AAC HOLDINGS, INC. Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
AAC HOLDINGS, INC.
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Underwriting Agreement
[ ], 2014
William Blair & Company, L.L.C. and
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.,
As representatives of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o William Blair & Company, L.L.C.
222 West Adams Street
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Ladies and Gentlemen:
AAC Holdings, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom William Blair & Company, L.L.C. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. are acting as representatives (the “Representatives” or “you”) [ ] shares and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to [ ] additional shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Stock”), of the Company. The [ ] shares to be sold by the Company are herein called the “Firm Shares” and the [ ] additional shares to be sold by the Company are herein called the “Optional Shares.” The Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof are herein collectively called the “Shares.”
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Shares as soon as you deem advisable after the registration statement hereinafter referred to becomes effective.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that up to [ ] of the Firm Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters (the “Reserved Shares”) shall be reserved for sale by the Underwriters to certain persons designated by the Company (the “Invitees”), as part of the distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters, subject to the terms of this Agreement, the applicable rules, regulations and interpretations of the Financial Industry Regulation Authority (“FINRA”) and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations. To the extent that any such Reserved Shares are not orally confirmed for purchase by Invitees by 8:00 a.m. (Central time) on the first business day after the date of this Agreement, such Reserved Shares may be offered to the public by the Underwriters as part of the public offering contemplated hereby.
1. (a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(i) any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), is hereinafter called a “Section 5(d) Communication”; and any Section 5(d) Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act is hereinafter called a “Section 5(d) Writing”;
(ii) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197383) (the “Initial Registration Statement”) in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”); the Initial Registration Statement, excluding exhibits thereto, and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act, which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued, and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Shares that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(a)(iv) hereof) is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Shares is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”);
(iii) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
(iv) For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is [ ] [a.m.] [p.m.] (Central time) on the date of this Agreement. The Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the information listed in Schedule II(c) hereto, taken together (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”), including any prospectus wrapper attached thereto, as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II(a) hereto did not, as of its date of issue, conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, as of such date, and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and each Section 5(d) Writing listed on Schedule II(b) hereto, each as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not and will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
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statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Section 5(d) Writing in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
(v) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and the applicable effective date of any amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
(vi) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Disclosure Package any material loss or interference with its business, direct or contingent, including from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Disclosure Package, there has not been (i) any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (other than changes pursuant to agreements or employee benefit plans, in connection with the exercise of options or warrants or in connection with borrowings under the Company’s revolving line of credit, in each case as described or referred to in the Pricing Disclosure Package) or (ii) any material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in or affecting the properties, business, management, prospects, operations, earnings or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”);
(vii) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by them and have good title to all other property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company or its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Disclosure Package or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case except as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package;
(viii) Except as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package or would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (i) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any applicable federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation or ordinance, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without
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limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have received all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted and are each in compliance in all material respects with their requirements, (iii) there are no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (iv) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental agency or body, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws;
(ix) The Company (i) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Nevada, with corporate power and corporate authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package, and (ii) has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except in the case of clause (ii), where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and each subsidiary of the Company (x) has been duly incorporated or formed, as the case may be, and is validly existing as a corporation or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, with the company power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package, and (y) has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation or limited liability company for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except in the case of clause (y), where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(x) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package under the captions “Capitalization” and “Description of Capital Stock” and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus under the captions “Capitalization” and “Description of Capital Stock”; and, except as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package with respect to the shares of capital stock of American Addiction Centers, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“AAC”), all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and, except as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package with respect to the non-controlling interests in AAC, Behavioral Healthcare Realty, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“BHR”) and BHR’s subsidiaries, are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;
(xi) The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the captions “Capitalization” and “Description of Capital Stock”;
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(xii) The issue and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company and the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated (A) will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease 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, except for any such conflicts, breaches, violations or defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (B) will not violate any of the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company, or the organizational documents of any subsidiary, (C) will not violate any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except for such violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and (D) will not require any consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court, governmental agency or body or third party, except for (x) such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications that have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (y) the registration under the Act of the Shares, the listing of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange, the approval by FINRA of the underwriting terms and arrangements, and (z) such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;
(xiii) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (A) in violation of its Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other organizational documents or (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except in the case of clause (B), to the extent that such defaults would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(xiv) The statements set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock,” insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, and under the captions “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders” and “Underwriting,” insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, accurately and fairly summarize in all material respects such terms, laws and documents, as the case may be;
(xv) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened by governmental authorities or threatened by others;
(xvi) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);
(xvii) At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement the Company was not and is not, as of the date hereof, an “ineligible issuer,” as defined under Rule 405 under the Act;
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(xviii) BDO USA, LLP, who has audited certain financial statements of AAC and its subsidiaries, AJG Solutions, Inc. and B&B Holdings Intl LLC and Greenhouse Real Estate, LLC, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and each such entity as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States);
(xix) The Company and AAC maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Company’s and AAC’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Company’s and AAC’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and neither the Company nor AAC is aware of any material weaknesses in its respective internal control over financial reporting;
(xx) Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there has been no change in the Company’s or AAC’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, its respective internal control over financial reporting;
(xxi) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities;
(xxii) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;
(xxiii) From the time of initial confidential submission of a registration statement relating to the Shares with the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which a Section 5(d) Communication was made) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”);
(xxiv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries, has violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment;
(xxv) The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can reasonably promptly acquire on commercially reasonable terms, adequate rights to use all material patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names and other intellectual property rights, moral rights and other rights necessary for the conduct of the business now operated by them. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received (or reasonably expects to receive) any notice of infringement of or conflict with rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing or otherwise which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect;
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(xxvi) The financial statements, including the notes thereto, and the supporting schedules included in the Pricing Disclosure Package present fairly in all material respects the financial position at the dates indicated and the cash flows and results of operations for the periods indicated of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries; except as otherwise stated in the Pricing Disclosure Package, such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Pricing Disclosure Package present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein. The historical financial data set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package under the captions “Prospectus Summary – Summary Historical and Pro Forma Consolidated Financial and Operating Data”, “Selected Historical and Pro Forma Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” present fairly in all material respects the information included therein. The pro forma financial statements and the related notes thereto included in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the other pro forma financial information present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein, have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines with respect to pro forma financial statements and have been properly presented on the bases described therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement. The other financial and related accounting information included in the Pricing Disclosure Package presents fairly in all material respects the information included therein and has been prepared on a basis consistent with that of the financial statements that are included in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the books and records of the respective entities presented therein. All disclosures contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package 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 of Regulation S-K of the Act, to the extent applicable. The industry and market-related data included in the Pricing Disclosure Package is based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects;
(xxvii) Except as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no off-balance sheet arrangements (as defined in Regulation S-K Item 303(a)(4)(ii)) that may have a material effect on the Company’s or AAC’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources;
(xxviii) Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each of its subsidiaries have complied, and are presently in compliance with its privacy and security policies, and with all obligations, laws and regulations regarding the collection, use, transfer, storage, protection, disposal and/or disclosure of personally identifiable information and/or any other information collected from or provided by third parties. The Company and its subsidiaries have established and implemented a breach notification policy and have not experienced any material breach of personal data or protected health information under federal or state law. The Company and its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable steps to protect the information technology systems and data used in connection with the operation of the Company and/or its subsidiaries and have conducted security risk assessments as required under federal or state law. The Company and its subsidiaries have used reasonable efforts to establish, and have established, commercially reasonable disaster recovery and security plans, procedures and facilities for the business, including, without limitation, for the information technology systems and data held or used by or for the Company and/or any of its subsidiaries. Except as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no security breach or attack or other compromise of or relating to any such information technology system or data which would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
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(xxix) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its 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.
(xxx) The Company has taken all reasonable actions to ensure that, upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, it will be in compliance in all material respects with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) that are then in effect and with which the Company is required to comply as of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and is actively taking steps to ensure that it will be in compliance with other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act not currently in effect, upon the effectiveness of such provisions, or which will become applicable to the Company after the effectiveness of the Registration Statement;
(xxxi) Except as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Company and AAC have not sold, issued or distributed any shares of common stock during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants;
(xxxii) There are no contracts or other documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required;
(xxxiii) All United States federal tax returns and state tax returns required to be filed by the Company and its subsidiaries in all jurisdictions in which the Company or its subsidiaries are incorporated or formed or are qualified to do business have been timely and duly filed, or the Company and its subsidiaries have requested and received extensions thereof, other than those filings being contested in good faith, and except where the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Other than as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no tax returns of the Company and its subsidiaries that are currently being audited by state, local or federal taxing authorities or agencies (and with respect to which the Company or its subsidiaries has received notice). All material taxes, including withholding taxes, penalties and interest, assessments, fees and other charges due or claimed to be due to such entities (and with respect to which the Company or its subsidiaries have received notice), have been paid, other than those being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided or those currently payable without penalty or interest;
(xxxiv) Except as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no related party transactions that would be required to be disclosed therein by Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Act and any such related party transactions described therein are accurately described in all material respects;
(xxxv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries maintains or contributes to, or otherwise has any current or contingent liability with respect to, an employee benefit plan that is subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”), or Section 412 of the Internal
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Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”); no non-exempt prohibited transaction has occurred, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, for which the Company or any of its subsidiaries would have any material liability;
(xxxvi) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with ERISA, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Employee Benefit Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party with respect to the Employee Benefit Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened;
(xxxvii) Except as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company or its subsidiaries and any person (A) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company, any subsidiary of the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this offering; or (B) granting such person the right to require the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Act;
(xxxviii) The holders of outstanding shares of the Company’s capital stock are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Shares that have not been complied with or otherwise effectively waived; none of the outstanding shares of Stock were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company; there are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have securities of the Company registered under the Act other than as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package; there are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than those described in the Pricing Disclosure Package; and the description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, included in the Pricing Disclosure Package fairly presents in all material respects the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights;
(xxxix) None of the Company, its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of their respective affiliates does business with any court, administrative agency, regulatory body, commission or other governmental authority, board, bureau or instrumentality, domestic or foreign, any subdivision thereof, or with any individual, corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, estate, trust, business association, organization or other entity located in any country that is the subject of the economic sanctions or programs of the United States as 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 of the Shares, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to its subsidiaries or any joint venture partner or other person or entity, in a manner that violates any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC;
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(xxxx) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and the Subsidiaries conduct business, the applicable 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 or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened;
(xxxxi) The statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package under the captions “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Regulatory Matters” and “Business—Regulatory Matters,” insofar as such statements describe the federal, state and administrative healthcare laws, rules and regulations which are applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries, accurately and fairly summarize in all material respects such laws, rules and regulations;
(xxxxii) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries (i) in the past and currently is in compliance with, and conducts its respective business, including, but not limited to, any arrangements with physician groups, other professional service providers and clinical laboratories, in conformity with, all applicable federal, state and local healthcare laws, rules and regulations applicable to it or to its operations, including, without limitation, the Federal Exclusion Law (42 C.F.R 1320a-7), the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b) and any similar state anti-kickback statute, the Stark Law (42 U.S.C. § 1395nn) and any similar state physician self-referral law, the Federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a–7a), the Federal False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729) and related state or local statutes, federal and state laws relating to health information privacy including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) as amended by the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”) and their implementing regulations, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111–148) as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111–152) and the regulations adopted thereunder, in each case except where the failure to so comply or conform would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and (ii) possesses all licenses, permits, certificates, consents, orders, approvals and other authorizations from, and has made all declarations and filings with, all governmental agencies or bodies, presently required or necessary to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and to carry on its businesses as now or proposed to be conducted as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package (“Permits”), except where the failure to possess such Permits would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has fulfilled and performed all of its obligations with respect to such Permits, except where the failure to perform such obligations would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. No event has occurred which allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination of any such Permit or has resulted, or after notice or lapse of time would result, in any other material impairment of the rights of the holder of any such Permit, except where such revocation or termination would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
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(xxxxiii) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received reimbursement for the provision of services from a Federal Health Care Program, as that term is defined at 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(f), during the six year period preceding the date hereof;
(xxxxiv) The Company and its subsidiaries are not currently, nor have they been in the past: (A) subject to a corporate integrity agreement, deferred prosecution agreement, consent decree, settlement agreement or similar agreement or order with a governmental agency mandating or prohibiting future or past activities related to fraud and abuse; or (B) to the Company’s knowledge, under investigation by the Department of Justice, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, any state Attorney General, state Medicaid Agency, or qui tam relator for fraud and abuse or related issues. The Company and its subsidiaries have not engaged in any activity constituting fraud or abuse under any applicable law relating to healthcare insurance or reimbursement;
(xxxxv) The making and performance of the agreements executed in connection with the Private Share Exchange (as such term is defined in the Registration Statement) were duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and (A) did not conflict with or result in a material breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a material default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease 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, (B) did not violate any of the provisions of the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, or the organizational documents of any subsidiary, (C) did not violate any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, and (D) did not require any consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court, governmental agency or body or third party. The consummation of a short-form merger in accordance with Nevada law by the Company to acquire 100 percent of the capital stock of AAC (the “Merger”) following the public offering of the Shares does not require any consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court, governmental agency or body or third party except, in the case of the issuance of shares of Stock to holders of AAC capital stock in connection with the Merger, the registration of such shares under the Act and any applicable state securities laws, and the listing of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Following the consummation of the Merger, the Company will own directly 100 percent of the capital stock of AAC, free and clear of any liens, encumbrances and defects; and
(xxxxvi) The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, any Reserved Shares with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a client, supplier or business partner of the Company or any of its subsidiaries to alter the client’s, supplier’s or partner’s level or type of business with the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its business.
2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price per share of $[ ], the number of Firm Shares (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be sold by the Company by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Firm 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 Firm Shares to be purchased by all of the Underwriters from the Company hereunder
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and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional 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 Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.
The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to [ ] Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering sales of shares in excess of the number of Firm Shares. Any such election to purchase Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement and setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice. The Company shall not declare any dividends or distributions payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Optional Shares.
3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.
4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company and the Representatives, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the “Designated Office”). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 8:30 a.m., Central time, on [ ], 2014 or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 8:30 a.m., Central time, on the date specified by the Representatives in the written notice given by the Representatives of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the “First Time of Delivery,” such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the “Second Time of Delivery,” and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a “Time of Delivery.”
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8(k) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Sidley Austin LLP at One South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 (the “Closing Location”), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 2:30 p.m., Central time, on the Banking Business Day immediately preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto.
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5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Time of Delivery which shall be reasonably disapproved by the Representatives promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus relating to the Shares or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;
(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or subject itself to taxation in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise subject to taxation on the date hereof;
(c) Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Banking Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement (or at such later time as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters) and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or 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 when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives (after consultation with outside counsel to the Underwriters), for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, and in case any
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Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(d) To make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);
(e)(1) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), not to (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase any shares of Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Representatives (other than (A) the Shares to be sold to the Underwriters hereunder, (B) the issuance of options, restricted stock units, restricted stock or other equity awards to acquire shares of Stock granted pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive plans that are described in the Prospectus, as such plans may be amended, (C) the issuance of shares of Stock upon the exercise of any such options, restricted stock units or other equity awards to acquire shares of Stock, (D) the filing by the Company of registration statements on Form S-8 with respect to the Company’s benefit plans that are referred to in the Prospectus, (E) the filing by the Company of a registration statement on Form S-4 with respect to Stock to be issued in the Merger and the issuance of such Stock in the Merger, and (F) the issuance by the Company of shares of Stock in an amount up to 5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of Stock in connection with a merger, acquisition or other transaction, but only if the holders of such equity awards or shares of Stock issued under (B) and (F) above agree to execute a lock-up letter described in Section 8(i) hereof (to the extent such holder has not previously signed a lock-up letter);
(e)(2) If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up letter described in Section 8(i) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Annex II hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(f) For so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, to furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning
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with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail, provided that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this subsection by making such reports or information available on its website or by electronically filing such information through the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) as long as such posting or filing complies with the Exchange Act;
(g) During a period of three years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, to furnish to the Representatives copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to deliver to the Representatives (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission), provided that, if any such information would, if disclosed, result in a violation of Regulation FD, then such disclosure would be conditioned upon the Representatives agreeing to keep such information confidential and provided, further, that any information or documents available on EDGAR shall be considered furnished for purposes of this Section 5(g);
(h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, and to cause its subsidiaries to use any net proceeds received from the Company, in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”;
(i) To use its reasonable best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”);
(j) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;
(k) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Act;
(l) Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Shares (the “License”); provided, however, that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred;
(m) To promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Shares within the meaning of the Act and (ii) completion of the Lock-Up Period; and
(n) To use its reasonable best efforts to enforce the provisions of that certain State Settlement Agreement dated August 15, 2014 among AAC, James D. Bevell, Jr. (“Bevell”) and AJG Solutions, Inc. (together with the related Agreement for Conveyance of Marks, Telephone Numbers and Domain Names dated August 15, 2014 between AAC and AJG Solutions, Inc., the “State Settlement
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Agreement”) and that certain Federal Settlement Agreement dated August 15, 2014 among AAC, Bevell and AJG Solutions, Inc. (together with the related Irrevocable Stock Power dated August 15, 2014 by Bevell, the “Federal Settlement Agreement”) against Bevell and AJG Solutions, Inc., including, without limitation, imposing a stop transfer instruction with AAC’s transfer agent against any sale, pledge, transfer or other disposition (or attempted sale, pledge, transfer or other disposition) by Bevell, at any time during the Lock-Up Period, of any shares of AAC common stock held by Bevell to any person other than AAC. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall agree to amend the provisions of the State Settlement Agreement or the Federal Settlement Agreement without the prior written consent of the Representatives.
6. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives is listed on Schedule II(a) hereto;
(b) The Company represents and agrees that (i) it has not engaged in, or authorized any other person to engage in, any Section 5(d) Communications, other than Section 5(d) Communications with the prior consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Act; and (ii) it has not distributed, or authorized any other person to distribute, any Section 5(d) Writings, other than those distributed with the prior consent of the Representatives that are listed on Schedule II(b) hereto;
(c) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and the Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions under Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show;
(d) Each Underwriter represents and agrees that any Section 5(d) Communications undertaken by it were with entities that are qualified institutional buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Act; and
(e) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Section 5(d) Writing any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Section 5(d) Writing would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or would cause the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus to include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein (in the case of the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing) not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Section 5(d) Writing or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Section 5(d) Writing made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
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7. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or reproducing any agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky survey, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of one counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey (which shall not exceed $5,000); (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the Exchange; (v) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Shares (which fees and disbursements of counsel shall not exceed $30,000); (vi) the preparation, printing and distribution of one or more versions of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus for distribution in Canada, in the form of a Canadian “wrapper” (including related fees and disbursements of Canadian counsel to the Underwriters, which disbursement shall not exceed $10,000); (vii) the cost of preparing stock certificates, if applicable; (viii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Shares, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show; (x) all costs, fees and expenses (including reasonable legal fees of counsel for the Underwriters which shall not exceed $10,000) incurred by the Underwriters in connection with matters related to the Reserved Shares which are designated by the Company for sale to Invitees; and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section 7, and Sections 9 and 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, any advertising expenses connected with any offers they make, and any of their costs and expenses incurred for the account of the Underwriters related to any “road show” presentations.
8. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct (the determination of whether such representations and warranties are true and correct being made at the discretion of the Representatives), the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within
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the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 433; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;
(b) Sidley Austin LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion and negative assurance letter, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, with respect to the matters you may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;
(c) Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you its written opinion and negative assurance letter (in the form attached hereto as Annex III), dated such Time of Delivery;
(d) Ballard Spahr LLP, special counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you its written opinion (in the form attached hereto as Annex IV), dated such Time of Delivery;
(e) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 8:30 a.m., Central time, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, BDO USA, LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto;
(f)(i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Disclosure Package any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Disclosure Package there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package, including, without limitation, the conversion of the note representing the Greenhouse Loan (as defined in the Pricing Disclosure Package) to a permanent term loan (as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package), the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the Representatives’ reasonable judgment so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
(g) On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence
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of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in the Representatives’ reasonable judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
(h) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange;
(i) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of a lock-up letter from the stockholders, officers and directors of the Company and the Invitees listed on Schedule III hereto, in the form attached hereto as Annex V;
(j) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the Banking Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement; and
(k) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Representatives at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company reasonably satisfactory to you (i) as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, (ii) as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, (iii) as to the fact that no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, (iv) as to the matters set forth in subsection (f) of this Section 8, (v) as to the absence of any Material Adverse Effect since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus and (vi) as to such other matters as you may reasonably request.
9. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or any Section 5(d) Writing, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the Preliminary Prospectus, Pricing Disclosure Package or Prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made), not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any Section 5(d) Writing, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise
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out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any Section 5(d) Writing, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, (in the case of the Preliminary Prospectus, Pricing Disclosure Package or Prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made), not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any Section 5(d) Writing, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under Sections 9(a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party under such subsection, except to the extent that the indemnifying party has been actually and materially prejudiced by such failure. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 9(a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is
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appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (net of underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting other expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9(d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 9(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this Section 9(d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9(d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this Section 9(d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
(e) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) (i) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any prospectus wrapper or other material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Invitees in connection with the offering of the Reserved Shares, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any prospectus wrapper or such other material in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; or (ii) arising out of or based upon the failure of any Invitee to pay for and accept delivery of Reserved Shares which have been orally confirmed for purchase by any Invitee by 8:00 a.m. (Central time) on the first business day after the date of this Agreement.
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(f) The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act, including, without limitation, the officers, directors, partners and members of each such Underwriter and its broker-dealer affiliates; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company (including any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to become a director of the Company) and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
10. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, the Representatives may in their discretion arrange for a Representative or another party or other parties to purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter the Representatives do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to the Representatives to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, the Representatives notify the Company that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies the Representatives that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in the Representatives’ reasonable opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives or the Company as provided in Section 10(a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives or the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
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11. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
12. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason (other than the failure of the conditions set forth in Section 8(g)(i), (iii), (iv) or (v)), any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through the Representatives for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by the Representatives, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof.
13. In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by the Representatives and any action under this Agreement taken by the Representatives jointly will be binding upon all of the Underwriters.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to you as the Representatives in care of William Blair & Company, L.L.C., 222 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60606, Attention: General Counsel, Facsimile: (312) ###-###-####; if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth on the cover of the Registration Statement, Attention: General Counsel and Secretary, Facsimile: (615) ###-###-#### (with copies to those parties specified thereon); and if to any stockholder, officer or director of the Company that has delivered a lock-up letter described in Section 8(i) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail to his or her respective address provided in Schedule III hereto or such other address as such stockholder, officer or director provides in writing to the Company; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be in writing and shall be delivered or sent by mail to such Underwriter at William Blair & Company, L.L.C., 222 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60606, Attention: General Counsel; Raymond James & Associates, Inc., 800 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716, Attention: Managing Director, Legal, Equity Capital Markets Division; or Avondale Partners, LLC, 3102 West End Avenue, Suite 1100, Nashville, TN 37203, Attention: Chief Executive Officer. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
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14. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 9 and 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
15. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business and “Banking Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
16. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
17. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters’ research analysts and research departments are required to be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriters’ research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company and/or the offering that differ from the views of their respective investment banking divisions. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Company by such Underwriters’ investment banking divisions. The Company acknowledges that each of the Underwriters is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may be engaged in a broad range of transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies that may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
18. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
19. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY MATTERS RELATED TO THIS TRANSACTION SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE APPLICATION OF ANY LAW OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. The
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Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or your engagement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts.
20. The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
21. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
22. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.
23. If any term or other provision of this Agreement shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the other provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby, and there shall be deemed substituted for the provision at issue a valid, legal and enforceable provision as similar as possible to the provision at issue.
24. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the provisions of this Agreement may be amended or waived at any time only by the written agreement of the parties hereto. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind or character on the part of any such holders of any provision or condition of this Agreement must be made in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in writing. The failure of any party hereto to enforce at any time any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver of such provision, nor in any way to affect the validity of this Agreement or any part hereof or the right of any party thereafter to enforce each and every such provision. No waiver of any breach of this Agreement shall be held to constitute a waiver of any other or subsequent breach.
[Signature Page Follows]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us [ ] counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| AAC HOLDINGS, INC. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Michael T. Cartwright | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | |
Accepted as of the date hereof:
WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY, L.L.C.
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: |
RAYMOND JAMES & ASSOCIATES, INC.
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: |
On behalf of each of the Underwriters
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SCHEDULE I
| Underwriter | Total Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased | Number of Optional Shares to be Purchased if Maximum Option Exercised | ||
| William Blair & Company, L.L.C. | ||||
| Raymond James & Associates, Inc. | ||||
| Avondale Partners, LLC | ||||
| Total | ||||
|
|
|
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SCHEDULE II
(a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses:
[ ]
(b) Section 5(d) Writings:
[ ]
(c) Information other than the Pricing Prospectus that comprise the Pricing Disclosure Package:
The initial public offering price per share for the Shares is $[ ]
The number of Shares purchased by the Underwriters is [ ].
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SCHEDULE III
| Name | Address |
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