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Search Broker Dealer Agreement by:
Exhibit 1.1
EXECUTION VERSION
General Cable Corporation
Dealer Manager Agreement
November 9, 2005
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED
4 World Financial Center
New York, New York 10080
Ladies and Gentlemen:
1. General.
General Cable Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”),
plans to make an offer to pay (the “Offer”) a cash premium of $7.88
(the “Premium”) to holders of the Company’s outstanding 5.75%
Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock (the
“Securities”) who elect to convert their Securities into shares of
the Company’s common stock (the “Company Shares”) on the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus
dated the date hereof and included in the Registration Statement (as defined
below) (and as amended or supplemented from time to time prior to effectiveness
of the Registration Statement, the “Preliminary Prospectus”), and
the related Letter of Transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”)
dated the date hereof and filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Registration
Statement.
The
following materials to be used by the Company in connection with the Offer, as
any of them may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, are collectively
referred to herein as the “Offer Material”:
(a) The
Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on November 9, 2005
in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “1933
Act”), relating to the Offer and the issuance of the Company Shares in
connection therewith (the “Shares”). As used in this agreement (the
“Dealer Manager Agreement” or this “Agreement”), the
term “Registration Statement” means such registration statement,
including all exhibits, financial statements, schedules or other information
included or incorporated by reference therein, when it becomes effective under
the 1933 Act, and as amended or supplemented from time to time.
(b) The
Company’s Prospectus relating to the Offer and the Shares. As used in
this Agreement, the term “Prospectus” means (i) any
prospectus, as amended or supplemented on or prior to the Settlement Date
(including, but not limited to, the Preliminary Prospectus) that
the Company uses, prepares,
files, distributes or approves in writing which is used to solicit conversion
of Securities in the Offer, or (ii) after the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement, the prospectus, if any, filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b) under the 1933 Act, in the form it was first filed, provided that such
prospectus was used to solicit conversions of Securities in the Offer on or
prior to the Settlement Date. All references in this Agreement to financial
statements and schedules and other information which is
“contained”, “included” or “stated” in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or other
references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such
financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated,
or deemed to be incorporated, by reference in the Registration Statement, any
preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. Any reference
herein to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer
to and include any documents, financial statements and schedules incorporated,
or deemed to be incorporated, by reference therein pursuant to Form S-4 under
the 1933 Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the
date of the Prospectus, as the case may be, and any reference to any amendment
or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed
to refer to and include any documents, financial statements and schedules filed
after such date under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the
rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the
“1934 Act”) and so incorporated, or deemed to be incorporated, by
reference (such incorporated documents, financial statements and schedules
being herein called the “Incorporated Documents”). For purposes of
this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary
prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission
pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system
(“EDGAR”).
(c) The
Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (the “Schedule TO”)
filed or to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 13e-4 under the 1934 Act and all amendments to the Schedule TO
(each an “amendment” and, collectively, the
“Amendments”).
(d) Form W-9
and the Instructions thereto.
(e) The
form of letter to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and
relating to the Offer, and the form of letter to Clients of Registered Holders
and The Depository Trust Company Participants relating to the Offer.
(f) The
Letter of Transmittal.
(g) Any
other documents or materials whatsoever (including newspaper announcements and
press releases) relating to the Offer that are distributed or made available to
the public or the holders of the Securities by or at the direction of the
Company in connection with the Offer.
2. Engagement
as Dealer Manager. (a) The Company hereby retains Merrill Lynch &
Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“Merrill
Lynch”) to act as the exclusive dealer manager with respect to the Offer
(the “Dealer Manager”). On the basis of the representations and
warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained and
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subject to and in accordance
with the terms and conditions hereof and of the Offer Material, you hereby
agree to act as Dealer Manager in connection with the Offer and in connection
therewith, you shall act in accordance with your customary practices and shall
perform those services in connection with the Offer that are customarily performed
by investment banking firms in connection with acting as a dealer manager of
tender offers of a like nature, including, but not limited to, soliciting
conversions pursuant to the Offer and communicating generally regarding the
Offer with brokers, dealers, commercial banks and trust companies and other
persons, including the holders of the Securities. The Dealer Manager shall have
no obligation to cause copies of the Offer Material to be transmitted generally
to the holders of the Securities.
(b) The
Company acknowledges and agrees that the Dealer Manager has been retained
hereunder to act solely as a dealer manager. In such capacity, the Dealer
Manager shall act hereunder as an independent contractor and shall not be
deemed the agent or fiduciary of the Company or any of its affiliates, equity
holders or creditors or of any other person, and any of the duties of the
Dealer Manager arising out of the Dealer Manager’s engagement pursuant to
this Agreement shall be owed solely to the Company. The Dealer Manager shall
not be liable to the Company, its affiliates, equity holders or creditors or to
any other person for any act or omission on the part of, and shall not be
deemed to be the agent or fiduciary of, any broker or dealer (except that Merrill
Lynch may be deemed the agent or fiduciary of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner
& Smith Incorporated in its capacity as broker or dealer), commercial bank
or trust company and no such broker or dealer, commercial bank or trust company
shall be deemed to be acting as the agent or fiduciary of the Dealer Manager
(including, without limitation, for purposes of Section 10 of this
Agreement). Nothing contained in this Agreement shall constitute the Dealer
Manager a partner of or joint venturer with the Company.
3. Solicitation
Material, Withdrawal. The Company agrees to furnish you with as many copies
as you may reasonably request of any Offer Material, and hereby authorizes you
to use the Offer Material in connection with the Offer. The Company agrees
that, within a reasonable time prior to using any Offer Material, it will
submit copies of such material to you and your counsel and will not use or
publish any such material to which you reasonably object. The Company shall
inform you promptly after it receives notice or becomes aware of the happening
of any event, or the discovery of any fact, as a result of which the Offer
Material would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state
a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or that would affect
the accuracy or completeness of any representation or warranty contained in
this Agreement if such representation or warranty were being made immediately
after the happening of such event or the discovery of such fact.
In
the event that (i) the Company uses or permits the use of any Offer
Material (a) that has not been submitted to you and your counsel for
comment or (b) that has been so submitted and with respect to which you or
your counsel have made substantive comments, but which comments have not
resulted in a response reasonably satisfactory to you to reflect such
substantive comments, (ii) the Company shall have breached any of its
representations, warranties, agreements, obligations or covenants contained
herein, (iii) there shall have occurred any material adverse change, or
any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in
the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or
business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise, whether or
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not arising in the ordinary
course of business that, in your judgment, makes it impracticable or
inadvisable to carry out the Offer, the conversion of Securities pursuant
thereto or the performance of this Agreement, (iv) the Offer is terminated
or withdrawn for any reason or (v) any stop order, restraining order,
injunction or denial of an application for approval has been issued in
connection with the Offer and not thereafter stayed or vacated or any
proceeding, litigation or investigation in connection with the Offer has been
initiated, that, in either case in your judgment, makes it impracticable or
inadvisable to carry out the Offer, the conversion of Securities pursuant
thereto or the performance of this Agreement, then in any such case you shall
be entitled to withdraw as a Dealer Manager, by providing written notice of
such withdrawal to the Company, without any liability or penalty to you or any
other Indemnified Party (as defined in Section 10) and without loss of any
right to the payment of all expenses payable in accordance with Section 5
hereunder which have been incurred by you to the date of such withdrawal. If
you withdraw as a Dealer Manager in accordance with the foregoing provision,
the reimbursement for your expenses through the date of such withdrawal shall
be paid to you promptly after such date. Notwithstanding anything contained in
this Agreement to the contrary, the Company may, in its discretion, carry out
the Offer after your withdrawal as Dealer Manager, provided that the Company
(y) amends or supplements the Offer Material to disclose that you have
withdrawn as Dealer Manager and (z) utilizes a means reasonably calculated
to reach holders of the Securities to inform them of such withdrawal.
4. Compensation.
The Company agrees that it shall pay to the Dealer Manager a fee for its
services as Dealer Manager hereunder (assuming you have not withdrawn as Dealer
Manager) and agrees that such compensation will be as set forth in
Schedule I hereto, and paid in cash on the Settlement Date.
5. Expenses.
The Company agrees that it will pay all of the following expenses related to
the Offer: (i) all fees and expenses relating to the preparation,
printing, mailing and publishing of the Offer Material, including the cost of
preparation and filing of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto
and the Schedule TO and any amendments thereto, and the cost of furnishing
copies thereof to the Dealer Manager, (ii) all fees and expenses of the
Company’s counsel and accountants and of the Conversion Agent and
Information Agent (each as defined in Section 6), (iii) all advertising
charges, (iv) all fees and expenses of any depositary, transfer agent or
other person rendering services in connection with the Offer, (v) mailing
and handling expenses incurred by brokers and dealers (including you),
commercial banks, trust companies and other nominees in forwarding the Offer
Material to their customers, (vi) the cost of the preparation, issuance
and delivery of the Shares, including any and all transfer and other taxes
payable thereon, except as otherwise stated in the Letter of Transmittal,
(vii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for
offer and delivery, (viii) all costs and expenses incident to the
additional listing of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange, (ix) all
fees and expenses of Shearman & Sterling LLP as counsel to the Dealer
Manager and (x) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance
of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not
otherwise made in this Section 5. All payments to be made by the Company
pursuant to this Section 5 shall be made promptly after the expiration or
termination of the Offer or withdrawal by you from acting as Dealer Manager in
accordance with Section 3 or, if later, promptly after the related fees or
expenses accrue and are invoiced. The Company shall perform its obligations set
forth in this Section 5 whether or not the Offer is commenced or the
Company acquires any Securities pursuant to the Offer or otherwise.
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6. Conversion
Agent and Information Agent. (a) The Company will arrange for Mellon
Investor Services LLC to serve as conversion agent (the “Conversion
Agent”) in connection with the Offer and, as such, to advise you at least
daily as to such matters relating to the Offer as you may request. The Company
shall provide you or cause The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) to
provide you with copies of the records or other lists showing the names and
addresses of, and number of Securities held by, the holders of Securities as of
a recent date and shall, from and after such date, use its commercially reasonable
efforts to cause you to be advised from day to day during the pendency of the
Offer of all transfers of Securities, such notification consisting of the name
and address of the transferor and transferee of any Securities and the date of
such transfer. The Company will arrange for D.F. King & Co., Inc. to serve
as information agent (the “Information Agent”) in connection with
the Offer and, as such, to advise you as to such matters relating to the Offer
as you may reasonably request and to furnish you with any written reports
concerning any such information as you may reasonably request.
(b) The
Company authorizes you to communicate with the Conversion Agent, the
Information Agent and with DTC in its capacity as depositary, with respect to
matters relating to the Offer.
7. Representations,
Warranties and Certain Agreements of the Company. The Company represents
and warrants to the Dealer Manager, and agrees with the Dealer Manager, as of
the date hereof, as of the date of commencement of the Offer pursuant to
Section 13(e) of the 1934 Act (if different than the date hereof) (the
“Commencement Date”) and as of the date on which the Company issues
the Shares and Premium pursuant to the Offer (the “Settlement
Date”) (unless another date is specifically referenced in which case the
representation and warranty shall speak as of such date):
(a) Compliance
with Registration Requirements. The Company meets the requirements for use
of Form S-4 under the 1933 Act and, on or prior to the Commencement Date, has
filed with the Commission the Registration Statement and paid the applicable
filing fees. As of the Settlement Date, the Registration Statement and any
post-effective amendment thereto will have become effective under the 1933 Act
and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement
and any post-effective amendment thereto will have been issued under the 1933
Act and no proceedings for that purpose will have been instituted or be pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, will be contemplated by the Commission,
and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information will
have been complied with.
At
the respective times the Registration Statement and any post-effective
amendments thereto become effective and at the Settlement Date, the
Registration Statement and any amendments thereto will comply in all material
respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments and supplements thereto included or
will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to
state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except
that the foregoing does not apply to statements in or omissions from any of
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such documents based upon
written information furnished to the Company by you or on your behalf
specifically for use therein.
Each
preliminary prospectus and prospectus filed as part of the Registration
Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, complied
when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act and each preliminary
prospectus and the Prospectus prepared for use in connection with the Offer
will, at the time of such delivery, be identical to any electronically
transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except
to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(b) Offer
Material. A complete and correct copy of the Offer Material has been
furnished to you and your counsel or will be furnished no later than the Commencement
Date. The Offer Material, as then amended or supplemented (other than the
Prospectus and the Registration Statement, and any amendments and supplements
thereto, which are covered in subsection (a) above), complied and will
comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the
1934 Act, as applicable, and did not and will not contain an untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Neither the
Offer Material nor any amendments or supplements thereto (other than the
Prospectus and the Registration Statement, and any amendments and supplements
thereto, which are covered in subsection (a) above) included or will include
an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light
of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that
the foregoing does not apply to statements in or omissions from any of such
documents based upon written information furnished to the Company by you or on
your behalf specifically for use therein.
(c) Incorporated
Documents. The Incorporated Documents, at the time they were or hereafter
are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material
respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act, and, when read together with
the other information in the Prospectus, at the date of the Prospectus and at
the Settlement Date, did not and will not include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading.
(d) Financial
Statements. The financial statements of the Company, together with the
related schedules and notes to such financial statements, included in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the financial position
of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates shown and
their results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and except as
otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, such financial statements comply as to
form with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1933 Act and have been
prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles
(“GAAP”) in the United States applied on a consistent basis
throughout the periods involved (except as stated therein); and any schedules
included in the Registration Statement present fairly in accordance with GAAP
the information required to be stated therein. The selected historical
financial data set forth under the caption “Selected Historical Financial
Information” in the Prospectus present fairly the information shown
therein and have been compiled as described in the Prospectus under the caption
“Selected Historical Financial Information.”
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(e) Independent
Accountants. Deloitte & Touche LLP, who have certified certain
financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and
delivered their report with respect to the audited consolidated financial
statements included in the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with
respect to the Company and its subsidiaries as required by the 1933 Act and the
1934 Act.
(f) No
Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which
information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except
as otherwise stated therein, (i) there has not occurred any material
adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings,
business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of
business (a “Material Adverse Effect”), (ii) there have been
no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other
than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material to the
Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and
(iii) except for regular dividends on the Company’s common stock or
preferred stock, in amounts per share that are consistent with past practice or
the applicable charter document or supplement thereto, respectively, there has
been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the
Company on any class of its capital stock.
(g) Good
Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is an
existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware,
with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and
conduct its business as described in the Prospectus; and the Company is duly
qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other
jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its
business requires such qualification, except where the failure to so qualify
would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(h) Good
Standing of Subsidiaries. Each “significant subsidiary” (as
such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under
the 1933 Act) of the Company (each, a “Significant Subsidiary”) is
listed on Schedule II hereto and has been duly incorporated and is an
existing corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its
properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus; each other
subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated or formed, as the case may
be, and is an existing corporation or other entity, as the case may be, in good
standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with power and
authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as
described in the Prospectus, except where the failure of the foregoing to be
correct would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and each subsidiary of the
Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation or other
entity in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or
lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification,
except where the failure to so qualify would not have a Material Adverse
Effect; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity
interests of each subsidiary of the Company has been duly authorized and
validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable; and the capital stock or
other equity interests of each subsidiary owned by the Company, directly or
through subsidiaries, is owned free from liens, encumbrances and defects,
except for such liens, encumbrances and defects as are disclosed in the
Prospectus or as would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(i) Capital
Stock. The capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects
to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus and Offer Material; the
outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly
authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; and none of such
shares of capital stock was issued in violation of preemptive or other similar
rights of any securityholder of the Company.
(j) Authorization
of this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company.
(k) Authorization
of Company Shares. The Company has duly authorized for issuance a number of
Company Shares sufficient to consummate the Offer pursuant to its terms and,
when any Shares are issued and delivered by the Company as provided in the
Offer Material, such Shares will be validly issued and fully paid and
non-assessable; the Shares conform in all material respects to the respective
statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and Offer Material and
the issuance of the Shares by the Company is not subject to any preemptive or
other similar rights of any security holder of the Company.
(l) Absence
of Defaults and Conflicts. The Company has full power and authority to make
and consummate the Offer in accordance with its terms and to execute, deliver
and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The (i) execution,
delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, (ii) making and
consummation of the Offer by the Company (including, but not limited to, the
issuance and delivery of Shares thereunder), (iii) after amendment to the
Company’s subsidiaries’ senior secured credit agreements, obtaining
and use by the Company of funds required in connection with the Offer,
(iv) use of the Offer Material and the filing of the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus and the Schedule TO, and any amendments or
supplements thereto and (v) consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and in the Offer Material, in each case, have
been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not
(y) whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or
both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event
(as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien,
charge or encumbrance upon any assets, properties or operations of the Company
or any Significant Subsidiary pursuant to, any indenture, contract, lease,
mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement,
obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any
Significant Subsidiary is a party or is bound or to which their property is
subject (except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults, or Repayment Events or
liens, charges, or encumbrances that would not, individually or in the
aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect); or (z) violate
(a) the provisions of the charter or by-laws (or other similar document)
of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (b) any law, statute, rule,
regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree applicable to the Company or any
Significant Subsidiary of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency,
governmental body, arbitrator or other authority, domestic or foreign, having
jurisdiction over the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or any of their
assets, properties or operations, except in the case of clause (b), for such
violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a
Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means
any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other
evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf)
the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion
of such indebtedness by the Company or any Significant Subsidiary.
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(m) Absence
of Labor Dispute. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, no labor dispute
with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge
of the Company, is imminent, that would, singly or in the aggregate, result in
a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Absence
of Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, there are no pending
actions, suits or proceedings against or involving the Company or any of its
property or assets, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective
properties or assets that would, singly or in the aggregate, result in a
Material Adverse Effect, or would materially and adversely affect the ability
of the Company to consummate the Offer or perform its obligations thereunder,
including, without limitation, its obligations under this Agreement, or which
are otherwise material in the context of the Offer; and to the Company’s
knowledge, no such actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or
contemplated.
(o) Absence
of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval,
consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or
governmental authority or agency is required for the execution, delivery and
performance by the Company of this Agreement, in connection with the
consummation of the Offer or the other transactions described in the Offer
Material by the Company, including but not limited to the issuance of and
delivery of the Shares, except such as have been already obtained or as may be
required under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or state securities laws.
(p) Possession
of Licenses and Permits. The Company and each of its Significant
Subsidiaries possess adequate permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other
authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by
the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies
necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the
failure so to possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a
Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any of its Significant
Subsidiaries have received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation
or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the
aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would
result in a Material Adverse Effect and neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation
or modification of any such Governmental Licenses other than revocations or
modifications that would not, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an
unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Sufficient
Funds. After appropriate amendment of the senior secured credit agreements
of the Company’s subsidiaries, the funds to be made available by the
Company for consummation of the Offer as described in the Offer Material will
be available to the Company by the Settlement Date and the Company will have
sufficient authority under applicable law to use such funds as described to
enable the Company promptly to pay the Premium pursuant to the Offer as
described in the Prospectus.
(r) Insurance.
The Company and each of the subsidiaries maintains insurance covering its
properties, operations, personnel and businesses as the Company deems adequate;
such insurance insures against such losses and risks to an extent which the
Company believes to be adequate in accordance with customary industry practice
to protect the Company and the
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subsidiaries and their
respective businesses; all such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof
and will be fully in force.
(s) Taxes.
The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all federal or state income or
franchise tax returns required to be filed and have paid all taxes shown
thereon as due and required to be paid except for tax assessments, if any, as
to which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles. There is no material tax deficiency which has
been asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries. All material tax
liabilities are adequately provided for on the books of the Company and its subsidiaries.
(t) Statistical
and Market-Related Data. Any statistical and market-related data included
or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus are based on or derived from
sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company
has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to
the extent required.
(u) Officers’
Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any
of its subsidiaries delivered to you or to your counsel shall be deemed a
representation and warranty by the Company to the Dealer Manager as to the
matters covered thereby.
(v) Material
Agreements. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation
of, or in default in, the performance or observance of any obligation,
agreement, covenant or condition contained in any agreement or instrument that
is included as an exhibit to the Incorporated Documents, which the Company has
filed with the Commission, except as disclosed in the Prospectus or for such
defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(w) Compliance
with Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement
and Prospectus and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a
Material Adverse Effect, (A) to the knowledge of the Company, neither the
Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state,
local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or
rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof,
including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment,
relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment
(including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land
surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws
and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals,
pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances,
petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold
(collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture,
processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or
handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental
Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits,
authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws,
and to the knowledge of the Company, are each in compliance with their
requirements, (C) there are no pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits,
demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation,
investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the
Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) to the
10
knowledge of the Company,
there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form
the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or
proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or
affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous
Materials or any Environmental Laws.
(x) Intellectual
Property. The Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries own or
possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights,
licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other
unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems
or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual
property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry
on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its
Significant Subsidiaries has received any notice of any infringement of or
conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual
Property, which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the
aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(y) Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company and its
subsidiaries or any of the officers and directors of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects
with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and
regulations in connection therewith applicable to the Company or its subsidiaries,
including, without limitation, Section 402 thereof related to loans and
Sections 302 and 906 thereof related to certifications.
(z) Internal
Controls. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, the Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries, considered as
one enterprise, maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to
provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in
accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions
are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in
conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to
assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared
with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is
taken with respect to any differences.
(aa) Disclosure
Controls and Procedures. The Company has established and maintains
disclosure controls and procedures (as such terms are defined in
Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the 1934 Act) designed to ensure that
material information relating to the Company, including its subsidiaries, is
made known to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and its Chief
Financial Officer by others within those entities; such disclosure controls and
procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they were
established. The Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the board
of directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) any significant
deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal
control over financial reporting which are likely to adversely affect the
Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
information and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves
management or other employees who have a significant role in the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting, in each case, that
have arisen since the date of the certifications included in the
Company’s most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
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Since the date of the most
recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there have been
no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could
significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with
regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.
(bb) Investment
Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the issuance of
the Shares in connection with the Offer, will not be an “investment
company” required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended.
(cc) ERISA
Compliance. The Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries,
considered as one enterprise, has fulfilled its obligations, if any, under the
minimum funding standards of Section 302 and the regulations and published
interpretations thereunder of the United States Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), with respect to each
“pension plan” (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA and such
regulations and published interpretations) in which employees of the Company
and its Significant Subsidiaries are eligible to participate and, except as described
in the Prospectus, each such plan is in compliance in all material respects
with the presently applicable provisions of ERISA and such regulations and
published interpretations; the Company and its Significant Subsidiaries,
considered as one enterprise, have not incurred any unpaid liability to the
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (other than for the payment of premiums in
the ordinary course) or to any such plan under Title IV of ERISA.
(dd) Listing.
The Shares have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange,
subject to official notice of issuance.
8. Additional
Agreements. (a) The Company shall notify you promptly and, if
requested, shall notify you in writing, after it receives notice thereof of
(i) when the Registration Statement has become effective and when any
Prospectus is mailed (or otherwise sent) for filing pursuant to Rule 424 under
the 1933 Act, (ii) the receipt of any comments with respect to the Offer
Material from the Commission, (iii) any request by the Commission for any
amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the
Prospectus or for additional information, (iv) the filing of any
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, (v) the issuance
by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or of any order
preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or any Offer
Material, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for
offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of
any proceedings for any of such purposes, (vi) the occurrence of any event
that could cause the Company to withdraw or terminate the Offer or would permit
the Company to exercise any right not to accept Securities tendered for
conversion, (vii) any proposal or requirement to make, amend or supplement
any other Offer Material, (viii) the commencement of any material
litigation or the issuance of any order or the taking of any other action by
any administrative or judicial tribunal or other governmental agency or
instrumentality concerning the Offer (and, if in writing, will furnish you a
copy thereof), (ix) the issuance by any state securities commission or other
regulatory authority of any order suspending the qualification or the exemption
from qualification of the Shares under state securities or blue sky laws or the
initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose, (x) the
occurrence of any event, or the discovery of any fact, the occurrence or
existence of which would reasonably be expected to
12
(a) cause the Company to
amend, withdraw or terminate the Offer, (b) cause any representation or
warranty contained in this Agreement to be untrue or inaccurate or
(c) permit the Company to exercise any right not to exchange the
Securities tendered for conversion under the Offer (and the Company will so
advise you before such rights are exercised) and (xi) any other
information relating to the Offer which you may from time to time reasonably
request.
The
Company agrees that if any event occurs or condition exists as a result of
which the Offer Material (other than the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, which are discussed in Section 8(g) below) would include an untrue
statement of a material fact, or omit to state any material fact necessary to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances existing when the
Offer Material is delivered to a holder of Securities, not misleading, or if,
in the opinion of the Company, after consultation with you, it is necessary at
any time to amend or supplement the Offer Material to comply with applicable
law, the Company shall immediately notify you, prepare an amendment or
supplement to the Offer Material that will correct such statement or omission
or effect such compliance and supply such amended or supplemented Offer
Material to you.
(b) The
Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424
and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether
the Prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424 was received for
filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly
file the Prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent
the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, will make
every reasonable effort to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest
practicable moment.
The
Company will file promptly all reports or information statements required to be
filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of
the 1934 Act subsequent to the date of the Preliminary Prospectus and for so
long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the Offer.
The Company will promptly file with the Commission on the Commencement Date a
Schedule TO and will promptly file as required any and all necessary
Amendments.
(c) On
the Commencement Date, the Company will cause to be delivered to each
registered holder of the Securities, as soon as practicable, a copy of the
Preliminary Prospectus and Letter of Transmittal and all other appropriate
Offer Material. Thereafter, to the extent practicable until the expiration or
termination of the Offer, the Company will use its reasonable efforts to cause
copies of such material to be mailed to each person who becomes a registered
holder of any Securities.
(d) The
Company will give you notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment
to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b) of the
1933 Act regulations), or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the
prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became
effective or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act
or otherwise, will furnish you with copies of any such documents a reasonable
amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and
will not file or use any such document to which you shall reasonably object in
writing.
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(e) The
Company has furnished or will deliver to you, without charge, one conformed
copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment
thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference
therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference
therein) and conformed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and
will also deliver to you, without charge, as many conformed copies of the
Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto
(without exhibits) as you may reasonably request. The Company further agrees
that the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to you
will be identical to any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with
the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by
Regulation S-T.
(f) The
Company will deliver to you, without charge, as many copies of the Prospectus
as you may reasonably request, and the Company hereby consents to the use of
such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to
you, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be
delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus
as you may reasonably request. The Company further agrees that the Prospectus
and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to you will be identical to
any electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission
pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(g) The
Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act so as to permit the
completion of the distribution of the Shares as contemplated in this Agreement
and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. If at any time when the
Prospectus is required by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act to be delivered in
connection with the distribution of the Shares, any event shall occur or
condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of
your counsel or counsel for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement in
order that the Registration Statement will not contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or to amend or
supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
existing at the time it is delivered to a holder of Securities, not misleading,
or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time
to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in
order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act, the Company will
promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the terms of this
Agreement, such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such
statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus
comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to you, without
charge, such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as you may
reasonably request.
(h) The
Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with you and in accordance
with Rule 13e-4 of the 1934 Act, to qualify the Shares for offering and sale
under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions
(domestic or foreign) as you and the Company may reasonably designate and to
maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year
from the date of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall not
be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as
a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which
it is not so qualified or to
14
subject itself to taxation in
respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so
subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Shares have been so qualified, the
Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of
such jurisdiction to continue such qualification in effect for a period of not
less than one year from the date of this Agreement.
(i) The
Company will not, directly or indirectly, distribute the Offer Material to any
holder of Securities in or from any jurisdiction outside the United States, or
otherwise extend the Offer to any holder of Securities residing in any
jurisdiction outside the United States, except under circumstances that will
result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations of such
jurisdiction.
(j) The
Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary
in order to make generally available to its security holders as soon as
practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide the
benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.
(k) On
or prior to the Commencement Date, the Company will have entered into
agreements with the Information Agent and the Conversion Agent and will have
made appropriate arrangements, to the extent applicable, with DTC or any other
“qualified” securities depositary to allow for the book-entry
movement of the tendered Securities between depositary participants and the
Conversion Agent.
9. Documentary Covenants. (a) The Company covenants that it shall, on the Commencement Date, deliver or cause to be delivered to you each of (i) the signed opinions, dated the Commenc






