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S-1/A - S-1/A - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2199401zs-1a.htm
EX-5.1 - EXHIBIT 5.1 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-5_1.htm
EX-4.7 - EXHIBIT 4.7 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-4_7.htm
EX-23.2 - EX-23.2 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-23_2.htm
EX-10.31 - EXHIBIT 10.31 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_31.htm
EX-10.29 - EXHIBIT 10.29 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_29.htm
EX-10.30 - EXHIBIT 10.30 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_30.htm
EX-10.27 - EXHIBIT 10.27 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_27.htm
EX-10.32 - EXHIBIT 10.32 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_32.htm
EX-10.28 - EXHIBIT 10.28 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_28.htm
EX-10.26 - EXHIBIT 10.26 - AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.a2200646zex-10_26.htm

Exhibit 1.1

Aeroflex Holding Corp.

 

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

 


 

Underwriting Agreement

 

                       , 2010

 

Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

As representatives (the “Representatives”) of the
several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto

c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.

200 West Street

New York, New York 10282-2198

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Aeroflex Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of                  shares of common stock, $0.01 par value (the “Stock”), of the Company, and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to                additional shares of Stock.  The aggregate of                    shares of Stock to be sold by the Company is herein called the “Firm Shares,” and the aggregate of                  additional shares of Stock to be sold by the Company is herein called the “Optional Shares.” The Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof are herein collectively called the “Shares.”

 

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel Nicolaus”) has agreed to reserve up to                    of the Firm Shares to be purchased by it under this Agreement for sale to the Company’s directors, officers, employees and other parties related to the Company (collectively, “Participants”), as set forth in the Prospectus (defined below) under the heading “Underwriting” (the “Directed Share Program”), subject to the terms of this Agreement, the applicable rules, regulations and interpretations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations.  The Firm Shares to be sold

 



 

by Stifel Nicolaus pursuant to the Directed Share Program are referred to hereinafter as the “Directed Shares.” The Directed Shares will be sold by Stifel Nicolaus pursuant to this Agreement at the public offering price.  Any Directed Shares not confirmed orally or in writing for purchase by any Participant by the end of the first business day after the date of this Agreement will be offered to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.

 

1.     The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

 

(i)            A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-165920) (the “Initial Registration Statement”) in respect of the Shares has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”); the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto, to you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Shares that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(iii) hereof) is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Shares is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”);

 

(ii)           No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the

 

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Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and each Preliminary Prospectus did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;

 

(iii)          For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is       :       [am][pm] (New York City time) on the date of this Agreement.  The Pricing Prospectus as of the Applicable Time, when considered together with the public offering price per Share and the number of Shares offered, each as set forth on Schedule II(a) hereto, did not include 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; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II(b) hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Prospectus as of the Applicable Time, did not include 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 this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;

 

(iv)          The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;

 

(v)           Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the

 

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Pricing Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”), otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;

 

(vi)          The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries;

 

(vii)         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 power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing in any such jurisdiction would not individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as an entity in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization; except where the failure to be in good standing in any jurisdiction would not individually or in the aggregate result in a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(viii)        The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus; and all of the issued shares of capital

 

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stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except for directors’ qualifying shares) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims; and there are no options, warrants or rights to acquire shares of capital stock of any subsidiary of the Company;

 

(ix)           The unissued Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Pricing Prospectus;

 

(x)            The issue and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not (1) conflict with or result in a material breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (2) result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or (3) result in any violation of any statute or order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, except in the case of clause (3) as would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares to be sold by the Company or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the Shares and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters, such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and any consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations, qualifications or other actions that have been, or prior to the First Time of Delivery hereunder will be, obtained, waived or made.  A “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition that gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries;

 

(xi)           Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or (ii) in default in the

 

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performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except for any defaults under clause (ii) above that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(xii)          The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Stock, under the caption “Description of Indebtedness”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Company’s outstanding indebtedness, under the caption “Certain U.S. Federal Tax Consequences For Non-U.S. Holders”, and under the caption “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects;

 

(xiii)         Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or by others;

 

(xiv)        The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);

 

(xv)         At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined under Rule 405 under the Act;

 

(xvi)        KPMG LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

 

(xvii)       The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the

 

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summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus under the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.  All other financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby.  All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus regarding adjusted EBITDA have been calculated in a manner required by the Company’s outstanding credit facilities.

 

(xviii)      The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed and monitored by the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.  The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting.  The Company is not required to comply with the reporting provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 until its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2010;

 

(xix)         Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting;

 

(xx)          The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

 

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(xxi)         Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries own or have the right to use pursuant to license, sublicense, agreement or permission all patents, trademarks, service marks, patent applications, trade names, copyrights, trade secrets, domain names, information, know-how, proprietary rights and processes (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary for their business as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and, to the Company’s knowledge, necessary in connection with the products and services under development, without any conflict with or infringement of the interests of others, except for such conflicts or infringements which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had, and are not reasonably likely to result in, a Material Adverse Effect, and have taken all reasonable steps necessary to secure interests in such Intellectual Property and have taken all reasonable steps necessary to secure assignment of such Intellectual Property from its employees and contractors; except as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has no knowledge of any infringement by any third party of any Intellectual Property or other similar rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, individually or in the aggregate, has had or is reasonably likely to result in, a Material Adverse Effect; except as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of outstanding options, licenses or agreements of any kind relating to the Intellectual Property of the Company which are required to be set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus; and, except as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to or bound by any options, licenses or agreements with respect to the Intellectual Property of any other person or entity which are required to be set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus; none of the technology employed by the Company has been obtained or is being used by the Company or its subsidiaries in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its directors or executive officers or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its employees or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons; except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written or, to the Company’s knowledge, oral communications alleging that the Company or any of its subsidiaries has violated, infringed or conflicted with, or, by conducting its business as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, would violate, infringe or conflict with any of the Intellectual Property of any other person or entity other than any such violations, infringements or conflicts which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had, and are not reasonably likely to result in, a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company and its subsidiaries have taken and will maintain reasonable measures to prevent the unauthorized dissemination or publication of their confidential information and, to the extent contractually required to do so, the confidential information of third parties in their possession;

 

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(xxii)        The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof; and to the Company’s knowledge there is no tax deficiency that has been, or could reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets except where such deficiencies, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(xxiii)       The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where such revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(xxiv)       No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the best knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, manufacturers, contractors or customers, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of cancellation or termination with respect to any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party;

 

(xxv)        (A) The Company and its subsidiaries (1) are, and at all prior times were, in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, requirements, decisions, orders and other legally enforceable requirements relating to the protection of human health or safety, the environment, natural resources, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (2) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses, and (3) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability (including, without limitation, such liability of a third party which could reasonably be expected to adversely affect the Company or any of its subsidiaries) under or relating to any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and have no knowledge of any

 

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event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice, and (B) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or its subsidiaries, except in the case of each of (A) and (B) above, for any such failure to comply, or failure to receive required permits, licenses or approvals, or cost or liability, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (C) except as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, (1) there are no proceedings that are pending, or that are known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $100,000 or more will be imposed, (2) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries, and (3) none of the Company and its subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to any Environmental Laws;

 

(xxvi)       Neither the Company nor any of the subsidiaries has violated (A) any federal, state or local law or foreign law relating to discrimination in hiring, promotion or pay of employees, (B) any applicable wage or hour laws or (C) any provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder, except those violations that would not, individually and in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(xxvii)      The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses and is ordinary and customary for comparable companies in the same or similar businesses; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (x) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (y) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business;

 

(xxviii)     Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the best knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (1) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (2) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official

 

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or employee from corporate funds; (3) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; or (4) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment;

 

(xxix)       The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, 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 or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened;

 

(xxx)        None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, 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 U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC;

 

(xxxi)       Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required by any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having any jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, or any agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject;

 

(xxxii)      The Company and its directors and officers, in their capacities as such, are in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Section 302 related to certifications;

 

(xxxiii)     There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this

 

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Agreement, except for such rights as may be described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;

 

(xxxiv)     Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the Company’s knowledge, there is no outstanding allegation of improper or illegal activities arising from any government audit or non audit review, including without limitation, by the Defense Contract Audit Agency or the Defense Contract Management Agency, of the Company or work performed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or subcontractors on behalf of the Company. There are no pending civil or criminal penalties or administrative sanctions arising from a government audit or non audit review of the Company or work performed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or subcontractors on behalf of the Company, including, but not limited to, termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines, or suspension or debarment from doing business with any U.S. federal government agency. As of the date hereof, the Company does not reasonably believe that it will be required to make any material adjustments to the financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as a result of any pending government audit or non audit review of the Company;

 

(xxxv)      Except as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its subsidiaries, and, to the Company’s knowledge, each of their affiliates and any director, officer, agent or employee of, or other person associated with or acting on behalf of, the Company has acted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable Export and Import Laws (as defined below) and there are no claims, complaints, charges, investigations or proceedings pending or expected or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and any governmental authority under any Export or Import Laws.  The term “Export and Import Laws” means the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and all other laws and regulations of the United States government regulating the provision of services to non-U.S. parties or the export and import of articles or information from and to the United States of America, and all similar laws and regulations of any foreign government regulating the provision of services to parties not of the foreign country or the export and import of articles and information from and to the foreign country to parties not of the foreign country; and

 

(xxxvi)     The Company’s board of directors meets the independence requirements of, and has established an audit committee that meets the independence requirements of, the rules and regulations of the Commission and the New York Stock Exchange.

 

(xxxvii)      The Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus comply, and any amendments or supplements thereto, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement will comply in all material respects with any applicable laws or

 

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regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the Directed Share Program.

 

(xxxviii)     No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency, other than those obtained, is required in connection with the offering of the Directed Shares in any jurisdiction where the Directed Shares are being offered, except (i) such as have been obtained and made or (ii) such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.

 

(xxxix)        The Company has not offered, or caused Stifel Nicolaus to offer, Shares to any person pursuant to the Directed Share Program with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products or services.

 

2.             Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price per share of $        , the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.

 

The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to                Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering sales of shares in excess of the number of Firm Shares, provided that the purchase price per Optional Share shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on the Optional Shares.  Any such election to purchase Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which

 

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such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.

 

3.             Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

 

4.     (a)     The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as Goldman, Sachs & Co. may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company, shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to Goldman, Sachs & Co., through the facilities of DTC or its designated custodian (the “Designated Office”), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to Goldman, Sachs & Co. at least forty-eight hours in advance.  The Company will cause the Shares to be eligible for participation in the Direct Registration System.  The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on                 , 2010 or such other time and date as Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified by Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the written notice given by Goldman, Sachs & Co. of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the Company may agree upon in writing.  Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the “First Time of Delivery”, such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the “Second Time of Delivery”, and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a “Time of Delivery”.

 

(b)           The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 9 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 9(m) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Goodwin Procter LLP, The New York Times Building, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York (the “Closing Location”), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery.  A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 6:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto.  For the purposes of this Section 4, “New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

 

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5.             The Company, in accordance with the requirements of NASD Conduct Rule 2720, as amended (“Rule 2720”), as administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), and subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, hereby confirms the engagement of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (“Credit Suisse”), and Credit Suisse hereby confirms its agreement to render services, as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of Rule 2720(f)(12) in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares. Credit Suisse, in its capacity as qualified independent underwriter and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the “Independent Underwriter.”

 

6.             The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

 

(a)           To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Shares, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;

 

(b)           Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or (ii) subject itself to taxation in excess of a nominal amount in respect of doing business in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject;

 

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(c)           Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an 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 when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

 

(d)           To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

 

(e)           During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date one hundred and eighty (180) days after the date of the Prospectus (the initial “Lock-Up Period”), not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of, except as provided hereunder, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase shares of Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities (other than (i) pursuant to equity incentive plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement and (ii) the issuance of Stock in connection with one or more acquisitions of, or joint ventures with,

 

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another company up to an aggregate of 5% of the sum of the Company’s shares outstanding as of the date of the Pricing Prospectus plus the Shares sold by the Company hereunder), or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to the Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock, without your prior written consent; provided, however, that if (1) during the last 17 days of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company releases earnings results or announces material news or a material event or (2) prior to the expiration of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the initial Lock-Up Period, then in each case the Lock-Up Period will be automatically extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of release of the earnings results or the announcement of the material news or material event, as applicable, unless Goldman, Sachs & Co. waives, in writing, such extension; the Company will provide Goldman, Sachs & Co. and each stockholder subject to the Lock-Up Period pursuant to the lock-up agreements described in Section 9(i) with prior written notice of any such announcement that gives rise to an extension of the Lock-up Period;

 

(f)            During the Lock-Up Period, the Company will use its best efforts to enforce all existing agreements between the Company and any of its security holders that prohibit the sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation of any of the Company’s securities in connection with the Company’s initial public offering.  In addition, the Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such securities of the Company that are bound by such existing “lock-up” or market standoff agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements. The Company agrees not to release or otherwise grant any waiver of such agreements without the prior written consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co.;

 

(g)           To furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail; provided, that the Company may satisfy the requirements of this subsection by making such reports or information generally available on its website or by filing such information via the Commission’s EDGAR system;

 

(h)           During a period of three years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, if not available on the Commission’s EDGAR system, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders generally, and to deliver to you (i) as soon as they are

 

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available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as you may from time to time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission);

 

(i)            To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”;

 

(j)            To use its reasonable best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange;

 

(k)           To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;

 

(l)            If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Act; and

 

(m)          Upon the reasonable request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Shares (the “License”); provided, however, that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred.

 

(n)           To comply with all applicable securities and other laws, rules and regulations in each jurisdiction in which the Directed Shares are offered in connection with the Directed Share Program.

 

7.     (a)           The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co., it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co., it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a free writing prospectus; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co. is listed on Schedule II(b) hereto;

 

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(b)           The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and the Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions under Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show;

 

(c)           The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an 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 then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to Goldman, Sachs & Co. and, if requested by Goldman, Sachs & Co., will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein.

 

8.             The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and all other expenses of the Company in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or reproducing any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares (but not any legal fees of counsel to the Underwriters in connection therewith except as explicitly provided for herein); (iii) all reasonable expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(b) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey (such fees and disbursements of counsel not to exceed $10,000); (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange; (v) all expenses of the Independent Underwriter (as defined in Section 5 hereof), in such capacity as specified herein; (vi) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of

 

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counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Shares; (vii) the cost of preparing stock certificates for the Underwriters; (viii) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; (ix) all fees and expenses of the Underwriters, including all fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters, incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Share Program; all costs and expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of copies of information or materials relating to the Directed Share Program; and stamp duties, similar taxes or duties or other taxes, if any, incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Share Program; and (x) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood that the Company shall bear the cost of any other matters not explicitly provided for herein, and that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 10, 11 and 14 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including except as provided in clauses (iii), (v) and (ix) above the fees of their counsel, stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

 

9.             The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

 

(a)           The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 433; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;

 

(b)           Goodwin Procter LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a form of such opinion is attached as Annex

 

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II hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to you, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

 

(c)           Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth in Annex III hereto;

 

(d)           Moomjian, Waite, Wactlar & Coleman, LLP, special counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth in Annex IV hereto;

 

(e)           Dykema Gossett PLLC, special Michigan counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth in Annex V hereto;

 

(f)            Birketts LLP, special United Kingdom counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinions, dated such Time of Delivery, substantially in the form set forth in Annex VI hereto;

 

(g)           On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, KPMG LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto (the executed copy of the letter delivered prior to the execution of this Agreement is attached as Annex I(a) hereto and a draft of the form of letter to be delivered on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement and as of each Time of Delivery is attached as Annex I(b) hereto);

 

(h)       (i)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in your judgment so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;

 

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(i)            On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities;

 

(j)            On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the New York Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war; or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in your judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

 

(k)           The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the New York Stock Exchange;

 

(l)          The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Underwriters executed copies of a lock-up agreement in form and substance satisfactory to you (a form of such lock-up agreement is attached as Annex VII hereto) from each of the individuals and entities listed on Schedule III hereto;

 

(m)          The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 6(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;

 

(n)           The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (h) of this Section and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request; and

 

(o)           The Company shall have furnished to the Underwriters such further certificates and documents as the Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

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10.       (a)       The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, 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 will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall 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 an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein.

 

(b)           Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, 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, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.

 

(c)           The Company also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Credit Suisse and each person, if any, who controls Credit Suisse within the meaning of

 

23



 

either Section 15 of the Act, or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and judgments incurred as a result of Credit Suisse’s participation as Independent Underwriter in connection with the offering of the Shares, except for any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, and judgments resulting from Credit Suisse’s, or such controlling person’s, gross negligence or willful misconduct.

 

(d)           Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection.  In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.  No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim 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.

 

(e)           If the indemnification provided for in this Section 10 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying parties on the one hand and the indemnified parties on the other from the offering of the Shares.  If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the

 

24



 

indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (d) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the indemnifying parties on the one hand and the indemnified parties on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.  The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus.  The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.  The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (e) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (e).  The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.  No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (e) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

 

(f)            The obligations of the Company under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 10 shall be

 

25



 

in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.

 

11.   (a)           The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Stifel Nicolaus, each person, if any, who controls Stifel Nicolaus within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of Stifel Nicolaus within the meaning of Rule 405 of the Act (“Stifel Nicolaus Entities”) from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) (i) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Participants in connection with the Directed Share Program or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) caused by the failure of any Participant to pay for and accept delivery of Directed Shares that the Participant agreed to purchase; (iii) arising out of the violation of any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where the Directed Share Program has been offered; or (iv) related to, arising out of, or in connection with the Directed Share Program, other than losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or expenses relating thereto) are finally judicially determined to have resulted from the willful misconduct or gross negligence of Stifel Nicolaus Entities.

 

(b)           In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any Stifel Nicolaus Entity in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 11(a) above, the Stifel Nicolaus Entity seeking indemnity, shall promptly notify the Company in writing and the Company, upon request of the Stifel Nicolaus Entity, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Stifel Nicolaus Entity to represent the Stifel Nicolaus Entity and any others the Company may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any Stifel Nicolaus Entity shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Stifel Nicolaus Entity unless (i) the Company shall have agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Company and the Stifel Nicolaus Entity and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. The Company shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of the Stifel Nicolaus Entities in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Stifel Nicolaus Entities. Any such separate firm for the Stifel Nicolaus Entities shall be designated in writing by Stifel Nicolaus. The

 

26



 

Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final non-appealable judgment for the plaintiff, the Company agrees, subject to Section 11(a), to indemnify the Stifel Nicolaus Entities from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time a Stifel Nicolaus Entity shall have requested the Company to reimburse it for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the Company 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 30 days after receipt by the Company of the aforesaid request and (ii) the Company shall not have reimbursed the Stifel Nicolaus Entity in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of Stifel Nicolaus, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Stifel Nicolaus Entity is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Stifel Nicolaus Entity, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of the Stifel Nicolaus Entities from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.

 

(c)           To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 11(a) above is unavailable to a Stifel Nicolaus Entity or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then the Company in lieu of indemnifying the Stifel Nicolaus Entity thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the Stifel Nicolaus Entity as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Stifel Nicolaus Entities on the other hand from the offering of the Directed Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 11(c)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 11(c)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Stifel Nicolaus Entities on the other hand in connection with any statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Stifel Nicolaus Entities on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Directed Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Directed Shares (before deducting expenses) and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Stifel Nicolaus Entities for the Directed Shares, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Directed Shares. If the loss, claim, damage or liability is caused by an untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Stifel Nicolaus Entities on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement or the omission or

 

27



 

alleged omission relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Stifel Nicolaus Entities and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

(d)           The Company and the Stifel Nicolaus Entities agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 11 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Stifel Nicolaus Entities were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 11(c) above. The amount paid or payable by the Stifel Nicolaus Entities as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 11(a) above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Stifel Nicolaus Entities in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 11, no Stifel Nicolaus Entity shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Directed Shares distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Stifel Nicolaus Entity has otherwise been required to pay. The remedies provided for in this Section 11 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.

 

(e)           The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 11 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Stifel Nicolaus Entity or the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Directed Shares.

 

12.   (a)           If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Shares on the terms contained herein.  If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties reasonably satisfactory to you to purchase such Shares on such terms.  In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include

 

28



 

any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.

 

(b)           If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

 

(c)           If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all of the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 8 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Sections 10 and 11 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

 

13.           The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.

 

14.           If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 12 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 8, 10 and 11 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of

 

29



 

counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter in respect of the Shares not so delivered except as provided in Sections 8, 10 and 11 hereof.

 

15.           In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you jointly or by Goldman, Sachs & Co. on behalf of you as the Representatives.

 

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the Representatives in care of Goldman, Sachs & Co., 200 West Street, New York, New York  10282-2198, Attention: Registration Department, with a copy to Jocelyn M. Arel, Esq., Goodwin Procter LLP, Exchange Place, 53 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109; if to the Company, shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Chief Financial Officer, with a copy to Michael R. Littenberg, Esq., Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, 919 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 10(e) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request; provided, however, that notices under subsection 6(e) shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the Representatives at Goldman, Sachs & Co., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, Attention: Control Room.  Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

 

In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

 

16.           This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters and the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 10, 11 and 13 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.  No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

 

30


 

17.           Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement.  As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

 

18.           The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.  The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

 

19.           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.

 

20.           THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY MATTERS RELATED TO THIS TRANSACTION SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE APPLICATION OF ANY LAW OTHER THAN THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.  The Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or our engagement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts.

 

21.           The Company and each of the Underwriters 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.

 

22.           This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto 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.

 

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23.           Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

32



 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us eight (8) counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters and the Company.  It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination, upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

AEROFLEX HOLDING CORP.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

Accepted as of the date hereof:

 

 

 

 

 

GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.

 

 

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

 

 

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.

 

 

MORGAN STANLEY & CO. INCORPORATED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

(Goldman, Sachs & Co.)

 

 

 

 

 

On behalf of each of the Underwriters

 

 

 



 

SCHEDULE I

Underwriters

 

Underwriter

 

Total Number of Firm Shares
to be Purchased

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

 

 

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

 

 

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.

 

 

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

 

 

Barclays Capital Inc.

 

 

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated

 

 

UBS Securities LLC

 

 

Moelis & Company LLC

 

 

Needham & Company, LLC

 

 

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 



 

SCHEDULE II

 

Pricing Information/
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses

 

(a)           Pricing Information

 

Public offering price per Share:

 

Number of Shares offered:

 

(b)           Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses:

 



 

SCHEDULE III

 

Individuals and Entities Executing Lock-Up Agreements

 

VGG Holding LLC
Veritas Capital Partners III, L.L.C.
Entities Affiliated with Golden Gate Capital
GS Direct L.L.C.
Leonard Borow
John Buyko
John Adamovich, Jr.
Charles Badlato
Carl Caruso
Robert B. McKeon
Hugh Evans
Ramzi M. Musallam
Prescott H. Ashe
Joe Benavides
Bradley J. Gross
John D. Knoll
Charles S. Ream
Mark H. Ronald
Peter J. Schoomaker
Richard N. Nottenburg
Edward Wactlar

 



 

ANNEX I

 

Auditor Comfort Letter

 

Pursuant to Section 9(d) of this Agreement, the accountants shall furnish letters to the Underwriters to the effect that:

 

(i)            They are independent certified public accountants with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder;

 

(ii)           In their opinion, the financial statements and any supplementary financial information and schedules (and, if applicable, financial forecasts and/or pro forma financial information) examined by them and included in the Prospectus or the Registration Statement comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related published rules and regulations thereunder; and, if applicable, they have made a review in accordance with standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants of the unaudited consolidated interim financial statements, selected financial data, pro forma financial information, financial forecasts and/or condensed financial statements derived from audited financial statements of the Company for the periods specified in such letter, as indicated in their reports thereon, copies of which have been separately furnished to the representatives of the Underwriters (the “Representatives”);

 

(iii)          They have made a review in accordance with standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants of the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income, consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows included in the Prospectus as indicated in their reports thereon copies of which have been separately furnished to the Representatives and on the basis of specified procedures including inquiries of officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters regarding whether the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements referred to in paragraph (vi)(A)(i) below comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related published rules and regulations, nothing came to their attention that cause them to believe that the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related published rules and regulations;

 

(iv)          The unaudited selected financial information with respect to the consolidated results of operations and financial position of the Company for the five most recent fiscal years included in the Prospectus agrees with the corresponding amounts (after restatements where applicable) in the audited consolidated financial statements for such five fiscal years which were included or

 



 

incorporated by reference in the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10 K for such fiscal years;

 

(v)           They have compared the information in the Prospectus under selected captions with the disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K and on the basis of limited procedures specified in such letter nothing came to their attention as a result of the foregoing procedures that caused them to believe that this information does not conform in all material respects with the disclosure requirements of Items 301, 302, 402 and 503(d), respectively, of Regulation S-K;

 

(vi)          On the basis of limited procedures, not constituting an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, consisting of a reading of the unaudited financial statements and other information referred to below, a reading of the latest available interim financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, inspection of the minute books of the Company and its subsidiaries since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Prospectus, inquiries of officials of the Company and its subsidiaries responsible for financial and accounting matters and such other inquiries and procedures as may be specified in such letter, nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that:

 

(A)          (i) the unaudited consolidated statements of income, consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows included in the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related published rules and regulations, or (ii) any material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income, consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows included in the Prospectus for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(B)           any other unaudited income statement data and balance sheet items included in the Prospectus do not agree with the corresponding items in the unaudited consolidated financial statements from which such data and items were derived, and any such unaudited data and items were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with the basis for the corresponding amounts in the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Prospectus;

 

(C)           the unaudited financial statements which were not included in the Prospectus but from which were derived any unaudited condensed financial statements referred to in clause (A) and any unaudited income statement data and balance sheet items included in the Prospectus and referred to in clause (B) were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with the basis for the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Prospectus;

 



 

(D)          any unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed financial statements included in the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the published rules and regulations thereunder or the pro forma adjustments have not been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements;

 

(E)           as of a specified date not more than five days prior to the date of such letter, there have been any changes in the consolidated capital stock (other than issuances of capital stock upon exercise of options and stock appreciation rights, upon earn outs of performance shares and upon conversions of convertible securities, in each case which were outstanding on the date of the latest financial statements included in the Prospectus) or any increase in the consolidated long term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, or any decreases in consolidated net current assets or stockholders’ equity or other items specified by the Representatives, or any increases in any items specified by the Representatives, in each case as compared with amounts shown in the latest balance sheet included in the Prospectus, except in each case for changes, increases or decreases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are described in such letter; and

 

(F)           for the period from the date of the latest financial statements included in the Prospectus to the specified date referred to in clause (E) there were any decreases in consolidated net revenues or operating profit or the total or per share amounts of consolidated net income or other items specified by the Representatives, or any increases in any items specified by the Representatives, in each case as compared with the comparable period of the preceding year and with any other period of corresponding length specified by the Representatives, except in each case for decreases or increases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are described in such letter; and

 

(vii)         In addition to the examination referred to in their report(s) included in the Prospectus and the limited procedures, inspection of minute books, inquiries and other procedures referred to in paragraphs (iii) and (vi) above, they have carried out certain specified procedures, not constituting an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, with respect to certain amounts, percentages and financial information specified by the Representatives, which are derived from the general accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries, which appear in the Prospectus, or in Part II of, or in exhibits and schedules to, the Registration Statement specified by the Representatives, and have compared certain of such amounts, percentages and financial information with the accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries and have found them to be in agreement.

 


 

ANNEX II

 

Form of Opinion and Negative Assurance Statement
of Goodwin Procter LLP
Counsel to the Underwriters

 



 

ANNEX III

 

Form of Opinion and Negative Assurance Statement
of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Counsel to the Company

 



 

ANNEX IV

 

Form of Opinion and Negative Assurance Statement
of Moomjian, Waite, Wactlar & Coleman, LLP
Special Counsel to the Company

 



 

ANNEX V

 

Form of Opinion
of Dykema Gossett PLLC
Special Michigan Counsel to the Company

 



 

ANNEX VI

 

Form of Opinion
of Birketts LLP
Special United Kingdom Counsel to the Company

 



 

ANNEX VII

 

Form of Lock-Up Agreement