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Underwriting Agreement

Underwriting Agreement

Underwriting Agreement | Document Parties: HQ SUSTAINABLE MARITIME INDUSTRIES, INC | ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC You are currently viewing:
This Underwriting Agreement involves

HQ SUSTAINABLE MARITIME INDUSTRIES, INC | ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC

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Title: Underwriting Agreement
Governing Law: New York     Date: 6/15/2009
Industry: Fish/Livestock     Law Firm: Troutman Sanders     Sector: Consumer/Non-Cyclical

Underwriting Agreement, Parties: hq sustainable maritime industries  inc , roth capital partners  llc
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Exhibit 1.1

HQ SUSTAINABLE MARITIME INDUSTRIES, INC.

1,225,000 Shares of Common Stock

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

June 11, 2009

ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC

24 Corporate Plaza

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Ladies and Gentlemen:

HQ Sustainable Maritime Industries, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions herein, to issue and sell to Roth Capital Partners, LLC (the “ Underwriter ”) an aggregate of 1,225,000 shares (the “ Shares ”) of its common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “ Common Stock ”) of the Company.

The Company and the Underwriter hereby confirm their agreement with respect to the purchase and sale of the Shares as follows:

 

Section 1.

Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Company .

The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Date (as defined below) and as of each Option Closing Date (as defined below), as follows:

(a) Registration Statement . (i) The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” ) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-155048) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “ Securities Act ”) and such amendments to such registration statement as may have been required to the date of this Agreement. Such registration statement has been declared effective by the Commission. Each part of such registration statement, at any given time, including amendments thereto at such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act at such time and the documents and information otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included therein by Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act or otherwise pursuant to the Securities Act at such time, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The Company and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement meet the requirements and comply with the conditions for the use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. The offering of the Shares by the Company complies with the applicable requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company has complied with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act.

(ii) No stop order preventing or suspending use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued by the Commission, and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.


(iii) The Company shall file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act a final prospectus supplement relating to the Shares to a form of prospectus included in the Registration Statement relating to the Shares in the form heretofore delivered to the Underwriter. Such prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective by the Commission or in the form in which it has been most recently filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement is hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus.” Such supplemental form of prospectus, in the form in which it shall be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)(including the Base Prospectus as so supplemented) is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” Any preliminary form of Prospectus which is filed or used prior to filing of the Prospectus is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to refer to include any documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of the date of such prospectus, and, in the case of any reference herein to the Prospectus, also shall be deemed to include any documents incorporated by reference therein, and any supplements or amendments thereto, filed with the Commission after the date of filing of the Prospectus under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, and prior to the termination of the offering of the Shares by the Underwriter.

(iv) For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, 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” ). All references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the subsequent filing of any document under the Exchange Act (as defined herein) and which is deemed to be incorporated therein by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof.

(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements . As of the time of filing of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective (including each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriter pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act), at all other subsequent times until the expiration of the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as of the Closing Date and as of any Option Closing Date, the Registration Statement complied and will comply, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Securities Act, including compliance with the requirements for use of Form S-3, and did not and will not contain any 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. Each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time of filing or the time of first use, at all other subsequent times until the expiration of the Prospectus Delivery Period, as of the Closing Date and as of any Option Closing Date, complied and will comply, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain 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; provided , that the Company makes no representations or warranty in this paragraph with respect to any Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 7 ).

(c) Disclosure Package . As of the Time of Sale (as defined below), at all other subsequent times until the expiration of the Prospectus Delivery Period, as of the Closing Date and as of any Option Closing Date, the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Time of Sale, the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below) and the information included on Schedule III hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “Disclosure Package” ), did not include or will not include any

 

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untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided , that the Company makes no representations or warranty in this paragraph with respect to any Underwriter Information. No statement of material fact included in the Prospectus has been omitted from the Disclosure Package and no statement of material fact included in the Disclosure Package that is required to be included in the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom. As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement:

(1) “Time of Sale” with respect to any Investor, means 6:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement.

(2) “Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Time of Sale, including any document incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this definition, information contained in a form of prospectus that is deemed retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus as of the actual time that form of prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b).

(3) “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (“ Rule 433 ”), relating to the Shares in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Securities Act, whether intended for general distribution to prospective investors or not required to be filed with the Commission, such as a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433.

(d) Conflict with Registration Statement . Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the Prospectus Delivery Period or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Underwriter, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus including any document incorporated by reference therein and any prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified; provided, that the Company makes no representations or warranty in this paragraph with respect to any Underwriter Information.

(e) Distributed Materials . The Company has not, directly or indirectly, distributed and will not distribute any prospectus or other offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, and other materials, if any, permitted under the Securities Act to be distributed and consistent with Section 3(d) below. The Company will file with the Commission all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses in the time required under Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act. The Company has satisfied or will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 under the Securities Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show. The parties hereto agree and understand that the content of any and all “road shows” related to the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby is solely the property of the Company.

(f) Not an Ineligible Issuer . (1) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (2) at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer including, without limitation, for purposes of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act with respect to the offering of the Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement.

 

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(g) Incorporated Documents . The documents incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and were filed on a timely basis with the Commission and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(h) Due Incorporation . The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with the corporate power and authority to own its properties and to conduct its business as currently being carried on and as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company is duly qualified to transact business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which its ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in any material adverse effect upon, or change in, the general affairs, business, operations, prospects, properties, financial condition, or results of operations of the Company (a “ Material Adverse Effect ”).

(i) Subsidiaries . Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated or organized, is validly existing as a corporation or other legal entity in good standing (or the foreign equivalent thereof) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has the corporate power and authority to own its properties and to conduct its business as currently being carried on and as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership, leasing or operation of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and, except as otherwise described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, are owned directly by the Company or through its wholly owned subsidiaries, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. There is no outstanding option, right or agreement of any kind relating to the issuance, sale or transfer of any capital stock or other equity securities of the Subsidiaries to any person or entity except the Company, and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of any preemptive or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase or acquire any securities of any of the Subsidiaries. Except for its Subsidiaries, the Company owns no beneficial interest, directly or indirectly, in any corporation, partnership, joint venture or other business entity. The Company has no significant subsidiaries (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission) other than the Subsidiaries listed on Schedule II attached hereto (collectively, the “ Subsidiaries ”).

(j) Capitalization . The Company has duly and validly authorized capital stock as set forth in each of the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package and Prospectus; all outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company conform, or when issued will conform, to the description thereof in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and have been, or, when issued and paid for in the manner described herein will be, duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; and the issuance of the Shares to be purchased from the Company hereunder is not subject to preemptive or other similar rights, or any restriction upon the voting or transfer thereof pursuant to applicable law or the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, bylaws or governing documents or any agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it may be bound.

 

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(k) Authorization, Issuance . All corporate action required to be taken by the Company for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Shares has been duly and validly taken. The Shares have been duly and validly authorized. When the Shares have been issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, the Shares, when so issued and sold, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and the Investors or other persons in whose names Shares are registered will acquire good and valid title to such Shares, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities, preemptive rights and other claims. The Shares will conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. No further approval or authority of the shareholders or the Board of Directors of the Company will be required for the issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated herein. Except as disclosed in each of the Disclosure Package and Prospectus, there are no outstanding subscriptions, rights, warrants, options, calls, convertible securities, commitments of sale or rights related to or entitling any person to purchase or otherwise to acquire any shares of, or any security convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, the capital stock of, or other ownership interest in, the Company, except for such options or rights as may have been granted by the Company to employees, directors or consultants pursuant to its stock option or stock purchase plans.

(l) No Registration Rights . Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights, other than those which have been waived or satisfied, for or relating to the registration of any shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company.

(m) Due Authorization and Enforceability . This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and constitutes a valid, legal and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnity hereunder may be limited by state securities laws and except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and subject to general principles of equity.

(n) No Violation . Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in breach or violation of or in default (nor has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or violation of, or constitute a default) (i) under the provisions of its Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing documents or (ii) in the performance or observance of any term, covenant, obligation, agreement or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their properties may be bound or affected, or (iii) in the performance or observance of any statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, as applicable except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) above, to the extent any such contravention would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(o) No Conflict . The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated, including the issuance and sale by the Company of the Shares, will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under) (i) the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing documents of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, (ii) any material indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit

 

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agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any material license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties may be bound or affected, or (iii) any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.

(p) No Consents Required . No approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or of or with any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, the NYSE Amex (“ Amex ”), or approval of the stockholders of the Company (including such as may be required pursuant to NYSE Amex Company Guide), is required in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby other than (i) as may be required under the Securities Act, and (ii) under the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“ FINRA ”). The Company has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to authorize, issue and sell the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement.

(q) Absence of Material Changes. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package, (a) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transaction not in the ordinary course of business; (b) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has purchased any of the Company’s outstanding capital stock, or declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on the Company’s capital stock; and (c) there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of such share of Common Stock upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants), or material change in the short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its Subsidiaries or any issue of options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to purchase the capital stock (other than grants of stock options under the Company’s stock option plans existing on the date hereof) of the Company, or any Material Adverse Effect.

(r) Permits . The Company and each of the Subsidiaries possess all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and have made all necessary filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule in order to conduct its business. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, authorization, consent or approval. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations, orders or decrees.

(s) Legal Proceedings . There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is or would be a party or of which any of their respective properties is or would be subject at law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or before or by any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, Amex), except (i) as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (ii) any such proceeding, which if resolved adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary, would not result in a judgment, decree or order having, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect or (iii) any such proceeding that would not prevent or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. The Disclosure Package contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus.

 

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(t) Statutes; Contracts . There are no statutes or regulations applicable to the Company or contracts or other documents of the Company which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement by the Securities Act which have not been so described or filed.

(u) Independent Accountants . Each of Schwartz Levitsky Feldman LLP, who have certified the financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries for fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and Rotenberg & Co., LLP, who certified the financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, is an independent registered public accounting firm (as defined in Section 2(a)(12) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “ Sarbanes-Oxley Act ”)) with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).

(v) Financial Statements . The financial statements of the Company, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects (i) the financial condition of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as of the dates indicated and (ii) the consolidated results of operations, stockholders’ equity and changes in cash flows of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, for the periods therein specified; and such financial statements and related schedules and notes thereto have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise stated therein and subject, in the case of unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year-end adjustments). There are no other financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the Company and the Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K of the Commission, to the extent applicable, and present fairly the information shown therein and the Company’s basis for using such measures.

(w) No Material Adverse Change . There has not been any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Disclosure Package (exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement).

(x) Not an Investment Company . Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is or, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will be required to register as an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(y) Good Title to Property . The Company and each of the Subsidiaries has good and valid title to all property (whether real or personal) described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned by each of them, in each case free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests, other encumbrances or defects except such as are described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and those that would not, individually or in the aggregate materially and adversely affect the value of such property and do not materially and adversely interfere with the use made and

 

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proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries. All of the property described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being held under lease by the Company or a Subsidiary is held thereby under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, without any liens, restrictions, encumbrances or claims, except those that, individually or in the aggregate, are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries.

(z) Intellectual Property Rights . The Company and the Subsidiaries own, or have obtained valid and enforceable licenses for, or other rights to use, the inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), tradenames, copyrights, trade secrets and other proprietary information described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by them or which are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses, except where the failure to own, license or have such rights would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, “ Intellectual Property ”); except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (i) there are no third parties who have or, to the Company’s knowledge, will be able to establish rights to any Intellectual Property, except for the ownership rights of the owners of the Intellectual Property which is licensed to the Company; (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no infringement by third parties of any Intellectual Property; (iii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to, or the validity, enforceability, or scope of, any Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to the Company, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (iv) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company or any of the Subsidiaries infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (v) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no patent or patent application that contains claims that interfere with the issued or pending claims of any of the Intellectual Property; and (vi) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no prior art that may render any patent owned by the Company invalid, nor is there any prior art known to the Company that may render any patent application owned by the Company unpatentable.

(aa) Taxes . The Company and each of the Subsidiaries has timely filed all material federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise tax returns (or timely filed applicable extensions therefore) that have been required to be filed and are not in default in the payment of any taxes which were payable pursuant to said returns or any assessments with respect thereto, other than any which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is contesting in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided and reflected in the Company’s financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any tax deficiency that has been or, to the knowledge of the Company, might be asserted or threatened against it that would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(bb) Insurance . The Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintains insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of its business and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries. All such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof and will be fully in force as of the Closing Date. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(cc) Accounting Controls . The Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific

 

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authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (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 existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(dd) Disclosure Controls . The Company has established, maintains and evaluates “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities, particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports required under the Exchange Act are being prepared, (ii) have been evaluated for effectiveness as of the end of the last fiscal period covered by the Registration Statement; and (iii) such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they were established. There are no significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data to management and the Board of Directors. The Company is not aware of any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; and 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.

(ee) Corrupt Practices . Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company, including without limitation any director, officer, agent or employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries has, directly or indirectly, while acting on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries (i) used any corporate funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) violated any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended or (iv) made any other unlawful payment.

(ff) No Price Stabilization . Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of their respective officers, directors, affiliates or controlling persons has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.

(gg) No Undisclosed Relationships . No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company on the other hand which is required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which has not been so described. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any member of their respective immediate families, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company has not, in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, directly or indirectly, extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or executive officer of the Company.

 

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(hh) Sarbanes-Oxley Act . The Company, and to its knowledge after due inquiry, all of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable effective provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and any related rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission.

(ii) Brokers Fees . Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or the Subsidiaries or the Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.

(jj) Exchange Act Requirements . The Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(e), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (except to the extent that Section 15(d) requires reports to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act, which shall be governed by the next clause of this sentence); and the Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act since January 1, 2004, except where the failure to timely file could not reasonably be expected individually or in the aggregate to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(kk) FINRA Affiliations . To the Company’s knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between (i) any member of FINRA and (ii) the Company or any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% or greater securityholders or any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or after the one hundred eightieth (180 th ) day immediately preceding the date the Registration Statement was initially filed with the Commission, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(ll) Compliance with Environmental Laws . The Company and the Subsidiaries (a) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws, orders, rules, regulations, directives, decrees and judgments relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“ Environmental Laws ”), (b) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (c) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(mm) No Labor Disputes . Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is engaged in any unfair labor practice; except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge after due inquiry, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements is pending or threatened, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge after due inquiry, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary and (C) no union representation dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary, and (ii) to the Company’s knowledge (A) no union organizing activities are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary and (B) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees or any applicable wage or hour laws concerning the employees of the Company.

 

10


(nn) ERISA . The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ ERISA ”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan” or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “ Code ”); and each “pension plan” for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.

(oo) Exchange Act Registration; Listing . The Common Stock, including the Shares, is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act and the Common Stock has been approved for listing on the NYSE Amex, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, termination the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting of the Common Stock from the NYSE Amex, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or FINRA is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Company has complied in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the NYSE Amex for maintenance of inclusion of the Common Stock thereon.

(pp) PFIC Status . The Company is not, for the taxable year ended December 31, 2008, and upon consummation of the transactions described hereby and the application of the proceeds as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is not expected to become, a Passive Foreign Investment Company within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

(qq) Statistical or Market-Related Data . Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.

(rr) Descriptions of Documents . The statements set forth in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus describing the Shares and this Agreement, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects.

(ss) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(tt) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“ OFAC ”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity that, to the Company’s knowledge, will use such proceeds, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

11


Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or a Subsidiary and delivered to the Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriter in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company (and not such officer in an individual capacity) to the Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

 

Section 2.

Purchase, Sale and Delivery of Shares .

(a) Purchase and Sale of Shares . On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Shares to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase from the Company the Shares as set forth opposite th


 
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