any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) before it becomes effective, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Shares.  If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement.  Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be and any reference to “amend”, “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after such date under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein.  Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

At or prior to the time when sales of the Shares were first made (the “Time of Sale”), the Company had prepared a Preliminary Prospectus dated December 15, 2005 (collectively, with the information referred to in the next succeeding sentence, the “Time of Sale Information”).  In addition, the Underwriters have orally provided or will orally provide the pricing information set out in Annex A to prospective purchasers prior to confirming sales.  If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company and the Underwriters have determined that such “Time of Sale Information” included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material fact necessary to make the information therein, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, not misleading and have agreed to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Shares to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase contracts, then “Time of Sale Information” will refer to the information available to purchasers at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.

 

2.              Purchase of the Shares by the Underwriters .  (a)  The Company and certain of the Selling Stockholders agree, as and to the extent indicated in Schedule II hereto, severally and not jointly, to sell the Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company and certain of the Selling Stockholders, as and to the extent indicated in Schedule II hereto, at a purchase price per share of $ 26.194 (the “Purchase Price”) the number of Underwritten Shares (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be sold by the Company and certain

 

2

 

of the Selling Stockholders as set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II hereto by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be purchased by all the Underwriters from the Company and all the Selling Stockholders hereunder.

 

In addition, certain of the Selling Stockholders agree, as and to the extent indicated in Schedule III hereto, severally and not jointly, to sell the Option Shares to the several Underwriters and the Underwriters shall have the option to purchase at their election up to 1,312,500 Option Shares at the Purchase Price. The Underwriters, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from certain of the Selling Stockholders at the Purchase Price that portion of the number of Option Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Option Shares by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of Firm Shares which such Underwriter is required to purchase and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Firm Shares which all of the Underwriters are required to purchase hereunder.  Any such election to purchase Option Shares shall be made in proportion to the maximum number of Option Shares to be sold by each Selling Stockholder as set forth in Schedule III hereto.

 

The Underwriters may exercise the option to purchase the Option Shares at any time (but not more than twice) on or before the thirtieth day following the date of this Agreement, by written notice from the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Stockholders.  Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Shares are to be delivered and paid for which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereof).  Any such notice shall be given at least two Business Days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein.

 

(b)            The Company and the Selling Stockholders understand that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Shares as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment of the Representatives is advisable, and initially to offer the Shares on the terms set forth in the Prospectus.  The Company and the Selling Stockholders acknowledge and agree that the Underwriters may offer and sell Shares to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter and that any such affiliate may offer and sell Shares purchased by it to or through any Underwriter.

 

(c)            Payment for the Shares shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified to the Representatives by the Company, by Code, Hennessy & Simmons III, L.P. (“CHS”) and by the Selling Stockholders, at the offices of Schiff Hardin LLP at 10:00 A.M. New York City time on December 21, 2005, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representatives

 

3

 

and the Company may agree upon in writing or, in the case of the Option Shares, on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representatives in the written notice of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Option Shares.  The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Shares are referred to herein as the “Closing Date” and the time and date for such payment for the Option Shares, if other than the Closing Date, are herein referred to as the “Additional Closing Date”.

 

Payment for the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Shares to be purchased on such date in definitive form registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall request in writing not later than two full business days prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of the Shares duly paid by the Company or the Selling Stockholders, as the case may be.  The certificates for the Shares will be made available for inspection and packaging by the Representatives at the office of J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc. set forth above not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.

 

(d)            Each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company and the Selling Stockholders with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company, the Selling Stockholders or any other person.  Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter are advising the Company, the Selling Stockholders or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment,  accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction.  The Company and the Selling Stockholders shall consult with their own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making their own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company or the Selling Stockholders with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company or the Selling Stockholders.

 

3.              Representations and Warranties of the Company .  The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter and the Selling Stockholders that:

 

(a)            Preliminary Prospectus.   No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or 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 representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance

 

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upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus.

 

(b)            Time of Sale Information.   The Time of Sale Information, at the Time of Sale did not, and at the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any 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 representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in such Time of Sale Information.  No statement of material fact included in the Prospectus has been omitted from the Time of Sale Information and no statement of material fact included in the Time of Sale Information that is required to be included in the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom.

 

(c)            Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not made, used, prepared, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Shares (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below) an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act or (ii) any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representatives.  Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, will be filed in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus, will not at the time of any such use, and at the Closing Date and at the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, contain any 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 representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.

 

(d)            Registration Statement and Prospectus.   The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission.  No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering has been initiated or threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, 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

 

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necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or 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 representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto.

 

(e)            Incorporated Documents.   The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information, when they become 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 none of such documents contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, 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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(f)             Financial Statements.   The financial statements and the related notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information 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 the financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby; the other financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement,  the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries and presents fairly the information shown thereby; and the pro forma financial information and the related notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus has been prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the assumptions underlying such pro forma financial information are reasonable and are set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.

 

(g)            No Material Adverse Change.   Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, (i) there has not been

 

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any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development which could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.

 

(h)            Organization and Good Standing.   The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).  The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 to the Registration Statement.  The subsidiaries listed in Schedule 2 to this Agreement are the only significant subsidiaries of the Company.

 

(i)             Capitalization.   The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company (including the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders) have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; and all the 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 are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien,

 

7

 

charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party.

 

(j)             Due Authorization.   The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and validly taken.

 

(k)            Underwriting Agreement.  This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(l)             The Shares.  The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued and delivered and paid for as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and will be fully paid and nonassessable and will conform to the descriptions thereof in the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Shares is not subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

 

(m)           No Violation or Default.   Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(n)            No Conflicts.  The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company hereunder and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach or violation that could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(o)            No Consents Required.   No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company hereunder and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters.

 

(p)            Legal Proceedings.   Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement; no such investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement that are not so described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so filed or described as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus.

 

(q)            Independent Accountants.   Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.

 

(r)             Title to Real and Personal Property.   The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those that (i) are disclosed in the Prospectus, (ii) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (iii) could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(s)            Title to Intellectual Property.   The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all material patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential

 

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information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses; and the conduct of their respective businesses does not conflict in any material respect with any such rights of others, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any notice of any claim of infringement or conflict with any such rights of others.

 

(t)             No Undisclosed Relationships.   No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents and in the Time of Sale Information.

 

(u)            Investment Company Act.   The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, will not be required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, “Investment Company Act”).

 

(v)            Taxes.   The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all material tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof; and except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, there is no material tax deficiency that has been, or could reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets.

 

(w)           Licenses and Permits.   The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course.

 

(x)             No Labor Disputes.   No material labor disturbance by or material dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened.

 

(y)            Compliance With Environmental Laws.   The Company and its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, decisions and orders relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively,

 

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“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except in any such case for any such failure to comply, or failure to receive required permits, licenses or approvals, or liability as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(z)             Compliance With ERISA.   Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), that is maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any of its affiliates for employees or former employees of the Company and its affiliates has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”); no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any such plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; and for each such plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no “accumulated funding deficiency” as defined in Section 412 of the Code has been incurred, whether or not waived, and the fair market value of the assets of each such plan (excluding for these purposes accrued but unpaid contributions) exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such plan determined using reasonable actuarial assumptions.

 

(aa)          Accounting and Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems 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 generally accepted accounting principles 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.  The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that (x) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities in order for timely decisions for required disclosure in the periodic reports that will be filed by the Company under the Exchange Act; and (y) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established.  The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

 

(bb)          Insurance.  The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance which is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as are reasonable and customary for the business in which they are engaged; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or

 

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necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) 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 at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.

 

(cc)          No Unlawful Payments.   Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the best knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment.

 

(dd)          No Restrictions on Subsidiaries .  Except as set forth in the senior loan facilities, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.

 

(ee)          No Broker’s Fees.   Neither the Company nor any of its 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 any of its subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.

 

(ff)            No Registration Rights .  No person not a party to this Agreement has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or the issuance and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company hereunder or, to the best knowledge of the Company, the sale of the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholder hereunder.

 

(gg)          No Stabilization.   The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.

 

(hh)          Business With Cuba.   The Company has complied with all provisions of Section 517.075, Florida Statutes (Chapter 92-198, Laws of Florida) relating to doing business with the Government of Cuba or with any person or affiliate located in Cuba.

 

(ii)            Margin Rules .  Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the

 

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Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.

 

(jj)            Forward-Looking Statements.  No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

 

(kk)          Statistical and Market Data.   Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

 

(ll)            Sarbanes-Oxley Act .  There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

(mm)        Status under the Securities Act .  The Company is not an ineligible issuer, as defined under the Securities Act, at the times specified in the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Shares.

 

4.  Representations and Warranties of the Selling Stockholders .  Each of the Selling Stockholders severally and not jointly represents and warrants to each Underwriter and the Company that:

 

(a)           Required Consents; Authority .  All consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for the execution and delivery by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement, and for the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, have been obtained except for (i) the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and (ii) such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required under federal securities laws and applicable state securities and Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters; and such Selling Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder; this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder.

 

(b)           No Conflicts .  The execution, delivery and performance by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement, the sale of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder and the consummation by such Selling Stockho