UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
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| Item 1.01. | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On March 15, 2024, Westrock Coffee Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC ( “Wells Fargo”) and Truist Securities, Inc. (“Truist,” and together with Wells Fargo, the “Agents”), pursuant to which the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), not to exceed 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock in the aggregate (the “Placement Securities”), through the Agents as part of an “at the market” offering program.
The offer and sale of the Placement Securities will be made pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-274827) that was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 17, 2023, and a related prospectus supplement, which the Company filed with the SEC on March 15, 2024.
The Company is not obligated to sell any Placement Securities pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Equity Distribution Agreement, the Agents have agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with their normal trading and sales practices, to sell Placement Securities from time to time in accordance with the Company’s placement notice, including any price, time or size limits or other customary parameters or conditions the Company may deem appropriate.
Under the Equity Distribution Agreement and subject to the terms of the placement notice delivered by the Company, an Agent may sell Placement Securities by (x) any method permitted by law and deemed to be an “at-the-market offering” as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, without limitation, sales made directly on the Nasdaq Global Select Market at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at prices related to prevailing market prices, on any other existing trading market for the Common Stock or to or through a market maker, and (y) any other method permitted by law, including but not limited to in privately negotiated transactions. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Equity Distribution Agreement, the Company may also from time to time sell Placement Securities to an Agent as principal.
The Equity Distribution Agreement may be terminated for any reason, at any time by either the Company or any of the Agents upon ten days’ prior written notice to the other parties, or by the Agents at any time in certain circumstances, including the occurrence of a material adverse change in the Company. In addition, the Equity Distribution Agreement will automatically terminate upon the earlier of (1) two years from the date of the Equity Distribution Agreement and (2) the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Securities through the Agents.
The Company will pay each Agent a commission of 1.5% of the gross proceeds from the sales of Common Stock sold by such Agent pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement. The Company has agreed to provide the Agents with customary indemnification and contribution rights. The Company has agreed to pay certain specified expenses incurred by the Agents in connection with the offering. The Equity Distribution Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and conditions to the placements of the Placement Securities pursuant thereto.
The foregoing summary of the Equity Distribution Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Equity Distribution Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 hereto and incorporated herein by reference. The Equity Distribution Agreement contains representations and warranties that the parties made to, and solely for the benefit of, the other parties in the context of all of the terms and conditions of the Equity Distribution Agreement and in the context of the specific relationship among the parties. The provisions of the Equity Distribution Agreement, including the representations and warranties contained therein, are not for the benefit of any party other than the parties to the Equity Distribution Agreement and are not intended as a document for investors and the public to obtain factual information about the Company’s current state of affairs. Investors and the public should look to the disclosures contained in the Company’s filings with the SEC.
The legal opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, legal counsel to the Company, relating to the Placement Securities being offered pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement is filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
This Current Report on Form 8-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities described herein, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. | |||||
| (d) Exhibits. | ||||||
Exhibit |
Description of Exhibit | |||||
| 1.1 | Equity Distribution Agreement, dated March 15, 2024, by and among Westrock Coffee Company, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Truist Securities, Inc. | |||||
| 5.1 | Opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | |||||
| 23.1 | Consent of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (contained in Exhibit 5.1) | |||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |||||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| WESTROCK COFFEE COMPANY | |||
| By: | /s/ Robert P. McKinney | ||
| Name: | Robert P. McKinney | ||
| Title: | Chief Legal Officer | ||
Dated: March 15, 2024
Exhibit 1.1
WESTROCK COFFEE COMPANY
5,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
Dated: March 15, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | |
| SECTION 1. Description of Securities | 1 |
| SECTION 2. Placements | 3 |
| SECTION 3. Sale of Placement Securities by the Agents | 4 |
| SECTION 4. Suspension of Sales | 4 |
| SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties | 5 |
| SECTION 6. Sale and Delivery to the Agents; Settlement | 18 |
| SECTION 7. Covenants of the Company | 19 |
| SECTION 8. Payment of Expenses | 26 |
| SECTION 9. Conditions of the Agents’ Obligations | 26 |
| SECTION 10. Indemnification | 28 |
| SECTION 11. Contribution | 30 |
| SECTION 12. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery | 31 |
| SECTION 13. Termination of Agreement | 32 |
| SECTION 14. Notices | 33 |
| SECTION 15. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes | 33 |
| SECTION 16. Parties | 34 |
| SECTION 17. Adjustments for Stock Splits | 34 |
| SECTION 18. Governing Law and Time; Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial | 34 |
| SECTION 19. Effect of Headings | 34 |
| SECTION 20. Counterparts | 35 |
| SECTION 21. Definitions | 35 |
| SECTION 22. Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses | 38 |
| SECTION 23. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship | 38 |
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EXHIBITS
| Exhibit A | – | Form of Placement Notice |
| Exhibit B | – | Authorized Individuals for Placement Notices and Acceptances |
| Exhibit C | – | Compensation |
| Exhibit D | – | Significant Subsidiaries of the Company |
| Exhibit E | – | Form of Opinion of Company Counsel |
| Exhibit F | – | Officer’s Certificate |
| Exhibit G | – | Issuer Pricing Free Writing Prospectus |
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Westrock Coffee Company
5,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
March 15, 2024
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
500 West 33rd Street
New York, New York 10001
Truist Securities, Inc.
3333 Peachtree Road NE, 11th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Westrock Coffee Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Truist Securities, Inc. (each, an “Agent” and, together, the “Agents”), as follows:
SECTION 1. Description of Securities.
The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell through or to one of the Agents, acting as agent and/or principal, up to 5,000,000 shares (the “Securities”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”) (the “Maximum Amount”). For the avoidance of doubt, subject to Section 6(e) below, the Maximum Amount shall not be reduced in the event of an increase in the market price per share of Common Stock. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 1 regarding the number of the Securities issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that the Agents shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The issuance and sale of the Securities through the Agents will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) filed by the Company and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to use the Registration Statement to issue the Securities. The Company agrees that whenever it determines to sell Securities directly to an Agent as principal it will enter into a separate written agreement with such Agent, in a form and substance satisfactory to the Company and such Agent, containing the terms and conditions of such sale.
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The Company has filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-274827), including a base prospectus, relating to certain securities, including the Securities to be issued from time to time by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The Company has prepared a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities (the “Prospectus Supplement”) to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement. The Company will furnish to the Agents, for use by the Agents, copies of the prospectus included as part of such registration statement, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, relating to the Securities. The “Registration Statement”, as of any time, means such registration statement as amended by any post-effective amendments thereto at such time, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein at such time pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act and the documents and information otherwise deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430B of the Securities Act (“Rule 430B”), any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), or any subsequent registration statement on Form S-3 filed pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act by the Company with respect to the Placement Securities. The base prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form in which such prospectus and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act is herein called the “Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR.
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SECTION 2. Placements.
Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell the Securities hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify an Agent (the “Designated Agent”) by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the Company and such Designated Agent) (each, a “Placement Notice”) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires the Securities to be sold, which shall at a minimum include the number of Securities to be issued (the “Placement Securities”), the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of Securities that may be sold in any one day and any minimum price below which sales may not be made, provided that, in case that such price is less than $10.00 or such Placement Notice would otherwise give rise to a preemptive right under the Investor Rights Agreement, the Company shall include a copy of the waiver of such preemptive right as an appendix to such Placement Notice. A form of Placement Notice containing the minimum sales parameters necessary is attached hereto as Exhibit A. Any Placement Notice shall originate from any of the individuals from the Company set forth on Exhibit B (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such schedule), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from the Designated Agent set forth on Exhibit B, as such Exhibit B may be amended from time to time. If the Designated Agent wishes to accept such proposed terms included in the applicable Placement Notice (which it may decline to do so for any reason in its sole discretion) or, following discussion with the Company, wishes to accept amended terms, the Designated Agent will, prior to 4:30 p.m. (New York City time) on the business day following the business day on which such Placement Notice is delivered to the Designated Agent, issue to the Company a notice by email (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) addressed to all of the individuals from the Company and the Designated Agent set forth on Exhibit B setting forth the terms that the Designated Agent is willing to accept. Where the terms provided in a Placement Notice are amended as provided for in the immediately preceding sentence, such terms will not be binding on the Company or the Designated Agent until the Company delivers to the Designated Agent an acceptance by email (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) of all of the terms of such Placement Notice, as amended (the “Acceptance”), which email shall be addressed to all of the individuals from the Company and the Designated Agent set forth on Exhibit B. Any Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) shall be effective upon receipt by the Company of the Designated Agent’s acceptance of the terms of such Placement Notice or upon receipt by the Designated Agent of the Company’s Acceptance, as the case may be, unless and until (i) the entire amount of the Placement Securities has been sold, (ii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in the fourth sentence of this paragraph, the Company terminates such Placement Notice, (iii) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice with parameters superseding those on the earlier dated Placement Notice, (iv) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section 13 or (v) either party shall have suspended the sale of the Placement Securities in accordance with Section 4 below. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to the Designated Agent in connection with the sale of the Placement Securities shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Exhibit C. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor the Designated Agent will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Securities unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to the Designated Agent and either (i) the Designated Agent accepts the terms of such Placement Notice or (ii) where the terms of such Placement Notice are amended, the Company accepts such amended terms by means of an Acceptance pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified in the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the terms of such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) will control with respect to the corresponding Placement. The Company shall not submit any Placement Notice if the shares of Common Stock requested to be offered and sold pursuant to such Placement Notice have not been duly authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company (or the appropriately empowered and authorized committee thereof).
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SECTION 3. Sale of Placement Securities by the Agents.
Subject to the provisions of Section 6(a), for the period specified in the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the Designated Agent will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell the Placement Securities up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable). The Designated Agent will provide written confirmation to the Company no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) immediately following the Trading Day on which it has made sales of Placement Securities hereunder setting forth the number of Placement Securities sold on such day, the compensation payable by the Company to the Designated Agent pursuant to Section 2 with respect to such sales, and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company, with an itemization of the deductions made by the Designated Agent (as set forth in Section 6(b)) from the gross proceeds that it receives from such sales. Subject to the terms of the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the Designated Agent may sell Placement Securities by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act, including without limitation sales made directly on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”), on any other existing trading market for the Common Stock or to or through a market maker. Subject to the terms of the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the Designated Agent may also sell Placement Securities by any other method permitted by law, including but not limited to in privately negotiated transactions. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Designated Agent will be successful in selling Placement Securities, (ii) the Designated Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Securities for any reason other than a failure by the Designated Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Securities as required under this Section 3. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which shares of Common Stock are purchased and sold on the principal market on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted.
SECTION 4. Suspension of Sales. The Company or the Designated Agent may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Exhibit B, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Exhibit B), suspend any sale of Placement Securities; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair any party’s obligations with respect to any Placement Securities sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other unless it is made to one of the individuals named on Exhibit B hereto, as such Exhibit B may be amended from time to time, and no such notice by an Agent under this Section 4 shall be effective with respect to another Agent.
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SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties.
(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each of the Agents as of the date hereof and as of each Representation Date (as defined below) on which a certificate is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(o) of this Agreement, as of each Applicable Time and as of each Settlement Date (as defined below), and agrees with each of the Agents, as follows:
(1) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Securities have been duly registered under the Securities Act pursuant to the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act, or, with respect to any registration statement to be filed to register the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), will be filed with the Commission and become effective under the Securities Act no later than 10:00 p.m. (New York City time), on the date of determination of the public offering price for the Securities, and no stop order preventing or suspending the use of any base prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.
At the respective times each of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto became or becomes effective and as of the date hereof, the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act. The conditions for the use of Form S-3, as set forth in the General Instructions thereto, and the Registration Statement meets, and the offering and sale of the Securities as contemplated hereby complies with, the requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act (including, without limitation, Rule 415(a)(5)). The Registration Statement, as of the date hereof and each effective date with respect thereto, did not and will 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 not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, and at each Applicable Time and Settlement Date, as the case may be, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
The copies of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, any other preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto delivered and to be delivered to the Agents (electronically or otherwise) in connection with the offering of the Securities were and will be identical in all material respects to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus relating to the Securities, as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time and Settlement Date, will not include any information that will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any incorporated document deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified at such time, and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time and Settlement Date, will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances, prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by an Agent specifically for use therein.
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The Company was and is an “ineligible issuer” pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, offered or sold any Securities by means of any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) or used any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) in connection with the offer or sale of the Placement Securities, in each case other than the Registration Statement. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, prepared, used or referred to, and, for as long as it continues to qualify as an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), will not, directly or indirectly, prepare, use or refer to, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in connection with the offer and sale of the Placement Securities.
Each document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus heretofore filed, when it was filed (or, if any amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), conformed in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and any further documents so filed and incorporated after the date of this Agreement will, when they are filed, conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; no such document when it was filed (or, if an amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and no such document, when it is filed, will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading.
(2) Prior Written Communications. Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the Securities Act and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163 of the Securities Act, including without limitation the legending requirement.
(3) Independent Auditors. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Marcum LLP, whose reports appear in the Prospectus or are incorporated by reference therein, were, and during the periods covered by such reports were, registered independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”).
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(4) Financial Statements. The financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules (if any) and notes, present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the results of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; the financial statements of any other entities or businesses included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, together with the related schedules (if any) and notes, present fairly in all material respects the financial position of each such entity or business, as the case may be, and its consolidated subsidiaries (if any) at the dates indicated and the results of operations, changes in stockholders’ (or other owners’) equity and cash flows of such entity or business, as the case may be, and its consolidated subsidiaries (if any) for the periods specified; and all such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved and comply, in all material respects, with all applicable accounting requirements under the Securities Act. The supporting schedules, if any, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with GAAP, the information required to be stated therein. Any information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as defined in Regulation G of the Commission) complies in all material respects with Regulation G and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Commission, to the extent applicable. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly presents in all material respects the required information and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(5) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, subsequent to December 31, 2023, (A) there has been no material adverse effect on the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the results of operations, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”) nor any development or event involving a prospective Material Adverse Effect, (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and (C) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its Capital Stock.
(6) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in the State of Arkansas and in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except, in each case, where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(7) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each “significant subsidiary” of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) (each, a “Significant Subsidiary”) has been duly organized and is validly existing, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization (or such equivalent concept to the extent it exists under the laws of such jurisdictions), has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (or such equivalent concept to the extent it exists under the laws of such jurisdictions) in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except, in each case, where the failure to be so organized, have such power or authority, so qualify or to be in good standing (or such equivalent concept to the extent it exists under the laws of such jurisdictions) would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding share capital or other similar interests of each such Significant Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and is non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any Lien; and none of the outstanding shares of share capital or other similar interests of any such subsidiary was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary or any other person. The Significant Subsidiaries of the Company are listed on Exhibit D hereto and Exhibit D accurately sets forth the jurisdiction of organization of each such Significant Subsidiary.
(8) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and have been issued in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws. None of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common Stock, preferred stock (including any Series A Convertible Preferred Shares, the “Preferred Stock”) or Warrants were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights; except for the securities described in the Prospectus, as of the date of this Agreement, the Company is not a party to or bound by any outstanding options, warrants or similar rights to subscribe for, or contractual obligations to issue, sell, transfer or acquire, any of its Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for any of such Capital Stock.
(9) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(10) Authorization of Securities. The Securities to be sold by the Company pursuant to this Agreement have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to an Agent pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and, except as provided in the Investor Rights Agreement and disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the issuance and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company or any other person.
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(11) Description of Securities. The Common Stock conforms in all material respects to all of the respective statements relating thereto contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and such statements conform in all material respects to the rights set forth in the respective instruments and agreements defining the same.
(12) Absence of Violations, Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its Significant Subsidiaries is (A) in the case of the Company, in violation of its Organizational Documents and, in the case of any Significant Subsidiaries, in material violation of its respective Organizational Documents, (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any Company Document, except for such defaults that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or (C) in violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”), except, in the case of this clause (C), for such violations that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds” and compliance by the Company with its obligations under this Agreement do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any Company Documents, except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Liens that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, nor will such action result in any violation of (1) the provisions of the Organizational Documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (2) any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective assets, properties or operations, except, in the case of subclause (2), for such violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(13) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of the principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors of the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, in any such case, may reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(14) Absence of Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or Governmental Entity, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (other than as disclosed therein), or which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(15) Accuracy of Descriptions. The information in the Prospectus under the captions “Description of Securities,” “Description of Existing Warrants,” “Investor Rights Agreement,” and the information in the Registration Statement under Item 15, in each case to the extent that it constitutes summaries of provisions of the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, the Warrants or the Investor Rights Agreement is correct in all material respects.
(16) Possession of Intellectual Property. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect: (i) the Company and its subsidiaries own or possess or have the right to use on reasonable terms all patents, patent rights, patent applications, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names, service names and other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on their respective businesses as described in the Prospectus and as proposed to be conducted; and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interests of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein.
(17) Absence of Further Requirements. (A) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or Governmental Entity, (B) no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any holder of Capital Stock of the Company, (C) except for any waiver by affiliates of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. that may be required under the Investor Rights Agreement, no waiver or consent under any Subject Instrument, and (D) except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any other person or entity, is necessary or required for the execution, delivery or performance by the Company of this Agreement, for the offering, issuance, sale or delivery of the Securities hereunder, or for the consummation of any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, in each case on the terms contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or will be obtained under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act or such as may be required under state securities laws, the listing rules of Nasdaq or the rules of FINRA.
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(18) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate Governmental Entities necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the failure to so possess would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(19) Title to Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by any of them and good title to all other properties and assets owned by any of them, in each case, free and clear of all Liens except such as (a) are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (b) arise or are permitted under the Existing Credit Agreement or the Falcon Facility, or (c) would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect: (i) all real property, buildings and other improvements, and equipment and other property held under lease or sublease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases or subleases, (ii) all such leases and subleases are in full force and effect; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any notice of any claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.
(20) Investment Company Act. The Company is not required to, and upon the sale of the Securities to any Agent as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds,” the Company will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act.
(21) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or Governmental Entity, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
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(22) Absence of Registration Rights. There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities (debt or equity) included in the sales contemplated by this Agreement, and there are no persons with co-sale rights, tag-along rights or other similar rights to have any securities (debt or equity) included in the sales contemplated by this Agreement, except in each case for such rights that have been duly waived in writing.
(23) NASDAQ. The outstanding shares of Common Stock and the Securities to be sold by the Company hereunder are authorized for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance, on the Nasdaq, and are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to terminate the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act or delist any such securities from the Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.
(24) Tax Returns. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all foreign, federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be filed or have requested extensions thereof, except where the failure so to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and have paid all taxes required to be paid by them and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such tax, assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate actions or except for such taxes, assessments, fines or penalties the nonpayment of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(25) Insurance. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (i) the Company and its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; (ii) all policies of insurance and any fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments; (iv) there are no claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; (v) neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and (vi) neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has 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 from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.
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(26) Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain and have maintained a system of internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that complies in all material respects with the applicable requirement of the Exchange Act and has been designed by its principal executive and principal financial officers, 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 GAAP. As of the date hereof, except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (1) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (2) 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. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.
(27) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply, in all material respects, with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(28) Permitted Materials. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities to be sold hereunder by any Agent as principal or agent for the Company, other than the Prospectus and, provided that the Company is no longer an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Agents.
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(29) Actively Traded Security. The Common Stock is an “actively traded security” excepted from the requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act by subsection (c)(1) of such rule.
(30) Absence of Manipulation. Other than excepted activity pursuant to Regulation M under the Exchange Act, the Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(31) Statistical, Demographic or Market-Related Data. Any statistical, demographic or market-related data included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus is based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate or represent the Company’s good faith estimates that are made on the basis of data derived from such source.
(32) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any director or executive officer of the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that has resulted or would result in (i) the use of any funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) the making or taking of an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government or regulatory official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) a violation by any such person of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws; or (iv) the making, offering, requesting or taking of, or the agreement to take, an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will continue to maintain and enforce policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
(33) Compliance with Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance, in all material respects, with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any Governmental Entity (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or Governmental Entity or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, threatened.
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(34) No Conflicts with Sanction Laws. None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, the Company’s directors or executive officers, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee or affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government, (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department or the U.S. Department of State), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority, including, without limitation, designation on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, the Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List or OFAC’s Foreign Sanctions Evaders List (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company, any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, or so-called Luhansk People’s Republic or any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065, the Crimea region of Ukraine, non-government controlled areas of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use any of the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or the target of any Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or any business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that would result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of any Sanctions. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates, have been conducted at all times in compliance with the Sanctions. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted and maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure continued compliance with any Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not knowingly engage in, any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is, will be or was the subject or the target of any Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
(35) Lending Relationship. Except for the Existing Credit Agreement and as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any outstanding borrowings from, or is a party to any line of credit, credit agreement or other credit facility or otherwise has a borrowing relationship with, any bank or other lending institution affiliated with the Agents.
(36) Related Party Transactions. There are no related party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other person that are required to be described under Item 404 of Regulation S-K in the Prospectus that have not been described as required.
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(37) ERISA. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect: (i) each “employee benefit plan” (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”)), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as an organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) would have any liability (each a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) with respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA (a) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (b) no “accumulated funding deficiency” (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code), whether or not waived, has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (c) the fair market value of the assets under each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan) and (d) neither the Company or any member of its Controlled Group has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan,” within the meaning of Section 4001(c)(3) of ERISA); and (iii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service or may rely on a favorable opinion letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service and, to the knowledge of the Company, nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(38) No Other Contracts. Other than this Agreement, there are no contracts, agreements or written understandings between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or the Agents for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the offering and sale of any Securities hereunder.
(39) Proprietary Trading by the Agents. The Company acknowledges and agrees that each of the Agents has informed the Company that such Agent may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, purchase and sell shares of Common Stock for its own account while this Agreement is in effect, and shall be under no obligation to purchase Securities on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise agreed by such Agent in the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable).
(40) FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Agents or to counsel for the Agents by the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the officers and directors of the Company, in letters, filings or other written information provided to the FINRA pursuant to FINRA Conduct Rule 2710 or 2720, is true, complete and correct in all material respects. To the knowledge of the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, no director or officer of the Company has any association with any FINRA member.
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(41) No Prohibition on Dividends by Subsidiaries. Except as described in the Prospectus and except as required under applicable law or the terms of the Existing Credit Agreement or the Falcon Facility, no subsidiary of the Company is prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends or making any other distributions on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying any debt owed to the Company or any of its other subsidiaries, or from transferring any of its property or assets to the Company or any of its other subsidiaries.
(42) Cyber Security. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect: (A) there has been no security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure, violation, or other compromise of or relating to the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data and databases (including the data and information of their respective customers, employees, agents, suppliers, vendors, business partners, any third party data and any other personal, personally identifiable, confidential, business proprietary or regulated data, or other sensitive information maintained, processed or stored by the Company and its subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”); (B) neither the Company nor its subsidiaries have been notified of, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would result in, any security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure, violation or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; (C) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained, and require that their third party vendors implement and maintain, appropriate controls, policies, procedures, and technological safeguards to maintain and protect the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of their IT Systems and Data (including in relation to backup and disaster recovery technology) reasonably consistent with industry standards and practices, or as required by applicable regulatory standards; and (D) the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ IT Systems and Data are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with, the operation of their business as currently conducted and, to the knowledge of Company, are free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries have complied, and are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or Governmental Entity, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy, security and protection of their IT Systems and Data, including the collection, use, transfer, storage, protection, disposal and disclosure of data, and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.
(b) Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Agents or to counsel for the Agents shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Agents as to the matters covered thereby.
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SECTION 6. Sale and Delivery to the Agents; Settlement.
(a) Sale of Placement Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, upon the Designated Agent’s acceptance of the terms of a Placement Notice or upon receipt by the Designated Agent of an Acceptance, as the case may be, and unless the sale of the Placement Securities described therein has been declined, suspended, or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Designated Agent, for the period specified in such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Securities up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable). The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Designated Agent will be successful in selling Placement Securities, (ii) the Designated Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Securities for any reason other than a failure by the Designated Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Securities as required under this Section 6 and (iii) the Agents shall be under no obligation to purchase Securities on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise agreed by the Designated Agent in the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable).
(b) Settlement of Placement Securities. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), settlement for sales of Placement Securities will occur on the second (2nd) Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading or as required by applicable laws or regulations, including Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Securities sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate sales price received by the Designated Agent at which such Placement Securities were sold, after deduction for (i) the Designated Agent’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) with the prior written consent of the Company, any other amounts due and payable by the Company to the Designated Agent hereunder pursuant to Section 8(a) hereof, and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any Governmental Entity or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.
(c) Delivery of Placement Securities. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer the Placement Securities being sold by crediting the Designated Agent’s or its designee’s account (provided the Designated Agent shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto which in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, the Designated Agent will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on, or prior to, the Settlement Date. The Company agrees that if the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), defaults in its obligation to deliver Placement Securities on a Settlement Date, the Company agrees that in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 10(a) hereto, it will (i) hold the Designated Agent harmless against any loss, liability, claim, damage, or expense whatsoever (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company or its transfer agent and (ii) pay to the Designated Agent any commission, discount, or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.
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(d) Denominations; Registration. The Company shall deliver the Securities through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company unless the Designated Agent shall otherwise instruct in writing. If the Designated Agent instructs the Company that any Securities are to be issued in certificated form, certificates for such Securities shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Designated Agent may request in writing at least one full business day before the Settlement Date. Any such certificates for the Securities will be made available for examination and packaging by the Designated Agent in The City of New York not later than noon (New York City time) on the business day prior to the Settlement Date.
(e) Limitations on Offering Size. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Securities, if after giving effect to the sale of such Securities, the aggregate number of the Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement would exceed the lesser of (A) the Maximum Amount, (B) the amount available for offer and sale under the currently effective Registration Statement, and (C) the amount authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement by the Company and notified to the Agents in writing. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Securities pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Company and notified to the Agents in writing. Further, under no circumstances shall the aggregate number of Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement, including any separate underwriting or similar agreement covering principal transactions described in Section 1 of this Agreement, exceed the Maximum Amount.
(f) Black-out Limitations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not offer or sell, or instruct the Agents to offer or sell, any Securities through them as agents (and, by notice to the Agents given by telephone (confirmed promptly by telecopy or email), shall cancel any instructions for any such offer or sale of any Securities prior to the commencement of the periods referenced below), and the Agents shall not be obligated to make any such offer or sale of Securities, during any period in which the Company is, or would reasonably be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information.
SECTION 7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with the Agents as follows:
(a) Registration Statement Amendments; Payment of Fees. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Placement Securities is required to be delivered by the Agents under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), (i) the Company will notify the Agents promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement, other than documents incorporated by reference, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any comment letter from the Commission or any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, reasonably promptly upon the Agents’ request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in the Agents’ reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Placement Securities by the Agents (provided, however, that the failure of the Agents to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agents’ right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, relating to the Placement Securities or a security convertible into the Placement Securities unless a copy thereof has been submitted to the Agents within a reasonable period of time before the filing and the Agents have not, acting in good faith, reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, that the failure of the Agents to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agents’ right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement) and the Company will furnish to the Agents at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; and (iv) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) of the Securities Act).
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(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise the Agents, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any other order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if any, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the loss or suspension of any exemption from any such qualification, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes, or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the Registration Statement or if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order, the suspension of any qualification of the Securities for offering or sale and any loss or suspension of any exemption from any such qualification, and if any such stop order is issued or any such suspension or loss occurs, to seek to obtain the lifting thereof as soon as reasonably possible.
(c) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to the Agents and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all documents incorporated by reference therein) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus and, if any, all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, that are filed with the Commission during any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities and at such locations as the Agents may from time to time reasonably request, provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus (but not documents incorporated by reference therein)) to the Agents to the extent such document is available on EDGAR. The copies of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any supplements or amendments thereto furnished to the Agents will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
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(d) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. If at any time when a Prospectus is required by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act to be delivered in connection with a pending sale of the Placement Securities (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 172), any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Agents to suspend the offering of Placement Securities during such period and the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Agents such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Agents may reasonably request. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the alternative, the Company can suspend or terminate the offering of Placement Securities upon written notice to the Agents pursuant to Section 4 hereof and delay the filing of any amendment or supplement, if in the judgment of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company; provided that the Company must file such amendment or supplement in the event of a pending Placement, a pending sale of Placement Securities or if a prospectus is otherwise still required to be delivered in connection with a completed sale of Placement Securities. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted, conflicts or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or included, includes or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Agents to suspend the offering of Placement Securities during such period and the Company will, subject to Section 7(a) hereof, promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission, provided, however, that so long as no Placement is pending, the Company may delay the filing of any amendment or supplement, if in the judgment of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company to do so.
(e) Blue Sky and Other Qualifications. The Company will promptly from time to time take such action, as the Agents may reasonably request, to qualify the Placement Securities for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Securities to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Agents may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Securities; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Placement Securities have been so qualified or exempt, the Company will use reasonable best efforts to file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification or exemption, as the case may be, in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Securities.
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(f) Rule 158. The Company will use reasonable best efforts to timely file such reports pursuant to the Exchange Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Agents the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act.
(g) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”
(h) Listing. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities is required to be delivered by the Agents under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of the Placement Securities (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Securities to be listed on the Nasdaq.
(i) Filings with the Nasdaq. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to timely file with the Nasdaq all material documents and notices required by the Nasdaq of companies that have or will issue securities that are traded on the Nasdaq.
(j) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during any period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), will use reasonable best efforts to file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act.
(k) Notice of Other Sales. From the time the Company issues a Placement Notice until the settlement for sales of all Placement Securities remaining under any such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the Company shall provide the Agents at least one Business Days’ notice before it offers to sell, contracts to sell, sells, grants any option to sell or otherwise disposes of any shares of Common Stock (other than Placement Securities offered pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock, provided, that such notice shall not be required in connection with (i) the Securities to be offered and sold through or to the Agents pursuant to this Agreement, (ii) the issuance, grant or sale of shares of Common Stock, options to purchase shares of Common Stock or shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise or settlement of options, warrants, rights, or any other conversion privilege set forth in the instrument governing such security or other equity awards pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock or compensatory plan or arrangement described in the Prospectus, (iii) sales solely to employees of the Company or its subsidiaries, or to a trustee or other person acquiring such securities for the accounts of such persons, (iv) the issuance of securities by the Company in connection with an acquisition, merger or sale or purchase of assets, or (v) the issuance or sale of Common Stock pursuant to any dividend reinvestment plan that the Company may adopt from time to time, provided the implementation of such is disclosed to the Agents in advance.
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(l) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement Securities, advise the Agents promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided to the Agents pursuant to this Agreement.
(m) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any commercially reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agents or their respective agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agents may reasonably request.
(n) Disclosure of Sales. The Company will disclose in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in its annual report on Form 10-K the number of Placement Securities sold through the Agents, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to the Agents with respect to such Placement Securities.
(o) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and:
(1) each time the Company:
(i) files the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities or amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement (but not by means of incorporation of documents by reference into the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities);
(ii) files an annual report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act;
(iii) files a quarterly report on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; or
(iv) files a current report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than an earnings release, to “furnish” information pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K) under the Exchange Act; and
(2) at any other time reasonably requested by the Agents (each such date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (1)(i) through (iv) and any time of request pursuant to this Section 7(o) shall be a “Representation Date”),
the Company shall furnish the Agents with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F within five (5) Trading Days of any Representation Date if requested by any Agent. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 7(o) shall be automatically waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) is pending, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date) and the next occurring Representation Date on which the Company files its annual report on Form 10-K. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Securities following a Representation Date when the Company relied on such waiver and did not provide the Agents with a certificate under this Section 7(o), then before the Company delivers such Placement Notice or the Agents sell any Placement Securities, the Company shall provide the Agents with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F, dated the date of such Placement Notice.
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(p) Legal Opinion. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agents a written opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (“Company Counsel”), or other counsel satisfactory to the Agents, in form and substance satisfactory to the Agents and its counsel, dated the date that the opinion is required to be delivered, substantially similar to the form attached hereto as Exhibit E, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that in lieu of such opinions for subsequent Representation Dates, counsel may furnish the Agents with a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that the Agents may rely on a prior opinion delivered under this Section 7(p) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date); provided further, however, that the obligation of the Company under this Section 7(p) shall be deferred during any suspension period as described in Section 4.
(q) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause its independent accountants, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (and any other independent accountants whose report is included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus), to furnish the Agents letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date the Comfort Letter is delivered, in form and substance satisfactory to the Agents, (i) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the PCAOB, (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.
(r) Opinion of Counsel for the Agents. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F for which no waiver is applicable, the Agents shall have received the favorable written opinion or opinions of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Agents, dated such date, with respect to such matters as the Agents may reasonably request.
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(s) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or would reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Stock to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase the Securities to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Securities to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement other than the Agents; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase its Common Stock in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act and provided further, that no such bids or purchases shall be made by the Company during the three (3) Trading Days before or after any sale of any Securities pursuant to this Agreement.
(t) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that prior to the termination of this Agreement, the Company is not required to register as an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, assuming no change in the Commission’s current interpretation as to entities that are not considered an investment company.
(u) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of, or dealings in, the Placement Securities as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.
(v) No Offer to Sell. Other than a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance in writing by the Company and the Agents in their capacity as principal or agent hereunder at a time when the Company is no longer an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Agents in their capacity as such) will not, directly or indirectly, make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any free writing prospectus relating to the Securities to be sold by the Agents as principals or agents hereunder.
(w) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its subsidiaries will use their reasonable best efforts to comply with all effective applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(x) Regulation M. If the Company has knowledge that the exemptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are not satisfied with respect to the Company or the Common Stock, it shall promptly notify the Agents and sales of the Placement Securities under this Agreement shall be suspended until that or other exemptive provisions have been satisfied in the judgment of each party.
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SECTION 8. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment and supplement thereto, (ii) the word processing, printing and delivery to the Agents of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Placement Securities to the Agents, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any capital duties, stamp duties or other duties or taxes payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Securities to the Agents, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the counsel, accountants and other advisors to the Company, (v) the qualification or exemption of the Placement Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof, including filing fees in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplements thereto (excluding fees of counsel, which are addressed in clause (xi)), (vi) the printing and delivery to the Agents of copies of the Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Agents to investors, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Agents of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any Canadian “wrapper” and any supplements thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Custodian and the transfer agent and registrar for the Securities, (ix) the filing fees of FINRA incident to the review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (x) the fees and expenses of the Company incurred in connection with the listing of the Placement Securities on the Nasdaq, and (xi) reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses by the Agents, including the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of one outside legal counsel for the Agents incurred by the Agents in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, up to an amount that does not exceed $75,000 in the aggregate (the “Expenses”).
SECTION 9. Conditions to the Agents’ Obligations. The obligations of each Agent hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective and shall be available for (i) all sales of Placement Securities issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices (each as amended by a corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) and (ii) the sale of all Placement Securities contemplated to be issued by any Placement Notice (each as amended by a corresponding Acceptance, if applicable).
(b) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other Governmental Entity during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other Governmental Entity of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any material document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, related Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or such documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any 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.
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(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. No Agent shall have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in such Agent’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in such Agent’s opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(d) No Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Effect, nor any development or event involving a prospective Material Adverse Effect since the date of the audited financial statements included in the Prospectus.
(e) Opinion of Counsel for Company. Such Agent shall have received the favorable opinion of Company Counsel, required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(p) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(p).
(f) Representation Certificate. Such Agent shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(o) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 7(o).
(g) Accountant’s Comfort Letter. Such Agent shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant Section 7(q) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(q).
(h) Approval for Listing. The Placement Securities shall either have been (i) authorized for listing on the Nasdaq, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed a notice for listing of the Placement Securities on the Nasdaq at, or prior to, the issuance of any Placement Notice.
(i) No Objection. Prior to the execution of this Agreement, FINRA shall have confirmed in writing that it has no objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements, if applicable.
(j) No Suspension. Trading in the Securities shall not have been suspended on the Nasdaq.
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(k) Additional Documents. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(o), counsel for the Agents shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated.
(l) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424.
(m) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section 9 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by any of the Agents, with respect to itself, by notice to the Company, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that, in the case of any termination of this Agreement, Sections 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15 and 22 hereof shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 10. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Agents, its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the Securities Act), and each person, if any, who controls such Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 10(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the indemnified Agent), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above,
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provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by an Agent expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) (the “Agent Information”). For purposes of this Agreement, the only Agent Information so furnished as of the date hereof shall be the Agents’ names and the last sentence of the section titled “Plan of Distribution – Conflicts of Interest” in the Prospectus Supplement.
(b) Indemnification by the Agents. Each of the Agents agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers and affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the Securities Act), and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section 10, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent Information.
(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any legal or other expenses except as provided below. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party (such authorization not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to no more than one local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the indemnified party or parties, in each case in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 10 or Section 11 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding 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.
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(d) Settlements. No indemnified party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnifying party (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever.
(e) Other Agreements with Respect to Indemnification and Contribution. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of this Section 10 and in Section 11 hereof shall not affect any provisions of the Existing Credit Agreement, or any other agreements between the Company and an Agent with respect to indemnification of each other or contribution between themselves.
SECTION 11. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 10 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and any Agent on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of such Agent on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions.
The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and any Agent on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total commissions received by such Agent, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.
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The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and any Agent on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by such Agent and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The Company and each Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 11 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 11. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 11 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Entity, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 11, no Agent shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement.
No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
For purposes of this Section 11, each person, if any, who controls an Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Agent, and each director, officer or affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the Securities Act) of the Company and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 11, will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 11 except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. No party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 10(c) or Section 10(d) hereof.
SECTION 12. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of an Agent or a controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, and shall survive delivery of the Securities to such Agent.
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SECTION 13. Termination of Agreement.
(a) Termination; General. Each of the Agents may terminate this Agreement, with respect to itself (but not the other Agent), by notice to the Company, as hereinafter specified at any time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the date as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Effect or any development or event involving a prospective Material Adverse Effect, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of such Agent, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in the Placement Securities has been suspended or limited by the Commission or the Nasdaq, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange, the NYSE or the Nasdaq has been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by order of the Commission, the FINRA or any other Governmental Entity, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or in Europe, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.
(b) Termination by the Company. The Company shall have the right, by giving ten (10) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion with respect to an Agent (and not any other Agent) at any time after the date of this Agreement.
(c) Termination by an Agent. Each Agent shall have the right, by giving ten (10) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement with respect to itself (but not the other Agent) in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement.
(d) Automatic Termination. Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 13, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the earlier to occur of (i) the date this is two (2) years after the date of this Agreement and (ii) the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Securities through the Agents on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein with an aggregate sale price equal to the amount set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement.
(e) Continued Force and Effect. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 13(a), (b), (c) or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties.
(f) Effectiveness of Termination. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to Sections 13(a), (b) or (c) shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Agents or the Company, as the case may be. If any termination pursuant to this Agreement shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement Securities, such Placement Securities shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
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(g) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 13, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that, in the case of any termination of this Agreement, Section 5, Section 10, Section 11, Section 12, Section 15 and Section 22 hereof shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 14. Notices. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, all notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices shall be directed to:
(a) If to Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, at Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 500 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001, fax no. (212) 214-5918, Attention of Equity Syndicate Department;
(b) If to Truist Securities, Inc., at Truist Securities, Inc., 3333 Peachtree Road NE, 11th Floor Atlanta, Georgia 30326, Attention of Equity Capital Markets (dl.atm.offering@truist.com);
(c) If to the Company, notices to the Company shall be directed to it at Westrock Coffee Company, 4009 N. Rodney Parham Road, 3rd floor, Little Rock, AR 72212, Attention of Chief Legal Officer ([Intentionally omitted]).
An electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section 14 if sent to the electronic mail address specified above or otherwise by the receiving party under separate cover. Electronic Notice shall be deemed received at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives verification of receipt by the receiving party.
SECTION 15. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that an Agent is a Covered Entity and becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Agent of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that an Agent is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Agent becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Agent are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
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SECTION 16. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Agents and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Agents, the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers, directors and affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the Securities Act) referred to in Sections 10 and 11 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Agents and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers, directors and affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the Securities Act) and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Agent shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
SECTION 17. Adjustments for Stock Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all stock-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any stock split, stock dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Securities.
SECTION 18. Governing Law and Time; Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE RELATING TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City and County of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for suits, actions, or proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any Specified Court in a Related Proceeding, as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of the Specified Courts in any Related Proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any Related Proceeding brought in any Specified Court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any Specified Proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any Specified Court that any Related Proceeding brought in any Specified Court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company and the Agents each hereby irrevocably waive any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any claim based upon or arising out of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated hereby.
SECTION 19. Effect of Headings. The Section and Exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
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SECTION 20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile or e-mail transmission. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in this Agreement or in any other certificate, agreement or document related to this Agreement, if any, shall include images of manually executed signatures transmitted by facsimile or other electronic format (including, without limitation, “pdf,” “tif” or “jpg”) and other electronic signatures (including, without limitation, DocuSign and AdobeSign). The use of electronic signatures and electronic records (including, without limitation, any contract or other record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means) shall be of the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a manually executed signature or use of a paper-based record-keeping system to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act and any other applicable law, including, without limitation, any state law based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or the Uniform Commercial Code.
SECTION 21. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the respective meanings set forth below:
“Applicable Time” means the time of each sale of any Securities or any securities pursuant to this Agreement.
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Capital Stock” means any Common Stock, Preferred Stock or other capital stock of the Company.
“Series A Convertible Preferred Shares” means the Company’s Series A convertible preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share.
“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Company Documents” means any contracts, indentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan or credit agreements, bonds, notes, debentures, evidences of indebtedness, leases or other instruments or agreements 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 including, without limitation, all Subject Instruments.
“Covered Entity” means any of (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b), (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b), or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“EDGAR” means the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system.
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“Existing Credit Agreement” means the Credit Agreement, dated as of August 29, 2022, among Westrock Beverage Solutions, LLC, as the borrower, the Company, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, collateral agent, and swingline lender, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as sustainability structuring agent and each issuing bank and lender party thereto from time to time, as amended, supplemented or restated, if applicable, including any promissory notes, pledge agreements, security agreements, mortgages, guarantees and other instruments or agreements entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in connection therewith or pursuant thereto, in each case as amended, supplemented or restated, if applicable.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
“Falcon Facility” means the Uncommitted Credit Agreement, dated as of March 21, 2023, by and among Falcon Coffees Limited, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, the lenders from time to time party thereto and Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch, as administrative agent, issuing lender, swingline lender, lead arranger and sole bookrunner, as amended, supplemented or restated, if applicable, including any promissory notes, pledge agreements, security agreements, mortgages, guarantees and other instruments or agreements entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in connection therewith or pursuant thereto, in each case as amended, supplemented or restated, if applicable.
“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles.
“Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
“Investor Rights Agreement” means the Company’s Amended and Restated Investor Rights Agreement dated as of June 29, 2023, by and among the Company, Westrock Group, LLC, BBH Capital Partners V, L.P., BBH Capital Partners V-A, L.P., BBH CPV WCC Co-Investment LLC, Riverview Sponsor Partners, LLC and HF Direct Investments Pool, LLC.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show” that is a “written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, and all free writing prospectuses that are listed in Exhibit G hereto, in each case in the form furnished (electronically or otherwise) to the Agents for use in connection with the offering of the Securities.
“Lien” means any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.
“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange.
“prospective Material Adverse Effect” when used with respect to any event or development means any event or development that is reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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“Organizational Documents” means (a) in the case of a corporation, its charter or certificate of incorporation and by laws; (b) in the case of a limited or general partnership, its partnership certificate, certificate of formation or similar organizational document and its partnership agreement; (c) in the case of a limited liability company, its articles of organization, certificate of formation or similar organizational documents and its operating agreement, limited liability company agreement, membership agreement or other similar agreement; (d) in the case of a trust, its certificate of trust, certificate of formation or similar organizational document and its trust agreement or other similar agreement; and (e) in the case of any other entity, the organizational and governing documents of such entity.
“Preferred Stock” means the Company’s preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share.
“Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any bond, 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 subsidiary of the Company.
“Rule 163,” “Rule 164,” “Rule 172,” “Rule 405,” “Rule 415,” “Rule 424(b),” “Rule 430B,” “Rule 433” and “Rule 462(b)” refer to such rules under the Securities Act.
“Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” means a registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) for the purpose of registering any of the Securities under the Securities Act, including the documents incorporated by reference therein and the Rule 430A Information.
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof.
“Subject Instruments” means the Existing Credit Agreement, the Falcon Facility and the Investor Rights Agreement.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act of 1950, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Warrants” means the warrants of the Company to purchase Common Stock.
All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information that is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be.
All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR; all references in this Agreement to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (other than any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that, pursuant to Rule 433, are not required to be filed with the Commission) shall be deemed to include the copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR; and all references in this Agreement to “supplements” to the Prospectus shall include, without limitation, any supplements, “wrappers” or similar materials prepared in connection with any offering, sale or private placement of any Placement Securities by any Agent outside of the United States.
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SECTION 22. Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents, warrants and agrees that it has not made and, unless it (i) no longer classifies as an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) and (ii) obtains the prior consent of the Agents, will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. The Agents represent, warrant and agree that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company, it will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Agents or by the Company, as the case may be, is referred to herein as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. For the purposes of clarity, the parties hereto agree that all free writing prospectuses, if any, listed in Exhibit G hereto are Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses.
SECTION 23. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:
(c) Each Agent is acting solely as agent and/or principal in connection with the public offering of the Securities and in connection with each transaction contemplated by this Agreement and the process leading to such transactions, and no fiduciary or advisory relationship between the Company or any of its respective affiliates, stockholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees or any other party, on the one hand, and such Agent, on the other hand, has been or will be created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether or not such Agent has advised or is advising the Company on other matters, and the Agents have no obligation to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement;
(d) the public offering price of the Securities set forth in this Agreement was not established by the Agents;
(e) it is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
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(f) no Agent has provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each Agent has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate;
(g) the Agents and their respective affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Agents have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship or otherwise; and
(h) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against any Agent for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Agents shall not have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract, tort or otherwise) to it in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on its behalf or in right of it or the Company, employees or creditors of Company.
[Signature Pages Follow]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Agents and the Company in accordance with its terms.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| WESTROCK COFFEE COMPANY | ||
| By: | /s/ T. Christopher Pledger | |
| Name: T. Christopher Pledger | ||
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | ||
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CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED, as of the date first above written:
WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC
| By | /s/ Aldin Dervisevic | |
| Authorized Signatory | ||
| Name: | Aldin Dervisevic | |
| Title: | Executive Director |
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CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED, as of the date first above written:
TRUIST SECURITIES, INC.
| By | /s/ Keith Carpenter | |
| Authorized Signatory | ||
| Name: | Keith Carpenter | |
| Title: | Managing Director |
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EXHIBIT A
FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE
| From: | Westrock Coffee Company |
| Cc: | [●] |
| To: | [Wells Fargo Securities, LLC |
500 West 33rd Street
New York, New York 10001]
[Truist Securities, Inc.
3333 Peachtree Road NE, 11th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30326]
Subject: Equity Distribution—Placement Notice
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Equity Distribution Agreement among Westrock Coffee Company (the “Company”), Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Truist Securities, Inc. (the “Agents”) dated March 15, 2024 (the “Agreement”), I hereby request on behalf of the Company that you sell up to [●] shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $[●] per share, at a minimum market price of $[●] per share.
The daily issuance of the above referenced shares should not represent any more than [·]% of the Company’s average daily trading volume on any given day, and should be issued between [·], 20[·] and [·], 20[·].
[ADDITIONAL SALES PARAMETERS MAY BE ADDED, SUCH AS SPECIFIC DATES ON WHICH THE SHARES MAY NOT BE SOLD, THE MANNER IN WHICH SALES ARE TO BE MADE BY AN AGENT AND/OR THE CAPACITY IN WHICH SUCH AGENT MAY ACT IN SELLING SHARES (AS PRINCIPAL, AGENT OR BOTH)]
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EXHIBIT B
AUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS FOR PLACEMENT NOTICES AND ACCEPTANCES
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
| · | Michael Tiedemann |
[Intentionally omitted]
| · | Jason Rein |
[Intentionally omitted]
| · | Billy O’Connell |
[Intentionally omitted]
| · | Jennifer Lynch |
[Intentionally omitted]
| · | Josie Callanan |
[Intentionally omitted]
Truist Securities, Inc.
| · | Keith Carpenter |
[Intentionally omitted]
| · | Geoff Fennel |
[Intentionally omitted]
Westrock Coffee Company
| · | Scott Ford |
[Intentionally omitted]
| · | Christopher Pledger |
[Intentionally omitted]
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EXHIBIT C
COMPENSATION
The Company shall pay to the relevant Agent in cash, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, an amount equal to 1.5% of the gross proceeds from each such sale of Placement Securities.
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EXHIBIT D
SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDIARIES OF THE COMPANY
| Name |
Jurisdiction of
|
| Westrock Beverage Solutions, LLC | Delaware |
| Westrock Coffee Roasting, LLC | Arkansas |
| Westrock Beverage Company, LLC | Arkansas |
| S. & D. Coffee, Inc. (d/b/a Westrock Coffee) | North Carolina |
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EXHIBIT E
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY COUNSEL
[Attached]
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EXHIBIT F
OFFICER’S CERTIFICATE
The undersigned, the duly qualified and elected Chief Financial Officer of Westrock Coffee Company (“Company”), a Delaware corporation, does hereby certify in such capacity (and not in any personal capacity) and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(o) of the Equity Distribution Agreement dated March 15, 2024 (the “Agreement”) among the Company, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Truist Securities, Inc., that to the knowledge of the undersigned:
| a. | The representations and warranties of the Company in Section 5 of the Agreement (A) to the extent such representations and warranties are subject to qualifications and exceptions contained therein relating to materiality or Material Adverse Effect (as defined therein), are true and correct subject to such qualifications and exceptions on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof, except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date, in which case such representations and warranties were true and correct as of such date subject to the qualifications and exceptions set forth therein, and (B) to the extent such representations and warranties are not subject to any qualifications or exceptions, are true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof as if made on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date, in which case such representations were true and correct as of such date in all material respects; and |
| b. | The Company has complied in all material respects with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on their part to be performed or satisfied pursuant to the Agreement at or prior to the date hereof (other than those conditions waived by Wells Fargo Securities, LLC). |
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP are entitled to rely on this Certificate in connection with the opinions such firms are rendering pursuant to Sections 7(p) and 7(r), respectively, of the Agreement.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have signed my name hereunto on the date first written above.
| WESTROCK COFFEE COMPANY | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
2
EXHIBIT G
ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES
None.
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Exhibit 5.1
[Letterhead of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz]
March 15, 2024
Westrock Coffee Company
4009 N. Rodney Parham Road
3rd Floor
Little Rock, AR 72212
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special counsel to Westrock Coffee Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the Company’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of (i) a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-274827) (the “Registration Statement”), including the first prospectus contained therein (the “Prospectus”), and (ii) a Prospectus Supplement (the “Prospectus Supplement”), dated March 15, 2024, relating to the issuance and sale over time and from time to time of shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”) in an amount not to exceed 5,000,000 (five million) shares of the Common Stock.
The Shares may be issued and sold by the Company under the terms of that Equity Distribution Agreement, dated March 15, 2024, among the Company, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Truist Securities, Inc. (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”). In connection with the foregoing, you have requested our opinion with respect to the following matters.
In rendering the opinion set forth below, we have examined and relied upon the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement and the Equity Distribution Agreement. We have also examined and relied upon the originals, or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of other corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments, including the certificate of incorporation of the Company, as amended, as in effect as of the date hereof, and the bylaws of the Company, as amended, as in effect as of the date hereof and copies of certain resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) and the Audit and Finance Committee of the Board relating to the registration, issuance and sale of the Shares, and have made such other investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary in connection with the opinions set forth below. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied, with your approval, upon oral and written representations of officers and representatives of the Company and certificates or comparable documents of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company.
In making such examination and rendering the opinion set forth below, we have assumed without verification the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the authenticity of the originals of such documents submitted to us as certified copies, the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies, the authenticity of the originals of such documents, that all documents submitted to us as certified copies are true and correct copies of such originals and the legal capacity and competency of all individuals executing any of the foregoing documents.
Westrock Coffee Company
March 15, 2024
Page 2
In rendering the opinion set forth below, we have also assumed that the Shares will be duly authenticated by the transfer agent and registrar for the Shares and that the certificates, if any, evidencing the Shares to be issued will be manually signed by one of the authorized officers of the transfer agent and registrar for the Shares and registered by such transfer agent and registrar and will conform to the specimen certificate examined by us evidencing the Shares.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and limitations stated herein and in reliance on statements of fact contained in the documents we have examined or reviewed, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued, sold, paid for and delivered in accordance with the Equity Distribution Agreement, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, will be duly authorized, validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable.
We are members of the Bar of the State of New York, and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the Delaware General Corporation Law (including the statutory provisions and all applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution and reported judicial decisions interpreting the foregoing).
This opinion letter speaks only as of its date and is delivered in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K relating to the Shares. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are an expert within the meaning of Section 7 of the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder. We assume no obligation to advise the Company or any other person, or to make any investigations, as to any legal developments or factual matters arising subsequent to the date hereof that might affect the opinions expressed herein.
| Very truly yours, | |
| /s/ Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz |