Exhibit 2.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT OF MERGER AND
PLAN OF
REORGANIZATION
BY AND
AMONG
LAURENCE ASSOCIATES
CONSULTING, INC.
BEACON ENERGY HOLDINGS,
INC.
BEACON ACQUISITION
CORP.
and
BEACON ENERGY
CORP.
Dated as of June 30, 2008
AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT OF MERGER AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF MERGER
AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION (this “ Agreement ”)
is made and entered into on June 30, 2008, by and among LAURENCE
ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC., a Nevada corporation (“
Parent ”), BEACON ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC., a Delaware
corporation (“ Holdings ”), which is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Parent, BEACON ACQUISITION CORP., a Delaware
corporation (“ Acquisition Corp. ”), which is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdings, and BEACON ENERGY CORP., a
Delaware corporation (the “ Company
”).
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of each of
Acquisition Corp., Parent, Holdings and the Company have each
determined that it is fair to and in the best interests of their
respective corporations and stockholders for Acquisition Corp. to
be merged with and into the Company (the “ Merger
”) upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
herein; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of each of
Parent, Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and the Company have approved
the Merger in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware (the “ DGCL ”), and the Nevada
Revised Statutes (the “ NRS ”) and upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, in the
Delaware Certificate of Merger attached as Exhibit A hereto
(the “ Certificate of Merger ”); and
WHEREAS, the requisite stockholders of the
Company (the “ Stockholders ”), Parent and
Holdings have each approved by written consent pursuant to Section
228 of the DGCL and Section 78.320 of the NRS, this Agreement, the
Certificate of Merger, and the transactions contemplated and
described hereby and thereby, including, without limitation, the
Merger; and
WHEREAS, the parties hereto intend that the
Merger contemplated herein shall qualify as a reorganization within
the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the “ Code ”), by reason of
Section 368(a)(2)(E) of the Code.
WHEREAS, on June 30, 2008, the Company, Holdings
and Acquisition Corp. entered into an Agreement of Merger and Plan
of Reorganization (the “ Original Agreement ”)
in order to effectuate the Merger; and
WHEREAS, the
Company, Parent, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. desire to amend and
restate the Original Agreement in its entirety as set forth
herein.
NOW, THEREFORE,
in consideration of the respective representations, warranties,
agreements and covenants contained herein, and for such other good
and valuable consideration, the receipt and legal sufficiency of
which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree that
the Original Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its
entirety as follows:
ARTICLE
I.
THE
MERGER
Section 1.01 Merger . Subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement and the Certificate of Merger, Acquisition Corp. shall be
merged with and into the Company in accordance with Section 252 of
the DGCL. At the Effective Time (as defined below), the separate
legal existence of Acquisition Corp. shall cease, and the Company
shall be the surviving corporation in the Merger (sometimes
hereinafter referred to as the “ Surviving Corporation
”) and shall continue its corporate existence under the laws
of the State of Delaware under the name “Beacon Energy
Corp.”
Section 1.02 Effective Time . The Merger shall become effective upon the
filing of (a) the Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State
of the State of Delaware in accordance with Section 251(c) of the
DGCL. The time at which the Merger shall become effective as
aforesaid is referred to hereinafter as the “ Effective
Time .”
Section 1.03 Closing . The closing of the Merger (the “
Closing ”) shall occur concurrently with the Effective
Time (the “ Closing Date ”). The Closing shall
occur at the offices of Haynes and Boone, LLP referred to in
Section 10.01 hereof. At the Closing, all of the documents,
certificates, agreements, opinions and instruments referenced in
Article VII will be executed and delivered as described therein. At
the Effective Time, all actions to be taken at the Closing shall be
deemed to be taken simultaneously.
Section 1.04 Certificate of Incorporation, By-laws, Directors
and Officers .
(a) The Certificate of Incorporation of the
Company, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time,
attached as Exhibit B hereto, as amended by the Certificate
of Merger, shall be the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Surviving Corporation from and after the Effective Time until
amended in accordance with applicable law and such Certificate of
Incorporation.
(b) The By-laws of the Company, as in effect
immediately prior to the Effective Time, attached as Exhibit
C hereto, shall be the By-laws of the Surviving Corporation
from and after the Effective Time until amended in accordance with
applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation of the Surviving
Corporation and such By-laws.
(c) The directors and officers listed in Exhibit
D hereto shall be the directors and officers of the Surviving
Corporation and Holdings, and each shall hold his respective office
or offices from and after the Effective Time until his successor
shall have been elected and shall have qualified in accordance with
applicable law, or as otherwise provided in the Certificate of
Incorporation or By-laws of the Surviving Corporation or the
Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of Holdings, as the case
may be.
Section 1.05 Assets and Liabilities . At the Effective Time, the Surviving
Corporation shall possess all the rights, privileges, powers and
franchises of a public as well as of a private nature, and be
subject to all the restrictions, disabilities and duties of each of
Acquisition Corp. and the Company (collectively, the “
Constituent Corporations ”); and all the rights,
privileges, powers and franchises of each of the Constituent
Corporations, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all
debts due to any of the Constituent Corporations on whatever
account, as well as all other things in action or belonging to each
of the Constituent Corporations, shall be vested in the Surviving
Corporation; and all property, rights, privileges, powers and
franchises, and all and every other interest shall be thereafter as
effectively the property of the Surviving Corporation as they were
of the several and respective Constituent Corporations, and the
title to any real estate vested by deed or otherwise in either of
such Constituent Corporations shall not revert or be in any way
impaired by the Merger; but all rights of creditors and all liens
upon any property of any of the Constituent Corporations shall be
preserved unimpaired, and all debts, liabilities and duties of the
Constituent Corporations shall thenceforth attach to the Surviving
Corporation, and may be enforced against it to the same extent as
if said debts, liabilities and duties had been incurred or
contracted by it.
Section 1.06 Manner and Basis of Converting Shares
.
(a) At the Effective Time:
(i) each share of common stock, par value $0.001
per share, of Acquisition Corp. that shall be outstanding
immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, by virtue of the
Merger and without any action on the part of the holder thereof, be
converted into the right to receive one (1) share of common stock,
par value $0.001 per share, of the Surviving Corporation, so that
at the Effective Time, Holdings shall be the holder of all of the
issued and outstanding shares of the Surviving
Corporation;
(ii) the shares of common stock, par value $0.001
per share, of the Company (the “ Company Common Stock
”) beneficially owned by the Stockholders listed on
Schedule 1.06A (other than shares of Company Common Stock as
to which appraisal rights are perfected pursuant to the applicable
provisions of the DGCL and not withdrawn or otherwise forfeited and
shares of Company Common Stock set forth in Section 1.06(a)(iii)
hereof), shall, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on
the part of the holders thereof, be converted into the right to
receive the number of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per
share of Holdings (the “ Holdings Common Stock
”) specified in Schedule 1.06A for each of the
Stockholders, which shall be equal to 37.4133880067 shares of
Holdings Common Stock for each share of Company Common Stock with
fractional shares of Holdings Common Stock rounded to the nearest
whole share; and
(iii) each share of Company Common Stock held in the
treasury of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time
shall be cancelled in the Merger and cease to exist.
(b) After the Effective Time, there shall be no
further registration of transfers on the stock transfer books of
the Surviving Corporation of the shares of Company Common Stock
that were outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time.
Section 1.07 Surrender and Exchange of
Certificates . Promptly
after the Effective Time and upon (a) surrender of a certificate or
certificates representing shares of Company Common Stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time or an affidavit
and indemnification in form reasonably acceptable to counsel for
Holdings stating that such Stockholder has lost its certificate or
certificates or that such have been destroyed and (b) delivery of a
Letter of Transmittal (as described in Article IV hereof), Holdings
shall issue to each record holder of Company Common Stock
surrendering such certificate, certificates or affidavit and Letter
of Transmittal, a certificate or certificates registered in the
name of such Stockholder representing the number of shares of
Holdings Common Stock that such Stockholder shall be entitled to
receive as set forth in Section 1.06(a)(ii) hereof. Until the
certificate, certificates or affidavit is or are surrendered
together with the Letter of Transmittal as contemplated by this
Section 1.07 and Article IV hereof, each certificate or affidavit
that immediately prior to the Effective Time represented any
outstanding shares of Company Common Stock shall be deemed at and
after the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive
upon surrender as aforesaid the Holdings Common Stock specified in
Schedule 1.06 hereof for the holder thereof or to perfect
any rights of appraisal that such holder may have pursuant to the
applicable provisions of the DGCL .
Section 1.08 Operation of Surviving Corporation
. The Company acknowledges that upon
the effectiveness of the Merger, and the material compliance by
Parent, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. with their respective duties
and obligations hereunder, Holdings shall have the absolute and
unqualified right to deal with the assets and business of the
Surviving Corporation as its own property without limitation on the
disposition or use of such assets or the conduct of such
business.
Section 1.09 Further Assurances . From time to time, from and after the
Effective Time, as and when reasonably requested by Parent or
Holdings, the proper officers and directors of the Company as of
the Effective Time shall, for and on behalf and in the name of the
Company or otherwise, execute and deliver all such deeds, bills of
sale, assignments and other instruments and shall take or cause to
be taken such further actions as Parent, Holdings, Acquisition
Corp. or their respective successors or assigns reasonably may deem
necessary or desirable in order to confirm or record or otherwise
transfer to the Surviving Corporation title to and possession of
all of the properties, rights, privileges, powers, franchises and
immunities of the Company or otherwise to carry out fully the
provisions and purposes of this Agreement, and the Certificate of
Merger.
ARTICLE
II.
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
The Company hereby represents and warrants to
Parent, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. as follows. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained herein, disclosure of items in
the draft Current Report on Form 8-K of Holdings with respect to
the Merger, and all exhibits thereto, a copy of which is attached
hereto as Exhibit E (collectively, the “
Disclosures ”) shall be deemed to be disclosure of
such items for all purposes under this Agreement, including,
without limitation, for all applicable representations and
warranties of the Company:
Section 2.01 Organization, Standing, Subsidiaries,
Etc .
(a) The Company is a corporation duly organized and
existing in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware
and has all requisite power and authority (corporate and other) to
carry on its business, to own or lease its properties and assets,
to enter into this Agreement, and the Certificate of Merger and to
carry out the terms hereof and thereof. Copies of the Certificate
of Incorporation and By-laws of the Company that have been
delivered to Parent, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. prior to the
execution of this Agreement are true and complete and have not
since been amended or repealed.
(b) Except as set forth on Schedule 2.01
hereto, the Company has no subsidiaries or direct or indirect
interest (by way of stock ownership or otherwise) in any firm,
corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or
business.
Section 2.02 Qualification . The Company is duly qualified to conduct
business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction wherein the nature of its activities or its properties
owned or leased makes such qualification necessary, except where
the failure to be so qualified would not have a material adverse
effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), properties,
assets, liabilities, business operations, results of operations or
prospects of the Company taken as a whole (the “ Condition
of the Company ”).
Section 2.03 Capitalization of the Company
. The authorized capital stock of
the Company consists of 1,000,000 shares of Company Common Stock,
of which there are 801,852 shares of Company Common Stock issued
and outstanding, and such shares are duly authorized, validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and none of such shares have
been issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any natural
person, corporation, business trust, association, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, other entity, government,
agency or political subdivision (each, a “ Person
”). The offer, issuance and sale of such shares of Company
Common Stock were (a) exempt from the registration and prospectus
delivery requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “ Securities Act ”), (b) registered or
qualified (or were exempt from registration or qualification) under
the registration or qualification requirements of all applicable
state securities laws and (c) accomplished in conformity with all
other applicable securities laws. None of such shares of Company
Common Stock are subject to a right of withdrawal or a right of
rescission under any federal or state securities or “Blue
Sky” law. Except as otherwise set forth in this Agreement or
any Schedule hereto, the Company has no outstanding options, rights
or commitments to issue Company Common Stock or other Equity
Securities (as defined below) of the Company, and there are no
outstanding securities convertible or exercisable into or
exchangeable for Company Common Stock or other Equity Securities of
the Company. For purposes of this Agreement, “ Equity
Security ” shall mean any stock or similar security of an
issuer or any security (whether stock or Indebtedness for Borrowed
Money (as defined below)) convertible, with or without
consideration, into any stock or other equity security, or any
security (whether stock or Indebtedness for Borrowed Money)
carrying any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any stock
or similar security, or any such warrant or right.
Section 2.04 Indebtedness . The Company has no Indebtedness for Borrowed
Money, except as otherwise set forth in this Agreement or disclosed
on the Balance Sheet. For purposes of this Agreement, “
Indebtedness for Borrowed Money ” shall mean (a) all
Indebtedness in respect of money borrowed including, without
limitation, Indebtedness which represents the unpaid amount of the
purchase price of any property and is incurred in lieu of borrowing
money or using available funds to pay such amounts and not
constituting an account payable or expense accrual incurred or
assumed in the ordinary course of business of the Company, (b) all
Indebtedness evidenced by a promissory note, bond or similar
written obligation to pay money or (c) all such Indebtedness
guaranteed by the Company or for which the Company is otherwise
contingently liable. Furthermore, for purposes of this Agreement,
“ Indebtedness ” shall mean any obligation of
the Company which, under generally accepted accounting principles
in the United Stated (“ GAAP ”), is required to
be shown on the balance sheet of the Company as a liability. Any
obligation secured by a mortgage, pledge, security interest,
encumbrance, lien or charge of any kind (a “ Lien
”), shall be deemed to be Indebtedness, even though such
obligation is not assumed by the Company.
Section 2.05 Company Stockholders . Schedule 1.06 hereto contains a true
and complete list of the names of the record owners of all of the
outstanding shares of Company Common Stock and other Equity
Securities of the Company, together with the number of securities
held or to which such Person has rights to acquire. Except as set
forth on Schedule 2.05 , to the knowledge of the Company,
there is no voting trust, agreement or arrangement among any of the
beneficial holders of Company Common Stock affecting the nomination
or election of directors or the exercise of the voting rights of
Company Common Stock.
Section 2.06 Corporate Acts and Proceedings
. The execution, delivery and
performance of this Agreement and the Certificate of Merger
(together, the “ Merger Documents ”) have been
duly authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company and have
been approved by the requisite vote of the Stockholders, and all of
the corporate acts and other proceedings required for the due and
valid authorization, execution, delivery and performance of the
Merger Documents and the consummation of the Merger have been
validly and appropriately taken, except for the filings referred to
in Section 1.02.
Section 2.07 Governmental Consents . All material consents, approvals, orders, or
authorizations of, or registrations, qualifications, designations,
declarations, or filings with any federal or state governmental
authority on the part of the Company required in connection with
the consummation of the Merger shall have been obtained prior to,
and be effective as of, the Closing.
Section 2.08 Compliance with Laws and Instruments
. The business, products and
operations of the Company have been and are being conducted in
compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules
and regulations, except for such violations thereof for which the
penalties, in the aggregate, would not have a material adverse
effect on the Condition of the Company. The execution, delivery and
performance by the Company of the Merger Documents and the
consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement: (a) will not cause the Company to violate or
contravene (i) any provision of law, (ii) any rule or regulation of
any agency or government, (iii) any order, judgment or decree of
any court, or (iv) any provision of the Certificate of
Incorporation or By-laws of the Company, (b) will not violate or be
in conflict with, result in a breach of or constitute (with or
without notice or lapse of time, or both) a default under, any
indenture, loan or credit agreement, deed of trust, mortgage,
security agreement or other contract, agreement or instrument to
which the Company is a party or by which the Company or any of its
properties is bound or affected, except as would not have a
material adverse effect on the Condition of the Company and (c)
will not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any
property or asset of the Company. The Company is not in violation
of, or (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) in
default under, any term or provision of its Certificate of
Incorporation or By-laws or of any indenture, loan or credit
agreement, deed of trust, mortgage, security agreement or, except
as would not materially and adversely affect the Condition of the
Company, any other material agreement or instrument to which the
Company is a party or by which the Company or any of its properties
is bound or affected.
Section 2.09 Binding Obligations . The Merger Documents constitute the legal,
valid and binding obligations of the Company and are enforceable
against the Company in accordance with their respective terms,
except as such enforcement is limited by bankruptcy, insolvency and
other similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’
rights generally and by general principles of equity.
Section 2.10 Broker’s and Finder’s
Fees . No Person has, or
as a result of the transactions contemplated or described herein
will have, any right or valid claim against the Company, Holdings,
Parent, Acquisition Corp. or any Stockholder for any commission,
fee or other compensation as a finder or broker, or in any similar
capacity.
Section 2.11 Financial Statements . Parent and Holdings have previously been
provided with the Company’s audited balance sheet (the
“ Balance Sheet ”) as of December 31, 2007 (the
“ Balance Sheet Date ”) and the audited
statements of operations and accumulated deficits and cash flows
for the year ended December 31, 2007 and December 31 2006. Such
financial statements are collectively referred to as the “
Financial Statements ”. Such financial statements (a)
are in accordance with the books and records of the Company, (b)
present fairly in all material respects the financial condition of
the Company at the dates therein specified and the results of its
operations and changes in financial position for the periods
therein specified and (c) have been prepared in accordance with
GAAP applied on a basis consistent with prior accounting
periods.
Section 2.12 Absence of Undisclosed Liabilities
. The Company has no material
obligation or liability (whether accrued, absolute, contingent,
liquidated or otherwise, whether due or to become due), arising out
of any transaction entered into at or prior to the Closing, except
(a) as disclosed in the Balance Sheet, (b) to the extent set forth
on or reserved against in the Balance Sheet or the notes to the
Financial Statements, (c) current liabilities incurred and
obligations under agreements entered into in the usual and ordinary
course of business since the Balance Sheet Date, none of which
(individually or in the aggregate) has had or will have a material
adverse effect on the Condition of the Company and (d) by the
specific terms of any written agreement, document or arrangement
identified in the Disclosures.
Section 2.13 Changes . Since the Balance Sheet Date, the Company has
not (a) incurred any debts, obligations or liabilities, absolute,
accrued, contingent or otherwise, whether due or to become due,
except for fees, expenses and liabilities incurred in connection
with the Merger and related transactions and current liabilities
incurred in the usual and ordinary course of business, (b)
discharged or satisfied any Liens other than those securing, or
paid any obligation or liability other than, current liabilities
shown on the Balance Sheet and current liabilities incurred since
the Balance Sheet Date, in each case in the usual and ordinary
course of business, (c) mortgaged, pledged or subjected to Lien any
of its assets, tangible or intangible other than in the usual and
ordinary course of business, (d) sold, transferred or leased any of
its assets, except in the usual and ordinary course of business,
(e) cancelled or compromised any debt or claim, or waived or
released any right, of material value, (f) suffered any physical
damage, destruction or loss (whether or not covered by insurance)
materially and adversely affecting the Condition of the Company,
(g) entered into any transaction other than in the usual and
ordinary course of business, (h) encountered any labor union
difficulties, (i) made or granted any wage or salary increase or
made any increase in the amounts payable under any profit sharing,
bonus, deferred compensation, severance pay, insurance, pension,
retirement or other employee benefit plan, agreement or
arrangement, other than in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practice, or entered into any employment
agreement, (j) issued or sold any shares of capital stock, bonds,
notes, debentures or other securities or granted any options
(including employee stock options), warrants or other rights with
respect thereto, (k) declared or paid any dividends on or made any
other distributions with respect to, or purchased or redeemed, any
of its outstanding capital stock, (l) suffered or experienced any
change in, or condition affecting, the Condition of the Company
other than changes, events or conditions in the usual and ordinary
course of its business, none of which (either by itself or in
conjunction with all such other changes, events and conditions) has
been materially adverse, (m) made any change in the accounting
principles, methods or practices followed by it or depreciation or
amortization policies or rates theretofore adopted, (n) made or
permitted any amendment or termination of any material contract,
agreement or license to which it is a party, (o) suffered any
material loss not reflected in the Balance Sheet or its statement
of income for the period ended on the Balance Sheet Date, (p) paid,
or made any accrual or arrangement for payment of, bonuses or
special compensation of any kind or any severance or termination
pay to any present or former officer, director, employee,
stockholder or consultant, (q) made or agreed to make any
charitable contributions or incurred any non-business expenses in
excess of $50,000 in the aggregate, or (r) entered into any
agreement, or otherwise obligated itself, to do any of the
foregoing.
Section 2.14 Assets and Contracts .
(a) Schedule 2.14(a) contains a true and complete list of all real
property leased by the Company and of all tangible personal
property owned or leased by the Company having a cost or fair
market value of greater than $250,000. All the real property listed
in Schedule 2.14(a) is leased by the Company under valid
leases enforceable in accordance with their terms, and there is
not, under any such lease, any existing default or event of default
or event which with notice or lapse of time, or both, would
constitute a default by the Company, and the Company has not
received any notice or claim of any such default by the Company.
The Company does not own any real property.
(b) Except as expressly set forth in this
Agreement, the Financial Statements or the notes thereto, or as
disclosed in Schedule 2.14(b) hereto, the Company is not a
party to any written or oral agreement not made in the ordinary
course of business that is material to the Company. Except as
disclosed in Schedule 2.14(b) hereto, the Company is not a
party to any written or oral (i) agreement for the purchase of
fixed assets or for the purchase of materials, supplies or
equipment in excess of normal operating requirements, (ii)
agreement for the employment of any officer, individual employee or
other Person on a full-time basis or any agreement with any Person
for consulting services, (iii) indenture, loan or credit agreement,
note agreement, deed of trust, mortgage, security agreement,
promissory note or other agreement or instrument relating to or
evidencing Indebtedness for Borrowed Money or subjecting any asset
or property of the Company to any Lien or evidencing any
Indebtedness, (iv) guaranty of any Indebtedness, (v) other than as
set forth in Schedule 2.14(a) hereto, lease or agreement
under which the Company is lessee of or holds or operates any
property, real or personal, owned by any other Person under which
payments to such Person exceed $250,000 per year, (vi) agreement
granting any preemptive right, right of first refusal or similar
right to any Person, (vii) agreement or arrangement with any
Affiliate or any “associate” (as such term is defined
in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of the Company or any present
or former officer, director or stockholder of the Company, (viii)
agreement obligating the Company to pay any royalty or similar
charge for the use or exploitation of any tangible or intangible
property, (ix) covenant not to compete or other material
restriction on its ability to conduct a business or engage in any
other activity, (x) agreement to register securities under the
Securities Act or (xi) collective bargaining agreement. Except as
disclosed in Schedule 2.14(b) , none of the agreements,
contracts, leases, instruments or other documents or arrangements
listed in Schedules 2.14(a) and 2.14(b) requires the
consent of any of the parties thereto other than the Company to
permit the contract, agreement, lease, instrument or other document
or arrangement to remain effective following consummation of the
Merger and the transactions contemplated hereby. For purposes of
this Agreement, an “ Affiliate ” shall mean any
Person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or
is under common control with, the indicated Person.
(c) The Company has made available to Parent,
Holdings and Acquisition Corp. true and complete copies of all
agreements and other documents and a description of all applicable
oral agreements disclosed or referred to in Schedules
2.14(a) and 2.14(b) , as well as any additional
agreements or documents, requested by Parent, Holdings or
Acquisition Corp. The Company has in all material respects
performed all obligations required to be performed by it to date
and is not in default in any material respect under any of the
contracts, agreements, leases, documents, commitments or other
arrangements to which it is a party or by which it or any of its
property is otherwise bound or affected.
Section 2.15 Employees . The Company has complied in all material
respects with all laws relating to the employment of labor, and the
Company has encountered no material labor union difficulties. Other
than pursuant to ordinary arrangements of employment compensation,
the Company is not under any obligation or liability to any
officer, director or employee of the Company.
Section 2.16 Tax Returns and Audits .
(a) All required federal, state and local Tax
Returns (as defined below) of the Company have been accurately
prepared and duly and timely filed, and all federal, state and
local Taxes (as defined below) required to be paid with respect to
the periods covered by such returns have been paid. The Company is
not and has not been delinquent in the payment of any Tax. The
Company has not had a Tax deficiency proposed or assessed against
it and has not executed a waiver of any statute of limitations on
the assessment or collection of any Tax. None of the
Company’s federal income tax returns has been audited by any
governmental authority; and none of the Company’s state or
local income or franchise tax returns has been audited by any
governmental authority. The reserves for Taxes reflected on the
Balance Sheet are and will be sufficient for the payment of all
unpaid Taxes payable by the Company as of the Balance Sheet Date.
Since the Balance Sheet Date, the Company has made adequate
provisions on its books of account for all Taxes with respect to
its business, properties and operations for such period. The
Company has withheld or collected from each payment made to each of
its employees the amount of all taxes (including, but not limited
to, federal, state and local income taxes, Federal Insurance
Contribution Act taxes and Federal Unemployment Tax Act taxes)
required to be withheld or collected therefrom, and has paid the
same to the proper Tax receiving officers or authorized
depositaries. There are no federal, state, local or foreign audits,
actions, suits, proceedings, investigations, claims or
administrative proceedings relating to Taxes or any Tax Returns of
the Company now pending, and the Company has not received any
notice of any proposed audits, investigations, claims or
administrative proceedings relating to Taxes or any Tax Returns.
The Company is not obligated to make a payment, nor is it a party
to any agreement that under certain circumstances could obligate it
to make a payment that would not be deductible under Section 280G
of the Code. The Company has not agreed, nor is it required, to
make any adjustments under Section 481(a) of the Code (or any
similar provision of state, local and foreign law), whether by
reason of a change in accounting method or otherwise, for any Tax
period for which the applicable statute of limitations has not yet
expired. The Company (i) is not a party to, nor is it bound by or
obligated under, any Tax sharing agreement, Tax indemnification
agreement or similar contract or arrangement, whether written or
unwritten (collectively, “ Tax Sharing Agreements
”), and (ii) does not have any potential liability or
obligation to any Person as a result of, or pursuant to, any such
Tax Sharing Agreements.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, the following
terms shall have the meanings provided below:
(i) “ Tax ” or “
Taxes ” shall mean (A) any and all taxes, assessments,
customs, duties, levies, fees, tariffs, imposts, deficiencies and
other governmental charges of any kind whatsoever (including, but
not limited to, taxes on or with respect to net or gross income,
franchise, profits, gross receipts, capital, sales, use, ad
valorem, value added, transfer, real property transfer, transfer
gains, transfer taxes, inventory, capital stock, license, payroll,
employment, social security, unemployment, severance, occupation,
real or personal property, estimated taxes, rent, excise,
occupancy, recordation, bulk transfer, intangibles, alternative
minimum, doing business, withholding and stamp), together with any
interest thereon, penalties, fines, damages costs, fees, additions
to tax or additional amounts with respect thereto, imposed by the
United States (Federal, state or local) or other applicable
jurisdiction; (B) any liability for the payment of any amounts
described in clause (A) as a result of being a member of an
affiliated, consolidated, combined, unitary or similar group or as
a result of transferor or successor liability, including, without
limitation, by reason of Regulation section 1.1502-6; and (C) any
liability for the payments of any amounts as a result of being a
party to any Tax Sharing Agreement or as a result of any express or
implied obligation to indemnify any other Person with respect to
the payment of any amounts of the type described in clause (A) or
(B).
(ii) “ Tax Return ” shall include
all returns and reports (including elections, declarations,
disclosures, schedules, estimates and information returns
(including Form 1099 and partnership returns filed on Form 1065)
required to be supplied to a Tax authority relating to
Taxes.
Section 2.17 Patents and Other Intangible Assets
.
(a) The Company (i) owns or has the right to use,
free and clear of all Liens, claims and restrictions, all patents,
trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, licenses and
rights with respect to the foregoing used in or necessary for the
conduct of its business as now conducted or proposed to be
conducted without infringing upon or otherwise acting adversely to
the right or claimed right of any Person under or with respect to
any of the foregoing and (ii) is not obligated or under any
liability to make any payments by way of royalties, fees or
otherwise to any owner or licensor of, or other claimant to, any
patent, trademark, service mark, trade name, copyright or other
intangible asset, with respect to the use thereof or in connection
with the conduct of its business or otherwise.
(b) To the knowledge of the Company, the Company
owns and has the unrestricted right to use all trade secrets, if
any, including know-how, negative know-how, formulas, patterns,
programs, devices, methods, techniques, inventions, designs,
processes, computer programs and technical data and all information
that derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from
not being generally known or known by competitors (collectively,
“ Intellectual Property ”) required for or
incident to the development, operation and sale of all products and
services sold by the Company, free and clear of any right, Lien or
claim of others; provided , however , that the
possibility exists that other Persons, completely independently of
the Company or its employees or agents, could have developed
Intellectual Property similar or identical to that of the Company.
The Company is not aware of any such development of substantially
identical trade secrets or technical information by others. All
Intellectual Property can and will be transferred by the Company to
the Surviving Corporation as a result of the Merger and without the
consent of any Person other than the Company.
Section 2.18 Employee Benefit Plans; ERISA
.
(a) Except as disclosed on Schedule 2.18
hereto, there are no “employee benefit plans” (within
the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) nor any other employee
benefit or fringe benefit arrangements, practices, contracts,
policies or programs of every type other than programs merely
involving the regular payment of wages, commissions, or bonuses
established, maintained or contributed to by the Company, whether
written or unwritten and whether or not funded. The plans listed on
Schedule 2.18 hereto are hereinafter referred to as the
“ Employee Benefit Plans .”
(b) All current and prior material documents,
including all amendments thereto, with respect to each Employee
Benefit Plan have been made available to Holdings and Acquisition
Corp. or their advisors.
(c) To the knowledge of the Company, all Employee
Benefit Plans are in material compliance with the applicable
requirements of ERISA, the Code and any other applicable state,
federal or foreign law.
(d) There are no pending claims or lawsuits that
have been asserted or instituted against any Employee Benefit Plan,
the assets of any of the trusts or funds under the Employee Benefit
Plans, the plan sponsor or the plan administrator of any of the
Employee Benefit Plans or against any fiduciary of an Employee
Benefit Plan with respect to the operation of such plan, nor does
the Company have any knowledge of any incident, transaction,
occurrence or circumstance that might reasonably be expected to
form the basis of any such claim or lawsuit.
(e) There is no pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, contemplated investigation, or pending or possible
enforcement action by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the
Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service or any other
government agency with respect to any Employee Benefit Plan and the
Company has no knowledge of any incident, transaction, occurrence
or circumstance which might reasonably be expected to trigger such
an investigation or enforcement action.
(f) No actual or, to the knowledge of the Company,
contingent liability exists with respect to the funding of any
Employee Benefit Plan or for any other expense or obligation of any
Employee Benefit Plan, except as disclosed on the financial
statements of the Company, and no contingent liability exists under
ERISA with respect to any “multi-employer plan,” as
defined in Section 3(37) or Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
(g) No events have occurred or are expected to
occur with respect to any Employee Benefit Plan that would cause a
material change in the costs of providing benefits under such
Employee Benefit Plan or would cause a material change in the cost
of providing for other liabilities of such Employee Benefit
Plan.
Section 2.19 Title to Property and Encumbrances
. The Company has good, valid and
indefeasible marketable title to all properties and assets used in
the conduct of its business (except for property held under valid
and subsisting leases that are in full force and effect and which
are not in default) free of all Liens and other encumbrances,
except Permitted Liens (as defined below) and such ordinary and
customary imperfections of title, restrictions and encumbrances as
do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially detract from
the value of the property or assets or materially impair the use
made thereof by the Company in its business. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, the Company has good and indefeasible
title to all of its properties and assets reflected in the Balance
Sheet, except for property disposed of in the usual and ordinary
course of business since the Balance Sheet Date and for property
held under valid and subsisting leases that are in full force and
effect and that are not in default. For purposes of this Agreement,
“ Permitted Liens ” shall mean (a) Liens for
taxes and assessments or governmental charges or levies not at the
time due or in respect of which the validity thereof shall
currently be contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;
(b) Liens in respect of pledges or deposits under workmen’s
compensation laws or similar legislation, carriers’,
warehousemen’s, mechanics’, laborers’ and
materialmens’ and similar Liens, if the obligations secured
by such Liens are not then delinquent or are being contested in
good faith by appropriate proceedings and (c) Liens incidental to
the conduct of the business of the Company that were not incurred
in connection with the borrowing of money or the obtaining of
advances or credits and which do not in the aggregate materially
detract from the value of its property or materially impair the use
made thereof by the Company in its business.
Section 2.20 Condition of Properties . All facilities, machinery, equipment, fixtures
and other properties owned, leased or used by the Company are in
reasonably good operating condition and repair, subject to ordinary
wear and tear, and are adequate and sufficient for the
Company’s business.
Section 2.21 Insurance Coverage . There is in full force and effect one or more
policies of insurance issued by insurers of recognized
responsibility, insuring the Company and its properties, products
and business against such losses and risks, and in such amounts, as
are customary for corporations of established reputation engaged in
the same or similar business and similarly situated. The Company
has not been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for,
and the Company has no reason to believe that it will be unable to
renew its existing insurance coverage as and when the same shall
expire upon terms at least as favorable to those currently in
effect, other than possible increases in premiums that do not
result from any act or omission of the Company. No suit, proceeding
or action or, to the best current actual knowledge of the Company,
threat of suit, proceeding or action has been asserted or made
against the Company within the last five years due to alleged
bodily injury, disease, medical condition, death or property damage
arising out of the function or malfunction of a product, procedure
or service designed, manufactured, sold or distributed by the
Company.
Section 2.22 Litigation . Except as disclosed in Schedule 2.22 ,
there is no legal action, suit, arbitration or other legal,
administrative or other governmental proceeding pending or, to the
knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the
Company or its properties, assets or business, and after reasonable
investigation, the Company is not aware of any incident,
transaction, occurrence or circumstance that might reasonably be
expected to result in or form the basis for any such action, suit,
arbitration or other proceeding. The Company is not in default with
respect to any order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree,
determination or award of any court or any governmental agency or
instrumentality or arbitration authority.
Section 2.23 Licenses . The Company possesses from all appropriate
governmental authorities all licenses, permits, authorizations,
approvals, franchises and rights necessary for the Company to
engage in the business currently conducted by it, all of which are
in full force and effect.
Section 2.24 Interested Party Transactions
. No officer, director or
stockholder of the Company or any Affiliate or
“associate” (as such term is defined in Rule 405 under
the Securities Act) of any such Person or the Company has or has
had, either directly or indirectly, (a) an interest in any Person
that (i) furnishes or sells services or products that are furnished
or sold or are proposed to be furnished or sold by the Company or
(ii) purchases from or sells or furnishes to the Company any goods
or services, or (b) a beneficial interest in any contract or
agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it may be
bound or affected.
Section 2.25 Environmental Matters .
(a) To the knowledge of the Company, the Company
has never generated, used, handled, treated, released, stored or
disposed of any Hazardous Materials (as defined below) on any real
property on which it now has or previously had any leasehold or
ownership interest, except in compliance with all applicable
Environmental Laws (as defined below).
(b) To the knowledge of the Company, the historical
and present operations of the business of the Company are in
compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws, except where any
non-compliance has not had and would not reasonably be expected to
have a material adverse effect on the Condition of the
Company.
(c) There are no material pending or, to the
knowledge of the Company, threatened, demands, claims, information
requests or notices of noncompliance or violation against or to the
Company relating to any Environmental Law; and, to the knowledge of
the Company, there are no conditions or occurrences on any of the
real property used by the Company in connection with its business
that would reasonably be expected to lead to any such demands,
claims or notices against or to the Company, except such as have
not had, and would not reasonably be expected to have, a material
adverse effect on the Condition of the Company.
(d) To the knowledge of the Company, (i) the
Company has not sent or disposed of, otherwise had taken or
transported, arranged for the taking or disposal of (on behalf of
itself, a customer or any other party) or in any other manner
participated or been involved in the taking of or disposal or
release of a Hazardous Material to or at a site that is
contaminated by any Hazardous Material or that, pursuant to any
Environmental Law, (A) has been placed on the “National
Priorities List”, the “CERCLIS” list, or any
similar state or federal list, or (B) is subject to or the source
of a claim, an administrative order or other request to take
“removal”, “remedial”,
“corrective” or any other “response”
action, as defined in any Environmental Law, or to pay for the
costs of any such action at the site; (ii) the Company is not
involved in (and has no basis to reasonably expect to be involved
in) any suit or proceeding and has not received (and has no basis
to reasonably expect to receive) any notice, request for
information or other communication from any governmental authority
or other third party with respect to a release or threatened
release of any Hazardous Material or a violation or alleged
violation of any Environmental Law, and has not received (and has
no basis to reasonably expect to receive) notice of any claims from
any Person relating to property damage, natural resource damage or
to personal injuries from exposure to any Hazardous Material; and
(iii) the Company has timely filed every report required to be
filed, acquired all necessary certificates, approvals and permits,
and generated and maintained all required data, documentation and
records under all Environmental Laws, in all such instances except
where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to
have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect
on the Condition of the Company.
(e) For purposes of this Agreement, the following
terms shall have the meanings provided below:
(i) “ Environmental Laws ” shall
mean the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601, et seq.; the Emergency
Planning and Community
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