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Exhibit 1.1
WESTLINKS RESOURCES LTD.
1,000,000 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
1,000,000 COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANTS
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
______________, 2000
Merit Capital Associates, Inc.
1221 Post Road East
Westport, Connecticut 06880
Spencer Edwards, Inc.
6041 South Syracuse Way, Suite 305
Englewood, Colorado 80111
Gentlemen:
Westlinks Resources Ltd., an Alberta, Canada corporation (the "Company"),
hereby confirms its agreement with Merit Capital Associates, Inc. and Spencer
Edwards, Inc. as representatives (the "Representatives") of the several
underwriters listed on Schedule 1 annexed hereto (the "Underwriters"), as set
forth below.
The Company proposes to issue and sell to the Underwriters 1,000,000 shares
of the Company's no par value common stock (the "Common Stock") and 1,000,000
redeemable common stock purchase warrants (the "Warrants"). The Common Stock and
Warrants being sold by the Company are referred to as the "Firm Securities."
In addition, for the sole purpose of covering over-allotments from the sale
of the Firm Securities, the Company proposes to grant to the Underwriters an
option to purchase an additional 150,000 shares of Common Stock and 150,000
Warrants (the "Firm Option Securities" or the "Option Securities"), all as
provided in Section 2(c) of this agreement (the "Agreement") and to issue to you
the Representatives' Warrant (as defined in Section 2 hereof) to purchase
certain additional shares of Common Stock and Warrants. The Firm Securities and
the Option Securities are collectively referred to herein as either the
"Securities."
1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company
represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Underwriter that:
(a) A registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-39826), with
respect to the Securities and the Representatives' Warrant (as hereinafter
defined), including a prospectus subject to completion, has been filed by the
Company with the Securities and Exchange
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Commission (the "Commission") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Act"), and one or more amendments to that registration statement may have been
so filed. Copies of such registration statement and of each amendment heretofore
filed by the Company with the Commission have been delivered to the
Underwriters. After the execution of this Agreement, the Company will file with
the Commission either (i) if the registration statement, as it may have been
amended, has been declared by the Commission to be effective under the Act, a
prospectus in the form most recently included in that registration statement
(or, if an amendment thereto shall have been filed, in such amendment), with
such changes or insertions as are required by Rule 430A under the Act or
permitted by Rule 424(b) under the Act and as have been provided to and approved
by the Underwriters prior to the execution of this Agreement, or (ii) if that
registration statement, as it may have been amended, has not been declared by
the Commission to be effective under the Act, an amendment to that registration
statement, including a form of prospectus, a copy of which amendment has been
furnished to and approved by the Underwriters prior to the execution of this
Agreement. The Company also may file a related registration statement with the
Commission pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act for purposes of registering
certain additional Securities, which registration statement shall become
effective upon filing with the Commission (the "Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement"). As used in this Agreement, the term "Registration Statement" means
that registration statement, as amended at the time it was or is declared
effective, and any amendment thereto that was or is thereafter declared
effective, including all financial schedules and exhibits thereto and any
information omitted therefrom pursuant to Rule 430A under the Act and included
in the Prospectus (as hereinafter defined), together with any Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement; the term "Preliminary Prospectus" means each prospectus
subject to completion filed with the Registration Statement (including the
prospectus subject to completion, if any, included in the Registration Statement
at the time it was or is declared effective); and the term "Prospectus" means
the prospectus first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the
Act or, if no prospectus is so filed pursuant to Rule 424(b), the prospectus
included in the Registration Statement. The Company has caused to be delivered
to the Underwriters copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and has consented to
the use of those copies for the purposes permitted by the Act. If the Company
has elected to rely on Rule 462(b) and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement
has not been declared effective, then (i) the Company has filed a Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement in compliance with and that is effective upon filing
pursuant to Rule 462(b) and has received confirmation of its receipt and (ii)
the Company has given irrevocable instructions for transmission of the
applicable filing fee in connection with the filing of the Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement, in compliance with Rule 111 promulgated under the Act or
the Commission has received payment of such filing fee.
(b) The Commission has not issued any order preventing or suspending
the use of any Preliminary Prospectus. When each Preliminary Prospectus and each
amendment and each supplement thereto was filed with the Commission it (i)
contained all statements required to be stated therein, in accordance with, and
complied with the requirements of, the Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder and (ii) did not include any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading. When the
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Registration Statement was or is declared effective, it (i) contained or will
contain all statements required to be stated therein in accordance with, and
complied or will comply with the requirements of, the Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and (ii) did not or will not include
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. When the Prospectus and
each amendment or supplement thereto is filed with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b) (or, if the Prospectus or such amendment or supplement is not
required so to be filed, when the Registration Statement containing such
Prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto was or is declared effective) and
on the Firm Closing Date and any Option Closing Date (as each such term is
hereinafter defined), the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented at any such
time, (i) contained or will contain all statements required to be stated therein
in accordance with, and complied or will comply with the requirements of, the
Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and (ii) did not
or will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The foregoing
provisions of this paragraph (b) do not apply to statements or omissions made in
any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any
amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by the Underwriters specifically for use
therein.
(c) The Company is duly incorporated, validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, and is duly
qualified or authorized to transact business as a foreign corporation and is in
good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its
properties or the conduct of its businesses require such qualification or
authorization. The Company has no subsidiaries.
(d) The Company has full corporate power and authority, and all
necessary material authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and
permits of and from all governmental regulatory authorities, to own or lease its
property and conduct its business as now being conducted and as proposed to be
conducted as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and, if
the Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus).
(e) Except as described in the Registration Statement the Company
does not own, directly or indirectly, an interest in any corporation,
partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business
entity.
(f) The Company has an authorized, issued and outstanding
capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus). All of the issued shares of
capital stock of the Company, have been duly authorized and validly issued and
are fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. There are no
outstanding options, warrants or other rights granted by the Company to purchase
shares of its Common Stock or other securities, other than as described in the
Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent
Preliminary Prospectus). The Firm Securities
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have been duly authorized, by all necessary corporate action on the part of the
Company and, when the Firm Securities are issued and delivered to and paid for
by the Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement, the Firm Securities will be
validly issued, fully paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights and will
conform to the description thereof in the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is
not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus). No holder of
outstanding securities of the Company is entitled as such to any preemptive or
other right to subscribe for any of the Securities, and no person is entitled to
have securities registered by the Company under the Registration Statement or
otherwise under the Act other than as described in the Prospectus (and, if the
Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus).
(g) The capital stock of the Company conforms to the description
thereof contained in the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in existence,
the most recent Preliminary Prospectus).
(h) All issuances of securities of the Company have been effected
pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Act. Except
as previously disclosed in writing to the Representatives, no compensation was
paid to or on behalf of any member of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. ("NASD"), or any affiliate or employee thereof, in connection with
any such issuance.
(i) The financial statements of the Company included in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus) fairly present the financial
position of the Company as of the dates indicated and the results of operations
of the Company for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in effect
in Canada, consistently applied, except to the extent that certain footnote
disclosures regarding unaudited interim periods may have been omitted in
accordance with the applicable rules of the Commission under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), and except that certain
financial statement information has been reconciled to comply with United States
generally accepted accounting principles, in accordance with the rules of the
Commission. The financial data set forth under the caption "Summary Financial
Information" in the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in existence, the
most recent Preliminary Prospectus) fairly present, on the basis stated in the
Prospectus (or such Preliminary Prospectus), the information included therein.
(j) Collins Barrow, Chartered Accountants, which has audited certain
financial statements of the Company and delivered its report with respect to the
financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
(and, if the Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary
Prospectus), is an independent public accountant with respect to the Company as
required by the Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder.
(k) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, the most
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recent Preliminary Prospectus), (i) except as otherwise contemplated therein,
there has been no material adverse change in the business, operations, condition
(financial or otherwise), earnings or prospects of the Company, whether or not
arising in the ordinary course of business, (ii) except as otherwise stated
therein, there have been no transactions entered into by the Company and no
commitments made by the Company that, individually or in the aggregate, are
material with respect to the Company, (iii) there has not been any change in the
capital stock or indebtedness of the Company, and (iv) there has been no
dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company in
respect of any class of its capital stock.
(l) The Company has full corporate power and authority to enter into
and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Representatives'
Warrant Agreement (as hereinafter defined). The execution and delivery of this
Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement have been duly authorized
by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and this Agreement
and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement have each been duly executed and
delivered by the Company and each is a valid and binding agreement of the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as
the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium and other similar laws
affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity
(regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at
law), and except as rights to indemnity and contribution under this Agreement
may be limited by applicable law. The issuance, offering and sale by the Company
to the Underwriters of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or the
Representatives' Securities pursuant to the Representatives' Warrant Agreement,
the compliance by the Company with the provisions of this Agreement and the
Representatives' Warrant Agreement, and the consummation of the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant
Agreement do not (i) require the consent, approval, authorization, registration
or qualification of or with any court or governmental or regulatory authority,
except such as have been obtained or may be required under state securities or
blue sky laws and, if the Registration Statement filed with respect to the
Securities (as amended) is not effective under the Act as of the time of
execution hereof, such as may be required (and shall be obtained as provided in
this Agreement) under the Act, or (ii) conflict with or result in a breach or
violation of, or constitute a default under, any material contract, indenture,
mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other material agreement
or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company or any of
its property is bound or subject, or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws
of the Company, or any statute or any rule, regulation, judgment, decree or
order of any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or any
arbitrator applicable to the Company.
(m) No legal or governmental proceedings are pending to which the
Company is a party or to which the property of the Company is subject, and no
such proceedings have been threatened against the Company or with respect to any
of its property, except such as are described in the Prospectus (and, if the
Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus). No
contract or other document is required to be described in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement that is not described therein (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus) or filed as required.
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(n) The Company is not in (i) violation of its articles of
amalgamation, by-laws or other governing documents, (ii) violation in any
material respect of any law, statute, regulation, ordinance, rule, order,
judgment or decree of any court or any governmental or regulatory authority
applicable to it, or (iii) default in any material respect in the performance or
observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any
material contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note,
lease or other material agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by
which it or any of its property may be bound or subject, and no event has
occurred which with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute such a
default.
(o) The Company currently owns or possesses adequate rights to use
all intellectual property, including all trademarks, service marks, trade names,
copyrights, inventions, know-how, trade secrets, proprietary technologies,
processes and substances, or applications or licenses therefor, that are
described in the Prospectus (and if the Prospectus is not in existence, the most
recent Preliminary Prospectus), and any other rights or interests in items of
intellectual property as are necessary for the conduct of the business now
conducted or proposed to be conducted by them as described in the Prospectus
(or, such Preliminary Prospectus), and, except as disclosed in the Prospectus
(and such Preliminary Prospectus), the Company is not aware of the granting of
any patent rights to, or the filing of applications therefor by, others, nor is
the Company aware of, nor has the Company received notice of, infringement of or
conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing.
All such intellectual property rights and interests are (i) valid and
enforceable and (ii) to the best knowledge of the Company, not being infringed
by any third parties.
(p) The Company possesses adequate licenses, orders, authorizations,
approvals, certificates or permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or
foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct its business as
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and, if the
Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus), and,
except as disclosed in the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus), there are no pending or, to
the best knowledge of the Company, threatened, proceedings relating to the
revocation or modification of any such license, order, authorization, approval,
certificate or permit.
(q) The Company has good and marketable title to all of the
properties and assets reflected in the Company's financial statements or as
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and, if the
Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus), subject
to no lien, mortgage, pledge, charge or encumbrance of any kind, except those
reflected in such financial statements or as described in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus (and such Preliminary Prospectus). Except as
disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company occupies its leased properties under
valid and enforceable leases conforming to the description thereof set forth in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and such Preliminary Prospectus).
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(r) The Company is not and does not intend to conduct its business
in a manner in which it would be an "investment company" as defined in Section
3(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "Investment Company Act").
(s) The Company has obtained and delivered to the Representatives
certain agreements (the "Lock-up Agreements") with its officers and directors
substantially to the effect that, among other things, each such person will not,
commencing on the date that the Registration Statement is declared effective by
the Commission (the "Effective Date") and continuing for a period of six months
thereafter, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, directly
or indirectly, publicly sell, offer or contract to sell or grant any option to
purchase, transfer, assign or pledge, or otherwise encumber, or dispose of any
shares of Common Stock now or hereafter owned by such person and that the
purchaser or transferee in any private sale agrees to be bound by the Lock-up
Agreement. The Company's officers and directors and certain other security
holders owning shares of common stock in excess of 10% of the Company's
outstanding Common Stock are referred to herein as the "Principal Shareholders".
(t) No labor dispute with the employees of the Company exists, is
threatened or, to the best of the Company's knowledge, is imminent that could
result in a material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise),
business, prospects, net worth or results of operations of the Company, except
as described in or contemplated by the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not
in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus).
(u) The Company is 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 it is engaged; the Company has not been
refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and the Company has no
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 at a cost that
would not materially and adversely affect the condition (financial or
otherwise), business, prospects, net worth or results of operations of the
Company, except as described in or contemplated by the Prospectus (and, if the
Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus).
(v) The Representatives' Warrant (as hereinafter defined) will
conform to the description thereof in the Registration Statement and in the
Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in existence, the most recent
Preliminary Prospectus) and, when sold to and paid for by the Representatives in
accordance with the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, will have been duly
authorized and validly issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations
of the Company entitled to the benefits of the Representatives' Warrant
Agreement. The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the
Representatives' Warrant have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance
upon exercise of the Representatives' Warrant by all necessary corporate action
on the part of the Company and, when issued and delivered and paid for upon such
exercise in accordance with the terms of the Representatives' Warrant Agreement
and the Representatives' Warrant, respectively, will be validly issued, fully
paid, nonassessable and free of preemptive rights and will conform to the
description thereof in the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus).
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(w) No person has acted as a finder in connection with, or is
entitled to any commission, fee or other compensation or payment for services as
a finder for or for originating, or introducing the parties to, the transactions
contemplated herein and the Company will indemnify the Underwriter with respect
to any claim for finder's fees in connection herewith. Except as set forth in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and, if the Prospectus is not in
existence, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus), the Company has no
management or financial consulting agreement with anyone. No promoter, officer,
director or stockholder of the Company is, directly or indirectly, affiliated or
associated with an NASD member and no securities of the Company have been
acquired by an NASD member, except as previously disclosed in writing to the
Representatives.
(x) The Company has filed all federal, provincial, state, local and
foreign tax returns which are required to be filed through the date hereof, or
has received extensions thereof, and has paid all taxes shown on such returns
and all assessments received by it to the extent that the same are material and
have become due.
(y) Neither the Company nor any director, officer, agent, employee
or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company has, directly
or indirectly; used any corporate funds for unlawful contributions, gifts,
entertainment, or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; made
any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or
to foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds;
violated any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended;
or made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback, or other
unlawful payment. No transaction has occurred between or among the Company and
any of its officers or directors or any affiliates of any such officer or
director, that is required to be described in and is not described in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(z) Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or
affiliates (as defined in the Regulations), has taken or will take, directly or
indirectly, prior to the completion of the Offering, any action designed to
stabilize or manipulate the price of any security of the Company, or which has
caused or resulted in, or which might in the future reasonably be expected to
cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security
of the Company, to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities or the
Option Securities.
(aa) Peter R. Sekera is the Chief Executive Officer and a director of
the Company.
2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Securities and the
Representatives' Warrants.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties, agreements and
covenants herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each Underwriter, and each
Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, the
number of Firm Securities as set forth opposite its name on Schedule 1 annexed
hereto, at the purchase price indicated in the Prospectus.
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(b) Certificates in definitive form for the Firm Securities that the
Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, and in such denomination or
denominations and registered in such name or names as the Underwriters request
upon notice to the Company at least 48 hours prior to the Firm Closing Date,
shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Underwriters, against
payment by or on behalf of the Underwriters of the purchase prices therefor by
wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account specified by the
Company. Such delivery of the Firm Securities shall be made at the offices of
Counsel for the Underwriter, One Riverfront Plaza, First Floor, Newark, New
Jersey 07102 at 7:30 A.M., Eastern time within five days from the Effective Date
of the Offering, or at such other place, time or date as the Underwriters and
the Company may agree upon, such time and date of delivery against payment being
herein referred to as the "Firm Closing Date." The Company will make such
certificates for the Firm Securities available for checking and packaging by the
Underwriters, at such offices as may be designated by the Representatives, at
least 24 hours prior to the Firm Closing Date. In lieu of physical delivery, the
closing may occur by "DTC" delivery.
(c) For the purpose of covering any over-allotments in connection
with the distribution and sale of the Firm Securities as contemplated by the
Prospectus, the Company hereby grants to the Underwriter an option to purchase
any or all of the Option Securities, which options are exercisable by the
Representatives on behalf of and for the account of the Underwriters. The
purchase price to be paid for any of the Option Securities shall be the same
price per share for the Firm Securities set forth above in paragraph (a) of this
Section 2. The option granted hereby may be exercised as to all or any part of
the Option Securities from time to time within 45 calendar days after the Firm
Closing Date. The Underwriters shall not be under any obligation to purchase any
of the Option Securities prior to the exercise of such option. The
Representatives may from time to time exercise the option granted hereby on
behalf of the Underwriters by giving notice in writing or by telephone
(confirmed in writing) to the Company setting forth the aggregate number of
Option Securities as to which the Underwriters are then exercising the option
and the date and time for delivery of and payment for such Option Securities.
Any such date of delivery shall be determined by the Underwriters but shall not
be earlier than two business days or later than three business days after such
exercise of the option and, in any event, shall not be earlier than the Firm
Closing Date. The time and date set forth in such notice, or such other time on
such other date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon, is herein
called the "Option Closing Date" with respect to such Option Securities. Upon
exercise of the option as provided herein, the Company shall become obligated to
sell to the Underwriters, and, subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, each Underwriter shall become obligated to purchase from the Company, the
Option Securities as to which the Underwriter is then exercising its option. If
the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities,
certificates in definitive form for such Option Securities, and payment
therefor, shall be delivered on the related Option Closing Date in the manner,
and upon the terms and conditions, set forth in paragraph (b) of this Section 2,
and each of the conditions set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement shall be
true or shall have been performed, as the case may be, and each of the
deliveries required to be made pursuant to said Section shall be redelivered or
confirmed as of the Option Closing Date, except that reference therein to the
Firm Securities and the Firm Closing Date shall be deemed, for purposes of this
paragraph (c), to refer to such Option Securities and Option Closing Date,
respectively.
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(d) On the Firm Closing Date, the Company will further issue and
sell to the Representatives or, at the direction of the Representatives, to bona
fide officers of the Underwriters, for an aggregate purchase price of $100,
warrants (the "Representatives' Warrant") entitling the holders thereof to
purchase up to 200,000 shares of Common Stock for a period of four years, such
period to commence on the first anniversary of the Effective Date. The
Representatives' Warrant shall be exercisable with respect to 100,000 shares of
Common Stock, at a per share price equal to 120% of the price at which the
Common Stock is offered to the public. In addition, the Representatives' Warrant
shall entitle the Representatives to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock
equal to ten percent (10%) of the number of shares of Common Stock issued upon
exercise of the Warrants exercisable at a per share price equal to the exercise
price of the Warrants. The Representatives' Warrant shall contain terms and
provisions more fully described herein below and as set forth more particularly
in the warrant agreement relating to the Representatives' Warrant to be executed
by the Company on the Effective Date (the "Representatives' Warrant Agreement"),
including, but not limited to, (i) customary anti-dilution provisions in the
event of stock dividends, split mergers, sales of all or substantially all of
the Company's assets, sales of stock at a price greater than 10% below the
prevailing market price at the date such sale of stock is approved by the
Company and other events, and (ii) prohibitions of mergers, consolidations or
other reorganizations of or by the Company or the taking by the Company of other
action during the five-year period following the Effective Date unless adequate
provision is made to preserve, in substance, the rights and powers incidental to
the Representatives' Warrant. As provided in the Representatives' Warrant
Agreement, the Representatives may designate that the Representatives' Warrant
be issued in varying amounts directly to bona fide officers of the Underwriters.
As further provided, no sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation of
the Representatives' Warrant shall be made for a period of five years from the
Effective Date, except (i) by operation of law or reorganization of the Company,
or (ii) to the Underwriters and bona fide partners, officers (but not directors)
of the Underwriters and selling group members.
3. Offering by the Underwriters. The Underwriters propose to offer the
Firm Securities for sale to the public upon the terms set forth in the
Prospectus (the "Offering").
4. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with the
Underwriters that:
(a) The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration
Statement, if not effective at the time of execution of this Agreement, to
become effective as promptly as possible. If required, the Company will file the
Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto with the Commission in the
manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Act. During
any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be
delivered under the Act, the Company (i) will comply with all requirements
imposed upon it by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder to the extent necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or
dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and of the
Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, and (ii) will not file with the
Commission any prospectus or amendment referred to in the first sentence of
section (a) (i) hereof, any amendment or supplement to such prospectus or any
amendment to the Registration Statement as to which the Underwriters shall not
previously have been advised and furnished with a copy for a reasonable period
of time prior to the proposed filing and as to which filing the
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Underwriters shall not have given their consent. The Company will prepare and
file with the Commission, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the
Commission, promptly upon request by the Underwriters or counsel to the
Underwriters, any amendments to the Registration Statement or amendments or
supplements to the Prospectus that may be necessary or advisable in connection
with the distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters, and will use its
best efforts to cause any such amendment to the Registration Statement to be
declared effective by the Commission as promptly as possible. The Company will
advise the Underwriters, promptly after receiving notice thereof, of the time
when the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto has been filed or
declared effective or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto has
been filed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Underwriters of each
such filing or effectiveness.
(b) The Company will advise the Underwriters, promptly after
receiving notice or obtaining knowledge thereof, of (i) the issuance by the
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, (ii) the
suspension of the qualification of any Securities for offering or sale in any
jurisdiction, (iii) the institution, threat or contemplation of any proceeding
for any such purpose, or (iv) any request made by the Commission for amending
the Registration Statement, for amending or supplementing the Prospectus or for
additional information. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the
issuance of any such stop order and, if any such stop order is issued, to obtain
the withdrawal thereof as promptly as possible.
(c) The Company will, in cooperation with counsel to the
Underwriters, arrange for the qualification of the Securities for offering and
sale under the blue sky or securities laws of such jurisdictions as the
Underwriters may designate and will continue such qualifications in effect for
as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Securities.
(d) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is
required to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a result of which
the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading, or if for any other reason it is necessary at
any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the
rules or regulations of the Commission thereunder, the Company will promptly
notify the Underwriters thereof and, subject to Section 4(a) hereof, will
prepare and file with the Commission, at the Company's expense, an amendment to
the Registration Statement or an amendment or supplement to the Prospectus that
corrects such statement or omission or effects such compliance.
(e) intentionally left blank.
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<PAGE> 12
(f) The Company will, without charge, provide to the Underwriters
and to counsel for the Underwriters (i) as many signed copies of the
Registration Statement originally filed with respect to the Securities and each
amendment thereto (in each case including exhibits thereto) as the Underwriters
may reasonably request, (ii) as many conformed copies of such Registration
Statement and each amendment thereto (in each case without exhibits thereto) as
the Underwriters may reasonably request, and (iii) so long as a prospectus
relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, as many
copies of each Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or
supplement thereto as the Underwriters may reasonably request.
(g) The Company, as soon as practicable, will make generally
available to its security holders and to the Underwriters an earnings statement
of the Company that satisfies the provisions of Section 11 (a) of the Act and
Rule 158 thereunder.
(h) The Company will reserve and keep available for issuance that
maximum number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock which are
issuable upon exercise of any outstanding warrants and the Representatives'
Warrant (including the underlying securities) outstanding from time to time.
(i) The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the
Securities being sold by it as set forth under "Use of Proceeds" in the
Prospectus.
(j) Intentionally left blank.
(k) Prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date (if any),
the Company will not, directly or indirectly, without prior written consent of
the Representatives, issue any press release or other public announcement or
hold any press conference with respect to the Company or its activities with
respect to the Offering (other than trade releases issued in the ordinary course
of the Company's business consistent with past practices with respect to the
Company's operations).
(l) If, at the time that the Registration Statement becomes
effective, any information shall have been omitted therefrom in reliance upon
Rule 430A under the Act, then immediately following the execution of this
Agreement, the Company will prepare, and file or transmit for filing with the
Commission in accordance with Rule 430A and Rule 424(b) under the Act, copies of
the Prospectus including the information omitted in reliance on Rule 430A, or,
if required by such Rule 430A, a post-effective amendment to the Registration
Statement (including an amended Prospectus), containing all information so
omitted.
(m) The Company will cause the Securities to be included in The
Nasdaq SmallCap Market on the Effective Date and to maintain such listing
thereafter. The Company will file with The Nasdaq SmallCap Market all documents
and notices that are required by companies with securities that are traded on
The Nasdaq SmallCap Market.
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<PAGE> 13
(n) During the period of five years from the Firm Closing Date, the
Company will, as promptly as possible, not to exceed 135 days, after each annual
fiscal period render and distribute reports to its stockholders which will
include audited statements of its operations and changes of financial position
during such period and its audited balance sheet as of the end of such period,
as to which statements the Company's independent certified public accountants
shall have rendered an opinion and shall timely file all reports required to be
filed under the securities laws.
(o) During a period of five years commencing with the Firm Closing
Date, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, at the Company's expense,
copies of all periodic and special reports furnished to stockholders of the
Company and of all information, documents and reports filed with the Commission.
(p) The Company has appointed Computershare Corporate Services as
transfer agent for the Common Stock and Warrants. The Company will not change or
terminate such appointment for a period of one year from the Firm Closing Date
without first obtaining the written consent of the Representatives. For a period
of three years after the Effective Date, the Company shall cause the transfer
agent to deliver promptly to the Underwriters a duplicate copy of the daily
transfer sheets relating to trading of the Securities. The Company shall also
provide to the Representatives, on a weekly basis, copies of the DTC special
securities positions listing report.
(q) During the period of 180 days after the date of this Agreement,
the Company will not at any time, directly or indirectly, take any action
designed to or that will constitute, or that might reasonably be expected to
cause or result in, the stabilization of the price of the Securities to
facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities.
(r) The Company will not take any action to facilitate the sale of
any shares of Common Stock including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 144
under the Act if any such sale would violate any of the terms of the Lock-up
Agreements.
(s) Prior to the 120th day after the Firm Closing Date, the Company
will provide the Underwriters and their designees with three bound volumes of
the transaction documents relating to the Registration Statement and the
closing(s) hereunder, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the
Representatives.
(t) During the period in which the Warrants are outstanding, the
Company shall consult with the Representatives prior to the distribution to
third parties of any financial information news releases or other publicity
regarding the Company, its business, or any terms of this offering.
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<PAGE> 14
(u) The Company and the Underwriters will advise each other
immediately in writing as to any investigation, proceeding, order, event or
other circumstance, or any threat thereof, by or relating to the Commission or
any other governmental authority, that could impair or prevent the Offering.
Except as required by law or as otherwise mutually agreed in writing, neither
the Company nor the Underwriters will acquiesce in such circumstances and each
will actively defend any proceedings or orders in that connection.
(v) The Company shall first submit to the Representatives
certificates representing the Warrants for approval prior to printing, and
shall, as promptly as possible, after filing the Registration Statement with the
Commission, obtain CUSIP numbers for the Warrants.
(w) The Company will prepare and file a registration statement with
the Commission pursuant to section 12 of the 1934 Act, and will use its best
efforts to have such registration statement declared effective by the Commission
on the Effective Date. For this purpose the Company shall prepare and file with
the Commission a General Form of Registration of Securities (Form 8-A).
(x) For so long as the Securities are registered under the 1934 Act,
which shall be for a period of not less than five (5) years following the Firm
Closing Date, the Company will hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the
election of directors within 180 days after the end of each of the Company's
fiscal years and within 140 days after the end of each of the Company's fiscal
years will provide the Company's stockholders with the audited financial
statements of the Company as of the end of the fiscal year just completed prior
thereto. Such financial statements shall be those required by Rule 14a-3 under
the 1934 Act and shall be included in an annual report pursuant to the
requirements of such Rule.
(y) The Company will engage a financial public relations firm
reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives on or before the Firm Closing
Date, and continuously engage such firm, or a substitute firm reasonably
acceptable to the Representatives, for a period of six (6) months following the
Firm Closing Date.
(z) The Company will take all necessary and appropriate actions to\
be included in Standard and Poor's Corporation Descriptions or other equivalent
manual and to maintain its listing therein for a period of five (5) years from
the Effective Date. Such application shall be made on an accelerated basis no
more than two days following the Effective Date.
(aa) On or prior to the Effective Date, to the extent that securities
covered by the Lock-up Agreements are in a certificated form and registered in
the name(s) of the Principal Stockholders, the Company will give written
instructions to the transfer agent for the Common Stock directing said transfer
agent to place stop-order restrictions against, and appropriate legends advising
of the Lock-up Agreements on, the certificates representing the securities of
the Company owned by the persons who have entered into the Lock-up Agreements.
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<PAGE> 15
(bb) intentionally omitted
(cc) Prior to the Effective Date, the Company will have taken all
necessary and appropriate action to have at least two persons be elected to the
Company's Board of Directors who are deemed to be independent of the Company's
management.
4. Expenses; Non-Accountable Expense Allowance; Reimbursement of
Expenses
(a) The Company shall pay all costs and expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the
transactions contemplated hereby are consummated or this Agreement is terminated
pursuant to Section 10 hereof, including all costs and expenses incident to (i)
the preparation, printing and filing or other production of documents with
respect to the transactions, including any costs of printing the Registration
Statement originally filed with respect to the Securities and any amendment
thereto, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendment or
supplement thereto, this Agreement, the selected dealer agreement and the other
agreements and documents governing the underwriting arrangements and any blue
sky memoranda, (ii) all reasonable and necessary arrangements relating to the
delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the foregoing documents, and the costs
and expenses of the Underwriters in mailing or otherwise distributing the same
including telephone charges, duplications and other accountable expenses, (iii)
the fees and disbursements of the counsel, the accountants and any other experts
or advisors retained by the Company, (iv) the preparation, issuance and delivery
to the Underwriters of any certificates evidencing the Securities, including
transfer agent's, warrant agent's and registrar's fees or any transfer or other
taxes payable thereon, (v) the qualification of the Securities under state blue
sky or securities laws, including filing fees and fees and disbursements, (vi)
the filing fees of the Commission and the NASD relating to the Securities, (vii)
the inclusion of the Securities on The Nasdaq SmallCap Market and in the
Standard and Poor's Corporation Descriptions Manual, (viii) any "road shows" or
other meetings with prospective investors in the Securities, including
transportation, accommodation, meal, conference room, audio-visual presentation
and similar expenses and (ix) the publication of "tombstone advertisements" in
The Wall Street Journal and/or Investor's Business Daily to be selected by the
Representatives, and the manufacture of prospectus memorabilia.
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<PAGE> 16
(b) In addition to the foregoing, the Company, shall reimburse the
Representatives for its expenses on the basis of a non-accountable expense
allowance in the amount of 3.00% of the gross offering proceeds to be received
by the Company. The non-accountable expense allowance, based on the gross
proceeds from the sale of the Firm Securities, shall be deducted from the funds
to be paid by the Representatives in payment for the Firm Securities, pursuant
to Section 2 of this Agreement, on the Firm Closing Date. To the extent any
Option Securities are sold, any remaining non-accountable expense allowance
based on the gross proceeds from the sale of the Option Securities shall be
deducted from the funds to be paid by the Representatives in payment for the
Option Securities, pursuant to Section 2 of this Agreement, on the Option
Closing Date. The Company warrants, represents and agrees that all such payments
and reimbursements will be promptly and fully made.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if the
Offering is terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 6 or Section
10(a)(i), the Company agrees that, in addition to the Company paying its own
expenses as described in subparagraph (a) above, the Company shall reimburse the
Representatives for its actual accountable out-of-pocket expenses which have
previously been advanced to the Representatives, up to a maximum of $125,000.
Such expenses shall include, but are not to be limited to, fees for the services
and time of counsel for the Underwriters to the extent not covered by clause (a)
above, plus any additional expenses and fees, including, but not limited to,
travel expenses, postage expenses, duplication expenses, long-distance telephone
expenses, and other expenses incurred by the Representatives in connection with
the proposed offering.
5. Intentionally left blank.
6. Conditions of the Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of the
Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Firm Securities shall be subject, in
the Underwriters' sole discretion, to the accuracy of the representations and
warranties of the Company contained herein as of the date hereof and as of the
Firm Closing Date as if made on and as of the Firm Closing Date, to the accuracy
of the statements of the Company's officers made pursuant to the provisions
hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and agreements
hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) If the Registration Statement, as heretofore amended, has not
been declared effective as of the time of execution hereof, the Registration
Statement, as heretofore amended or as amended by an amendment thereto to be
filed prior to the Firm Closing Date, shall have been declared effective not
later than 5:30 P.M., New York City time, on the date on which the amendment to
such Registration Statement containing information regarding the initial public
offering price of the Securities has been filed with the Commission, or such
later time and date as shall have been consented to by the Underwriters; if
required, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto shall have been
filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by
Rule 424(b) under the Act, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement shall have been issued, and no proceedings for that
purpose shall have been instituted or threatened or, to the knowledge of the
Company or the
16
<PAGE> 17
Underwriters, shall be contemplated by the Commission; and the Company shall
have complied with any request of the Commission for additional information (to
be included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or otherwise).
(b) The Underwriters shall have received an opinion, dated the Firm
Closing Date, of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, as to Canadian law,
substantially to the effect that:
(1) the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of
its organization and is duly qualified to transact business as a foreign
corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in
which its ownership or leasing of any properties or the conduct of its business
requires such qualification, except where the failure to be in good standing or
so qualify would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Company;
(2) the Company has full corporate power and authority to own
or lease its property and conduct its business as it is now being conducted and
as it is proposed to be conducted, as described in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, and the Company has full corporate power and authority to
enter into this Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and to
carry out all the terms and provisions hereof and thereof to be carried out by
it;
(3) the Securities have been duly authorized and the securities
underlying the Representatives' Warrant has been duly reserved for issuance by
all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and the Securities
when issued and delivered to and paid for by the Representatives, pursuant to
this Agreement, the Representatives' Warrant when issued and delivered and paid
for in accordance with this Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement
when executed by the Underwriters, and the securities underlying the
Representatives' Warrant when issued upon payment of the exercise price
specified in the Representatives' Warrant, will be validly issued, fully paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights and will conform to the description
thereof in the Prospectus; to the knowledge of such counsel, no holder of
outstanding securities of the Company is entitled as such to any preemptive or
other right to subscribe for any of the Securities or the Representatives'
Warrant; and to the knowledge of such counsel, no person is entitled to have
securities registered by the Company under the Registration Statement or
otherwise under the Act other than as described in the Prospectus; to the
knowledge of such counsel, there are no outstanding options, warrants or other
rights granted by the Company to purchase shares of its Common Stock, preferred
stock or other securities other than as described in the Prospectus;
(4) the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
Representatives' Warrant Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate action on the part of the Company and this Agreement and the
Representatives' Warrant Agreement have been duly executed and delivered by the
Company, and each is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms,
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<PAGE> 18
except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium and other similar laws
affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity
(regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at
law) and except as rights to indemnity and contribution under this Agreement and
the Representatives' Warrant Agreement may be limited by applicable securities
laws and the public policy underlying such laws;
(5) the Representatives' Warrant is duly authorized and upon
payment of the purchase price therefore specified in Section 2(d) of this
Agreement will be validly issued and constitute valid and binding obligations of
the Company; and the certificates representing the Securities are in due and
proper form under law;
(6) the statements set forth in the Prospectus under the
caption "Description of Securities" insofar as those statements purport to
summarize the terms of the capital stock and warrants of the Company, provide a
fair summary of such terms; to the knowledge of such counsel, the statements set
forth in the Prospectus describing statutes and regulations and the descriptions
of the consequences to the Company under such statutes and regulations are fair
summaries of the information set forth therein and are accurate in all material
respects; to the knowledge of such counsel, the statements in the Prospectus,
insofar as those statements constitute summaries of the contracts, instruments,
leases or licenses referred to therein, constitute a fair summary in all
material respects of those contracts, instruments, leases or licenses and
include all material terms thereof, as applicable;
(7) none of (A) the execution and delivery of this Agreement
and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, (B) the issuance, offering and sale
by the Company to the Underwriters of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement
and the Representatives' Warrant Securities pursuant to the Representatives'
Warrant Agreement, or (C) the compliance by the Company with the other
provisions of this Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, to the
knowledge of such counsel (1) requires the consent, approval, authorization,
registration or qualification of or with any court or governmental authority
known to us, except such as have been obtained and such as may be required under
state blue sky or securities laws as to which we express no opinion or (2)
conflicts with or results in a breach or violation of, or constitutes a default
under, any material contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement, note, lease or other material agreement or instrument known to such
counsel to which the Company is a party or by which the Company or any of its
property is bound or subject, or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of
the Company, or any material statute or any judgment, decree, order, rule or
regulation of any court or other governmental or regulatory authority known to
us applicable to the Company;
(8) to the knowledge of such counsel, (A) no U.S. or Canadian
legal or governmental proceedings are pending to which the Company is a party or
to which the property of the Company is subject except those arising in the
ordinary course of business and fully
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<PAGE> 19
covered by insurance and (B) no contract or other document is required to be
described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement that is not described therein or filed as
required;
(9) to the knowledge of such counsel, the Company possesses
adequate licenses, orders, authorizations, approvals, certificates or permits
issued by the appropriate federal, state or local regulatory agencies or bodies
necessary to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus, and, there are no pending or threatened proceedings relating to
the revocation or modification of any such license, order, authorization,
approval, certificate or permit, except as disclosed in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, which would have a material adverse effect on the
Company;
(10) The Company is not in violation or breach of, or in
default with respect to, any term of its certificate of incorporation or
by-laws, and to the knowledge of such counsel, the Company is not in (i)
violation in any material respect of any law, statute, regulation, ordinance,
rule, order, judgment or decree of any court or any governmental or regulatory
authority applicable to it, or (ii) default in any material respect in the
performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any material contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement, note, lease or other material agreement or instrument to which it is
a party or by which it or any of its property may be bound or subject, and no
event has occurred which with notice, lapse of time or both would constitute
such a default;
(11) The Securities have been approved for inclusion on The
Nasdaq SmallCap Market;
(12) The Registration Statement is effective under the Act; any
required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the
manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and to our knowledge,
no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any
amendment thereto has been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or threatened or, to the best knowledge of such counsel, are
contemplated by the Commission;
(13) The Registration Statement originally filed with respect
to the Securities and each amendment thereto and the Prospectus (in each case,
other than the financial statements, the notes, schedules and other financial
and statistical information contained therein, as to which such counsel need
express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder; and
(14) the Company is not an "investment company" as defined in
Section 3(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and, if the Company conducts
its business as set forth in the Prospectus, it will not become an "investment
company" and will not be required to register under the Investment Company.
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Such counsel also shall state in its opinion that it has participated in
the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that
nothing has come to its attention that has caused it to believe that the
Registration Statement, at the time it became effective (including the
information deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement at the time of
effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A(b), if applicable), contained an untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or
that the Prospectus, as of its date or as of the Firm Closing Date, contained an
untrue statement of material fact or omitted 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.
In rendering any such opinion, such counsel may rely, as to matters of
fact, to the extent such counsel deems proper, on certificates of responsible
officers of the Company and public officials, copies of which certificates will
be provided to the Underwriters, and, as to matters of the laws of certain
jurisdictions, on the opinions of other counsel to the Company, which opinions
shall also be delivered to the Underwriters, in form and substance acceptable to
the Underwriters, if such other counsel expressly authorize such reliance and
counsel to the Company expressly states in their opinion that such counsel's and
the Underwriters' reliance upon such opinion is justified.
(d) A. At the time this Agreement is executed, the
Representatives shall have received a letter, dated such date, addressed to the
Underwriters in form and substance satisfactory (including the non-material
nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in clause (iii) below)
in all respects to the Representatives and Representatives' counsel, from
Collins Barrow, Chartered Accountants:
(i) confirming that it is a independent certified public
accountant with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the
applicable Rules and Regulations;
(ii) stating that it is their opinion that the financial
statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement comply as to
form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the
Act and the Rules and Regulations thereunder and that the Representatives may
rely upon the opinion of the Certified Public Accountants with respect to the
financial statements included in the Registration Statement;
(iii) stating that, on the basis of a limited review which
included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial
statements of the Company, a reading of the latest available minutes of the
stockholders and board of directors and the various committees of the boards of
directors of the Company, consultations with officers and other employees of the
Company responsible for financial and accounting matters and other specified
procedures and inquiries (which, as to the interim financial statements included
in the
20
<PAGE> 21
Registration Statement, shall constitute a review as described in SAS No. 71,
Interim Financial Statements), nothing has come to the Certified Public
Accountants' attention which would lead them to believe that (A) the unaudited
financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement do
not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting
requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations or are not fairly
presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on
a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements
of the Company included in the Registration Statement, or (B) at a specified
date not more than five (5) days prior to the Effective Date, there has been any
change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in
the stockholders' equity or net current assets or net assets of the Company as
compared with amounts shown in the December 31, 1999 balance sheet included in
the Registration Statement, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the
Registration Statement, or, if there was any change or decrease, setting forth
the amount of such change or decrease, and (C) during the period from December
31, 1999 to a specified date not more than five (5) days prior to the Effective
Date, there was any decrease (increase) in net revenues, net income (loss) or in
net earnings (loss) per common share of the Company, in each case as compared
with the corresponding period in December 31, 1998, other than as set forth in
or contemplated by the Registration Statement, or, if there was any such
decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease (increase);
(iv) setting forth, at a date not later than five (5) days
prior to the Effective Date, the amount of liabilities of the Company;
(v) stating that they have compared specific dollar
amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and
other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the
Prospectus in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers, percentages,
statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records,
including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an
interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application
of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which
procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in
agreement; and
(vi) statements as to such other matters incident to the
transaction contemplated hereby as the Representatives may request.
B. At the Firm Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if
any, the Representatives shall have received from the Certified Public
Accountants, a letter, dated as of the Firm Closing Date or the Option Closing
Date, as the case may be, to the effect that it reaffirms that statements made
in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection A of this Section 6(e), except
that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than five (5) days
prior to the Firm Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be,
and, if the Company has elected to
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rely on Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, to the further effect that they
have carried out procedures as specified in clause (v) of subsection A of this
Section 6(e) with respect to certain amounts, percentages and financial
information as specified by the Representatives and deemed to be a part of the
Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A(b) and have found such amounts,
percentages and financial information to be in agreement with the records
specified in such clause (v).
(e) The representations and warranties of the Company contained in
this Agreement shall be true and correct as if made on and as of the Firm
Closing Date; the Registration Statement shall not include any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and the
Prospectus, as amended or supplemented as of the Firm Closing Date, shall not
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and the Company shall
have performed all covenants and agreements and satisfied all conditions on its
part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Firm Closing Date.
(f) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any amendment thereto shall have been issued, and no proceedings
for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened or contemplated by the
Commission.
(g) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is
given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there shall not have
been any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective
material adverse change, in the business, operations, condition (financial or
otherwise), earnings or prospects of the Company, except in each case as
described in or contemplated by the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or
supplement thereto).
(h) The Underwriters shall have received a certificate, dated the
Firm Closing Date, of the Chief Executive Officer and the Secretary of the
Company to the effect set forth in subparagraphs (e) and (f) above.
(i) The Securities shall be qualified in such jurisdictions as the
Underwriters may reasonably request pursuant to Section 4(c), and each such
qualification shall be in effect and not subject to any stop order or other
proceeding on the Firm Closing Date.
(j) The Company shall have executed and delivered to the
Underwriters the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and a certificate or
certificates evidencing the Representatives' Warrant, in each case in a form
acceptable to the Underwriters.
(k) The Underwriters shall have received Lock-up Agreements executed
by the persons listed on Schedule 2 annexed hereto.
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<PAGE> 23
(l) On or before the Firm Closing Date, the Underwriters and counsel
for the Underwriters shall have received such further certificates, documents,
letters or other information as they may have reasonably requested from the
Company and other security holders of the Company.
All opinions, certificates, letters and documents delivered pursuant to
this Agreement will comply with the provisions hereof only if they are
reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to the Underwriters and counsel
for the Underwriters. The Company shall furnish to the Underwriters such
conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents in such
quantities as the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably
request.
The obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for any Option
Securities shall be subject, in its discretion, to each of the foregoing
conditions, except that all references to the Firm Securities and the Firm
Closing Date shall be deemed to refer to such Option Securities and the related
Option Closing Date, respectively.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriters within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any
losses, claims, damages, or liabilities, joint or several, to which the
Underwriters, or such controlling person may become subject under the Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon:
(1) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any
material fact contained in (A) the Registration Statement or any amendment
thereto, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or
supplement thereto, or (B) any application or other document, or any amendment
or supplement thereto, executed by the Company or based upon written information
furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to
qualify the Securities under the Blue Sky or securities laws thereof or filed
with the Commission or any securities association or securities exchange (each
an "Application"), or
(2) the omission or alleged omission to state in such
Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, any Preliminary Prospectus or
the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Application a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, and will reimburse, as incurred, the Underwriters and
such controlling person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by
the Underwriters or such controlling person in connection with investigating or
defending against any loss, claim, damage, liability, action, investigation,
litigation or proceeding; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable
in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability
arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue
23
<PAGE> 24
statement or omission or alleged omission made in such Registration Statement or
any amendment thereto, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any
amendment or supplement thereto, or any Application in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the
Underwriters, specifically for use therein. This indemnity agreement will be in
addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have. The Company will
not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, or controlling
person, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any
pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which
indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not the Underwriters or any
person who controls the Underwriters or within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act is a party to such claim, action, suit or
proceeding), unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an
unconditional release of the Underwriters and each such controlling person from
all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.
(b) The Underwriters will indemnify and hold harmless the Company,
each of its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration
Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning
of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against, any losses,
claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company or any such director,
officer, or controlling person may become subject under the Act or otherwise,
but only insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration
Statement or any amendment thereto, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Application, or (ii) the omission
or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated
in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, any Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any
Application, or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each
case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance
upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the
Underwriters specifically for use therein; and, subject to the limitation set
forth immediately preceding this clause, will reimburse, as incurred, any legal
or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company or any such director,
officer, or controlling person in connection with investigating or defending
against any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action investigation,
litigation or proceedings, in respect thereof. This indemnity agreement will be
in addition to any liability which the Underwriters may otherwise have.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this
Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party
under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof;
but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from
any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under
this Section 7. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified
party, and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the
indemnifying party will be
24
<PAGE> 25
entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly
with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense
thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however,
that if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and
the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded
that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it and/or other
indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to
the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to
direct the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties
and such indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate
counsel to defend such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties.
After notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its
election so to assume the defense thereof and approval by such indemnified party
of counsel appointed to defend such action, the indemnifying party will not be
liable to such indemnified party under this Section 7 for any legal or other
expenses, other than reasonable costs of investigation, subsequently incurred by
such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof, unless (i) the
indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the
proviso to the next preceding sentence or (ii) the indemnifying party has
authorized the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of
the indemnifying party. After such notice from the indemnifying party to such
indemnified party, the indemnifying party will not be liable for the costs and
expenses of any settlement of such action effected by such indemnified party
without the consent of the indemnifying party.
(d) In circumstances in which the indemnity obligation provided for
in the preceding paragraphs of this Section 7 is unavailable or insufficient to
hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), each indemnifying party, in order
to provide for just and equitable contribution, shall contribute to the amount
paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the indemnifying
party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party on the other from the
offering of the Securities, or (ii) if the allocation provided by the foregoing
clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, not only such relative benefits
but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand
and the indemnified party on the other in connection with the statements or
omissions or alleged statements or omissions that resulted in such losses,
claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof). The relative
benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the
other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total proceeds from
the Offering (net of underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting
expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and
commissions received by the Underwriters. The relative fault of the parties
shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission
to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the
Underwriters, the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and
opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission, and the other
equitable considerations appropriate in the circumstances. The Company and the
Underwriters agree that it
25
<PAGE> 26
would not be equitable if the amount of such contribution were determined by pro
rata or per capita allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not
take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence
of this paragraph (d). Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph
(d), the Underwriters shall not be obligated to make contributions hereunder
that in the aggregate exceeding the total public offering price of the
Securities purchased by the Underwriters under this Agreement, less the
aggregate amount of any damages that the Underwriters have otherwise been
required to pay in respect of the same or any substantially similar claim, and
no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section
11 (f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who is not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this paragraph (d),
each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section
15 of the Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to
contribution as the Underwriters, and each director of the Company, each officer
of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any,
who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section
20 of the 1934 Act, shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
8. Substitution of Underwriters.
If any Underwriter shall for any reason not permitted hereunder cancel its
obligations to purchase the Firm Securities hereunder, or shall fail to take up
and pay for the number of Firm Securities set forth opposite names in Schedule 1
hereto upon tender of such Firm Securities in accordance with the terms hereof,
then:
(a) If the aggregate number of Firm Securities which such
Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed 10% of
the total number of Firm Securities, the other Underwriters shall be obligated
to purchase the Firm Securities which such defaulting Underwriter agreed but
failed to purchase.
(b) If any Underwriter so defaults and the agreed number of Firm
Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occurs is more than
10% of the total number of Firm Securities, the remaining Underwriters shall
have the right to take up and pay for the Firm Securities which the defaulting
Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase. If such remaining Underwriters do
not, at the Firm Closing Date, take up and pay for the Firm Securities which the
defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase, the time for delivery of
the Firm Securities shall be extended to the next business day to allow the
remaining Underwriters the privilege of substituting within twenty-four hours
(including nonbusiness hours) another underwriter or underwriters satisfactory
to the Company. If no such underwriter or underwriters shall have been
substituted as aforesaid, within such twenty-four hour period, the time of
delivery of the Firm Securities may, at the option of the Company, be again
extended to the next following business day, if necessary, to allow the Company
the privilege of finding within twenty-four hours (including nonbusiness hours)
another underwriter or underwriters to purchase the Firm Securities which the
defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If it
shall be arranged for the remaining Underwriter or substituted Underwriters to
take up the Firm
26
<PAGE> 27
Securities of the defaulting Underwriter as provided in this section, (i) the
Company or the Underwriters shall have the right to postpone the time of
delivery for a period of not more than seven business days, in order to effect
whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus, or in any other document or arrangements, and the Company agrees
promptly to file any amendments to the Registration Statement or supplements to
the Prospectus which may thereby be made necessary, and (ii) the respective
numbers of Firm Securities to be purchased by the remaining Underwriters or
substituted Underwriters shall be taken as the basis of the underwriting
obligation for all purposes of this agreement.
If in the event of a default by any Underwriter and the remaining
Underwriters shall not take up and pay for all the Firm Securities agreed to be
purchased by the defaulting Underwriter or substitute another underwriter or
underwriters as aforesaid, the Company shall not find or shall not elect to seek
another underwriter or underwriters for such Firm Securities as aforesaid, then
this Agreement shall terminate.
If, following exercise of the option provided in Section 2(c) hereof, any
Underwriter or Underwriters shall for any reason not permitted hereunder cancel
their obligations to purchase Option Securities at the Option Closing Date, or
shall fail to take up and pay for the number of Option Securities, which it
became obligated to purchase at the Option Closing Date upon tender of such
Option Securities in accordance with the terms hereof, then the remaining
Underwriters or substituted Underwriters may take up and pay for the Option
Securities of the defaulting Underwriters in the manner provided in Section 8(b)
hereof. If the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters shall not take
up and pay for all such Option Securities, the Underwriters shall be entitled to
purchase the number of Option Securities for which there is no default or, at
their election, the option shall terminate, the exercise thereof shall be of no
effect.
As used in this Agreement, the term "Underwriter" includes any person
substituted for an Underwriter under this Section. In the event of termination,
there shall be no liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter to the
Company, provided that the provisions of this Section 8 shall not in any event
affect the liability of any defaulting Underwriter to the Company arising out of
such default.
9. Survival. The respective representations, warranties, agreements,
covenants, indemnities and other statements of the Company, any of its officers
or directors and the Underwriter set forth in this Agreement or made by or on
behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of
the Company, any of its officers or directors, the Underwriter or any
controlling person referred to in Section 7 hereof, and (ii) delivery of and
payment for the Securities. The respective agreements, covenants, indemnities
and other statements set forth in Sections 4 and 7 hereof shall remain in full
force and effect, regardless of any termination or cancellation of this
Agreement.
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<PAGE> 28
10. Termination.
(a) This Agreement may be terminated with respect to the Firm
Securities or any Option Securities in the sole discretion of the
Representatives by notice to the Company given prior to the Firm Closing Date or
the related Option Closing Date, respectively, in the event that the Company
shall have failed, refused or been unable to perform all obligations and satisfy
all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied under Section 6
hereunder at or prior thereto or if at or prior to the Firm Closing Date or such
Option Closing Date, respectively:
(1) the Company sustains a loss by reason of explosion, fire,
flood, accident or other calamity, which, in the opinion of the Underwriter,
substantially affects the value of the properties of the Company or which
materially interferes with the operation of the business of the Company
regardless of whether such loss shall have been insured; there shall have been
any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material
adverse change (including, without limitation, a change in management or control
of the Company), in the business, operations, condition (financial or
otherwise), earnings or prospects of the Company, except in each case as
described in or contemplated by the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or
supplement thereto);
(2) any action, suit or proceeding shall be threatened,
instituted or pending, at law or in equity, against the Company, by any person
or by any federal, state, foreign or other governmental or regulatory
commission, board or agency wherein any unfavorable result or decision could
materially adversely affect the business, operations, condition (financial or
otherwise), earnings or prospects of the Company;
(3) trading in the Common Stock shall have been suspended by
the Commission, the NASD or on Nasdaq, or trading in securities generally on the
New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended or minimum or maximum prices
shall have been established on either such exchange or quotation system;
(4) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by New York
or United States authorities;
(5) there shall have been (A) an outbreak of hostilities
between the United States and any foreign power (or, in the case of any ongoing
hostilities, a material escalation thereof), (B) an outbreak of any other
insurrection or armed conflict involving the United States or (C) any other
calamity or crisis or material change in financial, political or economic
conditions, having an effect on the financial markets that, in any case referred
to in this clause (5), in the sole judgment of the Underwriter makes it
impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery
of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(6) any material governmental restrictions shall have been
imposed on trading and securities generally (not in force and effect on the date
of the Underwriting Agreement);
(7) the Congress of the United States or any State legislative
body, or federal or state agency or other authority shall have passed any act,
measure, rule or regulation, or the adoption of any orders, rules or regulations
by any governmental body or any authoritative accounting institute or board, or
any governmental executive, which is reasonably believed likely by the
Representatives to have a material impact on the business, financial condition
or financial statements of the Company or the market for the securities offered
pursuant to the Prospectus;
(8) there shall have been any material adverse change in the
financial or securities markets beyond normal market fluctuations, having
occurred since the date of this Agreement; or
28
<PAGE> 29
(9) termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10
shall be without liability of any party to any other party, except as provided
in Section 5(b) and Section 7 hereof.
11. Information Supplied by the Underwriter. The statements set forth
in the "Underwriting Section" in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
constitute the only information furnished by the Underwriter to the Company for
the purposes of Section 7(b) hereof. The Underwriter confirms that such
statements (to such extent) are correct.
12. Notices. All notice hereunder to or upon either party hereto shall
be deemed to have been duly given for all purposes if in writing and (i)
delivered in person or by messenger or an overnight courier service against
receipt, or (ii) send by certified or registered mail, postage paid, return
receipt requested, or (iii) sent by telegram, facsimile, telex or similar means,
provided that a written copy thereof is sent on the same day by postage paid
first-class mail, to such party at the following address:
To the Company: At the address listed in the Prospectus
To the Company's counsel: At the address listed in the Prospectus
To the Representatives: Merit Capital Associates, Inc.
1221 Post Road East
Westport, Connecticut 06880
Spencer Edwards, Inc.
6041 South Syracuse Way, Suite 305
Englewood, Colorado 80111
To the Representatives' counsel: Gerard S. DiFiore, Esq.
Reed Smith Shaw & McClay LLF
One Ruiesfront Plaza, First Floor
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Gary Agron, Esq.
Gary A. Agron Law Office
Suite 520, 5445 D.T.C. Parkway
Englewood, Colorado 80111
or such other address as either party hereto may at any time, or from time to
time, direct by notice given to the other party in accordance with this section.
The date of giving of any such notice shall be, in the case of clause (i), the
date of the receipt; in the case of clause (ii), five business days after such
notice or demand is sent; and, in the case of clause (iii), the business day
next following the date such notice is sent.
13. Amendment. Except as otherwise provided herein, no amendment of
this Agreement shall be valid or effective, unless in writing and signed by or
on behalf of the parties hereto.
14. Waiver. No course of dealing or omission or delay on the part of
either party hereto in asserting or exercising any right hereunder shall
constitute or operate as a waiver of any such right. No waiver of any provision
hereof shall be effective, unless in writing and signed by or on behalf of the
party to be charged therewith. No waiver shall be deemed a continuing waiver or
waiver in respect of any other or subsequent breach or default, unless expressly
so stated in writing.
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<PAGE> 30
15. Applicable Law. This agreement shall be governed by, and
interpreted and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York
without regard to principles of choice of law or conflict of laws.
16. Jurisdiction. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably
consents and submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New York courts and
the United States District Court for the District of New York in connection with
any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of or relating to this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, waives any objection to venue
in the Borough of Manhattan, State of New York, or such District and agrees that
service of any summons, complaint, notice or other process relating to such
suit, action or other proceeding may be effected in the manner provided by
clause (ii) of Section 12.
17. Remedies. In the event of any actual or prospective breach or
default by either party hereto, the other party shall be entitled to equitable
relief, including remedies in the nature of rescission, injunction and specific
performance. All remedies hereunder are cumulative and not exclusive, and
nothing herein shall be deemed to prohibit or limit either party from pursuing
any other remedy or relief available at law or in equity for such actual or
prospective breach or default, including the recovery of damages.
18. Attorneys' Fees. The prevailing party in any suit, action or other
proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby, shall be entitled to recover its costs and reasonable
attorneys' fees.
19. Severability. The provisions hereof are severable and in the event
that any provision of this Agreement shall be determined to be invalid or
unenforceable in any respect by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining
provisions hereof shall not be affected, but shall, subject to the discretion of
such court, remain in full force and effect, and any invalid or unenforceable
provision shall be deemed, without further action on the part of the parties
hereto, amended and limited to the extent necessary to render the same valid and
enforceable.
20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each
of which shall be deemed an original and which together shall constitute one and
the same agreement.
21. Successors. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the Underwriter, the Company and their respective successors and
assigns. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall
be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or
claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained,
this Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and
being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of
no other person except that (i) the indemnities of the Company contained in
Section 7 of this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of any person or
persons who control any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act
or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, and (ii) the indemnities of the Underwriter
contained in Section 7 of this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the
directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who have signed the
Registration Statement and any person or persons who control the Company within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act. No purchaser
of Securities from the Underwriter shall be deemed a successor because of such
purchase.
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<PAGE> 31
22. Titles and Captions. The titles and captions of the articles and
sections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and do not in
any way define or interpret the intent of the parties or modify or otherwise
affect any of the provisions hereof.
23. Grammatical Conventions. Whenever the context so requires, each
pronoun or verb used herein shall be construed in the singular or the plural
sense and each capitalized term defined herein and each pronoun used herein
shall be construed in the masculine, feminine or neuter sense.
24. References. The terms "herein," "hereto," "hereof," "hereby," and
"hereafter," and other terms of similar import, refer to this Agreement as a
whole, and not to any Article, Section or other part hereof.
25. Entire Agreement. This Agreement embodies the entire agreement of
the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any
prior agreement, commitment or arrangement relating thereto.
If the foregoing correctly sets forth our understanding, please indicate
your acceptance thereof in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon
this letter shall constitute an agreement binding the Company, and the
Underwriter.
Very truly yours,
Westlinks Resources Ltd.
By:
------------------------------------------
Chief Executive Officer
The foregoing agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date
first above written.
Merit Capital Associates, Inc.
as representative of the several underwriters listed
on Schedule 1 annexed hereto
By:
--------------------------------------
Title: Chief Executive Officer
The undersigned, intending to be legally bound by the provisions of
Section 3 of this Agreement applicable to the Principal Stockholders, hereby
execute this Agreement below.
Name of Principal Stockholder Signature
----------------------------- ---------
Peter R. Sekera ---------------------------
Thomas J. Jacobsen ---------------------------
Edward C. McFeely ---------------------------
H.S. (Scobey) Hartley ---------------------------
Norman J. Mackenzie ---------------------------
Norman W.G. Wallace ---------------------------
Lynn W. Thurlow ---------------------------
Marcia L. Johnston ---------------------------
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<PAGE> 32
SCHEDULE 1
Underwriter Number of Shares of Common Stock Number of Warrants
----------- -------------------------------- ------------------
Spencer Edwards, Inc.
Merit Capital Associates, Inc.
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<PAGE> 33
SCHEDULE 2
Lock Up period ends _________________________, 2001 with respect to the
following shareholders:
33
