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1. Appointment of Placement Agent.
(a) You are hereby appointed exclusive Placement Agent of the
Company (subject to your right to have Selected Dealers, as defined in Section
1(c) hereof, participate in the Offering) during the Offering Period herein
specified for the purposes of assisting the Company in finding qualified
Subscribers pursuant to the offering (the "Offering") described in the Offering
Documents. The Offering Period shall commence on the day (the "Commencement
Date") the Offering Documents are first made available to you by the Company for
delivery in connection with the offering for sale of the Units and shall
continue until the earlier to occur of (i) the sale of all of the Maximum
Offering or (ii) July 31, 1999; provided, however, that if the Minimum Offering
has been sold by such date, the Offering will continue until August 31, 1999
(unless extended for a period of up to 30 days under circumstances specified in
the Term Sheet). If the Minimum Offering is not sold prior to July 31, 1999, the
Offering will be terminated and all funds received from Subscribers will be
returned, without interest and without any deduction. The day that the Offering
Period terminates is hereinafter referred to as the "Termination Date."
(b) Subject to the performance by the Company of all of its
obligations to be performed under this Agreement and to the completeness and
accuracy of all representations and warranties of the Company contained in this
Agreement, Commonwealth Associates L.P. hereby accepts its appointment as
exclusive Placement Agent and agrees to use its best efforts to assist the
Company in finding qualified subscribers pursuant to the Offering described in
the Offering Documents. It is understood that the Placement Agent has no
commitment to sell the Units. Your agency hereunder is not terminable by the
Company except upon termination of the Offering Period.
(c) Subscriptions for Units shall be evidenced by the execution by
Subscribers of a Subscription Agreement. No Subscription Agreement shall be
effective unless and until it is accepted by the Company. Until the Closing, all
subscription funds received shall be held as described in the Subscription
Agreement. The Placement Agent shall not have any obligation to independently
verify the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in any
Subscription Agreement or the authenticity, sufficiency, or validity of any
check delivered by any prospective investor in payment for Units.
(d) The Placement Agent and its affiliates may purchase Units sold
in the Offering.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents
and warrants to the Placement Agent and each Selected Dealer, if any, as
follows:
(a) Securities Law Compliance. The Offering Documents conform in all
respects with the requirements of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and
Regulation D promulgated thereunder and with the requirements of all other
published rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") currently in effect relating to "private offerings" to "accredited
investors" of the type contemplated by the Company. The Offering Documents will
not contain an 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 in which they were made, not misleading. If at any time prior to
the completion of the Offering or other termination of this Agreement any event
shall occur as a result of which it might become necessary to amend or
supplement the Offering
Page 18 of 81 Pages
Documents so that they do not include any untrue statement of any material fact
or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, the
Company will promptly notify you and will supply you with amendments or
supplements correcting such statement or omission. The Company will also provide
the Placement Agent, for delivery to all offerees and purchasers and their
representatives, if any, any information, documents and instruments which the
Placement Agent deems reasonably necessary to comply with applicable state and
federal law.
(b) Organization. The Company is a corporation duly organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Colorado
and has all requisite corporate power and authority to own and lease its
properties, to carry on its business as currently conducted and as proposed to
be conducted, to execute and deliver this Agreement and to carry out the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as appropriate, and is duly
licensed or qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in each other
jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or ownership or leasing of its
properties requires it to be so qualified, except where the failure to be so
licensed or qualified would not, in the aggregate, have a material adverse
effect on the business or financial condition of the Company (a "Material
Adverse Effect").
(c) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital
stock of the Company prior to the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby is as set forth in the Offering Documents. All issued and outstanding
shares of the Company are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable (with the
exception of 2,752,321 shares held in escrow to satisfy certain obligations upon
conversion of outstanding debentures and exercise of outstanding warrants which
have not been paid for) and such shares have not been issued in violation of the
preemptive rights of any stockholder of the Company. All prior sales of
securities of the Company were either registered under the Securities Act and
applicable state securities laws or exempt from such registration, and no
security holder has any rescission rights with respect thereto.
(d) Warrants, Preemptive Rights, Etc. Except as set forth in or
contemplated by the Term Sheet, there are not, nor will there be immediately
after the Closing (as hereinafter defined), any outstanding warrants, options,
agreements, convertible securities, preemptive rights to subscribe for or other
commitments pursuant to which the Company is, or may become, obligated to issue
any shares of its capital stock or other securities of the Company and this
Offering will not cause any anti-dilution adjustments to such securities or
commitments except as reflected in the Term Sheet.
(e) Subsidiaries and Investments. Other than as set forth in the
Offering Documents, the Company has no subsidiaries and the Company does not
own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock or other equity ownership or
proprietary interests in any other corporation, association, trust, partnership,
joint venture or other entity.
(f) Financial Statements. The financial information regarding the
Company which is contained in the Offering Documents is accurate in all material
respects. The financial statements of the Company which are attached to the
Offering Documents are hereinafter referred to collectively as the "Financial
Statements". The Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied and show all
material liabilities, absolute or contingent, of the Company required to be
recorded thereon and present fairly the financial position and results of
operations of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated.
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(g) Absence of Changes. Since the date of the Term Sheet, except
with respect to matters of which the Company has notified you in writing, the
Company has not incurred any liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent,
not in the ordinary course of business, or entered into any transaction not in
the ordinary course of business, which is material to the business of the
Company, and there has not been any change in the capital stock of, or any
incurrence of long-term debt by, the Company, or any issuance of options,
warrants or other rights to purchase the capital stock of the Company, or any
adverse change or any development involving, so far as the Company can now
reasonably foresee, a prospective adverse change in the condition (financial or
otherwise), net worth, results of operations, business, key personnel or
properties which would be material to the business or financial condition of the
Company, and the Company has not become a party to, and neither the business nor
the property of the Company has become the subject of, any material litigation
whether or not in the ordinary course of business.
(h) Title. The Company has good and marketable title to all
properties and assets, owned by it, free and clear of all liens, charges,
encumbrances or restrictions, except such as are incurred in the normal course
of the Company's business, such as general security interests granted to the
Company's banking institution and security interests granted to certain
equipment manufacturers; all of the material leases and subleases under which
the Company is the lessor or sublessor of properties or assets or under which
the Company holds properties or assets as lessee or sublessee are in full force
and effect, and the Company is not in default in any material respect with
respect to any of the terms or provisions of any of such leases or subleases,
and no material claim has been asserted by anyone adverse to rights of the
Company as lessor, sublessor, lessee or sublessee under any of the leases or
subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the right of the Company
to continued possession of the leased or subleased premises or assets under any
such lease or sublease. The Company owns or leases all such properties as are
necessary to its operations as now conducted.
(i) Proprietary Rights. The Company owns or possesses adequate and
enforceable rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service
marks, copyrights, trade secrets, processes, formulations, technology or
know-how used in the conduct of its business as described in the Term Sheet and
will own or possess such rights with respect to the business to be conducted as
contemplated by the Term Sheet (the "Proprietary Rights"). The Company has not
received any notice of any claims, nor does it have any knowledge of any
threatened claims, and knows of no facts which would form the basis of any
claim, asserted by any person to the effect that the sale or use of any product
or process now used or offered by the Company or proposed to be used or offered
by the Company infringes on any patents or infringes upon the use of any such
Proprietary Rights of another person and, to the best of the Company's
knowledge, no others have infringed the Company's Proprietary Rights.
(j) Litigation. Other than as set forth in the Offering Documents,
there is no material action, suit, investigation, customer complaint, claim or
proceeding at law or in equity by or before any arbitrator, governmental
instrumentality or other agency now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened against the Company (or basis therefor known to the Company) the
adverse outcome of which would have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is
not subject to any judgment, order, writ, injunction or decree of any Federal,
state, municipal or other governmental department, commission, board, bureau,
agency or instrumentality, domestic or foreign which have a Material Adverse
Effect.
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(k) Non-Defaults; Non-Contravention. The Company is not in violation
of or default under, nor will the execution and delivery of this Agreement or
any of the Offering Documents or the Fund Escrow Agreement or consummation of
the transactions contemplated herein or therein result in a violation of or
constitute a default in the performance or observance of any obligation under
(i) its Articles of Incorporation, or its By-laws, or (ii) any indenture,
mortgage, contract, material purchase order or other agreement or instrument to
which the Company is a party or by which it or its property is bound or
affected, where such violation or default would have a Material Adverse Effect,
or (iii) any material order, writ, injunction or decree of any court of any
Federal, state, municipal or other governmental department, commission, board,
bureau, agency or instrumentality, domestic or foreign, where such violation or
default would have a Material Adverse Effect, and there exists no condition,
event or act which constitutes, nor which after notice, the lapse of time or
both, could constitute a default under any of the foregoing, which in either
case would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Taxes. To the best of current management's knowledge: (i) the
Company has filed all Federal, state, local and foreign tax returns which are
required to be filed by it or otherwise met its disclosure obligations to the
relevant agencies and all such returns are true and correct in all material
respects; (ii) the Company has paid all taxes pursuant to such returns or
pursuant to any assessments received by it or which it is obligated to withhold
from amounts owing to any employee, creditor or third party; (iii) the Company
has properly accrued all taxes required to be accrued by generally accepted
accounting principals consistently applied; (iv) the tax returns of the Company
have never been audited by any state, local or Federal authorities; and (v) the
Company has not waived any statute of limitations with respect to taxes or
agreed to any extension of time with respect to any tax assessment or
deficiency.
(m) Compliance With Laws; Licenses, Etc. The Company has not
received notice of any violation of or noncompliance with any Federal, state,
local or foreign, laws, ordinances, regulations and orders applicable to its
business which has not been cured, the violation of, or noncompliance with
which, would have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has all licenses and
permits and other governmental certificates, authorizations and permits and
approvals (collectively, "Licenses") required by every Federal, state and local
government or regulatory body for the operation of its business as currently
conducted and the use of its properties, except where the failure to be licensed
would not have a Material Adverse Effect. The Licenses are in full force and
effect and to the Company's knowledge no violations currently exist in respect
of any License and no proceeding is pending or threatened to revoke or limit any
thereof.
(n) Authorization of Agreement, Etc. This Agreement has been duly
and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the execution,
delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Subscription
Agreement and the Fund Escrow Agreement have been duly authorized by all
requisite corporate action by the Company and when delivered, constitute or will
constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable
in accordance with their respective terms, subject to applicable laws regarding
insolvency and to principles of equity.
(o) Authorization of Notes and Warrants Etc. The issuance, sale and
delivery of the Notes, the Warrants and the Agent's Warrants (as defined herein)
have been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action of the Company. When
so issued, sold and delivered, the Notes, the Warrants and the Agent's Warrants
will be duly executed, issued and delivered and will constitute
Page 21 of 81 Pages
valid and legal obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their
respective terms and, in each case, will not be subject to preemptive or any
other similar rights of the stockholders of the Company or others which rights
shall not have been waived prior to the Initial Closing.
(p) Authorization of Reserved Shares. The issuance, sale and
delivery by the Company of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion
of the Notes and exercise of the Warrants and the Agent's Warrants (the
"Reserved Shares") have been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action
of the Company, and the Reserved Shares have been duly reserved for issuance
upon conversion of all or any of the Notes and exercise of all or any of the
Warrants and Agent's Warrants and when so issued, sold, paid for and delivered,
the Reserved Shares will be validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and
nonassessable, and not subject to preemptive or any other similar rights of the
stockholders of the Company or others which rights shall not have been waived
prior to the Initial Closing.
(q) Exemption from Registration. Assuming (i) the accuracy of the
information provided by the respective Subscribers in the Subscription Documents
and (ii) that the Placement Agent has complied in all material respects with the
provisions of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, the offer and
sale of the Units pursuant to the terms of this Agreement are exempt from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder (the "Regulations"). The Company is not disqualified from
the exemption under Regulation D by virtue of the disqualifications contained in
Rule 505(b)(2)(iii) or Rule 507 promulgated thereunder.
(r) Registration Rights. Except with respect to holders of the Units
and other securities previously sold to or through the Placement Agent or
otherwise specified in writing to the Placement Agent, no person has any right
to cause the Company to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any
securities of the Company. The Company shall grant registration rights under the
Securities Act to the investors in the Offering and/or their transferees as more
fully described in the Subscription Agreement between the Company and the
investors.
(s) Brokers. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors,
employees or stockholders has employed any broker or finder in connection with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement other than the Placement Agent.
(t) Title to Units. When certificates representing the securities
comprising the Units shall have been duly delivered to the purchasers and
payment shall have been made therefor, the several purchasers shall have good
and marketable title to the Notes and Warrants and/or the Reserved Shares free
and clear of all liens, encumbrances and claims whatsoever (with the exception
of claims arising through the acts or omissions of the purchasers and except as
arising from applicable Federal and state securities laws), and the Company
shall have paid all taxes, if any, in respect of the original issuance thereof.
(u) Right of First Refusal. Except for the right of first refusal
previously granted to the Placement Agent, no person, firm or other business
entity is a party to any agreement, contract or understanding, written or oral
entitling such party to a right of first refusal with respect to offerings by
the Company.
Page 22 of 81 Pages
3. Closing; Placement and Fees.
(a) Closing. Provided the Minimum Offering shall have been
subscribed for and funds representing the sale thereof shall have cleared, a
closing (the "Initial Closing") shall take place at the offices of the Placement
Agent, 830 Third Avenue, New York, New York within five business days thereafter
(which date (the "Closing Date") may be accelerated or adjourned by agreement
between the Company and the Placement Agent). At the Initial Closing, payment
for the Units issued and sold by the Company shall be made against delivery of
the Notes and Warrants comprising such Units. In addition, subsequent closings
(if applicable) may be scheduled at the discretion of the Company and Placement
Agent, each of which shall be deemed a "Closing" hereunder.
(b) Conditions to Placement Agent's Obligations. The obligations of
the Placement Agent hereunder will be subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties of the Company herein contained as of the date
hereof and as of each Closing Date, to the performance by the Company of its
obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(i) Due Qualification or Exemption. (A) The Offering will
become qualified or be exempt from qualification under the securities laws of
the several states pursuant to paragraph 4(e) below not later than the Closing
Date, and (B) at the Closing Date no stop order suspending the sale of the Units
shall have been issued, and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been
initiated or threatened;
(ii) No Material Misstatements. Neither the Blue Sky
qualification materials nor the Term Sheet, nor any supplement thereto, will
contain an untrue statement of a fact which in the opinion of the Placement
Agent is material, or omits to state a fact, which in the opinion of the
Placement Agent is material and is required to be stated therein, or is
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading;
(iii) Compliance with Agreements. The Company will have
complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be
performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to each Closing;
(iv) Corporate Action. The Company will have taken all
necessary corporate action, including, without limitation, obtaining the
approval of the Company's board of directors, for the execution and delivery of
this Agreement, the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and
the offering contemplated hereby;
(v) Opinion of Counsel. The Placement Agent shall receive the
opinion of acceptable counsel to the Company, dated the Closing(s),
substantially to the effect that:
(A) the Company is validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of Colorado, has all requisite corporate power and authority
necessary to own or hold its respective properties and conduct its business and
is duly qualified or licensed to do business as described in the Offering
Documents. The Company is not qualified to do business as a foreign corporation
in states other than Colorado;
(B) each of this Agreement, the Notes, the Warrants, the
Agent's |
