ITRON, INC.
Exhibit 1.1
ITRON, INC.
1,500,000 Shares
Common Stock
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
May 13, 2005
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
May 13, 2005
Adams Harkness, Inc.
Stephens Inc.
as Managing Underwriters
c/o Adams Harkness, Inc.
99 High Street
11th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Itron, Inc., a Washington corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the underwriters named in Schedule A annexed hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives, an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) of common stock, without par value (the “Common Stock”), of the Company. In addition, solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, the Company proposes to grant to the Underwriters the option to purchase from the Company up to an additional 225,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Additional Shares”). The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively sometimes referred to as the “Shares.” The Shares are described in the Prospectus which is referred to below.
The Company has prepared and filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-123346) under the Act (the “registration statement”). Amendments to such registration statement, if necessary or appropriate, have been similarly prepared and filed with the Commission. Such registration statement, as so amended, has been declared by the Commission to be effective under the Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a Prepricing Prospectus (as defined and referred to below) pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, describing the Shares and the offering thereof, in such form as has been provided to or discussed with, and approved by, the Underwriters. The Company will next file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act a final prospectus supplement to the basic prospectus, describing the Shares and the offering thereof, in such form as has been provided to or discussed with, and approved, by the Underwriters.
The term “Registration Statement” as used in this Agreement means the registration statement, which was declared effective by the Commission on March 29, 2005, and as supplemented or amended prior to the execution of this Agreement, including (i) all financial schedules and exhibits thereto and (ii) all documents incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. If an abbreviated registration statement is prepared and filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 462(b) under the Act (an “Abbreviated Registration Statement”), the term “Registration Statement” includes the Abbreviated Registration Statement. The term “Basic Prospectus” as used in this Agreement means the basic
prospectus dated as of March 29, 2005 and to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) for use in connection with the offer and/or sale of Shares pursuant to this Agreement. The term “Prepricing Prospectus” as used in this Agreement means any form of preliminary prospectus used in connection with the marketing of the Shares, including the preliminary prospectus supplement dated as of May 4, 2005 and filed with the Commission on May 4, 2005 pursuant to Rule 424 under the Act and any basic prospectus (whether or not in preliminary form) used with any such preliminary prospectus supplement in connection with the marketing of the Shares, in each case as any of the foregoing may be amended or supplemented by the Company. The term “Prospectus Supplement” as used in this Agreement means any final prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Shares, in the form filed with, or transmitted for filing to, the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Act. The term “Prospectus” as used in this Agreement means the Basic Prospectus together with the Prospectus Supplement except that if such Basic Prospectus is amended or supplemented on or prior to the date on which the Prospectus Supplement was first filed pursuant to Rule 424, the term “Prospectus” shall refer to the Basic Prospectus as so amended or supplemented and as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement. Any reference herein to the registration statement, the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Prepricing Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include (i) the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Form S-3 (the “Incorporated Documents”) and (ii) the copy of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prepricing Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or the Incorporated Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”). Any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Prepricing Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) after the effective date of the Registration Statement, or the date of the Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference.
The Company and the Underwriters agree as follows:
1. Sale and Purchase. Upon the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the respective Underwriters and each of the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A attached hereto, subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 8 hereof, in each case at a purchase price of $34.675 per Share. The Company is advised by you that the Underwriters intend (i) to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Firm Shares as soon after the effective date of the Registration Statement as in your judgment is advisable and (ii) initially to offer the Firm Shares upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus. You may from time to time increase or decrease the public offering price after the initial public offering to such extent as you may determine.
In addition, the Company hereby grants to the several Underwriters the option to purchase, and upon the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company, ratably in accordance with the number of Firm Shares to be
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purchased by each of them, all or a portion of the Additional Shares as may be necessary to cover over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares, at the same purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Firm Shares. This option may be exercised by Adams Harkness, Inc. (“Adams Harkness”) on behalf of the several Underwriters at any time and from time to time on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Additional Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Additional Shares are to be delivered (such date and time being herein referred to as the “additional time of purchase”); provided, however, that the additional time of purchase shall not be earlier than the time of purchase (as defined below) nor earlier than the second business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised nor later than the tenth business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised. The number of Additional Shares to be sold to each Underwriter shall be the number which bears the same proportion to the aggregate number of Additional Shares being purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter on Schedule A hereto bears to the total number of Firm Shares (subject, in each case, to such adjustment as you may determine to eliminate fractional shares), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 8 hereof.
2. Payment and Delivery. Payment of the purchase price for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Company by Federal Funds wire transfer against delivery of the certificates for the Firm Shares to you through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the respective accounts of the Underwriters. Such payment and delivery shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on May 18, 2005 (unless another time shall be agreed to by you and the Company or unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 hereof). The time at which such payment and delivery are to be made is hereinafter sometimes called “the time of purchase.” Electronic transfer of the Firm Shares shall be made to you at the time of purchase in such names and in such denominations as you shall specify.
Payment of the purchase price for the Additional Shares shall be made at the additional time of purchase in the same manner and at the same office as the payment for the Firm Shares. Electronic transfer of the Additional Shares shall be made to you at the additional time of purchase in such names and in such denominations as you shall specify.
Deliveries of the documents described in Section 6 hereof with respect to the purchase of the Shares shall be made at the offices of Stoel Rives LLP at 600 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98112, at 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date of the closing of the purchase of the Firm Shares or the Additional Shares, as the case may be.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) the Registration Statement has been declared effective under the Act; no stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of the Basic Prospectus, any Prepricing Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, are contemplated by the Commission; the Company is eligible to use Form S-3; such registration statement at
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the date of this Agreement meets, and the offering of the Shares complies with, the requirements of Rule 415 under the Act. The Registration Statement complied when it became effective, complies and, at the time of purchase, any additional time of purchase (if applicable) and at any time at which the Prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of any Shares, will comply, and the Basic Prospectus, any Prepricing Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus conformed as of its date, conform and, at the time of purchase, any additional time of purchase (if applicable) and at any time at which the Prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of any Shares, will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Act (including said Rule 415); any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement have been and will be so described or filed; the conditions to the use of Form S-3 have been satisfied; and the Registration Statement did not at the time of effectiveness, does not and, at the time of purchase, any additional time of purchase (if applicable) and at any time at which the Prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of any Shares, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Basic Prospectus, any Prepricing Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus did not as of its date, does not and, at the time of purchase, any additional time of purchase (if applicable) and at any time at which the Prospectus is delivered in connection with the sale of any Shares, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no warranty or representation with respect to any statement contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information concerning an Underwriter and furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; the documents incorporated by reference in the Basic Prospectus, any Prepricing Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they became effective or were filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares other than the Registration Statement, any Prepricing Prospectus, the then most recent Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus;
(b) as of the date of this Agreement, the Company has an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth under the heading “Actual” in the section of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus entitled “Capitalization” and “Description of Capital Stock,” and, as of the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase (if applicable), as the case may be, the Company shall have an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth under the heading “As Adjusted” in the section of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus entitled “Capitalization” and “Description of
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Capital Stock,” (subject, in each case, to the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of stock options and warrants disclosed as outstanding in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and the grant of options under existing stock option plans described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus); all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock, including the Common Stock, of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and applicable state securities laws and were not issued in violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or similar right to acquire shares of capital stock or other securities of the Company;
(c) the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Washington, with corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, to execute and deliver this Agreement and to issue, sell and deliver the Shares as contemplated herein;
(d) the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, financial condition, results of operation or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries (as hereinafter defined) taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”);
(e) the Company has no subsidiaries (as defined under the Act) other than those set forth on Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-4, dated September 3, 2004, File No. 333-118782 (the “Subsidiaries”); the Company owns all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Subsidiaries; other than the capital stock of the Subsidiaries, the Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any shares of stock or any other equity or long-term debt securities of any corporation or have any equity interest in any firm, partnership, joint venture, association or other entity; complete and correct copies of the certificates of incorporation and the bylaws of the Company and the Subsidiaries and all amendments thereto have been delivered to you, and, except as set forth in the exhibits to the Registration Statement, no changes therein will be made on or after the date hereof or on or before the time of purchase or, if later, the additional time of purchase; each Subsidiary has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; each Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by the Company subject to no security interest, other encumbrance or adverse claims; no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligation into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in any of the Subsidiaries are outstanding;
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(f) the Shares have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights;
(g) the capital stock of the Company, including the Shares, conforms to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and the certificates for the Shares will be, at the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase (if applicable), in due and proper form;
(h) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;
(i) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in (i) violation of its respective charter or bylaws, or (ii) breach of or default under (nor has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any of them or any of their properties may be bound or affected, except for any breaches or defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(j) the execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (i) violate the charter or bylaws of the Company or any Subsidiary, or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary, or (ii) result in any breach of or constitute a default under (nor will constitute an event which, with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or constitute a default under) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties may be bound or affected;
(k) no approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or of or with the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation National Market System (“NASDAQ”), or approval of the shareholders of the Company, is required to be obtained or made by the Company or the Subsidiaries in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby other than registration of the
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Shares under the Act, which has been effected, and any necessary qualification under the securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Shares are being offered by the Underwriters;
(l) except as expressly set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (i) no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to issue or sell to it any shares of Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock or other equity interests of the Company, (ii) no person has any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase any shares of Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock of or other equity interests in the Company and (iii) no person has the right to act as an underwriter or as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares, in the case of each of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), whether as a result of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the sale of the Shares as contemplated thereby or otherwise; no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to register under the Act any shares of Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock of or other equity interests in the Company, or to include any such shares or interests in the Registration Statement or the offering contemplated thereby, whether as a result of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the sale of the Shares as contemplated thereby or otherwise;
(m) each of the Company and each Subsidiary has all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals from other persons, in order to conduct its respective business, except where the failure to have such licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals or make such filings would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, authorization, consent or approval or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, order or judgment applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary, except where such violation, default, revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(n) all legal or governmental proceedings, affiliate transactions, off-balance sheet transactions (including, without limitation, transactions related to, and the existence of, “variable interest entities” within the meaning of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 46), contracts, licenses, agreements, leases or documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement have been so described or filed as required;
(o) except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no actions, suits, claims, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their respective directors or officers is or would be a party or of
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which any of their respective properties is or would be subject at law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, except any such action, suit, claim, investigation or proceeding which would not result in a judgment, decree or order having, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect or preventing consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby;
(p) Deloitte & Touche LLP, whose report on the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries is filed with the Commission as part of, or incorporated by reference into, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company as required by the Act and by Rule 3600T of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report on the financial statements of Schlumberger Ltd.’s Electricity Products Business (“SEM”) is incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to SEM and the Company as required by the Act and by Rule 3600T of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;
(q) the financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules, present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and of SEM as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations and cash flows of the Company and the Subsidiaries for the periods specified and of SEM for the periods specified and have been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the Act and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved; any pro forma financial statements or data included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply with the requirements of Regulation S-X of the Act, including, without limitation, Article 11 thereof, and the assumptions used in the preparation of such pro forma financial statements and data are reasonable, the pro forma adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions or circumstances described therein and the pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements and data; the other financial and statistical data set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are accurately presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company and SEM; there are no financial statements that are required to be included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including, without limitation, as required by Rules 3-12 or 3-05 or Article 11 of Regulation S-X under the Act) that are not included as required; neither the Company and the Subsidiaries nor SEM have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations or any “variable interest entities” within the meaning of Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 46), not disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that are required to be disclosed in such documents;
(r) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been (i) any change or development in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of
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operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries that would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) any transaction that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except transactions in the ordinary course of business, (iii) any obligation, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company or any Subsidiary, that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except transactions in the ordinary course of business, (iv) any change in the capital stock or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary or (v) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company;
(s) the Company has obtained for the benefit of the Underwriters the agreement (a “Lock-Up Agreement”), in the form set forth as Exhibit A hereto, of each of its directors and officers of the Company;
(t) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is nor, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, neither will any of them be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company,” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
(u) the Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all property (real and personal) described the Registration Statement or in the Prospectus as being owned by each of them, free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests or other encumbrances, except such as are described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or are not material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole; all the property described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as being held under lease by the Company or any Subsidiary is held thereby under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases;
(v) except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Company and the Subsidiaries own, or have obtained valid and enforceable licenses for, or other rights to use, the inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), trade names, service names, copyrights, trade secrets and other proprietary information described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by them or which the Company believes are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses, except where the failure to own, license or have such rights would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, “Intellectual Property”); except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (i) there are no third parties who have or, to the Company’s knowledge, will be able to establish rights to any Intellectual Property, except for the ownership rights of the owners of the Intellectual Property which is licensed to the Company; (ii) there is no infringement by third parties of any Intellectual Property; (iii) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any Intellectual Property, and to the Company’s knowledge, no reasonable basis therefor exists; (iv) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any Intellectual Property, and to the Company’s knowledge, no reasonable basis therefor exists; (v) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others
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that the Company or any Subsidiary infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, trade name, service name, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and to the Company’s knowledge, no reasonable basis therefor exists; (vi) to the Company’s knowledge there is no patent or patent application that contains claims that interfere with the issued or pending claims of any of the Intellectual Property or that challenges the validity, unenforceability or scope of any Intellectual Property; and (vii) there is no prior art that may render any patent application owned by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Intellectual Property unpatentable that has not been disclosed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office;
(w) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is engaged in any unfair labor practice; except for matters which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements is pending or threatened, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary and (C) no union representation dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary, and (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, (A) no union organizing activities are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary and (B) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, any applicable wage or hour laws or any provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary;
(x) except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Company and the Subsidiaries, and their properties, assets, and operations, are in compliance with, and hold all permits, authorizations and approvals required under, Environmental Laws (as defined below); (ii) there are no past, present or, to the Company’s knowledge, reasonably anticipated future events, conditions, circumstances, activities, practices, actions, omissions or plans that could give rise to any costs or liabilities to the Company or any Subsidiary under, or to interfere with or prevent compliance by the Company or any Subsidiary with, Environmental Laws; (iii) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary (1) is the subject of any investigation, (2) has received any notice or claim, (3) is a party to or affected by any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding, (4) is bound by any judgment, decree or order or (5) has entered into any agreement, in each case relating to any alleged violation of any Environmental Law or any actual or alleged release or threatened release or cleanup at any location of any Hazardous Materials (as defined below) (as used herein, “Environmental Law” means any federal, state, local or foreign law, statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, decree, judgment, injunction, permit, license, authorization or other binding requirement, or common law, relating to health, safety or the protection, cleanup or restoration of the environment or natural resources, including those relating to the distribution, processing, generation, treatment, storage, disposal, transportation, other
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handling or release or threatened release of Hazardous Materials, and “Hazardous Materials” means any material (including, without limitation, pollutants, contaminants, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes) that is regulated by or may give rise to liability under any Environmental Law);
(y) in the ordinary course of its business, each of the Company and each Subsidiary conducts a periodic review of the effect of the Environmental Laws on its business, operations and properties, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for cleanup, closure of properties or compliance with the Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties);
(z) all tax returns required to be filed by the Company and each Subsidiary have been filed, and all taxes and other assessments of a similar nature (whether imposed directly or through withholding) including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto due or claimed to be due from such entities have been paid, other than those being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided, and except where the failure to file such returns or pay, or make provision to pay, all such taxes and assessments would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(aa) the Company and each Subsidiary maintains insurance covering its properties, operations, personnel and businesses as the Company deems adequate; such insurance insures against such losses and risks to an extent which is adequate in accordance with customary industry practice to protect the Company and the Subsidiaries and their businesses; all such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof and will be fully in force at the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase;
(bb) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has sustained since the date of the last audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus any loss or interference with its respective business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree;
(cc) the Company has not sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement;
(dd) the Company and each Subsidiary maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s
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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;
(ee) the Company has established and maintains and evaluates “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) and “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiary, is made known to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer by others within those entities, and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in providing reasonable assurance that material information relating to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s management, including during the period when the Company prepares its periodic reports to be filed with or furnished to the Commission; the Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; any material weaknesses in internal controls have been identified for the Company’s auditors; and since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses; the principal executive officers (or their equivalents) and principal financial officers (or their equivalents) of the Company have made all certifications required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and any related rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission, and the statements contained in any such certification when made, were complete and correct; the Company is otherwise in compliance in all material respects with all applicable effective provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and the NASDAQ promulgated thereunder;
(ff) the Company has provided you true, correct and complete copies of all documentation pertaining to any extension of credit in the form of a personal loan made, directly or indirectly, by the Company or any Subsidiary to any director or executive officer of the Company, or to any family member or affiliate of any director or executive officer of the Company; and on or after July 30, 2002, the Company has not, directly or indirectly, including through any Subsidiary: (i) extended credit, arranged to extend credit, or renewed any extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan, to or for any director or executive officer of the Company, or to or for any family member or affiliate of any director or executive officer of the Company; or (ii) made any material modification, including any renewal thereof, to any term of any personal loan to any director or executive officer of the Company, or any family member or affiliate of any director or executive officer, which loan was outstanding on July 30, 2002;
(gg) all statistical or market-related data included in the Registration
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Statement or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required;
(hh) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company or any Subsidiary has made any payment of funds of the Company or any Subsidiary or received or retained any funds in violation of any law, rule or regulation, which payment, receipt or retention of funds is of a character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus;
(ii) except pursuant to this Agreement, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has incurred any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or by the Prospectus;
(jj) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor any of their respective directors, officers, affiliates or controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed, or which has constituted or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares;
(kk) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between any member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the “NASD”) and any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% or greater securityholders that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and that are not so described as required; and
(ll) the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-”affiliates” (as defined under the Act) of the Company, computed by use of the price at which the stock was last sold, or the average of the bid and asked prices of such stock, as of a date within 60 days prior to the filing of the Registration Statement, is $150,000,000 or more; and the Company (a) has been subject to the requirements of Section 12 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and has filed all the material required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act for a period of at least 36 calendar months immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement; and (b) has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed with the Commission during such 36 calendar months and any portion of a month immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement and, if the Company has used (during such 36 calendar months and any portion of a month immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement) Rule 12b-25(b) under the Exchange Act with respect to a report or a portion of a report, that report or portion thereof has actually been filed with the Commission within the time period prescribed by such Rule.
In addition, any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any Subsidiary and delivered to the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company or any Subsidiary, as the case may be, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
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4. Certain Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees:
(a) to furnish such information as may be required and otherwise to cooperate in qualifying the Shares for offering and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of such states or other jurisdictions as you may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as you may reasonably request for the distribution of the Shares; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to consent to the service of process under the laws of any such jurisdiction (except service of process with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares); and to promptly advise you of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer or sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose;
(b) to make available to the Underwriters in New York City, as soon as practicable after this Agreement becomes effective, and thereafter from time to time to furnish to the Underwriters, as many copies of the Prospectus (or of the Prospectus as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have made any amendments or supplements thereto after the effective date of the Registration Statement) as the Underwriters may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by the Act; in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus after the nine-month period referred to in Section 10(a)(3) of the Act in connection with the sale of the Shares, the Company will prepare, at its expense, promptly upon request such amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as may be necessary to permit compliance with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(c) if, at the time this Agreement is executed and delivered, it is necessary for the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto to be declared effective before the Shares may be sold, the Company will endeavor to cause the Registration Statement or such post-effective amendment to become effective as soon as possible, and the Company will advise you promptly and, if requested by you, will confirm such advice in writing, (i) when the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment thereto has become effective, and (ii) if Rule 430A under the Act is used, when the Prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act (which the Company agrees to file in a timely manner under such Rule);
(d) to advise you promptly, confirming such advice in writing, of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information with respect thereto, or of notice of institution of proceedings for, or the entry of a stop order, suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and, if the Commission should enter a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, to use its best efforts to obtain the lifting or removal of such order as soon as possible; to advise you promptly of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including by filing any documents that would be incorporated therein by reference, and to provide you and Underwriters’ counsel copies of any such documents that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or Prospectus for review and comment a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing, and to file no such amendment or supplement to which you shall object in writing, in each case for so long as the delivery of a Prospectus in required in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares;
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(e) to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statement required to be filed by the Company with the Commission in order to comply with the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares; and to provide you with a copy of such reports and statements and other documents to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during such period a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing, and to promptly notify you of such filing;
(f) if necessary or appropriate, to file a registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act and pay the applicable fees in accordance with the Act;
(g) to advise the Underwriters promptly of the happening of any event within the time during which a prospectus relating to the Shares is required to be delivered under the Act which, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, would require the making of any change in the Prospectus then being used so that the Prospectus would not include an untrue statement of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, and, during such time, subject to Section 4(d) hereof, to prepare and furnish, at the Company’s expense, to the Underwriters promptly such amendments or supplements to such Prospectus as may be necessary to reflect any such change;
(h) to make generally available to its security holders, and to deliver to you, an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited and which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of twelve months beginning after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act) as soon as is reasonably practicable after the termination of such twelve-month period but in any case not later than May 30, 2006;
(i) to furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a consolidated balance sheet and statements of income, shareholders’ equity and cash flow of the Company and the Subsidiaries for such fiscal year, accompanied by a copy of the certificate or report thereon of nationally recognized independent certified public accountants duly registered with the Public Company Oversight Accounting Board);
(j) to furnish to you two copies of the Registration Statement, as initially filed with the Commission, and of all amendments thereto (including all exhibits thereto) and sufficient copies of the foregoing (other than exhibits) for distribution of a copy to each of the other Underwriters;
(k) to furnish to you promptly and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters for a period of five years from the date of this Agreement (i) copies of any
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reports, proxy statements, or other communications which the Company shall send to its stockholders or shall from time to time publish or publicly disseminate, (ii) copies of documents or reports filed with any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed and (iii) such other information as you may reasonably request regarding the Company or any Subsidiary;
(l) to furnish to you as early as practicable prior to the time of purchase and any additional time of purchase, as the case may be, but not later than two business days prior thereto, a copy of the latest available unaudited interim and monthly consolidated financial statements, if any, of the Company and the Subsidiaries which have been read by the Company’s independent certified public accountants, as stated in their letter to be furnished pursuant to Section 6(b) hereof;
(m) to apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares in the manner set forth under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus;
(n) to pay all costs, expenses, fees and taxes in connection with (i) the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, each Prepricing Prospectus, each Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Underwriters and to dealers (including costs of mailing and shipment), (ii) the registration, issue, sale and delivery of the Shares including any stock or transfer taxes and stamp or similar duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, (iii) the reproduction and delivery of any Agreement Among Underwriters, dealer agreements, powers of attorney, and other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares, (iv) the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state or foreign laws and the determination of their eligibility for investment under state or foreign law as aforesaid (including the reasonable legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters with respect to such qualification or determination) and the printing and furnishing of copies of any blue sky surveys or legal investment surveys to the Underwriters and to dealers, (v) any listing of the Shares on any securities exchange or qualification of the Shares for quotation on the NASDAQ and any registration thereof under the Exchange Act, (vi) any filing for review of the public offering of the Shares by the NASD, including the reasonable legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters relating to NASD matters, (vii) the fees and disbursements of any transfer agent or registrar for the Shares, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to presentations or meetings undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering and sale of the Shares to prospective investors and the Underwriters’ sales forces, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel, lodging and other expenses incurred by the officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show and (ix) the performance of the Company’s other obligations hereunder; it being understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 4(n), and Sections 5 and 9 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers that they make;
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(o) not to 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, any Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock or warrants or other rights to purchase Common Stock or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Common Stock, or file or cause to be declared effective a registration statement under the Act relating to the offer and sale of any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or warrants or other rights to purchase Common Stock or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to Common Stock for a period of 90 days after the date hereof (the “Lock-Up Period”), without the prior written consent of Adams Harkness, except for (i) the registration of the Shares and the sales to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, (ii) issuances of Common Stock upon the exercise of options or warrants disclosed as outstanding in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) the grant of employee stock options not exercisable during the Lock-Up Period pursuant to stock option plans and described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and (iv) the issuance of Common Stock pursuant to employee stock purchase plans described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; provided that, if (x) within 18 days of the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company issues an earnings release or discloses material news, or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or (y) before the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then in any such case the restrictions imposed by this Section 4(o) shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release, the disclosure of the material news or the occurrence of the material event; provided further, however, that the foregoing clause shall not apply if, within three days preceding the last 15 days of the Lock-Up Period, the Company delivers to Adams Harkness a certificate, signed by the chief financial officer or chief executive officer of the Company, certifying on behalf of the Company that the Company’s shares of Common Stock are “actively traded securities,” as defined in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act;
(p) to use its best efforts to cause the Shares to be listed, and maintain the listing of the Common Stock, for quotation on the NASDAQ; and
(q) to maintain a transfer agent and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company, a registrar for the Common Stock.
5. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If the Shares are not delivered for any reason other than the termination of this Agreement pursuant to the fifth paragraph of Section 8 hereof or the default by one or more of the Underwriters in its or their respective obligations hereunder, the Company shall, in addition to paying the amounts described in Section 4(n) hereof, reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel.
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6. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The several obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company on the date hereof, at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:
(a) The Company shall furnish to you at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, an opinion of Perkins Coie LLP, counsel for the Company, addressed to the Underwriters, and dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, with executed copies for each of the other Underwriters, and in form and substance satisfactory to Stoel Rives LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto.
(b) You shall have received from each of Deloitte & Touche LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP letters dated, respectively, the date of this Agreement, the time of purchase and, if applicable, the additional time of purchase, and addressed to the Underwriters (with executed copies for each of the Underwriters) in the forms heretofore approved by Adams Harkness.
(c) You shall have received at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, the favorable opinion of Stoel Rives LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Adams Harkness.
(d) No Prospectus or amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including documents deemed to be incorporated by reference therein, shall have been filed to which you have objected to in writing prior to its filing.
(e) The Prospectus Supplement shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act at or before 5:30 P.M., New York City time, no later than the second full business day after the date of this Agreement and any registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act required in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares shall have been filed and become effective no later than 10:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement.
(f) Prior to the time of purchase, and, if applicable, the additional time of purchase, (i) no stop order with respect to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the Act or proceedings initiated under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Act; (ii) the Registration Statement and all amendments thereto shall not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and (iii) the Prospectus and all amendments or supplements thereto shall not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
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(g) Between the time of execution of this Agreement and the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be, no material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, shall occur or become known.
(h) The Company will, at the time of purchase and, if applicable, at the additional time of purchase, deliver to you a certificate of its Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer in the form attached as Exhibit C hereto, dated the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be.
(i) You shall have received signed Lock-up Agreements referred to in Section 3(s) hereof.
(j) The Company shall have furnished to you such other documents and certificates as to the accuracy and completeness of any statement in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as of the time of purchase and, if applicable, the additional time of purchase, as you may reasonably request.
(k) The Shares shall have been approved for quotation on the NASDAQ, subject only to notice of issuance at or prior to the time of purchase or the additional time of purchase, as the case may be.
7. Effective Date of Agreement; Termination. This Agreement shall become effective when the parties hereto have executed and delivered this Agreement.
The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of Adams Harkness or any group of Underwriters (which may include Adams Harkness) which has agreed to purchase in the aggregate at least 50% of the Firm Shares, if (x) since the time of execution of this Agreement or the earlier respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has been any material adverse change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, which would, in Adams Harkness’s judgment or in the judgment of such group of Underwriters, make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or (y) since the time of execution of this Agreement, there shall have occurred: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on NASDAQ; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) an outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States or a declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war; or (v) any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in Adams Harkness’s judgment or in the judgment of such group
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of Underwriters makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or (z) since the time of execution of this Agreement, there shall have occurred any downgrading, or any notice shall have been given or made of (i) any intended or potential downgrading or (ii) any review or possible change that does not indicate an affirmation or improvement in the rating accorded any securities of or guaranteed by the Company or any Subsidiary by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as that term is defined in Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act.
If Adams Harkness or any group of Underwriters elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 7, the Company and each other Underwriter shall be notified promptly in writing.
If the sale to the Underwriters of the Shares, as contemplated by this Agreement, is not carried out by the Underwriters for any reason permitted under this Agreement, or if such sale is not carried out because the Company shall be unable to comply with any of the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall not be under any obligation or liability under this Agreement (except to the extent provided in Sections 4(n), 5 and 9 hereof), and the Underwriters shall be under no obligation or liability to the Company under this Agreement (except to the extent provided in Section 9 hereof) or to one another hereunder.
8. Increase in Underwriters’ Commitments. Subject to Sections 6 and 7 hereof, if any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to take up and pay for the Firm Shares to be purchased by it hereunder (otherwise than for a failure of a condition set forth in Section 6 hereof or a reason sufficient to justify the termination of this Agreement under the provisions of Section 7 hereof) and if the number of Firm Shares which all Underwriters so defaulting shall have agreed but failed to take up and pay for does not exceed 10% of the total number of Firm Shares, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall take up and pay for (in addition to the aggregate number of Firm Shares they are obligated to purchase pursuant to Section 1 hereof) the number of Firm Shares agreed to be purchased by all such defaulting Underwriters, as hereinafter provided. Such Shares shall be taken up and paid for by such non-defaulting Underwriters in such amount or amounts as you may designate with the consent of each Underwriter so designated or, in the event no such designation is made, such Shares shall be taken up and paid for by all non-defaulting Underwriters pro rata in proportion to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of such non-defaulting Underwriters in Schedule A.
Without relieving any defaulting Underwriter from its obligations hereunder, the Company agrees with the non-defaulting Underwriters that it will not sell any Firm Shares hereunder unless all of the Firm Shares are purchased by the Underwriters (or by substituted Underwriters selected by you with the approval of the Company or selected by the Company with your approval).
If a new Underwriter or Underwriters are substituted by the Underwriters or by the Company for a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters in accordance with the foregoing provision, the Company or you shall have the right to postpone the time of purchase for a period not exceeding five business days in order that any necessary changes in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and other documents may be effected.
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The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall refer to and include any Underwriter substituted under this Section 8 with like effect as if such substituted Underwriter had originally been named in Schedule A hereto.
If the aggregate number of Firm Shares which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase exceeds 10% of the total number of Firm Shares which all Underwriters agreed to purchase hereunder, and if neither the non-defaulting Underwriters nor the Company shall make arrangements within the five business day period stated above for the purchase of all the Firm Shares which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed to purchase hereunder, this Agreement shall terminate without further act or deed and without any liability on the part of the Company to any non-defaulting Underwriter and without any liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter to the Company. Nothing in this paragraph, and no action taken hereunder, shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
9. Indemnity and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, directors and officers, and any person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage, expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which, jointly or severally, any such Underwriter or any such person may incur under the Act, the Exchange Act, the common law or otherwise, insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or in the Registration Statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereof by the Company) or in a Prospectus (the term Prospectus for the purpose of this Section 9 being deemed to include the Basic Prospectus, any Prepricing Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, as any of the foregoing may be amended or supplemented by the Company), or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated in either such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading, except insofar as any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in, such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in connection with such information required to be stated in such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or necessary to make such information not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any audio or visual materials provided by the Company or based upon written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company including, without limitation, slides, videos, films or tape recordings used in connection with the marketing of the Shares; provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in clause (i) of this subsection (a) with respect to any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or amended Preliminary Prospectus Supplement shall not inure to the benefit of any
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Underwriter (or to the benefit of any person controlling such Underwriter) from whom the person asserting any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim purchased the Shares which is the subject thereof if the Prospectus corrected any such alleged untrue statement or omission and if such Underwriter failed to deliver a copy of the Prospectus to such person at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of such Shares to such person, unless the failure is the result of noncompliance by the Company with paragraph (g) of Section 4 hereof.
If any action, suit or proceeding (each, a “Proceeding”) is brought against an Underwriter or any such person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company pursuant to the foregoing paragraph, such Underwriter or such person shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such Proceeding and the Company shall assume the defense of such Proceeding, including the engagement of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided, however, that the omission to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have to any Underwriter or any such person or otherwise, except for liability arising solely due to the failure of the Underwriter or such other person to notify the Company. Such Underwriter or such person shall have the right to engage its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Underwriter or of such person unless the engagement of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with the defense of such Proceeding or the Company shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, engaged counsel to defend such Proceeding or such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there might be defenses available to it or them which are different from, additional to or in conflict with those available to the Company (in which case the Company shall not have the right to direct the defense of such Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by the Company and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that the Company shall not be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such Proceeding). The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent but, if settled with the written consent of the Company, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any Underwriter and any such person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. 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 the second sentence of this paragraph, then 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 60 business days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have fully reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified
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party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding and does not include an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of such indemnified party.
(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, and any person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage, expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which, jointly or severally, the Company or any such person may incur under the Act, the Exchange Act, the common law or otherwise, insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you to the Company expressly for use in, the Registration Statement (or in the Registration Statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereof by the Company) or in a Prospectus, or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in connection with such information required to be stated in such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or necessary to make such information not misleading; provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in this subsection (b) with respect to any Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or amended Preliminary Prospectus Supplement shall not inure to the benefit of the Company, its directors and officers, or any person controlling the Company from whom the person asserting any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim purchased the Shares which is the subject thereof if the Prospectus corrected any such alleged untrue statement or omission and if a copy of the Prospectus was delivered to such person at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of such Shares to such person.
If any Proceeding is brought against the Company or any such person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against any Underwriter pursuant to the foregoing paragraph, the Company or such person shall promptly notify such Underwriter in writing of the institution of such Proceeding and such Underwriter shall assume the defense of such Proceeding, including the engagement of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided, however, that the omission to so notify such Underwriter shall not relieve such Underwriter from any liability which such Underwriter may have to the Company or any such person or otherwise. The Company or such person shall have the right to engage its own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Company or such person unless the engagement of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by such Underwriter in connection with the defense of such Proceeding or such Underwriter shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, engaged counsel to defend such Proceeding or such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it
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or them which are different from or additional to or in conflict with those available to such Underwriter (in which case such Underwriter shall not have the right to direct the defense of such Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties, but such Underwriter may engage counsel and participate in the defense thereof but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Underwriter), in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by such Underwriter and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that such Underwriter shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such Proceeding). No Underwriter shall be liable for any settlement of any such Proceeding effected without the written consent of such Underwriter but, if settled with the written consent of such Underwriter, such Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and any such person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. 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 the second sentence of this paragraph, then 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 60 business days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.
(c) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to an indemnified party under subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 9 or insufficient to hold an indemnified party harmless in respect of any losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering (net of underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting
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expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, damages, expenses, liabilities and claims referred to in this subsection shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any Proceeding.
(d) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in subsection (c) above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by such Underwriter and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damage which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments and not joint.
(e) The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section 9 and the covenants, warranties and representations of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, its partners, directors or officers or any person (including each partner, officer or director of such person) who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or by or on behalf of the Company, its directors or officers or any person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and shall survive any termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Shares. The Company and each Underwriter agree promptly to notify each other of the commencement of any Proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the Company’s officers or directors in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares, or in connection with the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
10. Information Furnished by the Underwriters. The statements set forth under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus, insofar as such statements relate to (i) the amount of selling concession and reallowance and (ii) over-allotment and stabilization, constitute the only information furnished by or on behalf of the Underwriters as such information is referred to in Sections 3 and 9 hereof.
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11. Notices. Except as otherwise herein provided, all statements, requests, notices and agreements shall be in writing or by telegram and, if to the Underwriters, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to Adams Harkness, Inc., 99 High Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, Attention: Syndicate Department and, if to the Company, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to the Company at the offices of the Company at 2818 North Sullivan Road, Spokane, Washington 99216, Attention: Chief Financial Officer.
12. Governing Law; Construction. This Agreement and any claim, counterclaim or dispute of any kind or nature whatsoever arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement, directly or indirectly, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The section headings in this Agreement have been inserted as a matter of convenience of reference and are not a part of this Agreement.
13. Parties at Interest. The Agreement herein set forth has been and is made solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and to the extent provided in Section 9 hereof the controlling persons, partners, directors and officers referred to in such Section, and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, personal representatives and executors and administrators. No other person, partnership, association or corporation (including a purchaser, as such purchaser, from any of the Underwriters) shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.
14. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed by the parties in one or more counterparts which together shall constitute one and the same agreement among the parties.
15. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their successors and assigns and any successor or assign of any substantial portion of the Company’s and any of the Underwriters’ respective businesses and/or assets.
[The Remainder of This Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Page Follows]
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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the several Underwriters, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this agreement and your acceptance shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and the Underwriters, severally.
| Very truly yours, | ||||||
| ITRON, INC. | ||||||
| By: | /s/ Steven H. Helmbrecht | |||||
| Name: | Steven H. Helmbrecht | |||||
| Title: | Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | |||||
| Accepted and agreed to as of the date first above written, on behalf of themselves and the other several Underwriters named in Schedule A | ||||||
| ADAMS HARKNESS, INC. | ||||||
| STEPHENS INC. | ||||||
| as Managing Underwriters | ||||||
| By: | ADAMS HARKNESS, INC. | |||||
| By: | /s/ Joseph W. Hammer | |||||
| Name: | Joseph W. Hammer | |||||
| Title: | Managing Director | |||||
SCHEDULE A
| Underwriter | Number of Firm Shares | |
| ADAMS HARKNESS, INC. | 862,500 | |
| STEPHENS INC. | 637,500 | |
| Total | 1,500,000 | |
