UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_________________
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 23, 2014 (January 16, 2014)
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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001-36267
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46-3891989
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
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(Commission File Number)
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
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c/o Hennessy Capital Partners I, LLC
10 South Wacker Drive
Suite 3175
Chicago, Illinois
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60606
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(Address of principal executive offices)
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(Zip Code)
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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(312) 876-1956
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation to the registrant under any of the following provisions:
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
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Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On January 16, 2014, the registration statement (File No. 333-192982) (the “Registration Statement”) for Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.’s (the “Company”) initial public offering (“IPO”) was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In connection therewith and the closing of the IPO, the Company entered into the following agreements previously filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement:
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An Underwriting Agreement, dated January 16, 2014, between the Company and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as representative of the underwriters;
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An Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated January 16, 2014, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company;
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A Warrant Agreement, dated January 16, 2014, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company;
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A Registration Rights Agreement, dated January 16, 2014, between the Company and certain initial security holders of the Company;
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A Letter Agreement by and between the Company and certain security holders, officers and directors of the Company; and
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An Administrative Services Agreement by and between the Company and Hennessy Capital LLC.
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On January 23, 2014, the Company consummated its IPO of 11,500,000 units (“Public Units”), including the full exercise of the underwriters overallotment option of 1,500,000 units (the “Over-Allotment Units”; collectively with the Public Units, the “Units”). Each Unit consists of one share of common stock, $0.0001 par value per (“Common Stock”), and one warrant (“Warrant”), to purchase one-half of one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.75 per half share ($11.50 per full share). The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000. As a result, the sponsor of the Company will not be obligated to forfeit any of the 375,000 shares of Common Stock held by it that had been subject to forfeiture to the extent the underwriters’ did not exercise the over-allotment option in full.
Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO and the sale of the Overallotment Units, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 12,125,000 warrants (“Placement Warrants”) at a price of $0.50 per Placement Warrant, generating total proceeds of $6,062,500. The Placement Warrants which were purchased by Hennessy Capital Partners I, LLC, are substantially similar to the Warrants underlying the Public Units, except that if held by the original holder or their permitted assigns, they (i) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, (ii) are not subject to being called for redemption and (iii) subject to certain limited exceptions, will be subject to transfer restrictions until 30 days following the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. If the Placement Warrants are held by holders other than its initial holders, the Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Warrants included in the Units sold in the IPO.
Item 5.03. Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.
On January 17, 2014, the Company filed its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation in the State of Delaware. The terms of the foregoing are set forth in the Registration Statement and are incorporated herein by reference.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
A total of $115,000,000 of the net proceeds from the IPO, the sale of the Overallotment Units and the Private Placement were placed in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, none of the funds held in the trust account will be released until the earlier of the completion of the Company’s initial business combination or the redemption of 100% of the Common Stock issued by the Company in the IPO if the Company is unable to consummate an initial business combination within 21 months from the closing of the IPO, or 24 months from the closing of the IPO if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 21 months from the closing of the Offering.
Copies of the press releases issued by the Company announcing the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and consummation of the IPO are included as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
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Underwriting Agreement between the Company and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
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Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
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Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company
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Investment Management Trust Account Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company
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Registration Rights Agreement among the Company and certain security holders
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Letter Agreement by and between the Company and security holders and the officers and directors of the Company
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Administrative Services Agreement by and between the Company and Hennessy Capital LLC.
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Press Release Announcing Effectiveness of IPO
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Press Release Announcing Closing of IPO
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: January 23, 2014
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit 1.1
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
January 16, 2014
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
As Representative of the
Several Underwriters
c/o Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
60 Wall Street, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10005
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware (the “
Company
”), proposes to sell to you and, as applicable, to the several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (collectively, the “
Underwriters
”), for whom you (the “
Representative
”) are acting as sole representative, 10,000,000 units (the “
Units
”) of the Company (said units to be issued and sold by the Company being hereinafter called the “
Underwritten Securities
”). The Company also proposes to grant to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any (the “
Option Securities
”; the Option Securities, together with the Underwritten Securities, being hereinafter called the “
Securities
”). To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule I other than you, the term Representative as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriter, and the term Underwriter shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires. Certain capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined are defined in Section 20 hereof.
Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “
Common Stock
”), and one warrant, where each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one-half of one share of Common Stock (the “
Warrant(s)
”). The shares of Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units will not trade separately until the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus (unless the Representative informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading), subject to (a) the Company’s preparation of an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the offering of the Securities, (b) the filing of such audited balance sheet with the Commission on a Form 8-K or similar form by the Company that includes such audited balance sheet, and (c) the Company having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each Warrant entitles its holder, upon exercise, to purchase one-half of one share of Common Stock for $5.75 per half share ($11.50 per whole share) during the period commencing on the later of thirty (30) days after the completion of an initial Business Combination (as defined below) or twelve (12) months from the date of the consummation of the Offering (as defined below) and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the date of the completion of such initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption; provided, however, that pursuant to the Warrant Agreement (as defined below), a warrant may not be exercised for a fractional share, so that only an even number of warrants may be exercised at any given time by a holder thereof. As used herein, the term “
Business Combination
” (as described more fully in the Registration Statement) shall mean a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
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Plus an option to purchase from the Company up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments.
The Company has entered into an Investment Management Trust Agreement, effective as of January 16, 2014, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“
CST
”), as trustee, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Registration Statement (the “
Trust Agreement
”), pursuant to which the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below) and certain proceeds of the Offering will be deposited and held in a trust account (the “
Trust Account
”) for the benefit of the Company, the Underwriters and the holders of the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities, if and when issued.
The Company has entered into a Warrant Agreement, effective as of January 16, 2014, with respect to the Warrants (as defined below) and the Private Placement Warrants with CST, as warrant agent, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement (the “
Warrant Agreement
”), pursuant to which CST will act as warrant agent in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption, and exercise of the Warrants and Private Placement Warrants.
The Company has entered into a Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of September 24, 2013 (the “
Founder’s Subscription Agreement
”), with Hennessy Capital Partners I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “
Sponsor
”), pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 shares of Common Stock (the “
Founder Shares
”), for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. The Founder Shares are substantially similar to the Common Stock included in the Units except as described in the Prospectus.
The Company has entered into a Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 15, 2013 (the “
Warrant Subscription Agreement
”), with the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 11,000,000 warrants (or up to 12,125,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), each entitling the holder to purchase one-half of one share of Common Stock (the “
Private Placement Warrants
”), for $0.50 per Private Placement Warrant. The Private Placement Warrants are substantially similar to the Warrants included in the Units, except as described in the Prospectus.
The Company has entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of January 16, 2014, with the Sponsor and the other parties thereto, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Registration Statement (the “
Registration Rights Agreement
”), pursuant to which the Company has granted certain registration rights in respect of the Founder Shares and the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of Common Stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants.
The Company has caused to be duly executed and delivered letters by the Sponsor and each of the Company’s officers, directors, and director nominees, in substantially the forms filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement (the “
Insider Letters
”).
The Company has entered into an Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of January 16, 2014, with Hennessy Capital LLC (the “
Administrative Services Agreement
”), pursuant to which the Company will pay to Hennessy Capital LLC an aggregate monthly fee of $10,000 for certain office space, utilities and secretarial support.
1.
Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1.
(a)
The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission the Registration Statement (File No. 333-192982) on Form S-1, including the related Preliminary Prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. Such Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto filed prior to the Execution Time, has become effective. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including the related Preliminary Prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to you. The Company will file with the Commission the Prospectus in accordance with Rule 424(b). As filed, such Prospectus shall contain all information required by the Act and, except to the extent the Representative shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the latest Preliminary Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or made therein. The Company has complied to the Commission’s satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. The Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus will, for purposes of distribution to Canadian persons, have a Canadian “
wrap-around
” (the “
Canadian Offering Memorandum
”). Insofar as they relate to offers or sales of Securities in Canada, all references herein to the Preliminary Prospectus, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus shall include the Canadian Offering Memorandum.
(b)
On the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did, and when the Prospectus is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date (as defined herein) and on any date on which Option Securities are purchased, if such date is not the Closing Date (a “
settlement date
”), the Prospectus (and any supplement thereto) will, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act; on the Effective Date and at the Execution Time, (i) the Registration Statement did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (ii) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication (as defined herein) did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date and any settlement date, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.
(c)
The Statutory Prospectus does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Statutory Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.
(d)
The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File No. 001-36267) providing for the registration under the Exchange Act of the Securities, which registration is currently effective on the date hereof. The Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization.
(e)
The Commission has not issued any order or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.
(f)
i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and ii) as of the Execution Time (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was and is an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405).
(g)
The Company has not prepared or used a Free Writing Prospectus.
(h)
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into this Agreement and the other agreements contemplated hereby and to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction that requires such qualification.
(i)
There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required (and the Statutory Prospectus contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus); and the statements in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Principal Stockholders,” “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” and “Description of Securities” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings. There are no business relationships or related party transactions involving the Company or any other person required by the Act to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus that have not been described as required.
(j)
The Company’s authorized equity capitalization is as set forth in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(k)
All issued and outstanding securities of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The offers and sales of the outstanding Common Stock and Warrants were at all relevant times either registered under the Act, the applicable state securities and blue sky laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such shares of Common Stock and Warrants, exempt from such registration requirements. The holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except as set forth in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.
(l)
The Securities have been duly authorized and when executed by the Company and countersigned and issued and delivered against payment by the underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued.
(m)
The Common Stock included in the Units has been duly authorized and, when executed by the Company and countersigned, and issued and delivered against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(n)
The Warrants included in the Units, when executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Agreement against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(o)
The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units and the Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise thereof and, when executed by the Company and countersigned, and issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, as applicable, and the Warrant Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of such Common Stock are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such Common Stock is not and will not be subject to any preemptive or other similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of such Common Stock (other than such execution, countersignature and delivery at the time of issuance) has been duly and validly taken.
(p)
The certificates for the Common Stock are in valid and proper form.
(q)
Except as set forth in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.
(r)
No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company from its inception through and including the date hereof, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.
(s)
Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities that are required to be “
integrated
” pursuant to the Act with the offer and sale of the Underwritten Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(t)
The Founder Shares are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(u)
The Private Placement Warrants, when delivered upon the consummation of this offering, will be duly executed, authenticated and issued, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(v)
This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(w)
The Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(x)
The Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(y)
The Founder’s Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(z)
The Warrant Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(aa)
The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(bb)
Each of the Insider Letters executed by the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge and each executive officer, director and director nominee of the Company, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, enforceable against the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(cc)
The Administrative Services Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(dd)
The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(ee)
No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein or in the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Founder’s Subscription Agreement, the Warrant Subscription Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Insider Letters or the Administrative Services Agreement, except for the registration under the Act and the Exchange Act of the Securities and such as may be required under state securities or blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein and in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(ff)
The Company is not in violation or default of iii) any provision of its charter or bylaws, iv) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or v) any (x) statute, law, rule, regulation, or (y) judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company; except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above for any such conflict, breach or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a “
Material Adverse Effect
”).
(gg)
Neither the issue and sale of the Securities nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof or of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Founder’s Subscription Agreement, the Warrant Subscription Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Insider Letters or the Administrative Services Agreement will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to, (i) the charter or by-laws of the Company, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which the Company’s property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, or regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its respective properties.
(hh)
No holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement.
(ii)
The historical financial statements and schedules of the Company included in the Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The summary financial data set forth under the caption “
Summary Financial Data
” in the Statutory Prospectus, Prospectus and Registration Statement fairly present, on the basis stated in the Statutory Prospectus, Prospectus and Registration Statement, the information included therein. The Company is not party to any off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.
(jj)
No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or the Sponsor, or the property of either of them is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened that (i) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company or (ii) could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(kk)
The Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted.
(ll)
Rothstein Kass (“
Rothstein
”), who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and delivered their report with respect to the audited financial statements and schedules included in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, is a registered public accounting firm that is independent with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder.
(mm)
Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of (i) any material weakness in internal control over financial reporting or (ii) any change in internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(nn)
The Company maintains effective “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act to the extent required by such rule).
(oo)
There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, Nasdaq Marketplace Rules IM-5605. Further, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, the phase-in requirements and all other provisions of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC corporate governance requirements set forth in the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
(pp)
There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Securities.
(qq)
The Company has filed all tax returns that are required to be filed by it or has requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure so to file would not have a Material Adverse Effect) and has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(rr)
The Company possesses all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct its business, and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such license, certificate, authorization or permit that, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(ss)
None of the Company, the Sponsor, or any director, director nominee, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, such other persons, of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “
FCPA
”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA; and the Company, the Sponsor and, to the knowledge of the Company, its directors, director nominees, officers, agents, employees and affiliates have conducted the businesses of the Company in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and that are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(tt)
The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements and the money laundering statutes and the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “
Money Laundering Laws
”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(uu)
None of the Company, the Sponsor or any director, director nominee, officer, agent or affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“
OFAC
”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any sanctions administered by OFAC.
(vv)
None of the Company, the Sponsor or any officer, director or director nominee of the Company has violated: (a) the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, (b) the Money Laundering Laws, or (c) the Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law.
(ww)
Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any of the Underwriters and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any of the Underwriters.
(xx)
All information contained in the questionnaires (the “
Questionnaires
”) completed by the Sponsor and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees and provided to the Underwriters as an exhibit to his or her Insider Letter, is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information that would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by the Sponsor or the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees to become inaccurate and incorrect.
(yy)
Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, prior to the date hereof, the Company has not identified any acquisition target and has not, nor, to its knowledge, has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions with an entity that the Company will acquire in its initial Business Combination.
(zz)
Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, contracts, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a brokerage commission or finder’s, consulting, origination or similar fee by the Company or the Sponsor with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company, the Sponsor or any officer or director of the Company, or their respective affiliates, that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“
FINRA
”).
(aaa)
Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or any other “item of value” as defined in Rule 5110(c)(3) of FINRA’s Conduct Rules): vi) to any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; vii) to any person that has been accepted by FINRA as a member of FINRA (a “
Member
”); or viii) to any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any Member, within the twelve months prior to the Effective Date, other than payments to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement.
(bbb)
Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, during the period beginning 180 days prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement and ending on the Effective Date, no Member and/or any person associated or affiliated with a Member has provided any investment banking, financial advisory and/or consulting services to the Company.
(ccc)
Except as disclosed in the FINRA Questionnaires provided to the Representative, no officer, director, or beneficial owner of any class of the Company’s securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) (any such individual or entity, a “
Company Affiliate
”) is a Member or a person associated or affiliated with a Member.
(ddd)
Except as disclosed in the FINRA Questionnaires provided to the Representative, no Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any Member (other than securities purchased on the open market).
(eee)
No Company Affiliate has made a subordinated loan to any Member.
(fff)
Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, no proceeds from the sale of the Underwritten Securities (excluding underwriting compensation as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus) will be paid by the Company to any Member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a Member.
(ggg)
The Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or a related person (as defined by FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement.
(hhh)
No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any Member.
(iii)
No Member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” means, if at the time of the Member’s participation in the Offering, any of the following applies: (A) the securities are to be issued by the Member; (B) the Company controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Member or the Member’s associated persons; (C) at least 5% of the net offering proceeds, not including underwriting compensation, are intended to be: (i) used to reduce or retire the balance of a loan or credit facility extended by the Member, its affiliates and its associated persons, in the aggregate; or (ii) otherwise directed to the Member, its affiliates and associated persons, in the aggregate; or (D) as a result of the Offering and any transactions contemplated at the time of the Offering: (i) the Member will be an affiliate of the Company; (ii) the Member will become publicly owned; or (iii) the Company will become a Member or form a broker-dealer subsidiary.
(jjj)
The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(kkk)
The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity.
(lll)
No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, director nominee, officer, shareholder, special advisor, customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the Act or the Exchange Act to be described in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus that is not described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers, directors or director nominees of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.
(mmm)
The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Underwritten Securities to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
(nnn)
Upon delivery and payment for the Units on the Closing Date, the Company will not be subject to Rule 419 under the Act and none of the Company’s outstanding securities will be deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act.
(ooo)
Except as disclosed in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, prior to the date hereof, neither the Company nor anyone on its behalf has, and as of the Closing Date, neither the Company nor anyone on its behalf will have: (a) contacted any prospective target business (as described in the Prospectus) or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect a possible initial Business Combination, or (b) undertaken, or engaged or retained any agent or other representative to undertake, any research, diligence, evaluations or similar activities to identify, locate or contact any suitable acquisition candidate.
(ppp)
The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“
ERISA
”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan” or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “
Code
”); and each “pension plan” for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(qqq)
From the time of the initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged, directly or through any Person authorized to act on its behalf, in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the Execution Time, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Act (an “
Emerging Growth Company
”). “
Testing-the-Waters Communication
” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.
(rrr)
The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representative to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representative has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. There have been no Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those which were contemporaneous with a live oral presentation and were not left behind or distributed in advance to the audience and were in the form provided in advance to the underwriters. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representative or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
2.
Purchase and Sale
. b) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of $9.625 per Unit, the amount of the Underwritten Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto.
(b)
Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 1,500,000 Option Securities at the same purchase price per share as the Underwriters shall pay for the Underwritten Securities. Said option may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Underwritten Securities by the Underwriters. Said option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time on or before the 45th day after the date of the Prospectus upon written notice by the Representative to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the settlement date. The number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be based upon the same percentage of the total number of the Option Securities to be purchased by the several Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the Underwritten Securities, subject to such adjustments as the Representative in its absolute discretion shall make to eliminate any fractional shares.
(c)
In addition to the discount from the public offering price represented by the Purchase Price set forth in the first sentence of Section 2(a) of this Agreement, the Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred discount of $0.325 per Unit (including both Underwritten Securities and Option Securities) purchased hereunder (the “
Deferred Discount
”). The Underwriters hereby agree that if no Business Combination is consummated within the time period provided in the Trust Agreement and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the holders of the Common Stock included in the Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement (the “
Public Stockholders
”), (i) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount and (ii) the trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Deferred Discount to the Public Stockholders on a pro rata basis.
3.
Delivery and Payment
. Delivery of and payment for the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities (if the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof shall have been exercised on or before the third Business Day prior to the Closing Date) shall be made at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on January 23, 2014, or at such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing date as the Representative shall designate, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representative and the Company or as provided in Section 9 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the “
Closing Date
”). Delivery of the Securities shall be made to the Representative for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representative of the purchase price thereof by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company and to the Trust Account as described below in this Section 3. Delivery of the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“
DTC
”) unless the Representative shall otherwise instruct.
(a)
Payment for the Underwritten Securities shall be made as follows: $95,250,000 of the proceeds received by the Company for the Underwritten Securities, including $3,250,000 of Deferred Discount, shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement and $1,000,000 shall be paid to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Representative of the Underwritten Securities through the facilities of DTC or, if the Representative has otherwise instructed, upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Underwritten Securities, in each case for the account of the Underwriters. The Underwritten Securities shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two Business Days prior to the Closing Date. If delivery is not made through the facilities of DTC, the Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Underwritten Securities for delivery, at least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Underwritten Securities except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Underwritten Securities.
(b)
Payment for the Option Securities shall be made as follows: $9.625 per Option Security (including $0.325 per Option Security of Deferred Discount) shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement upon delivery to the Representative of the Option Securities through the facilities of DTC or, if the Representative has otherwise instructed, upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Option Securities (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Underwriters. The Option Securities shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two Business Days prior to the Closing Date. If delivery is not made through the facilities of DTC, the Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Option Securities for delivery, at least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Option Securities except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Option Securities.
If the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof is exercised after the third Business Day prior to the Closing Date, the Company will deliver the Option Securities (at the expense of the Company) to the Representative, at 60 Wall Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10005, New York, New York, on the date specified by the Representative (which shall be at least three Business Days after exercise of said option) for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representative of the purchase price thereof to the Trust Account as described above in Section 3(b). If settlement for the Option Securities occurs after the Closing Date, the Company will deliver to the Representative on the settlement date for the Option Securities, and the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase the Option Securities shall be conditioned upon receipt of, supplemental opinions, certificates and letters confirming as of such date the opinions, certificates and letters delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 6 hereof.
4.
Offering by Underwriters
. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus (the “
Offering
”).
5.
Agreements
. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(a)
Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment, supplement or Rule 462(b) Registration Statement to which you reasonably object. The Company will cause the Prospectus, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed in a form approved by the Representative with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Representative of such timely filing. The Company will promptly advise the Representative (i) when the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) or when any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any Testing-the- Water Communication shall have been filed with the Commission, (ii) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective, (iii) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any Testing-the- Water Communication or for any supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, or of the institution of any proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act and (v) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the occurrence of any such suspension or objection to the use of the Registration Statement and, upon such issuance, occurrence or notice of objection, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal of such stop order or relief from such occurrence or objection, including, if necessary, by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or a new registration statement and using its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.
(b)
If, at any time prior to the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b), any event occurs as a result of which the Statutory Prospectus would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Representative so that any use of the Statutory Prospectus may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Statutory Prospectus to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
(c)
If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or the circumstances then prevailing not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the rules thereunder, the Company promptly will i) notify the Representative of any such event; ii) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and iii) supply any supplemented Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
(d)
As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representative an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries that will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158.
(e)
The Company will not make any offer relating to the Units that constitutes or would constitute a Free Writing Prospectus or a portion thereof required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Act.
(f)
The Company will furnish to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and to each other Underwriter a copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Representative may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering.
(g)
The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(h)
The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, (x) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or any person in privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to, any other Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may (1) issue and sell the Private Placement Warrants, (2) issue and sell the Option Securities on exercise of the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof and (3) register with the Commission pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the resale of the Founder Shares and the Private Placement Warrants or (y) release the Sponsor or any officer, director or director nominee from the 180-day lock-up contained in the Insider Letters.
(i)
The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(j)
The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses relating to the following matters: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities; (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Securities, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Securities; (iv) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Securities; (v) the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act and the listing of the Securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market; (vi) any filings required to be made with FINRA (including filing fees and the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such filings not to exceed $40,000); (vii) the transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Company (and not the Underwriters) in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Securities; (viii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; and (ix) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.
(k)
For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending at least five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs, the Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Units, Common Stock and Warrants under the provisions of the Exchange Act, except after giving effect to a going private transaction after the completion of a Business Combination. The Company will not deregister the Units, Common Stock or Warrants under the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going private transaction after the completion of a Business Combination) without the prior written consent of the Representative.
(l)
The Company shall, on the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (the “
Audited Balance Sheet
”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering on the Closing Date. As soon as the Audited Balance Sheet becomes available, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four Business Days after the Closing Date, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Balance Sheet. Additionally, upon the Company’s receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of all or any portion of the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four Business Days after the receipt of such proceeds, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall disclose the Company’s sale of the Option Securities and its receipt of the proceeds therefrom.
(m)
For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending at least five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs or the Common Stock and Warrants cease to be publicly traded, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent registered public accounting firm to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information, the filing of the Company’s Form 10-Q quarterly report and the mailing, if any, of quarterly financial information to stockholders.
(n)
For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending at least five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs, the Company shall, to the extent such information or documents are not otherwise publicly available, upon written request from the Representative (Attn: Syndicate Manager with a copy to: General Counsel), furnish to the Representative copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of securities, and promptly furnish to the Representative: (i) a copy of such registration statements, financial statements and periodic and special reports as the Company shall be required to file with the Commission and from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any such class of its securities; and (ii) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request, all subject to the execution of a satisfactory confidentiality agreement.
(o)
For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending at least five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs or the Common Stock and Warrants cease to be publicly traded, the Company shall retain a transfer and warrant agent.
(p)
In no event will the amounts payable by the Company for office space and secretarial and administrative services exceed $10,000 per month in the aggregate until the earlier of the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or the Liquidation.
(q)
The Company will not consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any Initial Stockholder or any of the Company’s officers or directors unless it obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s stockholders from a financial point of view. Other than as set forth in this subsection, the Company shall not pay the Sponsor or any of the Company’s executive officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates any fees or compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination; provided however, that such officers, directors and affiliates (i) may receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf to the extent that such expenses do not exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the Trust Account; (ii) may be repaid loans as described in the Registration Statement; (iii) may receive customary financial advisory fees in connection with a Business Combination; and (iv) may be paid $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial support pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement between the Company and Hennessy Capital LLC.
(r)
The Company will apply the net proceeds from the offering received by it in a manner consistent in all material respects with the applications described under the caption “
Use of Proceeds
” in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(s)
For a period of 90 days following the Effective Date, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a merger candidate or to provide any other merger and acquisition services, or has provided or will provide any investment banking, financial, advisory and/or consulting services to the Company, the Company agrees that it shall promptly provide to FINRA (via a FINRA submission), the Representative and its counsel a notification prior to entering into the agreement or transaction relating to a potential Business Combination: iv) the identity of the person or entity providing any such services; v) complete details of all such services and copies of all agreements governing such services prior to entering into the agreement or transaction; and vi) justification as to why the value received by any person or entity for such services is not underwriting compensation for the Offering. The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer materials or proxy statement, as applicable, which the Company may file in connection with the Business Combination for purposes of offering redemption of shares held by its stockholders or for soliciting stockholder approval, as applicable.
(t)
The Company shall advise FINRA, the Representative and its counsel if it is aware that any 5% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Member participating in the distribution of the Company’s Securities.
(u)
The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act as set forth in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(v)
During the period prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination or Liquidation, the Company may instruct the trustee under the Trust Agreement to release from the Trust Account, solely from interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, the amounts necessary to pay any taxes. Otherwise, all funds held in the Trust Account (including any interest income earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of any taxes payable)) will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or the Liquidation; provided, however, that in the event of the Liquidation, up to $50,000 of interest income may be released to the Company if the proceeds of the Offering held outside of the Trust Account are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing the Company’s plan of dissolution.
(w)
The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities that are issuable upon exercise of any of the Warrants and Private Placement Warrants outstanding from time to time.
(x)
Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company shall not issue any shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any options or other securities convertible into Common Stock, or any shares of preferred stock, in each case, that participate in any manner in the Trust Account or that vote as a class with the Common Stock on a Business Combination.
(y)
The Company’s independent directors will review on a quarterly basis all payments made to the Sponsor, to the Company’s officers or directors, or to the Company’s or any of such other persons’ respective affiliates.
(z)
The Company agrees that it will use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
(aa)
To the extent required by Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, the Company will maintain “
disclosure controls and procedures
” (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(bb)
The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Securities, Common Stock and Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
(cc)
As soon as legally required to do so, the Company and its directors and officers, in their capacities as such, shall take all actions necessary to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications, and to comply with the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
(dd)
The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would cause the Company to be in breach or violation of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or its Bylaws, as amended.
(ee)
The Company will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than independent accountants), prospective target businesses, lenders or other entities with which it does business enter into agreement waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of the Public Stockholders. The Company may forego obtaining such waivers only if the Company shall have received the approval of its Chief Executive Officer.
(ff)
The Company may consummate the initial Business Combination and conduct redemptions of shares of Common Stock for cash upon consummation of such Business Combination without a stockholder vote pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, including the filing of tender offer documents with the Commission. Such tender offer documents will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under the Commission’s proxy rules and will provide each stockholder of the Company with the opportunity prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination to redeem the shares of Common Stock held by such stockholder for an amount of cash equal to (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account representing (x) the proceeds held in the Trust Account from the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and (y) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of any taxes payable), divided by (B) the total number of shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering (the “
Public Shares
”) then outstanding. If, however, the Company elects not to file such tender offer documents, a stockholder vote is required by law in connection with the initial Business Combination, or the Company decides to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will submit such Business Combination to the Company’s stockholders for their approval (“
Business Combination Vote
”). With respect to the initial Business Combination Vote, if any, the Sponsor has agreed to vote all of its Founder Shares and any other shares of Common Stock purchased during or after the Offering in favor of the Company’s initial Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company will offer to each Public Stockholder holding shares of Common Stock the right to have its shares redeemed in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules of the Commission at a per share redemption price (the “
Redemption Price
”) equal to (I) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account representing (1) the proceeds held in the Trust Account from the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and (2) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of any taxes payable), divided by (II) the total number of Public Shares then outstanding. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company may proceed with such Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares voted by the stockholders at a duly-held stockholders meeting are voted to approve such Business Combination. If, after seeking and receiving such stockholder approval, the Company elects to so proceed, it will redeem shares, at the Redemption Price, from those Public Stockholders who affirmatively requested such redemption. Only Public Stockholders holding shares of Common Stock who properly exercise their redemption rights, in accordance with the applicable tender offer or proxy materials related to such Business Combination, shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account in connection with an initial Business Combination, and the Company shall pay no distributions with respect to any other holders or shares of capital stock of the Company in connection therewith. In the event that the Company does not effect a Business Combination by twenty-one (21) months from the date of the consummation of the Offering (or twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for a Business Combination within twenty-one (21) months from the closing of the Offering but has not completed the Business Combination within such 21-month period), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of any taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and subject to the requirement that any refund of income taxes in excess of $50,000 that were paid from the Trust Account that is received after the redemption shall be distributed to the former Public Stockholders, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Only Public Stockholders holding shares of Common Stock included in the Securities shall be entitled to receive such redemption amounts and the Company shall pay no such redemption amounts or any distributions in liquidation with respect to any other shares of capital stock of the Company. The Company will not propose any amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Shares if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within twenty-one (21) months from the closing of the Offering (or twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for a Business Combination within twenty-one (21) months from the closing of the Offering but has not completed the Business Combination within such 21-month period), as described in Section 9.2(d) of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation unless the Company offers the right to redeem in connection with such amendment.
(gg)
In the event that the Company desires or is required by an applicable law or regulation to cause an announcement (“
Business Combination Announcement
”) to be placed in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or any other news or media publication or outlet or to be made via a public filing with the Commission announcing the consummation of the Business Combination that indicates that the Underwriters were the underwriters in the Offering, the Company shall supply the Representative with a draft of the Business Combination Announcement and provide the Representative with a reasonable advance opportunity to comment thereon, subject to the agreement of the Underwriters to keep confidential such draft announcement in accordance with the Representative’s standard policies regarding confidential information.
(hh)
Upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the Company will pay to the Representative, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Deferred Discount. Payment of the Deferred Discount will be made out of the proceeds of this offering held in the Trust Account. The Underwriters shall have no claim to payment of any interest earned on the portion of the proceeds held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount. If the Company fails to consummate its initial Business Combination within twenty-one (21) months from the date of the consummation of the Offering (or twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for a Business Combination within twenty-one (21) months from the closing of the Offering but has not completed the Business Combination within such 21-month period), the Deferred Discount will not be paid to the Representative and will, instead, be included in the Liquidation distribution of the proceeds held in the Trust Account made to the Public Stockholders. In connection with any such Liquidation, the Underwriters forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount.
(ii)
The Company will endeavor in good faith, in cooperation with the Representative to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate, provided that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign corporation doing business in such jurisdiction. Until the earliest of (i) the date on which all Underwriters shall have ceased to engage in market-making activities in respect of the Securities, (ii) the date on which the Securities are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or any successor thereto), (iii) a going private transaction after the completion of a Business Combination, and (iv) the date of the liquidation of the Company, in each jurisdiction where such qualification shall be effected, the Company will, unless the Representative agrees that such action is not at the time necessary or advisable, use all reasonable efforts to file and make such statements or reports at such times as are or may be required to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
(jj)
If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly (i) notify the Representative so that use of the Written Testing-the-Waters Communication may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to the Representative in such quantities as may be reasonably requested.
(kk)
The Company will promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 5(h) hereof.
(ll)
If the Representative, in its sole discretion, agrees to release or waive the transfer restrictions set forth in any Insider Letter for an officer or director of the Company and provides the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(mm)
Upon the earlier to occur of the expiration or termination of the Underwriters’ over-allotment option, the Company shall cancel or otherwise effect the forfeiture of Common Stock from the Initial Stockholders, in an aggregate amount equal to the number of shares of Common Stock determined by multiplying (a) 375,000 by (b) a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 1,500,000 minus the number of shares of Common Stock purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their over-allotment option, and (ii) the denominator of which is 1,500,000. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, the Company shall not repurchase any of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to this subsection.
(nn)
In the event that the trading price of the Common Stock does not equal or exceed $13.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganization, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-day trading period within four years following the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination or the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for consideration in cash, securities or other property which does not equal or exceed $13.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the Company shall cancel or otherwise effect the forfeiture from the Initial Stockholders of an aggregate amount of shares of Common Stock equal to 5.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares immediately after the Offering (between 625,000 and 718,750 shares, in the aggregate).
6.
Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters
. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities, as the case may be, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time, the Closing Date and any settlement date pursuant to Section 3 hereof, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a)
The Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b)
The Company shall have requested and caused Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Representative its opinions dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representative in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative.
(c)
The Representative shall have received from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representative, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representative may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(d)
The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a certificate of the Company, signed by the Chief Executive Officer and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, and this Agreement and that:
(i)
the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as if made on the Closing Date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date;
(ii)
no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened; and
(iii)
since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there has been no Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(e)
The Company shall have requested and caused Rothstein to have furnished to the Representative, at the Execution Time and at the Closing Date, letters, dated respectively as of the Execution Time and as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative, confirming that they are a registered public accounting firm that is independent with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission thereunder and that they have performed a review of the audited financial statements of the Company for the period September 24, 2013 (inception) to October 11, 2013, and stating in effect that:
(i)
in their opinion the audited financial statements and financial statement schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus and reported on by them comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the Commission; and
(ii)
they have performed certain other specified procedures as a result of which they determined that certain information of an accounting, financial or statistical nature (which is limited to accounting, financial or statistical information derived from the general accounting records of the Company) set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, including the information set forth under the captions “Dilution” and “Capitalization” in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, agrees with the accounting records of the Company, excluding any questions of legal interpretation.
References to the Prospectus in this paragraph (e) include any supplement thereto at the date of the letter.
(f)
Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (e) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the financial condition, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the sole judgment of the Representative, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(g)
Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative such further information, certificates and documents as the Representative may reasonably request.
(h)
FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting or other arrangements of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(i)
The Securities shall be duly listed subject to notice of issuance on the Nasdaq Capital Market, satisfactory evidence of which shall have been provided to the Representative.
(j)
On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Founder’s Subscription Agreement, the Warrant Subscription Agreement, each of the Insider Letters and the Administrative Services Agreement.
(k)
At least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date, the Sponsor shall have caused the purchase price for the Private Placement Warrants, net of the purchase price that represents the amount of any loans to be repaid at Closing (which amount will be funded at Closing), to be wired to the Company and the Company shall direct the escrow agent to deposit such funds, into the Trust Account and to hold such funds in escrow therein.
(l)
No order preventing or suspending the sale of the Units in any jurisdiction designated by the Representative pursuant to Section 5(hh) hereof shall have been issued as of the Closing Date, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall have been threatened.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Representative. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing.
The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered at the office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, at 525 University Avenue, Palo Alto, California, 94301, unless otherwise indicated herein, on the Closing Date.
7.
Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses
. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof (other than clauses (ii), (iii) or (vi) thereof) or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally through the Representative on demand for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.
8.
Indemnification and Contribution
. c) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and agents of each Underwriter, each person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each affiliate of each Underwriter against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Securities as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for inclusion therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described in the last sentence of Section 8(b) hereof. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have.
(b)
Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representative specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the statements set forth under the heading “Underwriting,” (x) the list of Underwriters and their respective roles and participation in the sale of the Securities, (y) the sentences related to concessions and reallowances and sales to discretionary accounts, and (z) the paragraphs related to stabilization, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids, in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus.
(c)
Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of material rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless (i) such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
(d)
In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending the same) (collectively “
Losses
”) to which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities; provided, however, that in no case shall any Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among underwriters relating to the offering of the Securities) be responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
(e)
In any proceeding relating to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, the Prospectus or any supplement or amendment thereto, each party against whom contribution may be sought under this Section 8 hereby consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of (i) the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan and (ii) the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan (collectively, the “
Specified Courts
”), agrees that process issuing from such courts may be served upon it by any other contributing party and consents to the service of such process and agrees that any other contributing party may join it as an additional defendant in any such proceeding in which such other contributing party is a party. The Company irrevocably appoints Corporation Services Company as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the City and County of New York.
(f)
Any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses for which an indemnified party is entitled to indemnification or contribution under this Section 8 shall be paid by the indemnifying party to the indemnified party as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are incurred. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section 8 and the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, its directors or officers or any person controlling any Underwriter, the Company, its directors or officers or any persons controlling the Company, (ii) acceptance of any Securities and payment therefor hereunder, and (iii) any termination of this Agreement. A successor to any Underwriter, its directors or officers or any person controlling any Underwriter, or to the Company, its directors or officers, or any person controlling the Company, shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and reimbursement agreements contained in this Section 8.
9.
Default by an Underwriter
. If any one or more Underwriters shall fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up and pay for (in the respective proportions that the amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule I hereto bears to the aggregate amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining Underwriters) the Securities that the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the event that the aggregate amount of Securities that the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the underwritten Securities, the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities. If within one Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Underwritten Securities the remaining Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Underwritten Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one Business Day within which to procure another party or parties reasonably satisfactory to you to purchase said Underwritten Securities. In the event that neither the remaining Underwriters nor the Company purchase or arrange for the purchase of all of the Underwritten Securities to which a default relates as provided in this Section 9, this Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the Company. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this Section 9, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding five Business Days, as the Representative shall determine in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
10.
Termination
. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representative, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such delivery and payment i) trading in the Company’s Units, Common Stock or Warrants shall have been suspended by the Commission, or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Capital Market shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on such exchange or trading market, ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities, iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Representative, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), iv) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, any material adverse change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in or affecting the earnings, business, management, properties, assets, rights, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Company taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, v) the enactment, publication, decree or other promulgation of any statute, regulation, rule or order of any court or other governmental authority which in your opinion materially and adversely affects or may materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company, or vi) the taking of any action by any governmental body or agency in respect of its monetary or fiscal affairs which in your opinion has a material adverse effect on the securities markets in the United States.
11.
Representations and Indemnities to Survive
. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.
12.
Notices
. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representative, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 60 Wall Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10005 (fax: (212) 797-9344); Attention: Equity Capital Markets – Syndicate Desk, with a copy to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005; Attention: General Counsel or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., 10 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3175, Chicago, Illinois 60606 (fax: (312) 879-0084); Attention: Daniel J. Hennessy, with a copy to the Company’s counsel at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105, Attention: Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq. and Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.
13.
Successors
. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14.
No Fiduciary Duty
. The Company hereby acknowledges that d) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters and any affiliate through which it may be acting, on the other, e) the Underwriters are acting as principal and not as an agent or fiduciary of the Company and f) the Company’s engagement of the Underwriters in connection with the offering and the process leading up to the offering is as independent contractors and not in any other capacity. Furthermore, the Company agrees that it is solely responsible for making its own judgments in connection with the offering (irrespective of whether any of the Underwriters has advised or is currently advising the Company on related or other matters). The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe an agency, fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
15.
Integration
. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
16.
Applicable Law
. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be instituted in the Specified Courts, and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court, as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
17.
Waiver of Jury Trial
. The Company hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
18.
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
19.
Headings
. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
20.
Definitions
. The terms that follow, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
“
Act
” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“
Business Day
” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.
“
Commission
” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“
Effective Date
” shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement became or becomes effective.
“
Exchange Act
” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“
Execution Time
” shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
“
Free Writing Prospectus
” shall mean a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405.
“
Initial Stockholder
” means any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered securities.
“
Liquidation
” shall mean the distributions of the Trust Account to the Public Stockholders in connection with the redemption of shares of Common Stock held by the Public Stockholders pursuant to the terms of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination.
“
Preliminary Prospectus
” shall mean any preliminary prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) above and any preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date that omits Rule 430A Information.
“
Prospectus
” shall mean the prospectus relating to the Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the Execution Time.
“
Registration Statement
” shall mean the registration statement referred to in paragraph 1(a) above, including exhibits and financial statements and any prospectus and prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430A, as amended at the Execution Time and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective prior to the Closing Date, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended or such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, as the case may be.
“
Rule 158
”, “
Rule 163
”, “
Rule 164
”, “
Rule 172
”, “
Rule 405
”, “
Rule 415
”, “
Rule 424
”, “
Rule 430A
” and “
Rule 433
” refer to such rules under the Act.
“
Rule 430A Information
” shall mean information with respect to the Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A.
“
Rule 462(b) Registration Statement
” shall mean a registration statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) relating to the offering covered by the registration statement referred to in Section 1(a) hereof.
“
Statutory Prospectus
” shall mean (i) the Preliminary Prospectus dated September 9, 2013, relating to the Securities and (ii) the Time of Delivery Information, if any, set forth on Schedule II hereto.
[remainder of page intentionally left blank]
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement among the Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
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Very truly yours,
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Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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The foregoing Underwriting Agreement
is hereby confirmed and accepted as
of the date first above written.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
As Representative of the several
Underwriters listed on Schedule I
By: Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
By:
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/s/ Francis Windels
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Name: Francis Windels
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By:
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/s/ Benjamin Marsh
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Name: Benjamin Marsh
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[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
Underwriters
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Number of Underwritten Securities
to be Purchased
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Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
|
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10,000,000
|
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Total
|
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10,000,000
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SCHEDULE II
TIME OF DELIVERY INFORMATION
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. priced 10,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit plus an additional 1,500,000 units if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full.
The amounts in the Trust Account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
The units will be issued pursuant to an effective registration statement that has been previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities law of any such state or jurisdiction.
Copies of the prospectus related to this offering may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 60 Wall Street, 4th Floor New York, New York 10005.
EXHIBIT A
Form of Press Release
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
[Date]
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (the “
Company
”) announced today that Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., the sole book-running manager and underwriter in the Company’s recent public sale of Units, is [waiving] [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to shares of the Company’s [Common Stock] [Warrants] [Units] held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver] [release] will take effect on [Date], and the securities may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
B-3
Exhibit 3.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
January 16, 2014
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “
Corporation
”), DOES HEREBY CERTIFY AS FOLLOWS:
1. The name of the Corporation is “Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.”. The original certificate of incorporation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on September 24, 2013 (the “
Original Certificate
”).
2. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “
Amended and Restated Certificate
”) was duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “
Board
”) and the stockholders of the Corporation in accordance with Sections 228, 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
3. This Amended and Restated Certificate restates, integrates and amends the provisions of the Original Certificate. Certain capitalized terms used in this Amended and Restated Certificate are defined where appropriate herein.
4. The text of the Original Certificate is hereby restated and amended in its entirety to read as follows:
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the corporation is Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (the “
Corporation
”).
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “
DGCL
”). In addition to the powers and privileges conferred upon the Corporation by law and those incidental thereto, the Corporation shall possess and may exercise all the powers and privileges that are necessary or convenient to the conduct, promotion or attainment of the business or purposes of the Corporation including, but not limited to, effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Corporation and one or more businesses (a “
Business Combination
”).
ARTICLE III
REGISTERED AGENT
The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is Vcorp Services, LLC, 1811 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810, City of New Castle County, and the name of the Corporation’s registered agent at such address is Vcorp Services LLC.
ARTICLE IV
CAPITALIZATION
Section 4.1
Authorized Capital Stock
. The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock which the Corporation is authorized to issue is 30,000,000 shares, consisting of 29,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “
Common Stock
”), and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “
Preferred Stock
”).
Section 4.2
Preferred Stock
. Subject to
Article IX
of this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The Board is hereby expressly authorized to provide for the issuance of shares of the Preferred Stock in one or more series and to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, if any, of each such series and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, as shall be stated in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board providing for the issuance of such series and included in a certificate of designation (a “
Preferred Stock Designation
”) filed pursuant to the DGCL, and the Board is hereby expressly vested with the authority to the full extent provided by law, now or hereafter, to adopt any such resolution or resolutions.
Section 4.3
Common Stock
.
(a) Subject to the provisions in
Article IX
hereof, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders on which the holders of the Common Stock are entitled to vote. Except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, the holders of the Common Stock shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and on all other matters properly submitted to a vote of the stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including a Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of the Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any amendment to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of the Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation).
(b) Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of
Article IX
hereof, the holders of the Common Stock shall be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions (payable in cash, property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of any assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor, and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.
(c) Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of
Article IX
hereof, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation, the holders of the Common Stock shall be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of the Common Stock held by them.
Section 4.4
Rights and Options
. The Corporation has the authority to create and issue rights, warrants and options entitling the holders thereof to purchase shares of any class or series of the Corporation’s capital stock or other securities of the Corporation, and such rights, warrants and options shall be evidenced by instrument(s) approved by the Board. The Board is empowered to set the exercise price, duration, times for exercise and other terms and conditions of such rights, warrants or options;
provided
,
however
, that the consideration to be received for any shares of capital stock subject thereto may not be less than the par value thereof.
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 5.1
Board Powers
. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by, or under the direction of, the Board. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred upon the Board by statute, this Amended and Restated Certificate or the Bylaws (“
Bylaws
”) of the Corporation, the Board is hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation, subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the DGCL and this Amended and Restated Certificate.
Section 5.2
Number, Election and Term
.
(a) The number of directors of the Corporation, other than those who may be elected by the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock voting separately by class or series, shall be fixed from time to time exclusively by the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board.
(b) Subject to
Section 5.5
hereof, the Board shall be divided into two classes, as nearly equal in number as possible and designated Class I and Class II. The Board is authorized to assign members of the Board already in office to Class I or Class II. The term of the initial Class I Directors shall expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate; the term of the initial Class II Directors shall expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate. At each succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, beginning with the first annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting shall be elected for a two-year term. Subject to
Section 5.5
hereof, if the number of directors is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned by the Board among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal as possible, but in no case shall a decrease in the number of directors shorten the term of any incumbent director.
(c) Subject to
Section 5.5
hereof, a director shall hold office until the annual meeting for the year in which his or her term expires and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.
(d) Unless and except to the extent that the Bylaws shall so require, the election of directors need not be by written ballot.
Section 5.3
Newly Created Directorships and Vacancies
. Subject to
Section 5.5
hereof, newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or other cause may be filled solely by a majority vote of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders), and any director so chosen shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors to which the new directorship was added or in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.
Section 5.4
Removal
. Subject to
Section 5.5
hereof, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
Section 5.5
Preferred Stock – Directors
. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V, and except as otherwise required by law, whenever the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock shall have the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect one or more directors, the term of office, the filling of vacancies, the removal from office and other features of such directorships shall be governed by the terms of such series of the Preferred Stock as set forth in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) and such directors shall not be included in any of the classes created pursuant to this Article V unless expressly provided by such terms.
ARTICLE VI
BYLAWS
In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon it by law, the Board shall have the power to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board shall be required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders;
provided
,
however
, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by law or by this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws; and
provided further
,
however
, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
ARTICLE VII
MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS; ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT
Section 7.1
Meetings
. Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, and to the requirements of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board, and the ability of the stockholders to call a special meeting is hereby specifically denied.
Section 7.2
Advance Notice
. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of business to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the Bylaws.
Section 7.3
Action by Written Consent
. Subsequent to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial public offering of securities (the “Offering”), any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such holders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders.
ARTICLE VIII
LIMITED LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1
Limitation of Director Liability
. A director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as the same exists or may hereafter be amended. Any amendment, modification or repeal of the foregoing sentence shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment, modification or repeal.
Section 8.2
Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses
.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless each person who is or was made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “
proceeding
”) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (an “
indemnitee
”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred by such indemnitee in connection with such proceeding. The Corporation shall to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law pay the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an indemnitee in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding in advance of its final disposition;
provided
,
however
, that, to the extent required by applicable law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking, by or on behalf of the indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this
Section 8.2
or otherwise. The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred by this
Section 8.2
shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this
Section 8.2(a)
, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses, the Corporation shall indemnify and advance expenses to an indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.
(b) The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred on any indemnitee by this
Section 8.2
shall not be exclusive of any other rights that any indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under law, this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
(c) Any repeal or amendment of this
Section 8.2
by the stockholders of the Corporation or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate inconsistent with this
Section 8.2
, shall, unless otherwise required by law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto), and shall not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision in respect of any proceeding (regardless of when such proceeding is first threatened, commenced or completed) arising out of, or related to, any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
(d) This Section 8.2 shall not limit the right of the Corporation, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than indemnitees.
ARTICLE IX
BUSINESS COMBINATION REQUIREMENTS; EXISTENCE
Section 9.1
General
.
(a) The provisions of this
Article IX
shall apply during the period commencing upon the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and terminating upon the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination and no amendment to this
Article IX
shall be effective prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination unless approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty-five percent (65%) of all then outstanding shares of the Common Stock.
(b) Immediately after the Offering, a certain amount of the net offering proceeds received by the Corporation in the Offering (including the proceeds of any exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) and certain other amounts specified in the Corporation’s registration statement on Form S-1, as initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2013, as amended (the “
Registration Statement
”), shall be deposited in a trust account (the “
Trust Account
”), established for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below) pursuant to a trust agreement described in the Registration Statement. Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, none of the funds held in the Trust Account (including the interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account) will be released from the Trust Account until the earlier of (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination and (ii) the redemption of 100% of the Offering Shares (as defined below) if the Corporation is unable to complete its initial Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Offering (or 24 months from the closing of the Offering if the Corporation has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principal or definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Offering but has not completed the initial Business Combination within such 21-month period). Holders of shares of the Corporation’s Common Stock included as part of the units sold in the Offering (the “
Offering Shares
”) (whether such Offering Shares were purchased in the Offering or in the secondary market following the Offering and whether or not such holders are affiliates of Hennessy Capital Partners I LLC, (the “
Sponsor
”) or officers or directors of the Corporation) are referred to herein as “
Public Stockholders
.”
Section 9.2
Redemption Rights
.
(a) Prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall provide all holders of Offering Shares with the opportunity to have their Offering Shares redeemed upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination pursuant to, and subject to the limitations of,
Sections 9.2(b)
and
9.2(c)
(such rights of such holders to have their Offering Shares redeemed pursuant to such Sections, the “
Redemption Rights
”) hereof for cash equal to the applicable redemption price per share determined in accordance with
Section 9.2(b)
hereof (the “
Redemption Price
”);
provided
,
however
, that the Corporation shall not redeem or repurchase Offering Shares to the extent that such redemption would result in the Corporation’s failure to have net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act
”)) in excess of $5 million (such limitation hereinafter called the “
Redemption Limitation
”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate, there shall be no Redemption Rights or liquidating distributions with respect to any warrant issued pursuant to the Offering.
(b) If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares other than in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, the Corporation shall offer to redeem the Offering Shares upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, in accordance with the provisions of
Section 9.2(a)
hereof pursuant to a tender offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act (such rules and regulations hereinafter called the “
Tender Offer Rules
”) which it shall commence prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination and shall file tender offer documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission that contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial Business Combination and the Redemption Rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act (such rules and regulations hereinafter called the “
Proxy Solicitation Rules
”), even if such information is not required under the Tender Offer Rules;
provided
,
however
, that if a stockholder vote is required by law to approve the proposed initial Business Combination, or the Corporation decides to hold a stockholder vote on the proposed initial Business Combination for business or other legal reasons, the Corporation shall offer to redeem the Offering Shares, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, in accordance with the provisions of
Section 9.2(a)
hereof in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the Proxy Solicitation Rules (and not the Tender Offer Rules) at a price per share equal to the Redemption Price calculated in accordance with the following provisions of this
Section 9.2(b)
. In the event that the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares pursuant to a tender offer in accordance with the Tender Offer Rules (and the Company has not otherwise withdrawn the tender offer), the Redemption Price per share of the Common Stock payable to holders of the Offering Shares tendering their Offering Shares pursuant to such tender offer shall be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing: (i) the aggregate amount on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the date of the commencement of the tender offer, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), plus interest accrued from the date of the commencement of such tender offer until two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), by (ii) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares. If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on the proposed initial Business Combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, the Redemption Price per share of the Common Stock payable to holders of the Offering Shares exercising their Redemption Rights (irrespective of whether they voted in favor or against the Business Combination) shall be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the aggregate amount on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), by (b) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares.
(c) If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), shall be restricted from seeking Redemption Rights with respect to 10% or more of the Offering Shares.
(d) In the event that the Corporation has not consummated a Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Offering, or 24 months from the closing of the Offering if the Corporation has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Offering but has not completed the initial Business Combination within such 21-month period, the Corporation shall (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the Offering Shares in consideration of a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses), by (B) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish rights of the Public Stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Board in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Corporation’s obligations under the DGCL to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law.
(e) If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall consummate the proposed Business Combination only if (i) such initial Business Combination is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of the Common Stock that are voted at a stockholder meeting held to consider such initial Business Combination and (ii) the Redemption Limitation is not exceeded.
Section 9.3
Distributions from the Trust Account
.
(a) A Public Stockholder shall be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only as provided in
Sections 9.2(a)
,
9.2(b)
,
9.2(d)
or
9.7
hereof. In no other circumstances shall a Public Stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in or to distributions from the Trust Account, and no stockholder other than a Public Stockholder shall have any interest in or to the Trust Account.
(b) Each Public Stockholder that does not exercise its Redemption Rights shall retain its interest in the Corporation and shall be deemed to have given its consent to the release of the remaining funds in the Trust Account to the Corporation, and following payment to any Public Stockholders exercising their Redemption Rights, the remaining funds in the Trust Account shall be released to the Corporation.
(c) The exercise by a Public Stockholder of the Redemption Rights shall be conditioned on such Public Stockholder following the specific procedures for redemptions set forth by the Corporation in any applicable tender offer or proxy materials sent to the Corporation’s Public Stockholders relating to the proposed initial Business Combination. Payment of the amounts necessary to satisfy the Redemption Rights properly exercised shall be made as promptly as practical after the consummation of the initial Business Combination.
Section 9.4
Share Issuances
. Prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall not issue any additional shares of capital stock of the Corporation that would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the Trust Account or vote on any Business Combination.
Section 9.5
Transactions with Affiliates
. In the event the Corporation enters into an initial Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with the Sponsor, or the directors or officers of the Corporation, the Corporation, or a committee of the independent directors of the Corporation, shall obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority that such Business Combination is fair to the Corporation from a financial point of view.
Section 9.6
No Transactions with Other Blank Check Companies
. The Corporation shall not enter into a Business Combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
Section 9.7
Additional Redemption Rights.
If, in accordance with
Section 9.1(a)
, any amendment is made to
Section 9.2(d)
that would affect the substance or timing of the Corporation’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Corporation has not consummated a Business Combination within 21 months from the date of the Closing, or 24 months if the Corporation has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principal or definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Offering but has not completed the initial Business Combination within such 21-month period, the Public Stockholders shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their Offering Shares upon the approval of any such amendment, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares. The Corporation’s ability to provide such opportunity is subject to the Redemption Limitation.
Section 9.8
Minimum Value of Target.
The Corporation’s Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the Business Combination.
ARTICLE X
CORPORATE OPPORTUNITY
The doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, shall not apply with respect to the Corporation or any of its officers or directors in circumstances where the application of any such doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have as of the date of this Amended and Restated Certificate or in the future.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by this Amended and Restated Certificate and the DGCL; and, except as set forth in
Article VIII
, all rights, preferences and privileges herein conferred upon stockholders, directors or any other persons by and pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate in its present form or as hereafter amended are granted subject to the right reserved in this
Article XI
;
provided
,
however
, that
Article IX
of this Amended and Restated Certificate may be amended only as provided therein.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate to be duly executed in its name and on its behalf by an authorized officer as of the date first set forth above.
HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
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By:
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Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: President
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
and
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
WARRANT AGREEMENT
Dated as of January 16, 2014
THIS WARRANT AGREEMENT (this “
Agreement
”), dated as of January 16, 2014, is by and between Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (the “
Warrant Agent
”, also referred to herein as the “
Transfer Agent
”).
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into that certain Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement dated as of October 15, 2013 (the “
Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement
”), with Hennessy Capital Partners I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “
Sponsor
”), pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 11,000,000 warrants simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (as defined below) and up to 1,125,000 additional warrants in connection with the exercise of the Over-allotment Option (as defined below), if any, bearing the legend set forth in
Exhibit B
hereto (the “
Private Placement Warrants
”) at a purchase price of $0.50 per Private Placement Warrant; and
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the “
Offering
”) of units of the Company’s equity securities, each such unit comprised of one share of Common Stock (as defined below) and one Public Warrant (as defined below) (the “
Units
”) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 10,000,000 warrants (including up to 1,500,000 warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option) to public investors in the Offering (the “
Public Warrants
” and, together with the Private Placement Warrants, the “
Warrants
”). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one-half of one share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“
Common Stock
”), for $5.75 per half share, subject to adjustment as described herein; and
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
Commission
”) a registration statement on Form S-1, No. 333—192982 (the “
Registration Statement
”) and prospectus (the “
Prospectus
”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “
Securities Act
”), of the Units, the Public Warrants and the Common Stock included in the Units; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent, as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1.
Appointment of Warrant Agent
. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2.
Warrants
.
2.1
Form of Warrant
. Each Warrant shall be issued in registered form only and shall be in substantially the form of
Exhibit A
hereto, the provisions of which are incorporated herein and shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2.2
Effect of Countersignature
. Unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3
Registration
.
2.3.1
Warrant Register
. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “
Warrant Register
”), for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company.
2.3.2
Registered Holder
. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “
Registered Holder
”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the Warrant Certificate (as defined below) made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
2.4
Detachability of Warrants
. The Common Stock and Public Warrants comprising the Units shall begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such 52nd day is not on a day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “
Business Day
”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, or earlier (the “
Detachment Date
”) with the consent of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as representative of the several underwriters, but in no event shall the Common Stock and the Public Warrants comprising the Units be separately traded until (A) the Company has filed a current report on Form 8-K with the Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Offering, including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise by the underwriters of their right to purchase additional shares of Common Stock in the Offering (the “
Over-allotment Option
”), if the Over-allotment Option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (B) the Company issues a press release and files with the Commission a current report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin.
2.5
Private Placement Warrants
. The Private Placement Warrants shall be identical to the Public Warrants, except that so long as they are held by the Sponsor or any of their Permitted Transferees (as defined below) the Private Placement Warrants: (i) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, pursuant to
subsection 3.3.1(c)
hereof, (ii) may not be transferred, assigned or sold until thirty (30) days after the completion by the Company of an initial Business Combination (as defined below), and (iii) shall not be redeemable by the Company;
provided
,
however
, that in the case of (ii), the Private Placement Warrants and any shares of Common Stock held by the members of the Sponsor and issued upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants may be transferred by the holders thereof:
(a) as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization,
(b) to the Company’s officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of the Company’s officers or directors or any member or affiliate of the Sponsor,
(c) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person,
(d) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order,
(e) through private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the Warrants were originally purchased, or
(f) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination,
(g) by virtue of the laws of the state of Delaware and the Sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the Sponsor,
(h) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Company consummates a merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the holders of the Company’s equity securities issued in the Offering having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property;
provided
,
however
, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (e), these transferees (the “
Permitted Transferees
”) enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions in this Agreement.
3.
Terms and Exercise of Warrants
.
3.1
Warrant Price
. Each Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $5.75 per half share, subject to the adjustments provided in
Section 4
hereof and in the last sentence of this
Section 3.1
. The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share at which shares of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days, provided, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided further that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants.
3.2
Duration of Warrants
. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “
Exercise Period
”) commencing on the later of: (i) the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “
Business Combination
”), or (ii) the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Offering, and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the earlier to occur of: (x) the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination, (y) the liquidation of the Company, or if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination twenty-one (21) months from the closing of the Offering (or up to 24 months, if extended as described in the Prospectus), or (z) other than with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, the Redemption Date (as defined below) as provided in
Section 6.2
hereof (the “
Expiration Date
”);
provided
,
however
, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in
subsection 3.3.2
below, with respect to an effective registration statement. Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as defined below) (other than with respect to a Private Placement Warrant) in the event of a redemption (as set forth in
Section 6
hereof), each Warrant (other than a Private Placement Warrant in the event of a redemption) not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date;
provided
, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided further that any such extension shall be identical in duration among all the Warrants.
3.3
Exercise of Warrants
.
3.3.1
Payment
. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, duly executed, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each full share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such Common Stock, as follows:
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent;
(b) in the event of a redemption pursuant to
Section 6
hereof in which the Company’s board of directors (the “
Board
”) has elected to require all holders of the Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value”, as defined in this
subsection 3.3.1(b)
by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this
subsection 3.3.1(b)
and
Section 6.3
, the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Warrants, pursuant to
Section 6
hereof;
(c) with respect to any Private Placement Warrant, so long as such Private Placement Warrant is held by the Sponsor or a Permitted Transferee, by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value”, as defined in this
subsection 3.3.1(c)
, by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this
subsection 3.3.1(c)
, the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise of the Warrant is sent to the Warrant Agent; or
(d) as provided in Section 7.4 hereof.
3.3.2
Issuance of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise
. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to
subsection 3.3.1(a))
, the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new countersigned Warrant for the number of shares as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company’s satisfying its obligations under
Section 7.4
. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrant and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless, in which case the purchaser of a Unit containing such Public Warrants shall have paid the full purchase price for the Unit solely for the shares of Common Stock underlying such Unit. Subject to
Section 4.6
of this Agreement, a Registered Holder of Warrants may exercise its Warrants only for a whole number of shares of Common Stock (i.e., only an even number of Warrants may be exercised at any given time by a Registered Holder). In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. The Company may require holders of Public Warrants to settle the Warrant on a “cashless basis” pursuant to
Section 7.4
. If, by reason of any exercise of warrants on a “cashless basis”, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number, the number of shares to be issued to such holder.
3.3.3
Valid Issuance
. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
3.3.4
Date of Issuance
. Each person in whose name any certificate for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which the Warrant was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books are open.
3.3.5
Maximum Percentage
. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this
subsection 3.3.5
;
however
, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this
subsection 3.3.5
unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (the “
Maximum Percentage
”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “
Exchange Act
”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Transfer Agent”) setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice;
provided
,
however
, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4.
Adjustments
.
4.1
Stock Dividends
.
4.1.1
Split-Ups
. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of
Section 4.6
below, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of the Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this
subsection 4.1.1
, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock, in determining the price payable for Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
4.1.2
Extraordinary Dividends
. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of the Company’s capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in
subsection 4.1.1
above, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) as a result of the repurchase of shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the stockholders of the Company for approval or (e) in connection with the Company’s liquidation and the distribution of its assets upon its failure to consummate a Business Combination (any such non-excluded event being referred to herein as an “
Extraordinary Dividend
”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this
subsection 4.1.2
, “
Ordinary Cash Dividends
” means any cash dividend or cash distribution which, when combined on a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this
Section 4
and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does not exceed $0.50 (being 5% of the offering price of the Units in the Offering).
4.2
Aggregation of Shares
. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of
Section 4.6
hereof, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3
Adjustments in Exercise Price
. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in
subsection 4.1.1
or
4.2
above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.4
Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc
. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change under
subsections 4.1.1
or
4.1.2
or
Section 4.2
hereof or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event (the “
Alternative Issuance
” );
provided
,
however
, that (i) if the holders of the Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the Common Stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by stockholders of the Company as provided for in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the repurchase of shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the stockholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this
Section 4
;
provided
,
further
, that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) (but in no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”). For purposes of calculating such amount, (1)
Section 6
of this Agreement shall be taken into account, (2) the price of each share of Common Stock shall be the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (3) the assumed volatility shall be the 90 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event , and (4) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining term of the Warrant. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in shares of Common Stock covered by
subsection 4.1.1
, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to
subsection 4.1.1
or
Sections 4.2
,
4.3
and this
Section 4.4
. The provisions of this
Section 4.4
shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers.
4.5
Notices of Changes in Warrant
. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in
Sections 4.1
,
4.2
,
4.3
or
4.4
, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.6
No Fractional Shares
. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this
Section 4
, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.7
Form of Warrant
. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this
Section 4
, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement;
provided
,
however
, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
4.8
Other Events
. In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of preceding subsections of this
Section 4
are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this
Section 4
, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this
Section 4
and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.
5.
Transfer and Exchange of Warrants
.
5.1
Registration of Transfer
. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. The Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2
Procedure for Surrender of Warrants
. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants;
provided
,
however
, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend (as in the case of the Private Placement Warrants), the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
5.3
Fractional Warrants
. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which shall result in the issuance of a warrant certificate for a fraction of a warrant.
5.4
Service Charges
. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5
Warrant Execution and Countersignature
. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this
Section 5
, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
5.6
Transfer of Warrants
. Prior to the Detachment Date, the Public Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this
Section 5.6
shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on and after the Detachment Date.
6.
Redemption
.
6.1
Redemption
. Subject to
Section 6.4
hereof, not less than all of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed, at the option of the Company, at any time while they are exercisable and prior to their expiration, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to the Registered Holders of the Warrants, as described in
Section 6.2
below, at the price of $0.01 per Warrant (the “
Redemption Price
”), provided that the last sales price of the Common Stock reported has been at least $24.00 per share (subject to adjustment in compliance with
Section 4
hereof),
on each of twenty (20) trading days within the thirty (30) trading-day period ending on the third Business Day prior to the date on which notice of the redemption is given and provided that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day Redemption Period (
as defined in
Section 6.2
below
) or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to
subsection 3.3.1
.
6.2
Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption
. In the event that the Company elects to redeem all of the Warrants, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the “
Redemption Date
”). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date (such 30-day period, the “
Redemption Period
”) to the Registered Holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the Registered Holder received such notice.
6.3
Exercise After Notice of Redemption
. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” in accordance with
subsection 3.3.1(b)
of this Agreement) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to
Section 6.2
hereof and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event that the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to
subsection 3.3.1
, the notice of redemption shall contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the Warrants, including the “Fair Market Value” (as such term is defined in
subsection 3.3.1(b)
hereof) in such case. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.
6.4
Exclusion of Private Placement Warrants
. The Company agrees that the redemption rights provided in this
Section 6
shall not apply to the Private Placement Warrants if at the time of the redemption such Private Placement Warrants continue to be held by the Sponsor or its Permitted Transferees.
However
, once such Private Placement Warrants are transferred (other than to Permitted Transferees under
subsection 2.5
), the Company may redeem the Private Placement Warrants, provided that the criteria for redemption are met, including the opportunity of the holder of such Private Placement Warrants to exercise the Private Placement Warrants prior to redemption pursuant to
Section 6.3
. Private Placement Warrants that are transferred to persons other than Permitted Transferees shall upon such transfer cease to be Private Placement Warrants and shall become Public Warrants under this Agreement.
7.
Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants
.
7.1
No Rights as Stockholder
. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholders in respect of the meetings of stockholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
7.2
Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants
. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.
7.3
Reservation of Common Stock
. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
7.4
Registration of Common Stock; Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option
.
7.4.1
Registration of the Common Stock
. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) Business Days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it shall use its best efforts to file with the Commission a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “
Securities Act’
), of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th Business Day following the closing of the Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st Business Day after the closing of the Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by exchanging the Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption) for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this
subsection 7.4.1
, “Fair Market Value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the Warrant Agent from the holder of such Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of cashless exercise is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. In connection with the “cashless exercise” of a Public Warrant, the Company shall, upon request, provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with this
subsection 7.4.1
is not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii) the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise shall be freely tradable under United States federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act) of the Company and, accordingly, shall not be required to bear a restrictive legend. Except as provided in
subsection 7.4.2
, for the avoidance of any doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this
subsection 7.4.1
.
7.4.2
Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option
. If the Common Stock is at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, (i) require holders of Public Warrants who exercise Public Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act as described in
subsection 7.4.1
and (ii) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary. If the Company does not elect at the time of exercise to require a holder of Public Warrants who exercises Public Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis,” it agrees to use its best efforts to register or qualify for sale the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrant under the blue sky laws of the state of residence (in those states in which the Warrants were initially offered by the Company) of the exercising Public Warrant holder to the extent an exemption is not available.
8.
Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters
.
8.1
Payment of Taxes
. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares.
8.2
Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent
.
8.2.1
Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent
. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
8.2.2
Notice of Successor Warrant Agent
. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Transfer Agent for the Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
8.2.3
Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent
. Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
8.3
Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent
.
8.3.1
Remuneration
. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
8.3.2
Further Assurances
. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4
Liability of Warrant Agent
.
8.4.1
Reliance on Company Statement
. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the President, Chief Executive Officer or Chairman of the Board of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4.2
Indemnity
. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith.
8.4.3
Exclusions
. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of
Section 4
hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.
8.5
Acceptance of Agency
. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
8.6
Waiver
. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“
Claim
”) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Warrant Agent as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
9.
Miscellaneous Provisions
.
9.1
Successors
. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
9.2
Notices
. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
10 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3175
Chicago, IL 60606
Attention: Daniel J. Hennessy
Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
17 Battery Place
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Compliance Department
9.3
Applicable Law
. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
9.4
Persons Having Rights under this Agreement
. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
9.5
Examination of the Warrant Agreement
. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit his Warrant for inspection by it.
9.6
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
9.7
Effect of Headings
. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
9.8
Amendments
. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the Registered Holders. All other modifications or amendments, including any amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period and any amendment to the terms of only the Private Placement Warrants, shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to
Sections 3.1
and
3.2
, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders.
9.9
Severability
. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
Exhibit A Form of Warrant Certificate
Exhibit B Legend — Sponsor’s Warrants
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
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By
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER &
TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
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By
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/s/ Monty Harry
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Name: Monty Harry
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Title: Vice President
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Signature Page to the Warrant Agreement
EXHIBIT A
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[FACE]
Number
Warrants
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO
THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of Delaware
CUSIP 425886 116
Warrant Certificate
This Warrant Certificate certifies that
, or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s)
evidenced hereby
(the “
Warrants
” and each, a “
Warrant
”) to purchase shares of Common Stock, $.0001 par value (“
Common Stock
”), of Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”). Each Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “
Exercise Price
”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “
cashless exercise
” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Exercise Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each Warrant is initially exercisable for one-half of one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. The number of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Exercise Price per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $5.75 per half share. The Exercise Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become void.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof.
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER &
TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[Reverse]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of January __, 2014 (the “
Warrant Agreement
”), duly executed and delivered by the Company to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (the “
Warrant Agent
”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “
holders
” or “
holder
” meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Exercise Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “
cashless exercise
” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the shares of Common Stock is current, except through “
cashless exercise
” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
Election to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment for such shares to the order of Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (the “
Company
”) in the amount of $ in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such shares be delivered to whose address is . If said number of shares is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares be registered in the name of , whose address is , and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
In the event that the Warrant has been called for redemption by the Company pursuant to
Section 6
of the Warrant Agreement and the Company has required cashless exercise pursuant to
Section 6.3
of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with
subsection 3.3.1(b)
and
Section 6.3
of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is a Private Placement Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to
subsection 3.3.1(c)
of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with
subsection 3.3.1(c)
of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to
Section 7.4
of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with
Section 7.4
of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares of Common Stock. If said number of shares is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares be registered in the name of , whose address is , and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
Date:
, 20
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(Signature)
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(Address)
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(Tax Identification Number)
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THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15).
EXHIBIT B
LEGEND
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENTS BY AND AMONG HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. (THE “COMPANY”), HENNESSY CAPITAL PARTNERS I LLC AND THE OTHER PARTIES THERETO, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE COMPANY COMPLETES ITS INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 3 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT REFERRED TO HEREIN) EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OF THE COMPANY ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION RIGHTS UNDER A REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Investment Management Trust Agreement (this “
Agreement
”) is made effective as of January 16, 2014 by and between Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation (the “
Trustee
”).
WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, No. 333-192982 (the “
Registration Statement
”) and prospectus (the “
Prospectus
”) for the initial public offering of the Company’s units (the “
Units
”), each of which consists of one share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “
Common Stock
”), and one warrant, each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one-half of one share of Common Stock (such initial public offering hereinafter referred to as the “
Offering
”), has been declared effective as of the date hereof by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement with Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as representative of the several underwriters (the “
Underwriters
”) named therein (the “
Underwriting Agreement
”); and
WHEREAS, as described in the Registration Statement, $100,000,000 of the gross proceeds of the Offering and sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) (or $115,000,000 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located in the United States (the “
Trust Account
”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Company’s Common Stock included in the Units issued in the Offering as hereinafter provided (the amount to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) is referred to herein as the “
Property
,
” the stockholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “
Public Stockholders
,” and the Public Stockholders and the Company will be referred to together as the “
Beneficiaries
”); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, a portion of the Property equal to $3,250,000, or $3,737,500 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full is attributable to deferred underwriting discounts and commissions that may be payable by the Company to the Underwriters upon the consummation of the Business Combination (as defined below) (the “
Deferred Discount
”); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:
1.
Agreements and Covenants of Trustee
. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;
(b) Manage, supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;
(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property in United States government securities within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, having a maturity of 180 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraphs (c)(2), (c)(3), (c)(4) and (c)(5) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company; it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder;
(d) Collect and receive, when due, all interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as such term is used herein;
(e) Promptly notify the Company and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the Company’s preparation of the tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account;
(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by the Company to do so;
(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of, and amounts in, the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after (x) receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter from the Company (“
Termination Letter
”) in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Chairman of the board of directors (the “
Board
”) or other authorized officer of the Company, and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of any taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein, or October 23, 2015, or January 23, 2016 if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial business combination before October 23, 2015, if a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to such date, in which case the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B and the Property in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of any taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), shall be distributed to the Public Stockholders of record as of such date; provided, however, that in the event the Trustee receives a Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to Exhibit B hereto, or if the Trustee begins to liquidate the Property because it has received no such Termination Letter by October 23, 2015, or January 23, 2016 if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial business combination before October 23, 2015, the Trustee shall keep the Trust Account open until twelve (12) months following the date the Property has been distributed to the Public Stockholders;
(j) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit C (a “
Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction
”), withdraw from the Trust Account and distribute to the Company the amount of interest earned on the Property requested by the Company to cover any tax obligation owed by the Company as a result of assets of the Company or interest or other income earned on the Property, which amount shall be delivered directly to the Company by electronic funds transfer or other method of prompt payment, and the Company shall forward such payment to the relevant taxing authority;
provided
,
however
, that to the extent there is not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to pay such tax obligation, the Trustee shall liquidate such assets held in the Trust Account as shall be designated by the Company in writing to make such distribution; so long as there is no reduction in the principal amount initially deposited in the Trust Account;
provided
,
however
, that if the tax to be paid is a franchise tax, the written request by the Company to make such distribution shall be accompanied by a copy of the franchise tax bill from the State of Delaware for the Company and a written statement from the principal financial officer of the Company setting forth the actual amount payable (it being acknowledged and agreed that any such amount in excess of interest income earned on the Property shall not be payable from the Trust Account). The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request;
(k) Not make any withdrawals or distributions from the Trust Account other than pursuant to Section 1(i) or (j) above; and
(l) Within four (4) business days after the Underwriters exercise the over-allotment option (or any unexercised portion thereof) or such over-allotment expires, provide the Trustee with a notice in writing of the total amount of the Deferred Discount, which shall in no event be less than $3,250,000.
2.
Agreements and Covenants of the Company
. The Company hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the Company’s Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer. In addition, except with respect to its duties under
Sections 1(i)
and
1(j)
hereof, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
(b) Subject to Section 4 hereof, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any action taken by it hereunder and in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any interest earned on the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this
Section 2(b)
, it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “
Indemnified Claim
”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim;
provided
that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;
(c) Pay the Trustee the fees set forth on Schedule A hereto, including an initial acceptance fee, annual administration fee, and transaction processing fee which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless and until it is distributed to the Company pursuant to
Sections 1(i)
through
1(j)
hereof. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and the first annual administration fee at the consummation of the Offering. The Trustee shall refund to the Company the monthly fee (on a pro rata basis) with respect to any period after the liquidation of the Trust Account. The Company shall not be responsible for any other fees or charges of the Trustee except as set forth in this
Section 2(c)
and as may be provided in
Section 2(b)
hereof;
(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “
Business Combination
”), provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of the inspector of elections for the stockholder meeting verifying the vote of such stockholders regarding such Business Combination;
(e) Provide Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. with a copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence that is sent to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same; and
(f) Instruct the Trustee to make only those distributions that are permitted under this Agreement, and refrain from instructing the Trustee to make any distributions that are not permitted under this Agreement.
3.
Limitations of Liability
. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein;
(b) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Section 1 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party except for liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;
(c) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;
(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;
(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;
(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee, which counsel may be the Company’s counsel), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which the Trustee believes, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee, signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;
(g) Verify the accuracy of the information contained in the Registration Statement;
(h) Provide any assurance that any Business Combination entered into by the Company or any other action taken by the Company is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(i) File information returns with respect to the Trust Account with any local, state or federal taxing authority or provide periodic written statements to the Company documenting the taxes payable by the Company, if any, relating to any interest income earned on the Property;
(j) Prepare, execute and file tax reports, income or other tax returns and pay any taxes with respect to any income generated by, and activities relating to, the Trust Account, regardless of whether such tax is payable by the Trust Account or the Company, including, but not limited to, income tax obligations, except pursuant to Section 1(j) hereof; or
(k) Verify calculations, qualify or otherwise approve the Company’s written requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(j) hereof.
4.
Trust Account Waiver
. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“
Claim
”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under
Section 2(b)
or
Section 2(c)
hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.
5.
Termination
. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee, pending which the Trustee shall continue to act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate;
provided
,
however
, that in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or
(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account and its obligations in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof (which section may not be amended under any circumstances) and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 2(b).
6.
Miscellaneous
.
(a) The Company and the Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security procedures set forth below with respect to funds transferred from the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to such security procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such confidential information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee shall rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including, account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a Beneficiary, Beneficiary’s bank or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability or expense resulting from any error in the information or transmission of the funds.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.
(c) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for
Section 1(i)
hereof (which may not be modified, amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of sixty five percent (65%) of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock; provided that no such amendment will affect any Public Stockholder who has otherwise either (i) indicated his election to redeem his shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote sought to amend this Agreement or (ii) not consented to any amendment to this Agreement to extend to the time he would be entitled to a return of his pro rata amount in the Trust Account), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified (other than to correct a typographical error) by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto.
(d) The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, State of New York, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.
(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or by facsimile transmission:
if to the Trustee, to:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
17 Battery Place
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Steven G. Nelson or Frank Di Paolo
Fax No.: (212) 509-5150
if to the Company, to:
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
10 South Wacker Drive
Suite 3175
Chicago, IL 60606
Attn:
Daniel J. Hennessy
Fax No.: (312) 876-1956
in each case, with copies to:
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10105
Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.
Fax No.: (212) 370-7889
and
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
60 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
Attn: Ravi Raghunathan and Gordon Glogau
Fax No.: (646) 666-3375
and
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
525 University Avenue, Suite 1100
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Attn: Gregg A. Noel
Fax No.: (213) 621-5234
(f) This Agreement may not be assigned by the Trustee without the prior consent of the Company.
(g) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder. The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the Trust Account, including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance.
(h) This Agreement is the joint product of the Trustee and the Company and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation and agreement of such parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto.
(i) This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or electronic transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
(j) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. on behalf of the Underwriters, is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.
(k) Except as specified herein, no party to this Agreement may assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder to any other person or entity.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Trustee
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By:
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/s/ Cynthia Jordan
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Name: Cynthia Jordan
Title: Vice President
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Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name:
Daniel J. Hennessy
Title: Chief Executive Officer
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SCHEDULE A
Fee Item
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Time and method of payment
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Amount
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Initial acceptance fee
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Initial closing of IPO by wire transfer
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$1,000.00
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Annual fee
(1)
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First year, initial closing of IPO by wire transfer; thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the IPO by wire transfer or check
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$10,000.00
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Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Section 2
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Deduction by Trustee from accumulated income following disbursement made to Company under Section 2
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$250.00
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Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Section 1(i)
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Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Section 1(i)
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Prevailing rates
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(1)
$2,000 of the $10,000 is contingent upon and payment deferred until the Company's successful completion of a Business Combination.
EXHIBIT A
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
17 Battery Place
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Steven G. Nelson or Frank Di Paolo
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Re:
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Trust Account No. Termination Letter
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Gentlemen:
Pursuant to
Section 1(i)
of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (“
Company
”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“
Trustee
”), dated as of January __, 2014 (“
Trust Agreement
”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with (“
Target Business
”) to consummate a business combination with Target Business (“
Business Combination
”) on or about
[insert date]
. The Company shall notify you at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the actual date of the consummation of the Business Combination (“
Consummation Date
”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the Trust Account on
[insert date]
, and to transfer the proceeds into the trust checking account at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of funds held in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the trust checking account at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. awaiting distribution, the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.
On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated, or will be consummated concurrently with your transfer of funds to the accounts as directed by the Company (the “
Notification
”) and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) [an affidavit] [a certificate] of the Chief Executive Officer, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a vote of the Company’s stockholders, if a vote is held and (b) joint written instruction signed by the Company and [●] with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including payment of the Deferred Discount from the Trust Account (the “
Instruction Letter
”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in Section 1(c) of the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in the notice as soon thereafter as possible.
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Very truly yours,
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Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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cc: [●]
EXHIBIT B
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
17 Battery Place
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Steven G. Nelson or Frank Di Paolo
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Re:
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Trust Account No. Termination Letter
|
Gentlemen:
Pursuant to
Section 1(i)
of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (“
Company
”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“
Trustee
”), dated as of ●, 2014 (“
Trust Agreement
”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a business combination with a Target Business (“
Business Combination
”) within the time frame specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as described in the Company’s Prospectus relating to the Offering. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account on , 20
and to transfer the total proceeds into the trust checking account at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. to await distribution to the Public Stockholders. The Company has selected ●, 2015, or ●, 2016 if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial business combination before ●, 2015, as the record date for the purpose of determining the Public Stockholders entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Company’s Public Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 1(j) of the Trust Agreement.
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Very truly yours,
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Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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cc: [●]
EXHIBIT C
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
17 Battery Place
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Cynthia Jordan, Vice President
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Re:
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Trust Account No. Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction
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Gentlemen:
Pursuant to
Section 1(j)
of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (“
Company
”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“
Trustee
”), dated as of ●, 2014 (“
Trust Agreement
”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $
of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay for the tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
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Very truly yours,
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Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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cc: [●]
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “
Agreement
”), dated as of January 16, 2014, is made and entered into by and among Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”), Hennessy Capital Partners I, LLC., a Delaware limited liability company (the “
Sponsor
”), and the undersigned parties listed under Holders on the signature page hereto (each such party, together with the Sponsor and any person or entity who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to
Section 5.2
of this Agreement, a “
Holder
” and collectively the “
Holders
”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS
, the Company and the Sponsor have entered into that certain Securities Purchase Agreement (the “
Founder Shares Purchase Agreement
”), dated as of September 24, 2013, pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 shares (the “
Founder Shares
”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “
Common Stock
”); and
WHEREAS,
the Sponsor, and certain of the officers and directors of the Company entered into that certain Securities Assignment Agreement, dated as of October 17, 2013, pursuant to which the Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 200,000 Founder Shares to such persons for an aggregate purchase price of $1,800.00; and
WHEREAS
, on October 15, 2013, the Company and the Sponsor entered into that certain Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement (the “
Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement
”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase 11,000,000 warrants (or up to 12,125,000 warrants if the over-allotment option in connection with the Company’s initial public offering is exercised in full) (the “
Private Placement Warrants
”), in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Company’s initial public offering; and
WHEREAS
, the Company and the Holders desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Company shall grant the Holders certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.
NOW
,
THEREFORE
, in consideration of the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
1.1
Definitions
. The terms defined in this
Article I
shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below:
“
Adverse Disclosure
” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the Chief Executive Officer or principal financial officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.
“
Agreement
” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“
Board
” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
“
Business Combination
” shall mean any merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses, involving the Company.
“
Commission
” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“
Common Stock
” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“
Company
” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“
Demand Registration
” shall have the meaning given in
subsection 2.1.1
.
“
Demanding Holder
” shall have the meaning given in
subsection 2.1.1
.
“
Exchange Act
” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.
“
Form S-1
” shall have the meaning given in
subsection 2.1.1
.
“
Form S-3
” shall have the meaning given in
subsection 2.3
.
“
Founder Lock-up Period
” shall mean, with respect to the Founder Shares, the period ending on the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or
(B) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after its initial Business Combination that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property worth at least $12.00. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Founder Shares will be released from the lock-up.
“
Founder Shares
” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“
Founder Shares Purchase Agreement
” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“
Holders
” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“
Maximum Number of Securities
” shall have the meaning given in
subsection 2.1.4
.
“
Misstatement
” shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or Prospectus or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading.
“
Permitted Transferees
” shall mean a person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities prior to the expiration of the Founder Lock-up Period or Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, under this Agreement and any letter agreement with the Company.
“
Piggyback Registration
” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.
“
Private Placement Lock-up Period
” shall mean, with respect to Private Placement Warrants that are held by the initial purchasers of such Private Placement Warrants or their Permitted Transferees, and any of the Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise or conversion of the Private Placement Warrants and that are held by the initial purchasers of the Private Placement Warrants or their Permitted Transferees, the period ending 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination except in each case (a) to the Company’s officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of the Company’s officers or directors, any members of the Sponsor, or any affiliates of the Sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of one of the members of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased; (f) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to its completion of its initial Business Combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or the Sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the Sponsor; or (h) in the event of the Company’s completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the Company’s completion of its initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
“
Private Placement Warrants
” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“
Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement
” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“
Prospectus
” shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.
“
Prospectus Date
” shall mean the date of the final prospectus filed with the Commission and relating to the Company’s initial public offering.
“
Registrable Security
” shall mean (a) the Founder Shares, (b) the Private Placement Warrants (including any shares of the Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such Private Placement Warrants) and (c) any outstanding share of the Common Stock or any other equity security (including the shares of the Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security) of the Company held by a Holder as of the date of this Agreement and (d) any equity securities (including the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such equity security) of the Company issuable upon conversion of any working capital loans made to the Company by a Holder, and (e) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such share of the Common Stock by way of a stock dividend or stock split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or reorganization;
provided
,
however
, that, as to any particular Registrable Security, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (A) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (B) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (C) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (D) such securities may be sold without registration pursuant Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (but with no volume or other restrictions or limitations); or (E) such securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction.
“
Registration
” shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.
“
Registration Expenses
” shall mean the out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:
(A) all registration and filing fees (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and any securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed;
(B) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities);
(C) printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses;
(D) reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company;
(E) reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically in connection with such Registration; and
(F) reasonable fees and expenses of one (1) legal counsel selected by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration.
“
Registration Statement
” shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
“
Requesting Holder
” shall have the meaning given in
subsection 2.1.1
.
“
Securities Act
” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
“
Sponsor
” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“
Underwriter
” shall mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.
“
Underwritten Registration
” or “
Underwritten Offering
” shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.
ARTICLE II
REGISTRATIONS
2.1
Demand Registration
.
2.1.1
Request for Registration
. Subject to the provisions of
subsection 2.1.4
and
Section 2.4
hereof, at any time and from time to time on or after the date the Company consummates the Business Combination, the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the then outstanding number of Registrable Securities (the “
Demanding Holders
”) may make a written demand for Registration under the Securities Act of all or part of their Registrable Securities, which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand a “
Demand Registration
”). The Company shall, within ten (10) days of the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, notify, in writing, all other Holders of Registrable Securities of such demand, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration, a “
Requesting Holder
”) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within five (5) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. Upon receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to the Company, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall effect, as soon thereafter as practicable, but not more than forty five (45) days immediately after the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant such the Demand Registration. Under no circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of three (3) Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration under this
subsection 2.1.1
with respect to any or all Registrable Securities;
provided
,
however
, that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration statement that may be available at such time (“
Form S-1
”) has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Requesting Holders to be registered on behalf of the Requesting Holders in such Form S-1 Registration have been sold, in accordance with
Section 3.1
of this Agreement.
2.1.2
Effective Registration
. Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsection 2.1.1
above or any other part of this Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (i) the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and (ii) the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto;
provided
,
further
, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission, federal or state court or any other governmental agency the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days, of such election;
provided
,
further
, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration becomes effective or is subsequently terminated.
2.1.3
Underwritten Offering
. Subject to the provisions of
subsection 2.1.4
and
Section 2.4
hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Underwritten Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this
subsection 2.1.3
shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration.
2.1.4
Reduction of Underwritten Offering
. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell and the Common Stock, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by any other stockholders who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of equity securities that can be sold in the Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of such securities, as applicable, the “
Maximum Number of Securities
”), then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder and Requesting Holder (if any) has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten Registration (such proportion is referred to herein as “
Pro Rata
”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Registrable Securities of Holders (Pro Rata, based on the respective number or Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to
subsection 2.2.1
hereof, without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the Common Stock or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.1.5
Demand Registration Withdrawal
. A majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration or a majority-in-interest of the Requesting Holders (if any), pursuant to a Registration under
subsection 2.1.1
shall have the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to such Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of their intention to withdraw from such Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of their Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration prior to its withdrawal under this
subsection 2.1.5
.
2.2
Piggyback Registration
.
2.2.1
Piggyback Rights
. If, at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination, the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into equity securities, for its own account or for the account of stockholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the stockholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to
Section 2.1
hereof), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing stockholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but not less than ten (10) days before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, and (B) offer to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as such Holders may request in writing within five (5) days after receipt of such written notice (such Registration a “
Piggyback Registration
”). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed Underwritten Offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection 2.2.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this
subsection 2.2.1
shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company.
2.2.2
Reduction of Piggyback Registration
. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration that is to be a Piggyback Registration, in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating in the Piggyback Registration in writing that the dollar amount or number of the Common Stock that the Company desires to sell, taken together with (i) the Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder (ii) the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant
Section 2.2
hereof, and (iii) the Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then:
(a) If the Registration is undertaken for the Company’s account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to
subsection 2.2.1
hereof, Pro Rata, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities;
(b) If the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Common Stock or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to
subsection 2.2.1
, pro rata based on the number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Holders have requested to be included in such Underwritten Registration, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the Common Stock or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.2.3
Piggyback Registration Withdrawal
. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw from a Piggyback Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of his, her or its intention to withdraw from such Piggyback Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Piggyback Registration. The Company (whether on its own good faith determination or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to its withdrawal under this
subsection 2.2.3
.
2.2.4
Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights
. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to
Section 2.2
hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under
Section 2.1
hereof.
2.3
Registrations on Form S-3
. The Holders of Registrable Securities may at any time, and from time to time, request in writing that the Company, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), register the resale of any or all of their Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration statement that may be available at such time (“
Form S-3
”);
provided
,
however
, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect such request through an Underwritten Offering. Within five (5) days of the Company’s receipt of a written request from a Holder or Holders of Registrable Securities for a Registration on Form S-3, the Company shall promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration on Form S-3 to all other Holders of Registrable Securities, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration on Form S-3 shall so notify the Company, in writing, within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. As soon as practicable thereafter, but not more than twelve (12) days after the Company’s initial receipt of such written request for a Registration on Form S-3, the Company shall register all or such portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities as are specified in such written request, together with all or such portion of Registrable Securities of any other Holder or Holders joining in such request as are specified in the written notification given by such Holder or Holders;
provided
,
however
, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such Registration pursuant to
Section 2.3
hereof if (i) a Form S-3 is not available for such offering; or (ii) the Holders of Registrable Securities, together with the Holders of any other equity securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such Registration, propose to sell the Registrable Securities and such other equity securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $5,000,000.
2.4
Restrictions on Registration Rights
. If (A) during the period starting with the date sixty (60) days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date one hundred and twenty (120) days after the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Holders prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to
subsection 2.1.1
and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (B) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good faith judgment of the Board such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish to such Holders a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement. In such event, the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period of not more than thirty (30) days;
provided
,
however
, that the Company shall not defer its obligation in this manner more than once in any 12-month period. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, no Registration shall be effected or permitted and no Registration Statement shall become effective, with respect to any Registrable Securities held by any Holder, until after the expiration of the Founder Lock-Up Period or the Private Placement Lock-Up Period, as the case may be.
ARTICLE III
COMPANY PROCEDURES
3.1
General Procedures
. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination the Company is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible,:
3.1.1 prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold;
3.1.2 prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be requested by the Holders or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus;
3.1.3 prior to filing a Registration Statement or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the Underwriters, if any, and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders;
3.1.4 prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions;
provided
,
however
, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject;
3.1.5 cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
3.1.6 provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;
3.1.7 advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued;
3.1.8 at least five (5) days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus or any document that is to be incorporated by reference into such Registration Statement or Prospectus, furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities or its counsel;
3.1.9 notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then to correct such Misstatement as set forth in
Section 3.4
hereof;
3.1.10 permit a representative of the Holders, the Underwriters, if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders or Underwriter to participate, at each such person’s own expense, in the preparation of the Registration Statement, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration;
provided
,
however
, that such representatives or Underwriters enter into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to the release or disclosure of any such information;
3.1.11 obtain a “cold comfort” letter from the Company’s independent registered public accountants in the event of an Underwritten Registration, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by “cold comfort” letters as the managing Underwriter may reasonably request, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating Holders;
3.1.12 on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion, dated such date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the Holders, the placement agent or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriters, if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of which such opinion is being given as the Holders, placement agent, sales agent, or Underwriter may reasonably request and as are customarily included in such opinions, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority in interest of the participating Holders;
3.1.13 in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering;
3.1.14 make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder;
3.1.15 if the Registration involves the Registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000, use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering; and
3.1.16 otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the Holders, in connection with such Registration.
3.2
Registration Expenses
. The Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such as Underwriters’ commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, Underwriter marketing costs and, other than as set forth in the definition of “Registration Expenses,” all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders.
3.3
Requirements for Participation in Underwritten Offerings
. No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (i) agrees to sell such person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Company and (ii) completes and executes all customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting agreements and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements.
3.4
Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure
. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice), or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this
Section 3.4
.
3.5
Reporting Obligations
. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be reporting under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell shares of the Common Stock held by such Holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.
ARTICLE IV
INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
4.1
Indemnification
.
4.1.1 The Company agrees to indemnify, to the extent permitted by law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers and directors and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) caused by any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder.
4.1.2 In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the extent permitted by law, shall indemnify the Company, its directors and officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) resulting from any untrue statement of material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein;
provided
,
however
, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company.
4.1.3 Any person entitled to indemnification herein shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to the terms of such settlement) or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.
4.1.4 The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall survive the transfer of securities. The Company and each Holder of Registrable Securities participating in an offering also agrees to make such provisions as are reasonably requested by any indemnified party for contribution to such party in the event the Company’s or such Holder’s indemnification is unavailable for any reason.
4.1.5 If the indemnification provided under
Section 4.1
hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to herein, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, was made by, or relates to information supplied by, such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the indemnifying party’s and indemnified party’s relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action;
provided
,
however
, that the liability of any Holder under this
subsection 4.1.5
shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in
subsections 4.1.1
,
4.1.2
and
4.1.3
above, any legal or other fees, charges or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this
subsection 4.1.5
were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this
subsection 4.1.5
. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this
subsection 4.1.5
from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
ARTICLE V
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1
Notices
. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) deposit in the United States mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (ii) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (iii) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered, or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail or facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed to Company at 10 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3175, Chicago, Illinois 60606 and to the Holder, at such Holder’s address as found in the Company’s books and records. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this
Section 5.1
.
5.2
Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries
.
5.2.1 This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part.
5.2.2 Prior to the expiration of the Founder Lock-up Period or the Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, no Holder may assign or delegate such Holder’s rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, except in connection with a transfer of Registrable Securities by such Holder to a Permitted Transferee, but only if such Permitted Transferee agrees to become bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in this Agreement and other applicable letter agreements.
5.2.3 This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders.
5.2.4 This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement and
Section 5.2
hereof.
5.2.5 No assignment by any party hereto of such party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment as provided in
Section 5.1
hereof and (ii) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement). Any transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this
Section 5.2
shall be null and void.
5.3
Counterparts
. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced.
5.4
Governing Law; Venue
. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG DELAWARE RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.
5.5
Amendments and Modifications
. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities at the time in question, compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified;
provided
,
however
, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder, solely in its capacity as a holder of the shares of capital stock of the Company, in a manner that is materially different from the other Holders (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such party.
5.6
Other Registration Rights
. The Company represents and warrants that no person, other than a Holder of Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any securities of the Company for sale or to include such securities of the Company in any Registration filed by the Company for the sale of securities for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.
5.7
Term
. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the tenth anniversary of the date of this Agreement or (ii) the date as of which (A) all of the Registrable Securities have been sold pursuant to a Registration Statement (but in no event prior to the applicable period referred to in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act and Rule 174 thereunder) or (B) the Holders of all Registrable Securities are permitted to sell the Registrable Securities under Rule 144 (or any similar provision) under the Securities Act without limitation on the amount of securities sold or the manner of sale. The provisions of
Section 3.5
and
Article IV
shall survive any termination.
[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.
COMPANY:
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISTION CORP.,
a Delaware corporation
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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HOLDERS:
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HENNESSY CAPITAL PARTNERS I, LLC
a Delaware limited liability company
By: Hennessy Capital LLC, its managing member
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Managing Member
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/s/ Bradley Bell
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Name: Bradley Bell
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/s/ Richard Burns
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Name: Richard Burns
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/s/ Joseph Tabet
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Name: Joseph Tabet
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/s/ Peter Shea
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Name: Peter Shea
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/s/ Kevin Charlton
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Name: Kevin Charlton
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/s/ Charles B. Lowrey II
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Name: Charles B. Lowery II
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[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
January 16, 2014
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
10 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
Re:
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Initial Public Offering
|
Gentlemen:
This letter (this “
Letter Agreement
”) is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “
Underwriting Agreement
”) entered into or proposed to be entered into by and between Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”), and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as representative of the several underwriters (the “
Underwriters
”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “
Public Offering
”), of 10,000,000 of the Company’s units (the “
Units
”), each comprised of one share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “
Common Stock
”), and one warrant (each, a “
Warrant
”). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one-half of one share of the Common Stock at a price of $5.75 per half share, subject to adjustment. The Units shall be sold in the Public Offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 and prospectus (the “
Prospectus
”) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
Commission
”) and the Company shall apply to have the Units listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 11 hereof.
In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Hennessy Capital Partners I LLC (the “
Sponsor
”) and the undersigned individuals, each of whom is a director or member of the Company’s management team (each, an “
Insider
” and collectively, the “
Insiders
”), hereby agrees with the Company as follows:
1. The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed Business Combination, it or he shall vote all Founder Shares and any shares acquired by it or him in the Public Offering or the secondary public market in favor of such proposed Business Combination.
2. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees that in the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) within 21 months from the closing of the Public Offering (or 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Public Offering but has not completed the initial Business Combination within such 21-month period), or such later period approved by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the Sponsor and Insiders shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering (the “
Offering Shares
”), at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor and each Insider agrees to not propose any amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Public Offering (or 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for a Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Public Offering but has not completed the Business Combination within such 21-month period), unless the Company provides its public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
The Sponsor and each Insider acknowledges that it or he has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or any other asset of the Company as a result of any liquidation of the Company with respect to the Founder Shares. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby further waives, with respect to any shares of the Common Stock held by it or him, if any, any redemption rights it or he may have in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, including, without limitation, any such rights available in the context of a stockholder vote to approve such Business Combination or in the context of a tender offer made by the Company to purchase shares of the Common Stock (although the Sponsor and Insiders shall be entitled to redemption and liquidation rights with respect to any shares of the Common Stock (other than the Founder Shares) it or they hold if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 21 months from the date of the closing of the Public Offering (or 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for a Business Combination within 21 months from the closing of the Public Offering but has not completed the Business Combination within such 21-month period).
3. During the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and ending 180 days after such date, the Sponsor and each Insider shall not (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect to any Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock owned by it, if any, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock owned by it, if any, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction, including the filing of a registration statement specified in clause (i) or (ii). Each of the Insiders and the Sponsor acknowledges and agrees that, prior to the effective date of any release or waiver, of the restrictions set forth in this paragraph 3 or paragraph 7 below, the Company shall announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (i) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (ii) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this Letter Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
4. In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, Daniel J. Hennessy (the “
Indemnitor
”) agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim whatsoever) to which the Company may become subject as a result of any claim by (i) any third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company or (ii) a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into an acquisition agreement (a “
Target
”);
provided
,
however
, that such indemnification of the Company by the Indemnitor shall apply only to the extent necessary to ensure that such claims by a third party for services rendered (other than the Company’s independent public accountants) or products sold to the Company or a Target do not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per share of the Offering Shares and (ii) such lesser amount per share of the Offering Shares held in the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account other than due to the failure to obtain such waiver, in each case, net of the amount of interest earned on the property in the Trust Account that may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and provided, further, that only if such third party or Target has not executed an agreement waiving claims against and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account whether or not such agreement is enforceable. In the event that any such executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against such third party, the Indemnitor shall not be responsible for any liability as a result of any such third party claims. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, such indemnification of the Company by the Indemnitor shall not apply as to any claims under the Company’s obligation to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Indemnitor shall have the right to defend against any such claim with counsel of its choice reasonably satisfactory to the Company if, within 15 days following written receipt of notice of the claim to the Indemnitor, the Indemnitor notify the Company in writing that it shall undertake such defense.
5. To the extent that the Underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase an additional 1,500,000 shares of the Common Stock (as described in the Prospectus), the Sponsor agrees that it shall return to the Company for cancellation, at no cost, a number of Founder Shares in the aggregate equal to 375,000 multiplied by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 1,500,000 minus the number of shares of Common Stock purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their over-allotment option, and (ii) the denominator of which is 1,500,000. The Sponsor further agrees that to the extent that the size of the Public Offering is increased or decreased and (b) the sponsor has either purchased or sold shares of Common Stock or an adjustment to the number of Founder Shares has been effected by way of a stock split, stock dividend, reverse stock split, contribution back to capital or otherwise, in each case in connection with such increase or decrease in the size of the Public Offering, then (A) the references to 1,500,000 in the numerator and denominator of the formula in the immediately preceding sentence shall be changed to a number equal to 15% of the number of shares included in the Units issued in the Public Offering and (B) the reference to 375,000 in the formula set forth in the immediately preceding sentence shall be adjusted to such number of shares of the Common Stock that the Sponsor would have to return to the Company in order to hold (with all of the pre-offering stockholders) an aggregate of 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Public Offering. In addition, a portion of the Founder Shares in an amount equal to 5.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares immediately after the Public Offering (the “
Founder Earnout Shares
”), shall be returned to the Company by the Sponsor and the Insiders, for cancellation, on a pro rata basis, at no cost, on the fourth anniversary of the completion of a Business Combination unless following such Business Combination the last sales price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $13.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period or the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for consideration in cash, securities or other property which equals or exceeds $13.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).
6. (a) The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company until the Company has entered into a definitive agreement with respect to a Business Combination or the Company has failed to complete a Business Combination within 24 months after the closing of the Public Offering.
(b) Each of the Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees and acknowledges that: (i) each of the Underwriters and the Company would be irreparably injured in the event of a breach by such Sponsor or Insider of his or its obligations under paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6(a), 7(a), 7(b), and 9 of this Letter Agreement (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.
7. (a) The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it or he shall not Transfer any Founder Shares held by it or him, if any, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) the date following the completion of a Business Combination on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property (the “
Founder Shares Lock-up Period
”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last sale price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stocks dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, or (2) if the Company consummates a transaction after its initial Business Combination which results in its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash or property worth at least $12.00 per share, the Founder Shares will be released from the Founder Shares Lock-Up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Founder Earnout Shares will remain subject to the lockup restrictions described above until the earlier of their forfeiture or the conditions to their release from forfeiture are met.
(b) The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it or he shall not effectuate any Transfer of Private Placement Warrants or Common Stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in paragraphs 7(a) and (b), Transfers of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and shares of Common Stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants are permitted to (a) to the Company’s officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of the Company’s officers or directors or any affiliates of the Sponsor and Insiders; (b) in the case of an individual, by a gift to a member of one of the members of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased; (f) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to the completion of a Business Combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or the Sponsor’s Limited Liability Company agreement upon dissolution of the Sponsor; or (h) in the event of completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination;
provided
,
however
, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
8. The Sponsor and each Insider represents and warrants that it or he has never been suspended or expelled from membership in any securities or commodities exchange or association or had a securities or commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked. Each Insider’s biographical information furnished to the Company is true and accurate in all respects and does not omit any material information with respect to the undersigned’s background. Each Insider’s questionnaire furnished to the Company is true and accurate in all respects. Each Insider represents and warrants that: the undersigned is not subject to or a respondent in any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order or order or stipulation to desist or refrain from any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction; the undersigned has never been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any crime (i) involving fraud, (ii) relating to any financial transaction or handling of funds of another person, or (iii) pertaining to any dealings in any securities and the undersigned is not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding.
9. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, neither the Sponsor or any Insider nor any affiliate of the Sponsor or any Insider, nor any director or officer of the Company, shall receive any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any repayment of a loan or other compensation prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), other than the following: repayment of a loan and advances of up to $250,000 made to the Company by Hennessy Capital LLC, an affiliate of the Sponsor; payment to Hennessy Capital LLC for office space, utilities and secretarial support in an amount not to exceed $10,000 per month; reimbursement for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and consummating an initial Business Combination, so long as no proceeds of the Public Offering held in the Trust Account may be applied to the payment of such expenses prior to the consummation of a Business Combination; and repayment of loans, if any, and on such terms as to be determined by the Company from time to time, made by the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, provided, that, if the Company does not consummate an initial Business Combination, a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account may be used by the Company to repay such loaned amounts so long as no proceeds from the Trust Account are used for such repayment.
10. The Sponsor and each Insider has full right and power, without violating any agreement to which it is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement.
11. As used herein, (i) “
Business Combination
” shall mean a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses; (ii) “
Founder Shares
” shall mean the 2,875,000 shares of the Common Stock of the Company initially acquired by the Sponsor and Insiders for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.001 per share, prior to the consummation of the Public Offering; (iii) “
Private Placement Warrants
“ shall mean the Warrants to purchase up to 11,000,000 shares of the Common Stock of the Company (or 12,125,000 shares of Common Stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) that are acquired by the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $5.5 million in the aggregate (or $6.062 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.50 per Warrant, in a private placement that shall occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering; (iv) “
Public Stockholders
” shall mean the holders of securities issued in the Public Offering; (v) “
Trust Account
” shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Public Offering shall be deposited; and (vi) “
Transfer
” shall mean the (a) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any
security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
12. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.
13. No party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on the Sponsor and Insiders and its successors and assigns.
14. This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be exclusive and (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
15. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or facsimile transmission.
16. This Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period for 100% of the Founder Shares or (ii) the liquidation of the Company;
provided
,
however
, that this Letter Agreement shall earlier terminate in the event that the Public Offering is not consummated and closed by February 28, 2014,
provided further
that paragraph 4 of this Letter Agreement shall survive such liquidation.
[Signature Page follows]
Sincerely,
HENNESSY CAPITAL PARTNERS I LLC
By: Hennessy Capital LLC, it managing member
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
Title: Managing Member
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By:
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/s/ Kevin Charlton
|
|
Kevin Charlton
|
By:
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/s/ Charles B. Lowrey II
|
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Charles B. Lowrey II
|
By:
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/s/ Bradley Bell
|
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Bradley Bell
|
By:
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/s/ Peter Shea
|
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Peter Shea
|
By:
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/s/ Richard Burns
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Richard Burns
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By:
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/s/ Joseph Tabet
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Joseph Tabet
|
Acknowledged and Agreed:
HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
Title: Chief Executive Officer
|
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
10 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3175
Chicago, IL 60606
January 16, 2014
Hennessy Capital LLC
10 South Wacker Drive
Suite 3175
Chicago, IL 60606
Re:
Administrative Services Agreement
Gentlemen:
This letter will confirm our agreement that, commencing on the date the securities of Hennessy Acquisition Corp. (the “
Company
”) are first listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “
Listing Date
”), pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-1 and prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
Registration Statement
”) and continuing until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of an initial business combination or the Company’s liquidation (in each case as described in the Registration Statement) (such earlier date hereinafter referred to as the “
Termination Date
”), Hennessy Capital LLC ( “
Hennessy Capital
”), an affiliate of our sponsor, Hennessy Capital Partners I LLC, shall make available to the Company, at 10 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3175 Chicago, IL 60606 (or any successor location), certain office space, utilities, and general office, receptionist and secretarial support as may be reasonably required by the Company. In exchange therefor, the Company shall pay Hennessy Capital the sum of $10,000 per month on the Listing Date and continuing monthly thereafter until the Termination Date.
Hennessy Capital hereby irrevocably waives any and all right, title, interest, causes of action and claims of any kind (each, a “
Claim
”) in or to, and any and all right to seek payment of any amounts due to it out of, the trust account established for the benefit of the public shareholders of the Company and into which substantially all of the proceeds of the Company’s initial public offering will be deposited (the “
Trust Account
”), and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, this agreement, which Claim would reduce, encumber or otherwise adversely affect the Trust Account or any monies or other assets in the Trust Account, and further agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction of any Claim against the Trust Account or any monies or other assets in the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
This letter agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of its subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby.
This letter agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.
No party hereto may assign either this letter agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written approval of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee.
This letter agreement, the entire relationship of the parties hereto, and any litigation between the parties (whether grounded in contract, tort, statute, law or equity) shall be governed by, construed in accordance with, and interpreted pursuant to the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to its choice of laws principles.
[Signature page follows]
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Very truly yours,
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HENNESSY CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY:
HENNESSY CAPITAL LLC
By:
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/s/ Daniel J. Hennessy
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Name: Daniel J. Hennessy
|
|
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Title: Managing Member
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[Signature Page to Administrative Services Agreement]
Exhibit 99.1
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
Announces Pricing of $100 Million
Initial Public Offering
NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (the "Company") announced today that it priced its initial public offering of 10,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit. Each unit issued in the initial public offering consists of one share of the Company's common stock and one warrant to purchase one half of one share of common stock at an exercise price of $5.75 per half share ($11.50 per full share). The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any. The units are expected to begin trading Friday, January 17, 2014 on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "HCACU".
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company founded by Daniel J. Hennessy and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company has not identified any business combination target and it has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with respect to identifying any business combination target. The Company’s acquisition and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after its initial business combination, to build, a diversified industrial manufacturing or distribution business.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. is acting as the sole bookrunner for the offering. The offering will only be made by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005-2836, Attention: Prospectus Group, Telephone: (800) 503-4611, Email: prospectus.cpdg@db.com.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 16, 2014. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any State or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such State or jurisdiction.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with respect to the proposed initial public offering and the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration statement and preliminary prospectus for the Company's offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. Completes $115 Million Initial Public Offering
NEW YORK, January 23, 2014 /
BusinessWire
/ -- Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: HCACU) (the "Company") a special purpose acquisition company, announced today the closing of its initial public offering of 11,500,000 units at an initial public offering price of $10.00 per unit, including 1,500,000 units issued pursuant to the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option, with the offering raising gross proceeds of $115 million. The Company’s units are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol "HCACU". Each unit issued in the initial public offering consists of one share of the Company's common stock and one warrant to purchase one half of one share of common stock at an exercise price of $5.75 per half share ($11.50 per full share). Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. acted as the sole book runner for the offering.
Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company founded by Daniel J. Hennessy and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company’s acquisition and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after its initial business combination, to build, a diversified industrial manufacturing or distribution business.
A registration statement relating to these units and the underlying securities was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 16, 2014. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state or jurisdiction.
The offering was made only by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005-2836, Attention: Prospectus Group, Telephone: (800) 503-4611, Email: prospectus.cpdg@db.com.
Information Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may include "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this news release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments as well as other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform with the Company's expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to the following: changes in general economic, market or business conditions; the opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented to and pursued by the Company; changes in laws or regulations; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurances that the actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized, or even if realized, that they will have the expected consequences to or effects on the Company, its business or operations. We have no intention, and disclaim any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future results or otherwise.