EVERGREENENERGY INC. CERTIFICATEOF DESIGNATION OF PREFERENCES, RIGHTSAND LIMITATIONS OF SERIESBCONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK PURSUANTTO SECTION 151 OF THE DELAWAREGENERAL CORPORATION LAW

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EX-4.1 2 exh4-1.htm CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION OF PREFERENCES, RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS OF SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK exh4-1.htm
Exhibit 4.1
 
EXHIBIT A

EVERGREEN ENERGY INC.

CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION OF PREFERENCES,
RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS
OF
SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK

PURSUANT TO SECTION 151 OF THE
DELAWARE GENERAL CORPORATION LAW

        The undersigned, Thomas B. Stoner and William G. Laughlin, do hereby certify that:

                1. They are the President and Secretary, respectively, of Evergreen Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”).

                2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, none of which have been issued.

                3. The following resolutions were duly adopted by the board of directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”):

        WHEREAS, the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation provides for a class of its authorized stock known as preferred stock, consisting of 20,000,000 shares, $0.001 par value per share, issuable from time to time in one or more series;

        WHEREAS, the Board of Directors is authorized to fix the dividend rights, dividend rate, voting rights, conversion rights, rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences of any wholly unissued series of preferred stock and the number of shares constituting any series and the designation thereof, of any of them; and

        WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Board of Directors, pursuant to its authority as aforesaid, to fix the rights, preferences, restrictions and other matters relating to a series of the preferred stock, which shall consist of, except as otherwise set forth in the Purchase Agreement, up to 6,973.38 shares of the preferred stock which the Corporation has the authority to issue, as follows:

        NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors does hereby provide for the issuance of a series of preferred stock for cash or exchange of other securities, rights or property and does hereby fix and determine the rights, preferences, restrictions and other matters relating to such series of preferred stock as follows:

 
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TERMS OF PREFERRED STOCK

Section 1.     Definitions. For the purposes hereof, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Alternate Consideration” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(e).
 
Bankruptcy Event” means any of the following events: (a) the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X) thereof commences a case or other proceeding under any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment of debt, relief of debtors, dissolution, insolvency or liquidation or similar law of any jurisdiction relating to the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof, (b) there is commenced against the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof any such case or proceeding that is not dismissed within 60 days after commencement, (c) the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof is adjudicated insolvent or bankrupt or any order of relief or other order approving any such case or proceeding is entered, (d) the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof suffers any appointment of any custodian or the like for it or any substantial part of its property that is not discharged or stayed within 60 calendar days after such appointment, (e) the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, (f) the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof calls a meeting of its creditors with a view to arranging a composition, adjustment or restructuring of its debts, or (g) the Corporation or any Significant Subsidiary thereof, by any act or failure to act, expressly indicates its consent to, approval of or acquiescence in any of the foregoing or takes any corporate or other action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing.

Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(d).
 
Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.

Buy-In” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(c)(iv).

Change of Control Transaction” means the occurrence after the date hereof of any of (a) an acquisition after the date hereof by an individual or legal entity or “group” (as described in Rule 13d-5(b)(1) promulgated under the Exchange Act) of effective

 
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control (whether through legal or beneficial ownership of capital stock of the Corporation, by contract or otherwise) of in excess of 33% of the voting securities of the Corporation (other than by means of conversion or exercise of Preferred Stock and the Securities issued together with the Preferred Stock), (b) the Corporation merges into or consolidates with any other Person, or any Person merges into or consolidates with the Corporation and, after giving effect to such transaction, the stockholders of the Corporation immediately prior to such transaction own less than 66% of the aggregate voting power of the Corporation or the successor entity of such transaction, (c) the Corporation sells or transfers all or substantially all of its assets to another Person, (d) a replacement at one time or within a one year period of more than one-half of the members of the Board of Directors which is not approved by a majority of those individuals who are members of the Board of Directors on the Original Issue Date (or by those individuals who are serving as members of the Board of Directors on any date whose nomination to the Board of Directors was approved by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors who are members on the Original Issue Date), or (e) the execution by the Corporation of an agreement to which the Corporation  is a party or by which it is bound, providing for any of the events set forth in clauses (a) through (d) above.

Closing” means the closing of the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to Section 2.1 of the Purchase Agreement.

Closing Date” means the Trading Day on which all of the Transaction Documents have been executed and delivered by the applicable parties thereto and all conditions precedent to (i) each Holder’s obligations to pay the Subscription Amount and (ii) the Corporation’s obligations to deliver the Securities have been satisfied or waived.

Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Common Stock” means the Corporation’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and stock of any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.

Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Corporation or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock.

Conversion Amount” means the sum of the Stated Value at issue.

Conversion Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(a).

Conversion Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(b).

 
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Conversion Shares” means, collectively, the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the shares of Preferred Stock in accordance with the terms hereof.
 
Dividend Payment Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).

Effective Date” means the earlier of the date that (a) all of the Conversion Shares have been registered for resale by the Holders pursuant to a registration statement(s) declared effective by the Commission and (b) all of the Conversion Shares have been sold pursuant to Rule 144 or may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 without the requirement for the Corporation to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions.

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 “Fundamental Transaction” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(e).

GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles.

Holder” shall mean each holder of a share of Preferred Stock.

Indebtedness” means (a) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $200,000 (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (b) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Corporation’s balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business, and (c) the present value of any lease payments in excess of $200,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP.

Junior Securities” means the Common Stock and all other Common Stock Equivalents of the Corporation other than those securities which are explicitly senior or pari passu to the Preferred Stock in dividend rights or liquidation preference.

Liens” means a lien, charge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction.
 
Liquidation” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.

Make-Whole Payment” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).

New York Courts” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d).

Notice of Conversion” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(a).

 
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 “Original Issue Date” means the date of the first issuance of any shares of the Preferred Stock regardless of the number of transfers of any particular shares of Preferred Stock and regardless of the number of certificates which may be issued to evidence such Preferred Stock.

 “Permitted Indebtedness” means (a) the Indebtedness existing on the Original Issue Date and set forth on Schedule 3.1(aa) attached to the Purchase Agreement (“Existing Indebtedness”); (b) any replacement, refinance, or restructuring of any Existing Indebtedness (provided, however, that in connection with any such replacement, refinance or restructuring, the Corporation may not, prior to the later of December 1, 2009 and the Effective Date, (i) lower the conversion price (through amendment, exchange or otherwise) of any convertible Existing Indebtedness or (ii) issue any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents in exchange for nonconvertible Existing Indebtedness); and (c) lease obligations and purchase money indebtedness of up to $500,000, in the aggregate, incurred in connection with the acquisition of capital assets and lease obligations with respect to newly acquired or leased assets.

 “Permitted Lien” means the individual and collective reference to the following: (a) Liens for taxes, assessments and other governmental charges or levies not yet due or Liens for taxes, assessments and other governmental charges or levies being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves (in the good faith judgment of the management of the Corporation) have been established in accordance with GAAP, (b) Liens imposed by law which were incurred in the ordinary course of the Corporation’s business, such as carriers’, warehousemen’s and mechanics’ Liens, statutory landlords’ Liens, and other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of the Corporation’s business, and which (x) do not individually or in the aggregate materially detract from the value of such property or assets or materially impair the use thereof in the operation of the business of the Corporation and its consolidated Subsidiaries or (y) are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, which proceedings have the effect of preventing for the foreseeable future the forfeiture or sale of the property or asset subject to such Lien, (c) Liens incurred in connection with Permitted Indebtedness under clause (a) thereunder, and (d) Liens incurred in connection with Permitted Indebtedness under clause (b) thereunder, provided that such Liens are not secured by assets of the Corporation or its Subsidiaries other than the assets so acquired or leased.

Permitted Transaction” shall mean (i) the Corporation’s contemplated offering pursuant to a universal shelf registration statement for $50,000,000 or (ii) the sale of all or substantially all the assets or sale of all or substantially all of the outstanding equity held by the Company of Buckeye Industrial Mining Co. (“Buckeye”) to an unaffiliated and unrelated Person so long as the Corporation together with its Subsidiaries continues to have bona fide, substantial and continuing business operations and activities at all times after such sale is consummated, provided that if the Corporation together with its Subsidiaries ceases to have bona fide, substantial and continuing business operations and activities at any time after such sale is consummated such sale shall have never constituted a Permitted Transaction hereunder and each Holder shall be entitled exercise

 
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 all of its rights hereunder that would have been available to such Holder at the time of the consummation of such sale, including, without limitation, any redemption rights under Section 10.

Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
 
Preferred Stock” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.

Purchase Agreement” means the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the Original Issue Date, among the Corporation and the original Holders, as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in accordance with its terms.

Registration Rights Agreement” means the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of the date of the Purchase Agreement, among the Corporation and the original Holders, in the form of Exhibit B attached to the Purchase Agreement.

Registration Statement” means a registration statement meeting the requirements set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement and covering the resale of the Underlying Shares by each Holder as provided for in the Registration Rights Agreement.

Rights Plan” means the stockholder rights plan adopted by the Corporation.

Securities” means the Preferred Stock, the Warrants, the Warrant Shares and the Underlying Shares.

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Series A Preferred” means the Corporation’s Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, of which no shares are outstanding as of the Original Issue Date.

Share Delivery Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(c).

Stated Value” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2, as the same may be increased pursuant to Section 3 and as adjusted for reverse and forward stock splits and the like after the Original Issue Date.

Subscription Amount” shall mean, as to each Holder, the aggregate amount to be paid for the Preferred Stock purchased pursuant to the Purchase Agreement as specified below such Holder’s name on the signature page of the Purchase Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,” in United States dollars and in immediately available funds.

 
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Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Corporation as set forth on Schedule 3.1(a) of the Purchase Agreement and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Corporation formed or acquired after the date of the Purchase Agreement.
 
Successor Entity” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(e).

Trading Day” means a day on which the principal Trading Market is open for business.

Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE, NYSE Arca, AMEX, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, the OTC Bulletin Board or any successors to any of the foregoing.

Transaction Documents” means this Certificate of Designation, the Purchase Agreement, the Warrants, the Registration Rights Agreement, all exhibits and schedules thereto and hereto and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
 
Transfer Agent” means Intrawest Transfer Company, Inc., the current transfer agent of the Corporation, with a mailing address of 1981 East 4800 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84117 and a facsimile number of ###-###-####, and any successor transfer agent of the Corporation.
 
Triggering Event” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 10(a).

Triggering Redemption Amount” means, for each share of Preferred Stock, the sum of (a) the greater of (i) the sum of (1) 130% of the Stated Value, plus (2) accrued and unpaid dividends thereon and (ii) the sum of (1) 130% of the product of (y) the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of the Triggering Event and (z) the Stated Value divided by the then Conversion Price, plus (2) accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, (b) the Make-Whole Payment and (c) all liquidated damages and other costs, expenses or amounts due in respect of the Preferred Stock.

Triggering Redemption Payment Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 10(b).

Underlying Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issued and issuable upon conversion or redemption of the Preferred Stock and upon exercise of the Warrants.
 
 “VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then

 
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listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b)  if the OTC Bulletin Board is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the OTC Bulletin Board, (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported in the “Pink Sheets” published by Pink OTC Markets, Inc. (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holders of 70% in interest of the Securities then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Corporation, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Corporation.

Warrants” means, collectively, the Common Stock purchase warrants delivered to the Holders at the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a) of the Purchase Agreement, which Warrants shall be exercisable immediately and have a term of exercise equal to five years, in the form of Exhibit C attached to the Purchase Agreement.
 
Warrant Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
 
Section 2.     Designation, Amount and Par Value. The series of preferred stock shall be designated as its Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) and the number of shares so designated shall be up to 6,973.38 (which shall not be subject to increase unless approved by the Holders in accordance with Section 4). Each share of Preferred Stock shall have a par value of $0.001 per share and a stated value equal to $1,000, subject to increase set forth in Section 3 below (the “Stated Value”).
 
Section 3.     Dividends.

a)           Dividends in Cash; Make-Whole. Subject to the Make-Whole Payment provision set forth below in this Section 3(a), Holders shall be entitled to receive, and the Corporation shall pay, cumulative dividends at the rate per share (as a percentage of the Stated Value per share) of 5.6597510373444% per annum until October 21, 2014 and 0% per annum thereafter, payable semi-annually on June 30 and December 31, beginning on December 31, 2009 and on each Conversion Date (with respect only to Preferred Stock being converted) (each such date, a “Dividend Payment Date”) (if any Dividend Payment Date is not a Trading Day, the applicable payment shall be due on the next succeeding Trading Day) in cash; provided, however, upon the conversion of Preferred Stock prior to October 21, 2014, the Corporation shall pay to the Holders of the Preferred Stock so converted cash with respect to the Preferred Stock so converted in an amount equal to U.S. $282.99 per $1,000 stated value of the Preferred Stock, less the amount of any dividend paid on such Preferred Stock before the relevant Conversion Date (the “Make-Whole Payment”).
 
 
 

 
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b)           Dividend Calculations. Dividends on the Preferred Stock shall be calculated on the basis of a 360-day year, consisting of twelve 30 calendar day periods, and shall accrue daily commencing on the Original Issue Date, and shall be deemed to accrue from such date whether or not earned or declared and whether or not there are profits, surplus or other funds of the Corporation legally available for the payment of dividends.

c)           Late Fees. Any dividends that are not paid within three Trading Days following a Dividend Payment Date shall continue to accrue and shall entail a late fee, which must be paid in cash, at the rate of 18% per annum or the lesser rate permitted by applicable law which shall accrue daily from the Dividend Payment Date through and including the date of actual payment in full.
 
d)           Other Securities. So long as any Preferred Stock shall remain outstanding, and except for the issuance of any Series A Preferred or securities pursuant to the Rights Plan, neither the Corporation nor any Subsidiary thereof shall redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire directly or indirectly any Junior Securities except as expressly permitted by Section 10(a)(ix).  So long as any Preferred Stock shall remain outstanding, neither the Corporation nor any Subsidiary thereof shall directly or indirectly pay or declare any dividend or make any distribution upon (other than a dividend or distribution described in Section 6 or dividends due and paid in the ordinary course on preferred stock of the Corporation at such times when the Corporation is in compliance with its payment and other obligations hereunder), nor shall any distribution be made in respect of, any Junior Securities, nor shall any monies be set aside for or applied to the purchase or redemption (through a sinking fund or otherwise) of any Junior Securities or shares pari passu with the Preferred Stock.

e)           Special Reserves. The Corporation acknowledges and agrees that the capital of the Corporation (as such term is used in Section 154 of the Delaware General Corporation Law) in respect of the Preferred Stock and any future issuances of the Corporation’s capital stock shall be equal to the aggregate par value of such Preferred Stock or capital stock, as the case may be, and that, on or after the date of the Purchase Agreement, it shall not increase the capital of the Corporation with respect to any shares of the Corporation’s capital stock issued and outstanding on such date.  The Corporation also acknowledges and agrees that it shall not create any special reserves under Section 171 of the Delaware General Corporation Law without the prior written consent of each Holder.

Section 4.     Voting Rights. Except as otherwise provided herein or as otherwise required by law, the Preferred Stock shall have no voting rights. However, as long as any shares of Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Corporation shall not, without the affirmative vote of the Holders of 70% of the then outstanding shares of the Preferred Stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the Preferred Stock or alter or amend this Certificate of Designation, (b) authorize or create any class of stock ranking as to dividends, redemption or distribution of assets upon a Liquidation (as defined in Section 5) senior to, or
 
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otherwise pari passu with, the Preferred Stock, (c) amend its certificate of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the Holders, (d) increase the number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock, or (e) enter into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing.
 
Section 5.     Liquidation. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary (a “Liquidation”), the Holders shall be entitled to receive out of the assets, whether capital or surplus, of the Corporation an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Stated Value plus accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, plus (ii) the Make-Whole Payment, plus (iii) any other fees or liquidated damages then due and owing thereon under this Certificate of Designation, for each share of Preferred Stock before any distribution or payment shall be made to the holders of any Junior Securities, and if the assets of the Corporation shall be insufficient to pay in full such amounts, then the entire assets to be distributed to the Holders shall be ratably distributed among the Holders in accordance with the respective amounts that would be payable on such shares if all amounts payable thereon were paid in full.  A Fundamental Transaction or Change of Control Transaction shall not be deemed a Liquidation. The Corporation shall mail written notice of any such Liquidation, not less than 45 days prior to the payment date stated therein, to each Holder.

Section 6.     Conversion.

a)           Conversions at Option of Holder. Each share of Preferred Stock shall be convertible, at any time and from time to time from and after the Original Issue Date at the option of the Holder thereof, into that number of shares of Common Stock (subject to the limitations set forth in Section 6(d)) determined by dividing the Stated Value of such share of Preferred Stock by the Conversion Price. Holders shall effect conversions by providing the Corporation with the form of conversion notice attached hereto as Annex A (a “Notice of Conversion”) in the manner provided in Section 11(a) of this Certificate of Designations. Each Notice of Conversion shall specify the number of shares of Preferred Stock to be converted, the number of shares of Preferred Stock owned prior to the conversion at issue, the number of shares of Preferred Stock owned subsequent to the conversion at issue and the date on which such conversion is to be effected, which date may not be prior to the date the applicable Holder delivers such Notice of Conversion to the Corporation (such date, the “Conversion Date”). If no Conversion Date is specified in a Notice of Conversion, the Conversion Date shall be the date that such Notice of Conversion to the Corporation is deemed delivered hereunder. The calculations and entries set forth in the Notice of Conversion shall control in the absence of manifest or mathematical error.  To effect conversions of shares of Preferred Stock, a Holder shall not be required to surrender the certificate(s) representing the shares of Preferred Stock to the Corporation, unless all of the shares of Preferred Stock represented thereby are so converted, in which case such Holder shall deliver the certificate representing such shares of Preferred Stock promptly following the Conversion Date at issue (it being understood and agreed that delivery of such certificate shall not be a condition to effecting a conversion).  Shares of Preferred Stock converted into Common Stock or redeemed in accordance with the terms hereof shall be canceled and shall not be reissued.  The
 
 
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Corporation shall maintain records showing the number of shares of Preferred Stock converted for each Holder and the applicable Conversion Date. Each Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of a certificate for the Preferred Stock, acknowledges and agrees that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, the number of shares of Preferred Stock represented by such certificate may at any given time be less than the amount stated on the face thereof.

b)           Conversion Price.  The conversion price for the Preferred Stock shall equal $0.6025, subject to adjustment herein (the “Conversion Price”).

 
c)
Mechanics of Conversion

i.           Delivery of Certificate Upon Conversion. Not later than three (3) Trading Days after each Conversion Date (the “Share Delivery Date”), the Corporation shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the converting Holder (A) a certificate or certificates representing the Conversion Shares which, on or after the earlier of (i) the six month anniversary of the Original Issue Date or (ii) the Effective Date, shall be free of restrictive legends and trading restrictions (other than those which may then be required by the Purchase Agreement) representing the number of Conversion Shares being acquired upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock and (B) a bank check in the amount of accrued and unpaid dividends. On or after the earlier of (i) the six month anniversary of the Original Issue Date or (ii) the Effective Date, the Corporation shall use its best efforts to deliver any certificate or certificates required to be delivered by the Corporation under this Section 6 electronically through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions.

ii.           Failure to Deliver Certificates.  If, in the case of any Notice of Conversion, such certificate or certificates are not delivered to or as directed by the applicable Holder by the second Trading Day following the Share Delivery Date, the Holder shall be entitled to elect by written notice to the Corporation at any time on or before its receipt of such certificate or certificates, to rescind such Conversion, in which event the Corporation shall promptly return to the Holder any original Preferred Stock certificate delivered to the Corporation and the Holder shall promptly return to the Corporation the Common Stock certificates issued to such Holder pursuant to the rescinded Conversion Notice; provided that such rescission shall not effect the Corporation’s obligations to make any payments which have accrued prior to the date of such notice of rescission pursuant to Section 6(c)(iii) or otherwise.
 
iii.           Obligation Absolute; Partial Liquidated Damages.  The Corporation’s obligation to issue and deliver the Conversion Shares upon conversion of Preferred Stock in accordance with the terms hereof are absolute and unconditional, irrespective of any action or inaction by a Holder to enforce the same, any waiver or consent with respect to any provision hereof, the recovery

 
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of any judgment against any Person or any action to enforce the same, or any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, limitation or termination, or any breach or alleged breach by such Holder or any other Person of any obligation to the Corporation or any violation or alleged violation of law by such Holder or any other person, and irrespective of any other circumstance which might otherwise limit such obligation of the Corporation to such Holder in connection with the issuance of such Conversion Shares; provided, however, that such delivery shall not operate as a waiver by the Corporation of any such action that the Corporation may have against such Holder.  In the event a Holder shall elect to convert any or all of the Stated Value of its Preferred Stock, the Corporation may not refuse conversion based on any claim that such Holder or any one associated or affiliated with such Holder has been engaged in any violation of law, agreement or for any other reason, unless an injunction from a court, on notice to Holder, restraining and/or enjoining conversion of all or part of the Preferred Stock of such Holder shall have been sought and obtained, and the Corporation posts a surety bond for the benefit of such Holder in the amount of 150% of the Stated Value of Preferred Stock which is subject to the injunction, which bond shall remain in effect until the completion of arbitration/litigation of the underlying dispute and the proceeds of which shall be payable to such Holder to the extent it obtains judgment.  In the absence of such injunction, the Corporation shall issue Conversion Shares and, if applicable, cash, upon a properly noticed conversion. If the Corporation fails to deliver to a Holder such certificate or certificates pursuant to Section 6(c)(i) on the second Trading Day after the Share Delivery Date applicable to such conversion, the Corporation shall pay to such Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Stated Value of Preferred Stock being converted, $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the third Trading Day and increasing to $40 per Trading Day on the sixth Trading Day after such damages begin to accrue) for each Trading Day after such second Trading Day after the Share Delivery Date until such certificates are delivered or Holder rescinds such conversion.  Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue actual damages or declare a Triggering Event pursuant to Section 10 hereof for the Corporation’s failure to deliver Conversion Shares within the period specified herein and such Holder shall have the right to pursue all remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief.  The exercise of any such rights shall not prohibit a Holder from seeking to enforce damages pursuant to any other Section hereof or under applicable law.
 
iv.           Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Certificates Upon Conversion. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Corporation fails for any reason to deliver to a Holder the applicable certificate or certificates by the Share Delivery Date pursuant to Section 6(c)(i), and if after the Share Delivery Date such Holder is required by its brokerage firm to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise), or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale

 
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by such Holder of the Conversion Shares which such Holder was entitled to receive upon the conversion relating to such Share Delivery Date (a “Buy-In”), then the Corporation shall (A) pay in cash to such Holder (in addition to any other remedies available to or elected by such Holder) the amount, if any, by which (x) such Holder’s total purchase price (including any brokerage commissions) for the Common Stock so purchased exceeds (y) the product of (1) the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that such Holder was entitled to receive from the conversion at issue multiplied by (2) the actual sale price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed (including any brokerage commissions) and (B) at the option of such Holder, either reissue (if surrendered) the shares of Preferred Stock equal to the number of shares of Preferred Stock submitted for conversion (in which case, such conversion shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to such Holder the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued if the Corporation had timely complied with its delivery requirements under Section 6(c)(i). For example, if a Holder purchases shares of Common Stock having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted conversion of shares of Preferred Stock with respect to which the actual sale price of the Conversion Shares (including any brokerage commissions) giving rise to such purchase obligation was a total of $10,000 under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence, the Corporation shall be required to pay such Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Corporation written notice indicating the amounts payable to such Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Corporation, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Corporation’s failure to timely deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock upon conversion of the shares of Preferred Stock as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
 
v.           Reservation of Shares Issuable Upon Conversion. The Corporation covenants that it will at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock for the sole purpose of issuance upon conversion of the Preferred Stock, as herein provided, free from preemptive rights or any other actual contingent purchase rights of Persons other than the Holder (and the other holders of the Preferred Stock), not less than such aggregate number of shares of the Common Stock as shall (subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement) be issuable (taking into account the adjustments of Section 7) upon the conversion of the then outstanding shares of Preferred Stock (the “Required Reserve Amount”).  The Corporation covenants that all shares of Common Stock that shall be so issuable shall, upon issue, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and, if the Registration Statement is then effective under the Securities Act, shall be registered for public resale in accordance with such Registration Statement (subject to such Holder’s compliance with its obligations under the Registration

 
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Rights Agreement).  If, notwithstanding the foregoing, and not in limitation thereof, at any time while any shares of Preferred Stock remain outstanding the Corporation does not have a sufficient number of authorized and unreserved shares of Common Stock to satisfy its obligation to have available for issuance upon conversion of Preferred Stock at least a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Required Reserve Amount (an “Authorized Share Failure”), then the Corporation shall immediately take all action necessary to increase the Corporation’s authorized shares of Common Stock to an amount sufficient to allow the Corporation to have available the Required Reserve Amount for all shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding, including, without limitation, the prompt calling and holding of a meeting of shareholders to approve an increase in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock. In connection with such meeting, the Corporation shall provide each shareholder with a proxy statement and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to solicit its shareholders’ approval of such increase in authorized shares of Common Stock and to cause its board of directors to recommend to the shareholders that they approve such proposal.

vi.           Fractional Shares. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock.   As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such conversion, the Corporation shall at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Conversion Price or round up to the next whole share.

vii.           Transfer Taxes.  The issuance of certificates for shares of the Common Stock on conversion of this Preferred Stock shall be made without charge to any Holder for any documentary stamp or similar taxes that may be payable in respect of the issue or delivery of such certificates, provided that the Corporation shall not be required to pay any tax that may be payable in respect of any transfer involved in the issuance and delivery of any such certificate upon conversion in a name other than that of the Holders of such shares of Preferred Stock and the Corporation shall not be required to issue or deliver such certificates unless or until the Person or Persons requesting the issuance thereof shall have paid to the Corporation the amount of such tax or shall have established to the satisfaction of the Corporation that such tax has been paid.

d)           Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The Corporation shall not effect any conversion of the Preferred Stock, and a Holder shall not have the right to convert any portion of the Preferred Stock, to the extent that, after giving effect to the conversion set forth on the applicable Notice of Conversion, such Holder (together with such Holder’s Affiliates, and any Persons acting as a group together with such Holder or any of such Holder’s Affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below).  For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such Holder and its Affiliates shall

 
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include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Stock with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which are issuable upon (i) conversion of the remaining, unconverted Stated Value of Preferred Stock beneficially owned by such Holder or any of its Affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Corporation  subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein (including, without limitation, the Preferred Stock or the Warrants) beneficially owned by such Holder or any of its Affiliates.  Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 6(d), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.  To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 6(d) applies, the determination of whether the Preferred Stock is convertible (in relation to other securities owned by such Holder together with any Affiliates) and of how many shares of Preferred Stock are convertible shall be in the sole discretion of such Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Conversion shall be deemed to be such Holder’s determination of whether the shares of Preferred Stock may be converted (in relation to other securities owned by such Holder together with any Affiliates) and how many shares of the Preferred Stock are convertible, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. To ensure compliance with this restriction, each Holder will be deemed to represent to the Corporation each time it delivers a Notice of Conversion that such Notice of Conversion has not violated the restrictions set forth in this paragraph and the Corporation shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination.  In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.  For purposes of this Section 6(d), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as stated in the most recent of the following: (i) the Corporation’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (ii) a more recent public announcement by the Corporation or (iii) a more recent written notice by the Corporation or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding.  Upon the written request of a Holder, the Corporation shall within two Trading Days confirm orally and in writing to such Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding.  In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Corporation, including the Preferred Stock, by such Holder or its Affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 9.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of Preferred Stock held by the applicable Holder.  A Holder, upon not less than 61 days’ prior notice to the Corporation, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 6(d) applicable to its Preferred Stock provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock

 
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upon conversion of this Preferred Stock held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 6(d) shall continue to apply.  Any such increase or decrease will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Corporation and shall only apply to such Holder and no other Holder.  The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 6(d) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation contained herein or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of Preferred Stock.

Section 7.     Certain Adjustments.

a)           Stock Dividends and Stock Splits.  If the Corporation, at any time while this Preferred Stock is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions payable in shares of Common Stock on shares of Common Stock or any other Common Stock Equivalents (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any shares of Common Stock issued by the Corporation upon conversion of this Preferred Stock), (ii) subdivides outstanding shares of Common Stock into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of a reverse stock split) outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues, in the event of a reclassification of shares of the Common Stock, any shares of capital stock of the Corporation, then the Conversion Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding any treasury shares of the Corporation) outstanding immediately before such event, and of which the denominator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event.  Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 7(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.
 
b)           RESERVED
 
c)           Subsequent Rights Offerings.  If the Corporation, at any time while this Preferred Stock is outstanding, shall issue rights, options or warrants to all holders of Common Stock (and not to the Holders) entitling them to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock at a price per share that is lower than the VWAP on the record date referenced below, then the Conversion Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the denominator shall be the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding on the date of issuance of such rights, options or warrants plus the number of additional shares of Common Stock offered for subscription or purchase, and of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding on the date of issuance of such rights, options or warrants plus the number of shares which the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares so offered (assuming delivery to the Corporation in full of all consideration payable upon exercise of such rights, options or warrants) would

 
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purchase at such VWAP.  Such adjustment shall be made whenever such rights, options or warrants are issued, and shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such rights, options or warrants.
 
d)           Pro Rata Distributions. If the Corporation, at any time while this Preferred Stock is outstanding, distributes to all holders of Common Stock (and not to the Holders) evidences of its indebtedness or assets (including cash and cash dividends) or rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any security, then in each such case the Conversion Price shall be adjusted by multiplying such Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to the record date fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to receive such distribution by a fraction of which the denominator shall be the VWAP determined as of the record date mentioned above, and of which the numerator shall be such VWAP on such record date less the then fair market value at such record date of the portion of such assets or evidence of indebtedness or rights or warrants so distributed applicable to one outstanding share of the Common Stock as determined by the Board of Directors of the Corporation in good faith.  In either case the adjustments shall be described in a statement delivered to the Holders describing the portion of assets or evidences of indebtedness so distributed or such subscription rights applicable to one share of Common Stock.  Such adjustment shall be made whenever any such distribution is made and shall become effective immediately after the record date mentioned above.

e)           Fundamental Transaction.  If, at any time while this Preferred Stock is outstanding, (i) the Corporation, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Corporation with or into another Person, (ii) the Corporation, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Corporation or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, (iv) the Corporation, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, (v) the Corporation, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person whereby such other Person acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares of Common Stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent conversion of this Preferred Stock, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Conversion Share that would have been issuable upon such conversion immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section
 

 
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6(d) on the conversion of this Preferred Stock), the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Corporation, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Preferred Stock is convertible immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 6(d) on the conversion of this Preferred Stock).  For purposes of any such conversion, the determination of the Conversion Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Corporation shall apportion the Conversion Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration.  If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any conversion of this Preferred Stock following such Fundamental Transaction.  To the extent necessary to effectuate the foregoing provisions, any successor to the Corporation or surviving entity in such Fundamental Transaction shall file a new Certificate of Designation with the same terms and conditions and issue to the Holders new preferred stock consistent with the foregoing provisions and evidencing the Holders’ right to convert such preferred stock into Alternate Consideration.  The Corporation shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Corporation is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Corporation under this Certificate of Designation and the other Transaction Documents (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7(e) pursuant to written agreements in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and approved by the Holder (without unreasonable delay) prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the holder of this Preferred Stock, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Preferred Stock a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Preferred Stock which is convertible for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the shares of Common Stock acquirable and receivable upon conversion of this Preferred Stock (without regard to any limitations on the conversion of this Preferred Stock) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with a conversion price which applies the conversion price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such conversion price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Preferred Stock immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction), and which is reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Holder. Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Certificate of Designation and the other Transaction Documents referring to the “Corporation” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right
 

 
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and power of the Corporation and shall assume all of the obligations of the Corporation under this Certificate of Designation and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Corporation herein.  The provisions of this paragraph shall apply similarly and equally to successive Fundamental Transactions and shall be applied as if the Preferred Stock (and any such subsequent preferred stock) were fully convertible and without regard to any limitations on the conversion of Preferred Stock (provided that the Holder shall continue to be entitled to the benefit of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, applied however with respect to shares of capital stock registered under the Exchange Act and thereafter receivable upon conversion of Preferred Stock (or any such other preferred stock)).
 
f)           Calculations.  All calculations under this Section 7 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be.  For purposes of this Section 7, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding any treasury shares of the Corporation) issued and outstanding.

g)           Notice to the Holders.

i.           Adjustment to Conversion Price.  Whenever the Conversion Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 7, the Corporation shall promptly deliver to each Holder a notice setting forth the Conversion Price after such adjustment and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.
 
 
ii.           Notice to Allow Conversion by Holder.  If (A) the Corporation shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Corporation shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Corporation shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock of rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Corporation shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Corporation is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or property or (E) the Corporation shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, then, in each case, the Corporation shall cause to be filed at each office or agency maintained for the purpose of conversion of this Preferred Stock, and shall cause to be delivered to each Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the stock books of the Corporation, at least twenty (20) calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend,

 
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distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of the Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange, provided that the failure to deliver such notice or any defect therein or in the delivery thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice.  To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Corporation or any of the Subsidiaries, the Corporation shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.  The Holder shall remain entitled to convert the Conversion Amount of this Preferred Stock (or any part hereof) during the 20-day period commencing on the date of such notice through the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.
 
                        Section 8.     RESERVED.

Section 9.     Negative Covenants.  As long as any shares of Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Corporation shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

a)           other than Permitted Indebtedness, during the longer of the three month period following the Closing Date or the Effective Date, enter into, create, incur, assume, guarantee or suffer to exist any indebtedness for borrowed money of any kind, including but not limited to, a guarantee, on or with respect to any of its property or assets now owned or hereafter acquired or any interest therein or any income or profits therefrom;
 
b)           other than Permitted Liens, during the longer of the three month period following the Closing Date or the Effective Date, enter into, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Liens of any kind, on or with respect to any of its property or assets now owned or hereafter acquired or any interest therein or any income or profits therefrom;

c)           amend its charter documents, including, without limitation, its certificate of incorporation and bylaws, in any manner that materially and adversely affects any rights of the Holder;

d)           except pursuant to the Rights Plan, repay, repurchase or offer to repay, repurchase or otherwise acquire more than a de minimis number of shares of its Common Stock, Common Stock Equivalents or Junior Securities, other than as to (i) the Conversion Shares or Warrant Shares as permitted or required under the Transaction Documents and (ii) repurchases of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents of departing officers and directors of the Corporation, provided that such repurchases shall

 
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not exceed an aggregate of $100,000 for all officers and directors for so long as the Preferred Stock is outstanding;

e)           except for the Series A Preferred, pay cash dividends or distributions on Junior Securities of the Corporation;

f)           enter into any transaction with any Affiliate of the Corporation which would be required to be disclosed in any public filing with the Commission, unless such transaction is made on an arm’s-length basis and expressly approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Corporation (even if less than a quorum otherwise required for board approval); or

g)           enter into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing.

Section 10.     Redemption Upon Triggering Events.
 
a)           “Triggering Event” means, wherever used herein any of the following events (whatever the reason for such event and whether such event shall be voluntary or involuntary or effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court, or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):

i.              the failure of the initial Registration Statement to be declared effective by the Commission on or prior to the 180th day after the Original Issue Date; provided, however, no such Triggering Event shall be deemed to have occurred if on such date the Holders may resell the Conversion Shares and Warrant Shares (assuming cashless exercise) pursuant to Rule 144 without volume or manner restrictions; provided that if at any time during the period beginning on the 180th day after the Original Issuance until the one year anniversary of the Original Issuance Date, Conversion Shares or Warrant Shares (assuming cashless exercise) may not be sold by the Holder pursuant to Rule 144 due to the Corporation’s failure to satisfy the current public information requirements of Rule 144, and a registration statement covering the resale by the Holder of all of such shares is not effective at such time, a Triggering Event shall be deemed to have occurred at such time.
 
ii.              if, during the Effectiveness Period (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), the effectiveness of the Registration Statement lapses for twenty (20) consecutive days or for more than an aggregate of 60 calendar days (which need not be consecutive calendar days) during any 12 month period, or the Holders shall not otherwise be permitted to resell Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement for twenty (20) consecutive days or for more than an aggregate of 60 calendar days (which need not be consecutive calendar days) during any 12 month period; provided, however, no such Triggering Event shall be deemed to have occurred if during the full duration of any such periods the

 
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Holders may resell the Conversion Shares and Warrant Shares (assuming cashless exercise) pursuant to Rule 144 without volume or manner restrictions;

iii.              the Corporation shall fail to deliver certificates representing Conversion Shares issuable upon a conversion hereunder that comply with the provisions hereof prior to the fifth Trading Day after such shares are required to be delivered hereunder, or the Corporation shall provide written notice to any Holder, including by way of public announcement, at any time, of its intention not to comply with requests for conversion of any shares of Preferred Stock in accordance with the terms hereof;

iv.              one of the Events (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) described in subsections (i), (ii) or (iii) of Section 2(d) of the Registration Rights Agreement shall not have been cured to the satisfaction of the Holders prior to the expiration of 30 calendar days from the Event Date (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) relating thereto (other than an Event resulting from a failure of a Registration Statement to be declared timely effective by the Commission on or prior to the 180th day after the Original Issue Date, which shall be covered by Section 10(a)(i));

v.              the Corporation shall fail for any reason to pay in full any amount when and as due under this Certificate of Designation (including, without limitation, the Corporation’s failure to pay any dividends or other amounts hereunder) or any other Transaction Document within five days of the date due and payable;

vi.              the Corporation shall fail to have available a sufficient number of authorized and unreserved shares of Common Stock to enable the Corporation to complete any conversion hereunder (without regard to any limitations on conversion set forth in Section 6(d));

vii.              unless specifically addressed elsewhere in this Certificate of Designation as a Triggering Event, the Corporation shall fail to observe or perform any other material covenant, agreement or warranty contained in, or otherwise commit any breach of the Transaction Documents, and such failure or breach shall not, if subject to the possibility of a cure by the Corporation, have been cured within five (5) business days after the date on which written notice of such failure or breach shall have been delivered;

viii.            RESERVED;

ix.              the Corporation shall redeem more than a de minimis number of  Junior Securities other than, (i) pursuant to the Rights Plan, or (ii) as to repurchases of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents from departing officers and directors, provided that, while any of the Preferred Stock remains

 
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outstanding, such repurchases shall not exceed an aggregate of $100,000 from all officers and directors;

x.              the Corporation shall be party to a Change of Control Transaction other than a Permitted Transaction;

xi.              there shall have occurred a Bankruptcy Event, other than a Bankruptcy Event under clause (a) of the definition thereof occurring at Buckeye so long as the sole purpose of such Bankruptcy Event is to effect the sale of all or substantially all of the assets or substantially all of the outstanding equity held by the Company of Buckeye to an unaffiliated and unrelated Person;

xii.              the Common Stock shall fail to be listed or quoted for trading on a Trading Market for more than five Trading Days, which need not be consecutive Trading Days; or

xiii.              any monetary judgment, writ or similar final process shall be entered or filed against the Corporation, any subsidiary or any of their respective property or other assets for more than $200,000, and such judgment, writ or similar final process shall remain unvacated, unbonded or unstayed for a period of 45 calendar days.

b)           Upon the occurrence of a Triggering Event, each Holder shall (in addition to all other rights it may have hereunder or under applicable law) have the right, exercisable at the sole option of such Holder, to require the Corporation to, (A) redeem all of the Preferred Stock then held by such Holder for a redemption price, in cash, equal to the Triggering Redemption Amount, (B) redeem all of the Preferred Stock then held by such Holder for a redemption price, in shares of Common Stock, equal to a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Triggering Redemption Amount divided by 75% of the average of the 10 VWAPs immediately prior to the date of election hereunder or (C) increase the dividend rate on all of the outstanding Preferred Stock held by such Holder to 18% per annum thereafter.  The Triggering Redemption Amount, in cash or in shares, shall be due and payable or issuable, as the case may be, within five Trading Days of the date on which the notice for the payment therefor is provided by a Holder (the “Triggering Redemption Payment Date”).  If the Corporation fails to pay in full the Triggering Redemption Amount hereunder on the date such amount is due in accordance with this Section (whether in cash or shares of Common Stock), the Corporation will pay interest thereon at a rate equal to the lesser of 18% per annum or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law, accruing daily from such date until the Triggering Redemption Amount, plus all such interest thereon, is paid in full.  For purposes of this Section, a share of Preferred Stock is outstanding until such date as the applicable Holder shall have received Conversion Shares upon a conversion (or attempted conversion) thereof that meets the requirements hereof or has been paid the Triggering Redemption Amount in cash or shares of Common Stock.

 
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Section 11.     Miscellaneous.

a)           Notices.  Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Holders hereunder including, without limitation, any Notice of Conversion, shall be in writing and delivered personally, by facsimile, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to the Corporation, at the address set forth above Attention: William G. Laughlin, General Counsel, facsimile number ###-###-####, or such other facsimile number or address as the Corporation may specify for such purposes by notice to the Holders delivered in accordance with this Section 11.  Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries to be provided by the Corporation hereunder shall be in writing and delivered personally, by facsimile, or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service addressed to each Holder at the facsimile number or address of such Holder appearing on the books of the Corporation, or if no such facsimile number or address appears on the books of the Corporation, at the principal place of business of such Holder, as set forth in the Purchase Agreement.  Any notice or other communication or deliveries hereunder shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (i) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number set forth in this Section prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any date, (ii) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number set forth in this Section on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (iii) the second Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (iv) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given.
 
b)           Absolute Obligation. Except as expressly provided herein, no provision of this Certificate of Designation shall alter or impair the obligation of the Corporation, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay liquidated damages, accrued dividends and accrued interest, as applicable, on the shares of Preferred Stock at the time, place, and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.
 
c)           Lost or Mutilated Preferred Stock Certificate.  If a Holder’s Preferred Stock certificate shall be mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Corporation shall execute and deliver, in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation of a mutilated certificate, or in lieu of or in substitution for a lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, a new certificate for the shares of Preferred Stock so mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, but only upon receipt of evidence of such loss, theft or destruction of such certificate, and of the ownership hereof reasonably satisfactory to the Corporation.

d)           Governing Law.  All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Certificate of Designation shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflict of laws thereof.  Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretation, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by any of the Transaction Documents (whether brought against

 
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a party hereto or its respective Affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, employees or agents) shall be commenced in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan (the “New York Courts”).  Each party hereto hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New York Courts for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of such New York Courts, or such New York Courts are improper or inconvenient venue for such proceeding.  Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Certificate of Designation and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof.  Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by applicable law. Each party hereto 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 Certificate of Designation or the transactions contemplated hereby.  If any party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of this Certificate of Designation, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred in the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.

e)           Waiver.  Any waiver by the Corporation or a Holder of a breach of any provision of this Certificate of Designation shall not operate as or be construed to be a waiver of any other breach of such provision or of any breach of any other provision of this Certificate of Designation or a waiver by any other Holders.  The failure of the Corporation or a Holder to insist upon strict adherence to any term of this Certificate of Designation on one or more occasions shall not be considered a waiver or deprive that party (or any other Holder) of the right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any other term of this Certificate of Designation on any other occasion.  Any waiver by the Corporation or a Holder must be in writing.
 
f)           Severability.  If any provision of this Certificate of Designation is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the balance of this Certificate of Designation shall remain in effect, and if any provision is inapplicable to any Person or circumstance, it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other Persons and circumstances.  If it shall be found that any interest or other amount deemed interest due hereunder violates the applicable law governing usury, the applicable rate of interest due hereunder shall automatically be lowered to equal the maximum rate of interest permitted under applicable law.

 
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g)        Next Business Day.  Whenever any payment or other obligation hereunder shall be due on a day other than a Business Day, such payment shall be made on the next succeeding Business Day.

h)           Headings.  The headings contained herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Certificate of Designation and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.

i)           Status of Converted or Redeemed Preferred Stock.  Shares of Preferred Stock may only be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.  If any shares of Preferred Stock shall be converted, redeemed or reacquired by the Corporation, such shares shall resume the status of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock and shall no longer be designated as Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.


*********************
 
 
 

 
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RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Chairman, the president or any vice-president,   and the secretary or any assistant secretary, of the Corporation be and they hereby are authorized and directed to prepare and file this Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations in accordance with the foregoing resolution and the provisions of Delaware law.

        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Certificate this 21st day of October 2009.
 
 

     /s/ Diana L. Kubik
     Name: Diana L. Kubik
     Title:  VP and CFO
 
     /s/ William G. Laughlin
     Name: William G. Laughlin
     Title:  VP, General Counsel & Secretary
 
 

 

 
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ANNEX A

NOTICE OF CONVERSION

(TO BE EXECUTED BY THE REGISTERED HOLDER IN ORDER TO CONVERT SHARES OF PREFERRED STOCK)

The undersigned hereby elects to convert the number of shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock indicated below into shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of Evergreen Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), according to the conditions hereof, as of the date written below. If shares of Common Stock are to be issued in the name of a Person other than the undersigned, the undersigned will pay all transfer taxes payable with respect thereto and is delivering herewith such certificates and opinions as may be required by the Corporation in accordance with the Purchase Agreement. No fee will be charged to the Holders for any conversion, except for any such transfer taxes.

Conversion calculations:

Date to Effect Conversion:                                                                                                                       
 
Number of shares of Preferred Stock owned prior to Conversion:                                                            
 
Number of shares of Preferred Stock to be Converted:                                                                            
 
Stated Value of shares of Preferred Stock to be Converted:                                                                     
 
Number of shares of Common Stock to be Issued:                                                                                   
 
Applicable Conversion Price:                                                                                                                   
 
Number of shares of Preferred Stock subsequent to Conversion:                                                              
 
Address for Delivery:                                                                                  
or
DWAC Instructions:
Broker no:                                      _   
Account no:                                         
 
 
[HOLDER]
 
By:___________________________________
     Name:
     Title:

 
 
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