As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
May 13, 2005
Registration No. 333-123699
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-2
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 1
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Post-Effective
Amendment No.
Gladstone Investment Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
(State of Incorporation)
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83-0423116
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
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1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200
McLean, Virginia 22102
(703) 286-7000
(Address and telephone number, including area code, of
principal executive offices)
David Gladstone
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gladstone Investment Corporation
1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200
McLean, Virginia 22102
(Name and address of agent for service)
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Copies to:
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Thomas R. Salley, Esq.
Darren K. DeStefano, Esq.
Noah B. Pittard, Esq.
Cooley Godward LLP
One Freedom Square
Reston Town Center
11951 Freedom Drive
Reston, Virginia 20190
(703) 456-8000
(703) 456-8100 (facsimile)
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John A. Good, Esq.
Helen W. Brown, Esq.
Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
The Tower at Peabody Place
100 Peabody Place, Suite 900
Memphis, Tennessee 38103-3672
(901) 543-5900
(888) 543-5999 (facsimile)
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Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:
As soon as
practicable after the effective date of the Registration
Statement.
If any securities being registered on this form will be offered
on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415
under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered
in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the
following
box.
o
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on
such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective
date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which
specifically states that this registration statement shall
thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a)
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this
registration statement shall become effective on such date as
the Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may
determine.
The information in this prospectus is not
complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities
until the registration statement filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an
offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to
buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not
permitted.
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Subject to Completion Dated
May 13, 2005
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GLADSTONE INVESTMENT CORPORATION
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12,000,000 Shares
Common Stock
Gladstone Investment Corporation is a newly organized
closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that
has filed an election to be treated as a business development
company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Our investment
objective is to generate both current income and capital gains
through debt and equity investments. We intend to invest
primarily in subordinated loans, mezzanine debt, preferred stock
and warrants to purchase common stock of small and mid-sized
companies in connection with acquisitions, changes in control
and recapitalizations. We may also invest in senior secured
loans and common stock.
Our investment portfolio will be managed by Gladstone Management
Corporation, a registered investment adviser, who will also
provide the administrative services necessary for us to operate
through its wholly owned subsidiary Gladstone Administration,
LLC.
Because we are newly organized, our shares have no history of
public trading.
We have applied to have our common stock
approved for quotation on The Nasdaq National Market under the
symbol GAIN.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk.
Before buying any shares, you should read the discussion of the
material risks of investing in our common stock, in Risk
Factors beginning on page 12 of the prospectus.
This prospectus contains important information you should
know before investing in our common stock. Please read it before
you invest and keep it for future reference. Shares of
closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount
to their net asset value. If our shares trade at a discount to
our net asset value, it may increase the risk of loss for
purchasers in this offering.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
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Per share
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Total
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Public offering price
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$
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15.00
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$
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180,000,000
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Sales load
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$
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1.05
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$
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12,600,000
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Proceeds, before expenses, to us(1)
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$
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13.95
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$
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167,400,000
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(1)
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We estimate that we will incur approximately $1,300,000 in
expenses in connection with this offering.
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The underwriters will reserve up to 2,000,000 shares for sale at
the public offering price, less the sales load, to our directors
and employees, their families and certain other parties related
to Gladstone Management Corporation. The underwriters may also
purchase up to an additional 1,800,000 shares of our common
stock at the public offering price, less the sales load, to
cover over-allotments, if any, within 30 days from the date
of this prospectus. If the underwriters exercise this option in
full, the public offering price will be $207,000,000, the total
sales load will be $14,490,000 and the total proceeds to us,
before expenses, will be $192,510,000.
The underwriters expect to deliver the shares on or
about ,
2005.
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Retail Book Runner
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Institutional Book Runner
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Ferris, Baker Watts
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Jefferies & Company, Inc.
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RBC Capital Markets
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Incorporated
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BB&T Capital Markets
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Oppenheimer & Co.
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Stifel, Nicolaus & Company
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Incorporated
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J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc.
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Wunderlich Securities, Inc.
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,
2005
You should rely only on the information contained in this
prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not,
authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or
information different from that contained in this prospectus. We
are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our
common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are
permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is
accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of
the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of shares
of our common stock.
Through and
including ,
2005 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), federal
securities laws may require all dealers that effect transactions
in our common stock, whether or not participating in this
offering, to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the
dealers obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as
underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or
subscriptions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Prospectus Summary
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1
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The Offering
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7
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Fees and Expenses
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9
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Risk Factors
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12
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Forward-looking Statements
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23
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Discussion of Managements Expected Operating Plans
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25
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Use of Proceeds
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27
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Dividends and Distributions
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28
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Capitalization
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Business
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30
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Management
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45
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
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60
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Control Persons and Principal Stockholders
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61
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Dividend Reinvestment Plan
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62
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Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
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63
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Description of Our Capital Stock
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68
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Certain Provisions of Delaware Law and of our Certificate of
Incorporation and Bylaws
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69
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Regulation
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73
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Shares Eligible for Future Sale
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78
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Custodian, Transfer and Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar
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78
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Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices
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78
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Underwriting
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80
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Legal Matters
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83
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Experts
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83
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Available Information
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83
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Financial Statements
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F-1
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights some of the information in this
prospectus. It may not contain all of the information that you
might consider important in deciding to invest in our common
stock. You should read carefully the more detailed information
set forth under Risk Factors and the other
information included in this prospectus. Except where the
context suggests otherwise, the terms we,
us, our and Gladstone
Investment refer to Gladstone Investment Corporation;
Gladstone Management refers to Gladstone Management
Corporation; Gladstone Administration refers to
Gladstone Administration, LLC; and Gladstone Group
refers to Gladstone Management Corporation and its affiliated
companies.
Gladstone Investment Corporation
We are a newly organized, closed-end management investment
company that has filed an election to be treated as a business
development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended, or the 1940 Act. Our investment objective
is to generate both current income and capital gains through
debt and equity investments primarily in connection with cash
acquisitions and changes in control, also known as buyouts, and
recapitalization transactions. We intend to invest primarily in
subordinated loans, mezzanine debt, preferred stock and warrants
to purchase common stock of small and mid-sized companies. We
may also invest in senior secured loans and common stock.
Our primary investment focus will be situations involving
buyouts, and recapitalizations of small and mid-sized companies
with established management teams. We expect that our
investments will generally range between $10 million and
$30 million each, although this investment size may vary
proportionately as the size of our capital base changes. We
expect to invest by ourselves and jointly with other buyout
funds, depending on the opportunity. If we are participating in
an investment with one or more co-investors, then our investment
is likely to be smaller than if we are investing alone.
We initially intend to invest some of the proceeds in senior
secured syndicated loans, since these investments typically may
be made more quickly than investments in subordinated debt,
mezzanine debt or preferred stock. We intend to employ this
strategy in order to more quickly invest our initial capital to
generate current income. Senior secured syndicated loans
typically involve a number of banks or other financial
institutions and are generally more marketable than loans that
are not syndicated. We believe we will be able to sell our
interests in senior secured syndicated loans and reinvest the
proceeds in subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, preferred stock
and other higher yielding investments when such investment
opportunities are available. While we expect our portfolio to
initially consist primarily of senior secured loans, over time
we expect that it will consist primarily of subordinated debt,
mezzanine debt and preferred stock. We anticipate making between
12 and 24 investments, consisting of some combination of senior
debt, subordinated debt, mezzanine debt and preferred stock, in
order to invest all the net proceeds from this offering.
Because of the increased due diligence process and individual
negotiations associated with investing in the securities of
small and mid-size companies, it may take us up to two years to
fully invest the net proceeds from this offering. We expect our
dividend to be smaller during this investment period than it
will be once the net proceeds are fully invested. Once all the
net proceeds of this offering have been substantially invested,
we plan to secure a line of credit to provide additional capital
to invest, although we cannot assure you that we will be
successful in obtaining such a line of credit on acceptable
terms, if at all. In addition, we hope to securitize some or all
of the debt securities we acquire, which would provide us with
another source of long-term financing. We cannot assure you that
we will be able to securitize any of the debt securities we
acquire.
While our primary focus will be to generate current income
through investments in debt securities and preferred stock that
we acquire in connection with buyout transactions and
recapitalizations, we may invest up to 30% of our assets in
opportunistic investments, which may not involve buyouts or
recapitalizations, that Gladstone Management believes will
enhance returns to our stockholders. Such investments may
include high-yield bonds, distressed debt, publicly traded
income depository securities (or IDSs), private equity
partnerships, or securities of public companies that are
actively traded. We expect that any public
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company in which we invest will generally not have investment
grade debt securities. We may also invest in cash, cash
equivalents, U.S. government securities, and other high-quality,
investment grade debt investments that mature in one year or
less.
Our investment portfolio will be managed by Gladstone Management
Corporation, a registered investment adviser, who will have
broad discretion to make investments on our behalf. Gladstone
Management will also provide the administrative services
necessary for us to operate through its wholly owned subsidiary
Gladstone Administration, LLC.
We intend to use our investment income to pay monthly cash
dividends to our stockholders. At this time we cannot project
the amount of these dividends, however we expect to begin paying
dividends within 60 days of the completion of this offering.
We maintain a website at www.GladstoneInvestment.com. The
contents of that website are not part of this prospectus.
Our Adviser
Gladstone Management Corporation, a Delaware corporation is a
registered investment adviser founded in 2002 by David
Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer, Terry Lee
Brubaker, our vice chairman and chief operating officer, George
Stelljes III, our president and chief investment officer, and
four other co-founders. Gladstone Management will serve as our
external investment adviser. Under the terms of our management
and investment advisory agreement with Gladstone Management,
Gladstone Management will be responsible for managing our
business on a day-to-day basis and for identifying and making
investments that it believes meet our investment criteria.
Messrs. Gladstone, Brubaker and Stelljes are also the
senior management team of Gladstone Management and have
extensive experience in making debt and equity investments in,
and funding acquisitions of, small and mid-sized companies. In
addition, Gladstone Management maintains a team of 15 investment
professionals and ten supporting staff. The Gladstone Management
professionals also possess significant capital markets and
research expertise which will be useful in evaluating investment
opportunities and structuring exit strategies with respect to
investments. We expect that Gladstone Management will hire
additional investment professionals after completion of this
offering.
Gladstone Management specializes in managing publicly-traded
entities that pay dividends and distributions to stockholders.
It currently manages two such entities, Gladstone Capital
Corporation, whose shares are traded on the Nasdaq National
Market under the symbol GLAD and which we sometimes
refer to herein as Gladstone Capital, and Gladstone Commercial
Corporation, whose shares are traded on the Nasdaq National
Market under the symbol GOOD and which we sometimes
refer to herein as Gladstone Commercial. Gladstone Investment
will be the third dividend-paying company managed by Gladstone
Management. Each of these companies is organized in accordance
with provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the
Code, that permit them to avoid corporate-level federal income
taxes if they distribute most of their earnings to shareholders
and meet other requirements set forth in the Code. Gladstone
Capital and Gladstone Commercial currently pay monthly
dividends, and we anticipate that we will pay monthly dividends.
Gladstone Management has offices in McLean, VA, New York, NY,
Pittsburgh, PA, Chicago, IL and Morristown, NJ. We expect
Gladstone Management to open offices in additional cities
following completion of this offering.
About the Gladstone Group of Companies
In this prospectus, we sometimes refer to the Gladstone Group,
which is the group of companies affiliated with and advised by
Gladstone Management. The Gladstone Group includes Gladstone
Capital, Gladstone Commercial, and Gladstone Land Corporation, a
private company controlled by Mr. Gladstone that owns
farmland in California. Gladstone Management serves as the
investment adviser to, and Mr. Gladstone also serves as the
chief executive officer of, all three of these companies. The
Gladstone
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Group traditionally has focused its investments in companies
that Gladstone Management believes are undervalued but that, at
the same time, possess successful business models, established
management teams, good cash flows and prospects for value
creation. Gladstone Managements disciplined,
value-and-income-oriented strategy is intended to produce
quality opportunities in all investment environments. The
Gladstone Group has participated in a broad range of investment
structures, including corporate partner or traditional buyouts,
distressed debt buyouts, or more liquid, non-control debt
investments. This investment approach seeks to provide investors
with attractive returns while reducing the risk of capital loss
throughout economic cycles. Gladstone Managements
investment professionals offer or provide managerial assistance
to certain of the Gladstone Groups portfolio companies.
Gladstone Commercial invests in and owns net-leased industrial
and commercial real property and selectively makes long-term
industrial and commercial mortgage loans. Gladstone Commercial
has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust under
the Code. As of December 31, 2004, Gladstone Commercial had
investments in net-leased real property totaling approximately
$61 million and held approximately $12 million of
mortgage loans. Its current monthly dividend is $0.06 per share.
Gladstone Capital focuses on making investments of
$5 million to $15 million or more in senior second lien and
senior subordinated debt instruments issued by small and
mid-sized companies that are undergoing buyouts for which other
private equity or buyout funds are providing the equity funding.
Gladstone Capital does not control any of these portfolio
companies. Gladstone Capital has elected to be treated as a
business development company under the 1940 Act and to be taxed
as a regulated investment company under the Code. As of
December 31, 2004, Gladstone Capital had investments in 21
companies having an aggregate cost basis of approximately
$170 million. Its current monthly dividend is $0.12 per
share.
Our investment strategy differs from Gladstone Capitals
investment strategy. Whereas Gladstone Capital generally seeks
to generate current income through senior, second lien and
senior subordinated debt investments representing non-control
positions in its portfolio companies, we will seek, either alone
or with other buyout funds, to achieve returns from current
income and capital gains from junior subordinated and mezzanine
debt, as well as preferred stock, representing controlling
investments that we make in connection with buyouts and
recapitalizations of small and mid-sized companies. In addition,
during the first year of our operations we intend to invest
mostly in senior debt, and thereafter we may also invest in
senior, second lien and senior subordinated debt when we are
providing more junior capital to finance a buyout or
recapitalization. The chart below illustrates the various
potential levels of investment securities comprising the balance
sheet of a small or mid-sized company that may need financing.
Gladstone Investment and Gladstone Capital will not invest in
the same companies.
LIABILITY AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY SECTION OF BALANCE
SHEET
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Market Opportunity
We intend to provide capital for buyout and recapitalization
transactions involving small and mid-sized U.S. businesses. We
believe that the potential for a large number of buyout and
recapitalization transactions involving companies in this size
range, coupled with the demands of these companies for flexible
sources of acquisition financing, creates an attractive
investment environment for us.
Merger and acquisition activity has recovered from the recession
of 2001, increasing the demand for acquisition financing. We
believe that as the economy has recovered, many small and
mid-sized companies have looked to acquisitions as a means of
growth, and entrepreneurs have re-entered the market looking for
companies to buy. At the same time, private equity and buyout
funds have accumulated large amounts of cash and are actively
seeking acquisitions, both alone and with other funds.
We also believe small and mid-sized companies have faced
increasing difficulty in raising debt and equity capital through
the capital markets or through traditional institutional
lenders, such as banks. Most small companies and private
mid-sized companies are unable to issue public debt due to their
relative inability to have their debt rated by national rating
agencies, the small size of their offerings, and their
corresponding lack of liquidity. We believe this environment has
created an opportunity for non-bank lenders, such as business
development companies, to provide small and mid-sized companies
with more flexible forms of financing, such as mezzanine and
subordinated loans combined with preferred stock and warrants to
buy common stock.
Our Competitive Advantages
We believe that we have several competitive advantages over
other capital providers who provide capital to small and
mid-sized companies, including the following:
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The extensive experience and relationships of the senior
management team of Gladstone Management, led by
Mr. Gladstone and its other investment professionals, who
have invested in over 500 companies in more than 25 different
industries;
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The flexibility of the Gladstone Group to provide almost any
type of capital and deliver customized financing solutions to
small and mid-sized companies, which we believe induces small
and mid-sized companies with a variety of financing needs to
seek capital from the Gladstone Group before going to other
capital providers;
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Our ability to provide a one stop shop for financing
the acquisitions of small businesses by providing the
subordinated debt, mezzanine debt and preferred stock necessary
to complete the acquisition;
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The disciplined, value and income-oriented investment approach
followed by Gladstone Management underscored by an exhaustive
due diligence process; and
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Our ability, as a publicly-traded closed-end management
investment company, to reinvest our capital, take a longer term
view with respect to our investments and better align our
interests with the interests of our portfolio companies
management teams.
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Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock is subject to a number of
risks, which are more fully described in Risk
Factors beginning on page 12, including the following:
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We are a new company with no operating history;
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We are dependent on Gladstone Managements key personnel
and their access to potential transactions for our future
success;
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If we do not invest the proceeds of this offering in a timely
manner, our returns to stockholders will be significantly lower;
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If our primary investments are deemed not to be qualifying
assets, we could lose our status as a business development
company or be precluded from investment according to our current
business plan;
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We operate in a highly competitive market for investment
opportunities;
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We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are
unable to qualify as a RIC;
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Regulations governing our operation as a business development
company will affect our ability to and the way in which we raise
additional capital;
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We will typically invest in transactions involving acquisitions,
buyouts and recapitalizations of companies, which will subject
us to the risks associated with change in control transactions;
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We have not yet identified any portfolio company investments;
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Our portfolio may be concentrated initially in senior secured
debt of a limited number of portfolio companies, and we may not
be able to execute our long-term investment strategy if we are
unable to sell our interests in senior debt and may suffer
significant losses if any of our portfolio companies default on
their debt obligations;
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Our portfolio companies are likely to have debt that ranks
equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies;
and
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Our incentive fee may induce Gladstone Management to make
certain investments, including speculative investments.
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Operating and Regulatory Structure
Our investment activities will be managed by Gladstone
Management and supervised by our board of directors, a majority
of whom are independent of Gladstone Management. Gladstone
Management is an investment adviser that is registered under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or the Advisers
Act. Under our investment advisory and management
agreement, we have agreed to pay Gladstone Management an annual
base management fee equal to a fixed percentage of our gross
assets, as well as an incentive fee based on our performance.
Under a separate agreement, we have agreed to make certain
payments to Gladstone Administration, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Gladstone Management, in return for its administration of our
business. See Management Investment Advisory
and Management Agreement and Management
Administration Agreement.
As a business development company, we will be required to comply
with certain regulatory requirements. For example, we will not
invest in any portfolio company in which Gladstone Capital or
any of its affiliates currently has an investment. However, our
affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may purchase property from, or
lease property to, portfolio companies that we do not control
under certain circumstances. See Business Our
Investments. Also, while we are permitted to incur debt to
finance investments, our ability to use debt will be limited in
certain significant respects. We have not decided whether, and
to what extent, we will finance our portfolio growth by using
bank loans or other debt; however, we do not expect to use bank
loans or other debt until the proceeds of this offering have
been substantially invested. We will be required to offer
management assistance to our portfolio companies. See
Regulation. We intend to elect to be treated for
federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company,
or a RIC, under Subchapter M of the Code. See Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
There are potential conflicts of interest which could impact our
investment returns. In particular, our executive officers and
directors, and the officers and directors of Gladstone
Management, serve or may serve as officers, directors or
principals of entities that operate in the same or related lines
of business as we do or of investment funds managed by our
affiliates. Accordingly, they may have obligations to
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investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which might not
be in the best interests of us or our stockholders. Moreover,
Gladstone Managements investment professionals may
establish other investment vehicles which from time to time may
have potentially overlapping investment objectives with those
that we target. While Gladstone Management generally has broad
authority to make investments on behalf of the investment
vehicles that it advises, Gladstone Management has adopted
investment allocation procedures to address these potential
conflicts and, in accordance with these procedures, intends to
direct investment opportunities to the member of the Gladstone
Group with the investment strategy that most closely fits the
investment opportunity. Nevertheless, the management of
Gladstone Management may face conflicts in the allocation of
investment opportunities to other entities managed by Gladstone
Management. As a result, it is possible that we may not be given
the opportunity to participate in certain investments made by
other members of the Gladstone Group or investment funds managed
by investment managers affiliated with Gladstone Management.
Our Corporate Information
Our administrative offices and our executive officers are
located at 1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200, McLean, VA
22102, telephone number (703) 287-5800. We have branch
offices in Pittsburgh, PA, New York, NY, Chicago, IL, and
Morristown, NJ. We expect to open offices in other major cities
in the future.
6
THE OFFERING
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Common stock offered by us
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12,000,000 shares, excluding 1,800,000 shares of common stock
issuable pursuant to the over-allotment option granted to the
underwriters. The underwriters will reserve up to 2,000,000
shares of common stock for sale, directly or indirectly, to our
directors and employees, their families and certain other
parties designated by Gladstone Management at the public
offering price less the sales load.
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Common stock to be outstanding after this offering
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12,000,100 shares, excluding 1,800,000 shares of common
stock issuable pursuant to the over-allotment option granted to
the underwriters.
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Use of proceeds
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We plan to invest the net proceeds of this offering in cash
acquisitions, changes in control or recapitalizations of small
and mid-sized companies in accordance with our investment
objectives and the strategies described in this prospectus. We
anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds of this
offering will be invested within two years, depending on the
availability of appropriate investment opportunities consistent
with our investment objectives and other market conditions. We
expect that our portfolio will initially consist primarily of
senior secured loans because we anticipate that we will be able
to invest in such loans more rapidly than in subordinated debt,
mezzanine debt and preferred stock. Pending such interim
investments, we will invest the net proceeds primarily in cash,
cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, and other high-
quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from
the date of investment. See Use of Proceeds.
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Dividends and distributions
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We intend to make monthly cash distributions to our stockholders
out of assets legally available for distribution. Our monthly
distributions, if any, will be determined by our board of
directors. Some distributions in the initial years may be a
return of capital.
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Taxation
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We intend to elect to be treated for federal income tax purposes
as a RIC. Accordingly, we generally will pay no corporate-level
federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains
that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends. To maintain
our RIC status, we must meet specified source-of-income and
asset diversification requirements and distribute annually at
least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term
capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital
losses, if any, out of assets legally available for
distribution. See Dividends and Distributions.
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Dividend reinvestment plan
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We have a dividend reinvestment plan for our stockholders. This
is an opt in dividend reinvestment plan, meaning
that stockholders may elect to have their cash dividends
automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common
stock. Stockholders who do not so elect will receive their
dividends in cash. Stockholders who receive distributions in the
form of stock will be subject to the same federal, state and
local tax
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7
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consequences as stockholders who elect to receive their
distributions in cash. See Dividend Reinvestment
Plan.
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Proposed Nasdaq National Market symbol
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GAIN
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Trading at a discount
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Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a
discount to their net asset value. The possibility that our
shares may trade at a discount to our net asset value is
separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per
share may decline. We cannot predict whether our shares will
trade above, at or below net asset value.
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Anti-takeover provisions
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Our board of directors will be divided into three classes of
directors serving staggered three-year terms. This structure is
intended to provide us with a greater likelihood of continuity
of management, which may be necessary for us to realize the full
value of our investments. A staggered board of directors also
may serve to deter hostile takeovers or proxy contests, as may
certain provisions of Delaware law and other measures we have
adopted. See Description of our capital stock.
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Management arrangements
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Gladstone Management will serve as our investment adviser, and
Gladstone Administration will serve as our administrator. We
have entered into a license agreement with Gladstone Management,
pursuant to which Gladstone Management has agreed to grant us a
non-exclusive license to use the name Gladstone and
the Diamond G logo. For a description of Gladstone Management,
Gladstone Administration, the Gladstone Group and our
contractual arrangements with these companies, see
Management Investment Advisory and Management
Agreement, Management Administration
Agreement and Management License
Agreement.
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Available information
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After completion of this offering, we will be required to file
periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with
the SEC. This information will be available at the SECs
public reference room in Washington, D.C. and on the SECs
Internet website at www.sec.gov. We intend to provide much of
the same information on our website at
www.GladstoneInvestment.com. Information contained on our
website is not part of this prospectus and should not be relied
upon as such.
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8
FEES AND EXPENSES
The following table is intended to assist you in understanding
the costs and expenses that an investor in this offering will
bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that some of the
percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may
vary. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this
prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by
us or Gladstone Investment, or that
we will pay fees or expenses, stockholders will
indirectly bear such fees or expenses as investors in Gladstone
Investment.
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Stockholder transaction expenses:
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Sales load (as a percentage of offering price)
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7.00%
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(1)
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Offering expenses borne by us (as a percentage of offering price)
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0.70%
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(2)
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Dividend reinvestment plan expenses
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None
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(3)
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Total stockholder transaction expenses (as a percentage of
offering price)
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7.72%
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Estimated annual expenses
(as a percentage of net assets
attributable to common stock):
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Management fees
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2.00%
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(4)
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Incentive fees payable under investment advisory and management
agreement (20% of realized capital gains and 20% of
pre-incentive fee net investment income)
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0.00%
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(5)
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Interest payments on borrowed funds
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None
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(6)
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Other expenses
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0.20%
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(7)
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Total annual expenses (estimated)
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2.20%
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(4)(7)
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(1)
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The sales load (underwriting discounts and commissions) with
respect to shares sold in this offering, which is a one-time
fee, is the only sales load paid in connection with this
offering.
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(2)
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Amount reflects estimated offering expenses of approximately
$1,300,000.
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(3)
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The expenses of the dividend reinvestment plan are included in
Other expenses.
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(4)
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Our base management fee is based on our gross assets. Gross
assets are defined as total assets of Gladstone Investment,
including investments made with proceeds of borrowings, less any
uninvested cash or cash equivalents resulting from borrowings.
However, until March 31, 2006 the base management fee
calculation will exclude uninvested cash proceeds from this
offering, resulting in a lower fee than indicated by the
examples set forth herein. See Management
Investment Advisory and Management Agreement and
footnote 5 below.
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(5)
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Based on our current business plan, we do not expect to invest
fully the net proceeds from this offering for up to two years,
and we expect that during the first year after completion of
this offering we will not have any capital gains and that our
interest income will not exceed the quarterly hurdle rate
discussed below. As a result, we do not anticipate paying any
incentive fees in the first year after the completion of this
offering. In addition, until March 31, 2006 the base
management fee calculation will exclude uninvested cash proceeds
from this offering, resulting in a lower fee than indicated by
the examples set forth herein. Once we have fully invested the
net proceeds of this offering, we expect that our results of
operations may obligate us to pay incentive fees. The incentive
fee consists of two parts: an income-based fee and a capital
gains-based fee. The income-based fee will be payable quarterly
in arrears, and will equal 20% of the excess, if any, of our
pre-incentive fee net investment income that exceeds a 1.75%
quarterly (7% annualized) hurdle rate, subject to a
catch-up provision measured as of the end of each
calendar quarter. The catch-up provision requires us
to pay 100% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with
respect to that portion of such income, if any, that exceeds the
hurdle rate but is less than 125% of the quarterly hurdle rate
(or 2.1875%) in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized). The
catch-up provision is meant to provide Gladstone Management with
20% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income as if a
hurdle rate did not apply when our pre-incentive fee net
investment income
exceeds 125% of the quarterly hurdle
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rate in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized). The
income-based incentive fee will be computed and paid on income
that may include interest that is accrued but not yet received
in cash. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income used to
calculate this part of the income incentive fee is also included
in the amount of our gross assets used to calculate the 2% base
management fee (see footnote 4 above). The capital gains-based
incentive fee will equal 20% of our net realized capital gains,
if any, computed net of all realized capital losses and
unrealized capital depreciation and will be payable at the end
of each calendar year beginning after March 31, 2006.
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Examples of how the incentive fee would be calculated are as
follows:
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Assuming pre-incentive fee net investment income of 0.55%, there
would be no income-based incentive fee because such income would
not exceed the hurdle rate of 1.75%.
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Assuming pre-incentive fee net investment income of 2.00%, the
income-based incentive fee would be as follows:
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= 100% × (2.00% - 1.75%)
= 0.25%
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Assuming pre-incentive fee net investment income of 2.30%, the
income-based incentive fee would be as follows:
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= (100% × (catch-up:
2.1875% - 1.75%)) + (20% ×
(2.30% - 2.1875%))
= (100% × 0.4375%) + (20% × 0.1125%)
= 0.4375% + 0.0225%
= 0.46%
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Assuming net realized capital gains of 6% and realized capital
losses and unrealized capital depreciation of 1%, the capital
gains-based incentive fee would be as follows:
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= 20% × (6% - 1%)
= 20% × 5%
= 1%
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For a more detailed discussion of the calculation of the
two-part incentive fee, see Management
Investment Advisory and Management Agreement.
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(6)
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We do not plan to incur any indebtedness, or to pay interest in
respect thereof, before the proceeds of this offering are
substantially invested. We have not decided whether, and to what
extent, we will finance investments using debt; however, in the
future, we do expect to use debt to finance our investments.
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Assuming we borrowed for investment purposes an amount equal to
40% of our total assets (including such borrowed funds) and that
the annual interest rate on the amount borrowed is 3%, our total
annual expenses (estimated) would be as follows:
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Management fees
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2.00
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%
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Incentive fees payable under investment advisory and management
agreement (20% of realized capital gains and 20% of
pre-incentive fee net investment income)
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0.00
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%
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Interest payments on borrowed funds
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1.20
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%
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Other expenses
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0.10
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%
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Total annual expenses (estimated)
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3.30
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%
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(7)
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Includes organizational expenses (which are minimal and
non-recurring) and our overhead expenses, including payments
under the administration agreement based on our projected
allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by
Gladstone Administration in performing its obligations under the
administration agreement. See Management
Administration Agreement.
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Example
The following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount
of total cumulative expenses that would be incurred over various
periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our common
stock. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have
assumed we would have no leverage and that our annual operating
expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table above.
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1 year
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3 years
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5 years
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10 years
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You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment,
assuming a 5% annual return
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$
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97.79
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$
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140.70
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$
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186.06
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$
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311.03
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While the example assumes, as required by the SEC, a 5% annual
return, our performance will vary and may result in a return
greater or less than 5%. The two-part incentive fee under the
investment advisory and management agreement, which, assuming a
5% annual return, would either not be payable or have an
insignificant impact on the expense amounts shown above, is not
included in the example. This illustration assumes that we will
not realize any capital gains computed net of all realized
capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation in any of the
indicated time periods. If we achieve sufficient returns on our
investments, including through the realization of capital gains,
to trigger an incentive fee of a material amount, our expenses,
and returns to our investors after such expenses, would be
higher. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of
all dividends and distributions at net asset value, participants
in our dividend reinvestment plan will receive a number of
shares of our common stock, determined by dividing the total
dollar amount of the dividend payable to a participant by the
market price per share of our common stock at the close of
trading on the valuation date for the dividend. See
Dividend Reinvestment Plan for additional
information regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.
This example and the expenses in the table above should not be
considered a representation of our future expenses, and actual
expenses (including the cost of debt, if any, and other
expenses) may be greater or less than those shown.
11
RISK FACTORS
Before you invest in shares of our common stock, you should
be aware of various risks, including those described below. You
should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all
of the other information included in this prospectus, before you
decide whether to make an investment in our common stock. The
risks set out below are not the only risks we face. If any of
the following events occur, our business, financial condition
and results of operations could be materially adversely
affected. In such case, our net asset value and the trading
price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or
part of your investment.
Risks Relating To Our Business And Structure
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We are a new company with no operating history.
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We were incorporated in Delaware on February 18, 2005 and
have not yet commenced operations. We are subject to all of the
business risks and uncertainties associated with any new
business, including the risk that we will not achieve our
investment objectives and that the value of your investment
could decline substantially. We anticipate that it will take us
up to two years to invest substantially all of the net proceeds
of this offering. During this period, we will invest in
temporary investments, such as cash and cash equivalents, and
then senior secured loans, all of which we expect will earn
yields substantially lower than the interest income that we
anticipate receiving with respect to investments in subordinated
debt, mezzanine debt, preferred stock and other types of
investments we may make. As a result, we may not be able to pay
any dividends during this period or, if we are able to do so,
such dividends may be substantially lower than the dividends
that we expect to pay when our portfolio is fully invested.
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We are dependent on Gladstone Managements key
personnel and on their access to potential transactions for our
future success.
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Our business is dependent in large part on our continued access
to the experience and network of business contacts of the senior
management of Gladstone Management, including
Messrs. Gladstone, Brubaker and Stelljes. For a description
of the senior management team, see Management. We
will also depend, to a significant extent, on Gladstone
Managements investment professionals for analysis of
opportunities and to locate investment opportunities. The senior
management of Gladstone Management will evaluate, negotiate,
structure, close and monitor our investments. The departure of
any of the senior managers of Gladstone Management, or of a
significant number of the investment professionals or partners
of Gladstone Management, could have a material adverse effect on
our ability to achieve our investment objective. In addition, we
can offer no assurance that Gladstone Management will remain our
investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to
Gladstone Managements investment professionals or its
information and deal flow.
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Our financial condition and results of operation will
depend on our ability to manage future growth
effectively.
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Our ability to achieve our investment objectives will depend on
our ability to grow, which in turn will depend on Gladstone
Managements ability to identify, invest in, and monitor
companies that meet our investment criteria.
Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis will largely
be a function of Gladstone Managements structuring of the
investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive
and efficient services to us, and our access to financing on
acceptable terms. The executive officers of Gladstone Management
will have substantial responsibilities under the investment
advisory and management agreement, as well as in connection with
their roles as officers of other companies within the Gladstone
Group. They may also be called upon to provide managerial
assistance to our portfolio companies. These demands on their
time may distract them or slow the rate at which they are able
to invest our assets. In order for us to grow, Gladstone
Management will need to hire, train, supervise, and manage new
investment professionals and supporting employees. However, we
can offer no assurance that
12
Gladstone Management will be able to find and/or hire new
investment professionals or supporting employees or that any
such employees will contribute to the work of Gladstone
Management. Any failure to manage our future growth effectively
could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
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If we do not invest the proceeds of this offering in a
timely manner, our returns to stockholders will be significantly
lower.
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We have estimated that it may take us up to two years to invest
all the cash proceeds from this offering in the types of
investments we intend to make. We can give no assurance that we
will be successful in meeting that estimate. To the extent that
it takes us longer to invest the cash proceeds from this
offering, the returns to stockholders are likely to be less than
if we invested the proceeds over the time period we have
allotted.
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If our primary investments are deemed not to be qualifying
assets, we could lose our status as a business development
company or be precluded from investing according to our current
business plan.
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If we are to maintain our status as a business development
company, we must not acquire any assets other than
qualifying assets unless, at the time of and after
giving effect to each such acquisition, at least 70% of our
total assets are qualifying assets. If we acquire mezzanine
loans or dividend-paying equity securities from an issuer that
has outstanding marginable securities at the time we make an
investment, these acquired assets cannot be treated as
qualifying assets. See Regulation Qualifying
Assets. This results from the definition of eligible
portfolio company under the 1940 Act, which in part looks
to whether a company has outstanding marginable securities.
Amendments promulgated in 1998 by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System to Regulation T under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, expanded
the definition of marginable security to include any non-equity
security. These amendments have raised questions as to whether a
private company that has outstanding debt securities would
qualify as an eligible portfolio company.
We believe that the junior debt and equity instruments that we
expect to make should constitute qualifying assets because the
privately held companies in which we invest will generally not,
at the time of our investment, have outstanding marginable
securities. Until the questions raised by the amendments to
Regulation T have been clarified through SEC rulemaking or
addressed by legislative, administrative, or judicial action, we
intend to treat as qualifying assets only those mezzanine loans
that are not investment grade, do not have a public secondary
market, and are issued by a private issuer that does not have
outstanding a class of margin-eligible securities at the time of
our investment. Likewise, we will treat equity securities issued
by a portfolio company as qualifying assets only if such
securities are issued by a private company that has no
marginable securities outstanding at the time we purchase such
securities.
To date, we do not believe that either the SEC or its staff has
taken any position with respect to our analysis of the issues
discussed above, and neither the SEC nor its staff has indicated
that it concurs with our analysis. We intend to adjust our
investment focus as needed to comply with and/or take advantage
of any future administrative position, judicial decision or
legislative action. The SEC has recently proposed amendments to
the rules concerning business development companies that would
clarify that, among other things, companies that do not have a
class of securities listed on an exchange or Nasdaq would be
considered eligible portfolio companies.
Unless and until the proposed rules described above are adopted
by the SEC, if there were a court ruling or regulatory decision
that conflicted with our interpretations, we could lose our
status as a business development company or be precluded from
investing in the manner described in this prospectus. This in
turn could cause us to lose our status as a RIC. Any of these
results would have a material adverse effect on our ability to
invest in the manner described in this prospectus, on our
operating results, financial condition and ability to pay
dividends, and on the value of our common stock. See
Regulations
13
governing our operation as a business development company will
affect our ability to and the way in which we raise additional
capital.
Such a ruling or decision also may require us to dispose of
investments that we made based on our interpretation of
Regulation T. Such dispositions could have a material
adverse effect on our stockholders. We may need to dispose of
such investments quickly, which would make it difficult to
dispose of such investments on favorable terms. In addition,
because these types of investments will generally be illiquid,
we may have difficulty finding a buyer and, even if we do find a
buyer, we may have to sell the investments at a substantial
loss. See The lack of liquidity in our investments
may adversely affect our business.
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We operate in a highly competitive market for investment
opportunities.
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A number of entities will compete with us for investments in
small and mid-sized companies. We will compete with public and
private buyout funds, commercial and investment banks,
commercial financing companies, and, to the extent they provide
an alternative form of financing, hedge funds. Many of our
competitors are substantially larger and have considerably
greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we
do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds
and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In
addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk
tolerances or different risk assessments, which would allow them
to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more
relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are
not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act
imposes on us as a business development company. The competitive
pressures we face could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition, and results of operations. Also,
as a result of this competition, we may not be able to take
advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to
time, and we can offer no assurance that we will be able to
identify and make investments that are consistent with our
investment objective.
We will not seek to compete primarily based on the interest
rates we will offer, and we believe that some of our competitors
may make loans with interest rates that will be comparable to or
lower than the rates we offer.
We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our
competitors pricing, terms, and structure. If we match our
competitors pricing, terms, and structure, we may
experience decreased net interest income and increased risk of
credit loss.
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We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are
unable to qualify as a RIC.
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To qualify as a RIC under the Code, we must meet certain income
source, asset diversification, and annual distribution
requirements. The annual distribution requirement for a RIC is
satisfied if we distribute to our stockholders on an annual
basis at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net
short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term
capital losses, if any. Because we may use debt financing in the
future, we may be subject to certain asset coverage ratio
requirements under the 1940 Act and financial covenants under
loan and credit agreements that could, under certain
circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary
to qualify as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other
sources, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and, thus, may be
subject to corporate-level income tax. To qualify as a RIC, we
must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the
end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these tests may
result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly
in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our
investments will be in private companies, any such dispositions
could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in
substantial losses. If we fail to qualify as a RIC for any
reason and remain or become subject to corporate income tax, the
resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net
assets, the amount of income available for distribution, and the
amount of our distributions. Such a failure would have a
material adverse effect on our stockholders.
14
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Regulations governing our operation as a business
development company will affect our ability to and the way in
which we raise additional capital.
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We may issue debt securities or preferred stock and/or borrow
money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer
to collectively as senior securities, up to the
maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Senior securities are
defined by the 1940 Act to include bonds, debentures, notes or
similar obligations or instruments that are securities and
evidence indebtedness and stock of a class having priority over
any other class as to distribution of assets or payment of
dividends. Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we will be
permitted, as a business development company, to issue senior
securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as
defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after each
issuance of senior securities. If the value of our assets
declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that
happens, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments
and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of
our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be
disadvantageous.
We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at
a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell
our common stock or warrants, options, or rights to acquire our
common stock at a price below the current net asset value of the
common stock if our board of directors determines that such sale
is in the best interests of Gladstone Investment and its
stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. In any
such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued
and sold may not be less than a price which, in the
determination of our board of directors, closely approximates
the market value of such securities (less any distributing
commission or discount).
In addition to issuing securities to raise capital as described
above, we may in the future seek to securitize certain of our
assets to generate cash for funding new investments.
Securitization involves our creating a wholly-owned subsidiary
and contributing a pool of loans to the subsidiary, which then
would deposit the loans to a single purpose trust. The trust
would then typically sell a class of investment grade interests
to the public, and we would retain a residual portion of the
equity in the securitized pool of loans. The declaration of
trust for the securitization entity would typically provide for
preferential distributions of interest, principal and
liquidation proceeds to the holders other than the holder of the
residual equity. Accordingly, in a securitization transaction,
the residual equity that we would retain would typically bear
greater risk than if we held all the loans comprising the
securitized pool in their entirety. An inability to successfully
securitize our loan portfolio could limit our ability to grow
our business, fully execute our business strategy, and decrease
our earnings, if any. Moreover, the successful securitization of
our loan portfolio might expose us to losses as the residual
loans in which we do not sell interests will tend to be those
that are riskier and more apt to generate losses.
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If we issue senior securities, including debt, we will be
exposed to additional risks, including the typical risks
associated with leverage.
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We will be exposed to increased risk of loss if we incur debt to
make investments. If we do incur debt, a decrease in the value
of our investments would have a greater negative impact on the
value of our common stock than if we did not use debt.
Our ability to pay dividends would be restricted if our asset
coverage ratio was not at least 200%, and any amounts that we
would use to service our indebtedness would not be available for
dividends to our common stockholders.
It is likely that any senior debt securities we issue will be
governed by an indenture or other instrument containing
covenants restricting our operating flexibility.
We, and indirectly our stockholders, will bear the cost of
issuing and servicing such securities.
Any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the
future may have rights, preferences and privileges more
favorable than those of our common stock.
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We will be exposed to risks associated with changes in
interest rates.
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General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial
negative impact on our investments and investment opportunities
and, accordingly, may have a material adverse effect on
investment objectives and our rate of return on invested
capital. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make
it more expensive to use debt to finance our investments.
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Many of our portfolio investments will be recorded at fair
value as determined in good faith by our board of directors
based on recommendations by Standard & Poors
Evaluation Service, who recommends values using its own
methodology; this may result in uncertainty as to the value of
our portfolio investments.
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A large percentage of our portfolio investments will be in the
form of securities that are not publicly traded. The fair value
of securities and other investments that are not publicly traded
may not be readily determinable. Our board of directors will
determine the fair value of these securities quarterly, and will
use the recommendations of Standard & Poors
Evaluation Service (S&P) to determine the value
of many of our debt securities. The types of factors that may be
considered in determining the fair value of our investments
include the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the
portfolio companys earnings and cash flows and its ability
to make payments on its obligations, the markets in which the
portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly traded
companies, discounted cash flow, and other relevant factors.
Because such valuations, particularly valuations of private
securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may
fluctuate over short periods of time, and may be based on
estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ
materially from the values that might have resulted from a
readily available market for these securities. Our net asset
value could be adversely affected if our determinations
regarding the fair value of our investments were materially
higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the
disposal of such securities. At this time S&P will only
evaluate the debt portion of our investments, and our board of
directors will establish the fair value of the equity securities
we may hold without the evaluation of S&P.
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The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely
affect our business.
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We will generally make investments in private companies whose
securities are not traded in any public market. Substantially
all of these securities will be subject to legal and other
restrictions on resale and will otherwise be less liquid than
publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments
may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the
need arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or
a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize substantial
book losses upon liquidation. In addition, we may face other
restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a
portfolio company to the extent that we, Gladstone Management,
or our respective officers, employees or affiliates have
material non-public information regarding such portfolio company.
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We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly
results.
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We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating
results due to a number of factors, including the interest rates
payable on the debt securities we acquire, the default rates on
such securities, the level of our expenses, variations in and
the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains
or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our
markets, and general economic conditions. As a result of these
factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as
being indicative of performance in future periods.
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There are significant potential conflicts of interest
which could impact our investment returns.
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Our executive officers and directors, and the officers and
directors of our investment adviser, Gladstone Management, serve
or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities
that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do
or of investment funds managed by our affiliates. Accordingly,
they may have obligations to investors in those entities, the
fulfillment of which might not be in the best
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interests of us or our stockholders. For example,
Mr. Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer, is
and, following this offering, will continue to be chairman of
the board and chief executive officer of Gladstone Management,
Gladstone Capital and Gladstone Commercial with management
responsibilities for the other members of the Gladstone Group.
In addition, Mr. Brubaker, our vice chairman and secretary,
is and, following this offering, will continue to be a either
vice chairman or president and secretary of Gladstone
Management, Gladstone Capital and Gladstone Commercial.
Moreover, we may establish other investment vehicles which from
time to time may have potentially overlapping investment
objectives with those of Gladstone Investment and accordingly
may invest in, whether principally or secondarily, asset classes
similar to those targeted by Gladstone Investment. While
Gladstone Management generally has broad authority to make
investments on behalf of the investment vehicles that it
advises, Gladstone Management has adopted investment allocation
procedures to address these potential conflicts and intends to
direct investment opportunities to the member of the Gladstone
Group with the investment strategy that most closely fits the
investment opportunity. Nevertheless, the management of
Gladstone Management may face conflicts in the allocation of
investment opportunities to other entities managed
by Gladstone Management. As a result, it is possible that
we may not be given the opportunity to participate in certain
investments made by other members of the Gladstone Group or
investment funds managed by investment managers affiliated with
Gladstone Management.
While we will not invest in any portfolio company in which any
of the Gladstone Group companies currently has an investment,
our affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may purchase property from
or lease property to portfolio companies that we do not control
under certain circumstances. We may pursue such transactions
only if (i) the portfolio company is not controlled by us
or any of our affiliates, (ii) the portfolio company
satisfies the tenant underwriting criteria or owns real estate
that meets the lease underwriting criteria of Gladstone
Commercial, and (iii) the transaction is approved by a
majority of our independent directors and a majority of the
independent directors of Gladstone Commercial. We expect that
any such negotiations between Gladstone Commercial and our
portfolio companies would result in lease terms consistent with
the terms that the portfolio companies would be likely to
receive were they not portfolio companies of ours. However, if
Gladstone Commercial provides a lease to a current or
prospective portfolio company of ours, it is likely that there
will be a conflict of interest in connection with such a
transaction. There is a risk that, for Gladstone Commercial to
provide a lease to a portfolio company, there could be
situations where we enter into a transaction that is riskier
than we would customarily make in order to enable Gladstone
Commercial, or another affiliate, to provide the lease portion
of the financing; this carries a greater risk of default. If any
of these risks were to materialize, it could have a material
adverse effect on our ability to generate cash flow to make
distributions to stockholders.
Certain of our officers, who are also officers of Gladstone
Management, may from time to time serve as directors of certain
of our portfolio companies. If an officer serves in such
capacity with one of our portfolio companies, such officer will
owe fiduciary duties to all shareholders of the portfolio
company, which duties may from time to time conflict with the
interests of our stockholders.
In the course of our investing activities, we will pay
management and incentive fees to Gladstone Management and will
reimburse Gladstone Administration for certain expenses it
incurs. As a result, investors in our common stock will invest
on a gross basis and receive distributions on a
net basis after expenses, resulting in, among other
things, a lower rate of return than one might achieve through
our investors themselves making direct investments. As a result
of this arrangement, there may be times when the management team
of Gladstone Management has interests that differ from those of
our stockholders, giving rise to a conflict.
Gladstone Management will receive a quarterly incentive fee
based, in part, on our pre-incentive fee net investment income,
if any, for the immediately preceding calendar quarter. This
income-based portion of the incentive fee is subject to a
quarterly hurdle rate before providing an income incentive fee
return to Gladstone Management. Because the hurdle rate is fixed
and is based in relation to current interest rates, which are
currently relatively low on a historical basis, if interest
rates rise, it would become easier for our investment income to
exceed the hurdle rate and, as a result, more likely that
Gladstone Management will
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receive an income-based incentive fee than if interest rates on
our investments remained constant or decreased. Subject to the
receipt of any requisite stockholder approval under the 1940
Act, our board of directors may readjust the hurdle rate by
amending the investment advisory and management agreement.
We have entered into a license agreement with Gladstone
Management, pursuant to which Gladstone Management has agreed to
grant us a non-exclusive license to use the name
Gladstone and the Diamond G logo. Under the license
agreement, we will have the right to use the
Gladstone name and the Diamond G logo as long as
Gladstone Management remains our investment adviser.
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Changes in laws or regulations, or interpretations
thereof, or our failure to comply with laws, regulations or
interpretations governing our operations may adversely affect
our business.
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We and our portfolio companies will be subject to laws and
regulations at the local, state and federal levels. These laws
and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may be changed
from time to time. Accordingly, any change in these laws or
regulations, or interpretations thereof, or our failure to
comply with any law, regulation or interpretation, could have a
material adverse affect on our business.
Risks Related To Our Investments
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We will typically invest in transactions involving
acquisitions, buyouts and recapitalizations of companies, which
will subject us to the risks associated with change in control
transactions.
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Our strategy includes making debt and equity investments in
companies in connection with acquisitions, buyouts and
recapitalizations, which will subject us to the risks associated
with change in control transactions. Change in control
transactions often present a number of uncertainties. Companies
undergoing change in control transactions often face challenges
retaining key employees, maintaining relationships with
customers and suppliers. While we hope to avoid many of these
difficulties by participating in transactions where the
management team is retained and by conducting thorough due
diligence in advance of our decision to invest, if our portfolio
companies experience one or more of these problems, we may not
realize the value that we expect in connection with our
investments which would likely harm our operating results and
financial condition.
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We may not realize gains from our equity
investments.
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When we invest in mezzanine or senior secured loans, we may
acquire warrants or other equity securities as well. In addition
we may invest in preferred and common stock. Our goal is
ultimately to dispose of such equity interests and realize gains
upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity
interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact,
may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize
gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do
realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be
sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.
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We have not yet identified any portfolio company
investments.
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We have not yet identified any potential investments for our
portfolio and, thus, you will not be able to evaluate any
specific portfolio company investment prior to purchasing shares
of our common stock. Additionally, our investments will be
selected by Gladstone Management and our stockholders will not
have input into such investment decisions. Both of these factors
will increase the uncertainty, and thus the risk, of investing
in our shares.
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Our portfolio may be concentrated initially in senior
secured debt of a limited number of portfolio companies, and we
may not be able to execute our long-term investment strategy if
we are unable to sell our interests in senior debt and may
suffer significant losses if any of our portfolio companies
default on their debt obligations.
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We may initially invest the net proceeds of this offering in the
senior secured syndicated debt of a limited number of companies.
Our strategy is to initially invest in senior secured syndicated
debt, which
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generally yields a lower rate of return than subordinated and
mezzanine debt, which is our longer term preferred investment.
We will seek to sell our interests in senior debt securities and
redeploy the proceeds into higher yielding debt and preferred
securities. Our inability to sell interests in senior secured
syndicated debt and redeploy the proceeds could materially
adversely affect our returns. Moreover, if one or more of our
small number of investments performs poorly or if we need to
write down the value of any one investment. Beyond our income
tax diversification requirements, we do not have fixed
guidelines for diversification, and our investments could be
concentrated in relatively few portfolio companies.
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Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be
risky, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
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Investing in small and mid-sized companies involves a number of
significant risks, including:
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these companies may have limited financial resources and may be
unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities
that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the
value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us
collecting on any guarantees we may have obtained in connection
with our investment;
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these companies typically have shorter operating histories,
narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger
businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to
competitors actions and market conditions, as well as
general economic downturns;
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these companies are more likely to depend on the management
talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the
death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of
these persons could have a material adverse impact on our
portfolio company and, in turn, on us; and
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these companies generally have less predictable operating
results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be
engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to
a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial
additional capital to support their operations, finance
expansion, or maintain their competitive positions. In addition,
our executive officers, directors, and Gladstone Management may,
in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in
litigation arising from our investments in these portfolio
companies.
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Economic recessions or downturns could impair our
portfolio companies and harm our operating results.
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Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic
slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to make interest or
principal payments on our loans during these periods. Therefore,
our under-performing assets are likely to increase and the value
of our portfolio is likely to decrease during these periods.
Adverse economic conditions also may decrease the value of
collateral securing some of our loans and the value of our
equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead
to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues,
net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also
could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the
capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend
credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing
investments and could harm our operating results.
A portfolio companys failure to satisfy financial or
operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to
defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the maturity of its
senior and other loans and foreclosure on its assets pledged as
collateral for such loans, which could trigger cross-defaults
under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio
companys ability to meet its obligations under the debt
securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent
necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new
terms with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, if one
of our portfolio companies were to be forced to seek bankruptcy
protection, even though we may have structured our interest as
senior debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including
the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance
to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might
re-characterize our debt holdings and subordinate all or a
portion of our claim to those of other creditors.
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An investment strategy focused primarily on privately-held
companies presents certain challenges, including the lack of
available information about these companies.
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We will invest primarily in privately-held companies. Generally,
little public information exists about these companies, and we
will be required to rely on the ability of Gladstone
Managements investment professionals to obtain adequate
information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in
these companies. If we are unable to uncover all material
information about these companies, we may not make a fully
informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our
investments. Also, privately-held companies frequently have less
diverse product lines and smaller market presence than larger
competitors. These factors could affect our investment returns.
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Our portfolio companies are likely to have debt that ranks
equally with, or senior to, our investments in such
companies.
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We intend to invest primarily in subordinated debt, mezzanine
debt and preferred equity securities issued by our portfolio
companies in connection with buyouts or recapitalizations of
these companies. Portfolio companies undergoing these types of
transactions usually will have other debt that ranks equally
with, or senior to, the debt securities in which we invest. By
their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders
are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or
before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in
respect of the debt securities in which we invest. Also, in the
event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization,
or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt
instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio
company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full
before we receive any distribution with respect to our
investment. After repaying its senior creditors, our portfolio
company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying
its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with
debt securities in which we invest, we would have to share on an
equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such
debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution,
reorganization, or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.
In addition, we may not be in a position to control any
portfolio company by investing in its debt securities.
Therefore, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company
in which we invest may make business decisions with which we
disagree, and the management of such company, as representatives
of the holders of their equity securities, may take risks or
otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt
investors.
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Our incentive fee may induce Gladstone Management to make
certain investments, including speculative investments.
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The incentive fee payable by us to Gladstone Management may
create an incentive for Gladstone Management to make investments
on our behalf that are more speculative than Gladstone
Management would make in the absence of such compensation
arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable to
Gladstone Management is determined, which is calculated as a
percentage of the return on invested capital, may encourage
Gladstone Management to use leverage to increase the return on
our investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of
leverage carries with it the risk of our default on our debt
obligations, which could result in premature sale or liquidation
of our assets and otherwise adversely affect the holders of our
common stock, including investors in this offering. In addition,
Gladstone Management will receive the incentive fee based, in
part, upon net capital gains realized on our investments. Unlike
the portion of the incentive fee based on income, there is no
hurdle rate applicable to the portion of the incentive fee based
on net capital gains. As a result, Gladstone Management may have
a tendency to invest more in investments that are likely to
result in capital gains as compared to income producing
securities. Such a practice could result in our investing in
more speculative securities than would otherwise be the case,
which could result in higher investment losses, particularly
during economic downturns. Moreover, once an incentive fee on
capital gains has been paid to Gladstone Management, it is not
subject to being returned in the event we realize capital losses
in the future.
The incentive fee payable by us to Gladstone Management also may
create an incentive for Gladstone Management to invest on our
behalf in instruments, such as zero coupon bonds, that may be
higher
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yielding but may have a deferred interest feature. Under these
investments, we would accrue the interest over the life of the
investment but would not receive the cash income from the
investment until the end of the term. The income-based portion
of our net investment that is used to calculate the income
portion of our investment fee, however, includes accrued
interest. For example, accrued interest, if any, on our
investments in any zero coupon bonds will be included in the
calculation of our incentive fee, even though we will not
receive any cash interest payments in respect of payment on any
such bonds until their maturity dates. Thus, a portion of this
incentive fee would be based on income that we have not yet
received in cash.
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Our investments in securities of companies with foreign
operations may involve significant risks in addition to the
risks inherent in investments in companies primarily based in
the U.S.
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Our investment strategy does not contemplate potential
investments in debt or equity securities of foreign companies,
however, some of our portfolio companies may have operations
outside the United States. Investing in companies with a
significant presence outside the U.S. may expose us to
additional risks not typically associated with investing in
companies whose operations are primarily conducted in the U.S.
These risks include changes in exchange control regulations,
political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of
foreign taxes, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates,
less liquid markets and less available information than is
generally the case in the United States, higher transaction
costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers, and
issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing
contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing
standards, and greater price volatility.
Although most of our investments will be U.S.
dollar-denominated, we may make investments denominated in
foreign currencies, most likely Canadian dollars, that would
subject us to the risk that the value of the foreign currency
will change in relation to the U.S. dollar. Among the factors
that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of
short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of
similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities
for investment and capital appreciation, and political
developments. We may employ hedging techniques to minimize these
risks, but we can offer no assurance that such strategies will
be effective.
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Our hedging activities may not fully protect us from
adverse changes in exchange rates or interest rates.
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If we engage in hedging transactions, we may expose ourselves to
risks associated with such transactions. We may utilize
instruments such as forward contracts, currency options and
interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors to seek to hedge
against fluctuations in the relative values of our portfolio
positions from changes in currency exchange rates and market
interest rates. Hedging against a decline in the values of our
portfolio positions does not eliminate the possibility of
fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses
if the values of such positions decline. However, such hedging
can establish other positions designed to gain from those same
developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of
such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions may also
limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the portfolio
positions should increase. Moreover, it may not be possible to
hedge against a situation of an exchange rate or interest rate
fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not
able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price.
The success of our hedging transactions will depend on our
ability to correctly predict movements in currency exchange and
interest rates. Therefore, while we may enter into such
transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and
interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange
rates or interest rates may result in poorer overall investment
performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging
transactions. In addition, the degree of correlation between
price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy
and price movements in the portfolio positions being hedged may
vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we may not seek to
establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments
and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect
correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and
expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it may not be possible
to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations
affecting the value of securities denominated in non-
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U.S. currencies because the value of those securities is likely
to fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency
fluctuations.
Risks Relating To This Offering
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There is a risk that you may not receive dividends or that
our dividends may not grow over time.
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We intend to make distributions on a monthly basis to our
stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution.
We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results
that will allow us to make a specified level of cash
distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions.
In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as
a business development company, we may be limited in our ability
to make distributions.
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Provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and of
our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could restrict a
change in control and have an adverse impact on the price of our
common stock.
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We are subject to provisions of the Delaware corporation law
that, in general, prohibit any business combination with a
beneficial owner of 15% or more of our common stock for three
years unless the holders acquisition of our stock was
either approved in advance by our board of directors or ratified
by the board of directors and stockholders owning two-thirds of
our outstanding stock not owned by the acquiring holder.
Although we believe these provisions collectively provide for an
opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential
acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors, they would
apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some
stockholders.
We have also adopted other measures that may make it difficult
for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions
of our certificate of incorporation classifying our board of
directors in three classes serving staggered three-year terms,
and provisions of our certificate of incorporation authorizing
our board of directors to induce the issuance of additional
shares of our stock. These provisions, as well as other
provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, may
delay, defer, or prevent a transaction or a change in control
that might otherwise be in the best interests of our
stockholders.
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Investing in our shares may involve an above average
degree of risk.
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The investments we make in accordance with our investment
objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative
investment options, volatility, or loss of principal. Our
investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative and
aggressive, and therefore, an investment in our shares may not
be suitable for someone with a lower tolerance for risk.
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The market price of our common stock may fluctuate
significantly.
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The market price and liquidity of the market for shares of our
common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors,
some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly
related to our operating performance. These factors include:
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significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of
securities of business development companies or other companies
in our sector, which are not necessarily related to the
operating performance of these companies;
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changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly
with respect to RICs or business development companies;
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loss of RIC status;
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changes in earnings or variations in operating results;
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changes in the value of our portfolio of investments;
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any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses
from levels expected by investors or securities analysts;
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departure of Gladstone Managements key personnel;
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operating performance of companies comparable to us;
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general economic trends and other external factors; and
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loss of a major funding source.
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We may allocate the net proceeds from this offering in
ways with which you may not agree.
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We will have significant flexibility in investing the net
proceeds of this offering and may use the net proceeds from this
offering in ways with which you may not agree or for purposes
other than those contemplated at the time of the offering.
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Prior to this offering, there has been no public market
for our common stock, and we cannot assure you that the market
price of our shares will not decline following the
offering.
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We cannot assure you that a trading market will develop for our
common stock after this offering or, if one develops, that such
trading market can be sustained. Shares of companies offered in
an initial public offering often trade at a discount to the
initial offering price due to underwriting discounts and related
offering expenses. Also, shares of closed-end investment
companies frequently trade at a discount from net asset value.
This characteristic of closed-end investment companies is
separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per
share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock
will trade at, above, or below net asset value.
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Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the
public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of
our common stock.
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Upon consummation of this offering, we will have 12,000,100
shares of common stock outstanding (or 13,800,100 shares of
common stock if the over-allotment option is fully exercised).
Of these shares, 12,000,000 shares of our common stock (or
13,800,000 shares of common stock if the over-allotment is fully
exercised) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without
restriction or limitation under the Securities Act, less that
number of shares purchased by our affiliates. Any shares
purchased in this offering by our affiliates will be subject to
the public information, manner of sale and volume limitations of
Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Following this offering,
sales of substantial amounts of our common stock or the
availability of such shares for sale, could adversely affect the
prevailing market prices for our common stock. If this occurs
and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional
capital through the sale of equity securities should we desire
to do so.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some of the statements in this prospectus constitute
forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our
future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking
statements contained in this prospectus involve risks and
uncertainties, including statements as to:
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our future operating results;
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our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio
companies;
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the impact of investments that we expect to make;
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our contractual arrangements and relationships with third
parties;
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the dependence of our future success on the general economy and
its impact on the industries in which we invest;
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the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their
objectives;
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our expected financings and investments;
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the adequacy of our cash resources and working capital; and
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the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of our
portfolio companies.
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We use words such as anticipates,
believes, expects, intends
and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.
Our actual results could differ materially from those projected
in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the
factors set forth in Risk Factors and elsewhere in
this prospectus.
We have based the forward-looking statements included in this
prospectus on information available to us on the date of this
prospectus, and we assume no obligation to update any such
forward-looking statements. Although we undertake no obligation
to revise or update any forward-looking statements, regardless
of whether there is new information, knowledge of future events,
or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional
disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports
that we in the future may file with the SEC, including annual
reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q
and current reports on Form 8-K.
We note that the safe harbor for forward-looking statements
provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
does not apply to statements made in this prospectus.
24
DISCUSSION OF MANAGEMENTS EXPECTED OPERATING PLANS
Overview
We are a newly organized, closed-end management investment
company that has filed an election to be treated as a business
development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or
the 1940 Act. Our investment objective is to
generate both current income and capital gains through debt and
equity investments. We intend to invest primarily in
subordinated loans, mezzanine debt, preferred stock and warrants
to purchase common stock of small and mid-sized companies in
connection with buyouts and other recapitalizations. We may also
invest in senior secured loans and common stock. From time to
time, we may also invest in public companies that are thinly
traded and senior and subordinated syndicated loans. Prior to
this offering, we have not conducted any significant operating
activities. This offering will significantly increase our
capital resources.
Revenues
We plan to generate revenue in the form of interest payable on
the debt securities and dividends on preferred and common stock
that we hold. We plan to generate capital gains, if any, on
warrants, preferred stock or other equity interests that we may
acquire in portfolio companies. We expect our debt investments,
whether in the form of subordinated debt, mezzanine loans or
senior secured loans, to have terms of five to ten years and
these investments may bear interest at fixed or floating rates.
Interest on debt securities will generally be payable monthly,
with the amortization of principal generally being deferred for
several years from the date of the initial investment for
subordinated and mezzanine debt. The principal amount of the
debt securities and any accrued but unpaid interest will
generally become due at the maturity date. In addition, we may
generate revenue in the form of commitment, origination,
structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing managerial
assistance, and possibly consulting fees. Any such fees will be
generated in connection with our investments and recognized as
earned.
Expenses
Our primary operating expenses will be investment management
fees and overhead expenses, including our allocable portion of
overhead under the administration agreement. Our investment
management fee will compensate Gladstone Management for its work
in identifying, evaluating, negotiating, closing, and monitoring
our investments. See Management Investment
Advisory and Management Agreement, and
Management Administration Agreement. We
will bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and
transactions, including those relating to:
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our organization and this offering;
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calculating our net asset value (including the cost and expenses
of any independent valuation firm we engage);
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expenses incurred by Gladstone Management payable to third
parties, including agents, consultants, or other advisors in
monitoring our financial and legal affairs;
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monitoring our investments and performing due diligence on our
prospective portfolio companies;
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interest payable on debt incurred, if any, to finance our
investments;
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future offerings of our common stock and other securities;
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investment advisory and management fees;
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fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants, or
other advisors relating to, or associated with, evaluating and
making investments;
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transfer agent and custodial fees;
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registration fees;
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listing fees;
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taxes;
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independent directors fees and expenses;
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costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents with
the SEC;
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the costs of any reports, proxy statements, or other notices to
stockholders, including printing costs;
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our allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors and
officers errors and omissions liability insurance, and any
other insurance premiums;
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direct costs and expenses of administration, including auditor
and legal costs; and
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all other expenses incurred by us or Gladstone Administration in
connection with administering our business, such as our
allocable portion of overhead under the administration
agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the
salaries and benefits expense of our chief financial officer,
chief compliance officer and controller and their respective
staffs.
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Management of Foreign Currency Exchange and Interest Rate
Risks
To the extent that any of our loans are denominated in a
currency other than U.S. dollars, we may enter into currency
hedging contracts to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in
currency exchange rates. We may also enter into interest rate
hedging agreements. Such hedging activities, which will be
subject to compliance with applicable legal requirements, may
include the use of futures, options, and forward contracts. We
will bear any costs incurred in connection with entering into
and settling such contracts.
Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources
We will generate cash primarily from the net proceeds of this
offering and any future offerings of securities, as well as
through cash flows from operations, including interest and
dividends earned on investments in our portfolio companies and
interest earned from the temporary investment of cash in U.S.
government securities and other high-quality debt investments
that mature in one year or less. In the future, we may also fund
a portion of our investments through borrowings from banks and
issuances of senior securities. We do not expect to incur such
indebtedness until the proceeds of this offering have been
substantially invested. In the future, we may also securitize a
portion of our investments in debt securities or other assets.
Our primary use of funds will be investments in portfolio
companies and cash distributions to holders of our common stock.
Immediately after this offering, we expect to have cash
resources of approximately $166 million (approximately
$191 million if the underwriters over-allotment
option is exercised in full) and no indebtedness. See Use
of Proceeds.
Dividend Policy
In order to qualify as a RIC and to avoid corporate-level tax on
our income, we must distribute to our stockholders at least 90%
of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains
in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, on
an annual basis out of the assets legally available for such
distributions. We intend to pay dividends and distributions on a
monthly basis. In addition, we will also have the opportunity to
distribute any realized net capital gains (i.e., realized net
long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term
capital losses) to stockholders, or we may retain those gains
(after paying the appropriate capital gain taxes) and use them
to make additional investments. Our board of directors will make
a determination each year regarding the payment of any capital
gains dividends. Finally, dividends and distributions must be
declared in advance of the period in which they are earned. For
example, dividends must be declared before the close of the end
of the year. However, it is often difficult to predict the exact
amount of taxable earnings for the year until the audit of our
financial statements is completed six or more weeks after the
end of the year. If we do not pay out sufficient dividends, it
is possible that we would not qualify as a RIC. See
Dividends and Distributions. In order to insure that
we pay out a sufficient amount of our taxable earnings to
qualify as a RIC, our board of directors may declare a
distribution that is large enough to insure that we meet the
test of paying out sufficient dividends in order to maintain its
RIC status. In paying out a large enough distribution, we may
pay out more than our earnings and, in such cases, a portion of
the distribution will be a return of capital rather than a
dividend.
26
A distribution that is a return of capital is effectively funded
by, and is a return of, a portion of the net proceeds of this
offering, and not a payment of current or accumulated earnings
and profits. For U.S. income tax purposes, distributions in
excess of our earnings and profits will generally be nontaxable
to U.S. stockholders to the extent of their adjusted tax basis
in our common stock, and any additional amounts would be taxable
as capital gain. See Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations Taxation of U.S. Stockholders.
Section 19(a) of the 1940 Act and Rule 19a-1
thereunder, require us to provide a written statement
accompanying payment from any source other than our income that
adequately discloses the source or sources of such payment.
Thus, if our capital were the source of a distribution, and the
payment amounted to a return of capital, we would be required to
provide written notice to that effect. Nevertheless,
stockholders who periodically receive distributions from us may
be under the impression that such payments are made from our
income, when, in fact, they are not. Accordingly, stockholders
should carefully read any written disclosure accompanying a
distribution and should not assume that the source of payment is
our income.
Contractual Obligations
We have entered into three contracts under which we have
material future commitments: the investment advisory and
management agreement, pursuant to which Gladstone Management has
agreed to serve as our investment adviser and make available on
our behalf managerial assistance to our portfolio companies; the
administration agreement, pursuant to which Gladstone
Administration has agreed to furnish us with the facilities and
administrative services necessary to conduct our day-to-day
operations; and a license agreement with Gladstone Management,
pursuant to which Gladstone Management has agreed to grant us a
non-exclusive license to use the name Gladstone and
the Diamond G logo. Payments under the investment advisory and
management agreement in future periods will consist of
(1) a base management fee based on a percentage of the
value of our Gross Assets and (2) a two-part incentive fee
based on our performance. Payments under the administration
agreement will be equal to an amount based upon our allocable
portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by Gladstone
Administration in performing its obligations under the
administration agreement, including rent, technology systems,
insurance and our allocable portion of the salaries and benefits
expenses of our chief financial officer, chief compliance
officer and controller and their respective staffs. See
Management Investment Advisory and Management
Agreement,
Management Administration Agreement
and Management License Agreement.
Each of these contracts may be terminated by either party
without penalty on 60 days written notice to the
other. Further, although our chief financial officer, chief
compliance officer and controller will have certain primary
duties and responsibilities to Gladstone Investment, they will
also perform duties for other companies in the Gladstone Group.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from the sale
of 12,000,000 shares of our common stock in this offering will
be approximately $166 million (or approximately
$191 million if the underwriters fully exercise their
over-allotment option), in each case assuming an initial public
offering price of $15.00 per share, after deducting the
sales load and estimated organization and offering expenses of
approximately $1.3 million payable by us.
We plan to invest the net proceeds of this offering in portfolio
companies in accordance with our investment objective and
strategies. We anticipate that substantially all of the net
proceeds of this offering will be used for the above purposes
within two years, depending on the availability of appropriate
investment opportunities consistent with our investment
objective and market conditions. We expect that our portfolio
will initially consist primarily of senior secured loans because
we anticipate that we will be able to invest in such loans more
rapidly than we can invest in subordinated debt, mezzanine debt
and preferred stock. Pending either type of investments, we will
invest the net proceeds primarily in cash, cash equivalents,
U.S. government securities, and other high-quality debt
investments that mature in one year or less from the date of
investment, consistent with the requirements for continued
qualification as a RIC
27
for federal income tax purposes. The management fee payable by
us will be reduced until March 31, 2006 by excluding from
the calculation of the fee uninvested cash and cash equivalents
resulting from this offering. See Regulation
Temporary Investments for additional information about
temporary investments we may make while waiting to make
longer-term investments in pursuit of our investment objective.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
We intend to distribute monthly dividends to our stockholders.
Our monthly dividends, if any, will be determined by our board
of directors.
To maintain our RIC status, we must distribute at least 90% of
our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in
excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, out of
the assets legally available for distribution. In order to avoid
certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we currently intend to
distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to
the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income for the calendar
year, (2) 98% of our capital gains in excess of capital losses
for the one-year period ending on October 31 of the
calendar year and (3) any ordinary income and net capital
gains for preceding years that were not distributed during such
years. In addition, although we currently intend to distribute
realized net capital gains (i.e., net long-term capital gains in
excess of short-term capital losses), if any, at least annually
out of the assets legally available for such distributions, we
may in the future decide to retain such capital gains for
investment. In such event, the consequences of our retention of
net capital gains are as described under Material U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations. We can offer no
assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the
payment of any cash distributions; if we issue senior
securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if
doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios
stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by
the terms of any of our borrowings.
Since we will declare dividends prior to the end of each quarter
and prior to the end of the tax year, it will be difficult for
us to estimate how much of the dividend will come from ordinary
income, capital gains, and returns of capital. The exact
character of the distribution will not be known until the final
books and records of the company are audited by our independent
accounting firm. During the year, we will estimate the source of
funds for the dividends and distributions, but a stockholder
cannot rely on that interim estimate. Only the final year end
determination as reported on the IRS form 1099 should be used by
each stockholder.
We maintain an opt in dividend reinvestment plan for
our common stockholders. As such, if we declare a dividend,
stockholders cash dividends will not be automatically
reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless they
specifically opt in to the dividend reinvestment
plan; otherwise, the stockholders will receive cash dividends.
See Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
28
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth (1) our actual
capitalization as of March 31, 2005 and (2) our
capitalization as adjusted to reflect the effects of the sale of
our common stock in this offering at an initial public offering
price of $15.00 per share, after deducting the sales load and
organizational and offering expenses payable by us. You should
read this table together with Use of Proceeds
included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have elected to have
our fiscal year end on March 31.
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As of March 31, 2005
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(unaudited)
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Actual
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As Adjusted(1)
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Assets:
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Cash and cash equivalents
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$
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3,636
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$
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166,103,636
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Total assets
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$
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51,500
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$
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166,151,500
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Stockholders equity:
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Common stock, par value $0.001 per share; 100,000,000 common
shares authorized, 100 shares outstanding, actual;
12,000,100 shares outstanding, as adjusted
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$
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0
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$
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12,000
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Capital in excess of par value
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1,500
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166,089,500
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Total stockholders equity
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$
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1,500
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$
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166,101,500
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(1)
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Does not include the underwriters over-allotment option of
1,800,000 shares.
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29
BUSINESS
Gladstone Investment
We are a newly organized, closed-end management investment
company that has filed an election to be treated as a business
development company under the 1940 Act. Our primary investment
objective is to generate both current income and capital
appreciation through debt and equity investments that we make in
companies that are undergoing a buyout or other
recapitalization. We anticipate that our portfolio will be
comprised primarily of investments in long-term subordinated
securities consisting of subordinated debt, mezzanine loans,
preferred stock and warrants to buy common stock, in most cases
issued by private, small and mid-sized companies. Our
investments may also include senior loans and common stock. From
time to time, we may also invest in public companies that are
thinly traded and senior and subordinated syndicated loans.
Our primary investment focus will be situations involving
acquisitions, buyouts, and recapitalizations of small and
mid-sized companies with established management teams. We expect
that our investments will generally range between
$10 million and $30 million each, although this investment
size may vary proportionately as the size of our capital base
changes. We expect to have opportunities for both sole and
co-investment, and we expect to invest by ourselves and jointly
with other buyout funds, depending on the opportunity. If we are
participating in an investment with one or more co-investors,
then our investment is likely to be smaller than if we are
investing alone.
We initially intend to invest some of the proceeds in senior
secured syndicated loans, since these investments typically may
be made more quickly than investments in companies undergoing a
buyout or recapitalization. We intend to employ this strategy in
order to more quickly invest our initial capital to generate
current income. Senior secured syndicated loans typically
involve a number of banks or other financial institutions and
are generally more marketable than loans that are not
syndicated. We believe we will be able to sell our interests in
senior secured syndicated loans and reinvest the proceeds in
subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, preferred stock and other
higher yielding investments when such investment opportunities
are available. While we expect our portfolio initially to
consist primarily of senior secured loans, over time we expect
that it will consist primarily of subordinated debt, mezzanine
debt and preferred stock. We anticipate making between 12 and
24 investments, consisting of some combination of senior
debt, subordinated debt, mezzanine debt and preferred stock, in
order to invest all the net proceeds from this offering.
We estimate it will take us up to two years to fully invest the
net proceeds from this offering. Once all the net proceeds of
this offering have been invested, we plan to secure a line of
credit to provide additional capital to invest, although we
cannot assure you that we will be successful in obtaining such a
line of credit on acceptable terms, if at all. In addition, we
hope to securitize some or all of the debt securities we
acquire, which would provide us with another source of long-term
financing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to
securitize any of the debt securities we acquire.
While our primary focus will be to generate current income
through investments in debt securities and preferred stock that
we acquire in connection with buyout and other recapitalization
transactions, we may invest up to 30% of our assets in
opportunistic investments, which may not involve buyouts or
recapitalizations, that Gladstone Management believes will
enhance returns to our stockholders. Such investments may
include high-yield bonds, distressed debt, publicly traded
income depository securities, or IDSs, private equity
partnerships, or securities of public companies that are
actively traded. We expect that any public company in which we
invest will generally not have investment grade debt securities.
We may also invest in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government
securities, and other high-quality, investment grade debt
investments that mature in one year or less.
About the Gladstone Group
We are externally managed by Gladstone Management, a registered
investment adviser. Gladstone Managements senior
management team has established the Gladstone Group as a
prominent provider of
30
financing solutions to small and mid-sized companies.
Mr. Gladstone has more than 25 years of experience in
the private investment arena and has overseen investments in
more than 500 companies. Gladstone Management is the external
manager of three companies that are affiliated with us:
Gladstone Capital Corporation, a publicly traded business
development company that invests primarily in senior, second
lien and senior subordinated term debt of small and mid-sized
private companies; Gladstone Commercial Corporation, a publicly
traded real estate investment trust that leases commercial and
industrial real property, and selectively makes mortgage loans,
to small and mid-sized companies; and Gladstone Land
Corporation, a privately held company that owns farmland in
California. The Gladstone Group traditionally has focused on
investment opportunities that Gladstone Management believes are
undervalued despite the fact that the companies possess
successful business models, established management, strong cash
flows, and prospects for value creation. Through its
disciplined, value-and-income-oriented strategy, Gladstone
Management has sought to identify opportunities for the
Gladstone Group in all investment environments. Its investment
professionals have sought through this strategy to provide
investors with attractive returns while reducing the risk of
capital loss throughout economic cycles.
Gladstone Capital is a business development company that
completed its initial public offering in August 2001. Gladstone
Capital focuses on making debt investments of $5 million to
$15 million or more in non-control situations. Most of
these investments are senior, second lien and senior
subordinated debt instruments from small and mid-sized
companies. It currently pays a monthly dividend of $0.12 per
share.
Gladstone Commercial is a real estate investment trust that
completed its initial public offering in August 2003. Its
primary investment objective is to invest in and own net-leased
industrial and commercial real property and selectively make
long-term industrial and commercial mortgage loans. We believe
that this strategy is complementary to our strategy by
potentially providing real estate finance opportunities to
certain of our portfolio companies. It currently pays a monthly
dividend of $0.06 per share.
In contrast, we will seek to capitalize on the significant
investment opportunities emerging in the junior subordinated
debt, mezzanine debt and preferred stock segments of the market
for small and mid-sized companies that involve a buyout of the
business or other recapitalization and that, in our judgment,
offer the potential for attractive, risk-adjusted returns,
including investments with control positions. By providing a
one stop shop for these companies, we will be the
only company in the Gladstone Group focused primarily on this
type of approach to small and mid-sized companies, and we will
also be the only company in the Gladstone Group that may take
control positions in its portfolio companies.
The following table sets forth certain information about the
publicly traded companies in the Gladstone Group.
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Equity
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Capital
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Current
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Raised
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Current
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Monthly
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Fund Name
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Investment Focus
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(in millions)
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Status
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Dividend
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Gladstone Capital Corporation
(Nasdaq NMS: GLAD)
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Senior, second lien and senior subordinated debt of small and
mid-sized companies
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$
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155
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Fully invested and now leveraging
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$
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0.12
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Gladstone Commercial Corporation
(Nasdaq NMS: GOOD)
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Real estate investment trust that net leases commercial and
industrial real estate, and selectively provides mortgage loans,
to small and mid-sized companies
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$
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105
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Fully invested
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$
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0.06
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Market Opportunity
Merger and acquisition activity has recovered from the recession
of 2001, increasing the demand for acquisition financing. We
believe that as the economy has recovered, many small and
mid-sized companies have looked to acquisitions as a means of
growth. At the same time, owners of small companies (which we
consider to be companies with annual revenue between
$10 million and $50 million) and mid-sized companies
(which we consider to be companies with annual revenue between
$50 million and $1 billion)
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have seen their businesses begin to recover some of the value
that had been lost in the recession, thus creating opportunities
for these owners to sell their businesses at higher values. In
addition, following the recession, entrepreneurs have re-entered
the market looking to buy companies. Moreover, private equity
and buyout funds have accumulated large amounts of cash and are
actively seeking acquisitions, both alone and with other funds.
All these factors have created an environment for increased
merger and acquisition activity involving small and mid-sized
companies.
Number of Merger and Acquisition Transactions
(1997 2004)
Dollar Volume of Merger and Acquisitions
(Millions of Dollars)
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Source: Standard and Poors.
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We also believe that the increased merger and acquisition
activity has increased the prices paid for larger business but
that the prices paid for smaller businesses remains relatively
low. The chart below shows the multiple of earnings before
interest and taxes, or EBIT, and the multiple of earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, paid
in the last twelve months for businesses of
32
different sizes. Generally, smaller businesses have been sold,
on average, at lower multiples than larger businesses. We intend
to finance and buy smaller businesses so as to take advantage of
the lower purchase prices for businesses.
Multiples of EBIT and EBITDA Paid for Businesses
in the Twelve Months Ended February 28, 2005
(Millions of Dollars)
Purchase Price
We believe small and mid-sized companies have faced increasing
difficulty in raising debt and equity through the capital
markets. While some mid-sized companies are able to raise funds
by publicly issuing high-yield bonds or obtaining syndicated
loans, most small and mid-sized companies have difficulty
accessing such capital sources due to their difficulty in having
their debt securities rated by a national securities ratings
agency, the relatively small size of their offerings and the
corresponding lack of liquidity. Consequently, many of these
prospective borrowers have been left to deal with traditional
commercial lenders, such as banks and insurance companies.
At the same time, we believe that the market for providing
flexible acquisition and recapitalization financing to small and
mid-sized companies is increasingly underserved by these
traditional commercial financing sources. We believe that, due
to broad-based consolidation in the financial services industry
and other margin and growth-related pressures, banks have
de-emphasized their service and product offerings to small and
mid-sized companies in recent years in favor of lending to large
corporate clients and managing capital market transactions. We
also believe that commercial lenders have adopted a more
risk-averse approach to lending that has resulted in tightened
credit standards than the standards of the late 1990s. We
believe these trends have further reduced the financial options
and the amount of capital available to small and mid-sized
companies from traditional commercial lenders. We believe that
these developments have created an opportunity for non-bank
lenders, such as business development companies, to provide
small and mid-sized companies with more flexible forms of
financing, such as mezzanine and senior secured loans. We
believe that the demand for acquisition and recapitalization
financing for small and mid-sized companies, coupled with the
demands of these companies for flexible sources of capital,
create an attractive investment environment for us.
33
We believe there is a large pool of un-invested private equity
capital in buyout and other private equity funds available for
the acquisition or other recapitalization of mid-sized
companies. These funds generally provide funding for buyouts
through investments in subordinated debt, mezzanine debt and
preferred stock of target companies. It is common for private
equity funds, when proposing to finance a buyout or
recapitalization, to seek to package their equity investment
together with senior secured or mezzanine debt, which should
provide opportunities for us to partner with such funds. Through
the extensive industry contacts of Gladstone Managements
investment professionals, we believe there are a number of
private equity funds that will be interested in having us
co-invest with them in the buyout of mid-sized companies.
In addition, we believe there is a very attractive market for
financing and buying small companies. In acquisitions of small
companies, we intend to provide a one stop shop that
can offer senior debt, subordinated debt and mezzanine debt, as
well as invest in preferred and common stock, to finance these
transactions. By being able to offer all of the financing needed
to acquire a small company, we can move quickly to purchase a
small company, either supporting existing management or bringing
in a new management team, thereby providing a competitive
advantage when compared to more traditional financing sources
that can provide only part of the necessary financing. When we
provide senior debt in connection with these acquisitions, we
will generally seek to refinance this senior debt with a local
bank or other senior lender shortly after the completion of the
transaction, thus leaving us with only investments in the
subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, preferred stock and common
stock.
Competitive Advantages
We believe that we have the following competitive advantages
over other providers of capital to small and mid-sized companies
in connection with buyout and recapitalization transactions:
Management expertise
David Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer, is
also the chairman and chief executive officer of Gladstone
Management, Gladstone Capital and Gladstone Commercial and has
been involved in all aspects of the Gladstone Companies
investment activities, including serving as a member of
Gladstone Managements investment committee. Terry Lee
Brubaker is our vice chairman and has substantial experience in
acquisitions and operations of companies. George
Stelljes III is our president and has extensive experience
in leveraged finance. Messrs. Gladstone, Brubaker and
Stelljes have principal management responsibility for Gladstone
Management as its senior executive officers. We expect them to
dedicate a significant portion of their time to managing our
investment portfolio. Our senior management has extensive
experience providing capital to small and mid-sized companies
and has worked together for more than 10 years. In
addition, we will have access to the resources and expertise of
Gladstone Managements approximately 15 additional
investment professionals and 10 supporting staff who possess a
broad range of transactional, financial, managerial, and
investment skills. We expect that Gladstone Management will hire
additional investment professionals in the future.
As a result of the extensive investment experience of Gladstone
Management, its executive officers and other investment
professionals, Gladstone Management and its executive officers
have developed a positive reputation in the capital markets. We
believe that this reputation and experience, together with the
experience of the executive officers of Gladstone Management in
investing in debt and equity securities, and managing
investments in companies, will afford us a competitive advantage
in identifying opportunities to invest in small and mid-sized
companies.
Increased access to
investment opportunities developed through proprietary research
capability and extensive network of contacts
Gladstone Management will seek to identify potential investments
both through active origination and due diligence and through
its dialogue with numerous management teams, members of the
financial community, and potential corporate partners with whom
Gladstone Managements investment professionals
34
have had long-term relationships. We believe that Gladstone
Managements investment professionals have developed a
broad network of contacts within the investment, commercial
banking, private equity, and investment management communities,
and that their reputation in investment management will enable
us to identify well-positioned prospective portfolio companies
which provide attractive investment opportunities. Additionally,
Gladstone Management expects to generate information from its
professionals network of accountants, consultants,
lawyers, and management teams of portfolio companies and other
companies.
Disciplined,
value-and-income-oriented investment philosophy with a focus on
preservation of capital
In making its investment decisions, Gladstone Management will
focus on the risk and reward profile of each prospective
portfolio company, seeking to minimize the risk of capital loss
without foregoing the potential for capital appreciation. We
expect Gladstone Management to use the same
value-and-income-oriented investment philosophy that its
professionals use in the management of the other Gladstone
Companies and to commit resources to management of downside
exposure. Gladstone Managements approach will seek to
reduce risk in investments by:
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focusing on companies with leading market positions, established
management teams and good cash flow;
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investing in businesses with experienced management teams;
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engaging in extensive due diligence from the perspective of a
long-term investor;
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investing at low price-to-cash flow multiples; and/or
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adopting flexible transaction structures by drawing on the
experience of the investment professionals of Gladstone
Management and its affiliates.
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Deep industry focus with
substantial information flow
We intend to concentrate our investing activities in the strong
cash-flow industries in which Gladstone Managements
investment professionals have significant investment experience.
Since the 1970s, the investment professionals of Gladstone
Management have overseen investments in over 500 companies in
over 25 industries. In the process of making and monitoring
these investments, Gladstone Managements investment
professionals have acquired substantial information concerning
these industries, and they have developed long-term
relationships with management consultants and management teams
in these industries. We expect that the in-depth coverage and
experience of Gladstone Managements investment
professionals in investing across these many industries
throughout various stages of the economic cycle will provide
Gladstone Management with access to ongoing market insights,
proprietary research and investment opportunities.
Versatile transaction
structuring
We believe our management teams broad expertise and its
ability to draw upon many years of combined experience will
enable Gladstone Management to identify, assess, and structure
investments successfully across all levels of a companys
capital structure and manage potential risk and return at all
stages of the economic cycle. We will not be subject to many of
the regulatory limitations that govern traditional lending
institutions such as banks. As a result, we expect to be
flexible in selecting and structuring investments, adjusting
investment criteria and transaction structures, and, in some
cases, the types of securities in which we invest. We believe
that this approach should enable Gladstone Management to
identify attractive investment opportunities that will continue
to generate current income and capital gain potential throughout
the economic cycle, including during turbulent periods in the
capital markets. One example of our flexibility is our ability
to exchange our publicly-traded stock for the stock of an
acquisition target in a tax free reorganization under the
Internal Revenue Code. After completing an acquisition in such
an exchange, we can restructure the capital of the small company
to include senior and subordinated debt.
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Longer investment horizon
with attractive publicly traded model
Unlike private equity and venture capital funds that are
typically organized as finite-life partnerships, we will not be
subject to standard periodic capital return requirements. The
partnership agreements of most private equity and venture
capital funds typically provide that these funds may only invest
investors capital once and must return all capital and
realized gains to investors within a finite time period, often
seven to ten years. These provisions often force private equity
and venture capital funds to seek returns on their investments
by causing their portfolio companies to pursue mergers, public
equity offerings, or other liquidity events more quickly than
might otherwise be optimal or desirable, potentially resulting
in both a lower overall return to investors and an adverse
impact on their portfolio companies. We believe that our
flexibility to make investments with a long-term view and
without the capital return requirements of traditional private
investment vehicles provides us with the opportunity to achieve
greater long-term returns on invested capital.
Operating And Regulatory Structure
Our investment activities will be managed by Gladstone
Management and supervised by our board of directors, a majority
of whom are independent of Gladstone Management. Gladstone
Management is an investment adviser that is registered under the
Advisers Act. Under our investment advisory and management
agreement, we have agreed to pay Gladstone Management an annual
base management fee based on our gross assets, as well as a
two-part incentive fee based on our performance. Under a
separate agreement, we have agreed to reimburse Gladstone
Administration, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gladstone
Management, for our allocable portion of expenses incurred by
it, including rent and our allocable portion of the salary and
benefits of our chief financial officer and chief compliance
officer and their respective staffs. See Management
Investment Advisory and Management Agreement and
Management Administrative Agreement.
As a business development company, we will be required to comply
with certain regulatory requirements. For example, we will not
invest in any portfolio company in which Gladstone Management or
any of its affiliates currently has an investment. However, our
affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may purchase property from, or
lease property to, portfolio companies that we do not control
under certain circumstances. See Business
Investments. Also, while we are permitted to finance
investments by borrowing money from banks and other
institutions, our ability to incur debt will be limited in
certain significant respects. We have decided that we will seek
to leverage the company up to the level permitted by law, which
will allow us to borrow one dollar for each dollar of equity
that we have. However, we do not expect to use bank loans or
other debt until the net proceeds of this offering have been
substantially invested. As a business development company, we
will also be required to offer, and if requested, to provide
management assistance to our portfolio companies. See
Regulation. We intend to elect to be treated for
federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company,
or a RIC, under Subchapter M of the Code. See Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.
Our Investments
We will seek to build a diversified portfolio that will include
subordinated loans, mezzanine debt, preferred stock, and
warrants to buy common stock, and in addition, may also include
senior secured loans and common stock, by investing
approximately $10 million to $30 million of capital,
on average, in the securities of small and mid-sized companies.
We expect that our target portfolio over time will include
mostly subordinated loans, mezzanine debt, preferred stock, and
warrants to buy common stock. Structurally, subordinated loans
and mezzanine loans usually rank lower in priority of payment to
senior debt, such as senior bank debt, and may be unsecured.
However, subordinated debt and mezzanine loans rank senior to
common and preferred equity in a borrowers capital
structure. Typically, subordinated debt and mezzanine loans have
elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering the
returns in the form of interest payments associated with senior
debt, while providing lenders an opportunity to participate in
the capital appreciation of a borrower, if any, through an
equity interest. This equity interest typically takes the form
of warrants. Due to its higher risk profile and often less
restrictive covenants as compared to
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senior debt, mezzanine debt generally earns a higher return than
senior secured debt. The warrants associated with mezzanine
loans are typically detachable, which allows lenders to receive
repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule
while retaining their equity interest in the borrower. Mezzanine
debt also may include a put feature, which permits
the holder to sell its equity interest back to the borrower at a
price determined through an agreed formula. We believe that
mezzanine loans offer an alternative investment opportunity
based upon their historic returns and resilience during economic
downturns.
Initially, we expect that our portfolio will consist primarily
of senior secured syndicated loans because we believe that we
will be able to invest in these instruments more rapidly than we
can invest in subordinated debt, mezzanine loans and preferred
stock in connection with buyouts and other recapitalizations.
Senior secured syndicated loans typically involve a number of
lenders, and interests in such loans are generally more
marketable than other types of loans. We expect to attempt to
sell interests in senior secured syndicated loans and reinvest
the proceeds so that, over time, we expect that our portfolio
will consist primarily of subordinated debt, mezzanine debt and
preferred stock. In addition to senior secured debt,
subordinated debt, mezzanine loans and preferred and common
stock, we may invest up to 30% of our portfolio in opportunistic
investments, which may not involve a buyout or recapitalization.
These investments will not be our primary focus, but will be
intended to enhance our returns to stockholders. These
investments may include, but are not limited to, high-yield
bonds, income depository securities (IDSs), private equity
investments, and securities of public companies that are
actively traded. We expect that these public companies generally
will not have investment grade debt securities. Within this
tranche of investments, we also may invest up to 5% of our total
assets in debt and equity securities of small and mid-sized
companies located outside of the United States, and if we make
such investments they will likely be in Canada.
Additionally, we may acquire investments in the secondary market
or from other sources that satisfy our investment criteria and,
in analyzing such investments, we will employ the same
analytical process as we use for originating investments, as
described above.
Our principal focus will be to provide subordinated loans,
mezzanine loans, preferred equity capital, and, to a lesser
extent, common equity capital to fund buyouts and
recapitalizations of small and mid-sized companies. We will
generally seek to invest in companies that have established
management teams and generate positive cash flows and which
operate in industries in which Gladstone Managements
investment professionals have direct expertise. A secondary
factor that we will consider in evaluating a prospective
investment is the degree to which the company respects
workers rights and partners with workers, with a view
toward creating jobs rather than reducing jobs. We will
typically look more favorably on businesses that have a policy
of neutrality towards unions. The following is a representative
list of the industries in which Gladstone Managements
investment professionals have investment experience.
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Automotive
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Healthcare
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Building materials
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Homebuilding
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Business services
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Lodging/Leisure/Resorts
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Cable television
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Manufacturing/Basic industry
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Chemicals
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Media
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Communications
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Packaging
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Consumer products
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Printing and publishing
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Distribution
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Radio Stations
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Education
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Restaurants
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Energy/Utilities
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Retail
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Environmental services
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Transportation
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Financial services
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Warehousing
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Food
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In addition, we may invest in other industries if we are
presented with attractive opportunities.
In the future, we may attempt to securitize part of our loan
portfolio in order to raise additional capital to invest. In a
securitization, we would deposit our subordinated debt and
mezzanine debt instruments in a single-purpose limited liability
entity, which would issue one or more layers, or tranches, of
investment certificates. We would seek to have some or all of
the tranches of investment certificates rated by national
ratings agencies and would offer and sell the investment
certificates. While securitization would typically involve a
sale of a portion of the securitized portfolio debt, we would
typically retain residual interests in the securitized loans,
which residual interests would generally have higher expected
returns than the investment certificates but would also carry
significantly greater risk.
We will not invest in any portfolio company in which Gladstone
Capital or any affiliate currently has an investment. However,
our affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may purchase property from,
or lease property to, portfolio companies that we do not control
under certain circumstances. We believe that there are likely to
be companies in which we invest who may need a broader financing
solution that might include a real estate lease. In keeping with
our goal of being a one stop shop, when such
opportunities present themselves, we may pursue such financing
solutions with Gladstone Commercial, but only in the event that:
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the portfolio company is not controlled by us or any of our
affiliates;
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the portfolio company satisfies the tenant underwriting criteria
or owns real estate that meets the lease underwriting criteria
of Gladstone Commercial; and
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the transaction is approved by a majority of our independent
directors and a majority of the independent directors of
Gladstone Commercial.
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We expect that any such negotiations between Gladstone
Commercial and our portfolio companies would result in lease
terms consistent with the terms that the portfolio companies
would be likely to receive if they were not portfolio companies
of ours.
Prospective Portfolio Company Characteristics
Gladstone Management intends to use the same
value-and-income-oriented philosophy used by the investment
professionals of Gladstone Management in the other companies in
the Gladstone Group and will commit resources to managing
downside exposure.
Generally, we will seek to utilize our access to information
generated by Gladstone Managements investment
professionals to identify investment opportunities and to
structure investments quickly and effectively. We have developed
several criteria that we believe are important in identifying
and investing in prospective portfolio companies. These criteria
provide general guidelines for our investment decisions;
however, we caution you that not all of these criteria will be
met by each prospective portfolio company in which we choose to
invest and we can not assure you that we will be able to meet
these objectives. The following are certain key elements of our
investment methodology:
Value-and-Income Orientation
And Positive Cash Flow
Our investment philosophy will place a premium on fundamental
analysis from an investors perspective and will have a
distinct value-and-income orientation. In seeking value, we will
focus on companies in which we can invest at relatively low
multiples of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization, or EBITDA (which is a measure of operating cash
flow), and that have positive operating cash flow at the time of
investment. In seeking income, we will seek to invest in
companies that generate relatively high and stable cash flow to
provide some assurance that they will be able to service their
debt and pay any required dividends on preferred stock.
Typically, we would not expect to invest in start-up companies
or companies having speculative business plans.
38
Experienced
Management
We will generally require that our portfolio companies have
experienced management teams. We will also require the portfolio
companies to have in place proper incentives to induce
management to succeed and to act in concert with our interests
as investors, including having significant equity or other
interests in the financial performance of their companies.
Strong Competitive Position
In An Industry
We will seek to invest in target companies that have developed
leading market positions within their respective markets and
that we believe are well-positioned to capitalize on growth
opportunities. We will seek companies that demonstrate
significant competitive advantages versus their competitors,
which we believe will help to protect their market positions and
profitability.
Exit Strategy
We will seek to invest in companies that we believe will provide
a stable stream of cash flow that is sufficient to repay the
loans we make to them and to reinvest in their respective
businesses. We expect that such internally generated cash flow,
which will allow our portfolio companies to pay interest on, and
the repay the principal of, our investments, will be a key means
by which we exit from our investments over time. In addition, we
will also seek to invest in companies whose business models and
expected future cash flows offer attractive possibilities for
capital appreciation on any equity interests we retain. These
capital appreciation possibilities include strategic
acquisitions by other industry participants or financial buyers,
initial public offerings of common stock, or other capital
market transactions.
Liquidation Value Of
Assets
The prospective liquidation value of the assets, if any,
collateralizing loans in which we invest will be an important
factor in our investment analysis. We will emphasize both
tangible assets, such as accounts receivable, inventory,
equipment, and real estate and intangible assets, such as
intellectual property, customer lists, networks, and databases,
although the relative weight we place on these asset classes
will vary by company and industry.
Due Diligence
Gladstone Management will conduct a due diligence review of
prospective portfolio companies consistent with the approach
adopted by the investment professionals of Gladstone Management.
Gladstone Managements investment professionals conduct
exhaustive due diligence investigations in their investment
activities. In conducting their due diligence, Gladstone
Managements investment professionals use publicly
available information and information obtained from their
extensive relationships with former and current management
teams, consultants, competitors, and investment bankers, as well
as the direct experience of the executive officers of Gladstone
Management.
The due diligence review will typically include some or all of
the following steps:
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review of historical and prospective financial information;
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on-site visits to the business;
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interviews with management, employees, customers, and vendors of
the potential portfolio company;
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review of all loan documents;
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background checks on the management team; and
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research relating to the companys management, industry,
markets, products and services, and competitors.
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Upon the completion of due diligence investigation and a
decision to proceed with an investment in a buyout or other
recapitalization, Gladstone Managements investment
professionals with primary responsibility for the investment
will present the investment opportunity to Gladstone
Managements investment committee, which consists of
Messrs. Gladstone, Brubaker and Stelljes. The investment
committee will determine whether to pursue the potential
investment. Additional due diligence with respect to any
potential investment may be conducted on our behalf by attorneys
and independent accountants prior to the closing of the
investment, as well as other outside advisers, as appropriate.
Investment Structure
Once we have determined that a prospective acquisition, buyout
or recapitalization meets our standards and investment criteria,
we will work with the management of that company and other
capital providers to structure the transaction in a way that
provides us the greatest opportunity to maximize our return on
the investment, while providing appropriate incentives to
management of the company.
Subordinated Debt and Mezzanine Debt.
We
anticipate that over time, the majority of the capital that we
invest will be in the form of subordinated or mezzanine debt.
Most of our mezzanine loans will be unsecured loans while most
of the subordinated loans will be collateralized by a
subordinated lien on some or all of the assets of the borrower.
We will seek to structure most of our mezzanine and subordinated
loans with variable interest rates, however it is possible that
some will have fixed rates. In either event, we will attempt to
structure the loans at relatively high rates of interest that
will provide us with significant current interest income. We
expect our subordinated and mezzanine loans to typically have
maturities of five to ten years and to provide for interest-only
payments in the early years, with amortization of principal
deferred to the later years of the mezzanine loans. In some
cases, we may enter into loans that, by their terms, convert
into equity or additional debt securities or defer payments of
interest for the first few years after our investment. We will
generally target a current return of 10% to 14% for our
subordinated and mezzanine loan investments before giving effect
to any warrants that we receive in connection with these
tranches. We cannot give any assurance that our returns will
approximate these estimates.
Our subordinated and mezzanine debt investments may include
equity features, such as warrants or options to buy a
significant interest in the portfolio company or success fees if
the business is sold. Generally, as a portfolio company
appreciates in value, we would achieve additional investment
returns from these equity interests. If we are a minority
interest holder, we may structure the warrants to provide
provisions protecting our rights as a minority-interest holder
such as the right to sell the warrants back to the company upon
the occurrence of specified events. In many cases, we will also
obtain registration rights in connection with these equity
interests, which may include demand and piggyback
registration rights.
Senior Secured Debt.
We also anticipate providing
senior secured acquisition financing on occasion. We expect
these senior secured loans to have terms of three to ten years,
and they may provide for deferred interest payments in the first
few years of the term of the loan. We generally will obtain
security interests in the assets of our portfolio companies that
will serve as collateral in support of the repayment of these
senior loans. This collateral will usually take the form of
first priority liens on the assets of the portfolio company. We
expect that the interest rate on our senior secured loans will
be variable rates ranging between 2% and 5% over the London
Interbank Offer Rate, or LIBOR. We will generally provide this
type of financing when there is a time constraint in closing an
investment and would expect to be repaid as soon as practical by
either selling our interest in such debt or by having a bank or
other senior lender provide financing to pay off our senior loan.
Common and Preferred Stock.
We may also acquire
common or preferred stock in connection with a buyout or
recapitalization. With respect to preferred or common equity
investments, we expect to target an investment return
substantially higher than our investments in senior or
subordinated loans. However, we can offer no assurance that we
can achieve such a return with respect to any investment or our
portfolio as a whole. The features of the preferred stock we
receive will vary by transaction, but these features may include
priority dividend rights, superior voting rights, redemption
rights, liquidation preferences and other provisions intended to
protect our interests. Generally speaking, common stock does not
have any current
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income and its value is realized if at all, upon the sale of the
business or following the companys initial public offering.
Risk Management.
We will seek to limit the
downside risk of our investments by:
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making investments with an expected total return on our
investments (including both interest and potential equity
appreciation) that we believe compensates us for the credit risk
we incur in connection with the investment;
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seeking collateral or superior positions in the portfolio
companys capital structure where possible;
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incorporating put rights and call protection into
the investment structure where possible; and
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negotiating covenants in connection with our investments that
afford our portfolio companies as much flexibility in managing
their businesses as possible, consistent with preservation of
our capital. Such restrictions may include affirmative and
negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change
of control provisions, and board rights, including either
observation or participation rights.
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We expect to hold most of our investments in subordinated debt
and mezzanine debt to maturity or repayment, but will sell our
investments earlier if a liquidity event takes place, such as
the sale or recapitalization of a portfolio company or, in the
case of an equity investment, its initial public offering.
Occasionally, we may sell some or all of our subordinated debt,
mezzanine debt and equity interests in a portfolio company to a
third party, such as an existing investor in the company, in a
privately negotiated transaction.
As described above, we may also provide senior debt in addition
to junior debt and equity in connection with an acquisition. In
such circumstances, we would not expect to hold our senior debt
for greater than one year. Finally, we may attempt to securitize
some of the debt securities in our portfolio and if we do so,
these loans would generally be held by the securitization
vehicle until maturity.
Managerial Assistance
As a business development company, we will offer, and must
provide upon request, managerial assistance to certain of our
portfolio companies. As defined under the 1940 Act, managerial
assistance means providing significant guidance and
counsel concerning the management, operations, or business
objectives and policies of a portfolio company. Gladstone
Management will provide such managerial assistance on our behalf
to portfolio companies that request this assistance. Gladstone
Management may charge for this service but, if it does so, it
will credit payments for such services to the amount we owe
Gladstone Management under our investment advisory agreement.
Ongoing Relationships With Portfolio Companies
Monitoring
Gladstone Management will monitor the business affairs of our
portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. Gladstone Management
will monitor the financial trends of all portfolio companies to
determine if they are meeting their respective business plans
and to assess the appropriate course of action for each company.
Gladstone Management will have several methods of evaluating the
performance and fair value of our investments, which may
include, but are not limited to, the following:
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assessing the portfolio companys success in adhering to
its business plan and compliance with applicable covenants;
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maintaining periodic and regular contact with portfolio company
management and, if appropriate, the companys financial or
strategic sponsor to discuss the companys financial
position, requirements, and accomplishments;
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performing comparisons to other companies in the portfolio
companys industry;
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attending and participating in board meetings; and
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reviewing monthly and quarterly financial statements and
financial projections for portfolio companies.
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Risk Rating Scale
In addition to the various risk management and monitoring tools
described above, Gladstone Management will also use a debt risk
rating system to characterize and monitor the expected risk of
default on our loans. We will use a debt risk rating scale from
1 to 10, with 10 indicating the lowest probability of default.
This risk rating system is designed to mirror the risk rating
systems of major risk rating organizations such as those
provided by nationally recognized statistical rating
organizations (NRSRO) as defined in Rule 2a-7
under the 1940 Act. While Gladstone Management seeks to mirror
the NRSRO systems, we cannot provide any assurance that our risk
rating system provides the same risk rating as a NRSRO. The
following chart provides a description of the conditions
associated with each risk rating and an estimate of the
relationship of each risk rating in our scale to the
designations used by two NRSROs as they risk rate debt
securities of major companies. Because we have established our
system to rate debt securities of companies that are unrated by
any NRSRO there can be no assurance that the correlation to the
NRSRO ratings set out below is accurate.
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Our
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First
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Second
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System
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NRSRO
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NRSRO
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Summary Description(a)
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>10
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Baa2
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BBB
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Probability of Default (PD) during the next ten years is 4% and
the Expected Loss (EL) is 1% or less
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10
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Baa3
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BBB
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PD is 5% and the EL is 1% to 2%
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9
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Ba1
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BB+
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PD is 10% and the EL is 2% to 3%
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8
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Ba2
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BB
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PD is 16% and the EL is 3% to 4%
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7
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Ba3
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BB
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PD is 17.8% and the EL is 4% to 5%
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6
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B1
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B+
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PD is 22.0% and the EL is 5% to 6.5%
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5
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B2
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B
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PD is 25% and the EL is 6.5% to 8%
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4
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B3
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B
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PD is 27% and the EL is 8% to 10%
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3
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Caa1
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CCC+
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PD is 30% and the EL is 10.0% to 13.3%
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2
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Caa2
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CCC
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PD is 35% and the EL is 13.3% to 16.7%
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1
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Caa3
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CC
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PD is 65% and the EL is 16.7% to 20%
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0
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N/A
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D
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PD is 85% or there is a payment default and the EL is greater
than 20%
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(a)
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The default rates above are for a ten year term debt. If the
maturity of the borrowers debt security is less than ten
years then the probability of default is adjusted to a lower
percentage for the shorter period, which may move the security
higher on our risk rating scale.
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Gladstone Management will monitor and, when appropriate, will
change the risk ratings assigned to each debt investment in our
portfolio. In connection with our valuation process, Gladstone
Management will review these risk ratings on a quarterly basis,
and our board of directors will be presented with these ratings
for their use in determining the fair values of our debt
investments. While we do not currently have a risk rating system
for our equity investments, Gladstone Management will also seek
to develop a similar rating system for our equity investments.
Valuation Process and
Determination of Net Asset Value
The following is a description of the steps we will take each
quarter to determine the value of our portfolio. Investments for
which market quotations are readily available will be recorded
in our financial statements according to those market
quotations. When market quotations are limited but available,
the value of the security will be based on the limited
quotations in our financial statements. Securities that are not
publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available
will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by our
board of directors.
42
With respect to investments for which market quotations are not
readily available, our board of directors will undertake a
multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:
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Our quarterly valuation process begins with each investment
being initially valued by Gladstone Managements investment
professionals;
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Preliminary valuation conclusions will then be documented and
discussed with our senior management;
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An independent valuation firm will review and value the
investments (currently we plan to use Standard and Poors
Evaluation Service);
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The board of directors will discuss valuations made by the
independent valuation firm and will determine the fair value of
each such investment in good faith based on the input of
Gladstone Management and the independent valuation firm.
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As a general rule, we do not expect our board of directors to
value our loans or debt securities above cost, but loans and
debt securities will be subject to fair value write-downs when
the assets are considered impaired. With respect to private
equity securities, each investment will be valued using
comparisons of financial ratios of the portfolio company to
publicly-traded peer companies. The value will then be
discounted to reflect the illiquid nature of our investment, as
well as discounted, where appropriate, for our lack of control
over the portfolio company. When an external event such as a
purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale
occurs, we will use the pricing indicated by the external event
to corroborate our private equity valuation. Because we expect
that there will not be readily available market values for most
of the investments in our portfolio, we expect to value
substantially all of our portfolio investments at fair value as
determined in good faith by our board of directors under a
valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process.
Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of
investments that do not have a readily available market value,
the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from
the values that would have been used had a ready market existed
for such investments, and the differences could be material.
The types of factors that we may take into account in
determining the fair values of our investments include, as
relevant, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the
portfolio companys ability to make payments and its
earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the
portfolio company does business, a comparison to publicly traded
securities, and other relevant factors. Determination of fair
values involves subjective judgments and estimates not
susceptible to substantiation by auditing procedures.
Accordingly, under current auditing standards, the notes to our
financial statements will refer to the uncertainty with respect
to the possible effect of such valuations, and any change in
such valuations, on our financial statements.
The net asset value per share of our outstanding shares of
common stock will be determined quarterly by dividing the value
of total assets minus liabilities by the total number of shares
outstanding.
Non-Cash Income
Although we will generally seek to avoid such investments, some
loans we make may be structured to have a form of interest that
is not paid currently but rather is accrued and added to the
loan balance and paid at the end of the term. This form of
interest is often called paid in kind interest or
PIK interest. Whenever possible we will seek not to
generate PIK interest because we do not want to generate accrued
interest and have to borrow money or raise additional equity to
pay out the accrued interest as dividends to stockholders in
order to meet the tax test of paying out 90% of our income.
Another kind of non-cash income called original issue
discount income, or OID income, arises when an
investor simultaneously purchases a warrant and a note from a
company. This type of transaction requires an allocation of a
portion of the purchase price to the warrant and reduce the note
by the same amount. This causes the investor to record the note
as if the investor had paid less than the face amount for the
note and, as a result, requires the investor to amortize the
discount (the original issue discount) over the life of the
loan. This creates income that must be paid out as a dividend to
stockholders in order to meet the test of paying out 90% of our
income. Our practice is to purchase warrants from the issuer for
cash at fair market value, avoiding OID.
43
When we do have PIK or OID income, we will report the current
and accrued amounts to our stockholders in our periodic reports
filed with the SEC on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, which will allow our
stockholders see how much of this non-cash income we are
generating.
When we make investments that involve deferrals of interest
payable to us, any increase in the value of the investment due
to the accrual or receipt of payment of interest will be
reflected as an increase in the cost basis of the investment,
rather than as a capital appreciation or gain.
Competition
Our primary competition in providing financing for acquisitions,
buyouts and recapitalizations of small and mid-sized companies
will include public and private buyout and other private equity
funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing
companies, and, to the extent they provide an alternative form
of financing, hedge funds. Many of our competitors are
substantially larger and have considerably greater financial,
technical, and marketing resources than we do. For example, some
competitors may have a lower cost of funds as well as access to
funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some
of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different
risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider
variety of investments and establish more relationships than us.
Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the
regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act will impose on us as a
business development company. We expect to use the industry
information of Gladstone Managements investment
professionals, to which we will have access, to assess
investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for our
investments in portfolio companies. In addition, we expect that
the relationships of the investment professionals and executive
officers of Gladstone Management will enable us to discover, and
compete effectively for, financing opportunities with attractive
small and mid-sized companies in the industries in which we seek
to invest. For additional information concerning the competitive
risks we face, see Risk Factors Risks Relating
To Our Business and Structure We operate in a highly
competitive market for investment opportunities.
Staffing
We do not currently have any direct employees. Harry Brill is
our chief financial officer. Promptly after the completion of
the offering, we expect to designate Paula Novara as our chief
compliance officer and one other person as our controller. These
individuals will be employees of Gladstone Administration and
will perform their respective functions on our behalf under the
terms of our administration agreement. We will reimburse
Gladstone Administration for our allocable portion of expenses
it incurs in performing its obligations under our administration
agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the
salary and benefits expense of our chief financial officer,
chief compliance officer and controller and their respective
staffs. See Management Administration
Agreement.
Each of our executive officers described under
Management is an executive officer and an employee
of either Gladstone Management or Gladstone Administration. Our
day-to-day investment operations will be managed by Gladstone
Management. In the future, we expect that Gladstone Management
will hire additional investment professionals. See
Management Investment Advisory and Management
Agreement.
Properties
Our administrative and executive offices are located at 1521
Westbranch Drive, Suite 200, McLean, VA 22102. We believe
that our current office facilities are adequate for our business
as we intend to conduct it.
Legal Proceedings
Neither we nor Gladstone Management are currently subject to any
material legal proceedings.
44
MANAGEMENT
Our business and affairs are managed under the direction of our
board of directors. Our board of directors currently consists of
three members, although it will expand to nine upon completion
of this offering. Of the nine directors, five are not considered
to be interested persons of Gladstone Investment as
defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act. We refer to
these individuals as our independent directors. Our board of
directors elects our officers, who will serve at the discretion
of the board of directors.
Board Of Directors
Under our certificate of incorporation, our directors are
divided into three classes. Each class of directors will hold
office for a three year term. However, the initial members of
the three classes have initial terms of one, two and three
years, respectively. At each annual meeting of our stockholders,
the successors to the class of directors whose term expires at
such meeting will be elected to hold office for a term expiring
at the annual meeting of stockholders held in the third year
following the year of their election. Each director will hold
office for the term to which he or she is elected and until his
or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Information
regarding our board of directors is as follows (the address for
each director is c/o Gladstone Investment Corporation, 1521
Westbranch Drive, Suite 200, McLean, Virginia 22102):
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Director
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Expiration
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Since
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of Term
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Interested Directors
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David Gladstone
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62
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Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (1)(2)
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2005
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2007
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Terry L. Brubaker
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61
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Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Director (1)(2)
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2005
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2006
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George Stelljes III
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43
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President, Chief Investment Officer and Director (1)
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2005
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2008
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Anthony W. Parker
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59
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Director (1)(2)(6)(7)
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2005
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2008
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Independent Directors
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David A.R. Dullum
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57
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Director (3)(7)
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2005
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2006
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Michela A. English
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55
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Director (3)(7)
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2005
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2008
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Paul W. Adelgren
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62
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Director (4)(7)
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2005
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2007
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Maurice W. Coulon
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63
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Director (4)(5)(7)
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2005
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2006
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John H. Outland
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59
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Director (3)(5)(7)
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2005
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2007
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(1)
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Interested person as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the
1940 Act.
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(2)
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Member of the executive committee.
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(3)
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Member of the audit committee.
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(4)
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Member of the ethics, nominating, and corporate governance
committee.
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(5)
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Member of the compensation committee.
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(6)
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Mr. Parker is considered to be an interested person by
virtue of certain transactions between an affiliate of
Mr. Parker and our affiliate Gladstone Capital. We expect
to consider Mr. Parker an independent director beginning on
October 1, 2005. See Certain Relationships and
Related Transactions.
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(7)
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Has agreed to join the board of directors prior to the
completion of this offering.
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45
Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors
Information regarding our executive officers who are not
directors is as follows (the address for each executive officer
is c/o Gladstone Investment Corporation, 1521 Westbranch Drive,
Suite 200, McLean, Virginia 22102):
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Harry T. Brill, Jr.
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58
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Chief Financial Officer
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Director Independence
As required under the Nasdaq National Market listing standards,
a majority of the members of a listed companys board of
directors must qualify as independent, as
affirmatively determined by the board of directors. The board of
directors consults with our outside counsel to ensure that the
boards determinations are consistent with all relevant
securities and other laws and regulations regarding the
definition of independent, including those set forth
in pertinent listing standards of the Nasdaq National Market, as
in effect time to time.
Consistent with these considerations, after review of all
relevant transactions or relationships between each director, or
any of his or her family members, and Gladstone Investment, its
senior management and its independent registered public
accounting firm and their respective affiliates, our board of
directors affirmatively has determined that all of our directors
are independent directors within the meaning of the applicable
Nasdaq listing standards and are not interested
persons as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940
Act, except for Mr. Gladstone, our chairman and chief
executive officer, Mr. Brubaker, our vice chairman and
chief operating officer, Mr. Stelljes, our president and
chief investment officer, and Mr. Parker.
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Independent Directors (in alphabetical order)
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Paul W. Adelgren.
Mr. Adelgren has agreed to become
a director prior to the completion of this offering.
Mr. Adelgren has also served as a director of Gladstone
Commercial since August 2003 and a director of Gladstone Capital
since January 2003. From 1997 to the present, Mr. Adelgren
has served as the pastor of Missionary Alliance Church. From
1991 to 1997, Mr. Adelgren was pastor of New Life Alliance
Church. From 1988 to 1991, Mr. Adelgren was vice
president-finance and materials for Williams & Watts, Inc.,
a logistics management and procurement business located in
Fairfield, NJ. Prior to joining Williams & Watts,
Mr. Adelgren served in the United States Navy, where he
served in a number of capacities, including as the director of
the Strategic Submarine Support Department, as an executive
officer at the Naval Supply Center, and as the director of the
Joint Uniform Military Pay System. Mr. Adelgren holds an
MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of
Kansas.
Maurice W. Coulon.
Mr. Coulon has agreed to become a
director prior to the completion of this offering.
Mr. Coulon has also served as a director of Gladstone
Commercial since August 2003 and of Gladstone Capital since
September 2003. Since 2000, Mr. Coulon has been a private
investor in real estate. From 1991 through his retirement in
2000, Mr. Coulon served as director of portfolio management
for the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund. From 1980 to 1991,
Mr. Coulon served as senior vice president of asset
management for the Boston Company Real Estate Counsel, Inc.
Mr. Coulon was a founder of the National Association of
Real Estate Investment Managers and is a past president of the
National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries.
Mr. Coulon holds a MBA from Harvard Business School.
David A.R. Dullum.
Mr. Dullum has agreed to become a
director prior to the completion of this offering.
Mr. Dullum has also served as a director of Gladstone
Commercial since August 2003 and of Gladstone Capital since
August 2001. From 1995 to the present, Mr. Dullum has been
a partner at New England Partners, a venture capital firm
focused on investments in small and medium-sized businesses in
the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. From 1976 to 1990,
Mr. Dullum was a managing general
46
partner of Frontenac Company, a Chicago-based venture capital
firm. Mr. Dullum holds a MBA from Stanford Graduate School
of Business and a BME from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Michela A. English.
Ms. English has agreed to become
a director prior to the completion of this offering.
Ms. English has also served as a director of Gladstone
Commercial since August 2003 and of Gladstone Capital since June
2002. Ms. English is currently a private investor. From
March 1996 to March 2004, Ms. English held several
positions with Discovery Communications, Inc., including
president of Discovery Consumer Products, president of Discovery
Enterprises Worldwide and president of Discovery.com. From 1991
to 1996, Ms. English served as senior vice president of the
National Geographic Society and was a member of the National
Geographic Societys Board of Trustees and Education
Foundation Board. Prior to 1991, Ms. English served as vice
president, corporate planning and business development for
Marriott Corporation and as a senior engagement manager for
McKinsey & Company. Ms. English currently serves as a
director of DC Preparatory School, the Educational Testing
Service (ETS), and as chairman of the board of Sweet Briar
College. Ms. English holds a Bachelor of Arts in
International Affairs from Sweet Briar College and a Master of
Public and Private Management degree from Yale Universitys
School of Management.
John H. Outland.
Mr. Outland has agreed to become a
director prior to the completion of this offering.
Mr. Outland has also served as a director of Gladstone
Commercial since December 2003 and of Gladstone Capital since
December 2003. From March 2004 to present, he has served as vice
president of Genworth Financial, Inc. From 2002 to March 2004,
Mr. Outland served as a managing director for
1789 Capital Advisors, where he provided market and
transaction structure analysis and advice on a consulting basis
for multifamily commercial mortgage purchase programs. From 1999
to 2001, Mr. Outland served as vice president of
mortgage-backed securities at Financial Guaranty Insurance
Company where he was team leader for bond insurance
transactions, responsible for sourcing business, coordinating
credit, loan files, due diligence and legal review processes,
and negotiating structure and business issues. From 1993 to
1999, Mr. Outland was senior vice president for Citicorp
Mortgage Securities, Inc., where he securitized non-conforming
mortgage product. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Outland was vice
president of real estate and mortgage finance for Nomura
Securities International, Inc., where he performed due diligence
on and negotiated the financing of commercial mortgage packages
in preparation for securitization. Mr. Outland holds a MBA
from Harvard Business School and a bachelors degree in
Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
David Gladstone.
Mr. Gladstone is our founder and
has served as our chief executive officer and chairman of our
board of directors since our inception. Mr. Gladstone is
also the founder of Gladstone Management and has served as its
chief executive officer and chairman of its board of directors
since its inception. Mr. Gladstone also founded and serves
as the chief executive officer and chairman of the boards of
directors of our affiliates Gladstone Capital, Gladstone
Commercial and Gladstone Land Corporation (a private company
that owns farms in California). Prior to founding Gladstone
Capital, Mr. Gladstone served as either chairman or vice
chairman of the board of directors of American Capital
Strategies, Ltd., a publicly traded leveraged buyout fund and
mezzanine debt finance company, from June 1997 to August 2001.
From 1974 to February 1997, Mr. Gladstone held various
positions, including chairman and chief executive officer, with
Allied Capital Corporation, Allied Capital Corporation II (a
subordinated debt lender), Allied Capital Lending Corporation (a
small business lending company), Allied Capital Commercial
Corporation (a real estate investment company), and Allied
Capital Advisers, Inc., a registered investment adviser that
managed the Allied companies. The Allied companies were the
largest group of publicly-traded mezzanine debt funds in the
United States and were managers of two private venture capital
limited partnerships (Allied Venture Partnership and Allied
Technology Partnership) and a private REIT (Business Mortgage
Investors). Mr. Gladstone is also a past director of
Capital Automotive REIT, a real estate investment trust that
purchases and net leases real estate to automobile dealerships.
Mr. Gladstone served as a director of The Riggs National
Corporation (the parent of Riggs Bank) from 1993 to May 1997 and
of Riggs Bank from 1991 to 1993. He has served as a trustee of
The George
47
Washington University and currently is a trustee emeritus. He is
a past member of the Listings and Hearings Committee of the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. He is a past
member of the Advisory committee to the Womens Growth
Capital Fund, a venture capital firm that finances women-owned
small businesses. Mr. Gladstone was the founder and
managing member of The Capital Investors, LLC, a group of angel
investors, and is currently a member emeritus. He is also the
past chairman and past owner of Coastal Berry Company, LLC, a
large strawberry farming operation in California.
Mr. Gladstone holds a MBA from the Harvard Business School,
a MA from American University and a BA from the University of
Virginia. Mr. Gladstone has co-authored two books on
financing for small and medium-sized businesses,
Venture
Capital Handbook
and
Venture Capital Investing
.
Terry Lee Brubaker.
Mr. Brubaker has been our vice
chairman, chief operating officer, and a director since our
inception. Mr. Brubaker has also served as Gladstone
Managements president and as a director of Gladstone
Management since its inception. He has served as chief operating
officer and as a director of Gladstone Capital since May 2001.
He also served as president of Gladstone Capital from May 2001
through April 2004, when he assumed the duties of vice chairman.
Mr. Brubaker has also served as president, chief operating
officer and as a director of Gladstone Commercial since February
2003 In March 1999 Mr. Brubaker was a founder and, until
May 1, 2003, served as chairman of Heads Up Systems, a
company providing process industries with leading edge
technology. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Brubaker served as vice
president of the paper group for the American Forest & Paper
Association. From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Brubaker served as
president of Interstate Resources, a pulp and paper company.
From 1991 to 1992, Mr. Brubaker served as president of IRI,
a radiation measurement equipment manufacturer. From 1981 to
1991, Mr. Brubaker held several management positions at
James River Corporation, a forest and paper company, including
vice president of strategic planning from 1981 to 1982, group
vice president of the Groveton Group and Premium Printing Papers
from 1982 to 1990, and vice president of human resources
development in 1991. From 1976 to 1981, Mr. Brubaker was
strategic planning manager and marketing manager of white papers
at Boise Cascade. Previously Mr. Brubaker was a senior
engagement manager at McKinsey & Company from 1972 to 1976.
Mr. Brubaker holds a MBA degree from the Harvard Business
School and a BSE from Princeton University.
George Stelljes III.
Mr. Stelljes has been our
president, chief investment officer, and a director since our
inception. Mr. Stelljes has also served as Gladstone
Managements executive vice president since its inception
and as a director of Gladstone Management since May 2003.
Mr. Stelljes has served as chief investment officer of
Gladstone Capital since September 2002. He also served as
executive vice president of Gladstone Capital from September
2002 through April 2004, when he assumed the duties of
president. Mr. Stelljes has served as executive vice
president and chief investment officer of Gladstone Commercial
since February 2003. Prior to joining Gladstone Capital,
Mr. Stelljes served as a managing member of St. Johns
Capital, a vehicle used to make private equity investments. From
1999 to 2001, Mr. Stelljes was a co-founder and managing
member of Camden Partners, a private equity firm which finances
high growth companies in the communications, education,
healthcare, and business services sectors. From 1997 to 1999,
Mr. Stelljes was a partner of Columbia Capital, a venture
capital firm focused on investments in communications and
information technology. Prior to joining Columbia,
Mr. Stelljes was an executive vice president and a
principal at Allied Capital Corporation from 1989 to 1997.
Mr. Stelljes currently serves as a general partner and
investment committee member of Patriot Capital, a private equity
fund and serves on the board of Intrepid Capital Management, a
money management firm. He is also a former board member and
regional president of the National Association of Small Business
Investment Companies. Mr. Stelljes holds a MBA from the
University of Virginia and a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt
University.
Anthony W. Parker.
Mr. Parker has agreed to become a
director prior to the completion of this offering. He has also
been a director of Gladstone Capital since August 2001 and of
Gladstone Commercial since August 2003. In 1997 Mr. Parker
founded Medical Funding Corporation, a company which purchases
medical receivables, and has served as its chairman from
inception to present. In the summer of 2000, Medical Funding
Corporation purchased a Snelling Personnel Agency franchise in
Washington, DC which provides full staffing services for the
local business community. From 1992 to
48
1996, Mr. Parker was chairman, and a 50% stockholder, of
Capitol Resource Funding, Inc. (CRF), a commercial
finance company with offices in Dana Point, California and
Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Parker practiced corporate and tax
law for over 15 years; from 1980 to 1983, he practiced at
Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard & McPherson and from 1983 to
1992, in private practice. From 1973 to 1977, Mr. Parker
served as executive assistant to the administrator of the US
Small Business Administration. Mr. Parker received his J.
D. and Masters in Tax Law from Georgetown Law Center and his
undergraduate degree from Harvard College. Mr. Parker is
expected to become an independent director on October 1,
2005.
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Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors
|
Harry T. Brill, Jr.
Mr. Brill is our chief financial
officer. Mr. Brill has served as chief financial officer of
Gladstone Management since its inception. Mr. Brill has
also served as treasurer and chief financial officer of
Gladstone Capital since May 2001, Gladstone Commercial since
February 2003, and Gladstone Land since October 2004. From
1995 to April 2001, Mr. Brill served as a personal
financial advisor. From 1975 to 1995, Mr. Brill held
various positions, including treasurer, chief accounting
officer, and controller with Allied Capital Corporation where
Mr. Brill was responsible for all of the accounting work
for Allied Capital and its family of funds. Mr. Brill
received his degree in accounting from Ben Franklin University.
Committees Of The Board Of Directors
Executive committee.
Membership of our
executive committee is to be comprised of
Messrs. Gladstone, Brubaker, and Parker. The executive
committee has the authority to exercise all powers of our board
of directors except for actions that must be taken by the full
board of directors under the Delaware General Corporation Law,
including electing our chairman and president.
Mr. Gladstone serves as chairman of the executive committee.
Audit committee.
The members of the audit
committee are to be Messrs. Dullum and Outland and
Ms. English, each of whom is independent for purposes of
the 1940 Act and Nasdaq National Market listing standards.
Mr. Dullum will serve as chairman of the audit committee.
The audit committee is responsible for approving our independent
accountants, reviewing with our independent accountants the
plans and results of the audit engagement, approving
professional services provided by our independent accountants,
reviewing the independence of our independent accountants, and
reviewing the adequacy of our internal accounting controls.
Compensation Committee.
The members of the
compensation committee are to be Messrs. Coulon and
Outland, each of whom is independent for purposes of the 1940
Act and Nasdaq National Market listing standards.
Mr. Coulon will serve as chairman of the compensation
committee. The compensation committee is responsible for
reviewing, negotiating and approving our investment advisory and
management agreement with Gladstone Management. The compensation
committee is also responsible for reviewing the compensation of
our chief compliance officer and recommending to our full board
of directors as to whether such compensation should be approved
as appropriate. Finally, our compensation committee also is
responsible for reviewing, negotiating and approving our
trademark license agreement with Gladstone Management.
Ethics, Nominating, and Corporate Governance
Committee.
The members of the ethics, nominating, and
corporate governance committee are to be Messrs. Adelgren
and Coulon, each of whom is independent for purposes of the 1940
Act and Nasdaq National Market listing standards.
Mr. Adelgren will serve as chairman of the ethics,
nominating, and corporate governance committee. The ethics,
nominating, and corporate governance committee is responsible
for selecting, researching, and nominating directors for
election by our stockholders, selecting nominees to fill
vacancies on the board or a committee of the board, developing
and recommending to the board a set of corporate governance
principles, and overseeing the evaluation of the board and our
management. The committee is also responsible for our Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics.
49
Compensation Of Directors And Executive Officers
The following table shows information regarding the compensation
expected to be received by the non-employee directors for the
fiscal year ending March 31, 2006. No compensation is paid
to directors who are employees of Gladstone Management in return
for their board or committee service.
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Total estimated
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compensation from
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Aggregate estimated
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Pension or retirement
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Gladstone
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compensation from
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benefits accrued as part
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Investment paid to
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Name
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Gladstone Investment(1)
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of our expenses(2)
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director
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Independent directors
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Paul W. Adelgren
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$
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27,000
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None
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$
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27,000
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Michela A. English
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$
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25,000
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None
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$
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25,000
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Maurice W. Coulon
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$
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25,000
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None
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$
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27,000
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John H. Outland
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$
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25,000
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None
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$
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25,000
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David A.R. Dullum
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$
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27,000
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None
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$
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27,000
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Interested directors
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David Gladstone(3)
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None
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None
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None
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Terry L. Brubaker(3)
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None
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None
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None
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George Stelljes III(3)
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None
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None
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None
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Anthony W. Parker
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$
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25,000
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None
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$
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25,000
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Executive officers who are not directors
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Harry T. Brill(3)
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None
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None
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None
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(1)
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We are newly organized, and the amounts listed are estimated for
the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006.
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(2)
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We do not have a profit sharing or retirement plan, and
directors do not receive any pension or retirement benefits.
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(3)
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Our executive officers and employee directors are employed by
either Gladstone Management or Gladstone Administration and do
not receive any direct compensation from Gladstone Investment.
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Each of our non-employee directors will receive an annual fee of
$20,000 at the beginning of each fiscal year, as compensation
for serving on our board of directors. They will also receive an
additional $1,000, plus reimbursement of reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred, in connection with attending
each board meeting and an additional $1,000, plus reimbursement
of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred, in connection
with attending any committee meeting that takes place on a day
other than when the full board of directors meets. In addition,
the chairpersons of each committee of the board of directors
will receive an annual fee of $2,000 for their additional
services in these capacities. Also, we will purchase
directors and officers liability insurance on behalf
of our directors and officers.
Investment Advisory And Management Agreement
Gladstone Management will serve as our investment adviser.
Gladstone Management is a Delaware corporation registered as an
investment adviser under the Advisers Act. Subject to the
overall supervision of our board of directors, Gladstone
Management will provide investment advisory and management
services to Gladstone Investment. Under the terms of an
investment advisory and management agreement, Gladstone
Management will have investment discretion with respect to our
capital and, in that regard, will:
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determine the composition of our portfolio, the nature and
timing of the changes to our portfolio, and the manner of
implementing such changes;
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identify, evaluate, and negotiate the structure of the
investments we make (including performing due diligence on our
prospective portfolio companies);
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close and monitor the investments we make; and
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make available on our behalf, and provide if requested,
managerial assistance to our portfolio companies.
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Gladstone Managements services under the investment
advisory and management agreement are not exclusive, and it is
free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as
its services to us are not impaired.
Gladstone Management takes a team approach to portfolio
management; however, the following persons are primarily
responsible for the day-to-day management of our portfolio and
comprise Gladstone Managements investment committee: David
Gladstone, Terry Lee Brubaker and George Stelljes III (the
Portfolio Managers). Investment decisions for
Gladstone Investment are made on our behalf by the investment
committee of Gladstone Management by unanimous decision.
Mr. Gladstone is chairman and chief executive officer of
Gladstone Investment and of Gladstone Management, which he
founded in 2002, along with Mr. Brubaker and
Mr. Stelljes. Prior to founding Gladstone Capital,
Mr. Gladstone served as either chairman or vice chairman of
the board of directors of American Capital Strategies, Ltd., a
publicly traded leveraged buyout fund and mezzanine debt finance
company, from June 1997 to August 2001. Mr. Brubaker is
vice chairman of Gladstone Investment and vice chairman and
chief operating officer of Gladstone Management. Prior to
serving at Gladstone Capital, Mr. Brubaker was a founder
and, until May 1, 2003, served as chairman of Heads Up
Systems, a company providing process industries with leading
edge technology. Mr. Stelljes is president of Gladstone
Investment and president and chief investment officer of
Gladstone Management. Prior to joining Gladstone Capital,
Mr. Stelljes served as a managing member of St. Johns
Capital, a vehicle used to make private equity investments. From
1999 to 2001, Mr. Stelljes was a co-founder and managing
member of Camden Partners, a private equity firm which finances
high growth companies in the communications, education,
healthcare, and business services sectors. For more complete
biographical information on Mr. Gladstone,
Mr. Brubaker and Mr. Stelljes, please see
Management Interested Directors.
Gladstone Management provides investment advisory services to
other investment funds in the Gladstone Group. As such, the
Portfolio Managers also are primarily responsible for the
day-to-day management of the portfolios of other pooled
investment vehicles in the Gladstone Group. As of the date
hereof, Messrs. Gladstone, Brubaker, and Stelljes are
primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the
portfolios of Gladstone Capital Corporation, another
publicly-traded business development company, Gladstone
Commercial Corporation, a publicly-traded real estate investment
trust, and Gladstone Land Corporation, a private company
controlled by Mr. Gladstone that owns farmland in
California. As of March 31, 2005, these other pooled
investment vehicles had an aggregate of approximately
$350 million in total assets under management. The
Portfolio Managers do not provide investment advisory services
to any registered investment companies or to any other accounts.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
Our Portfolio Managers provide investment advisory services and
serve as officers, directors or principals of the other
Gladstone companies, which operate in the same or a related line
of business as we do. Accordingly, they have corresponding
obligations to investors in those entities. For example,
Mr. Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer, is
and, following this offering, will continue to be chairman of
the board and chief executive officer of Gladstone Management,
Gladstone Capital, Gladstone Commercial, and Gladstone Land with
management responsibilities for the other members of the
51
Gladstone Group. In addition, Mr. Brubaker, our vice
chairman and secretary, is and, following this offering, will
continue to be a either vice chairman or president and secretary
of Gladstone Management, Gladstone Capital and Gladstone
Commercial. Moreover, we may establish other investment vehicles
which from time to time may have potentially overlapping
investment objectives with those of Gladstone Investment and
accordingly may invest in, whether principally or secondarily,
asset classes similar to those targeted by Gladstone Investment.
While Gladstone Management generally has broad authority to make
investments on behalf of the investment vehicles that it
advises, Gladstone Management has adopted investment allocation
procedures to address these potential conflicts and intends to
direct investment opportunities to the member of the Gladstone
Group with the investment strategy that most closely fits the
investment opportunity. Nevertheless, the Portfolio Managers may
face conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities to
other entities managed by Gladstone Management. As a result, it
is possible that certain investment opportunities may not be
available to other members of the Gladstone Group or investment
funds managed by Gladstone Management. When the officers of
Gladstone Management identify an investment, they will be forced
to choose which investment fund should make the investment in
accordance with their investment allocation procedures.
While we will not invest in any portfolio company in which any
of the Gladstone Group companies currently has an investment,
our affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may purchase property from
or lease property to portfolio companies that we do not control
under certain circumstances. We may pursue such transactions
only if (i) the portfolio company is not controlled by us
or any of our affiliates, (ii) the portfolio company
satisfies the tenant underwriting criteria or owns real estate
that meets the lease underwriting criteria of Gladstone
Commercial, and (iii) the transaction is approved by a
majority of our independent directors and a majority of the
independent directors of Gladstone Commercial. We expect that
any such negotiations between Gladstone Commercial and our
portfolio companies would result in lease terms consistent with
the terms that the portfolio companies would be likely to
receive were they not portfolio companies of ours. However, if
Gladstone Commercial provides a lease to a current or
prospective portfolio company of ours, it is likely that there
will be a conflict of interest in connection with such a
transaction. There is a risk that, for Gladstone Commercial to
provide a lease to a portfolio company, there could be
situations where we enter into a transaction that is riskier
than we would customarily make in order to enable Gladstone
Commercial, or another affiliate, to provide the lease portion
of the financing; this carries a greater risk of default. If any
of these risks were to materialize, it could have a material
adverse effect on our ability to generate cash flow to make
distributions to stockholders.
Portfolio Manager Compensation
The Portfolio Managers receive compensation in the form of a
base salary plus a bonus. Each of the Portfolio Managers
base salaries is determined by a review of salary surveys for
persons with comparable experience who are serving in comparable
capacities in the industry. Each Portfolio Managers base
salary is set and reviewed yearly. A Portfolio Managers
bonus is calculated annually as a percentage of the bonus
pool set aside by Gladstone Management. A Portfolio
Managers percentage of the bonus pool is equal to the
quotient of his base salary divided by the aggregate salaries of
all exempt employees of Gladstone Management. Like all employees
of Gladstone Management, a Portfolio Managers bonus is
tied to the performance of Gladstone Management and the entities
that it advises. A Portfolio Managers bonus increases or
decreases when Gladstone Managements income increases or
decreases. Gladstone Managements income, in turn, is
directly tied to the management and performance fees earned in
managing its investment funds, including Gladstone Investment.
Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement
between Gladstone Management and Gladstone Investment, Gladstone
Management receives an incentive fee based on net investment
income in excess of the hurdle rates and capital gains as set
out in the investment advisory and management agreement.
All compensation of the Portfolio Managers from Gladstone
Management takes the form of cash. Each of the Portfolio
Managers may elect to defer some or all of his bonus through
Gladstone Managements deferred compensation plan. The
Portfolio Managers are also portfolio managers for other
52
members of the Gladstone Group, some of which have stock option
plans through which the Portfolio Managers receive options to
purchase stock of those entities.
Gladstone Investment is recently formed and currently has
100 shares of common stock outstanding, all of which are
owned by Mr. Gladstone. All of the Portfolio Managers
intend to buy shares of our common stock in the directed share
offering. Mr. Gladstone has indicated he plans to purchase
approximately $1 million of shares of common stock in the
directed share offering. The other Portfolio Managers have not
declared the number or value of the shares of stock that they
intend to purchase.
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Fees under the Investment Advisory and Management
Agreement
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Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement, we
will pay Gladstone Management a fee for investment advisory and
management services consisting of a base management fee and an
incentive fee. We believe that the fees set out here are
generally similar to those fees paid by private equity firms to
their external investment advisers.
Base Management Fee.
The base management fee for services
rendered under the advisory agreement will be charged at an
annual rate of 2%, and will initially be calculated on the basis
of our gross invested assets. Gross invested assets
is defined as our total assets, less the cash proceeds and cash
equivalent investments from this offering that are not invested
in debt or equity securities of portfolio companies in
accordance with our investment objectives described herein.
Gladstone Management has agreed to charge the management fee on
this reduced basis through March 31, 2006. Following
March 31, 2006, the base management fee will be charged at
an annual rate of 2% and will be calculated on the basis of our
gross assets. Gross assets is defined as our total
assets, including investments made with proceeds of borrowings,
less any uninvested cash or cash equivalents resulting from
borrowings.
During the period commencing on the closing of this offering
through and including the first six months of our operations,
the base management fee will be payable monthly in arrears and
will be calculated based on the value of our gross invested
assets as of the end of the month. From the end of this
six-month period through March 31, 2006, the base
management fee will be payable quarterly in arrears, and will be
calculated based on the average value of our gross invested
assets at the end of the two most recently completed calendar
quarters. Subsequently, the base management fee will continue to
be payable quarterly in arrears, but will be calculated based on
the average value of our gross assets at the end of the two most
recently completed calendar quarters, and will be appropriately
adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the
current calendar quarter. Base management fees for any partial
month or quarter will be appropriately pro rated.
As described above, through March 31, 2006, the base
management fee will be reduced to 2% of our gross invested
assets. In addition, Gladstone Management may from time to time
provide other services to portfolio companies, such as
investment banking and executive recruiting services. Through
March 31, 2007, Gladstone Management has agreed that when
it provides these services to our portfolio companies, it will
credit any amounts it receives from these services against the
investment advisory fee that we would otherwise be required to
pay to Gladstone Management.
Incentive Fee.
The incentive fee will consist of two
parts: an income-based incentive fee and a capital gains
incentive fee. The income-based incentive fee will be calculated
and payable quarterly in arrears based on our pre-incentive fee
net investment income for the immediately preceding calendar
quarter. For this purpose, pre-incentive fee net
investment income means interest income, dividend income,
and any other income, including any other fees (other than fees
for providing managerial assistance) such as commitment,
origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees, and
other fees that we receive from portfolio companies accrued
during the calendar quarter, minus our operating expenses for
the quarter (including the base management fee, expenses payable
under the administration agreement, operating expenses that we
pay directly, and any interest expense and dividends paid on any
issued and outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the
incentive fee). Pre-incentive fee net investment income
includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest
feature (such as securities issued with original issue discount,
debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest, and zero coupon
securities), accrued
53
income that we have not yet received in cash. Thus, if we do not
have sufficient liquid assets to pay this incentive fee or
distributions to stockholders on such accrued income, we may be
required to liquidate assets or borrow money in order to do so.
Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any
realized capital gains, realized capital losses, or unrealized
capital appreciation or depreciation. Pre-incentive fee net
investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of
our net assets at the end of the immediately preceding calendar
quarter, will be compared to a hurdle rate of 1.75%
of our net assets per quarter (7% annualized). For this purpose,
net assets means total assets less total
liabilities. Because the hurdle rate is fixed and has been based
on current interest rates, which are at historically low levels,
if interest rates increase, it would become easier for
investment income to exceed the hurdle rate and, as a result,
more likely that Gladstone Management will receive an
income-based incentive fee than if interest rates on our
investments remained constant. On the other hand, if interest
rates rise, there will be greater risk that small and
medium-sized businesses cannot make payments, which risk may
result in fewer opportunities to make safe investments. Our net
investment income used to calculate this income-based portion of
the incentive fee is also included in the amount of our gross
assets used to calculate the 2% base management fee. We will pay
Gladstone Management an income-based incentive fee with respect
to our pre-incentive fee net investment income in each calendar
quarter as follows:
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no incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our
pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed the
hurdle rate (1.75%) (7% annualized);
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100% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect
to that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income,
if any, that exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than 125% of
the hurdle rate (2.1875%) in any calendar quarter (8.75%
annualized). We refer to this portion of the income-based
incentive fee as the catch-up. The
catch-up provision is intended to provide Gladstone
Management with an incentive fee of 20% on all of our
pre-incentive fee investment income up to 125% of the quarterly
hurdle rate once the hurdle rate has been surpassed; and
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20% of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment
income, if any, that exceeds 125% of the quarterly hurdle rate
(2.1875%) in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized).
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The foregoing calculations will be appropriately pro rated for
any period of less than three months and adjusted for any share
issuances or repurchases made during the current quarter.
The capital gains incentive fee will be determined and payable
annually in arrears as of the end of each fiscal year (or upon
termination of the investment advisory agreement, as of the
termination date), commencing on March 31, 2006, and will
equal 20.0% of our realized capital gains for the fiscal year
ending March 31, if any, computed net of all realized
capital losses, and unrealized capital depreciation at the end
of each fiscal year (provided that the capital gains incentive
fee determined as of March 31, 2006 will be calculated for
a period of shorter than twelve calendar months to take into
account any realized capital gains, computed net of all realized
capital losses, and unrealized capital depreciation for the
period ending March 31, 2006). In determining the capital
gains incentive fee payable to Gladstone Management, we will
calculate the cumulative aggregate realized capital gains and
cumulative aggregate realized capital losses since our
inception, and the aggregate unrealized capital depreciation as
of the date of the calculation, as applicable, with respect to
each of the investments in our portfolio. For this purpose,
cumulative aggregate realized capital gains, if any, will equal
the sum of the differences between the net sales price of each
investment, when sold, and the original cost of such investment
since our inception. Cumulative aggregate realized capital
losses will equal the sum of the amounts by which the net sales
price of each investment, when sold, is less than the original
cost of such investment since our inception. Aggregate
unrealized capital depreciation will equal the sum of the
difference, if negative, between the valuation of each
investment as of the applicable calculation date and the
original cost of such investment. At the end of the applicable
year, the amount of capital gains that will serve as the basis
for our calculation of the capital gains incentive fee will
equal the cumulative aggregate realized capital gains less
cumulative aggregate realized capital losses, less aggregate
unrealized capital depreciation, with respect to our portfolio
of investments. If this number is positive at the end of such
year, then the capital gains
54
incentive fee for such year will be equal to 20% of such amount,
less the aggregate amount of any capital gains incentive fees
paid in respect of our portfolio in all prior years.
Because of the structure of the incentive fee, it is possible
that we may have to pay an incentive fee in a quarter where we
incur a loss. For example, if we receive pre-incentive fee net
investment income in excess of the hurdle rate for a quarter, we
will pay the applicable income incentive fee even if we have
incurred a loss in that quarter due to realized or unrealized
losses on our investments. In addition, if incentive fees are
paid in respect of income that is accrued but never collected by
us, Gladstone Management will have no obligation to reimburse
such fees to us.
Examples of Incentive Fee Calculations
Example 1: Income-Based Incentive Fee(*):
Alternative 1
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Gross investment income (including interest, dividends, fees,
etc.) = 1.25%
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Base management fee(1) = 0.50%
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Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent,
etc.)(2) = 0.20%
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Pre-incentive fee net investment income (investment income -
(base management fee + other expenses)) = 0.55%
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Hurdle rate(3) = 1.75%
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The pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed
hurdle rate, and therefore there is no income-based incentive
fee.
Alternative 2
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Gross investment income (including interest, dividends, fees,
etc.) = 2.70%
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Base management fee(1) = 0.50%
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Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent,
etc.)(2) = 0.20%
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Pre-incentive fee net investment income (investment income -
(base management fee + other expenses)) = 2.00%
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Hurdle rate(3) = 1.75%
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Alternative 2 pre-incentive fee investment income exceeds hurdle
rate, therefore an income-based incentive fee is payable by us
to Gladstone Management, and is calculated as follows:
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Income-based incentive fee =
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100% × catch-up + (the greater of 0% and 20%
× (pre-incentive fee net investment income - 2.1875%))
= 100% × (2.00-1.75%) + 0%
= 100% × 0.25% + 0%
= 0.25%
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55
Alternative 3
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Gross investment income (including interest, dividends, fees,
etc.) = 3.00%
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Base management fee(1) = 0.50%
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Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent,
etc.)(2) = 0.20%
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Pre-incentive fee net investment income (investment income -
(base management fee + other expenses)) = 2.30%
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Hurdle rate(3) = 1.75%
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In this example, pre-incentive net investment income exceeds the
hurdle rate, therefore an income-based incentive fee is payable
by us to Gladstone Management, and is calculated as follows:
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Income-based incentive fee =
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100% × catch-up + (the greater of 0% and 20%
× (pre-incentive fee net investment income - 2.1875%))
= 100% × (2.1875% - 1.75%) + (20% × (2.3% - 2.1875%))
= 0.4375% + (20% × 0.1125%)
= 0.4375% + 0.0225%
= 0.46%
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(*)
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The hypothetical amounts shown are based on percentages of
total net assets.
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(1)
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Represents 2% annualized base management fee without the
reduction of the base management fee to 2% of gross invested
assets through March 31, 2006 and assumes no leverage.
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(2)
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Excludes organizational and offering expenses.
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(3)
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Represents 7% annualized hurdle rate.
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Example 2: Capital Gains-Based Incentive Fee:
Alternative 1:
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Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A
(Investment A), and $30 million investment made
in Company B (Investment B)
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Year 2: Investment A is sold for $50 million and fair
market value (FMV) of Investment B determined to be
$32 million
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Year 3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $25 million
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Year 4: Investment B sold for $31 million
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The capital gains portion of the incentive fee would be:
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Year 1: None
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Year 2: Capital gains-based incentive fee of $6 million
($30 million realized capital gains on sale of Investment A
multiplied by 20%)
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Year 3: None; $5 million (20% multiplied by
($30 million cumulative capital gains less $5 million
cumulative capital depreciation)) less $6 million (previous
capital gains-based fee paid in Year 2)
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Year 4: Capital gains-based incentive fee of $200,000;
$6.2 million ($31 million cumulative realized capital
gains multiplied by 20%) less $6 million (capital
gains-based incentive fee paid in Year 2)
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56
Alternative 2
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Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A
(Investment A), $30 million investment made in
Company B (Investment B) and $25 million
investment made in Company C (Investment C)
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Year 2: Investment A sold for $50 million, FMV of
Investment B determined to be $25 million and FMV of
Investment C determined to be $25 million
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Year 3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $27 million
and Investment C sold for $30 million
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Year 4: FMV of Investment B determined to be $35 million
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Year 5: Investment B sold for $20 million
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The capital gains-based incentive fee, if any, would be:
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Year 1: None
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Year 2: $5 million capital gains-based incentive fee; 20%
multiplied by $25 million ($30 million realized
capital gains on Investment A less unrealized capital
depreciation on Investment B)
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Year 3: $1.4 million capital gains-based incentive fee;
$6.4 million (20% multiplied by $32 million
($35 million cumulative realized capital gains less
$3 million unrealized capital depreciation)) less
$5 million capital gains-based fee received in Year 2
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Year 4: None
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Year 5: None; $5 million (20% multiplied by
$25 million (cumulative realized capital gains of
$35 million less realized capital losses of
$10 million)) less $6.4 million cumulative capital
gains-based fee paid in Year 2 and Year 3
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Unless terminated earlier as described below, the investment
advisory and management agreement with Gladstone Management will
continue in effect for a period of two years from its effective
date. The agreement will remain in effect from year to year
thereafter if approved annually by our board of directors or by
the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our
outstanding voting securities, including, in either case,
approval by a majority of our directors who are not interested
persons. The investment advisory and management agreement will
automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The
investment advisory and management agreement may be terminated
by either party without penalty upon 60 days written
notice to the other. See Risk Factors Risks
Relating To Our Business and Structure We are
dependent on Gladstone Managements key personnel and on
their access to potential transactions for our future
success.
Indemnification
The investment advisory and management agreement provides that,
absent willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in
the performance of its duties or by reason of the reckless
disregard of its duties and obligations, Gladstone Management
and its officers, managers, partners, agents, employees,
controlling persons, members, and any other person or entity
affiliated with it are entitled to indemnification from
Gladstone Investment for any damages, liabilities, costs, and
expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees and amounts
reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of
Gladstone Managements services under the investment
advisory and management agreement or otherwise as an investment
adviser of Gladstone Investment.
57
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Board approval of the Investment Advisory and Management
Agreement
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The investment advisory and management agreement was approved by
our board of directors, including all of our independent
directors,
on ,
2005. In its consideration of the investment advisory and
management agreement, the board of directors focused on
information it had received relating to, among other things:
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the high quality and extensive level of the advisory and other
services that we expect Gladstone Management to provide to us;
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our investment objectives and the fact that the objectives are
consistent with the investment selection process to be employed
by Gladstone Management;
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the fact that the agreement provides for fees consistent with
advisory fees or similar expenses paid by other business
development companies with similar investment objectives;
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the fact that our projected operating expenses and expense ratio
is consistent with those of other business development companies
with similar investment objectives;
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any existing and potential sources of indirect income to
Gladstone Management from its relationships with us and the
profitability of those relationships;
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information about the services to be performed and the personnel
performing such services under the investment advisory and
management agreement;
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the prior experience of Gladstone Managements personnel in
connection with the types of investments we propose to make,
including such personnels extensive network of contacts
with other private equity firms and private companies;
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the organizational capability and financial condition of
Gladstone Management and its affiliates as evidenced by
Gladstone Managements level of service to Gladstone
Capital Corporation and Gladstone Commercial Corporation;
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Gladstone Managements practices regarding the selection
and compensation of brokers that may execute our portfolio
transactions and the brokers provision of brokerage and
research services to Gladstone Management; and
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the difficulty of obtaining similar services from other third
party service providers or through an internally managed
structure.
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Based on the information reviewed, including the particular
factors described above, and the discussions, our board of
directors, including all of our non-interested directors,
concluded that the investment advisory and management fee rates
were reasonable in relation to the services to be provided.
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Organization of Gladstone Management
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Gladstone Management is a Delaware corporation that is
registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The
principal executive offices of Gladstone Management are located
at 1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200, McLean, Virginia 22102.
Administration Agreement
Pursuant to a separate administration agreement, Gladstone
Administration will furnish us with office facilities, equipment
and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services at such
facilities. Under the administration agreement, Gladstone
Administration also will perform, or oversee the performance of,
our required administrative services, which include, among other
things, being responsible for the financial records which we are
required to maintain and preparing reports to our stockholders
and reports filed with the SEC. In addition, Gladstone
Administration will assist us in determining and publishing our
net asset value, oversee the preparation and filing of our tax
returns, the printing and dissemination of reports to our
stockholders, and generally oversee the payment of our expenses
and the performance of administrative
58
and professional services rendered to us by others. Payments
under the administration agreement will be equal to an amount
based upon our allocable portion of Gladstone
Administrations overhead in performing its obligations
under the administration agreement, including rent and our
allocable portion of the salaries and benefits expenses of our
chief financial officer, chief compliance officer and controller
and their respective staffs.
All investment professionals and staff of Gladstone Management
are employees of and compensated by Gladstone Management.
However, all other expenses incurred by Gladstone Management or
Gladstone Administration in connection with administering our
business, such as our allocable portion of overhead under the
administration agreement, including rent and our allocable
portion of the salaries and benefits expense of our chief
financial officer, chief compliance officer and controller and
their respective staffs, will be subject to reimbursement
pursuant to the administration agreement. We will bear all other
direct costs and expenses of our operations and transactions,
including those relating to:
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our organization and this offering;
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calculation of our net asset value (including the cost and
expenses of any independent valuation firm);
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expenses incurred by Gladstone Management payable to third
parties, including agents, consultants, or other advisors in
monitoring our financial and legal affairs and in monitoring our
investments and performing due diligence on our prospective
portfolio companies;
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interest payable on debt, if any, incurred to finance our
investments;
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offerings of our common stock and other securities;
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investment advisory and management fees;
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fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants, or
other advisors relating to, or associated with, evaluating and
making investments;
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transfer agent and custodial fees;
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registration fees;
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listing fees;
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taxes;
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independent directors fees and expenses;
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costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents of the
SEC;
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the costs of any reports, proxy statements, or other notices to
stockholders, including printing costs;
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our allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors and
officers insurance and any other insurance premiums; and
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direct costs and expenses of administration, including auditor
and legal costs.
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The administration agreement provides that, absent willful
misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its
duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of its duties and
obligations, Gladstone Administration and its officers, manager,
partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members, and
any other person or entity affiliated with it are entitled to
indemnification from Gladstone Investment for any damages,
liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable
attorneys fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement)
arising from the rendering of Gladstone Administrations
services under the administration agreement or otherwise as
administrator for Gladstone Investment.
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Board approval of the administration agreement
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The administration agreement was approved by our board of
directors, including all of our independent directors,
on ,
2005.
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Organization of Gladstone Administration
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Gladstone Administration is a Delaware limited liability
company. The principal executive officers of Gladstone
Administration are located at 1521 Westbranch Drive,
Suite 200, McLean, Virginia 22102.
License Agreement
We have entered into a license agreement with Gladstone
Management pursuant to which Gladstone Management has granted us
a non-exclusive license to use the name Gladstone
and the Diamond G logo. Under this agreement, we have the right
to use the Gladstone name and the Diamond G logo for
so long as Gladstone Management remains our investment adviser.
Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no
legal right to use either the Gladstone name or the
Diamond G logo.
The license agreement requires us to pay to Gladstone Management
a royalty fee of $1 per quarter for the use of the
Gladstone name and the Diamond G logo. The amount of
the licensing fee is to be negotiated every year by our
compensation committee and approved by a majority of our
independent directors.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
We have entered into an investment advisory and management
agreement with Gladstone Management, which is controlled by our
chairman and chief executive officer, David Gladstone. In
addition, our executive officers and directors, and the officers
and directors of Gladstone Management, serve or may serve as
officers, directors, or principals of entities that operate in
the same or related line of business as we do or of companies
managed by our affiliates. Accordingly, we may not be given the
opportunity to participate in certain investments made by other
companies managed by Gladstone Management. However, Gladstone
Management and its principals intend to allocate investment
opportunities in a fair and equitable manner in accordance with
investment allocation procedures and consistent with our
investment objectives and strategies so that we are not
disadvantaged in relation to any other client. See Risk
Factors Risks Relating To Our Business and
Structure There are significant potential conflicts
of interest which could impact our investment returns.
We have entered into an administration agreement with Gladstone
Administration, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gladstone
Management, which is controlled by our chairman and chief
executive officer, David Gladstone. Pursuant to the
administration agreement, Gladstone Administration will furnish
us with office facilities, equipment and clerical, bookkeeping
and record keeping services at such facilities and will perform,
or oversee the performance of, our required administrative
services. Payments under the administration agreement will be
equal to an amount based upon our allocable portion of Gladstone
Administrations overhead in performing its obligations
under the administration agreement, including rent and our
allocable portion of the salaries and benefits expenses of our
chief financial officer, chief compliance officer and controller
and their respective staffs. See Management
Administration Agreement.
We have entered into a license agreement with Gladstone
Management, pursuant to which Gladstone Management has agreed to
grant us a non-exclusive license to use the name
Gladstone and the Diamond G trademark. In addition,
pursuant to the terms of the administration agreement, Gladstone
Management provides us with the office facilities and
administrative services necessary to conduct our day-to-day
operations. We will not invest in any portfolio company in which
Gladstone Management or any affiliate currently has an
investment. However, our affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may
purchase property from, or lease property to, portfolio
companies that we do not control under certain circumstances.
See Business Our Investments.
60
Anthony W. Parker, one of our directors who also serves as a
director of our affiliates Gladstone Capital and Gladstone
Commercial, is the President of Snelling & Associates and is
the founder, Chairman, and President of Medical Funding
Corporation. During its fiscal year ending September 30,
2002, Gladstone Capital paid personnel recruiting fees totaling
$31,750 to Medical Funding Corporation. During its fiscal year
ending September 30, 2003, Gladstone Capital paid personnel
recruiting fees totaling $2,269 to Snelling & Associates and
$4,625 to Medical Funding Corporation.
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS
Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, there will
be 100 shares of common stock outstanding and one stockholder of
record. At that time, we will have no other shares of capital
stock outstanding. The following table sets forth certain
ownership information with respect to our common stock for those
persons who directly or indirectly own, control, or hold with
the power to vote 5% or more of our outstanding common stock and
all officers and directors, as a group.
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Percentage of common stock outstanding
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Immediately prior to
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Immediately after this
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this offering
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offering(1)
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Shares
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Shares
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Name and address
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Type of ownership
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owned
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Percentage
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owned
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Percentage
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David Gladstone
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Record and beneficial
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100
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100.0
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%
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71,785
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0.6
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%
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All officers and directors as a group (10 persons)(2)
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Record and beneficial
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100
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100.0
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%
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%
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(1)
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Assumes issuance of 12,000,000 shares offered hereby. Does not
reflect shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon
exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option. Also
reflects the expected purchase of an estimated 71,685 shares by
Mr. Gladstone
and shares
by all officers and directors as a group in the directed share
offering. See Underwriting Directed Share
Offering.
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(2)
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The address for all officers and directors is c/o Gladstone
Investment Corporation, 1521 Westbranch Drive, Suite 200,
McLean, Virginia 22102.
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The following table sets forth the dollar range of our equity
securities beneficially owned by each of our directors. We are
not part of a family of investment companies, as
that term is defined in the 1940 Act.
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Dollar Range of
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Dollar Range of
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Equity Securities in
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Equity Securities in
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Gladstone Investment
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Gladstone Investment
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Name of Director
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Before the Offering(1)
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After the Offering(1)(2)
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Independent Directors
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Michela A. English
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None
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John H. Outland
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None
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Maurice W. Coulon
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None
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David A.R. Dullum
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None
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Paul W. Adelgren
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None
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Interested Directors
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Anthony W. Parker
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None
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David Gladstone
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$1 $10,000
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over $100,000
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Terry Lee Brubaker
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None
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George Stelljes III
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None
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(1)
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In accordance with SEC rules, equity ownership is calculated in
accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act, and
dollar ranges are as follows: none, $1 $10,000,
$10,001 $50,000,
$50,001 $100,000, or over $100,000.
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(2)
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Reflects the shares expected to be purchased in the directed
share offering. See Underwriting Directed
Share Offering.
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61
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN
We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan that provides for
reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our stockholders
upon their election as provided below. As a result, if our board
of directors authorizes, and we declare, a cash dividend, then
our stockholders who have opted in to our dividend
reinvestment plan will not receive cash dividends but, instead,
such cash dividends will automatically be reinvested in
additional shares of our common stock.
Pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan, if your shares of
our common stock are registered in your own name you can have
all distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common
stock by The Bank of New York, the plan agent, if you enroll in
the dividend reinvestment plan by delivering an authorization
form to the plan agent prior to the corresponding dividend
declaration date. The plan agent will effect purchases of our
common stock under the dividend reinvestment plan in the open
market. If you do not elect to participate in the dividend
reinvestment plan, you will receive all distributions in cash
paid by check mailed directly to you (or if you hold your shares
in street or other nominee name, then to your nominee) as of the
relevant record date, by the plan agent, as our dividend
disbursing agent. If your shares are held in the name of a
broker or nominee or if you are transferring such an account to
a new broker or nominee, you should contact the broker or
nominee to determine whether and how they may participate in the
dividend reinvestment plan.
The plan agent serves as agent for the holders of our common
stock in administering the dividend reinvestment plan. After we
declare a dividend, the plan agent will, as agent for the
participants, receive the cash payment and use it to buy common
stock on the Nasdaq National Market or elsewhere for the
participants accounts. The price of the shares will be the
average market price at which such shares were purchased by the
plan agent.
Participants in the dividend reinvestment plan may withdraw from
the dividend reinvestment plan upon written notice to the plan
agent. Such withdrawal will be effective immediately if received
not less than ten days prior to a dividend record date;
otherwise, it will be effective the day after the related
dividend distribution date. When a participant withdraws from
the dividend reinvestment plan or upon termination of the
dividend reinvestment plan as provided below, certificates for
whole shares of common stock credited to his or her account
under the dividend reinvestment plan will be issued and a cash
payment will be made for any fractional share of common stock
credited to such account.
The plan agent will maintain each participants account in
the dividend reinvestment plan and will furnish monthly written
confirmations of all transactions in such account, including
information needed by the stockholder for personal and tax
records. Common stock in the account of each dividend
reinvestment plan participant will be held by the plan agent in
non-certificated form in the name of such participant. Proxy
materials relating to our stockholders meetings will
include those shares purchased as well as shares held pursuant
to the reinvestment plan.
In the case of participants who beneficially own shares that are
held in the name of banks, brokers or other nominees, the plan
agent will administer the dividend reinvestment plan on the
basis of the number of shares of common stock certified from
time to time by the record holders as the amount held for the
account of such beneficial owners. Shares of our common stock
may be purchased by the plan agent through any of the
underwriters, acting as broker or dealer.
We pay the plan agents fees for the handling or
reinvestment of dividends and other distributions. Each
participant in the dividend reinvestment plan pays a pro rata
share of brokerage commissions incurred with respect to the plan
agents open market purchases in connection with the
reinvestment of distributions. There are no other charges to
participants for reinvesting distributions.
Distributions are taxable whether paid in cash or reinvested in
additional shares, and the reinvestment of distributions
pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan will not relieve
participants of any U.S. federal income tax or state income tax
that may be payable or required to be withheld on such
distributions. For more information regarding taxes that our
stockholders may be required to pay, see Material U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations.
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Experience under the dividend reinvestment plan may indicate
that changes are desirable. Accordingly, we reserve the right to
amend or terminate the dividend reinvestment plan as applied to
any distribution paid subsequent to written notice of the change
sent to participants in the dividend reinvestment plan at least
90 days before the record date for the distribution. The
dividend reinvestment plan also may be amended or terminated by
the plan agent with our prior written consent, on at least
90 days written notice to participants in the
dividend reinvestment plan. All correspondence concerning the
reinvestment plan should be directed to the plan agent by mail
at 100 Church Street, 14th Floor, New York, New York 10286 or by
phone at 800-274-2944.
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a general summary of the material
U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to us and to
an investment in our shares. This summary does not purport to be
a complete description of the income tax considerations
applicable to such an investment. For example, we have not
described tax consequences that we assume to be generally known
by investors or certain considerations that may be relevant to
certain types of holders subject to special treatment under U.S.
federal income tax laws, including stockholders subject to the
alternative minimum tax, tax-exempt organizations, insurance
companies, dealers in securities, pension plans and trusts, and
financial institutions. This summary assumes that investors hold
our common stock as capital assets (within the meaning of the
Code). The discussion is based upon the Code, Treasury
regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations,
each as of the date of this prospectus and all of which are
subject to change, possibly retroactively, which could affect
the continuing validity of this discussion. We have not sought
and will not seek any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service
regarding this offering. This summary does not discuss any
aspects of U.S. estate or gift tax or foreign, state, or local
tax. It does not discuss the special treatment under U.S.
federal income tax laws that could result if we invested in
tax-exempt securities or certain other investment assets.
A U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of shares
of our common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
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a citizen or individual resident of the United States;
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a corporation, or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under
the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the
District of Columbia; or
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a trust or an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S.
federal income taxation regardless of its source.
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A Non-U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of
shares of our common stock that is not a U.S. stockholder.
If a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership
for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds shares of our common
stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will
generally depend upon the status of the partner and the
activities of the partnership. A prospective stockholder that is
a partner of a partnership holding shares of our common stock
should consult its tax advisors with respect to the purchase,
ownership, and disposition of shares of our common stock.
Tax matters are very complicated and the tax consequences to an
investor of an investment in our shares will depend on the facts
of his, her, or its particular situation. We encourage investors
to consult their own tax advisors regarding the specific
consequences of such an investment, including tax reporting
requirements, the applicability of federal, state, local, and
foreign tax laws, eligibility for the benefits of any applicable
tax treaty, and the effect of any possible changes in the tax
laws.
Election To Be Taxed as a RIC
As a business development company, we intend to elect to be
treated as a regulated investment company, or RIC, under
Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, we generally will not have
to pay
63
corporate-level federal income taxes on any ordinary income or
capital gains that we distribute to our stockholders as
dividends. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things,
meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification
requirements (as described below). In addition, we must
distribute to our stockholders, for each taxable year, at least
90% of our investment company taxable income, which
is generally our ordinary income plus the excess of realized net
short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital
losses (the Annual Distribution Requirement).
Taxation as a RIC
If we:
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qualify as a RIC; and
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satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement;
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then we will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion
of our investment company taxable income and net capital gain
(i.e., net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term
capital losses) we distribute to stockholders. We will be
subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate
rates on any income or capital gain not distributed (or deemed
distributed) to our stockholders.
We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible federal excise tax on
certain undistributed income of RICs unless we distribute in a
timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of
(1) 98% of our ordinary income for each calendar year,
(2) 98% of our capital gain net income for the one-year
period ending October 31 in that calendar year and (3) any
income realized, but not distributed, in preceding years (the
Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement). We currently
intend to make sufficient distributions each taxable year to
satisfy the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement.
In order to qualify as a RIC for federal income tax purposes, we
must, among other things:
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qualify to be treated as a business development company under
the 1940 Act at all times during each taxable year;
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derive in each taxable year at least 90% of our gross income
from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain
securities loans, gains from the sale of stock or other
securities, or other income derived with respect to our business
of investing in such stock or securities (the 90% Income
Test); and
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diversify our holdings so that at the end of each quarter of the
taxable year:
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at least 50% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash
equivalents, U.S. Government securities, securities of other
RICs, and other securities if such other securities of any one
issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of our assets
or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the
issuer; and
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no more than 25% of the value of our assets is invested in the
securities, other than U.S. Government securities or securities
of other RICs, of one issuer or of two or more issuers that are
controlled, as determined under applicable tax rules, by us and
that are engaged in the same or similar or related trades or
businesses (the Diversification Tests).
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We may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances
in which we do not receive cash. For example, if we hold debt
obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as
having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with
payment-in-kind interest or, in certain cases, increasing
interest rates or issued with warrants), we must include in
income each year a portion of the original issue discount that
accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether
cash representing such income is received by us in the same
taxable year. Because any original issue discount accrued will
be included in our investment company taxable income for the
year of accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to
our stockholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution
Requirement, even though we will not have received any
corresponding cash amount.
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Gain or loss realized by us from warrants acquired by us as well
as any loss attributable to the lapse of such warrants generally
will be treated as capital gain or loss. Such gain or loss
generally will be long-term or short-term, depending on how long
we held a particular warrant.
Although we do not presently expect to do so, we are authorized
to borrow funds and to sell assets in order to satisfy
distribution requirements. However, under the 1940 Act, we are
not permitted to make distributions to our stockholders while
our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding
unless certain asset coverage tests are met. See
Regulation Senior Securities. Moreover,
our ability to dispose of assets to meet our distribution
requirements may be limited by (1) the illiquid nature of
our portfolio and/or (2) other requirements relating to our
status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we
dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution
Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may make
such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint,
are not advantageous.
If we fail to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement or
otherwise fail to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, we will
be subject to tax in that year on all of our taxable income,
regardless of whether we make any distributions to our
stockholders. In that case, all of our income will be subject to
corporate-level federal income tax, reducing the amount
available to be distributed to our stockholders. In contrast,
assuming we qualify as a RIC, our corporate-level federal income
tax should be substantially reduced or eliminated. See
Election to be taxed as a RIC above.
We will be subject to alternative minimum tax, also referred to
as AMT, but any items that are treated differently
for AMT purposes must be apportioned between us and our
stockholders and this may affect the stockholders AMT
liabilities. Although regulations explaining the precise method
of apportionment have not yet been issued, such items will
generally be apportioned in the same proportion that dividends
paid to each stockholder bear to our taxable income (determined
without regard to the dividends paid deduction), unless a
different method for particular item is warranted under the
circumstances.
The remainder of this discussion assumes that we qualify as a
RIC and have satisfied the Annual Distribution Requirement.
Taxation Of U.S. Stockholders
Distributions by us generally are taxable to U.S. stockholders
as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions of our
investment company taxable income (which is,
generally, our ordinary income plus realized net short-term
capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital
losses) will be taxable as ordinary income to U.S. stockholders
to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and
profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional common
stock. To the extent such distributions paid by us to
non-corporate stockholders (including individuals) are
attributable to dividends from U.S. corporations and certain
qualified foreign corporations, such distributions generally
will be eligible for a maximum tax rate of 15%. In this regard,
it is anticipated that distributions paid by us will generally
not be attributable to dividends and, therefore, generally will
not qualify for the 15% maximum rate. Distributions of our net
capital gains (which is generally our realized net long-term
capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital
losses) properly designated by us as capital gain
dividends will be taxable to a U.S. stockholder as
long-term capital gains at a maximum rate of 15% in the case of
individuals, trusts or estates, regardless of the U.S.
stockholders holding period for his, her, or its common
stock and regardless of whether paid in cash or reinvested in
additional common stock. Distributions in excess of our earnings
and profits first will reduce a U.S. stockholders adjusted
tax basis in such stockholders common stock and, after the
adjusted basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gains
to such U.S. stockholder.
Although we currently intend to distribute any long-term capital
gains at least annually, we may in the future decide to retain
some or all of our long-term capital gains, but designate the
retained amount as a deemed distribution. In that
case, among other consequences, we will pay tax on the retained
amount, each U.S. stockholder will be required to include his,
her, or its share of the deemed distribution in income as if it
had been actually distributed to the U.S. stockholder, and the
U.S. stockholder will be
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entitled to claim a credit equal to his, her, or its allocable
share of the tax paid thereon by us. The amount of the deemed
distribution net of such tax will be added to the U.S.
stockholders tax basis for his, her, or its common stock.
Since we expect to pay tax on any retained capital gains at our
regular corporate tax rate, and since that rate is in excess of
the maximum rate currently payable by individuals on long-term
capital gains, the amount of tax that individual stockholders
will be treated as having paid and for which they will receive a
credit will exceed the tax they owe on the retained net capital
gain. Such excess generally may be claimed as a credit against
the U.S. stockholders other federal income tax obligations
or may be refunded to the extent it exceeds a stockholders
liability for federal income tax. A stockholder that is not
subject to federal income tax or otherwise required to file a
federal income tax return would be required to file a federal
income tax return on the appropriate form in order to claim a
refund for the taxes we paid. In order to utilize the deemed
distribution approach, we must provide written notice to our
stockholders prior to the expiration of 60 days after the
close of the relevant taxable year. We cannot treat any of our
investment company taxable income as a deemed
distribution.
For purposes of determining (1) whether the Annual
Distribution Requirement is satisfied for any year and
(2) the amount of capital gain dividends paid for that
year, we may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a
dividend that is paid during the following taxable year as if it
had been paid during the taxable year in question. If we make
such an election, the U.S. stockholder will still be treated as
receiving the dividend in the taxable year in which the
distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by us in
October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to
stockholders of record on a specified date in such a month and
actually paid during January of the following year, will be
treated as if it had been received by our U.S. stockholders on
December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
If an investor purchases shares of our common stock shortly
before the record date of a distribution, the price of the
shares will include the value of the distribution and the
investor will be subject to tax on the distribution even though
it represents a return of his, her, or its investment.
A stockholder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss if
the stockholder sells or otherwise disposes of his, her, or its
shares of our common stock. Any gain arising from such sale or
disposition generally will be treated as capital gain or loss if
the stockholder has held his, her, or its shares for more than
one year. Otherwise, it would be classified as short-term
capital gain or loss. However, any capital loss arising from the
sale or disposition of shares of our common stock held for six
months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the
extent of the amount of capital gain dividends received, or
undistributed capital gain deemed received, with respect to such
shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized
upon a disposition of shares of our common stock may be
disallowed if other shares of our common stock are purchased
(whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise)
within 30 days before or after the disposition.
In general, individual U.S. stockholders currently are subject
to a maximum federal income tax rate of 15% on their net capital
gain, i.e., the excess of realized net long-term capital gain
over realized net short-term capital loss for a taxable year,
including a long-term capital gain derived from an investment in
our shares. Such rate is lower than the maximum rate on ordinary
income currently payable by individuals. Corporate U.S.
stockholders currently are subject to federal income tax on net
capital gain at the maximum 35% rate also applied to ordinary
income. Non-corporate stockholders with net capital losses for a
year (i.e., capital losses in excess of capital gains) generally
may deduct up to $3,000 of such losses against their ordinary
income each year; any net capital losses of a non-corporate
stockholder in excess of $3,000 generally may be carried forward
and used in subsequent years as provided in the Code. Corporate
stockholders generally may not deduct any net capital losses for
a year, but may carry back such losses for three years or carry
forward such losses for five years.
We will send to each of our U.S. stockholders, as promptly as
possible after the end of each calendar year, a notice
detailing, on a per share and per distribution basis, the
amounts includible in such U.S. stockholders taxable
income for such year as ordinary income and as long-term capital
gain. In addition, the federal tax status of each years
distributions generally will be reported to the Internal Revenue
Service (including the amount of dividends, if any, eligible for
the 15% maximum rate). Distributions may also be
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subject to additional state, local, and foreign taxes depending
on a U.S. stockholders particular situation. Dividends
distributed by us generally will not be eligible for the
dividends-received deduction or the preferential rate applicable
to qualifying dividends.
We may be required to withhold federal income tax (backup
withholding) currently at a rate of 28% from all taxable
distributions to any non-corporate U.S. stockholder (1) who
fails to furnish us with a correct taxpayer identification
number or a certificate that such stockholder is exempt from
backup withholding, or (2) with respect to whom the IRS
notifies us that such stockholder has failed to properly report
certain interest and dividend income to the IRS, and has failed
to respond to notices to that effect. An individuals
taxpayer identification number is his or her social security
number. Any amount withheld under backup withholding is allowed
as a credit against the U.S. stockholders federal income
tax liability and may entitle such stockholder to a refund,
provided that proper information is timely provided to the IRS.
Taxation Of Non-U.S. Stockholders
Whether an investment in the shares is appropriate for a
Non-U.S. stockholder will depend upon that persons
particular circumstances. An investment in the shares by a
Non-U.S. stockholder may have adverse tax consequences. Non-U.S.
stockholders should consult their tax advisers before investing
in our common stock.
Distributions of our investment company taxable
income to Non-U.S. stockholders (other than certain
interest income and net short-term capital gain, as described
below) will be subject to withholding of federal tax at a 30%
rate (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty) to the
extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits
unless the distributions are effectively connected with a U.S.
trade or business of the Non-U.S. stockholder, and, if an income
tax treaty applies, attributable to a permanent establishment in
the United States, in which case the distributions will be
subject to federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S.
persons. In that case, we will not be required to withhold
federal tax if the Non-U.S. stockholder complies with applicable
certification and disclosure requirements. Special certification
requirements apply to a Non-U.S. stockholder that is a foreign
partnership or a foreign trust, and such entities are urged to
consult their own tax advisors.
As a result of recent changes in U.S. tax law, distributions of
certain interest income and short-term capital gains made to
Non-U.S. stockholders in our taxable years beginning after
December 31, 2004 and before January 1, 2008, will not
be subject to U.S. federal income tax and no withholding will be
required. The exempt items generally include amounts that would
be free of U.S. tax if paid to Non-U.S. stockholders directly.
These distributions generally will not be subject to U.S.
federal income tax if (i) the distributions are properly
designated in a notice timely delivered to our stockholders as
interest-related dividends or short-term
capital gain dividends, (ii) the distributions are
derived from sources specified in the Code for such dividends
and (iii) certain other requirements are satisfied. We
intend to properly designate eligible portions of our dividends
so that this exemption is applicable to our Non-U.S.
stockholders.
Actual or deemed distributions of our net capital gains to a
Non-U.S. stockholder, and gains realized by a Non-U.S.
stockholder upon the sale of our common stock, will not be
subject to federal withholding tax and generally will not be
subject to federal income tax unless the distributions or gains,
as the case may be, are effectively connected with a U.S. trade
or business of the Non-U.S. stockholder and, if an income tax
treaty applies, are attributable to a permanent establishment
maintained by the Non-U.S. stockholder in the United States.
If we distribute our net capital gains in the form of deemed
rather than actual distributions (which we may do in the
future), a Non-U.S. stockholder will be entitled to a federal
income tax credit or tax refund equal to the stockholders
allocable share of the tax we pay on the capital gains deemed to
have been distributed. In order to obtain the refund, the
Non-U.S. stockholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification
number and file a federal income tax return even if the Non-U.S.
stockholder would not otherwise be required to obtain a U.S.
taxpayer identification number or file a federal income tax
return.
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For a corporate Non-U.S. stockholder, distributions (both actual
and deemed), and gains realized upon the sale of our common
stock that are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or
business may, under certain circumstances, be subject to an
additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate (or at a
lower rate if provided for by an applicable treaty).
Accordingly, investment in the shares may not be appropriate for
a Non-U.S. stockholder.
A Non-U.S. stockholder who is a non-resident alien individual,
and who is otherwise subject to withholding of federal income
tax, may be subject to information reporting and backup
withholding of federal income tax on dividends unless the
Non-U.S. stockholder provides us or the dividend paying agent
with an IRS Form W-8BEN (or an acceptable substitute form)
or otherwise meets documentary evidence requirements for
establishing that it is a Non-U.S. stockholder or otherwise
establishes an exemption from backup withholding. As described
above, recent changes in U.S. tax law exempt additional items
from U.S. tax withholding requirements.
Recent changes in U.S. tax law also benefit Non-U.S.
stockholders investment in our stock. This exemption
applies to estates of decedents dying after December 31,
2004 and before January 1, 2008.
Non-U.S. persons should consult their own tax advisors with
respect to this and other U.S. federal income tax and
withholding tax, and state, local and foreign tax consequences
of an investment in the shares.
Failure To Qualify As A RIC
If we were unable to qualify for treatment as a RIC, we would be
subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate
rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to
stockholders, nor would they be required to be made.
Distributions would generally be taxable to our stockholders as
ordinary dividend income eligible for the 15% maximum rate to
the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate
distributees would be eligible for the dividends received
deduction. Distributions in excess of our current and
accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a
return of capital to the extent of the stockholders tax
basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a
capital gain.
DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK
The following description of our capital stock gives effect
to the amendment and restatement of our certificate of
incorporation prior to the completion of this offering.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000 shares of
common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 10,000,000 shares
of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. There is
currently no market for our capital stock, and we can offer no
assurances that a market for our shares will develop in the
future. We have applied to have our common stock approved for
quotation on The Nasdaq National Market under the ticker symbol
GAIN. There are no outstanding options or warrants
to purchase our stock. No stock has been authorized for issuance
under any equity compensation plans. Under Delaware law, our
stockholders generally are not personally liable for our debts
or obligations. Under our certificate of incorporation, our
board of directors may authorize the issuance of shares of stock
without obtaining stockholder approval.
The following description is a summary based on relevant
provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and
the Delaware General Corporation Law. This summary does not
purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its
entirety by the provisions of our certificate of incorporation
and bylaws and applicable provisions of the Delaware General
Corporation Law. We refer you to the Delaware General
Corporation Law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws
for a more detailed description of the provisions summarized
below.
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All shares of our common stock have equal rights as to earnings,
assets, dividends and voting and, when they are issued, will be
duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
Distributions may be paid to the holders of our common stock if,
as and when authorized by our board of directors and declared by
us out of funds legally available therefor. Shares of our common
stock have no preemptive, exchange, conversion or redemption
rights and are freely transferable, except where their transfer
is restricted by federal and state securities laws or by
contract. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding
up of Gladstone Investment, each share of our common stock would
be entitled to share ratably in all of our assets that are
legally available for distribution after we pay all debts and
other liabilities and subject to any preferential rights of
holders of our preferred stock, if any preferred stock is
outstanding at such time. Each share of our common stock is
entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of
stockholders, including the election of directors. Except as
provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the
holders of our common stock will possess exclusive voting power.
There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors,
which means that holders of a majority of the outstanding shares
of common stock can elect all of our directors, and holders of
less than a majority of such shares will be unable to elect any
director.
Our certificate of incorporation gives the board of directors
the authority, without further action by stockholders, to issue
up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more
series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges,
qualifications and restrictions granted to or imposed upon such
preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights,
voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, and liquidation
preference, any or all of which may be greater than the rights
of the common stock. Thus, the board of directors could
authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock with terms
and conditions which could have the effect of delaying,
deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control
that might involve a premium price for holders of our common
stock or otherwise be in their best interest. The issuance of
preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of
holders of common stock and reduce the likelihood that such
holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon
liquidation, and could also decrease the market price of our
common stock.
You should note, however, that any issuance of preferred stock
must comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act
requires, among other things, that (1) immediately after
issuance and before any dividend or other distribution is made
with respect to our common stock and before any purchase of
common stock is made, such preferred stock together with all
other senior securities must not exceed an amount equal to 50%
of our total assets after deducting the amount of such dividend,
distribution or purchase price, as the case may be, and
(2) the holders of shares of preferred stock, if any are
issued, must be entitled as a class to elect two directors at
all times and to elect a majority of the directors if dividends
on such preferred stock are in arrears by two years or more.
Certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of
the holders of any issued and outstanding preferred stock. For
example, holders of preferred stock would vote separately from
the holders of common stock on a proposal to cease operations as
a business development company. We believe that the availability
for issuance of preferred stock will provide us with increased
flexibility in structuring future financings.
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF DELAWARE LAW AND OF OUR CERTIFICATE
OF
INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS
The following description of certain provisions of Delaware
law and of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws gives
effect to the amendment and restatement of our certificate of
incorporation prior to the completion of this offering and is
only a summary. For a complete description, we refer you to the
Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of
incorporation and our bylaws. We have filed our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws as exhibits to
the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part.
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Classification of our Board of Directors
Pursuant to our bylaws, upon completion of this offering, our
board of directors will be divided into three classes of
directors. Directors of each class are elected for a three-year
term, and each year one class of directors will be elected by
the stockholders. The initial terms of the Class I,
Class II and Class III directors will expire in 2006,
2007 and 2008, respectively, and when their respective
successors are duly elected and qualify. Any director elected to
fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the full term of
the class in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is
elected and qualifies. We believe that classification of our
board of directors helps to assure the continuity and stability
of our business strategies and policies as determined by our
directors. Holders of shares of our common stock have no right
to cumulative voting in the election of directors. Consequently,
at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a
majority of the common stock are able to elect all of the
successors of the class of directors whose terms expire at that
meeting.
Our classified board could have the effect of making the
replacement of incumbent directors more time consuming and
difficult. Because our directors may only be removed for cause,
at least two annual meetings of stockholders, instead of one,
will generally be required to effect a change in a majority of
our board of directors. Thus, our classified board could
increase the likelihood that incumbent directors will retain
their positions. The staggered terms of directors may delay,
defer or prevent a tender offer or an attempt to change control
of us or another transaction that might involve a premium price
for our common stock that might be in the best interest of our
stockholders.
Removal of Directors
Any director may be removed only for cause by the stockholders
upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the
votes entitled to be cast at a meeting called for the purpose of
the proposed removal. The notice of the meeting shall indicate
that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to
determine if the director shall be removed.
Business Combinations
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
generally prohibits business combinations between us
and an interested stockholder for three years after
the date of the transaction in which the person became an
interested stockholder. In general, Delaware law defines an
interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially
owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the
corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or
controlling, or controlled by, the entity or person. These
business combinations include:
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Any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the
interested stockholder;
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Any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition involving the
interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the
corporation;
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Subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the
issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the
corporation to the interested stockholder; or
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The receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any
loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits
provided by or through the corporation.
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Section 203 permits certain exemptions from its provisions
for transactions in which:
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Prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of
the corporation approved either the business combination or the
transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an
interested stockholder;
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The interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting
stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction
commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of
shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are
directors and also officers, and (b) shares owned
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by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not
have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held
subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange
offer; or
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On or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business
combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized
at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by
written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least
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2
/
3
%
of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the
interested stockholder.
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Merger; Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation
Under Delaware law, we will not be able to amend our certificate
of incorporation or merge with another entity unless approved by
the affirmative vote of stockholders holding at least a majority
of the shares entitled to vote on the matter.
Term and Termination
Our certificate of incorporation provides for us to have a
perpetual existence. Pursuant to our certificate of
incorporation, and subject to the provisions of any of our
classes or series of stock then outstanding and the approval by
a majority of the entire board of directors, our stockholders,
at any meeting thereof, by the affirmative vote of a majority of
all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, may approve
a plan of liquidation and dissolution.
Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business
Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of
stockholders, nominations of persons for election to our board
of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by
stockholders at the annual meeting may be made only:
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pursuant to our notice of the meeting;
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by our board of directors; or
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by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the
time of the provision of notice and at the time of the meeting
who is entitled to vote at the meeting and has complied with the
advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws.
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With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the
business specified in our notice of meeting may be brought
before the meeting of stockholders and nominations of persons
for election to our board of directors may be made only:
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pursuant to our notice of the meeting;
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by our board of directors; or
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provided that our board of directors has determined that
directors shall be elected at such meeting, by a stockholder who
was a stockholder of record both at the time of the provision of
notice and at the time of the meeting who is entitled to vote at
the meeting and has complied with the advance notice provisions
set forth in our bylaws.
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Possible Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of
Delaware Law and of Our Certificate of Incorporation and
Bylaws
The business combination provisions of Delaware law, the
provisions of our bylaws regarding the classification of our
board of directors and the restrictions on the transfer of stock
and the advance notice provisions of our bylaws could have the
effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a
change in the control that might involve a premium price for
holders of common stock or otherwise be in their best interest.
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Limitation On Liability of Directors and Officers;
Indemnification and Advance of Expenses
Our certificate of incorporation eliminates the liability of
directors to the maximum extent permitted by Delaware law. In
addition, our bylaws require us to indemnify our directors and
executive officers, and allow us to indemnify other employees
and agents, to the fullest extent permitted by law, subject to
the requirements of the 1940 Act. Our bylaws obligate us to
indemnify any present or former director or officer or any
individual who, while a director or officer and at our request,
serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment
trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan
or other enterprise as a director, officer, partner or trustee,
from and against any claim or liability to which that person may
become subject or which that person may incur by reason of his
or her status as a present or former director or officer and to
pay or reimburse their reasonable expenses in advance of final
disposition of a proceeding. The certificate of incorporation
and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses to
any person who served a predecessor of us in any of the
capacities described above and any of our employees or agents or
any employees or agents of our predecessor. In accordance with
the 1940 Act, we will not indemnify any person for any liability
to which such person would be subject by reason of such
persons willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence
or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of
his or her office.
Delaware law requires a corporation to indemnify a present or
former director or officer who has been successful, on the
merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which
he or she is made a party by reason of his or her service in
that capacity. Delaware law permits a corporation to indemnify
its present and former directors and officers, or any other
person who is or was an employee or agent, or is or was serving
at the request of a corporation as a director, officer, employee
or agent of another entity, against liability for expenses,
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred if such person acted in good faith and in a
manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the corporation. In the case of a criminal
proceeding, Delaware law further requires that the person to be
indemnified have no reasonable cause to believe his or her
conduct was unlawful. In the case of an action or suit by or in
the right of a corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by
reason of such persons service to the corporation,
Delaware law provides that no indemnification shall be made with
respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person
has been adjudged liable to the corporation, unless and only to
the extent that the court in which such an action or suit is
brought determines, in view of all the circumstances of the
case, that the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to
indemnity. Insofar as certain members of our senior management
team may from time to time serve, at the request of our board of
directors, as directors of one or more of our portfolio
companies, we may have indemnification obligations under our
bylaws with respect to acts taken by our portfolio companies.
Any payment to an officer or director as indemnification under
our governing documents or applicable law or pursuant to any
agreement to hold such person harmless is recoverable only out
of our assets and not from our stockholders. Indemnification
could reduce the legal remedies available to us and our
stockholders against the indemnified individuals. This provision
for indemnification of our directors and officers does not
reduce the exposure of our directors and officers to liability
under federal or state securities laws, nor does it limit a
stockholders ability to obtain injunctive relief or other
equitable remedies for a violation of a directors or an
officers duties to us or to our stockholders, although
these equitable remedies may not be effective in some
circumstances.
In addition to any indemnification to which our directors and
officers are entitled pursuant to our certificate of
incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation
Law, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that we
may indemnify other employees and agents to the fullest extent
permitted under Delaware law, whether they are serving us or, at
our request, any other entity, including Gladstone Management.
The general effect to investors of any arrangement under which
any person who controls us or any of our directors, officers or
agents is insured or indemnified against liability is a
potential reduction in distributions to our stockholders
resulting from our payment of premiums associated with liability
insurance. In addition, indemnification could reduce the legal
remedies available to us and to our
72
stockholders against our officers, directors and agents. The SEC
takes the position that indemnification against liabilities
arising under the Securities Act of 1933 is against public
policy and unenforceable. As a result, indemnification of our
directors and officers and of Gladstone Management or its
affiliates may not be allowed for liabilities arising from or
out of a violation of state or federal securities laws.
Indemnification will be allowed for settlements and related
expenses of lawsuits alleging securities laws violations and for
expenses incurred in successfully defending any lawsuit,
provided that a court either:
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approves the settlement and finds that indemnification of the
settlement and related costs should be made; or
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dismisses with prejudice or makes a successful adjudication on
the merits of each count involving alleged securities law
violations as to the particular indemnitee and a court approves
the indemnification.
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Conflict with 1940 Act
Our bylaws provide that, if and to the extent that any provision
of the Delaware General Corporation Law, including the Business
Combination Act, or any provision of our certificate of
incorporation or bylaws conflicts with any provision of the 1940
Act, the applicable provision of the 1940 Act will control.
REGULATION
We are a business development company under the 1940 Act and
intend to elect to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the
Code. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions
relating to transactions between business development companies
and their affiliates (including any investment advisers or
sub-advisers), principal underwriters and affiliates of those
affiliates or underwriters and requires that a majority of the
directors be persons other than interested persons,
as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940
Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business
so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a business
development company unless approved by a majority of our
outstanding voting securities.
We may invest up to 100% of our assets in securities acquired
directly from issuers in privately negotiated transactions. With
respect to such securities, we may, for the purpose of public
resale, be deemed an underwriter as that term is
defined in the Securities Act. Our intention is to not write
(sell) or buy put or call options to manage risks
associated with the publicly traded securities of our portfolio
companies, except that we may enter into hedging transactions to
manage the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations.
However, we may purchase or otherwise receive warrants to
purchase the common stock of our portfolio companies in
connection with acquisition financing or other investment.
Similarly, in connection with an acquisition, we may acquire
rights to require the issuers of acquired securities or their
affiliates to repurchase them under certain circumstances. We
also do not intend to acquire securities issued by any
investment company that exceed the limits imposed by the 1940
Act. Under these limits, we generally cannot acquire more than
3% of the voting stock of any registered investment company,
invest more than 5% of the value of our total assets in the
securities of one investment company or invest more than 10% of
the value of our total assets in the securities of more than one
investment company. With regard to that portion of our portfolio
invested in securities issued by investment companies, it should
be noted that such investments might subject our stockholders to
additional expenses, including additional investment management
fees. These are not fundamental policies and any of them may be
changed without stockholder approval at any time.
Qualifying Assets
Under the 1940 Act, a business development company may not
acquire any asset other than assets of the type listed in
Section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, which are referred to as
qualifying assets, unless, at the
73
time the acquisition is made, qualifying assets represent at
least 70% of the companys total assets. The principal
categories of qualifying assets relevant to our proposed
business are the following:
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(1)
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Securities purchased in transactions not involving any public
offering from the issuer of such securities, which issuer
(subject to certain limited exceptions) is an eligible portfolio
company, or from any person who is, or has been during the
preceding 13 months, an affiliated person of an eligible
portfolio company, or from any other person, subject to such
rules as may be prescribed by the SEC. An eligible portfolio
company is defined in the 1940 Act as any issuer which:
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(a)
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is organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of
business in, the United States;
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(b)
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is not an investment company (other than a small business
investment company wholly owned by the business development
company) or a company that would be an investment company but
for certain exclusions under the 1940 Act; and
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(c)
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satisfies any of the following:
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does not have any class of securities with respect to which a
broker or dealer may extend margin credit;
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is controlled by a business development company or a group of
companies including a business development company and the
business development company in fact exercises a controlling
influence over the management or policies of such eligible
portfolio company and, as a result of such control, has an
affiliated person who is a director of the eligible portfolio
company; or
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is a small and solvent company having total assets of not more
than $4 million and capital and surplus of not less than
$2 million.
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(2)
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Securities of any eligible portfolio company which we control.
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(3)
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Securities purchased in a private transaction from a U.S. issuer
that is not an investment company or from an affiliated person
of the issuer, or in transactions incident thereto, if the
issuer is in bankruptcy and subject to reorganization or if the
issuer, immediately prior to the purchase of its securities was
unable to meet its obligations as they came due without material
assistance other than conventional lending or financing
arrangements.
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(4)
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Securities of an eligible portfolio company purchased from any
person in a private transaction if there is no ready market for
such securities and we already own 60% of the outstanding equity
of the eligible portfolio company.
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(5)
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Securities received in exchange for or distributed on or with
respect to securities described in (1) through
(4) above, or pursuant to the exercise of warrants or
rights relating to such securities.
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(6)
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Cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government securities or
high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from
the time of investment.
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In addition, a business development company must have been
organized and have its principal place of business in the United
States and must be operated for the purpose of making
investments in the types of securities described in (1), (2), or
(3) above.
If we acquire mezzanine loans or dividend-paying equity
securities from an issuer that has outstanding marginable
securities at the time we make an investment, these acquired
assets cannot be treated as qualifying assets. This results from
the definition of eligible portfolio company under
the 1940 Act, which in part looks to whether a company has
outstanding marginable securities.
Amendments promulgated in 1998 by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System to Regulation T under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, expanded
the definition of marginable security to include any non-equity
security. These amendments have raised
74
questions as to whether a private company that has outstanding
debt securities would qualify as an eligible portfolio company.
We believe that the mezzanine loans and equity instruments that
we expect to acquire should constitute qualifying assets because
the privately held companies to which we lend will not, at the
time of our investment, have outstanding marginable securities.
Until the questions raised by the amendments to
Regulation T have been clarified through SEC rulemaking or
addressed by legislative, administrative or judicial action, we
intend to treat as qualifying assets only those mezzanine loans
that are not investment grade, do not have a public secondary
market, and are issued by a private issuer that does not have
outstanding a class of margin eligible securities at the time of
our investment. Likewise, we will treat equity securities issued
by a portfolio company as qualifying assets only if such
securities are issued by a private company that has no
marginable securities outstanding at the time we purchase such
securities.
To date, we do not believe that either the SEC or its staff has
taken any position with respect to our analysis of the issues
discussed above and neither the SEC nor its staff has indicated
that they concur with our analysis. We intend to adjust our
investment focus as needed to comply with and/or take advantage
of any future administrative position, judicial decision or
legislative action.
The SEC has recently proposed amendments to the rules concerning
business development companies that would clarify that, among
other things, companies that do not have a class of securities
listed on an exchange or Nasdaq would be considered eligible
portfolio companies. If these rules are adopted as proposed, it
would remove the uncertainty concerning the status of certain of
our investments as qualifying assets by clarifying that all of
our portfolio companies would be considered eligible portfolio
companies.
Managerial Assistance To Portfolio Companies
A business development company must have been organized and have
its principal place of business in the United States and must be
operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of
securities described in (1), (2) or (3) above.
However, in order to count portfolio securities as qualifying
assets for the purpose of the 70% test, the business development
company must either control the issuer of the securities or must
offer to make available to the issuer of the securities (other
than small and solvent companies described above) significant
managerial assistance; except that, where the business
development company purchases such securities in conjunction
with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other
persons in the group may make available such managerial
assistance. Making available managerial assistance means, among
other things, any arrangement whereby the business development
company, through its directors, officers or employees, offers to
provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance
and counsel concerning the management, operations or business
objectives and policies of a portfolio company.
Temporary Investments
Pending investment in other types of qualifying
assets, as described above, our investments may consist of
cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government securities or
high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from
the time of investment, which we refer to, collectively, as
temporary investments, so that 70% of our assets are qualifying
assets. Typically, we will invest in U.S. Treasury bills or in
repurchase agreements, provided that such agreements are fully
collateralized by cash or securities issued by the U.S.
Government or its agencies. A repurchase agreement involves the
purchase by an investor, such as us, of a specified security and
the simultaneous agreement by the seller to repurchase it at an
agreed-upon future date and at a price which is greater than the
purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon
interest rate. There is no percentage restriction on the
proportion of our assets that may be invested in such repurchase
agreements. However, if more than 25% of our total assets
constitute repurchase agreements from a single counterparty, we
would not meet the diversification tests in order to qualify as
a RIC for federal income tax purposes. Thus, we do not intend to
enter into repurchase agreements with a single counterparty in
excess of this limit. Gladstone Management will monitor the
creditworthiness of the counterparties with which we enter into
repurchase agreement transactions.
75
Senior Securities
We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple
classes of indebtedness and one class of stock senior to our
common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act,
is at least equal to 200% immediately after each such issuance.
In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding, we
must make provisions to prohibit any distribution to our
stockholders or the repurchase of such securities or shares
unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time
of the distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up
to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary or
emergency purposes without regard to asset coverage. For a
discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see Risk
Factors Risks Relating To Our Business and
Structure Regulations governing our operation as a
business development company will affect our ability to, and the
way in which we raise additional capital.
Code Of Ethics
We and Gladstone Management have each adopted a code of business
conduct and ethics that meets the definition of code of
ethics in Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. Among other
things, the code establishes procedures for personal investments
and restricts certain personal securities transactions as
required by Rule 17j-1. Personnel subject to the code may
invest in securities for their personal investment accounts,
including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so
long as such investments are made in accordance with the
codes requirements. For information on how to obtain a
copy of the code, see Available Information.
Proxy Voting Policies And Procedures
SEC registered investment advisers that have the authority to
vote (client) proxies (which authority may be implied from
a general grant of investment discretion) are required to adopt
policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the
adviser votes proxies in the best interests of its clients.
Registered investment advisers also must maintain certain
records on proxy voting. In most cases, Gladstone Investment
will invest in securities that do not generally entitle it to
voting rights in its portfolio companies. When Gladstone
Investment does have voting rights, it will delegate the
exercise of such rights to Gladstone Management. Gladstone
Managements proxy voting policies and procedures are
summarized below.
In determining how to vote, officers of Gladstone Management
will consult with each other and other investment professionals
of Gladstone Management, taking into account the interests of
Gladstone Investment and its investors as well as any potential
conflicts of interest. Gladstone Management will consult with
legal counsel to identify potential conflicts of interest. Where
a potential conflict of interest exists, Gladstone Management
may, if it so elects, resolve it by following the recommendation
of a disinterested third party, by seeking the direction of the
independent directors of Gladstone Investment or, in extreme
cases, by abstaining from voting. While Gladstone Management may
retain an outside service to provide voting recommendations and
to assist in analyzing votes, Gladstone Management will not
delegate its voting authority to any third party.
An officer of Gladstone Management will keep a written record of
how all such proxies are voted. Gladstone Management will retain
records of (1) proxy voting policies and procedures,
(2) all proxy statements received (or it may rely on proxy
statements filed on the SECs EDGAR system in lieu
thereof), (3) all votes cast, (4) investor requests for
voting information, and (5) any specific documents prepared
or received in connection with a decision on a proxy vote. If it
uses an outside service, Gladstone Management may rely on such
service to maintain copies of proxy statements and records, so
long as such service will provide a copy of such documents
promptly upon request.
Gladstone Managements proxy voting policies are not
exhaustive and are designed to be responsive to the wide range
of issues that may be subject to a proxy vote. In general,
Gladstone Management will vote our proxies in accordance with
these guidelines unless: (1) it has determined otherwise
due to the specific and unusual facts and circumstances with
respect to a particular vote, (2) the subject matter of the
vote is not covered by these guidelines, (3) a material
conflict of interest is present, or (4) Gladstone
76
Management finds it necessary to vote contrary to these general
guidelines to maximize shareholder value or otherwise protect
the best interests of Gladstone Investment. In reviewing proxy
issues, Gladstone Management generally will use the following
guidelines:
Elections of Directors.
In general, Gladstone Management
will vote in favor of the management-proposed slate of
directors. If there is a proxy fight for seats on a portfolio
companys board of directors, or Gladstone Management
determines that there are other compelling reasons for
withholding our vote, it will determine the appropriate vote on
the matter. We may withhold votes for directors that fail to act
on key issues, such as failure to: (1) implement a majority
vote requirement, (2) submit a rights plan to a shareholder
vote or (3) act on tender offers where a majority of
shareholders have tendered their shares. Finally, Gladstone
Management may withhold votes for directors of non-U.S. issuers
where there is insufficient information about the nominees
disclosed in the proxy statement.
Appointment of Auditors.
We believe that a portfolio
company remains in the best position to choose its independent
auditors and Gladstone Management will generally support
managements recommendation in this regard.
Changes in Capital Structure.
Changes in a portfolio
companys charter or bylaws may be required by state or
federal regulation. In general, Gladstone Management will cast
our votes in accordance with the management on such proposals.
However, Gladstone Management will consider carefully any
proposal regarding a change in corporate structure that is not
required by state or federal regulation.
Corporate Restructurings, Mergers and Acquisitions.
We
believe proxy votes dealing with corporate reorganizations are
an extension of the investment decision. Accordingly, Gladstone
Management will analyze such proposals on a case-by-case basis
and vote in accordance with its perception of our interests.
Proposals Affecting Shareholder Rights.
We will generally
vote in favor of proposals that give shareholders a greater
voice in the affairs of a portfolio company and oppose any
measure that seeks to limit such rights. However, when analyzing
such proposals, Gladstone Management will balance the financial
impact of the proposal against any impairment of shareholder
rights as well as of our investment in the portfolio company.
Corporate Governance.
We recognize the importance of good
corporate governance. Accordingly, Gladstone Management will
generally favor proposals that promote transparency and
accountability within a portfolio company.
Anti-Takeover Measures.
Gladstone Management will
evaluate, on a case-by-case basis, any proposals regarding
anti-takeover measures to determine the measures likely
effect on shareholder value dilution.
Stock Splits.
Gladstone Management will generally vote
with management on stock split matters.
Limited Liability of Directors.
Gladstone Management will
generally vote with management on matters that could adversely
affect the limited liability of directors.
Social and Corporate Responsibility.
Gladstone Management
will review proposals related to social, political and
environmental issues to determine whether they may adversely
affect shareholder value. Gladstone Management may abstain from
voting on such proposals where they do not have a readily
determinable financial impact on shareholder value.
Other
We may also be prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly
participating in certain transactions with our affiliates
without the prior approval of our board of directors who are not
interested persons and, in some cases, prior approval by the SEC.
We will be periodically examined by the SEC for compliance with
the 1940 Act.
77
We are required to provide and maintain a bond issued by a
reputable fidelity insurance company to protect us against
larceny and embezzlement. Furthermore, as a business development
company, we are prohibited from protecting any director or
officer against any liability to Gladstone Investment or our
stockholders arising from willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the
conduct of such persons office.
We and Gladstone Management will each be required to adopt and
implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to
prevent violation of the federal securities laws, review these
policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the
effectiveness of their implementation, and, no later than the
closing date of our initial public offering, we expect to
designate Paula Novara as our chief compliance officer to be
responsible for administering the policies and procedures.
Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and The Nasdaq
National Market Corporate Governance Regulations
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 imposes a wide variety of new
regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their
insiders. Many of these requirements will affect us. The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act has required us to review our policies
and procedures to determine whether we comply with the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the new regulations promulgated
thereunder. We will continue to monitor our compliance with all
future regulations that are adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are in
compliance therewith.
In addition, The Nasdaq National Market has recently adopted
corporate governance changes to its listing standards. We
believe that, upon completion of this offering, we will be in
compliance with such corporate governance listing standards. We
will continue to monitor our compliance with all future listing
standards and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are
in compliance therewith.
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Upon completion of this offering, 12,000,100 shares of our
common stock will be outstanding, assuming no exercise of the
underwriters over-allotment option. Of these shares,
12,000,000 shares of our common stock sold in this offering will
be freely tradable without restriction or limitation under the
Securities Act, less that number of shares purchased in the
offering by our affiliates. Any shares purchased in this
offering by our affiliates will be subject to the public
information, manner of sale and volume limitations of
Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933.
CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER AND DIVIDEND PAYING AGENT AND
REGISTRAR
Our securities will be held under a custody agreement
with .
The address of the custodian
is: .
Our transfer and dividend paying agent and registrar for the
shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus will be
The Bank of New York. The principal address of The Bank of New
York is 100 Church Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10286,
telephone number (800) 274-2944. The Bank of New York also
maintains an internet web site at http://stock.bankofny.com.
BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES
Since we will generally acquire and dispose of our investments
in privately negotiated transactions, we will infrequently use
securities brokers or dealers in the normal course of our
business. Subject to policies established by our board of
directors, Gladstone Management will be primarily responsible
for the execution of transactions involving publicly traded
securities and the allocation of brokerage commissions in
respect thereof. We do not expect Gladstone Management to
execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer,
but we expect Gladstone Management to seek to obtain the best
net results for Gladstone Investment, taking into account such
factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission
or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, and
operational facilities of the firm
78
and the firms risk and skill in positioning blocks of
securities. While we expect that Gladstone Management generally
will seek reasonably competitive trade execution costs, we will
not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available.
Subject to applicable legal requirements, Gladstone Management
may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research
services provided to us, Gladstone Management and any of its
other clients. In return for such services, we may pay a higher
commission than other brokers would charge if Gladstone
Management determines in good faith that such commission is
reasonable in relation to the services provided.
79
UNDERWRITING
We are offering the shares of our common stock described in this
prospectus through the underwriters named below. Ferris Baker
Watts, Incorporated and Jefferies & Company, Inc. are acting
as retail book-running manager and institutional book-running
manager, respectively, of the offering and representatives of
the underwriters. We have entered into an underwriting agreement
with the underwriters. Subject to the terms and conditions of
the underwriting agreement, each of the underwriters has
severally agreed to purchase the number of shares of common
stock listed next to its name in the following table:
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Underwriters
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Number of shares
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Ferris, Baker Watts, Incorporated
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Jefferies & Company, Inc.
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RBC Capital Markets Corporation
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BB&T Capital Markets, a division of Scott &
Stringfellow, Inc.
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Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
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Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
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J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc.
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Wunderlich Securities, Inc.
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Total
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12,000,000
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The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters must
purchase all of the shares of common stock offered by us if they
purchase any shares.
This offering will conform with the requirements set forth in
Rule 2810 of the Conduct Rules of the NASD.
The obligations of the underwriters to purchase shares of our
common stock pursuant to the underwriting agreement are subject
to conditions precedent, including:
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receipt and acceptance of our common stock by the underwriters;
and
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absence of material adverse change and satisfaction of other
closing conditions, including delivery of customary opinions and
closing certificates.
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In the underwriting agreement, we and Gladstone Management have
agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities
or to contribute payments the underwriters may be required to
make for any of those liabilities. In connection with this
offering, some of the underwriters and securities dealers may
distribute prospectuses electronically.
Over-Allotment Option
We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to an
aggregate of 1,800,000 additional shares of our common stock.
The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose
of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with
this offering. The underwriters have 30 days from the date
of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters
exercise this option, they will each purchase additional shares
approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the
table above.
Directed Share Offering
At our request, the underwriters have reserved 2,000,000 shares,
or approximately 17% of the common stock offered by this
prospectus, for sale under a directed share program to specified
officers, directors, business associates and other persons that
we identify. All of the persons purchasing the reserved shares
must commit to purchase such shares after the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part is declared
effective by the SEC but before the close of business on the
date of this prospectus. All shares sold pursuant to the
directed share program will be restricted from resale for a
period of 90 days following the completion of this offering.
80
All sales of shares pursuant to the directed share program will
be made at the initial public offering price set forth on the
cover page of this prospectus, less the sales load. The
underwriters will not receive any discounts or commissions on
the shares being sold pursuant to the directed share program. We
will receive the same amount of cash per share from the sale of
the shares pursuant to the directed share program as we will
from the sale of shares to the general public. Accordingly, the
investors in the offering will not experience any additional
dilution by virtue of the directed share program.
Mr. Gladstone has indicated that he intends to purchase
approximately $1 million of shares in the directed share
offering.
Sales Load
Shares sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be
offered at the initial offering price set forth on the cover of
this prospectus. Any shares sold by the underwriters to
securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to
$ per share from the initial public
offering price. Any of these securities dealers may resell any
shares purchased from the underwriters to other brokers or
dealers at a discount of up to
$ per share from the initial public
offering price. If all the shares are not sold at the initial
public offering price, the representatives may change the
offering price and the other selling terms. Sales of shares made
outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the
underwriters. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the
underwriters will be obligated to purchase the shares at the
prices and upon the terms stated therein, and, as a result, will
thereafter bear any risk associated with changing the offering
price to the public or other selling terms. The underwriters
have informed us that they do not expect discretionary sales to
exceed 5% of the shares of common stock to be offered.
The following table shows the per share and total sales load we
will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full
exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option to
purchase up to an additional 1,800,000 shares.
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No exercise(1)
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Full exercise(1)
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Per share
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$
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1.05
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$
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1.05
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Total
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$
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10,500,000
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$
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12,390,000
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(1)
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Assumes the sale of 2,000,000 shares in the directed share
program at the public offering price less the underwriters
discount, with respect to which no underwriting discount will be
paid to the underwriters by us.
|
We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by
us, not including underwriting discounts and commissions, will
be approximately $1,300,000.
No Sales Of Similar Securities
We, certain of our executive officers and directors, Gladstone
Management and certain of the officers of Gladstone Management
(or any entities through which such officers may invest in our
shares) have entered into lock-up agreements with the
underwriters. Under these agreements, subject to certain
exceptions, we, Gladstone Management and each of these persons
or entities may not, without the prior written approval of
Ferris, Baker Watts, Incorporated and Jefferies & Company,
Inc., offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of,
directly or indirectly, or hedge our common stock or securities
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common
stock. These restrictions will be in effect for a period of
180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to
extension upon material announcements or earnings releases. At
any time and without public notice, lead underwriters, may, in
their sole discretion, release all or some of the securities
from these lock-up agreements.
The Nasdaq National Market Quotation
We have applied to have our common stock approved for quotation
on The Nasdaq National Market under the symbol GAIN.
81
Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids
In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in
activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the
price of our common stock, including:
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stabilizing transactions;
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short sales;
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purchases to cover positions created by short sales;
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imposition of penalty bids; and
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syndicate covering transactions.
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Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for
the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market
price of our common stock while this offering is in progress.
These transactions may also include making short sales of our
common stock, which involve the sale by the underwriters of a
greater number of shares of common stock than they are required
to purchase in this offering, and purchasing shares of common
stock on the open market to cover positions created by short
sales. Short sales may be covered short sales, which
are short positions in an amount not greater than the
underwriters over-allotment option referred to above, or
may be naked short sales, which are short positions
in excess of that amount.
The underwriters may close out any covered short position by
either exercising their over-allotment option, in whole or in
part, or by purchasing shares in the open market. In making this
determination, the underwriters will consider, among other
things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open
market as compared to the price at which they may purchase
shares through the over-allotment option.
Naked short sales are sales made in excess of the over-allotment
option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position
by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position
is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned
that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common
stock in the open market that could adversely affect investors
who purchased in this offering.
The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when
a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of
the underwriting discount received by it because the
representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the
account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering
transactions.
As a result of these activities, the price of our common stock
may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the
open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be
discontinued by the underwriters at any time. The underwriters
may carry out these transactions on The Nasdaq National Market
or otherwise.
Determination Of Offering Price
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our
common stock. The initial public offering price was determined
by negotiation by us and the representatives of the
underwriters. The principal factors to be considered in
determining the initial public offering price included:
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the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise
available to representatives;
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our prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in
which we compete;
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an assessment of our management;
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our prospects for future earnings;
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the general condition of the securities markets at the time of
this offering;
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the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded
common stock of generally comparable companies; and
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other factors deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.
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82
Affiliations
Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have provided
in the past to the members of Gladstone Group, and may provide
from time to time, certain commercial banking, financial
advisory, investment banking and other services, for which they
will be entitled to receive separate fees.
The underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time in
the future engage in transactions with us and perform services
for us, the Gladstone Group or our portfolio companies in the
ordinary course of their business.
The principal business addresses of the underwriters are:
Ferris, Baker Watts, Incorporated, 100 Light Street,
Baltimore, MD 21202; Jefferies & Company, Inc.,
520 Madison Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10022; RBC
Capital Markets Corporation, 60 South Sixth Street,
17th floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402; BB&T Capital Markets
(a division of Scott & Stringfellow, Inc.), 909 E.
Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219; Oppenheimer & Co.
Inc., 125 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004;
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated,
501 North Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102; J.J.B.
Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc., 501 South Fourth Street,
Louisville, KY 40202; and Wunderlich Securities, Inc., 6305
Humphreys Blvd., Suite 210, Memphis, TN 38120.
LEGAL MATTERS
The legality of securities offered by this prospectus will be
passed upon for us by Cooley Godward LLP, Reston, Virginia and,
with respect to certain aspects of this prospectus under the
1940 Act, by Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson
Graham, LLP, Washington, DC. Certain legal matters in
connection with the offering will be passed upon for the
underwriters by Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, Memphis,
Tennessee.
EXPERTS
The balance sheet as of March 31, 2005 included in this
prospectus has been so included in reliance on the report of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public
accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts
in auditing and accounting. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPs
address is 1751 Pinnacle Drive, McLean, VA 22102.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on
Form N-2, together with all amendments and related
exhibits, under the Securities Act of 1933, with respect to our
shares of common stock offered by this prospectus. The
registration statement contains additional information about us
and our shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus.
Upon completion of this offering, we will file with or submit to
the SEC annual, quarterly and current periodic reports, proxy
statements and other information meeting the informational
requirements of the Exchange Act. You may inspect and copy these
reports, proxy statements and other information, as well as the
registration statement and related exhibits and schedules, at
the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 450 Fifth Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the
operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains
reports, proxy and information statements and other information
filed electronically by us with the SEC which are available on
the SECs Internet site at www.sec.gov. Copies of these
reports, proxy and information statements and other information
may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic
request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or
by writing the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington,
D.C. 20549-0102.
83
Financial Statements
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Audited Balance Sheet
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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F-2
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Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2005
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F-3
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Notes to Balance Sheet
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F-4
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F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholder of
Gladstone Investment Corporation:
In our opinion, the accompanying balance sheet presents fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of Gladstone
Investment Corporation at March 31, 2005 in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America. This financial statement is the responsibility of the
Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on this financial statement based on our audit. We
conducted our audit of this statement in accordance with the
standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(United States). Those standards require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statement is free of material misstatement. An
audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit
provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
McLean, Virginia
May 12, 2005
F-2
Gladstone Investment Corporation
Balance Sheet
As of March 31, 2005
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Assets
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Cash and cash equivalents
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$
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3,636
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Deferred offering costs
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47,864
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Total assets
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$
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51,500
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Liabilities and Stockholders Equity
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Loan payable to affiliate
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$
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50,000
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Stockholders equity
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Common stock, $0.001 par value 100,000,000 shares
authorized and 100 shares issued and outstanding
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1,500
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Total liabilities and stockholder equity
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$
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51,500
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of this financial
statement
F-3
Gladstone Investment Corporation
Notes to Balance Sheet
March 31, 2005
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1.
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Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting
Policies
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Organization
Gladstone Investment Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
Company), was incorporated under the Delaware
General Corporation Law on February 18, 2005
(inception) and has been inactive since that date
except for matters relating to its organization and registration
as a non-diversified, closed-end investment company to be
treated as a business development company under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended. The Companys fiscal year-end will be
March 31.
On March 24, 2005, the sole stockholder purchased
100 shares of common stock for $1,500.00 and was admitted
as the initial stockholder of the Company. The company intends
to make an initial public offering (the offering)
and no public market currently exists for its common stock.
Once the Company is operational, the Companys primary
investment objective is to generate both current and capital
appreciation through debt and equity investments in companies
that are undergoing a buyout or other recapitalization. The
investment portfolio will primarily consist of investments in
long-term subordinated securities consisting of subordinated
debt, mezzanine loans, preferred stock and warrants to buy
common stock, which in most cases will be issued by private,
small and mid-sized companies. The Companys investments
may also include senior loans and common stock.
Basis of Accounting
The accompanying balance sheet has been prepared on the accrual
basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.
Cash
Cash includes unrestricted funds deposited with maturities of
three months or less when purchased. All of the Companys
cash at March 31, 2005 was held in the custody of one
financial institution.
Deferred Offering Costs
Costs related to the Companys offering include, among
others, legal fees and other costs related to the offering,
registration fees, underwriting costs and the costs of printing
the prospectuses for sales purposes. Costs incurred related to
the offering have been deferred and will be charged to
stockholders equity upon completion of the offering. In
the event that the offering is not completed, these costs will
be charged to expense. Based on the currently planned offering
size, the Company currently estimates that aggregate offering
costs will be approximately $1.3 million.
Organizational Costs
Organization costs include, among others, costs of incorporation
including the costs of legal services related to the
organization and incorporation of the Company. The Company
expenses organizational costs as incurred. As of March 31,
2005, the Company had incurred no significant organization costs.
Income Taxes
The Company intends to qualify for treatment as a regulated
investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code (the Code). As a regulated investment company,
the Company will not be subject to federal income tax on the
portion of its taxable income and gains distributed to
stockholders. To qualify as a regulated investment company, the
Company is required to distribute to its stockholders at least
90% of investment company taxable income, as defined by the
Code. The Company
F-4
Gladstone Investment Corporation
Notes to Balance Sheet (Continued)
March 31, 2005
intends to distribute at least 90% of its ordinary income on a
quarterly or monthly basis. The Company may, but does not intend
to, pay out a return of capital.
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2.
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Related Party Transactions
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The Company has entered into an administration agreement with
Gladstone Administration, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gladstone
Management, which is controlled by its chairman and chief
executive officer. Pursuant to the administration agreement,
Gladstone Administration will furnish the Company with office
facilities, equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and record
keeping services at such facilities and will perform, or oversee
the performance of the Companys required administrative
services.
The administration agreement requires the Company to reimburse
Gladstone Administration based upon the allocable portion of
Gladstone Administrations overhead in performing its
obligations under the administration, this includes but is not
limited to the following expenses, rent and the portion of
allocable salaries and benefits of its officers and respective
staff.
The Company has entered into a license agreement with Gladstone
Management, pursuant to which Gladstone Management has agreed to
grant the Company a non-exclusive license to use the name
Gladstone and the Diamond G trademark.
This licensing agreement requires the Company to pay Gladstone
Management a royalty fee of $1 per quarter. The amount of
the fee is negotiable on an annual basis by the Companys
compensation committee and approved by a majority of the
Companys independent directors.
The Company has entered into an investment advisory and
management agreement with Gladstone Management Corporation
(Gladstone Management), which is controlled by its
chairman and chief executive officer. In addition, the
Companys executive officers and directors, and the
officers and directors of Gladstone Management, serve or may
serve as officers, directors, or principals of entities that
operate in the same or related lines of business as the Company
does or of companies managed by the Companys affiliates.
In accordance with the investment advisory and management
agreement, the Company will pay Gladstone Management a fee for
these services consisting of a base management fee and an
incentive fee.
Through March 31, 2006, the base management fee will be
assessed at an annual rate of 2% computed on the basis of the
Companys gross invested assets, which are total assets
less the cash proceeds and cash and cash equivalent investments
from the proceeds of the initial public offering that are not
invested in debt and equity securities of portfolio companies.
Subsequent to March 31, 2006, the base management fee will
be assessed at an annual rate of 2% computed on the basis of the
Companys gross assets, which are total assets, including
investments made with proceeds of borrowings, less any
uninvested cash or cash equivalents resulting from borrowings.
Through March 31, 2007, if Gladstone Management also
receives fees from portfolio companies, such as investment
banking fees or executive recruiting services fees, these fees
will be credited against the base management fee the Company
would be required to pay to Gladstone Management.
The incentive fee will consist of two parts: an income-based
incentive fee and a capital gains incentive fee. The
income-based incentive fee will be calculated and payable
quarterly in arrears based on the Companys pre-incentive
fee net investment income for the immediately preceding calendar
quarter. For this purpose, pre-incentive fee net
investment income means interest income, dividend income,
and any other income, including any other fees (other than fees
for providing managerial assistance) such as commitment,
origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees, and
other fees that the Company receives from portfolio companies
accrued during the calendar quarter, minus operating expenses
for the quarter (including the base management fee, expenses
payable under the administration agreement, operating expenses
that the Company pays directly, and any interest expense and
dividends paid on any
F-5
Gladstone Investment Corporation
Notes to Balance Sheet (Continued)
March 31, 2005
issued and outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the
incentive fee). Pre-incentive fee net investment income
includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest
feature (such as securities issued with original issue discount,
debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest, and zero coupon
securities), accrued income that the Company has not yet
received in cash. Thus, if the Company does not have sufficient
liquid assets to pay this incentive fee or distributions to
stockholders on such accrued income, the Company may be required
to liquidate assets or borrow money in order to do so.
Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any
realized capital gains, realized capital losses, or unrealized
capital appreciation or depreciation. Pre-incentive fee net
investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of
the Companys net assets at the end of the immediately
preceding calendar quarter, will be compared to a hurdle
rate of 1.75% of the Companys net assets per quarter
(7% annualized). For this purpose, net assets means
total assets less total liabilities. Because the hurdle rate is
fixed and has been based on current interest rates, which are at
historically low levels, if interest rates increase, it would
become easier for investment income to exceed the hurdle rate
and, as a result, more likely that Gladstone Management will
receive an income-based incentive fee than if interest rates on
our investments remained constant. On the other hand, if
interest rates rise, there will be greater risk that small and
medium-sized businesses cannot make payments, which risk may
result in fewer opportunities to make safe investments. The
Companys net investment income used to calculate this
income-based portion of the incentive fee is also included in
the amount of gross assets used to calculate the 2% base
management fee. The Company will pay Gladstone Management an
income-based incentive fee with respect to its pre-incentive fee
net investment income in each calendar quarter as follows:
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no incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which pre-incentive
fee net investment income does not exceed the hurdle rate
(1.75%) (7% annualized);
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100% of pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to
that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income, if
any, that exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than 125% of the
hurdle rate (2.1875%) in any calendar quarter (8.75%
annualized). This portion of the income-based incentive fee is
referred to as the catch-up. The
catch-up provision is intended to provide Gladstone
Management with an incentive fee of 20% on all of pre-incentive
fee investment income up to 125% of the quarterly hurdle rate
once the hurdle rate has been surpassed; and
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20% of the amount of pre-incentive fee net investment income, if
any, that exceeds 125% of the quarterly hurdle rate (2.1875%) in
any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized).
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The foregoing calculations will be appropriately pro rated for
any period of less than three months and adjusted for any share
issuances or repurchases made during the current quarter.
The capital gains incentive fee will be determined and payable
annually in arrears as of the end of each fiscal year (or upon
termination of the investment advisory agreement, as of the
termination date), commencing on March 31, 2006, and will
equal 20.0% of the realized capital gains for the fiscal year
ending March 31, if any, computed net of all realized
capital losses, and unrealized capital depreciation at the end
of each fiscal year (provided that the capital gains incentive
fee determined as of March 31, 2006 will be calculated for
a period of shorter than twelve calendar months to take into
account any realized capital gains, computed net of all realized
capital losses, and unrealized capital depreciation for the
period ending March 31, 2006). In determining the capital
gains incentive fee payable to Gladstone Management, the Company
will calculate the cumulative aggregate realized capital gains
and cumulative aggregate realized capital losses since
inception, and the aggregate unrealized capital depreciation as
of the date of the calculation, as applicable, with respect to
each of the investments in the portfolio. For this purpose,
cumulative aggregate realized capital gains, if any, will equal
the sum of the differences between the net sales price of each
investment, when sold, and the original cost of such investment
since inception. Cumulative aggregate realized capital losses
will equal the sum of the amounts by which the net sales
F-6
Gladstone Investment Corporation
Notes to Balance Sheet (Continued)
March 31, 2005
price of each investment, when sold, is less than the original
cost of such investment since inception. Aggregate unrealized
capital depreciation will equal the sum of the difference, if
negative, between the valuation of each investment as of the
applicable calculation date and the original cost of such
investment. At the end of the applicable year, the amount of
capital gains that will serve as the basis for the calculation
of the capital gains incentive fee will equal the cumulative
aggregate realized capital gains less cumulative aggregate
realized capital losses, less aggregate unrealized capital
depreciation, with respect to the portfolio of investments. If
this number is positive at the end of such year, then the
capital gains incentive fee for such year will be equal to 20%
of such amount, less the aggregate amount of any capital gains
incentive fees paid in respect of the portfolio in all prior
years.
Because of the structure of the incentive fee, it is possible
that the Company may have to pay an incentive fee in a quarter
where it incurs a loss. For example, if the Company receives
pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the hurdle
rate for a quarter, the Company will pay the applicable income
incentive fee even if the Company has incurred a loss in that
quarter due to realized or unrealized losses on investments.
The Company also has a $50,000 loan payable to its Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer. The demand recourse promissory note
accrues interest at the rate of 3% per annum and is due and
payable on demand by the holder.
F-7
GLADSTONE
INVESTMENT
CORPORATION
12,000,000 Shares
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS
Ferris, Baker Watts
Incorporated
Jefferies & Company, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets
BB&T Capital Markets
Oppenheimer & Co.
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company
Incorporated
J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc.
Wunderlich Securities, Inc.
,
2005
Part C
Other information
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Item 25.
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Financial Statements and Exhibits
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The following financial statements of Gladstone Investment
Corporation (the Company or the
Registrant) are included in the registration
statement in Part A: Information Required in a
Prospectus:
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Audited Balance Sheet
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
|
F-2
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Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2005
|
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F-3
|
Notes
|
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F-4
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Exhibit
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Number
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Description
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a.1
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Certificate of Incorporation.
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a.2
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Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be
filed prior to completion of this offering.
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b
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Bylaws.
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c
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Not applicable.
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d*
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Specimen Stock Certificate.
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e*
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Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
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f
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Not applicable.
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g
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Form of Investment Advisory and Management Agreement between the
Company and Gladstone Management Corporation.
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h*
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Form of Underwriting Agreement.
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i
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Not applicable.
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j*
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Custody Agreement
with with
respect to safekeeping.
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k.1
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Form of Stock Transfer Agency Agreement between the Company and
the Bank of New York.
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k.2
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Form of Administration Agreement between the Company and
Gladstone Administration, LLC.
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k.3
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Trademark License Agreement between the Company and Gladstone
Management Corporation.
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l*
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Opinion of Cooley Godward LLP.
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m
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Not applicable.
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n.1
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Consent of independent registered public accounting firm.
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n.2*
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Consent of Cooley Godward LLP (included in Exhibit l).
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n.3
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Consent of Anthony W. Parker to serve as director.
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n.4
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Consent of David A.R. Dullum to serve as director.
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n.5
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Consent of Michela A. English to serve as director.
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n.6
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Consent of Paul W. Adelgren to serve as director.
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n.7
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Consent of Maurice W. Coulon to serve as director.
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n.8
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Consent of John H. Outland to serve as director.
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o
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Not applicable.
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p
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Founder Stock Purchase Agreement dated February 18, 2005.
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q
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Not applicable.
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r
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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
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*
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to be filed by amendment.
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C-1
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Item 26.
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Marketing Arrangements
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The information contained under the heading
Underwriting on page 80 of the prospectus is
incorporated herein by reference.
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Item 27.
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Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
|
|
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Commission registration fee
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$
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24,364
|
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Nasdaq National Market Listing Fee
|
|
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100,000
|
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Accounting fees and expenses
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|
|
*
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|
Legal fees and expenses
|
|
|
*
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|
Printing and engraving
|
|
|
*
|
|
Miscellaneous fees and expenses
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
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$
|
*
|
|
|
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*
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To be completed by amendment.
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All of the expenses set forth above shall be borne by the
Company.
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Item 28.
|
Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control
|
Entities under common control with the Company:
Gladstone Capital Corporation, Maryland corporation controlled
by the Companys board of directors
Gladstone Capital Advisers, Inc., Delaware corporation and
wholly-owned subsidiary of Gladstone Capital Corporation
Gladstone Commercial Corporation, Maryland corporation
controlled by the Companys board of directors
Gladstone Commercial Partners, LLC, Delaware limited liability
company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Gladstone Commercial
Gladstone Commercial Limited Partnership, Delaware limited
partnership controlled by its general partner Gladstone
Commercial Partners, LLC
Gladstone Land Corporation, Delaware corporation, controlled,
through 100% stock ownership, by David Gladstone
Gladstone Management Corporation, Delaware corporation
controlled, through 100% stock ownership, by David Gladstone
Gladstone Administration, LLC, Delaware limited liability
company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Gladstone Management
Corporation.
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Item 29.
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Number of Holders of Securities
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The following table sets forth the approximate number of record
holders of the Companys common stock at May 13, 2005.
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Number of
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Title of Class
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Record Holders
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Common stock, $0.001 par value per share
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1
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Subject to the 1940 Act or any valid rule, regulation or order
of the SEC thereunder, the registrants amended and
restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that it
will indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened
to be made a party to any threatened action, suit or proceeding
whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by
reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of
the registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the
registrant as a director, officer, partner or trustee of
C-2
another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership,
joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise
to the maximum extent permitted by Section 145 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law. The 1940 Act provides that a
company may not indemnify any director or officer against
liability to it or its security holders to which he or she might
otherwise be subject by reason of his or her willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard
of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office
unless a determination is made by final decision of a court, by
vote of a majority of a quorum of directors who are
disinterested, non-party directors or by independent legal
counsel that the liability for which indemnification is sought
did not arise out of the foregoing conduct. In addition to any
indemnification to which directors and officers of the
registrant are entitled pursuant to its certificate of
incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation
Law, the registrants certificate of incorporation and
bylaws permit it to indemnify its other employees and agents to
the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation
Law, whether such employees or agents are serving the registrant
or, at its request, any other entity.
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Item 31.
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Business and Other Connections of Investment
Adviser
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A description of any other business, profession, vocation or
employment of a substantial nature in which Gladstone Management
Corporation, and each director or executive officer of Gladstone
Management, is or has been during the past two fiscal years,
engaged in for his or her own account or in the capacity of
director, officer, employee, partner or trustee, is set forth in
Part A of this Registration Statement in the section
entitled Management. Additional information
regarding Gladstone Management and its officers and directors is
set forth in its Form ADV, as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, and is incorporated herein by reference.
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Item 32.
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Location of Accounts and Records
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The Registrant maintains at its principal office physical
possession of each account, book or other document required to
be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and the
rules thereunder.
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Item 33.
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Management Services
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Not applicable.
1. The Registrant undertakes to suspend the offering of
shares until the prospectus is amended if, subsequent to the
effective date of its registration statement, (1) the net
asset value declines more than ten percent from its net
asset value as of the effective date of the registration
statement; or (2) the net asset value increases to an
amount greater than the net proceeds as stated in the prospectus.
2. The Registrant undertakes that:
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(a) For purposes of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of
prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in
reliance upon Rules 430A and contained in a form of
prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to
Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act
shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of
the time it was declared effective.
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(b) For the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a
form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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C-3
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant has duly caused this
Pre-effective Amendment No. 1 to this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of McLean, in the
Commonwealth of Virginia, on the 13th day of May, 2005.
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GLADSTONE INVESTMENT
CORPORATION
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David Gladstone
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Chairman of the Board and Chief
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Executive Officer
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KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT, each person whose signature
appears below hereby constitutes and appoints David Gladstone
and Terry Brubaker and each of them, his or her true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution
and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name,
place, and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments to this Registration Statement and any registration
statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act, and to file the same, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and
agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every
act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about
the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she
might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all
that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Pre-effective Amendment No. 1 to this Registration
Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on May 13, 2005.
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Signature
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Title
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/s/
David Gladstone
David
Gladstone
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Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
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/s/
Terry Lee Brubaker
Terry
Lee Brubaker
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Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Director
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/s/
George Stelljes III
George
Stelljes III
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President, Chief Investment Officer and Director
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/s/
Harry T. Brill, Jr.
Harry
T. Brill, Jr.
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Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
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C-4
Exhibit List
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Exhibit
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Number
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Description
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a.1
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Certificate of Incorporation.
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a.2
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Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be
filed prior to completion of this offering.
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b
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Bylaws.
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c
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Not applicable.
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d*
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Specimen Stock Certificate.
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e*
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Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
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f
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Not applicable.
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g
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Form of Investment Advisory and Management Agreement between the
Company and Gladstone Management Corporation.
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h*
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Form of Underwriting Agreement.
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i
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Not applicable.
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j*
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Custody Agreement
with with
respect to safekeeping.
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k.1
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Form of Stock Transfer Agency Agreement between the Company and
the Bank of New York.
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k.2
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Form of Administration Agreement between the Company and
Gladstone Administration, LLC.
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k.3
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Trademark License Agreement between the Company and Gladstone
Management Corporation.
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l*
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Opinion of Cooley Godward LLP.
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m
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Not applicable.
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n.1
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Consent of independent registered public accounting firm.
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n.2*
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Consent of Cooley Godward LLP (included in Exhibit l).
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n.3
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Consent of Anthony W. Parker to serve as director.
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n.4
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Consent of David A.R. Dullum to serve as director.
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n.5
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Consent of Michela A. English to serve as director.
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n.6
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Consent of Paul W. Adelgren to serve as director.
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n.7
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Consent of Maurice W. Coulon to serve as director.
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n.8
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Consent of John H. Outland to serve as director.
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o
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Not applicable.
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p
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Founder Stock Purchase Agreement dated February 18, 2005.
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q
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Not applicable.
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r
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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
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*
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to be filed by amendment.
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C-5