EXHIBIT
2.14
ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This Asset Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") is
made as of the 21st day of October, 2005, by and between
Source One Financial Staffing, LLC , a
Pennsylvania limited liability company ("Buyer") with its principal
business offices located at 2 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, New
Jersey 08648, and Stratus Services Group, Inc. , a
Delaware corporation ("Seller") with its principal business offices
located at 500 Craig Road, Suite 201, Manalapan, New Jersey
07726.
WHEREAS, the Buyer desires to purchase from the
Seller, and the Seller desires to sell to the Buyer certain of the
properties, rights, assets and business of the Seller, all upon and
subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter set
forth.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
promises hereinafter set forth and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
1.
Purchase and Sale and Delivery of
the Assets.
1.1.
Purchase and Sale and Delivery of
the Assets.
(a)
Purchased Assets
. Subject to and upon the terms and
conditions of this Agreement and excluding the assets retained by
the Seller as set forth in Section 1.1(b) herein, as of the
“Effective Date” (as defined in Section 1.5 below), the
Seller shall sell, transfer, convey, assign and deliver, to the
Buyer, and the Buyer shall purchase from the Seller, free and clear
of all liens and encumbrances (except for Permitted Liens as
defined in Section 2.8), all of the properties, rights, assets and
business as a going concern, of every kind and nature, real,
personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, wherever located, which
are owned, leased, licensed or used by Seller in the conduct of its
business at its New Jersey office located in the town of
Lawrenceville, (the “Lawrenceville Office”) and which
exist on the “Effective Date” (as defined in Section
1.5 below) (collectively, the "Purchased Assets"), including,
without limitation, the following assets:
(i) all office supplies and similar materials (the
"Supplies");
(ii) all contracts, agreements, leases, arrangements
and/or commitments of any kind, whether oral or written, relating
solely to the Purchased Assets, and limited to the geographic area
serviced by the Lawrenceville Office as set forth on Schedule
2.12 attached hereto (the "Contracts");
(iii) all customer lists, files, records and documents
(including credit information) relating solely to customers and
vendors of the Purchased Assets and limited to the geographic area
serviced by the Lawrenceville Office and all other business,
financial and employee books, records, files, documents, reports
and correspondence relating to the Purchased Assets, but excluding
records relating to accounts receivable, except to the extent
required by Sections 2.22 and 7.2(d) herein (collectively, the
"Records");
(iv) all rights of the Seller, if any, under express
or implied warranties from the suppliers of the Seller in
connection with the Purchased Assets;
(v) all furnishings, furniture, fixtures, tools,
machinery, equipment and leasehold improvements owned by the Seller
and related to the Purchased Assets, whether or not reflected as
capital assets in the accounting records of the Seller
(collectively, the "Fixed Assets"), as set forth on Schedule
2.8 ; and
(vi) all computers, computer programs, computer
databases, hardware and software owned or licensed by the Seller
and used in connection with the Purchased Assets, but not to
include any proprietary software of Seller;
(vii) the right to use any forms, processes and
solutions developed by and for Stratus and employed by Stratus,
prior to the date of Closing, in operating the Lawrenceville
Office;
(viii) all municipal, state and federal franchises,
licenses, authorizations and permits of the Seller which are
necessary to operate or are related to the Purchased
Assets;
(ix) all prepaid charges,
deposits, sums and fees of Seller relating
to the Purchased Assets;
(x) all claims and rights of Seller related to or
arising from the Purchased Assets; and
(xi) all of the goodwill of the Lawrenceville
Office.
(b)
Retained Assets.
Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary set forth in this Agreement, the following assets of the
Seller are not included in the sale of Purchased Assets
contemplated hereby: (i) the cash and cash equivalents, accounts
receivable, chattel papers (including electronic chattel paper),
instruments (including promissory notes), all of Debtor’s
rights to receive payments from any source and for any reason
(whether characterized as accounts, accounts receivable, chattel
paper, choses-in-action, contract rights, general intangibles,
instruments, securities, notes or otherwise) including, without
limitation, Debtor’s right to receive payments for services
rendered, whether or not earned by performance or recognized or
billed by Debtor, prepaid security deposits on Real Property Lease
(as defined in Section 2.10 of the Purchase Agreement) and all
other prepaid charges, deposits or prepaid expenses related to the
Purchased Assets, (ii) the Purchase Price (as hereinafter defined)
and the other rights of the Seller under or relating to this
Agreement, (iii) the corporate minute books, stock records,
qualification to conduct business as a foreign corporation, and
other documents relating to the formation, maintenance or existence
as a corporation of the Seller, except that Seller agrees that it
will provide copies of any such document from the corporate minute
books as reasonably requested by the Buyer which the Buyer believes
are necessary for the use and operation of the Purchased Assets
after the Effective Date, (iv) motor vehicles, (v) all properties,
rights, assets and services related to the conduct of
Seller’s business at all of its other offices nationwide and
all information, documents and files relative thereto; and (vi) all
properties, rights, assets and services related to the conduct of
Seller’s business at any of its other offices and locations
throughout the United States.
1.2.
Purchase Price.
The purchase price for the Purchased
Assets (the "Purchase Price") shall be payable as
follows:
(a) the Buyer shall deliver certified funds in the
amount of [Thirty-five Thousand Dollars ($35,000.00)] payable to
Capital TempFunds, a division of Capital Factors LLC
(“Capital”) as Seller’s designee, at the Closing
in accordance with the letter attached hereto as Exhibit A
.
1.3.
Assumption of
Liabilities.
(a)
Assumed Liabilities.
Effective as of the Effective Date,
the Buyer agrees to assume and to pay, perform and discharge all
liabilities and obligations arising on and after the Effective Date
(i) under only those Contracts to which any Customer is a
party (collectively, the “Customer Contracts”) and
those Contracts to which are Employee Contracts (as defined in
Section 2.23) and (ii) with respect to the use and operation
of the Purchased Assets by the Buyer after the Effective Date. The
liabilities and obligations described in this Section 1.3(a) are
referred to as the “Assumed Liabilities”.
(b)
Liabilities Retained by the
Buyer. Except for the
Assumed Liabilities, the Buyer shall not assume, be liable for or
pay, and none of the Purchased Assets shall be subject to, and the
Seller shall retain, be unconditionally liable for and pay, any
liability or obligation (whether known or unknown, matured or
unmatured, stated or unstated, recorded or unrecorded, fixed or
contingent, currently existing or hereafter arising) of the Seller,
without limitation, the following:
(i) any obligation or liability of Seller arising
out of this Agreement, any agreement entered into in connection
herewith or the transactions contemplated hereby or
thereby;
(ii) except as otherwise provided herein, any
obligation or liability of Seller for the fees and expenses of its
counsel, accountants and other experts and all other expenses
incurred by Seller incident to the negotiation, preparation and
execution of this Agreement and any agreement entered into in
connection herewith and the performance by Seller of its
obligations hereunder or thereunder;
1. except as otherwise provided herein, any
obligation or liability of Seller and its directors, officers,
employees, consultants and other representatives, arising out of or
resulting from any business, activity, course of conduct, action or
omission before, on or after the Effective Date;
2. all accounts payable of the Seller;
3. any liability or obligation under or in
connection with the Retained Assets.
4. any federal, state, local or other foreign tax
payable by the Seller whether such tax is due and payable prior to
or after the Effective Date;
5. any indebtedness of the Seller for borrowed
money;
6. all liabilities of the Seller with respect to
any claim, litigation or proceeding accruing with respect to, or
arising from or relating to any business, activity, course of
conduct, action or omission before, on or after the Effective Date,
including, without limitation, those matters set forth on
Schedule 2.9 , whether such claim, litigation or proceeding
is presented or instituted prior to or after the Effective
Date;
7. all liabilities, obligations, payments,
benefits, costs and expenses including, without limitation, any
salary, wage, vacation, bonus, severance, expense reimbursement or
other benefit: (a) accruing and payable to staff and part--time
employees of the Seller who become employed by the Buyer after the
Effective Date with respect to any period before the Effective Date
as set forth in Schedule 1.3 attached hereto, (b) accruing
and payable to all other employees of the Seller with respect to
any period before or after the Effective Date, (c) accruing and
payable to all former employees of the Seller whose employment
terminated before the Effective Date, (d) accruing and payable
pursuant to any employee benefit plans (including pension plans) of
the Seller or under federal and state laws governing such plans,
whether before or after the Effective Date, including, without
limitation, in connection with the termination of participation
under such plan by a staff or part-time employee; or (e) accruing
and payable in connection with the termination of any such employee
benefit plan of the Seller, whether before or after the Effective
Date.
8. all warranty liability of the Seller, including
without limitation, for claims which arise prior to the Effective
Date, whether such claims are presented prior to or after the
Effective Date.
9. All liabilities and obligations of the Seller
under all Contracts other than the Customer Contracts and the
Employee Contracts, including, without limitation, the Real
Property Lease and any equipment leases.
1.4.
Other Agreements.
As further consideration for the
transactions contemplated hereby, the Seller will enter into a
Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Agreement
attached hereto as Exhibit C .
1.5.
Closing. The closing (the “Closing”) shall
take place at the offices of the Seller in Manalapan, New Jersey,
at 3:00 PM EST, or at such other time or date or such location as
the parties may mutually agree (the "Closing Date"), but the
Closing shall take place no later than October 21, 2005, and the
transactions contemplated hereby shall be deemed to occur at 12:01
a.m., Eastern Time, on October 23, 2005 (the "Effective Date"). At
the Closing the parties will exchange facsimile executed documents
and they will promptly send each other original signature pages by
overnight mail. The parties are executing this Asset Purchase
Agreement now, but all Exhibits and Schedules hereto will be
delivered at the Closing.
1.6.
Allocation of Purchase
Price. The Purchase Price
shall be allocated among the various Purchased Assets by mutual
agreement of the parties as set forth on Schedule 1.6 .
The parties covenant and agree with each other that this allocation
was arrived at by arm’s length negotiation and that none of
them will take a position on any income tax return, before any
governmental agency charged with the collection of any income tax
or in any judicial proceeding that is in any manner inconsistent
with the terms of this Section 1.6 without the written consent of
the other parties to this Agreement. Each of Buyer and Seller
covenant and agree to execute and timely file U.S. Treasury Form
8594 consistent with Schedule 1.6 , and upon a party’s
reasonable request the other party shall execute and file such
other documents as may be necessary to document such
allocation.
2.
Representations of the
Seller. The Seller
represents and warrants to the Buyer as follows:
2.1.
Organization.
The Seller is a corporation and is
duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the
laws of the State of Delaware. The Seller is not required to be
qualified or licensed to do business as a foreign corporation or
other organization in any other jurisdiction, except such
jurisdictions, if any, in which the failure to be so qualified or
licensed will not have a material adverse effect on the conduct of
its business or use of any of its properties or assets. The Seller
has delivered to the Buyer complete and correct copies of the
Seller’s Articles of Incorporation and By-laws as in effect
on the date hereof. The Seller is not in default under or in
violation of any provision of its Articles of Incorporation or
By-laws. The Seller has all requisite power and authority
(corporate and other) to execute and deliver this Agreement and the
documents, instruments and agreements contemplated herein, and to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and
thereby.
2.2.
Affiliates and Other Equity
Investments. The Seller
does not own, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock
of any corporation or any equity investment in any partnership,
limited liability company, association or other business
organization, other than a fifty percent (50%) interest in Stratus
Technology Services, LLC (“STS”).
2.3.
Authorization.
The Seller has the power to enter
into this Agreement and to carry out its obligations hereunder. The
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and the
agreements provided for herein by the Seller, and the consummation
by the Seller of all transactions contemplated hereby and thereby,
have been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action. This
Agreement and all such other agreements and obligations entered
into and undertaken in connection with the transactions
contemplated hereby to which the Seller is a party constitute the
valid and legally binding obligations of the Seller, enforceable
against the Seller in accordance with their respective terms,
except as the same may be limited by applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting
the enforcement of creditors' rights generally and general
equitable principles, regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding at law or in equity.
2.4.
No Violation.
Except as set forth in Schedule
2.4 , neither the execution, delivery or performance of this
Agreement and the agreements provided for herein, nor the
consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or
thereby (i) will violate or conflict with the Articles of
Incorporation or By-laws of Seller, or (ii) conflict with, result
in any breach of, constitute (with or without due notice or lapse
of time or both) a default under, or result in the acceleration of,
create in any party the right to accelerate, terminate, modify or
cancel, or require notice, consent or waiver under any provision of
any contract or agreement of any kind to which the Seller is a
party or by which the Seller is bound (including, without
limitation, the Contracts) or to which any property or asset
(including, without limitation, the Purchased Assets) of any of
them is subject, (iii) is prohibited by or requires the Seller to
obtain or make any consent, authorization, approval, registration
or filing under any statute, law, ordinance, regulation, rule,
judgment, decree or order of any court or governmental agency,
board, bureau, body, department or authority, (iv) will cause any
acceleration of maturity of any note, instrument or other
obligation to which Seller is a party or by
which Seller is bound or with respect to which Seller is an obligor
or guarantor, or (v) will result in the creation or imposition of
any lien, claim, charge, restriction, equity or encumbrance of any
kind whatsoever upon or give to any other person any interest or
right (including any right of termination or cancellation) in or
with respect to any of the properties, assets (including, without
limitation, the Purchased Assets), business, agreements or
contracts (including, without limitation, the Contracts) of
Seller.
2.5.
Financial Statements.
Seller has delivered to Buyer
audited financial statements, for the annual period ended September
30, 2004, and unaudited financial statements, for the nine months
ended June 30, 2005, for the Seller’s operations as a whole.
Such financial statements fairly present the financial position of
Seller as of the date thereof and the results of its operations and
cash flows for the period indicated.
2.6.
No Undisclosed
Liabilities. As of the
Closing Date, except for the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement and except as set forth in Schedule 2.6 , Seller
has not incurred any material liability or obligation (absolute,
accrued, contingent or otherwise) of any nature, other than
liabilities and obligations incurred in the ordinary course of
business.
2.7.
Absence of Certain
Changes. As of the
Closing Date, except for the execution and delivery of this
Agreement and except as set forth in Schedule 2.7 , Seller
has not (i) had any change in its condition (financial or
otherwise), operations (present or prospective), business (present
or prospective), assets or liabilities, other than changes in the
ordinary course of business, none of which has been materially
adverse; (ii) incurred or agreed to incur any indebtedness for
borrowed money; (iii) paid or obligated itself to pay in excess of
ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in the aggregate for Fixed Assets;
(iv) suffered any substantial loss or waived any substantial right;
(v) agreed to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose any of the
Purchased Assets; (vi) mortgaged, pledged or subjected to any
charge, lien, claim or encumbrance, or agreed to mortgage, pledge
or subject to any charge, lien, claim or encumbrance, any of the
Purchased Assets; (vii) made or permitted any material amendment or
termination of any Contract, license or permit to which it is a
party other than in the ordinary course of business; (viii)
experienced any shortage or difficulty in obtaining qualified
personnel to meet customer orders, demands and requirements; (ix)
made any change in its accounting methods or practices with respect
to its condition, operations, business, properties, assets or
liabilities; or (x) entered into any transaction not in the
ordinary course of the business.
2.8.
Title; Ownership, Condition and
Adequacy of the Assets. Except with respect to Purchased Assets that are
leased and except as set forth in Schedule 2.8 , Seller has
good and marketable title to all of its respective properties and
assets included in the Purchased Assets, and valid leasehold
interests in all such Purchased Assets leased by it under any
personal property lease, in each case free and clear and not
subject to any mortgage, pledge, conditional sales contract, lien,
security interest, right of possession in favor of any third party,
claim or other encumbrance, except for Permitted Liens. The Fixed
Assets are in good operating condition and repair, subject only to
the ordinary wear and tear. Schedule 2.8 sets forth an
accurate, correct and complete list of all of the Fixed Assets
owned or used by the Seller with respect to the Purchased Assets.
As used herein, the term “Permitted Liens” means (i)
liens or encumbrances for taxes not yet due or which are being
contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings if adequate
reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of
Seller; (ii) carrier’s, warehousemen’s,
mechanic’s, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other
like liens or encumbrances arising in the ordinary course of
business which are not overdue for a period of more than thirty
(30) days or which are being contested in good faith and by
appropriate proceedings, if adequate reserves with respect thereto
are maintained on the books of Seller; and (iii) those liens or
encumbrances described on Schedule 2.8 attached
hereto.
2.9.
Litigation.
Except as set forth in Schedule
2.9 , there are no actions, suits, proceedings or
investigations, either at law or in equity, or before any
commission or other administrative authority in any United States
or foreign jurisdiction, of any kind now pending or, to the best of
Seller's knowledge, threatened involving Seller that (i) if
asserted and decided adversely to Seller, could materially and
adversely affect the use or operations of the Purchased Assets (in
a manner consistent with Seller’s past practices), or (ii)
questions the validity of this Agreement or the other agreements to
be entered into in connection herewith, or (iii) seeks to delay,
prohibit or restrict in any manner any action taken or contemplated
to be taken by the Seller under this Agreement or the other
agreements to be entered into in connection herewith. Except as set
forth in Schedule 2.9 , there is no arbitration proceeding
pending or, to Seller’s knowledge, threatened or proposed in
any manner under any collective bargaining agreement or other
agreement or otherwise. Neither Seller nor any of the Purchased
Assets are subject to any judicial or administrative judgment,
order, decree or restraint.
2.10.
Real Property; Leases.
Seller does not own any real
property used in connection with the Purchased Assets. Schedule
2.10 attached hereto sets forth a true, correct and complete
list as of the date hereof of all leases of real property to which
the Seller is a party in connection with the Purchased Assets (the
"Real Property Lease"). Except as set forth on Schedule 2.10
, true, correct and complete copies of the Real Property Lease, and
all amendments and modifications thereof, have previously been
delivered by the Seller to the Buyer. The Real Property Lease has
not been modified or amended since the date of delivery to the
Buyer. No party to any Real Property Lease has sent written notice
to the other claiming that such other party is in default
thereunder, which alleged default remains uncured.
2.11.
Tax Matters.
All federal, state, local and
foreign tax and information returns required to have been filed
prior to the date of this Agreement by Seller have been duly filed,
and each such return correctly reflects the income, franchise or
other tax liability and all other information required to be
reported thereon, and the Seller has paid or accrued all income,
franchise and other taxes due by it as reflected on said returns.
There are not pending, nor to the knowledge of Seller, threatened,
any audits, examinations, investigations or other proceedings in
respect of taxes or tax matters and there are not, to the knowledge
of Seller, any unresolved questions or claims concerning Seller's
tax liability.
2.12.
Contracts.
Schedule 2.12 contains
a true and complete list of all Contracts. The Seller has made
available to the Buyer a true and complete copy of each such
written Contract and a true, correct and complete written
description of each such oral Contract. Except as set forth as
Schedule 2.12 , neither the Seller, nor, to the knowledge of
the Seller, any other party, is in default under or in breach or in
violation of any Contract, nor has an event occurred that (with or
without notice, lapse of time, or both) would constitute a default,
breach or violation by the Seller, or, to the knowledge of the
Seller, by any other party, under any Contract
.
2.13.
Compliance with Agreements and
Laws. Except as set forth
in Schedule 2.13 , Seller has complied in all material
respects with all federal, state, local and foreign statutes, laws,
ordinances, regulations, rules, permits, judgments, orders or
decrees applicable to it, and to Seller’s knowledge there
does not exist any basis for any claim of default under or
violation of any such statute, law, ordinance, regulation, rule,
judgment, order or decree except such defaults or violations, if
any, that in the aggregate do not and will not materially and
adversely affect the Purchased Assets or the operation, financial
condition or prospects of the Purchased Assets.
2.14.
Environmental Matters.
Except for such matters that, alone
or in the aggregate, are not reasonably likely to have a material
adverse effect on the Seller, to its knowledge: (i) Seller has
complied with all applicable “Environmental Laws” (as
defined below); (ii) Seller has not received any notice, demand,
letter, claim or request for information alleging that it may be in
violation of or liable under any Environmental Law; and (iii)
Seller is not subject to any orders, decrees, injunctions or other
arrangements with any governmental entity relating to liability
under any Environmental Law or relating to Hazardous
Substances.
For purposes of this Agreement, the term
"Environmental Law" means any law relating to pollution (or the
clean up of the environment), or the protection of air, surface
water, groundwater, drinking water, land (surface or subsurface),
human health, the environment or any other natural resource or the
use, storage, recycling, treatment, generation, processing,
handling, production or disposal of Hazardous Materials, including
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act of 1980, as amended, 42 USC §§9601 et seq.
And 40 CFR §§302.1 et seq., and regulations thereunder;
the Federal Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 USC §§7401 et
seq., and regulations thereunder; the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act, 42 USC §§6901 et seq., as amended and
regulations thereunder; and the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act, 33 USC §§1251 et seq., as amended, and regulations
thereunder.
For purposes of this Agreement, the term
"Hazardous Substance" means any asbestos containing materials,
mono- and polychlorinated biphenyls, urea formaldehyde products,
radon, radioactive materials, any "hazardous substance", "hazardous
waste", "pollutant", "toxic pollutant", "oil" or "contaminant" as
used in, or defined pursuant to any Environmental Law, and any
other substance, waste, pollutant, contaminant or material,
including petroleum products and derivatives, the use, transport,
disposal, storage, treatment, recycling, handling, discharge,
release, threatened release, discharge or emission of which is
regulated or governed by any Environmental Law.
2.15.
Governmental Authorizations and
Regulations.
Schedule 2.15 lists all licenses, franchises, permits and
other governmental authorizations held by Seller material to the
use of the Purchased Assets. Such licenses, franchises, permits and
other governmental authorizations are valid, and Seller has not
received any notice that any governmental authority intends to
cancel, terminate or not renew any such license, franchise, permit
or other governmental authorization. Except as set forth on
Schedule 2.15 , Seller holds all licenses, franchises,
permits and other governmental authorizations, the absence of any
of which could have a material adverse effect on the use of the
Purchased Assets.
2.16.
Accounting Practices.
The books and accounts of Seller are
complete and correct, and fully and fairly reflect the assets and
transactions of the Company.
2.17.
[Intentionally left
blank].
2.18.
Insurance.
Schedule 2.18 contains
a true and complete list of all policies of fire, liability,
workers' compensation and ot
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