UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT between EMPEIRIA ACQUISITION CORP. and COHEN & COMPANY CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC Dated: June 15, 2011 EMPEIRIA ACQUISITION CORP. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

EMPEIRIA ACQUISITION CORP.

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

New York, New York

June 15, 2011

 

Cohen & Company Capital Markets, LLC

1633 Broadway, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10019

As Representative of the

Several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto

Re: Public Offering of Securities

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned, Empeiria Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement with Cohen & Company Capital Markets, LLC  (“Cohen & Co.”) and with the other underwriters named on Schedule I hereto for which Cohen & Co. is acting as representative (Cohen & Co., in its capacity as representative, is referred to herein variously as the “Representative”; the Representative and the other underwriters are collectively referred to as the “Underwriters” or, individually, an “Underwriter”) as follows:

 

1.           Purchase and Sale of Securities.

 

1.1             Firm Securities.

 

1.1.1           Purchase of Firm Units.  On the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell, severally and not jointly, to the several Underwriters, an aggregate of 6,000,000 units (“Firm Units”) of the Company, at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions and the Deferred Corporate Finance Fee described in Section 1.1.3 below) of $9.65 per Firm Unit.  The Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Units set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule I attached hereto and made a part hereof at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions and the Deferred Corporate Finance Fee described in Section 1.1.3 below) of $9.65 per Firm Unit.  The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public (“Offering”) at the offering price of $10.00 per Firm Unit.  Each Firm Unit consists of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and one warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Warrant”).  The Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Firm Units will trade separately on the tenth business day following the earlier to occur of the expiration of the Over-allotment Option (as defined in Section 1.2.1 hereof), which is 45 days from the date of the Prospectus (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof), its exercise in full or the announcement by the Underwriters of their intention not to exercise all or any remaining portion of the Over-allotment Option, but in no event will the Shares of Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Firm Units trade separately until the Business Day (as defined below) after (i) the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placement (as defined in Section 1.3), including any proceeds the Company receives from the exercise of the Over-allotment Option if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company has filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin.  Each Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 during the period commencing on the later of the consummation by the Company of its “Business Transaction” or one year from the effective date (“Effective Date”) of the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof) and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the consummation by the Company of its initial Business Transaction.  “Business Transaction” shall mean the Company’s acquisition or acquisition of control of one or more operating businesses or assets through a capital merger, capital stock exchange, asset or share acquisition, reorganization, exchangeable share transaction or other similar business transaction.

 

 

1.1.2           Payment and Delivery.  Delivery and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the third (3rd) Business Day (as defined below) following commencement of trading of the Units or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company at the offices of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, PC (“ML”) or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company.  The hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm Units is called the “Closing Date.” Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date at the Representative’s election by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $61,200,000 of the proceeds received by the Company for the Firm Units and the Placement Units (as defined in Section 1.3.2) shall be deposited (or with respect to the $3,900,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units shall have been deposited on or prior to the Closing Date) in the trust account established by the Company for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below) and the Underwriters, as described in the Registration Statement (“Trust Account”) pursuant to the terms of an Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), which amount includes $900,000 ($0.15 per Firm Unit), payable to the Underwriters as a Deferred Corporate Finance Fee (as defined below) subject to Section 1.1.3 hereof.  The remaining proceeds (less commissions and actual expense payments or other fees payable pursuant to this Agreement), if any, shall be paid (subject to Section 3.13 hereof) to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Firm Units (or through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the account of the Underwriters.  The Firm Units shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Closing Date.  The Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Firm Units for delivery, at least one (1) full Business Day prior to the Closing Date.  The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver any of the Firm Units except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Firm Units.  As used herein, the term “Public Stockholders” means the holders of shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering or acquired in the aftermarket, including any Company stockholder prior to the Offering to the extent they acquire such shares of Common Stock in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such shares of Common Stock). “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.

 

1.1.3           Deferred Corporate Finance Fee.  The Representative on behalf of itself and the other Underwriters, agrees that 1.5% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units ($900,000) (the “Deferred Corporate Finance Fee”) will be deposited in and held in the Trust Account and payable, to the Representative upon consummation of the Company’s Business Transaction.  In the event that the Company is unable to consummate a Business Transaction and CST (in this context, the “Trustee”), the trustee of the Trust Account, commences liquidation of the Trust Account as provided in the Trust Agreement, the Representative, on behalf of itself and the other Underwriters, agrees that: (i) the several Underwriters shall forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Corporate Finance Fee; and (ii) the Deferred Corporate Finance Fee, together with all other amounts on deposit in the Trust Account, shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis among the Public Stockholders.

 

1.2             Over-Allotment Option.

 

1.2.1           Option Units.  The Underwriters are hereby granted, severally and not jointly, an option (the “Over-allotment Option”) to purchase up to an additional 900,000 units (the “Option Units”), the net proceeds of which will be deposited in the Trust Account, for the purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Units.  Such Option Units shall, at the Representative’s election, be purchased for each account of the several Underwriters in the same proportion as the number of Firm Units, set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name on Schedule I hereto, bears to the total number of Firm Units (subject to adjustment by the Representative to eliminate fractions).  Such Option Units shall be identical in all respects to the Firm Units.  The Firm Units and the Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Units,” and the Units, the Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Units and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Public Securities.”  No Option Units shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Units previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered.  The right to purchase the Option Units, or any portion thereof, may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Representative to the Company. The purchase price to be paid for each Option Unit will be the same price per Firm Unit set forth in Section 1.1.1 hereof.

 

 

1.2.2           Exercise of Option.  The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representative as to all (at any time) or any part (from time to time) of the Option Units within 45 days after the Effective Date.  The Underwriters will not be under any obligation to purchase any Option Units prior to the exercise of the Over-allotment Option.  The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice to the Company by the Representative, which must be confirmed in writing by overnight mail or facsimile or other electronic transmission setting forth the number of Option Units to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option Units (the “Option Closing Date”), which will not be later than five (5) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time and in such other manner as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of ML or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. If such delivery and payment for the Option Units does not occur on the Closing Date, the Option Closing Date will be as set forth in the notice.  Upon exercise of the Over-allotment Option, the Company will become obligated to convey to the Underwriters, and, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Underwriters will become obligated to purchase, the number of Option Units specified in such notice.

 

1.2.3           Payment and Delivery.  Payment for the Option Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $9.80 per Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement, which amount includes the Deferred Corporate Finance Fee, and the remaining proceeds shall be paid (subject to Section 3.13 hereof) to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Underwriters of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters) representing the Option Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Underwriters.  The certificates representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representative requests in writing not less than two full Business Days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and will be made available to the Representative for inspection, checking and packaging at the aforesaid office of the Company’s transfer agent or correspondent not less than one full Business Day prior to such Closing Date.  The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Option Units except upon tender of payment by the Representative for applicable Option Units.

 

1.3             Private Placements.

 

1.3.1           The Company issued to certain persons and entities referenced in Part II, Item 7 of the Registration Statement (collectively, the “Insider Stockholders”), for aggregate consideration of $25,000, 2,430,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Insider Shares”) (up to 300,000 of which are subject to redemption to the extent the Over-allotment Option (as defined in Section 1.2.1 hereof) is not exercised in full) in a private placement (the “Insider Private Placement”) intended to be exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”).  No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Insider Private Placement.  None of the Insider Shares may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Insider Stockholders until the earlier of: (i) with respect to 20% of such Insider Shares, upon consummation of the Business Transaction; (ii) with respect to 20% of such Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $12.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction; (iii) with respect to 20% of the Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $13.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction; (iv) with respect to 20% of the Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $15.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction; (v) with respect to 20% of the Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $17.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Combination and (vi) with respect to 100% of the Insider Shares immediately if following the Business Transaction the Company engages in a transaction (1) resulting in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash or other securities or (2) involving a merger or other change in the majority of the Company’s board of directors or management team in which the Company is the surviving entity.  The Insider Stockholders shall have no right to any liquidation distributions with respect to any portion of the Insider Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate a Business Transaction.  The Insider Stockholders shall not have redemption rights with respect to the Insider Shares.

 

 

1.3.2           On or prior to the Effective Date, certain directors and officers of the Company and their affiliates, through Empeiria Investors LLC (the “Placement Unit Investor”), will purchase from the Company pursuant to the Subscription Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23.2 hereof), an aggregate of 390,000 units (the “Placement Units”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Placement Unit in a private placement (the “Placement Unit Private Placement”) intended to be exempt from registration under the Act pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Act.  The Placement Units, the shares of Common Stock included in the Placement Units and shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Placement Units are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Placement Unit Securities.”  No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Placement Unit Private Placement.  None of the Placement Unit Securities may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Placement Unit Investors until thirty (30) days after consummation of a Business Transaction.

 

1.4             Representative’s Units.  The Company hereby agrees to issue and sell to the Representative (and/or their designees) on the Closing Date an option (“Representative’s Purchase Option”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 600,000 units (the “Representative’s Units”) for an aggregate purchase price of $100.00.  The Representative’s Purchase Option shall be exercisable whether for cash or on a cashless basis, in whole or in part, commencing on the later of the consummation of a Business Transaction or one year from the Effective Date and expiring on the five-year anniversary of the Effective Date at an initial exercise price per Representative’s Unit of $15.00, which is equal to one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the initial public offering price of a Unit.  On the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver to the Representative, upon payment therefor, certificates for the Representative’s Purchase Option in the name or names and in such denominations as the Representative may request.  The Representative’s Purchase Option, the Representative’s Units, the shares of Common Stock (the “Representative’s Shares”) and the Warrants (the “Representative’s Warrants”) included in the Representative’s Units and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrants are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Representative’s Securities.”  The Public Securities, the Representative’s Securities, the Placement Unit Securities and the Insider Shares are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Securities.”  The Representative understands and agrees that there are significant restrictions pursuant to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Rule 5110 against transferring the Representative’s Purchase Option and the underlying securities during the first 180 days after the Effective Date and by its acceptance of the Representative’s Units agrees that it will not sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate the Representative’s Purchase Option, or any portion thereof, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities for a period of 180 days following the Effective Date to anyone other than (i) an Underwriter or a selected dealer in connection with the Offering, or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of the Representative or of any such Underwriter or selected dealer; and only if any such transferee agrees to the lock-up restrictions set forth in this Section 1.4 in writing.

 

1.5             Working Capital; Interest on Trust.

 

1.5.1           Working Capital.  Upon consummation of the Offering, initially $1,000,000 of the Offering proceeds will be released to the Company and held outside of the Trust Account to fund the working capital requirements of the Company.

 

1.5.2           Interest Income.  Prior to the Company’s consummation of a Business Transaction or the Company’s liquidation, interest earned on the Trust Account may be released (i) to the Company to pay any taxes incurred by the Company, and (ii) to the Company, from time to time, to fund its working capital and general corporate requirements, as more fully described in the Prospectus.

 

2.             Representations and Warranties of the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:

 

2.1           Filing of Registration Statement.

 

 

2.1.1           Pursuant to the Act.  The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form S-1 (File No. 333-172629), including any related preliminary prospectus (“Preliminary Prospectus”), including any prospectus that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement), for the registration of the Public Securities and the Representative’s Securities under the Act, which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Regulations”) of the Commission under the Act.  The conditions for use of Form S-1 to register the Offering under the Act, as set forth in the General Instructions to such Form, have been satisfied. Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement becomes effective (including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430A of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement,” and the form of the final prospectus dated the Effective Date included in the Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Regulations, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.”  For purposes of this Agreement, “Time of Sale,” as used in the Act, means 4:30 p.m. New York City time, on the date of this Agreement.  Prior to the Time of Sale, the Company prepared a Preliminary Prospectus, which was included in the Registration Statement filed on June 13, 2011, for distribution by the Underwriters (the “Sale Preliminary Prospectus”).  If the Company has filed, or is required pursuant to the terms hereof to file, a Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering additional securities of any type or an amendment to a Registration Statement (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), then, unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.  Other than a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, which, if filed, becomes effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission.  All of the Public Securities have been registered for public sale under the Act pursuant to the Registration Statement or, if any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed, will be duly registered for public sale under the Act with the filing of such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof.  If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company or the Representative has determined that at the Time of Sale, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and have agreed to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Firm Units to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase contracts, then the Sale Preliminary Prospectus will be deemed to include any additional information available to purchasers at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.

 

2.1.2           Pursuant to the Exchange Act.  The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File Number 000-54417) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act“), of the Units, the Common Stock and the Warrants.  The registration of the Units, Common Stock and Warrants under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof.

 

2.1.3           No Stop Orders, Etc.  Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any foreign or state regulatory authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

2.2             Disclosures in Registration Statement.

 

2.2.1           10b-5 Representation.  At the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or at the time any post effective amendment to the Registration Statement) and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations.  Neither the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus nor any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus contained therein, nor any amendment or supplement thereto, on their respective dates, nor the Sale Preliminary Prospectus as of the Time of Sale did (or at such subsequent Time of Sale pursuant to Section 2.1.1), does or will contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made), not misleading.  When any Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus was first filed with the Commission (whether filed as part of the Registration Statement for the registration of the Public Securities or any amendment thereto or pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Regulations) and when any amendment thereof or supplement thereto was first filed with the Commission, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto complied or will have been corrected in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Act and the Regulations and did not and will not contain an 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 light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The representation and warranty made in this Section 2.2.1 does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto.  The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists solely of the names and addresses of the several Underwriters, the statement that the Representative does not make markets in securities contained in “Risk Factors—The representative of the underwriters in this offering will not make a market for our securities which could adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities,” the information relating to the securities offerings experience of the Representative and its principals contained in “Risk Factors—There are risks associated with our underwriter’s lack of recent experience in public offerings,” the information with respect to dealers’ concessions and reallowances contained in the section entitled “Underwriting,” the information relating to an advance made to the Representative contained in the section entitled “Underwriting,” and the identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters.”

 

 

2.2.2           Disclosure of Agreements.  The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus conform to the descriptions thereof contained therein and there are no agreements or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed.  Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or (ii) is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.  None of such agreements or instruments has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a breach or default thereunder.  To the Company’s knowledge, the performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.

 

2.2.3           Prior Securities Transactions.  No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

 

2.2.4           Regulations.  The disclosures in the Registration Statement and the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, foreign, state and local regulation on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.

 

2.3             Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.

 

2.3.1           No Material Adverse Change.  Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein, (i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company, (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement and (iii) no member of the Company’s management has resigned from any position with the Company.

 

2.3.2           Recent Securities Transactions; Etc.  Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its equity securities.

 

 

2.4             Independent Accountants.  To the Company’s knowledge, Rothstein, Kass & Company (“RKCO”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, are independent registered public accountants as required by the Act and the Regulations.  To the Company’s knowledge, RKCO is currently registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.  RKCO has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.

 

2.5             Financial Statements; Statistical Data.

 

2.5.1           Financial Statements.  The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules (if any) included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present the financial position, the results of operations and the cash flows of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein in conformity with the Regulations.  The Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus disclose all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses.  There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements that are required to be included in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X that have not been included as required.

 

2.5.2           Statistical Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and/or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data materially agree with the sources from which they are derived.

 

2.6             Authorized Capital; Options; Etc.  The Company had at the date or dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be, duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus.  Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date the adjusted stock capitalization set forth therein.  Except as set forth in, or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into shares of Common Stock, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares of Common Stock or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.

 

2.7             Valid Issuance of Securities; Etc.

 

2.7.1           Outstanding Securities.  All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including, without limitation, the Placement Units) have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company.  The authorized and the outstanding shares of Common Stock and Placement Units, as the case may be, conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.  All offers and sales and any transfers of the outstanding securities of the Company were at all relevant times either registered under the Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such securities, exempt from such registration requirements.

 

 

2.7.2           Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement.  The Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Securities has been duly and validly taken.  The form of certificates for the Securities conform to the corporate law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation.  The Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be.  When paid for and issued, the Representative’s Purchase Option, the Representative’s Warrants and the Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue and sell, upon exercise thereof and payment of the respective exercise prices therefor, the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof and such Representative’s Purchase Option, Representative’s Warrants and Warrants are enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.  The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Purchase Option, the Representative’s Warrants and the Warrants have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of the Warrant upon payment of the consideration therefore, and when issued in accordance with the terms thereof, will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.

 

2.7.3           Placement Units. The Warrants included in the Placement Units constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue and sell, upon exercise thereof and payment of the respective exercise prices therefor, the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof, and such Warrants included in the Placement Units are enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.  The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Placement Units have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of such Warrants and, when issued in accordance with the terms thereof, will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.

 

2.7.4           No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be or may be “integrated” pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.

 

2.8           Registration Rights of Third Parties.  Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.

 

2.9           Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements.  This Agreement, the Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.22 hereof), the Trust Agreement, the Representative’s Purchase Option, the Registration Rights Agreement by and among the Company and the Insider Stockholders (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), the Placement Unit Purchase Agreement and the Subscription Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23.2 hereof) have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered will constitute the valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.

 

 

2.10           No Conflicts, Etc.  The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Representative’s Purchase Option, the Registration Rights Agreement and the Subscription Agreement, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a breach or violation of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party except pursuant to the Trust Agreement (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company; or (iii) violate any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or business constituted as of the date hereof.

 

2.11           No Defaults; Violations.  No default or violation exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject.  The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Bylaws or Certificate of Incorporation, as amended or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses.

 

2.12           Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.

 

2.12.1           Conduct of Business.  The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business purpose as described in the Prospectus.  The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on this Offering and the Company’s business purpose as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  Since its formation, the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no liabilities other than in connection with and in furtherance of this Offering.

 

2.12.2           Transactions Contemplated Herein.  The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection therewith have been obtained.  No consent, authorization or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body, foreign or domestic, is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery, of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Trust Agreement, Representative’s Purchase Option, the Registration Rights Agreement and the Subscription Agreement and as contemplated by the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by FINRA.

 

2.13           D&O Questionnaires.  To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (“Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Company’s stockholders, officers and directors (“Insiders”) and provided to the Representative is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate or incorrect.

 

2.14           Litigation; Governmental Proceedings.  There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against or involving the Company or any Insider or any stockholder or member of an Insider which has not been disclosed, that is required to be disclosed, in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Questionnaires.

 

2.15           Good Standing.  The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of incorporation, and is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the assets, business or operations of the Company (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

 

2.16           Stop Orders.  The Commission has not issued any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any part thereof and to the Company’s knowledge, has not threatened to issue any such order.

 

 

2.17           No Contemplation of a Business Combination.  Prior to the date hereof, no Company Affiliate (as hereinafter defined) has, and as of the Closing, the Company and such Company Affiliates will not have: (a) had any specific Business Transaction under consideration or contemplation; (b) directly or indirectly, contacted any potential operating assets, business or businesses which the Company may seek to consummate a Business Transaction (each, a “Target Business”) or any owner, officer, director, manager, agent or representative thereof or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to effecting any potential Business Transaction with the Company or taken any measure, directly or indirectly to locate a Target Business; or (c) engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any Target Business for the Company.

 

2.18           Transactions Affecting Disclosure to FINRA.

 

2.18.1           Finder’s Fees.  There are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or to the Company’s knowledge, any Insider that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.

 

2.18.2           Payments Within Twelve Months.  The Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) any FINRA member; or (iii) any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the twelve months prior to the Effective Date, other than the prior payments to the Representative described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and payment to the Underwriters as provided hereunder in connection with the Offering.

 

2.18.3           FINRA Affiliation.  No Officer or Director or any beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA).  The Company will advise the Representative and/or ML if it learns that any officer, director or owner of at least 5% of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock (or securities convertible into Common Stock) (any such individual or entity, a “Company Affiliate”) is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the Offering.

 

2.18.4           No Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any member of FINRA (other than securities purchased on the open market).

 

2.18.5           No Company Affiliate has made a subordinated loan to any member of FINRA.

 

2.18.6           No proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities (excluding underwriting compensation), will be paid to any FINRA member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA, except as specifically authorized herein.

 

2.18.7           Except as contemplated herein with respect to the Representative, the Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or a related person (as defined by FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement.

 

2.18.8           No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any member of FINRA.

 

2.18.9           No FINRA member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company.  For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” exists when a member of FINRA and/or its associated persons, parent or affiliates in the aggregate beneficially own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Company’s preferred equity.   “Members participating in the Offering” include managing agents, syndicate group members and all dealers which are members of FINRA.

 

 

2.18.10          Except with respect to the Representative in connection with the Offering, the Company has not entered into any agreement or arrangement (including, without limitation, any consulting agreement or any other type of agreement) during the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement, which arrangement or agreement provides for the receipt of any item of value and/or the transfer or issuance of any warrants, options, or other securities from the Company to a FINRA member, any person associated with a member (as defined by FINRA rules), any potential underwriters in the Offering and/or any related persons.

 

2.19           Taxes.

 

2.19.1            There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Delaware law, U.S. federal law or the laws of any U.S. state or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the issuance or sale by the Company of the Public Securities and the Representative’s Securities.

 

2.19.2            The Company has filed all non-U.S., U.S. federal, state and local tax returns required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof in a timely manner or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof.  The Company has paid all taxes shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable.  The Company has made appropriate provisions in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 2.5.1 above in respect of all federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise taxes for all current or prior periods as to which the tax liability of the Company has not been finally determined.

 

2.20           Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  Neither the Company nor any of the Insiders or any other person acting on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) if not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business or operations of the Company.  The Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

 

2.21           Officers’ Certificate.  Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company in connection with the Offering and delivered to the Representative or to ML shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.

 

2.22           Warrant Agreement.  The Company has entered into a warrant agreement with respect to the Warrants, the Representative’s Warrants and Placement Warrants with CST substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“Warrant Agreement”).

 

2.23           Agreements With Insiders.

 

2.23.1           Insider Letters.  The Company has caused to be duly executed legally binding and enforceable agreements (except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification, contribution or noncompete provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought), a form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“Insider Letter”), pursuant to which each of the Insiders of the Company agree to certain matters.

 

2.23.2            Subscription Agreements.  The Placement Unit Investor has executed and delivered a subscription agreement, the form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Subscription Agreement”), pursuant to which the Placement Unit Investor has, among other things, on the Effective Date purchased and delivered the purchase price for 390,000 Placement Units in the Placement Unit Private Placement.  Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, (i) the Placement Unit Investor has waived any and all rights and claims they may have to any proceeds, and any interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Placement Unit Securities in the event that a Business Transaction is not consummated and the Trust Account is liquidated in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, and (ii) $3,900,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units will be deposited by the Company in the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement on or prior to the Closing Date.

 

 

2.23.3           Lock-up Agreement.  The Company has caused the Insider Stockholders to enter into a lock-up agreement contained in an Insider Letter with the Company substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement whereby (1) the Insider Shares owned by such parties prior to the Offering will not be released from transfer restrictions for a period (the “Lock-up Period”) commencing on the Effective Date until (i) with respect to 20% of such Insider Shares, upon consummation of the Business Transaction, (ii) with respect to 20% of such Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $12.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction; (iii) with respect to 20% of the Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $13.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction; (iv) with respect to 20% of the Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $15.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction; and (v) with respect to 20% of the Insider Shares, when the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock exceeds $17.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the Business Transaction.  During the Lock-up Period, such parties shall be prohibited from selling or otherwise transferring such Insider Shares, except: (a) (i) transfers to an entity’s members upon its liquidation, (ii) to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (iii) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (iv) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (v) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, or (vi) by private sales made at or prior to the consummation of a Business Transaction at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case where the transferee agrees to the terms of the lock-up, or (b) after the consummation of a Business Transaction in a transaction whereby all the outstanding Common Stock of the Company are exchanged or converted into cash or another entity’s securities;  provided, however, such Insider Stockholders shall retain the right to vote such Common Stock, as applicable and (2) until 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Transaction, the Placement Unit Investor shall not, except as described in the Prospectus, (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder, with respect to the Placement Units, Placement Shares, Placement Warrants or shares of Common Stock underlying the Placement Warrants, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any of the Placement Units, Placement Shares, Placement Warrants or shares of Common Stock underlying the Placement Warrants, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of the Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii). The Insider Letters are enforceable against each of the Insider Stockholders and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, result in a breach of, or conflict with, any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, an agreement or instrument to which any of the Insider Stockholders is a party.  The Insider Letters shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

2.23.4           No Fiduciary Relationship in Pricing.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction pursuant to a contractual relationship between the Company and the several Underwriters, (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, (iv) in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of this offering of the Company’s Securities, either before or after the date hereof and (v) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.  The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect.  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.  The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgment with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company.  The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.

 

 

2.24           Investment Management Trust Agreement.  The Company has entered into the Trust Agreement with respect to certain proceeds of the Offering substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

 

2.25           No Existing Non-Competition Agreements.  No Insider is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect his ability to be an employee, officer and/or director of the Company.  No officer or director is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect each respective director’s or officer’s ability to be and act in the capacity of a director or officer of the Company.

 

2.26           Investments.  No more than 45% of the “value” (as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 ( “Investment Company Act”)) of the Company’s total assets consist of, and no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is derived from, securities other than Government Securities (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) or money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act.

 

2.27           Investment Company Act.  The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act.

 

2.28           Subsidiaries.  The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business entity.

 

2.29           Related Party Transactions.  No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any Company Affiliate, on the one hand, and any director, officer, stockholder, customer or supplier of the Company or any Company Affiliate, on the other hand, which is required by the Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus which is not so described as required.  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 Prospectus.  The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.

 

2.30           No Influence.  The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Firm Units to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.

 

2.31           Sarbanes-Oxley.  The Company is, or on the Closing Date will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, that are applicable to it as of the date hereof.

 

2.32           Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.

 

 

2.33           Distribution of Offering Material by the Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Units, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case as supplemented and amended.

 

3.           Covenants of the Company.  The Company covenants and agrees as follows:

 

3.1           Amendments to Registration Statement.  The Company will deliver to the Representative, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and the Company shall not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object in writing.

 

3.2           Federal Securities Laws.

 

3.2.1           Compliance.  During the time when a Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Act, the Regulations and the Exchange Act and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.  If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters, the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will notify the Representative promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment or supplement in accordance with Section 10 of the Act.

 

3.2.2           Filing of Final Prospectus.  The Company will file the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Rule 424 of the Regulations.

 

3.2.3           Exchange Act Registration.  The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Public Securities and the Representative’s Securities under the provisions of the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going-private transaction) for a period of five years from the Effective Date, or until the Company is required to be liquidated  or is acquired, if earlier, or, in the case of the Warrants, until the Warrants expire and are no longer exercisable.  The Company will not deregister the Public Securities or the Representative’s Securities under the Exchange Act without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

3.2.4           Exchange Act Filings.  From the Effective Date until the earlier of the Company’s initial Business Transaction, or its liquidation and dissolution, the Company shall timely file with the Commission via the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) such statements and reports as are required to be filed by a company registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.

 

3.2.5           Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance.  As soon as it is legally required to do so, the Company shall take all actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material compliance with each applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any other governmental or self regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over the Company.

 

3.3           Ineligible Issuer.  The Company represents and agrees that it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405, without the prior consent of the Representative.  

 

 

3.4           Blue Sky Filing.  Unless the Public Securities are listed or quoted, as the case may be, on the AMEX, the NASDAQ Global Market, or the NASDAQ Capital Market, the Company will endeavor in good faith, in cooperation with the Representative, at or prior to the time the Registration Statement becomes effective, to qualify the Public Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate, provided that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign corporation doing business in such jurisdiction.  In each jurisdiction where such qualification shall be effected, the Company will, unless the Representative agrees that such action is not at the time necessary or advisable, use all reasonable efforts to file and make such statements or reports at such times as are or may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction.  The Company shall pay all filings fees in connection with the qualification of the securities under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate.

 

3.5            Delivery to Underwriters of Prospectuses.  The Company will deliver to each of the several Underwriters, without charge and from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act, such number of  copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus as such Underwriters may reasonably request and, as soon as the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, deliver to the Representative, upon its request, the Registration Statement, including exhibits, and all post-effective amendments thereto and copies of all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated therein by reference and all manually executed consents of certified experts.

 

3.6           Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Representative.  The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective and will notify the Representative immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any foreign or state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event during the period described in Section 3.7 hereof that, in the judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, and in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  If the Commission or any state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.

 

3.7           Review of Financial Statements.  Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date, or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated and dissolved or is no longer subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent certified public accountants to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the furnishing of its quarterly results on a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

3.8           Affiliated Transactions.

 

3.8.1           Business Transactions.  The Company will not consummate a Business Transaction with any entity which is affiliated with any Insider unless the Company obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or a body of equivalent status in a non-US jurisdiction that the Business Transaction is fair to the Company’s stockholders from a financial perspective.  No Insider or any affiliate of an Insider shall receive any fees of any type (other than reimbursement of ordinary and customary expenses incurred on behalf of the Company) in connection with any Business Transaction.

 

3.8.2           Compensation to Insiders.  Except as set forth above in this Section 3.8 or as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company shall not pay any of the Insiders or any of their affiliates any fees or compensation from the Company, for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Transaction; provided that the Insiders shall be entitled to reimbursement from the Company for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with seeking and consummating a Business Transaction.

 

 

3.9           Secondary Market Trading and Standard & Poor’s.  In the event the Public Securities are not listed on a national securities exchange: (a) if requested by the Representative, the Company will apply to be included in the Mergent Manual, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Corporation Records for a period commencing on the Effective Date and expiring on the earlier of five (5) years from the Effective Date or until the Public Securities are no longer registered under the Exchange Act, (b) the Company shall take such steps as may be necessary to obtain a secondary market trading exemption for the Public Securities in such jurisdictions as may be requested by the Representative; provided, however, no qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign corporation doing business in such jurisdiction, and (c) the Company shall also take such other action as may be reasonably requested by the Representative to obtain a secondary market trading exemption in such other states as may be requested by the Representative.

 

3.10           Financial Public Relations Firm.  Promptly after the execution of a definitive agreement for a Business Transaction, the Company shall retain a financial public relations firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative for a term to be agreed on by the Company and the Representative.

 

3.11           Reports to the Representative.

 

3.11.1           Periodic Reports, Etc.  For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company will furnish to the Representative  and its counsel copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities, and promptly furnish to the Representative (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission, (ii) a copy of every press release and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs which was released by the Company, (iii) a copy of each Current Report on Form 8-K (or Form 8-K, if applicable) or Schedules 13D, 13G, 14D-1 or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company, (iv) two (2) copies of each registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission under the Act, and (v) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request; provided the Representative shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel in connection with the Representative’s receipt of such information.  Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to this Section.

 

3.11.2           Transfer Sheets.  For a period of two (2) years following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain CST or another transfer and warrant agent acceptable to the Representative (“Transfer Agent”) and will furnish to the Underwriters at the Company’s sole cost and expense, for a period of one (1) year following the Effective Date, such transfer sheets of the Company’s securities as the Representative may request, including the daily and monthly consolidated transfer sheets of the Transfer Agent and DTC.   The Underwriters acknowledge that CST is an acceptable Transfer Agent.

 

3.11.3           Trading Reports.  During such time as any of the Public Securities are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board (or any successor trading market such as the Bulletin Board Exchange) or the Pink Sheets, LLC (or similar publisher of quotations) and no other automated quotation system, the Company shall provide to the Representative, at its expense, such reports published by the OTC Bulletin Board or the Pink Sheets, LLC relating to price trading of the Public Securities, as the Representative shall reasonably request.

 

3.12           Disqualification of Form S-1.  Until the earlier of seven years from the date hereof or until the Warrants have either expired and are no longer exercisable or have all been exercised, the Company will not take any action or actions which may prevent or disqualify the Company’s use of Form S-1 (or other appropriate form) for the registration of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the Act.

 

3.13           Payment of Expenses.

 

 

3.13.1           General Expenses Related to the Offering.  The Company hereby agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the extent not paid at Closing Date, all Company expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including but not limited to (i) the preparation, printing, filing and mailing (including the payment of postage with respect to such mailing) of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and the printing and mailing of this Agreement and related documents, including the cost of all copies thereof and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the Underwriters in quantities as may be required by the Underwriters, (ii) the printing, engraving, issuance and delivery of the Units, the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Units, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) filing fees incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA and legal fees and expenses incurred in qualifying the Public Securities under state or foreign securities or Blue Sky laws, (iv) fees, costs and expenses incurred in quoting the Securities on the OTC Bulletin Board, (v) all fees and disbursements of the transfer and warrant agent, (vi) all Company’s expenses associated with “due diligence” and “road show” meetings arranged by the Representative, including without limitation trips for the Company’s management to meet with prospective investors, all travel, food and lodging expenses associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such management; (vii) the preparation, binding and delivery of velo-bound transaction “bibles,” in form and style reasonably satisfactory to the Representative; and (viii) all other costs and expenses customarily borne by an issuer incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 3.13.1.  The Company acknowledges that it has advanced to the Representative an aggregate amount of $25,000 for its anticipated out-of-pocket accountable expenses.  The Representative shall reimburse the Company for such advance on the Closing Date.   If the Offering contemplated by this Agreement is not consummated by reason of the Company electing not to proceed with the Offering, then the Company shall reimburse the Representative in full for their actual accountable out of pocket expenses incurred, including, without limitation, its reasonable legal fees and disbursements and “road show” and due diligence expenses, less any amounts previously paid by the Company.

 

  3.14           Intentionally Omitted.  

 

3.15           Application of Net Proceeds.  The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering and Placement Unit Private Placement received by it in a manner consistent with the application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.

 

3.16           Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders.  The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the fifteenth full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of at least twelve consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.

 

3.17           Notice to FINRA.

 

3.17.1           Notice to FINRA. For a period of ninety days after the date of the Prospectus, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged, in writing, to assist the Company in its search for a Target Business (as defined below) or to provide any other services in connection therewith, the Company will provide the following to FINRA and the Representative prior to the consummation of the Business Transaction: (i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services; and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing the merger and acquisition services should not be considered an “underwriter and related person” with respect to the Offering, as such term is defined in Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual. The Company also agrees that, if required by law, proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer documents or proxy statement which the Company will file with the Commission in connection with the Business Transaction.

 

3.17.2           FINRA.  The Company shall advise the Representative (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it is aware that any 5% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the distribution of the Public Securities.

 

3.17.3           Broker/Dealer.  In the event the Company intends to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA, it shall promptly notify FINRA.

 

3.18           Stabilization.  Neither the Company, nor to its knowledge any of its employees, directors or stockholders (without the consent of the Representative) has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Units.

 

3.19           Existing Lock-Up Agreement. The Company will enforce all existing agreements between the Company and any of its security holders that prohibit the sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation of any of the Securities in connection with the Offering. In addition, the Company will direct the Transfer Agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such Securities of the Company that are bound by such existing “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements.

 

 

3.20           Payment of Deferred Corporate Finance Fee on Business Transaction; Right of First Refusal.

 

3.20.1           Upon the consummation of a Business Transaction, the Company agrees that it will pay the Deferred Corporate Finance Fee out of funds in the Trust Account delivered to the Company in accordance with Section 1.1.2.

 

3.20.2           Upon the consummation of the Business Transaction, and for a period of twelve (12) months following the closing of the Business Transaction, but not exceeding thirty-six (36) months from the Closing Date, the Company shall grant the Representative a right of first refusal to act as lead underwriter or as co-manager with at least fifty (50%) percent of the economics (or, in the case of a three-handed deal, 33% of the economics) for any and all public and private equity and debt offerings (excluding credit facilities) of the Company or its successors, during such period, for which the Company engages an underwriter or manager, so long as the proposed compensation to be received by the Representative does not exceed customary market terms for equivalent issuers offered by reputable investment banks.  Notwithstanding, such right of first refusal shall not apply to offerings led outside of the United States.

 

3.21           Internal Controls.  The Company, as required, will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

3.22           Accountants.  Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain RKCO or another independent registered public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative.

 

3.23           Form 8-K.  The Company shall, on the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (“Audited Balance Sheet”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering and the Placement Unit Private Placement.  Within four business days after the Closing Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Balance Sheet.  Promptly after the Option Closing Date, if the Over-allotment Option is exercised after the Closing Date, the Company shall file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K or an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of such option.

 

3.24           Corporate Proceedings.  All corporate proceedings and other legal matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been done to the reasonable satisfaction to ML.

 

3.25           Investment Company.  The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only in “government securities” (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) as set forth in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Prospectus.  The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act.  Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Transaction, it shall be engaged in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.

 

3.26           Colorado Trust Filing. In the event the Public Securities are registered in the State of Colorado, the Company will cause a Colorado Form ES to be filed with the Commissioner of the State of Colorado no less than 10 days prior to the distribution of the Trust Account in connection with a Business Combination and will do all things necessary to comply with Section 11-51-302 and Rule 51-3.4 of the Colorado Securities Act.

3.27         Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation.

 

3.27.1           The Company covenants and agrees, that prior to its initial Business Transaction it will not seek to amend or modify its Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, including, but not limited to Article IX of its Certificate of Incorporation, without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

 

3.27.2           The Company acknowledges that the purchasers of the Public Securities in the Offering shall be deemed to be third party beneficiaries of this Agreement and specifically this Section 3.26.2.

 

3.27.3           The Representative specifically advises the Company that it will not waive this Section  under any circumstances.

 

3.28           Press Releases.  The Company agrees that it will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Representative’s prior written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), for a period of forty (40) days after the Closing Date.  Notwithstanding, in no event shall the Company be prohibited from issuing any press releases or engaging in any other publicity required by law.

 

3.29           Insurance.  The Company will maintain directors’ and officers’ insurance (including insurance covering the Company, its directors and officers for liabilities or losses arising in connection with this Offering, including, without limitation, liabilities or losses arising under the Act, the Exchange Act, the Regulations and any applicable foreign securities laws).

 

3.30           Electronic Prospectus.  The Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Representative, at its expense, promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days from the effective date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering.  As used herein, the term “Electronic Prospectus” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the other Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Units for at least the period during which a prospectus relating to the Units is required to be delivered under the Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time).  

 

3.31           Placement Unit Private Placement Proceeds.  On or prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have deposited $3,900,000 of the proceeds from the Placement Unit Private Placement in the Trust Account or to Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP who will transfer such amount to the Trust Account on or prior to the Closing Date and shall provide the Representative with evidence of the same.  The Private Placement shall be consummated on the Closing Date.

 

3.32           Future Financings.  The Company agrees that neither it, nor any successor or subsidiary of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior to the consummation of a Business Transaction, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any rights in or claims against the Trust Account.

 

3.33           Amendments to Agreements. The Company shall not amend, modify or otherwise change the Warrant Agreement, Trust Agreement, Placement Unit Purchase Agreement or any Insider Letter without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

4.           Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.  The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Units, as provided herein, shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof and to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following conditions:

 

4.1           Regulatory Matters.

 

 

4.1.1           Effectiveness of Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representative, and, at each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for the purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of ML.

 

4.1.2           FINRA Clearance.  By the Effective Date, the Representative shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.

 

4.1.3           No Blue Sky Stop Orders.  No order suspending the sale of the Units in any jurisdiction designated by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 3.4 hereof shall have been issued on either of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, shall be contemplated.

 

4.1.4           No Commission Stop Order.  At the Closing Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

4.1.5           The OTC Bulletin Board.  The Securities shall have been approved for quotation on the OTC Bulletin Board.

 

4.2           Company Counsel Matters.

 

4.2.1           Closing Date and Option Closing Date Opinions of Counsel.  On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Representative and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and ML.

 

4.2.2           Reliance.  In rendering such opinions, such counsel may rely (i) as to matters involving the application of laws other than the laws of the United States and jurisdictions in which they are admitted, to the extent such counsel deems proper and to the extent specified in such opinions, if at all, upon an opinion or opinions (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative and ML) of other counsel reasonably acceptable to the Representative and ML, familiar with the applicable laws, and (ii) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to the Underwriters’ counsel if requested.  The opinions of counsel for the Company and any opinion relied upon by such counsel for the Company shall include a statement to the effect that it may be relied upon by counsel for the Underwriters in its opinion delivered to the Underwriters.

 

4.3           Cold Comfort Letter.  At the time this Agreement is executed, and at each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Underwriters shall have received a letter, addressed to the Representative and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects (including the non-material nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in clause (iii) below) to the Underwriters and to ML from RKCO dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any:

 

(i)           Confirming that they are independent accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Regulations and that they have not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act;

 

(ii)           Stating that in their opinion the financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the published Regulations thereunder;

 

 

(iii)           Stating that, on the basis of their review which included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (with an indication of the date of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements), a reading of the latest available minutes of the stockholders and board of directors and the various committees of the board of directors, consultations with officers and other employees of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their attention which would lead them to believe that (a) the unaudited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (b) at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in the stockholders’ equity of the Company as compared with amounts shown in the February 25, 2011 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or, if there was any decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from February 25, 2011 to a specified date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any decrease in revenues, net earnings or net earnings per share of Common Stock, in each case as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding year and as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding quarter, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or, if there was any such decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease;

 

(iv)           Setting forth, at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, the amount of liabilities of the Company (including a break-down of commercial papers and notes payable to banks);

 

(v)           Stating that they have compared specific dollar amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in agreement;

 

(vi)           Stating that they have not, since the Company’s incorporation, brought to the attention of the Company’s management any reportable condition related to internal structure, design or operation as defined in the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 60 “Communication of Internal Control Structure Related Matters Noted in an Audit,” in the Company’s internal controls; and

 

(vii)           Statements as to such other matters incident to the transaction contemplated hereby as the Representative may reasonably request.

 

4.4           Officers’ Certificates.

 

4.4.1           Officers’ Certificate.  At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Chairman of the Board or the President and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company (in their capacities as such), dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, respectively, to the effect that the Company has performed all covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as of the Closing Date, or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the conditions set forth in Section 4.4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct.  In addition, the Representative will have received such other and further certificates of officers of the Company (in their capacities as such) as the Representative may reasonably request.

 

 

4.4.2           Secretary’s Certificate.  At each of the Closing Date and the Option Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Date, as the case may be, respectively, certifying (i) that the Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation, as amended of the Company are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified, (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission, and (iv) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company.  The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.

 

4.5           No Material Changes.  Prior to and on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (ii) no action suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Insider before or by any court or federal, foreign or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations, prospects or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission, and (iv) the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations, and neither the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus nor the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

4.6           Delivery of Agreements.

 

4.6.1           Effective Date Deliveries.  On the date hereof, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreements, the Warrant Agreement and all of the Insider Letters.

4.7         Secondary Market Trading. On or before the date hereof, the Company shall provide the Representative with a written report detailing those states in which the Public Securities may be traded in non-issuer transactions under the Blue Sky laws of the fifty States.

5.           Indemnification.

 

5.1           Indemnification of the Underwriters.

 

 

5.1.1           General.  Subject to the conditions set forth below, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Underwriters, and each dealer selected by the Underwriters that participates in the offer and sale of the Securities (each a “Selected Dealer”) and each of their respective directors, officers and employees and each person, if any, who controls within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act (“Controlling Person”) any such Underwriter, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever as incurred to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or any other statute or at common law or otherwise or under the laws of foreign countries, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (i) the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (as from time to time each may be amended and supplemented, including, but not limited to any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A, Rule 430B or Rule 430C); (ii) any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including any  “road show” or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically); (iii) any application or other document or written communication (in this Section 5, collectively called “application”) executed by the Company or based upon written information furnished by the Company  in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Public Securities under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, any foreign or state securities commission or agency or on the OTC Bulletin Board (the  “OTCBB”); or (iv) any post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or new Registration Statement or Prospectus filed by the Company with the Commission, any state securities commission or agency, OTCBB or any securities exchange, or the omission or alleged omission from the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or subsequent filing by the Company under clause (iv) of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and to reimburse each Underwriter, each Selected Dealer and each of their respective directors, officers and employees and each Controlling Person, if any, for any and all expenses (including the fees and disbursements or counsel chosen by Cohen & Co.) as such expenses are incurred by such Underwriter, such Selected Dealer or each of their respective directors, officers and employees or such Controlling Person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim damage, liability, expense or action; provided however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expenses to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to an Underwriter by or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof, or in any application, as the case may be; (y) the use of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus in violation of any stop order or other notice received by any Underwriter indicating the then current Prospectus is not to be used in connection with the sale of any Securities or (z) an Underwriter otherwise failing in its prospectus delivery obligations.  The Company agrees promptly to notify the Representative of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Company or any of its officers, directors or Controlling Persons in connection with the issue and sale of the Securities or in connection with the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus.  The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 5.1 shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

 

5.2           Indemnification of the Company.  Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers who signed the Registration Statement and each Controlling Person of the Company, if any, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the several Underwriters, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any application, in reliance upon, and in strict conformity with, written information furnished to the Company with respect to such Underwriter by or on behalf of the Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or in any such application, and to reimburse the Company or any such director, officer or Controlling Person, if any, for any and all expenses as such expenses are reasonably incurred, in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the obligation of each Underwriter to indemnify the Company (including any director, officer or Controlling Person thereof, shall be limited to the commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it.  The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, which information, it is agreed, shall consist solely of the names and addresses of the several Underwriters, the statement that the Representative does not make markets in securities contained in “Risk Factors—The representative of the underwriters in this offering will not make a market for our securities which could adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities,” the information relating to the securities offerings experience of the Representative and its principals contained in “Risk Factors—There are risks associated with our underwriter’s lack of recent experience in public offerings,” the information with respect to dealers’ concessions and reallowances contained in the section entitled “Underwriting,” the information relating to an advance made to the Representative contained in the section entitled “Underwriting,” the jurisdictions listed in the section entitled “Notices to Non-U.S. Investors” and the identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters.” The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 5.2 shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.

 

 

5.3           Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures.  Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 5 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 5, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the failure to so notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph 5.1 or 5.2 above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph 5.1 or 5.2 above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 5 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the provision to the preceding sentence reasonably approved by the indemnifying party (or by Cohen & Co. in the case of Section 5.2), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action) or (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party.

 

5.4           Settlements.  The indemnifying party under this Section 5 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, which shall not be withheld, delayed or conditioned unreasonably, but if settled with such consent or if there is a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 5.3 hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (y) 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.

 

5.5           Contribution.

 

5.5.1           Contribution Rights.  In order to provide for just and equitable contribution under the Act in any case in which (i) any person entitled to indemnification under this Section 5 makes claim for indemnification pursuant hereto but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that this Section 5 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise may be required on the part of any such person in circumstances for which indemnification is provided under this Section 5, then, and in each such case, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute to the aggregate losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses of the nature contemplated by said indemnity agreement incurred by the Company and the Underwriters, as incurred, in such proportions that the Underwriters are responsible for that portion represented by the percentage that the underwriting discount appearing on the cover page of the Prospectus bears to the initial offering price appearing thereon and the Company is responsible for the balance; provided, that, no person guilty of a 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.  If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters in connection with the actions or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.  The relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters 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 furnished by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.5.1, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public.  For purposes of this Section, each director, officer and employee of an Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriters or the Company, as applicable.

 

 

5.5.2           Contribution Procedure.  Within fifteen days after receipt by any party to this Agreement (or its representative) of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, such party will, if a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against another party (“Contributing Party”), notify the Contributing Party of the commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the Contributing Party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any other party other than for contribution hereunder.  In case any such action, suit or proceeding is brought against any party, and such party notifies a Contributing Party or its representative of the commencement thereof within the aforesaid fifteen days, the Contributing Party will be entitled to participate therein with the notifying party and any other Contributing Party similarly notified.  Any such Contributing Party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding effected by such party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding effected by such party seeking contribution without the written consent of such Contributing Party.  The contribution provisions contained in this Section are intended to supersede, to the extent permitted by law, any right to contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise available.  The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 5.5 are several and not joint.

 

6.           Default by an Underwriter.

 

6.1           Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm Units or Option Units.  If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm Units or the Option Units, if the Over-Allotment Option is exercised, hereunder, and if the number of the Firm Units or Option Units with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Units or Option Units that all Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm Units or Option Units to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.

 

6.2           Default Exceeding 10% of Firm Units or Option Units.  In the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 above relates to more than 10% of the Firm Units or Option Units, the Representative may in its discretion arrange for the Representative or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm Units or Option Units to which such default relates on the terms contained herein.  If within one (1) Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm Units the Representative or Option Units the Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Firm Units or Option Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one (1) Business Day within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representative to purchase said Firm Units or Option Units on such terms.  In the event that neither the Representative nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm Units or Option Units to which a default relates as provided in this Section 6, this Agreement will be terminated by the Representative or the Company without liability on the part of the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.13 and 5 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided in Section 5 hereof); provided, however, that if such default occurs with respect to the Option Units, this Agreement will not terminate as to the Firm Units; and provided further that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the other several Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.

 

6.3           Postponement of Closing Date.  In the event that the Firm Units or Option Units to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date or Option Closing Date for a reasonable period, but not in any event exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment to, or to supplement, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, that in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters may thereby be made necessary.  The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Public Securities.

 

 

7.           Additional Covenants.

 

7.1           Additional Shares or Options.  The Company hereby agrees that until the consummation of a Business Transaction, it shall not issue any shares of Common Stock or any options or other securities convertible into shares of Common Stock, or any shares of preferred stock or other securities of the Company which participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the Common Stock on a Business Transaction.

 

7.2           Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgments.  The Company hereby agrees that it will use its reasonable best efforts prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any prospective Target Business or obtaining the services of any vendor to acknowledge in writing whether through a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar document (and subsequently acknowledges the same in any definitive document replacing any of the foregoing, that (a) it has read the Prospectus and understands that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of $61,200,000 (without giving effect to any exercise of the Over-allotment Option) for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only (i) to the holders of the IPO shares in the event they elect to redeem their IPO Shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Transaction, (ii) to the holders of the IPO Shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Transaction within 15 months from the date of the Prospectus (or 18 months from the date of the Prospectus under certain circumstances described in the Prospectus), or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Transaction and (b) for and in consideration of the Company (i) agreeing to evaluate such Target for purposes of consummating a Business Transaction with it or (ii) agreeing to engage the services of the vendor, as the case may be, such Target or vendor agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (“Claim”) and waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.  The foregoing letters shall substantially be in the form attached hereto as Exhibits A and B respectively.  The Company may forego obtaining such waivers only if the Company shall have received the approval of its Chief Executive Officer and the approving vote or written consent of at least a majority of its Board of Directors.  The term “IPO Shares” means the shares of Common Stock contained in the Public Securities.

 

7.3           Insider Letters.

 

7.3.1           The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action which would cause a breach of any of the Insider Letters and will not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, such Insider Letters without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

7.3.2           The Company shall cause each of the Insiders to agree in an Insider Letter that, in order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, the Insiders will present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or company, any suitable opportunity to acquire an operating business, until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Transaction, the liquidation of the Company or until such time as the Insiders cease to be an officer or director of the Company, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations the Insiders might have.

 

7.4           Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.  The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would reasonably be expected to cause the Company to be in breach or violation of its Bylaws or Certificate of Incorporation, as amended.

 

7.5           Acquisition/Liquidation Procedure.  The Company agrees that it will comply with the provisions of Article IX of its Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, in connection with the consummation of a Business Transaction or the failure to consummate a Business Transaction within fifteen (15) months from the date of the Prospectus (or eighteen (18) months from the date of the Prospectus under certain circumstances described in the Prospectus).  The Company agrees that it will not propose any amendment to such Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligations as described in Section 9.2 with respect to the redemption rights of Public Stockholders.

 

7.6           Rule 419.  The Company agrees that it will use its best efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of any Business Transaction, including but not limited to using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.

 

 

7.7           Tender Offer Documents, Proxy Materials and Other Information.  The Company shall provide to the Representative or its counsel (if so instructed by the Representative) with ten copies of all tender offer documents or proxy information and all related material filed with the commission in connection with a Business Transaction concurrently with such filing with the commission. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been provided to the Representative pursuant to this Section. In addition, the Company shall furnish any other state in which its initial public offering was registered, such information as may be requested by such state.

 

8.           Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery.  Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, and such representations, warranties and agreements of the Underwriters and the Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Section 5 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any Controlling Person, and shall survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to the several Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations and the seventh (7th ) anniversary of the later of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.

 

9.           Effective Date of This Agreement and Termination Thereof.

 

9.1           Effective Date.  This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date at the time the Registration Statement is declared effective by the Commission.

 

9.2           Termination.  The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date, (i) if any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the Representative’ opinion will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in the United States; or (ii) if trading on the AMEX, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or on the OTCBB shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction, or (iii) if the United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in existing major hostilities, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or Federal authority, or (v) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States securities market, or (vi) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire,  flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in the Representative’s  sole opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Units, or (vii) if the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants hereunder, or (viii) if the Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of such a material adverse change in the conditions or prospects of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof, as in the Representative’s sole judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Units or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Public Securities.

 

9.3           Expenses.  In the event that this Agreement is terminated by the Company, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein, the Company shall reimburse the Representative for the full amount of its actual accountable out of pocket expenses incurred to such date (which shall include, but shall not be limited to, all reasonable fees and disbursements of the Representative’s counsel (up to $35,000), mailing, printing and reproduction expense and any expenses incurred by the Representative in conducting its due diligence, including background checks of the Company’s officers and directors) less amounts previously paid pursuant to Section 3.13.1, and reimburse Cohen for the full amount of travel, lodging and road show expenses incurred to such date, less the amounts previously paid to the Representative as an advance and in reimbursement for such expenses.

 

9.4           Indemnification.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way affected by such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.

 

 

10.           Miscellaneous.

 

10.1           Notices.  All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed, delivered by hand or reputable overnight courier or delivered by facsimile transmission (with printed confirmation of receipt) and confirmed and shall be deemed given when so mailed, delivered or faxed or if mailed, two days after such mailing

 

If to the Representative:

 

Cohen & Company Capital Markets, LLC

1633 Broadway, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Attn:  Stuart Sugarman

Facsimile: (212) 218-3725

 

Copy to:

 

Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, PC

666 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Attn:  Kenneth R. Koch, Esq.

Facsimile: (212) 983-3115

 

If to the Company:

 

Empeiria Acquisition Corp.

142 W. 57th Street, 12th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Attn:  Alan B. Menkes

Facsimile: (646) 390-1004

Copy to:

 

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP

150 East 42nd Street

New York, NY 10017

Attn:  Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.

Facsimile: (212) 370-7889

 

10.2           Headings.  The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

 

10.3           Amendment.  This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

10.4           Entire Agreement.  This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitute the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

 

10.5           Binding Effect.  This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representative, the Underwriters, the Company and the Controlling Persons, directors and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal representatives and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. This agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and said Controlling Persons and their respective successors, officers, directors, heirs and legal representatives, and it is not for the benefit of any other person.  The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from any of the Underwriters.  The Company acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the sale and issuance of the securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company and the Underwriters; (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to the Offering, the Underwriters are acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company; (iii) no Underwriter has assumed a fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the Offering or the process leading thereto; and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate in connection with this Agreement and the Offering.

 

10.6           Governing Law.  This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.  The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of, or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the Supreme Court, County of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive.  The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.  Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 10.1 hereof.  Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action, proceeding or claim.  The Company agrees that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor.

 

10.7           Execution in Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto.  Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

 

10.8           Waiver, Etc.  The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement.  No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.

 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.

 

	Very truly yours,
	EMPEIRIA ACQUISITION CORP.
	By:	/s/ Daniel Reiser
	Name: Daniel Reiser
	Title:   General Counsel

Accepted on the date first
above written.
COHEN & COMPANY CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
By:	/s/ Alan B. Menkes
Name: Alan B. Menkes
Title:   Chief Exective Officer

 

 

Underwriter		Number of Firm Units to be Purchased
COHEN & COMPANY SECURITIES, LLC			6,000,000
TOTAL			6,000,000

 

 

Gentlemen:

 

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Empeiria Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), dated June 15, 2011 (the “Prospectus”).  Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.

 

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $61,200,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Underwriters”) and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Transaction, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Transaction within 15 months from the date of the Prospectus (or 18 months from the date of the Prospectus under certain circumstances described in the Prospectus) or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Transaction.

 

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to evaluate the undersigned for purposes of consummating a Business Transaction with it, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

Print Name of Target Business
Authorized Signature of Target Business

 

 

Gentlemen:

 

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Empeiria Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), dated June 15, 2011 (the “Prospectus”).  Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.

 

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $61,200,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Underwriters”) and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Transaction, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Transaction within 15 months from the date of the Prospectus (or 18 months from the date of the Prospectus under certain circumstances described in the Prospectus) or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Transaction.

 

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to engage the services of the undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

Print Name of Vendor
Authorized Signature of Vendor