements herein
contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties
hereto hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1
Definitions
.
(a)
For purposes of this
Agreement:
“ Action ” means
any claim, action, suit, proceeding, arbitration, mediation or
investigation as to which written notice has been provided to the
applicable party.
“ Affiliate ” of
a specified person means a person who, directly or indirectly
through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or
is under common control with, such specified person.
“ Beneficial Owner
” or “ Beneficial Ownership ”, with
respect to any Company Common Shares, has the meaning ascribed to
such term under Rule 13d-3(a) of the Exchange Act.
1
“ Business Day ”
or “ Business Day ” means any day on which the
principal offices of the SEC in Washington, D.C. are open to accept
filings and on which banks are not required or authorized to close
in Seattle, Washington.
“ Code ” means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“ Company Acquisition
Proposal ” means any proposal or offer for, whether in
one transaction or a series of related transactions, or any public
announcement providing for or contemplating, any (a) merger,
consolidation or similar transaction involving the Company,
(b) sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, by
merger, consolidation, share exchange or any similar transaction,
of any assets of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries
representing 20% or more of the consolidated assets of the Company
and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (c) issue, sale
or other disposition by the Company of (including by way of merger,
consolidation, share exchange or any similar transaction)
securities (or options, rights or warrants to purchase, or
securities convertible into, such securities) representing 20% or
more of the votes associated with the outstanding voting equity
securities of the Company, (d) tender offer or exchange offer
in which any Person or “group” (as such term is defined
under the Exchange Act) offers to acquire beneficial ownership (as
such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), or the
right to acquire beneficial ownership, of 20% or more of the
outstanding Company Common Shares, or (e) transaction which is
similar in form, substance or purpose to any of the foregoing
transactions; provided , however , that the term
“Company Acquisition Proposal” shall not include (i)
the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, or (ii) any merger, consolidation, business combination,
reorganization, recapitalization or similar transaction solely
among the Company and one or more Company Subsidiaries or among
Company Subsidiaries.
“ Company Bylaws
” means the amended and restated Bylaws of the Company, as in
effect immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time.
“ Company Articles
” means the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of
the Company.
“ Company Common Shares
” means all the shares of common stock, no par value, of the
Company.
“ Company Disclosure
Schedule ” means the disclosure schedule delivered by the
Company to Parent concurrently with the execution of this Agreement
for which the disclosure of any fact or item in any Section of such
disclosure schedule shall, should the existence of such fact or
item be relevant to any other section, be deemed to be disclosed
with respect to that other Section so long as the relevance of such
disclosure to such other Section is reasonably apparent from the
nature of such disclosure. Nothing in the Company Disclosure
Schedule is intended to broaden the scope of any representation or
warranty of the Company made herein.
“ Company Superior
Proposal ” means a bona fide Company Acquisition Proposal
(on its most recently amended and modified terms, if amended and
modified) made by a Third Party (i) that relates to securities (or
options, rights or warrants to purchase, or securities convertible
into,
2
such securities) representing 50% or
more of the votes associated with the outstanding voting equity
securities of the Company on a fully diluted basis or all or
substantially all of the assets of the Company and the Company
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (ii) which the Company Board
determines in its good faith judgment (after consultation with its
outside financial and legal advisors and taking into account all
legal, financial, regulatory and other aspects of the proposal and
the likelihood of consummation) to be more favorable to the
shareholders of the Company than the Merger (taking into account at
the time of such determination any changes to the terms of this
Agreement proposed by Parent and the ability of the Person making
such proposal to consummate the transactions contemplated by such
proposal in a timely manner) and (iii) which, with respect to any
cash portion of the total consideration required in connection with
such Company Acquisition Proposal, is supported by financing or
financing capability (including cash on hand, committed financing
or borrowing capability) reasonably satisfactory to the Company
Board.
“ Control ”
(including the terms “ controlled by ” and
“ under common control with ”) means the
possession, directly or indirectly of the power to direct or cause
the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether
through the ownership of voting securities, as trustee or executor,
by contract or credit arrangement or otherwise.
“ Disclosure Schedules
” means, collectively, the Company Disclosure Schedule and
the Parent Disclosure Schedule.
“ Environmental Law
” means any Law relating to the environment, natural
resources, or safety or health of human beings or other living
organisms, including the manufacture, distribution in commerce and
use or Release of Hazardous Substances.
“ GAAP ” means
generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United
States.
“ Governmental
Authority ” means any national, state, provincial,
municipal, local or foreign government, governmental, regulatory
(including stock exchange) or administrative authority, agency,
instrumentality or commission or any court, tribunal, or judicial
or arbitral body.
“ Hazardous Substances
” means any pollutant, contaminant, hazardous substance,
hazardous waste, medical waste, special waste, toxic substance,
petroleum or petroleum-derived substance, waste or additive,
radioactive material, or other compound, element, material or
substance in any form whatsoever (including products) regulated,
restricted or addressed by or under any applicable Environmental
Law.
“ Knowledge of the
Company ” or “ Knowledge ” when used
in reference to the Company means the actual knowledge of those
individuals listed in Section 1.01 (a) of the Company Disclosure
Schedule.
“ Law ” means any
United States or foreign, national, state, provincial, municipal or
local statute, law, ordinance, regulation, rule, code, executive
order, injunction, judgment, decree, order or legal
requirement.
3
“ Liens ” means
with respect to any asset (including any security), any mortgage,
claim, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or ownership or
other similar encumbrance of any kind or the filing of a financial
statement in respect to such asset (including any restriction on
(i) the voting of any security or the transfer of any security or
other asset, (ii) the receipt of any income derived from any asset,
and (iii) the use of any asset) other than any encumbrance arising
(A) under applicable Laws with respect to Taxes not yet due and
payable and (B) in the case of securities, under applicable state
or federal securities Laws.
“ Material Adverse
Effect ” means, when used in connection with the Company,
any change, event, circumstance or effect that is materially
adverse to the business, assets, financial condition or results of
operations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a
whole, other than as a result of: (i) changes adversely affecting
the United States economy (so long as the Company is not
disproportionately affected thereby); (ii) changes adversely
affecting the industry in which the Company operates (so long as
the Company is not disproportionately affected thereby); (iii) the
announcement or pendency of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement; (iv) the failure to meet analyst projections, in and of
itself; (v) changes in laws; (vi) changes in accounting principles;
or (vii) acts of war or terrorism.
“ Other Filings ”
means any document, other than the Proxy Statement, to be filed
with the SEC in connection with this Agreement.
“ Parent Disclosure
Schedule ” means the disclosure schedule delivered by
Parent and MergerCo to the Company concurrently with the execution
of this Agreement for which the disclosure of any fact or item in
any section of such disclosure schedule shall, should the existence
of such fact or item be relevant to any other section, be deemed to
be disclosed with respect to that other section so long as the
relevance of such disclosure to such other section is readily
apparent from the nature of such disclosure. Nothing in the Parent
Disclosure Schedule is intended to broaden the scope of any
representation or warranty of the Parent or MergerCo made
herein.
“ Parent Material Adverse
Effect ” means any effect, event, circumstance or change
that has had or would reasonably be expected to prevent, or
materially hinder or materially delay Parent or MergerCo from
consummating the Merger or any of the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
“ Permitted Liens
” means (i) Liens for Taxes not yet delinquent and Liens for
Taxes being contested in good faith and for which there are
adequate reserves on the financial statements of the Company (if
such reserves are required pursuant to GAAP), (ii) inchoate
carriers’ Liens arising in the ordinary course of business of
the Company or any Company Subsidiary, (iii) zoning
restrictions, survey exceptions, utility easements, rights of way
and similar Liens that are imposed by any Governmental Authority
having jurisdiction thereon or otherwise are typical for the
applicable property type and locality, (iv) Liens and
obligations existing by virtue of the terms of any Company Material
Contracts, (v) matters that would be disclosed on current
title reports or surveys that arise or have arisen in the ordinary
course of business, which would not, individually or in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect, or
4
(vi) other Liens being
contested in good faith in the ordinary course of business or which
would not reasonably be expected to materially detract from the
value of any material asset of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary.
“ Person ” or
“ Person ” means an individual, corporation,
partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company,
syndicate, person (including a “person” as defined in
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), trust, association or entity
or Governmental Authority, but shall exclude Company
Subsidiaries.
“ Release ” means
any release, pumping, pouring, emptying, injecting, escaping,
leaching, migrating, dumping, seepage, spill, leak, flow, discharge
or emission.
“ Software ”
means computer programs and software (whether in source code,
object code, or other form).
“ Subsidiary ” or
“ Subsidiaries ” of the Company, Parent or any
other person means a corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, joint venture or other organization of which: (a) such
party or any other Subsidiary of such party is a general partner;
(b) voting power to elect at least 50% of the board of directors or
others performing similar functions with respect to such
organization is held by such party or by any one or more of such
party’s Subsidiaries; or (c) at least 50% of the equity
interests is controlled by such party or by any one or more of such
parties Subsidiaries.
“ Tax ” or
“ Taxes ” means any federal, state, local, or
foreign income, gross receipts, license, payroll, employment,
excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, windfall profits,
environmental, customs duties, capital stock, franchise, profits,
withholding, social security, unemployment, disability, real
property, personal property, sales, use, transfer, registration,
value added, alternative or add-on minimum, estimated, or other tax
of any kind whatsoever, including any interest, penalty, or
addition thereto, whether disputed or not.
“ Tax Return ”
means any return, declaration, report, claim for refund, or
information return or statement relating to Taxes, including any
schedule or attachment thereto, and including any amendment
thereof.
“ Third Party ”
means any party other than the Company or any Company
Subsidiary.
(b)
The following terms have the meaning
set forth in the Sections set forth below:
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Defined Term
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|
Location of
Definition
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|
Agreement
|
|
Preamble
|
|
Articles of Merger
|
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§ 2.3
|
|
Benefit Plans
|
|
§ 4.10(a)
|
|
Benefits Continuation Period
|
|
§ 7.4(a)
|
|
Book-Entry Shares
|
|
§ 3.3(b)
|
|
Buyer Parties
|
|
Preamble
|
5
|
Defined Term
|
|
Location of
Definition
|
|
Capital Expenditures
|
|
§ 6.1(h)
|
|
Claim
|
|
§ 7.5(a)
|
|
Closing
|
|
§ 2.4
|
|
Closing Date
|
|
§ 2.4
|
|
Company
|
|
Preamble
|
|
Company Board
|
|
Recitals
|
|
Company Change in Recommendation
|
|
§ 7.1(b)
|
|
Company Common Share Certificates
|
|
§ 3.3(b)
|
|
Company Employees
|
|
§ 7.4(a)
|
|
Company Financial Advisor
|
|
§ 4.18
|
|
Company Intellectual Property
|
|
§ 4.12(a)
|
|
Company Material Contract
|
|
§ 4.15
|
|
Company Option Consideration
|
|
§ 3.1(c)
|
|
Company Paying Agent
|
|
§ 3.3(a)
|
|
Company Preferred Shares
|
|
§ 4.3(a)
|
|
Company Recommendation
|
|
§ 7.1(b)(i)
|
|
Company Restricted Shares
|
|
§ 3.1(d)
|
|
Company SEC Reports
|
|
§ 4.7(a)
|
|
Company Shareholder Approval
|
|
§ 4.4(a)(i)
|
|
Company Shareholders’ Meeting
|
|
§ 7.1(b)
|
|
Company Stock Awards
|
|
§ 4.3(b)
|
|
Company Stock Options
|
|
§ 3.1(c)
|
|
Company Stock-Based Awards
|
|
§ 3.1(e)
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|
Company Subsidiary
|
|
§ 4. l(b)
|
|
Confidentiality Agreement
|
|
§ 7.2(b)
|
|
Contract
|
|
§ 4.15(a)
|
|
Design
|
|
§ 4.12(a)
|
|
Dissenting Shares
|
|
§ 3.5(a)
|
|
Environmental Permits
|
|
§ 4.14(a)
|
|
ERISA
|
|
§ 4.10(a)
|
|
ERISA Affiliate
|
|
§ 4.10(f)
|
|
Exchange Act
|
|
§ 4.5(b)(i)
|
|
Expenses
|
|
§ 7.5(a)
|
|
Governmental Order
|
|
§ 9.1(c)
|
|
HSR Act
|
|
§ 4.5(b)
|
|
Incentive Plans
|
|
§ 3.1(c)
|
|
Indemnified Parties
|
|
§ 7.5(a)
|
|
Intellectual Property
|
|
§ 4.12(a)
|
|
IRS
|
|
§ 4.10(a)
|
|
Merger
|
|
Recitals
|
|
Merger Consideration
|
|
§ 3.1(b)
|
|
Merger Effective Time
|
|
§ 2.3
|
|
Merger Shares
|
|
§ 3.1(b)
|
6
|
Defined Term
|
|
Location of
Definition
|
|
MergerCo
|
|
Preamble
|
|
Nasdaq
|
|
§ 4.5(b)
|
|
New Plans
|
|
§ 7.4(b)
|
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Old Plans
|
|
§ 7.4(b)
|
|
Outside Date
|
|
§ 9.1(b)
|
|
Parent
|
|
Preamble
|
|
Patents
|
|
§ 1.1
|
|
Permits
|
|
§ 4.6(a)
|
|
Proxy Statement
|
|
§ 4.5(b)
|
|
Registered Intellectual Property
|
|
§ 4.12(a)
|
|
Regulatory Law
|
|
§ 7.6(d)
|
|
Representatives
|
|
§ 7.2(a)
|
|
SEC
|
|
§ 4.5(b)
|
|
Section 16
|
|
§ 7.4(d)
|
|
Securities Act
|
|
§ 4.3(c)(v)
|
|
Surviving Corporation
|
|
§ 2.01
|
|
Surviving Corporation Bylaws
|
|
§ 2.2(b)
|
|
Surviving Corporation Articles
|
|
§ 2.2(a)
|
|
Surviving Corporation Fund
|
|
§ 3.3(a)
|
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Termination Date
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§ 9.1
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Termination Fee
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§ 9.4
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WBCA
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Recitals
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Section 1.2
Interpretation and Rules of
Construction .
In this Agreement, except to the
extent otherwise provided or that the context otherwise
requires:
(a)
when a reference is made in this
Agreement to an Article, Section, Exhibit or Schedule, such
reference is to an Article or Section of, or an Exhibit or Schedule
to, this Agreement unless otherwise indicated;
(b)
the table of contents and headings
for this Agreement are for reference purposes only and do not
affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this
Agreement;
(c)
whenever the words
“include,” “includes” or
“including” are used in this Agreement, they are deemed
to be followed by the words “without
limitation”;
(d)
the words “hereof,”
“herein” and “hereunder” and words of
similar import, when used in this Agreement, refer to this
Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this
Agreement;
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(e)
references to any statute, rule or
regulation are to the statute, rule or regulation as amended,
modified, supplemented or replaced from time to time (and, in the
case of statutes, include any rules and regulations promulgated
under said statutes) and to any section of any statute, rule or
regulation include any successor to said section;
(f)
all terms defined in this Agreement
have the defined meanings when used in any certificate or other
document made or delivered pursuant hereto, unless otherwise
defined therein;
(g)
the definitions contained in this
Agreement are applicable to the singular as well as the plural
forms of such terms;
(h)
references to a person are also to
its successors and permitted assigns;
(i)
the use of “or” is not
intended to be exclusive unless expressly indicated
otherwise;
(j)
references to monetary amounts are
to the lawful currency of the United States;
(k)
words importing the singular include
the plural and vice versa and words importing gender include all
genders;
(l)
time is of the essence in the
performance of the parties’ respective obligations;
and
(m)
time periods within or following
which any payment is to be made or act is to be done shall be
calculated by excluding the day on which the period commences and
including the day on which the period ends and by extending the
period to the next Business Day following if the last day of the
period is not a Business Day.
ARTICLE II
THE MERGER
Section 2.1
Merger .
Subject to the terms and conditions
of this Agreement and the Plan of Merger attached hereto as
Exhibit B , and in accordance with Sections 23B.11.060
and 23B.11.070 of the WBCA, at the Merger Effective Time, MergerCo
and the Company shall consummate the Merger pursuant to which (a)
MergerCo shall be merged with and into the Company and the separate
existence of MergerCo shall thereupon cease and (b) the Company
shall be the surviving corporation in the Merger (the “
Surviving Corporation ”) The Merger shall have the
effects specified in the WBCA, including Section 23B.11.060
thereof.
Section 2.2
Articles and Bylaws
.
(a)
At the Merger Effective Time, the
Company Articles shall be amended to read in their entirety as in
the form attached hereto as Exhibit C ; and, as so
amended, such Articles of
8
Incorporation shall be the Articles
of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation until thereafter
further amended as provided therein or by Law (the “
Surviving Corporation Articles ”)
(b)
At the Merger Effective Time, the
Company Bylaws shall be amended so as to contain the provisions,
and only the provisions contained immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time in the Bylaws of MergerCo and shall be the Bylaws of
the Surviving Corporation (except as to the name of the Surviving
Corporation) until thereafter amended as provided by law, by the
Company Articles or by such Bylaws; provided ,
however , that, Article IV (Indemnification) of the Company
Bylaws shall not be amended and shall continue to read as stated in
the Company Bylaws in effect immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time (the “ Surviving Corporation Bylaws
”)
Section 2.3
Effective Time of the
Merger .
Upon consummation of the Closing,
the Company shall duly execute and file articles of merger with
respect to the Merger, in such form as is required by, and executed
in accordance with, the relevant provisions of the WBCA (the
“ Articles of Merger ”) and reasonably
satisfactory to Parent, with the Secretary of State of the State of
Washington in accordance with the WBCA. The Merger shall
become effective upon such time as the Articles of Merger have been
filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Washington, or
such later time which the parties hereto shall have agreed upon and
designated in such filing in accordance with the WBCA as the
effective time of the Merger (the “ Merger Effective
Time ”).
Section 2.4
Closing .
Unless this Agreement shall have
been terminated in accordance with Section 9.1, the closing of the
Merger (the “ Closing ”) shall occur as promptly
as practicable (but in no event later than the third (3rd) Business
Day) after all of the conditions set forth in Article VIII (other
than conditions which by their terms are required to be satisfied
or waived at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver
of such conditions) shall have been satisfied or waived by the
party entitled to the benefit of the same, or at such other time
and on a date as agreed to by the parties (the “ Closing
Date ”). The Closing shall take place at the offices of
Lane Powell PC, 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4100, Seattle, WA
98101, or at such other place as agreed to by the parties
hereto.
Section 2.5
Directors and Officers of the
Surviving Corporation .
From and after the Merger Effective
Time, (a) the director(s) of MergerCo immediately prior to the
Merger Effective Time, as set forth on a schedule to be delivered
by Parent to the Company prior to the Merger Effective Time, shall
be the director(s) of the Surviving Corporation and (b) the
officers of the Company immediately prior to the Merger Effective
Time shall be the initial officers of the Surviving Corporation, in
each case, until their respective successors are duly elected or
appointed and qualified, or until the earlier of their death,
resignation or removal in accordance with the Surviving Corporation
Articles and the Surviving Corporation Bylaws.
9
ARTICLE III
EFFECTS OF THE MERGER
Section 3.1
Effects of the Merger on Company
Securities .
At the Merger Effective Time, by
virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of the
Company or the holders of any capital stock of the Company (other
than the requisite approval of the Merger by the shareholders of
the Company in accordance with the WBCA):
(a)
Each Company Common Share that is
owned by Parent or MergerCo immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time shall be cancelled and retired and shall cease to
exist, without any conversion thereof and no payment or
distribution shall be made with respect thereto.
(b)
Each Company Common Share issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time (other
than Company Common Shares to be cancelled in accordance with
Section 3.1(a)), shall be converted and exchanged automatically
into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to $14.38 per
Company Common Share (the “ Merger Consideration
”) payable to the holder thereof in accordance with Section
3.3. The Company Common Shares that are to be so converted
into the right to receive the Merger Consideration are referred to
herein as the “ Merger Shares .”
(c)
Immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time, each outstanding qualified or nonqualified option
to purchase Company Common Shares (“ Company Stock
Options ”) under any employee or director share option or
compensation plan or arrangement of the Company (collectively,
“ Incentive Plans ”) shall become fully vested
and exercisable or payable, as the case may be (whether or not then
vested or subject to any performance condition that has not been
satisfied, and regardless of the exercise price thereof). At the
Merger Effective Time, each Company Stock Option not theretofore
exercised shall be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive
an amount in cash equal to the excess, if any, of (i) the Merger
Consideration over (ii) the exercise price per share of such
Company Stock Option, multiplied by the total number of Company
Common Shares subject to such Company Stock Option (the “
Company Option Consideration ”) without interest and
less any applicable Taxes required to be withheld in accordance
with Section 3.4 with respect to such payment. Payment of the
Company Option Consideration shall be made as soon as practicable
after the Merger Effective Time.
(d)
All restricted share awards, whether
time-based or performance-based (“ Company Restricted
Shares ”) granted pursuant to the Incentive Plans or
otherwise that remain unvested, automatically shall become fully
vested and free of any forfeiture or holding restrictions or
performance or other conditions immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time, and each Company Restricted Share shall be
considered an outstanding Company Common Share for all purposes of
this Agreement, including the right to receive the Merger
Consideration.
(e)
At the Merger Effective Time, each
right of any kind, contingent or accrued, to receive Company Common
Shares or benefits measured in whole or in part by the value of a
number of Company Common Shares granted under the Incentive Plans
or otherwise (including performance shares, restricted stock,
restricted stock units, phantom units, deferred stock
units
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and dividend equivalents) other than
Company Stock Options and Company Restricted Shares (each, other
than Company Restricted Shares and Company Stock Options, “
Company Stock-Based Awards ”), whether vested or
unvested, which is outstanding immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time shall cease to represent a right or award with
respect to Company Common Shares, shall become fully vested and
free of any forfeiture or holding restrictions or performance or
other conditions and shall entitle the holder thereof to receive,
at the Merger Effective Time, an amount in cash equal to the Merger
Consideration in respect of each Company Common Share underlying a
particular Company Stock-Based Award less such amounts as are
required to be withheld or deducted under the Code or any provision
of U.S. state or local tax law with respect to the making of
such payment and less any payments required to be made by the
holder pursuant to the terms of such Company Stock-Based
Award.
(f)
Without in any way limiting the
covenants set forth in Article 6 below, if at any time between
the date of this Agreement and the Merger Effective Time any change
in the number of outstanding shares of Company Shares shall occur
as a result of a reclassification, recapitalization, stock split,
or combination, exchange or readjustment of shares, or any stock
dividend or stock distribution with a record date during such
period, the amount of the Merger Consideration as provided in
Section 3.1(a) shall be equitably adjusted to reflect such
change.
Section 3.2
Effects of the Merger on MergerCo
Securities .
At the Merger Effective Time, by
virtue of the Merger and without any action by the MergerCo or
Parent, as the holder of all outstanding capital stock of MergerCo
(other than the requisite approval by Parent as a shareholder of
MergerCo in accordance with the WBCA, which approval has been
obtained), each outstanding common share, no par value, of MergerCo
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective
Time shall be converted into and become one fully paid and
nonassessable common share, no par value, of the Surviving
Corporation.
Section 3.3
Payment of Merger Consideration;
Stock Transfer Books .
(a)
Prior to the Merger Effective Time,
Parent shall appoint as paying agent a bank or trust company
reasonably satisfactory to the Company (the “ Company
Paying Agent ”). Immediately following completion of the
Merger and the cancellation of the Company Stock Options, Parent
shall deposit or cause the Surviving Corporation to deposit, or
cause to be deposited, with the Company Paying Agent, for the
benefit of the holders of Merger Shares, Company Stock Options,
Company Restricted Shares, and Company Stock-Based Awards, cash in
an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate Merger Consideration
required to be paid (such cash being hereinafter referred to as the
“ Surviving Corporation Fund ”) and to cause the
Company Paying Agent to make, and the Company Paying Agent shall
make, payments of the Merger Consideration out of the Surviving
Corporation Fund to the holders of Merger Shares, Company Stock
Options, Company Restricted Shares, and Company Stock-Based Awards
in accordance with this Agreement. The Surviving Corporation Fund
shall be invested by the Paying Agent in (i) direct obligations of
the United States of America, (ii) obligations for which the full
faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged to
provide for payment of all principal and interest or (iii)
commercial paper obligations receiving the highest rating from
either Moody’s
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Investor Services, Inc. or Standard
& Poor’s, a division of The McGraw Hill Companies, or a
combination thereof, as directed by and for the benefit of the
Surviving Corporation; provided , however , that no
gain or loss thereon shall affect the amounts payable to the
holders of Merger Shares, Company Stock Options, Company Restricted
Shares, and Company Stock-Based Awards following completion of the
Merger pursuant to this Article III. Any and all interest and other
income earned on the Surviving Corporation Fund shall promptly be
paid to the Surviving Corporation.
(b)
As promptly as practicable after the
Merger Effective Time, Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall
cause the Company Paying Agent to mail to each person who was, as
of immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time, a holder of
record of the Merger Shares: (i) a letter of transmittal (which
shall be in customary form and shall specify that delivery shall be
effected, and risk of loss and title to the certificates
representing the Merger Shares (the “ Company Common Share
Certificates ”) shall pass, only upon proper delivery of
the Company Common Share Certificates to the Company Paying Agent)
and (ii) instructions for effecting the surrender of the Company
Common Share Certificates or any uncertificated Company Common
Shares (“ Book-Entry Shares ”) in exchange for
the Merger Consideration. Upon surrender to the Company
Paying Agent of Company Common Share Certificates or Book-Entry
Shares for cancellation, together with such letter of transmittal,
duly completed and validly executed in accordance with the
instructions thereto, and such other documents as may be required
pursuant to such instructions, the holder of such Company Common
Share Certificate or Book-Entry Shares shall be entitled to receive
in exchange therefor, in cash, the Merger Consideration in respect
thereof, and the Company Common Share Certificate or Book-Entry
Shares so surrendered shall forthwith be cancelled. In the event of
a transfer of ownership of Merger Shares that is not registered in
the transfer records of the Company, payment of the Merger
Consideration in respect of the applicable Merger Shares may be
made to a person other than the person in whose name the Company
Common Share Certificate or Book-Entry Shares so surrendered are
registered if such Company Common Share Certificate or Book-Entry
Shares shall be properly endorsed or otherwise be in proper form
for transfer and the person requesting such payment shall pay any
transfer or other taxes required by reason of the payment of the
Merger Consideration in respect thereof or establish to the
reasonable satisfaction of the Surviving Corporation that such tax
has been paid or is not applicable. Until surrendered as
contemplated by this Section 3.3, each Company Common Share
Certificate or Book-Entry Shares shall be deemed at all times after
the Merger Effective Time to represent only the right to receive
upon such surrender the Merger Consideration. No interest
shall be paid or will accrue on any cash payable to holders of
Company Common Share Certificates or Book-Entry Shares pursuant to
the provisions of this Article III.
(c)
Any portion of the Surviving
Corporation Fund that remains undistributed to the holders of
Merger Shares for one year after the Merger Effective Time shall be
delivered to the Surviving Corporation, upon demand, and any
holders of Merger Shares who have not theretofore complied with
this Article III shall thereafter look only to the Surviving
Corporation for, and the Surviving Corporation shall remain liable
for, payment of their claim for the Merger
Consideration.
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(d)
If any Company Common Share
Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the
making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming such
Company Common Share Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed
and, if required by the Surviving Corporation, the posting by such
person of a bond, in such reasonable amount as the Surviving
Corporation may direct, as indemnity against any claim that may be
made against it with respect to such Company Common Share
Certificate, the Company Paying Agent shall pay in respect of
Merger Shares to which such lost, stolen or destroyed Company
Common Share Certificate relate the Merger Consideration to which
the holder thereof is entitled.
(e)
At the Merger Effective Time, the
stock transfer books of the Company shall be closed and there shall
be no further registration of transfers of Merger Shares thereafter
on the records of the Company. From and after the Merger
Effective Time, the holders of Company Common Share Certificates or
Book-Entry Shares representing Merger Shares shall cease to have
any rights with respect to such Shares, except as otherwise
provided in this Agreement, the certificate of incorporation of the
Surviving Corporation, or by Law.
Section 3.4
Withholding Rights
.
The Company, the Surviving
Corporation or the Company Paying Agent, as applicable, shall be
entitled to deduct and withhold from the consideration otherwise
payable pursuant to this Agreement to any holder of Company Common
Shares, Company Stock Options and Company Stock-Based Awards, such
amounts as it is required to deduct and withhold with respect to
the making of such payment under the Code, and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder, or any provision of state,
local or foreign Tax law. To the extent that amounts are so
withheld by the Company, the Surviving Corporation, or the Company
Paying Agent, as applicable, such withheld amounts shall be treated
for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the
holder of the Company Common Shares, Company Stock Options or
Company Stock-Based Awards, in respect of which such deduction and
withholding was made by the Company, the Surviving Corporation or
the Company Paying Agent, as applicable.
Section 3.5
Dissenting Shares
.
(a)
Notwithstanding anything contained
in this Agreement to the contrary, no Company Common Shares issued
and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time, the
holder of which (A) has not voted in favor of the Merger or
consented thereto in writing, (B) has demanded its rights to
appraisal in accordance with RCW 25B.13, and (C) has not
effectively withdrawn or lost its rights to appraisal (the “
Dissenting Shares ”), shall be converted into or
represent a right to receive the Merger Consideration pursuant to
Section 3.1(b). By virtue of the Merger, all Dissenting
Shares shall be cancelled and shall cease to exist and shall
represent the right to receive only those rights provided under the
WBCA. From and after the Merger Effective Time, a holder of
Dissenting Shares shall not be entitled to exercise any of the
voting rights or other rights of a shareholder, member or equity
owner of the Surviving Corporation. Any portion of the Merger
Consideration made available to the Company Paying Agent pursuant
to Section 3.3 to pay for Company Common Shares for which appraisal
rights have been perfected shall be returned to Parent upon
demand.
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(b)
Notwithstanding the provisions of
this Section 3.5, if any holder of Company Common Shares who
demands dissenters’ rights shall effectively withdraw or lose
(through failure to perfect or otherwise) the right to dissent or
its rights of appraisal, then, as of the later of the Merger
Effective Time and the occurrence of such event, such
holder’s Company Common Shares shall no longer be Dissenting
Shares and shall automatically be converted into and represent only
the right to receive the Merger Consideration, without any interest
thereon and less any required withholding.
(c)
The Company shall give Parent
(A) notice of any written demands for dissenters’ rights
of Company Common Shares, withdrawals of such demands, and any
other instruments served pursuant to the WBCA and received by the
Company which relate to any such demand for dissenters’
rights and (B) the opportunity reasonably to direct all
negotiations and proceedings (subject to the Company’s right
to object to any actions or positions taken by Parent that it
deems, in its sole discretion, unreasonable) with respect to
demands for dissenters’ rights under the WBCA. The
Company shall not, except with the prior written consent of Parent,
make any payment with respect to any demands for dissenters’
rights or offer to settle or settle any such demands.
ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except as set forth in (A) the
Company Disclosure Schedule or (B) the Company SEC Reports (other
than the risk factors and forward looking statement sections
therein) the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Buyer
Parties as follows:
Section 4.1
Organization and Qualification;
Subsidiaries; Authority .
(a)
The Company is a corporation duly
organized, validly existing and authorized to conduct business
under the laws of the State of Washington. The Company is
duly qualified or licensed to do business as a foreign corporation
and is in good standing under the laws of any other jurisdiction in
which the character of the properties owned, leased or operated by
it therein or in which the transaction of its business or the
conduct or nature of its business makes such qualification or
licensing necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified,
licensed or in good standing would not, individually or in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority
to own, operate, lease and encumber its properties and carry on its
business as now conducted.
(b)
Each of the Company’s
subsidiaries (each a “ Company Subsidiary ”),
together with the jurisdiction of organization of each such
subsidiary, the percentage of the outstanding equity of each such
subsidiary owned by the Company and each other subsidiary of the
Company, is set forth on Section 4.l(b) of the Company Disclosure
Schedule. Except as set forth in Section 4.1(b) of the
Company’s Disclosure Schedule, each Company Subsidiary is a
corporation, partnership, limited liability company or trust duly
incorporated or organized, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or
organization. Each of the Company Subsidiaries has the
requisite corporate, limited partnership,
14
limited liability company or similar
power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to
carry on its business as it is now being conducted, except where
the failure to have such power and authority would not,
individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect. Each of the Company Subsidiaries is
duly qualified or licensed to do business, and is in good standing
(to the extent applicable), in each jurisdiction where the
character of the properties owned, leased or operated by it or the
conduct or nature of its business makes such qualification or
licensing necessary, except for jurisdictions in which the failure
to be so qualified, licensed or in good standing would not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.2
Organizational
Documents .
The Company has previously provided
or made available copies of the Company Articles and Company
Bylaws, as well as the organizational and governing documents for
each Company Subsidiary. All such documents are in full force
and effect, no dissolution, revocation or forfeiture proceedings
regarding the Company have been commenced, and the Company is not
in violation of any provision of the Company Articles or Company
Bylaws and no Company Subsidiary is in violation of its
organizational or governing documents, except where such violation
would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section 4.3
Capitalization
.
(a)
The authorized capital stock of the
Company consists of Twenty-five Million (25,000,000) Company Common
Shares and Six Million (6,000,000) shares of preferred stock, no
par value, of the Company (“ Company Preferred Shares
”). As of the date hereof, Ten Million Six Hundred
Seventeen Thousand One Hundred Twenty-seven (10,617,127) Company
Common Shares were issued and outstanding (including those Company
Restricted Shares described in Section 4.3(b)), all of which are
duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and
were not issued in violation of any shareholders’ preemptive
rights. As of the date hereof there would be Eleven Million One
Hundred Seventy-four Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-four (11,174,434)
Company Common Shares outstanding, after giving effect to the
exercise or vesting of all Company Stock Awards outstanding as of
such date (including Twelve Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty (12,730)
shares existing under Company Stock Awards bearing exercise prices
in excess of the Merger Consideration). As of the date of
this Agreement, no Company Preferred Shares are issued and
outstanding.
(b)
As of the date hereof, options to
acquire Five Hundred Fifty-seven Thousand Three Hundred Seven
(557,307) Company Common Shares were outstanding pursuant to
outstanding Company Stock Options (including shares under Company
Stock Options bearing exercise prices in excess of the Merger
Consideration) and Fifty Thousand Ten (50,010) Company Common
Shares were outstanding under existing grants of Company Restricted
Shares (collectively, the “ Company Stock Awards
”). As of the date hereof there are, and at Closing
there will be, no Company Stock-Based Awards outstanding, and Three
Million Eight Hundred Fifty-two Thousand Twenty-eight Dollars
($3,852,028) will be required to be paid to the holders of Company
Stock Options to satisfy the aggregate Company Option Consideration
payable pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.1(c).
15
(c)
Except as set forth in Section
4.3(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule:
(i)
each outstanding share of capital
stock of, or other equity interest in, a Company Subsidiary owned
by the Company or by another Company Subsidiary are duly authorized
and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable and are
owned of record and beneficially, directly or indirectly by the
Company, free and clear of all Liens;
(ii)
neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary owns any interest or investment (whether equity or debt)
in any corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
entity, other than a Subsidiary of the Company.
(iii)
there are no options, warrants,
calls, subscriptions or other rights, agreements, arrangements or
commitments of any character relating to the issued or unissued
capital stock of the Company or any Company Subsidiary or
obligating the Company or any Company Subsidiary to issue or sell
any shares of capital stock of, or other equity interests in, the
Company or any Company Subsidiary, and Section 4.3(c) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth the true and correct
exercise price of each outstanding Company Stock Option;
(iv)
there are no outstanding contractual
obligations of the Company to repurchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire any shares of capital stock of the Company;
(v)
no Company Subsidiary owns any
capital stock of the Company;
(vi)
the Company is under no obligation,
contingent or otherwise, by reason of any agreement to register the
offer and sale or resale of any of its securities under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities
Act ”); and
(vii)
there are no agreements or
understandings to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a
party with respect to the voting of any shares of capital stock of
the Company or which restrict the transfer of any such shares, nor
does the Company have knowledge of any third party agreements or
understandings with respect to the voting of any such shares or
which restrict the transfer of any such shares.
Section 4.4
Authority Relative to this
Agreement, Validity and Effect of Agreements
.
(a)
The Company has all necessary
corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this
Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Except for
the approvals described in the following sentence, the execution,
delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate
action on behalf of the Company. No other corporate
proceedings on the part of the Company are necessary to authorize
this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement other than (i) the approval of this Agreement by the
holders of shares representing two-thirds of the votes entitled to
be cast by the
16
holders of shares of the Company
entitled to vote thereon, voting as one class, at a meeting of the
shareholders of the Company duly called and held for such purpose
(the “ Company Shareholder Approval ”) and (ii)
the filing and recordation of the Company Articles of Merger and
other appropriate merger documents as required by the WBCA. This
Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the
Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery
by each of Parent and MergerCo, constitutes a legal, valid and
binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company
in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium,
fraudulent transfer and similar Laws of general applicability
relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or by general
equity principles.
(b)
The Company Board, by resolutions
duly adopted at meetings duly called and held, has duly (i)
determined that this Agreement and the Merger are fair to and in
the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, (ii)
approved this Agreement and recommended the Agreement to Company
shareholders in accordance with the WBCA, (iii) recommended that
the shareholders of the Company approve this Agreement, and (iv)
directed that this Agreement be submitted for consideration by the
shareholders of the Company at the Company Shareholders’
Meeting.
Section 4.5
No Conflict; Required Filings and
Consents .
(a)
Except as set forth in
Section 4.5(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the
execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement does not,
and the performance of its obligations hereunder will not, (i)
conflict with or violate the Company Articles or Company Bylaws or
the analogous governance or organizational documents of any Company
Subsidiary, (ii) assuming that all consents, approvals,
authorizations and other actions described in subsection (b) of
this Section 4.5 have been obtained and all filings and obligations
described in subsection (b) of this Section 4.5 have been made,
conflict with or violate any Law applicable to the Company or any
Company Subsidiary or by which any property or asset of the Company
or any Company Subsidiary, is bound, or (iii) require any consent
or result in any violation or breach or termination of or
constitute (with or without notice or lapse of time or both) a
default (or give to others any right of termination, amendment,
acceleration or cancellation) under, or result in the triggering of
any payments or result in the creation of a Lien or other
encumbrance on any property or asset of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, pursuant to, any of the terms, conditions or provisions
of any Permit or Company Material Contract to which the Company or
any Company Subsidiary is a party or by which it or any of its
respective properties or assets may be bound, except, with respect
to clauses (ii) and (iii), such triggering of payments, Liens,
encumbrances, filings, notices, permits, authorizations, consents,
approvals, violations, conflicts, breaches or defaults which would
not, individually or in the aggregate, (A) prevent or materially
delay consummation of the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or (B) reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
(b)
The execution and delivery by the
Company of this Agreement does not, and the performance of its
obligations hereunder will not, require any consent, approval,
authorization or permit of, action by, or filing with or
notification to, any Governmental Authority, except (i) for (A)
applicable requirements, if any, of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the
17
“ Exchange Act
”). (B) if applicable, the pre-merger notification and
waiting requirements of the Hart Scott Rodino Antitrust
Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “ HSR Act
”) and any other applicable Regulatory Laws, (C) the filing
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ SEC
”) of a proxy statement relating to the Merger to be sent to
the Company’s shareholders (as amended or supplemented from
time to time, the “ Proxy Statement ”) and other
written communications that may be deemed “soliciting
materials” under Rule 14a-12, (D) any filings required under
the rules and regulations of Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.’s
National Market (“ Nasdaq ”) and (E) the filing
of the appropriate merger documents as required by the WBCA, and
(ii) where the failure to obtain such consents, approvals,
authorizations or permits, or to make such filings or notifications
would not, individually or in the aggregate, (A) prevent or
materially delay consummation of the Merger and the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (B) reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.6
Permits; Compliance with
Laws .
(a)
The Company and Company Subsidiaries
are in possession of all registrations, franchises, grants,
authorizations, licenses, permits, consents, certificates,
approvals, other regulatory authorizations and orders of any
Governmental Authority necessary for them to own, lease and operate
their properties or to carry on their business as it is now being
conducted (collectively, the “ Permits ”) and
all such Permits are valid and in full force and effect, except
where the failure to obtain, maintain or possess, or the suspension
or cancellation of, any of the Permits would not, individually or
in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(b)
None of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary is in violation of any Laws or Permits applicable to the
Company or any Company Subsidiary, or by which any property or
asset of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is bound, and, to
the Knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred which would
constitute (i) a breach or default under, or would cause a
revocation, or termination of any Permits applicable to the Company
or any Company Subsidiary or (ii) a violation of any Laws
applicable to the Company or any Company Subsidiary, except, in
each case, for any such violation, breach, default, revocation or
termination which would not, individually or in the aggregate,
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
Except as disclosed in Section 4.13 of the Company Disclosure
Schedule with respect to tax audits, the Company has not been
advised of any pending investigation or inquiry by any Governmental
Authority with respect to the Company or any Company Subsidiary
and, to the knowledge of the Company, no such investigation or
inquiry is threatened, in each case, with respect to any alleged or
claimed violation of Law applicable to the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, or by which any property or asset of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary is bound or affected, except, in each case, for
any such investigation or inquiry which would not, individually or
in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section 4.7
SEC Filings; Financial
Statements .
(a)
Except as set forth in Section
4.7(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company has timely
filed all forms, reports and documents (including all exhibits)
required to be
18
filed by it with the SEC during the
two years prior to the date of this Agreement (the “
Company SEC Reports ”). The Company SEC Reports
(including any financial statements or schedules included in the
Company SEC Reports), each as amended prior to the date hereof, and
each as of their respective dates (i) have been prepared in
accordance with, and complied in all material respects with, the
requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as the case
may be, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and
(ii) did not, when filed as amended prior to the date hereof,
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact required to be stated or incorporated by reference
therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
(b)
Each of the consolidated financial
statements (including, in each case, any notes thereto) contained
in the Company SEC Reports, each as amended prior to the date
hereof, was prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a
consistent basis throughout the periods indicated (except as may be
indicated in the notes thereto) and each fairly presented, in all
material respects, the consolidated financial position, results of
operations and cash flows and shareholders’ equity of the
Company and its consolidated Company Subsidiaries as of the
respective dates thereof and for the respective periods indicated
therein except as otherwise noted therein (subject, in the case of
unaudited statements, to normal and recurring year end
adjustments). None of the Company Subsidiaries is subject to the
periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act or required to
file any form, report or other document with the SEC or
Nasdaq.
(c)
The Company and the Company
Subsidiaries have devised and maintain a system of internal
accounting controls (within the meaning of Rules 13a-15(f) and
15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) sufficient to provide reasonable
assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with GAAP. Each of the Company and the Company
Subsidiaries (1) has designed disclosure controls and procedures
(within the meaning of Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the
Exchange Act) to ensure, to the extent appropriate in the context
of the Company’s resources, that material information
relating to such entity and its subsidiaries is made known to the
management of such entity (or its general partner) by others within
those entities as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure and to make the certifications required by the
Exchange Act with respect to the Company SEC Reports, and (2) has
disclosed, based on its most recent evaluation made prior to the
date of this Agreement, to its auditors and the audit committee of
its Board of Directors, and has listed in Section 4.7(c) of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, (A) any significant deficiencies in
the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely
affect in any material respect its ability to record, process,
summarize and report financial data and have disclosed to its
auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls and (B) any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a significant role in its internal controls and
the Company has provided to Parent copies of documentation related
to such disclosure contemplated in (A) or (B), except to the extent
such documents are bound by privilege, which shall be determined
solely by the Company.
(d)
The Company is in compliance in all
material respects with (i) the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002 and (ii) the rules and regulations of Nasdaq that are
applicable to
19
the Company. The
Company’s principal executive officer and its principal
financial officer have disclosed, based on their most recent
evaluation, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee
of the Board of Directors of the Company (i) all significant
deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which
could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record,
process, summarize and report financial data and have identified
for the Company’s auditors any material weaknesses in
internal controls and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that
involves management or other employees who have a significant role
in the Company’s internal controls. For purposes of this
paragraph, “principal executive officer” and
“principal financial officer” shall have the meanings
given to such terms in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(e)
Except as disclosed on Section
4.7(e) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor
any Company Subsidiary has any liabilities (whether known or
unknown, accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise and whether due
or to become due) of the type required to be disclosed on a balance
sheet or in the related notes to the consolidated financial
statements prepared in accordance with GAAP, except liabilities
that (i) were disclosed in the Company SEC Reports, (ii) were
incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice since January 31, 2007, or (iii) would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
(f)
Except as disclosed in Section
4.7(f) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, as of the date hereof,
there are no “Credit Extensions” (as such term is
defined in the Wells Fargo Agreement) under that certain Credit
Agreement by and between the Company and Wells Fargo HSBC Trade
Bank, N.A., dated as of March 10, 2005, as heretofore amended (the
“Wells Fargo Agreement”).
Section 4.8
Absence of Certain Changes or
Events .
Except as disclosed in the Company
SEC Reports, since January 31, 2007 through the date hereof,
(a) the Company has conducted its business in the ordinary course
consistent with past practice and (b) there has not been an event,
occurrence, effect, fact, development or circumstance that has
resulted or would reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect.
Section 4.9
Absence of Litigation
.
Except as disclosed on
Section 4.9 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there is no
Action pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened
against the Company or any Company Subsidiaries or any of its or
their respective properties or assets except as would not,
individually or in the aggregate, (x) prevent or materially delay
consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated
by this Agreement or (y) have or reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company or any of the
Company Subsidiaries is subject to any order, judgment, writ,
injunction or decree, except as would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
20
Section 4.10
Employee Benefit Plans
.
(a)
Section 4.10(a) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule lists all material employee benefit plans (as
defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”)) and all
material bonus, stock option, stock purchase, restricted stock,
incentive, deferred compensation, retiree medical or life
insurance, supplemental retirement, severance or other benefit
plans, programs or arrangements, and all material employment,
termination, severance or other contracts or agreements to which
the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party, with respect to
which the Company or any Company Subsidiary has any obligation or
which are maintained, contributed to or sponsored by the Company or
any Company Subsidiary for the benefit of any current or former
employee, officer, director or consultant of the Company or any
Company Subsidiary (collectively, the “ Benefit Plans
”), provided that with respect to employment
agreements for non-executives, Section 4.10(a) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule will only include forms of employment
agreement. The Company has made available to Parent copies, which
are correct and complete in all material respects, of the
following: (i) the Benefit Plans, (ii) the annual
reports (e.g., the complete Form 5500 series) prepared in
connection with each Benefit Plan required to file such reports for
the last two plan years, (iii) the most recently received Internal
Revenue Service (“ IRS ”) determination letter
of the IRS, if any, relating to a Benefit Plan, (iv) the most
recently prepared actuarial report or financial statement, if any,
relating to a Benefit Plan, and (v) the most recent summary plan
description for such Benefit Plan (or other descriptions of such
Benefit Plan provided to employees) and all material modifications
thereto.
(b)
Except as disclosed in Section
4.10(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each Benefit Plan has
been operated in all material respects in accordance with its terms
and the requirements of all applicable Laws, including ERISA and
the Code, except for such noncompliance that would not,
individually or in the aggregate, cause a Material Adverse
Effect. Each Benefit Plan that is intended to be qualified
under Section 401(a) of the Code or Section 401(k) of the Code has
received a favorable determination letter from the IRS, or is
entitled to rely on a favorable opinion issued by the IRS, and to
the Knowledge of the Company no fact or event has occurred to
adversely affect the qualified status of any such Benefit Plan or
the exempt status of any such trust created thereunder that would,
individually or in the aggregate, cause a Material Adverse
Effect.
(c)
Except as disclosed in Section
4.10(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor
any Company Subsidiary sponsors or has sponsored any Benefit Plan
that provides for any post-employment or post-retirement health,
medical, prescription drug, disability, life or other similar
insurance benefits for retired, former or current employees of the
Company or any Company Subsidiary, except as required by Section
4980B of the Code. Except as set forth in Section 4.10(c) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule, to the knowledge of the Company,
no written communication has been made that would prevent the
Company or any Company Subsidiary from amending or terminating any
Benefit Plan providing health or medical benefits in respect of any
retired, former or current employee of the Company or any Company
Subsidiary.
21
(d)
Full payment has been made, or
otherwise properly accrued on the books and records of the Company
and any Company Subsidiary, of all amounts that the Company and any
Company Subsidiary are required under the terms of the Benefit
Plans to have paid as contributions to such Plans on or prior to
the date hereof (excluding any amounts not yet due).
(e)
Except as set forth in Section
4.10(e) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no Benefit Plan, either
individually or collectively, provides for any payment by the
Company or any Company Subsidiary that would constitute a
“parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G
of the Code after giving effect to the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement.
(f)
Neither the Company nor any ERISA
Affiliate sponsors or has sponsored in the past six years any
Benefit Plan (or United States based pension plan in the case of an
ERISA Affiliate) that is subject to Title IV or Section 302 of
ERISA or Section 412 or 4971 of the Code. For purposes of
this Section 4.10, an entity is an “ ERISA Affiliate
” of the Company if it would have ever been considered a
single employer with the Company under 4001(b) of ERISA or part of
the same controlled group as the Company for purposes of Section
302(d)(8)(C) of ERISA. Neither the Company nor any ERISA
Affiliate has in the past six years maintained, adopted or
established, contributed or been required to contribute to, or
otherwise participate or been required to participate in, nor will
they become obligated to do so through the Closing Date, any
“multiemployer plan” (as defined in Section 3(37) of
ERISA).
(g)
There are no pending or, to the
Knowledge of the Company, threatened (A) claims, suits or other
proceedings by any employees, former employees or plan participants
or the beneficiaries, spouses or representatives of any of them,
other than ordinary and usual claims for benefits by participants
or beneficiaries, or (B) suits, investigations or other proceedings
by any federal, state, local or other governmental agency or
authority, of or against any Benefit Plan, the assets held
thereunder, the trustee of any such assets, or the Company or any
Company Subsidiary relating to any Benefit Plan that would,
individually or in the aggregate, cause a Material Adverse
Effect. If any of the actions described in this subsection
are initiated prior to the Closing Date, the Company will notify
Parent of such action prior to the date of Closing.
Section 4.11
Information Supplied
.
The information supplied by the
Company relating to the Company and Company Subsidiaries to be
contained in the Proxy Statement will not, at the date it is first
mailed to the Company’s shareholders or at the time of the
Company Shareholders’ Meeting or at the time of any amendment
or supplement thereto, contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they are made, not
misleading, except that no representation is made (or omitted to be
made) by the Company or any Company Subsidiary with respect to
statements made or incorporated by reference therein based on
information supplied by Parent or MergerCo in connection with the
preparation of the Proxy Statement for inclusion or incorporation
by reference therein. All documents that the Company is responsible
for filing with the SEC in connection with the Merger, or the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, will comply as to form
and substance in all material respects with the
applicable
22
requirements of the Securities Act
and the rules and regulations thereunder and the Exchange Act and
the rules and regulations thereunder.
Section 4.12
Intellectual Property
.
(a)
Except as set forth in
Section 4.12(a)(i) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the
Company and its Subsidiaries currently own or have valid licenses
to use the Intellectual Property (including the Registered
Intellectual Property) as used by the Company and the Company
Subsidiaries’ businesses as presently conducted, excluding,
however, Intellectual Property where the Company and the Company
Subsidiaries’ failure to so own, or to have the necessary
license therefor would not reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect (“ Company Intellectual
Property ”). For purposes of this Agreement,
“ Intellectual Property ” means trademarks,
service marks, trade names, trade dress, company names, domain
names, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how, information and
Designs; “ Registered Intellectual Property ”
means the Intellectual Property filed or issued under the authority
of, with or by a government body or domain name registrar,
including all patents, registered copyrights, registered trademarks
and registered domain names, and all applications for any of the
foregoing, all of which are listed in Section 4.12(a)(ii) of
the Company Disclosure Schedule; and “ Designs ”
means Intellectual Property rights in artwork, drawings and
specifications, design concepts, textile designs (including fabric
designs, prints, styles weaves, yarns and other unique or original
features), fabric and yarn development, garment specification
package (including garment details and components, such a zippers,
buttons and pulls), labels (including product labeling),
photographs, slides, prints, sketches, silhouettes, illustrations,
layouts, icons, logos, presentation materials (such as renderings,
models, mockups and slide presentations) or other work products or
materials.
(b)
Except as set forth in
Section 4.12(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, the
Registered Intellectual Property is valid and enforceable, the
Company Intellectual Property is either valid and enforceable or
subject to a valid license and all Registered Intellectual
Property, for any copyright or trademark registrations, all renewal
fees and other maintenance fees that have come due have been
paid. The Registered Intellectual Property has not been
fraudulently or unlawfully acquired.
(c)
Except as set forth in
Section 4.12(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
(i) the Company Intellectual Property is not subject to any
outstanding options or encumbrances of any kind, (ii) there
are no material restrictions on the direct or indirect transfer of
any such Company Intellectual Property; (iii) neither the
Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received any written notices
in the past year alleging that it has infringed or violated, or
would infringe or violate any patents, trademarks, service marks,
trade names, domain names, company names, author’s rights,
copyrights or trade secrets or other proprietary rights of any
other Person; and, (iv) the Company has delivered to Parent,
prior to the execution of this Agreement, true copies of the
certificates of registration and any accompanying visuals (e.g.,
logos) for any Registered Intellectual Property, which
documentation is accurate in all material respects and reasonably
sufficient in detail and content to identify and explain the
same.
23
Section 4.13
Taxes .
Except as set forth in Section 4.13
of the Company Disclosure Schedule or in the Company SEC Reports or
as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:
(a)
all Tax Returns required to be filed
by or with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries have
been duly and timely filed (except those under valid extension) and
such Tax Returns are true, complete, and correct in all material
respects;
(b)
all Taxes due and payable by the
Company or any of its subsidiaries have been duly and timely paid,
withheld, or adequately provided for in accordance with GAAP on the
Company’s most recent consolidated financial
statements;
(c)
the Company has not been advised of
the existence of any pending proceeding, examination, investigation
audit, administrative or judicial proceeding (“
Proceedings ”) and, to the Company’s Knowledge,
no such Proceedings are threatened with respect to any Taxes of the
Company or any of its subsidiaries that has not been finally
resolved;
(d)
no deficiencies for any Taxes have
been proposed, asserted or assessed in writing against the Company
or any of its subsidiaries, except of any such deficiencies that
have been reflected or reserved for in the Company’s most
recent financial statements or that have been finally resolved and
paid in full;
(e)
neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries has granted any currently-effective waiver of any U.S.
federal, state, local or non-U.S. statute of limitations with
respect to, or any currently-effective extension of a period for
the assessment of, any income Tax or any other Taxes;
(f)
there are no liens for Taxes (other
than Permitted Liens) upon any of the assets of the Company or any
of its subsidiaries;
(g)
neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries is a party to or is bound by any Tax sharing,
allocation, or indemnification agreement (other than such an
agreement exclusively between or among the Company and its
wholly-owned Subsidiaries);
(h)
neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries (A) has been a member of a group filing a
consolidated, combined or unitary Tax Return (other than a group
the common parent of which was the Company) or (B) has any material
liability for the Taxes of any Person (other than the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries) under Treasury regulation section 1.1502-6
(or any similar provision of state, local or foreign
law);
(i)
the Company and each of its
Subsidiaries has withheld and paid over to the relevant taxing
authority all Taxes required to have been withheld and paid in
connection with payments to employees, independent contractors,
creditors, stockholders or other third parties;
24
(j)
no claim has been made in writing by
any Governmental Authority in a jurisdiction in which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries does not file a Tax Return that the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may be subject to taxation
by such jurisdiction;
(k)
neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has entered into, or otherwise participated (directly
or indirectly) in, any “listed transaction” within the
meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.601 l-4(b);
and
(l)
neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has, within the past two years, or otherwise as part
of a plan (or series of related transactions) (within the meaning
of Section 355(e) of the Code) of which the Merger is a part,
distributed stock of another entity or had its stock distributed by
another entity in a transaction that was purported or intended to
be governed in whole or in part by Code Sections 355 or
361.
Section 4.14
Environmental Matters
.
To the Knowledge of the Company, the
Company has provided to Parent all material environmental reports
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which relate to material
environmental liabilities of the Company or its Subsidiaries.
Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:
(a)
the Company and the Company
Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all Environmental Laws,
(ii) hold all permits, approvals, identification numbers, licenses
and other authorizations required under any Environmental Law to
own or operate their assets as currently owned and operated
(“ Environmental Permits ”) and (iii) are in
compliance with their respective Environmental Permits;
(b)
neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary has Released, and to the Knowledge of the Company, there
has been no Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous
Substance at, on, under or from any real property, currently or
formerly owned, leased, or operated by the Company or the Company
Subsidiaries or any other location;
(c)
neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary has received any written claim or notice alleging that
the Company or any Company Subsidiary may be in violation of, or
liable under, or a potentially responsible party pursuant to any
Environmental Law;
(d)
neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary (i) has entered into or agreed to any consent decree or
order or is a party to any judgment, decree or judicial or
administrative order relating to compliance with Environmental
Laws, Environmental Permits or the investigation, sampling,
monitoring, treatment, remediation, removal or cleanup of Hazardous
Substances and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no investigation,
litigation or other proceeding is pending or threatened in writing
with respect thereto or (ii) is an indemnitor in connection with
any threatened or asserted claim by any third-party indemnitee for
any liability under any Environmental Law or relating to any
Hazardous Substances; and
25
(e)
notwithstanding any other provision
of this Agreement, this Section 4.14 sets forth the Company’s
sole and exclusive representations and warranties with respect to
Hazardous Substances, Environmental Laws or other environmental
matters.
Section 4.15
Material Contracts
.
Section 4.15 of the Company
Disclosure Schedule lists each of the following written contracts
and agreements (and all amendments, modifications and supplements
thereto and all side letters) to which the Company or any Company
Subsidiary is a party or by which any of their respective
properties or assets are bound (each such agreement and contract,
including any contract filed as an exhibit to the Company SEC
Reports filed prior to the date of this Agreement being a “
Company Material Contract ”):
(a)
any loan, guarantee of indebtedness
or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract
(written or oral), agreement, lease, license, permit, franchise,
right, arrangement or other binding commitment, instrument or
obligation, in each case, other than among the Company and its
consolidated Subsidiaries (each, a “ Contract ”)
relating to (i) indebtedness for borrowed money and having an
outstanding principal amount in excess of $1,000,000 in any single
instance or (ii) conditional sale arrangements, obligations secured
by a Lien, or interest rate or currency hedging activities, in each
case in connection with which the aggregate actual or contingent
obligations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries under such
Contract are greater than $1,000,000;
(b)
any Contract that purports to limit
the right of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries or a
controlling Affiliate of the Company (i) to engage or compete in
any line of business or (ii) to compete with any person or operate
in any location, in the case of each of (i) and (ii), in any
respect material to the business of the Company and the Company
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or the business of Parent and its
subsidiaries;
(c)
any Contract for the acquisition or
disposition, directly or indirectly (by merger or otherwise), of
assets (other than in the ordinary course of business) or capital
stock or other equity interests of another person for aggregate
consideration under such Contract in excess of
$1,000,000;
(d)
any Contract with any current or
former director or officer of the Company or any Company Subsidiary
that would be required to be disclosed under Item 404 of Regulation
S-K under the Securities Act;
(e)
any Contract between (x) the Company
or any of the Company Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and (y) any
Affiliate of the Company (other than the Company Subsidiaries), on
the other hand, of the type that would be required to be disclosed
under Item 404 of the Regulation S-K under the Exchange
Act;
(f)
any Contract that creates a
partnership or joint venture or similar agreement with respect to
any material business of the Company;
26
(g)
Section 6.1(h) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule sets forth the aggregate committed spending for
capital projects as of the date hereof, and each such project for
which the Company’s committed spending as of the date hereof
exceeds $150,000.
Notwithstanding anything in this
Section 4.15, “Company Material Contract” shall not
include any Contract that (i) is terminable by Company upon ninety
(90) days’ or less notice without a penalty premium, (ii)
will be fully performed or satisfied as of or prior to Closing, or
(iii) is solely between the Company and a wholly-owned Company
Subsidiary.
Except as would not, individually or
in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect, (i) neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary is and,
to the Knowledge of the Company, no other party is in breach or
violation of, or default under, any Company Material Contract, (ii)
none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has received any
notice or claim of default under any such agreement or any notice
of an intention to, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no other
party to any Company Material Contract intends to terminate, not
renew or challenge the validity or enforceability of any Company
Material Contract (including as a result of the execution of and
performance of this Agreement), and (iii) no event has occurred
which would result in a breach or violation of, or a default under,
any Material Contract (in each case, with or without notice or
lapse of time or both). Except as would not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect, each Material Contract is valid,
binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms and is in full
force and effect with respect to the Company or Company
Subsidiaries, as applicable, and, to the Knowledge of the Company,
with respect to the other parties hereto.
True, accurate and complete copies
of the Company Material Contracts and of all Contracts pursuant to
which the execution of this Agreement or the consummation of the
Merger would give rise to or trigger any rights of a party thereto
under any “change of control” or similar provision
contained therein, which would result in (x) any material
financial liability, or (y) in a termination right with
respect to any Company Material Contract have been made available
to Parent prior to the date hereof.
Section 4.16
Interested Party
Transactions .
Except as set forth in Section 4.16
of the Company Disclosure Schedule or in Company SEC Reports,
there are no Company Material Contracts, agreements, loans or other
material transactions between the Company or any Company
Subsidiary, on the one hand, and (a) any officer or director of the
Company, (b) any record or beneficial owner of five percent (5%) or
more of the voting securities of the Company, or (c) any Affiliate
of any such officer, director or record or beneficial owner, on the
other hand.
Section 4.17
Brokers .
Except as set forth in Section 4.17
of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no broker, finder or investment
banker or other Person is entitled to any brokerage, finder’s
or other fee or commission in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by or
on behalf of the Company or any Company Subsidiary.
27
Section 4.18
Opinion of Financial
Advisor .
The Company has received an opinion
of KSA Capital Advisors (the “ Company Financial
Advisor ”) to the effect that, as of the date of this
Agreement, the Merger Consideration is fair to the holders of
Company Common Shares from a financial point of view.
Section 4.19
State Takeover Statute
.
Assuming the accuracy of the
representation set forth in Section 5.8 as of the date hereof and
the Merger Effective Time, no further action is required by the
Board of Directors of the Company or its shareholders to render
inapplicable to this Agreement and to the Merger the restrictions
on a “significant business transaction” with an
“acquiring person” (as defined in Section 23B.19.020 of
the WBCA) set forth in Section 23B19.040 of the WBCA.
Section 4.20
Insurance .
Section 4.20 of the Company
Disclosure Schedule contains a complete and accurate list of all
material insurance policies maintained by the Company as of the
date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Company
Subsidiary has taken any action or failed to take any action which,
with or without notice or the lapse of time or both, would
constitute a material breach or default, or permit termination or
modification of, any such material insurance policies. Except
as set forth in Section 4.20 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or
for exceptions that would not, individually or in the aggregate,
hav