|
Registration
No. 333-___________
|
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
SB-2
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
(Name
of
small business issuer in its charter)
Virginia
|
4731
|
26-1241372
|
(State
or jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(Primary
Standard Industrial
Classification
Code Number)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
Number)
|
36-09
Main Street
Suite
9C-2
Flushing,
New York 11354
(718)
888-1814
(Address
and telephone number of principal executive offices)
Copies
to:
Chi
Tai Shen
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
36-09
Main Street
Suite
9C-2
Flushing,
New York 11354
(718)
888-1814
Fax:
(718) 888-1148
(Name,
address and telephone number of agent for service)
|
Bradley
A. Haneberg, Esq.
Anthony
W. Basch, Esq.
Kaufman
& Canoles, P.C.
Three
James Center
1051
East Cary Street, 12
th
Floor
Richmond,
Virginia 23219
(804)
771-5700
Fax:
(
804)
771-5777
|
Approximate
date of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable, after this
registration statement becomes effective.
If
this
Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant
to Rule
462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities
Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration
statement for the same offering.
o
If
this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the
same
offering.
o
If
this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the
same
offering.
o
If
delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please
check the following box.
o
CALCULATION
OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each
Class of Securities
to be Registered
|
|
Amount to be
Registered
(1)
|
|
Proposed Maximum
Offering Price
per Share
|
|
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price
|
|
Amount of
Registration Fee
|
|
Common
Stock
|
|
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
8,750,000.00
|
|
$
|
343.88
|
|
Common
Stock
(3)
|
|
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
1,865,671.64
|
|
$
|
73.32
|
|
Underwriter
Warrants
(5)
|
|
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
0.001
|
|
$
|
150.00
|
|
$
|
0.01
|
|
Common
Stock Issuable Upon Exercise of Underwriter Warrants
(5)
|
|
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
[______]
|
|
$
|
1,273,880.60
|
|
$
|
50.06
|
|
Total
Registration Fee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
11,889,552.24
|
|
$
|
467.27
|
|
(1)
|
In
accordance with Rule 416(a), the Registrant is also registering
an
indeterminate number of additional shares of common stock that
shall be
issuable pursuant to Rule 416 to prevent dilution resulting from
stock
splits, stock dividends or similar
transactions.
|
(2)
|
The
registration fee for securities to be offered by the Registrant
is based
on an estimate of the Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price
of the
securities, and such estimate is solely for the purpose of calculating
the
registration fee pursuant to Rule
457(o).
|
(3)
|
This
registration statement also covers the resale under a separate
resale
prospectus by selling shareholders of up to [______] shares of
common
stock previously issued to such selling shareholders named in the
resale
prospectus.
|
(4)
|
The
registration fee for securities to be offered by the Selling Shareholders
is based on an estimate of the Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering
Price
of the securities, and such estimate is solely for the purpose
of
calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule
457(o).
|
(5)
|
In
connection with the Registrant’s sale of the shares of Common Stock
registered hereby, the Registrant will sell to Anderson & Strudwick,
Incorporated (the “underwriter”) warrants to purchase [______] shares of
common stock (the “underwriter warrants”), such amount representing 10% of
the aggregate number of shares of common stock (i) sold by the
Registrant and (ii) subject to sale by the selling shareholders
pursuant to this registration statement. The price to be paid by
the
underwriter for the underwriter warrants is $0.001 per warrant.
The
exercise price of the underwriter warrants is $[______] per share,
representing 120% of the price of the common stock offered hereby.
The
resale of the common stock underlying the underwriter warrants
is
registered hereunder. The shares of common stock underlying the
underwriter warrants are being registered on a delayed or continuous
basis
pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended.
|
(6)
|
Estimated
solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant
to
Rule 457.
|
(7)
|
The
registration fee for securities to be offered by the underwriter
is based
on an estimate of the Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price
of the
securities, and such estimate is solely for the purpose of calculating
the
registration fee pursuant to Rule
457(o).
|
The
Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates
as
may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file
a
further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement
shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the
Securities Act or until the registration statement shall become effective
on
such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said
Section 8(a), may determine.
EXPLANATORY
NOTE
This
registration statement contains a prospectus to be used in connection with
the
initial public offering of up to [______] shares of the registrant’s common
stock on a best-efforts, minimum/maximum basis through the underwriter named
on
the cover page of that prospectus (the “IPO Prospectus”). In addition, the
registrant is registering on this registration statement the resale of up
to
[______] shares of its common stock (the “Registrable Securities”) held by
selling shareholders. Consequently, this registration statement contains
a
second prospectus to cover these possible resales (the “Resale Prospectus”) by
certain of the registrant’s stockholders named under the Resale Prospectus (the
“selling shareholders”). The IPO Prospectus and the Resale Prospectus are
substantively identical, except for the following principal points:
|
|
they
contain different front and rear covers (including table of contents);
|
|
•
|
they
contain different Offering sections in the Prospectus Summary section
beginning on page 1
;
|
|
•
|
they
contain different Use of Proceeds sections on page 23
;
|
|
•
|
the
Dilution section is deleted from the Resale Prospectus on page
26
;
|
|
•
|
a
Selling Shareholders section is included in the Resale Prospectus
beginning on page 26
;
|
|
•
|
references
in the IPO Prospectus to the Resale Prospectus will be deleted from
the
Resale Prospectus; and
|
|
•
|
the
Underwriting section from the IPO Prospectus on page 55
is
deleted from the Resale Prospectus and a Plan of Distribution is
inserted
in its place.
|
The
registrant has included in this Registration Statement, after the financial
statements, alternate pages to reflect the foregoing differences.
The
information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not
sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell
these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in
any
state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT
TO COMPLETION, DATED __________ ___, 2007
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
Minimum
Offering:
[______]
Shares of Common Stock
Maximum
Offering:
[______]
Shares of Common Stock
This
is
the initial public offering of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., a Virginia
corporation. We are offering a minimum of [______] shares and a maximum of
[______] shares of our common stock. Our officers and directors may, but have
made no commitment, nor indicated they intend to, purchase shares in the
offering. Purchases by our officers and directors may be made in order to reach
the minimum offering amount. We have not placed a limit on the number of shares
our officers and directors may purchase in this offering.
We
expect
that the offering price will be $[______] per share. No public market currently
exists for our shares. We have applied for approval for quotation on the NASDAQ
Capital Market under the symbol “SINO” for the shares of common stock we are
offering. We believe that upon the completion of the offering contemplated
by
this prospectus, we will meet the standards for listing on the NASDAQ Capital
Market.
Investing
in our common stock involves significant risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on
page 6
of
this prospectus.
|
|
Per Share
|
|
Maximum Offering
|
|
Minimum Offering
|
|
Public
Offering Price
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
$
|
8,750,000
|
|
$
|
6,750,000
|
|
Underwriting
Commission
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
$
|
612,500
|
|
$
|
472,500
|
|
Proceeds
to us, before expenses
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
$
|
8,137,500
|
|
$
|
6,277,500
|
|
We
expect
total cash expenses for this offering to be approximately $[______]. The
underwriter must sell the minimum number of securities offered ([______] shares
of common stock) if any are sold. The underwriter is required to use only its
best efforts to sell the securities offered. The offering will terminate upon
the earlier of: (i) a date mutually acceptable to us and our underwriter
after which the minimum offering is sold or (ii) June 1, 2008. Until we
sell at least [______] shares, all investor funds will be held in an escrow
account at SunTrust Bank, Richmond, Virginia. If we do not sell at least
[______] shares by June 1, 2008, all funds will be promptly returned to
investors (within one business day) without interest or deduction.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission
has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or
accuracy of the prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
Anderson &
Strudwick,
Incorporated
Prospectus
dated _____, _____
Except
where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this prospectus only,
the terms:
•
“we,”
“us,” “our” and “our company” refer to Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd. and,
except where the context otherwise requires, Trans Pacific Shipping Limited
and
Sino-Global Shipping Agency Ltd.;
•
“shares”
and “common stock” refer to shares of our common stock, without par value per
share;
•
“China”
and “PRC” refer to the People’s Republic of China; and
•
all
references to “RMB,” “Renminbi” and “¥” are to the legal currency of China and
all references to “USD,” “U.S. dollars,” “dollars” and “$” are to the legal
currency of the United States.
This
prospectus contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollar amounts
at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise
stated, the translations of RMB into U.S. dollars have been made at the single
rate of exchange of $1.00 to RMB7.6155, the exchange rate at June 30, 2007.
We
make no representation that the RMB or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this
prospectus could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or RMB,
as
the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. On January 10, 2008, the
noon
buying rate was $1.00 to RMB7.2700. See “Risk Factors - Fluctuation of the
Renminbi could materially affect our financial condition and results of
operations” for discussions of the effects of fluctuating exchange rates on the
value of our shares. Any discrepancies in any table between the amounts
identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due
to
rounding.
For
the
sake of consistency throughout this prospectus, the Chinese names of individuals
will follow the Chinese language convention of last name followed by first
name.
All individuals named in this prospectus who have Chinese names consisting
of
three syllables have two-syllable first names.
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
This
summary highlights information that we present more fully in the rest of this
prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information you should
consider before buying shares in this offering. This summary contains
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as
statements about our plans, objectives, expectations, assumptions or future
events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by
terminology such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,”
“ongoing,” “expect,” “we believe,” “we intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,”
“could,” and similar expressions. These statements involve estimates,
assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
could
cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performances
or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You
should read the entire prospectus carefully, including the “Risk Factors”
section and the financial statements and the notes to those statements.
Our
Company
We
are
the parent company of Trans Pacific Shipping Limited (“Trans Pacific”), our
wholly-owned subsidiary in Beijing. Trans Pacific operates Sino-Global Shipping
Agency Ltd. (previously Sino-Global Shipping Consulting Ltd.), our Chinese
shipping agency (“Sino-China”), by contract. We are one of the largest providers
of shipping agency services in China. As a provider of shipping agent services,
we have offices in China located in Beijing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Tianjin,
Qinhuangdao and Fangchenggang and in the United States in Flushing, New York
to
coordinate our clients’ shipping needs, including preparing documents,
husbanding vessels, processing customs issues, coordinating matters with port
authorities, overseeing and settling cargo claims, tracking shipments, and
recommending trucking, warehousing and complementary services.
We
act as
a local agent and attend vessels directly in each of the ports in which we
have
branch offices. In addition to these ports, we have contracting offices at
all
other commercial ports in China as a professional general/protecting agency.
In
the ports in which we do not yet have an office, we appoint a local agent to
attend the vessels directly. See “Our Business - General”.
We
have
designed our services to simplify the shipping process for our clients and
to
keep our clients fully informed about the status of their shipments. To that
end, we analyze the information about prospective shipments provided by our
clients to determine the most economical and efficient transportation solutions
and then leverage our position as a shipping agency to negotiate competitive
shipping rates. We also give our clients disbursement reports to empower them
to
monitor and dispute all questionable charges. In addition to allowing clients
to
monitor disbursements, our Disbursement Department audits all bills provided
by
ports for unreasonable charges that violate the guidelines issued by China’s
Ministry of Communications.
We
provide shipping agency services to a variety of vessel sizes and types,
including Handysize, Panamax, Capesize, Roll-On/Roll-Off (“RORO”), and Very
Large Crude Carrier (“VLCC”) class vessels. We have assisted clients with a
variety of shipping requirements, including bulk and break-bulk general cargo,
vehicle transport and raw materials such as crude oil and oil products and
iron,
manganese and other metal ores.
Our
principal executive offices are located in the United States at 36-09 Main
Street, Suite 9 C-2, Flushing, New York 11354 and in China at 16
th
Floor,
Tower D, Ye Qing Plaza No. 9, Wangjing (North) Road, Chao Yang District,
Beijing, People’s Republic of China 100102. Our telephone number in the United
States is (718) 888-1814. Our website address is www.sino-global.com.
Information contained on our website or any other website is not a part of
this
prospectus.
Industry
Background
Since
China adopted its open door trade policy in 1978, inviting foreign investment
in
China, China’s economy has steadily developed, both from new investments in
China and from increased international trade. As international trade between
China and other countries has expanded, the shipping industry in China has
also
grown.
The
evolution of the shipping agency industry has followed that of the shipping
industry in general. In January 1953, the PRC founded the China Ocean Shipping
Agency (“Penavico”) as a branch of China Ocean Shipping Company (“COSCO”).
Penavico and its branches in ports served as China’s only shipping agent until
the open door policy opened the industry to other companies. China’s second
shipping agency, China Marine Shipping Agency Company Limited (“Sinoagent”) was
founded in 1985 and allowed customers a choice of shipping agents at a number
of
ports in China.
Since
1985, the PRC has taken a number of steps to open China’s shipping agency
industry to private companies. In 1990, the PRC adopted the International Ship
Agency Management and Stipulation (
国榻緇緊代理管理瘼定
),
which
allowed state-owned companies to compete in the shipping agency industry. In
2002, the PRC further relaxed the restrictions on shipping agencies by
promulgating the People’s Republic of China International Marine Transportation
Rule (
中华人民共和国国榻海瀰条例
),
which
permitted Chinese private entities and joint ventures between Chinese and
foreign entities to compete in the shipping agency industry. The Chinese and
American Marine Transportation Agreement (
中美海瀰协定
)
in 2003
and the New Round Chinese and European Union Marine Transportation Agreement
(
中国与欧盟海瀰协定
)
in 2002
allowed shipping transportation enterprises that were wholly owned by American
and European Union businesses, respectively, to provide shipping agency service
for their parent companies.
Companies
may serve as general shipping agents in certain locations and as local shipping
agents in other locations. As of June 30, 2006, we believe that approximately
1,400 shipping agencies (including 33 joint ventures) have been approved in
China. In 2006, China’s shipping agency industry saw revenues of approximately
$1.53 billion. Of this amount, Penavico and Sinoagent combined for approximately
85% of the shipping agency industry market share.
Our
Corporate Information
Sino-China
was founded in 2001 under the name “Sino-Global Shipping Consulting Ltd.” As
organized prior to this offering, Sino-China had five divisions, which
corresponded to the five ports in which Sino-China has branch offices: Ningbo,
Qingdao, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao and Fangchenggang. Sino-China currently holds
four
local licenses in China to serve as a local shipping agent in Ningbo, Qingdao,
Tianjin, and Fangchenggang. Sino-Global has applied for a local shipping agent
license in Qinhuangdao and expects to receive this license in the next few
months. Sino-China provides general shipping agency services in 76 ports in
China.
Our
company was incorporated in New York on February 2, 2001 to enable Sino-China
to
develop the American and Canadian markets for Sino-China and to provide better
and more convenient services to our American and Canadian customers. In
anticipation of this offering, we have re-organized our company.
On
September 14, 2007, we formed a stock corporation in the Commonwealth of
Virginia and, on September 18, 2007, we merged with and into our Virginia
corporation, Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd. On November 13, 2007, we
organized Trans Pacific as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in Beijing. Trans
Pacific is our wholly-owned subsidiary and operates Sino-China by contract.
Each
of
Mr. Cao Lei, our Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Zhang Mingwei, our Chief
Financial Officer, is a shareholder in our company and in Sino-China; however,
the companies do not have a parent-subsidiary relationship and ownership between
the companies is not identical. Furthermore, Trans Pacific and Sino-China do
not
have a parent-subsidiary relationship. Instead, a variety of contractual
relationships with 25 year renewable terms govern Trans Pacific and
Sino-China.
PRC
law
currently limits foreign ownership of companies that provide shipping agency
services. To comply with these foreign ownership restrictions, we operate our
business in China through Sino-China, a PRC limited liability company wholly
owned by Cao Lei, our Chief Executive Officer, and Zhang Mingwei, our Chief
Financial Officer, both of whom are PRC citizens. Sino-China holds the licenses
and approvals necessary to operate our shipping agency business in China. We
have contractual arrangements with Sino-China and its shareholders pursuant
to
which we provide management and technical consulting services to Sino-China
through Trans Pacific, our wholly-owned subsidiary in China. Through these
contractual arrangements, which enable us to control Sino-China, we are
considered the primary beneficiary of Sino-China. Accordingly, we consolidate
Sino-China’s results, assets and liabilities in our financial statements. For a
description of these contractual arrangements, see “Our Corporate Structure -
Contractual Arrangements with Sino-China and its Shareholders.”
The
following diagram illustrates our current corporate structure and the place
of
formation, ownership interest and affiliation of our subsidiary and Sino-China
as of the date of this prospectus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
offered:
|
|
Minimum
Offering: [______] shares(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maximum
Offering: [______] shares(1)
|
|
|
|
Shares
to be outstanding, if maximum offering is sold:
|
|
[______]
shares(2)
|
|
|
|
Shares
to be outstanding, if minimum offering is sold:
|
|
[______]
shares(2)
|
|
|
|
Proposed
NASDAQ Capital Market symbol:
|
|
“SINO”
|
|
|
|
Risk
factors:
|
|
Investing
in these securities involves a high degree of risk. As an investor,
you
should be able to bear a complete loss of your investment. You should
carefully consider the information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section
of this prospectus before deciding to invest in the
shares.
|
|
|
|
Gross
proceeds, if maximum offering is sold:
|
|
$8,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
$6,750,000
|
|
|
|
Closing
of offering:
|
|
The
offering contemplated by this prospectus will terminate upon the
earlier
of: (i) a date mutually acceptable to us and our underwriter after
which the minimum offering is sold or (ii) June 1,
2008.
|
(1)
|
We
are also concurrently registering for resale under a separate prospectus
up to [______] shares of our common stock held by the selling shareholders
named under the prospectus. None of the shares is being offered by
us and
we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares. In
addition,
none of the selling shareholders is an officer or director of our
company,
Sino-China or Trans Pacific.
|
(2)
|
Based
on 1,800,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of
January
10, 2008.
|
Underwriting
We
have
engaged Anderson & Strudwick, Incorporated to conduct this offering on a
“best efforts, minimum/maximum” basis. The underwriter has not made a firm
commitment in this offering and thus has no obligation or commitment to purchase
any of our shares. Although they have not formally committed to do so, our
affiliates may opt to purchase shares in connection with this offering. To
the
extent such individuals invest, they will purchase our shares with investment
intent and without the intent to resell. Any shares purchased by our affiliates
shall contribute to the calculation of whether we achieved our minimum offering.
We have not placed limits on the number of shares eligible to be purchased
by
our affiliates.
Summary
Financial Information
In
the
table below, we provide you with summary financial data for our company. This
information is derived from our consolidated financial statements included
elsewhere in this prospectus. Historical results are not necessarily indicative
of the results that may be expected for any future period. When you read this
historical selected financial data, it is important that you read it along
with
the historical financial statements and related notes and “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”
included elsewhere in this prospectus.
|
|
For the year ended June 30,
|
|
For the three months
ended September 30,
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
Total
Sales
|
|
$
|
10,090,879
|
|
$
|
8,924,786
|
|
$
|
3,987,945
|
|
Income
from Operations
|
|
|
1,260,918
|
|
|
616,111
|
|
|
364,781
|
|
Income
before Non-Controlling Interest in Income
(1)
|
|
|
1,144,752
|
|
|
556,481
|
|
|
202,503
|
|
Non-Controlling
Interest in Income
(1)
|
|
|
(1,042,367
|
)
|
|
(266,430
|
)
|
|
(117,846
|
)
|
Net
Income
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
Pro
Forma Basic Earnings per Share (before Non-Controlling Interest in
Income)
(1)
|
|
|
0.64
|
|
|
0.31
|
|
|
0.11
|
|
Basic
Earnings per Share
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
Diluted
Earnings per Share
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
Total
Assets
|
|
$
|
3,752,561
|
|
$
|
1,805,673
|
|
$
|
8,505,738
|
|
Total
Current Liabilities
|
|
|
1,788,748
|
|
|
1,257,348
|
|
|
6,317,017
|
|
Long-term
Liabilities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
Net
Assets
|
|
|
1,963,813
|
|
|
548,325
|
|
|
2,188,721
|
|
Capital
Stock
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
(1)
We
have
presented income before non-controlling interest in income, non-controlling
interest in income and pro forma basic earnings per share before non-controlling
interest in income to illustrate the effect of our income that is attributable
to Sino-China. We have only been able to include the net income of Sino-China
in
our net income since November 14, 2007, when we executed a number of control
agreements with Sino-China. (See “Our Corporate Structure — Contractual
Arrangements with Sino-China and its Shareholders.”) For this reason, we could
not include Sino-China’s income (“Non-Controlling Interest in Income”) in our
net income for the purposes of computing our earnings per share calculation
prior to November 14, 2007. If we were able to include the net income of
Sino-China, our basic earnings per share would have been equal to the pro forma
basic earnings per share (before non-controlling interest in
income).
Investment
in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider
the risks described below together with all of the other information included
in
this prospectus before making an investment decision. The risks and
uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face, but represent
the
material risks to our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs,
our business, financial condition or results of operations could suffer. In
that
case, you may lose all or part of your investment. You should not invest in
this
offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment.
Risks
Related to Our Business
We
operate in a very competitive industry and may not be able to maintain our
revenues and profitability.
Since
2003, China has qualified over 1,400 shipping agencies. Our potential
competitors include two major shipping agencies, which together account for
approximately 85% of China’s shipping agency revenues. These competitors have
significantly greater financial and marketing resources and name recognition
than we have.
In
2006,
total revenues for shipping agency services in China were approximately $1.53
billion. During our fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, we generated net revenues
of approximately $10.09 million. As such, while we believe that we effectively
compete in our market, our competitors occupy a substantial competitive
position. There can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively compete
in our industry.
In
addition, our competitors may introduce new business models, and if these new
business models are more attractive to customers than the business models we
currently use, our customers may switch to our competitors’ services, and we may
lose market share. We believe that competition in China’s shipping agency
industry may become more intense as more shipping agencies, including
Chinese/foreign joint ventures, are qualified to conduct business. We cannot
assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against any new or
existing competitors, or against any new business models our competitors may
implement. In addition, the increased competition we anticipate in the shipping
agent industry may also reduce the number of vessels for which we are able
to
provide shipping agency services, or cause us to reduce agency fees in order
to
attract or retain customers. All of these competitive factors could have a
material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. See “Our Business -
Our Challenges.”
The
PRC owns part of our two largest competitors.
We
are
one of the largest Chinese shipping agencies that is not owned in part by the
Chinese government. We believe that the fact that we are not state-owned
provides certain advantages to us, including making our company attractive
to
customers and investors who, for personal or political reasons, would prefer
not
to do business with state-owned businesses. Notwithstanding these advantages,
however, the Chinese government’s ownership of our two largest competitors also
disadvantages our company in a number of ways.
First,
the Chinese government prevents direct foreign investment in certain industries,
such as telecommunication services, online commerce and advertising. In fact,
when the PRC government founded Penavico, it closed the shipping agency industry
to a number of foreign shipping agents that had provided services in China
prior
to that time. Although the PRC has removed these restrictions in our industry
in
recent years, there can be no guarantee that the PRC will not re-nationalize
the
shipping agency industry in the future, especially since approximately 85%
of
the shipping agency industry in China is already owned, in part, by the Chinese
government. See “Risk Factors – The Chinese government could change its policies
toward private enterprise or even nationalize or expropriate private
enterprises, which could result in the total loss of our investment in that
country.”
Second,
because our two largest competitors, Penavico and Sinoagent, are state-owned,
they may have advantages over our company in dealing with local government
officials and leverage over local companies that we, as a wholly privately-owned
company, do not have. These relationships may limit our ability to compete
with
Penavico and Sinoagent.
Third,
due to their relationship with the Chinese government, our largest competitors
may have access to funding that is not available to us. This access may allow
them to grow their businesses at a rate we are not able to match. If we are
unable to expand at a comparable rate with these competitors, we may lose market
share or be unable to generate profits. See “Our Business -
Competition.”
Our
customers are companies engaged in the shipping industry, and, consequently,
our
financial performance is dependent upon the economic conditions of that
industry.
We
have
derived most of our revenues to date from providing shipping agency services
to
Chinese and international shipping companies that seek to ship materials to
and
from China. Our customers’ success is intrinsically linked to economic
conditions in the shipping industry in general and trade with China in
particular. The shipping industry, in turn, is subject to intense competitive
pressures and is affected by overall economic conditions. Although we believe
our services can assist shipping companies in a competitive environment, demand
for our services could be harmed by instability or downturns in the shipping
industry, which may cause customers to forego shipping agency services by
attempting to provide such services in-house. There can be no assurance that
we
will be able to continue our historical revenue growth or sustain our
profitability on a quarterly or annual basis or that our results of operations
will not be adversely affected by continuing or future downturns in the shipping
industry. See “Our Business – Market Background.”
Our
revenues are highly dependent on China’s use of iron ore in general and on a few
customers involved in that industry in particular.
While
we
provide shipping agency services to vessels in a variety of industries, iron
ore
shipments have made up the majority of cargo in vessels that have used our
services. Between 2002 and 2005, iron ore has accounted for approximately 82.7%
of our shipments by weight and has ranged from slightly less than 4,000,000
metric tons to more than 8,000,000 metric tons shipped per year in the same
time
period. China is currently the world’s largest importer of iron ore, and global
shipping capacity has been unable to keep pace with China’s demand for iron ore,
resulting in increases in the cost of iron ore to China of 71.5% in 2005, 19%
in
2006, and 9.5% in 2007. China currently imports approximately 43% of the world’s
iron ore and relies on three companies for approximately 75% of its iron ore.
On
July 18, 2007, China’s key industry association, the China Iron and Steel
Association (“CISA”), accused these three mining companies of “working together”
to effect a shortage. If the Chinese government were to take steps to combat
perceived inequities in the iron ore industry, our operations could be adversely
affected.
In
addition, we derive a substantial portion of our revenues related to iron ore
shipments from two customers, (i) Beijing Shou Rong Forwarding Service Co.,
Ltd, which is an affiliate of Shou Gang Group (Capital Steel) and
(ii) Jardine Shipping Agencies (Hong Kong) Ltd, a member of Jardine
Shipping Services. Jardine Shipping Agencies (Hong Kong) Ltd serves as the
shipping representative of BHP Billiton Iron Ore Pty Ltd, an Australian company
that is one of the largest iron ore providers in the world.
We
provide services to Beijing Shou Rong under an exclusive agency agreement that
is terminable on three months’ notice and that expires on December 31, 2009. We
first began to provide shipping agency services under this agreement in 2001,
and we have renewed the contract annually since then. Beijing Shou Rong
accounted for approximately 52% and 32.5% of our revenues in 2007 and 2006,
respectively, and any termination of the agency services agreement with Beijing
Shou Rong would materially harm our operations.
We
provide services to Jardine Shipping Agencies under an oral agreement that
is
freely terminable. We first began to provide shipping agency services to Jardine
Shipping Agencies in 2006. We currently provide services to Jardine Shipping
Agencies in the port of Tianjin. Jardine Shipping Agencies accounted for
approximately 10.7% of our revenues in 2007, and any termination of our agency
services to Jardine Shipping Agencies would materially harm our operations.
See
“Our Business - Customers.”
We
may be unable to maintain current shipping agency fees in the future.
We
have
long enjoyed the benefits of shipping agency fees in China that are higher
than
the average in the international market. In order to ensure quality service
for
shipping companies, China’s Ministry of Communications has established standard
shipping agency fees that are favorable to shipping agencies. If the Ministry
of
Communications reduced or abolished the standard fees, our revenues and profits
could be materially and adversely affected as shipping agencies began to compete
on the basis of price. While it is customary for shipping agents to negotiate
below the standard shipping agency fees, the removal of these standards could
further lower the fees that shipping agencies are able to charge for
services. In light of China’s moves in furtherance of its open door
policy, there can be no assurance that shipping agency fees will maintain their
current levels, especially as shipping agencies and China have already begun
to
offer lower prices than China’s Ministry of Communications permits. See
“Our Business - General.”
We
may be required to assume liabilities for our clients in the
future.
An
increasing number of companies that require shipping agency services have
pressured shipping agents to guarantee their principals’ liabilities. Some
companies have required shipping agents, as a condition of doing business,
to
pay directly for tariffs, port charges, and other fees, to be reimbursed at
a
later date by the companies. Other companies have sought to include agents
as
parties in voyage charter agreements, leading to potential liability for
shipping agents in the event of a breach by another party. We expect that these
pressures on shipping agents to accept more liability will increase as
competition among shipping agencies intensifies. While we do not currently
pay
these liabilities and have no present intention to begin doing so in the future,
the assumption of any of these or other new liabilities could have a material
adverse effect on our operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Account
Receivable.”
We
are heavily dependent upon the services of experienced personnel who possess
skills that are valuable in our industry, and we may have to actively compete
for their services.
Our
company is much smaller than Penavico and Sinoagent, our two main competitors,
and we compete in large part on the basis of the quality of services we are
able
to provide our clients. As a result, we are heavily dependent upon our ability
to attract, retain and motivate skilled personnel to serve our clients. Many
of
our personnel possess skills that would be valuable to all companies engaged
in
the shipping agency industry. Consequently, we expect that we will have to
actively compete with other Chinese shipping agencies for these employees.
Some
of our competitors may be able to pay our employees more than we are able to
pay
to retain them. Our ability to profitably operate is substantially dependent
upon our ability to locate, hire, train and retain our personnel. Although
we
have not experienced difficulty locating, hiring, training or retaining our
employees to date, there can be no assurance that we will be able to retain
our
current personnel, or that we will be able to attract, assimilate other
personnel in the future. If we are unable to effectively obtain and maintain
skilled personnel, the quality of our software products and the effectiveness
of
installation and training could be materially impaired. See “Our Business -
Employees.”
We
are substantially dependent upon our key personnel, particularly Cao Lei, our
Chief Executive Officer.
Our
performance is substantially dependent on the performance of our executive
officers and key employees. In particular, the services of:
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•
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Mr. Cao
Lei, Chief Executive Officer;
|
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•
|
Mr.
Zhang Mingwei, Chief Financial
Officer;
|
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•
|
Mr. Huang
Zhi Kang, Vice President; and
|
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•
|
Ms.
Liu Si Xia, Chief Operating
Officer.
|
would
be
difficult to replace. We do not have in place “key person” life insurance
policies on any of our employees. The loss of the services of any of our
executive officers or other key employees could substantially impair our ability
to successfully implement our existing supply chain management software and
develop new programs and enhancements. See “Our Business - Employees” and
“Management.”
We
may not pay dividends.
We
have
not previously paid any cash dividends, and we do not anticipate paying any
dividends on our common stock. We cannot assure you that our operations will
continue to result in sufficient revenues to enable us to operate at profitable
levels or to generate positive cash flows. Furthermore, there is no assurance
our Board of Directors will declare dividends even if we are profitable.
Dividend policy is subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors and
will
depend on, among other things, our earnings, financial condition, capital
requirements and other factors. If we determine to pay dividends on any of
our
common stock in the future, we will be dependent, in large part, on receipt
of
funds from Trans Pacific and Sino-China. See “Dividend Policy.”
Foreign
Operational Risks
A
slowdown in the Chinese economy may slow down our growth and profitability.
The
Chinese economy has grown at an approximately 9 percent rate for more than
25
years, making it the fastest growing major economy in recorded history. In
2006,
China’s economy grew by 10.7%, the fastest pace in 11 years. China’s trade
surplus increased by 74% in 2006, reaching $177.5 billion. China has stated
that
it will take steps, such as lowering tariffs on certain imports and raising
taxes on certain exports, to slow the growth of its trade surplus. Such actions,
if taken, could increase imports into China. Retail sales in China increased
by
13.7% in 2006, with urban retail sales growing by 14.3% and rural retail sales
rising by 12.6%.
We
cannot
assure you that growth of the Chinese economy will be steady or that any
slowdown will not have a negative effect on our business. Several years ago,
the
Chinese economy experienced deflation, which may recur in the foreseeable
future. More recently, the Chinese government announced its intention to use
macroeconomic tools and regulations to slow the rate of growth of the Chinese
economy, the results of which are difficult to predict. Adverse changes in
the
Chinese economy will likely impact the financial performance of the retailing,
distribution, logistics, manufacturing and shipping industries in China. If
such
adverse changes were to occur in these industries, commercial shipping could
decrease, which could, in turn, reduce the demand for our shipping agency
services. See “Our Business - Market Background.”
We
do not have business interruption, litigation or natural disaster insurance.
The
insurance industry in China is still at an early state of development. In
particular PRC insurance companies offer limited business products. As a result,
we do not have any business liability or disruption insurance coverage for
our
operations in China. Any business interruption, litigation or natural disaster
may result in our business incurring substantial costs and the diversion of
resources. See “Our Business - Our Challenges.”
Negative
perceptions about the quality of Chinese goods could reduce demand for Chinese
exports and our shipping agency services.
Recent
news of concerns about imported products from China, including such items as
pet
food, toys, toothpaste and cell phone batteries, may have harmed public
perception of the general quality of goods produced by Chinese manufacturers.
Whether or not concerns about the quality of Chinese products are justified,
continued perception of problems with Chinese products could cause importers
and
consumers to seek similar products from other countries and could harm China’s
shipping industry. A weakened shipping industry would in turn also harm China’s
shipping agency industry and negatively impact our company. See “Our Business -
China’s Economic Development.”
Any
recurrence of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, pandemic avian
influenza or another widespread public health problem, could adversely affect
the Chinese economy as a whole, the shipping industry in general and our ability
to profitably provide shipping industry services.
A
renewed
outbreak of SARS, pandemic avian influenza or another widespread public health
problem in China, where we earn most of our revenues, could have a negative
effect on our operations. Our operations may be affected by a number of
health-related factors, including the following:
•
q
uarantines
or closures of some or our offices or the ports at which we provide services,
which would severely disrupt our operations;
•
the
sickness or death of our key officers and employees; and
•
a
general
slowdown in the Chinese economy.
The
possible quarantine of our offices or the ports at which we provide services
or
the sickness or death of our key officers and employees would restrict our
ability to provide shipping agency services. Any of the foregoing events or
other unforeseen consequences of public health problems could adversely affect
our markets or our ability to operate profitably.
Trans
Pacific’s contractual arrangements with Sino-China may result in adverse tax
consequences to us.
We
could
face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine
that Trans Pacific’s contractual arrangements with Sino-China were not made on
an arm’s length basis and adjust our income and expenses for PRC tax purposes in
the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could
result in a reduction, for PRC tax purposes, of adjustments recorded by
Sino-China, which could adversely affect us by increasing Sino-China’s tax
liability without reducing Trans Pacific’s tax liability, which could further
result in late payment fees and other penalties to Sino-China for underpaid
taxes. See “Our Corporate Structure - Contractual Arrangements with Sino-China
and its Shareholders.”
Trans
Pacific’s contractual arrangements with Sino-China may not be as effective in
providing control over Sino-China as direct ownership of Sino-China.
We
conduct substantially all of our operations, and generate substantially all
of
our revenues, through contractual arrangements with Sino-China that provide
us,
through our ownership of Trans Pacific, with effective control over Sino-China.
We depend on Sino-China to hold and maintain contracts for shipping agency
services with our customers. Sino-China also owns substantially all of our
intellectual property, facilities and other assets relating to the operation
of
our business, and employs the personnel for substantially all of our business.
Neither our company nor Trans Pacific has any ownership interest in Sino-China.
Although we have been advised by Kang Da, our PRC legal counsel, that each
contract under Trans Pacific’s contractual arrangements with Sino-China is
valid, binding and enforceable under current PRC laws and regulations, these
contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with control
over Sino-China as direct ownership of Sino-China. In addition, Sino-China
may
breach the contractual arrangements. For example, Sino-China may decide not
to
pay consulting or marketing fees to Trans Pacific, and consequently to our
company, in accordance with the existing contractual arrangements. In event
of
any such breach, we would have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law. These
remedies may not always be effective, particularly in light of uncertainties
in
the PRC legal system. See “Our Corporate Structure - Contractual Arrangements
with Sino-China and its Shareholders.”
Uncertainties
with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.
There
are
substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC
laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations
governing our business, or the enforcement and performance of our contractual
arrangements with Sino-China and its shareholders.
We
conduct our business primarily through Trans Pacific and Sino-China. These
entities are generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign
investment in China and, in particular, laws applicable to wholly foreign-owned
enterprises. We and Trans Pacific are considered foreign persons or foreign
invested enterprises under PRC law. As a result, we and Trans
Pacific
are
subject to PRC law limitations on foreign ownership of Chinese companies. These
laws and regulations are relatively new and may be subject to change, and their
official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty.
The
effectiveness of newly enacted laws, regulations or amendments may be delayed,
resulting in detrimental reliance by foreign investors. New laws and regulations
that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied
retroactively.
In
addition, we depend on Sino-China to honor its agreements with Trans Pacific.
Almost all of these agreements are governed by PRC law. The PRC legal system
is
based on written statutes. Prior court decisions may be cited for reference
but
have limited precedential value. Since 1979, PRC legislation and regulations
have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign
investments in China. However, since the PRC legal system continues to rapidly
evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always
uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involve
uncertainties, which may limit legal protections available to us. In addition,
any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and
diversion of resources and management attention.
The
PRC
government has broad discretion in dealing with violations of laws and
regulations, including levying fines, revoking business and other licenses
and
requiring actions necessary for compliance. In particular, licenses and permits
issued or granted to us by relevant governmental bodies may be revoked at a
later time by higher regulatory bodies. We cannot predict the effect of the
interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations on our businesses.
We
cannot assure you that our current ownership and operating structure would
not
be found in violation of any current or future PRC laws or regulations. As
a
result, we may be subject to sanctions, including fines, and could be required
to restructure our operations or cease to provide certain services. Any of
these
or similar actions could significantly disrupt our business operations or
restrict us from conducting a substantial portion of our business operations,
which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations. See “Our Business - Market
Background.”
The
shareholders of Sino-China have potential conflicts of interest with us, which
may adversely affect our business.
Neither
we nor Trans Pacific owns any portion of the equity interests of Sino-China.
Instead, we and Trans Pacific rely on contractual obligations to enforce our
interest in receiving payments from Sino-China. Conflicts of interest may arise
between Sino-China’s shareholders and our company if, for example, their
interests in receiving dividends from Sino-China were to conflict with our
interest requiring Sino-China to make contractually-obligated payments to Trans
Pacific. As a result, we have required Sino-China and each of its shareholders
to execute irrevocable powers of attorney to appoint the individual designated
by us to be his attorney-in-fact to vote on their behalf on all matters
requiring shareholder approval by Sino-China and to require Sino-China’s
compliance with the terms of its contractual obligations. We cannot assure
you,
however, that when conflicts of interest arise, Sino-China’s shareholders will
act completely in our interests or that conflicts of interests will be resolved
in our favor. In addition, Sino-China’s shareholders could violate their
agreements with us by diverting business opportunities from us to others. If
we
cannot resolve any conflicts of interest between us and Sino-China’s
shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result
in
the disruption of our business. In addition, these contractual relationships
are
governed by PRC law, which may result in uncertainty as to application and
enforcement. “Our Corporate Structure.”
We
rely on dividends paid by our subsidiary for our cash needs.
Although
our company generates limited revenues from operations in the United States,
we
rely primarily on dividends paid by Trans Pacific, for our cash needs, including
the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions, if any,
to
our shareholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating
expenses. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject
to
limitations. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only
out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards
and regulations in China.
Under
the
current PRC tax law, dividend payments to foreign investors made by foreign
investment entities are exempt from PRC withholding tax. Pursuant to the new
PRC
enterprise income tax law to be effective on January 1, 2008, however, dividends
payable by a foreign investment entity to its foreign investors will be subject
to a withholding tax of up to 20%. Although the new tax law contemplates the
possibility of exemptions from withholding taxes for China-sourced income of
foreign investment entities, the PRC tax authorities have not promulgated any
related implementation rules and it remains unclear whether we would be able
to
obtain exemptions from PRC withholding taxes for dividends distributed to us
by
Trans Pacific. See “Our Corporate Structure - Contractual Arrangements with
Sino-China and its Shareholders.”
Governmental
control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.
The
PRC
government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign
currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China.
We
receive the majority of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate
structure, our income is derived from dividend payments from Trans Pacific
and
income from our activities in the United States. Shortages in the availability
of foreign currency may restrict the ability of Trans Pacific to remit
sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or
otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. Under existing
PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including
profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related
transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from
the
PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange by complying with certain
procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate government
authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency
and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of
bank
loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its
discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current
account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from
obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may
not be able to pay dividends, if any, in foreign currencies to our shareholders.
See “Our Business - Regulations on Foreign Exchange.”
Fluctuation
in the value of the Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on your
investment.
The
value
of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate
and
is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic
conditions. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old
policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Under the new
policy, the Renminbi is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed
band
against a basket of certain foreign currencies. This change in policy has
resulted in an appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. While
the
international reaction to the Renminbi revaluation has generally been positive,
there remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt
an even more flexible currency policy, which could result in a further and
more
significant appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. We rely
largely on payments from Trans Pacific and Sino-China. While we charge our
fees
in U.S. dollars, Sino-China and Trans Pacific nevertheless operate within China
and will rely heavily on Renminbi in their operations. Any significant
revaluation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our cash flows,
revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends
payable on, our common stock in U.S. dollars. For example, an appreciation
of
Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would make any new Renminbi denominated
investments or expenditures more costly to us, to the extent that we need to
convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for such purposes. An appreciation of
Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would also result in foreign currency
translation losses for financial reporting purposes when we translate our U.S.
dollar denominated financial assets into Renminbi, as the Renminbi is our
reporting currency. See “Exchange Rate Information.”
Changes
in China’s political and economic policies could harm our business.
China’s
economy has historically been a planned economy subject to governmental plans
and quotas and has, in certain aspects, been transitioning to a more
market-oriented economy. Although we believe that the economic reform and the
macroeconomic measures adopted by the Chinese government have had a positive
effect on the economic development of China, we cannot predict the future
direction of these economic reforms or the effects these measures may have
on
our business, financial position or results of operations. In addition, the
Chinese economy differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. These
differences include:
|
•
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level
of government involvement in the economy;
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•
|
level
of capital reinvestment;
|
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•
|
control
of foreign exchange;
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•
|
methods
of allocating resources; and
|
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•
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balance
of payments position.
|
As
a
result of these differences, our business may not develop in the same way or
at
the same rate as might be expected if the Chinese economy were similar to those
of the OECD member countries. See “Our Business - Market Background.”
Since
1979, the Chinese government has promulgated many new laws and regulations
covering general economic matters. Despite this activity to develop a legal
system, China’s system of laws is not yet complete. Even where adequate law
exists in China, enforcement of existing laws or contracts based on existing
law
may be uncertain or sporadic, and it may be difficult to obtain swift and
equitable enforcement or to obtain enforcement of a judgment by a court of
another jurisdiction. The relative inexperience of China’s judiciary, in many
cases, creates additional uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation.
In
addition, interpretation of statutes and regulations may be subject to
government policies reflecting domestic political changes. Our activities in
China will also be subject to administration review and approval by various
national and local agencies of China’s government. Because of the changes
occurring in China’s legal and regulatory structure, we may not be able to
secure the requisite governmental approval for our activities. Although we
have
obtained all required governmental approval to operate our business as currently
conducted, to the extent we are unable to obtain or maintain required
governmental approvals, the Chinese government may, in its sole discretion,
prohibit us from conducting our business. See “Our Business - Market
Background.”
The
Chinese government could change its policies toward private enterprise or even
nationalize or expropriate private enterprises, which could result in the total
loss of our investment in that country.
Our
business is subject to significant political and economic uncertainties and
may
be adversely affected by political, economic and social developments in China.
Over the past several years, the Chinese government has pursued economic reform
policies including the encouragement of private economic activity and greater
economic decentralization. The Chinese government may not continue to pursue
these policies or may significantly alter them to our detriment from time to
time with little, if any, prior notice.
Changes
in policies, laws and regulations or in their interpretation or the imposition
of confiscatory taxation, restrictions on currency conversion, restrictions
or
prohibitions on dividend payments to stockholders, devaluations of currency
or
the nationalization or other expropriation of private enterprises could have
a
material adverse effect on our business. Nationalization or expropriation could
even result in the total loss of our investment in China and in the total loss
of your investment in us. See “Our Business - Market Background.”
As
most of our officers, directors and assets are outside the United States, it
will be extremely difficult to acquire jurisdiction and enforce liabilities
against us and our officers, directors and assets based in China.
Most
of
our directors and officers reside outside the United States. In addition, many
of our assets will be located outside the United States. As a result, it may
be
difficult or impossible to effect service of process within the United States
upon our directors or officers and our subsidiaries, or enforce against any
of
them court judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments
relating to United States federal securities laws. Furthermore, because the
majority of our assets are located in China, it would also be extremely
difficult to access those assets to satisfy an award entered against us in
United States court. See “Management - Executive Officers and Directors.”
Our
international operations require us to comply with a number of U.S.
regulations.
In
addition the Chinese laws and regulations with which we must comply, we must
also comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), which prohibits
U.S. companies or their agents and employees from providing anything of value
to
a foreign official for the purposes of influencing any act or decision of these
individuals in their official capacity to help obtain or retain business, direct
business to any person or corporate entity or obtain any unfair advantage.
Any
failure by us to adopt appropriate compliance procedures and ensure that our
employees and agents comply with the FCPA and applicable laws and regulations
in
foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial penalties and/or restrictions
in our ability to conduct business in certain foreign jurisdictions. The U.S.
Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”)
administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign
countries, entities and individuals based on U.S. foreign policy and national
security goals. As a result, we are restricted from entering into transactions
with certain targeted foreign countries, entities, and individuals except as
permitted by OFAC, which may reduce our future growth.
See “Our
Business - Market Background.”
Risks
Associated with this Offering
There
may not be an active, liquid trading market for our common stock.
Prior
to
this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. An active
trading market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained following
this offering. You may not be able to sell your shares at the market price,
if
at all, if trading in our stock is not active. The initial public offering
price
was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriter based upon a
number of factors. The initial public offering price may not be indicative
of
prices that will prevail in the trading market.
Investors
risk loss of use of funds subscribed, with no right of return, during the
offering period.
We
cannot
assure you that all or any shares will be sold. Anderson & Strudwick,
Incorporated, our underwriter, is offering our shares on a “best efforts,
minimum-maximum basis.” We have no firm commitment from anyone, including our
affiliates, to purchase all or any of the shares offered. If subscriptions
for a
minimum of [______] shares are not received on or before June 1, 2008, escrow
provisions require that all funds received be promptly refunded. If refunded,
investors will receive no interest on their funds. During the offering period,
investors will not have any use or right to return of the funds. Our executive
officers and directors may, but have made no commitment, nor indicated they
intend to, purchase shares in the offering. We have not placed a limit on the
number of shares such executive officers or directors may purchase in this
offering. Any purchases by such individuals will be made for investment purposes
only and not for resale, but may be made in order to reach the minimum offering
amount.
The
market price for our common stock may be volatile, which could result in
substantial losses to investors.
The
market price for our common stock is likely to be volatile and subject to wide
fluctuations in response to factors including the following:
•
actual
or
anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;
•
changes
in the Chinese shipping industry or shipping agency industry;
•
changes
in the Chinese economy;
•
changes
in political relationships, both within China and between China and other
countries;
•
announcements
by our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint
ventures or capital commitments;
•
additions
or departures of key personnel;
•
fluctuation
of the Renminbi against the U.S. Dollar and other currencies; or
•
potential
litigation.
In
addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant
price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance
of particular companies. As a result, to the extent shareholders sell our shares
in negative market fluctuation, they may not receive a price per share that
is
based solely upon our business performance. We cannot guarantee that
shareholders will not lose some of their entire investment in our common stock.
If
our financial condition deteriorates, we could be delisted by the NASDAQ Capital
Market and our shareholders could find it difficult to sell our shares.
Upon
completion of this offering, we expect our common stock to trade on the NASDAQ
Capital Market. In order to qualify for listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market
upon the completion of this offering, we must meet the following criteria:
•
(i) We
must have been in operation for at least two years, must have shareholder equity
of at least $5,000,000 and must have a market value for our publicly held
securities of at least $15,000,000; OR (ii) we must have shareholder equity
of at least $4,000,000, must have a market value for our publicly held
securities of at least $15,000,000 and must have a market value of our listed
securities of at least $50,000,000; OR (iii) we must have net income from
continuing operations in our last fiscal year (or two of the last three fiscal
years) of at least $750,000, must have shareholder equity of at least $4,000,000
and must have a market value for our publicly held securities of at least
$5,000,000; and
•
The market value of our shares held by non-affiliates must be at least
$1,000,000;
•
The
market value of our shares must be at least $5,000,000;
•
The
minimum bid price for our shares must be at least $4.00 per share;
•
We
must
have at least 300 round-lot shareholders;
•
We
must
have at least 3 market makers; and
•
We
must
have adopted NASDAQ-mandated corporate governance measures, including a Board
of
Directors comprised of a majority of independent directors, an Audit Committee
comprised solely of independent directors and the adoption of a code of ethics
among other items.
The
NASDAQ Capital Market also requires companies to fulfill specific requirements
in order for their shares to continue to be listed. In order to qualify for
continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market, we must meet the following
criteria:
•
(i) Our
stockholders’ equity must be at least $2,500,000; OR (ii) the market value
of our listed securities must be at least $35,000,000; OR (iii) our net
income from continuing operations in our last fiscal year (or two of the last
three fiscal years) must have been at least $500,000;
•
The
market value of our shares held by non-affiliates must be at least $500,000;
•
The
market value of our shares must be at least $1,000,000;
•
The
minimum bid price for our shares must be at least $1.00 per share;
•
We
must
have at least 300 shareholders;
•
We
must
have at least 2 market makers; and
•
We
must
have adopted NASDAQ-mandated corporate governance measures, including a Board
of
Directors comprised of a majority of independent directors, an Audit Committee
comprised solely of independent directors and the adoption of a code of ethics
among other items.
Although
we believe that our common stock will trade on the NASDAQ Capital Market,
investors should be aware that they will be required to commit their investment
funds prior to the approval or disapproval of our listing application by the
NASDAQ Capital Market. If our shares are not so listed or are delisted from
the
NASDAQ Capital Market at some later date, our shareholders could find it
difficult to sell our shares.
In
addition, we have relied on an exemption to the blue sky registration
requirements afforded to “covered securities”. Securities listed on the NASDAQ
Capital Market are “covered securities.” If we were to be unable to meet the
listing standards, then we would need to register the offering in each state
in
which we plan to sell shares, and there is no guarantee that we would be able
to
register in all or any of the states in which we plan to offer the shares.
In
addition, if our common stock is delisted from the NASDAQ Capital Market at
some
later date, we may apply to have our common stock quoted on the Bulletin Board
maintained by NASDAQ or in the “pink sheets” maintained by the National
Quotation Bureau, Inc. The Bulletin Board and the “pink sheets” are generally
considered to be less efficient markets than the NASDAQ Capital Market. In
addition, if our common stock is not so listed or is delisted at some later
date, our common stock may be subject to the “penny stock” regulations. These
rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that
sell
low-priced securities to persons other than established customers and
institutional accredited investors and require the delivery of a disclosure
schedule explaining the nature and risks of the penny stock market. As a result,
the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to sell or make a market in our
common stock might decline. If our common stock is not so listed or is delisted
from the NASDAQ Capital Market at some later date or were to become subject
to
the penny stock regulations, it is likely that the price of our shares would
decline and that our shareholders would find it difficult to sell their shares.
We
will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.
As
a
public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses
that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act,
as well as new rules subsequently implemented by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) and NASDAQ, have required changes in corporate governance
practices of public companies. We expect these new rules and regulations to
significantly increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs
and
to make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. In
addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company
reporting requirements.
Our
classified board structure may prevent a change in our control.
Our
board
of directors is divided into three classes of directors. The current terms
of
the directors expire in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Directors of each class are chosen
for three-year terms upon the expiration of their current terms, and each year
one class of directors is elected by the shareholders. The staggered terms
of
our directors may reduce the possibility of a tender offer or an attempt at
a
change in control, even though a tender offer or change in control might be
in
the best interest of our shareholders. See “Management - Board of Directors and
Board Committees.”
Shares
eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market price of our common
stock, as the future sale of a substantial amount of outstanding stock in the
public marketplace could reduce the price of our common stock.
The
market price of our shares could decline as a result of sales of substantial
amounts of our shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales
could occur. In addition, these factors could make it more difficult for us
to
raise funds through future offerings of common stock. An aggregate of 1,800,000
shares will be outstanding before the consummation of this offering and [______]
shares will be outstanding immediately after this offering, if the maximum
offering is raised. All of the shares sold by our company in the offering will
be freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the
Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by our “affiliates,” as defined
in Rule 144 of the Securities Act. The remaining shares will be “restricted
securities” as defined in Rule 144. These shares may be sold in the future
without registration under the Securities Act to the extent permitted by Rule
144 or other exemptions under the Securities Act. In addition, we have agreed
to
register the resale of a total of [______] shares of our common stock held
by
certain selling shareholders in connection with the offering. Upon registration,
such shares will be freely transferable and will not be subject to any form
of
lock-up. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”
You
will experience immediate and substantial dilution.
The
initial public offering price of our shares is expected to be substantially
higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock.
Therefore, assuming the completion of the maximum offering, if you purchase
shares in this offering, you will incur immediate dilution of approximately
$[______] or approximately [______]% in the pro forma net tangible book value
per share from the price per share that you pay for the common stock. Assuming
the completion of the minimum offering, if you purchase shares in this offering,
you will incur immediate dilution of approximately $[______]or approximately
[______]% in the pro forma net tangible book value per share from the price
per
share that you pay for the shares. Accordingly, if you purchase shares in this
offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution of your investment.
See “Dilution.”
Our
directors and officers will control a majority of our capital stock, decreasing
your influence on shareholder decisions.
Assuming
the sale of the maximum offering, our officers and directors will, in the
aggregate, beneficially own approximately [______]% of our outstanding shares.
Assuming the sale of the minimum offering, our officers and directors will,
in
the aggregate, beneficially own approximately [______]% of our outstanding
common stock. As a result, our officers and directors will possess substantial
ability to impact our management and affairs and the outcome of matters
submitted to shareholders for approval. These shareholders, acting individually
or as a group, could exert control and substantial influence over matters such
as electing directors and approving mergers or other business combination
transactions. This concentration of ownership and voting power may also
discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could
deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares
as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our common stock.
These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders,
including those who purchase shares in this offering. See “Principal
Shareholders.”
We
will have an ongoing relationship with our underwriter that may impact our
ability to obtain additional capital.
In
connection with this offering, we will sell our underwriter warrants to purchase
up to [______] shares (assuming the maximum offering) for a nominal amount.
These warrants are exercisable for a period of five years from the date of
issuance at a price of $[______] per share (120% of the price of the shares
in
this offering). During the term of the warrants, the holders thereof will be
given the opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of our common
stock, with a resulting dilution in the interest of our other shareholders.
The
term on which we could obtain additional capital during the life of these
warrants may be adversely affected because the holders of these warrants might
be expected to exercise them when we are able to obtain any needed additional
capital in a new offering of securities at a price greater than the exercise
price of the warrants. See “Underwriting.”
We
will have an ongoing relationship with our underwriter that may impact our
shareholders’ ability to impact decisions related to our
operations.
In
connection with this offering, we have agreed to allow our underwriter to
designate two non-voting observers to our Board of Directors until the earlier
of the date that:
•
the
investors that purchase shares in this offering beneficially own less than
10%
of our outstanding shares; or
•
the
trading price per share is at least $[______] per share for any consecutive
15
trading day period.
Although
our underwriter’s observers will not be able to vote, they may nevertheless
significantly influence the outcome of matters submitted to the Board of
Directors for approval. We have agreed to reimburse the observers for their
expenses for attending our Board meetings, subject to a maximum reimbursement
of
$6,000 per meeting and $12,000 annually per observer. As of the date of this
prospectus, Mr. L. McCarthy Downs, III and Mr. Zhu Ming are
serving as our underwriter’s observers to our Board of Directors. See
“Management - Board of Directors Observers.”
We
have received guidance from our underwriter’s counsel regarding the laws of the
United States, including securities laws and Virginia laws, and material
conflicts of interest may result from such an arrangement.
In
connection with this offering, Kang Da Law Offices will pass on certain legal
matters relating to Chinese law. Kaufman & Canoles, our underwriter’s
counsel, will pass on all legal matters relating to United States law, including
United States securities law and Virginia state law. As a result of this payment
structure, material conflicts of interest may exist between our company, our
underwriter and Kaufman & Canoles. For example, an arguable position
could be taken that Kaufman & Canoles’ analysis of United States
securities laws or Virginia state laws may favor a position to be taken by
our
underwriter. If this were true, our company may not be adequately represented
in
connection with the negotiation and drafting of the registration statement
of
which this prospectus is part. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, as far
as
United States securities laws are concerned, an issuer and an underwriter in
a
public offering both possess potential liability for errors in a registration
statement. Consequently, it is in each party’s best interest to fully disclose
all material matters relating to the issuer. Noting these mutual risks, we
believe that we have worked together with our underwriter to satisfy all aspects
of United States law, and any particular risks related to conflicts of interest
and impartiality, while potentially material, are significantly reduced. We
believe that we have negotiated with our underwriter to accurately and
effectively describe all aspects of our business, its risks and its
opportunities. See “Legal Matters.”
We
have
made statements in this prospectus, including under “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk
Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations,” “Our Business” and elsewhere that constitute
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties, such as statements about our plans, objectives, expectations,
assumptions or future events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking
statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,”
“continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “we believe,” “we intend,” “may,” “will,”
“should,” “could” and similar expressions. These statements involve estimates,
assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
could
cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performances
or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Examples
of forward-looking statements include:
|
·
|
projections
of revenue, earnings, capital structure and other financial items;
|
|
·
|
statements
of our plans and objectives;
|
|
·
|
statements
regarding the capabilities and capacities of our business operations;
|
|
·
|
statements
of expected future economic performance; and
|
|
·
|
assumptions
underlying statements regarding us or our business.
|
The
ultimate correctness of these forward-looking statements depends upon a number
of known and unknown risks and events. We discuss many of these risks under
the
heading “Risk Factors” above. Many factors could cause our actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking
statements. Consequently, you should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements.
The
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made,
and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date
on
which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events.
In
addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the
extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results
to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
OUR
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
Corporate
History
Sino-China
was founded in 2001 under the name “Sino-Global Shipping Consulting Ltd.” and
subsequently changed its name to “Sino-Global Shipping Agency, Ltd.” As
organized prior to this offering, Sino-China had five divisions, which
corresponded to the five ports in which Sino-China has branch offices: Ningbo,
Qingdao, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao and Fangchenggang. Sino-China currently holds
four
local licenses in China to serve as a local shipping agent in Ningbo, Qingdao,
Tianjin, and Fangchenggang. Sino-China has applied for a local shipping agent
license in Qinhuangdao and expects to receive this license in the next few
months. Sino-China provides general shipping agency services in 76 ports in
China.
Our
company was incorporated in New York on February 2, 2001 to enable Sino-China
to
develop the American and Canadian markets for Sino-China and to provide better
and more convenient services to American and Canadian customers. In anticipation
of this offering, we have re-organized our company.
On
September 14, 2007, we formed a stock corporation in the Commonwealth of
Virginia and, on September 18, 2007, we merged with and into our Virginia
corporation, Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd. On November 13, 2007, we
organized Trans Pacific as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in Beijing. Trans
Pacific is our wholly-owned subsidiary and operates Sino-China by contract.
Each
of
Mr. Cao Lei, our Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Zhang Mingwei, our Chief
Financial Officer, is a shareholder in our company and in Sino-China; however,
the companies do not have a parent-subsidiary relationship and ownership between
the companies is not identical. Furthermore, Trans Pacific and Sino-China do
not
have a parent-subsidiary relationship. Instead, a variety of contractual
relationships with a 25-year term govern Trans Pacific and
Sino-China.
PRC
law
currently limits foreign ownership of companies that provide shipping agency
services. To comply with these foreign ownership restrictions, we operate our
business in China through Sino-China, a PRC limited liability company wholly
owned by Cao Lei, our Chief Executive Officer, and Zhang Mingwei, our Chief
Financial Officer, both of whom are PRC citizens. Sino-China holds the licenses
and approvals necessary to operate our shipping agency business in China. We
have contractual arrangements with Sino-China and its shareholders pursuant
to
which we provide management and technical consulting services to Sino-China
through Trans Pacific, our wholly-owned subsidiary in China. Through these
contractual arrangements, which enable us to control Sino-China, we are
considered the primary beneficiary of Sino-China. Accordingly, we consolidate
Sino-China’s results, assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial
statements. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Our
Corporate Structure - Contractual Arrangements with Sino-China and its
Shareholders.”
In
the
opinion of Kang Da, our PRC legal counsel, (i) the ownership structures of
Trans Pacific and Sino-China comply with, and immediately after this offering,
will comply with, current PRC laws and regulations; (ii) our contractual
arrangements with Sino-China and its shareholders are valid and binding on
all
parties to these arrangements, and do not violate current PRC laws or
regulations; and (iii) the business operations of Trans Pacific and
Sino-China comply with current PRC laws and regulations.
Corporate
Ownership Structure
The
following diagram illustrates our current corporate structure and the plan
of
formation and affiliation of our subsidiary and Sino-China as of the date of
this prospectus.
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
We
were
incorporated in New York in 2001 in order to expand Sino-China’s operations from
China to the United States. At the time of our incorporation, we were authorized
to issue 200 shares of common stock. Ownership in our New York corporation
was
as follows:
Mr. Cao
Lei
|
-
|
178
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Chi
Tai Shen
|
-
|
8
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Zhu
Ming
|
-
|
8
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Zhang
Mingwei
|
-
|
6
shares of common stock
|
On
September 14, 2007, we formed Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., a Virginia
corporation. Our Virginia corporation is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares
of common stock, without par value per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, without par value per share. On September 18, 2007, we completed the
merger of our New York corporation with and into our Virginia corporation.
While
we are now a Virginia corporation, we are authorized to do business in New
York.
In the merger, we exchanged each share of common stock in our New York
corporation for 9,000 shares of common stock in our Virginia corporation. To
date, 1,800,000 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock have
been issued.
On
December 31, 2007, Mr. Cao Lei sold, in the aggregate, [______] shares of
his common stock in our company to two investors. See “Selling Shareholders.” As
a result of the merger and Mr. Cao’s sale of shares of our common stock,
ownership in our Virginia corporation is now as follows:
Mr. Cao
Lei
|
-
|
[______]
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Chi
Tai Shen
|
-
|
72,000
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Zhu
Ming
|
-
|
72,000
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Zhang
Mingwei
|
-
|
54,000
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Mark
A. Harris and
|
|
|
Mrs. Roslyn
O. Harris
|
|
[______]
shares of common stock
|
Mr. Richard
E. Watkins and
|
|
|
Mrs. Sharon
J. Watkins
|
|
[______]
shares of common stock
|
Trans
Pacific Shipping Limited.
We
formed
Trans Pacific on November 13, 2007. Trans Pacific is a wholly foreign-owned
entity that is a subsidiary of our a Virginia company. Trans Pacific has entered
into agreements with Sino-China, by which Trans Pacific provides marketing
and
management consulting and technological consulting services to Sino-China in
return for payments from Sino-China. See “—Contractual Arrangements with
Sino-China and its Shareholders.”
Sino-Global
Shipping Agency Ltd.
We
provide our shipping agency services through Sino-China, a limited company
established in the PRC. Mr. Cao Lei and Mr. Zhang Mingwei, both of whom are
PRC
citizens, own 96.74% and 3.26% of Sino-China, respectively. Mr. Cao is our
Chief
Executive Officer and Mr. Zhang is our Chief Financial Officer. Sino-China
operates our shipping agency operations and holds the licenses and approvals
necessary to conduct our business in China.
Contractual
Arrangements with Sino-China and its Shareholders
Our
relationships with Sino-China and its shareholders are governed by a series
of
contractual arrangements. Under PRC laws, each of Sino-China and Trans Pacific
is an independent legal person and neither of them is exposed to liabilities
incurred by the other party. Other than pursuant to the contractual arrangements
between Sino-China and Trans Pacific, Sino-China does not transfer any other
funds generated from its operations to Trans Pacific. The contracts discussed
below are all effective as of November 14, 2007 by and among the listed parties.
The term of each agreement is 25 years, and our company (or Trans Pacific to
the
extent we are not a party to the agreement in question) is able to renew each
agreement unilaterally for one or more additional terms, provided such renewal
is permitted under applicable law at the time.
Exclusive
Management Consulting and Technical Consulting Service
Agreement.
Under
the
exclusive management consulting and technical consulting service agreement
between Trans Pacific and Sino-China, Sino-China appoints Trans Pacific to
be
the exclusive provider of technology and management services to Sino-China
to
assist Sino-China with its operations. In addition to providing management,
analysis and technology services, Trans Pacific also provides training for
Sino-China’s personnel. In return for these services, Sino-China will pay a
service fee to Trans Pacific of 5% of Sino-China’s monthly net profits.
Exclusive
Marketing Agreement.
Under
the
exclusive marketing agreement between Sino-China and Trans Pacific, Sino-China
appoints Trans Pacific to be the exclusive provider of marketing services to
Sino-China to assist Sino-China with its operations. Trans Pacific agrees to
provide world-wide customer resources for Sino-China, financial support if
Sino-China needs assistance in obtaining operating funds, marketing and
communication with Sino-China’s current and potential customers and assistance
to Sino-China in locating and participating in relevant industry groups. In
return for these services, Sino-China will pay a service fee to Trans Pacific
of
85% of Sino-China’s monthly net profits.
Equity
Interest Pledge Agreement.
Under
the
equity interest pledge agreement between Trans Pacific and each of Mr. Cao
and Mr. Zhang, Mr. Cao and Mr. Zhang have each pledged all of
their equity interest in Sino-China to Trans Pacific to guarantee that Trans
Pacific collects technical consulting and service fees from Sino-China. In
the
event Sino-China, Mr. Cao or Mr. Zhang defaults under the equity
interest pledge agreement, Trans Pacific is entitled to contractual remedies,
including foreclosing on the pledged equity interests. Mr. Cao and
Mr. Zhang have agreed not to transfer or assign the equity interest without
prior written approval from Trans Pacific.
Exclusive
Equity Interest Purchase Agreement.
The
exclusive equity interest purchase agreement among our company, Sino-China,
Mr. Cao and Mr. Zhang permits our company to purchase Mr. Cao’s
and Mr. Zhang’s equity interests in Sino-China, to the extent allowed under
PRC laws. The agreement also prohibits Mr. Cao and Mr. Zhang from
transferring any portion of their equity interests to anyone other than us.
We
have the exclusive authority to exercise the right to purchase these shares,
subject to compliance with PRC laws.
Proxy
Agreement
Pursuant
to the proxy agreement among our company, Sino-China, Mr. Cao and
Mr. Zhang, Mr. Cao and Mr. Zhang have agreed to entrust their
rights to exercise their voting power to the person(s) appointed by our company.
After
deducting the estimated underwriting discount and offering expenses payable
by
us, we expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $[______] from this
offering if the minimum offering is sold and $[______] if the maximum offering
is sold.
We
intend
to use the net proceeds of this offering as follows, and we have ordered the
specific uses of proceeds in order of priority. We do not expect that our
priorities for fund allocation would change if the amount we raise in this
offering exceeds the size of the minimum offering but is less than the maximum
offering. To the extent we raise an amount between the maximum offering and
the
minimum offering, we expect to utilize our offering proceeds in order of such
priority.
|
|
Maximum
Offering
|
|
Minimum
Offering
|
|
Description
of Use
|
|
Dollar
Amount
|
|
Percentage of
Net Proceeds
|
|
Dollar
Amount
|
|
Percentage of
Net Proceeds
|
|
Organization
of our company and creation of contractual arrangements among our
company,
Sino-China and Trans Pacific
|
|
$
|
[______
]
|
|
|
[______]
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
[______]
|
%
|
Establish
local branches in 15 to 35 main ports in China
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sarbanes-Oxley
Compliance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing
of company across China, United States and internationally
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Develop
information exchange system
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Train
staff
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fixed
asset purchase
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
DIVIDEND
POLICY
We
have
never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We anticipate
that we will retain any earnings to support operations and to finance the growth
and development of our business. Therefore, we do not expect to pay cash
dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination relating to our
dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and
will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital
requirements, financial conditions and future prospects and other factors the
Board of Directors may deem relevant. Payments of dividends by Trans Pacific
to
our company are subject to restrictions including primarily the restriction
that
foreign invested enterprises may only buy, sell and/or remit foreign currencies
at those banks authorized to conduct foreign exchange business after providing
valid commercial documents.
Our
business is primarily conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated
in RMB. However, periodic reports made to shareholders will include current
period amounts translated into U.S. dollars using the then current exchange
rates, for the convenience of the readers. The conversion of RMB into U.S.
dollars in this prospectus is based on the noon buying rate in The City of
New
York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB
to
U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this prospectus were made at a
rate
of RMB7.6155 to $1.00, the noon buying rate in effect as of June 30, 2007.
We
make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been,
or
could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any
particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign
currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB
into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. Our company
does not currently engage in currency hedging transactions.
The
following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the
RMB
and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated.
|
|
Noon
Buying Rate
(RMB
per US Dollar)
|
|
Period
|
|
Period-End
|
|
Average
(1)
|
|
Low
|
|
High
|
|
2002
|
|
|
8.2800
|
|
|
8.2770
|
|
|
8.2800
|
|
|
8.2669
|
|
2003
|
|
|
8.2767
|
|
|
8.2772
|
|
|
8.2800
|
|
|
8.2765
|
|
2004
|
|
|
8.2765
|
|
|
8.2768
|
|
|
8.2771
|
|
|
8.2765
|
|
2005
|
|
|
8.0702
|
|
|
8.1940
|
|
|
8.0702
|
|
|
8.2765
|
|
2006
|
|
|
7.8041
|
|
|
7.9723
|
|
|
7.8041
|
|
|
8.0702
|
|
2007
|
|
|
7.2946
|
|
|
7.5806
|
|
|
7.2946
|
|
|
7.8127
|
|
2008
(2)
|
|
|
7.2700
|
|
|
7.2728
|
|
|
7.2625
|
|
|
7.2946
|
|
(1)
|
Annual
averages are calculated using the average of month-end rates of the
relevant year.
|
(2)
|
2008
figures are through January 10,
2008.
|
If
you
invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of
the
difference between the initial public offering price per share and the pro
forma
net tangible book value per share after the offering. Dilution results from
the
fact that the per share offering price is substantially in excess of the book
value per share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently
outstanding shares. Our net tangible book value attributable to common
stockholders at [______] was $[______] or $[______] per share. Net tangible
book
value per share as of [______] represents the amount of total tangible assets
less goodwill, acquired intangible assets net, and total liabilities, divided
by
the number of shares outstanding.
If
the
minimum offering is sold, we will have [______] shares outstanding upon
completion of the offering. Our post offering pro forma net tangible book value,
which gives effect to receipt of the net proceeds from the offering and issuance
of additional shares in the offering, but does not take into consideration
any
other changes in our net tangible book value after [______], will be
approximately $[______] or $[______] per share. This would result in dilution
to
investors in this offering of approximately $[______] per share or approximately
[______]% from the offering price of $[______] per share. Net tangible book
value per share would increase to the benefit of present stockholders by
$[______] per share attributable to the purchase of the shares by investors
in
this offering.
If
the
maximum offering is sold, we will have [______] shares outstanding upon
completion of the offering. Our post offering pro forma net tangible book value,
which gives effect to receipt of the net proceeds from the offering and issuance
of additional shares in the offering, but does not take into consideration
any
other changes in our net tangible book value after [______], will be
approximately $[______] or $[______] per share. This would result in dilution
to
investors in this offering of approximately $[______] per share or approximately
[______]% from the offering price of $[______] per share. Net tangible book
value per share would increase to the benefit of present shareholders by
$[______] per share attributable to the purchase of the shares by investors
in
this offering.
The
following table sets forth the estimated net tangible book value per share
after
the offering and the dilution to persons purchasing shares based on the
foregoing minimum and maximum offering assumptions.
|
|
Minimum
Offering
(1)
|
|
Maximum
Offering
(2)
|
|
Per
share offering price
|
|
$
|
[______
]
|
|
$
|
|
|
Net
tangible book value per share before the offering
(unaudited)
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Increase
per share attributable to payments by new investors
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Pro
forma net tangible book value per share after the offering
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Dilution
per share to new investors
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
(1)
|
Assumes
gross proceeds from offering of [______] shares.
|
(2)
|
Assumes
gross proceeds from offering of [______] shares.
|
Comparative
Data
The
following charts illustrate our pro forma proportionate ownership. Upon
completion of the offering under alternative minimum and maximum offering
assumptions, of present shareholders and of investors in this offering, compared
to the relative amounts paid and comparative to our capital by present
shareholders as of the date the consideration was received and by investors
in
this offering, assuming no changes in net tangible book value other than those
resulting from the offering.
|
|
Shares
Purchased
|
|
Total
Consideration
|
|
Average
Price Per Share
|
|
Minimum
Offering
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percent
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percent
|
|
|
|
Existing
stockholders
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
[______]
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
New
investors
|
|
|
[______
]
|
|
|
[______]
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
Purchased
|
|
Total
Consideration
|
|
Average
Price
Per Share
|
|
Maximum
Offering
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percent
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percent
|
|
Existing
stockholders
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
[______]
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
New
investors
|
|
|
[______
]
|
|
|
[______]
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
You
should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations” and the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in
this prospectus. The selected statements of operations data are for the fiscal
years ended June 30, 2006 and 2007. The selected balance sheet data set forth
below, are as of June 30, 2006 and 2007. This selected financial data is derived
from our consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction
with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto which are included
elsewhere in this prospectus.
|
|
For
the year ended
June
30,
|
|
For the three months
ended September 30,(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
Total
Sales
|
|
$
|
10,090,879
|
|
$
|
8,924,786
|
|
$
|
3,987,945
|
|
Income
from Operations
|
|
|
1,260,918
|
|
|
616,111
|
|
|
364,781
|
|
Income
before Non-Controlling Interest in Income
(1)
|
|
|
1,144,752
|
|
|
556,481
|
|
|
202,503
|
|
Non-Controlling
Interest in Income
(1)
|
|
|
(1,042,367
|
)
|
|
(266,430
|
)
|
|
(117,846
|
)
|
Net
Income
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
Pro
Forma Basic Earnings per Share (before Non-Controlling Interest in
Income)
(1)
|
|
|
0.64
|
|
|
0.31
|
|
|
0.11
|
|
Basic
Earnings per Share
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
Diluted
Earnings per Share
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
September
30,
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
Total
Assets
|
|
$
|
3,752,561
|
|
$
|
1,805,673
|
|
$
|
8,505,738
|
|
Total
Current Liabilities
|
|
|
1,788,748
|
|
|
1,257,348
|
|
|
6,317,017
|
|
Long-term
Liabilities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
Net
Assets
|
|
|
1,963,813
|
|
|
548,325
|
|
|
2,188,721
|
|
Capital
Stock
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
(1)
We
have
presented income before non-controlling interest in income, non-controlling
interest in income and pro forma basic earnings per share before non-controlling
interest in income to illustrate the effect of our income that is attributable
to Sino-China. We have only been able to include the net income of Sino-China
in
our net income since November 14, 2007, when we executed a number of control
agreements with Sino-China. (See “Our Corporate Structure — Contractual
Arrangements with Sino-China and its Shareholders.”) For this reason, we could
not include Sino-China’s income (“Non-Controlling Interest in Income”) in our
net income for the purposes of computing our earnings per share calculation
prior to November 14, 2007. If we were able to include the net income of
Sino-China, our basic earnings per share would have been equal to the pro forma
basic earnings per share (before non-controlling interest in
income).
FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You
should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition
and
results of operations in conjunction with our audited historical consolidated
financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this
prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events
could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under
“Risk
Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.
Overview
We
are
one of the largest shipping agency service providers for foreign ships coming
to
China ports, apart from two state owned companies, Penavico and Sinoagent.
Our
company, previously known as Sino-Global-Shipping (America) Ltd., was
incorporated in New York in February 2001. On September 18, 2007, we amended
the
Article of Incorporation and Bylaws to merge into a new corporation with the
current name of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., in Virginia.
Our
principal geographic market is in the PRC. As PRC laws and regulations prohibit
or restrict foreign ownership of shipping agency service businesses, we operate
our business in the PRC through Sino-China, a PRC limited liability company
wholly owned by our founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cao Lei, and Chief
Financial Officer, Zhang Mingwei, both of whom are PRC citizens. Sino-China
holds the licenses and permits necessary to provide shipping services in the
PRC. Headquartered in Beijing with five branches in Ningbo, Qingdao, Tianjin,
Qinhuangdao and Fangchenggang, Sino-China provides general shipping agency
services in 76 ports in China and serves as a local shipping agent in each
of
these five port cities. For the ports where it does not have a local
license, Sino-China appoints a local agent for its local shipping agency service
businesses.
On
November 13, 2007, we formed our wholly foreign-owned enterprise, Trans Pacific,
in Beijing. Trans Pacific and Sino-China do not have a parent-subsidiary
relationship. Instead, each of Trans Pacific and us has contractual arrangements
with Sino-China and its shareholders that enable us to substantially control
Sino-China. See “Our Corporate Structure - Contractual Arrangements with
Sino-China and its Shareholders.”
We
have
grown significantly in the last two years. Our total revenues increased from
approximately $8.92 million in 2006 to approximately $10.09 million in 2007
and
to approximately $3.99 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007.
In
2006, 2007 and the three months ended September 30, 2007, we recorded
consolidated net income of $0.56 million, $1.14 million and $0.20 million,
respectively.
Revenues
For
the
year ended June 30, 2007 and for the three months ended September 30, 2007,
our
total revenues amounted to approximately $10.09 million and $3.99 million,
respectively. Our total revenues are net of PRC business taxes and related
surcharges. Sino-China’s revenues are subject to a 5% business tax as well as an
additional 0.5% surcharge after deducting the costs of services. We deduct
these
amounts from our gross revenues to arrive at our total revenues.
We
charge
the shipping agency fees in two ways: (1) the fixed fees are predetermined
with a customer, and (2) the cost-plus fees are calculated based on the
actual costs incurred plus a mark up. We generally require payments in advance
from customers and bill them the balances within 30 days after the transactions
are completed.
The
most
significant factors that directly or indirectly affect our shipping agency
service revenues are:
|
·
|
the
number of ships we provide port loading/discharging services;
|
|
·
|
the
size and types of ships we
serve;
|
|
·
|
the
rate of service fees we
charge;
|
|
·
|
the
number of ports at we provide services;
and
|
|
·
|
the
number of customers we
serve.
|
Historically,
our services have primarily been driven by the increase in the number of ships
and customers, provided that the rate of service fees is determined by market
competition. We believe that an increase in the number of ports served generally
leads to an increase in the number of ships and customers. We expect that we
will continue to earn a substantial majority of our revenues from our shipping
agency services. As a result, we plan to continue to focus most of our resources
on expanding our business covering more ports in the PRC.
Operating
Costs and Expenses
Our
operating costs and expenses consist of cost of services, general and
administrative expenses, selling expenses and other expenses. Our total
operating costs and expenses have declined as a percentage of our total revenues
from 2006 to 2007 due to economies of scale and the revenue growth we have
achieved. However, the costs and expenses have increased as a percentage of
total revenues from the three months ended September 30, 2007, because of an
increase in cost of services, resulting from increased port charges in that
period. The following table sets forth the components of our costs and expenses
both in absolute amount and as a percentage of total net revenues for the
periods indicated.
All
dollar figures in the following are presented in thousands of
dollars.
|
|
For
the years ended
June
30,
|
|
For
the three months ended
September
30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
%
|
|
$
|
|
%
|
|
$
|
|
%
|
|
$
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
10,091
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
8,925
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
3,988
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
2,512
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
of services
|
|
|
7,510
|
|
|
74.42
|
|
|
6,391
|
|
|
71.61
|
|
|
3,247
|
|
|
81.42
|
|
|
1,821
|
|
|
72.50
|
|
General
and administrative expenses
|
|
|
1,165
|
|
|
11.55
|
|
|
1,715
|
|
|
19.22
|
|
|
327
|
|
|
8.2
|
|
|
254
|
|
|
10.11
|
|
Selling
expense
|
|
|
154
|
|
|
1.52
|
|
|
193
|
|
|
2.16
|
|
|
49
|
|
|
1.23
|
|
|
42
|
|
|
1.67
|
|
Other
costs
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
0.01
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
0.11
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
0.00
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
0.04
|
|
Total
costs and expenses
|
|
|
8,830
|
|
|
87.50
|
|
|
8,309
|
|
|
93.10
|
|
|
3,623
|
|
|
90.85
|
|
|
2,118
|
|
|
84.32
|
|
Costs
of Services.
Costs
of
services represent the expenses incurred in the periods when a ship docks in
a
harbor to load and unload cargo. We typically pay the costs of services on
behalf of our customers. Our costs of services could also increase if the ports
were to raise their charges.
General
and Administrative Expenses.
Our
general and administrative expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits
for our staff, both operating and administrative personnel, depreciation
expenses, office renting expenses and expenses for legal, accounting and other
professional services. We expect to incur additional general and administrative
expenses as we expand our operations and become a publicly listed company in
the
United States.
Selling
Expenses.
Our
selling expenses primarily consist of commissions and traveling expenses for
our
operating staff to the ports. We expect that our selling expenses will increase
in absolute amount and may increase as a percentage of our total net revenues
in
the near term, due to the increase in the number of ships to be served and
competition in service charges.
Taxation
Because
we and
Sino-China
are
incorporated in different jurisdictions, we file separate income tax returns.
We
are subject to income or capital gains tax in the US. Additionally, dividend
payments made by our company are subject to withholding tax in the
US.
PRC
Enterprise Income Tax
PRC
enterprise income tax is calculated based on taxable income determined under
PRC
GAAP. Sino-China is registered as a PRC domestic company and governed by the
Enterprise Income Tax Laws of the PRC. Its taxable incomes are subject to an
enterprise income tax rate of 33%. The 5th Session of the 10th National People’s
Congress
amended the Enterprise Income Tax Law of PRC that became effective on January
1,
2008. The newly amended Enterprise Income Tax Law introduces a wide range of
changes which include, but are not limited to, the unification of the income
tax
rate for domestic-invested and foreign-invested enterprises at 25%. This change
will reduce our income tax rate from 33% to 25% in 2008. In addition, according
to the amended detailed implementation and administrative rules, the new income
tax law will broaden the tax reductions in terms of categories and extents
for
the domestic companies. We expect the new income tax law will bring with it
a
positive impact on our company’s net profits in 2008 and onwards.
PRC
Business Tax
Revenues
from services provided by
Sino-China
are
subject to PRC business tax of 5% and additional surcharges of 0.5%. We pay
business tax on gross revenues generated from our shipping agency services
minus
the costs of services, which are paid on behalf of our customers.
Critical
Accounting Policies
We
prepare consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). These
accounting principles require us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions
on
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the end of each fiscal period,
and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during each fiscal period.
We
continually evaluate these judgments and estimates based on our own historical
experience, knowledge and assessment of current business and other conditions,
our expectations regarding the future based on available information and
assumptions that we believe to be reasonable.
The
selection of critical accounting policies, the judgments and other uncertainties
affecting application of those policies and the sensitivity of reported results
to changes in conditions and assumptions are factors that should be considered
when reviewing our financial statements. We believe the following accounting
policies involve the most significant judgments and estimates used in the
preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue
Recognition
Revenue
comprises the value of charges for the services in the ordinary course of our
company’s activities net of disbursements made on behalf of customers. Revenues
are recognized from shipping agency services upon completion of services, which
generally coincides with the date of departure of the relevant vessel from
port.
Advance payments and deposits received from customers prior to the provision
of
services and recognition of the related revenues are presented as current
liabilities.
Some
contracts are signed with a term that revenues are recognized as a mark up
of
actual expenses incurred. In a situation where the services are completed but
the information on the actual expenses is not available at the end of the fiscal
period, we estimate revenues and expenses based on our previous experience
of
the revenues of the same kind of vessels, port charges on the vessel’s
particulars/movement and costs rate of the port. See “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Accounts
Receivable.”
Consolidation
of Variable Interest Entities
The
agency relationship between our business and its branches are governed by a
series of contractual arrangements with which we have substantial control over
Sino-China
.
As
such, we believe that
Sino-China
should
be considered as a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) because we do not have the
characteristics of a controlling financial interest but are the primary
beneficiary of
Sino-China
.
We have
consolidated the financial positions and operation results of
Sino-China
into our
financial statements under Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation
No. 46R (“FIN 46R”), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities.” All
significant inter-company transactions and balances between our financial
statements and those of the VIE are eliminated upon consolidation.
Accounts
Receivable
Accounts
receivable are recognized initially at fair value less allowances for doubtful
accounts. We maintain allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses
resulting from the failure of customers to make required payments in the
relevant time period. We review the accounts receivable on a periodic basis
and
makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the
collectibility of individual balances. In evaluating the collectibility of
individual receivable balances, we consider many factors, including the age
of
the balance, customer’s historical payment history, its current
credit-worthiness and current economic trends. The amount of the provision,
if
any is recognized in the consolidated statement of operations within “General
and administrative expenses”. We have determined that an allowance was not
required at the balance sheet dates.
We
have
not historically required an allowance for accounts receivable because our
company does not have any significant bad expense. When a client requests our
shipping agency services, we communicate with port officials and our service
partners and rely on our prior experience for similar vessels with similar
needs
in the same ports to obtain an estimate for the cost of services. We then
calculate our shipping agency fees in two ways: (1) the fixed fees are
predetermined with a customer, and (2) the cost-plus fees are calculated
based on the actual costs incurred plus a mark up.
We
generally obtain advance payment of our shipping agency fees prior to
undertaking to provide service to our clients. This significantly reduces the
amount of accounts receivable when the shipping agency fees are recognized.
To
the extent our estimates are insufficient, we bill our clients for the balance
to be paid within 30 days.
We
use
advance payments to pay a number of fees on behalf of our clients before their
ships arrive in port, including harbor, berthing, mooring/unmooring, tonnage,
immigration, quarantine and tug hire fees. We record the amounts we receive
as
Advances from Customers and the amounts we pay as Advances to Suppliers. We
recognize revenues and expenses once the client’s ship leaves the harbor and the
client pays any outstanding amounts. In some cases, a delay in receiving bills
will require us to estimate the Service Revenues and Cost of Services in
accordance with the rate and formulas approved by the Ministry of
Communications. When this happens, we record the difference between Service
Revenues (as so recognized) and Advances from Customers as Accounts Receivable
and the difference between Cost of Services and Advances to Suppliers as
Accounts Payable. To the extent we recognize revenues and costs in this way,
our
Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable will reflect this estimation until
we
receive the bills and information we require to adjust revenues and expenses
to
reflect our actual Service Revenues and Cost of Services. Any adjustment to
actual from the estimated Revenues and Cost of Services recorded has been and
is
expected to be immaterial.
Property
and Equipment
We
state
property and equipment at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and
amortization. Historical cost comprises its purchase price and any directly
attributable costs of bringing the assets to its working condition and location
for its intended use. We provide for depreciation and amortization in amounts
sufficient to expense the related cost of depreciable assets for operations
over
their estimated useful lives. Depreciation and amortization are calculated
on a
straight-line basis to write off the cost of assets to their residual values
over their estimated useful lives as follows:
|
20
years
|
|
5-10
years
|
Furniture
and office equipment
|
3-5
years
|
We
calculate gains and losses on disposals by comparing proceeds with carrying
amount of the related assets and include these gains and losses in the
consolidated statements of operations. We consider the carrying value of a
long-lived asset to be impaired when the anticipated undiscounted cash flow
from
such asset is less than its carrying value. If impairment is identified, a
loss
is recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair
market value of the long-lived asset. Fair market value is determined primarily
using the anticipated cash flows discounted at a rate commensurate with the
risk
involved or based on independent appraisals. We have determined that there
were
no impairments at June 30, 2007 and 2006.
Translation
of Foreign Currency
Components
included in the consolidated financial statements of
Sino-China
and each
of its branches are measured using the currency of the primary economic
environment in which the entity operates (the “functional currency”). Our
functional currency is US dollars while
Sino-China
uses
reporting currency of Renminbi. The consolidated financial statements are
presented in US dollars. Foreign currency transactions are translated into
the
functional currency using the fixed exchange rates. Generally foreign exchange
gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions are
recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. We translate foreign
currency financial statements of
Sino-China
in
accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (“SFAS”) No. 52,
“Foreign Currency Translation”. Assets and liabilities are translated at current
exchange rates quoted by the People’s Bank of China on June 30, 2006 and 2007 of
RMB7.9956 to $1.00 and RMB7.6155 to $1.00, respectively and related revenues
and
expenses are translated at average exchange rates in effect during the periods.
Resulting
translation adjustments are recorded as comprehensive income (loss) which is
a
separate component included in Non-controlling interest.
Earnings
per share
Earnings
per share is calculated in accordance with SFAS No. 128, “Earnings Per Share”.
Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to
holders of common shares by the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per ordinary share reflects
the
potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue
common shares were exercised or converted into common shares. Convertible,
redeemable preference shares are included in the computation of diluted earnings
per ordinary share on an “if-converted” basis, when the impact is dilutive.
Contingent exercise price resets are accounted for in a manner similar to
contingently issuable shares. Ordinary share equivalents are excluded from
the
computation of diluted earnings per share if their effects would be
anti-dilutive.
Earnings
per share data has been retroactively adjusted for all periods presented to
reflect the recapitalization of our company, as further discussed in Note 11
of
the consolidated financial statements. In addition to basic and diluted earnings
per share, we have also provided “Pro Forma Basic Earnings per Share (before
Non-Controlling Interest in Income)”, which calculates the effect of
retroactively consolidating Sino-China’s income with our income. This amount
gives effect, on a pro forma basis, to the control agreements between Sino-China
and our company, which require Sino-China to provide its net profits to our
company.
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations
for the periods indicated. Our business has evolved rapidly since we commenced
operations in 2001. Our limited operating history makes it difficult to predict
future operating results. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of
operating results should not be relied upon as indicative of future
performance.
|
|
For
the years ended June 30,
|
|
For
the three months ended
September
30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
10,090,879
|
|
|
8,924,786
|
|
|
3,987,945
|
|
|
2,512,241
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
of service
|
|
|
(7,509,669
|
)
|
|
(6,391,123
|
)
|
|
(3,247,231
|
)
|
|
(1,821,473
|
)
|
General
and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(1,165,332
|
)
|
|
(1,714,617
|
)
|
|
(326,713
|
)
|
|
(254,176
|
)
|
Selling
expense
|
|
|
(153,797
|
)
|
|
(192,825
|
)
|
|
(49,151
|
)
|
|
(42,334
|
)
|
Other
operating costs
|
|
|
(1,163
|
)
|
|
(10,110
|
)
|
|
(69
|
)
|
|
(755
|
)
|
|
|
|
(8,829,961
|
)
|
|
(8,308,675
|
)
|
|
(3,623,164
|
)
|
|
(2,118,738
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
1,260,918
|
|
|
616,111
|
|
|
364,781
|
|
|
393,503
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
on disposal of investment
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
(2,491
|
)
|
|
--
|
|
|
--
|
|
Other
Income (expense), net
|
|
|
22,125
|
|
|
(35,912
|
)
|
|
(24,077
|
)
|
|
(11,484
|
)
|
|
|
|
22,125
|
|
|
(38,403
|
)
|
|
(24,077
|
)
|
|
(11,484
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income before taxes
|
|
|
1,283,043
|
|
|
577,708
|
|
|
340,704
|
|
|
382,019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
taxes
|
|
|
(138,291
|
)
|
|
(21,227
|
)
|
|
(138,201
|
)
|
|
(40,872
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
before non-controlling interest in income
|
|
|
1,144,752
|
|
|
556,481
|
|
|
202,503
|
|
|
341,147
|
|
Non-controlling
interest in income
|
|
|
(1,042,367
|
)
|
|
(266,430
|
)
|
|
(117,846
|
)
|
|
(290,498
|
)
|
Net
income
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
|
50,649
|
|
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2007 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30,
2006
Revenues.
Our
total revenues increased by
58.74%
from
approximately $2.51 million in the first quarter of 2006 to approximately $3.99
million in the first quarter of 2007. This increase was primarily due to a
substantial increase in the number of ships we served. The number of ships
that
generated revenues for us increased from 36 for the three months ended September
30, 2006, to 79 for the three months ended September 30, 2007, representing
an
increase of 119.44%. The growth of revenues was not consistent with the increase
in the number of ships served because the average charge rate decreased from
$54,614 in the first quarter of 2006 to $50,480 in the first quarter of 2007.
Total
Operating Costs and Expenses.
Our
total operating costs and expenses increased by 71.01% from approximately $2.12
million in the first quarter of 2006 to approximately $3.62 million in the
first
quarter of 2007. This increase was primarily due to increases in our costs
of
services, and, to a lesser extent, increases in our general and administrative
expenses. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations - Accounts Receivable.”
|
·
|
Cost
of Services.
Our cost of revenues increased by 78.28% from
approximately
$1.82
million in the first quarter of 2006 to
approximately
$3.25
million in the first quarter of 2007. This increase was primarily
due to
substantial increases in port charges we paid on behalf of the customers.
The accelerated increase of 78.28% in cost of services comparing
to 58.74%
increase in total revenues resulted from increases in port costs.
|
|
·
|
General
and Administrative Expenses
.
Our general and administrative expenses increased by 28.54% from
approximately
$0.25
million in the first quarter of 2006 to
approximately
$0.33
million in the first quarter of 2007. This increase was primarily
due to
the increases of depreciation expenses of $20,443, car and related
expenses of $23,502 and entertainment expenses of
$24,025.
|
|
·
|
Selling
Expenses
.
Our selling expenses increased by 16.10% from $42,334 in the first
quarter
of 2006 to $49,151 in the first quarter of 2007, due to the increase
of
commission and travel expenses.
|
Operating
Profit.
As a
result of the foregoing, we generated an operating profit of approximately
$0.36
million in the first quarter of 2007, compared to approximately $0.39 million
in
the first quarter of 2006. The decrease in operating profits resulted largely
from the increase in the costs of services.
Taxation.
Our
income tax expenses were approximately $0.14 million in the first quarter of
2007, compared to approximately $0.04 million in the first quarter of 2006.
The
increase in income tax for the first quarter of 2007 was primarily due to
increased profits and permanent difference for income tax purposes. Our company
had no deferred tax assets in 2007 and 2006.
Net
Income.
As a
result of the foregoing, we had net income before non-controlling interest
of
approximately $0.20 million in the first quarter of 2007, compared to
approximately $0.34 million in the first quarter of 2006. Net incomes after
non-controlling interest were approximately $0.08 million and $0.05 million
in
the first quarters of 2007 and 2006, respectively.
Year
Ended June 30, 2007 Compared to Year Ended June 30,
2006
Revenues.
Our
total revenues increased by 13.07% from approximately $8.92 million in 2006
to
approximately $10.09 million in 2007. This increase was primarily due to a
substantial increase in the number of ships we served. The number of ships
that
generated revenues for us increased from 117 for 2006, to 185 for 2007,
representing an increase of 58.12%. The growth of revenues was not consistent
with the increase of number of ships served because the average charge rate
decreased from $76,280 in 2006 to $54,545 in 2007.
Total
Operating Costs and Expenses.
Our
total operating costs and expenses increased by 6.27% from approximately $8.31
million in 2006 to approximately $8.83 million in 2007. This increase was
primarily due to increases in our costs of services, and, to a lesser extent,
decreases in our general and administrative expenses.
|
·
|
Cost
of Services.
Our cost of revenues increased by 17.50% from
approximately
$6.39
million in 2006 to
approximately
$7.51
million in 2007. This increase complied with the 13.07% increase
in
revenues considering the 4.99% increase of foreign exchange rate
of
RMB7.9956 to $1.00 on June 30, 2006 to that of RMB7.6155 to $1.00
on June
30, 2007.
|
|
·
|
General
and Administrative Expenses
.
Our general and administrative expenses decreased by 32.03% from
approximately
$1.71
million in 2006 to
approximately
$1.17
million in 2007. This change was primarily due to the write off of
loan
receivables of approximately $0.51 million in
2006.
|
|
·
|
Selling
Expenses
.
Our selling expenses decreased by 20.24% from approximately $0.19
million
in 2006
to
approximately $0.15 million in 2007, due to the decrease of commission
and
travel expenses.
|
Operating
Profit.
As a
result of the foregoing, we generated an operating profit of
approximately
$1.26
million in 2007, compared to
approximately
$0.62
million in 2006. Operating profits increased 104.66% largely due to the increase
of revenues and decrease in general and administrative expenses.
Taxation.
Our
income tax expenses were
approximately
$0.14
million in 2007, compared to
approximately
$0.02
million in 2006. The increase in income tax in 2007 was primarily due to
increased profits and permanent difference for income tax purposes. Our company
had no deferred tax assets in 2006 or 2007.
Net
Income.
As a
result of the foregoing, we had net income before non-controlling interest
of
approximately
$1.14
million in 2007, compared to
approximately
$0.56
million in 2006. Net incomes after non-controlling interest were
approximately
$0.10
million and $0.29 in 2007 and 2006, respectively.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Cash
Flows and Working Capital
To
date,
we have financed our operations primarily through cash flows from operations.
As
of September 30, 2007, we had approximately $0.62 million in cash and cash
equivalents, of which approximately $0.39 million was held by Sino-China. As
of
the same date, we had outstanding debt, bank loans, of $963. Our cash and cash
equivalents primarily consist of cash on hand and cash in banks.
The
following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods
indicated:
|
|
For
the years ended June 30,
|
|
For
the three months ended
September
30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
868,058
|
|
|
719,087
|
|
|
332,810
|
|
|
371,086
|
|
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(911,520
|
)
|
|
(649,955
|
)
|
|
(219,935
|
)
|
|
(361,783
|
)
|
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
|
|
172,719
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
(44,828
|
)
|
|
--
|
|
Net
increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
170,065
|
|
|
70,446
|
|
|
90,453
|
|
|
12,783
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
|
|
356,026
|
|
|
285,580
|
|
|
526,091
|
|
|
356,027
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of year
|
|
|
526,091
|
|
|
356,026
|
|
|
616,544
|
|
|
368,810
|
|
Operating
Activities
Net
cash
provided by operating activities decreased to approximately $0.33 million in
the
first quarter of 2007 from approximately $0.37 million in the first quarter
of
2006. This decrease was mainly attributable to several factors, including (i)
the non-controlling interest contribution of approximately $0.12 million in
the
first quarter of 2007 compared to that of approximately $0.29 million incurred
in the first quarter of 2006; and (ii) the increase in accounts receivable
amounting to approximately $4.31 million. The increase in operating cash flow
was partially offset by (i) the net income of approximately $0.08 million in
the
first quarter of 2007 compared to a net income of approximately $0.05 million
incurred in the first quarter of 2006; (ii) the increase in add-back of non-cash
expenses, consisting of depreciation expenses of approximately $0.02 million;
(iii) the increase in customer deposits of approximately $5.15 million; and
(iv)
the increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities.
Net
cash
generated from operating activities increased to approximately $0.87 million
in
2007 from approximately $0.72 million in 2006. This increase was primarily
due
to several factors, including (i) the net income of approximately $0.10 million
in 2007 compared to a net income of approximately $0.29 million in 2006;
(ii)
the
non-controlling interest contribution of approximately $1.04 million in 2007
compared to that of approximately $0.27 million incurred in 2006; (iii) the
increase in add-back of non-cash expenses, consisting of depreciation expenses
of approximately $0.06 million; and (iv) the increase in customer deposits
of
approximately $0.60 million. The increase in operating cash flow was partially
offset by (i) the increase in accounts receivable amounting to approximately
$0.80 million; and (ii) the increase in other payables of approximately $0.35
million.
Investing
Activities
Net
cash
used in investing activities decreased from
approximately
$0.36
million in the first quarter of 2006 to
approximately
$0.22
million in the first quarter of 2007, primarily due to our purchase of
additional fixed assets and the decrease of due from related parties. Net cash
used in investing activities increased from
approximately
$0.65
million in 2006 to
approximately
$0.91
million in 2007 primarily due to our purchase of additional fixed assets.
Financing
Activities
Net
cash
used in financing activities was approximately $0.04 million in the first
quarter of 2007 and there were no financing activities in the first quarter
of
2007. This amount is used to pay back the bank loans associated with the credit
provided by HSBC in New York. Net cash provided by financial activities was
approximately $0.17 million, consisting of approximately $0.54 million used
to
pay back the bank loans associated with the credit provided by HSBC in New
York
and approximately $0.23 million provided by the increase of registered capital
in Sino-China.
We
believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, anticipated cash flow from
operations and the proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to meet our
anticipated cash needs, including our cash needs for working capital and capital
expenditures for at least the next 12 months. We may, however, require
additional cash due to changing business conditions or other future
developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue.
If our existing cash is insufficient to meet our requirements, we may seek
to
sell additional equity securities or borrow from banks. We cannot assure you
that financing will be available in the amounts we need or on terms acceptable
to us, if at all. The sale of additional equity securities, including
convertible debt securities, would dilute our shareholders. The incurrence
of
debt would divert cash from working capital and capital expenditures to service
debt obligations and could result in operating and financial covenants that
would restrict our operations and our ability to pay dividends to our
shareholders. If we are unable to obtain additional equity or debt financing
as
required, our business, operations and prospects may suffer.
Contractual
Obligations and Commercial Commitments
We
lease
certain office premises under non-cancelable leases. Rent expense under
operating leases for the years ended June 30, 2006 and 2007, and for three-month
periods ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, were $115,857, $121,777, $31,485
and
$35,765, respectively.
Future
minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases agreements were
as
follows:
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
Year
ending June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
82,000
|
|
2009
|
|
|
33,000
|
|
2010
|
|
|
6,000
|
|
Total
|
|
|
121,000
|
|
Other
than the contractual obligations set forth above, we did not have any long-term
debt obligations, capital (finance) lease obligations or purchase obligations
as
of June 30, 2007.
On
December 20, 2007, our company leased additional office premises under a
non-cancelable lease which expires on January 13, 2010. Annual rent expense
is
approximately $293,000, based on the exchange rate on June 30,
2007.
Capital
Expenditures
We
made
capital expenditures of approximately $0.15 million, $0.34 million and $0.22
million in 2006 and 2007 and the first quarter of 2007, respectively,
representing 1.70%, 3.40% and 5.48% of our total revenues, respectively. In
the
past, our capital expenditures were used to purchase cars and computers for
our
business. Our capital expenditures may increase in the near term as our business
continues to grow and as we expand and improve our financial and accounting
systems and infrastructure.
Company
Structure
We
conduct our operations primarily through our wholly-owned subsidiary,
Trans
Pacific
,
and our
variable interest entity,
Sino-China
.
As a
result, our ability to pay dividends and to finance any debt we may incur
depends upon dividends paid by
Trans
Pacific
and
management fees paid by
Sino-China
.
If
Trans
Pacific
incurs
debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing its debt may
restrict its ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, Trans Pacific is
permitted to pay dividends to us only out of its retained earnings, if any,
as
determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under
PRC law,
Chinese
companies like Trans Pacific are
required
to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profit each year to fund a
statutory reserve until the amount of the reserve reaches 50% of such entity’s
registered capital. Although these statutory reserves can be used, among other
ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess
of retained earnings of the respective companies, these reserve funds are not
distributable as cash dividends except in the event of a solvent liquidation
of
the companies.
Off-Balance
Sheet Commitments and Arrangements
We
have
not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee
the
payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any
derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as
shareholder’s equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial
statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest
in
assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity
or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest
in
any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or
credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development
services with us.
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk
Interest
Rate Risk
Our
exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest income
generated by excess cash invested in demand deposits and liquid investments
with
original maturities of three months or less. We have not used any derivative
financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure. Interest-earning
instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed
nor
do we anticipate being exposed to material risks due to changes in interest
rates. However, our future interest income may be lower than expected due to
changes in market interest rates.
Foreign
Exchange Risk
Our
revenues and costs of services are denominated in both Renminbi and U.S.
dollars. Recently, there has been significant international pressure on the
Chinese government to permit the free floatation of the Renminbi, resulting
in
an appreciation of the Renminbi against the $ increased from RMB7.9956 to $1.00,
RMB7.6155 to $1.00 and RMB7.5108 to $1.00 on June 30, 2006, June 30, 2007,
and
September 30, 2007, respectively. The continuing increase of the exchange rate
of the Renminbi against the U.S. Dollar may have severe impact on our
inter-company transactions and balances. While we had a foreign currency
translation gain of $36,812 for the year ended June 30, 2007, we suffered a
foreign currency translation loss of $15,426 and $21,568 for 2006 and for the
first quarter of 2007, respectively. Our future gain or loss on foreign currency
translation depend on the trend of Renminbi revaluation, the proportion of
cash
and cash equivalents depositing in
Sino-China
and the
volume of inter-company transactions.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS
160, “Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements—an amendment
of ARB No. 51”, which is effective for annual periods beginning after December
15, 2008. Early adoption is prohibited. The objective of this Statement is
to
improve the relevance, comparability, and transparency of the financial
information that a reporting entity provides in its consolidated financial
statements by establishing accounting and reporting standards for the
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. We are currently assessing the impact of SFAS No. 160; however
we do
not believe the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our
consolidated financial statements.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 141 (revised 2007), “Business Combinations”,
which is effective for business combinations for which the acquisition date
is
on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on
or
after December 15, 2008. This Statement establishes principles and requirements
for how the acquirer (a) recognizes and measures in its financial statements
the
identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling
interest in the acquiree; (b) recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired
in
the business combination or a gain from a bargain purchase; and (c) determines
what information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to
evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business combination. We are
currently assessing the impact of SFAS No. 141R; however we do not believe
the
adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our consolidated
financial statements.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities”. SFAS No. 159 provides companies with an
option to report selected financial assets and liabilities at fair value. SFAS
No. 159’s objective is to reduce both complexity in accounting for financial
instruments and the volatility in earnings caused by measuring related assets
and liabilities differently. SFAS No. 159 also establishes presentation and
disclosure requirements designed to facilitate comparisons between companies
that choose different measurement attributes for similar types of assets and
liabilities. SFAS No. 159 requires companies to provide additional information
that will help investors and other users of financial statements to more easily
understand the effect of our company’s choice to use fair value on its earnings.
It also requires entities to display the fair value of those assets and
liabilities for which our company has chosen to use fair value on the face
of
the balance sheet. SFAS No. 159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity’s
first fiscal year beginning after November 15, 2007. Early adoption is permitted
as of the beginning of the previous fiscal year provided that the entity makes
that choice in the first 120 days of that fiscal year and also elects to apply
the provisions of Statement 157. Our company did not early adopt SFAS No. 159.
We are currently assessing the impact of SFAS No. 159; however we do not believe
the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our consolidated
financial statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements”, which
defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and
expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This standard applies under
other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements,
but does not require any new fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 will become
effective for our company in fiscal 2009. We are currently assessing the impact
of SFAS No. 157; however, we do not believe the adoption of this standard will
have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
General
We
are
one of the largest providers of shipping agency services in China. As a provider
of shipping agent services, we have offices in China in Ningbo, Qingdao,
Tianjin, Beijing, Qinhuangdao and Fangchenggang and in the United States in
Flushing, New York to coordinate our clients’ shipping needs, including
preparing documents, husbanding vessels, working through customs issues,
coordinating matters with port authorities, overseeing and settling cargo
claims, tracking shipments, recommending trucking, warehousing and complementary
services.
We
act as
a local agent and attend vessels directly in each of the ports in which we
have
branch offices. In addition to these ports, we have contracting offices at
all
other commercial ports in China as a professional general/protecting agency.
In
the ports in which we do not yet have an office, we appoint a local agent to
attend the vessels directly. See “Our Business – General”.
We
have
designed our services to simplify the shipping process for our clients and
to
keep our clients fully informed about the status of their shipments. To that
end, we analyze the information about prospective shipments provided by our
clients to determine the most economical and efficient transportation solutions
and then leverage our position as a shipping agency to negotiate competitive
shipping rates. We also give our clients daily disbursement reports to empower
them to monitor and dispute all questionable charges. In addition to allowing
clients to monitor disbursements, our Disbursement Department audits all bills
provided by ports for unreasonable charges that violate the guidelines issued
by
China’s Ministry of Communications.
We
provide shipping agency services to a variety of vessel sizes and types,
including Handysize, Panamax, Capesize, Handysize, Roll-On/Roll-Off (“RORO”),
and Very Large Crude Carrier (“VLCC”) class vessels. We have assisted clients
with a variety of shipping requirements, including bulk and break-bulk general
cargo, vehicle transport and raw materials such as crude oil and oil products
and iron, manganese and other metal ores.
Market
Background
Since
China adopted its open door trade policy in 1978, inviting foreign investment
in
China, China’s economy has steadily developed, both from new investments in
China and from increased international trade. As international trade between
China and other countries has expanded, the shipping industry in China has
also
grown.
The
evolution of the shipping agency industry has followed that of the shipping
industry in general. Prior to the 1980s, China’s shipping agency industry was
dominated by a single state-owned shipping agency, Penavico. In 1985, a second
shipping agency, Sinoagent, was permitted to provide shipping agency services
in
China.
Since
1985, the PRC has taken a number of steps to open China’s shipping agency
industry to private companies. In 1990, the PRC adopted the International
Ship
Agency Management and Stipulation (
国榻緇緊代理管理瘼定
),
which
allowed state-owned companies to compete in the shipping agency industry.
In
2002, the PRC further relaxed the restrictions on shipping agencies by
promulgating the People’s Republic of China International Marine Transportation
Rule (
中华人民共和国国榻海瀰条例
),
which
permitted Chinese private entities and joint ventures between Chinese and
foreign entities to compete in the shipping agency industry. The Chinese
and
American Marine Transportation Agreement (
中美海瀰协定
)
in 2003
and the New Round Chinese and European Union Marine Transportation Agreement
(
中国与欧盟海瀰协定
)
in 2002
allowed shipping transportation enterprises that were wholly owned by American
and European Union businesses, respectively, to provide shipping agency service
for their parent companies.
We
believe that there are approximately 1,400 licensed shipping agencies in China.
At present, Penavico and Sinoagent still dominate China’s shipping agency
industry, combining to generate approximately 85% of the revenues in the
industry. The remaining approved shipping agencies in operation share the
remaining 15% of revenues in the industry.
China’s
Economic Development
China’s
population of approximately 1.3 billion people is expected to grow by roughly
15 million people per year. The country’s gross national product has grown
at a rate of approximately 9 percent for more than 25 years, making it the
fastest growth rate for a major economy in recorded history. In the same 25-year
period, China has moved more than 300 million people out of poverty and
quadrupled the average Chinese person’s income. The tremendous potential of this
market is noted by the fact that 400 of the world’s largest 500 companies are
investing in China.
These
development factors have produced a burgeoning consumer goods market, as the
spending power and aspirations of consumers rise. In response, industries are
consolidating and modern retailers are penetrating second-tier and even some
third-tier Chinese cities. The increased availability of and demand for products
throughout China has fueled a corresponding growth in the industries that
transport goods within China and between China and other countries.
Our
Strategy
Our
goals
are to increase our market share in the PRC shipping agency market and to expand
our business to related service areas. We believe we can meet these goals by
continuing to focus on the high quality of our personnel, the positive
relationships we enjoy with local ports, businesses and agencies and the breadth
of services we offer to clients. Key elements of our strategy include the
following:
·
Increase
our market share.
We are
uniquely positioned as one of the largest Chinese shipping agencies. We believe
we have advantages over smaller shipping agencies in terms of infrastructure,
administration and services we can offer to clients. As a result, we believe
we
are able to compete on the basis of service with these smaller agencies.
Additionally, because Penavico and Sinoagent control so much more market
share
in China’s shipping agency industry, we offer an attractive alternative to
companies that wish to have a closer working relationship with their shipping
agency. In order to continue to increase our market share in China, we will
focus on demonstrating to potential clients that typically use the larger
shipping agents that we are able to provide a high level of service. Potential
customers in the shipping industry are strongly influenced by formal and
informal references. We believe that we have the opportunity to expand our
market share by providing high levels of customer satisfaction with our current
customers so that they continue to use our services and recommend our shipping
agency services to other potential customers that wish to ship to China.
We have
obtained ISO9000 and UKAS certifications from the International Organization
for
Standardization and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, respectively,
in
recognition of the quality of services we provide.
·
Establish
local branches in additional
ports in China.
We currently maintain branch offices in five cities in
China: Tianjin, Ningbo, Fangchenggang, Qingdao and Qinhuangdao. By having
offices in each of these cities, we are able to provide local agency services
to
our customers who use the commercial ports in these cities. We have found a
number of benefits of being able to serve as local agents, including the
following advantages:
·
We
can
avoid appointing local agents, which allows us to control the high level of
service provided to our customers;
·
We
can
develop strong relationships with local authorities, which allows us to stay
abreast of developments in local ports and to make sure our customers have
as
many advantages possible in working through any complications;
·
We
can
maximize profit for our company by not needing to pay third party shipping
agents to serve as local agents for our customers;
·
We
avoid
losing customers to the companies we appoint as local agents or to other
competitors that may be able to provide local agent services; and
·
We
may
save our customers money by avoiding duplicative layers of
administration.
·
React
quickly to opportunities to offer new services to our clients.
We
believe that our company is currently small enough to have close working
relationships with our customers. As a result, we believe we encourage our
customers to raise any concerns, comments or recommendations for additional
services that they would like to see provided with our shipping agency services.
We also believe that we are large enough to implement many of these
recommendations and strive to offer new services when we feel that the services
will benefit our customers.
·
Maintain
working relationships with third parties in port cities.
We
currently enjoy good working relationships with a variety of entities that
operate in commercial ports, including port authorities, tugboat companies,
pilot stations, stevedore companies, customs agencies, shipping agency
associations and local government authorities. By increasing the number of
ports
at which we have branch offices, we believe we can develop positive working
relationships in additional port cities for the benefit of our customers.
Because success in shepherding shipments through China’s ports may be affected
by personal relationships with local personnel, we believe that strong personal
relationships in local ports may enable us to enjoy higher loading and
discharging rates and decreased port stay periods than if we did not have
positive personal relationships in those ports.
·
Increase
profile of United States operations
.
Our
office in New York currently handles our accounting and marketing. We plan
to
leverage our presence in the United States to increase the services we are
able
to offer to our customers, including shipments to and from the United States
and
English-language customer services from native speakers.
Customers
We
currently provide shipping agency services to a variety of international
vessels. The majority of our customers are international shipping companies
that
wish to ship goods to and from China. While one customer accounts for the
majority of our revenues, we provide services to a variety of shipping
companies.
Our
largest customer is Beijing Shou Rong Forwarding Service Co., Ltd, an affiliate
of Capital Steel, a large steel company in China. We provide shipping agency
services for all vessels carrying iron ore for Capital Steel. Revenues from
this
company accounted for approximately 52% of our revenues in 2007 and 32% of
our
revenues in 2006. See “Risk Factors – Our revenues are highly dependent on
China’s use of iron ore in general and on a few customers involved in that
industry in particular.”
Since
2006, we have also provided a significant amount of shipping agency services
to
Jardine Shipping Agencies (Hong Kong) Ltd, a member of Jardine Shipping
Services, a leading shipping services provider with an extensive network
throughout the Asia Pacific. Jardine Shipping Agencies (Hong Kong) Ltd serves
as
the shipping representative of BHP Billiton Iron Ore Pty Ltd, an Australian
company that is one of the largest iron ore providers in the world.
In
addition to these companies, we provide shipping agency services to a variety
of
shipping companies from Greece, Italy, Hong Kong, Australia, Switzerland,
Norway, the United States, Thailand and South Korea. We have provided shipping
agencies services for vessels carrying bulk and break-bulk cargoes, raw
materials, consumer goods, and vehicles.
Our
Strengths
We
believe that the following strengths differentiate us from our competitors
in
China’s shipping agency industry:
·
Position
as one of the largest Chinese shipping agencies
.
China
currently has 76 commercial ports. We have set-up branches in five ports and
have contractual agents in the rest. Our company, Penavico and Sinoagent are
the
only shipping agencies that have agents in all of China’s ports.
·
Strength
of personnel and administration
.
Most of
our employees have marine business working experience, and all of our
managers/chief operators once served in either Penavico or Sinoagent prior
to
joining our company. With these professionals and experienced staff, we believe
that we can provide competitive services to our customers.
·
Reputation
for reliability and responsiveness to customer requests
.
Our
operators are constantly on duty so that we can respond quickly to any
customer’s enquires regardless of any time difference between our customers and
us. Our marketing staff also pays regular visits to customers so that we can
continually improve our services in response to customer feedback.
·
Reputation
for financial responsibility
.
In
order to engage in business in China as a shipping agency, we must demonstrate
financial responsibility to customers, our business partners, ports and local
governmental agencies. We believe our ability to meet our financial obligations
has encouraged customers to choose to do business with us and has resulted
in
the growth of a strong network of service partners in the 76 ports in which
we
provide shipping agency services.
·
Strength
of information management system
.
We
consistently collect and update port information from local ports so that we
can
share current and accurate port information with our clients through our
network.
·
Quality
of services provided to customers
.
Unlike
agencies that provide local agent services in one particular port, we provide
our customers with both general agent and local agent services in all of China’s
commercial ports. Our general agent services provide our customers with accurate
port information, which helps our customers make their way smoothly through
loading and discharging cargo. Our local agent services have generally resulted
in shorter port stays and faster working rates for our customers’ ships,
reducing their overall port charges.
·
Positive
relationships with third parties in local ports
.
In
local ports, we maintain positive relationships with stevedore companies, pilot
stations, towage companies and other local service providers, which helps our
customers enjoy faster loading and discharging rates and a smoother berthing
and
unberthing process.
·
Strong
network of local shipping agents in ports without branch
offices
.
In
addition to having branch offices in five major Chinese commercial ports, we
also have a strong network of other shipping agents. Using feedback from
customers and our knowledge of the Chinese shipping agency industry, we can
compare and select the most competitive agents as our local agents.
Our
Challenges
The
successful execution of our strategies is subject to certain risks and
uncertainties, including those relating to:
·
our
limited operating history in general and our recent profitability;
·
limited
funds with which to build a nationwide port network in China, to recruit and
retain quality personnel, to advertise our services and to develop new
information technology for use in providing shipping agency
services;
·
the
growth of the shipping agency industry in China and the entrance of new Chinese
and foreign competitors into the market;
·
our
ability to respond to competitive pressures; and
·
regulatory
environment in China.
Please
see “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a
detailed discussion of these risks and uncertainties.
Competition
Our
ability to be successful in our industry depends on our ability to compete
effectively with companies that may be more well-capitalized than we are or
may
provide shipping agency services we do not or cannot provide to our customers.
While China’s shipping agency industry has a variety of small shipping agencies,
our two primary competitors are Penavico and Sinoagent. Both of these companies
are state-owned in part and much larger than we are and derive significantly
more revenue from shipping agency services in China.
·
Penavico
.
Penavico was formed in 1953, as a state-owned shipping agency affiliated with
COSCO. Beginning in 1955, Penavico took over China’s shipping agency business
from the foreign agents that previously did business in China and, until 1985,
Penavico was the only shipping agency operating in China. Penavico now has
more
than 80 local agencies and 300 business networks across China. Penavico
maintains offices in America, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Penavico’s shipping agency business, bulk ships and container ships currently
account for approximately 64.5% of China’s market.
·
Sinoagent
.
Sinoagent was formed in 1985 as a specialized subsidiary of Sinotrans Limited
Company (“Sinotrans”), a company that provides integrated ocean transportation,
land transport, airfreight, warehousing, express services, shipping agency
and
freight forwarding services. Due to its relationship with Sinotrans, Sinoagent
is able to provide a seamless, integrated set of services to its customers.
We
believe that Penavico’s and Sinoagent’s primary strengths include the
following:
|
·
|
the
establishment of a complete port network in mainland
China;
|
|
·
|
the
presence of a large base of clients;
and
|
|
·
|
the
availability of funding and financial support from state-owned financial
institutions.
|
Regulations
on Foreign Exchange
Foreign
Currency Exchange
.
Pursuant to the Foreign Currency Administration Rules promulgated in 1996 and
amended in 1997 and various regulations issued by the State Administration
of
Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”), and other relevant PRC government authorities,
RMB is freely convertible only to the extent of current account items, such
as
trade related receipts and payments, interests and dividends. Capital account
items, such as direct equity investments, loans and repatriation of investment,
require prior approval from SAFE or its provincial branch for conversion of
RMB
into a foreign currency, such as U.S. dollars, and remittance of the foreign
currency outside the PRC. Payments for transactions that take place within
the
PRC must be made in RMB. Unless otherwise approved, PRC companies must
repatriate foreign currency payments received from abroad. Foreign-invested
enterprises may retain foreign exchange in accounts with designated foreign
exchange banks subject to a cap set by SAFE or its local counterpart. Unless
otherwise approved, domestic enterprises must convert all of their foreign
currency receipts into RMB.
Dividend
Distribution
.
The
principal regulations governing divided distributions by wholly foreign-owned
enterprises and Sino-foreign equity joint ventures include:
|
·
|
Wholly
Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law (1986), as amended;
|
|
·
|
Wholly
Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law Implementing Rules (1990), as amended;
|
|
·
|
Sino-Foreign
Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law (1979), as amended;
and
|
|
·
|
Sino-Foreign
Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law Implementing Rules (1983), as
amended.
|
Under
these regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises and Sino-foreign equity
joint ventures in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their accumulated
profits, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards
and
regulations. Additionally, these foreign-invested enterprises are required
to
set aside certain amounts of their accumulated profits each year, if any, to
fund certain reserve funds. These reserves are not distributable as cash
dividends.
Regulation
of foreign exchange in certain onshore and offshore
transactions
.
Under
recent notices issued by the SAFE, PRC residents are required to register with
and receive approvals from SAFE in connection with offshore investment
activities. SAFE has stated that the purpose of these notices is to ensure
the
proper balance of foreign exchange and the standardization of cross-border
flow
of funds.
In
January 2005, SAFE issued a notice stating that SAFE approval is required for
any sale or transfer by PRC residents of a PRC company’s assets or equity
interests to foreign entities in exchange for the equity interests or assets
of
the foreign entities. The notice also states that, when registering with the
foreign exchange authorities, a PRC company acquired by an offshore company
must
clarify whether the offshore company is controlled or owned by PRC residents
and
whether there is any share or asset link between or among the parties to the
acquisition transaction.
In
April
2005, SAFE issued another notice further explaining and expanding upon the
January notice. The April notice clarified that, where a PRC company is acquired
by an offshore company in which PRC residents directly or indirectly hold
shares, such PRC residents must (i) register with the local SAFE branch
regarding their respective ownership interests in the offshore company, even
if
the transaction occurred prior to the January notice, and (ii) file
amendments to such registration concerning any material events of the offshore
company, such as changes in share capital and share transfers. The April notice
also expanded the statutory definition of the term “foreign acquisition,” making
the notices applicable to any transaction that results in PRC residents directly
or indirectly holding shares in the offshore company that has an ownership
interest in a PRC company. The April notice also provided that failure to comply
with the registration procedures set forth therein may result in the imposition
of restrictions on the PRC company’s foreign exchange activities and its ability
to distribute profits to its offshore parent company.
On
October 21, 2005, SAFE issued a new public notice concerning PRC residents’
investments through offshore investment vehicles. This notice took effect on
November 1, 2005 and replaces prior SAFE notices on this topic. According
to the November 2005 notice:
·
any
PRC
resident that created an off-shore holding company structure prior to the
effective date of the November notice must submit a registration form to a
local
SAFE branch to register his or her ownership interest in the offshore company
on
or before May 31, 2006;
·
any
PRC
resident that purchases shares in a public offering of a foreign company would
also be required to register such shares an notify SAFE of any change of their
ownership interest; and
·
following
the completion of an off-shore financing, any PRC shareholder may transfer
proceeds from the financing into China for use within China.
In
accordance with the October 2005 notice, on December 12, 2007, Mr. Cao Lei
and Mr. Zhang Mingwei obtained appropriate registration from their local
SAFE offices.
Employees
As
of
September 30, 2007, we had 54 employees, 52 of whom were based in China. Of
the
total, 12 were in management, two were in technical support, five were in sales
and marketing, 16 were in financial affairs and administration, and 19 were
in
operation and disbursement. We believe that our relations with our employees
are
good. We have never had a work stoppage, and our employees are not subject
to a
collective bargaining agreement.
We
currently operate in six facilities throughout China. Our headquarters are
located in Beijing. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations – Contractual Obligations and Commercial
Commitments.”
Office
|
|
Address
|
|
Rental
Term
|
|
Space
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing,
PRC
|
|
Room
1208, Tower D
Ye
Qing Plaza No. 9
Wangjing
(North) Road
Chao
Yang District
Beijing,
PRC 100102
Floor
16, Building D
YeQing
Plaza, No. 9
Wangjing
(North) Road
Chaoyang
District
Beijing,
PRC 100102
|
|
Expires
01/19/2010
Expires
1/13/2010
|
|
400
m
2
1558
m
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fangchenggang,
PRC
|
|
2
nd
Floor, Duty-Free Store Building
South
Gate of Fangcheng Port
Fangcheng,
PRC 538001
|
|
Long
term
|
|
200
m
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flushing,
NY
|
|
36-09
Main Street
Suite
9C-2
Flushing,
New York 11354
|
|
Expires
07/31/2009
|
|
60
m
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ningbo,
PRC
|
|
Room
1611, Hai Guang Plaza
No.
298 Zhong Shan West Road
Hai
Shu District
Ningbo,
PRC 315011
|
|
Expires
11/01/2008
|
|
45
m
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Qingdao,
PRC
|
|
Room
2101 Building A, No. 10
Xiang
Gang (Middle) Road,
Qingdao,
PRC 266071
|
|
Expires
12/31/2008
|
|
186
m
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Qinhuangdao,
PRC
|
|
Room
Bo203, 18
th
Floor
Jin
Yuan International Commercial Building
No.
146 He Bei Street, Hai Gang District
Qinhuangdao,
PRC 0066000
|
|
Expires
01/21/2010
|
|
127
m
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tianjin,
PRC
|
|
Room
A-1905, Tianwei Plaza
No.
111 Xin Gang Road
Tang
Gu District
Tianjin,
PRC 300456
|
|
Expires
12/15/2008
|
|
69
m
2
|
Executive
Officers and Directors
The
following table sets forth our executive officers and directors, their ages
and
the positions held by them:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Positions
Held
|
|
Appointment
Year
|
Mr. Cao
Lei
|
|
43
|
|
Chief Executive Officer and
Director
|
|
2001
|
Mr.
Zhang Mingwei
|
|
54
|
|
Chief Financial Officer and Director
|
|
2007
|
Mr. Huang
Zhi Kang
|
|
30
|
|
Vice President
|
|
2002
|
Ms.
Liu Si Xia
|
|
29
|
|
Chief Operating Officer
|
|
2003
|
Mr.
Dennis O. Laing
|
|
60
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
Mr.
Charles Thomas Burke
|
|
74
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
Mr.
Wang Jing
|
|
58
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
Cao
Lei.
Mr. Cao
is our Chief Executive Officer and a Director. Mr. Cao founded Sino-China in
2001 and has been the Chief Executive Officer since that time. Mr. Cao has
been Chief Executive officer of our company since its formation. Prior to
founding Sino-China, Mr. Cao was a Chief Representative of
Wagenborg-Lagenduk Scheepvaart BV, Holland, from 1992-1993, Director of the
Penavico-Beijing’s shipping agency from 1987 through 1992, and a seaman for
Cosco-Hong Kong from 1984 through 1987. Mr. Cao will receive his EMBA
degree in 2008 from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Zhang
Mingwei
.
Mr. Zhang has extensive knowledge and experience in accounting from the
perspective as an academician and a practicing accountant. Mr. Zhang joined
our
company as its Chief Executive Officer and a Director in September 2007. He
also
currently serves as a professor at the School of Accounting at Tianjin
University of Finance and Economics, a position he assumed in August 2007.
From
May 2001 until December 2007, Mr. Zhang was a partner in Baker Tilly China,
an
international public accounting firm. From July 1994 to June 2003, he served
as
a Lecturer at Monash University in Australia. Mr. Zhang received a Bachelor’s
degree and a Master’s degree in Accounting from Tianjin University of Finance
and Economics. He also received a Master’s degree in Commerce from The
University of Newcastle. Mr. Zhang is a Certified Management Accountant in
Australia.
Huang
Zhi Kang
.
Mr.
Huang has served Sino-Global as a Vice President since 2002. From 1999 to 2002,
Mr. Huang served in various roles with Sinoagent. Mr. Huang received a bachelor
degree in 1999 from Guangxi University.
Liu
Si Xia
.
Ms. Liu
has served as our Chief Operating Officer since 2003. From 2000 to 2003, she
served as a ship operator for Sky-Sailing Shipping Co., Ltd and World Shipping
Group Co., Ltd. Ms. Liu Si Xia received her bachelor degree from Shanghai
Maritime University in 2000.
Dennis
O. Laing
.
Mr.
Laing has practiced law in Richmond, Virginia for over 30 years. Mr. Laing’s law
practice centers upon business and corporate law with special interest in
energy, healthcare and technology sectors. Mr. Laing received a bachelor’s
degree in government from the University of Virginia and a law degree from
the
University of Richmond. Mr. Laing currently serves as a director of e-Future
Information Technology Inc., an enterprise solutions software and services
company that is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market.
C.
Thomas Burke.
Mr.
Burke
currently serves as the Senior Adviser to the President and Chief Executive
Officer of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line America, Inc.), an ocean carrier
company with over 400 ships in a fleet serving the world. In 2003, Mr. Burke
was
elected the Chairman of the National Maritime Security Discussion Agreement,
which is composed of 45 members including ocean carriers, terminal operators
and
operating port authorities. In 1990, President Bush appointed Mr. Burke as
a
Commissioner of the Panama Canal Study Commission. In 1986, U.S. Secretary
of
Transportation appointed Mr. Burke to the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development
Corporation, Strategic Planning Advisory Committee. In 1998, Mr. Burke served
the Regan Administration as Transportation Management Officer, Agency for
International Development, U.S. Department of State. In 1976, President Carter
appointed Mr. Burke as Special Assistant for International Affairs, Office
of
the Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mr. Burke received a bachelor
degree from Northeastern University.
Wang
Jing
.
Mr. Wang currently serves as Chief Economist to China Minsheng Banking
Corp., Ltd. and has held this position since December 2002. Mr. Wang was a
Chinese Project Advisor for the World Bank from 1990 until 1994. From 1998
through 2000, Mr. Wang was the vice director of Tianjin Security and
Futures Supervision Office, in charge of initial public offerings and listing
companies. Mr. Wang is an independent director for Tianjin Binhai Energy
& Development Co. Ltd., (Shenzhen/
深圳交易所
:
000695); Tianjin Marine Shipping Co., Ltd. (SSE/
上海琿券交易所
:
600751); and ReneSola Company (LSE: SOLA). Mr. Wang received a Bachelor
degree in Economics from Tianjin University of Finance and
Economics.
Executive
Compensation
The
following table shows the estimated annual compensation paid by us to Mr. Cao
Lei, our Chief Executive Officer for the years ended June 30, 2006 and 2007.
No
other officer had a salary during either of the previous two years of more
than
$100,000.
Summary
Compensation Table
Name and principal position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
Bonus
($)
|
|
All Other Compensation
($)
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Mr. Cao Lei,
Principal Executive Officer
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
141,445
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
141,445
|
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
130,354
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
130,354
|
|
Stock
Option Pool
We
have
authorized the establishment of a pool for stock options for our employees.
This
pool will contain between [______] and [______] options to purchase our common
stock, equal to 10% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding
at
the conclusion of this offering. The options will vest at a rate of 20% per
year
for five years and have an exercise price of the market price of our shares
on
the date the options are granted. Our Board of Directors and shareholders have
approved the adoption of a stock option plan to be implemented following the
closing of this offering. We expect to grant options to certain employees as
of
the closing of this offering; however, we have not yet determined the number
of
options or the individuals to whom to grant such options. Any options granted
as
of the closing of this offering will have an exercise price of $[______] per
option.
Board
of Directors and Board Committees
Our
board
of directors consists of five members. We expect that all current directors
will
continue to serve after this offering. The directors will be divided into three
classes, as nearly equal in number as the then total number of directors
permits. Class I directors shall face re-election at our annual general meeting
of shareholders in 2008 and every three years thereafter. Class II directors
shall face re-election at our annual general meeting of shareholders in 2009
and
every three years thereafter. Class III directors shall face re-election at
our
annual general meeting of shareholders in 2010 and every three years thereafter.
If
the
number of directors changes, any increase or decrease will be apportioned among
the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly
as
possible. Any additional directors of a class elected to fill a vacancy
resulting from an increase in such class will hold office for a term that
coincides with the remaining term of that class. Decreases in the number of
directors will not shorten the term of any incumbent director. These board
provisions could make it more difficult for third parties to gain control of
our
company by making it difficult to replace members of the Board of Directors.
We
may
enter into contracts or transactions in which one or more directors are
interested; provided, however that the nature of the interest of any director
in
any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to the
consideration of the transaction and that the transaction meets the requirements
of Virginia Code Section 13.1-691, which provides that such transactions are
not
voidable due to a director conflict of interest if one of the following three
statements is true:
·
The
material facts of the transaction and the director’s interest were disclosed or
known to our board of directors or a committee of our board and our board or
committee authorized, approved, or ratified the transaction;
·
The
material facts of the transaction and the director’s interest were disclosed to
the shareholders entitled to vote and they authorized, approved, or ratified
the
transaction; or
·
The
transaction was fair to our company.
A
general
notice or disclosure to the directors or otherwise contained in the minutes
of a
meeting or a written resolution of the directors or any committee thereof that
a
director is a shareholder of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded
as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient
disclosure and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give
special notice relating to any particular transaction.
There
are
no membership qualifications for directors. Further, there are no share
ownership qualifications for directors unless so fixed by us in a general
meeting.
Currently,
three committees have been established under the board: the audit committee,
the
compensation committee and the nominating committee. The audit committee is
responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes
of
our company and audits of the financial statements of our company, including
the
appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of our independent auditors.
The compensation committee of the board of directors reviews and makes
recommendations to the board regarding our compensation policies for our
officers and all forms of compensation, and also administers our incentive
compensation plans and equity-based plans (but our board retains the authority
to interpret those plans). The nominating committee of the board of directors
is
responsible for the assessment of the performance of the board, considering
and
making recommendations to the board with respect to the nominations or elections
of directors and other governance issues. Each of these three committees
consists solely of our independent directors: Mr. Laing, Mr. Burke and
Mr. Wang.
There
are
no other arrangements or understandings pursuant to which our directors are
selected or nominated.
Board
of Directors Observers
In
connection with this offering, we have agreed to allow our underwriter to
designate two non-voting observers to our Board of Directors until the earlier
of the date that:
|
·
|
the
investors that purchase shares in this offering beneficially own
less than
10% of our outstanding shares; or
|
|
·
|
the
trading price per share is at least $[______] per share for any
consecutive 15 trading day period.
|
Although
our underwriter’s observers will not be able to vote, they may nevertheless
significantly influence the outcome of matters submitted to the Board of
Directors for approval. We have agreed to reimburse the observers for their
expenses for attending our Board meetings, subject to a maximum reimbursement
of
$6,000 per meeting and $12,000 annually per observer. The observers will be
required to certify that such travel expenses are not reimbursed by any other
party. No other compensation will be paid to the observers. As of the date
of
this prospectus, Mr. L. McCarthy Downs, III and Mr. Zhu Ming are
serving as our underwriter’s observers to our Board of Directors.
We
have
no other arrangement or understandings pursuant to which any of our other
directors are selected or nominated.
Duties
of Directors
Under
Virginia law, our directors have a fiduciary duty to the company to discharge
their duties as directors, including their duties as committee members, in
accordance with their good faith business judgment of the best interests of
our
company.
Director
Compensation
All
directors hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until
their successors have been duly elected and qualified. There are no family
relationships among our directors or executive officers. Officers are elected
by
and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Employee directors do
not
receive any compensation for their services. Non-employee directors are entitled
to receive $2,000 per Board of Directors meeting attended. In addition,
non-employee directors are entitled to receive compensation for their actual
travel expenses for each Board of Directors meeting attended. These non-employee
directors will be required to certify that such travel expenses are not
reimbursed by any other party.
Employment
Agreements
Sino-China
has employment agreements with each of Mr. Cao Lei, Mr. Zhang Mingwei, Mr.
Huang
Zhi Kang and Ms. Liu Si Xia. These employment agreements provide for employment
of each of the employees for one-year terms, currently all expiring on December
31, 2008. Under Chinese law, these employment agreements may only be terminated
without cause and without penalty by providing notice of non-renewal one month
prior to the date on which the employment agreement are scheduled to expire.
If
we fail to provide this notice or if we wish to terminate an employment
agreement in the absence of cause, then we are obligated to pay the employee
one
month’s salary for each year we have employed the employee. We are, however,
permitted to terminate an employee for cause without penalty to our company,
where the employee has committed a crime or the employee’s actions or inactions
have resulted in a material adverse effect to us.
Limitation
of Director and Officer Liability
Pursuant
to our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, every director or officer and
the
personal representatives of the same shall be indemnified and secured harmless
out of our assets and funds against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges,
expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by him or her
in
or about the conduct of our business or affairs or in the execution or discharge
of his or her duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without
prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or
liabilities incurred by him in defending (whether successfully or otherwise)
any
civil proceedings concerning us or our affairs in any court whether in Virginia
or elsewhere. No such director or officer will be liable for: (a) the acts,
receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other such Director or officer
or agent; or (b) any loss on account of defect of title to any of our
property; or (c) account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon
which any of our money shall be invested; or (d) any loss incurred through
any bank, broker or other similar person; or (e) any loss occasioned by any
negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgment or
oversight on his or her part; or (f) any loss, damage or misfortune
whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of
the
duties, powers authorities, or discretions of his or her office or in relation
thereto, unless the same shall happen through his or her own dishonesty.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933
may
be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the
foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC
such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
of
1933 and is therefore unenforceable as a matter of United States law.
The
following table sets forth information with respect to beneficial ownership
of
our common stock as of January 10, 2008 and as adjusted to reflect the sale
of
the shares offered by us in this offering, for each person known by us to
beneficially own 5% or more of our common stock, and all of our executive
officers and directors individually and as a group. Beneficial ownership is
determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and includes voting or
investment power with respect to the securities. Except as indicated below,
and
subject to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table
have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares shown as
beneficially owned by them. The percentage of beneficial ownership is based
on
1,800,000 shares outstanding as of January 10, 2008 and [______] shares (minimum
offering) and [______] shares (maximum offering) outstanding after completion
of
this offering. Our major common stockholders’ voting rights will not differ from
other common stockholders’ rights. The address of each of the below shareholders
is c/o Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., 36-09 Main Street, Suite 9C-2,
Flushing, New York, 11354.
Name
and Address
|
|
Title
of
Class
|
|
Amount
of
Beneficial
Ownership
|
|
Percentage
Ownership
Before Offering
|
|
Percentage
Ownership After
Minimum Offering
|
|
Percentage
Ownership After
Maximum Offering
|
|
Mr. Cao
Lei
|
|
|
common
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Mr. Chi
Tai Shen
|
|
|
common
|
|
|
72,000
|
|
|
4.0
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Mr.
Zhu Ming
|
|
|
common
|
|
|
72,000
|
|
|
4.0
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Mr.
Zhang Mingwei
|
|
|
common
|
|
|
54,000
|
|
|
3.0
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Mr. Mark
A. Harris and
Mrs. Roslyn
O. Harris
(1)
|
|
|
common
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Mr. Richard
E. Watkins and
Mrs. Sharon
J. Watkins
(1)
|
|
|
common
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
[______
|
]._%
|
|
[______
|
]._%
|
(1)
Assumes
no sale by the shareholder pursuant to the resale registration statement being
filed concurrently herewith.
Contractual
Arrangements with Sino-China and Its Shareholders
PRC
law
currently limits foreign equity ownership of shipping agencies. To comply with
these foreign ownership restrictions, we operate our business in China through
a
series of contractual arrangements with Sino-China and its shareholders, Mr.
Cao
Lei and Mr. Zhang Mingwei. For a description of these contractual arrangements,
see “Our Corporate Structure – Contractual Arrangements with Sino-China and Its
Shareholders.”
Loan
to Mr. Cao Lei
As
of
September 30, 2007, Mr. Cao Lei, our Chief Executive Officer owed our company
an
aggregate of $1,251,222. On December 31, 2007, Mr. Cao repaid this indebtedness
with funds generated by him selling an aggregate of [______] shares of his
common stock in our company to two third-party investors for $1,250,000 (the
“Private Sale”) and repaying $1,222 to our company. In connection with the
Private Sale, we have agreed to grant the investors in the Private Sale a right
to put the acquired shares of common stock to our company in the event that
such
shares are not registered in accordance with federal and applicable state
securities laws within 12 months of the Private Sale. During the term of this
put right, we have agreed to place $1,250,000 in an escrow account. To the
extent we complete the registration of such shares within 12 months of the
Private Sale, the escrow agent will release the funds to our account. In the
event we do not register such shares within this time period, the escrow agent
will pay the funds to the investors in order to cause our company to purchase
the shares of common stock held by the investors for an aggregate payment of
$1,250,000.
Relationship
with our Underwriter
In
connection with this offering, we have agreed to allow our underwriter to
designate two non-voting observers to our Board of Directors until the earlier
of the date that:
|
·
|
the
investors that purchase shares in this offering beneficially own
less than
10% of our outstanding shares; or
|
|
·
|
the
trading price per share is at least $[______] per share for any
consecutive 15 trading day period.
|
Mr.
Downs, our underwriter’s Senior Vice President, currently serves as one of the
underwriter’s observers to our Board of Directors. Our underwriter’s observers
may impact the decisions of our Board of Directors. The Corporate Governance
Committee of our Board of Directors, which is comprised solely of independent
directors, must approve any future transaction with our affiliates.
Future
Related Party Transactions
In
the
future, the Nominating Committee of our Board of Directors must approve all
related party transactions. All material related party transactions will be
made
or entered into on terms that are no less favorable to use than can be obtained
from unaffiliated third parties. Related party transactions that we have
previously entered into were not approved by independent directors, as we had
no
independent directors at that time.
Our
authorized capital stock consists of 10,000,000 shares of common stock, without
par value per share and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, without par value
per share. As of the date of this prospectus, 1,800,000 shares of common stock
are issued and outstanding, and no shares of preferred stock have been issued.
The following summary description relating to our capital stock does not purport
to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by our Articles of Incorporation
and Bylaws.
Common
Stock
Holders
of common stock are entitled to cast one vote for each share on all matters
submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors. The
holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if
any,
as may be declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available
therefor and subject to any preference of any then authorized and issued
preferred stock. See “Dividend Policy.” Such holders do not have any preemptive
or other rights to subscribe for additional shares. All holders of common stock
are entitled to share ratably in any assets for distribution to shareholders
upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, subject to
any
preference of any then authorized and issued preferred stock. There are no
conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common
stock. All outstanding shares are fully paid and nonassessable.
Authorization
of Blank Check Preferred Stock
Although
we are not offering any preferred stock in this offering, our articles of
incorporation and bylaws provide that, upon completion of this offering, our
board of directors will be authorized to issue, without stockholder approval,
blank check preferred stock. Blank check preferred stock can operate as a
defensive measure known as a “poison pill” by diluting the stock ownership of a
potential hostile acquirer to prevent an acquisition that is not approved by
our
board of directors.
Limitations
on the Right to Own Shares
There
are
no limitations on the right to own our shares.
Disclosure
of Shareholder Ownership
There
are
no provisions in our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws governing the
ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
Changes
in Capital
We
may
from time to time by ordinary resolution increase the share capital by such
sum,
to be divided into shares of such amount, as the resolution shall prescribe.
The
new shares shall be subject to the same provisions with reference to the payment
of calls, lien, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the shares
in the original share capital. We may by ordinary resolution:
·
consolidate
and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than
our
existing shares;
·
convert
all or any of our paid up shares into stock and reconvert that stock into paid
up shares of any denomination;
·
in
many
circumstances, sub-divide our existing shares, or any of them, into shares
of
smaller amount provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the
amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the
same as it was in the case of the share form which the reduced share is derived;
and
·
cancel
any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been
taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share
capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.
We
may by
special resolution reduce our share capital and any capital redemption reserve
fund in any manner authorized by law.
Stock
Options
Our
Board
of Directors and shareholders have approved the creation of a stock option
plan
to be implemented following the completion of this offering. This plan will
authorize the issuance of up to 10% of the number of shares outstanding after
this offering, which will result in a pool of between [______] and [______]
options. Pursuant to this plan, we may issue options to purchase our common
stock to our employees and directors. The Compensation Committee of the Board
of
Directors will administer the plan. The options will have exercise prices equal
to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Any options
granted as of the closing of this offering will have an exercise price of
$[______] per option. In addition, the options will vest over five years (20%
per year) and have terms of ten years.
Certain
Effects of Authorized but Unissued Stock
Assuming
a maximum offering, after this offering, we will have [______] shares of common
stock and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock remaining authorized but unissued.
Authorized but unissued shares are available for future issuance without
shareholder approval, except where approval is required by applicable
requirements of the exchange on which our stock is traded. Issuance of these
shares will dilute your percentage ownership in us.
Prior
to
this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. Future
sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could
adversely affect market prices. Upon completion of this offering, we will have
outstanding an aggregate of [______] shares of common stock. Of these shares,
the [______] shares sold in the offering will be freely tradable without
restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except that any
shares purchased by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 of the
Securities Act, may generally only be sold in compliance with the limitations
of
Rule 144 described below. All other outstanding shares not sold in this offering
will be deemed “restricted securities” as defined under Rule 144. Restrictive
securities may be sold in the public market only if registered or if they
qualify for an exemption from registration under Rule 144. Subject to the lockup
agreements described below and the provisions of Rule 144, additional shares
will be available for sale in the public market as follows:
Approximate
Number of Shares
Eligible
for Future Sale
|
Date
|
[______]
|
After
the date of this prospectus, freely tradable shares sold in this
offering.
|
[______]
|
After
the date of this prospectus, the shares will have been registered
upon a
separate resale prospectus and will be freely tradable by certain
selling
shareholders listed in the resale prospectus.
|
[______]
|
After
_____, 2008, these shares will be automatically released from the
underwriter lock-up and will be tradable in compliance with Rule
144.
|
Rule
144
In
general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, a person, or persons whose
shares are aggregated, who has beneficially owned shares of our common stock
for
least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner, except if
the
prior owner was one of our affiliates, would be entitled to sell within any
three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of:
|
·
|
1%
of the number of shares of our common stock and then outstanding
(which
will equal approximately [______] shares immediately after this offering);
or
|
|
·
|
the
average weekly trading volume of our common stock during the four
calendar
weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to
the
sale.
|
Sales
under Rule 144 are also subject to manner of sale provisions and notice
requirements and to the availability of current public information about our
company.
Rule
144(k)
Under
Rule 144(k), a person who is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates
at
any time during the 90 days preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned
the
shares proposed to be sold for at least one year, including the holding period
of any prior owner except one of our affiliates, is entitled to sell the shares
without complying with the manner of sale, public information, volume limitation
or notice provisions of Rule 144.
Lock-Up
Agreements
The
shares held by our officers and directors are subject to lock-up agreements.
These lock-up agreements provide that the shareholder will not offer, sell,
contact to sell, grant an option to purchase, effect a short sale or otherwise
dispose of or engage in any hedging or other transaction that is designed or
reasonably expected to lead to a disposition of shares or any option to purchase
shares or any securities exchangeable for or convertible into common stock
for a
period of 190 days after the date of this prospectus. Though these shares may
be
eligible for earlier sale under the provisions of the Securities Act, of these
shares will not be saleable until 190 days after the date of this prospectus
as
a result of these lock-up agreements.
Registration
We
are
also concurrently registering for resale under a separate prospectus up to
[______] shares of our common stock held by the selling shareholders named
under
the prospectus. None of the shares is being offered by us, and we will not
receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares. See “Related Party
Transactions – Loan to Mr. Cao Lei.”
We
have
engaged Anderson & Strudwick, Incorporated to conduct this offering on
a “best efforts, minimum/maximum” basis. The offering is being made without a
firm commitment by the underwriter, which has no obligation or commitment to
purchase any of our shares. Although they have not formally committed to do
so,
our affiliates may opt to purchase shares in connection with this offering.
To
the extent such individuals invest, they will purchase our shares with
investment intent and without the intent to resell. Any shares purchased by
our
affiliates shall contribute to the calculation of whether we achieved our
minimum offering. We have not placed limits on the number of shares eligible
to
be purchased by our affiliates.
Unless
sooner withdrawn or canceled by either us or the underwriter, the offering
will
continue until the earlier of (i) a date mutually acceptable to us and our
underwriter after which the minimum offering is sold or (ii) June 1, 2008
(the “Offering Termination Date”). Until the closing of the offering, all
proceeds from the sale of the shares will be deposited in escrow with SunTrust
Bank (the “Escrow Agent”). Investors must pay in full for all shares at the time
of investment. Proceeds deposited in escrow with the Escrow Agent may not be
withdrawn by investors prior to the earlier of the closing of the offering
or
the Offering Termination Date. If the offering is withdrawn or canceled or
if
the [______] share minimum offering are not sold and proceeds therefrom are
not
received by us on or prior to the Offering Termination Date, all proceeds will
be promptly returned by the Escrow Agent without interest or deduction to the
persons from which they are received (within one business day) in accordance
with applicable securities laws.
Pursuant
to that certain underwriting agreement by and between the underwriter and us,
the obligations of the underwriter to solicit offers to purchase the shares
and
of investors solicited by the underwriter to purchase the common stock are
subject to approval of certain legal matters by counsel to the underwriter
and
to various other conditions which are customary in a transactions of this type,
including, that, as of the closing of the offering, there shall not have
occurred (a) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities
generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the publication of quotations on
the
NASDAQ Stock Market (National Market System or Capital Market); (ii) a
general moratorium on commercial banking activities in the State of New York
or
China; (iii) the engagement by the United States or China in hostilities
which have resulted in the declaration of a national emergency or war if any
such event would have a material adverse effect, in the underwriter’s reasonable
judgment, as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the
solicitation of offers to consummate the offering with respect to investors
solicited by the underwriter on the terms and conditions contemplated herein.
We
have
agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribute to payments
the
underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
The
underwriter is offering the shares, subject to prior sale, when, as and if
issued to and accepted by it, subject to conditions contained in the
underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriter of officers’
certificates and legal opinions. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw,
cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.
The underwriter intends to offer our shares to its retail customers in states
whereby we have qualified the issuance of such shares.
Commissions
and Discounts
The
underwriter has advised us that it proposes to offer the shares to the public
at
the initial public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus.
The
following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount to be
paid by us to the underwriter and the proceeds, before expenses, to us.
|
|
Per Share
|
|
Minimum Offering
|
|
Maximum Offering
|
|
Public
offering price
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
$
|
6,750,000
|
|
$
|
8,750,000
|
|
Underwriting
discount
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
$
|
472,500
|
|
$
|
612,500
|
|
Proceeds
to us, before expenses
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
$
|
6,277,500
|
|
$
|
8,137,500
|
|
The
expenses of this offering, not including the underwriting discount, are
estimated at $[______] and are payable by us. The underwriter may offer the
shares to certain securities dealers at the public offering price, less a
concession not in excess of $[______] per share. The underwriting agreement
further provides that the underwriter will receive from us an accountable
expense allowance of 1% of the aggregate public offering price of the shares,
which allowance amounts to $[______] assuming an offering price of $[______]
per
share and the closing of a maximum offering.
Underwriter
Warrants
We
have
sold to the underwriter at a price of $0.001 per warrant, underwriter warrants
to purchase 10% of the number of shares issued by us or eligible to be sold
by
the selling shareholders in connection with the offering. The underwriter
warrants will be exercisable at 120% the offering price per share for a period
of five years and may not be exercised, if at all, until the effectiveness
of
this registration statement. The underwriter warrants may not be sold,
transferred, pledged, assigned or hypothecated for a period of six months after
the date of this prospectus, except to officers or partners and stockholders
of
the underwriter. We have registered the underwriter warrants and the shares
of
common stock underlying the underwriter warrants in connection with this
offering.
For
the
life of the underwriter warrants, the holders thereof are given, at nominal
costs, the opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of our common
stock with a resulting dilution in the interest of other shareholders. Further,
the holders may be expected to exercise the underwriter’s warrant at a time when
we would, in all likelihood, be able to obtain equity capital on terms more
favorable than those provided in the underwriter warrants.
Lock-Up
Agreements
Each
of
our existing shareholders other than
(i) Mark
A. and Roslyn O. Harris and (ii)
Richard
E. and Sharon J. Watkins has agreed with us not to sell or otherwise transfer
any shares for 190 days after the date of this prospectus. Specifically, we
and
our shareholders have agreed not to directly or indirectly:
·
offer,
pledge, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any shares;
·
sell
any
option or contract to purchase any shares;
·
purchase
any option or contract to sell any shares;
·
grant
any
option, right or warrant for the sale of any shares, except pursuant to our
stock option plan;
·
lend
or
otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares;
·
request
or demand that we file a registration statement related to any of our shares;
·
enter
into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the
economic consequences of ownership of any shares whether any such swap or
transaction is to be settled by delivery of shares or other securities, in
cash
or otherwise.
These
lock-up agreements apply to our common stock and to securities convertible
into,
or exchangeable or exercisable for, or repayable with, our common stock. It
also
applies to our common stock owned now acquired later by the person executing
the
agreement or for which the person executing the agreement later acquires the
power of disposition.
Market
and Pricing Considerations
There
is
not an established market for our common stock. We negotiated with our
underwriter to determine the offering price of our shares in this offering
using
a multiple of [______] times our trailing net income for [______]months ended
[______]. Noting past offerings completed by our underwriter, we believe that
this multiple approximates the valuation multiples utilized in similar offerings
for similarly-sized companies.
In
addition to prevailing market conditions, the factors considered in determining
the applicable multiples were:
|
·
|
The
history of, and the prospects for, our company and the industry in
which
we compete;
|
|
·
|
An
assessment of our management, its past and present operation, and
the
prospects for, and timing of, our future revenues;
|
|
·
|
The
present state of our development; and
|
|
·
|
The
factors listed above in relation to market values and various valuation
measures of other companies engaged in activities similar to ours.
|
Using
an
average of the valuation based upon trailing net income for 2007, we calculated
an approximate enterprise value of $[______]. This resulted in a per share
price
of $[______], based on 1,800,000 shares issued and outstanding prior to this
offering. We have used this price in connection with this offering.
An
active
trading market for our common stock may not develop. It is possible that after
this offering the shares will not trade in the public market at or above the
initial offering price.
Discretionary
Shares
The
underwriter will not sell any shares in this offering to accounts over which
it
exercises discretionary authority, without first receiving written consent
from
those accounts.
Listing
on the NASDAQ Capital Market
We
have
applied to list our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol
“SINO.” As this offering is a best-efforts offering, the NASDAQ Capital Market
has indicated that it is unable to admit our common stock for listing until
the
completion of the offering and, consequently, the satisfaction of NASDAQ Capital
Market listing standards. If so admitted, we expect our common stock to begin
trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market on the day following the closing of this
offering. If our common stock is eventually listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market,
we will be subject to continued listing requirements and corporate governance
standards. We expect these new rules and regulations to significantly increase
our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs.
Price
Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids
In
order
to facilitate the offering of the shares, the underwriter may engage in
transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our
common stock. Specifically, the underwriter may sell more shares than it is
obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a naked short
position. The underwriter must close out a covered short sale by purchasing
shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created
if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the
price
of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect
investors who purchase in the offering. As an additional means of facilitating
the offering, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, shares in the open
market to stabilize the price of the common stock. These activities may raise
or
maintain the market price of our common stock above independent market levels
or
prevent or retard a decline in the market price of the shares. The underwriter
is not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these
activities at any time.
We
and
the underwriter have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Certain
matters related to the offer and sale of the shares under U.S. law, including
Virginia state law and federal securities law, will be passed on for both the
underwriter and our company by Kaufman & Canoles, P.C., Richmond,
Virginia. Certain legal matters relating to the offering as to Chinese law
will
be passed upon for us by Kang Da Law Office, 703 CITIC Building, Jinguomenwai
Street, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
Consolidated
financial statements as of June 30, 2007 and 2006, and for the years then ended
appearing in this prospectus, have been included herein and in the registration
statement in reliance upon the report of Friedman LLP, an independent registered
public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority
of
that firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
We
have
filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form SB-2 under the
Securities Act of 1933 with respect to our common stock offered by this
prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth
in
the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement.
For
further information regarding us and our common stock offered hereby, please
refer to the registration statement and the exhibits filed as part of the
registration statement.
In
addition, we file periodic reports with the SEC, including quarterly reports
and
annual reports which include our audited financial statements. This registration
statement, including exhibits thereto, and all of our periodic reports may
be
inspected without charge at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC
at
100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain copies of the
registration statement, including the exhibits thereto, and all of our periodic
reports after payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC. For additional
information regarding the operation of the Public Reference Room, you may call
the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website which provides
on-line access to reports and other information regarding registrants that
file
electronically with the SEC at the address: http://www.sec.gov.
EXPENSES
RELATING TO THIS OFFERING
The
following table sets forth the main estimated expenses in connection with this
offering, other than the underwriting discounts, expenses and commissions,
which
we will be required to pay. All amounts are estimated, except the SEC
registration fee, the NASDAQ listing fee and the FINRA filing fee.
SEC
registration fee
|
|
$
|
467.27
|
|
FINRA
filing fee
|
|
|
1,688.96
|
|
NASDAQ
listing fee
|
|
|
50,000.00
|
|
Blue
Sky Fees
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Legal
fees and expenses for Chinese counsel
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Legal
fees and expenses for U.S. counsel
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Accounting
fees and expenses
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Printing
fees
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Other
fees and expenses
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Total
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
No
dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or
to
represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any
unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to
sell
only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in
jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this
prospectus is current only as of its date.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
|
|
|
1
|
|
Risk
Factors
|
|
|
6
|
|
Forward-Looking
Statements
|
|
|
18
|
|
Our
Corporate Structure
|
|
|
19
|
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
|
|
23
|
|
Dividend
Policy
|
|
|
24
|
|
Exchange
Rate Information
|
|
|
25
|
|
Dilution
|
|
|
26
|
|
Selected
Historical and Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Financial
and
Operating Data
|
|
|
28
|
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
|
|
29
|
|
Our
Business
|
|
|
39
|
|
Description
of Property
|
|
|
45
|
|
Management
|
|
|
46
|
|
Principal
Shareholders
|
|
|
50
|
|
Related
Party Transactions
|
|
|
51
|
|
Description
of Share Capital
|
|
|
52
|
|
Shares
Eligible for Future Sale
|
|
|
54
|
|
Underwriting
|
|
|
55
|
|
Legal
Matters
|
|
|
58
|
|
Experts
|
|
|
58
|
|
Where
You Can Find More Information
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
|
58
|
|
Index
to Financial Statements
|
|
|
F-1
|
|
Until
_____, 2008 (90 days after the commencement of this offering), all dealers
that
effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this
offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the
dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and
with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
Common
Stock
[______]
Share Minimum
[______]
Share Maximum
Prospectus
Anderson &
Strudwick,
Incorporated
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD. AND AFFILIATE
|
PAGE
|
CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:
|
|
|
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
F-2
|
|
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2007, 2006 and as of September 30,
2007
(unaudited)
|
F-3
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the Years Ended June 30, 2007, 2006
and for
the Three Months Ended September 30, 2007 (unaudited) and 2006
(unaudited)
|
F-4
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended June 30, 2007, 2006
and for
the Three Months Ended September 30, 2007 (unaudited) and 2006
(unaudited)
|
F-5
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the Years Ended June 30,
2007, 2006 and for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2007
(unaudited)
|
F-6
|
|
|
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
|
F-7
|
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the
Board of
Directors
and
Shareholders
Sine-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
We have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance
sheets
o
f
Sino-Global
Shipping
America,
Ltd.
and
Affiliate
as
of
June
30,
2007
and
2006, and the consolidated related
statements
of operations,
cash
flows and shareholders' equity for the years then ended. Sine-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.'s
management
is responsible for these consolidated
financial
sta
tements.
Our responsibility is to
express
an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our
audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that
we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required
to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal
control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal
control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures
that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of
expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the
company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we
express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test
basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in
the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In
our
opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present
fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of
Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd. and Affiliate as of June 30, 2007 and
2006, and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows
for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.
/s/
Friedman LLP
New
York,
New York
December
31, 2007
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD. AND AFFILIATE
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
Note
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
|
|
526,091
|
|
|
356,026
|
|
|
616,544
|
|
Advances
to suppliers
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
586,641
|
|
|
278,957
|
|
|
2,264,641
|
|
Accounts
receivable
|
|
|
|
|
|
739,943
|
|
|
130,004
|
|
|
3,444,750
|
|
Other
receivables
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
169,970
|
|
|
134,751
|
|
|
264,176
|
|
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
12,976
|
|
|
9,913
|
|
|
12,277
|
|
Due
from related party
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
1,249,722
|
|
|
681,126
|
|
|
1,251,222
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,285,343
|
|
|
1,590,777
|
|
|
7,853,610
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
467,218
|
|
|
214,896
|
|
|
652,128
|
|
Total
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,752,561
|
|
|
1,805,673
|
|
|
8,505,738
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
and Shareholders’ Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loans
payable, bank
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
45,791
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
963
|
|
Advances
from customers
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
717,007
|
|
|
494,202
|
|
|
3,141,520
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
861,562
|
|
|
212,168
|
|
|
2,777,063
|
|
Accrued
expenses
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
59,490
|
|
|
35,313
|
|
|
59,221
|
|
Income
tax payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,987
|
|
|
684
|
|
|
119,474
|
|
Other
current liabilities
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
92,911
|
|
|
414,981
|
|
|
218,776
|
|
Total
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,788,748
|
|
|
1,257,348
|
|
|
6,317,017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders’
equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital
stock
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
Retained
earnings
|
|
|
|
|
|
475,405
|
|
|
373,020
|
|
|
560,062
|
|
Non-controlling
interest
|
|
|
12
|
|
|
1,486,528
|
|
|
173,425
|
|
|
1,626,779
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,963,813
|
|
|
548,325
|
|
|
2,188,721
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,752,561
|
|
|
1,805,673
|
|
|
8,505,738
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
|
|
|
For the years ended June 30,
|
|
For the three months ended
September 30,
|
|
|
|
Note
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,090,879
|
|
|
8,924,786
|
|
|
3,987,945
|
|
|
2,512,241
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
of services
|
|
|
|
|
|
(7,509,669
|
)
|
|
(6,391,123
|
)
|
|
(3,247,231
|
)
|
|
(1,821,473
|
)
|
General
and administrative expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,165,332
|
)
|
|
(1,714,617
|
)
|
|
(326,713
|
)
|
|
(254,176
|
)
|
Selling
expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
(153,797
|
)
|
|
(192,825
|
)
|
|
(49,151
|
)
|
|
(42,334
|
)
|
Other
operating costs
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,163
|
)
|
|
(10,110
|
)
|
|
(69
|
)
|
|
(755
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(8,829,961
|
)
|
|
(8,308,675
|
)
|
|
(3,623,164
|
)
|
|
(2,118,738
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,260,918
|
|
|
616,111
|
|
|
364,781
|
|
|
393,503
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
on disposal of investment
|
|
|
13
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(2,491
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other
income (expense), net
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
22,125
|
|
|
(35,912
|
)
|
|
(24,077
|
)
|
|
(11,484
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,125
|
|
|
(38,403
|
)
|
|
(24,077
|
)
|
|
(11,484
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income before taxes
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,283,043
|
|
|
577,708
|
|
|
340,704
|
|
|
382,019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
taxes
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
(138,291
|
)
|
|
(21,227
|
)
|
|
(138,201
|
)
|
|
(40,872
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
before non-controlling interest in income
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,144,752
|
|
|
556,481
|
|
|
202,503
|
|
|
341,147
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-controlling
interest in income
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,042,367
|
)
|
|
(266,430
|
)
|
|
(117,846
|
)
|
|
(290,498
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
|
50,649
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings
per share
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-Basic
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
|
0.03
|
|
-Diluted
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
|
0.03
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
used in computation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-Basic
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
-Diluted
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
For
the years ended June 30,
|
|
For
the three months ended
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
|
50,649
|
|
Adjustment
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
90,602
|
|
|
31,644
|
|
|
33,526
|
|
|
13,083
|
|
Non-controlling
interest in income
|
|
|
1,042,367
|
|
|
266,430
|
|
|
117,845
|
|
|
290,498
|
|
Changes
in assets and liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase
in advances to suppliers
|
|
|
(307,684
|
)
|
|
(118,371
|
)
|
|
(1,678,000
|
)
|
|
237,983
|
|
Increase
(decrease) in accounts receivable
|
|
|
(609,939
|
)
|
|
573
|
|
|
(2,704,807
|
)
|
|
(165,282
|
)
|
Increase
in other receivables
|
|
|
(35,219
|
)
|
|
(95,078
|
)
|
|
(94,206
|
)
|
|
(2,346
|
)
|
Decrease
(increase) in prepaid expenses and other current assets
|
|
|
(3,063
|
)
|
|
4,490
|
|
|
699
|
|
|
5,885
|
|
Increase
(decrease) in advances from customers
|
|
|
222,805
|
|
|
219,158
|
|
|
2,424,513
|
|
|
(79,072
|
)
|
Increase
in accounts payable
|
|
|
649,394
|
|
|
59,556
|
|
|
1,915,501
|
|
|
92,641
|
|
Increase
(decrease) in accrued expenses
|
|
|
24,177
|
|
|
17,389
|
|
|
(269
|
)
|
|
39,911
|
|
Increase
(decrease) in income taxes payable
|
|
|
11,303
|
|
|
(213
|
)
|
|
107,487
|
|
|
(684
|
)
|
(Decrease)
increase in other current liabilities
|
|
|
(322,070
|
)
|
|
43,458
|
|
|
125,865
|
|
|
(112,178
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
|
|
865,058
|
|
|
719,087
|
|
|
332,811
|
|
|
371,088
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investing
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisitions
of property and equipment
|
|
|
(342,924
|
)
|
|
(151,829
|
)
|
|
(218,436
|
)
|
|
(116,286
|
)
|
Due
from related party
|
|
|
(568,596
|
)
|
|
(498,126
|
)
|
|
(1,500
|
)
|
|
(245,498
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(911,520
|
)
|
|
(649,955
|
)
|
|
(219,936
|
)
|
|
(361,784
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loans
payable, bank
|
|
|
(54,209
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
(44,828
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Capital
Contribution of non-controlling interest
|
|
|
226,928
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
|
|
172,719
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(44,828
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect
of exchange rate change in cash
|
|
|
43,808
|
|
|
1,314
|
|
|
22,406
|
|
|
3,480
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
170,065
|
|
|
70,446
|
|
|
90,453
|
|
|
12,784
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
|
356,026
|
|
|
285,580
|
|
|
526,091
|
|
|
356,026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
|
|
526,091
|
|
|
356,026
|
|
|
616,544
|
|
|
368,810
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplemental
cash flows disclosures
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
paid
|
|
|
10,019
|
|
|
6,579
|
|
|
543
|
|
|
3,051
|
|
Income
taxes paid
|
|
|
134,870
|
|
|
24,562
|
|
|
30,814
|
|
|
4,960
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
Common
stock
|
|
Retained
earnings
|
|
Non-
controlling
Interest
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
as of July 1, 2005
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
82,969
|
|
|
(94,524
|
)
|
|
(9,675
|
)
|
Net
income
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
290,051
|
|
Increase
in Non-controlling interest
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
267,949
|
|
|
267,949
|
|
Balance
as of June 30, 2006
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
373,020
|
|
|
173,425
|
|
|
548,325
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
102,385
|
|
Increase
in Non-controlling interest
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
1,313,103
|
|
|
1,313,103
|
|
Balance
as of June 30, 2007
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
475,405
|
|
|
1,486,528
|
|
|
1,963,813
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
84,657
|
|
Increase
in Non-controlling interest
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
140,251
|
|
|
140,251
|
|
Balance
as of September 30, 2007(unaudited)
|
|
|
1,880
|
|
|
560,062
|
|
|
1,626,779
|
|
|
2,188,721
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD. AND AFFILIATE
1.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd. (the “Company”), previously known as Sino-Global-Shipping
(America) Ltd., was incorporated under section 402 of the Business Corporation
Laws of the United States of America in New York on February 2, 2001.
On
September 18, 2007, the Company amended the Article of Incorporation and Bylaws
to merge into a new Corporation, Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd. in Virginia.
The
Company’s principal geographic market is in the People’s Republic of China
(“PRC”). As PRC laws and regulations prohibit or restrict foreign ownership of
shipping agency service businesses, the Company provides its services in the
PRC
through Sino-Global Shipping Agency Ltd. (“Sino-China”), a Chinese legal entity,
which holds the licenses and permits necessary to operate shipping services
in
the PRC. Sino-China is located in Beijing and has branches in Ningbo, Qingdao,
Tianjin, Qinhuangdao and Fangchenggang. Sino-China holds four local shipping
service licenses in China to serve as a local shipping agent in Ningbo, Qingdao,
Tianjin, and Fangchenggang. Sino-China has applied for a local shipping agent
license in Qinhuangdao. The Company provides general shipping agency services
in
76 ports in China.
2.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(a)
Basis of presentation
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
(“US GAAP”).
The
agency relationship between the Company and Sino-China and its branches is
governed by a series of contractual arrangements pursuant to which the Company
has substantial control over Sino-China. As such, management has determined
that
Sino-China is a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) and the Company is the primary
beneficiary of Sino-China. The financial position and results of operations
of
Sino-China have been consolidated in accordance with Financial Accounting
Standards Board Interpretation No. 46R (“FIN 46R”), Consolidation of Variable
Interest Entities, an Interpretation of ARB No. 51. All significant
inter-company accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
(b)
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The
carrying amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements for current
assets and current liabilities approximate fair value due to the short-term
nature of these financial instruments.
(c)
Use of Estimates
The
preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with US
GAAP
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported
amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and
liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts
of
revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Estimates are adjusted
to reflect actual experience when necessary. Significant accounting estimates
reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include revenue
recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, and useful lives of property
and
equipment.
Since
the
use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process,
our actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of our accounting
policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their
application.
(d)
Translation
of Foreign Currency
The
accounts of the Company and Sino-China and each of its branches are measured
using the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity
operates (the “functional currency”). The Company’s functional currency is US
dollars (“$”) while Sino-China reports its financial position and results of
operations in Renminbi (“RMB”). The accompanying consolidated financial
statements are presented in US dollars. Foreign currency transactions are
translated into US dollars using the fixed exchange rates in effect at the
time
of the transaction. Generally foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from
the settlement of such transactions are recognized in the consolidated statement
of operations. The Company translates foreign currency financial statements
of
Sino-China in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
(“SFAS”) No. 52, “Foreign Currency Translation”. Assets and liabilities are
translated at current exchange rates quoted by the People’s Bank of China at the
balance sheet dates and revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange
rates in effect during the periods. Resulting translation adjustments are
recorded as other comprehensive income (loss) which is a separate component
included in Non-controlling interest.
(e)
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
Cash
and
cash equivalents comprise cash on hand, and other highly liquid investments
which are unrestricted as to withdrawal or use, and which have maturities of
three months or less when purchased. The Company maintains cash and cash
equivalents with various financial institutions mainly in the PRC and the United
States.
(f)
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and
amortization. Historical cost comprises its purchase price and any directly
attributable costs of bringing the assets to its working condition and location
for its intended use. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over
the following estimated useful lives:
|
20
years
|
|
5-10
years
|
Furniture
and office equipment
|
3-5
years
|
The
carrying value of a long-lived asset is considered impaired by the Company
when
the anticipated undiscounted cash flows from such asset is less than its
carrying value. If impairment is identified, a loss is recognized based on
the
amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair market value of the
long-lived asset. Fair market value is determined primarily using the
anticipated cash flows discounted at a rate commensurate with the risk involved
or based on independent appraisals. Management has determined that there were
no
impairments at the balance sheet dates.
(g)
Revenue recognition
The
Company charges shipping agency fees in two ways: (1) fixed fees that are
predetermined with the customer, and (2) cost-plus fees that are calculated
based on the actual costs incurred plus a markup. We generally require payments
in advance from customers and bill them on the balances within 30 days after
the
transactions are completed. Revenues are recognized from shipping agency
services upon completion of services, which coincides with the date of departure
of the relevant vessel from port. Advance payments and deposits received from
customers prior to the provision of services and recognition of the related
revenues are presented as current liabilities.
Some
contracts contain a provision stating that revenues are recognized for actual
expenses incurred plus a profit margin. When the services are completed but
the
information on the actual expenses is not available at the end of the fiscal
period, we estimate revenues and expenses based on our previous experience
with
similar vessels and port charges.
(h)
Accounts receivable
Accounts
receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company
maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses. The Company
reviews the accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes general and
specific allowances when there is doubt as to the collectibility of individual
balances. In evaluating the collectibility of individual receivable balances,
the Company considers many factors, including the age of the balance, customer’s
historical payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic
trends. The amount of the provision, if any is recognized in the consolidated
statement of operations within “General and administrative expenses”. Management
has determined that an allowance was not required at the balance sheet dates.
Accounts are written off after exhaustive efforts at collection.
(i)
Taxation
Because
the Company and Sino-China are incorporated in different jurisdictions, we
file
separate income tax returns. The Company uses the liability method of accounting
for income taxes in accordance with US GAAP. Deferred taxes, if any are
recognized for the future tax consequences of temporary differences between
the
tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the
consolidated financial statements.
Effective
July 1, 2007, the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“FIN 48”). —
an interpretation of SFAS No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes.” The
Interpretation addresses the determination of whether tax benefits claimed
or
expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial
statements. Under FIN 48, we may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain
tax
position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be
sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical
merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements
from such a position should be measured based on the largest benefit that has
a
greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate
settlement. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification,
interest and penalties on income taxes, accounting in interim periods and
requires increased disclosures.
PRC
Enterprise Income Tax
PRC
domestic companies are governed by the Enterprise Income Tax Laws of the PRC
and
profits are generally subject to an enterprise income tax rate of 33%.
Sino-China’s income tax is accrued at the end of every quarter based on taxes
payable for the current period and paid in the following month.
PRC
Business Tax and surcharges
Revenues
from services provided by Sino-China and its branches are subject to the PRC
business tax of 5% and some surcharges. Business tax and surcharges are paid
on
gross revenues generated from our shipping services.
In
addition, under the PRC regulations, Sino-China is required to pay the city
construction tax (7%) and education surcharges (3%) based on the calculated
business tax payments.
(j)
Leases
Leases
have been classified as operating leases. Capital leases that transfer
substantially all the benefits and risks incidental to the ownership of assets
are accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and incurrence
of
an obligation at the inception of the lease. All other leases are accounted
for
as operating leases wherein rental payments are expensed as
incurred.
(k)
Earnings per share
Earnings
per share is calculated in accordance with SFAS No. 128, “Earnings Per Share”.
Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to
holders of common shares by the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per ordinary share reflects
the
potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue
common shares were exercised or converted into common shares. Convertible,
redeemable preference shares are included in the computation of diluted earnings
per ordinary share on an “if-converted” basis, when the impact is dilutive.
Contingent exercise price resets are accounted for in a manner similar to
contingently issuable shares. Ordinary share equivalents are excluded from
the
computation of diluted earnings per share if their effects would be
anti-dilutive.
Earnings
per share data has been retroactively adjusted for all periods presented to
reflect the recapitalization of the Company further discussed in Note
11.
(l)
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS
160, “Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements—an amendment
of ARB No. 51”, which is effective for annual periods beginning after December
15, 2008. Early adoption is prohibited. The objective of this Statement is
to
improve the relevance, comparability, and transparency of the financial
information that a reporting entity provides in its consolidated financial
statements by establishing accounting and reporting standards for the
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. We are currently assessing the impact of SFAS No. 160; however
we do
not believe the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our
consolidated financial statements.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 141 (revised 2007), “Business Combinations”,
which is effective for business combinations for which the acquisition date
is
on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on
or
after December 15, 2008. This Statement establishes principles and requirements
for how the acquirer (a) recognizes and measures in its financial statements
the
identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling
interest in the acquiree; (b) recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired
in
the business combination or a gain from a bargain purchase; and (c) determines
what information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to
evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business combination. We are
currently assessing the impact of SFAS No. 141R; however we do not believe
the
adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our consolidated
financial statements.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities”. SFAS No. 159 provides companies with an
option to report selected financial assets and liabilities at fair value. SFAS
No. 159’s objective is to reduce both complexity in accounting for financial
instruments and the volatility in earnings caused by measuring related assets
and liabilities differently. SFAS No. 159 also establishes presentation and
disclosure requirements designed to facilitate comparisons between companies
that choose different measurement attributes for similar types of assets and
liabilities. SFAS No. 159 requires companies to provide additional information
that will help investors and other users of financial statements to more easily
understand the effect of the Company’s choice to use fair value on its earnings.
It also requires entities to display the fair value of those assets and
liabilities for which the Company has chosen to use fair value on the face
of
the balance sheet. SFAS No. 159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity’s
first fiscal year beginning after November 15, 2007. Early adoption is permitted
as of the beginning of the previous fiscal year provided that the entity makes
that choice in the first 120 days of that fiscal year and also elects to apply
the provisions of Statement 157. The Company did not early adopt SFAS No. 159.
We are currently assessing the impact of SFAS No. 159; however we do not believe
the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our consolidated
financial statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements”, which
defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and
expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This standard applies under
other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements,
but does not require any new fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 will become
effective for the Company in fiscal 2009. We are currently assessing the impact
of SFAS No. 157; however, we do not believe the adoption of this standard will
have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
(m)
Stock-Based Compensation
In
December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No.
123 (revised 2004), “Share Based Payments” (“SFAS No. 123(R)”). SFAS No.123(R)
supersedes Accounting Principles Board (“APB”) Opinion No. 25,”Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees,” and amends SFAS No. 95, “Statement of Cash Flows.”
Generally, the fair value approach in SFAS No.123(R) is similar to the fair
value approach described in SFAS No. 123. The Company’s Board of Directors and
shareholders have approved the creation of a stock option plan to be implemented
after the Company has completed its public offering. This plan will authorize
the issuance of up to 10% of the number of shares outstanding after the Company
has completed its public offering. Pursuant to the anticipated plan, the Company
may issue options to purchase its common stock to employees and directors of
the
Company and its affiliates. The Company will follow the provisions of SFAS
No.123(R) to account for share-based compensation to be granted under the new
plan. Compensation will be measured on the grant date using appropriate
valuation models.
3
.
ADVANCES
TO SUPPLIERS/ADVANCES FROM CUSTOMERS.
(a)
Advances to Suppliers
Advances
to suppliers represent costs of services and fees paid to suppliers in advance
in connection with the agency services fees income to be recognized.
(b)
Advances from Customers
Advances
from customers represent money received from customers in advance in connection
with the agency services fees income to be recognized.
4.
PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets at June 30, 2007, June 30, 2006 and September
30, 2007 are as follows:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Rent
|
|
|
6,653
|
|
|
5,024
|
|
|
6,212
|
|
Communication
|
|
|
2,298
|
|
|
1,459
|
|
|
1,885
|
|
Other
prepaid expenses
|
|
|
4,025
|
|
|
3,430
|
|
|
4,180
|
|
|
|
|
12,976
|
|
|
9,913
|
|
|
12,277
|
|
5.
DUE FROM RELATED PARTY
At
June
30, 2006, and 2007 and September 30, 2007, the shareholder, Cao Lei owed the
Company $681,126, $1,249,722 and $1,251,222 respectively. These amounts were
interest free and repaid in full (see Note 17(c)).
6.
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property
and equipment at June 30, 2007, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2007 are as
follows:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Land
and building
|
|
|
65,280
|
|
|
62,177
|
|
|
66,190
|
|
Motor
vehicles
|
|
|
445,488
|
|
|
141,947
|
|
|
655,479
|
|
Computer
equipment
|
|
|
53,175
|
|
|
39,887
|
|
|
57,052
|
|
Office
equipment
|
|
|
15,147
|
|
|
11,017
|
|
|
18,191
|
|
Furniture
& Fixtures
|
|
|
11,601
|
|
|
10,538
|
|
|
11,763
|
|
Computer
System
|
|
|
15,321
|
|
|
14,593
|
|
|
15,535
|
|
Leasehold
improvement
|
|
|
17,071
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
17,308
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
623,083
|
|
|
280,159
|
|
|
841,518
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less
: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
155,865
|
|
|
65,263
|
|
|
189,390
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
|
|
467,218
|
|
|
214,896
|
|
|
652,128
|
|
7.
LOANS PAYABLE, BANK
The
Company has a line of credit up to $100,000 with Hong Kong Shanghai Banking
Corporation (“HSBC”) in New York, which bears interest at a variable interest
rate. At June 30, 2007, 2006 and September 30, 2007, the amounts payable to
the
bank were $45,791, $100,000, and $963, respectively. Interest expense for the
years ended June 30, 2007, June 30, 2006, and the three months ended September
30, 2007 and 2006 was $9,824, $5,434, $543, and $1,906,
respectively.
8
.
ACCRUED EXPENSES
Under
the
PRC regulations, Sino-China is required to accrue welfare benefits calculated
as
14% of the total salaries. It is also required for Sino-China to pay the city
construction tax (7%) and education surcharges (3%) based on the calculated
business tax payments.
Accrued
expenses at June 30, 2007, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2007 are as
follows:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued
welfare benefits
|
|
|
53,419
|
|
|
31,561
|
|
|
57,659
|
|
Other
surcharge and taxes payable
|
|
|
6,071
|
|
|
3,752
|
|
|
1,562
|
|
|
|
|
59,490
|
|
|
35,313
|
|
|
59,221
|
|
9.
OTHER
RECEIVABLES/OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES
(a)
Other Receivables
Other
receivables represent amounts to be received from customers for advance payments
made to the port agent for reimbursed charges to be incurred in connection
with
the costs of services.
(b)
Other Current Liabilities
Other
current liabilities represent mainly advance payments received from customers
for reimbursed port agent charges to be incurred.
10.
COMMITMENTS
The
Company leases certain office premises under non-cancelable leases. Rent expense
under operating leases for the years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, and for
the
three-month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, were $121,777, $115,857,
$35,765, and $31,485, respectively.
Future
minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases agreements were
as
follows:
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year
ending June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
82,000
|
|
2009
|
|
|
33,000
|
|
2010
|
|
|
6,000
|
|
|
|
|
121,000
|
|
On
December 20, 2007, the Company leased additional office premises under a
non-cancelable lease which expires on January 13, 2010. Annual rent expense
is
approximately $293,000, based on the exchange rate on June 30,
2007.
11
.
CAPITAL STOCK
The
predecessor of the Company which was incorporated in New York State had 200
shares of common stock issued and outstanding, without par value. Upon the
merger into a Virginia shell corporation on September 18, 2007, each share
of
common stock in the predecessor company was exchanged for 9,000 shares of common
stock in the Company. The New York State company ceased to exist after the
merger. As of September 30, 2007,the authorized capital stock of the Company
consists of 10,000,000 shares of common stock, no par value, 1,800,000 of which
are issued and outstanding, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, without
par
value, none of which are issued and outstanding.
Common
stock issued and outstanding at June 30, 2007, June 30, 2006 (both such dates
prior to the recapitalization of the Company in the merger completed on
September 18, 2007) and September 30, 2007 (after such recapitalization) were
as
follows:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
Shareholder
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cao
Lei
|
|
|
178
|
|
|
178
|
|
|
1,602,000
|
|
Chi
Tai Shen
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
72,000
|
|
Zhu
Ming
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
72,000
|
|
Zhang
Mingwei
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
54,000
|
|
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
1,800,000
|
|
12
.
NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST
Non-controlling
interest at June 30, 2007, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2007 is as follows:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paid-in
capital
|
|
|
357,444
|
|
|
130,515
|
|
|
357,444
|
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
|
|
45,121
|
|
|
1,313
|
|
|
67,527
|
|
Retained
earnings
|
|
|
1,081,146
|
|
|
38,779
|
|
|
1,198,992
|
|
Other
adjustments
|
|
|
2,817
|
|
|
2,818
|
|
|
2,816
|
|
|
|
|
1,486,528
|
|
|
173,425
|
|
|
1,626,779
|
|
At
June
30 2006, the paid-in capital of
Sino-China
was
RMB1,080,000 (equivalent $130,516). It increased its registered capital to
RMB2,860,000 (equivalent to $357,443) in October 2006, after obtaining the
Chinese authority’s approvals.
13.
LOSS ON DISPOSAL OF INVESTMENT
Sino-China
invested
RMB60,000 (equivalent to $7,249) in Beijing Global Sainuo Software Development
Ltd on September 11, 2003. The invested entity was liquidated on May 22, 2006
and
Sino-China
received
RMB50, 000 (equivalent to $6,040) back, resulting in the investment loss $2,491.
14.
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES), NET
Other
income and expenses for the years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, and for the
three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006 are as follows:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
3,861
|
|
|
1,655
|
|
|
123
|
|
|
701
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
(11,623
|
)
|
|
(14,750
|
)
|
|
(543
|
)
|
|
(3,579
|
)
|
Bank
charge
|
|
|
(6,925
|
)
|
|
(7,391
|
)
|
|
(2,089
|
)
|
|
(1,079
|
)
|
Foreign
translation
|
|
|
36,812
|
|
|
(15,426
|
)
|
|
(21,568
|
)
|
|
(7,527
|
)
|
|
|
|
22,125
|
|
|
(35,912
|
)
|
|
(24,077
|
)
|
|
(11,484
|
)
|
15.
INCOME TAXES
The
income tax provisions for the years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, and for the
three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006 are as follows:
|
|
June
30,
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
USA
|
|
|
(63,039
|
)
|
|
(13,336
|
)
|
|
(119,388
|
)
|
|
(39,000
|
)
|
China
|
|
|
(75,252
|
)
|
|
(7,891
|
)
|
|
(18,813
|
)
|
|
(1,872
|
)
|
Deferred
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
(138,291
|
)
|
|
(21,227
|
)
|
|
(138,201
|
)
|
|
(40,872
|
)
|
16.
MAJOR CUSTOMERS
For
the
years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, and for the three-months ended September
30,
2007 and September 30, 2006, approximately 52%, 32%, 42% and 59%, respectively,
of the Company’s revenues were from one customer. We provide services to this
customer under an exclusive agency agreement that is terminable on three months’
notice and that expires on December 31, 2009. Any termination of this agency
services agreement would materially harm our operations.
For
the
year ended June 30, 2007, an additional customer accounted for approximately
11%
of the Company's revenues.
17.
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
(a)
The impact of the New Corporate Income Tax Law
The
5th
Session of the 10th National People’s Congress amended the PRC Corporate Income
Tax Law that will become effective on January 1, 2008. The newly amended
Corporate Income Tax Law introduces a wide range of changes which include,
but
are not limited to, the unification of the income tax rate for domestic-invested
and foreign-invested enterprises at 25%, which reduces the Company’s income tax
rate from 33% to 25% in 2008. In addition, according to the amended detailed
implementation and administrative rules, the new PRC Corporate Income Tax Law
will broaden the tax restrictions in terms of categories and extents for
domestic companies. We anticipate that the new income tax law will have a
positive impact on the Company’s net profits in 2008 and onwards.
(b)
The newly established wholly foreign-owned enterprise in China
For
the
purpose of providing better and more convenient services, the Company formed
a
wholly foreign-owned enterprise, Trans Pacific Shipping Limited (“Trans
Pacific”), in Beijing on November 13, 2007. Trans Pacific and
Sino-China
do not
have a parent-subsidiary relationship. Instead, Trans Pacific will operate
with
Sino-China
through
a variety of contractual agreements.
(c)
Repayment of director’s loan to the Company
As
discussed in Note 5, Mr. Cao Lei owed the Company an aggregate of $1,251,222
as
of September 30, 2007. On December 31, 2007, Mr. Cao repaid this indebtedness
in
full, primarily with funds generated by him selling an aggregate of
[______]
shares
of
his common stock in the Company to two third-party investors for $1,250,000
(the
“Private Sale”). In connection with the Private Sale, the investors were granted
a right to sell the acquired shares of common stock to the Company in the event
that in the event that such shares are not registered in accordance with federal
and applicable state securities laws within 12 months of the Private Sale.
During the term of this put right, the Company agreed to hold the $1,250,000
repayment by Mr. Cao in an escrow account. To the extent that the Company
completes the registration of the shares within 12 months of the Private Sale,
the escrow
agent
will release the funds to the Company’s account. In the event that the Company
does not register the shares within such time period, the escrow agent will
pay
the funds to the investors in order to cause the Company to purchase the shares
of common stock held by the investors for an aggregate payment of $1,250,000.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may
not
sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to
sell
these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in
any
state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT
TO COMPLETION, DATED __________ ___, 2007
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
[______]
Shares of Common Stock
This
prospectus relates to the resale by the selling shareholders of up to [______]
shares of our common stock. The selling shareholders may sell common stock
from
time to time in the principal market on which our stock is traded at the
prevailing market price or in negotiated transactions. We will not receive
any
proceeds from the sales by the selling shareholders.
No
public
market currently exists for our shares. We have applied for approval for
quotation on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “SINO” for the shares of
common stock we are offering.
The
selling shareholders holding [______] shares offered through this prospectus
may
sell their shares once our common stock has been registered and listed on the
NASDAQ Capital Market or another national exchange. Once, and if, our common
stock begins to be traded or quoted on any stock exchange, market, or trading
facility, the selling shareholders may sell their shares from time to time
at
the market price prevailing on the exchange, market, or trading facility, or
at
prices related to such prevailing market prices, or in negotiated transactions
or a combination of such methods of sale.
Investing
in our common stock involves significant risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on
pa
ge
6
of this prospectus.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission
has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or
accuracy of the prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
Prospectus
dated _____, _____
[ALTERNATE
PAGE]
No
dealer, salesperson or other person is
authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in
this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or
representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered
hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful
to
do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its
date.
Prospectus
Summary
|
1
|
Risk
Factors
|
6
|
Forward-Looking
Statements
|
18
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
23
|
Dividend
Policy
|
24
|
Exchange
Rate Information
|
25
|
Selling
Shareholders
|
26
|
Selected
Historical and Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Financial
and
Operating Data
|
28
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
29
|
Our
Business
|
39
|
Description
of Property
|
45
|
Management
|
46
|
Principal
Shareholders
|
50
|
Related
Party Transactions
|
51
|
Description
of Share Capital
|
52
|
Shares
Eligible for Future Sale
|
54
|
Legal
Matters
|
58
|
Experts
|
58
|
Where
You Can Find More Information
|
58
|
Index
to Consolidated Financial Statements
|
F-1
|
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
Common
Stock
Prospectus
[ALTERNATE
PAGE]
The
Offering
Common
stock offered by selling shareholders
|
[______]
shares
(1)
|
|
|
Common
stock outstanding
|
1,800,000
shares
(2)
|
|
|
Use
of proceeds
|
We
will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock
by the
selling shareholders.
|
|
|
NASDAQ
Market Symbol
|
We
have applied to use the symbol “SINO” for our common
stock.
|
(1)
|
Consists
of [______] shares of our common stock that were sold to the selling
shareholders by Mr. Cao Lei and are subject to a put agreement and
escrow
agreement between each of the selling shareholders and our company.
|
(2)
|
Based
on 1,800,000 shares of our common stock outstanding as of the date
of this
prospectus. The number of shares of our common stock outstanding
excludes
up to [______] shares of our common stock to be offered on a best
efforts,
minimum/maximum offering concurrently
herewith.
|
[ALTERNATE
PAGE]
USE
OF PROCEEDS
The
selling shareholders are selling all of the shares covered by this prospectus
for their own accounts. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the
shares.
[ALTERNATE
PAGE]
SELLING
SHAREHOLDERS
The
following table provides, as of the date of this prospectus, information
regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock held by each of the
selling shareholders, including:
·
the
number of shares owned by each stockholder prior to this offering;
·
the
percentage owned by each stockholder prior to completion of the offering;
·
the
total
number of shares that are to be offered for each stockholder;
·
the
total
number of shares that will be owned by each stockholder upon completion of
the
offering; and
·
the
percentage owned by each stockholder upon completion of the offering.
On
December 31, 2007, Mr. Cao Lei sold, in the aggregate, [______] shares of
his common stock in our company to two investors. Mr. Cao completed this
transaction in order to repay debt to our company prior to the filing of this
registration statement. Mr. Cao paid the proceeds from the sale to our
company, and we entered into a put agreement with each of the investors, which
provided that we would purchase the investors’ shares in our company in the
event we did not register our common stock in accordance with federal and
applicable state securities laws within one year from the date of the stock
purchase from Mr. Cao. In order to ensure that our company purchases the
shares, we have placed funds in escrow sufficient to complete the purchase,
if
necessary.
For
this
reason, we have agreed to register a total of [______] shares of our common
stock held by the selling shareholders. We are registering the shares under
this
prospectus.
Name
of Selling
Shareholder
|
|
Number
of
Shares
of
Common
Stock
Beneficially
Owned
Prior
to
Offering
|
|
Percentage
of
Shares
of
Common
Stock
Beneficially
Owned
Prior
to
the
Offering
(1)
|
|
Number
of
Shares
of
Common
Stock
Registered
for
Sale
Hereby
|
|
Number
of
Shares
of
Common
Stock
Beneficially
Owned
after
Completion
of
the
Offering
(2)
|
|
Percentage
of
Shares
of
Common
Stock
Beneficially
Owned
after
Completion
of
the
Offering
(2)
|
|
Mr.
Mark A. Harris and Mrs. Roslyn O. Harris
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Mr.
Richard E. Watkins and Mrs. Sharon J. Watkins
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
|
[______
|
]
|
(1)
|
Based
on 1,800,000 shares of our common stock outstanding as of the date
of this
prospectus. The number of shares of our common stock outstanding
excludes
up to [______] shares of our common stock to be offered on a best
efforts,
minimum/maximum offering concurrently herewith.
|
(2)
|
Represents
the amount of shares that will be held by the selling shareholders
after
completion of this offering based on the assumption that all shares
registered for sale hereby will be sold. However, the selling shareholders
may offer all, some or none of the shares pursuant to this prospectus,
and
to our knowledge there are currently no agreements, arrangements
or
understandings with respect to the sale of any of the shares that
may be
held by the selling shareholders after completion of this
offering.
|
The
selling shareholders acquired the shares for their own accounts in the ordinary
course of business, and at the time they acquired the shares, they had no
agreements, plans or understandings, directly or indirectly, to distribute
the
shares.
None of
the selling shareholders, to our knowledge, has had a material relationship
with
our company other than as a shareholder at any time within the past three years.
[ALTERNATE
PAGE]
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
Once,
and
if, our common stock begins to be traded or quoted on any stock exchange,
market, or trading facility, the selling shareholders, who hold an aggregate
of
[______] shares of our common stock offered through this prospectus, may sell
their shares from time to time at the market price prevailing on the exchange,
market, or trading facility, or at prices relating to the prevailing market
prices, or in negotiated transactions or a combination of such methods of sale.
The
selling shareholders may use any one or more of the following methods when
selling shares:
·
ordinary
brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits
purchasers;
·
block
trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent
but
may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate
the
transaction;
·
purchases
by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;
·
an
exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;
·
privately
negotiated transactions;
·
settlement
of short sales entered into after the date of this prospectus;
·
broker-dealers
may agree with the selling shareholders to sell a specified number of such
shares at a stipulated price per share;
·
a
combination of any such methods of sale;
·
through
the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether
through an options exchange or otherwise; or
·
any
other
method permitted pursuant to applicable law.
In
connection with the sale of our common stock or interest therein, the selling
shareholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other
financial institutions which may in turn engage in short sales of the common
stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling
shareholders may also sell shares of our common stock short and deliver these
securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the common
stock to broker-dealers, which in turn may sell the securities. The selling
shareholders may also enter into option or other transactions with
broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more
derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other
financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such
broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this
prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such
transaction).
The
selling shareholders and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in
selling the shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the
Securities Act in connection with such sales. Because the selling shareholders
may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act,
they will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities
Act. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the selling
shareholders and have informed them of the need to deliver a copy of this
prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale. Each selling
shareholder has informed us that it does not have any agreement or
understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the common
stock.
We
are
required to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by us incident to the
registration of the shares. We have agreed to indemnify the selling shareholders
against certain losses, claims, damages and liabilities.
The
resale shares will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or
dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in
certain states, the resale shares may not be sold unless they have been
registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from
the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied
with.
Under
applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged
in
the distribution of the resale shares may not simultaneously engage in market
making activities with respect to our common stock for a period of two business
days prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the selling
shareholders will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and
the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit
the timing of purchases and sales of shares of our common stock by the selling
shareholders or any other person.
PART
II
INFORMATION
NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
ITEM 24.
INDEMNIFICATION
OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 13.1-697
of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act permits corporations to indemnify
an
individual made a party to a proceeding because he is or was a director against
liability incurred in the proceeding if the director:
1.
Conducted
himself in good faith; and
2.
Believed:
a.
In
the
case of conduct in his official capacity with the corporation, that his conduct
was in its best interests; and
b.
In
all
other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to its best interests;
and
3.
In
the
case of any criminal proceeding, he had no reasonable cause to believe his
conduct was
unlawful.
Our
articles of incorporation contain the following provision relating to
indemnification of our officers and directors:
The
Corporation shall indemnify (a) any person who was, is or may become a
party to any proceeding, including a proceeding brought by a shareholder in
the
right of the Corporation or brought by or on behalf of shareholders of the
Corporation, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer
of
the Corporation, or (b) any director or officer who is or was serving at
the request of the Corporation as a director, trustee, partner or officer of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan
or
other enterprise, against any liability incurred by him in connection with
such
proceeding unless he engaged in willful misconduct or a knowing violation of
criminal law. A person is considered to be serving an employee benefit plan
at
the Corporation’s request if his duties to the Corporation also impose duties
on, or otherwise involve securities by, him to the plan or to participants
in or
beneficiaries of the plan. The Board of Directors is hereby empowered, by a
majority vote of a quorum of disinterested Directors, to enter into a contract
to indemnify any Director or officer in respect of any proceedings arising
from
any act or omission, whether occurring before or after the execution of such
contract.
Expenses
incurred by a person who is otherwise entitled to be indemnified by us in
defending or investigating a threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding
shall be paid by us in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit
or
proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to
repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is not
entitled to be indemnified by us.
Our
bylaws provide that we may indemnify every person who was or is a party or
is or
was threatened to be made a party to any action, suit, or proceeding, whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that
he
or she is or was our employee or agent or, while our employee or agent, is
or
was serving at our request as an employee or agent or trustee or another
corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan or other enterprise, against expenses (including counsel
fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably
incurred by him or her in connection with such action, suit or proceeding,
to
the extent permitted by applicable law.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be
permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons, we have been
advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable.
ITEM 25.
OTHER
EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION
The
following table sets forth the costs and expenses, other than underwriting
discounts and commissions, if any, payable by the Registrant relating to the
sale of common stock being registered. The selling shareholders will not pay
any
portion of these costs and expenses. All amounts are estimates except the SEC
registration fee.
SEC
registration fee
|
|
$
|
467.27
|
|
FINRA
filing fee
|
|
|
1,688.96
|
|
NASDAQ
listing fee
|
|
|
50,000.00
|
|
Blue
Sky Fees
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Legal
fees and expenses for Chinese counsel
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Legal
fees and expenses for U.S. counsel
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Accounting
fees and expenses
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Printing
fees
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Other
fees and expenses
|
|
|
[______
|
]
|
Total
|
|
$
|
[______
|
]
|
*
All
amounts are estimates other than the Commission’s registration fee, NASD filing
fee and NASDAQ Capital Market listing fee.
ITEM 26.
RECENT
SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES
In
the
past three years, we issued the following securities in transactions that were
not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Act”):
Sino-Global
Shipping (America) Ltd., the predecessor to our company (the “Predecessor
Company”), was incorporated in New York in February 2001. Following its
formation, the Predecessor Company failed to formally issue any shares of common
stock despite its active operation. On September 18, 2007, the Predecessor
Company remedied this omission by issuing shares of common stock as
follows:
Shareholder
|
|
Number
of Shares
|
Mr.
Cao Lei
|
|
178
|
Mr.
Chi Tai Shen
|
|
8
|
Mr.
Zhu Ming
|
|
8
|
Mr.
Zhang Mingwei
|
|
6
|
On
September 8, 2007, the Predecessor Company reincorporated into the Commonwealth
of Virginia by merging with and into our company. In connection with this
merger, each shareholder in the Predecessor Company received 9,000 shares of
common stock in our company for each share of common stock held in the
Predecessor Company.
The
sales
and issuances of the securities in the above transactions were deemed to be
exempt under the Securities Act by virtue of Section 4(2) thereof as
transactions not involving any public offering.
ITEM 27.
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Number
|
|
Exhibit
|
1.1
|
|
Form
of Underwriting Agreement**
|
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
Articles
of Incorporation of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.*
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
|
Bylaws
of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.*
|
|
|
|
5.1
|
|
Form
of Opinion of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.**
|
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
Form
of Lockup Agreement.*
|
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
Form
of Escrow Agreement.*
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
Form
of Warrant Agreement with Anderson & Strudwick,
Incorporated*
|
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
Agency
Agreement by and between the Registrant and Beijing Shou Rong Forwarding
Service Co., Ltd.*
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
Put
Agreement by and between the Registrant and
Mark
A. and Roslyn O. Harris
.*
|
|
|
|
10.6
|
|
Escrow
Agreement by and among the Registrant,
Mark
A. and Roslyn O. Harris and SunTrust Bank, N.A.*
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Put
Agreement by and between the Registrant and Richard E. and Sharon
J.
Watkins.*
|
|
|
|
10.8
|
|
Escrow
Agreement by and among the Registrant, Richard E. and Sharon J.
Watkins
and SunTrust Bank, N.A.*
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
|
Exclusive
Management Consulting and Technical Services Agreement by and between
Trans Pacific and Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
10.10
|
|
Exclusive
Marketing Agreement by and between Trans Pacific and
Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
10.11
|
|
Proxy
Agreement by and among Cao Lei, Zhang Mingwei, the Registrant and
Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
10.12
|
|
Equity
Interest Pledge Agreement by and among Trans Pacific, Cao Lei and
Zhang
Mingwei.*
|
|
|
|
10.13
|
|
Exclusive
Equity Interest Purchase Agreement by and among the Registrant, Cao
Lei,
Zhang Mingwei and Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
21.1
|
|
List
of subsidiaries.*
|
|
|
|
23.1
|
|
Consent
of Friedman LLP, independent auditors.*
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
Consent
of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. (included in Exhibit
5.1).**
|
|
|
|
99.1
|
|
Stock
Option Plan**
|
*
Filed
herewith.
**
To
be
filed by amendment.
ITEM 28.
UNDERTAKINGS
The
Registrant hereby undertakes:
(a)
to
file,
during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective
amendment to this registration statement to:
(i)
include
any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities
Act;
(ii)
reflect
in the prospectus any facts or events which, individually or together, represent
a fundamental change in the information in the registration statement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities
offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that
which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the
estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus
filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the
changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum
aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee”
table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii)
include
any additional or changed information with respect to the plan of
distribution.
(b)
that,
for
the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each
post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof.
(c)
to
file a
post-effective amendment to remove from registration any of the securities
that
remain unsold at the end of the offering.
(d)
that
insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
may
be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant,
the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registration of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person to the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by
such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against
public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the
final adjudication of such issue.
(e)
that,
for
the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser,
each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration
statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying
on
Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall
be
deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date
it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement
made
in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration
statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference
into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration
statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to
such
first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration
statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made
in
any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
SIGNATURES
In
accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of
the
requirements of filing on Form SB-2 and authorized this registration statement
to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, in the City of Beijing, The
People’s Republic of China on January 11, 2008.
|
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Cao
Lei
|
|
Mr. Cao
Lei
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
POWER
OF ATTORNEY
KNOW
ALL
PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below
does
hereby constitute and appoint Cao Lei and Zhang Mingwei, and each of them,
as
his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of
substitution and re-substitution, for him and in his name, place and stead,
in
any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to this Registration Statement and sign any registration statement
for the same offering covered by this Registration Statement that is to be
effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended and all post-effective amendments thereto and to
file
the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the SEC, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents,
and
each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act
and
thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith and about
the
premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in
person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or their or his substitutes or substitutes, may lawfully
do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
In
accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act, as amended, this
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities stated on January 11, 2008.
/s/
Cao
Lei
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
January
11, 2008
|
Cao
Lei
|
|
(Principal
Executive Officer) and Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Zhang
Mingwei
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
January
11, 2008
|
Zhang
Mingwei
|
|
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer) and Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Dennis
O. Laing
|
|
Director
|
|
January
11, 2008
|
Dennis
O. Laing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
January
11, 2008
|
C.
Thomas Burke
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Wang
Jing
|
|
Director
|
|
January
11, 2008
|
Wang
Jing
|
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Exhibit
|
1.1
|
|
Form
of Underwriting Agreement**
|
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
Articles
of Incorporation of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.*
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
|
Bylaws
of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.*
|
|
|
|
5.1
|
|
Form
of Opinion of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.**
|
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
Form
of Lock-up Agreement.*
|
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
Form
of Escrow Agreement.*
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
Form
of Warrant Agreement with Anderson & Strudwick,
Incorporated*
|
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
Agency
Agreement by and between the Registrant and Beijing Shou Rong Forwarding
Service Co., Ltd.*
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
Put
Agreement by and between the Registrant and
Mark
A. and Roslyn O. Harris
.*
|
|
|
|
10.6
|
|
Escrow
Agreement by and among the Registrant,
Mark
A. and Roslyn O. Harris and SunTrust Bank, N.A.*
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
Put
Agreement by and between the Registrant and Richard E. and Sharon
J.
Watkins.*
|
|
|
|
10.8
|
|
Escrow
Agreement by and among the Registrant, Richard E. and Sharon J.
Watkins
and SunTrust Bank, N.A.*
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
|
Exclusive
Management Consulting and Technical Services Agreement by and between
Trans Pacific and Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
10.10
|
|
Exclusive
Marketing Agreement by and between Trans Pacific and
Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
10.11
|
|
Proxy
Agreement by and among Cao Lei, Zhang Mingwei, the Registrant and
Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
10.12
|
|
Equity
Interest Pledge Agreement by and among Trans Pacific, Cao Lei and
Zhang
Mingwei.*
|
|
|
|
10.13
|
|
Exclusive
Equity Interest Purchase Agreement by and among the Registrant, Cao
Lei,
Zhang Mingwei and Sino-China.*
|
|
|
|
21.1
|
|
List
of subsidiaries.*
|
|
|
|
23.1
|
|
Consent
of Friedman LLP, independent auditors.*
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
Consent
of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. (included in Exhibit
5.1).**
|
|
|
|
99.1
|
|
Stock
Option Plan**
|
*
Filed
herewith.
**
To
be
filed by amendment
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION
OF
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
ARTICLE
I
Name
The
name
of the corporation is Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.
ARTICLE
II
Purpose
The
purpose for which the Corporation is formed is to transact any or all lawful
business, not required to be specifically stated in these Articles, for which
corporations may be incorporated under the Virginia Stock Corporation Act,
as
amended from time to time.
ARTICLE
III
Classes
of Stock
1.
The
number of shares of common stock which the Corporation shall have authority
to
issue shall be 10,000,000 shares, without par value per share.
Dividends
may be paid upon the Common Stock out of any assets of the Corporation available
for dividends remaining after full dividends on the outstanding Preferred Stock
at the dividend rate or rates therefor, together with the full additional amount
required by any participation right, with respect to all past dividend periods
and the current dividend period shall have been paid or declared and set apart
for payment and all mandatory sinking funds payment that shall have become
due
in respect of any series of the Preferred Stock shall have been made.
In
the
event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, the
Board of Directors may, after satisfaction of the rights of the holders of
all
shares of Preferred Stock, or the deposit in trust of money adequate for such
satisfaction, distribute in kind to the holders of the Common Stock all then
remaining assets of the Corporation or may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose
of all or any of such remaining assets of the Corporation and receive payment
therefor wholly or partly in cash and/or in stock and/or in obligations and
may
sell all or part of the consideration received therefor and distribute all
or
the balance thereof in kind to the holders of the Common Stock.
The
holders of the Common Stock shall, to the exclusion of holders of the Preferred
Stock, have the sole and full power to vote for the election of directors and
for all other purposes without limitation except (i) as otherwise recited
or provided in these Articles of Incorporation applicable to the Preferred
Stock, (ii) with respect to a class or series of Preferred Stock, as shall
be determined by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 2(b) of this Article
III and (iii) with respect to any voting rights provided by
law.
Subject
to the provisions of these Articles of Incorporation applicable to the Preferred
Stock, the Corporation may from time to time purchase or otherwise acquire
for
consideration or redeem (if permitted by the terms thereof) shares of Common
Stock or shares of any other class of stock hereafter created ranking junior
to
the Preferred Stock in respect of dividends or assets and any shares so
purchased, acquired or redeemed may be held or disposed of by the Corporation
from time to time for its corporate purposes or may be retired as provided
by
law.
2.
The
number of shares of Preferred Stock which the Corporation shall have the
authority to issue shall be 1,000,000 shares, without par value per share.
The
Board
of Directors is hereby empowered to cause any class of the Preferred Stock
of
the Corporation to be issued in series with such of the variations permitted
by
clauses (a)-(k) below, as shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
The
shares of Preferred Stock of different classes or series may vary as to:
a.
the
designation of such class or series, the number of shares to constitute such
class or series and the stated value thereof;
b.
whether
the shares of such class or series shall have voting rights in addition to
any
voting rights provided by law, and if so, the terms of such voting rights,
which
(i) may be general or limited, and (ii) may permit more than one vote
per share;
c.
the
rate
or rates (which may be fixed or variable) at which dividends, if any, are
payable on such class or series, whether any such dividends shall be cumulative,
and if so, from what dates, the conditions and dates upon which such dividends
shall be payable, the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear
to
the dividends payable on any shares of stock of any other class or any other
series of such class;
d.
whether
the shares of such class or series shall be subject to redemption by the
Corporation, and if so, the times, prices and other conditions of such
redemption;
e.
the
amount or amounts payable upon shares of such class or series upon, and the
rights of the holders of such class or series in, the voluntary or involuntary
liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or any distribution of the assets of,
the Corporation;
f.
whether
the shares of such class or series shall be subject to the operation of a
retirement or sinking fund, and if so, the extent to and manner in which any
such retirement or sinking fund shall be applied to the purchase or redemption
of the shares of such series for retirement or other corporate purposes and
the
terms and provisions relative to the operation thereof;
g.
whether
the shares of such series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares
of stock of any other class or any other series of such class or any other
securities (including Common Stock) and, if so, the price or prices or the
rate
or rates of conversion or exchange and the method, if any, of adjusting the
same, and any other terms and conditions of conversion or exchange;
h.
the
limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any shares of such
class or series are outstanding upon the payment of dividends or the making
of
other distributions on, and upon the purchase, redemption or other acquisition
by the Corporation of, the Common Stock or shares of stock of any other class
or
any other series of such class;
i.
the
conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the
Corporation or upon the issue of any additional stock, including additional
shares of such class or series or of any other series of such class or of any
other class;
j.
the
ranking (be it
pari
passu
,
junior
or senior) of each class or series as to the payment of dividends, the
distribution of assets and all other matters; and
k.
any
other
powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special
rights, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, insofar
as
they are not inconsistent with the provisions of these Articles of
Incorporation, to the full extent permitted in accordance with the laws of
the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
In
the
event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, after
there shall have been paid to or set aside for the holders of the Preferred
Stock the full preferential amounts to which they are respectively entitled
under the provisions of these Articles of Incorporation applicable to the
Preferred Stock, the holders of the Preferred Stock shall have no claim to
any
of the remaining assets of the Corporation. The powers, preferences and
relative, participating, option and other special rights of each class or series
of Preferred Stock and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof
if any, may differ from those of any and all other classes and series at any
time outstanding. All shares of Preferred Stock of each series shall be equal
in
all respects.
3.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if one or more series of the Preferred Stock shall be subject
to
(i) redemption or (ii) repurchase by the Corporation at the option of
the holders thereof, as provided in the terms thereof, the following provisions
shall apply:
a.
If
(i) less than all the outstanding shares of one or more series are to be
redeemed or (ii) the Corporation is unable to purchase all the shares of
one or more series that it is required to offer to repurchase and which the
holders thereof desire the Corporation to repurchase, the shares to be redeemed
or repurchased shall be selected pro rata in such manner as may be prescribed
by
resolution of the Board of Directors, or in such other manner, if any, as shall
be specified elsewhere in the Articles of Incorporation.
b.
Notice
to
the holders of the shares to be redeemed or repurchased shall be given by
mailing to such holders a notice of such redemption or offer to repurchase,
first class, postage prepaid, not later than the thirtieth day, and not earlier
than the sixtieth day, before the date fixed for redemption or repurchase,
at
their last addresses as they shall appear upon the books of the Corporation.
Any
notice which is mailed in such manner shall be conclusively presumed to have
been duly given, whether or not the shareholder receives such notice; and
failure duly to give such notice by mail, or any defect in such notice, to
the
holders of any stock designated for redemption or repurchase shall not affect
the validity of the proceedings for the redemption or repurchase of any other
shares.
c.
The
notice of redemption or offer to repurchase to each shareholder whose shares
are
to be redeemed or which the Corporation is required to offer to repurchase
shall
specify the number and designation of the shares of such shareholder to be
redeemed or repurchased, the date fixed for redemption or repurchase, the
redemption or repurchase price, and where payment of the redemption or
repurchase price is to be made upon surrender of certificates for such shares
and shall state the date to which accrued dividends, if any, will be paid and
that from and after said date dividends thereon will cease to accrue. In the
event any of such shares have conversion rights, the notice shall also state
the
conversion rate then in effect and the date on which the conversion rights
shall
cease and terminate.
d.
In
the
case of each share called for redemption, or which the Corporation offers to
repurchase and the holder thereof desires the Corporation to repurchase, the
Corporation shall be obligated (unless such share has conversion rights and
shall be converted on or prior to the redemption or repurchase date), to pay to
the holder thereof the redemption or repurchase price (including accrued
dividends, if any, to the extent and if so provided for such shares) upon
surrender of the certificate for such share at the office of the Corporation
or
any transfer agent for the series, specified for that purpose on or after the
redemption or repurchase date. Unless the Corporation shall default in the
payment of the redemption or repurchase price plus accrued dividends, if any,
dividends on each share so called for redemption, or which the Corporation
offers to repurchase and the holder thereof desires the Corporation to
repurchase, shall cease to accrue from and after the redemption or repurchase
date or such earlier date as shall be specified in the terms thereof.
4.
In
the
event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up
of
the Corporation, if the assets of the Corporation available for distribution
to
its shareholders shall be insufficient to pay in full all amounts to which
the
holders of Preferred Stock and any other stock of any class ranking on a parity
as to liquidation preference are entitled, the amount available for distribution
to shareholders shall be shared by the holders of all such classes and any
series thereof pro rata according to the preferential amounts to which shares
of
each such series or class are entitled. For the purposes of this Section 4,
a
consolidation or merger of the Corporation with any other corporation, or the
sale, transfer or lease of all or substantially all its assets shall not
constitute or be deemed a liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the
Corporation.
5.
Any
and
all shares of Preferred Stock and Common Stock of the Corporation, at the time
authorized but not issued and outstanding, may be issued and disposed of by
the
Board of Directors of the Corporation in any lawful manner, consistently, in
the
case of shares of Preferred Stock, with the requirements set forth in the
provisions of these Articles of Incorporation applicable to the Preferred Stock,
at any time and from time to time, for such considerations as may be fixed
by
the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
6.
No
holder
of shares of any class of stock of the Corporation shall have any preemptive
or
preferential right to purchase or subscribe to (i) any shares of any class
of the Corporation, whether now or hereafter authorized; (ii) any warrants,
rights, or options to purchase any such shares; or (iii) any securities or
obligations convertible into any such shares or into warrants, rights or options
to purchase any such shares.
7.
Any
class
of stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to rank -
a.
prior
to
another class either as to dividends or upon liquidation, if the holders of
such
class shall be entitled to the receipt of dividends or of amounts distributable
on liquidation, dissolution or winding up, as the case may be, in preference
or
priority to holders of such other class;
b.
on
a
parity with another class either as to dividends or upon liquidation, whether
or
not the dividend rates, dividend payment dates, or redemption or liquidation
prices per share thereof are different from those of such others, if the holders
of such class of stock shall be entitled to receipt of dividends or amounts
distributable upon liquidation. dissolution or winding up, as the case may
be,
in proportion to their respective dividend rates or prices, without preference
or priority one over the other with respect to the holders of such other class;
and
c.
junior
to
another class either as to dividends or upon liquidation, if the rights of
the
holders of such class shall be subject or subordinate to the rights of the
holders of such other class in respect of the receipt of dividends or of amounts
distributable upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, as the case may
be.
ARTICLE
IV
Registered
Office and Agent
The
initial registered office shall be located at 1051 East Cary Street, Three
James
Center, 12
th
Floor,
Richmond, Virginia 23219, which is located in the City of Richmond, and the
initial registered agent shall be Bradley A. Haneberg, who is a resident of
Virginia and a member of the Virginia State Bar, and whose business address
is
the same as the address of the initial registered office.
ARTICLE
V
Board
of Directors
1.
The
number of directors constituting the Corporation’s Board of Directors shall be
between five (5) and nine (9), a majority of which shall be independent in
accordance with Nasdaq Stock Market rules and regulations (such directors being
the “Independent Directors”).
2.
Commencing
with the 2008 annual meeting of shareholders, the Board of Directors shall
be
divided into three (3) classes: Class I, Class II and Class III, as nearly
equal
in number as possible. The initial Class I directors shall hold office for
an
initial term expiring at the 2008 annual meeting of shareholders. The initial
Class II directors shall hold office for an initial term expiring at the 2009
annual meeting of shareholders. The initial Class III directors shall hold
office for an initial term expiring at the 2010 annual meeting of shareholders.
At each annual meeting of shareholders beginning in 2008, the successors to
the
class of directors whose terms then shall expire shall be identified as being
of
the same class as the directors they succeed and elected to hold office for
a
term expiring at the third succeeding annual meeting of shareholders.
3.
The
number of directors of the Corporation may be changed by (i) the
affirmative vote of shareholders holding a majority of each class of shares
of
the Corporation entitled to vote thereon or (ii) the affirmative vote of a
majority of the Corporation’s Board of Directors taken at a meeting of which the
directors received at least ten (10) days’ advance notice.
4.
When
the
number of directors is changed, any newly created directorships or any decrease
in directorships shall be apportioned among the classes by the Board of
Directors as to make all classes as nearly equal in number as possible. Further,
any vote to reduce the number of the Corporation’s directors shall not result in
the removal of a director previously elected or appointed. Rather, such a vote
will simply reduce the number of directors to be elected at the next succeeding
election of directors by the Corporation’s shareholders and will be apportioned
across the classes of Directors to maintain, as nearly as possible, equal
numbers of Directors in each class.
5.
Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Article V, at any time prior to the Corporation’s
application for listing on a national securities market, the Corporation may,
by
consent of a majority of its common shareholders, appoint a Board of Directors
consisting of between one (1) and nine (9) members, to be divided into one
(1)
to three (3) classes in the discretion of the Board. On or before the completion
of such listing, the Corporation shall, as applicable, appoint such number
of
additional directors as may be required to meet the requirements of the previous
paragraph. Such additional directors shall be appointed to such class(es) as
may
be necessary to effect the purposes of this Article V.
ARTICLE
VI
Indemnification
“applicant”
means the person seeking indemnification pursuant to this Article.
“expenses”
includes counsel fees.
“liability”
means the obligation to pay a judgment, settlement, penalty, fine, including
any
excise tax assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan, or reasonable
expenses incurred with respect to a proceeding.
“party”
includes an individual who was, is or is threatened to be made a named defendant
or respondent in a proceeding.
“proceeding”
means any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit or proceeding. whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal.
2.
In
any
proceeding brought by or in the right of the Corporation or brought by or on
behalf of shareholders of the Corporation, no director or officer of the
Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its shareholders for monetary
damages with respect to any transaction, occurrence or course of conduct,
whether before or after the effective date of this Article, except for liability
resulting from that person’s having engaged in willful misconduct or a knowing
violation of the criminal law or any federal or state securities law.
3.
The
Corporation shall indemnify(a) any person who was, is or may become a party
to any proceeding, including a proceeding brought by a shareholder in the right
of the Corporation or brought by or on behalf of shareholders of the
Corporation, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer
of
the Corporation, or (b) any director or officer who is or was serving at
the request of the Corporation as a director, trustee, partner or officer of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan
or
other enterprise, against any liability incurred by him in connection with
such
proceeding unless he engaged in willful misconduct or a knowing violation of
criminal law. A person is considered to be serving an employee benefit plan
at
the Corporation’s request if his duties to the Corporation also impose duties
on, or otherwise involve securities by, him to the plan or to participants
in or
beneficiaries of the plan. The Board of Directors is hereby empowered, by a
majority vote of a quorum of disinterested Directors, to enter into a contract
to indemnify any Director or officer in respect of any proceedings arising
from
any act or omission, whether occurring before or after the execution of such
contract.
4.
No
amendment or repeal of this Article shall affect the rights provided under
this
Article with respect to any act or omission arising before the amendment or
repeal. The Corporation shall promptly take all such actions, and make all
such
determinations, as shall be necessary or appropriate to comply with its
obligation to make any indemnity under this Article and shall promptly pay
or
reimburse all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by any
such director, officer, employee or agent in connection with such actions and
determinations or proceedings of any kind arising therefrom.
5.
The
termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or
upon a plea of
nolo
contendre
or its
equivalent, shall not of itself create a presumption that the applicant did
not
meet the standard of conduct described in Section 2 or 3 of this Article.
6.
Any
indemnification under Section 3 of this Article (unless ordered by a court)
shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon
a
determination that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the
applicant has met the standard of conduct set forth in Section 3.
The
determination shall be made:
a.
By
the
Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors not
at
the time parties to the proceeding;
b.
If
a
quorum cannot be obtained under Section 6(a) of this Section, by majority vote
of a committee duly designated by the Board of Directors (in which designation
directors who are parties may participate), consisting solely of two or more
directors not at the time parties to the proceeding;
c.
By
special legal counsel:
(1)
Selected
by the Board of Directors or committee in the manner prescribed in Sections
6(a)
or 6(h) of this Article: or
(2)
If
a
quorum of the Board of Directors cannot be obtained under Section 6(a) of this
Article and a committee cannot be designated under Section 6(b) of this Article,
selected by majority vote of the full Board of Directors, in which selection
directors who are parties may participate; or
d.
By
the
shareholders, but shares owned by or voted under the control of directors who
are at the time parties to the proceeding may not be voted on the determination.
Any
evaluation as to reasonableness of expenses shall be made in the same manner
as
the determination that indemnification is appropriate, except that if the
determination is made by special legal counsel, such evaluation as to
reasonableness of expenses shall be made by those entitled under Section 6(c)
of
this Article to select counsel.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing. if the composition of a majority of the Board of Directors has
changed after the date of the alleged act or omission with respect to which
indemnification is claimed, any determination with respect to any claim for
indemnification or advancement of expenses made pursuant to this Article shall
be made by special legal counsel agreed upon by the Board of Directors and
applicant. If the Board of Directors and the applicant are unable to agree
upon
such special legal counsel, the Board of Directors and the applicant each shall
select a nominee, and the nominees shall select such special legal counsel.
7.
a.
The
Corporation shall pay for or reimburse the reasonable expenses incurred by
any
applicant who is a party to a proceeding in advance of final disposition of
the
proceeding or the making of any determination under Section 3 if the applicant
furnishes the Corporation:
(1)
a
written
statement of the applicant’s good faith belief that he or she has met the
standard of conduct described in Section 3; and
(2)
a
written
undertaking, executed personally or on the applicant’s behalf: to repay the
advance if it is ultimately determined that the applicant did not meet such
standard of conduct.
b.
The
undertaking required by Section 7(a)(2) of this Article shall be an unlimited
general obligation of the applicant but need not be secured and may be accepted
without reference to financial ability to make repayment.
c.
Authorizations
of payments under this Section shall be made by the persons specified in Section
6 of this Article.
8.
The
Board
of Directors is hereby empowered, by majority vote of a quorum consisting of
disinterested directors, to cause the Corporation to indemnify or contract
to
indemnify any person not specified in Section 2 or 3 of this Article who was,
is
or may become a party to any proceeding, by reason of the fact that the person
is or was an employee or agent of the Corporation, is or was serving at the
request of the Corporation a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, employee benefit plan or other
enterprise, to the same extent as if that person were specified as one to whom
indemnification is granted in Section 3. The provisions of Sections 4 through
7
of this Article shall be applicable to any indemnification provided hereafter
pursuant to this Section 8.
9.
The
Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance to indemnify it against the
whole or any portion of the liability assumed by it accordance with this Article
and may also procure insurance, in such amounts as the Board of Directors may
determine, on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee
or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the
Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise,
against any liability asserted against or incurred in any such capacity or
arising from the person’s status as such, whether or not the Corporation would
have power to indemnify that person against such liability under the provisions
of this Article.
10.
Every
reference herein to directors, officers, employees or agents shall include
former directors, officers, employees and agents arid their respective heirs,
executors and administrators. The indemnification hereby provided and provided
hereafter pursuant to the power hereby conferred by this Article on the Board
of
Directors shall not be exclusive of any other rights to which any other person
may be entitled, including any right under policies of insurance that may be
purchased and maintained by the Corporation or others, with respect to claims,
issues or matters in relation to which the Corporation would not have the power
to indemnify that person under the provisions of this Article. Such rights
shall
not prevent or restrict the power of the Corporation to make or provide for
any
future indemnity, or provisions for determining entitlement to indemnity,
pursuant to one or more indemnification agreements, bylaws, or other
arrangements (including, without limitation, creation of trust funds or security
interests funded by letters of credit or other means) approved by the Board
of
Directors (whether or not any of the directors of the Corporation shall be
a
party to or beneficiary of any such agreements, bylaws or arrangements);
provided, however, that any provision of such agreements, bylaws or other
arrangements shall not be effective if and to the extent that it is determined
to be contrary to this Article or applicable laws of the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
11.
Each
provision of this Article shall be severable, and an adverse determination
as to
any such provision shall in no way affect the validity of any other provision.
ARTICLE
VII
Voting
1.
Unless
these Articles of Incorporation provide otherwise or the Board of Directors
conditions its submission of a particular matter on receipt of a greater vote
or
on any other basis permitted by applicable law, the vote of the holders of
a
majority of the outstanding shares of any series or class of stock voting as
such series or class, or any series and/or classes of stock voting together
as a
voting group, entitled to vote on the following matters required by applicable
law to be submitted to such series, classes or voting group shall be required
and sufficient for the adoption or approval thereof by such series, classes
or
voting group: (i) any amendment or restatement of the Articles of
Incorporation of the Corporation, (ii) a plan of merger, (iii) a plan
of share exchange, (iv) the sale, lease or exchange or other disposition of
all or substantially all of the property of the Corporation other than in the
usual and regular course of business, or (v) a proposal to dissolve the
Corporation. The foregoing provisions of this Article VII shall not be construed
to alter or modify in any respect the voting requirements prescribed by the
Virginia Stock Corporation Act which would in the absence of such provisions
be
applicable to the approval of any affiliated transaction (as defined in said
Act) or any amendment of the Articles of Incorporation relating to the vote
required for such approval.
2.
On
matters presented to the shareholders other than those set forth in Section
1 of
Article VII, the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares
of
any series or class of stock voting as such series or class, or any series
and/or classes of stock voting together as a voting group, entitled to vote
on
such matter at a shareholder meeting for which a quorum of such series, class
or
voting group is present, shall be required and sufficient for the adoption
or
approval of such matters by such series, classes or voting groups. For purposes
of this Section 2 of Article VII, a quorum shall consist of one-third (1/3)
of
the outstanding shares of capital stock in such series, class or voting
group.
ARTICLE
VIII
Amendment
of Bylaws
Except
as
otherwise provided in the bylaws, the shareholders and the Board of Directors
shall each have the power to make, amend or repeal bylaws of the Corporation
by
a majority vote.
ARTICLE
IX
Exemption
from Virginia Control Share Acquisitions Act
The
Corporation elects, pursuant to Virginia Code Annotated Section 13.1-728.2,
to
be exempt from the requirements of the Virginia Control Share Acquisitions
Act
(Va. Code Ann. §§ 13.1-728.1, et seq.).
Dated:
September 14, 2007
|
/s/
Anthony W.
Basch
|
|
Anthony
W. Basch, Incorporator
|
ESCROW
AGREEMENT
This
Escrow Agreement is made and entered into as of the ____ day of _________,
_____, by and among ANDERSON & STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED, a Virginia
corporation (the “Underwriter”), SINO-GLOBAL SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD., a Virginia
corporation (the “Company”) and SUNTRUST BANK, N.A. (the “Escrow
Agent”).
RECITALS:
A.
The
Company proposes to sell a minimum of __________ ordinary shares and a maximum
of __________ ordinary shares (the “Shares”) of the Company at a price of $____
per share (the “Offering”).
B.
The
Company has retained the Underwriter, as agent for the Company on a best
efforts, minimum-maximum basis, to sell the Shares in the Offering, and the
Underwriter has agreed to sell the shares in the Offering as the Company’s agent
on a best efforts minimum-maximum basis.
C.
The
Escrow Agent is willing to hold the proceeds of the Offering in escrow pursuant
to this Agreement.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual covenants and
agreements contained in this Agreement, it is hereby agreed as
follows:
1.
Establishment
of the Escrow Agent
.
Contemporaneously herewith, the parties have established a non-interest-bearing
account with the Escrow Agent, which escrow account is entitled “Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd. IPO Escrow Account” (the “Escrow Account”). The
Underwriter will transfer funds directly to the Escrow Agent as directed by
its
customers and will instruct other purchasers of the Shares to make checks
payable to “SunTrust Bank - Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd. IPO Escrow
Account.”
2.
Escrow
Period
.
The
escrow period (the “Escrow Period”) shall begin with the commencement of the
Offering and shall terminate upon the earlier to occur of the following
dates:
(a)
the
date
on which the Escrow Agent confirms that it has received in the Escrow Account
gross proceeds of $8,750,000 (the “Maximum”);
(b)
June
1,
2008;
(c)
the
date
on which the Underwriter and the Company notify the Escrow Agent that the
Offering has been terminated in writing.
During
the Escrow Period, the Company is aware and understands that it is not entitled
to any funds received into escrow and no amounts deposited in the Escrow Account
shall become the property of the Company or any other entity, or be subject
to
the debts of the Company or any other entity.
3.
Deposits
into the Escrow Account
.
The
Underwriter agrees that it shall deliver to the Escrow Agent for deposit in
the
Escrow Account all monies received from purchasers of the Shares by noon of
the
next business day after receipt together with a written account of each sale,
which account shall set forth, among other things, (i) the purchaser’s name and
address, (ii) the number of Shares purchased by the purchaser, (iii) the amount
paid therefor by the purchaser, (iv) whether the consideration received from
the
purchaser was in the form of a check, draft or money order, and (v) the
purchaser’s social security or tax identification number. The Escrow Agent
agrees to hold all monies so deposited in the Escrow Account (the “Escrow
Amount”) for the benefit of the parties hereto until authorized to disburse such
monies under the terms of this Agreement.
4.
Disbursements
from the Escrow Account
.
In the
event the Escrow Agent does not receive minimum deposits totaling $6,750,000
prior to the termination of the Escrow Period, or if the Underwriter and the
Company notify the Escrow Agent that the Offering has been terminated, the
Escrow Agent shall promptly refund to each purchaser the amount received from
the purchaser, without deduction, penalty, or expense to the purchaser, and
the
Escrow Agent shall notify the Company and the Underwriter of its distribution
of
the funds. The purchase money returned to each purchaser shall be free and
clear
of any and all claims of the Company or any of its creditors.
In
the
event the Escrow Agent does receive minimum deposits totaling $6,750,000 prior
to termination of the Escrow Period, on the date of Closing, the Escrow Agent
shall disburse the Escrow Amount pursuant to the provisions of Section 6,
provided,
however
,
in no
event will the Escrow Amount be released to the Company until such amount is
received by the Escrow Agent in collected funds. For purposes of this Agreement,
the term “collected funds” shall mean all funds, including fed funds, received
by the Escrow Agent which have cleared normal banking channels.
5.
Collection
Procedure
.
(a)
The
Escrow Agent is hereby authorized to deposit each check in the Escrow
Account.
(b)
In
the
event any check paid by a purchaser and deposited in the Escrow Account shall
be
returned, the Escrow Agent shall notify the Underwriter by telephone of such
occurrence and advise it of the name of the purchaser, the amount of the check
returned, and any other pertinent information. The Escrow Agent shall then
transmit the returned check directly to the purchaser and shall transmit the
statement previously delivered by the Underwriter relating to such purchase
to
the Underwriter.
(c)
If
the
Company rejects any purchase of Shares for which the Escrow Agent has already
collected funds, the Escrow Agent shall promptly issue a refund check to the
rejected purchaser. If the Underwriter rejects any purchase for which the Escrow
Agent has not yet collected funds but has submitted the purchaser’s check for
collection, the Escrow Agent shall promptly issue a check in the amount of
the
purchaser’s check to the rejected purchaser after the Escrow Agent has cleared
such funds. If the Escrow Agent has not yet submitted a rejected purchaser’s
check for collection, the Escrow Agent shall promptly remit the purchaser’s
check directly to the purchaser.
6.
Delivery
of Escrow Account
.
(a)
Prior
to
the Closing (as defined in Section 8 of this Agreement), the Underwriter and
the
Company shall provide the Escrow Agent with a statement, executed by each party,
containing the following information:
(i)
The
total
number of Shares sold by the Underwriter directly to purchasers and a list
of
each purchaser, and the number of Shares purchased by such purchaser, and
specification of the manner in which the Shares should be issued;
and
(ii)
A
calculation by the Underwriter and the Company as to the manner in which the
Escrow Account should be distributed to the Company and the Underwriter and
in
the event of oversubscription or rejection of certain purchasers, the aggregate
amount to be returned to individual purchasers and a listing of the exact amount
to be returned to each such purchaser.
The
Escrow Agent shall hold the Escrow Account and distribute it in accordance
with
the above-described statement on the date of Closing or such later date that
it
receives the above-described statement.
(b)
Upon
termination of the Offering by the Company or the Underwriter for any reason,
the Escrow Agent shall return to the purchasers who contributed to the Escrow
Account the exact amount contributed by them.
7.
Investment
of Escrow Account
.
The
Escrow Agent shall deposit funds received from purchasers in the Escrow Account,
which shall be a non-interest-bearing bank account at SunTrust
Bank.
8.
Closing
Date
.
The
“Closing” shall be the date of closing of the Offering, and the “Closing Date”
shall be the date on or subsequent to the date on which the Escrow Agent has
received minimum deposits of at least $6,750,000 in collected funds that is
designated to the Escrow Agent by the Underwriter and the Company as the Closing
Date.
9.
Compensation
of Escrow Agent
.
The
Company shall pay the Escrow Agent a fee for its services hereunder in an amount
equal to __________ Dollars ($__________), which amount shall paid on the
Closing Date. In the event the Offering is canceled for any reason, the Company
shall pay the Escrow Agent its fee within ten (10) days after the Escrow Amount
is refunded to purchasers. No such fee or any other monies whatsoever shall
be
paid out of or chargeable to the funds on deposit in the Escrow
Account.
10.
Disbursement
Into Court
.
If, at
any time, there shall exist any dispute between the Company, the Underwriter
and/or the purchasers with respect to the holding or disposition of any portion
of the Escrow Amount or any other obligations of the Escrow Agent hereunder,
or
if at any time the Escrow Agent is unable to determine, to the Escrow Agent’s
sole satisfaction, the proper disposition of any portion of the Escrow Amount
or
the Escrow Agent’s proper actions with respect to its obligations hereunder, or
if the Company and the Underwriter have not within 30 days of the furnishing
by
the Escrow Agent of a notice of resignation appointed a successor Escrow Agent
to act hereunder, then the Escrow Agent may, in its sole discretion, take either
both of the following actions:
(a)
suspend
the performance of any of its obligations under this Escrow Agreement until
such
dispute or uncertainty shall be resolved to the sole satisfaction of the Escrow
Agent or until a successor Escrow Agent shall have been appointed (as the case
my be);
provided
however
,
that
the Escrow Agent shall continue to hold the Escrow Amount in accordance with
Section 7 hereof; and/or
(b)
petition
(by means of an interpleader action or any other appropriate method) any court
of competent jurisdiction in Richmond, Virginia, for instructions with respect
to such dispute or uncertainty, and pay into court all funds held by it in
the
Escrow Account for holding and disposition in accordance with the instructions
of such court.
The
Escrow Agent shall have no liability to the Company, the Underwriter or any
other person with respect to any such suspension of performance or disbursement
into court, specifically including any liability or claimed liability that
may
arise, or be alleged to have arisen, out of or as a result of any delay in
the
disbursement of funds held in the Escrow Account or any delay in or with respect
to any other action required or requested of the Escrow Agent.
11.
Duties
and Rights of the Escrow Agent
.
The
foregoing agreements and obligations of the Escrow Agent are subject to the
following provisions:
(a)
The
Escrow Agent’s duties hereunder are limited solely to the safekeeping of the
Escrow Account in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. It is agreed
that
the duties of the Escrow Agent are only such as herein specifically provided,
being purely of a ministerial nature, and the Escrow Agent shall incur no
liability whatsoever except for negligence, willful misconduct or bad
faith.
(b)
The
Escrow Agent is authorized to rely on any document believed by the Escrow Agent
to be authentic in making any delivery of the Escrow Account or the certificates
representing the Shares. It shall have no responsibility for the genuineness
or
the validity of any document or any other item deposited with it and it shall
be
fully protected in acting in accordance with this Agreement or instructions
received.
(c)
The
Company and the Underwriter hereby waive any suit, claim, demand or cause of
action of any kind which they may have or may assert against the Escrow Agent
arising out of or relating to the execution or performance by the Escrow Agent
of this Agreement, unless such suit, claim, demand or cause of action is based
upon the gross negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith of the Escrow
Agent.
12.
Notices
.
It if
further agreed as follows:
(a)
All
notices given hereunder will be in writing, served by registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or by hand-delivery, to the
parties at the following addresses:
to
the
Company:
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
36-09
Main Street
Suite
9C-2
Flushing,
New York 11354
Attention:
Cao Lei, Chief Executive Officer
Fax:
(718) 888-1148
with
a
copy to:
Kang
Da
Law Office
703
CITIC
Building
Jianguomenwai
Street
Beijing
China 100004
Attention:
Wendy Guo, Esq.
Facsimile:
(8610) 8526-2826
To
the
Underwriter:
Anderson
& Strudwick, Incorporated
707
East
Main Street, 20
th
Floor
Richmond,
Virginia 23219
Attention:
L. McCarthy Downs, III
Facsimile:
(804) 648-3404
with
a
copy to:
Kaufman
& Canoles, P.C.
1051
East
Cary Street
Suite
1206
Richmond,
Virginia 23219
Attention:
Bradley A. Haneberg, Esq.
Facsimile:
(804) 771-5777
To
the
Escrow Agent:
SunTrust
Bank
919
East
Main Street
10
th
Floor
Richmond,
Virginia 23219
Attention:
Facsimile:
(804) _____-_______
12.
Miscellaneous
.
(a)
This
Agreement shall be binding upon, inure to the benefit of and be enforceable
by
the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.
(b)
If
any
provision of this Agreement shall be held invalid by any court of competent
jurisdiction, such holding shall not invalidate any other provision
hereof.
(c)
This
Agreement shall be governed by the applicable laws of the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
(d)
This
Agreement may not be modified except in writing signed by the parties
hereto.
(e)
All
demands, notices, approvals, consents, requests and other communications
hereunder shall be given in the manner provided in this Agreement.
(f)
This
Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, an if executed in more
than one counterpart, the executed counterparts shall together constitute a
single instrument.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
in
their respective names, all as of the date first above written.
|
ANDERSON
& STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
|
L.
McCarthy Downs, III
|
|
|
Senior
Vice President
|
|
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
Name:
|
Cao
Lei
|
|
Title:
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUNTRUST
BANK
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
Name:
|
|
|
Title:
|
|
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
WARRANT
AGREEMENT
_________________
___, _____
Anderson
& Strudwick, Incorporated
707
East
Main Street
20
th
Floor
Richmond,
Virginia 23219
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd., a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), agrees to issue
and sell to you a warrant (the “Warrant”) to purchase the number of shares of
common stock, of the Company set forth herein, subject to the terms and
conditions contained herein.
1.
Issuance
of Warrant; Exercise Price
.
The
Warrant, which shall be in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit
A
,
shall
be issued to you concurrently with the execution hereof in consideration of
the
payment by you to the Company of the sum of US $0.001 cash per share of common
stock subject to the Warrant, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged. The Warrant shall provide that you and such other holder(s) of
the
Warrant, as such may be assigned in accordance herewith, shall have the right
to
purchase an aggregate of up to __________ shares of common stock for an exercise
price equal to $_____ per share (the “Exercise Price”), as described more fully
herein. The number, character and Exercise Price of such shares are subject
to
adjustment as hereinafter provided, and the term “shares” shall mean, unless the
context otherwise requires, the shares of common stock and other securities
and
property receivable upon exercise of the Warrant. The term “Exercise Price”
shall mean, unless the context otherwise requires, the price per share
purchasable under the Warrant as set forth in this Section 1, as adjusted from
time to time pursuant to Section 5.
2.
Notices
of Record Date
.
In the
event of (i) any taking by the Company of a record date with respect to the
holder(s) of any class of securities of the Company for purposes of determining
which of such holder(s) are entitled to dividends or other distributions, or
any
right to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire shares of stock of any
class or any other securities or property, or to receive any other right,
(ii) any capital reorganization of the Company, or reclassification or
recapitalization of capital stock of the Company or any transfer in one or
more
related transactions of all or a majority of the assets or revenue or income
generating capacity of the Company to, or consolidation or merger of the Comany
with or into, any other entity or person, or (iii) any voluntary or
involuntary dissolution or winding up of the Company, then and in each such
event the Company will mail or cause to be mailed to each holder of a Warrant
at
the time outstanding a notice specifying, as the case may be, (a) the date
on which any such record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend,
distribution or right, and stating the amount and character of such dividend,
distribution or right; or (b) the date on which any such reorganization,
reclassification, recapitalization, transfer, consolidation, merger, conveyance,
dissolution, liquidation or winding-up is to take place and the time, if any
is
to be fixed, as of which the holders of record of shares (or any other class
of
stock or securities of the Company, or another issuer pursuant to Section 5,
receivable upon the exercise of the Warrant) shall be entitled to exchange
their
shares (or such other stock or securities) for securities or other property
deliverable upon such event. Any such notice shall be deposited in the United
States mail, postage prepaid, at least ten (10) days prior to the date therein
specified, and the holder(s) of the Warrant(s) may exercise the Warrant(s)
and
participate in such event as a registered holder of shares, upon exercise of
the
Warrant(s) so held, within the ten (10) day period from the date of mailing
such
notice.
3.
No
Impairment
.
The
Company shall not, by amendment of its organizational documents or through
any
reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue
or
sale of securities, or any other action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance
or performance of any other action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or
performance of any of the terms of this Agreement or of the Warrant, but will
at
all times in good faith take any and all action as may be necessary in order
to
protect the rights of the holder(s) of the Warrant against impairment. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company (a) will at all times
reserve and keep available, solely for issuance and delivery upon exercise
of
the Warrant, shares issuable from time to time upon exercise of the Warrant,
(b)
will not increase the par value of any shares of stock receivable upon exercise
of the Warrant above the amount payable in respect thereof upon such exercise,
and (c) will take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order
that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and non-assessable
stock upon the exercise of the Warrant, or any portion of it.
4.
Exercise
of Warrant
.
(a)
Exercise
for Cash
.
At any
time and from time to time on and after one hundred eighty (180) days after
the
closing of the initial public offering of the Company’s common stock (the “IPO”)
and expiring on
____________
___, ____
at 11:59
p.m., Richmond, Virginia time (the “Exercise Period”), Warrant may be exercised
as to all or any portion of the whole number of shares covered by the Warrant
by
the holder thereof by surrender of the Warrant, accompanied by a subscription
for shares to be purchased in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit
B
and by a
check payable to the order of the Company in the amount required for purchase
of
the shares as to which the Warrant is being exercised, delivered to the Company
at its principal office at 36-09 Main Street, Suite 9C-2, Flushing, New York
11354, Attention: President.
(b)
Cashless
Exercise
.
In
addition, during the Exercise Period and to the extent that the Company has
failed to register the shares issuable hereunder in accordance with Section
7
hereof within 90 days of the notification of the Company of the exercise of
such
demand registration right, the Warrant may be exercised as to all or any portion
of the whole number of shares covered by the Warrant by the holder thereof
by
surrender of Warrant together with irrevocable instructions to the Company
to
issue in exchange for the Warrant the number of shares equal to the product
of
(i) the number of shares as to which the Warrant is being exercised multiplied
by (ii) a fraction the numerator of which is the Current Value of an share
less
the Exercise Price therefor and the denominator of which is such Current Value.
In the case of the purchase of less than all the shares purchasable under the
Warrant, the Company shall cancel such Warrant and shall execute and deliver
a
new Warrant of like tenor for the unexercised balance. For the purposes hereof,
“Exercise Date” shall mean the date on which all deliveries required to be made
to the Company upon exercise of the Warrant pursuant to this Section 4 shall
have been made.
(c)
Issuance
of Certificates
.
Upon
the exercise of a Warrant in whole or in part, the Company will within five
(5)
days thereafter, at its expense (including the payment by the Company of any
applicable issue or transfer taxes), cause to be issued in the name of and
delivered to the Warrant holder a certificate or certificates for the number
of
fully paid and non-assessable shares to which such holder is entitled upon
exercise of the Warrant. In the event such holder is entitled to a fractional
share, in lieu thereof such holder shall be paid a cash amount equal to such
fraction, multiplied by the Current Value of one full share on the date of
exercise. Certificates for shares issuable by reason of the exercise of the
Warrant shall be dated and shall be effective as of the date of the surrendering
of the Warrant for exercise, notwithstanding any delays in the actual execution,
issuance or delivery of the certificates for the shares so purchased. In the
event the Warrant is exercised as to less than the aggregate amount of all
shares issuable upon exercised as to less than the aggregate amount of all
shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant held by such person, the Company
shall issue a new Warrant to the holder of the Warrant so exercised covering
the
aggregate number of shares as to which the Warrant remains unexercised. In
addition to the foregoing, should the Company fail to issue the stock
certificate or certificates within the time limits referenced in the first
sentence of this Section 4(c), if and to the extent not already utilized as
to
the Warrant or the shares underlying the Warrant, the holder may utilize the
cashless exercise contained in Section 4(b) hereof.
(d)
Current
Value
.
For
purposes of this section, “Current Value” is defined (i) in the case for which a
public market exists for the shares at the time of such exercise, at a price
per
share equal to (A) the average of the means between the closing bid and asked
prices of the shares in the over-the-counter market for 20 consecutive business
days commencing 30 business days before the date of such notice, (B) if the
shares are quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market, at the average of the means
of
the daily closing bid and asked prices of the shares for 20 consecutive business
days commencing 30 business days before the date of such notice, or (C) if
the
shares are listed on any national securities exchange or The Nasdaq National
Market, at the average of the daily closing prices of the shares for 20
consecutive business days commencing 30 business days before the date of such
notice, and (ii) in the case no public market exists at the time of such
exercise, at the Appraised Value. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Appraised
Value” is the value determined in accordance with the following procedures. For
a period of five (5) days after the date of an event (a “Valuation Event”)
requiring determination of Current Value at a time when no public market exists
for the shares (the “Negotiation Period”), each party to this Agreement agrees
to negotiate in good faith to reach agreement upon the Appraised Value of the
securities or property at issue, as of the date of the Valuation Event, which
will be the fair market value of such securities or property, without premium
for control or discount for minority interests, illiquidity or restrictions
on
transfer. In the event that the parties are unable to agree upon the Appraised
Value of such securities or other property by the end of the Negotiation Period,
then the Appraised Value of such securities or property will be determined
for
purposes of this Agreement by a recognized appraisal or investment banking
firm
mutually agreeable to the holder(s) of the Warrant and the Company (the
“Appraiser”). If the holder(s) of the Warrant and the Company cannot agree on an
Appraiser within two (2) business days after the end of the Negotiation Period,
the Company, on the one hand, and the holder(s) of the Warrant, on the other
hand, will each select an Appraiser within ten (10) business days after the
end
of the Negotiation Period and those Appraisers will determine the fair market
value of such securities or property, without premium for control or discount
for minority interests. Such independent Appraiser(s) will be directed to
determine fair market value of such securities or property as soon as
practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) days from the date of its
selection. The determination by Appraiser(s) of the fair market value will
be
conclusive and binding on all parties to this Agreement. If there are two
Appraisers, and they do not agree as to fair market value, then fair market
value shall be determined to be the average of the fair market values as
determined by each Appraiser. Appraised Value of each share at a time when
(i)
the Company is not a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
and (ii) the shares are not traded in the organized securities markets, will,
in
all cases, be calculated by determining the Appraised Value of the entire
Company taken as a whole and dividing that value by the number of shares then
outstanding, without premium for control or discount for minority interests,
illiquidity or restrictions on transfer. The costs of the Appraiser(s) will
be
borne by the Company. In no event will the Appraised Value of the shares be
less
than the per share consideration received or receivable with respect to the
shares or securities or property of the same class in connection with a pending
transaction involving a sale, merger, recapitalization, reorganization,
consolidation, or share exchange, dissolution of the Company, sale or transfer
of all or a majority of its assets or revenue or income generating capacity,
or
similar transaction.
5.
Protection
Against Dilution
.
The
Exercise Price for the shares and number of shares issuable upon exercise of
the
Warrant, in whole or in part, is subject to adjustment from time to time as
follows:
(a)
Stock
Dividends, Subdivisions, Reclassifications, Etc
.
In case
at any time or from time to time after the date of execution of this Agreement,
the Company shall (i) take a record of the holders of shares for the purpose
of
entitling them to receive a dividend or a distribution on shares payable in
shares or other class of securities, (ii) subdivide or reclassify its
outstanding shares of shares into a greater number shares, or (iii) combine
or
reclassify its outstanding shares into a smaller number of shares, then, and
in
each such case, the Exercise Price in effect at the time of the record date
for
such dividend or distribution or the effective date of such subdivision,
combination or reclassification shall be adjusted in such a manner that the
Exercise Price for the shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant immediately
after such event shall bear the same ratio to the Exercise Price in effect
immediately prior to any such event as the total number of shares outstanding
immediately prior to such event shall bear to the total number of shares
outstanding immediately after such event.
(b)
Adjustment
of Number of Shares Purchasable
.
When
any adjustment is required to be made in the Exercise Price under this Section
5, (i) the number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant, in whole
or
in part, shall be changed (upward to the nearest full share) to the number
of
shares determined by dividing (x) an amount equal to the number of shares
issuable pursuant to the exercise of the Warrant immediately prior to the
adjustment, multiplied by the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to
the
adjustment, by (y) the Exercise Price in effect immediately after such
adjustment, and (ii) upon exercise of the Warrant, the holder will be entitled
to receive the number of shares of other securities referred to in Section
5(a)
that such holder would have received had the Warrant been exercised prior to
the
events referred to in Section 5(a).
(c)
Adjustment
for Reorganization, Consolidation, Merger, Etc
.
In case
of any reorganization or consolidation of the Company with, or any merger of
the
Company with or into, another entity (other than a consolidation or merger
in
which the Company is the surviving corporation) or in case of any sale or
transfer to another entity of the majority of assets of the Company, the entity
resulting from such reorganization or consolidation or surviving such merger
or
to which such sale or transfer shall be made, as the case may be, shall make
suitable provision (which shall be fair and equitable to each holder of a
Warrant) and shall assume the obligations of the Company hereunder (by written
instrument executed and mailed to each holder of a Warrant then outstanding)
pursuant to which, upon exercise of the Warrant, at any time after the
consummation of such reorganization, consolidation, merger or conveyance, the
holder shall be entitled to receive the stock or other securities or property
that such holder would have been entitled to upon consummation if such holder
had exercised the Warrant immediately prior thereto, all subject to further
adjustment as provided in this Section 5.
(d)
Certificate
as to Adjustments
.
In the
event of adjustment as herein provided in paragraphs of this Section 5, the
Company shall promptly mail to each Warrant holder a certificate setting forth
the Exercise Price and number of shares issuable upon exercise after such
adjustment and setting forth a brief statement of facts requiring such
adjustment. Such certificate shall also set forth the kind and amount of stock
or other securities or property into which the Warrant shall be exercisable
after any adjustment of the Exercise Price as provided in this
Agreement.
(e)
Minimum
Adjustment
.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no certificate as to adjustment of the Exercise
Price hereunder shall be made if such adjustment results in a change in the
Exercise Price then in effect of less than five cents ($0.05) and any adjustment
of less than five cents ($0.05) of any Exercise Price shall be carried forward
and shall be made at the time of and together with any subsequent adjustment
that, together with any subsequent adjustment that, together with the adjustment
or adjustments so carried forward, amounts to five cents ($0.05) or more;
provided however, that upon the exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall have
made all necessary adjustments (to the nearest cent) not theretofore made to
the
Exercise Price up to and including the date upon which such Warrant is
exercised.
7.
Registration
Rights
.
(a)
Demand
Registration Under the Securities Act of 1933
.
To the
extent that sufficient shares have not been registered to permit exercise of
the
Warrant, then at any time commencing after the closing of the IPO, through
and
including
____________
___, ____
,
parties
who collectively hold a majority of the shares issued or issuable upon the
exercise of the Warrant shall have the right, exercisable by written notice
to
the Company, to have the Company prepare and file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), on one occasion, a registration
statement and such other documents, including a prospectus, as may be necessary
in the opinion of both counsel for the Company and counsel for you and any
other
holder of a Warrant, in order to comply with the provisions of the Act, so
as to
permit a public offering and sale of their respective Warrant, the shares
underlying the Warrant or other securities held as a result of any adjustment
made pursuant to Section 5 hereof (collectively, the “Registrable Securities”).
The Company shall notify each holder of a Warrant and the shares underlying
the
Warrant of any such demand registration request within ten (10) days of receipt
of such request. The notified holder(s) may participate in such demand
registration by notifying the Company within ten (10) days after receiving
the
Company’s notification.
(b)
Notice
to Be Delivered
.
The
Company covenants and agrees to give written notice of any registration request
under Section 7(a) by you or any holder(s) to you and to all other holder(s)
of
a Warrant or the shares underlying a Warrant within ten (10) days from the
date
of the receipt of any such registration request.
(c)
Covenants
of the Company With Respect to Registration
.
In
connection with any registration under Section 7(a) hereof, the Company
covenants and agrees as follows:
(i)
The
Company shall use its best efforts to file a registration statement within
forty-five (45) days of receipt of any demand therefor in accordance with
Section 7(a), shall use its best efforts to have any registration statement
declared effective at the earliest practicable time, and shall furnish you
and
each holder desiring to sell the Registrable Securities held by you or the
other
holder(s) as a result of any adjustment made pursuant to the provisions of
Section 5 hereof, such number of prospectuses as shall reasonably be
requested.
(ii)
The
Company shall pay all costs (excluding fees and expenses of counsel for you
and
any other holder(s) and any underwriting or selling commissions), fees and
expenses in connection with all registration statements filed pursuant to
Section 7(a) hereof including, without limitation, the Company’s legal and
accounting fees, printing expenses, and blue sky fees and expenses. If the
Company shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 7(d), the Company
shall, in addition to any other equitable or other relief available to you
and
any other holder(s), be liable for any or all actual damages (which may include
damages due to a loss of profit).
(iii)
The
Company will take all necessary action which may be required in qualifying
or
registering the Registrable Securities included in a registration statement
for
offering and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of such states as
reasonably are requested by you and any other holder(s), provided that the
Company shall not be obligated to execute or file any general consent to service
of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation to do business under the
laws
of any such jurisdiction.
(iv)
The
Company shall indemnify you and any other holder(s) of the Registrable
Securities to be sold pursuant to any registration statement and each person,
if
any, who controls you or any other holder(s) within the meaning of Section
15 of
the Act or Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the
“1934 Act”), against all loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (including
all expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending
against any claim whatsoever) to which any of them may become subject under
the
Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, arising from such registration statement to
the
same extent and with the same effect as the provisions pursuant to which the
Company has agreed to indemnify you in the Underwriting Agreement to be entered
into by and between you and the Company (the “Underwriting Agreement”) and to
provide for just and equitable contribution as set forth in the Underwriting
Agreement.
(v)
You
and
any other holder(s) of the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to a
registration statement, and their successors and assigns, shall severally,
and
not jointly, indemnify the Company, its officers and directors and each person,
if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act
or
Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act, against all loss, claim, damage or expense or
liability (including all expenses reasonably incurred in investigating,
preparing or defending against any claim whatsoever) to which they may become
subject under the Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, arising from information
furnished by or on behalf of such holder(s), or their successors or assigns,
for
specific inclusion in such registration statement to the same extent and with
the same effect as the provisions contained in the Underwriting Agreement
pursuant to which you have agreed to indemnify the Company and to provide for
just and equitable contribution as set forth in the Underwriting
Agreement.
(vi)
Nothing
contained in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring you or any other
holder(s) to exercise any portion of their Warrant prior to the initial filing
of any registration statement or the effectiveness thereof.
(vii)
The
Company shall deliver promptly to you and any other holder(s) of the Registrable
Securities participating in the offering copies of all correspondence between
the Commission and the Company, its counsel or auditors and all memoranda
relating to discussions with the Commission or its staff with respect to the
registration statement and permit you and the other holder(s) of the Registrable
Securities to do such investigation, upon reasonable advance notice, with
respect to information contained in or omitted from the registration statement
as it deems reasonably necessary to comply with applicable securities laws
or
rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”); provided that
you and each such holder of the Registrable Securities agree not to disclose
such information without the prior consent of the Company. Such investigation
shall include access to books, records and properties and opportunities to
discuss the business of the Company with its officers and independent auditors,
all to such reasonable extent and at such reasonable times and as often as
you
and any other holder(s) of the Registrable Securities shall reasonably
request.
(viii)
If
required by the underwriters in connection with an underwritten offering which
includes Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 7, the Company shall
enter into an underwriting agreement with one or more underwriters selected
for
such underwriting. Such underwriting agreement shall be satisfactory in form
and
substance to the Company, you and each other holder of the Registrable
Securities, and shall contain such representations, warranties and covenants
by
the Company and such other terms as are customarily contained in agreements
of
that type used by the underwriters. If required by the underwriters, you and
the
other holder(s) of the Registrable Securities shall be parties to any
underwriting agreement relating to an underwritten sale of their Registrable
Securities and may, at their option, require that any or all the representations
and warranties of the Company to or for the benefit of such underwriters shall,
to the extent that they may be applicable, also be made to and for the benefit
of you and the other holder(s) of the Registrable Securities. You and the other
holder(s) of the Registrable Securities shall not be required to make any
representations or warranties to or agreements with the Company or the
underwriters except as they may relate to you and the other holder(s) of the
Registrable Securities and their intended methods of distribution.
(ix)
In
connection with any registration statement filed pursuant to Section 7 hereof,
the Company shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, to you and each holder
participating in any underwritten offering and to each underwriter, a signed
counterpart, addressed to you, such holder(s) or underwriter, of (i) an opinion
of counsel to the Company, dated the effective date of such registration
statement (and, if such registration includes an underwritten public offering,
an opinion dated the date of the closing under the underwriting agreement),
and
(ii) a “cold comfort” letter, dated the effective date of such registration
statement (and, if such registration includes an underwritten public offering,
a
letter dated the date of the closing under the underwriting agreement), signed
by the independent public accountants who have issued a report on the Company’s
financial statements included in such registration statement, in each case
covering substantially the same matters with respect to such registration
statement (and the prospectus included therein) and, in the case of such
accountants’ letter, with respect to events subsequent to the date of such
financial statements, as are customarily covered in opinions of issuer’s counsel
and in accountants’ letters delivered to underwriters in underwritten public
offerings of securities.
(x)
The
Company shall promptly notify you and each holder of the Registrable Securities
covered by such registration statement, at any time when a prospectus relating
thereto is required to be delivered under the Act, upon the Company’s discovery
that, or upon the happening of any event as a result of which, the prospectus
included in such registration statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue
statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to
be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in
the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, and upon receipt of
such
notice you and each holder shall not effect any sale of securities and shall
immediately cease utilizing or distributing such prospectus. At the request
of
you or any such holder(s), the Company shall promptly prepare and furnish to
you
or such holder(s) and each underwriter, if any, a reasonable number of copies
of
a supplement to or an amendment of such prospectus as may be necessary so that,
as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of such securities, such prospectus
shall not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made.
(xi)
For
purposes of this Agreement, the term “majority” in reference to you and the
other holder(s) of a Warrant or the shares underlying an unexercised Warrant,
shall mean in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the shares underlying the then
outstanding Warrant(s) that have not been resold to the public pursuant to
Rule
144 under the Act or a registration statement filed with the Commission under
the Act.
8.
Stock
Exchange Listing
.
In the
event the Company lists its shares on any national securities exchange or
market, the Company will, at its expense, also list on such exchange, upon
exercise of a Warrant, all shares issuable pursuant to such
Warrant.
9.
Restrictive
Legend
.
Executed copies of this Agreement shall be filed in the principal office of
the
Company. Instruments evidencing all or part of the Warrant shall contain the
legend shown on
Exhibit
A
until
one hundred eighty (180) days after the closing of the IPO, after which time
such legend may be removed at the request of the holder thereof.
10.
Successors
and Assigns; Binding Effect
.
This
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of you and the Company
and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
11.
Notices
.
Any
notice hereunder shall be given by registered or certified mail, if to the
Company, at its principal office referred to in Section 5 and, if to a holder,
to the holder’s address shown in the Warrant ledger of the Company, provided
that any holder may at any time on three (3) days’ written notice to the Company
designate or substitute another address where notice is to be given. Notice
shall be deemed given and received after a certified or registered letter,
properly addressed with postage prepaid, is deposited in the U.S.
mail.
12.
Severability
.
Every
provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable. If any term or
provision hereof is illegal or invalid for any reason whatsoever, such
illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remainder of this
Agreement.
13.
Assignment;
Replacement of Warrant
.
The
Warrant and the shares underlying the Warrant may be sold, transferred,
assigned, pledged or hypothecated by you prior to one hundred eighty (180)
days
after the closing of the IPO only to
bona
fide
officers
of Anderson & Strudwick, Incorporated, who in turn shall be subject to the
same restriction. Any assignment shall be effected in accordance with the Form
of Assignment attached hereto as
Exhibit
C
.
If the
Warrant is assigned, in whole or in part, the Warrant shall be surrendered
at
the principal office of the Company, and thereupon, in the case of a partial
assignment, a new Warrant shall be issued to the holder thereof covering the
number of shares not assigned, and the assignee shall be entitled to receive
a
new Warrant covering the number of shares so assigned. Upon receipt of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to the Company of the loss, theft, destruction or
mutilation of any Warrant and appropriate bond or indemnification protection,
the Company shall issue a new Warrant of like tenor.
14.
Rights
of Shareholders
.
Until
exercised, the Warrant shall not entitle the holder thereof to any of the rights
of a shareholder of the Company.
15.
Governing
Law
.
This
Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the
Commonwealth of Virginia without giving effect to the principles of choice
of
laws thereof.
16.
Definition
.
All
references to the word “you” in this Agreement shall be deemed to apply with
equal effect to any persons or entities to whom a Warrant has been transferred
in accordance with the terms hereof, and, where appropriate, to any persons
or
entities holding shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant.
17.
Headings
.
The
headings herein are for purposes of reference only and shall not limit or
otherwise affect the meaning of any of the provisions hereof.
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Very
truly yours,
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SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
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By:
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Title:
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Date:
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Accepted
as of the ____ day of _____________, _____________.
ANDERSON
& STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED
EXHIBIT
A
No.
____
___________
Shares
(as
may
be adjusted pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement)
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
COMMON
STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT
THIS
IS
TO CERTIFY that ANDERSON & STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED or its assigns as
permitted in that certain Warrant Agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”) dated
____________ ___, ____ between the Company (as hereafter defined) and Anderson
& Strudwick, Incorporated is entitled to purchase at any time or from time
to time on or after the closing of the initial public offering of the Company’s
common stock and before ____________ ___, ____, _____ shares of the common
stock
of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., a Virginia corporation (the “Company”),
for an exercise price per share as set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred
to herein. This Warrant is issued pursuant to the Agreement, and all rights
of
the holder of this Warrant are further governed by, and subject to the terms
and
provisions of such Warrant Agreement, copies of which are available upon request
to the Company. The holder of this Warrant and the shares issuable upon the
exercise hereof shall be entitled to the benefits, rights and privileges and
subject to the obligations, duties and liabilities provided in the Warrant
Agreement.
UNTIL
ONE
HUNDRED EIGHTY (180) DAYS AFTER THE CLOSING OF THE INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
OF
THE COMMON STOCK OF SINO-GLOBAL SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD., NEITHER ANDERSON &
STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED NOR ANY ASSIGNEE OF ALL OR A PORTION OF THE RIGHTS
PURSUANT TO THIS WARRANT MAY SELL, TRANSFER, ASSIGN, PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATE
ANY
OF ITS RIGHTS PURSUANT TO THIS WARRANT OTHER THAN TO BONA FIDE OFFICERS OF
ANDERSON & STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED.
Subject
to the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, of the Warrant Agreement and
of
this Warrant, this Warrant and all rights hereunder are transferable, in whole
or in part, only to the extent expressly permitted in such documents and then
only at the office of the Company at Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., 36-09
Main Street, Suite 9C-2, Flushing, New York 11354, Attention: President, by
the
holder hereof or by a duly authorized attorney-in-fact, upon surrender of this
Warrant duly endorsed, together with the Assignment hereof duly endorsed. Until
transfer hereof on the books of the Company, the Company may treat the
registered holder hereof as the owner hereof for all purposes.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed and its
corporate seal to be hereunto affixed by its proper corporate officers thereunto
duly authorized.
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SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
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By:
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(SEAL)
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Cao
Lei, President
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ATTEST:
EXHIBIT
B
FORM
OF SUBSCRIPTION
To
Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.
The
undersigned, the holder of Warrant Number ______, hereby irrevocably elects
to
exercise the purchase right represented by such Warrant, and to purchase
thereunder _________* shares of common stock of Sino-Global Shipping America,
Ltd.
As
payment therefor, the undersigned (mark one):
______
herewith makes a payment in cash or by check of U.S. $___________, or
______requests
to utilize the cashless exercise provision in Section 4(b) of the Warrant
Agreement.
Further,
the undersigned requests that the certificate or certificates for such shares
be
issued in the name of and delivered to the undersigned. The undersigned
acknowledges and agrees that shares to be received by the undersigned are
subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in the Warrant.
*Insert
here the number of shares set forth on the face of the Warrant (or, in the
case
of a partial exercise, the portion thereof as to which the Warrant is being
exercised), in either case without making any adjustment (which adjustment
will
be made in the issuance of such shares, other stock, securities, property,
or
cash) for additional shares or any other stock or other securities or property
or cash that, pursuant to the adjustment provisions of the Warrant, is
deliverable upon exercise.
EXHIBIT
C
FORM
OF ASSIGNMENT
(To
be
signed only upon transfer of Warrant)
For
value
received, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto
________________ the right represented by Warrant Number 1 to purchase
_______________ shares of common stock of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.
to
which the attached Warrant relates, and appoints ______________ as
Attorney-in-Fact to transfer such right on the books of Sino-Global Shipping
America, Ltd. with the full power of substitution in the premises. At the
conclusion of the Assignment, the undersigned and _______________ will receive
Warrants reflecting the separate rights to purchase ______________ shares of
common stock of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd.
The
undersigned represents and warrants that the transfer of the attached Warrant
is
permitted by the terms of the Warrant Agreement pursuant to which the attached
Warrant has been issued, and the transferee hereof, by acceptance of this
Assignment, agrees to be bound by the terms of the Warrant Agreement with the
same force and effect as if a signatory thereto.
No.
1
__________
Shares
(as
may
be adjusted pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement)
SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
COMMON
STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT
THIS
IS
TO CERTIFY that ANDERSON & STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED or its assigns as
permitted in that certain Warrant Agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”) dated
____________ ___, ____ between the Company (as hereafter defined) and Anderson
& Strudwick, Incorporated is entitled to purchase at any time or from time
to time on or after the closing of the initial public offering of the Company’s
common stock and before ____________ ___, ____,
__________
(
__________
)
shares
of the common stock of Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., a Virginia
corporation (the “Company”), for an exercise price per share as set forth in the
Warrant Agreement referred to herein. This Warrant is issued pursuant to the
Agreement, and all rights of the holder of this Warrant are further governed
by,
and subject to the terms and provisions of such Warrant Agreement, copies of
which are available upon request to the Company. The holder of this Warrant
and
the shares issuable upon the exercise hereof shall be entitled to the benefits,
rights and privileges and subject to the obligations, duties and liabilities
provided in the Warrant Agreement.
UNTIL
ONE
HUNDRED EIGHTY (180) DAYS AFTER THE CLOSING OF THE INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
OF
THE COMMON STOCK OF SINO-GLOBAL SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD., NEITHER ANDERSON &
STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED NOR ANY ASSIGNEE OF ALL OR A PORTION OF THE RIGHTS
PURSUANT TO THIS WARRANT MAY SELL, TRANSFER, ASSIGN, PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATE
ANY
OF ITS RIGHTS PURSUANT TO THIS WARRANT OTHER THAN TO BONA FIDE OFFICERS OF
ANDERSON & STRUDWICK, INCORPORATED.
Subject
to the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, of the Warrant Agreement and
of
this Warrant, this Warrant and all rights hereunder are transferable, in whole
or in part, only to the extent expressly permitted in such documents and then
only at the office of the Company at Sino-Global Shipping America, Ltd., 36-09
Main Street, Suite 9C-2, Flushing, New York 11354, Attention: President, by
the
holder hereof or by a duly authorized attorney-in-fact, upon surrender of this
Warrant duly endorsed, together with the Assignment hereof duly endorsed. Until
transfer hereof on the books of the Company, the Company may treat the
registered holder hereof as the owner hereof for all purposes.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed and its
corporate seal to be hereunto affixed by its proper corporate officers thereunto
duly authorized.
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SINO-GLOBAL
SHIPPING AMERICA, LTD.
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By:
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(SEAL)
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Cao
Lei, President
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ATTEST:
E
QUITY
INTEREST PLEDGE AGREEMENT
This
Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the
“Agreement”
)
is
entered into by and between the following Parties effective as of November
14,
2007.
Pledgee:
|
Trans
Pacific Shipping Ltd.
(
“Party
A”
)
|
Registered
address: Rm. 1208b Tower D Qingye Building, No.9
Wangjingbeilu,
Chaoyang District, Beijing
Pledgor:
|
CAO
Lei
(
“Party
B-1”
)
|
ID
No.
110101196402032035
Address:
Room 5-A-602, Fangchengyuanyiqu, Fengtai District, Beijing
ZHANG
Mingwei
(
“Party
B-2”
)
ID
No.
120106195311010016
Address:
Room
21-304,707 Suo, the Third Avenue, Dingzigu, Hongqiao
District,
Tianjin
WHEREAS,
Party
A is a
wholly
foreign-owned enterprise duly established and valid existing in Beijing under
the laws of the People’s Republic of China (the
“PRC”
).
Party
A and
Sino-Global
Shipping Agency Ltd.
(“Sino-Global”),
owned by Parties B and C, entered into an Exclusive Technical Consulting and
Service Agreement effective as of November 14, 2007 (the “
Service
Agreement
”)
.
WHEREAS,
Party
B-1
and Party B-2, citizens of the PRC, collectively hold 100% equity interest
of
Sino-Global
,
a
limited liability company duly established and valid existing
in Beijing under the laws of the PRC
.
WHEREAS,
in
order to ensure that Party A collects technical consulting and service fees
from
Sino-Global, each of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 are willing to pledge all of their equity interests in Sino-Global
to Party A as security.
NOW
THEREFORE,
through
mutual negotiations, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
DEFINITIONS
Unless
it is otherwise stipulated, for the purpose of this Agreement, the following
terms shall have the following meanings:
“Pledge
”
means the full meaning assigned to that term in Article II of this
Agreement.
“Equity
Interest
”
means the 100% equity interest in Sino-Global collectively held by
Party
B-1
and Party B-2.
“Rate
of Pledge”
means the ratio between the value of the Pledge under this Agreement to the
technical consulting and service fees under the Service Agreement.
“Term
of Pledge
”
means the period provided for under Article III(b) hereunder.
“Service
Agreement”
has the meaning ascribed to it in Recital 1 above.
“Event
of Default”
means any event in accordance with Article VII hereunder.
“Notice
of Default”
means the notice of default issued by Party A in accordance with this
Agreement.
ARTICLE
II
PLEDGE
(a)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 agrees to pledge all of its portion of the Equity Interest as
security for the payment of technical consulting and service fees payable to
Party A under the Service Agreement (the
“Pledge”
).
(b)
Party
A shall be entitled to have priority in receiving payment or proceeds from
the
auction or sale of the Equity Interest pledged by
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 to Party A.
ARTICLE
III
RATE
OF PLEDGE AND TERM OF PLEDGE
(a)
The
Rate of Pledge:
The
Rate of Pledge shall be 100% under this Agreement.
(b)
The
Term of Pledge:
(i)
The
Pledge shall take effect as of the date that the Pledge is recorded in the
register of shareholders of Sino-Global.
This
Agreement shall expire on the date that is twenty-five (25) years following
the
date hereof unless earlier terminated as set forth in this Agreement or upon
mutual agreement of the Parties hereto.
(ii)
This
Agreement may be extended prior to termination for one or more twenty-five
(25)
year terms upon written notice by Party A, provided such extension is permitted
by law. The parties will cooperate to renew this Agreement if such renewal
is
legally permitted at the time.
(iii)
During
the term of Pledge, Party A shall be entitled to foreclose on the Pledge in
accordance with this Agreement in the event that Sino-Global fails to pay
exclusive technical consulting and service fees in accordance with the Service
Agreement.
(c)
Except
as otherwise provided hereunder, Party A shall be entitled to exercise, dispose
of or assign the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.
ARTICLE
IV
PHYSICAL
POSSESSION OF DOCUMENTS
(a)
During
the term of Pledge, Party A shall be entitled to possess the contribution
certificate of the Equity Interest (the “
Contribution
Certificate
”)
and the register of shareholders of Sino-Global.
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall deliver the Contribution Certificate and the register of
shareholders hereunder to Party A within one week after the date of this
Agreement.
(b)
Party
A shall be entitled to collect any dividends from the Equity Interest during
the
term of the Pledge.
ARTICLE
V
REPRESENTATION
AND WARRANTIES OF PARTY B-1 AND PARTY B-2
(a)
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 collectively own 100% of the Equity Interest.
(b)
Except
as otherwise provided hereunder,
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall not interfere with exercise of Party A’s rights in
accordance with this Agreement.
ARTICLE
VI
COVENANTS
OF PARTY B-1 AND PARTY B-2
(a)
During
the term of this Agreement, each of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 covenants to Party A as follows:
(i)
Except
for the transfer of the Equity Interest by
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
,
as
contemplated by the Exclusive Equity Interest Purchase Agreement entered into
by
and among
Party
B-1
,
Party
B-2
and
Sino-Global
,
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
not transfer or assign the Equity Interest or create or permit to be created
any
pledge which may have an adverse affect on the rights or benefits of Party
A
without prior written consent from Party A.
(ii)
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall: comply with all laws and regulations with respect to the
right of pledge; present Party A any notices, orders or suggestions relating
to
the Pledge issued or made by the competent authority; and comply with such
notices, orders or suggestions or object to the foregoing matters at the
reasonable request of Party A or with the written consent of Party A.
(iii)
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall timely notify Party A of any events or the receipt of any
notice which may affect the Equity Interest, which may change any of
Party
B-1
’s
or Party B-2’s covenants and obligations under this Agreement or which may
affect the performance of
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 under this Agreement.
(iv)
Other
than as noted in this Agreement, neither
Party
B-1
nor Party B-2 shall pledge or otherwise encumber the Equity Interest to any
other person except for Party A.
(b)
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 agree that Party A’s right to exercise the Pledge shall not be
suspended or hampered through legal procedure instituted by
Party
B-1
,
Party B-2, any successors of
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 or any person authorized by
Party
B-1
or Party B-2.
(c)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 warrants to execute in good faith and cause other parties who
may
have interest in the Pledge to: execute title certificates, contracts, and/or
perform and cause other parties who have interests to take action as required
by
Party A and provide access to exercise the rights and authorization vested
in
Party A under this Agreement; execute all the documents with respect to the
Equity Interest; and promptly provide all the notices, orders and decisions
(as
referenced above) related to the Equity Interest to Party A.
(d)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 warrants that each will comply with and perform all the
guarantees, covenants, agreements, representations and conditions hereunder
for
the benefits of Party A. Each of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall compensate Party A losses suffered in the event that
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 does not perform or fully perform its guarantees, covenants,
agreements, representations and conditions hereunder.
ARTICLE
VII
EVENTS
OF DEFAULT
(a)
The
events listed below shall be deemed as an event of default:
(i)
Failure
by Sino-Global to make full payment of the exclusive technical consulting and
service fees as provided under the Service Agreement.
(ii)
The
making of any material misleading or fraudulent representations or warranties
under Article V herein by
Party
B-1
or Party B-2.
(iii)
The
violation by
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 of the covenants under Article VI herein.
(iv)
The
violation by
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 of any terms or conditions hereof.
(v)
The
waiver by
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 of the pledged Equity Interest or the transfer or assignment by
Party A or
Party
B-1
of the pledged Equity Interest without prior written consent of Party A, except
as provided in Article VI(a)(i) in this Agreement.
(vi)
The
acceleration of any loan, security, compensation, covenants or other
compensation liabilities of
Party
B-1
or Party B-2.
(vii)
Party
A’s reasonable belief that
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 is incapable of performing under this Agreement.
(viii)
The
insolvency of
Party
B-1
or Party B-2.
(ix)
The
determination by relevant legal authorities that the performance of this
Agreement is illegal.
(x)
The
withdrawal, suspension, invalidation or material revision of any approval,
permits or authorization from the competent authority of the Chinese government
needed to perform or validate this Agreement.
(xi)
Any
adverse change in the property of
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 that causes Party A to reasonably deem that
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 may be unable to perform the obligations hereunder.
(xii)
The
inability or refusal by any successor or assignee of Sino-Global to pay the
amounts due under Service Agreement.
(xiii)
The
occurrence of any other circumstances whereby Party A is incapable of exercising
the right to foreclose on the Pledge.
(b)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 must immediately notify Party A in writing if either
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 is aware of any event of default or events that may reasonably
lead
to an event of default hereunder.
(c)
Unless
the event of default has been remedied to Party A’s sole and absolute
satisfaction, Party A may (i) give a written notice of default to
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 and require
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 to immediately make full payments of the outstanding technical
consulting and service fees under the Service Agreement and other payables
or
(ii) foreclose on the Pledge in accordance with Article VIII herein.
ARTICLE
VIII
EXERCISE
OF THE RIGHT OF THE PLEDGE
(a)
Prior
to the full payment of the consulting and service fees under the Service
Agreement, neither
Party
B-1
nor Party B-2 shall transfer or assign the Equity Interest without prior written
approval from Party A.
(b)
Party
A shall give notice of default to
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 when Party A exercises the right of pledge.
(c)
Subject
to terms hereof, Party A may exercise the right to foreclose on the Pledge
at
any time following written notice of default.
(d)
Party
A is entitled to priority receipt in payment or proceeds from the auction or
sale of whole or part of the Equity Interest pledged herein in accordance with
applicable law until the outstanding technical consulting and service fees
and
all other payables under the Service Agreement are fully repaid.
(e)
Neither
Party
B-1
nor Party B-2 shall hinder Party A from foreclosing on the Pledge in accordance
with this Agreement, each shall give necessary assistance so that Party A may
effectively realize the value of the Pledge.
ARTICLE
IX
TRANSFER
OR ASSIGNMENT
(a)
Neither
Party
B-1
nor Party B-2 shall transfer his rights or obligations hereunder without the
prior written consent from Party A.
(b)
This
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors
of
Party A,
Party
B-1
and Party B-2.
(c)
Party
A may transfer or assign his all or any rights and obligations under the Service
Agreement to any person (natural person or legal entity) at any time. In this
case, the assignee shall enjoy and undertake the same rights and obligations
herein of Party A as if the assignee is a party hereto. To the extent Party
A
transfers or assigns the rights and obligations under the Service Agreement,
at
the request of Party A, each of
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall execute the relevant agreements and/or documents with
respect to such transfer or assignment.
(d)
Upon
Party A’s transfer or assignment, the new parties to the Pledge shall re-execute
a Pledge contract.
ARTICLE
X
TERMINATION
This
Agreement shall not be terminated until the consulting and service fees under
the Service Agreement are paid in full and Sino-Global shall no longer undertake
any obligations under the Service Agreement.
ARTICLE
XI
FORMALITIES
FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES
(a)
Party
B-1
and Party B-2, jointly and severally, shall be responsible for all fees and
actual expenditures in relation to this Agreement, including, but not limited
to, legal fees, cost of production, stamp tax and any other taxes and charges.
If Party A pays the relevant taxes in accordance with the laws,
Party
B-1
and Party B-2, jointly and severally, shall fully indemnity such taxes paid
by
the Pledge.
(b)
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 shall be responsible for all fees (including, but not limited
to,
any taxes, formalities fees, management fees, litigation fees, attorney’s fees,
and various insurance premiums in connection with disposition of the Pledge)
incurred by
Party
B-1
and Party B-2 as a result of the failure of
Party
B-1
or Party B-2 to pay any payable taxes, fees or charges in accordance with this
Agreement, or as a result of the fact that Party A has recourse to any foregoing
taxes, charges or fees by any means for other reasons.
ARTICLE
XII
FORCE
MAJEURE
(a)
If
the fulfillment of this Agreement is delayed or blocked due to a Force Majeure
Event (as defined below), the Party affected by such a Force Majeure Event
shall
be free from any obligation to the extent of such delay or holdback. As used
herein, the term
“Force
Majeure Event”
shall mean any event which is out of control of each Party, and which is
unavoidable or insurmountable even if the Party affected by such event has
paid
reasonable attention to it. A Force Majeure Event shall include, but not be
limited to, government actions, nature disaster, fire, explosion, typhoons,
floods, earthquakes, tide, lightning or war. However, any lack of credit, assets
or financing shall not be deemed as a Force Majeure Event. The Party B-2laiming
the occurrence of a Force Majeure Event shall provide the other Party with
the
steps of fulfilling the obligations of this Agreement.
(b)
The
Party
affected by such
a
Force Majeure Event
shall
be
free from any obligation under this Agreement so long as the Party affected
by
such
a
Force Majeure Event
has
made
reasonable endeavors to perform the Agreement and request the exemption from
the
other Party. Upon termination of the Force Majeure Event, the Parties agree
to
use reasonable best efforts to complete the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
ARTICLE
XIII
DISPUTE
SETTLEMENT
(a)
This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance
with
the PRC laws.
(b)
The
Parties shall strive to settle any dispute arising from the interpretation
or
performance, or in connection with this Agreement through friendly consultation.
In case no settlement can be reached through consultation within sixty (60)
days
of notice thereof, each Party may submit such matter to the China International
Economic and Trade Arbitration Committee for arbitration. The arbitration shall
be held in Beijing. The arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in Chinese.
The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon the Parties. The
arbitration award may be submitted to the applicable People’s Court for
enforcement.
ARTICLE
XIV
NOTICES
Any
notice to which is given by the both Parties hereto for the purpose of
performing the rights and obligations hereunder shall be in writing. Where
such
notice is delivered personally, the time of notice shall be the time when such
notice actually reaches the addressee. Where such notice is transmitted by
telex
or facsimile, the notice time shall be the time when such notice is transmitted.
If such notice does not reach the addressee on business date or reaches the
addressee after the business time, the date of notice shall be the next business
day. The delivery place shall be the address first written above of each Party
hereto or any other address provided to the other Parties in writing from time
to time.
ARTICLE
XV
APPENDIX
The
Appendix of this Agreement as attached hereto is part of this
Agreement.
ARTICLE
XVI
EFFECTIVENESS
(a)
This
Agreement and any amendments, supplements and modifications shall be in writing
and come into effect upon execution by the Parties hereto.
(b)
This
Agreement is executed both in Chinese and English with two copies for each
language. The Chinese version will prevail in the event of any inconsistency
between the English and any Chinese translations thereof.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF
,
the undersigned have executed this Agreement effective as of the date first
set
forth above written.
|
Party
A:
Trans
Pacific Shipping Ltd..
|
|
|
|
(seal)
|
/s/
Cao Lei
|
|
Legal
Representative
|
|
Date:
|
November
14, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Party
B-1: CAO Lei
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Cao Lei
|
|
CAO
Lei
|
|
Date:
|
November
14, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Party
B-2: ZHANG Mingwei
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Zhang
Mingwei
|
|
ZHANG
Mingwei
|
|
Date:
|
November
14,
2007
|
APPENDIX
1.
|
The
register of the shareholders of Sino-Global
|
2.
|
The
Contribution Certificate of
Sino-Global
|
3.
|
The
Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service
Agreement.
|
EXCLUSIVE
EQUITY INTEREST PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This
Exclusive Equity Interest Purchase Agreement
(the
“
Agreement
”)
is
entered into by and among the following parties effective as of November 14,
2007.
Party
A:
|
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.,
a
limited liability company duly established and validly existing under
the
laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, with its registered address
at 36-09
Main Street, Suite 9C-2, Flushing, New York, 11354,
USA.
|
Party
B-1:
|
CAO
Lei,
a
citizen of the People’s Republic of China (the
“PRC”
).
|
ID
No.
110101196402032035
Address:
Room 5-A-602, Fangchengyuanyiqu, Fengtai District, Beijing.
Party
B-2:
|
ZHANG
Mingwei
,
a citizen of the PRC.
|
ID
No.
120106195311010016
Address:
Room
21-304,707 Suo, the Third Avenue, Dingzigu, Hongqiao District,
Tianjin.
Party
C:
|
Sino-Global
Shipping Agency Ltd.
,
a limited liability company duly established and valid existing under
the
PRC laws, with its registered address at Building 9 Rm.1208,
Wangjingbeilu, Chaoyang District,
Beijing.
|
WHEREAS,
Party B-1 and Party B-2 collectively hold a 100% equity interest in Party C
(collectively, the
“Equity
Interest”
);
WHEREAS,
Party C and
Trans
Pacific Shipping Ltd.,
a
foreign invested company wholly-owned by Party A
(
“WFOE”
)
,
have entered into exclusive consulting, service and other
agreements.
NOW
THEREFORE,
through
mutual negotiations, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
TRANSFER
OF EQUITY INTEREST
(a)
Grant
of Purchase Right
Each
of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
hereby
irrevocably grants Party A the exclusive right to purchase or designate one
or
more persons (the
“Specified
Person”
)
to
purchase all or any portion of the Equity Interest from
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
,
subject
to compliance with legal restriction under applicable PRC laws (the
“Purchase
Right”
).
Neither
Party
B-1
nor
Party
B-2
shall
sell all or any portion of the Equity Interest to any party other than Party
A
and/or the Specified Person.
Party
C
hereby
acknowledges that
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
may
grant the Purchase Right to Party A. As used in this Agreement, the term
“person”
refers
to an individual, corporation, joint enterprise, partnership, enterprise, trust
or non-corporation organization.
(b)
Steps
for Exercise of the Purchase Right
Compliance
with PRC laws and regulations are conditions precedent to exercise of the
Purchase Right by Party A. To the extent Party A wishes to exercise the Purchase
Right, it shall issue a written notice (the
“Purchase
Notice”
)
to
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
,
which
such Purchase Notice shall state: (A) that Party A intends to exercise the
Purchase Right; (B) the percentage of the equity interest to be purchased
therewith; and (C) the effective date or transfer date.
(c)
Consideration
of the Equity Interest
The
transfer fee (
“Transfer
Fee”
)
payable
by Party A shall be negotiated by and between Party A,
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
through
negotiation according to the evaluation of the equity interest by a qualified
investment banking firm, and such amount shall be the lowest price allowable
by
PRC law and regulations.
(d)
Transfer
of the Equity Interest
Each
time
Party A exercises the Purchase Right:
(i)
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
ensure that (A)
Party
C
timely
convenes a shareholders’ meeting and (B) the shareholders of
Party
C
shall
pass resolutions providing that
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
may
transfer the Equity Interest to Party A or the Specified Person.
(ii)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
enter into equity transfer contract relating to the Equity Interest pursuant
to
this Agreement and the Purchase Notice (an
“Equity
Transfer Contract”
).
(iii)
The
Parties shall execute all other necessary agreements or documents, obtain all
necessary government approvals and consents, and take all necessary actions
to
(A) legally transfer the ownership of the Equity Interest to Party A or the
Specified Person and (B) ensure that Party A or the Specified Person will be
the
registered owner of the Equity Interest. The Equity Interest shall be free
from
any security interest. For the purpose of this Agreement, the term
“security
interest”
shall
include any guarantee, mortgage, third party right or interest, purchase right,
preemption right, offset right, ownership withholding right or other security
arrangement. A security interest shall not include any security interest
incurred pursuant to this Agreement or the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement.
The
term
“Equity
Interest Pledge Agreement”
shall
refer to the agreement entered into by and between
Party
B-1
,
Party
B-2
and
WFOE
effective as of November 14, 2007.
Pursuant
to the Equity Interest
Pledge
Agreement,
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
pledged
the Equity Interest to
WFOE
as
security payment of fees pursuant to the Exclusive Technical Consulting and
Service Agreement which is entered into by and between
Party
C
and
WFOE
effective as of November 14, 2007 (the
“Service
Agreement”
).
(e)
Payment
for the Equity Interest
Party
A
shall pay the Transfer Fee to
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
in
accordance with the provision of Article 1(c).
ARTICLE
II
COVENANTS
RELATING TO THE EQUITY INTEREST
(i)
Without
the written consent of Party A or
WFOE,
Party C
will not supplement, amend or modify any provisions of the constitutional
documents of
Party
C
,
and
will not increase or reduce its registered capital or change to equity structure
in any way.
(ii)
Party
C
shall
remain in good standing, and prudently and efficiently operate its business
and
corporate affairs in accordance with commercial standards and
practice.
(iii)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
Party
C
shall
not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of any of its assets, business or
beneficial rights, or allow the creation of any security interest upon its
assets.
(iv)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
Party
C
shall
not incur or guaranty any debt, or permit the existence of any debt, other
than
(A) debt that is incurred during the course of normal business operations
(excluding business loans) and (B) debt that has been previously disclosed
to
Party A and to which Party A has provided prior written consent.
(v)
Party
C
shall
operate in the normal course of business and maintain the value of its assets,
shall not take any action which adversely influences its business operations
or
the value of its assets.
(vi)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
Party
C
shall
not enter into any material agreement except in the normal course of business.
(For the purpose of this subsection, an agreement representing an amount in
excess of RMB100,000 shall be deemed as a material agreement).
(vii)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
Party
C
shall
not provide any loans or credit to any third party.
(viii)
At
the
request of Party A,
Party
C
shall
provide Party A with any and all materials relating to the business operation
and financial status of
Party
C
.
(ix)
Party
C
shall
purchase business insurance from an insurance company acceptable to Party A
and
shall maintain such insurance. The amount and kind of such insurance shall
be
similar to insurance carried by other companies which operate similar businesses
and possess similar assets.
(x)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
Party
C
shall
not merge with, make an investment in, combine with or purchase the equity
or
substantially all the assets of any other entity.
(xi)
Party
C
shall
inform Party A of actual or threatened litigation, arbitration, or
administrative procedures relating to the assets, business and beneficial rights
of
Party
C
.
(xii)
Party
C
shall
execute all necessary or proper documents, take all necessary or proper actions,
substitute all necessary or proper claims, and make all necessary or proper
answer to all compensation claims.
(xiii)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A,
Party
C
shall
not grant any dividend to its shareholders.
(b)
Covenants
of Party B-1 and Party B-2
(i)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
neither
Party
B-1
nor
Party
B-2
shall
sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of any rights or interest relating to the
Equity Interest, or allow any creation of other security interest on the Equity
Interest (excluding the security interest under this Agreement and the Equity
Interest Pledge Agreement).
(ii)
Without
the prior written consent of Party A or
WFOE
,
each of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
use his best efforts to prevent the shareholders of
Party
C
from
adopting resolutions relating to the sale, transfer, mortgage, disposal of
any
rights or interests relating to the Equity Interest, or allowing any creation
of
other security interest on the Equity Interest (excluding the security interest
under this Agreement and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement).
(iii)
Without
the prior written consent from Party A or
WFOE
,
each of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
use his best efforts to prevent the other shareholders of
Party
C
,
if any,
from approving resolutions relating to (A)
Party
C
’s
merger
with, combination with or purchase of any person or (B)
Party
C
’s
investment in any person.
(iv)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
inform Party A of any actual or threatened litigation, arbitration, or
administrative procedure.
(v)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
take all reasonable efforts to ensure that the other shareholders of
Party
C
,
if any,
approve the transfer of the Equity Interest as set out in this
Agreement.
(vi)
In
order
to keep the ownership of the Equity Interest, each of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
execute all necessary or proper documents, take all necessary or proper actions,
substitute all necessary or proper claims, and make all necessary or proper
responses to all compensation claims.
(vii)
Upon
the
request of Party A from time to time, each of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
immediately transfer the Equity Interest to Party A or the Specified Person
pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
(viii)
Each
of
Party
B-1
and
Party
B-2
shall
strictly comply with this Agreement and any other agreements which may be
entered into by and among
Party
B-1
,
Party
B-2
,
Party
C
,
Party A
and
WFOE
collectively or separately, and shall perform his obligations under this
Agreement, and shall not make any actions which shall affect the validity and
enforceability of this Agreement.
ARTICLE
III
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
(a)
Each
of
Party B-1, Party B-2 and Party C, severally and not jointly, make the following
representations on the date of this Agreement and the date of each of Equity
Transfer Contract:
(i)
Such
party has the power to enter into and deliver this Agreement and/or the Equity
Transfer Contract which will be executed by it for each transfer of the Equity
Interest, and such Party has the power and capacity to perform its obligations
under this Agreement and/or the Equity Transfer Contract. Upon the execution
of
this Agreement and/or the Equity Transfer Contract, such documents shall
constitute valid and legally binding documents and may be enforceable in
accordance therewith.
(ii)
Neither
the execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Equity Transfer Contract,
nor performance of the obligations under this Agreement or any Equity Transfer
Contract will: (A) violate applicable law; (B) conflict with such Party’s
Articles of Association or other organizational documents; (C) breach any
contract or document which such Party is a party or which is binding upon such
Party; (D) violate any acquired permit, approval or any valid qualification;
or
(E) result in the termination or revocation or additional conditions to the
acquired permit or approval.
(iii)
Party
C
has no outstanding debt except for (A) debts, which were incurred in the normal
business operations; and (B) debt that has been previously disclosed to Party
A
and to which Party A has provided written consent.
(iv)
Party
C
is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
(v)
There
is
no actual, pending or potential litigation, arbitration, or administrative
procedures relating to the Equity Interest, the assets of Party C or any other
matters of Party C.
(b)
Each
of
Party B-1 and Party B-2, severally and not jointly, make the following
representation on the dates of this Agreement and on the date of each Equity
Transfer Contract:
Each
of
Party B-1 and Party B-2 maintains full and transferable ownership on all of
its
assets and facilities. Except for the pledge incurred by this Agreement and
the
pledge of the Equity Interest incurred by the Equity Interests Pledge Agreement,
there is no other pledge and/or mortgage on the Equity Interest.
ARTICLE
IV
EFFECTIVE
DATE
(a)
This
Agreement shall be executed and come into effect as of the date first set forth
above. This Agreement shall expire on the date that is twenty-five (25) years
following the date hereof unless earlier terminated as set forth in this
Agreement or upon mutual agreement of the Parties hereto.
(b)
This
Agreement may be extended prior to termination for one or more twenty-five
(25)
year terms upon written notice by Party A, provided such extension is permitted
by law and subject to the approval of the registration administration for the
extension of Party C’s business duration. The parties will cooperate to renew
this Agreement if such renewal is legally permitted at the time.
ARTICLE
V
GOVERNING
LAW AND DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
This
Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted according to the laws of the
PRC.
The
Parties shall negotiate in good faith to settle any dispute relating to the
interpretation or implementation of this Agreement. To the extent such dispute
cannot be settled within thirty (30) days from the first date a Party issues
written notice requesting settlement of dispute through negotiation, each Party
may submit the dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration
Committee for arbitration according to the requisite arbitration rules. The
arbitration shall be held in Beijing.
The
arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in Chinese.
The
arbitration award is final and binding on each party.
ARTICLE
VI
TAX
AND EXPENSES
Each
Party shall bear any and all of its own tax, costs and expenses relating to
preparing for and executing this Agreement and each Equity Transfer Contract.
ARTICLE
VII
NOTICE
Any
notice or other communication under this Agreement shall be in Chinese and
be
sent to the address listed below or other address as may be designated from
time
to time by hand delivery or mail or facsimile. Any notice required or given
hereunder shall be deemed to have been served: (a) on the same date if sent
by
hand delivery; (b) on the tenth day if sent by air-mail, (c) on the fourth
day
if sent by the professional hand delivery which is acknowledged worldwide;
and
(d) the receipt date displayed on the transmission confirmation notice if sent
by facsimile.
Party
A:
|
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
|
|
36-09
Main Street, Suite 9C-2, Flushing, New York, 11354,
USA.
|
Room
5-A-602, Fangchengyuanyiqu, Fengtai District, Beijing.
Room
21-304,707 Suo, Third Avenue, Dingzigu, Hongqiao District, Tianjin.
Party
C:
|
Sino-Global
Shipping Agency Ltd.
|
Building
9 Rm.1208, Wangjingbeilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
ARTICLE
VIII
CONFIDENTIALITY
The
Parties acknowledge and confirm that any oral or written information relating
to
this Agreement communicated among the Parties shall be deemed to be confidential
information (
“Confidential
Information”
).
The
Parties shall keep such Confidential Information confidential and shall not
disclose it to any third party without written consent from the other Party.
The
provisions of this Section 8 shall not apply in the following situations: (a)
such information is publicly available or will become publicly available (it
is
not disclosed by the Party receiving such Confidential Information); (b) such
information is disclosed in accordance with applicable laws or regulations;
or
(c) a Party discloses Confidential Information to its attorney or financial
advisor so long as such attorney or legal advisor needs to access such
information and agrees to keep such information confidential. The disclosure
by
an employee or agent of a Party shall be deemed to be disclosed by the Party
itself, and the Party shall undertake liability therefor. The Parties agree
that
the provisions of this Article shall survive notwithstanding the termination
of
this Agreement
.
ARTICLE
IX
FURTHER
ASSURANCE
The
Parties agree that they will execute any and all necessary documents required
for the purpose of performing or objective of this Agreement. The Parties will
take all necessary actions for the purpose of performing or objective of this
Agreement or take actions which are benefit for the purpose of this Agreement.
ARTICLE
X
MISCELLANEOUS
(a)
Amendment
and supplementation
Any
revision to, amendment of or supplement to this Agreement must be in writing
and
be executed by each Party hereto.
(b)
Compliance
with laws and regulations
The
Parties shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations which have been
formally issued.
(c)
Entire
agreement
Unless
it
is otherwise revised, amended or supplemented, this Agreement and its appendices
constitute the entire agreement among the Parties as to the subject matter,
and
supersede any prior oral or written negotiations, statements or agreement among
the parties relating thereto.
Headings
in this Agreement are only used for reading convenience, and shall not be used
to interpret, explain or otherwise influence the meaning of the provisions
of
this Agreement.
(e)
Language
This
Agreement is made in Chinese and English in three originals. The Chinese version
will prevail in the event of any inconsistency between the English and any
Chinese translations thereof.
(f)
Severability
If
any of
the terms of this Agreement is declared invalid, illegal or unenforceable in
accordance with any applicable laws or regulations, the validity and
enforceability of the other terms hereof shall nevertheless remain unaffected.
The Parties hereto agree to negotiate to restructure such invalid, illegal
or
unenforceable terms so as to maintain economic impact.
(g)
Successor
This
Agreement shall bind the permitted transferee or successor of each Party and
shall be interpreted for its benefit.
(h)
Continue
to be effective
(i)
Any
duties occurred in relation to the Agreement prior to termination or expiration
shall continue to be effective after expiration or termination of the Agreement.
(ii)
The
provisions of Articles 5, 7, 8 and 10(h) shall survive the termination of this
Agreement.
(i)
Waiver
Each
Party may waive the terms and conditions under this Agreement in writing. Such
waiver must be duly signed. Any waiver relating to the breach of the other
Party
in certain circumstance shall not be deemed as that a waiver for the similar
breach as in other circumstances.
[Remainder
of Page Left Intentionally Blank - Signature Page
Follows]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF
,
the
Parties have executed this Agreement on the date first above
written.
|
Party
A:
Sino-Global
Shipping America, Ltd.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(seal)
|
/s/
Cao Lei
|
|
Legal
Representative
|
|
Date:
|
November
14, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Party
B-1: CAO Lei
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Cao Lei
|
|
CAO
Lei
|
|
Date:
|
November
14, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Party
B-2: ZHANG Mingwei
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Zhang Mingwei
|
|
ZHANG
Mingwei
|
|
Date:
|
November
14, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Party
Cw: Sino-Global Shipping Agency Ltd.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(seal)
|
/s/
Cao Lei
|
|
Legal
Representative
|
|
Date:
|
November
14,
2007
|
Appendix
Announcement
Letter
Sino-Global
Shipping Agency Ltd. (
“Sino-Global”
)
is a limited liability company established on June 6, 2001. I, as the
shareholder of
Sino-Global
,
hold 96.74% equity interest of
Sino-Global
.
I, together with the other shareholder, ZHANG Mingwei, hold 100% equity interest
of
Sino-Global
.
I hereby irrevocably waive any pre-emptive right I may have upon the other
3.26%
equity interest held by ZHANG Mingwei, and will not encumber the transfer of
the
equity interest you proposed.
This
Announcement Letter is effective from the date of signature.
Effective
Date:
November
14, 2007
Announcement
Letter
Sino-Global
Shipping Agency Ltd. (
“Sino-Global”
)
is a limited liability company established on June 6, 2001. I, as the
shareholder of
Sino-Global,
hold 3.26% equity interest of
Sino-Global
.
I, together with the other shareholder, CAO Lei, hold 100% equity interest
of
Sino-Global
.
I hereby irrevocably waive any pre-emptive right I may have upon the other
96.74% equity interest held by CAO Lei, and will not encumber the transfer
of
the equity interest you proposed.
This
Announcement Letter is effective from the date of signature.
|
/s/
Zhang Mingwei
|
|
ZHANG
Mingwei
|
Effective
Date: November 14, 2007