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SUBSIDIARY GUARANTY AGREEMENT, dated as of November
2, 2004, made by certain Domestic Subsidiaries (collectively, the
“ Subsidiary Guarantors
”, each, a “ Subsidiary Guarantor ”) of SCP
POOL CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the “
US Borrower ”),
in favor of WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Administrative
Agent (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”) for the
ratable benefit of itself, and the financial institutions (the
“ Lenders ”) from time to time parties to the Credit Agreement,
dated of even date herewith (as amended, restated, supplemented or
otherwise modified from time to time, the “
Credit Agreement ”), by and among the US Borrower, SCP DISTRIBUTORS INC.,
a company organized under the laws of Ontario (the “
Canadian Borrower ” and together with the US Borrower, the “
Borrowers ”), the
Lenders, and the Administrative Agent.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, the
Lenders have agreed to make Extensions of Credit to the Borrowers
upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
therein.
The Borrowers and the Subsidiary Guarantors, though
separate legal entities, comprise one integrated financial
enterprise, and all Extensions of Credit to the Borrowers will
inure, directly or indirectly, to the benefit of each of the
Subsidiary Guarantors.
It is a condition precedent to the obligation of the
Lenders to make their respective Extensions of Credit to the
Borrowers under the Credit Agreement that the Subsidiary Guarantors
shall have executed and delivered this Guaranty to the
Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of itself and the
Lenders.
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration,
the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged by the
parties hereto, and to induce the Administrative Agent and the
Lenders to enter into the Credit Agreement and to induce the
Lenders to make their respective Extensions of Credit to the
Borrowers thereunder, each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby agrees with
the Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of itself and the
Lenders, as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINED TERMS
SECTION 1.1 Definitions
. The following terms when used in this Guaranty
shall have the meanings assigned to them below:
“ Applicable
Insolvency Laws ” means all
Applicable Laws governing bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement,
adjustment of debts, relief of debtors, dissolution, insolvency,
fraudulent transfers or conveyances or other similar laws
(including, without limitation, 11 U.S.C. Sections 544, 547, 548
and 550 and other “avoidance” provisions of Title 11 of
the United States Code, as amended or supplemented).
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“ Guaranteed
Obligations ” has the meaning set
forth in Section 2.1
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“ Guaranty
” means this Subsidiary Guaranty Agreement, as
amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to
time.
SECTION 1.2 Other
Definitional Provisions . Capitalized
terms used and not otherwise defined in this Guaranty including the
preambles and recitals hereof shall have the meanings ascribed to
them in the Credit Agreement. In the event of a conflict between
capitalized terms defined herein and in the Credit Agreement, the
Credit Agreement shall control. The words “hereof,”
“herein”, “hereto” and
“hereunder” and words of similar import when used in
this Guaranty shall refer to this Guaranty as a whole and not to
any particular provision of this Guaranty, and Section references
are to this Guaranty unless otherwise specified. The meanings given
to terms defined herein shall be equally applicable to both the
singular and plural forms of such terms.
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ARTICLE II
GUARANTY
SECTION 2.1 Guaranty
. Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby, jointly and
severally with the other Subsidiary Guarantors, unconditionally
guarantees to the Administrative Agent for the ratable benefit of
itself and the Lenders, and their respective permitted successors,
endorsees, transferees and assigns, the prompt payment and
performance of all Obligations of the Borrowers, whether primary or
secondary (whether by way of endorsement or otherwise), whether now
existing or hereafter arising, whether or not from time to time
reduced or extinguished (except by payment thereof) or hereafter
increased or incurred, whether or not recovery may be or hereafter
becomes barred by the statute of limitations, whether enforceable
or unenforceable as against such Borrower, whether or not
discharged, stayed or otherwise affected by any Applicable
Insolvency Law or proceeding thereunder, whether created directly
with the Administrative Agent or any Lender or acquired by the
Administrative Agent or any Lender through assignment, endorsement
or otherwise, whether matured or unmatured, whether joint or
several, as and when the same become due and payable (whether at
maturity or earlier, by reason of acceleration, mandatory repayment
or otherwise), in accordance with the terms of any such instruments
evidencing any such obligations, including all renewals, extensions
or modifications thereof (all Obligations of the Borrowers,
including all of the foregoing being hereafter collectively
referred to as the “ Guaranteed
Obligations ”).
SECTION 2.2 Bankruptcy
Limitations on each Guarantor
. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in Section 2.1 ,
it is the intention of each Subsidiary Guarantor, the
Administrative Agent and the Lenders that, in any proceeding
involving the bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment
of debts, relief of debtors, dissolution or insolvency or any
similar proceeding with respect to any Subsidiary Guarantor or its
assets, the amount of such Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations
with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations shall be equal to, but
not in excess of, the maximum amount thereof not subject to
avoidance or recovery by operation of Applicable Insolvency Laws
after giving effect to Section
2.3 . To that end, but only in the event
and to the extent that after giving effect to Section 2.3 such Subsidiary
Guarantor’s obligations with respect to the Guaranteed
Obligations or any payment made pursuant to such Guaranteed
Obligations would, but for the operation of the first sentence of
this Section 2.2 , be subject to avoidance or recovery in any such proceeding
under Applicable Insolvency Laws after giving effect to
Section 2.3 , the
amount of each Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations with
respect to the Guaranteed Obligations shall be limited to the
largest amount which, after giving effect thereto, would not, under
Applicable Insolvency Laws, render such Subsidiary
Guarantor’s obligations with respect to the Guaranteed
Obligations unenforceable or avoidable or otherwise subject to
recovery under Applicable Insolvency Laws. To the extent any
payment actually made pursuant to the Guaranteed Obligations
exceeds the limitation of the first sentence of this
Section 2.2 and is
otherwise subject to avoidance and recovery in any such proceeding
under Applicable Insolvency Laws, the amount subject to avoidance
shall in all events be limited to the amount by which such actual
payment exceeds such limitation and the Guaranteed Obligations as
limited by the first sentence of this Section 2.2 shall in all events
remain in full force and effect and be fully enforceable against
each Subsidiary Guarantor. The first sentence of this
Section 2.2 is intended
solely to preserve the rights of the Administrative Agent and the
Lenders hereunder against each Subsidiary Guarantor in such
proceeding to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Insolvency
Laws and neither such Subsidiary Guarantor, any Borrower, any other
Subsidiary Guarantor nor any other Person shall have any right or
claim under such sentence that would not otherwise be available
under Applicable Insolvency Laws in such proceeding.
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SECTION 2.3
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Agreements for Contribution
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(a) To the extent any
Subsidiary Guarantor is required, by reason of its obligations
hereunder, to pay to the Administrative Agent or any Lender an
amount greater than the amount of value (as determined in
accordance with Applicable Insolvency Laws) actually made available
to or for the benefit of such Subsidiary Guarantor on account of
the Credit Agreement, this Guaranty or any other Loan Document,
such Subsidiary Guarantor shall have an enforceable right of
contribution against the Borrowers and the remaining Subsidiary
Guarantors, and the Borrowers and the remaining Subsidiary
Guarantors shall be jointly and severally liable for repayment of
the full amount of such excess payment. Subject only to the
subordination provided in Section
2.3(d), such Subsidiary Guarantor further
shall be subrogated to any and all rights of the Lenders against
the Borrowers and the remaining Subsidiary Guarantors to the extent
of such excess payment.
(b) To the extent that any
Subsidiary Guarantor would, but for the operation of this
Section 2.3 and by
reason of its obligations hereunder or its obligations to other
Subsidiary Guarantors under this Section
2.3 , be rendered insolvent for any
purpose under Applicable Insolvency Laws, each of the Subsidiary
Guarantors hereby agrees to indemnify such Subsidiary Guarantor and
commits to make a contribution to such Subsidiary Guarantor’s
capital in
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an amount at least equal to the amount necessary to
prevent such Subsidiary Guarantor from having been rendered
insolvent by reason of the incurrence of any such
obligations.
(c) To the extent that any
Subsidiary Guarantor would, but for the operation of this
Section 2.3 , be
rendered insolvent under any Applicable Insolvency Law by reason of
its incurring of obligations to any other Subsidiary Guarantor
under the foregoing Sections
2.3(a) and (b), such Subsidiary Guarantor shall,
in turn, have rights of contribution and indemnity, to the full
extent provided in the foregoing Sections
2.3(a) and (b), against the Borrowers and the
remaining Subsidiary Guarantors, such that all obligations of all
of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder and under this
Section 2.3 shall be
allocated in a manner such that no Subsidiary Guarantor shall be
rendered insolvent for any purpose under Applicable Insolvency Law
by reason of its incurrence of such obligations.
(d) Notwithstanding any
payment or payments by any of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder,
or any set-off or application of funds of any of the Subsidiary
Guarantors by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, or the
receipt of any amounts by the Administrative Agent or any Lender
with respect to any of the Guaranteed Obligations, none of the
Subsidiary Guarantors shall be entitled to be subrogated to any of
the rights of the Administrative Agent or any Lender against the
Borrowers or the other Subsidiary Guarantors or against any
collateral security held by the Administrative Agent or any Lender
for the payment of the Guaranteed Obligations nor shall any of the
Subsidiary Guarantors seek any reimbursement from the Borrowers or
any of the other Subsidiary Guarantors in respect of payments made
by such Subsidiary Guarantor in connection with the Guaranteed
Obligations, until all amounts owing to the Administrative Agent
and the Lenders on account of the Guaranteed Obligations are paid
in full and the Commitments are terminated. If any amount shall be
paid to any Subsidiary Guarantor on account of such subrogation
rights at any time when all of the Guaranteed Obligations shall not
have been paid in full or the Commitments shall not have been
terminated, such amount shall be held by such Subsidiary Guarantor
in trust for the Administrative Agent, segregated from other funds
of such Subsidiary Guarantor, and shall, forthwith upon receipt by
such Subsidiary Guarantor, be turned over to the Administrative
Agent in the exact form received by such Subsidiary Guarantor (duly
endorsed by such Subsidiary Guarantor to the Administrative Agent,
if required) to be applied against the Guaranteed Obligations,
whether matured or unmatured, in such order as set forth in the
Credit Agreement.
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SECTION 2.4
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Nature of
Guaranty .
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(a) Each Subsidiary Guarantor
agrees that this Guaranty is a continuing, unconditional guaranty
of payment and performance and not of collection, and that its
obligations under this Guaranty shall be primary, absolute and
unconditional, irrespective of, and unaffected by:
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(i)
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the genuineness, validity, regularity,
enforceability or any future amendment of, or change in, the Credit
Agreement or any other Loan Document or any other agreement,
document or instrument to which any Borrower, any Subsidiary
Guarantor or any of their respective Subsidiaries or Affiliates is
or may become a party;
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(ii)
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the absence of any action to enforce this Guaranty,
the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document or the waiver or
consent by the Administrative Agent or any Lender with respect to
any of the provisions of this Guaranty, the Credit Agreement or any
other Loan Document;
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(iii)
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the existence, value or condition of, or failure to
perfect its Lien against, any security for or other guaranty of the
Guaranteed Obligations or any action, or the absence of any action,
by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in respect of such
security or guaranty (including, without limitation, the release of
any such security or guaranty);
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(iv)
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any structural change in, restructuring of or
similar change of any Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any of
their respective Subsidiaries; or
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(v)
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any other action or circumstances which might
otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a
surety or guarantor;
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it being agreed by each Subsidiary Guarantor that,
subject to the first sentence of Section
2.2 , its obligations under this Guaranty
shall not be discharged until the final indefeasible payment and
performance, in full, of the Guaranteed Obligations and the
termination of the Commitments; provided that a Subsidiary Guarantor
may be released from the Guaranteed Obligations pursuant to
Section 4.16 of this
Guaranty.
(b) Each Subsidiary Guarantor
represents, warrants and agrees that its obligations under this
Guaranty are not and shall not be subject to any counterclaims,
offsets or defenses of any kind against the Administrative Agent
the Lenders or the Borrowers whether now existing or which may
arise in the future.
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(c) Each Subsidiary Guarantor
hereby agrees and acknowledges that the Guaranteed Obligations, and
any of them, shall conclusively be deemed to have been created,
contracted or incurred, or renewed, extended, amended or waived, in
reliance upon this Guaranty, and all dealings between any Borrower
and any Subsidiary Guarantor, on the one hand, and the
Administrative Agent and the Lenders, on the other hand, likewise
shall be conclusively presumed to have been had or consummated in
reliance upon this Guaranty.
SECTION 2.5 Waivers
. To the extent permitted by law, each Subsidiary
Guarantor expressly waives all of the following rights and defenses
(and agrees not to take advantage of or assert any such right or
defense):
(a) any rights it may now or
in the future have under any statute (including, without
limitation, North Carolina General Statutes Section 26-7, et seq.
or similar law), or at law or in equity, or otherwise, to compel
the Administrative Agent or any Lender to proceed in respect of the
Obligations against any Borrower or any other Person or against any
security for or other guaranty of the payment and performance of
the Guaranteed Obligations before proceeding against, or as a
condition to proceeding against, such Subsidiary
Guarantor;
(b) any defense based upon the
failure of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to commence an
action in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations against any
Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Person or any
security for the payment and performance of the Guaranteed
Obligations;
(c) any right to insist upon,
plead or in any manner whatever claim or take the benefit or
advantage of, any appraisal, valuation, stay, extension,
marshalling of assets or redemption laws, or exemption, whether now
or at any time hereafter in force, which may delay, prevent or
otherwise affect the performance by such Subsidiary Guarantor of
its obligations under, or the enforcement by the Administrative
Agent or the Lenders of this Guaranty;
(d) any right of diligence,
presentment, demand, protest and notice (except as specifically
required herein) of whatever kind or nature with respect to any of
the Guaranteed Obligations and waives, to the extent permitted by
Applicable Law, the benefit of all provisions of law which are or
might be in conflict with the terms of this Guaranty;
and
(e) any and all right to
notice of the creation, renewal, extension or accrual of any of the
Obligations and notice of or proof of reliance by the
Administrative Agent or any Lender upon, or acceptance of, this
Guaranty.
Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that any notice or
directive given at any time to the Administrative Agent or any
Lender which is inconsistent with any of the foregoing waivers
shall be null and void and may be ignored by the Administrative
Agent or such Lender, and, in addition, may not be pleaded or
introduced as evidence in any litigation relating to this Guaranty
for the reason that such pleading or introduction would be at
variance with the written terms of this Guaranty, unless the
Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders have specifically
agreed otherwise in writing. The foregoing waivers are of the
essence of the transaction contemplated by the Credit Agreement and
the other Loan Documents and, but for this Guaranty and such
waivers, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders would decline to
enter into the Credit Agreement and the other Loan
Documents.
SECTION 2.6 Modification
of Loan Documents, etc . Neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall incur
any liability to any Subsidiary Guarantor as a result of any of the
following, and none of the following shall impair or release this
Guaranty or any of the obligations of any Subsidiary Guarantor
under this Guaranty:
(a) any change or extension of
the manner, place or terms of payment of, or renewal or alteration
of all or any portion of, the Guaranteed Obligations;
(b) any action under or in
respect of the Credit Agreement or the other Loan Documents in the
exercise of any remedy, power or privilege contained therein or
available to any of them at law, in equity or otherwise, or waiver
or refrain from exercising any such remedies, powers or
privileges;
(c) any amendment or
modification, in any manner whatsoever, of the Credit Agreement or
any other Loan Document;
(d) any extension or waiver of
the time for performance by any Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor
or any other Person of, or compliance with, any term, covenant or
agreement on its part to be performed or observed under the Credit
Agreement or any other Loan Document, or waive such performance or
compliance or consent to a failure of, or departure from, such
performance or compliance;
(e) any taking and holding of
security or collateral for the payment of the Obligations or the
sale, exchange, release, disposal of, or other dealing with, any
property pledged, mortgaged or conveyed, or in which the
Administrative Agent or the Lenders have been granted a Lien, to
secure any Indebtedness of any Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor
or any other Person to the Administrative Agent or the
Lenders;
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(f) any release of anyone who
may be liable in any manner for the payment of any amounts owed by
any Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Person to the
Administrative Agent or any Lender;
(g) any modification or
termination of the terms of any intercreditor or subordination
agreement pursuant to which claims of other creditors of any
Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Person are
subordinated to the claims of the Administrative Agent or any
Lender; or
(h) any application of any
sums by whomever paid or however realized to any Obligations owing
by any Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Person to
the Administrative Agent or any Lender in such manner as the
Administrative Agent or any Lender shall determine in its
reasonable discretion.
SECTION 2.7 Demand by the Administrative Agent . In
addition to the terms set forth in this Article II and in no manner imposing
any limitation on such terms, if all or any portion of the
then
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