UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 31, 2008

 

Anika Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

Massachusetts

 

000-21326

 

04-3145961

(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation)

 

(Commission File
Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer Identification
No.)

 

32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts

 

01730

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (781) 457-9000

 

No Change Since Last Report

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

o

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

 

 

o

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

 

 

o

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

 

 

o

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 



 

Item 1.01               Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On January 31, 2008, Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated as of January 31, 2008, among the Company, as borrower, Anika Securities, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, as guarantor, each of the lenders from time to time party thereto and Bank of America, N.A, as administrative agent (“Bank of America”).

 

Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the lenders have agreed to provide the Company with a revolving credit facility pursuant to which the lenders will make revolving credit loans to the Company through December 31, 2008 of up to a maximum principal amount at any time outstanding of $16,000,000.  On December 31, 2008, all outstanding revolving credit loans will convert into a term loan with quarterly principal payments and a maturity date of December 31, 2015.  Interest on revolving credit loans and term loans will be payable at a rate based upon (at the Company’s election) either Bank of America’s prime rate or LIBOR.  The Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of the Company, affirmative and negative covenants regarding the Company’s operations, financial covenants regarding the maintenance by the Company of a specified quick ratio and consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, and events of default.  In connection with the closing of the credit facility, the Company paid an upfront fee to Bank of America of $50,000.

 

The above description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 5.02                                             Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

(e) Compensatory Arrangements

 

On January 31, 2008, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved the Senior Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) for, among others, the Company’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer and named executive officers. The Plan provides for target bonus amounts based upon the attainment of performance targets that are established by the Compensation Committee and relate to financial and operational metrics with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, including, but not limited to, the following: revenue, EBITDA and specific strategic and developmental milestones. Additionally, the plan provides that each executive eligible to receive a bonus under the Plan shall have a targeted bonus opportunity for each performance period, and that the maximum bonus payable under the Plan is 150% of such executive’s bonus opportunity.  Pursuant to the Plan, performance goals will be measured at the end of each fiscal year following the release of the Company’s financial reports, and bonus amounts, if any as determined in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee, will be paid within thirty (30) days thereafter, but not later than March 15.

 

The above description of the Plan does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

 

On February 1, 2008, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved the grant of incentive awards of restricted stock upon the achievement of certain performance goals.  The Committee, in its discretion, designates the Company’s executive officers and other key employees of the Company and its subsidiaries that are eligible to receive performance-based awards, as well as sets the target award that each participant is entitled to receive upon achievement of the performance goals.  The Committee also determines the target amount for the performance goals each year and administers and makes all decisions and exercises all rights of the Company with respect to the grants of performance-based awards.

 

Vesting of the shares of restricted stock is time-based and the number of shares of restricted stock underlying the award is performance-based.  The number of shares of restricted stock underlying an award is determined after a one-year performance period based on the achievement of specific performance objectives.  If the performance goals are less than 50% attained, then no shares of restricted stock will be issued pursuant to the authorized award.  For performance at and above 50%, the number of shares of

 

2



 

restricted stock issued is based on a graduated slope, with the maximum number of shares of restricted stock issuable pursuant to the award capped at 150% of the target number of shares of restricted stock set forth in the award agreement.

 

For fiscal year 2008, the Chief Executive Officer and President, the Chief Financial Officer and the Vice President Human Resources of the Company are eligible for awards equal to the following, assuming 100% attainment of performance goals:

 

Executive

 

Percent Attainment

 

Number of Shares of
Restricted Stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles H. Sherwood, Ph.D

 

100

%

31,300

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin W. Quinlan

 

100

%

11,240

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William J. Mrachek

 

100

%

7,090

 

 

If awarded, one-third of the shares of restricted stock vest on the date that the Compensation Committee determines that the performance objectives were achieved (the “Determination Date”), and one-third of the shares of restricted stock vest on each of the first and second anniversaries of the Determination Date, subject to continued employment of the participant by the Company or a subsidiary.  No vesting of the shares of restricted stock occurs until the performance criteria have been met for the performance period and the number of shares of restricted stock underlying the award is determined.  All awards of restricted stock will be made under the Company’s 2003 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended.

 

The foregoing summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the form of performance-based share award, which is filed as Exhibit 10.3 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

 

3



 

Item 9.01  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

10.1

 

Credit Agreement, among Anika Therapeutics, Inc., Anika Securities, Inc., the lenders party thereto and Bank of America, N.A., dated as of January 31, 2008

10.2

 

Anika Therapeutic, Inc.’s Senior Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

10.3

 

Form of Performance Share Award Agreement under Anika Therapeutic, Inc.’s 2003 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended

 

4



 

SIGNATURES

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

February 06, 2008

By:

/s/ Kevin W. Quinlan

 

 

Kevin W. Quinlan

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

5



 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

10.1

 

Credit Agreement, among Anika Therapeutics, Inc., Anika Securities, Inc., the lenders party thereto and Bank of America, N.A., dated as of January 31, 2008

10.2

 

Anika Therapeutic, Inc.’s Senior Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

10.3

 

Form of Performance Share Award Agreement under Anika Therapeutic, Inc.’s 2003 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, as amended

 

6


Exhibit 10.1

 

[EXECUTION

COUNTERPART]

 

[Published CUSIP Number: 035255108]

 

 

CREDIT AGREEMENT

 

Dated as of January 31, 2008

 

 

among

 

 

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

as Borrower,

 

ANIKA SECURITIES, INC.

as a Guarantor,

 

 

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent,

 

 

and

The Other Lenders Party Hereto

 

 

 



 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Section

 

 

Page

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE I.

DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

1

 

 

 

 

 

1.01

Defined Terms

1

 

 

 

 

 

1.02

Other Interpretive Provisions

18

 

 

 

 

 

1.03

Accounting Terms

19

 

 

 

 

 

1.04

Rounding

19

 

 

 

 

 

1.05

Times of Day

19

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE II.

THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS

19

 

 

 

 

 

2.01

Revolving Credit Borrowings

19

 

 

 

 

 

2.02

Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans

20

 

 

 

 

 

2.03

Term Borrowings

21

 

 

 

 

 

2.04

[Reserved]

21

 

 

 

 

 

2.05

Prepayments

21

 

 

 

 

 

2.06

Termination or Reduction of Commitments

22

 

 

 

 

 

2.07

Repayment of Loans

22

 

 

 

 

 

2.08

Interest

23

 

 

 

 

 

2.09

Fees

23

 

 

 

 

 

2.10

Computation of Interest and Fees

24

 

 

 

 

 

2.11

Evidence of Debt

24

 

 

 

 

 

2.12

Payments Generally; Agent’s Clawback

24

 

 

 

 

 

2.13

Sharing of Payments

26

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE III.

TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

27

 

 

 

 

 

3.01

Taxes

27

 

 

 

 

 

3.02

Illegality

28

 

i



 

 

3.03

Inability to Determine Rates

28

 

 

 

 

 

3.04

Increased Costs

29

 

 

 

 

 

3.05

Compensation for Losses

30

 

 

 

 

 

3.06

Mitigation Obligations

31

 

 

 

 

 

3.07

Survival

31

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE IV.

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO BORROWINGS

31

 

 

 

 

 

4.01

Conditions of Initial Borrowing

31

 

 

 

 

 

4.02

Conditions to all Borrowings

33

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE V.

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

33

 

 

 

 

 

5.01

Existence, Qualification and Power

33

 

 

 

 

 

5.02

Authorization; No Contravention

34

 

 

 

 

 

5.03

Governmental Authorization; Other Consents

34

 

 

 

 

 

5.04

Binding Effect

34

 

 

 

 

 

5.05

Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect

34

 

 

 

 

 

5.06

Litigation

35

 

 

 

 

 

5.07

No Default

35

 

 

 

 

 

5.08

Ownership of Property; Liens

35

 

 

 

 

 

5.09

Environmental Compliance

35

 

 

 

 

 

5.10

Insurance

36

 

 

 

 

 

5.11

Taxes

36

 

 

 

 

 

5.12

ERISA Compliance

36

 

 

 

 

 

5.13

Subsidiaries

36

 

 

 

 

 

5.14

Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act

37

 

 

 

 

 

5.15

Disclosure

37

 

 

 

 

 

5.16

Compliance with Laws

37

 

ii



 

 

5.17

Taxpayer Identification Number

37

 

 

 

 

 

5.18

Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc

37

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE VI.

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

38

 

 

 

 

 

6.01

Financial Statements

38

 

 

 

 

 

6.02

Certificates; Other Information

39

 

 

 

 

 

6.03

Notices

40

 

 

 

 

 

6.04

Payment of Obligations

41

 

 

 

 

 

6.05

Preservation of Existence, Etc

41

 

 

 

 

 

6.06

Maintenance of Properties

41

 

 

 

 

 

6.07

Maintenance of Insurance

41

 

 

 

 

 

6.08

Compliance with Laws

42

 

 

 

 

 

6.09

Books and Records

42

 

 

 

 

 

6.10

Inspection Rights

42

 

 

 

 

 

6.11

Use of Proceeds

42

 

 

 

 

 

6.12

Financial Covenants

42

 

 

 

 

 

6.13

Additional Guarantors

42

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE VII.

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

43

 

 

 

 

 

7.01

Liens

43

 

 

 

 

 

7.02

Investments

44

 

 

 

 

 

7.03

Indebtedness

46

 

 

 

 

 

7.04

Fundamental Changes

47

 

 

 

 

 

7.05

Dispositions

47

 

 

 

 

 

7.06

Restricted Payments

48

 

 

 

 

 

7.07

Change in Nature of Business

48

 

 

 

 

 

7.08

Transactions with Affiliates

49

 

iii



 

 

7.09

Burdensome Agreements

49

 

 

 

 

 

7.10

Use of Proceeds

49

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII.

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

49

 

 

 

 

 

8.01

Events of Default

49

 

 

 

 

 

8.02

Remedies Upon Event of Default

52

 

 

 

 

 

8.03

Application of Funds

52

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE IX.

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

53

 

 

 

 

 

9.01

Appointment and Authorization of Administrative Agent

53

 

 

 

 

 

9.02

Rights as a Lender

53

 

 

 

 

 

9.03

Exculpatory Provisions

53

 

 

 

 

 

9.04

Reliance by Administrative Agent

54

 

 

 

 

 

9.05

Delegation of Duties

54

 

 

 

 

 

9.06

Resignation of Agent

54

 

 

 

 

 

9.07

Non-Reliance on Agent and Other Lenders

55

 

 

 

 

 

9.08

No Other Duties, Etc

55

 

 

 

 

 

9.09

Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim

55

 

 

 

 

 

9.10

Guaranty Matters

56

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE X.

CONTINUING GUARANTY

56

 

 

 

 

 

10.01

Guaranty

56

 

 

 

 

 

10.02

Rights of Lenders

56

 

 

 

 

 

10.03

Certain Waivers

57

 

 

 

 

 

10.04

Obligations Independent

57

 

 

 

 

 

10.05

Subrogation

57

 

 

 

 

 

10.06

Termination; Reinstatement

57

 

 

 

 

 

10.07

Subordination

58

 

iv



 

 

10.08

Stay of Acceleration

58

 

 

 

 

 

10.09

Condition of Borrower

58

 

 

 

 

 

10.10

Rights of Contribution

58

 

 

 

 

 

10.11

General Limitation on Guarantee Obligations

59

 

 

 

 

 

10.12

Joint and Several Obligations

59

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE XI.

MISCELLANEOUS

60

 

 

 

 

 

11.01

Amendments, Etc

60

 

 

 

 

 

11.02

Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communications

61

 

 

 

 

 

11.03

No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies

63

 

 

 

 

 

11.04

Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver

63

 

 

 

 

 

11.05

Payments Set Aside

65

 

 

 

 

 

11.06

Successors and Assigns

65

 

 

 

 

 

11.07

Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality

68

 

 

 

 

 

11.08

Right of Setoff

69

 

 

 

 

 

11.09

Interest Rate Limitation

69

 

 

 

 

 

11.10

Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness

70

 

 

 

 

 

11.11

Survival of Representations and Warranties

70

 

 

 

 

 

11.12

Severability

70

 

 

 

 

 

11.13

Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

70

 

 

 

 

 

11.14

WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL

71

 

 

 

 

 

11.15

No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility

72

 

 

 

 

 

11.16

USA Patriot Act Notice

72

 

 

 

 

 

11.17

Time of the Essence

72

 

v



 

SCHEDULES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.01

Commitments and Applicable Percentages

 

 

5.06

Litigation

 

 

5.09

Environmental Matters

 

 

5.13

Subsidiaries and Other Equity Investments

 

 

7.01

Existing Liens

 

 

7.02

Existing Investments

 

 

7.03

Existing Indebtedness

 

 

10.02

Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITS

 

 

 

 

Form of

 

 

 

A.

Committed Loan Notice

 

 

C-1.

Revolving Credit Note

 

 

C-2.

Term Note

 

 

D.

Compliance Certificate

 

 

E.

Assignment and Assumption

 

 

vi



 

CREDIT AGREEMENT

 

CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into as of January 31, 2008 among ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC., a Massachusetts corporation (“ Borrower ”), ANIKA SECURITIES, INC., a Massachusetts securities corporation (“ Anika Securities ”), each lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, “ Lenders ” and individually, a “ Lender ”), and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. , as Administrative Agent.

 

Borrower has requested that Lenders provide a revolving credit and term loan facility, and Lenders are willing to do so on the terms and conditions set forth herein.  In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I.           DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

 

1.01         Defined Terms .  As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

 

Administrative Agent ” or “ Agent ” means Bank of America in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent.

 

Administrative Agent’s Office ” means Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 10.02 , or such other address or account as Agent may from time to time notify Borrower and Lenders.

 

Administrative Questionnaire ” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by Agent.

 

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.

 

Aggregate Commitments ” means the Commitments of all Lenders.

 

Agreement ” means this Credit Agreement.

 

Anika Securities ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

 

Applicable Percentage ” means with respect to any Lender at any time, (a) during the Availability Period, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of the Aggregate Commitments represented by such Lender’s Commitments at such time and (b) after the Availability Period, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of all Loans represented by the principal amount of such Lender’s Loans at such time.  The initial Applicable Percentage of each Lender is set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable.

 

1



 

Applicable Rate ” means a per annum rate equal to:

 

(a)           with respect to Base Rate Loans, 0.00%;

 

(b)           with respect to Eurodollar Rate Loans, 0.75%; and

 

(c)           with respect to the commitment fee, 0.25%.

 

Assignee Group ” means two or more Eligible Assignees that are Affiliates of one another.

 

Assignment and Assumption ” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 11.06(b) ), and accepted by Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit E or any other form approved by Agent.

 

Attributable Indebtedness ” means, on any date, (a) in respect of any capital lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP, and (b) in respect of any Synthetic Lease Obligation, the capitalized amount of the remaining lease payments under the relevant lease that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP if such lease were accounted for as a capital lease.

 

Audited Financial Statements ” means the audited consolidated balance sheet of Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal year of Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the notes thereto.

 

Availability Period ” means the period from and including the Closing Date to the earliest of (a) December 31, 2008, (b) the date of termination of the Aggregate Commitments pursuant to Section 2.06 , and (c) the date of termination of the commitment of each Lender to make Loans pursuant to Section 8.02 .

 

Bank of America ” means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.

 

Base Rate ” means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the higher of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1% and (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Bank of America as its “prime rate.”  The “prime rate” is a rate set by Bank of America based upon various factors including Bank of America’s costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate.  Any change in such rate announced by Bank of America shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change.

 

Base Rate Loan ” means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate.

 

2



 

Bedford Facility ” means Borrower’s facility in Bedford, Massachusetts located at 32 Wiggins Avenue.

 

Borrower ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

 

Borrower Materials ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02 .

 

Borrowing ” means a Revolving Credit Borrowing or a Term Borrowing, as the context may require.

 

Business Day ” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in, the state where Administrative Agent’s Office is located and, if such day relates to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, means any such day on which dealings in Dollar deposits are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.

 

Capital Expenditures ” means, with respect to any Person for any period, any expenditure in respect of the purchase or other acquisition of any fixed or capital asset (excluding normal replacements and maintenance which are properly charged to current operations).

 

Cash Management Agreement ” means any agreement to provide cash management services, including treasury, depository, overdraft, credit or debit card, electronic funds transfer and other cash management arrangements that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Cash Management Bank.

 

Cash Management Bank ” means any Person that, at the time it enters into a Cash Management Agreement, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, in its capacity as a party to such Cash Management Agreement.

 

Change in Law ” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority.

 

Change of Control ” means an event or series of events by which:

 

(a)           Borrower ceases to be a public company with a class of Equity Interests that have been distributed by means of an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 and which is subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;

 

(b)           the Equity Interests of Borrower cease to be listed on, or are suspended from trading on, the NASDAQ Global Select Market or other U.S. national securities exchange; or

 

(c)           Borrower shall cease to own, beneficially and of record, and control 100% of the equity securities of Anika Securities or any other Guarantor, or shall cease to have the power,

 

3



 

directly or indirectly, to Control Anika Securities or any other Guarantor, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise.

 

Closing Date ” means the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 11.01 .

 

Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

 

Commitment ” means a Revolving Credit Commitment or a Term Commitment, as the context may require.

 

Committed Loan Notice ” means a notice of (a) a Term Borrowing, (b) a Revolving Credit Borrowing, (c) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or (d) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a) , which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A .

 

Compliance Certificate ” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D .

 

Consolidated EBITDA ” means, at any date of determination, an amount equal to Consolidated Net Income of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period plus (a) the following to the extent deducted in calculating such Consolidated Net Income:  (i) Consolidated Interest Charges, (ii) the provision for Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes payable, (iii) depreciation and amortization expense and (iv) other non-recurring expenses reducing such Consolidated Net Income which do not represent a cash item in such period or any future period (in each case of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such Measurement Period) and minus (b) the following to the extent included in calculating such Consolidated Net Income:  all non-cash items increasing Consolidated Net Income (in each case of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such Measurement Period).  Milestone Payments received in cash will be included in the calculation of Consolidated EBITDA in the year in which such Milestone Payments are received.

 

Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio ” means, at any date of determination, the ratio of:

 

(a)           (i) Consolidated EBITDA, plus (ii) non-cash stock compensation expense, less (iii) the aggregate amount of all Unfinanced CapEx, less (iv) income taxes paid in cash or accrued (net of any cash refund in respect of income taxes received); to

 

(b)           the sum of (i) Consolidated Interest Charges, (ii) the aggregate principal amount of all regularly scheduled principal payments or redemptions or similar acquisitions for value of all Indebtedness (including the principal component of capital lease obligations), (iii) rentals payable under leases of personal property, including equipment (other than the principal component of capital lease obligations included in clause (ii) of this paragraph), (iv) the aggregate amount of all Restricted Payments and (v) the aggregate amount of Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes paid in cash;

 

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in each case, of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the most recently completed Measurement Period.

 

Consolidated Interest Charges ” means, for any Measurement Period, the sum of (a) all interest, premium payments, debt discount, fees, charges and related expenses in connection with borrowed money (including capitalized interest) or in connection with the deferred purchase price of assets, in each case to the extent treated as interest in accordance with GAAP, (b) all interest paid or payable with respect to discontinued operations and (c) the portion of rent expense under Capitalized Leases that is treated as interest in accordance with GAAP, in each case, of or by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period.

 

Consolidated Net Income ” means, at any date of determination, the net income (or loss) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period; provided that Consolidated Net Income shall exclude (a) extraordinary gains and extraordinary losses for such Measurement Period, (b) the net income of any Subsidiary during such Measurement Period to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by such Subsidiary of such income is not permitted by operation of the terms of its Organization Documents or any agreement, instrument or Law applicable to such Subsidiary during such Measurement Period, except that the Borrower’s equity in any net loss of any such Subsidiary for such Measurement Period shall be included in determining Consolidated Net Income, and (c) any income (or loss) for such Period of any Person if such Person is not a Subsidiary, except that the Borrower’s equity in the net income of any such Person for such Measurement Period shall be included in Consolidated Net Income up to the aggregate amount of cash actually distributed by such Person during such Measurement Period to the Borrower or a Subsidiary as a dividend or other distribution (and in the case of a dividend or other distribution to a Subsidiary, such Subsidiary is not precluded from further distributing such amount to the Borrower as described in clause (b) of this proviso).

 

Contractual Obligation ” means, as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.

 

Control ” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise.  “ Controlling ” and “ Controlled ” have meanings correlative thereto.

 

Conversion Date ” means December 31, 2008; provided , if such day is not a Business Day, the Conversion Date shall be the immediately preceding Business Day.

 

Debtor Relief Laws ” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.

 

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Default ” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.

 

Default Rate ” means an interest rate equal to (i) the Base Rate plus (ii) the Applicable Rate, if any, applicable to Base Rate Loans plus (iii) 2% per annum; provided , however , that with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, the Default Rate shall be an interest rate equal to the interest rate (including any Applicable Rate) otherwise applicable to such Loan plus 2% per annum.

 

Defaulting Lender ” means any Lender that (a) has failed to fund any portion of the Loans required to be funded by it hereunder within one Business Day of the date required to be funded by it hereunder unless such failure has been cured, (b) has otherwise failed to pay over to Agent or any other Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder within one Business Day of the date when due, unless the subject of a good faith dispute or unless such failure has been cured, or (c) has been deemed insolvent or become the subject of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding.

 

Disposition ” or “ Dispose ” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Person, including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.

 

Dollar ” and “ $ ” mean lawful money of the United States.

 

Eligible Assignee ” means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Section 11.06(b)(iii), (v) and (vi) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 11.06(b)(iii)).

 

Environmental Laws ” means any and all Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to pollution and the protection of the environment or the release of any materials into the environment, including those related to hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions and discharges to waste or public systems.

 

Environmental Liability ” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.

 

Equity Interests ” means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership

 

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or profit interests in) such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants, options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.

 

ERISA ” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

 

ERISA Affiliate ” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under common control with Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code (and Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Code for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the Code).

 

ERISA Event ” means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) a withdrawal by Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which it was a substantial employer (as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA) or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) a complete or partial withdrawal by Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization; (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA, or the commencement of proceedings by the PBGC to terminate a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (e) an event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (f) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate.

 

Eurodollar Base Rate ” has the meaning specified in the definition of Eurodollar Rate.

 

Eurodollar Rate ” means for any Interest Period with respect to a Eurodollar Rate Loan, a rate per annum determined by Agent pursuant to the following formula:

 

Eurodollar Rate  =

Eurodollar Base Rate

1.00 – Eurodollar Reserve Percentage

 

Where,

 

Eurodollar Base Rate ” means, for such Interest Period the rate per annum equal to the British Bankers Association LIBOR Rate (“ BBA LIBOR ”), as published by Reuters (or other commercially available source providing quotations of BBA LIBOR as designated by Agent from time to time) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, for Dollar deposits (for delivery on the first day of such Interest Period) with a term equivalent to such Interest Period.  If such rate is not available at such time for any reason, then the “ Eurodollar Base Rate ” for such Interest Period shall be the rate per annum determined by Agent to be the rate at which deposits in Dollars for delivery on the first day of such

 

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Interest Period in same day funds in the approximate amount of the Eurodollar Rate Loan being made, continued or converted by Bank of America and with a term equivalent to such Interest Period would be offered by Bank of America’s London Branch to major banks in the London interbank eurodollar market at their request at approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period.

 

Eurodollar Reserve Percentage ” means, for any day during any Interest Period, the reserve percentage (expressed as a decimal, carried out to five decimal places) in effect on such day, whether or not applicable to any Lender, under regulations issued from time to time by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States for determining the maximum reserve requirement (including any emergency, supplemental or other marginal reserve requirement) with respect to Eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency liabilities”).  The Eurodollar Rate for each outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be adjusted automatically as of the effective date of any change in the Eurodollar Reserve Percentage.

 

Eurodollar Rate Loan ” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the Eurodollar Rate.

 

Event of Default ” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01 .

 

Excluded Taxes ” means, with respect to Agent, any Lender or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of Borrower hereunder, (a) taxes imposed on or measured by its overall net income (however denominated), and franchise taxes imposed on it (in lieu of net income taxes), by the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision thereof) under the laws of which such recipient is organized or in which its principal office is located or, in the case of any Lender, in which its applicable Lending Office is located, and (b) any branch profits taxes imposed by the United States or any similar tax imposed by any other jurisdiction in which Borrower is located.

 

Facility ” means the Term Facility or the Revolving Credit Facility, as the context may require.

 

Federal Funds Rate  means, for any day, the rate per annum equal to the weighted average of the rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers on such day, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the Business Day next succeeding such day; provided that (a) if such day is not a Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be such rate on such transactions on the next preceding Business Day as so published on the next succeeding Business Day, and (b) if no such rate is so published on such next succeeding Business Day, the Federal Funds Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) charged to Bank of America on such day on such transactions as determined by Agent.

 

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Foreign Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States of America, a State thereof or the District of Columbia.

 

FRB ” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.

 

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied.

 

Governmental Authority ” means the government of the United States or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).

 

Guarantee ” means, as to any Person, any (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien).  The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith.  The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.

 

Guaranteed Parties ” means, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Hedge Banks, the Cash Management Banks, each co-agent or sub-agent appointed by the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.05, and the other Persons the Obligations owing to which are or are purported to be guaranteed by the Guaranty.

 

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Guarantors ” means, collectively, Anika Securities and each other Subsidiary of the Borrower that shall be required to execute and deliver a guaranty, guaranty supplement or pledge of its equity pursuant to Section 6.13.

 

Guaranty ” means the Guaranty made by the Guarantors under Article X in favor of the Guaranteed Parties.

 

Hazardous Materials ” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.

 

Hedge Agreement ” means any interest rate Swap Contract permitted under Articles VI and VII that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Hedge Bank.

 

Hedge Bank ” means any Person that, at the time it enters into a Hedge Agreement, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, in its capacity as a party to such Hedge Agreement.

 

Indebtedness ” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:

 

(a)           all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;

 

(b)           all direct or contingent obligations of such Person arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;

 

(c)           net obligations of such Person under any Swap Contract;

 

(d)           all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business and, in each case, not past due for more than 90 days);

 

(e)           indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse;

 

(f)            all Attributable Indebtedness in respect of capital leases and Synthetic Lease Obligations;

 

(g)           all obligations of such Person to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Equity Interest in such Person or any other Person, valued, in the case of a redeemable preferred interest, at the greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued and unpaid dividends; and

 

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(h)           all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.

 

For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person.  The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date.

 

Indemnified Taxes ” means Taxes other than Excluded Taxes.

 

Indemnitees ” has the meaning specified in Section 11.04(b) .

 

Information ” has the meaning specified in Section 11.07 .

 

Interest Payment Date ” means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made; provided , however , that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made.

 

Interest Period ” means, as to each Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months thereafter, as selected by Borrower in its Committed Loan Notice; provided that:

 

(i)            any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;

 

(ii)           any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and

 

(iii)          no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made.

 

Investment ” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of capital stock or other securities of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor Guarantees Indebtedness of such

 

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other Person, or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of assets of another Person that constitute a business unit.  For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment.

 

IRS ” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

 

Laws ” means, collectively, all international, foreign, Federal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.

 

Lender ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

 

Lending Office ” means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lender’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify Borrower and Agent.

 

Lien ” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).

 

Loan ” means an extension of credit by a Lender to Borrower under Article II in the form of a Revolving Credit Loan or a Term Loan.

 

Loan Documents ” means, collectively, (a) this Agreement, (b) the Notes, (c) each Hedge Agreement, (d) each Cash Management Agreement and (e) each agreement executed and delivered to Agent pursuant to Section 6.13; provided that for purposes of the definition of “Material Adverse Effect” and Articles IV through IX, “Loan Documents” shall not include Hedge Agreements or Cash Management Agreements.

 

Loan Parties ” means, collectively, the Borrower and the Guarantors.

 

Material Adverse Effect ” means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect upon, the operations, business, properties, liabilities (actual or contingent) or condition (financial or otherwise) of Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (b) a material impairment of the ability of any Loan Party to perform its obligations under any Loan Document to which it is a party; or (c) a material adverse effect upon the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability against any Loan Party of any Loan Document to which it is a party.

 

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Material Contract ” means, with respect to any Loan Party, each contract to which such Person is a party involving aggregate consideration payable to or by such Loan Party of an amount in excess of 20% of Borrower’s consolidated revenues for its most recently completed fiscal year.

 

Maturity Date ” means (a) with respect to the Revolving Credit Facility, the last day of the Availability Period and (b) with respect to the Term Facility, December 31, 2015 ; provided , that if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the immediately succeeding Business Day.

 

Measurement Period ” means, at any date of determination, the most recently completed four fiscal quarters of the Borrower.

 

Milestone Payments ” means payments received by a Loan Party under a long-term customer contract for the achievement by such Loan Party of a specified event and for which the revenue recognition treatment differs under GAAP and the Code.

 

Multiemployer Plan ” means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.

 

Negotiation Period ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.

 

Note ” means a Revolving Credit Note or a Term Note, as the context may require.

 

Obligations ” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding.

 

Organization Documents ” means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.

 

Other Taxes ” means all present or future stamp, intangible or documentary taxes or any other excise or property taxes, charges or similar levies arising from any payment made

 

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hereunder or under any other Loan Document or from the execution, delivery or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

 

Outstanding Amount ” means with respect to Term Loans and Revolving Credit Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of Term Loans and Revolving Credit Loans, as the case may be, occurring on such date.

 

Participant ” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d) .

 

PBGC ” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

 

Pension Plan ” means any “employee pension benefit plan” (as such term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA), other than a Multiemployer Plan, that is subject to Title IV of ERISA and is sponsored or maintained by Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or to which Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate contributes or has an obligation to contribute, or in the case of a multiple employer or other plan described in Section 4064(a) of ERISA, has made contributions at any time during the immediately preceding five plan years.

 

Person ” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

 

Plan ” means any “employee benefit plan” (as such term is defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) established by Borrower or, with respect to any such plan that is subject to Section 412 of the Code or Title IV of ERISA, any ERISA Affiliate.

 

Platform ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02 .

 

Principal Payment Date ” means the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with March 2009, and including the Maturity Date.

 

Public Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

 

Quick Assets ” means cash, short-term cash investments, net trade receivables and marketable securities not classified as long-term investments.

 

Rate Determination Notice ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.

 

Register ” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(c) .

 

Related Parties ” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.

 

Reportable Event ” means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the 30 day notice period has been waived.

 

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Required Lenders ” means, as of any date of determination, Lenders holding in the aggregate at least 66 2/3 % of the sum of the (a) Total Outstandings and (b) aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments; provided that the Commitment of, and the portion of the Total Outstandings held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders.

 

Responsible Officer ” means the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer, assistant treasurer or controller of a Loan Party and, solely for purposes of notices given pursuant to Article II, any other officer or employee of the applicable Loan Party so designated by any of the foregoing officers in a notice to Agent .    Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party.

 

Restricted Payment ” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any capital stock or other Equity Interest of Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such capital stock or other Equity Interest or on account of any return of capital to Borrower’s stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Person thereof).

 

Revolving Credit Borrowing ” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Revolving Credit Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01 .

 

Revolving Credit Commitment ” means, as to each Lender, its obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01 in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01 under the caption “Revolving Credit Commitment” or opposite such caption in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.  The aggregate amount of the Revolving Credit Commitments of the Lenders as of the Closing Date is $16,000,000.

 

Revolving Credit Facility ” means, at any time, the aggregate amount of the Lenders’ Revolving Credit Commitments at such time.

 

Revolving Credit Loan ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01 .

 

Revolving Credit Note ” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender evidencing Revolving Credit Loans made by such Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit C-1 .

 

SEC ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.

 

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Subordinated Liabilities ” means liabilities subordinated to the Obligations in a manner acceptable to Agent in its sole discretion.

 

Subsidiary ” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person.  Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of Borrower.

 

Substitute Basis ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.

 

Swap Contract ” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “ Master Agreement ”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.

 

Swap Termination Value ” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Swap Contracts (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).

 

Synthetic Lease Obligation ” means the monetary obligation of a Person under (a) a so-called synthetic, off-balance sheet or tax retention lease, or (b) an agreement for the use or possession of property creating obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet of such Person but which, upon the insolvency or bankruptcy of such Person, would be characterized as the indebtedness of such Person (without regard to accounting treatment).

 

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Taxes ” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

 

Term Borrowing ” means a Term-Out of Revolving Credit Loans into Term Loans of the same Type on the same date and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period effected by each of the Lenders pursuant to Section 2.03 .

 

Term Commitment ” means, as to each Lender, its obligation to Term-Out its Revolving Credit Loans into Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.03 in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01 under the caption “Term Commitment” or opposite such caption in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.  The aggregate amount of the Term Commitments of the Lenders as of the Closing Date is $16,000,000.

 

Term Facility ” means, at any time, (a) at any time during the Availability Period, the sum of (i) the aggregate amount of the Term Commitments at such time and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of the Term Loans of all Lenders outstanding at such time and (b) thereafter, the Outstanding Amount of all Term Loans of all Lenders at such time.

 

Term Loan ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03 .

 

Term Note ” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender evidencing Term Loans made by such Term Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit C-2 .

 

Term-Out ” means, with respect to any Revolving Credit Loan, the conversion and continuation of such Revolving Credit Loan as a Term Loan in accordance with Section 2.03 .  The term “Term-Out” used as a verb shall have a correlative meaning.

 

Threshold Amount ” means $1,000,000.

 

Total Current Liabilities ” means, as at any date of determination, the sum, for Borrower and its Subsidiaries (determined on a consolidated basis without duplication in accordance with GAAP), of all current liabilities that should, in accordance with GAAP, be classified as current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at such date.

 

Total Revolving Credit Outstandings ” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Revolving Credit Loans.

 

 “ Total Outstandings ” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans.

 

Type ” means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.

 

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Unfinanced CapEx ” means, for any period, Capital Expenditures for such period paid in cash excluding (a) Capital Expenditures paid with proceeds of Indebtedness for money borrowed (except for the Loans) incurred to finance such Capital Expenditures, (b) Capital Expenditures financed by Indebtedness of the kind referred to in clause (f) of the definition of “Indebtedness” with respect to capital leases and (c) Capital Expenditures for the Bedford Facility.

 

Unfunded Pension Liability ” means the excess of a Pension Plan’s benefit liabilities under Section 4001(a)(16) of ERISA, over the current value of that Pension Plan’s assets, determined in accordance with the assumptions used for funding the Pension Plan pursuant to Section 412 of the Code for the applicable plan year.

 

United States ” and “ U.S. ” mean the United States of America.

 

1.02         Other Interpretive Provisions .   With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:

 

(a)           The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined.  Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms.  The words “ include ,” “ includes ” and “ including ” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.”  The word “ will ” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “ shall .”  Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document (including any Organization Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document), (ii) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (iii) the words “ herein ,” “ hereof ” and “ hereunder ,” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to any law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, and (vi) the words “ asset ” and “ property ” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.

 

(b)           In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “ from ” means “ from and including ;” the words “ to ” and “ until ” each mean “ to but excluding ;” and the word “ through ” means “ to and including .”

 

(c)           Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

 

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1.03         Accounting Terms .

 

(a)           Generally . All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited Financial Statements, except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein.

 

(b)           Changes in GAAP .  If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan Document, and either Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, Agent, Lenders and Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders); provided that , until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) Borrower shall provide to Agent and Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.

 

1.04         Rounding .   Any financial ratios required to be maintained by Borrower pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).

 

1.05         Times of Day .   Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to Eastern time (daylight or standard, as applicable).

 

ARTICLE II. THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS

 

2.01         Revolving Credit Borrowings.   Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender severally agrees to make loans (each such loan, a “ Revolving Credit Loan ”) to Borrower from time to time, on any Business Day during the Availability Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided , however , that after giving effect to any Revolving Credit Borrowing, (i) the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (ii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Revolving Credit Loans of any Lender shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment and (iii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans of any Lender shall not exceed such Lender’s Term Commitment.  Within the limits of each Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, Borrower may borrow and reborrow during the Availability Period under this Section 2.01 , and prepay under Section 2.05 .  Revolving Credit Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided herein.

 

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2.02         Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans.

 

(a)           Each Borrowing (including for avoidance of doubt each Term-Out of a Revolving Credit Borrowing), each conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made upon Borrower’s irrevocable notice to Agent, which may be given by telephone.  Each such notice must be received by Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (i) two Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or of any conversion of Eurodollar Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans, and (ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans.  Each telephonic notice by Borrower pursuant to this Section 2.02(a)  must be confirmed promptly by delivery to Agent of a written Committed Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of Borrower.  Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof.  Each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof.  Each Committed Loan Notice (whether telephonic or written) shall specify (i) whether Borrower is requesting a Revolving Credit Borrowing, a Term Borrowing, a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (ii) the requested date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iii) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (iv) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Revolving Credit Loans or Term Loans are to be converted, and (v) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto.  If Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Committed Loan Notice or if Borrower fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans.  Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurodollar Rate Loans.  If Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any such Committed Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month.

 

(b)           Following receipt of a Committed Loan Notice, Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount of its Applicable Percentage under the applicable Facility of the applicable Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by Borrower, Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans described in the preceding subsection.  In the case of a Revolving Credit Borrowing, each Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to Agent in immediately available funds at Administrative Agent’s Office not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in the applicable Committed Loan Notice.  Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Borrowing, Section 4.01 ), Agent shall make all funds so received available to Borrower in like funds as received by Agent either by (i) crediting the account of Borrower on the books of Bank of America with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) Agent by Borrower.

 

(c)           Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Eurodollar Rate Loan. 

 

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During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders, and the Required Lenders may demand that any or all of the then outstanding Eurodollar Rate Loans be converted immediately to Base Rate Loans and Borrower agrees to pay all amounts due under Section 3.05 in accordance with the terms thereof due to any such conversion.

 

(d)           Agent shall promptly notify Borrower and Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate.

 

(e)           After giving effect to all Borrowings, all conversions of Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than seven Interest Periods in effect with respect to Loans.

 

2.03         Term Borrowings.   Each Lender severally agrees, on the terms and conditions of this Agreement, (i) during the Availability Period and at Borrower’s request in accordance with Section 2.02, to Term-Out all or any portion of its outstanding Revolving Credit Loans so requested by Borrower ( provided that any such requested portion shall be in a principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof), and to make a term loan to the Borrower on the requested Term-Out date in an amount equal to such requested principal amount of such Lender’s outstanding Revolving Credit Loans, and (ii) to Term-Out its Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on the Conversion Date, and to make a term loan (such Termed-Out Revolving Credit Loans and such term loans made pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 2.03, the “ Term Loans ”) to the Borrower on the Conversion Date in an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on the Conversion Date; provided , however , that after giving effect to any Term Borrowing, the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Term Loans of any Lender shall not exceed such Lender’s Term Commitment.  Each Term-Out of Revolving Credit Loans shall be deemed to be a Borrowing for all purposes of this Agreement; provided , that Revolving Credit Loans that are Termed-Out by Term Loans shall not be deemed to be repaid or discharged but shall be deemed to be continued as Term Loans as provided hereby.  Amounts Termed-Out, prepaid or repaid in respect of Term Loans may not be reborrowed.  Term Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as provided herein.

 

2.04         [ Reserved ]

 

2.05         Prepayments.

 

(a)           Optional .  Borrower may, upon notice to Agent, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (i) such notice must be received by Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (A) three Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans and (B) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans; (ii) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof; and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding.  Each such

 

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notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment and the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid and, if Eurodollar Rate Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest Period(s) of such Loans.  Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such prepayment.  If such notice is given by Borrower, Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein.  Any prepayment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05 .  Each prepayment of the outstanding Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.05(a) shall be applied to the principal repayment installments thereof in inverse order of maturity, and each such prepayment shall be paid to the Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages in respect of each of the relevant Facilities.

 

(b)           Mandatory .  If for any reason the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings at any time exceed the Revolving Credit Facility at such time, Borrower shall immediately prepay Revolving Credit Loans in an aggregate amount equal to such excess.

 

2.06         Termination or Reduction of Commitments.   Borrower may, upon notice to Agent, terminate the Revolving Credit Facility, or from time to time permanently reduce the Revolving Credit Facility; provided that (i) any such notice shall be received by Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. five Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount of $1,000,000 or any whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof, and (iii) Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Revolving Credit Facility if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings would exceed the Revolving Credit Facility.  Upon any such termination or reduction of the Revolving Credit Facility during the Availability Period, the Term Commitments shall also be automatically terminated or reduced by an equal aggregate amount.  Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any such notice of termination or reduction of the Facilities.  Any reduction of the Aggregate Commitments shall be applied to the Commitments of each Lender according to its Applicable Percentage.  All fees accrued until the effective date of any termination of the Aggregate Commitments shall be paid on the effective date of such termination.

 

2.07         Repayment of Loans.

 

(a)           Revolving Credit Loans .  Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay to the Administrative Agent for account of the Lenders on the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on such date which have not been Termed-Out pursuant to Section 2.03 .

 

(b)           Term Loans .  Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay to the Administrative Agent for account of the Lenders the outstanding principal amount of all Term Loans in twenty-eight (28) equal, consecutive quarterly installments, calculated based on a ten-year straight-line amortization for a seven-year term, one installment payable on each Principal Payment Date; provided , that (i) the final installment shall be in an amount equal to the then aggregate unpaid principal amount of all Term Loans and (ii) the installments shall be reduced as

 

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a result of the application of prepayments in accordance with the order of priority set forth in Section 2.05 .  By way of illustration, if the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Term Loans is $16,000,000 as of the Conversion Date, then the amount of each quarterly installment would be $400,000, with the final installment equal to $5,200,000.

 

2.08         Interest .

 

(a)           Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) below, (i) each Eurodollar Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate; and (ii) each Base Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.

 

(b)           (i)            If any amount of principal of any Loan is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

 

(ii)           If any amount (other than principal of any Loan) payable by Borrower under any Loan Document is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, then upon the request of the Required Lenders, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

 

(iii)          Upon the request of the Required Lenders, while any Event of Default exists, Borrower shall pay interest on the principal amount of all outstanding Obligations hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.

 

(iv)          Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.

 

(c)           Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein.  Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.

 

2.09         Fees .

 

(a)           Commitment Fee .   Borrower shall pay to Agent for the account of each Lender in accordance with its Applicable Percentage, a commitment fee equal to the Applicable Rate times the actual daily amount by which the Aggregate Commitments exceed the Outstanding Amount of Loans.  The commitment fee shall accrue at all times during the Availability Period, including at any time during which one or more of the conditions in Article IV

 

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is not met, and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Closing Date, and on the last day of the Availability Period.  The commitment fee shall be calculated quarterly in arrears, and if there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the actual daily amount shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.

 

(b)           Lenders’ Upfront Fee .  On the Closing Date, Borrower shall pay to Agent, for the account of each Lender in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages, an upfront fee in an amount of $50,000.  Such upfront fees are for the credit facilities committed by Lenders under this Agreement and are fully earned on the date paid.  The upfront fee paid to each Lender is solely for its own account and is nonrefundable for any reason whatsoever.

 

2.10         Computation of Interest and Fees.   All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans when the Base Rate is determined by Bank of America’s “prime rate” shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed.  All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year).  Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid, provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.12(a) , bear interest for one day.  Each determination by Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.

 

2.11         Evidence of Debt.   The Borrowings made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by Agent in the ordinary course of business.  The accounts or records maintained by Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error of the amount of the Borrowings made by Lenders to Borrower and the interest and payments thereon.  Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations.  In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error.  Upon the request of any Lender made through Agent, Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through Agent) a Revolving Credit Note and/or Term Note, which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans in addition to such accounts or records.  Each Lender may attach schedules to its Notes and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.

 

2.12         Payments Generally; Agent’s Clawback .

 

(a)           General .

 

(i)            All payments to be made by Borrower shall be made without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff.  Except as otherwise

 

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expressly provided herein, all payments by Borrower hereunder shall be made to Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 12:00 noon on the date specified herein.  Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Applicable Percentage (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office.  All payments received by Agent after 12:00 noon shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue.  If any payment to be made by Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.

 

(ii)           On each date when the payment of any principal, interest or fees are due hereunder or under any Note, Borrower agrees to maintain on deposit in an ordinary checking account maintained by Borrower with Agent (as such account shall be designated by Borrower in a written notice to Agent from time to time, the “ Borrower Account ”) an amount sufficient to pay such principal, interest or fees in full on such date.  Borrower hereby authorizes Agent (A) to deduct automatically all principal, interest or fees when due hereunder or under any Note from the Borrower Account, and (B) if and to the extent any payment of principal, interest or fees under this Agreement or any Note is not made when due to deduct any such amount from any or all of the accounts of Borrower maintained at Agent.  Agent agrees to provide written notice to Borrower of any automatic deduction made pursuant to this Section 2.12(a)(ii)  showing in reasonable detail the amounts of such deduction.  Lenders agree to reimburse Borrower based on their Applicable Percentage for any amounts deducted from such accounts in excess of amount due hereunder and under any other Loan Documents.

 

(b)           (i)  Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Agent .  Unless Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the case of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, prior to 12:00 noon on the date of such Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02 ) and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to Borrower a corresponding amount.  In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to Agent, then the applicable Lender and Borrower severally agree to pay to Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by Agent in connection with the foregoing and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Base Rate Loans.  If Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to Agent for the same or an overlapping period, Agent shall promptly remit to Borrower the amount of such interest paid by Borrower for such period.  If such Lender pays its share of the applicable Borrowing to Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing.  Any payment by Borrower shall be

 

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without prejudice to any claim Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to Agent.

 

(ii)           Payments by Borrower; Presumptions by Agent .  Unless Agent shall have received notice from Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to Agent for the account of the Lenders hereunder that Borrower will not make such payment, Agent may assume that Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to Lenders the amount due.  In such event, if Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of Lenders severally agrees to repay to Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.  A notice of Agent to any Lender or Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.

 

(c)           Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent .  If any Lender makes available to Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II , and such funds are not made available to Borrower by Agent because the conditions to the applicable Borrowing set forth in Article IV are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.

 

(d)           Obligations of Lenders Several .  The obligations of Lenders hereunder to make Loans and to make payments under Section 11.04(c)  are several and not joint.  The failure of any Lender to make any Loan or to make any payment under Section 11.04(c)  on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan or to make its payment under Section 11.04(c) :

 

(e)           Funding Source .  Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.

 

2.13         Sharing of Payments .  If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of the Loans made by it resulting in such Lender’s receiving payment of a proportion of the aggregate amount of such Loans and accrued interest thereon greater than its pro rata share thereof as provided herein, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall (a) notify Agent of such fact, and (b) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans of the other Lenders, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and other amounts owing them, provided that:

 

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(i)            if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and

 

(ii)           the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to (x) any payment made by Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or (y) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section shall apply).

 

Each Loan Party consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against such Loan Party rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of such Loan Party in the amount of such participation.

 

ARTICLE III.        TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

 

3.01         Taxes .

 

(a)           Payments Free of Taxes .  Any and all payments by Borrower to or on account of any obligation of Borrower hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall be made free and clear of and without reduction or withholding for any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes, provided that if Borrower shall be required by any applicable law to deduct any Indemnified Taxes (including any Other Taxes) from such payments, then, (i) the sum payable shall be increased as necessary so that after making all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section), Agent or Lender, as the case may be, receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions been made, (ii) Borrower shall make such deductions, and (iii) Borrower shall timely pay the full amount deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.

 

(b)           Payment of Other Taxes by Borrower .  Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a) above, Borrower shall timely pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.

 

(c)           Indemnification by Borrower .   Borrower shall indemnify Agent and each Lender within 10 Business Days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) paid by Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority.  A certificate (in reasonable detail) as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to Borrower by a Lender (with a copy to Agent), or by Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

 

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(d)           Evidence of Payments .  As soon as practicable after any payment of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes by Borrower to a Governmental Authority, Borrower shall deliver to Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to Agent.

 

(e)           Status of Lenders .  Any Lender, if requested by Borrower or Agent, shall deliver such documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent as will enable Borrower or Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements.

 

(f)            Treatment of Certain Refunds .  If Agent or any Lender determines, in its sole discretion, that it has received a refund of any Taxes or Other Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by Borrower or with respect to which Borrower has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section, it shall pay to Borrower an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by Borrower under this Section with respect to the Taxes or Other Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses of Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund), provided that Borrower, upon the request of Agent or such Lender, agrees to repay the amount paid over to Borrower (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to Agent or such Lender in the event Agent or such Lender is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority.  This subsection shall not be construed to require Agent or such Lender to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its taxes that it deems confidential) to Borrower or any other Person.

 

3.02         Illegality .   If any Lender determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Eurodollar Rate Loans, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, or any Governmental Authority has imposed material restrictions on the authority of such Lender to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, Dollars in the London interbank market, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to Borrower through Agent, any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until such Lender notifies Agent and Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist.  Upon receipt of such notice, Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to Agent), prepay or, if applicable, convert all Eurodollar Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans, either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans.  Upon any such prepayment or conversion, Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted and all amounts due under Section 3.05 in accordance with the terms thereof due to such prepayment or conversion.

 

3.03         Inability to Determine Rates .   If Agent determines in connection with any request for a Eurodollar Rate Loan or a conversion to or continuation thereof that (a) Dollar deposits are

 

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not being offered to banks in the London interbank eurodollar market for the applicable amount and Interest Period of such Eurodollar Rate Loan, (b) adequate and reasonable means do not exist for determining the Eurodollar Base Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan, or (c) the Eurodollar Base Rate for any requested Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding such Loan, Agent will promptly so notify (such notice, a “ Rate Determination Notice ”) Borrower and each Lender.  Thereafter, the obligation of Lenders to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice.  If such notice is given, during the 30-day period following such Rate Determination Notice (the “ Negotiation Period ”), Agent and Borrower will negotiate in good faith with a view to agreeing upon a substitute interest rate basis (having the written approval of the Required Lenders) for the Interest Period(s) to which such Rate Determination Notice relates which shall reflect the cost to the Lenders of funding such Loans from alternative sources (a “ Substitute Basis ”), and if such Substitute Basis is so agreed upon during the Negotiation Period, such Substitute Basis shall apply in lieu of the Eurodollar Rate to the Interest Period(s) to which such Rate Determination Notice relates, until the circumstances giving rise to such notice have ceased to apply.  If a Substitute Basis is not agreed upon during the Negotiation Period, Borrower may elect to prepay the affected Loans pursuant to Section 2.05(a); provided , that if Borrower does not elect to so prepay, then (i) the affected Loans shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate from and after the first day of the affected Interest Period to which such Rate Determination Notice relates, payable in accordance with Section 2.08, and (ii) Borrower may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or, failing that, Borrower will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.

 

3.04         Increased Costs.

 

(a)           Increased Costs Generally .  If any Change in Law shall:

 

(i)            impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement reflected in the Eurodollar Rate);

 

(ii)           subject any Lender to any tax of any kind whatsoever with respect to this Agreement or any Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it, or change the basis of taxation of payments to such Lender in respect thereof (except for Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes covered by Section 3.01 and the imposition of, or any change in the rate of, any Excluded Tax payable by such Lender); or

 

(iii)          impose on any Lender or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense affecting this Agreement or Eurodollar Rate Loans made by such Lender;

 

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and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making or maintaining any Eurodollar Rate Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of such Lender, Borrower will pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.

 

(b)           Capital Requirements .  If any Lender determines that any Change in Law affecting such Lender or any Lending Office of such Lender or such Lender’s holding company, if any, regarding capital requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments of such Lender or the Loans made by such Lender to a level below that which such Lender or such Lender’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time, upon request of such Lender, Borrower will pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Lender’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.

 

(c)           Certificates for Reimbursement .  A certificate of a Lender setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in subsection (a) or (b) of this Section and delivered to Borrower shall be conclusive absent manifest error.  Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.

 

(d)           Delay in Requests .  Failure or delay on the part of any Lender to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s right to demand such compensation, provided that Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than nine months prior to the date that such Lender notifies Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the nine-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).

 

3.05         Compensation for Losses.   Upon demand of any Lender (with a copy to Agent) from time to time, Borrower shall promptly compensate such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:

 

(a)           any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise); or

 

(b)           any failure by Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by Borrower;

 

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including any loss of anticipated profits and any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained.  Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.  For purposes of calculating amounts payable by Borrower to Lenders under this Section 3.05 , each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it at the Eurodollar Base Rate used in determining the Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the London interbank eurodollar market for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was in fact so funded.

 

3.06         Mitigation Obligations .   If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04 , or Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 , or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to Section 3.02 , then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04 , as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant to Section 3.02 , as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender.  Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.

 

3.07         Survival .   All of Borrower’s obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitments and repayment of all other Obligations hereunder.

 

ARTICLE IV.        CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO BORROWINGS

 

4.01         Conditions of Initial Borrowing .  The obligation of each Lender to make its initial Borrowing hereunder is subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

 

(a)           Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or telecopies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance satisfactory to Agent and each of the Lenders:

 

(i)            executed counterparts of this Agreement, sufficient in number for distribution to Agent, each Lender and Borrower;

 

(ii)           a Revolving Credit Note executed by Borrower in favor of each Lender requesting such a Note;

 

(iii)          such certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency certificates and/or other certificates of Responsible Officers of each Loan Party as Agent may require evidencing the identity, authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof

 

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authorized to act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party;

 

(iv)          such documents and certifications as Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, and that each Loan Party is validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in business in each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(v)           a favorable opinion of counsel to the Loan Parties acceptable to Agent addressed to Agent and each Lender, as to the matters set forth concerning the Loan Parties and the Loan Documents in form and substance satisfactory to Agent;

 

(vi)          a certificate of a Responsible Officer of each Loan Party either (A) attaching copies of all consents, licenses and approvals required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by such Loan Party and the validity against such Loan Party of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and such consents, licenses and approvals shall be in full force and effect, or (B) stating that no such consents, licenses or approvals are so required;

 

(vii)         a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of Borrower certifying (A) that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a)  and (b)  have been satisfied, and (B) that there has been no event or circumstance since the date of the Audited Financial Statements that has had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(viii)        evidence that all insurance required to be maintained pursuant to the Loan Documents has been obtained and is in effect;

 

(ix)           a duly completed Compliance Certificate as of the last day of the fiscal quarter of Borrower most recently ended prior to the Closing Date, signed by a Responsible Officer of Borrower ; and

 

(x)            such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as Agent or the Required Lenders reasonably may require.

 

(b)           Any fees required to be paid on or before the Closing Date shall have been paid.

 

(c)           Unless waived by Agent, Borrower shall have paid all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to Agent (directly to such counsel if requested by Agent) to the extent invoiced prior to or on the Closing Date, plus such additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements as shall constitute its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and disbursements incurred or to be incurred by it through the closing proceedings (provided that such estimate shall not thereafter preclude a final settling of accounts between Borrower and Agent).

 

(d)           The Closing Date shall have occurred on or before February 1, 2008.

 

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Without limiting the generality of the provisions of the last sentence of Section 9.03(d) , for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01 , each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.

 

4.02         Conditions to all Borrowings .   The obligation of each Lender to honor any Committed Loan Notice is subject to the following conditions precedent:

 

(a)           The representations and warranties of Borrower and each other Loan Party contained in Article V or any other Loan Document, or which are contained in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or therewith, shall be true and correct in all material respects (except that any representation and warranty that is qualified as to “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” shall be true and correct in all respects) on and as of the date of such Borrowing, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 4.02 , the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to clauses (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01 .

 

(b)           No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Borrowing or from the application of the proceeds thereof.

 

(c)           Agent shall have received a Committed Loan Notice in accordance with the requirements hereof.

 

(d)           Agent shall have received, in form and substance satisfactory to it, such other assurances, certificates, documents or consents related to the foregoing as Agent or the Required Lenders reasonably may require.

 

Each Committed Loan Notice submitted by Borrower shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a)  and (b)  have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Borrowing.

 

ARTICLE V.         REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

                Each Loan Party represents and warrants to Agent and the Lenders that:

 

5.01         Existence, Qualification and Power.   Such Loan Party (a) is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and (c) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of

 

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properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license; except in each case referred to in clause (b)(i), or (c), to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

5.02         Authorization; No Contravention .   The execution, delivery and performance by such Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Loan Party is party, have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of any of such Loan Party’s Organization Documents; (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any material Contractual Obligation to which such Loan Party is a party or affecting such Loan Party or its properties or (ii) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Loan Party or its property is subject; or (c) violate any Law in any material respect.

 

5.03         Governmental Authorization; Other Consents .   No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, such Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document to which such Loan Party is party, except for those which have been duly obtained, taken, given or made and are in full force and effect.

 

5.04         Binding Effect .   This Agreement has been, and each other Loan Document, when delivered hereunder, will have been, duly executed and delivered by such Loan Party that is party thereto.  This Agreement constitutes, and each other Loan Document to which such Loan Party is party when so delivered will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against such Loan Party in accordance with its terms, subject to (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, fraudulent transfer and other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity.

 

5.05         Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect .

 

(a)           The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; (ii) fairly present the financial condition of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; and (iii) show all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Indebtedness.

 

(b)           The unaudited consolidated balance sheets of Borrower and its Subsidiaries dated June 30, 2007 and September 30, 2007, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the fiscal quarters ended on such dates (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein, and (ii) fairly present in

 

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all material respects the financial condition of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and their results of operations for the periods covered thereby, subject, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end audit adjustments.

 

(c)           Except as set forth in the most recent annual, audited financial statements described in Section 5.05(a) or (b) or delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a), since the date of the Audited Financial Statements (or, if later, the last day of the fiscal year covered by the most recent annual, audited financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a)), there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(d)           The consolidated five-year financial forecasts, balance sheet forecast and cash flow projections of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at January 10, 2008, delivered to Agent (copies of which have been furnished to each Lender), and the annual budget and projections delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(c) , were prepared in good faith on the basis of the assumptions stated therein, which assumptions were reasonable in light of the conditions existing at the time of delivery of such forecasts, and represented, at the time of delivery, Borrower’s good faith estimate of its future financial condition and performance.

 

5.06         Litigation .   There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of such Loan Party, threatened or contemplated, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against such Loan Party or against any of its properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, or (b) except as specifically disclosed in Schedule 5.06 , either individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and there has been no adverse change in the status, or financial effect on such Loan Party, of the matters described on Schedule 5.06 .

 

5.07         No Default .   Such Loan Party is not in default under or with respect to any Contractual Obligation that could, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  No Default has occurred and is continuing or could reasonably be expected to result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

 

5.08         Ownership of Property; Liens.   Such Loan Party has good and marketable title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all real property necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for such defects in title as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  The property of such Loan Party is subject to no Liens, other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01 .

 

5.09         Environmental Compliance .   Except as specifically disclosed in Schedule 5.09 , such Loan Party is not in violation of applicable Environmental Laws in any material respect, and no claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of any Environmental Law which could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect are pending or, to such Loan Party’s knowledge, threatened against such Loan Party or any of its properties.

 

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5.10         Insurance .   The properties of such Loan Party are insured with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of such Loan Party, in such amounts (after giving effect to any self-insurance compatible with the following standards), with such deductibles and covering such risks as are customarily carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning similar properties in localities where such Loan Party operates.

 

5.11         Taxes .   Such Loan Party has filed all Federal, state and other material tax returns and reports required to be filed, and has paid all Federal, state and other material taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges levied or imposed upon it or its properties, income or assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP.  To the best of such Loan Party’s knowledge, there is no proposed tax assessment against such Loan Party that would, if made, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

5.12         ERISA Compliance.

 

(a)           Each Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Federal or state Laws.  Each Plan that is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS or an application for such a letter is currently being processed by the IRS with respect thereto and, to the knowledge of such Loan Party, nothing has occurred which would prevent, or cause the loss of, such qualification.  Such Loan Party and each ERISA Affiliate have made all required contributions to each Plan subject to Section 412 of the Code, and no application for a funding waiver or an extension of any amortization period pursuant to Section 412 of the Code has been made with respect to any Plan.

 

(b)           There are no pending or, to the knowledge of such Loan Party, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority, with respect to any Plan that could be reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  There has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(c)           (i)  No ERISA Event has occurred or could reasonably be expected to occur; (ii) no Pension Plan has any Unfunded Pension Liability; (iii) neither such Loan Party nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to any Pension Plan (other than premiums due and not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA); (iv) neither such Loan Party nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability (and no event has occurred which, with the giving of notice under Section 4219 of ERISA, would result in such liability) under Section 4201 or 4243 of ERISA with respect to a Multiemployer Plan; and (v) neither such Loan Party nor any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Section 4069 or 4212(c) of ERISA.

 

5.13         Subsidiaries .   As of the Closing Date, such Loan Party has no Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Part (a) of Schedule 5.13, and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are

 

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owned by a Loan Party in the amounts specified on Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 free and clear of all Liens.  Such Loan Party has no equity investments or joint venture investments in any other corporation or entity other than those specifically disclosed in Part (b) of Schedule 5.13 .  All of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Loan Party have been validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable and, with respect to 100% of the Equity Securities of each Guarantor, are owned by the Borrower free and clear of all Liens.

 

5.14         Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act .

 

(a)           Such Loan Party is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock.

 

(b)           None of Borrower, any Person Controlling Borrower, or any Subsidiary is, or is required to be registered as, an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

 

5.15         Disclosure .   Such Loan Party has disclosed to Agent and Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which it is subject, and all other matters known to it, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.  No report, financial statement, certificate or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by or on behalf of any Loan Party to Agent or any Lender in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in each case, as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, such Loan Party represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.

 

5.16         Compliance with Laws .   Such Loan Party is in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

5.17         Taxpayer Identification Number .  Borrower’s true and correct U.S. taxpayer identification number is set forth on Schedule 10.02 .

 

5.18         Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc .   Such Loan Party owns, or possesses the right to use, all of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patents, patent rights, franchises, licenses and other intellectual property rights that are reasonably necessary for the operation of its business, without (to such Loan Party’s knowledge) conflict with the rights of any other Person.  To the knowledge of such Loan Party, no slogan or other advertising device,

 

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product, process, method, substance, part or other material now employed, or now contemplated to be employed, by such Loan Party infringes in any material respect upon any rights held by any other Person.  No claim or litigation regarding any of the foregoing is pending or, to the knowledge of such Loan Party, threatened, which, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

ARTICLE VI.        AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

 

So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, or any Loan or other Obligation (other than unasserted contingent indemnification obligations) hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, Borrower shall, and shall (except in the case of the covenants set forth in Sections 6.01 , 6.02 6.03 , 6.11 and 6.12 ) cause each other Loan Party to:

 

6.01         Financial Statements .   Deliver to Agent a sufficient number of copies for delivery by Agent to each Lender, in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to Agent:

 

(a)           as soon as available, but in any event within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of Borrower, a consolidated balance sheet of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, such consolidated statements to be audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLC or another independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing and meeting the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit;

 

(b)           as soon as available, but in any event within 45 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of Borrower, a consolidated balance sheet of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal quarter and for the portion of Borrower’s fiscal year then ended, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding fiscal quarter of the previous fiscal year and the corresponding portion of the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, such consolidated statements to be certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of Borrower as fairly presenting in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;

 

(c)           as soon as available, but in any event before January 31 of each fiscal year of Borrower, an annual budget and projections prepared by the management of Borrower, in form reasonably satisfactory to Agent and the Required Lenders, of consolidated balance sheets and statements of income or operations and cash flows of Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a

 

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quarterly basis for such fiscal year (including the fiscal year in which the Maturity Date occurs); and

 

(d)           concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 6.01(a)  and (b) , a quarterly schedule reconciling the cash receipts of Milestone Payments to the revenue recorded from such payments according to GAAP.

 

6.02         Certificates; Other Information .   Deliver to Agent a sufficient number of copies for delivery by Agent to each Lender, in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to Agent:

 

(a)           concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Section 6.01(a) , a certificate of its independent certified public accountants certifying such financial statements and stating that in making the examination necessary therefor no knowledge was obtained of any Default or, if any such Default shall exist, stating the nature and status of such event (which certificate may be limited or not delivered to the extent required by accounting rules or guidelines or to the extent that such certificate cannot be obtained without additional cost);

 

(b)           concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 6.01(a)  and (b) , a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of Borrower;

 

(c)           promptly after the same are available, copies of any audit reports, management letters or recommendations submitted to the board of directors (or the audit committee of the board of directors) of Borrower by independent accountants in connection with the accounts or books of Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any audit of any of them;

 

(d)           promptly after the same are available, copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the stockholders of Borrower, and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which Borrower may file or be required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and not otherwise required to be delivered to Agent pursuant hereto;

 

(e)           promptly after the furnishing thereof, copies of any statement or report furnished to any holder of debt securities of any Loan Party pursuant to the terms of any indenture, loan or credit or similar agreement and not otherwise required to be furnished to the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01 or any other clause of this Section 6.02 ;

 

(f)            promptly, and in any event within five Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of each notice or other correspondence received from the SEC (or comparable agency in any applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction) concerning any investigation or other inquiry by such agency regarding financial or other operational results of any Loan Party which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and

 

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(g)           promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial or corporate affairs of Borrower or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request.

 

Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b)  or Section 6.02(d)  (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on Borrower’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 10.02 ; or (ii) on which such documents are posted on Borrower’s behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by Agent); provided that: (i) Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to Agent or any Lender that requests (through Agent) Borrower to deliver such paper copies until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by Agent or such Lender and (ii) Borrower shall notify Agent (by telecopier or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents and provide to Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents.

 

Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) Agent will make available to Lenders materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of Borrower hereunder (collectively, “ Borrower Materials ”) by posting Borrower Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the “ Platform ”) and (b) certain of the Lenders (each, a “ Public Lender ”) may have personnel who do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to Borrower or its Affiliates or the respective securities of any of the foregoing, and who may be engaged in investment and other market-related activities with respect to such Persons’ securities.  Borrower hereby agrees that (w) all Borrower Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized Agent and the Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material non-public information with respect to Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws (provided, however, that to the extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set forth in Section 11.07); (y) all Borrower Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Investor;” and (z) Agent shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated “Public Investor”.

 

6.03         Notices .  Promptly notify Agent:

 

(a)           of the occurrence of any Default;

 

(b)           of any matter that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, including (i) breach or non-performance of, or any default under, a Material Contract or other material Contractual Obligation of Borrower or any Subsidiary; (ii) any material dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or suspension between Borrower or any Subsidiary and any Governmental Authority (other than routine FDA proceedings that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect); or (iii) the commencement of, or any

 

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material development in, any material litigation or proceeding affecting Borrower or any Subsidiary, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws, but excluding routine FDA proceedings that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(c)           of the occurrence of any ERISA Event;  and

 

(d)           of any material change in accounting policies or financial reporting practices by Borrower or any other Loan Party.

 

Each notice pursuant to this Section shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer of Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action Borrower has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto.  Each notice pursuant to Section 6.03(a)  shall describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any other Loan Document that have been breached.

 

6.04         Payment of Obligations .   Pay and discharge as the same shall become due and payable, all its obligations and liabilities, including (a) all tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP are being maintained by Borrower or such Loan Party; (b) all lawful claims which, if unpaid, would by law become a Lien upon its property; and (c) all Indebtedness, as and when due and payable, but subject to any subordination provisions contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness.

 

6.05         Preservation of Existence, Etc.   (a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its legal existence and good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 or 7.05 ; (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) preserve or renew all of its registered patents, trademarks, trade names and service marks, the non-preservation of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.06         Maintenance of Properties.   (a) Maintain, preserve and protect all of its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted; (b) make all necessary repairs thereto and renewals and replacements thereof except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (c) use the standard of care typical in the industry in the operation and maintenance of its facilities.

 

6.07         Maintenance of Insurance.   Maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of Borrower, insurance with respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business, of such types and in such amounts (after giving effect to any self-insurance compatible with the following standards) as are customarily carried under similar

 

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circumstances by such other Persons and providing for not less than 30 days’ prior notice to Agent of termination, lapse or cancellation of such insurance.

 

6.08         Compliance with Laws.   Comply in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, write, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted; or (b) the failure to comply therewith could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6.09         Books and Records.   (a)  Maintain proper books of record and account, in which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of Borrower or such Loan Party, as the case may be; and (b) maintain such books of record and account in material conformity with all applicable requirements of any Governmental Authority having regulatory jurisdiction over Borrower or such Loan Party, as the case may be.

 

6.10         Inspection Rights.   Permit representatives and independent contractors of Agent and each Lender (provided, that if there is more than one Lender, then such visits or inspections are coordinated through the Agent) to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants, all at the expense of Borrower and at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired, upon reasonable advance notice to Borrower; provided , however , that when an Event of Default exists Agent or any Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of Borrower at any time during normal business hours and without advance notice.

 

6.11         Use of Proceeds.   Use the proceeds of the Borrowings to finance leasehold improvements to, and new equipment for, the Bedford Facility not in contravention of any Law or of any Loan Document.

 

6.12         Financial Covenants .

 

(a)           Quick Ratio .  Maintain on a consolidated basis a ratio of (i) Quick Assets to (ii) Total Current Liabilities plus Total Revolving Credit Outstandings, of at least 2.0:1.0.

 

(b)           Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio .  Maintain on a consolidated basis a Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of at least 1.25:1.0.

 

These ratios will be calculated at the end of each reporting period for which this Agreement requires Borrower to deliver financial statements, using the results of the twelve-month period ending with that reporting period.  The current portion of long-term liabilities will be measured as of the last day of such reporting period.

 

6.13         Additional Guarantors .  Notify Agent at the time that any Person becomes a Subsidiary of Borrower, and, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Lenders, promptly

 

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thereafter (and in any event within 30 days), (a) cause such Person to become a Guarantor (or if such Subsidiary is a “controlled foreign corporation” under Section 957 of the Code, grant Agent a first-priority, perfected security interest in 65% of the capital stock or other equity of such Foreign Subsidiary) by executing and delivering to Agent a counterpart of this Agreement or such other document(s) as Agent shall deem reasonably appropriate for such purpose, and (b) deliver, or cause such Person to deliver, to Agent documents of the types referred to in clauses (iii) and (iv) of Section 4.01(a)  and favorable opinions of counsel to such Person (which shall cover, among other things, the legality, validity, binding effect and enforceability of the documentation referred to in clause (a)), all in form, content and scope reasonably satisfactory to Agent.

 

ARTICLE VII.      NEGATIVE COVENANTS

 

So long as any Lender shall have any Commitment hereunder, or any Loan or other Obligation (other than unasserted contingent indemnification obligations) hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied, Borrower shall not, nor shall it permit any other Loan Party to, directly or indirectly:

 

7.01         Liens .   Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or sign or file or suffer to exist under the Uniform Commercial Code of any jurisdiction a financing that names any Loan Party as a debtor, or assign any accounts or other right to receive income, other than the following:

 

(a)           Liens in favor of the Agent and Lenders (if any);

 

(b)           Liens existing on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.01 and any renewals or extensions thereof, provided that (i) the property covered thereby is not changed, (ii) the amount secured or benefited thereby is not increased except as contemplated by Section 7.03(b) , (iii) the direct or any contingent obligor with respect thereto is not changed, and (iv)  and any renewal or extension of the obligations secured or benefited thereby is permitted by Section 7.03(b) ;

 

(c)           Liens for taxes not yet due or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in accordance with GAAP;

 

(d)           carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business which are not overdue for a period of more than 30 days or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person;

 

(e)           pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;

 

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(f)            deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases (other than Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

(g)           easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which, in the aggregate, are not substantial in amount, and which do not in any case materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the applicable Person;

 

(h)           Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h) ; and

 

(i)            Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(e), (f) or (g) ; provided that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness and (ii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost or fair market value, whichever is lower, of the property being acquired on the date of acquisition.

 

7.02         Investments .   Make any Investments, except:

 

(a)           Investments held by Borrower or such Subsidiary in the form of cash equivalents or short-term marketable debt securities;

 

(b)           advances to officers, directors and employees of Borrower and Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not to exceed $500,000 at any time outstanding, for travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes;

 

(c)           Investments of Borrower in any Guarantor and Investments of any Guarantor in Borrower or in another Guarantor;

 

(d)           Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors to the extent reasonably necessary in order to prevent or limit loss;

 

(e)           Guarantees permitted by Section 7.03 ;

 

(f)            Investments existing on the date hereof (other than those referred to in Section 7.02(c) ) and set forth on Schedule 7.02 ;

 

(g)           Investments by the Borrower in Swap Contracts permitted under Section 7.03(d) ;

 

(h)           the purchase or other acquisition of (1) all of the Equity Interests in, or (2) all or substantially all of the property of, or (3) any product line, line of business or division of, any Person that, upon the consummation thereof, will be at least 50% owned directly by the Borrower or one or more Guarantors (including as a result of a merger or consolidation);

 

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provided that, with respect to each purchase or other acquisition made pursuant to this Section 7.02(h) :

 

(i)            any such newly-created or acquired Subsidiary shall comply with the requirements of Section 6.13 ;

 

(ii)           neither Borrower nor any Subsidiary thereof shall directly own or hold any Equity Interest in any joint venture if as a matter of law Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is liable for the debts and liabilities of such joint venture;

 

(iii)          the lines of business of the Person to be (or the property of which is to be) so purchased or otherwise acquired shall be substantially the same or substantially related lines of business as one or more of the principal businesses of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course;

 

(iv)          such purchase or other acquisition shall not include or result in the incurrence or assumption of any contingent liabilities that could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (as determined in good faith by the board of directors (or the persons performing similar functions) of the Borrower if the board of directors is otherwise approving such transaction and, in each other case, by a Responsible Officer);

 

(v)           the total cash and noncash consideration (including the fair market value of all Equity Interests issued or transferred to the sellers thereof, all indemnities, earnouts and other contingent payment obligations to, and the aggregate amounts paid or to be paid under noncompete, consulting and other affiliated agreements (other than employment agreements for services actually rendered to a Loan Party after the date thereof) with, the sellers thereof, all write-downs of property and reserves for liabilities with respect thereto and all assumptions of Indebtedness and other obligations in connection therewith) paid by or on behalf of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for any such purchase or other acquisition, when aggregated with the total cash and noncash consideration paid by or on behalf of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for all other purchases and other acquisitions made by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Section 7.02(h) , shall not exceed $10,000,000 in cumulative aggregate at any time;

 

(vi)          (A) immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to any such purchase or other acquisition, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (B) immediately before and immediately after giving effect to such purchase or other acquisition, none of Borrower or any Subsidiary, or to Borrower’s knowledge any Person Controlling Borrower, shall be or shall be required to be registered as, an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and (C) immediately after giving effect to such purchase or other acquisition, the Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 6.12 , such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Agent pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b)  as though such purchase or other acquisition had been consummated as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby; and

 

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(vii)         Borrower shall have delivered to Agent, at least five Business Days prior to the date on which any such purchase or other acquisition is to be consummated, a certificate of a Responsible Officer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent, certifying that all of the requirements set forth in this Section 7.02(h)  have been satisfied or will be satisfied on or prior to the consummation of such purchase or other acquisition.

 

7.03         Indebtedness .   Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:

 

(a)           Indebtedness under the Loan Documents;

 

(b)           Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.03 and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder and (ii) the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, collateral (if any) and subordination (if any), and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties or Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, refunded, renewed or extended and the interest rate applicable to any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate;

 

(c)           Guarantees of Borrower or any Guarantor in respect of Indebtedness otherwise permitted hereunder of Borrower or any other Guarantor and Indebtedness of a Guarantor owed to the Borrower or another Guarantor, in each case that is on terms (including subordination terms) acceptable to the Agent and is otherwise permitted under Section 7.02 ;

 

(d)           obligations (contingent or otherwise) of Borrower or any Subsidiary existing or arising under any Swap Contract, provided that (i) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly mitigating risks associated with liabilities, commitments, investments, assets, or property held or reasonably anticipated by such Person, or changes in the value of securities issued by such Person, and not for purposes of speculation or taking a “market view;” and (ii) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party;

 

(e)           Indebtedness in respect of capital leases, Synthetic Lease Obligations and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(i) ; provided , however , that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed $100,000 in any fiscal year; and

 

(f)            Indebtedness in respect of capital leases and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets acquired in a Permitted Acquisition and within the limitations set forth

 

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in Section 7.01(i) ; provided , however , that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed $500,000 in any fiscal year;

 

(g)           Indebtedness in respect of capital leases and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets owing to any Affiliate of Bank of America and within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(i) ; provided , however , that (i) the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed $6,000,000 and (ii) the Revolving Credit Facility shall have been permanently reduced in accordance with Section 2.06 by an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness; and

 

(h)           Subordinated Liabilities, containing terms and conditions reasonably satisfactory to Agent, that are assumed or acquired by a Loan Party in compliance with Section 7.02(h), so long as both immediately before and immediately after giving effect to any such assumption or acquisition, no Default (including in respect of Section 6.12) has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, and Agent shall have received a certificate of a Responsible Officer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent, to such effect.

 

7.04         Fundamental Changes.   Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or into another Person, or Dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any Person, except that, so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom:

 

(a)           any Subsidiary may merge with (i) Borrower, provided that Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, or (ii) any one or more Guarantors, provided that the Guarantor shall be the continuing or surviving Person; and

 

(b)           any Subsidiary may Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to Borrower or to a Guarantor.

 

7.05         Dispositions .   Make any Disposition or enter into any agreement to make any Disposition, except:

 

(a)           Dispositions of obsolete, worn out or surplus property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business;

 

(b)           Dispositions of inventory in the ordinary course of business;

 

(c)           Dispositions of equipment or real property to the extent that (i) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are reasonably promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;

 

(d)           Dispositions of property by any Subsidiary to Borrower or to a Guarantor;

 

(e)           Dispositions permitted by Section 7.04 ; and

 

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(f)            Licenses of intellectual property in the ordinary course of business that (i) are nonexclusive or (ii) grant exclusive rights to a specified product in a specified territory for a limited term.

 

provided , however , that any Disposition pursuant to clauses (a) through (f) shall be for fair market value.

 

7.06         Restricted Payments.   Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except that, so long as no Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of any action described below or would result therefrom:

 

(a)           each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to Borrower, Guarantors and any other Person that owns an Equity Interest in such Subsidiary, ratably according to their respective holdings of the type of Equity Interest in respect of which such Restricted Payment is being made;

 

(b)           Borrower and each Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable solely in the common stock or other common Equity Interests of such Person;

 

(c)           Borrower and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire Equity Interests issued by it with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new shares of its common stock or other common Equity Interests; and

 

(d)           Borrower may make Restricted Payments to repurchase or redeem common stock of Borrower held by:

 

(i)            its present or former officers, directors or employees, upon their death, disability, retirement, severance or termination of employment or service, provided that the aggregate cash consideration paid for all such repurchases or redemptions shall not exceed $250,000 in any fiscal year; and

 

(ii)           its public stockholders, provided that both immediately before and after making such Restricted Payments, Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 6.12, and Borrower shall have delivered to Agent, at least five Business Days prior to the making of such Restricted Payments, a certificate from a Responsible Officer of Borrower (A) certifying that no Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of any such Restricted Payments or would result therefrom and (B) demonstrating (in detail reasonably satisfactory to Agent) compliance with the requirements of this Section 7.06(d)(ii).

 

7.07         Change in Nature of Business .   Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof or any business substantially related or incidental thereto.

 

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7.08         Transactions with Affiliates .   Enter into any transaction of any kind with any Affiliate of Borrower, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, other than on fair and reasonable terms substantially as favorable to Borrower or such Subsidiary as would be obtainable by Borrower or such Subsidiary at the time in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate.

 

7.09         Burdensome Agreements .   Enter into any Contractual Obligation (other than this Agreement or any other Loan Document) that (a) limits the ability (i) of any Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments to any Loan Party or to otherwise transfer property to any Loan Party, (ii) of any Subsidiary to Guarantee the Indebtedness of Borrower or (iii) of Borrower or any Subsidiary to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Person; provided , however , that this clause (iii) shall not prohibit any negative pledge incurred or provided in favor of any holder of Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(e)  solely to the extent any such negative pledge relates to the property financed by or the subject of such Indebtedness; or (b) requires the grant of a Lien to secure an obligation of such Person if a Lien is granted to secure another obligation of such Person.

 

7.10         Use of Proceeds.   Use the proceeds of any Borrowing, whether directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the FRB) or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.

 

ARTICLE VIII.     EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

 

8.01         Events of Default .   Any of the following shall constitute an Event of Default:

 

(a)           Non-Payment .  Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to pay (i) when and as required to be paid herein, any amount of principal of any Loan, or (ii) within three Business Days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan, or any fee due hereunder, or (iii) within five days after the same becomes due, any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or

 

(b)           Specific Covenants .  Borrower fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in any of Section 6.01 , 6.02 , 6.03 , 6.05 , 6.10 , 6.11, 6.12 or 6.13 or Article VII , and, with respect to Section 6.01 , 6.02 , 6. 03, such failure continues for one Business Day after notice thereof to Borrower or after Borrower obtains knowledge thereof, or any Guarantor fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in the Guaranty; or

 

(c)           Other Defaults .  Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in subsection (a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for 30 days or any default or Event of Default occurs under any other Loan Document; or

 

(d)           Representations and Warranties .  Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of Borrower or any other

 

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Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect when made or deemed made; or

 

(e)           Cross-Default .  (i) Borrower or any Loan Party (A) fails to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness or Guarantee (other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated credit arrangement) of more than the Threshold Amount, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded; or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of default under such Swap Contract as to which Borrower or any Subsidiary is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as so defined) under such Swap Contract as to which Borrower or any Subsidiary is an Affected Party (as so defined) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by Borrower or such Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than the Threshold Amount; or

 

(f)            Insolvency Proceedings, Etc.   Any Loan Party institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or

 

(g)           Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment .  (i) Any Loan Party becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within 30 days after its issue or levy; or

 

(h)           Judgments .  There is entered against any Loan Party (i) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (as to all such judgments

 

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or orders) exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either case, (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order, or (B) there is a period of 10 consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or

 

(i)            ERISA .  (1) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan which has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of Borrower under Title IV of ERISA to the Pension Plan, Multiemployer Plan or the PBGC in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount, or (2) Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount; or

 

(j)            Invalidity of Loan Documents .  Any Loan Document or any provision thereof, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party or any other Person contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any Loan Document or any provision thereof; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any Loan Document or any provision thereof;

 

(k)           Change of Control .  There occurs any Change of Control;

 

(l)            Subordination .  (i)  The subordination provisions of the documents evidencing or governing any subordinated Indebtedness (the “ Subordinated Provisions ”) shall, in whole or in part, terminate, cease to be effective or cease to be legally valid, binding and enforceable against any holder of the applicable subordinated Indebtedness; or (ii) the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall, directly or indirectly, disavow or contest in any manner (A) the effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any of the Subordination Provisions, (B) that the Subordination Provisions exist for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders or (C) that all payments of principal of or premium and interest on the applicable subordinated Indebtedness, or realized from the liquidation of any property of any Loan Party, shall be subject to any of the Subordination Provisions.

 

(m)          Material Contracts .  (i)  Material Contract(s) constituting 20% or more of Borrower’s total annual revenues shall be terminated or cancelled or shall expire, or (ii) there shall occur any material default or breach in respect of such Material Contract(s), and such failure continues after the expiration of any grace period specified therein; provided , that the foregoing events in this paragraph (m) shall not constitute an Event of Default under this Agreement if (1) the Borrower is diligently attempting to replace such Material Contract(s) with one or more equivalent agreements with parties and on terms reasonably acceptable to the Agent and does so within 60 days after such termination, cancellation, expiration, default or breach or (2) the Borrower demonstrates and certifies in writing to the Agent’s reasonable satisfaction, on

 

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a pro forma basis thereafter, that notwithstanding such termination, cancellation, expiration, default or breach, Borrower will remain in compliance with all financial covenants under Section 6.12 of this Agreement thereafter .

 

8.02         Remedies Upon Event of Default.   If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:

 

(a)           declare the commitment of each Lender to make Loans to be terminated, whereupon such commitments and obligation shall be terminated;

 

(b)           declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by Borrower; and

 

(c)           exercise on behalf of itself and the Lenders all rights and remedies available to it, the Lenders under the Loan Documents;

 

provided , however , that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, the obligation of each Lender to make Loans shall automatically terminate, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, in each case without further act of Agent or any Lender.

 

8.03         Application of Funds .   After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02 ), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall be applied by Agent in the following order:

 

First , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to Agent (including fees and time charges for attorneys who may be employees of Agent) and amounts payable under Article III ) payable to Agent in its capacity as such;

 

Second , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal and interest) payable to Lenders (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders (including fees and time charges for attorneys who may be employees of any Lender) and amounts payable under Article III ), ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;

 

Third , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting and interest on the Loans and other Obligations, ratably among Lenders in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;

 

Fourth , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans and amounts owing under Hedge Agreements and Cash Management Agreements, ratably

 

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among Lenders, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them; and

 

Last , the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.

 

ARTICLE IX.        ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

 

9.01         Appointment and Authorization of Administrative Agent.   Each of the Lenders hereby irrevocably appoints Bank of America to act on its behalf as Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to Agent by the terms hereof and thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.  The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of Agent and the Lenders, and neither Borrower nor any other Loan Party shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions.

 

9.02         Rights as a Lender .   The Person serving as Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as Agent hereunder in its individual capacity.  Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to Lenders.

 

9.03         Exculpatory Provisions .  Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Agent:

 

(a)           shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;

 

(b)           shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable Law; and

 

(c)           shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to Borrower or any of its Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.

 

(d)           Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the

 

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Lenders as shall be necessary, or as Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 8.02 and 11.01 ) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct.  Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until written notice describing such Default is given to Agent by Borrower or a Lender.  Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to Agent.

 

9.04         Reliance by Administrative Agent.  Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person.  Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon.  In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender, Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender unless Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender prior to the making of such Loan.  Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.

 

9.05         Delegation of Duties .   Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by Agent.  Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties.  The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Agent.

 

9.06         Resignation of Agent.   Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to Lenders and Borrower.  Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with Borrower, to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States.  If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Agent may on behalf of Lenders, appoint a successor Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above; provided that if Agent shall notify Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such appointment, then such resignation shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice and (1) the retiring Agent shall be

 

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discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and (2) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender directly, until such time as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Agent as provided for above in this Section.  Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) Agent, and the retiring Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section).  The fees payable by Borrower to a successor Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between Borrower and such successor.  After the retiring Agent’s resignation hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 11.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.

 

9.07         Non-Reliance on Agent and Other Lenders Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement.  Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.

 

9.08         No Other Duties, Etc.   Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no Lender holding a title listed on the cover page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as Agent or a Lender hereunder.

 

9.09         Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim.   In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether Agent shall have made any demand on Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:

 

(a)           to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of Lenders and Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of Lenders and Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due Lenders and Agent under Sections 2.09 and 11.04 ) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and

 

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(b)           to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;

 

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender to make such payments to Agent and, in the event that Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to Lenders, to pay to Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due Agent under Sections 2.09 and 11.04 .  Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or to authorize Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.

 

9.10         Guaranty Matters .  Each Lender hereby irrevocably authorizes Agent, at its option and in its discretion, to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty if such Person ceases to be a Subsidiary as a result of a transaction permitted hereunder.  Upon request by Agent at any time, each Lender will confirm in writing Agent’s authority to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.10.

 

ARTICLE X.         CONTINUING GUARANTY

 

10.01       Guaranty .  Each Guarantor hereby absolutely and unconditionally guarantees, jointly and severally, as a guaranty of payment and performance and not merely as a guaranty of collection, prompt payment when due, whether at stated maturity, by required prepayment, upon acceleration, demand or otherwise, and at all times thereafter, of any and all of the Obligations, whether for principal, interest, premiums, fees, indemnities, damages, costs, expenses or otherwise, of the Borrower and each other Guarantor to the Guaranteed Parties, arising hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including all renewals, extensions, amendments, refinancings and other modifications thereof and all costs, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Guaranteed Parties in connection with the collection or enforcement thereof).  The Administrative Agent’s books and records showing the amount of the Obligations shall be admissible in evidence in any action or proceeding, and shall be binding upon each Guarantor, and conclusive (absent manifest error) for the purpose of establishing the amount of the Obligations.  This Guaranty shall not be affected by the genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of the Obligations or any instrument or agreement evidencing any Obligations, or by the existence, validity, enforceability, perfection, non-perfection or extent of any collateral (if any) therefor, or by any fact or circumstance relating to the Obligations which might otherwise constitute a defense to the obligations of any Guarantor under this Guaranty, and each Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives any defenses it may now have or hereafter acquire in any way relating to any or all of the foregoing.

 

10.02       Rights of Lenders .  Each Guarantor consents and agrees that the Guaranteed Parties may, at any time and from time to time, without notice or demand, and without affecting the enforceability or continuing effectiveness hereof:  (a) amend, extend, renew, compromise, discharge, accelerate or otherwise change the time for payment or the terms of the Obligations or

 

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any part thereof; (b) take, hold, exchange, enforce, waive, release, fail to perfect, sell, or otherwise dispose of any security (if any) or other guaranty for the payment of this Guaranty or any Obligations; (c) apply such security (if any) and direct the order or manner of sale thereof as the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in their sole discretion may determine; and (d) release or substitute one or more of any endorsers or other guarantors of any of the Obligations.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Guarantor consents to the taking of, or failure to take, any action which might in any manner or to any extent vary the risks of any Guarantor under this Guaranty or which, but for this provision, might operate as a discharge of any Guarantor.

 

10.03       Certain Waivers .  Each Guarantor waives (a) any defense arising by reason of any disability or other defense of the Borrower or any other guarantor, or the cessation from any cause whatsoever (including any act or omission of any Guaranteed Party) of the liability of the Borrower or any other guarantor; (b) any defense based on any claim that any Guarantor’s obligations exceed or are more burdensome than those of the Borrower; (c) the benefit of any statute of limitations affecting any Guarantor’s liability hereunder; (d) any right to proceed against any Loan Party, proceed against or exhaust any security or other guaranty for the Obligations, or pursue any other remedy in the power of any Guaranteed Party whatsoever; (e) any benefit of and any right to participate in any security or other guaranty now or hereafter held by any Guaranteed Party; and (f) to the fullest extent permitted by law, any and all other defenses or benefits that may be derived from or afforded by applicable law limiting the liability of or exonerating guarantors or sureties.  Each Guarantor expressly waives all setoffs and counterclaims and all presentments, demands for payment or performance, notices of nonpayment or nonperformance, protests, notices of protest, notices of dishonor and all other notices or demands of any kind or nature whatsoever with respect to the Obligations, and all notices of acceptance of this Guaranty or of the existence, creation or incurrence of new or additional Obligations.

 

10.04       Obligations Independent .  The obligations of each Guarantor hereunder are those of primary obligor, and not merely as surety, and are independent of the Obligations and the obligations of any other guarantor, and a separate action may be brought against any Guarantor to enforce this Guaranty whether or not the Borrower or any other person or entity is joined as a party.

 

10.05       Subrogation .  No Guarantor shall exercise any right of subrogation, contribution, indemnity, reimbursement or similar rights with respect to any payments it makes under this Guaranty until all of the Obligations (other than unasserted contingent indemnification obligations) and any amounts payable under this Guaranty have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full and the Commitments and the Facilities are terminated.  If any amounts are paid to any Guarantor in violation of the foregoing limitation, then such amounts shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Guaranteed Parties and shall forthwith be paid to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Guaranteed Parties to reduce the amount of the Obligations, whether matured or unmatured.

 

10.06       Termination; Reinstatement .  This Guaranty is a continuing and irrevocable guaranty of all Obligations now or hereafter existing and shall remain in full force and effect

 

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until all Obligations and any other amounts payable under this Guaranty are indefeasibly paid in full in cash and the Commitments and the Facilities with respect to the Obligations are terminated.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Guaranty shall continue in full force and effect or be revived, as the case may be, if any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower or any Guarantor is made, or any of the Guaranteed Parties exercises its right of setoff, in respect of the Obligations and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by any of the Guaranteed Parties in their discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws or otherwise, all as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred and whether or not the Guaranteed Parties are in possession of or have released this Guaranty and regardless of any prior revocation, rescission, termination or reduction.  The obligations of each Guarantor under this paragraph shall survive termination of this Guaranty.

 

10.07       Subordination .  Each Guarantor hereby subordinates the payment of all obligations and indebtedness of the Borrower or any other Loan Party owing to such Guarantor, whether now existing or hereafter arising, including but not limited to any obligation of any Loan Party to such Guarantor as subrogee of the Guaranteed Parties or resulting from a Guarantor’s performance under this Guaranty, to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Obligations.  If the Guaranteed Parties so request, any such obligation or indebtedness of any Loan Party to a Guarantor shall be enforced and performance received by such Guarantor as trustee for the Guaranteed Parties and the proceeds thereof shall be paid over to the Agent for the benefit of the Guaranteed Parties on account of the Obligations, but without reducing or affecting in any manner the liability of any Guarantor under this Guaranty.

 

10.08       Stay of Acceleration .  If acceleration of the time for payment of any of the Obligations is stayed, in connection with any case commenced by or against any Guarantor or the Borrower under any Debtor Relief Laws, or otherwise, all such amounts shall nonetheless be payable by the Guarantors immediately upon demand by the Guaranteed Parties.

 

10.09       Condition of Borrower .  Each Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that it has the sole responsibility for, and has adequate means of, obtaining from the Borrower and any other guarantor such information concerning the financial condition, business and operations of the Borrower and any such other guarantor as such Guarantor requires, and that none of the Guaranteed Parties has any duty, and such Guarantor is not relying on the Guaranteed Parties at any time, to disclose to such Guarantor any information relating to the business, operations or financial condition of the Borrower or any other guarantor (such Guarantor waiving any duty on the part of the Guaranteed Parties to disclose such information and any defense relating to the failure to provide the same).

 

10.10       Rights of Contribution .

 

(a)           The Guarantors hereby agree, as between themselves, that if any Guarantor shall become an Excess Funding Guarantor (as defined below) by reason of the payment by such Guarantor of any Obligations, each other Guarantor shall, on demand of such Excess Funding Guarantor (but subject to the next sentence), pay to such Excess Funding

 

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Guarantor an amount equal to such Guarantor’s Pro Rata Share (as defined below and determined, for this purpose, without reference to the properties, debts and liabilities of such Excess Funding Guarantor) of the Excess Payment (as defined below) in respect of such Obligations. The payment obligation of a Guarantor to any Excess Funding Guarantor under this Section shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of the obligations of such Guarantor under the other provisions of this Article and of all other Obligations, and such Excess Funding Guarantor shall not exercise any right or remedy with respect to such excess until payment and satisfaction in full of all of the Obligations.

 

(b)           For purposes of this Section, (i) “ Excess Funding Guarantor ” means, in respect of any Obligations, a Guarantor that has paid an amount in excess of its Pro Rata Share of such Obligations, (ii) “ Excess Payment ” means, in respect of any Guaranteed Obligations, the amount paid by an Excess Funding Guarantor in excess of its Pro Rata Share of such Obligations and (iii) “ Pro Rata Share ” means, for any Guarantor, the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of (x) the amount by which the aggregate present fair saleable value of all properties of such Guarantor (excluding any shares of stock of any other Guarantor) exceeds the amount of all the debts and liabilities of such Guarantor (including contingent, subordinated, unmatured and unliquidated liabilities, but excluding the obligations of such Guarantor hereunder and any obligations of any other Guarantor that have been guaranteed by such Guarantor) to (y) the amount by which the aggregate fair saleable value of all properties of all of the Guarantors exceeds the amount of all the debts and liabilities (including contingent, subordinated, unmatured and unliquidated liabilities, but excluding the obligations of the Guarantors hereunder and under the other Loan Documents) of all of the Guarantors, determined (A) with respect to any Guarantor that is a party hereto on the Closing Date, as of the Closing Date, and (B) with respect to any other Guarantor, as of the date such Guarantor becomes a Guarantor hereunder.

 

10.11       General Limitation on Guarantee Obligations .  In any action or proceeding involving any state corporate law, or any state or Federal bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other law affecting the rights of creditors generally, if the obligations of any Guarantor under Section 10.01 would otherwise, taking into account the provisions of Section 10.10, be held or determined to be void, invalid or unenforceable, or subordinated to the claims of any other creditors, on account of the amount of its liability under Section 10.01, then, notwithstanding any other provision hereof to the contrary, the amount of such liability shall, without any further action by such Borrower, any Lender, the Administrative Agent or any other Person, be automatically limited and reduced to the highest amount that is valid and enforceable and not subordinated to the claims of other creditors as determined in such action or proceeding.

 

10.12       Joint and Several Obligations .  Each Guarantor hereby accepts joint and several liability under the Loan Documents in consideration of the financial accommodations to be provided by the Lenders and the Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents, for the mutual benefit, directly and indirectly, of each Guarantor and in consideration of the undertakings of the other Guarantors to accept joint and several liability for the Obligations.  Each Guarantor represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and Lenders that such Guarantor is currently informed of the financial condition of all the Loan Parties and of all other circumstances which a diligent inquiry would reveal and which bear upon the risk of nonpayment of the Obligations.  Each Guarantor further represents and warrants to the

 

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Administrative Agent and Lenders that such Guarantor has read and fully understands the terms and conditions of the Loan Documents.

 

ARTICLE XI.        MISCELLANEOUS

 

11.01       Amendments, Etc.   No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders and Borrower or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and acknowledged by Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided , however , that no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:

 

(a)           waive any condition set forth in Section 4.01(a)  without the written consent of each Lender; provided , however , in the sole discretion of Agent, only a waiver by Agent shall be required with respect to immaterial matters or items specified in Section 4.01(a) (iii)  or (iv)  with respect to which Borrower has given assurances satisfactory to Agent that such items shall be delivered promptly following the Closing Date;

 

(b)           extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender (or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 ) without the written consent of such Lender;

 

(c)           postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment (excluding mandatory prepayments) of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to Lenders (or any of them) hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby;

 

(d)           reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or (subject to clause (iv) of the second proviso to this Section 11.01 ) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided , however , that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary (i) to amend the definition of “Default Rate” or to waive any obligation of Borrower to pay interest at the Default Rate or (ii) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the rate of interest on any Loan to reduce any fee payable hereunder;

 

(e)           change Section 2.13 or Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender;

 

(f)            change any provision of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender; or

 

(g)  release any Guarantor from the Guaranty except in accordance with the terms of any Loan Document, without the written consent of each Lender;

 

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and, provided further , that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder, except that the Commitment of such Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender.

 

11.02       Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communications.

 

(a)           Notices Generally .  Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopier as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:

 

(i)            if to any Loan Party or Agent to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 10.02 ; and

 

(ii)           if to any Lender, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire.

 

Notices sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices sent by telecopier shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient).  Notices delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in subsection (b) below, shall be effective as provided in such subsection (b).

 

(b)           Electronic Communications .  Notices and other communications to Lenders hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by Agent, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender pursuant to Article II if such Lender has notified the Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication.  Agent or Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it, provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.  Unless Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), provided that if such notice or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient, and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail

 

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address as described in the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor.

 

(c)           The Platform .  THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.”  THE AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM BORROWER MATERIALS.  NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM.  In no event shall Agent or any of its Related Parties (collectively, the “ Agent Parties ”) have any liability to Borrower, any Lender or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of any Loan Party’s or Agent’s transmission of Borrower Materials through the Internet, except to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent Party; provided , however, that in no event shall any Agent Party have any liability to Borrower, any Lender or any other Person for indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages).

 

(d)           Change of Address, Etc .  Each of Borrower, any other Loan Party and Agent may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto.  Each Lender may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to Borrower and Agent.  In addition, each Lender agrees to notify Agent from time to time to ensure that Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name, telephone number, telecopier number and electronic mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire instructions for such Lender.  Furthermore, each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the “Private Side Information” or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws, to make reference to Borrower Materials that are not made available through the “Public Side Information” portion of the Platform and that may contain material non-public information with respect to the Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal or state securities laws.

 

(e)           Reliance by Agent and Lenders .   Agent and Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic Committed Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of Borrower or any other Loan Party even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof.  Borrower shall indemnify Agent, each Lender and the Related Parties of

 

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each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of any Loan Party.  All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with Agent may be recorded by Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.

 

11.03       No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies.   No failure by any Lender or Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege.  The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.

 

11.04       Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.

 

(a)           Costs and Expenses .  Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Agent and its Affiliates (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for Agent), in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), and (ii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Agent or any Lender (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for Agent or any Lender), and shall pay all fees and time charges for attorneys who may be employees of Agent or any Lender, in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights (A) in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or (B) in connection with the Loans made hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans.

 

(b)           Indemnification by Borrower .  Borrower shall indemnify Agent (and any sub-agent thereof), each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “ Indemnitee ”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee) , and shall indemnify and hold harmless each Indemnitee from all fees and time charges and disbursements for attorneys who may be employees of any Indemnitee, incurred by any Indemnitee or asserted against any Indemnitee by any third party or by Borrower or any other Loan Party arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or, in the case of Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only, the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (ii) any Loan or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom, (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation,

 

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investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by Borrower or any other Loan Party, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto IN ALL CASES, WHETHER OR NOT CAUSED BY OR ARISING, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OUT OF THE COMPARATIVE, CONTRIBUTORY OR SOLE NEGLIGENCE OF THE INDEMNITEE ; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or (y) result from a claim brought by Borrower or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for breach in bad faith of such Indemnitee’s obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if Borrower or such Loan Party has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

(c)           Reimbursement by Lenders .  To the extent that Borrower for any reason fails to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b) of this Section to be paid by it to Agent (or any sub-agent thereof) or any Related Party of any of the foregoing, each Lender severally agrees to pay to Agent (or any such sub-agent) or such Related Party, as the case may be, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount, provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against Agent (or any such sub-agent) in its capacity as such, or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing acting for Agent (or any such sub-agent) in connection with such capacity.  The obligations of the Lenders under this subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(d) .

 

(d)           Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc.   To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no Loan Party shall assert, and each Loan Party hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or the use of the proceeds thereof.  No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

(e)           Payments .  All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten Business Days after demand therefor.

 

(f)            Survival .  The agreements in this Section shall survive the resignation of Agent, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations.

 

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11.05       Payments Set Aside.   To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of Borrower is made to Agent or any Lender, or Agent, or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by Agent or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender severally agrees to pay to Agent upon demand its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered from or repaid by Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate from time to time in effect.  The obligations of the Lenders under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.

 

11.06       Successors and Assigns.

 

(a)           Successors and Assigns Generally .  The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that neither Borrower nor any other Loan Party may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of Agent and each Lender and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section, (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section, or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of subsection (f)  of this Section (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void).  Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of Agent and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

 

(b)           Assignments by Lenders .  Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans at the time owing to it); provided that any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:

 

(i)            Minimum Amounts

 

(A)  in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment under any Facility and the Loans at the time owing to it under such Facility or in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender no minimum amount need be assigned; and

 

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(B) in any case not described in subsection (b)(i)(A) of this Section,  the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to Agent or, if “Trade Date” is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $5,000,000 , in the case of any assignment in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, or $1,000,000, in the case of any assignment in respect of the Term Facility unless each of Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided, however, that concurrent assignments to members of an Assignee Group and concurrent assignments from members of an Assignee Group to a single Eligible Assignee (or to an Eligible Assignee and members of its Assignee Group) will be treated as a single assignment for purposes of determining whether such minimum amount has been met;

 

(ii)           Proportionate Amounts .  Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned, except that this clause (ii) shall not prohibit any Lender from assigning all or a portion of its rights and obligations among separate Facilities on a non-pro rata basis;

 

(iii)          Required Consents .  No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by subsection (b)(i)(B) of this Section and, in addition:

 

(A)          the consent of Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender; and

 

(B)           the consent of Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for assignments in respect of (1) any Term Commitment or Revolving Credit Commitment if such assignment is to a Person that is not a Lender with a Commitment in respect of the applicable Facility, or an Affiliate of such Lender or (2) any Term Loan to a Person that is not a Lender; or an Affiliate of a Lender.

 

(iv)          Assignment and Assumption . The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500.00; provided, however, that the Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it is not a Lender, shall deliver to Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.

 

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(v)           No Assignment to Borrower .  No such assignment shall be made to Borrower or any of Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries.

 

(vi)          No Assignment to Natural Persons .  No such assignment shall be made to a natural person.

 

Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by Agent pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto) but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01 , 3.04 , 3.05 ,  and 10.04 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment.  Upon request, Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender.  Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section.

 

(c)           Register .  Agent, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of Borrower, shall maintain at Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts of the Loans owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “ Register ”).  The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, and Borrower, Agent and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary.  The Register shall be available for inspection by Borrower and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

 

(d)           Participations .  Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, Borrower or Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural person or Borrower or any of Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a “ Participant ”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) Borrower, Agent and the Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement.  Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the first proviso to Section 11.01 that affects such Participant.

 

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Subject to subsection (e) of this Section, Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01 , 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section.  To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 11.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender.

 

(e)           Limitations upon Participant Rights .  A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 3.01 or 3.04 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with Borrower’s prior written consent.

 

(f)            Certain Pledges .  Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

 

(g)           Electronic Execution of Assignments .  The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

 

(h)           Deemed Consent of Borrower .  If the consent of Borrower to an assignment to an Eligible Assignee is required hereunder (including a consent to an assignment which does not meet the minimum assignment threshold specified in Section 11.06(b)(i)(B) ), Borrower shall be deemed to have given its consent five Business Days after the date notice thereof has been delivered to Borrower by the assigning Lender (through Agent) unless such consent is expressly refused by Borrower prior to such fifth Business Day.

 

11.07       Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality.   Each of Agent and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and to its and its Affiliates’ respective partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors and representatives (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority, purporting to have jurisdiction over it (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan

 

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Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement, or (ii) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to Borrower and its obligations, (g) with the consent of Borrower or (h) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to Agent, any Lender or any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than Borrower.  For purposes of this Section, “ Information ” means all information received from Borrower or any Subsidiary relating to Borrower or any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by Borrower or any Subsidiary, provided that, in the case of information received from Borrower or any Subsidiary after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential.  The parties hereto agree that financial statements of Borrower that are not available to Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by Borrower or any Subsidiary shall be deemed confidential.  Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.  Each of Agent and the Lenders acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public information concerning Borrower or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including Federal and state securities Laws.

 

11.08       Right of Setoff.   If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency, but excluding accounts used exclusively for payroll or customer escrows and trust accounts) at any time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such Lender or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of Borrower or any other Loan Party against any and all of the obligations of Borrower or such Loan Party now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender or any such Affiliate, irrespective of whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of Borrower or such Loan Party may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch or office of such Lender different from the branch or office holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness.  The rights of each Lender and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender or its Affiliates may have.  Each Lender agrees to notify Borrower and Agent promptly after any such setoff and application, provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.

 

11.09       Interest Rate Limitation .   Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not

 

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exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “ Maximum Rate ”).  If Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to Borrower.  In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.

 

11.10       Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness.   This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract.  This Agreement and the other Loan Documents constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof.  Except as provided in Section 4.01 , this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by Agent and when Agent shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto.  Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.

 

11.11       Survival of Representations and Warranties .   All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof.  Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Borrowing, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied.

 

11.12       Severability .   If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions.  The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

 

11.13       Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

 

(a)           GOVERNING LAW .  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS .

 

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(b)           SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION .  BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS, FOR ITSELF AND ITS PROPERTY, TO THE NONEXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SITTING IN SUFFOLK COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, OR FOR RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH MASSACHUSETTS STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT.  EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW.  NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT AGENT OR ANY LENDER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST BORROWER OR ANY OTHER LOAN PARTY OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.

 

(c)           WAIVER OF VENUE .  BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION.  EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.

 

(d)           SERVICE OF PROCESS .  EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 11.02 .  NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

 

11.14       WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL .  EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY).  EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO

 

71



 

REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.

 

11.15       No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document),  Borrower and each other Loan Party acknowledges and agrees and acknowledges its Affiliates’ understanding that that:  (i) (A)  the services regarding this Agreement provided by Agent are arm’s-length commercial transactions between Borrower, each other Loan Party and their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and Agent, on the other hand, (B) each of Borrower and the other Loan Parties have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they have deemed appropriate, and (C)  Borrower and each other Loan Party is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; (ii) (A)  Agent is and has been acting solely as a principal and,  except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary, for Borrower, any other Loan Party, or any of their respective Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) Agent does not have any obligation to Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their Affiliates with respect to the transaction contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii)  Agent and its Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of Borrower, the other Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates, and Agent has no obligation to disclose any of such interests to Borrower, any other Loan Party of any of their respective Affiliates.  To the fullest extent permitted by law, each of Borrower and the other Loan Parties hereby waive and release,  any claims that it may have against Agent with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.

 

11.16       USA Patriot Act Notice .   Each Lender that is subject to the Act (as hereinafter defined) and Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies each Loan Party that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies such Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of such Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender or Agent, as applicable, to identify such Loan Party in accordance with the Act.

 

11.17       Time of the Essence .   Time is of the essence of the Loan Documents.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

 

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Kevin W. Quinlan

 

 

 

Name:

Kevin Quinlan

 

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

 

ANIKA SECURITIES, INC.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Kevin W. Quinlan

 

 

 

Name:

Kevin Quinlan

 

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

 

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative
Agent

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jean S. Manthorne

 

 

 

Name:

Jean S. Manthorne

 

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jean S. Manthorne

 

 

 

Name:

Jean S. Manthorne

 

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

[Signature Page to Credit Agreement]

 


Exhibit 10.2

 

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
SENIOR EXECUTIVE INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN

 

1.                                        Purpose

 

This Senior Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Incentive Plan”) is intended to provide an incentive for superior work and to motivate eligible executives of Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries toward even higher achievement and business results, to tie their goals and interests to those of the Company and its stockholders and to enable the Company to attract and retain highly qualified executives.  The Incentive Plan is for the benefit of Covered Executives (as defined below).

 

2.                                        Covered Executives

 

From time to time, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Compensation Committee”) may select certain key executives (the “Covered Executives”) to be eligible to receive bonuses hereunder.

 

3.                                        Administration

 

The Compensation Committee shall have the sole discretion and authority to administer and interpret the Incentive Plan.

 

4.                                        Bonus Determinations

 

(a)           A Covered Executive may be eligible to receive a bonus payment under the Incentive Plan based upon the attainment of performance targets that are established by the Compensation Committee and relate to financial and operational metrics with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries (the “Performance Goals”), including, but not limited to, the following:  revenue, EBITDA and specific strategic and development milestones.

 

(b)           Except as otherwise set forth in this Section 4(b):  (i) any bonuses paid to Covered Executives under the Incentive Plan shall be based upon bonus formulas that tie such bonuses to one or more performance targets relating to the Performance Goals, (ii) bonus formulas for Covered Executives shall be adopted in each performance period by the Compensation Committee, and (iii) no bonuses shall be paid to Covered Executives unless and until the Compensation Committee makes a determination with respect to the attainment of the performance objectives.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) the Company may increase or decrease bonuses payable under the Incentive Plan based on achievement of individual performance goals or pay bonuses (including, without limitation, discretionary bonuses) to Covered Executives under the Incentive Plan based upon such other terms and conditions as the Compensation Committee may in its sole discretion determine, and (B) the Compensation Committee may in its sole discretion determine not to pay any bonus regardless of the attainment of performance objectives by a Covered Executive.

 



 

(c)           Each Covered Executive shall have a targeted bonus opportunity for each performance period.  The maximum bonus payable to a Covered Executive under the Plan is 150% of the Covered Executive’s bonus opportunity.

 

(d)           The payment of a bonus to a Covered Executive with respect to a performance period shall be conditioned upon the Covered Executive’s employment by the Company on the date that the Compensation Committee determines that the Performance Goals have been achieved and determines the amount of the bonus payable, if any, to such Covered Employee; provided, however, that the Compensation Committee may make exceptions to this requirement, in its sole discretion, including, without limitation, in the case of a Covered Executive’s termination of employment, retirement, death or disability.

 

5.                                        Timing of Payment

 

The Performance Goals will be measured at the end of each fiscal year after the Company’s financial reports have been published.  If the Performance Goals are met, payments will be made within 30 days thereafter, but not later than March 15.

 

6.                                        Amendment and Termination

 

The Company reserves the right to amend or terminate the Incentive Plan at any time in its sole discretion.

 

2


Exhibit 10.3

 

FORM OF PERFORMANCE SHARE AWARD AGREEMENT

 

UNDER THE ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
2003 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Name of Grantee:

No. of Target Shares:                                     (assuming 100% attainment of the Performance Measures (as defined below))

Final Acceptance Date:                                  , 20

 

Pursuant to Anika Therapeutics, Inc. 2003 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) as amended through the date hereof, Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby makes a Performance Share Award (an “Award”) consisting of a number of shares of Restricted Stock to the Grantee named above as determined in accordance with the terms of this Award Agreement.  No shares of Restricted Stock shall be issued unless the provisions of Paragraph 2 are satisfied.

 

1.             Acceptance of Award .  The Grantee shall have no rights with respect to this Award unless he or she shall have accepted this Award prior to the close of business on the Final Acceptance Date specified above by signing and delivering to the Company a copy of this Award Agreement.

 

2.             Issuance of Restricted Stock .

 

(a)           The actual number of shares of Restricted Stock to be issued to Grantee will vary (from         % to         % of the number of Target Shares) depending upon the Company’s EBITDA and Revenue Annual Growth for the fiscal year ending December 31, 20       (“Performance Period”) as set forth on Exhibit A to this Award (“Performance Measures”).  The Committee shall review the Company’s audited financial statements promptly after their preparation each year to determine the percentage of the Target Shares to be issued, if any, based upon achievement of the Performance Measures for such Performance Period.  Where achievement of the Performance Measures is between two end points of the Performance Measures, the percentage of Target Shares to be issued shall be rounded up to the next higher category.

 

(b)           Upon the date (“Grant Date”) on which the Committee makes a determination and certification that the Company has achieved the Performance Measures at the levels set forth on Exhibit A for the Performance Period, the number of shares of Restricted Stock determined pursuant to this Paragraph 2 shall be issued and delivered to the Grantee, either via book entry or actual stock certificates, provided that the Grantee is an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary on such Grant Date.  The Grantee’s name shall be entered as the stockholder of record on the books of the Company.  Thereupon, the Grantee shall have all the rights of a shareholder with respect to such shares, including voting and dividend rights, subject, however, to the restrictions and conditions specified in Paragraph 3 below.

 



 

3.             Restrictions and Conditions .

 

(a)           Any book entries or certificates evidencing the shares of Restricted Stock granted herein shall bear an appropriate legend, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, to the effect that such shares are subject to restrictions as set forth herein and in the Plan.

 

(b)           Shares of Restricted Stock granted herein may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered or disposed of by the Grantee prior to vesting.

 

(c)           If the Grantee’s employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries is voluntarily or involuntarily terminated for any reason (including death) prior to vesting of shares of Restricted Stock granted herein, any shares that have not vested shall automatically be forfeited to the Company.

 

4.             Vesting of Restricted Stock .  Subject to the issuance of Restricted Stock pursuant to Paragraph 2, the restrictions and conditions in Paragraph 3 of this Agreement shall lapse on the Vesting Date or Dates specified in the following schedule so long as the Grantee is an employee of the Company or a subsidiary on the relevant Vesting Date.  If a series of Vesting Dates is specified, then the restrictions and conditions in Paragraph 3 shall lapse only with respect to the number of shares of Restricted Stock specified as vested on such date.

 

Percentage of Shares
of Restricted Stock Vested

 

Vesting Date

 

 

 

33

%

Grant Date

 

 

 

66

%

First Anniversary of Grant Date

 

 

 

100

%

Second Anniversary of Grant Date

 

Subsequent to such Vesting Date or Dates, the shares of Stock on which all restrictions and conditions have lapsed shall no longer be deemed Restricted Stock.  The Administrator may at any time accelerate the vesting schedule specified in this Paragraph 4.

 

If on any Vesting Date all or some of the shares of Restricted Stock do not vest because the conditions of Paragraph 3 are not satisfied, then such unvested shares of Restricted Stock shall automatically and without notice terminate, be forfeited and become null and void, and neither the Grantee nor any of his or her successors, heirs, assigns or personal representatives will thereafter have any further rights or interests in such forfeited shares of Restricted Stock.

 

5.             Dividends .  Dividends on shares of Restricted Stock shall be paid currently to the Grantee.

 

6.             Change in Control .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary elsewhere herein, if a Change of Control (as defined in the Plan) shall occur during the Performance Period, the Performance Measures shall be deemed to have been met such that the Grantee shall be entitled to receive 100% of the Target Shares if the Grantee is employed by the Company or a subsidiary

 

2



 

on the date the Change of Control occurs.  Such Target Shares shall not be subject to any risks of forfeiture.  If a Change of Control shall occur after the Grant Date, the risks of forfeiture shall lapse with respect to all outstanding shares of Restricted Stock.

 

7.             Incorporation of Plan .  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Agreement shall be subject to and governed by all the terms and conditions of the Plan, including the powers of the Administrator set forth in Section 2(b) of the Plan.  Capitalized terms in this Agreement shall have the meaning specified in the Plan, unless a different meaning is specified herein.

 

8.             Transferability .  This Agreement is personal to the Grantee, is non-assignable and is not transferable in any manner, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

 

9.             Tax Withholding .  The Grantee shall, not later than the date as of which the receipt of this Award becomes a taxable event for Federal income tax purposes, pay to the Company or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator for payment of any Federal, state, and local taxes required by law to be withheld on account of such taxable event.  The Grantee may elect to have the required minimum tax withholding obligation satisfied, in whole or in part, by authorizing the Company to withhold from shares of Stock to be issued.

 

10.           Miscellaneous .

 

(a)           Notice hereunder shall be given to the Company at its principal place of business, and shall be given to the Grantee at the address set forth below, or in either case at such other address as one party may subsequently furnish to the other party in writing.

 

(b)           This Agreement does not confer upon the Grantee any rights with respect to continuation of employment by the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

 

ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Title:

 

3



 

The foregoing Agreement is hereby accepted and the terms and conditions thereof hereby agreed to by the undersigned.

 

 

Dated:

 

 

 

 

Grantee’s Signature

 

 

 

 

 

Grantee’s name and address:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4