Form of Underwriting Agreement

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 c14976a5exv1w1.htm FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT exv1w1
 

Exhibit 1.1
Gulfstream International Group, Inc.

Common Stock
(Par Value $0.01 Per Share)
Underwriting Agreement
, 2007
Taglich Brothers, Inc.
As Representative of the several Underwriters named
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o Taglich Brothers, Inc.
405 Lexington Ave., 51st Floor
New York, New York 10174
Ladies and Gentlemen:
     Gulfstream International Group, Inc., a Delaware 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”) an aggregate of 1,200,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 180,000 additional shares (the “Optional Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.01 per share of the Company (the “Stock”). The Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters may elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 are collectively called the “Shares.” Taglich Brothers Inc. is acting as representative of the Underwriters and in such capacity is hereinafter referred to as the “Representative.”
     1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
          (a) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-144363) (the “Initial Registration Statement”) in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment(s) thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto 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 Securities Act of 1933, as amended (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 6(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(c) 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”);
          (b) 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 Representative expressly for use therein;
          (c) For the purposes of this agreement (the “Agreement”), the “Applicable Time” is   : p.m. (New York City time) on the date of this Agreement. The Pricing Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than as qualified by the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus); and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Prospectus 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 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 in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use therein;
          (d) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further

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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 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 Representative expressly for use therein;
          (e) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus any material loss or interference, 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, except as otherwise set forth in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than as a result of the grant or exercise of an immaterial amount of stock options or restricted stock pursuant to the Company’s stock incentive plans as in effect on the date hereof and disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus (collectively, the “Company Stock Plans”) or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (each, a “Material Adverse Effect”), except as otherwise set forth in the Pricing Prospectus;
          (f) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and valid title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or 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;
          (g) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and 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, or except where failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (h) The Company has no subsidiaries other than those subsidiaries set forth on Exhibit 21.1 of the Registration Statement. Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly

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organized and is validly existing as a business entity in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, with power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and 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, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction;
          (i) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus 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 Prospectus and Prospectus; and 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 otherwise set forth in the Registration Statement and Pricing Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. There are no options, warrants or rights to acquire, capital stock or other securities or interests of any subsidiary of the Company, except as otherwise set forth in the Registration Statement and Pricing Prospectus. Other than the subsidiaries, the Company has no equity interests in any entity;
          (j) 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 validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Prospectus;
          (k) The issue and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company and the compliance by the Company with this Agreement and the consummation by the Company 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 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, nor (b) will such action result in any violation of (i) the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organization documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (ii) 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 in the case of (a) or (b)(ii) above for conflicts, breaches or violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for (i) the registration under the Act of the Shares, (ii) such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws, or (iii) the approval of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. of the underwriting terms and arrangements in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

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          (l) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organization documents or (ii) 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 (ii) for such defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (m) The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state and local income and franchise tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof and have paid all taxes due thereon, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect; no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries; the Company does not have any knowledge of any tax deficiency which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
          (n) The Company and each of its subsidiaries possesses and is in compliance with the terms of, all certificates, licenses, authorizations and permits (“Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Licenses that, if determined adversely to the Company, would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (o) The Company and each of its subsidiaries has operated its business and currently is in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and all applicable rules, regulations and policies of any domestic regulatory organization, except where the failure to comply with any such laws, rules, regulations and policies would not have a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice by any regulatory body, agency or organization of any non-compliance or violation of any such laws, rules, regulations or policies which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (p) The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus 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 United States Tax Considerations for Non-United States Holders” and “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair summaries of such terms and provisions in all material respects;
          (q) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, 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 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 or contemplated by legal or governmental authorities or threatened by others;

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          (r) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company 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”);
          (s) At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined under Rule 405 under the Act;
          (t) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement;
          (u) The consolidated financial statements of the Company, including the schedules and related notes, included in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the financial position as of the dates indicated and the cash flows and results of operations for the periods specified of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus; provided, however, that financial statements that are unaudited are subject to year-end adjustments and do not contain footnotes required under generally accepted accounting principles applied in the United States. The selected consolidated financial data set forth in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information included therein at the respective dates thereof and for the respective periods covered thereby and have been presented on a basis consistent with that of the audited and unaudited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus. Except as included in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, no other financial statement or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement;
          (v) Rotenberg Meril Solomon Bertiger & Guttilla, P.C., who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;
          (w) The Company maintains 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 that are applicable to the Company and has been designed by the Company’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. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective for purposes of the foregoing and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting (it being understood that the Company is not required to comply with the

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reporting requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 until the date of filing of the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2008);
          (x) Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting;
          (y) 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 have been designed to ensure 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 and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;
          (z) No material labor dispute with or disturbance by the employees of the Company or its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that, if it occurred, would have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of or has received notice with respect to any federal or state law relating to the discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, nor any applicable federal or state wage and hour laws, nor any state law precluding the denial of credit due to the neighborhood in which a property is situated, the violation of any of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (aa) The Company and each of its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all material patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses, know-how, software, systems and technology (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses in the manner in which they are being conducted and are currently planned to be conducted and have no reason to believe that the conduct of their respective businesses in the manner in which they are being conducted and are currently planned to be conducted conflicts with, and except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus, have not received any notice of any claim of conflict with, any such rights of others;
          (bb) the Company and its subsidiaries maintain insurance against such losses and risks as is, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; 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 reasonable cost;
          (cc) Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries have sent or received any

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communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in any Pre-Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or its subsidiary or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement, except as described in the Pricing Prospectus;
          (dd) All statistical or market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects;
          (ee) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, code-share partners or suppliers of the Company, on the other, that is required by the Act to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus which is not so described or not described as required in material compliance with such requirement. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
          (ff) Except as described in the Pricing Prospectus, (i) there are no proceedings that are pending, or to the Company’s knowledge contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, orders, judgments, decrees, permits or other legal requirements of any governmental authority, including without limitation any international, national, state, provincial, regional, or local authority, relating to the protection of human health or safety, the environment, or natural resources, or to hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”) in which a governmental authority is also a party; or (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (gg) Except as described in the Pricing Prospectus, no subsidiary is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company;
          (hh) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence

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payment, kickback or other unlawful payment;
          (ii) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions in which the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, except, in each case, as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
          (jj) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC;
          (kk) The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) that are in effect and that the Company is required to comply with and is actively taking steps designed to ensure that it will be in compliance with other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act when such provisions will become applicable to the Company;
          (ll) The Company is not a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares;
          (mm) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares;
          (nn) The Company has provided to Baker & McKenzie LLP, counsel to the Underwriters, all material documents reasonably believed to be responsive to the requests made by such counsel in connection with their due diligence review of the Company and its subsidiaries;
          (oo) The Company has not prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which could be “integrated” for purposes of the Act and the rules and regulations

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promulgated thereunder, with the offer and sale of the Shares pursuant to the Registration Statement. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not sold or issued any securities during the six-month period preceding the date of the Prospectus, including but not limited to any sales pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation D or S under the Act, other than Stock issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or the employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus;
          (pp) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company; and
          (qq) The Underwriters’ Warrants have been authorized for issuance to the Representative or its designees, and will, when issued, possess rights, privileges, and characteristics as represented in the most recent form of Underwriters’ Warrants, filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The securities to be issued upon exercise of Underwriters’ Warrants, when issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms thereof, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization and issuance of the Underwriters’ Warrants, and the securities to be issued upon their exercise, have been validly and sufficiently taken. The execution by the Company of the Underwriters’ Warrants has been duly authorized by all required action of the Company and, when so executed and delivered, will constitute the valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.
     2. Sale and Purchase. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to issue and 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 set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto 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 issue and 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, provided that the purchase price per Optional Share shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not

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payable on the Optional 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.
     In addition to the sums payable to the Representative as provided elsewhere herein, the Representative shall be entitled to receive at the Closing as additional compensation for its services, Underwriters’ Warrants for the purchase of up to [      ] Shares at a price of $[      ] per Share, upon the terms and subject to adjustment and conversion as described in the form of Underwriters’ Warrants filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
     3. Offering by Underwriters. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.
     4. Payment and Delivery.
          (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 Representative may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Representative, 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 Representative 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, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on [     ], 2007 or such other time and date as the Representative and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified by the Representative in the written notice given by the Representative of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as the Representative 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 reasonably requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8 hereof, will be delivered at the offices of [      ] (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

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the Closing Location at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next 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. For the purposes of this Agreement, “New York 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.
     5. Certain Covenants of the Company. 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 disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, 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 or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its reasonable best 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 reasonably 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 to subject itself to taxation for doing business in any jurisdiction;
          (c) Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement 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 six 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

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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 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 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 securityholders 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) 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, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose, except as provided hereunder, of any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase 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; (ii) file or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments, with respect to the registration of any shares of Stock or securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into Stock or any other securities of the Company; or (iii) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, in each case without the prior written consent of the Representative; provided, however, that the Company may without the prior written consent of the Representative (i) issue shares of Stock upon the exercise of options granted pursuant to the Company Stock Plans, (ii) issue shares upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of the date of this Agreement and disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus, (iii) issue shares in connection with the acquisition by the Company or one of its subsidiaries of the assets or capital stock of another person or entity, whether through merger, asset acquisition, stock purchase or otherwise, provided that each recipient of such shares agrees to execute agreements substantially to the effect set forth in Subsection 8(h) hereof in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you, (iv) grant options and award shares of restricted Stock pursuant to the Company Stock Plans in the ordinary course, and (v) file registration statements on Form S-8 with the Commission registering shares of Stock issuable under the Company Stock Plans; provided, further that the Lock-Up Period will be automatically extended or reduced under the following circumstances: (1) during the last 17 days of the initial Lock-Up Period, if the Company issues an earnings release or announces material news or a material event, the

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Lock-Up Period will be automatically extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or material event, unless the Representative waives, in writing, such extension; or (2) prior to the expiration of the initial Lock-Up Period, if the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Lock-Up Period will expire on the day 18 days prior to the scheduled earnings release, provided that the Company issues a press release and accompanying current report on Form 8-K regarding the early release date at least three days prior to such early release date, and if the Company does not issue a press release and accompanying Form 8-K by such time, the Lock-Up Period will continue until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release, unless the Representative waives, in writing, such extension; the Company will provide the Representative and each stockholder named in Schedule III hereto, in connection with the Lock-up Agreement delivered by such stockholder as contemplated by Section 8 with prior notice of any such announcement that gives rise to an extension of the Lock-up Period;
          (f) To furnish to its stockholders as soon as they are available 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 they are available after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning 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;
          (g) During a period of five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, (A) to furnish or make available to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders and (B) to deliver to you (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any current, periodic or annual 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, other than those reports and financial statements that are available on EDGAR; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as you 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 no such additional information shall be required except to the extent the disclosure of additional information would not result in a violation of Regulation FD (without requiring new disclosure to third parties in order to avoid violation of Regulation FD); and provided further, that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this subsection by making any such reports, communications or information generally available on its website;
          (h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”;
          (i) To use its best efforts to list, subject only to official notice of issuance, the Shares on the American Stock Exchange;

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          (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; and
          (k) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), to 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 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.
     6. Free Writing Prospectuses.
          (a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representative, 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; each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representative, 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 Representative is listed on Schedule II hereto;
          (b) 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; and
          (c) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or 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 then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representative and, if requested by the Representative, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus 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 made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use therein.

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     7. Payment of Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s 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, 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 Memorandum, 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 and the several jurisdictions as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the American Stock Exchange; (v) all expenses and filing fees incurred in connection with any filing with, and clearance of the offering by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. of the terms of the sale of the Shares; (vi) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; (viii) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Shares and any taxes payable in that connection; (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering 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 with the prior approval of the Company, and travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants; (x) the fees and expenses of the QIU (as defined in Section 8(k)); 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 7. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 7, and Sections 9 and 13 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel and stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them.
     8. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, 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 condition that the Company shall have performed all of its respective 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 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

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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) Baker & McKenzie LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, and covering such matters as the Representative 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) Bryan Cave LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form attached as Annex I hereto;
          (d) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City 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, Rotenberg Meril Solomon Bertiger & Guttilla, P.C. shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex II hereto;
          (e) (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 Prospectus 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 Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock (other than pursuant to the conversion or exercise of securities outstanding as of the date of this Agreement or as a result of the grant or exercise of an immaterial amount of stock options or restricted stock pursuant to the Company Stock Plans in the ordinary course) 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 taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is 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;
          (f) 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 American Stock Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s

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securities on American Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York or Florida state 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 of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, including, without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) 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;
          (g) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been approved for listing on the American Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance;
          (h) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of an agreement from each stockholder of the Company named in Schedule III hereto a Lock-up Agreement in a form heretofore furnished by you;
          (i) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;
          (j) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company, on behalf of the Company, reasonably satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (e) of this Section; and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request; and
          (k) The Company and the Representative shall have received from SMH Capital Inc. (the “QIU”) a letter, dated as of the Closing Date and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative that:
          (i) The QIU is a member of FINRA and is qualified to act as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of paragraph (b)(15) of NASD Rule 2720;
          (ii) The QIU has participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus relating to the offer and sale of the Shares and has exercised the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto;
          (iii) The QIU has undertaken the legal responsibilities and liabilities of an underwriter under the Act, specifically including those inherent in Section 11 of the Act; and

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          (iv) Based upon (A) a review of the Company, including an examination of the Registration Statement, information regarding the earnings, assets, capital structure, and growth rate of the Company, and other pertinent financial and statistical data, (B) inquiries of and conferences with management of the Company and its counsel and independent public accountants regarding the business and prospects of the Company, (C) consideration of the prospects for the industry in which the Company competes, estimates of the business potential of the Company, assessments of its management, the general condition of the securities markets, market prices of the capital stock and debt securities of, and financial and operating data concerning, companies believed by the QIU to be comparable to the Company, and the demand for securities of comparable companies similar to the Shares, and (D) such other studies, analyses, and investigations as the QIU deems appropriate, and assuming the offering and sale of the Shares is made as contemplated in the Prospectus, the QIU has recommended a maximum initial public offering price for the Shares.
          (m) On or prior to each Time of Delivery, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative such further certificates and documents as the Representative may reasonably request.
     All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
     9. Indemnification and Contribution.
          (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 Prospectus 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 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 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 Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative 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

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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 Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, 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 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 Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representative 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 subsection (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 otherwise than under such subsection. 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 subsection (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

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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 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 (before deducting 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 subsection (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 subsection (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 subsection (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 subsection (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 subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
          (e) 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 the Act and each broker-dealer affiliate of any Underwriter; 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. Defaulting Underwriter.
          (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares

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which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you 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 you 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 you to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you 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 take such action as is within its power to cause the Company, to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your 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 you, the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-tenth 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 you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-tenth 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.
     11. Survival. 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

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Company or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
     12. Qualified Independent Underwriter. The Company hereby confirms that at its request and pursuant to a letter agreement dated [      ] , 2007 among the Company, the Representative and the QIU, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference, the QIU acted as “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of NASD Conduct Rule 2720 in connection with the public offering of the Shares. As compensation for the services of the QIU hereunder, the Company has agreed to pay the QIU $[      ] and to reimburse the QIU for all reasonable expenses, including fees and disbursements of counsel (but not to exceed $10,000), incurred by it as the QIU. The price at which the Shares will be sold to the public shall not be higher than the maximum price recommended by the QIU.
     13. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. 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, any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by you, 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 not then be under any further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof.
     14. Notices. In all dealings hereunder, you 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 you jointly or by the Representative on behalf of you as the representatives. 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 Representative in care of Taglich Brothers, Inc., 405 Lexington Ave., 51st Floor, New York, New York 10174, Attention: Syndicate Department (Fax: 212 ###-###-####); and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Chief Executive Officer; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, recognized courier service or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ questionnaire, or other communication constituting such questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
     15. Successors and Assigns. 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.

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     16. Time of the Essence. 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.
     17. No Fiduciary Relationship. 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 they 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.
     18. Entire Agreement. 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. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
     20. Waiver of Jury Trial. 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. Counterparts. 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.
     If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us six 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.

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  Very truly yours,

Gulfstream International Group, inc.
 
 
  By:      
    Name:      
    Title:      
 
         
  Accepted as of the date hereof:

Taglich Brothers, Inc.
 
 
  By:      
    Title:  
Name:
Name: 
 
 
On behalf of each of the Underwriters

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SCHEDULE I
                 
            Number of Optional  
            Shares to be  
            Purchased if  
    Total Number of Firm     Maximum Option  
Underwriter   Shares to be Purchased     Exercised  
 
               
Taglich Brothers, Inc.
               
Avondale Partners, LLC
               
Maxim Group LLC
           
 
           
 
       
Total
           
 
       
 
           

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SCHEDULE II
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses

27


 

SCHEDULE III
Parties to Lock-up Agreements

28