UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE TO

TENDER OFFER STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 14(d)(1) OR 13(e)(1)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

SUTRON CORPORATION

(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP.

(Offeror)

An Indirect Wholly Owned Subsidiary of

 

 

DANAHER CORPORATION

(Offeror)

(Names of Filing Persons (identifying status as offeror, issuer or other person))

 

 

COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $0.01 PER SHARE

(Title of Class of Securities)

 

 

869380105

(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)

Attila I. Bodi

Vice President and Chief Counsel, M&A

2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 800W

Washington, D.C. 20037-1701

(202) 828-0850

(Name, address, and telephone numbers of person authorized to receive notices and communications on behalf of filing persons)

 

 

Copies to:

Daniel Serota, Esq.

Margaret Butler, Esq.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

The MetLife Building

New York, NY 10166

(212) 801-9200

 

 

CALCULATION OF FILING FEE

 

Transaction Valuation(1)   Amount of Filing Fee(2)
$46,064,560   $5,352.70
 
(1) Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the filing fee. This amount is based on the offer to purchase all 5,419,360 outstanding shares of common stock of Sutron Corporation (the “Company”), calculated on a fully diluted basis per information provided by the Company, at a purchase price of $8.50 cash per share, as of May 31, 2015, the most recent practicable date.
(2) Calculated in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 0-11 by multiplying the transaction value by 0.0001162.

 

¨  Check the box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing with which the offsetting fee was previously paid. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the form or schedule and the date of its filing.

 

Amount Previously Paid: N/A Filing Party: N/A
Form of Registration No.: N/A Date Filed: N/A

 

¨  Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the statement relates:

 

  x  Third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.
  ¨  Issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.
  ¨  Going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.
  ¨  Amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results offer.  ¨

If applicable, check the appropriate box(es) below to designate the appropriate rule provision(s) relied upon:

 

  ¨  Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)
  ¨  Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)

 

 

 


This Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (together with any amendments and supplements hereto, this “Schedule TO”) is filed by (i) Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation (“Purchaser”) and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), and (ii) Parent. This Schedule TO relates to the tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), at a price of $8.50 per Share net to the seller in cash without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, if any, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the offer to purchase dated June 26, 2015 (the “Offer to Purchase”), a copy of which is attached as Exhibit (a)(1)(A), and in the related letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”), a copy of which is attached as Exhibit (a)(1)(B), which, together with any amendments or supplements, collectively constitute the “Offer.”

All the information set forth in the Offer to Purchase is incorporated by reference herein in response to Items 1 through 9 and Item 11 in this Schedule TO, and is supplemented by the information specifically provided in this Schedule TO.

 

Item 1. Summary Term Sheet.

Regulation M-A Item 1001

The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the caption SUMMARY TERM SHEET is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 2. Subject Company Information.

Regulation M-A Item 1002

(a) Name and Address. The name, address, and telephone number of the subject company’s principal executive offices are as follows:

Sutron Corporation

22400 Davis Drive

Sterling, Virginia 20164

(703) 406-2800

(b) Securities. This Schedule TO relates to the Offer by Purchaser to purchase all issued and outstanding Shares. As of May 31, 2015, there were 5,084,134 Shares issued and outstanding, 303,726 Shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock option grants, 31,500 Shares subject to restricted stock units, and no Shares of restricted stock reserved for issuance. The information set forth on the cover page and in the INTRODUCTION of the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.

(c) Trading Market and Price. The information set forth under the caption THE TENDER OFFER—Section 6 (“Price Range of Shares; Dividends”) of the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 3. Identity and Background of Filing Person.

Regulation M-A Item 1003

(a)-(c) Name and Address; Business and Background of Entities; and Business and Background of Natural Persons. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 8 (“Certain Information Concerning Parent and the Purchaser”) and Schedule I attached thereto.

 

Item 4. Terms of the Transaction.

Regulation M-A Item 1004

(a) Material Terms. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Item 5. Past Contacts, Transactions, Negotiations and Agreements.

Regulation M-A Item 1005

(a) Transactions. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 10 (“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company”).

(b) Significant Corporate Events. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 10 (“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 11 (“The Merger Agreement”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 12 (“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company”)

 

Item 6. Purposes of the Transaction and Plans or Proposals.

Regulation M-A Item 1006

(a) Purposes. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 12 (“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company”)

(c) (1)-(7) Plans. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 9 (“Source and Amount of Funds”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 10 (“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 11 (“The Merger Agreement”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 12 (“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 13 (“Certain Effects of the Offer”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 14 (“Dividends and Distributions”)

 

Item 7. Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration.

Regulation M-A Item 1007

(a) Source of Funds. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 9 (“Source and Amount of Funds”)

 

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THE TENDER OFFER—Section 10 (“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company”)

(b) Conditions. The Offer is not subject to a financing condition.

(d) Borrowed Funds. Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Interest in Securities of the Subject Company.

Regulation M-A Item 1008

(a) Securities Ownership. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 8 (“Certain Information Concerning Parent and the Purchaser”) and Schedule I attached thereto

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 11 (“The Merger Agreement”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 12 (“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company”)

(b) Securities Transactions. Not applicable.

 

Item 9. Persons/Assets, Retained, Employed, Compensated or Used.

Regulation M-A Item 1009

(a) Solicitations or Recommendations. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 3 (“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 10 (“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 17 (“Fees and Expenses”)

 

Item 10. Financial Statements.

Regulation M-A Item 1010

(a) Financial Information. Not applicable.

(b) Pro Forma Information. Not applicable.

 

Item 11. Additional Information.

Regulation M-A Item 1011

(a) Agreements, Regulatory Requirements and Legal Proceedings. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the following captions is incorporated herein by reference:

SUMMARY TERM SHEET

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 10 (“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 11 (“The Merger Agreement”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 12 (“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company”)

THE TENDER OFFER—Section 13 (“Certain Effects of the Offer”)

 

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THE TENDER OFFER—Section 16 (“Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals”)

(c) Other Material Information. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 12. Exhibits.

Regulation M-A Item 1016

 

Exhibit

No.

   
(a)(1)(A)   Offer to Purchase, dated June 26, 2015.
(a)(1)(B)   Letter of Transmittal (including Internal Revenue Service Form W-9).
(a)(1)(C)   Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.
(a)(1)(D)   Letter from the Information Agent to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Nominees.
(a)(1)(E)   Letter to Clients for Use by Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Nominees.
(a)(1)(F)   Joint Press Release of Hach Company and Sutron Corporation, dated as of June 22, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Schedule TO-C filed by Danaher Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2015).
(a)(1)(G)   Summary Advertisement as published on June 26, 2015.
(b)   Not applicable.
(c)   Not applicable.
(d)(1)   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Danaher Corporation, Satellite Acquisition Corp. and Sutron Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Form 8-K filed by Sutron Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2015).
(d)(2)   Tender and Support Agreement, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Danaher Corporation, Satellite Acquisition Corp. and certain stockholders of Sutron Corporation party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Form 8-K filed by Sutron Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2015).
(d)(3)   Agreement Regarding Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Danaher Corporation, Satellite Acquisition Corp. and certain officers and directors of Sutron Corporation party thereto.
(e)   Not applicable.
(f)   Not applicable.
(g)   Not applicable.
(h)   Not applicable.

 

Item 13. Information Required by Schedule 13E-3.

Not applicable.

 

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SIGNATURE

After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

 

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP.
By

/s/ Robert S. Lutz

Name: Robert S. Lutz
Title: Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary
Date: June 26, 2015
DANAHER CORPORATION
By

/s/ Robert S. Lutz

Name: Robert S. Lutz
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
Date: June 26, 2015

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

No.

   
(a)(1)(A)   Offer to Purchase, dated June 26, 2015.
(a)(1)(B)   Letter of Transmittal (including Internal Revenue Service Form W-9).
(a)(1)(C)   Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.
(a)(1)(D)   Letter from the Information Agent to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Nominees.
(a)(1)(E)   Letter to Clients for Use by Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Nominees.
(a)(1)(F)   Joint Press Release of Hach Company and Sutron Corporation, dated as of June 22, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Schedule TO-C filed by Danaher Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2015).
(a)(1)(G)   Summary Advertisement as published on June 26, 2015.
(b)   Not applicable.
(c)   Not applicable.
(d)(1)   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Danaher Corporation, Satellite Acquisition Corp. and Sutron Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Form 8-K filed by Sutron Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2015).
(d)(2)   Tender and Support Agreement, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Danaher Corporation, Satellite Acquisition Corp. and certain stockholders of Sutron Corporation party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Form 8-K filed by Sutron Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2015).
(d)(3)   Agreement Regarding Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Danaher Corporation, Satellite Acquisition Corp. and certain officers and directors of Sutron Corporation party thereto.
(e)   Not applicable.
(f)   Not applicable.
(g)   Not applicable.
(h)   Not applicable.

 

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Exhibit (a)(1)(A)

Offer to Purchase for Cash All Outstanding Shares of Common Stock

Of

SUTRON CORPORATION

at

$8.50 Net Per Share

by

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP.,

an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of

DANAHER CORPORATION

 

THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

The Offer (as defined below) is being made pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Purchaser”), and Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”). Purchaser is offering to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of the Company at a price of $8.50 per Share, net to the seller in cash, without interest, less any applicable withholding taxes (the “Per Share Amount”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this offer to purchase (this “Offer to Purchase”) and the related letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”), which, together with any amendments or supplements, collectively constitute the “Offer.” Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, following the consummation of the Offer and the satisfaction or waiver of each of the applicable conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Purchaser and the Company will merge (the “Merger”), with the Company as the surviving corporation in the Merger continuing as an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Surviving Corporation”). As a result of the Merger, each outstanding Share (other than Shares owned by Parent or Purchaser) will at the effective time of the Merger be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Amount.

After careful consideration, the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), has unanimously determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option (as defined below) and the Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Accordingly, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends that the Company’s stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the Virginia Stock Corporation Act (the “VSCA”), vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement.

The Offer is not subject to a financing condition. The Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, there being validly tendered in accordance with the terms of the Offer and not validly withdrawn prior to 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015 (the “Expiration Time,” unless the period during which the Offer is open is extended in accordance with the Merger Agreement, in which event “Expiration Time” will mean the latest time and date at which the Offer, as so extended by Purchaser, will expire), a number of Shares that, together with the Shares then owned by Parent and Purchaser (if any) represents 66 2/3 percent of the sum of the number of Shares then issued and outstanding plus all Shares which the Company may be required to issue as of such date upon the vesting (including vesting solely as a result of the consummation of the Offer or the Merger), conversion or exercise of all stock options, restricted stock units and other derivative securities, including warrants, options (other than the Top-Up Option), convertible or exchangeable securities or other rights to acquire Shares, regardless of the conversion or exercise price or other terms and conditions thereof. The foregoing condition is referred to as the “Minimum Condition.” The Minimum Condition may be waived by Parent and Purchaser only with the prior written consent of the Company. The Offer is also subject to other conditions described in Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

A summary of the principal terms of the Offer appears below. You should read this entire Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal carefully before deciding whether to tender your Shares in the Offer.


Table of Contents

IMPORTANT

If you desire to tender all or any portion of your Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer, you should either (i) complete and sign the Letter of Transmittal for the Offer, which is enclosed with this Offer to Purchase, in accordance with the instructions contained in the Letter of Transmittal, and mail or deliver the Letter of Transmittal (or a manually executed facsimile thereof) and any other required documents to Computershare Trust Company, N.A., in its capacity as depositary for the Offer (the “Depositary”), and either deliver the certificates for your Shares to the Depositary along with the Letter of Transmittal (or a manually executed facsimile thereof) or tender your Shares by book-entry transfer by following the procedures described in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares,” in each case prior to the Expiration Time, or (ii) request that your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee effect the transaction for you. If you hold Shares registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, you must contact that institution in order to tender your Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer.

If you desire to tender your Shares pursuant to the Offer and the certificates representing your Shares are not immediately available, you cannot comply in a timely manner with the procedures for tendering your Shares by book-entry transfer, or you cannot deliver all required documents to the Depositary prior to the Expiration Time, you may be able to tender your Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer by following the procedures for guaranteed delivery described in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.”

*****

Questions and requests for assistance regarding the Offer or any of the terms thereof may be directed to Okapi Partners LLC, as information agent for the Offer (the “Information Agent”), at the address and telephone number set forth for the Information Agent on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase. Requests for additional copies of this Offer to Purchase, the Letter of Transmittal, the notice of guaranteed delivery and other tender offer materials may be directed to the Information Agent. You may also contact your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance.

This Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal contain important information, and you should read both carefully and in their entirety before making a decision with respect to the Offer.

This transaction has not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or any state securities commission nor has the SEC or any state securities commission passed upon the fairness or merits of this transaction or upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information contained in this Offer to Purchase or the Letter of Transmittal. Any representation to the contrary is unlawful.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SUMMARY TERM SHEET   1   
INTRODUCTION   6   
THE TENDER OFFER   9   

1.

Terms of the Offer.   9   

2.

Acceptance for Payment and Payment for Shares.   10   

3.

Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.   11   

4.

Withdrawal Rights.   14   

5.

Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences.   15   

6.

Price Range of Shares; Dividends.   18   

7.

Certain Information Concerning the Company.   19   

8.

Certain Information Concerning Parent and Purchaser.   20   

9.

Source and Amount of Funds.   21   

10.

Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company.   22   

11.

The Merger Agreement.   24   

12.

Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company.   40   

13.

Certain Effects of the Offer.   41   

14.

Dividends and Distributions.   42   

15.

Certain Conditions of the Offer.   42   

16.

Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals.   43   

17.

Fees and Expenses.   44   

18.

Miscellaneous   45   

 

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SUMMARY TERM SHEET

Purchaser, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Parent, is offering to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per Share, of the Company at a price of $8.50 net per Share in cash (less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest), as further described herein, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal.

The following are some questions you, as a stockholder of the Company, may have and answers to those questions. This summary term sheet highlights selected information from this Offer to Purchase and may not contain all of the information that is important to you and is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed descriptions and explanations contained in this Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal. To better understand the Offer and for a complete description of the legal terms of the Offer, you should read this Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal carefully and in their entirety. Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at the address and telephone numbers available on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase. Unless otherwise indicated in this Offer to Purchase or the context otherwise requires, all references in this Offer to Purchase to “we,” “our” or “us” refer to Purchaser.

Who is offering to buy my Shares?

Satellite Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation, is offering to purchase all of the outstanding Shares. Purchaser is a Virginia corporation which was formed for the sole purpose of making the Offer and completing the process by which the Company will become a subsidiary of Parent through the Merger. See the “Introduction” and Section 8—“Certain Information Concerning Parent and Purchaser.”

How many Shares are you offering to purchase in the Offer?

We are making an offer to purchase all of the outstanding Shares on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Offer to Purchase. See the “Introduction” and Section 1—“Terms of the Offer.”

Why are you making the Offer?

We are making the Offer because we want to acquire control of, and ultimately the entire equity interest in, the Company. If the Offer is consummated, Parent intends, as soon as practicable after consummation of the Offer, to have Purchaser consummate the Merger. Upon consummation of the Merger, the Surviving Corporation would be a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Parent. See Section 12—“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company.”

How much are you offering to pay and what is the form of payment? Will I have to pay any fees or commissions?

We are offering to pay $8.50 per Share, net to you in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. If you are the record owner of your Shares and you directly tender your Shares to us in the Offer, you will not have to pay brokerage fees, commissions or similar expenses. If you own your Shares through a broker or other nominee, and your broker tenders your Shares on your behalf, your broker or nominee may charge you a fee for doing so. You should consult with your broker or nominee to determine whether any charges will apply. See the “Introduction,” Section 1—“Terms of the Offer,” and Section 2—“Acceptance for Payment and Payment for Shares.”

Is there an agreement governing the Offer?

Yes. The Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015 (the “Merger Agreement”), provides, among other things, for the terms and conditions of the Offer and the Merger. See Section 11—“The Merger Agreement” and Section 15—“Conditions of the Offer.”

 

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What are the most significant conditions to the Offer?

We are not obligated to purchase any Shares unless, prior to the expiration of the Offer:

 

    there will have been validly tendered in accordance with the terms of the Offer and not validly withdrawn a number of Shares that, together with the Shares then owned by Parent and Purchaser (if any) represents 66 2/3 percent of the sum of the number of Shares then issued and outstanding plus all Shares which the Company may be required to issue as of such date upon the vesting (including vesting solely as a result of the consummation of the Offer or the Merger), conversion or exercise of all stock options, restricted stock units and other derivative securities, including warrants, options (other than the Top-Up Option), convertible or exchangeable securities or other rights to acquire Shares, regardless of the conversion or exercise price or other terms and conditions thereof. The foregoing condition is referred to as the “Minimum Condition”;

 

    no law or order (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent in nature) will have been enacted, enforced, amended, issued, in effect or deemed applicable to the Offer or the Merger by any governmental entity which makes illegal, or would reasonably be expected to, make illegal or otherwise prohibits or materially delays the consummation of the Offer or the Merger; and

 

    since the date of the Merger Agreement, there shall not have occurred any changes, events, circumstances or developments that have had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect (as defined in Section 11—“Representations and Warranties”).

The Offer is also subject to a number of other conditions. We can waive some of the conditions to the Offer without the consent of the Company. We cannot, however, waive the Minimum Condition without the consent of the Company. See Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

Do you have the financial resources to pay for all of the Shares that you are offering to purchase in the Offer?

Yes. If the conditions to the Offer are satisfied, Parent will provide us with sufficient funds to acquire all of the Shares validly tendered in the Offer and not validly withdrawn and to complete the Merger. Parent intends to provide the necessary funds from cash on hand. The Offer is not conditioned on any financing arrangement. See Section 9—“Source and Amount of Funds.”

Is your financial condition relevant to my decision to tender my Shares in the Offer?

We do not think that our financial condition is relevant to your decision whether to tender Shares and accept the Offer because:

 

    the Offer is being made for all outstanding Shares solely for cash;

 

    the Offer is not subject to any financing condition;

 

    we, through our indirect parent company (Parent), will have sufficient funds available to purchase all Shares validly tendered in the Offer and not validly withdrawn in light of Parent’s financial capacity in relation to the amount of consideration payable; and

 

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    if we consummate the Offer, we will acquire all remaining Shares for the same cash price in the Merger and we, through our parent company (Parent), will have sufficient funds available to consummate the Merger in light of Parent’s financial capacity in relation to the amount of consideration payable.

See Section 9—“Source and Amount of Funds.”

How long do I have to decide whether to tender my Shares in the Offer?

You will have until 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015 to tender your Shares in the Offer, subject to extension of the Offer in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement (as the date of the expiration of the Offer may be extended, the “Expiration Time”). Furthermore, if you cannot deliver everything that is required in order to make a valid tender by that time, you may be able to use a guaranteed delivery procedure by which a broker, a bank, or any other fiduciary that is an eligible institution may guarantee that the missing items will be received by the Depositary within three NASDAQ (as defined below) trading days. Shares delivered by a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery do not need to be counted by Purchaser toward the satisfaction of the Minimum Condition and therefore it is preferable for Shares to be tendered by the other methods described herein. For the tender to be valid, however, the Depositary must receive the missing items within such three (3) trading day period. See Section 1—“Terms of the Offer” and Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.”

Can the Offer be extended and under what circumstances can or will the Offer be extended?

Yes. In some cases, we are required to extend the Offer beyond its initial Expiration Time, but in no event will we be required to extend the Offer beyond the End Date (as defined below). We have agreed in the Merger Agreement that, subject to the Company’s and Parent’s respective termination rights, we are required to extend the Offer beyond its initial expiration date for any period required by any rule, regulation, interpretation or position of the SEC or its staff or the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “NASDAQ”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, in the event that any of the Tender Offer Conditions (as defined below) are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, we may extend the Offer for successive periods of up to thirty (30) Business Days (defined below) each. In addition, if any of the Tender Offer Conditions are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, the Merger Agreement also provides that Purchaser will also be required to extend the Offer for successive extension periods of up to ten (10) Business Days. “Business Day” means any day, other than Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday under the laws of the State of New York or the Laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia or a day on which banking institutions located in the State of New York or the Commonwealth of Virginia are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.

Following our acceptance of Shares tendered in the Offer, we may in certain circumstances, without the consent of the Company, provide one or more subsequent offering periods which will not be less than three (3) nor more than twenty (20) Business Days in the aggregate in accordance with Rule 14d-11 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

We are not required to extend the Offer or the Expiration Time beyond the End Date. The “End Date” means September 19, 2015 or such later date which Parent, Purchaser and the Company mutually agree in writing.

If we extend the time period of the Offer, this extension will extend the time that you will have to tender your Shares. See Section 1—“Terms of the Offer” for more details on our ability to extend the Offer.

How will I be notified if the Offer is extended?

If we extend the Offer, we will inform the Depositary of that fact and will make a public announcement of the extension not later than 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the next Business Day after the day on which the Offer was scheduled to expire. See Section 1—“Terms of the Offer.”

 

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How do I tender my Shares?

To tender your Shares, you must deliver the certificates representing your Shares or confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such Shares into the account of the Depositary at The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), together with a completed Letter of Transmittal (or a facsimile thereof) or an Agent’s Message (as defined in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares”) and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, to the Depositary, prior to the expiration of the Offer. If your Shares are held in street name (that is, through a broker, dealer or other nominee), they can be tendered by your nominee through DTC. If you are unable to deliver any required document or instrument to the Depositary by the expiration of the Offer, you may gain some extra time by having a broker, a bank or any other fiduciary that is an eligible institution guarantee that the missing items will be received by the Depositary within three (3) NASDAQ trading days. For the tender to be valid, however, the Depositary must receive the missing items within that three-trading-day period. See Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.”

Until what time may I withdraw previously tendered Shares?

You may withdraw previously tendered Shares any time prior to the expiration of the Offer by following the procedures for withdrawing your Shares in a timely manner. If you tendered your Shares by giving instructions to a broker or other nominee, you must instruct your broker or nominee prior to the expiration of the Offer to arrange for the withdrawal of your Shares in a timely manner. However, Shares tendered during a subsequent offering period, if any, may not be withdrawn. See Section 4—“Withdrawal Rights.”

How do I withdraw previously tendered Shares?

To validly withdraw any of your previously tendered Shares, you must deliver a written notice of withdrawal, or a facsimile of one (with original delivered via overnight courier), with the required information to the Depositary while you still have the right to withdraw such Shares. If you tendered your Shares by giving instructions to a broker, banker or other nominee, you must instruct your broker, banker or other nominee to arrange for the withdrawal of your Shares and such broker, banker or other nominee must effectively withdraw such Shares while you still have the right to withdraw Shares. See Section 4—“Withdrawal Rights.”

What does the board of directors of the Company think of the Offer?

We are making the Offer pursuant to the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has:

 

    unanimously determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option and the Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders; and

 

    unanimously resolved to recommend that the Company’s stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the VSCA, vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement.

A more complete description of the Board of Directors’ reasons for authorizing and approving the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer and the Merger, is set forth in the Company’s Solicitation/ Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 under the Exchange Act, that will be filed with the SEC and mailed to the stockholders of the Company. See the “Introduction” and Section 10—“Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company.”

If 66 2/3% of the Shares are tendered and accepted for payment, will the Company continue as a public company?

No. Following the purchase of Shares in the Offer, we expect to consummate the Merger. If the Merger takes place, the Company will no longer be publicly-owned. Even if for some reason the Merger does not take place but we purchase all of the tendered Shares, there may be so few remaining stockholders and publicly-held

 

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Shares that the Company’s common stock will no longer be eligible to be traded on the NASDAQ or any other securities exchange, there may not be a public trading market for the common stock of the Company, and the Company may no longer be required to make filings with the SEC or otherwise comply with the rules of the SEC relating to publicly-held companies. See Section 13—“Certain Effects of the Offer.”

If I object to the price being offered, will I have appraisal rights?

Holders of Shares do not have appraisal or dissenters’ rights as a result of the Offer, and holders of the Shares will not have appraisal rights in connection with the Merger as long as the Shares continue to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market through to the effective time of the Merger. See Section 12—“Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company.”

If I decide not to tender, how will the Offer affect my Shares?

If the Offer is consummated and certain other conditions are met, the Merger will occur and all of the then outstanding Shares (other than Shares held by Parent or Purchaser) will at the effective time of the Merger be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to the Per Share Amount without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. Therefore, if the Merger takes place, the only difference to you between tendering your Shares and not tendering your Shares is that you will be paid earlier if you tender your Shares. Even if the Merger for some reason does not take place but we purchase all of the tendered Shares, the number of stockholders and the number of Shares that are still in the hands of the public may be so small that there no longer will be an active public trading market (or, possibly, there may not be any public trading market) for the Shares. Also, as described above, the Company may no longer be required to make filings with the SEC or otherwise comply with the rules of the SEC relating to publicly-held companies. See the “Introduction” and Section 13—“Certain Effects of the Offer.”

What is the market value of my Shares as of a recent date?

On Friday, June 19, 2015, the last trading day before we announced the Offer, the last sale price of the common stock of the Company reported on NASDAQ was $5.20 per Share. On Thursday, June 25, 2015, the last trading day before we commenced the Offer, the last sale price of the Shares reported on NASDAQ was $8.38 per Share. We encourage you to obtain a recent quotation for Shares in deciding whether to tender your Shares. See Section 6—“Price Range of Shares; Dividends.”

Have any stockholders already agreed to tender their Shares in the Offer or to otherwise support the Offer?

Yes. On June 21, 2015, concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, each of Raul S. McQuivey, Ph.D, Ashish H. Raval, Daniel W. Farrell, Leland R. Phipps, John F. DePodesta Esq., Larry C. Linton, Jill E. Farrell, Vaishali Raval, the Raul S. McQuivey Trust and the Karen T. McQuivey Trust, entered into a tender and support agreement (the “Support Agreement”) with Parent and Purchaser. Excluding restricted stock units that vest and options that are exercisable within 60 days, approximately 22% of the issued and outstanding Shares are subject to the Support Agreement. See Section 11—“The Merger Agreement.”

If I tender my Shares, when and how will I get paid?

If the conditions to the Offer as set forth in Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer” are satisfied or waived and we consummate the Offer and accept your Shares for payment, we will pay you an amount equal to the number of Shares you tendered multiplied by $8.50 in cash without interest (and less any amounts required to be deducted and withheld under any applicable law) promptly following expiration of the Offer. See Section 1—“Terms of the Offer” and Section 2—“Acceptance for Payment and Payment of Shares.”

 

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What is the Top–Up Option and when could it be exercised?

The Company has granted to Purchaser an assignable and irrevocable option (the “Top-Up Option”) to purchase, at any time at or after the initial acceptance for payment by Purchaser of Shares pursuant to the Offer and prior to termination of the Merger Agreement, an aggregate number of newly-issued Shares equal to the number of Shares that, when added to the number of Shares owned by Parent and Purchaser at the time of the exercise of the Top-Up Option, constitutes one Share more than the number of Shares necessary for Purchaser to be merged into the Company pursuant to Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA; provided, however, that (i) the Top-Up Option shall not be exercisable for a number of Shares in excess of the Shares that the Company is authorized to issue under the Company’s articles of incorporation but that are not issued and outstanding (and are not subscribed for or otherwise committed to be issued) at the time of exercise of the Top-Up Option, and (ii) the exercise of the Top-Up Option and the issuance and delivery of the Top-Up Shares shall not be prohibited by any order. The Top–Up Option is intended to expedite the timing of the completion of the Merger by permitting Purchaser to effect a “short–form” merger pursuant to applicable Virginia law at a time when the approval of the Merger at a meeting of the Company’s stockholders would be assured because of Parent’s and Purchaser’s ownership of at least 66 2/3% of the Shares following completion of the Offer. See Section 11—“The Merger Agreement” and Section 16—“Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals.”

What are the United States federal income tax consequences of the Offer and the Merger?

The receipt of cash by you in exchange for your Shares pursuant to the Offer or the Merger will be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes. In general, you will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash you receive and your adjusted tax basis in the Shares exchanged therefor. If you are a United States Holder (as defined in Section 5—“Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences”) and you hold your Shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss that you recognize will be a capital gain or loss and will be treated as a long–term capital gain or loss if you have held the Shares for more than one (1) year at the time of the exchange. See Section 5—“Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences” for a summary of the material United States federal income tax consequences of tendering Shares pursuant to the Offer or exchanging Shares in the Merger.

You are urged to consult your own tax advisors to determine the particular tax consequences to you of the Offer and the Merger (including the application and effect of any state, local or non-United States income and other tax laws or tax treaties).

Who should I talk to if I have additional questions about the Offer?

You may call Okapi Partners LLC toll-free at (877) 285-5990. Okapi Partners LLC is acting as the information agent for the Offer. See the back cover of this Offer to Purchase.

INTRODUCTION

Satellite Acquisition Corp. (“Purchaser”), a Virginia corporation and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Danaher Corporation (“Parent”), a Delaware corporation, hereby offers to purchase for cash all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), at a price of $8.50 per Share, net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon and less any applicable withholding taxes (such amount per Share, or any different amount per Share that may be paid pursuant to the Offer (as defined below) in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement (as defined below), the “Per Share Amount”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this offer to purchase (this “Offer to Purchase”) and in the related letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”) (which, together with any amendments or supplements hereto or thereto, collectively constitute the “Offer”). The Offer and the withdrawal rights will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015, unless the Offer is extended in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement (as the date of the expiration of the Offer may be extended, the “Expiration Time”).

 

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The Offer is being made pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Parent, Purchaser and the Company. The Merger Agreement provides that after the purchase of Shares in the Offer, Purchaser and the Company will merge (the “Merger”), with the Company as the surviving corporation in the Merger continuing as a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Parent (the “Surviving Corporation”). According to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each Share outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than Shares owned by Purchaser or Parent) will be converted into the right to receive the Per Share Amount in cash (the “Merger Consideration”). The Merger Agreement is more fully described in Section 11—“The Merger Agreement,” which also contains a discussion of the treatment of options and other equity awards of the Company.

Tendering stockholders who are record owners of their Shares and tender directly to the Depositary (as defined below) will not be obligated to pay brokerage fees or commissions or, except as otherwise provided in Instruction 6 to the Letter of Transmittal, stock transfer taxes with respect to the purchase of Shares by Purchaser pursuant to the Offer. Stockholders who hold their Shares through a broker or bank should consult such institution as to whether it charges any brokerage or other service fees. Parent or Purchaser will pay all charges and expenses of Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as depositary for the Offer (the “Depositary”) and Okapi Partners LLC, as information agent for the Offer (the “Information Agent”), incurred in connection with the Offer. See Section 17—“Fees and Expenses.”

After careful consideration, the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), has unanimously determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option and the Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Accordingly, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends that the Company’s stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the Virginia Stock Corporation Act (the “VSCA”), vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement.

A more complete description of the Board of Directors’ reasons for authorizing and approving the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer and the Merger, is set forth in the Company’s Solicitation/ Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 (the “Schedule 14D-9”) under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that will be filed with the SEC and mailed to the stockholders of the Company.

The Offer is not subject to a financing condition. The Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, (i) there having been validly tendered in accordance with the terms of the Offer and not validly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Time a number of Shares that, together with the Shares then owned by Parent and Purchaser (if any) represents 66 2/3 percent of the sum of the number of Shares then issued and outstanding plus all Shares which the Company may be required to issue as of such date upon the vesting (including vesting solely as a result of the consummation of the Offer or the Merger), conversion or exercise of all stock options, restricted stock units and other derivative securities, including warrants, options (other than the Top-Up Option), convertible or exchangeable securities or other rights to acquire Shares, regardless of the conversion or exercise price or other terms and conditions thereof (the foregoing condition is referred to as the “Minimum Condition”), (ii) no law or order (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent in nature) having been enacted, enforced, amended, issued, in effect or deemed applicable to the Offer or the Merger by any governmental entity which makes illegal, or would reasonably be expected to, make illegal or otherwise prohibits or materially delays the consummation of the Offer or the Merger, and (iii) since the date of the Merger Agreement, there shall have not occurred any changes, events, circumstances or developments that have had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect (as defined in Section 11—“Representations and Warranties”). The Offer is also subject to a number of other conditions. We can waive (but not otherwise alter) some of the conditions to the Offer without the consent of the Company. We cannot, however, waive the Minimum Condition without the consent of the Company. See Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

 

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The Merger Agreement provides that, effective upon the initial acceptance for payment by Purchaser of Shares pursuant to the Offer (the “Acceptance Time”) and from time to time thereafter, Parent will be entitled to designate up to such number of directors to the Board of Directors equal to the product (rounded up to the next whole number) obtained by multiplying (i) the number of directors on the Board of Directors and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Shares held by Parent and Purchaser (giving effect to the Shares held by Parent and Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and the Shares purchased upon the exercise of the Top-Up Option), and the denominator of which is the total number of then outstanding Shares; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company, Parent, and Purchaser agree that at all times prior to the Effective Time, the Board of Directors shall include at least three (3) directors who were members of the Board of Directors immediately prior to the election or appointment of directors designated by Parent in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, each of whom shall be independent directors under the federal securities laws and at least one of whom shall be an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K and the instructions thereto. The Company will cause Parent’s designees to be elected or appointed to the Board of Directors including (at the election of Parent) by increasing the number of directors and seeking and accepting resignations from incumbent directors, subject to the proviso in the immediately preceding sentence. At such time, the Company will also cause individuals designated by Parent to constitute the proportional number of members (rounded up where appropriate) as is on the Board of Directors on each committee of the Board of Directors. From and after the time, if ever, that Parent’s designees are elected or appointed to the Board of Directors and prior to the Effective Time, the Board of Directors will have at least such number of directors who qualify as independent directors as may be required by the rules of NASDAQ or federal securities laws, provided that the Company will, upon Parent’s request, take all actions necessary to elect to be treated as a “Controlled Company” for purposes of Listing Rule 5615(c) of the NASDAQ rules (or any successor provision) and make all necessary filings and disclosures associated with such status. If the number of independent directors is reduced below the number of directors required by such laws, the remaining independent directors will be entitled to designate persons to fill such vacancies.

The Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, including, if required, the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the affirmative vote of the holders of 66 2/3% of the then outstanding Shares. If the Minimum Condition is satisfied, Purchaser would have sufficient voting power after the Acceptance Time to approve the Merger without the affirmative vote of any other stockholder of the Company. The Company has agreed, if required, to cause a meeting of its stockholders to be held as promptly as reasonably practicable following the later of the Acceptance Time or the expiration of any subsequent offering period provided in accordance with Rule 14d-11 for the purpose of voting upon the adoption of the Merger Agreement in accordance with the VSCA. This Offer to Purchase does not constitute a solicitation of proxies, and Purchaser is not soliciting proxies at this time.

If Purchaser acquires at least 90% of the Shares in the Offer and pursuant to the Top–Up Option (as defined below), if applicable, Parent, Purchaser and the Company will take such necessary and appropriate actions in order to consummate the Merger under the VSCA without a stockholders’ meeting and without the approval of the Company’s stockholders. See Section 11—“The Merger Agreement.”

The material United States federal income tax consequences of the sale of Shares pursuant to the Offer and the exchange of Shares pursuant to the Merger are summarized in Section 5—“Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

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This Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal contain important information that should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offer.

THE TENDER OFFER

 

1. Terms of the Offer.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (including, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and conditions of such extension or amendment), Purchaser will accept for payment and pay for all Shares validly tendered prior to the Expiration Time and not validly withdrawn as permitted under Section 4—“Withdrawal Rights.” The term “Expiration Time” means 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015, unless Purchaser, in accordance with the Merger Agreement, extends the period during which the Offer is open, in which event the term “Expiration Time” means the latest time and date on which the Offer, as so extended (excluding any subsequent offering periods described below), expires; provided, however, that the Expiration Time may not be extended beyond the End Date. The “End Date” means September 19, 2015 or such later date which Parent, Purchaser and the Company mutually agree in writing.

The Offer is conditioned upon the satisfaction of the Minimum Condition and certain other conditions set forth in Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer” (each, a “Tender Offer Condition”). Subject to the provisions of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser may waive (but not otherwise alter) any or all of the Tender Offer Conditions (other than the Minimum Condition) without the written consent of the Company.

The Merger Agreement provides that Purchaser will, subject to the Company’s and Parent’s respective termination rights, extend the Offer for any period required by any rule, regulation, interpretation or position of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or its staff or The Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) that is applicable to the Offer. In the event that any of the Tender Offer Conditions are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, Purchaser may extend the Offer for successive periods of up to thirty (30) Business Days (as defined below) each. In addition, if any of the Tender Offer Conditions are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, the Merger Agreement also provides that Purchaser will also be required to extend the Offer for successive extension periods of up to ten (10) Business Days.

Purchaser may extend the offer for a subsequent offering period in accordance with Rule 14d-11 of the Exchange Act (a “Subsequent Offering Period”). A Subsequent Offering Period is an additional period of time of not less than three nor more than twenty (20) Business Days in length, beginning after Purchaser initially accepts for purchase Shares tendered in the Offer, during which time stockholders may validly tender, but not withdraw, their Shares and receive the Per Share Amount. Rule 14d-11 under the Exchange Act provides that Purchaser may provide for a Subsequent Offering Period so long as, among other things, (i) the Offer remained open for a minimum of twenty (20) Business Days and has expired, (ii) the Offer is for all outstanding Shares, (iii) Purchaser accepts and promptly pays for all Shares validly tendered during the Offer prior to the Expiration Time, (iv) Purchaser announces the results of the Offer, including the approximate number and percentage of Shares deposited in the Offer, no later than 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the next Business Day after the Expiration Time and immediately begins a Subsequent Offering Period, (v) Purchaser immediately accepts and promptly pays for Shares as they are validly tendered during a Subsequent Offering Period, and (vi) Purchaser offers the same form and amount of consideration to holders of Shares in both the initial offering period and a Subsequent Offering Period. If Purchaser elects to provide for a Subsequent Offering Period, it will announce the Subsequent Offering Period by issuing a press release to a national news service prior to 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the next Business Day after the previously scheduled Expiration Time.

Subject to the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and NASDAQ and the provisions of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser expressly reserves the right (i) to extend the Offer if any of the Tender Offer Conditions have not been satisfied, (ii) to waive any of the Tender Offer Conditions (other than the Minimum Condition), or (iii) to otherwise amend the Offer in any respect (except with respect to certain terms and conditions of the Offer, as provided in the Merger Agreement; see Section 11—“The Merger Agreement”), in each case by giving oral or written notice of such extension, termination, waiver or amendment to the Depositary and by making a public announcement thereof.

 

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The rights reserved by Purchaser in the preceding paragraph are in addition to Purchaser’s rights described under Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer.” Any extension, delay, termination, waiver or amendment will be followed as promptly as practicable by public announcement thereof, such announcement in the case of an extension to be made no later than 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the next Business Day after the previously scheduled Expiration Time, in accordance with the public announcement requirements of Rule 14e-1(d) under the Exchange Act. Subject to applicable law (including Rules 14d-4(d) and 14d-6(c) under the Exchange Act, which requires that material changes be promptly disseminated to stockholders in a manner reasonably designed to inform them of such changes) and without limiting the manner in which Purchaser may choose to make any public announcement, Purchaser has no obligation to publish, advertise or otherwise communicate any such public announcement other than by issuing a press release to a national news service. As used in this Offer to Purchase, “Business Day” means any day, other than Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday under the laws of the State of New York or the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia or a day on which banking institutions located in the State of New York or the Commonwealth of Virginia are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.

If Purchaser extends the Offer or if Purchaser (whether before or after its acceptance for payment of Shares) is delayed in its acceptance of or payment for Shares or it is unable to pay for Shares pursuant to the Offer for any reason, then, without prejudice to Purchaser’s rights under the Offer, the Depositary may retain tendered Shares on behalf of Purchaser, and such Shares may not be validly withdrawn except to the extent tendering stockholders are entitled to withdrawal rights as described herein under Section 4—“Withdrawal Rights.” However, the ability of Purchaser to delay the payment for Shares that Purchaser has accepted for payment is limited by Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act, which requires that a purchaser making a tender offer promptly pay the consideration offered. Alternatively, if the Offer is not consummated, and the Shares are not accepted for payment or Shares are validly withdrawn, Purchaser is obligated to return the securities deposited by or on behalf of stockholders promptly after the termination of the Offer or withdrawal of such Shares.

If Purchaser makes a material change in the terms of the Offer or the information concerning the Offer, or if it waives a material condition of the Offer, Purchaser will disseminate additional Offer materials and extend the Offer to the extent required by Rules 14d-4(d), 14d-6(c) and 14e-1 under the Exchange Act. The minimum period during which an Offer must remain open following material changes in the terms of the Offer, other than a change in price, percentage of securities sought, or inclusion of or changes to a dealer’s soliciting fee, will depend upon the facts and circumstances, including the materiality, of the changes. In the SEC’s view, an offer to purchase should remain open for a minimum of five (5) Business Days from the date the material change is first published, sent or given to stockholders and, if material changes are made with respect to information that approaches the significance of price and share levels, a minimum of ten (10) Business Days may be required to allow for adequate dissemination and investor response. Accordingly, if prior to the Expiration Time Purchaser decreases the number of Shares being sought or increases the consideration offered pursuant to the Offer, and if the Offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the tenth (10th) Business Day from the date that notice of such increase or decrease is first published, sent or given to stockholders, the Offer will be extended at least until the expiration of such tenth (10th) Business Day.

The Company has provided Purchaser with the Company’s stockholder list and security position listings for the purpose of disseminating the Offer to holders of Shares. This Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal will be mailed to record holders of Shares whose names appear on the Company’s stockholder list and will be furnished, for subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of Shares, to brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and similar persons whose names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on the stockholder list or, if applicable, who are listed as participants in a clearing agency’s security position listing.

 

2. Acceptance for Payment and Payment for Shares.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (including, if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and conditions of any such extension or amendment) and the satisfaction or earlier waiver of all the Offer Conditions set forth in Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer,” Purchaser will accept for payment and will pay for all Shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Time pursuant to

 

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the Offer promptly after the Expiration Time. Subject to the Merger Agreement and in compliance with Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act, Purchaser expressly reserves the right to delay payment for Shares pending receipt of necessary regulatory or government approvals, if any. Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act relates to the obligation of Purchaser to pay for or return tendered Shares promptly after the termination or withdrawal of the Offer. See Section 16—“Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals.”

In all cases, payment for Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer will be made only after timely receipt by the Depositary of (i) the certificates evidencing such Shares (the “Certificates”) or confirmation (a “Book-Entry Confirmation”) of a book-entry transfer of such Shares into the Depositary’s account at The Depository Trust Company (the “Book-Entry Transfer Facility”) pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares,” (ii) the Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile thereof), properly completed and duly executed, with any required signature guarantees or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message (as defined below) in lieu of the Letter of Transmittal, and (iii) any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal. Accordingly, tendering stockholders may be paid at different times depending upon when Certificates or Book-Entry Confirmations with respect to Shares are actually received by the Depositary.

For purposes of the Offer, Purchaser will be deemed to have accepted for payment, and thereby purchased, Shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn, if and when Purchaser gives oral or written notice to the Depositary of Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of such Shares pursuant to the Offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer, payment for Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer will be made by deposit of the Per Share Amount therefor with the Depositary, which will act as agent for tendering stockholders for the purpose of receiving payments from Purchaser and transmitting such payments to tendering stockholders whose Shares have been accepted for payment. If, for any reason whatsoever, acceptance for payment of any Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer is delayed, or Purchaser is unable to accept for payment Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer, then, without prejudice to Purchaser’s rights under the Offer hereof, the Depositary may, nevertheless, on behalf of Purchaser, retain tendered Shares, and such Shares may not be withdrawn, except to the extent that the tendering stockholders are entitled to withdrawal rights as described in Section 4—“Withdrawal Rights” and as otherwise required by Rule 14e-1(c) under the Exchange Act.

Under no circumstances will interest on the Per Share Amount for Shares be paid to the stockholders, regardless of any delay in payment for such Shares.

If any tendered Shares are not accepted for payment for any reason pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Offer, or if Certificates are submitted evidencing more Shares than are tendered, Certificates evidencing unpurchased or untendered Shares will be returned, without expense to the tendering stockholder (or, in the case of Shares tendered by book-entry transfer into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility pursuant to the procedure set forth in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares,” such Shares will be credited to an account maintained at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility), promptly following the expiration or termination of the Offer.

If, prior to the Expiration Time, Purchaser increases the price being paid for Shares, Purchaser will pay the increased consideration for all Shares purchased pursuant to the Offer, whether or not those Shares were tendered prior to the increase in consideration.

 

3. Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.

Valid Tenders. In order for a stockholder to validly tender Shares pursuant to the Offer, either (i) the Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile thereof), properly completed and duly executed, together with any required signature guarantees (or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message in lieu of the Letter of Transmittal), and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal must be received by the Depositary

 

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at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase and either the Certificates evidencing tendered Shares must be received by the Depositary at such address or such Shares must be tendered pursuant to the procedure for book-entry transfer described below and a Book-Entry Confirmation must be received by the Depositary, in each case prior to the Expiration Time (except with respect to a Subsequent Offering Period, if it is provided), or (ii) the tendering stockholder must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described below. No alternative, conditional or contingent tenders will be accepted.

Book-Entry Transfer. The Depositary will establish an account with respect to the Shares at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility for purposes of the Offer within two (2) Business Days after the date of this Offer to Purchase. Any financial institution that is a participant in the system of the Book-Entry Transfer Facility may make a book-entry delivery of Shares by causing the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to transfer such Shares into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility in accordance with the Book-Entry Transfer Facility’s procedures for such transfer. However, although delivery of Shares may be effected through book-entry transfer at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, either the Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile thereof), properly completed and duly executed, together with any required signature guarantees, or an Agent’s Message in lieu of the Letter of Transmittal, and any other required documents, must, in any case, be received by the Depositary at one of its addresses listed on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase prior to the Expiration Time (except with respect to a subsequent extension period, if it is provided), or the tendering stockholder must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedure described below. Delivery of documents to the Book-Entry Transfer Facility does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.

The term “Agent’s Message” means a message, transmitted by the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to, and received by, the Depositary and forming a part of a Book-Entry Confirmation, that states that the Book-Entry Transfer Facility has received an express acknowledgment from the participant in the Book-Entry Transfer Facility tendering the Shares that are the subject of such Book-Entry Confirmation, that such participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the Letter of Transmittal and that Purchaser may enforce such agreement against such participant.

For Shares to be validly tendered during a Subsequent Offering Period, if it is provided, the tendering stockholder must comply with the foregoing procedures, except that required documents and certificates must be received during a Subsequent Offering Period.

Signature Guarantees. No signature guarantee is required on the Letter of Transmittal (i) if the Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder (which term, for purposes of this Section 3, includes any participant in the Book-Entry Transfer Facility’s systems whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of the Shares) of the Shares tendered therewith, unless such holder has completed either the box entitled “Special Delivery Instructions” or the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions” on the Letter of Transmittal or (ii) if the Shares are tendered for the account of a financial institution (including most commercial banks, savings and loan associations and brokerage houses) that is a member of or participant in a recognized “Medallion Program” approved by the Securities Transfer Association Inc., including the Security Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchange Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP), or any other “eligible guarantor institution,” as such term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Eligible Institution” and collectively “Eligible Institutions”). In all other cases, all signatures on a Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution. See Instructions 1 and 5 of the Letter of Transmittal. If a Certificate is registered in the name of a person or persons other than the signer of the Letter of Transmittal, or if payment is to be made or delivered to, or a Certificate not accepted for payment or not tendered is to be issued in the name of or returned to, a person other than the registered holder(s), then the Certificate must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate duly executed stock powers, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appears on the Certificate, with the signature(s) on such Certificate or stock powers guaranteed by an Eligible Institution as provided in the Letter of Transmittal. See Instructions 1 and 5 of the Letter of Transmittal.

 

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Guaranteed Delivery. If a stockholder desires to tender Shares pursuant to the Offer and the Certificates evidencing such stockholder’s Shares are not immediately available or the stockholder cannot deliver the Certificates and all other required documents to the Depositary prior to the Expiration Time; or such stockholder cannot complete the procedure for delivery by book-entry transfer on a timely basis, the Shares may nevertheless be tendered if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

 

    the tender is made by or through an Eligible Institution;

 

    a properly completed and duly executed “Notice of Guaranteed Delivery,” substantially in the form made available by Purchaser, is received prior to the Expiration Time by the Depositary as provided below; and

 

    the Certificates (or a Book-Entry Confirmation) evidencing all tendered Shares, in proper form for transfer, in each case together with the Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile thereof), properly completed and duly executed, with any required signature guarantees (or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message), and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal are received by the Depositary within three (3) trading days after the date of execution of such Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. As used in this Offer to Purchase, “trading day” means any day on which NASDAQ is open for business.

The Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be delivered by overnight courier or transmitted by facsimile transmission or mailed to the Depositary and must include a guarantee by an Eligible Institution in the form set forth in the form of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery made available by Purchaser. In the case of Shares held through the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery must be delivered to the Depositary by a participant by means of the confirmation system of the Book-Entry Transfer Facility. Shares delivered by a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery do not need to be counted by Purchaser toward the satisfaction of the Minimum Condition and therefore it is preferable for Shares to be tendered by the other methods described herein.

The method of delivery of Certificates, the Letter of Transmittal, and all other required documents, including delivery through the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, is at the option and risk of the tendering stockholder, and the delivery will be deemed made only when actually received by the Depositary (including, in the case of a book-entry transfer, receipt of a Book-Entry Confirmation). If delivery is by mail, then registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured, is recommended. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.

The tender of Shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described above will constitute the tendering stockholder’s acceptance of the Offer, as well as the tendering stockholder’s representation and warranty that such stockholder has the full power and authority to tender and assign the Shares tendered, as specified in the Letter of Transmittal, and that when Purchaser accepts the Shares for payment, it will acquire good and unencumbered title, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and not subject to any adverse claims. Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer will constitute a binding agreement between the tendering stockholder and Purchaser upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer.

Determination of Validity. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including, without limitation, time of receipt) and acceptance for payment of any tender of Shares will be determined by Purchaser in its reasonable discretion. Purchaser reserves the absolute right to reject any and all tenders it determines are not in proper form or the acceptance for payment of which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be unlawful. Purchaser also reserves the absolute right to waive any defect or irregularity in the tender of any Shares of any particular stockholder, whether or not similar defects or irregularities are waived in the case of other stockholders. No tender of Shares will be deemed to have been validly made until all defects and irregularities have been cured or waived to the satisfaction of Purchaser with respect to those Shares. None of Purchaser, the Depositary, the Information Agent or any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defects or irregularities

 

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in tenders or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification. Stockholders may challenge Purchaser’s interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Offer (including, without limitation, the Letter of Transmittal and the instructions thereto), and only a court of competent jurisdiction can make a determination that will be final and binding on all parties.

Appointment. By executing the Letter of Transmittal (or delivering an Agent’s Message) as set forth above, the tendering stockholder will irrevocably appoint designees of Purchaser, and each of them, as such stockholder’s attorneys-in-fact and proxies in the manner set forth in the Letter of Transmittal, each with full power of substitution, to the full extent of such stockholder’s rights with respect to the Shares tendered by such stockholder and accepted for payment by Purchaser and with respect to any and all other Shares or other securities or rights issued or issuable in respect of such Shares. All such proxies will be considered coupled with an interest in the tendered Shares. Such appointment will be effective when, and only to the extent that, Purchaser accepts for payment Shares tendered by such stockholder as provided herein. Upon such appointment, all prior powers of attorney, proxies and consents given by such stockholder with respect to such Shares or other securities or rights will, without further action, be revoked and no subsequent powers of attorney, proxies, consents or revocations may be given by such stockholder (and, if given, will not be deemed effective) with respect thereto. Each designee of Purchaser will thereby be empowered to exercise all voting and other rights with respect to such Shares and other securities or rights, including, without limitation, in respect of any annual, special or adjourned meeting of the Company’s stockholders, actions by written consent in lieu of any such meeting or otherwise, as such designee in its sole discretion deems proper. Purchaser reserves the right to require that, in order for Shares to be deemed validly tendered, immediately upon Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of such Shares, Purchaser must be able to exercise full voting, consent and other rights with respect to such Shares and other securities and rights, including voting at any meeting of stockholders.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. The purchase of the Shares is generally subject to information reporting. Information disclosed on an IRS Form W-8 by non-United States Holders may be disclosed to the local tax authorities of the non-United States Holder under an applicable tax treaty or a broad information exchange agreement. Under the “backup withholding” provisions of United States federal income tax law, the Depositary (or the payor) may be required to withhold and pay over to the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) a portion (currently, 28%) of the amount of any payments made by Purchaser to a stockholder pursuant to the Offer. In order to prevent backup withholding from being imposed on the payment to stockholders of the Per Share Amount of Shares purchased pursuant to the Offer, each United States Holder (as defined in Section 5—“Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences”) must provide the Depositary with such stockholder’s correct taxpayer identification number (“TIN”) and certify that such stockholder is not subject to backup withholding by completing the IRS Form W-9 included in the Letter of Transmittal, or otherwise establish a valid exemption from backup withholding to the satisfaction of the Depositary. If a United States Holder does not provide its correct TIN or fails to provide the certifications described above, the IRS may impose a penalty on the stockholder and payment of cash to the stockholder pursuant to the Offer may be subject to backup withholding. All United States Holders surrendering Shares pursuant to the Offer should complete and sign the IRS Form W-9 included in the Letter of Transmittal to provide the information necessary to avoid backup withholding. Certain stockholders (including, among others, all corporations and certain foreign individuals) are exempt from backup withholding and payments to such persons will not be subject to backup withholding provided that a valid exemption is established. Each tendering non–United States Holder (e.g., a non-resident alien or foreign entity) must submit an appropriate properly completed executed original IRS Form W-8 (a copy of which may be obtained from the Depositary or www.irs.gov) (and associated documentation, if applicable) certifying, under penalties of perjury, to such non-United States Holder’s foreign status in order to establish an exemption from backup withholding. See Instruction 8 of the Letter of Transmittal.

 

4. Withdrawal Rights.

Except as otherwise provided in this Section 4, tenders of Shares made pursuant to the Offer are irrevocable. Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Time and, unless theretofore accepted for payment as provided herein, tenders of Shares may also be withdrawn after the date that is 60 days from the date of this Offer to Purchase, unless previously accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer as provided herein.

 

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For a withdrawal to be effective, a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal must be received by the Depositary at one of its addresses listed on the back cover page of this Offer to Purchase prior to the Expiration Time. Any such notice of withdrawal must specify the name of the person who tendered the Shares to be withdrawn, the number of Shares to be withdrawn and the name of the registered holder of such Shares, if different from that of the person who tendered such Shares. If Certificates evidencing Shares to be withdrawn have been delivered or otherwise identified to the Depositary, then, prior to the physical release of such Certificates, the serial numbers shown on such Certificates must be submitted to the Depositary and the signature(s) on the notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution, unless such Shares have been tendered for the account of an Eligible Institution. If Shares have been tendered pursuant to the procedure for book-entry transfer as set forth in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares,” any notice of withdrawal must also specify the name and number of the account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to be credited with the withdrawn Shares.

If Purchaser extends the Offer, is delayed in its acceptance for payment of Shares or is unable to accept Shares for payment pursuant to the Offer for any reason then, without prejudice to Purchaser’s rights under the Offer, the Depositary may, nevertheless, on behalf of Purchaser, retain tendered Shares, and such Shares may not be withdrawn except to the extent that tendering stockholders are entitled to withdrawal rights as described in this Section 4 before the Expiration Time or at any time after the date that is 60 days from the date of this Offer to Purchase, unless previously accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer as provided herein.

Withdrawals of Shares may not be rescinded. Any Shares validly withdrawn will thereafter be deemed not to have been validly tendered for purposes of the Offer. However, withdrawn Shares may be re-tendered at any time prior to the Expiration Time or during a Subsequent Offering Period (if any) by following one of the procedures described in Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.”

No withdrawal rights will apply to Shares tendered during a Subsequent Offering Period, if it is provided, and no withdrawal rights apply during a Subsequent Offering Period with respect to Shares tendered in the Offer and accepted for payment. See Section 1—“Terms of the Offer.”

All questions as to the form and validity (including, without limitation, time of receipt) of any notice of withdrawal will be determined by Purchaser, in its reasonable discretion, whose determination will be final and binding. None of Purchaser, the Depositary, the Information Agent or any other person will be under duty to give notification of any defects or irregularities in any notice of withdrawal or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification.

 

5. Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences.

The following is a summary of the material United States federal income tax consequences to beneficial owners of Shares upon the tender of Shares for cash pursuant to the Offer and the exchange of Shares for cash pursuant to the Merger. This summary is general in nature and does not discuss all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be relevant to a holder of Shares in light of its particular circumstances. In addition, this summary does not describe any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-United States jurisdiction or under any applicable tax treaty and does not consider any aspects of United States federal tax law other than income taxation. This summary deals only with Shares held as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) (generally, property held for investment), and does not address tax considerations applicable to any holder of Shares that may be subject to special treatment under the United States federal income tax laws, including:

 

    a bank or other financial institution;

 

    a tax–exempt organization;

 

    a retirement plan or other tax–deferred account;

 

 

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    a partnership, an S corporation or other pass–through entity (or an investor in a partnership, S corporation or other pass–through entity);

 

    an insurance company;

 

    a mutual fund;

 

    a real estate investment trust;

 

    a dealer or broker in stocks and securities, or currencies;

 

    a trader in securities that elects mark–to–market treatment;

 

    a regulated investment company;

 

    a real estate investment trust;

 

    a person who acquired Shares through the exercise of employee stock options, through a tax qualified retirement plan or otherwise as compensation for services;

 

    a holder of Shares subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code;

 

    a United States Holder (as defined below) that has a functional currency other than the United States dollar;

 

    a person that holds the Shares as part of a hedge, straddle, constructive sale, conversion or other integrated transaction;

 

    a United States expatriate, certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; or

 

    any holder of Shares that entered into the Support Agreement as part of the transactions described in this Offer to Purchase.

If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) holds Shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partner and the partnership. Partners in a partnership holding Shares should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of exchanging the Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger.

This summary is based on the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code, and administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as in effect as of the date of this Offer to Purchase, and all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations at any time, with possible retroactive effect. We have not sought, and do not intend to seek, any ruling from the IRS with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will agree with the views expressed herein, or that a court will not sustain any challenge by the IRS in the event of litigation.

The discussion set out herein is intended only as a summary of the material United States federal income tax consequences to a holder of Shares. We urge you to consult your own tax advisor with respect to the specific tax consequences to you in connection with the Offer and the Merger in light of your own particular circumstances, including federal estate, gift and other non-income tax consequences, and tax consequences under state, local or non-United States tax laws or tax treaties.

United States Holders

For purposes of this discussion, the term “United States Holder” means a beneficial owner of Shares that is, for United States federal income tax purposes:

 

    a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

    a corporation (or any other entity or arrangement treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

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    an estate, the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

    a trust if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust, and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) the trust has validly elected to be treated as a “United States person” under applicable Treasury regulations.

Payments with Respect to Shares

The exchange of Shares for cash pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger will be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes, and a United States Holder who receives cash for Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger will recognize gain or loss, if any, equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Shares exchanged therefor. Gain or loss will be determined separately for each block of Shares (i.e., Shares acquired at the same cost in a single transaction). Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if such United States Holder holds such Shares as a capital asset, and will be long–term capital gain or loss if such United States Holder’s holding period for the Shares is more than one (1) year at the time of the exchange. Long–term capital gain recognized by certain non-corporate holders generally is subject to tax at a lower rate than short–term capital gain or ordinary income. There are limitations on the deductibility of capital losses.

Backup Withholding Tax

Proceeds from the exchange of Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger generally will be subject to backup withholding tax at the applicable rate (currently, 28%) unless the applicable United States Holder provides a valid taxpayer identification number and complies with certain certification procedures (generally, by providing a properly completed IRS Form W-9) or otherwise establishes an exemption from backup withholding tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding tax rules from a payment to a United States Holder will be allowed as a credit against that holder’s United States federal income tax liability and may entitle the holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. Each United States Holder should complete and sign the IRS Form W-9, which will be included with the Letter of Transmittal to be returned to the Depositary, to provide the information and certification necessary to avoid backup withholding, unless an exemption applies and is established in a manner satisfactory to the Depositary. See Section 3—“Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares.”

Non-United States Holders

The following is a summary of the material United States federal income tax consequences that will apply to you if you are a non–United States Holder of Shares. The term “non-United States Holder” means a beneficial owner of Shares that is:

 

    a nonresident alien individual;

 

    a foreign corporation; or

 

    a foreign estate or trust.

The following discussion applies only to non-United States Holders, and assumes that no item of income, gain, deduction or loss derived by the non-United States Holder in respect of Shares at any time is effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business. Special rules, not discussed herein, may apply to certain non-United States Holders, such as:

 

    certain former citizens or residents of the United States;

 

    controlled foreign corporations;

 

    passive foreign investment companies;

 

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    corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid United States federal income tax;

 

    investors in pass–through entities that are subject to special treatment under the Code; and

 

    non-United States Holders that are engaged in the conduct of a United States trade or business.

Payments with Respect to Shares

Subject to the discussion on “—Backup Withholding Tax” below, payments made to a non-United States Holder with respect to Shares exchanged for cash pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger generally will be exempt from United States federal income tax. However, if the non-United States Holder is an individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the exchange and certain other conditions are met, such holder will be subject to tax at a flat rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified under an applicable income tax treaty) on any gain from the exchange of the Shares, net of applicable United States–source losses from sales or exchanges of other capital assets recognized by the holder during the taxable year.

Backup Withholding Tax

A non-United States Holder may be subject to backup withholding tax with respect to the proceeds from the disposition of Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger unless, generally, the non-United States Holder certifies under penalties of perjury on an applicable IRS Form W-8 that such non-United States Holder is not a United States person, or such non-United States Holder otherwise establishes an exemption in a manner satisfactory to the Depositary. Each non-United States Holder should complete, sign and provide to the Depositary an applicable IRS Form W-8 to provide the information and certification necessary to avoid backup withholding, unless an exemption applies and is established in a manner satisfactory to the Depositary.

Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding tax rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against the non-United States Holder’s United States federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.

The foregoing summary does not discuss all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be relevant to particular holders of Shares. Holders of Shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the particular tax consequences to them of tendering their Shares for cash pursuant to the Offer or exchanging their Shares for cash in the Merger under any federal, state, local, foreign or other tax laws.

 

6. Price Range of Shares; Dividends.

The Shares are listed on NASDAQ under the symbol “STRN.” The Shares have been listed on NASDAQ since October 25, 2005. The following table sets forth for the indicated periods the high and low sales prices per Share as reported on NASDAQ since January 1, 2013.

 

     High      Low  

Year Ended 2013:

     

First Quarter

   $ 6.10       $ 5.00   

Second Quarter

   $ 6.10       $ 5.14   

Third Quarter

   $ 5.83       $ 4.85   

Fourth Quarter

   $ 5.40       $ 4.25   

Year Ended 2014:

     

First Quarter

   $ 5.98       $ 4.81   

Second Quarter

   $ 5.65       $ 4.50   

Third Quarter

   $ 5.60       $ 4.81   

Fourth Quarter

   $ 5.20       $ 4.50   

Year Ending 2015:

     

First Quarter

   $ 5.60       $ 4.80   

Second Quarter (through June 25, 2015)

   $ 8.45       $ 4.70   

 

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On Friday, June 19, 2015, the last trading day before Parent and the Company announced that they had entered into the Merger Agreement, the last sale price of Shares reported on NASDAQ was $5.20 per Share; therefore, the Per Share Amount of $8.50 per Share represents a premium of approximately 63.5% over such price. On Thursday, June 25, 2015, the last trading day prior to the original printing of this Offer to Purchase, the last sale price of the Shares reported on NASDAQ was $8.38 per Share.

Stockholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for Shares before making a decision with respect to the Offer.

The Company has never paid any cash dividends on its capital stock. In addition, under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company is not permitted to declare or pay dividends in respect of Shares unless consented to by Parent in writing.

 

7. Certain Information Concerning the Company.

The following description of the Company and its business has been taken from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such report.

General. The Company was incorporated on December 30, 1975, under the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Company’s headquarters is located at 22400 Davis Drive, Sterling, Virginia 20164, and the telephone number at that location is (703) 406-2800. The Company has several branch offices located throughout the United States and a branch office in India. The Company is a leading provider of real-time data collection and control products, systems and applications software and professional services in the hydrological, meteorological, air quality and oceanic monitoring markets. The Company designs, manufactures, markets and sells products, systems, and software as well as provides services that enable government and commercial entities to monitor and collect hydrological, meteorological, air quality and oceanic data for the management of critical water resources, for early warning of potentially disastrous floods, storms or tsunamis, for the optimization of hydropower plants, emissions monitoring, for the supply of critical aviation information and for other environmental applications. The Company provides real-time data collection and control products consisting primarily of dataloggers, satellite transmitters/loggers, water level and meteorological sensors and tide monitoring systems. The Company provides turnkey integrated systems for hydrological, meteorological, air quality and oceanic networks and related services consisting of installation, training and maintenance of hydrological, meteorological and air quality networks. The Company provides both systems and applications software that is used to provide data necessary for the management of vital resources. The Company’s customers include a diversified base of federal, state, local and foreign governments, engineering firms, universities, hydropower companies and aviation firms.

Available Information. The Company is subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and in accordance therewith is obligated to file reports and other information with the SEC relating to its business, financial condition and other matters. Certain information, as of particular dates, concerning the Company’s business, principal physical properties, capital structure, material pending litigation, operating results, financial condition, directors and officers (including their remuneration and stock options granted to them), the principal holders of the Company’s securities, any material interests of such persons in transactions with the Company, and other matters are required to be disclosed in proxy statements and periodic reports distributed to the Company’s stockholders and filed with the SEC. Such reports, proxy statements and other information should be available for inspection at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such materials may also be obtained by mail, upon payment of the SEC’s customary fees, by writing to its principal office at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The SEC also maintains electronic reading rooms on the Internet at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The Company also

 

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maintains a website at http:// www.sutron.com. The information contained in, accessible from or connected to the Company’s website is not incorporated into, or otherwise a part of, this Offer to Purchase or any of the Company’s filings with the SEC. The website addresses referred to in this paragraph are inactive text references and are not intended to be actual links to the websites.

Although Purchaser has no knowledge that any such information is untrue, Purchaser takes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information contained in this Offer to Purchase with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates or for any failure by the Company to disclose any events which may have occurred or may affect the significance or accuracy of any such information.

 

8. Certain Information Concerning Parent and Purchaser.

General. Parent is a Delaware corporation with its principal executive offices located at 2200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Suite 800W, Washington D.C. 20037-1701. The telephone number of Parent is (202) 828-0850. Parent designs, manufactures and markets professional, medical, industrial and commercial products and services, which are typically characterized by strong brand names, innovative technology and major market positions. Parent’s research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, service and administrative facilities are located in more than 50 countries.

Purchaser is a Virginia corporation with its principal offices located at 2200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Suite 800W, Washington D.C. 20037-1701. The telephone number of Purchaser is (202) 828-0850. Purchaser is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Purchaser was formed for the purpose of making a tender offer for all of the Shares of the Company and has not engaged, and does not expect to engage, in any business other than in connection with the Offer and the Merger.

The name, citizenship, business address, business phone number, present principal occupation or employment and past material occupation, positions, offices or employment for at least the last five (5) years for each director of Parent and Purchaser and the name, citizenship, business address, business phone number, present principal occupation or employment and past material occupation, positions, offices or employment for at least the past five (5) years of each of the executive officers of Parent and Purchaser and certain other information are set forth in Schedule I hereto.

Certain Relationships Between Parent, Purchaser and the Company. Except as described in this Offer to Purchase, (i) none of Parent, Purchaser nor, to the best knowledge of Parent or Purchaser, any of the persons listed in Schedule I to this Offer to Purchase or any associate or majority—owned subsidiary of Parent or Purchaser or any of the persons so listed beneficially owns or has any right to acquire, directly or indirectly, any Shares and (ii) none of Parent, Purchaser nor, to the best knowledge of Parent, any of the persons or entities referred to above nor any director, executive officer or subsidiary of any of the foregoing has effected any transaction in the Shares during the past sixty (60) days.

Except as provided in the Merger Agreement, the Support Agreement, the Non-Competition Agreement (as defined in Section 11—“Non-Competition Agreement”) or as otherwise described in this Offer to Purchase, none of Parent, Purchaser, or their subsidiaries, nor, to the best knowledge of Parent or Purchaser, any of the persons listed in Schedule I to this Offer to Purchase, has any present or proposed material agreement, arrangement, understanding or relationship with the Company or any of its executive officers, directors, controlling persons or subsidiaries. Except as provided in the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement or as otherwise described in this Offer to Purchase, none of Parent, Purchaser nor, to the best knowledge of Parent or Purchaser, any of the persons listed in Schedule I to this Offer to Purchase, has any agreement, arrangement, or understanding with any other person with respect to any securities of the Company, including, but not limited to, any contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship concerning the transfer or voting of such securities, finders’ fees, joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees of loans, guarantees against loss, guarantees of profits, division of profits or loss or the giving or withholding of proxies.

 

 

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Except as set forth in this Offer to Purchase, none of Parent, Purchaser nor, to the best knowledge of Parent or Purchaser, any of the persons listed on Schedule I hereto, has had any business relationship or transaction with the Company or any of its executive officers, directors or affiliates that is required to be reported under the rules and regulations of the SEC applicable to the Offer.

Except as set forth in this Offer to Purchase, there have been no material contacts, negotiations or transactions between Parent or any of its subsidiaries or, to the best knowledge of Parent or Purchaser, any of the persons listed in Schedule I to this Offer to Purchase, on the one hand, and the Company or its affiliates, on the other hand, concerning a merger, consolidation or acquisition, tender offer or other acquisition of the Company’s securities, an election of the Company’s directors or a sale or other transfer of a material amount of the Company’s assets during the past two (2) years.

None of the persons listed in Schedule I has, during the past five (5) years, been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors). None of the persons listed in Schedule I to this Offer to Purchase has, during the past five (5) years, been a party to any judicial or administrative proceeding (except for matters that were dismissed without sanction or settlement) that resulted in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the person from future violations of, or prohibiting activities subject to, federal or state securities laws, or a finding of any violation of federal or state securities laws.

Available Information. Pursuant to Rule 14d-3 under the Exchange Act, Parent and Purchaser filed with the SEC a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (the “Schedule TO”), of which this Offer to Purchase forms a part, and exhibits to the Schedule TO. Additionally, Parent is subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, is required to file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC relating to its business, financial condition and other matters. The Schedule TO and the exhibits thereto, and such reports, proxy statements and other information, can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-0213. Information regarding the public reference facilities may be obtained from the SEC by telephoning 1-800-SEC-0330. Parent filings are also available to the public on the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of such materials may also be obtained by mail from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-0213 at prescribed rates.

 

9. Source and Amount of Funds.

The Offer is not conditioned upon Parent’s or Purchaser’s ability to finance the purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer. Parent and Purchaser estimate that the total amount of funds required to purchase all of the Shares pursuant to the Offer and to consummate the Merger is approximately $45 million, including related transaction fees and expenses. Parent will have sufficient funds to consummate the purchase of Shares in the Offer and the Merger and the other transactions described above, and will cause Purchaser to have sufficient funds available to consummate such transactions. Parent expects to obtain the necessary funds from existing cash balances.

Purchaser does not think its financial condition is relevant to the decision of holders of Shares whether to tender Shares and accept the Offer because:

 

    the Offer is being made for all outstanding Shares solely for cash;

 

    the Offer is not subject to any financing condition;

 

    Purchaser, through its indirect parent company, Parent, will have sufficient funds available to purchase all Shares validly tendered in the Offer and not validly withdrawn in light of Parent’s financial capacity in relation to the amount of consideration payable; and

 

    if Purchaser consummates the Offer, Purchaser will acquire all remaining Shares for the same cash price in the Merger and Purchaser, through its parent company, Parent, will have sufficient funds available to consummate the Merger in light of Parent’s financial capacity in relation to the amount of consideration payable.

 

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10. Background of the Offer; Past Contacts or Negotiations with the Company.

Parent continuously explores opportunities to expand its business platforms.

From time to time, representatives of Parent and its affiliates have met with representatives of the Company to discuss various commercial opportunities.

On October 30, 2014, certain executives of the Company, including Raul McQuivey, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Glen Goold, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer; and Ashish H. Raval, Director and Senior Vice President of the Company, met with certain executives of Parent, including Glenn Cruger, an executive of Hach Company, an affiliate of Parent; and Mark Beck, an Executive Vice President of Parent, at Parent’s corporate headquarters, to introduce Mr. Beck as the new Executive Vice President overseeing Parent’s water quality platform. At that meeting, Parent’s possible interest in an acquisition was mentioned.

On November 11, 2014, Dr. McQuivey called Mr. Beck and expressed the Company’s interest in continuing discussions of a potential acquisition of the Company by Parent.

On November 14, 2014, Mr. Cruger called Dr. McQuivey to discuss the process relating to a potential acquisition. The parties also discussed timing for a two-day presentation by the Company to representatives of Parent.

On November 20, 2014, the Company entered into a confidentiality agreement with an affiliate of Parent.

On November 25, 2014, Mr. Cruger called Dr. McQuivey to discuss the proposed management presentation on January 14, 2015 and January 15, 2015.

On December 19, 2014, a representative of the Company informed Parent that the Company engaged Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”).

On January 13, 2015, an affiliate of Parent and the Company executed a customary standstill agreement.

On January 14, 2015 and January 15, 2015, certain executives of Parent and its affiliates, including Mr. Beck and Mr. Cruger; executives of the Company, including Dr. McQuivey, Mr. Goold and Mr. Raval; and representatives of Janney, all met to discuss the Company. Executives of the Company conducted a management presentation for Parent in which they presented an overview of the business and gave an update on recent key developments. Both Parent and Company executives discussed potential synergies from a combination of the two companies.

On February 18, 2015, Mr. Cruger met with Dr. McQuivey at the Company to discuss further the potential acquisition.

On February 24, 2015, Parent sent a letter of intent to the Company’s board of directors offering to acquire the Company at a price of $7.80 to $8.05 per Share.

On March 12, 2015, the board of directors of the Company sent Mr. Beck a letter indicating it was disappointed with the offer and that the Company’s board of directors would not support a sale transaction at that price level. The Company’s board of directors indicated that it would continue discussions with Parent only if Parent materially increased its offer.

On March 20, 2015, Parent sent the Company’s board of directors a revised offer for the Company of $8.50 per Share and proposed to meet with them to discuss the offer.

 

 

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On March 26, 2015, the board of directors of the Company sent representatives of Parent, including Mr. Beck and Mr. Cruger, a letter indicating that the Company’s board of directors along with the Company’s attorneys and investment bankers carefully reviewed Parent’s offer to acquire the Company, accepting Parent’s proposal to meet and inviting certain representatives of Parent, including Mr. Beck and Mr. Cruger, to travel to Sterling, Virginia to discuss the potential acquisition.

On April 2, 2015, representatives of Parent, including Mr. Beck and Mr. Cruger, gave a presentation to the Company’s board of directors on the strategic fit of the Company with respect to Parent’s environmental platform and answered questions posed by the Company’s board of directors.

On April 6, 2015, the board of directors of the Company sent Parent a letter thanking them for the presentation, asking them to move forward into more advanced strategic discussions and requesting from them a letter of intent.

On April 7, 2015, representatives of Parent sent a draft letter of intent to the Company’s board of directors, indicating a non-binding proposal of $8.50 per share in cash. The letter of intent further indicated that there would be no financing condition for the proposed deal and provided for an exclusivity period so that Parent could conduct its due diligence.

On April 10, 2015, following discussions between the parties, the board of directors of the Company sent Parent a revised letter of intent.

On April 14, 2015, Parent and the board of directors of the Company executed a non-binding letter of intent for Parent to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company for a price of $8.50 per share and agreed to a 30-day exclusivity period.

During the period from April 14, 2015 through the execution of the Merger Agreement, representatives of Parent, including certain of Parent’s external advisors, conducted due diligence on the Company.

On May 8, 2015, the Company executed an extension of the exclusivity period with Parent, extending exclusivity through May 31, 2015.

On May 12, 2015, representatives of Parent met at the Company’s Sterling, Virginia office and discussed the Company’s Q1 financial performance, plans and expectations for the rest of 2015 and the current status of the backlog and sales funnel. Representatives of the Company provided Parent a current financial outlook for the Company.

On May 13, 2015, a representative of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (“GT”), Parent’s legal advisor, sent an initial draft merger agreement to counsel for the Company at Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker, P.A. During the period from May 13, 2015 through the date of execution of the Merger Agreement, the management teams and legal advisors of the Company and Parent negotiated the terms of the merger agreement, including with respect to the non-solicitation covenants, the amount of the break-up fee and the amount of expense reimbursement Parent would be entitled to under certain circumstances. During that period, a number of drafts of the merger agreement were exchanged and negotiated between the parties. Also during that period, representatives of Parent informed the Company of Parent’s position that certain directors and officers of the Company would be asked to execute a tender and support agreement and that certain senior executive officers would be required to execute a non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreement (the “non-competition agreement”).

Also, on May 29, 2015, the Company executed an extension of the exclusivity period with Parent, extending the period indefinitely until one of the parties determines, in writing, to terminate the period. Also on that day, a representative of GT delivered a draft tender and support agreement to representatives of the Company. During the period from May 29, 2015 through the date of execution of the tender and support agreement, the applicable

 

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stockholders and the management teams and legal advisors of the Company and Parent negotiated the terms of the tender and support agreement. During that period, a number of drafts of the tender and support agreement were exchanged and negotiated between the parties.

On June 13, 2015, a representative of GT delivered a draft non-competition agreement to representatives of the Company. During the period from June 13, 2015 through the date of execution of the non-competition agreement, the applicable senior executives and the management teams and legal advisors of Parent and the Company negotiated the terms of non-competition agreement. During that period, a number of drafts of the non-competition agreement were exchanged and negotiated between the parties.

At approximately 10:00 P.M., New York City time, on June 21, 2015, (i) the Company, Parent and Purchaser executed and delivered the definitive merger agreement as of June 21, 2015, (ii) the applicable stockholders, Parent and Purchaser executed and delivered the tender and support agreement, (iii) the applicable senior executives, Parent and Purchaser executed and delivered the non-competition agreement and (iv) an affiliate of Parent and the Company executed and delivered an amendment to the standstill agreement ending the customary standstill restrictions on Parent and its affiliates.

On June 22, 2015, an affiliate of Parent and the Company issued a joint press release announcing the transaction. A copy of the joint press release is attached as an exhibit to the Schedule TO and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

11. The Merger Agreement.

The following is a summary of certain provisions of the Merger Agreement. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 99(d)(1) to the Schedule TO, which is incorporated herein by reference. Copies of the Merger Agreement and the Schedule TO, and any other filings that we make with the SEC with respect to the Offer or the Merger, may be obtained in the manner set forth in Section 8 —“Certain Information Concerning the Company.” Capitalized terms used but not defined herein will have the respective meanings given to them in the Merger Agreement. Stockholders and other interested parties should read the Merger Agreement for a more complete description of the provisions summarized below.

The Offer. The Merger Agreement provides that Purchaser will commence the Offer to purchase all of the outstanding Shares as promptly as practicable after the date of the Merger Agreement, but in no event more than five (5) Business Days following the date of the Merger Agreement.

The obligations of Purchaser to, and of Parent to cause Purchaser to, accept for payment and pay for any Shares tendered in the Offer and not withdrawn are subject only to the satisfaction of the Minimum Condition and the other conditions set forth in Annex A of the Merger Agreement (together, the “Tender Offer Conditions”). Parent and Purchaser expressly reserve the right to, in their sole discretion, waive, in whole or in part, any Tender Offer Condition other than the Minimum Condition. Parent and Purchaser also expressly reserve the right to increase the Per Share Amount or waive (but not alter) the terms and conditions of the Offer. However unless previously approved by the Company in writing, neither Parent nor Purchaser may (i) decrease the Per Share Amount, (ii) change the form of consideration payable in the Offer, (iii) reduce the number of Shares sought to be purchased in the Offer, (iv) impose additional conditions to the Offer, or (v) amend or waive the Minimum Condition.

The Merger Agreement provides that the Offer will initially expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date that is twenty-one (21) Business Days after the date the Offer is commenced.

Extensions of the Offer. Purchaser is required to extend the Offer beyond its initial expiration date for any period required by any rule, regulation, interpretation or position of the SEC or its staff or NASDAQ. In the event that any of the Tender Offer Conditions are not yet satisfied or waived as of the Expiration Time, Purchaser may extend the Offer for successive periods of up to thirty (30) Business Days each. In addition, if any of the

 

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Tender Offer Conditions are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, the Merger Agreement also provides that Purchaser will also be required to extend the Offer for successive extension periods of up to ten (10) Business Days. The Merger Agreement provides that Purchaser has no obligation to extend the Offer beyond the End Date.

If the Acceptance Time occurs but Parent and Purchaser do not own a number of Shares sufficient to enable Purchaser to be merged into the Company pursuant to Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA (assuming exercise of the Top-Up Option in full), Purchaser may extend the Offer for a subsequent offering period of not less than three (3) Business Days nor more than twenty (20) Business Days in accordance with Rule 14d-11 under the Exchange Act.

On the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement and the Offer, Purchaser will, and Parent will cause Purchaser to, accept and pay for all Shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn in the Offer as promptly as reasonably practicable after the Expiration Time.

Recommendation. The Company has represented in the Merger Agreement that, at a meeting duly called, the Board of Directors has unanimously (i) determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option and the Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, (ii) authorized and approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer and the Merger, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein and in accordance with the requirements of the VSCA (such approval constituting approval of the Merger Agreement, the Support Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer and the Merger, for purposes of Section 13.1-725 et seq. of the VSCA), and (iii) resolved to recommend that the holders of Shares accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the VSCA, vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement. Additionally, the Company has represented that it unanimously adopted a resolution for the purpose of causing any “moratorium,” “control share acquisition,” “fair price,” “interested shareholder,” “affiliate transaction,” “business combination” or other antitakeover laws, including Section 13.1-725 et seq. of the VSCA or similar laws (collectively, “Takeover Laws”) that might otherwise apply to the Merger Agreement, the Support Agreement, the Offer, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated thereby, and any restrictive provision in the articles of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, not to apply or have been satisfied with respect to Parent, Purchaser or Parent’s affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement or the Support Agreement, or the Offer, the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, or the Support Agreement.

Board of Directors. The Merger Agreement provides that, effective upon the Acceptance Time and from time to time thereafter, Parent will be entitled to designate up to such number of directors to the Board of Directors equal to the product (rounded up to the next whole number) obtained by multiplying (i) the number of directors on the Board of Directors and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Shares held by Parent and Purchaser (giving effect to the Shares held by Parent and Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and the Shares purchased upon the exercise of the Top-Up Option), and the denominator of which is the total number of then outstanding Shares; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company, Parent, and Purchaser agree that at all times prior to the Effective Time, the Board of Directors shall include at least three (3) directors who were members of the Board of Directors immediately prior to the election or appointment of directors designated by Parent in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, each of whom shall be Independent Directors and at least one of whom shall be an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K and the instructions thereto. The Company will cause Parent’s designees to be elected or appointed to the Board of Directors, including (at the election of Parent) by increasing the number of directors or by seeking and accepting resignations from incumbent directors, subject to the proviso in the immediately preceding sentence. The Company will also cause individuals designated by Parent to constitute the proportional number of members, rounded up where appropriate, as is on the Board of Directors on each committee of the Board of Directors (subject to applicable laws, including NASDAQ rules). The Company has obtained irrevocable resignations from the current directors of the Board of Directors, which are effective as of the Effective Time with respect to the independent directors of the Company and as of the Acceptance Time with respect to the other directors and which are contingent solely upon the consummation of the Offer.

 

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In the event that Parent’s designees are elected or appointed to the Board of Directors and until the Effective Time, the Board of Directors will have at least such number of directors who qualify as independent directors as may be required by the rules of NASDAQ or federal securities laws. The Company will, upon Parent’s request, take all actions necessary to elect to be treated as a “Controlled Company” for purposes of Listing Rule 5615(c) of the NASDAQ rules (or any successor provision) and make all necessary filings and disclosures associated with such status. If the number of independent directors is reduced below the number of directors required by such laws, the remaining independent directors will be entitled to designate persons to fill such vacancies.

If Parent’s designees constitute a majority of the Board of Directors prior to the Effective Time and there are any continuing directors who are not Parent’s designees, then the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors of the Company then in office who were not so designated by Parent (or the sole such director if for any reason there is only one such director) will be required to authorize prior to the Effective Time: (i) any amendment or termination of the Merger Agreement by the Company; (ii) any extension of the time for the performance, or waiver, by the Company of any of the obligations or other acts of Parent or Purchaser; (iii) any waiver of any of the Company’s rights under the Merger Agreement; or (iv) any other determination with respect to any action to be taken or not to be taken by the Company relating to the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer and the Merger.

Top-Up Option. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company granted to Purchaser an assignable and irrevocable option (the “Top-Up Option”) to purchase, at the Per Share Amount, such number of newly issued Shares (the “Top-Up Option Shares”), equal to the number of Shares that, when added to the number of Shares owned by Parent and Purchaser at the time of the exercise of the Top-Up Option, constitutes one Share more than the number of Shares necessary for Purchaser to be merged into the Company pursuant to Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA (after giving effect to the issuance of Shares pursuant to the exercise of the Top-Up Option); provided, however, that (i) the Top-Up Option shall not be exercisable for a number of Shares that the Company is authorized to issue under the Company’s articles of incorporation but that are not issued and outstanding (and are not subscribed for or otherwise committed to be issued) at the time of the exercise of the Top-Up Option, and (ii) the exercise of the Top-Up Option and the issuance and delivery of the Top-Up Shares shall not be prohibited by any order. The Top-Up Option is exercisable only once, in whole but not in part, at any time after the purchase of and payment for Shares pursuant to the Offer by Purchaser but before the earlier to occur of the Effective Time and the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms. The aggregate purchase price for the Top-Up Option Shares may be paid by Parent or Purchaser, at its election, either in cash and by executing and delivering to the Company a promissory note having a principal amount equal to the balance of such purchase price, or of any combination of the foregoing.

Short-Form Merger. If the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the stockholders of the Company is not required by applicable law in order to consummate the Merger, Parent, Purchaser and the Company will take all necessary and appropriate action to cause the Merger to become effective as soon as practicable after the Acceptance Time in accordance with Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA without convening a meeting of the stockholders of the Company.

The Merger. The Merger Agreement provides that upon the terms and subject to satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, and in accordance with the VSCA, at the Effective Time, Purchaser will be merged with and into the Company and, as a result of the Merger, the separate corporate existence of Purchaser will cease and the Company will be the Surviving Corporation.

Articles of Incorporation; By-laws; Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation. At the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation’s articles of incorporation will be amended and restated in its entirety to read as set forth in the articles of incorporation of Purchaser, and the by-laws of Purchaser will become the by-laws of the Surviving Corporation (except that for both the articles of incorporation and the by-laws, the name of the Surviving Corporation will be “Sutron Corporation”. The parties shall take all actions necessary so that the directors of Purchaser will become the directors of the Surviving Corporation and the officers of Purchaser will become the officers of the Surviving Corporation at the Effective Time.

 

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Merger Closing Conditions. The obligations of Parent and Purchaser, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, to complete the Merger are subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:

 

    If the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the Company’s stockholders is required under the VSCA, such approval shall have been obtained;

 

    Purchaser shall have accepted for payment and paid for all of the Shares validly tendered and not withdrawn pursuant to the Offer; and

 

    No order (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent in nature) issued by any court of competent jurisdiction or other restraint or prohibition of any governmental entity will be in effect, and no law will have been enacted, entered, promulgated, enforced or deemed applicable by any governmental entity that, in any case, prohibits or makes illegal the consummation of the Merger.

Merger Consideration. Each Share issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than Shares held by Parent or Purchaser immediately prior to the Effective Time), will automatically be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to the Per Share Amount, payable to the holder thereof, without interest (the “Merger Consideration”). All Shares converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration will be canceled and cease to exist.

Payment for Shares. Parent will designate a bank or trust company that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company to make payment of the Merger Consideration. At the closing of the Merger, Parent will deposit or cause to be deposited, for the benefit of holders of Shares, funds sufficient to pay the aggregate amount of the Merger Consideration payable in connection with the Merger to the stockholders.

Promptly following the Effective Time and in no event later than three (3) Business Days following the Effective Time, Parent will instruct the paying agent to send to each holder of Certificates, a letter of transmittal in customary form and with such other provisions as Parent may reasonably determine, and instructions for use in effecting the surrender of the Certificates in exchange for the Merger Consideration. Upon surrender of a Certificate for cancellation to the paying agent together with such letter of transmittal, properly completed and duly executed, and such other documents as may be reasonably required pursuant to such instructions (or, if such Shares are held in book-entry or other uncertificated form, upon the entry through a book-entry transfer agent of the surrender of such Shares on a book-entry account statement), the holder of such Certificate shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor the Merger Consideration which such holder has the right to receive in respect of the Shares formerly represented by such Certificate, and the Certificate so surrendered shall forthwith be canceled.

If any cash deposited with the paying agent is not claimed within six months following the Effective Time, such cash will be returned to the Surviving Corporation upon demand and any holders of Shares not properly surrendered may thereafter look only to the Surviving Corporation for Merger Consideration, without any interest thereon.

Treatment of Options, Restricted Stock Units and Restricted Stock. At the Effective Time, each outstanding stock option of the Company, whether vested or unvested, shall be canceled, with the holder of such stock option becoming entitled to receive, as soon as practicable following the Effective Time, in full satisfaction of the rights of such holder with respect thereto, an amount in cash equal to the excess, if any, of the per share Merger Consideration over the exercise price per Share of such stock option multiplied by, (i) if the stock option vests solely upon the continued employment of the holder, the total number of Shares subject to such stock option immediately prior to the Effective Time, (ii) if the stock option vests, in whole or in part, upon any criteria other than solely by the continued employment of the holder, the total number of Shares subject to such stock option that would vest if the target level of performance had been achieved, or (iii) if such stock option is fully vested before the Effective Time, the total number of Shares subject to such stock option immediately prior to the Effective Time. If the exercise price per Share of any such stock option is equal to or greater than the per share Merger Consideration, such stock option shall be canceled without any cash payment being made in respect thereof.

 

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At the Effective Time, each restricted stock unit of the Company, whether vested or unvested, shall be canceled, with the holder of such restricted stock unit becoming entitled to receive, as soon as practicable following the Effective Time, in full satisfaction of the rights of such holder with respect thereto, an amount in cash equal to the per share Merger Consideration multiplied by, (i) if the restricted stock unit would otherwise vest solely upon the continued employment of the holder, the number of Shares subject to such restricted stock unit immediately prior to the Effective Time, (ii) if the restricted stock unit would otherwise vest, in whole or in part, upon any criteria other than solely by the continued employment of the holder, the number of Shares subject to such restricted stock unit that would vest if the target level of performance had been achieved, or (iii) if the restricted stock unit is fully vested before the Effective Time but has not been settled in Shares, or becomes fully-vested at the Effective Time, the number of Shares subject to such restricted stock unit immediately prior to the Effective Time.

In addition, each share of Company Restricted Stock shall be fully vested immediately prior to the Effective Time and each holder thereof shall be entitled to receive the Merger Consideration.

Representations and Warranties. The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties made by the Company to Parent and Purchaser and representations and warranties made by Parent and Purchaser to the Company. The purpose of this summary of the Merger Agreement is to provide the Company’s stockholders with information regarding the terms of the Merger Agreement and is not intended to modify or supplement any factual disclosures about the Company, Parent or Purchaser in the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC. In particular, the assertions embodied in these representations and warranties are qualified by information in confidential disclosure schedules provided by the Company to Parent and Purchaser in connection with the signing of the Merger Agreement. These disclosure schedules contain information that modifies, qualifies and creates exceptions to the representations and warranties set forth in the Merger Agreement. In addition, certain representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement were used for the purpose of allocating risk among the Company, Parent and Purchaser, rather than establishing matters of fact. Accordingly, the representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement may not constitute the actual state of facts about the Company, Parent or Purchaser. The Company’s stockholders are not third-party beneficiaries of the Merger Agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or conditions of the Company, Parent, Purchaser or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates.

In the Merger Agreement, the Company has made customary representations and warranties to Parent and Purchaser with respect to, among other things:

 

    corporate matters related to the Company and its subsidiary, such as organization, qualification, good standing, power and authority;

 

    its capitalization;

 

    its subsidiary;

 

    required consents and approvals, and non-violation of agreements, governance documents or laws;

 

    compliance with laws and permits;

 

    public SEC filings, financial statements, internal controls and compliance;

 

    the absence of undisclosed liabilities;

 

    the absence of certain changes or events;

 

    employee benefits matters;

 

    labor matters;

 

 

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    material contracts;

 

    indebtedness;

 

    government contracts;

 

    the absence of litigation, other proceedings or actions;

 

    environmental matters;

 

    intellectual property;

 

    tax matters;

 

    insurance policies;

 

    real and personal property matters;

 

    affiliate transactions;

 

    anti-bribery and anti-money laundering compliance transactions;

 

    customs laws;

 

    approval of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby by the Board of Directors for purposes of any Takeover Laws;

 

    finders’ and brokers’ fees and expenses; and

 

    Rule 14d-10 matters.

Some of the representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement made by the Company are qualified as to “materiality” or “Company Material Adverse Effect.” For purposes of the Merger Agreement, a “Company Material Adverse Effect” means any change, event, effect, state of facts, condition, circumstance or occurrence that, individually or taken together with other changes, events, states of facts, conditions, effects, circumstances or occurrences, (x) has, or would reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on the business, results of operations, assets, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole or (y) would, or would reasonably be expected to, prevent or materially delay consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including the Offer or the Merger) or otherwise prevent or materially delay the Company from performing its obligations under this Agreement; provided that, for purposes of clause (x), any change, event, circumstance or occurrence to the extent resulting from any of the following after the date of the Merger Agreement shall not constitute a “Company Material Adverse Effect”: (i) changes in generally accepted accounting principles or any interpretation thereof after the date of the Merger Agreement; (ii) acts of God, calamities, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, political or social conditions including the engagement by any country in hostilities, commenced or escalated after the date of the Merger Agreement; (iii) changes that are the result of factors generally affecting the principal industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries conduct their businesses; (iv) the mere fact that the Company has failed to meet any internal or external projections, forecasts, or estimates of earnings, revenues, or any other financial measure for any period ending (or for which revenues or earnings are released) on or after the date of the Merger Agreement (regardless of whether such projections were made by the Company or independent third parties), or the mere fact that the Company has issued revised projections that are not as optimistic as those in existence on the date of the Merger Agreement; (v) the mere fact of any change in the trading price or trading volume of Company Common Stock on the NASDAQ; or (vi) general business or economic conditions or the capital, financial, banking, or currency markets, or changes therein; provided, however, that changes set forth in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), and (vi) above will be taken into account in determining whether a “Company Material Adverse Effect” has occurred or would reasonably be expected to occur if such changes have a disproportionate impact on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, relative to other companies that conduct business in the countries and regions or in the industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries conduct their businesses; provided, further, that the underlying causes of any change, event, circumstance or occurrence set forth in clauses (iv) and (v) shall be taken into account in determining whether a “Company Material Adverse Effect” has occurred or would reasonably be expect to occur.

 

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In the Merger Agreement, Parent and Purchaser have made customary representations and warranties to the Company with respect to, among other things:

 

    corporate matters, such as organization, qualification, power and authority;

 

    required consents and approvals, and the absence of violations of agreements, governance documents or laws;

 

    the absence of litigation;

 

    the ownership of Purchaser by Parent, and the absence of prior activities by Purchaser;

 

    the sufficiency of funds to complete the Offer and the Merger;

 

    the accuracy of information furnished for the documents relating to the Offer, Schedule 14D-9 and certain other documents that may be filed by the Company in connection with the Merger Agreement;

 

    finders’ and brokers’ fees;

 

    the absence of ownership by Parent or Purchaser of Shares; and

 

    the absence of legal proceedings and government orders imposed upon Parent or any of its subsidiaries affecting Parent’s and Purchaser’s ability to consummate the Merger.

Conduct of Business of the Company. The Merger Agreement provides that, between the date of the Merger Agreement and the first to occur of the following: (i) termination of the Merger Agreement, (ii) the date upon which the directors designated by Parent are elected or appointed to the Board of Directors pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement if the directors so elected or appointed constitute a majority of all the directors then on the Board of Directors, and (iii) the Effective Time, except as otherwise expressly required by the Merger Agreement, as required by applicable law or as consented to in writing by Parent, the Company will, and will cause its subsidiaries to:

 

    conduct its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice; and

 

    use its commercially reasonable efforts to keep available the services of the current officers and employees of the Company and its subsidiaries to preserve intact its current business organization and to preserve the current relationships of the Company and its subsidiaries with each of the customers, suppliers, landlords and other persons with whom the Company or any subsidiary has material business relations.

In addition, during that same period except (i) as expressly permitted or contemplated by the terms of the Merger Agreement, (ii) as required by applicable law or (iii) with the prior written consent of Parent (not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed, or conditioned, except with respect to certain actions in which case such consent shall be in Parent’s sole discretion), the Company will not, and will not permit its subsidiaries to, take certain actions with respect to the following, subject to specified thresholds and exceptions:

 

    changes to the Company’s articles of incorporation or by-laws;

 

    issuances, transfers, encumbrances or other dispositions of capital stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable for capital stock;

 

    declarations of dividends or other distributions;

 

    capital stock splits, reclassifications, combinations, redemptions or purchases;

 

    acquisitions, loans, advances, capital contributions or investments;

 

    redeem, repurchase, prepay, defease, cancel or incur or otherwise acquire or modify the terms of any indebtedness for borrowed money or make or guarantee any loans;

 

    grants or incurrences of liens;

 

 

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    entering into, terminating or amending material contracts;

 

    sales, transfers or licenses of assets;

 

    disclosure of confidential information;

 

    the making of capital expenditures;

 

    entry into any new line of business;

 

    granting of any stock options, equity or other incentive awards or increasing salaries, bonuses or other compensation, severance change-in-control plan or benefits, adopt or amend any employee benefit plan or collective bargaining agreement or hiring new employees with salaries in excess of $100,000;

 

    communicating with employees regarding compensation, benefits or other treatment they will receive after the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement;

 

    paying, discharging, settling or satisfying any material claims or obligations;

 

    changes in accounting principles, policies, practices, procedures or methods;

 

    changes to tax elections;

 

    settling, releasing, waiving or compromising pending or threatened litigation;

 

    failing to maintain in full force and effect material insurance policies;

 

    adoption or entry into a liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or reorganization;

 

    adoption of a rights plan or similar arrangement;

 

    taking actions which would result in any of the conditions to the Offer or any of the conditions to the Merger not being satisfied or would reasonably be expected to prevent, delay or impair the ability of the Company to consummate the Offer, the Merger, or any of the other transactions contemplated thereby;

 

    amendment or modification of the letter of engagement with the Company’s financial advisor;

 

    plant closings or layoffs;

 

    incurrence or entry into of certain related party transactions;

 

    amendment, modification, extension, or renewal of, or entry into, of leases;

 

    recognizing any labor organization for purposes of collective bargaining, entering into any collective bargaining, entering into any collective bargaining agreements, reclassifying current any current employees into a non-employee status, reclassifying any current employees from nonexempt to exempt status; or

 

    entering into any agreement or arrangement to take any of the foregoing actions.

No Solicitation. The Company has agreed that, subject to exceptions described below, during the period from the date of the Merger Agreement until the earlier of the Acceptance Time or termination of the Merger Agreement, it will not and will cause its representatives and subsidiaries not to:

 

    initiate, solicit, propose, encourage (including by providing information) or take any action to knowingly facilitate any inquiries or the making of any proposals or offers that constitutes, or would reasonably be expected to lead to, an Acquisition Proposal (as defined below);

 

   

engage in, continue or participate in any discussions or negotiations regarding, or provide any information or data concerning the Company or any of its subsidiaries to any person relating to, any Acquisition Proposal or any proposal or offer that could reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal, or provide or waive restrictions on the use of any information or data concerning

 

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the Company or its subsidiaries to any person pursuant to any commercial arrangement, joint venture arrangement, or other existing agreement or arrangement if it is reasonably likely that the person receiving the confidential information could use such information for purposes of evaluating or developing an Acquisition Proposal;

 

    fail to enforce or grant any waiver, amendment or release under any standstill agreement or confidentiality agreement or Takeover Law, or otherwise knowingly facilitate any effort or attempt by any person to make an Acquisition Proposal;

 

    approve, endorse, recommend, or execute or enter into any letter of intent, agreement in principle, merger agreement, acquisition agreement or other similar agreement relating to an Acquisition Proposal or any proposal or offer that could reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal, or that contradicts the Merger Agreement or requires the Company to abandon the Merger Agreement; or

 

    resolve, propose or agree to do any of the foregoing.

The Merger Agreement further provides that the Company must, and must cause its representatives and subsidiaries to, immediately (i) cease all discussions and negotiations with any Person with respect to any Acquisition Proposal, and deliver a written notice to each such person to the effect that the Company is ending all discussions and negotiations with such person with respect to any Acquisition Proposal, and the notice will also request that such person promptly return or destroy all confidential information concerning the Company and its subsidiaries, and (ii) take all steps necessary to terminate any approval or authorization to make an Acquisition Proposal under any confidentiality or standstill or similar agreement or provision that may have been given by the Company or its subsidiaries or representatives prior to the date of the Merger Agreement.

Despite the restrictions described above, at any time before the Acceptance Time, the Company may provide information with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries to any third party that has made an unsolicited bona fide written Acquisition Proposal not arising out of any breach of the non-solicitation provisions of the Merger Agreement, and subject to such person’s entry into an acceptable confidentiality agreement, may engage or participate in discussions or negotiations with any person who has made such an unsolicited bona fide written Acquisition Proposal, if before doing so:

 

    the Board of Directors has determined in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel, that the failure to take such action would violate the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable law; and

 

    the Board of Directors has determined in good faith, based on information then available and after consultation with its independent financial advisor and outside legal counsel, that the Acquisition Proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal (as defined below), or would reasonably be expected to result in, a Superior Proposal.

With respect to any information regarding the Company that is provided to any person making an Acquisition Proposal and which was not previously made available to Parent or its representatives, the Company is required to promptly make such information available to Parent.

Change of Recommendation. The Board of Directors has agreed not to take any of the following actions (each a “Change of Recommendation”):

 

    withhold, withdraw (or not continue to make), qualify or modify (or publicly propose or resolve to withhold (or not continue to make), qualify or modify), in any manner adverse to Parent or Purchaser, the recommendation of the Board of Directors that the holders of Shares accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the VSCA, vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement (the “Company Board Recommendation”) with respect to the Offer or the Merger;

 

    adopt, approve or recommend (publicly or otherwise) an Acquisition Proposal;

 

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    (i) fail to publicly recommend against any Acquisition Proposal or (ii) fail to publicly reaffirm the Company Board Recommendation, in the case of each of (i) and (ii), within three (3) Business Days after Parent’s written request;

 

    fail to recommend, in a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, against any Acquisition Proposal subject to Regulation 14D under the Exchange Act within ten (10) Business Days after the commencement of such Acquisition Proposal;

 

    fail to include the Company Board Recommendation in the Schedule 14D-9 and, if used, the Proxy Statement;

 

    enter into any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or similar document or contract relating to any Acquisition Proposal;

 

    take any other action or make any other public statement that is inconsistent with the Company Board Recommendation; or

 

    cause or permit the Company or any of its subsidiaries to enter into any Acquisition Agreement, merger agreement or similar definitive contract (an “Alternative Acquisition Agreement”) except in circumstances described below.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time prior to the Acceptance Time, if the Company has received an unsolicited bona fide written Acquisition Proposal from any person that is not withdrawn and that the Board of Directors concludes constitutes a Superior Proposal, (i) the Board of Directors may effect an Adverse Recommendation Change with respect to such Superior Proposal or (ii) the Board of Directors may authorize the Company to terminate the Merger Agreement to enter into an Alternative Acquisition Agreement with respect to such Superior Proposal, if and only if:

 

    the Board of Directors determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel, that failure to do so would violate its fiduciary obligations under applicable laws;

 

    the Company has complied in all material respects with all of its obligations under the non-solicitation provisions in the Merger Agreement;

 

    the Company has provided prior written notice to Parent at least three (3) Business Days in advance of effecting an Adverse Recommendation Change or terminating the Agreement to enter into an Alternative Acquisition Agreement (the “Notice Period”), to the effect that the Board of Directors has received an unsolicited bona fide written Acquisition Proposal that is not withdrawn and that the Board of Directors has concluded in good faith constitutes a Superior Proposal and, absent any revision to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, the Board of Directors has resolved to effect an Adverse Recommendation Change and/or to terminate the Merger Agreement, which notice will specify the basis for such Adverse Recommendation Change or termination, including the identity of the person or group of persons making the Superior Proposal, the material terms thereof and copies of all relevant documents relating to such Superior Proposal;

 

   

prior to effecting such Adverse Recommendation Change or termination, the Company will, and will cause its financial and legal advisors to, during the Notice Period, (a) negotiate with Parent and its representatives in good faith (to the extent Parent desires to negotiate) to make such adjustments in the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, so that such Acquisition Proposal would cease to constitute a Superior Proposal, provided that any adjustments in the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement proposed by Parent during the Notice Period must be irrevocable for two (2) Business Days, (b) permit Parent and its representatives to make a presentation to the Board of Directors regarding the Merger Agreement and any adjustments with respect thereto (to the extent Parent desires to make such presentation), (c) at the end of the Notice Period the Board of Directors again makes the determination in good faith (x) after consultation with outside legal counsel that the failure to make an Adverse Recommendation Change or authorize the termination of the Merger Agreement would violate

 

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its fiduciary duties under applicable law and (y) taking into account any adjustment or modification to the terms of the Merger Agreement irrevocably proposed by Parent, that the Acquisition Proposal continues to be a Superior Proposal; provided that, in the event of any material revisions to the Acquisition Proposal that the Board of Directors has determined to be a Superior Proposal, the Company will be required to deliver a new written notice to Parent and to comply with the requirements of the foregoing requirements with respect to such new written notice and the revised Superior Proposal contemplated thereby; and

 

    in the case of any action involving the termination of the Merger Agreement to enter into an Alternative Acquisition Agreement with respect to such Superior Proposal, the Company has validly terminated the Merger Agreement in accordance with the applicable termination provisions thereof, including the payment of the Termination Fee (as defined below).

For purposes of this Offer to Purchase and the Merger Agreement:

 

    Acquisition Proposal” means any inquiry, indication of interest, proposal or offer relating to (i) the direct or indirect acquisition by any third party of 20% or more of the equity interests in the Company (by vote or by value), (ii) any merger, consolidation, business combination, reorganization, share exchange or similar transaction involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (iii) any sale of assets, recapitalization, equity investment, license, joint venture, liquidation, dissolution, disposition or other transaction which would, directly or indirectly, result in any third party acquiring an interest in or rights for any assets (including equity interests of any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company) representing, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the net revenues, net income, cash flows or assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or the exclusive license of all of the Company’s Intellectual Property (iv) the acquisition (whether by merger, consolidation, equity investment, share exchange, joint venture or otherwise) by any third party, directly or indirectly, of any equity interest in any person that holds assets generating or representing, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the net revenues, net income, cash flow or assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (v) any tender offer or exchange offer, as such terms are defined under the Exchange Act, or other transaction that, if consummated, would result in any third party directly or indirectly beneficially owning 20% or more of the outstanding equity interests in the Company (by vote or by value) or (vi) any combination of the foregoing.

 

    Adverse Recommendation Change” means any action to (a) withhold, withdraw (or not continue to make), qualify or modify (or publicly propose or resolve to withhold, withdraw (or not continue to make), qualify or modify), in any manner adverse to Parent or Purchaser, the Company Board Recommendation with respect to the Offer or the Merger, or cause or permit the Company Board Recommendation to be less than unanimous, or resolve or agree to take any such action, (b) adopt, approve or recommend or propose to adopt, approve or recommend (publicly or otherwise) an Acquisition Proposal, or resolve or agree to take any such action, (c) (1) fail to publicly recommend against any Acquisition Proposal or (2) fail to publicly reaffirm the Company Board Recommendation, in the case of each of clause (1) and (2) within three (3) Business Days after Parent so requests in writing, (d) fail to recommend, in a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, against any Acquisition Proposal subject to Regulation 14D under the Exchange Act within ten (10) Business Days after the commencement of such Acquisition Proposal, (e) fail to include the Company Board Recommendation in the Schedule 14D-9 and the Proxy Statement, (f) enter into any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or similar document or Contract relating to any Acquisition Proposal (other than any acceptable Confidentiality and Standstill Agreement entered into in accordance with the Merger Agreement), or (g) take any other action or make any other public statement that is inconsistent with the Company Board Recommendation.

 

   

Superior Proposal” means a bona fide, unsolicited written offer made by one or more persons (none of whom is an affiliate of the Company) constituting an Acquisition Proposal not arising out of or relating to any violation of the no solicitation covenant, that if consummated, would result in any person becoming the beneficial owner of (i) a majority of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken

 

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as a whole, or (ii) a majority of the outstanding total voting power of the equity securities of the Company, which the Board of Directors determines in good faith, after consultation with an independent financial advisor and outside legal counsel, and taking into consideration, among other things, all of the terms, conditions, impact and all legal, financial, regulatory and other aspects of such Acquisition Proposal and the Merger Agreement (in each case, taking into account any revisions to the Merger Agreement made or irrevocably proposed in writing by Parent during the Notice Period), including financing, regulatory approvals, equityholder litigation, identity of the Person or group making the Acquisition Proposal, and other events or circumstances whether or not beyond the control of the Party seeking to assert that an Acquisition Proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal, (i) is not less likely to be consummated in accordance with its terms when compared to the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, and (ii) would result in a transaction that is more favorable to the Company’s stockholders from a financial point of view than the transactions provided for in the Merger Agreement (after taking into account the expected timing and risk and likelihood of consummation).

Efforts to Close the Transaction. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, Parent and the Company have agreed to cooperate with each other and use (and to cause their respective subsidiaries to use) their respective commercially reasonable efforts to take or cause to be taken all actions, and do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable on its part under the Merger Agreement and applicable law to cause the closing conditions to the Merger to be satisfied and to consummate and make effective the Offer, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated thereby as soon as practicable, including preparing and filing as promptly as practicable all documentation to effect all necessary notices, reports and other filings and to obtain as promptly as practicable all consents, approvals, registrations, authorizations, waivers, permits and orders necessary to be obtained from any third party or any governmental entity in order to consummate the Offer, the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

Takeover Laws. If any Takeover Law becomes applicable to the Merger Agreement, the Support Agreement, or the transactions contemplated thereby, each of the Company and Parent and their respective boards of directors shall take all reasonable actions necessary to ensure that the transactions provided for in the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement may be consummated as promptly as practicable and otherwise to minimize the effect of such statute or provisions on Parent and Purchaser, the Merger Agreement, the Support Agreement and the transactions provided for thereby.

Indemnification and Insurance. The Merger Agreement provides that all rights of indemnification existing in favor of the current or former directors and officers of the Company and its subsidiaries as provided in the Company’s articles of incorporation and by-laws or under any indemnification agreements, in each case as in effect on the date of the Merger Agreement with respect to matters occurring prior to the date on which the majority of the Company’s directors are designees of Parent that have been effectively elected or appointed to the Board of Directors in accordance with the Merger Agreement (the “Board Appointment Date”), will survive the Merger and continue in full force and effect in accordance with their respective terms to the extent permitted by law. For a period of six (6) years after the Board Appointment Date, Parent has agreed to cause the articles of incorporation and by-laws of the Surviving Corporation to contain provisions no less favorable with respect to indemnification and limitation of liabilities of such indemnified parties and advancement of expenses than are set forth as of the date of the Merger Agreement in the Company’s articles of incorporation and by-laws to the extent permitted by law. The Merger Agreement provides that this indemnification will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the current or former directors and officers of the Company and its subsidiaries are entitled, whether pursuant to a law, contract, or otherwise.

In addition, for six (6) years from the Board Appointment Date, Parent will, or will cause the Surviving Corporation to, maintain in effect the Company’s current directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for each officer and director currently covered by the Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for acts or omissions occurring prior to the Board Appointment Date with respect to any matter claimed against such

 

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person by reason of serving in such capacity on terms with respect to such coverage and amounts no less favorable in the aggregate than those of such policy in effect on the date of the Merger Agreement, provided that in no event will the aggregate costs of such insurance policies exceed in any one year during such six-year period 300% of the current aggregate annual premiums paid by the Company for such purpose. Parent or the Surviving Corporation may substitute therefor policies of any reputable insurance company or cause the Company to obtain a prepaid “tail” directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy or the Company may at any time prior to the Acceptance Time obtain “tail” directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy, in each case, the terms of which are no less favorable than the insurance coverage otherwise required as described above.

Employee Matters. The Merger Agreement provides that Parent will, in its sole discretion, either (i) until December 31, 2015, continue (or cause the Company to continue) to maintain the Company Plans and the annual compensation and cash incentive or cash bonus opportunities (other than equity compensation or defined benefit pension plans) of the employees of the Company on substantially the same terms as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, (ii) arrange for each employee of the Company and its subsidiaries who remain employed by Parent, the Surviving Corporation or their respective subsidiaries after the Effective Time (the “Continuing Employees”) to participate in the employee benefit plans and arrangements, including annual compensation arrangements, of Parent or its applicable subsidiary (excluding equity based compensation or defined benefit pension plans), or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii) so that, until December 31, 2015, each Continuing Employee is provided with compensation and benefits that are substantially similar in the aggregate to benefits and compensation (other than equity compensation or defined benefit pension plans) provided either to such Continuing Employee before the Effective Time or to similarly situated employees of Parent under Parent Plans.

In addition, the Merger Agreement contains standard employee covenants that require Parent to (i) grant service credit to Continuing Employees under any new plans post-closing to the same extent such service was recognized under the Company Plans, (ii) enroll U.S. continuing employees into welfare benefit plans, programs, and arrangements maintained by Parent or the Surviving Corporation, and (iii) crediting of each Continuing Employee with any co-payments or deductibles paid under any Company Plan with respect to any replacement health and welfare plan.

Nothing in the Merger Agreement limits the right of Parent or the Surviving Corporation, following the Effective Time, to terminate the employment of any employee of the Company or its affiliates at any time and for any or no reason.

Other Covenants. The Merger Agreement contains other covenants, including covenants relating to calling the stockholders’ meeting to approve the Merger Agreement (if required), prepayment of amounts outstanding under, and termination of, the Loan Agreement, dated December 16, 2013, between the Company and Branch Banking and Trust Company, public announcements, notice, resignation of directors, Section 16(a) and Rule 14d-10(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, stock exchange delisting and deregistration, FIRPTA, access to information, confidentiality, and the filing, distribution and/or dissemination of each document required to be filed by the Company with the SEC or any other applicable government entity or required to be distributed or otherwise disseminated to the holders of Shares in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

Termination of the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement may be terminated and the Offer may be abandoned at any time prior to the Effective Time, by action taken or authorized by the board of directors of the terminating party or parties, as follows:

 

    by mutual written consent of Parent and the Company;

 

    by either Parent or the Company if Purchaser has not accepted for payment any Shares on or before the End Date; provided that this right to terminate is not available to a party if such party’s breach of any covenant or obligation under the Merger Agreement resulted in the failure of the Acceptance Time to occur prior to such End Date;

 

 

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    by the Company if, prior to the Acceptance Time:

 

    Parent or Purchaser has (i) breached in any material respect any of its covenants or agreements under the Merger Agreement, or (ii) breached any representations or warranties, which breach would reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay or impede the consummation of the Offer or the Merger; provided that, at the time of such termination, the Company is not in willful and material breach of the Merger Agreement;

 

    in order to enter into a transaction that is a Superior Proposal, but only if:

 

    the Company has complied with non-solicitation provision under the Merger Agreement; and

 

    the Company has paid to Parent a termination fee of $1,750,000 (the “Termination Fee”) on or before termination;

 

    by Parent if, prior to the Acceptance Time:

 

    the Company has materially breached any of its covenants or agreements such that the Tender Offer Condition related to the Company’s performance of its obligations under the Merger Agreement in all material respects would not be satisfied and such breach is not cured by the Company within fifteen (15) Business Days following receipt by the Company of written notice from Parent or Purchaser of such breach and such breach remains uncured at the time such notice of termination is given or such breach is incapable of being cured by the End Date; provided that, at the time of such termination, Parent and Purchaser are not in willful and material breach of the Merger Agreement;

 

    the Company has breached any of its representations or warranties such that the Tender Offer Condition related to the accuracy of the Company’s representations and warranties would not be satisfied and such breach is not cured by the Company within fifteen (15) Business Days following receipt by the Company of written notice from Parent or Purchaser of such breach and such breach remains uncured at the time such notice of termination is given or such breach is incapable of being cured by the End Date; provided that, at the time of such termination, Parent and Purchaser is not in willful and material breach of the Merger Agreement; or

 

    Parent has received a written notice from the Company that the Company intends to effect an Adverse Recommendation Change and/or terminate the Merger Agreement to accept a Superior Proposal, or the Board of Directors or any committee thereof has effected an Adverse Recommendation Change, or the Company has willfully breached in any material respect its obligations under the non-solicitation covenant.

 

    by either Parent or the Company if (i) any order of any governmental entity having competent jurisdiction is entered enjoining the Company, Parent or Purchaser from consummating the Offer and/or the Merger and such order has become final and nonappealable, or (ii) if there shall be any law that makes the consummation of the Offer and/or the Merger illegal or otherwise prohibited and, prior to termination, the terminating party has complied in all material respects with its obligations to use commercially reasonable efforts to consummate and make effective the Offer, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated pursuant to the Merger Agreement; provided, however, that this right to terminate the Merger Agreement is not available to any party whose breach of any provision of the Merger Agreement resulted in the imposition of any such order or the failure of such order to be resisted, resolved or lifted, as applicable.

Effect of Termination. If the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, the Merger Agreement will become null and void and, subject to certain exceptions described below and in the Merger Agreement, there will be no liability or obligation on the part of Parent, Purchaser or the Company or their respective directors, managers, officers, equityholders, employees and other representatives, provided that no party will be relieved or released of any liability or damages for breaches of its covenants and agreements or any willful or fraudulent breach of any representations or warranties set forth in the Merger Agreement and no

 

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termination of the Merger Agreement will in any way affect any of the parties’ rights or obligations with respect to any Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer prior to such termination. In no event will any party be liable for punitive damages.

Termination Fee.

The Company has agreed to pay Parent the Termination Fee, in cash, in certain circumstances described below:

 

    In the event the Merger Agreement is terminated by the Company in order to accept a Superior Proposal, the Company shall pay the Termination Fee to Parent prior to such termination;

 

    In the event the Merger Agreement is terminated by Parent because either Parent has received a written notice from the Company that the Company intends to effect an Adverse Recommendation Change and/or terminate the Merger Agreement to accept a Superior Proposal, or the Board of Directors or any committee thereof has effected an Adverse Recommendation Change, or the Company has willfully breached in any material respect its obligations under the non-solicitation covenant, the Company shall pay the Termination Fee to Parent promptly (but in any event within two (2) Business Days of such termination); or

 

    In the event that (i) (a) the Merger Agreement is terminated by either Parent or the Company because Purchaser has not accepted for payment any Shares on or before the End Date and at or prior to the time of such termination an Acquisition Proposal shall have been publicly disclosed, announced or commenced and not in good faith withdrawn prior to the time of such termination or (b) by Parent as a result of the Company’s breach of the Merger Agreement and at or prior to the time of such termination an Acquisition Proposal shall have been publicly disclosed, announced or commenced or submitted or made known to the Board of Directors and not in good faith withdrawn prior to the time of such termination, and (ii) at any time after the execution of the Merger Agreement and prior to the expiration of the twelfth (12th) month after the termination of the Merger Agreement, the Company consummates an Acquisition Proposal or enters into any Alternative Acquisition Agreement for an Acquisition Proposal, the Company shall pay the Termination Fee to Parent on the date any Acquisition Proposal is consummated (provided that, for purposes of the foregoing, all percentages in the definition of Acquisition Proposal shall be replaced with 50% and the amount of any reimbursable expenses shall be deducted from the payment of the Termination Fee as described in this bullet).

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, if the Termination Fee becomes payable and is paid by the Company, the Termination Fee will be Parent’s and Purchaser’s sole and exclusive remedy for monetary damages under the Merger Agreement except with respect to willful or fraudulent breaches.

Reimbursable Expenses. In addition, if after the date of the Merger Agreement an Acquisition Proposal has been announced, commenced, publicly disclosed or submitted or made known to the Board of Directors and not in good faith withdrawn prior to the termination of the Merger Agreement, and the Merger Agreement is terminated (i) by either party because Purchaser has not accepted for payment any Shares pursuant to the Offer on or before the End Date or (ii) by Parent as a result of the Company’s breach of the Merger Agreement, then the Company is required to promptly pay Parent or its designee the documented and reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by Parent, or on behalf of Parent or its Affiliates, in connection with the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, up to an amount of $750,000.

Fees and Expenses. Except as otherwise expressly set forth in the Merger Agreement, fees and expenses incurred by the parties will be paid by the party incurring such fees and expenses, whether or not the Offer or Merger is consummated.

Amendment. The Merger Agreement may be amended by the parties by action taken by or on behalf of their respective boards of directors at any time prior to the Effective Time, but, (i) after the initial acceptance for payment of Shares pursuant to the Offer, there shall be no amendment that decreases the Merger Consideration

 

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and (ii) after any approval of the Merger Agreement by the Company’s stockholders, no amendment will be made that by law (including the relevant rules of NASDAQ) requires further approval by the Company’s stockholders without obtaining such further approval.

Support Agreement. Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, each of the following directors and/or officers and other stockholders of the Company entered into a tender and support agreement (the “Support Agreement”) with Parent and Purchaser:

 

    Raul S. McQuivey, Ph.D;

 

    Ashish H. Raval;

 

    Daniel W. Farrell;

 

    Leland R. Phipps;

 

    John F. DePodesta Esq.;

 

    Larry C. Linton;

 

    Jill E. Farrell;

 

    Vaishali Raval; and

 

    The Raul S. McQuivey Trust and the Karen T. McQuivey Trust.

Pursuant to the Support Agreement, each of these stockholders has agreed, (solely in their capacity as stockholders and, if applicable, holders of stock options and restricted stock units) among other things (i) to tender pursuant to the Offer (and not withdraw, except under certain circumstances) all Shares owned or thereafter acquired by such stockholder as promptly as practicable (but in no event later than 10 Business Days after the commencement of the Offer), (ii) not to transfer any of such stockholder’s equity interests in the Company, including any Shares, except to immediate family members, charities, and trusts for the benefit of such stockholder for estate planning purposes or upon the death of such stockholder, in which case the transferee shall agree to be bound by the terms of the Support Agreement, (iii) not to take any action that would interfere with the performance of such stockholder’s obligations under, or the transactions contemplated by, the Support Agreement, (iv) to vote such stockholder’s Shares in support of the Merger in the event that stockholder approval is required to consummate the Merger, (v) to vote against any action or agreement that would materially impede, interfere with or prevent the Offer or the Merger, and (vi) not to initiate, solicit, propose, knowingly encourage or take any action to knowingly facilitate, or participate in discussions with third parties regarding other proposals to acquire the Company, except as permitted by the Merger Agreement. The Support Agreement will terminate upon the earliest of (i) the termination of the Merger Agreement, (ii) the Effective Time, (iii) the date of any material modification, waiver or amendment to any provision of the Merger Agreement that reduces the amount, changes the form or otherwise adversely affects the consideration payable to the stockholder pursuant to the Merger Agreement as in effect on the signing date, (iv) the date the Offer shall have been terminated or the Expiration Time shall have occurred, in each case without acceptance for payment of the stockholder’s Shares pursuant to the Offer, and (v) the mutual written consent of the parties to the Support Agreement. Excluding restricted stock units that vest and options that are exercisable within 60 days, approximately 22% of the issued and outstanding Shares are subject to the Support Agreement.

Non-Competition Agreement.

Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, each of the following officers of the Company entered into a letter agreement regarding non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality (the “Non-Competition Agreement”) with Parent and Purchaser: Raul S. McQuivey, Ashish H. Raval, and Daniel W. Farrell. Pursuant to the Non-Competition Agreement, each of the officers has agreed, among other things, to

 

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(i) not compete with the Company or the Surviving Corporation during the Restricted Period, (ii) not solicit the Company’s or the Surviving Corporation’s employees, contractors, vendors, and customers in order to entice such persons away from the Company or the Surviving Corporation during the Restricted Period, (iii) not disclose the Company’s confidential information, and (iv) release all claims against the Company. The “Restricted Period” means (a) with respect to Raul S. McQuivey, a period of five (5) years from and following the Effective Time, (b) with respect to Daniel W. Farrell, a period of four (4) years from and following the Effective Time, and (c) with respect to Ashish H. Raval, a period of three (3) years from and following the Effective Time.

 

12. Purpose of the Offer; Plans for the Company.

Purpose of the Offer. The purpose of the Offer is to acquire control of, and the entire equity interest in, the Company. The purpose of the Merger is to acquire all outstanding Shares not tendered and purchased pursuant to the Offer. All Shares acquired by Purchaser pursuant to the Offer will be retained by Purchaser pending the Merger. After the Acceptance Time, Purchaser intends to consummate the Merger as promptly as practicable, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions.

If the Minimum Condition is satisfied, Purchaser will have sufficient voting power to approve the Merger at the Company’s stockholders’ meeting without the affirmative vote of any other stockholder. If Purchaser acquires at least 90% of the Shares pursuant to the Offer and the Top-Up Option, if applicable, Parent, Purchaser and the Company will take such necessary and appropriate actions in order to consummate the Merger under the VSCA without a stockholders’ meeting and without the approval of the Company’s stockholders. The Merger Agreement provides that Purchaser will be merged with and into the Company, and, at the Effective Time, the Company’s articles of incorporation will be amended and restated in its entirety to read identically to the articles of incorporation of Purchaser as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, except that the name of the Surviving Corporation will be “Sutron Corporation”, and the bylaws of Purchaser as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time will become the bylaws of the Surviving Corporation, except that references to Purchaser’s name shall be replaced by references to “Sutron Corporation”. The directors of Purchaser at the Effective Time will, from and after the Effective Time, be the directors of the Surviving Corporation and the officers of the Company will, from and after the Effective Time, be the officers of the Surviving Corporation.

Appraisal Rights. Holders of Shares do not have appraisal or dissenters’ rights as a result of the Offer, and holders of the Shares will not have appraisal rights in connection with the Merger as long as the Shares continue to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market through to the effective time of the Merger.

Going Private Transaction. The SEC has adopted Rule 13e-3 under the Exchange Act which is applicable to certain “going private” transactions and which may under certain circumstances be applicable to the Merger or another business combination following the purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer in which Purchaser seeks to acquire the remaining Shares not held by it. Purchaser and the Company believe that Rule 13e-3 will not be applicable to the Merger because it is anticipated that the Merger will be effected within one (1) year following the consummation of the Offer and, in the Merger, stockholders will receive the same price per Share as paid in the Offer. Rule 13e-3 requires, among other things, that certain financial information concerning the Company and certain information relating to the fairness of the proposed transaction and the consideration offered to minority stockholders be filed with the SEC and disclosed to stockholders prior to consummation of the transaction.

Plans for the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, promptly upon the Acceptance Time, Parent currently intends to request that the Company take all necessary action to enable Parent’s designees to be elected or designated to the Board of Directors, subject to the requirement in the Merger Agreement regarding the presence of such number of Independent Directors as may be required by the rules of NASDAQ or federal securities laws, until the Effective Time. Purchaser currently intends, as soon as practicable after consummation of the Offer, to consummate the Merger, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Except

 

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as otherwise provided herein, it is currently expected that, initially following the Merger, the business and operations of the Company will, except as set forth in this Offer to Purchase, be continued substantially as they are currently being conducted. Based on available information, we are conducting a detailed review of the Company and its assets, corporate structure, dividend policy, capitalization, indebtedness, operations, properties, policies, management and personnel, obligations to report under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and the delisting of its securities from a registered national securities exchange following the completion of the Merger, and will consider what, if any, changes would be desirable in light of the circumstances which exist upon completion of the Offer. We will continue to evaluate the business and operations of the Company during the pendency of the Offer and after the consummation of the Offer and will take such actions as we deem appropriate under the circumstances then existing. Thereafter, we intend to review such information as part of a comprehensive review of the Company’s business, operations, capitalization and management with a view to optimizing development of the Company’s potential in conjunction with Parent’s existing businesses. Possible changes could include changes in the Company’s business, corporate structure, charter, bylaws, capitalization, board of directors, management, indebtedness or dividend policy and Parent, Purchaser and the surviving corporation in the Merger expressly reserve the right to make any changes they deem appropriate in light of such evaluation and review or in light of future developments.

If we acquire Shares pursuant to the Offer and depending upon the number of Shares so acquired and other factors relevant to our equity ownership in the Company, Parent and Purchaser reserve the right to acquire additional Shares through private purchases, market transactions, tender or exchange offers or otherwise on terms and at prices that may be more or less favorable than those of the Offer, or, subject to any applicable legal restrictions, to dispose of any or all Shares acquired by them.

 

13. Certain Effects of the Offer.

Market for the Shares. The purchase of Shares by Purchaser pursuant to the Offer will reduce the number of holders of Shares and the number of Shares that might otherwise trade publicly, which could adversely affect the liquidity and market value of the remaining Shares held by stockholders other than Purchaser. Purchaser cannot predict whether the reduction in the number of Shares that might otherwise trade publicly would have an adverse or beneficial effect on the market price for, or marketability of, the Shares or whether such reduction would cause future market prices to be greater or less than the Per Share Amount.

Stock Quotation. The Shares are quoted on NASDAQ. According to the published guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Shares might no longer be eligible for continued inclusion in NASDAQ if, among other things, the number of publicly-held Shares falls below 750,000, the aggregate market value of the publicly-held Shares is less than $5 million, or there are fewer than two (2) market makers for the Shares. Shares held by officers or directors of the Company or their immediate families, or by any beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Shares, ordinarily will not be considered to be publicly-held for this purpose.

If the Shares cease to be listed on the NASDAQ, the market for the Shares could be adversely affected. It is possible that the Shares would be traded on other securities exchanges (with trades published by such exchanges), the OTC Bulletin Board or in a local or regional over—the—counter market. The extent of the public market for the Shares and the availability of such quotations would, however, depend upon the number of holders of Shares and the aggregate market value of the Shares remaining at such time, the interest in maintaining a market in the Shares on the part of securities firms, the possible termination of registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act and other factors.

Exchange Act Registration. The Shares currently are registered under the Exchange Act. The purchase of the Shares pursuant to the Offer may result in the Shares becoming eligible for deregistration under the Exchange Act. Registration of the Shares may be terminated by the Company upon application to the SEC if the outstanding Shares are not listed on a “national securities exchange” and if there are fewer than 300 holders of record of Shares.

 

 

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We do not currently intend to seek to cause the Company to apply for termination of registration of the Shares prior to the completion of the Merger.

If registration of the shares is not terminated prior to the Merger, then the registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act will be terminated following completion of the Merger.

Margin Regulations. The Shares are currently “margin securities” under the regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”), which has the effect, among other things, of allowing brokers to extend credit using such Shares as collateral. Depending upon factors similar to those described above regarding listing and market quotations, following the Offer, the Shares may no longer constitute “margin securities” for purposes of the margin regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, in which event the Shares would be ineligible as collateral for margin loans made by brokers.

 

14. Dividends and Distributions.

As discussed in Section 11—“The Merger Agreement,” the Merger Agreement provides that from the date of the Merger Agreement to the Effective Time, without the prior written approval of Parent, the Company will not, and will not allow its subsidiaries to, declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution with respect to the outstanding Shares.

 

15. Certain Conditions of the Offer.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Offer, but subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, and in addition to (and not in limitation of) the rights and obligations of Purchaser to extend and/or amend the Offer pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser (i) shall not be required to accept for payment or, subject to any applicable rules and regulations of the SEC (including Rule 14e-1(c) promulgated under the Exchange Act (relating to the obligation of Purchaser to pay for or return Shares tendered in the Offer promptly after termination or withdrawal of the Offer)), pay for any Shares tendered in the Offer, and (ii) may delay the acceptance for payment of or, subject to the rules and regulations referred to in clause (i) above, the payment for, any Shares tendered in the Offer, in the event that at or prior to the Expiration Time:

 

    The Minimum Condition shall not have been satisfied;

 

    There shall be any law or order (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent in nature) enacted, enforced, amended, issued, in effect or deemed applicable to the Offer or the Merger, by any governmental entity, the effect of which is to, or would reasonably be expected to, directly or indirectly, make illegal or otherwise prohibit or materially delay consummation of the Offer or the Merger;

 

   

(i) The representations and warranties of the Company set forth in the Merger Agreement (other than certain representations and warranties with respect to the Company’s capitalization, the Company Subsidiary, the Company’s corporate authority, the approvals required to adopt the Merger Agreement and the Merger, the absence of certain changes or events, takeover provisions, stockholder rights plans, and broker fees) (without giving effect to any materiality or Company Material Adverse Effect qualifications set forth therein) shall not be true and correct as of the date of the Merger Agreement or as of the Expiration Time as though made on and as of such date (except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall not be true and correct as of such earlier date), except where any failures of any such representations and warranties to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect; (ii) certain representations and warranties of the Company set forth with respect to the Company Subsidiary, the Company’s corporate authority, the approvals required to adopt the Merger Agreement and the Merger, takeover provisions, stockholder rights plans and brokers fees (without giving effect to any materiality or Company Material Adverse

 

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Effect qualifications set forth therein) shall not be true and correct in all material respects as of the date of the Agreement or as of the Expiration Time as though made on and as of such date; (iii) certain representations and warranties of the Company set forth with respect to the Company’s capitalization (without giving effect to any materiality or Company Material Adverse Effect qualifications set forth therein) shall not be true and correct in all respects as of the date of the Merger Agreement or as of the Expiration Time as though made on and as of such date subject only to de minimis exceptions; or (iv) certain representations and warranties of the Company set forth with respect to the absence of a Company Material Adverse Effect are not true and correct, without disregarding the Company Material Adverse Effect qualification contained therein, as of the date of the Agreement or as of the Expiration Time as though made on and as of such date;

 

    The Company shall have failed to perform in all material respects all obligations required to be performed by it under the Merger Agreement, and such failure to perform shall not have been cured prior to the Expiration Time;

 

    Parent shall not have received a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by the chief executive officer of the Company to the effect that none of the conditions in two bullet points immediately above this one shall have occurred and be continuing;

 

    Since the date of the Merger Agreement, there shall have occurred any changes events, circumstances or developments that have had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect;

 

    There shall be instituted, pending or threatened in writing immediately prior to the Expiration Time any legal, administrative, arbitral or other suit, claim, charge, complaint, action, inquiry, grievance, mediation, proceeding, audit or investigation of any nature to which any governmental entity is or is threatened to become a party against Parent, Purchaser or the Company seeking to restrain or prohibit the acquisition of or payment for Shares pursuant to the Offer or the consummation of the Merger; or

 

    The Merger Agreement shall have been terminated in accordance with its terms, or any event shall have occurred which gives Parent the right to terminate the Merger Agreement pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement.

The conditions to the Offer are for the sole benefit of Parent and Purchaser and may be asserted by Parent and Purchaser regardless of the circumstances (including any action or inaction by Parent or Purchaser, other than any action or inaction in breach of the Merger Agreement) giving rise to such condition, in whole or in part at any applicable time or from time to time in its sole discretion prior to the expiration of the Offer, and all conditions (except for the Minimum Condition, which may be waived by Parent and Purchaser only with the prior written consent of the Company) may be waived by Parent and Purchaser, in their sole discretion, in whole or in part at any applicable time or from time to time, in each case subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC.

 

16. Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals.

General. Except as described in this Section 16, Purchaser is not aware of any pending legal proceeding relating to the Offer. Except as described in this Section 16, based on its examination of publicly available information filed by the Company with the SEC and other publicly available information concerning the Company, Purchaser is not aware of any governmental license or regulatory permit that appears to be material to the Company’s business that might be adversely affected by Purchaser’s acquisition of Shares as contemplated herein or of any approval or other action by any governmental, administrative or regulatory authority or agency, domestic or foreign, that would be required for the acquisition or ownership of Shares by Purchaser or Parent as contemplated herein. Should any such approval or other action be required, Purchaser currently contemplates that, except as described below under “State Takeover Laws,” such approval or other action will be sought. While Purchaser does not currently intend to delay acceptance for payment of Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer pending the outcome of any such matter, there can be no assurance that any such approval or other action,

 

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if needed, would be obtained or would be obtained without substantial conditions or that if such approvals were not obtained or such other actions were not taken, adverse consequences might not result to the Company’s business, or certain parts of the Company’s business might not have to be disposed of, any of which could cause Purchaser to elect to terminate the Offer without the purchase of Shares thereunder under certain conditions. See Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer.”

State Takeover Laws. A number of states (including Virginia, where the Company is incorporated) have adopted takeover laws and regulations which purport, to varying degrees, to be applicable to attempts to acquire securities of corporations which are incorporated in such states or which have substantial assets, stockholders, principal executive offices or principal places of business therein.

In general, Section 13.1-725 et seq. of the VSCA prevents a Virginia corporation from engaging in an “affiliated transaction” (defined to include mergers and certain other actions) with an “interested stockholder” (including a person who owns or has the right to acquire 10% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting stock) for a period of three years following the time such person became an “interested stockholder” unless the “affiliated transaction” is approved by the board of directors of such corporation before such person became an “interested stockholder” or another stated exception applies. The Board of Directors has approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option, the Support Agreement, and the Merger, for purposes of Section 13.1-725 et seq.

Based on information supplied by the Company and the approval of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement by the Board of Directors, we do not believe that any other state takeover statutes or similar laws purport to apply to the Offer or the Merger. Except as described herein, neither Parent nor the Company has currently attempted to comply with any state takeover statute or regulation. We reserve the right to challenge the applicability or validity of any state law purportedly applicable to the Offer or the Merger and nothing in this Offer to Purchase or any action taken in connection with the Offer or the Merger is intended as a waiver of such right. If it is asserted that any state takeover statute is applicable to the Offer or the Merger and an appropriate court does not determine that it is inapplicable or invalid as applied to the Offer or the Merger, we might be required to file certain information with, or to receive approvals from, the relevant state authorities, and we might be unable to accept for payment or pay for Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer, or be delayed in consummating the Offer or the Merger. In such case, we may not be obligated to accept payment or pay for any Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer. See Section 15—“Certain Conditions of the Offer” of this Offer to Purchase.

Antitrust Compliance. We believe that no regulatory filings are required to consummate the Offer and the Merger in compliance with any antitrust laws.

 

17. Fees and Expenses.

Parent and Purchaser have retained Okapi Partners LLC to be the Information Agent and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. to be the Depositary in connection with the Offer. The Information Agent may contact holders of Shares by mail, telephone, telecopy and personal interview and may request brokers, bankers and other nominees to forward materials relating to the Offer to beneficial owners of Shares.

The Information Agent and the Depositary each will receive reasonable and customary compensation for their respective services in connection with the Offer, will be reimbursed for reasonable and customary expenses and will be indemnified against certain liabilities and expenses in connection therewith, including certain liabilities under federal securities laws.

Neither Parent nor Purchaser will pay any fees or commissions to any broker or dealer or to any other person (other than to the Depositary and the Information Agent) in connection with the solicitation of tenders of Shares pursuant to the Offer. Brokers, bankers and other nominees will, upon request, be reimbursed by Purchaser for customary mailing and handling expenses incurred by them in forwarding offering materials to their customers.

 

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18. Miscellaneous

The Offer is not being made to (nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of) holders of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. However, Purchaser may, in its discretion, take such action as it may deem necessary to make the Offer in any such jurisdiction and to extend the Offer to holders of Shares in such jurisdiction.

No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representation on behalf of Parent or Purchaser not contained herein or in the Letter of Transmittal and, if given or made, such information or representation must not be relied upon as having been authorized.

Purchaser has filed with the SEC a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO pursuant to Rule 14d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, together with exhibits furnishing certain additional information with respect to the Offer, and may file amendments thereto. A copy of such documents, and any amendments thereto, may be examined at, and copies may be obtained from, the SEC in the manner set forth under Section 7—“Certain Information Concerning the Company.”

 

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SCHEDULE I

DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF PARENT AND PURCHASER

Directors and Executive Officers of Parent. The name, current principal occupation or employment and material occupations, positions, offices or employment for the past five (5) years of each director and executive officer of Parent are set forth below. Unless otherwise indicated, each occupation set forth opposite an individual’s name refers to employment with Parent. The business address of each director and officer is Danaher Corporation, 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 800W, Washington, D.C. 20037-1701. All directors and executive officers listed below are United States citizens. Directors are identified by an asterisk. Unless otherwise indicated, the titles referenced below refer to titles with Danaher Corporation.

 

Name

   Age     

Current Principal Occupation or

Employment and Five-Year Employment History

Thomas P. Joyce, Jr.*

     54      

Mr. Joyce has served on Parent’s board of directors and as Parent’s President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2014.

Mr. Joyce joined Parent in 1989 and served in leadership positions in a variety of different functions and businesses before his promotion to President and Chief Executive Officer.

Donald J. Ehrlich*

     77       Mr. Ehrlich has served on Parent’s board of directors since 1985. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Schwab Corp., a manufacturer of fire-protective safes, files, cabinets and vault doors, from January 2003 until his retirement in July 2008, and has also served on the boards of private and non-profit organizations.

Linda Hefner Filler*

     55       Ms. Hefner Filler has served on Parent’s board of directors since 2005. She has served as President of Retail Products and Chief Merchandising Officer of Walgreen Co., a national drugstore chain, since January 2015. From March 2013 until June 2014, Ms. Hefner Filler served as President, North America of Claire’s Stores, Inc., a specialty retailer; from May 2007 to June 2012, as Executive Vice President of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., an operator of retail stores and warehouse clubs, and from April 2009 to June 2012 also as Chief Merchandising Officer for Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart; and from May 2004 through December 2006, as Executive Vice President - Global Strategy for Kraft Foods Inc., a food and beverage company.

Teri List-Stoll*

     52       Ms. List-Stoll has served on Parent’s board of directors since September 2011. She served as Senior Advisor to Kraft Foods Group, Inc., a food and beverage company, from March 2015 to May 2015 after serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from December 2013 to February 2015 and as Senior Vice President of Finance from September 2013 to December 2013. Prior to joining Kraft Foods Group, Ms. List-Stoll served from 1994 to September 2013 in a series of progressively more responsible positions in the accounting and finance organization of The Procter & Gamble Company, a consumer goods company, most recently as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. Prior to joining Procter & Gamble, Ms. List-Stoll was employed by the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche for almost ten years. Ms. List-Stoll is a member of the board of directors of Microsoft Corporation.

 

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Name

   Age     

Current Principal Occupation or

Employment and Five-Year Employment History

Walter G. Lohr, Jr.*

     71       Mr. Lohr has served on Parent’s board of directors since 1983. He was a partner of Hogan Lovells, a global law firm, for over five years until retiring in June 2012 and has also served on the boards of private and non-profit organizations.

Mitchell P. Rales*

     58       Mr. Rales is a co-founder of Parent and has served on Parent’s board of directors since 1983, serving as Chairman of the Executive Committee of Parent since 1984. He was also President of Parent from 1984 to 1990. In addition, for more than the past five years he has been a principal in private and public business entities in the manufacturing area. Mr. Rales is also a member of the board of directors of Colfax Corporation, and is a brother of Steven M. Rales.

Steven M. Rales*

     63       Mr. Rales is a co-founder of Parent and has served on Parent’s board of directors since 1983, serving as Parent’s Chairman of the Board since 1984. He was also CEO of Parent from 1984 to 1990. In addition, for more than the past five years he has been a principal in a private business entity in the area of film production. Mr. Rales is a brother of Mitchell P. Rales.

John T. Schwieters*

     75       Mr. Schwieters has served on Parent’s board of directors since 2003. He has been a Senior Executive of Perseus, LLC, a merchant bank and private equity fund management company, since May 2012 after serving as Senior Advisor from March 2009 to May 2012 and as Vice Chairman from April 2000 to March 2009, and has also served as Principal of Perseus Realty, LLC since July 2013. Within the past five years Mr. Schwieters has served as a director of Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Alan G. Spoon*

     63       Mr. Spoon has served on Parent’s board of directors since 1999. He has served as Partner Emeritus of Polaris Partners, a company that invests in private technology and life science firms, since December 2014. Mr. Spoon has been a partner at Polaris since May 2000, and served as Managing General Partner from 2000 to 2010. Mr. Spoon is also a member of the board of directors of IAC/InterActiveCorp.

Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.*

     63       Dr. Zerhouni has served on Parent’s board of directors since 2009. Dr. Zerhouni has served as President, Global Research & Development, for Sanofi-Aventis, a global pharmaceutical company, since January 2011. From 1996 to 2002, Dr. Zerhouni served as Chair of the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vice Dean for Research and Executive Vice Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. From 2002 to November 2008, Dr. Zerhouni served as director of the National Institutes of Health, and from November 2008 to December 2010 he provided advisory and consulting services to various non-profit and other organizations as Chairman and President of Zerhouni Holdings.

Daniel L. Comas

     51       Mr. Comas has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Parent since 2005.

 

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Name

   Age     

Current Principal Occupation or

Employment and Five-Year Employment History

Mark A. Beck

     49       Mr. Beck has served as Parent’s Executive Vice President since April 2014. Prior to joining Parent, Mr. Beck served for eighteen years at Corning, Inc., a manufacturer of specialty glass, ceramics and related materials, in functions including business development, manufacturing strategy, marketing and general management, including most recently as Executive Vice President, Environmental Technologies and Life Sciences from January 2010 to March 2014.

William K. Daniel II

     50       Mr. Daniel has served as Executive Vice President since 2008.

James A. Lico

     49       Mr. Lico has served as Executive Vice President since 2005.

James H. Ditkoff

     68       Mr. Ditkoff has served as Senior Vice President - Finance and Tax since 2002.

William H. King

     47       Mr. King has served as Senior Vice President - Strategic Development, since May 2014 after serving as Vice President - Strategic Development from May 2005 until May 2014.

Angela S. Lalor

     49       Ms. Lalor has served as Senior Vice President - Human Resources since April 2012. Prior to joining Parent, Ms. Lalor served for 22 years in a series of progressively more responsible positions in the human resources department of 3M Company, a global manufacturing company, including most recently as Senior Vice President, Human Resources.

Robert S. Lutz

     57       Mr. Lutz served as Vice President - Chief Accounting Officer from March 2003 to February 2010 and has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since February 2010.

Daniel A. Raskas

     48       Mr. Raskas joined Parent as Vice President - Corporate Development in November 2004 and has served as Senior Vice President - Corporate Development since February 2010.

 

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Table of Contents

DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF PURCHASER

The name, current principal occupation or employment and material occupations, positions, offices or employment for the past five (5) years, of each director and executive officer of Purchaser are set forth below. Unless otherwise indicated, each occupation set forth opposite an individual’s name refers to employment with Purchaser. The business address of each director and officer is Danaher Corporation, 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 800W, Washington, D.C. 20037-1701. All directors and executive officers listed below are United States citizens. Directors are identified by an asterisk.

 

Name

   Age     

Current Principal Occupation or

Employment and Five-Year Employment History

Daniel L. Comas*

     51       Director and President of Purchaser since Purchaser was formed, Mr. Comas has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Parent since 2005.

Robert S. Lutz*

     57       Director, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary of Purchaser since Purchaser was formed, Mr. Lutz served as Vice President—Chief Accounting Officer of Parent from March 2003 to February 2010 and has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since February 2010.

Daniel A. Raskas

     48       Vice President of Purchaser since Purchaser was formed, Mr. Raskas joined Parent as Vice President—Corporate Development in November 2004 and has served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development since February 2010.

 

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Table of Contents

The Letter of Transmittal, certificates for Shares and any other required documents should be sent by each stockholder of the Company or such stockholder’s broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to the Depositary as follows:

The Depositary for the Offer is:

 

LOGO

 

By First Class Mail:

 

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions Voluntary Offer

P.O. Box 43011

Providence, RI 02940-3011

By Registered Mail or Overnight Courier:

 

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions Voluntary Offer

250 Royall Street

Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

By Facsimile:

(For Eligible Institutions Only)

(617) 360-6810

Confirm Facsimile Transmission:

(781) 575-2332

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at the telephone numbers and address set forth below. Questions or requests for assistance or additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, this Letter of Transmittal and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be directed to the Information Agent at the address and telephone numbers set forth below. Stockholders may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank or trust company for assistance concerning the Offer.

The Information Agent for the Offer is

 

LOGO

Okapi Partners LLC

437 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Shareholders may call toll free (877) 285-5990

Banks and brokers may call collect (212) 297-0720



Exhibit (a)(1)(B)

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

To Tender Shares of Common Stock

of

SUTRON CORPORATION, a Virginia corporation

at

$8.50 NET PER SHARE

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase dated June 26, 2015

by

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP., a Virginia corporation

and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of

DANAHER CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation

 

THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M.,

NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

The Depositary for the Offer is:

 

LOGO

 

By First Class Mail:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions

Voluntary Offer

P.O. Box 43011

Providence, RI 02940-3011

By Registered Mail or Overnight Courier:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions

Voluntary Offer

250 Royall Street

Suite V

Canton, MA 02021


Delivery of this Letter of Transmittal to an address other than as set forth above will not constitute a valid delivery to the Depositary (as defined below). You must sign this Letter of Transmittal in the appropriate space provided therefor below, with signature guaranteed, if required, and complete the IRS Form W-9 included in this Letter of Transmittal, or an applicable IRS Form W-8, if required. You must include your original certificate(s) with this Letter of Transmittal. The instructions set forth in this Letter of Transmittal should be read carefully before this Letter of Transmittal is completed.

 

DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY SHARES TENDERED
   

Name(s) and Address(es) of Registered Holder(s)

(Please fill in, if blank, exactly as name(s) appear(s) on

Share Certificate(s))

  

Company Shares Tendered

(Attach additional signed list, if necessary)

      Certificate
Number(s)
and/or indicate
book-entry
  

Total Number of
Company Shares
Represented by Share

Certificate(s)

  

Total Number of

Company Shares

Tendered(1, 2)

                
                
                
                
     

Total Company Shares

 

     

 

(1) If shares are held in book-entry form you must indicate the number of Company Shares you are tendering.
(2) Unless otherwise indicated, all Company Shares represented by Share Certificates or book-entry position delivered to the Depository will be deemed to have been tendered. See Instruction 4.

The Offer (as defined below) is not being made to (nor will tender of Company Shares (as defined below) be accepted from or on behalf of) stockholders in any jurisdiction where it would be illegal to do so.

This Letter of Transmittal is to be used by stockholders of Sutron Corporation (the “Company”) if certificates for Company Shares (“Share Certificates”) are to be forwarded herewith or if Company Shares are held in book-entry form on the records of the Depositary (pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase).

Stockholders whose Share Certificates are not immediately available, or who cannot complete the procedure for book-entry transfer on a timely basis, or who cannot deliver all other required documents to the Depositary prior to the Expiration Time (as defined in Section 1 of the Offer to Purchase), must tender their Company Shares according to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase in order to participate in the Offer. See Instruction 2. Delivery of documents to the Depositary Trust Company does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.

If any Share Certificate(s) you are tendering with this Letter of Transmittal has been lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated, then you should contact Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Transfer Agent (the “Transfer Agent”), at (800) 546-5141, regarding the requirements for replacement. You may be required to post a bond to secure against the risk that the Share Certificate(s) may be subsequently recirculated. You are urged to contact the Transfer Agent immediately in order to receive further instructions, for a determination of whether you will need to post a bond and to permit timely processing of this documentation. See Instruction 11.

THE INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMPANYING THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS COMPLETED. REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE OR ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE AND THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL MAY BE MADE TO OR OBTAINED FROM THE INFORMATION AGENT AT THE ADDRESS OR TELEPHONE NUMBERS SET FORTH BELOW.

 

2


Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned hereby tenders to Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation (“Purchaser”) and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), the above described shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Company Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), pursuant to Purchaser’s offer to purchase all outstanding Company Shares, at a purchase price of $8.50 per share, net to the tendering stockholder in cash, without interest and less any required withholding taxes (the “Offer Price”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated June 26, 2015 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and in this Letter of Transmittal (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, this “Letter of Transmittal” and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”).

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (and if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms and conditions of any such extension or amendment) and subject to, and effective upon, acceptance for payment of Company Shares validly tendered herewith and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Time in accordance with the terms of the Offer, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers to or upon the order of Purchaser all right, title and interest in and to all Company Shares that are being tendered hereby (and any and all dividends, distributions, rights, other Company Shares or other securities issued or issuable in respect thereof on or after June 26, 2015 (collectively, “Distributions”)) and irrevocably constitutes and appoints Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Depositary”) the true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact of the undersigned with respect to such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions), with full power of substitution (such power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest in the Company Shares tendered by this Letter of Transmittal), to (i) deliver Share Certificates for such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions) or transfer ownership of such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions) on the account books maintained by DTC, together, in any such case, with all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity, to or upon the order of Purchaser, (ii) present such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions) for transfer on the books of the Company and (iii) receive all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions), all in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer.

By executing this Letter of Transmittal, the undersigned hereby irrevocably appoints Daniel L. Comas and Robert S. Lutz, and any other designees of Purchaser, and each of them, as attorneys-in-fact and proxies of the undersigned, each with full power of substitution, (i) to vote at any annual or special meeting of the Company’s stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof or otherwise in such manner as each such attorney-in-fact and proxy or its, his or her substitute shall in its, his or her sole discretion deem proper with respect to, (ii) to execute any written consent concerning any matter as each such attorney-in-fact and proxy or its, his or her substitute shall in its, his or her sole discretion deem proper with respect to and (iii) to otherwise act as each such attorney-in-fact and proxy or its, his or her substitute shall in its, his or her sole discretion deem proper with respect to, all Company Shares (and any and all Distributions) tendered hereby and accepted for payment by Purchaser. This appointment will be effective if and when, and only to the extent that, Purchaser accepts such Company Shares for payment pursuant to the Offer. This power of attorney and proxy are irrevocable and are granted in consideration of the acceptance for payment of such Company Shares in accordance with the terms of the Offer. Such acceptance for payment shall, without further action, revoke any prior powers of attorney and proxies granted by the undersigned at any time with respect to such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions), and no subsequent powers of attorney, proxies, consents or revocations may be given by the undersigned with respect thereto (and, if given, will be deemed ineffective). Purchaser reserves the right to require that, in order for Company Shares to be deemed validly tendered, immediately upon Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of such Company Shares, Purchaser or its designees must be able to exercise full voting, consent and other rights with respect to such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions), including voting at any meeting of the Company’s stockholders.

 

3


The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer any and all Company Shares tendered hereby (and any and all Distributions) and that, when the same are accepted for payment by Purchaser, Purchaser will acquire good, marketable and unencumbered title to such Company Shares (and any and all Distributions), free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances, and the same will not be subject to any adverse claims. The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned is the registered owner of the Company Shares, or the Share Certificate(s) have been endorsed to the undersigned in blank, or the undersigned is a participant in DTC whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of the Company Shares. The undersigned will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional documents deemed by the Depositary or Purchaser to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of any and all Company Shares tendered hereby (and any and all Distributions). In addition, the undersigned shall promptly remit and transfer to the Depositary for the account of Purchaser all Distributions in respect of any and all Company Shares tendered hereby, accompanied by appropriate documentation of transfer, and, pending such remittance and transfer or appropriate assurance thereof, Purchaser shall be entitled to all rights and privileges as owner of each such Distribution and may deduct from the purchase price of Company Shares tendered hereby the amount or value of such Distribution as determined by Purchaser in its sole discretion.

All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred shall not be affected by, and shall survive, the death or incapacity of the undersigned, and any obligation of the undersigned hereunder shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators, personal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy, successors and assigns of the undersigned. Except as stated in the Offer to Purchase, this tender is irrevocable.

The undersigned hereby acknowledges that delivery of any original Share Certificate shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to such Share Certificate shall pass, only upon the proper delivery of such Share Certificate to the Depositary.

The undersigned understands that the valid tender of Company Shares pursuant to any of the procedures described in the Offer to Purchase and in the Instructions hereto will constitute the undersigned’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Offer. Purchaser’s acceptance of such Company Shares for payment will constitute a binding agreement between the undersigned and Purchaser upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer (and if the Offer is extended or amended, the terms of or the conditions of any such extension or amendment).

 

4


SPECIAL PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS

(See Instructions 1, 5, 6 and 7)

SPECIAL PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
   

To be completed ONLY if the check for the purchase price of Company Shares accepted for payment is to be issued in the name of someone other than the undersigned.

 

Issue to:

 

Name                                                                          

(Please Print)

 

Address                                                                      

 

 

(Also Complete IRS Form W-9

Included Herein or an Applicable IRS Form W-8)

To be completed ONLY if the check for the purchase price of Company Shares accepted for payment is to be sent to someone other than the undersigned or to the undersigned at an address other than that shown under “Description of Company Shares Tendered”.

 

Mail To:

 

Name                                                                      

(Please Print)

 

Address                                                                  

 

 

(Also Complete IRS Form W-9

Included Herein or an Applicable IRS Form W-8)

 

 

5


 

IMPORTANT

STOCKHOLDER: YOU MUST SIGN HERE

(Please complete and return the IRS Form W-9 included in this Letter of Transmittal

or an applicable IRS Form W-8)

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

(Please Sign)

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Signature(s) of Holder(s) of Company Shares
 

Dated:                     , 2015

 

Name(s)                                                                                                                                                                   

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

(Please Print)

Capacity (full title)                                                                                                                                                   

 

(See Instruction 5)                                                                                                                                                   

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

(Include Zip Code)

Address                                                                                                                                                                   

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Area Code and Telephone No.                                                                                                                                

 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Must be signed by registered holder(s) exactly as name(s) appear(s) on Share Certificate(s) or on a security position listing or by person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by Share Certificates and documents transmitted herewith. If signature is by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, agent, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, you must obtain a signature guarantee, please set forth full title and see Instruction 5.

 

Guarantee of Signature(s)

(If Required—See Instructions 1 and 5)

 

APPLY MEDALLION GUARANTEE STAMP BELOW

 

 

6


INSTRUCTIONS

FORMING PART OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE OFFER

1. Guarantee of Signatures. No medallion signature guarantee is required on this Letter of Transmittal if this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of Company Shares tendered herewith, unless such registered holder(s) has completed the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions” on the Letter of Transmittal or the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal is a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, agent, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity. See Instruction 5.

2. Requirements of Tender. This Letter of Transmittal is to be completed by stockholders if certificates are to be forwarded herewith or Company Shares are held in book-entry form on the records of the Depositary. Share Certificates evidencing tendered Company Shares, as well as this Letter of Transmittal (or a facsimile hereof), properly completed and duly executed, with any required medallion signature guarantees, and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth herein prior to the Expiration Time. Stockholders whose Share Certificates are not immediately available, or who cannot complete the procedure for delivery by book-entry transfer on a timely basis or who cannot deliver all other required documents to the Depositary prior to the Expiration Time, may tender their Company Shares by properly completing and duly executing a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in “Procedures for Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares” in the Offer to Purchase. Pursuant to such procedure: (i) such tender must be made by or through an Eligible Institution (as defined in the Offer to Purchase); (ii) a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, must be received by the Depositary prior to the Expiration Time; and (iii) the Share Certificates (or a book-entry confirmation) evidencing all tendered Company Shares, in proper form for transfer, in each case together with the Letter of Transmittal (or a facsimile thereof), properly completed and duly executed, with any required medallion signature guarantees and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary within three (3) NASDAQ (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) trading days after the date of execution of such Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. If Share Certificates are forwarded separately to the Depositary, a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal must accompany each such delivery. Company Shares delivered by a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery do not need to be counted by Purchaser toward the satisfaction of the Minimum Condition and therefore it is preferable for Company Shares to be tendered by the other methods described herein.

The method of delivery of this Letter of Transmittal, original Share Certificates and all other required documents, including delivery through DTC, is at the election and the risk of the tendering stockholder and the delivery of all such documents will be deemed made (and the risk of loss and title to Share Certificates will pass) only when actually received by the Depositary (including, in the case of book-entry transfer, by book-entry confirmation). If delivery is by mail, registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured, is recommended. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery prior to the expiration of the Offer.

Purchaser will not accept any alternative, conditional or contingent tenders, and no fractional Company Shares will be purchased. By executing this Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile thereof), the tendering stockholder waives any right to receive any notice of the acceptance for payment of Company Shares.

3. Inadequate Space. If the space provided herein is inadequate, Share Certificate numbers, the number of Company Shares represented by such Share Certificates and/or the number of Company Shares tendered should be listed on a signed separate schedule attached hereto.

4. Partial Tenders. If fewer than all of the Company Shares evidenced by any Share Certificate or book-entry position are to be tendered, fill in the number of Company Shares that are to be tendered in the box entitled “Number of Company Shares Tendered.” In this case, new Share Certificates or a new book-entry position for the Company Shares that were evidenced by your old Share Certificates or book entry position, but were not tendered by you, will be sent to you or established for you, as applicable, unless otherwise provided in the

 

7


appropriate box on this Letter of Transmittal, as soon as practicable after the Expiration Time. All Company Shares represented by Share Certificates or book-entry position delivered to the Depositary will be deemed to have been tendered unless indicated.

5. Signatures on Letter of Transmittal; Stock Powers and Endorsements.

(a) Exact Signatures. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of Company Shares tendered hereby, then the signature(s) must correspond with the name(s) as written on the face of such Share Certificates for such Company Shares without alteration, enlargement or any change whatsoever.

(b) Holders. If any Company Shares tendered hereby are held of record by two or more persons, then all such persons must sign this Letter of Transmittal.

(c) Different Names on Share Certificates. If any Company Shares tendered hereby are registered in different names on different Share Certificates, then it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate Letters of Transmittal as there are different registrations of Share Certificates.

(d) Endorsements. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of Company Shares tendered hereby, then no endorsements of Share Certificates for such Company Shares or separate stock powers are required unless payment of the purchase price is to be made, or Company Shares not tendered or not purchased are to be returned, in the name of any person other than the registered holder(s). Signatures on any such Share Certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder(s) of Company Shares tendered hereby, then such Share Certificates for such Company Shares must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case, signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear(s) on such Share Certificates for such Company Shares. Signature(s) on any such Share Certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution. See Instruction 1.

If this Letter of Transmittal or any Share Certificate or stock power is signed by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or other legal entity or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, then such person should so indicate when signing, and proper evidence satisfactory to the Depositary of the authority of such person so to act must be submitted.

6. Stock Transfer Taxes. Except as otherwise provided in this Instruction 6, Purchaser or any successor entity thereto will pay all stock transfer taxes with respect to the transfer and sale of any Company Shares to it or its successor pursuant to the Offer (for the avoidance of doubt, transfer taxes do not include United States federal income tax or backup withholding taxes). If, however, payment of the Offer Price is to be made to, or if Share Certificate(s) for Company Shares not tendered or not accepted for payment are to be registered in the name of, any person(s) other than the registered holder(s), or if tendered Share Certificate(s) are registered in the name of any person(s) other than the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal, then the amount of any stock transfer taxes or other taxes required by reason of the payment to a person other than the registered holder(s) of such Share Certificate (in each case whether imposed on the registered holder(s) or such other person(s)) payable on account of the transfer to such other person(s) will be deducted from the Offer Price of such Company Shares purchased unless evidence satisfactory to Purchaser of the payment of such taxes, or exemption therefrom, is submitted.

Except as provided in this Instruction 6, it will not be necessary for transfer tax stamps to be affixed to Share Certificate(s) evidencing the Company Shares tendered hereby.

7. Special Payment. If a check is to be issued in the name of a person other than the signer of this Letter of Transmittal the appropriate boxes on this Letter of Transmittal must be completed.

 

 

8


8. IRS Form W-9 or IRS Form W-8. To avoid backup withholding, a tendering stockholder that is a United States person (as defined for United States federal income tax purposes) is required to provide the Depositary with a correct Taxpayer Identification Number (“TIN”) on IRS Form W-9, which is included herein following “Important Tax Information” below, and to certify, under penalties of perjury, that such number is correct and that such stockholder is not subject to backup withholding of federal income tax, and that such stockholder is a United States person (as defined for United States federal income tax purposes). If the tendering stockholder has been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that such stockholder is subject to backup withholding, such stockholder must cross out item (2) of the Certification section of the IRS Form W-9, unless such stockholder has since been notified by the IRS that such stockholder is no longer subject to backup withholding. Failure to provide the information on the IRS Form W-9 may subject the tendering stockholder to federal income tax withholding on the payment of the purchase price of all Company Shares purchased from such stockholder.

Certain stockholders (including, among others, all corporations and certain foreign individuals and entities) may not be subject to backup withholding. Exempt foreign stockholders should submit an appropriate and properly completed applicable IRS Form W-8, a copy of which may be obtained from the Depositary or www.irs.gov, in order to avoid backup withholding. Such stockholders should consult a tax advisor to determine which Form W-8 is appropriate.

See the instructions enclosed with the IRS Form W-9 included in this Letter of Transmittal for more instructions.

9. Irregularities. All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including, without limitation, time of receipt) and acceptance for payment of any tender of Company Shares will be determined by Purchaser in its reasonable discretion. Purchaser reserves the absolute right to reject any and all tenders it determines are not in proper form or the acceptance for payment of which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be unlawful. Purchaser also reserves the absolute right to waive any defect or irregularity in the tender of any Company Shares of any particular stockholder, whether or not similar defects or irregularities are waived in the case of other stockholders. No tender of Company Shares will be deemed to have been validly made until all defects and irregularities have been cured or waived to the satisfaction of Purchaser with respect to those Company Shares. None of Purchaser, the Depositary, the Information Agent or any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defects or irregularities in tenders or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification.

10. Requests for Additional Copies. Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at its address and telephone number set forth below or to your broker, dealer, commercial bank or trust company. Additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, this Letter of Transmittal, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and other tender offer materials may be obtained from the Information Agent as set forth below, and will be furnished at Purchaser’s expense.

11. Lost, Destroyed or Stolen Certificates. If any Share Certificate representing Company Shares has been lost, destroyed or stolen, then the stockholder should promptly notify the Company’s Transfer Agent at (800) 546-5141. The stockholder will then be instructed as to the steps that must be taken in order to replace such Share Certificate(s). This Letter of Transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing lost, destroyed or stolen Share Certificates have been followed.

This Letter of Transmittal, properly completed and duly executed, together with original Share Certificates representing Company Shares being tendered (if applicable) and all other required documents, must be received before 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015, or the tendering stockholder must comply with the procedures for guaranteed delivery.

 

9


IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION

Under United States federal income tax law, a stockholder who is a United States person (as defined for United States federal income tax purposes) surrendering Company Shares must, unless an exemption applies, provide the Depositary (as payor) with the stockholder’s correct TIN on IRS Form W-9, a copy of which is included in this Letter of Transmittal. If the stockholder is an individual, then the stockholder’s TIN is such stockholder’s Social Security number. If the correct TIN is not provided, then the stockholder may be subject to a $50.00 penalty imposed by the IRS and payments of cash to the stockholder (or other payee) pursuant to the Offer may be subject to backup withholding of a portion of all payments of the purchase price.

Certain stockholders (including, among others, corporations and certain foreign individuals and entities) may not be subject to backup withholding and reporting requirements. In order for an exempt foreign stockholder to avoid backup withholding, such person should complete, sign and submit an appropriate IRS Form W-8, signed under penalties of perjury, attesting to his, her or its exempt status. An IRS Form W-8 can be obtained from the Depositary or www.irs.gov. Such stockholders should consult a tax advisor to determine which IRS Form W-8 is appropriate. Exempt stockholders, other than foreign stockholders, should furnish their TIN, check the “Exempt payee” box on the IRS Form W-9 and sign, date and return the IRS Form W-9 to the Depositary in order to avoid erroneous backup withholding. See the instructions enclosed with the IRS Form W-9 included in this Letter of Transmittal for additional instructions.

If backup withholding applies, the Depositary is required to withhold and pay over to the IRS a portion (currently, 28%) of any payment made to a stockholder. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the United States federal income tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If backup withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained from the IRS if required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

 

NOTE: FAILURE TO COMPLETE AND RETURN THE IRS FORM W-9 INCLUDED IN THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL MAY RESULT IN BACKUP WITHHOLDING OF A PORTION OF ANY PAYMENTS MADE TO YOU PURSUANT TO THE OFFER. PLEASE REVIEW THE ENCLOSED INSTRUCTIONS ENCLOSED WITH THE IRS FORM W-9 INCLUDED IN THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATE IF YOU WROTE “APPLIED FOR” IN THE SPACE FOR THE TIN ON THE IRS FORM W-9. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR TAX ADVISOR OR THE IRS.

 

CERTIFICATE OF AWAITING TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

 

I certify under penalties of perjury that a taxpayer identification number has not been issued to me, and either (1) I have mailed or delivered an application to receive a taxpayer identification number to the appropriate IRS Center or Social Security Administration Office, or (2) I intend to mail or deliver an application in the near future. I understand that if I do not provide a taxpayer identification number by the time of payment, a portion of all reportable payments made to me will be withheld, but that such amounts will be refunded to me if I then provide a Taxpayer Identification Number within sixty (60) days.

 

 

 

Signature

 

Date

 

 

10


The Depositary for the Offer is:

 

LOGO

 

By First Class Mail:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions

Voluntary Offer

P.O. Box 43011

Providence, RI 02940-3011

By Registered Mail or Overnight Courier:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions

Voluntary Offer

250 Royall Street

Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at the telephone numbers and address set forth below. Questions or requests for assistance or additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, this Letter of Transmittal and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be directed to the Information Agent at the address and telephone numbers set forth below. Stockholders may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank or trust company for assistance concerning the Offer.

The Information Agent for the Offer is:

 

LOGO

Okapi Partners LLC

437 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Shareholders may call toll free (877) 285-5990

Banks and brokers may call collect (212) 297-0720


 

Form      W-9

(Rev. December 2014)

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

 

Request for Taxpayer

Identification Number and Certification

 

Give Form to the

requester. Do not

send to the IRS.

Print or type

See

Specific Instructions

on page 2.

 

 

 

 1  Name (as shown on your income tax return). Name is required on this line; do not leave this line blank.

 

 

 

 2  Business name/disregarded entity name, if different from above

 

                             
   3  Check appropriate box for federal tax classification; check only one of the following seven boxes:           

Exemptions (codes apply only to

certain entities, not individuals; see

instructions on page 3):

 

Exempt payee code (if any)                 

Exemption from FATCA reporting

code (if any)                                       

 

(Applies to accounts maintained outside the U.S.)

 

  ¨   Individual/sole proprietor or
    single-member LLC    
  ¨   C Corporation       ¨   S Corporation       ¨   Partnership       ¨   Trust/estate               
  ¨   Limited liability company.
    Enter the tax  classification (C=C corporation, S=S corporation, P=partnership)  u                                  

 

   Note. For a single-member LLC that is disregarded, do not check LLC; check the appropriate box in
the line above for the tax classification of the single-member owner.

 

¨ Other (see instructions)  u

 

     
 

 

 5  Address (number, street, and apt. or suite no.)

 

      

 

  Requester’s name and address (optional)

 

 

 6  City, state, and ZIP code

 

         
    

 

 7  List account number(s) here (optional)

 

                        

 

Part I    Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

 

Enter your TIN in the appropriate box. The TIN provided must match the name given on line 1 to avoid backup withholding. For individuals, this is generally your social security number (SSN). However, for a resident alien, sole proprietor, or disregarded entity, see the Part I instructions on page 3. For other entities, it is your employer identification number (EIN). If you do not have a number, see How to get a TIN on page 3.

 

Note. If the account is in more than one name, see the instructions for line 1 and the chart on page 4 for guidelines on whose number to enter.

                 
 

Social security number

                               
  or
 

Employer identification number

                                 
Part II    Certification

Under penalties of perjury, I certify that:

 

1.   The number shown on this form is my correct taxpayer identification number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me); and

 

2.   I am not subject to backup withholding because: (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding; and

 

3.   I am a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person (defined below); and

 

4.   The FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that I am exempt from FATCA reporting is correct.

Certification instructions. You must cross out item 2 above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return. For real estate transactions, item 2 does not apply. For mortgage interest paid, acquisition or abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, contributions to an individual retirement arrangement (IRA), and generally, payments other than interest and dividends, you are not required to sign the certification, but you must provide your correct TIN. See the instructions on page 3.

 

Sign
Here
   Signature of
U.S. person  
u
     Date  u

 

General Instructions

Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless otherwise noted.

Future developments. Information about developments affecting Form W-9 (such as legislation enacted after we release it) is at www.irs.gov/fw9.

Purpose of Form

An individual or entity (Form W-9 requester) who is required to file an information return with the IRS must obtain your correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) which may be your social security number (SSN), individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN), or employer identification number (EIN), to report on an information return the amount paid to you, or other amount reportable on an information return. Examples of information returns include, but are not limited to, the following:

● Form 1099-INT (interest earned or paid)

● Form 1099-DIV (dividends, including those from stocks or mutual funds)

● Form 1099-MISC (various types of income, prizes, awards, or gross proceeds)

● Form 1099-B (stock or mutual fund sales and certain other transactions by brokers)

● Form 1099-S (proceeds from real estate transactions)

● Form 1099-K (merchant card and third party network transactions)

● Form 1098 (home mortgage interest), 1098-E (student loan interest), 1098-T (tuition)

● Form 1099-C (canceled debt)

● Form 1099-A (acquisition or abandonment of secured property)

Use Form W-9 only if you are a U.S. person (including a resident alien), to provide your correct TIN.

If you do not return Form W-9 to the requester with a TIN, you might be subject to backup withholding. See What is backup withholding? on page 2.

By signing the filled-out form, you:

1. Certify that the TIN you are giving is correct (or you are waiting for a number to be issued),

2. Certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, or

3. Claim exemption from backup withholding if you are a U.S. exempt payee. If applicable, you are also certifying that as a U.S. person, your allocable share of any partnership income from a U.S. trade or business is not subject to the withholding tax on foreign partners’ share of effectively connected income, and

4. Certify that FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that you are exempt from the FATCA reporting, is correct. See What is FATCA reporting? on page 2 for further information.

 

 

 

    Cat. No. 10231X  

Form W-9 (Rev. 12-2014)


Form W-9 (Rev. 12-2014)

Page 2

 

 

Note. If you are a U.S. person and a requester gives you a form other than Form W-9 to request your TIN, you must use the requester’s form if it is substantially similar to this Form W-9.

Definition of a U.S. person. For federal tax purposes, you are considered a U.S. person if you are:

● An individual who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien;

● A partnership, corporation, company, or association created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States;

● An estate (other than a foreign estate); or

● A domestic trust (as defined in Regulations section 301.7701-7).

Special rules for partnerships. Partnerships that conduct a trade or business in the United States are generally required to pay a withholding tax under section 1446 on any foreign partners’ share of effectively connected taxable income from such business. Further, in certain cases where a Form W-9 has not been received, the rules under section 1446 require a partnership to presume that a partner is a foreign person, and pay the section 1446 withholding tax. Therefore, if you are a U.S. person that is a partner in a partnership conducting a trade or business in the United States, provide Form W-9 to the partnership to establish your U.S. status and avoid section 1446 withholding on your share of partnership income.

In the cases below, the following person must give Form W-9 to the partnership for purposes of establishing its U.S. status and avoiding withholding on its allocable share of net income from the partnership conducting a trade or business in the United States:

● In the case of a disregarded entity with a U.S. owner, the U.S. owner of the disregarded entity and not the entity;

● In the case of a grantor trust with a U.S. grantor or other U.S. owner, generally, the U.S. grantor or other U.S. owner of the grantor trust and not the trust; and

● In the case of a U.S. trust (other than a grantor trust), the U.S. trust (other than a grantor trust) and not the beneficiaries of the trust.

Foreign person. If you are a foreign person or the U.S. branch of a foreign bank that has elected to be treated as a U.S. person, do not use Form W-9. Instead, use the appropriate Form W-8 or Form 8233 (see Publication 515, Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Entities).

Nonresident alien who becomes a resident alien. Generally, only a nonresident alien individual may use the terms of a tax treaty to reduce or eliminate U.S. tax on certain types of income. However, most tax treaties contain a provision known as a “saving clause.” Exceptions specified in the saving clause may permit an exemption from tax to continue for certain types of income even after the payee has otherwise become a U.S. resident alien for tax purposes.

If you are a U.S. resident alien who is relying on an exception contained in the saving clause of a tax treaty to claim an exemption from U.S. tax on certain types of income, you must attach a statement to Form W-9 that specifies the following five items:

1. The treaty country. Generally, this must be the same treaty under which you claimed exemption from tax as a nonresident alien.

2. The treaty article addressing the income.

3. The article number (or location) in the tax treaty that contains the saving clause and its exceptions.

4. The type and amount of income that qualifies for the exemption from tax.

5. Sufficient facts to justify the exemption from tax under the terms of the treaty article.

Example. Article 20 of the U.S.-China income tax treaty allows an exemption from tax for scholarship income received by a Chinese student temporarily present in the United States. Under U.S. law, this student will become a resident alien for tax purposes if his or her stay in the United States exceeds 5 calendar years. However, paragraph 2 of the first Protocol to the U.S.-China treaty (dated April 30, 1984) allows the provisions of Article 20 to continue to apply even after the Chinese student becomes a resident alien of the United States. A Chinese student who qualifies for this exception (under paragraph 2 of the first protocol) and is relying on this exception to claim an exemption from tax on his or her scholarship or fellowship income would attach to Form W-9 a statement that includes the information described above to support that exemption.

If you are a nonresident alien or a foreign entity, give the requester the appropriate completed Form W-8 or Form 8233.

Backup Withholding

What is backup withholding? Persons making certain payments to you must under certain conditions withhold and pay to the IRS 28% of such payments. This is called “backup withholding.” Payments that may be subject to backup withholding include interest, tax-exempt interest, dividends, broker and barter exchange transactions, rents, royalties, nonemployee pay, payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions, and certain payments from fishing boat operators. Real estate transactions are not subject to backup withholding.

You will not be subject to backup withholding on payments you receive if you give the requester your correct TIN, make the proper certifications, and report all your taxable interest and dividends on your tax return.

Payments you receive will be subject to backup withholding if:

1. You do not furnish your TIN to the requester,

2. You do not certify your TIN when required (see the Part II instructions on page 3 for details),

3. The IRS tells the requester that you furnished an incorrect TIN,

4. The IRS tells you that you are subject to backup withholding because you did not report all your interest and dividends on your tax return (for reportable interest and dividends only), or

5. You do not certify to the requester that you are not subject to backup withholding under 4 above (for reportable interest and dividend accounts opened after 1983 only).

Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding. See Exempt payee code on page 3 and the separate Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 for more information.

Also see Special rules for partnerships above.

What is FATCA reporting?

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) requires a participating foreign financial institution to report all United States account holders that are specified United States persons. Certain payees are exempt from FATCA reporting. See Exemption from FATCA reporting code on page 3 and the Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 for more information.

Updating Your Information

You must provide updated information to any person to whom you claimed to be an exempt payee if you are no longer an exempt payee and anticipate receiving reportable payments in the future from this person. For example, you may need to provide updated information if you are a C corporation that elects to be an S corporation, or if you no longer are tax exempt. In addition, you must furnish a new Form W-9 if the name or TIN changes for the account; for example, if the grantor of a grantor trust dies.

Penalties

Failure to furnish TIN. If you fail to furnish your correct TIN to a requester, you are subject to a penalty of $50 for each such failure unless your failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.

Civil penalty for false information with respect to withholding. If you make a false statement with no reasonable basis that results in no backup withholding, you are subject to a $500 penalty.

Criminal penalty for falsifying information. Willfully falsifying certifications or affirmations may subject you to criminal penalties including fines and/or imprisonment.

Misuse of TINs. If the requester discloses or uses TINs in violation of federal law, the requester may be subject to civil and criminal penalties.

Specific Instructions

Line 1

You must enter one of the following on this line; do not leave this line blank. The name should match the name on your tax return.

If this Form W-9 is for a joint account, list first, and then circle, the name of the person or entity whose number you entered in Part I of Form W-9.

a. Individual. Generally, enter the name shown on your tax return. If you have changed your last name without informing the Social Security Administration (SSA) of the name change, enter your first name, the last name as shown on your social security card, and your new last name.

 


Form W-9 (Rev. 12-2014)

Page 3

 

 

Note. ITIN applicant: Enter your individual name as it was entered on your Form W-7 application, line 1a. This should also be the same as the name you entered on the Form 1040/1040A/1040EZ you filed with your application.

b. Sole proprietor or single-member LLC. Enter your individual name as shown on your 1040/1040A/1040EZ on line 1. You may enter your business, trade, or “doing business as” (DBA) name on line 2.

c. Partnership, LLC that is not a single-member LLC, C Corporation, or S Corporation. Enter the entity’s name as shown on the entity’s tax return on line 1 and any business, trade, or DBA name on line 2.

d. Other entities. Enter your name as shown on required U.S. federal tax documents on line 1. This name should match the name shown on the charter or other legal document creating the entity. You may enter any business, trade, or DBA name on line 2.

e. Disregarded entity. For U.S. federal tax purposes, an entity that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner is treated as a “disregarded entity.” See Regulations section 301.7701-2(c)(2)(iii). Enter the owner’s name on line 1. The name of the entity entered on line 1 should never be a disregarded entity. The name on line 1 should be the name shown on the income tax return on which the income should be reported. For example, if a foreign LLC that is treated as a disregarded entity for U.S. federal tax purposes has a single owner that is a U.S. person, the U.S. owner’s name is required to be provided on line 1. If the direct owner of the entity is also a disregarded entity, enter the first owner that is not disregarded for federal tax purposes. Enter the disregarded entity’s name on line 2, “Business name/disregarded entity name.” If the owner of the disregarded entity is a foreign person, the owner must complete an appropriate Form W-8 instead of a Form W-9. This is the case even if the foreign person has a U.S. TIN.

Line 2

If you have a business name, trade name, DBA name, or disregarded entity name, you may enter it on line 2.

Line 3

Check the appropriate box in line 3 for the U.S. federal tax classification of the person whose name is entered on line 1. Check only one box in line 3.

Limited Liability Company (LLC). If the name on line 1 is an LLC treated as a partnership for U.S. federal tax purposes, check the “Limited Liability Company” box and enter “P” in the space provided. If the LLC has filed Form 8832 or 2553 to be taxed as a corporation, check the “Limited Liability Company” box and in the space provided enter “C” for C corporation or “S” for S corporation. If it is a single-member LLC that is a disregarded entity, do not check the “Limited Liability Company” box; instead check the first box in line 3 “Individual/sole proprietor or single-member LLC.”

Line 4, Exemptions

If you are exempt from backup withholding and/or FATCA reporting, enter in the appropriate space in line 4 any code(s) that may apply to you.

Exempt payee code.

● Generally, individuals (including sole proprietors) are not exempt from backup withholding.

● Except as provided below, corporations are exempt from backup withholding for certain payments, including interest and dividends.

● Corporations are not exempt from backup withholding for payments made in settlement of payment card or third party network transactions.

● Corporations are not exempt from backup withholding with respect to attorneys’ fees or gross proceeds paid to attorneys, and corporations that provide medical or health care services are not exempt with respect to payments reportable on Form 1099-MISC.

The following codes identify payees that are exempt from backup withholding. Enter the appropriate code in the space in line 4.

1—An organization exempt from tax under section 501(a), any IRA, or a custodial account under section 403(b)(7) if the account satisfies the requirements of section 401(f)(2)

2—The United States or any of its agencies or instrumentalities

3—A state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. commonwealth or possession, or any of their political subdivisions or instrumentalities

4—A foreign government or any of its political subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities

5—A corporation

6—A dealer in securities or commodities required to register in the United States, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or possession

7—A futures commission merchant registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission

8—A real estate investment trust

9—An entity registered at all times during the tax year under the Investment Company Act of 1940

10—A common trust fund operated by a bank under section 584(a)

11—A financial institution

12—A middleman known in the investment community as a nominee or custodian

13—A trust exempt from tax under section 664 or described in section 4947

The following chart shows types of payments that may be exempt from backup withholding. The chart applies to the exempt payees listed above, 1 through 13.

 

IF the payment is for . . .   THEN the payment is exempt
for . . .
Interest and dividend payments   All exempt payees except for 7
Broker transactions   Exempt payees 1 through 4 and 6 through 11 and all C corporations. S corporations must not enter an exempt payee code because they are exempt only for sales of noncovered securities acquired prior to 2012.
Barter exchange transactions and patronage dividends   Exempt payees 1 through 4
Payments over $600 required to be reported and direct sales over $5,0001  

Generally, exempt payees

1 through 52

Payments made in settlement of payment card or third party network transactions   Exempt payees 1 through 4

 

1  See Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, and its instructions.

 

2  However, the following payments made to a corporation and reportable on Form 1099-MISC are not exempt from backup withholding: medical and health care payments, attorneys’ fees, gross proceeds paid to an attorney reportable under section 6045(f), and payments for services paid by a federal executive agency.

Exemption from FATCA reporting code. The following codes identify payees that are exempt from reporting under FATCA. These codes apply to persons submitting this form for accounts maintained outside of the United States by certain foreign financial institutions. Therefore, if you are only submitting this form for an account you hold in the United States, you may leave this field blank. Consult with the person requesting this form if you are uncertain if the financial institution is subject to these requirements. A requester may indicate that a code is not required by providing you with a Form W-9 with “Not Applicable” (or any similar indication) written or printed on the line for a FATCA exemption code.

A—An organization exempt from tax under section 501(a) or any individual retirement plan as defined in section 7701(a)(37)

B—The United States or any of its agencies or instrumentalities

C—A state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. commonwealth or possession, or any of their political subdivisions or instrumentalities

D—A corporation the stock of which is regularly traded on one or more established securities markets, as described in Regulations section 1.1472-1(c)(1)(i)

E—A corporation that is a member of the same expanded affiliated group as a corporation described in Regulations section 1.1472-1(c)(1)(i)

F—A dealer in securities, commodities, or derivative financial instruments (including notional principal contracts, futures, forwards, and options) that is registered as such under the laws of the United States or any state

G—A real estate investment trust

 


Form W-9 (Rev. 12-2014)

Page 4

 

 

H—A regulated investment company as defined in section 851 or an entity registered at all times during the tax year under the Investment Company Act of 1940

I—A common trust fund as defined in section 584(a)

J—A bank as defined in section 581

K—A broker

L—A trust exempt from tax under section 664 or described in section 4947(a)(1)

M—A tax exempt trust under a section 403(b) plan or section 457(g) plan

Note. You may wish to consult with the financial institution requesting this form to determine whether the FATCA code and/or exempt payee code should be completed.

Line 5

Enter your address (number, street, and apartment or suite number). This is where the requester of this Form W-9 will mail your information returns.

Line 6

Enter your city, state, and ZIP code.

Part I. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

Enter your TIN in the appropriate box. If you are a resident alien and you do not have and are not eligible to get an SSN, your TIN is your IRS individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Enter it in the social security number box. If you do not have an ITIN, see How to get a TIN below.

If you are a sole proprietor and you have an EIN, you may enter either your SSN or EIN. However, the IRS prefers that you use your SSN.

If you are a single-member LLC that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner (see Limited Liability Company (LLC) on this page), enter the owner’s SSN (or EIN, if the owner has one). Do not enter the disregarded entity’s EIN. If the LLC is classified as a corporation or partnership, enter the entity’s EIN.

Note. See the chart on page 4 for further clarification of name and TIN combinations.

How to get a TIN. If you do not have a TIN, apply for one immediately. To apply for an SSN, get Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, from your local SSA office or get this form online at www.ssa.gov. You may also get this form by calling 1-800-772-1213. Use Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, to apply for an ITIN, or Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, to apply for an EIN. You can apply for an EIN online by accessing the IRS website at www.irs.gov/businesses and clicking on Employer Identification Number (EIN) under Starting a Business. You can get Forms W-7 and SS-4 from the IRS by visiting IRS.gov or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676).

If you are asked to complete Form W-9 but do not have a TIN, apply for a TIN and write “Applied For” in the space for the TIN, sign and date the form, and give it to the requester. For interest and dividend payments, and certain payments made with respect to readily tradable instruments, generally you will have 60 days to get a TIN and give it to the requester before you are subject to backup withholding on payments. The 60-day rule does not apply to other types of payments. You will be subject to backup withholding on all such payments until you provide your TIN to the requester.

Note. Entering “Applied For” means that you have already applied for a TIN or that you intend to apply for one soon.

Caution: A disregarded U.S. entity that has a foreign owner must use the appropriate Form W-8.

Part II. Certification

To establish to the withholding agent that you are a U.S. person, or resident alien, sign Form W-9. You may be requested to sign by the withholding agent even if items 1, 4, or 5 below indicate otherwise.

For a joint account, only the person whose TIN is shown in Part I should sign (when required). In the case of a disregarded entity, the person identified on line 1 must sign. Exempt payees, see Exempt payee code earlier.

Signature requirements. Complete the certification as indicated in items 1 through 5 below.

1. Interest, dividend, and barter exchange accounts opened before 1984 and broker accounts considered active during 1983. You must give your correct TIN, but you do not have to sign the certification.

2. Interest, dividend, broker, and barter exchange accounts opened after 1983 and broker accounts considered inactive during 1983. You must sign the certification or backup withholding will apply. If you are subject to backup withholding and you are merely providing your correct TIN to the requester, you must cross out item 2 in the certification before signing the form.

3. Real estate transactions. You must sign the certification. You may cross out item 2 of the certification.

4. Other payments. You must give your correct TIN, but you do not have to sign the certification unless you have been notified that you have previously given an incorrect TIN. “Other payments” include payments made in the course of the requester’s trade or business for rents, royalties, goods (other than bills for merchandise), medical and health care services (including payments to corporations), payments to a nonemployee for services, payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions, payments to certain fishing boat crew members and fishermen, and gross proceeds paid to attorneys (including payments to corporations).

5. Mortgage interest paid by you, acquisition or abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, qualified tuition program payments (under section 529), IRA, Coverdell ESA, Archer MSA or HSA contributions or distributions, and pension distributions. You must give your correct TIN, but you do not have to sign the certification.

What Name and Number To Give the Requester

 

For this type of account:   Give name and SSN of:
  1.     

Individual

  The individual
  2.      Two or more individuals (joint account)   The actual owner of the account or, if combined funds, the first individual on the account1
  3.      Custodian account of a minor (Uniform Gift to Minors Act)   The minor2
  4.     

a.   The usual revocable savings trust (grantor is also trustee)

  The grantor-trustee1
 

b.   So-called trust account that is not a legal or valid trust under state law

  The actual owner1
  5.      Sole proprietorship or disregarded entity owned by an individual   The owner3
  6.      Grantor trust filing under Optional Form 1099 Filing Method 1 (see Regulations section 1.671-4(b)(2)(i)(A))   The grantor*
For this type of account:   Give name and EIN of:
  7.      Disregarded entity not owned by an individual   The owner
  8.      A valid trust, estate, or pension trust   Legal entity4
  9.      Corporation or LLC electing corporate status on Form 8832 or Form 2553   The corporation
  10.      Association, club, religious, charitable, educational, or other tax-exempt organization   The organization
  11.      Partnership or multi-member LLC   The partnership
  12.      A broker or registered nominee   The broker or nominee
  13.      Account with the Department of Agriculture in the name of a public entity (such as a state or local government, school district, or prison) that receives agricultural program payments   The public entity
  14.      Grantor trust filing under the Form 1041 Filing Method or the Optional Form 1099 Filing Method 2 (see Regulations section 1.671-4(b)(2)(i)(B))   The trust
 


Form W-9 (Rev. 12-2014)

Page 5

 

 

 

1 List first and circle the name of the person whose number you furnish. If only one person on a joint account has an SSN, that person’s number must be furnished.

 

2  Circle the minor’s name and furnish the minor’s SSN.

 

3 You must show your individual name and you may also enter your business or DBA name on the “Business name/disregarded entity” name line. You may use either your SSN or EIN (if you have one), but the IRS encourages you to use your SSN.

 

4 List first and circle the name of the trust, estate, or pension trust. (Do not furnish the TIN of the personal representative or trustee unless the legal entity itself is not designated in the account title.) Also see Special rules for partnerships on page 2.

 

*  Note. Grantor also must provide a Form W-9 to trustee of trust.

Note. If no name is circled when more than one name is listed, the number will be considered to be that of the first name listed.

Secure Your Tax Records from Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, SSN, or other identifying information, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. An identity thief may use your SSN to get a job or may file a tax return using your SSN to receive a refund.

To reduce your risk:

● Protect your SSN,

● Ensure your employer is protecting your SSN, and

● Be careful when choosing a tax preparer.

If your tax records are affected by identity theft and you receive a notice from the IRS, respond right away to the name and phone number printed on the IRS notice or letter.

If your tax records are not currently affected by identity theft but you think you are at risk due to a lost or stolen purse or wallet, questionable credit card activity or credit report, contact the IRS Identity Theft Hotline at 1-800-908-4490 or submit Form 14039.

For more information, see Publication 4535, Identity Theft Prevention and Victim Assistance.

Victims of identity theft who are experiencing economic harm or a system problem, or are seeking help in resolving tax problems that have not been resolved through normal channels, may be eligible for Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) assistance. You can reach TAS by calling the TAS toll-free case intake line at 1-877-777-4778 or TTY/TDD 1-800-829-4059.

Protect yourself from suspicious emails or phishing schemes. Phishing is the creation and use of email and websites designed to mimic legitimate business emails and websites. The most common act is sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.

The IRS does not initiate contacts with taxpayers via emails. Also, the IRS does not request personal detailed information through email or ask taxpayers for the PIN numbers, passwords, or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank, or other financial accounts.

If you receive an unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS, forward this message to phishing@irs.gov. You may also report misuse of the IRS name, logo, or other IRS property to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484. You can forward suspicious emails to the Federal Trade Commission at: spam@uce.gov or contact them at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338).

Visit IRS.gov to learn more about identity theft and how to reduce your risk.

 

 

Privacy Act Notice

Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code requires you to provide your correct TIN to persons (including federal agencies) who are required to file information returns with the IRS to report interest, dividends, or certain other income paid to you; mortgage interest you paid; the acquisition or abandonment of secured property; the cancellation of debt; or contributions you made to an IRA, Archer MSA, or HSA. The person collecting this form uses the information on the form to file information returns with the IRS, reporting the above information. Routine uses of this information include giving it to the Department of Justice for civil and criminal litigation and to cities, states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and possessions for use in administering their laws. The information also may be disclosed to other countries under a treaty, to federal and state agencies to enforce civil and criminal laws, or to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism. You must provide your TIN whether or not you are required to file a tax return. Under section 3406, payers must generally withhold a percentage of taxable interest, dividend, and certain other payments to a payee who does not give a TIN to the payer. Certain penalties may also apply for providing false or fraudulent information.

 



Exhibit (a)(1)(C)

NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY

For Tender of Shares of Common Stock

of

SUTRON CORPORATION, a Virginia corporation

at

$8.50 NET PER SHARE

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase dated June 26, 2015

by

SATELITTE ACQUISITION CORP., a Virginia corporation and an

indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of

DANAHER CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation.

 

THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW

YORK CITY TIME, ON MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, UNLESS THE OFFER IS

EXTENDED.

This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, or one substantially in the form hereof, must be used to accept the Offer (as defined below) if (i) certificates representing shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation, are not immediately available, (ii) the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed prior to the expiration of the Offer or (iii) time will not permit all required documents to reach Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Depositary”) prior to the expiration of the Offer. This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be delivered by mail, facsimile transmission or overnight courier to the Depositary. See Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase (as defined below).

The Depositary for the Offer is:

COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.

 

By First Class Mail:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions Voluntary Offer

P.O. Box 43011

Providence, RI 02940-3011

By Registered Mail or Overnight Courier:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Attn: Corporate Actions Voluntary Offer

250 Royall Street,

Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

By Facsimile:

(For Eligible Institutions Only)

(617) 360-6810

Confirm Facsimile Transmission:

(781) 575-2332

This is for confirmation of a fax only. All questions regarding the offer should be directed to the Information Agent.

DELIVERY OF THIS INSTRUMENT TO AN ADDRESS, OR TRANSMISSION OF INSTRUCTIONS VIA FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION, OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY.

THIS FORM IS NOT TO BE USED TO GUARANTEE SIGNATURES. IF A SIGNATURE ON A LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS REQUIRED TO BE GUARANTEED BY AN “ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION” UNDER THE INSTRUCTIONS THERETO, SUCH SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MUST APPEAR IN THE APPLICABLE SPACE PROVIDED IN THE SIGNATURE BOX ON THE APPROPRIATE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

The Eligible Institution (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) that completes this form must communicate the guarantee to the Depositary and must deliver the Letter of Transmittal (as defined below) or an Agent’s Message (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) and certificates for Shares to the Depositary within the time period shown herein. Failure to do so could result in a financial loss to such Eligible Institution.


Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned hereby tenders to Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the offer to purchase, dated June 26, 2015 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), and the related Letter of Transmittal (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal” and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”), receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the number of shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation, specified below, pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.

 

Number of Shares and Certificate No(s)

(if available)

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

Check here if Shares will be tendered by book entry transfer.

 

Name of Tendering Institution:                                                                                                                                     

 

DTC Account Number:                                                                                                                                                 

 

Dated:                     , 2015

 

 

Name(s) of Record Holder(s):

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        

(Please type or print)

 

Address(es):                                                                                                                                                                   

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        

(zip code)

Area Code and Tel. No                                                                                                                                                  

(Daytime telephone number)

 

Signature(s):                                                                                                                                                                   

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

 

2


GUARANTEE

(Not to be used for signature guarantee)

 

The undersigned, an Eligible Institution (defined in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase), hereby (i) represents that the tender of Shares effected hereby complies with Rule 14e-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and (ii) guarantees delivery to the Depositary, at one of its addresses set forth above, of certificates representing the Shares tendered hereby, in proper form for transfer, or a confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such Shares into the Depositary’s account at DTC (pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase), in either case together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile thereof) or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message (defined in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase), together with any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, all within three (3) NASDAQ (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) trading days after the date hereof.

 

Name of Firm:                                                                                                                                                            

 

Address:                                                                                                                                                                     

 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

(Zip Code)    

 

Area Code and Tel. No.:                                                                                                                                          

 

(Authorized Signature)

 

Name:                                                                                                                                                                       

 

(Please type or print)

 

Title:                                                                                                                                                                          

 

Date:                                                                                                                                                                          

 

NOTE: DO NOT SEND CERTIFICATES REPRESENTING TENDERED SHARES WITH THIS NOTICE. CERTIFICATES REPRESENTING TENDERED SHARES SHOULD BE SENT WITH YOUR LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

 

3



Exhibit (a)(1)(D)

Offer To Purchase For Cash

All Outstanding Shares of Common Stock

of

SUTRON CORPORATION, a Virginia corporation

at

$8.50 NET PER SHARE

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase dated June 26, 2015

by

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP., a Virginia corporation

and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of

DANAHER CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation.

 

THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

June 26, 2015

To Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees:

We have been engaged by Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation (“Purchaser”) and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation, to act as Information Agent in connection with Purchaser’s offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), at a purchase price of $8.50 per Share, net to the seller in cash without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated June 26, 2015 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), and the related Letter of Transmittal (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal” and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”) enclosed herewith. Please furnish copies of the enclosed materials to those of your clients for whom you hold Shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee.

For your information and for forwarding to your clients for whom you hold Shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, we are enclosing the following documents:

 

  1. The Offer to Purchase;

 

  2. The Letter of Transmittal for your use in accepting the Offer and tendering Shares and for the information of your clients, which includes an IRS Form W-9 relating to backup federal income tax withholding;

 

 

Certain conditions to the Offer are described in Section 15 of the Offer to Purchase.

 

 

We urge you to contact your clients as promptly as possible. Please note that the Offer and

withdrawal rights will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015,

unless the Offer is extended. Previously tendered Shares may be withdrawn at any time

until the Offer has expired.


  3. A Notice of Guaranteed Delivery to be used to accept the Offer if the Shares and all other required documents cannot be delivered to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Depositary”) by the expiration date of the Offer or if the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed by the expiration date of the Offer;

 

  4. A form of letter which may be sent to your clients for whose accounts you hold Shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, with space provided for obtaining such clients’ instructions with regard to the Offer; and

 

  5. A return envelope addressed to the Depositary for your use only.

For Shares to be properly tendered pursuant to the Offer, (i) the share certificates or confirmation of receipt of such Shares under the procedure for book-entry transfer, together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal, including any required medallion signature guarantees, or an “Agent’s Message” (as defined in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase) in the case of book-entry transfer, and any other documents required in the Letter of Transmittal, must be timely received by the Depositary or (ii) the tendering stockholder must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures, all in accordance with the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal.

Purchaser will not pay any fees or commissions to any broker or dealer or other person (other than the Depositary and the Information Agent as described in the Offer to Purchase) for soliciting tenders of Shares pursuant to the Offer. Purchaser will, however, upon request, reimburse brokers, dealers, commercial banks and trust companies for reasonable and necessary costs and expenses incurred by them in forwarding materials to their customers. Purchaser will pay all stock transfer taxes applicable to its purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer, subject to Instruction 6 of the Letter of Transmittal.

Any inquiries you may have with respect to the Offer should be addressed to, and additional copies of the enclosed materials may be obtained from, the undersigned at the addresses and telephone numbers set forth on the back cover of the Offer to Purchase.

 

Very truly yours,

 

OKAPI PARTNERS LLC

Nothing contained herein or in the enclosed documents shall render you the agent of Purchaser, the Information Agent or the Depositary or any affiliate of any of them or authorize you or any other person to use any document or make any statement on behalf of any of them in connection with the Offer other than the enclosed documents and the statements contained therein.



Exhibit (a)(1)(E)

Offer To Purchase For Cash

All Outstanding Shares of Common Stock

of

SUTRON CORPORATION, a Virginia corporation

at

$8.50 NET PER SHARE

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase dated June 26, 2015

by

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP., a Virginia corporation and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of DANAHER CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation.

 

THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK

CITY TIME, ON MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

June 26, 2015

To Our Clients:

Enclosed for your consideration are the Offer to Purchase, dated June 26, 2015 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), and the related Letter of Transmittal (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal” and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”) in connection with the offer by Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation (the “Purchaser”) and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), at a purchase price of $8.50 per Share, net to the seller in cash without interest, less any applicable withholding taxes (the “Per Share Amount”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer.

Also enclosed is the Company’s Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9.

We or our nominees are the holder of record of Shares held for your account. A tender of such Shares can be made only by us as the holder of record and pursuant to your instructions. The Letter of Transmittal accompanying this letter is furnished to you for your information only and cannot be used by you to tender Shares held by us for your account.

We request instructions as to whether you wish us to tender any or all of the Shares held by us for your account, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the enclosed Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal.

Please note carefully the following:

 

  1. The offer price for the Offer is $8.50 per Share, net to you in cash without interest, less any applicable withholding taxes.

 

  2. The Offer is being made for all outstanding Shares.

 


  3. The Offer is being made in connection with the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Merger Agreement”), among Parent, the Purchaser and the Company, pursuant to which, after the completion of the Offer and the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth therein, Purchaser and Company will merge (the “Merger”).

 

  4. The board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), has unanimously determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) and the Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Accordingly, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends that the Company’s stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the Virginia Stock Corporation Act, vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement.

 

  5. The Offer and withdrawal rights will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Monday, July 27, 2015, unless the Offer is extended by the Purchaser. Previously tendered Shares may be withdrawn at any time until the Offer has expired.

 

  6. The Offer is subject to certain conditions described in Section 15 of the Offer to Purchase.

 

  7. Any transfer taxes applicable to the sale of Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer will be paid by the Purchaser, except as otherwise provided in the Letter of Transmittal.

If you wish to have us tender any or all of your Shares, then please so instruct us by completing, executing, detaching and returning to us the Instruction Form on the detachable part hereof. An envelope to return your instructions to us is enclosed. If you authorize tender of your Shares, then all such Shares will be tendered unless otherwise specified on the Instruction Form.

Your prompt action is requested. Your Instruction Form should be forwarded to us in ample time to permit us to submit the tender on your behalf before the expiration of the Offer.

The Offer is not being made to, nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of, holders of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.


INSTRUCTION FORM

With Respect to the Offer To Purchase For Cash

All Outstanding Shares of Common Stock

of

SUTRON CORPORATION, a Virginia corporation

at

$8.50 NET PER SHARE

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase dated June 26, 2015

by

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP., a Virginia corporation

and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of

DANAHER CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation.

The undersigned acknowledge(s) receipt of your letter and the enclosed Offer to Purchase, dated June 26, 2015 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), and the related Letter of Transmittal (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal” and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”), in connection with the offer by Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation (the “Purchaser”) and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation, at a purchase price of $8.50 per Share, net to the seller in cash without interest, less any applicable withholding taxes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer.

The undersigned hereby instruct(s) you to tender to the Purchaser the number of Shares indicated below or, if no number is indicated, all Shares held by you for the account of the undersigned, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer.

ACCOUNT NUMBER:                                         

NUMBER OF SHARES BEING TENDERED HEREBY:              SHARES*

The method of delivery of this document is at the election and risk of the tendering stockholder. If delivery is by mail, then registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured, is recommended. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.

 

* Unless otherwise indicated, it will be assumed that all Shares held by us for your account are to be tendered.

 

  Dated:                     , 2015

 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

(Signatures(s))

 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

(Please Print Name(s))

 

Address :                                                                                                                                                                    

 

(Include Zip Code)

 

Area Code and Telephone No.                                                                                                                                  

 

Taxpayer Identification or Social Security No.                                                                                                       

 



Exhibit (a)(1)(G)

This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell Shares (as defined below). The Offer (as defined below) is made solely by the Offer to Purchase (as defined below), dated June 26, 2015, and the related Letter of Transmittal (as defined below) and any amendments or supplements thereto. The Offer is not being made to (nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of) holders of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction or any administrative or judicial action pursuant thereto. Purchaser (as defined below) may, in its discretion, take such action as it deems necessary to make the Offer to holders of Shares in such jurisdiction. In those jurisdictions where applicable laws require that the Offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of Purchaser by one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction to be designated by Purchaser.

Notice of Offer to Purchase for Cash

All Outstanding Shares of Common Stock

of

Sutron Corporation

at

$8.50 Net Per Share

by

Satellite Acquisition Corp.,

an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of

Danaher Corporation

Satellite Acquisition Corp., a Virginia corporation (“Purchaser”), and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), offers to purchase for cash all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $ 0.01 (“Shares”), of Sutron Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the “Company”), at a price of $8.50 per Share, net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon and less any applicable withholding taxes (the “Per Share Amount”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated June 26, 2015 (as may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), and in the related Letter of Transmittal (as may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal” and, together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”). Tendering stockholders who have Shares registered in their names and who tender directly to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Depositary”) will not be obligated to pay brokerage fees or commissions or, except as set forth in the Letter of Transmittal, transfer taxes on the purchase of Shares by Purchaser pursuant to the Offer. Stockholders who hold their Shares through a broker or bank should consult with such institution as to whether it charges any service fees or commissions.

 

THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK

CITY TIME, ON JULY 27, 2015, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

The Offer is being made pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2015, by and among Parent, Purchaser and the Company (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, after completion of the Offer and the satisfaction or waiver of certain limited conditions, Purchaser will be merged with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the


Company continuing as the surviving corporation in the Merger, and each issued and outstanding Share (other than Shares held by Parent or Purchaser immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger) will, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of the holder thereof, be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to the Per Share Amount. As a result of the Merger, the Company will cease to be a publicly traded company and will become an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. The Merger Agreement is more fully described in the Offer to Purchase.

The Offer is not subject to a financing condition. The Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, (i) there having been validly tendered in accordance with the terms of the Offer and not validly withdrawn prior to the then scheduled expiration of the Offer a number of Shares that, together with the Shares then owned by Parent and Purchaser (if any) represents 66 2/3% of the sum of the number of Shares then issued and outstanding plus all Shares which the Company may be required to issue as of such date upon the vesting (including vesting solely as a result of the consummation of the Offer or the Merger), conversion or exercise of all stock options, restricted stock units and other derivative securities, including warrants, options (other than the Top-Up Option (as defined below)), convertible or exchangeable securities or other rights to acquire Shares, regardless of the conversion or exercise price or other terms and conditions thereof (the foregoing condition is referred to as the “Minimum Condition”), (ii) no law or order (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent in nature) will have been enacted, enforced, amended, issued, in effect or deemed applicable to the Offer or the Merger by any governmental entity which makes illegal, or would reasonably be expected to, make illegal or otherwise prohibits or materially delays the consummation of the Offer or the Merger, and (iii) since the date of the Merger Agreement, there shall not have occurred any changes, events, circumstances or developments that have had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the Company. The Offer is also subject to a number of other conditions. Parent and Purchaser can waive (but not otherwise alter) some of the conditions to the Offer without the consent of the Company. Parent and Purchaser cannot, however, waive the Minimum Condition without the consent of the Company.

The purpose of the Offer is for Parent, through Purchaser, to acquire control of, and the entire equity interest in, the Company. Following the consummation of the Offer, Purchaser intends to effect the Merger.

After careful consideration, the board of directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”), has unanimously determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Offer, the Top-Up Option and the Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Accordingly, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends that the Company’s stockholders accept the Offer, tender their Shares to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer and, if required by the Virginia Stock Corporation Act (the “VSCA”), vote in favor of the adoption and approval of the Merger Agreement.

The Company has granted to Purchaser an assignable and irrevocable option (the “Top-Up Option”) to purchase at the Per Share Amount, at any time at or after the initial acceptance for payment by Purchaser of Shares pursuant to the Offer and prior to the earlier of the effective time of the Merger and the termination of the Merger Agreement, such number of newly-issued Shares equal to the

 

2


number of Shares that, when added to the number of Shares owned by Parent and Purchaser at the time of the exercise of the Top-Up Option, constitutes one Share more than the number of Shares necessary for Purchaser to be merged into the Company pursuant to Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA; provided, however, that (i) the Top-Up Option shall not be exercisable for a number of Shares in excess of the Shares that the Company is authorized to issue under the Company’s articles of incorporation but that are not issued and outstanding (and are not subscribed for or otherwise committed to be issued) at the time of exercise of the Top-Up Option, and (ii) the exercise of the Top-Up Option and the issuance and delivery of the Shares thereunder shall not be prohibited by any governmental order. The Top–Up Option is intended to expedite the timing of the completion of the Merger by permitting Purchaser to effect a “short-form” merger pursuant to Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA at a time when the approval of the Merger at a meeting of the Company’s stockholders would be assured because of Parent’s and Purchaser’s ownership of at least 66 2/3% of the Shares following completion of the Offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, in the event that, following consummation of the Offer, any subsequent offering period or the exercise of the Top-Up Option, the adoption of the Merger Agreement by the stockholders of the Company is not required by applicable law in order to consummate the Merger, Parent, Purchaser and the Company will take all necessary and appropriate action to cause the Merger to become effective as soon as practicable after the consummation of the Offer in accordance with Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA without convening a meeting of the stockholders of the Company.

Subject to the provisions of the Merger Agreement and the applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and The Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”), Purchaser reserves the right to waive any of the terms and conditions of the Offer; provided that the Minimum Condition may be waived by Purchaser, and the other terms and conditions of the Offer described in the Offer to Purchase may altered by Purchaser, only with the prior written consent of the Company. The Merger Agreement provides that Purchaser will, so long as neither the Company nor Parent terminates the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, extend the Offer for any period required by any rule, regulation, interpretation or position of the SEC or its staff or NASDAQ that is applicable to the Offer. In the event that any of the conditions to the Offer are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, Purchaser may extend the Offer for successive periods of up to thirty (30) business days each. In addition, if any of the conditions to the Offer are not yet satisfied or waived as of any then scheduled expiration date of the Offer, the Merger Agreement also provides that Purchaser will also be required to extend the Offer for successive extension periods of up to ten (10) business days. The Merger Agreement provides that Purchaser has no obligation to extend the Offer beyond the End Date. The “End Date” means September 19, 2015, or such later date by which Parent, Purchaser and the Company mutually agree in writing.

Following Purchaser’s acceptance of Shares tendered in the Offer, if Parent and Purchaser do not own a number of Shares sufficient to enable Purchaser to be merged into the Company pursuant to Section 13.1-719 of the VSCA (assuming exercise of the Top-Up Option in full), Purchaser may extend the Offer for a subsequent offering period of not less than three (3) business days nor more than twenty (20) business days in the aggregate for all subsequent offering periods in accordance with Rule 14d-11 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). No withdrawal rights apply to Shares tendered in a subsequent offering period, and no withdrawal rights apply during a subsequent offering period with respect to Shares previously tendered in the Offer and accepted for payment.

 

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Any extension, delay, termination, waiver or amendment of the Offer will be followed as promptly as practicable by public announcement thereof, and such announcement in the case of an extension will be made no later than 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration of the Offer.

For purposes of the Offer, Purchaser will be deemed to have accepted for payment, and thereby purchased, Shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn, if and when Purchaser gives oral or written notice to the Depositary of Purchaser’s acceptance for payment of such Shares pursuant to the Offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer, Purchaser will pay for Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer by depositing the Per Share Amount therefor with the Depositary, which will act as agent for the tendering stockholders for the purpose of receiving payments from Purchaser and transmitting such payments to tendering stockholders whose Shares have been accepted for payment. Under no circumstances will interest be paid on the consideration paid for Shares pursuant to the Offer, regardless of any extension of the Offer or any delay in payment for Shares. In all cases, Purchaser will pay for Shares tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer only after timely receipt by the Depositary of (i) certificates evidencing such Shares or confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such Shares into the Depositary’s account at The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Offer to Purchase, (ii) a Letter of Transmittal, properly completed and duly executed, with any required signature guarantees or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) in lieu of the Letter of Transmittal, and (iii) any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal.

Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer may be withdrawn at any time on or before the expiration of the Offer and, unless therefore accepted for payment as provided in the Offer to Purchase, tenders of Shares may also be withdrawn after the date that is 60 days from the date of the Offer to Purchase, unless previously accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. Except as otherwise provided in the Offer to Purchase, tenders of Shares are irrevocable. For a withdrawal of Shares to be effective, the Depositary must receive, at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of the Offer to Purchase, a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal before the Offer has expired or the Shares have been accepted for payment. Any such notice of withdrawal must specify the name of the person having tendered the Shares to be withdrawn, the number of Shares to be withdrawn and the name of the registered holder of the Shares to be withdrawn, if different from that of the person who tendered such Shares. The signature(s) on the notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), unless such Shares have been tendered for the account of any Eligible Institution. If Shares have been tendered pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfer as set forth in the Offer to Purchase, any notice of withdrawal must also specify the name and number of the account at DTC to be credited with the withdrawn Shares and must otherwise comply with DTC’s procedures. If certificates evidencing the Shares to be withdrawn have been delivered or otherwise identified to the Depositary, the name of the record owner and the serial numbers shown on such certificates must also be furnished to the Depositary prior to the physical release of such certificates. Purchaser will determine, in its reasonable discretion, all questions as to the form and validity (including time of receipt) of any notice of withdrawal, and such determination will be final and binding. No withdrawal of Shares

 

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will be deemed to have been properly made until all defects and irregularities have been cured or waived. None of Parent, Purchaser or any of their respective affiliates or assigns, the Depositary, the Information Agent (listed below) or any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defects or irregularities in any notice of withdrawal or incur any liability for failure to give such notification. Withdrawals of tenders of Shares may not be rescinded, and any Shares validly withdrawn will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for purposes of the Offer. However, validly withdrawn Shares may be retendered by following one of the procedures for tendering Shares described in the Offer to Purchase at any time prior to the expiration of the Offer or during any subsequent offering period (if any).

The Company has provided to Purchaser its list of stockholders and security position listings for the purpose of disseminating the Offer to holders of Shares. The Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal will be mailed to record holders of Shares whose names appear on the Company’s stockholder list and will be furnished to brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and similar persons whose names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on the stockholder list or, if applicable, who are listed as participants in a clearing agency’s security position listing for subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of Shares.

The receipt of cash as payment for the Shares pursuant to the Offer or pursuant to the Merger will be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes. For a summary of the material United States federal income tax consequences of the Offer and the Merger, see the Offer to Purchase. Each holder of Shares should consult its or his or her own tax advisor regarding the United States federal income tax consequences of the Offer and the Merger to it in light of its, his or her particular circumstances, as well as the income or other tax consequences that may arise under the laws of any United States local, state or federal or non-United States taxing jurisdiction and the possible effects of changes in such tax laws.

The information required to be disclosed by paragraph (d)(1) of Rule 14d-6 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act is contained in the Offer to Purchase and is incorporated herein by reference.

The Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal contain important information and both documents should be read carefully and in their entirety before any decision is made with respect to the Offer.

Questions and requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at the address and telephone number set forth below. Requests for copies of the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal may be directed to the Information Agent or to brokers, dealers, commercial banks or trust companies. Such copies will be furnished promptly at Purchaser’s expense. Purchaser will not pay any fees or commissions to any broker or dealer or any other person (other than the Depositary and the Information Agent as described in the Offer to Purchase) for soliciting tenders of Shares pursuant to the Offer.

 

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The Information Agent for the Offer is:

 

LOGO

437 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Stockholders may call toll free (877) 285-5990 Banks and brokers may call collect (212) 297-0720

June 26, 2015

 

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Exhibit (d)(3)

 

LOGO

CONFIDENTIAL

June 21, 2015

Raul S. McQuivey

Sutron Corporation

22400 Davis Dr.

Sterling, VA 20164

Ashish H. Raval

Sutron Corporation

22400 Davis Dr.

Sterling, VA 20164

Daniel W. Farrell

Sutron Corporation

22400 Davis Dr.

Sterling, VA 20164

Re: Agreement Regarding Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality

Dear Sirs:

This letter agreement (this “Letter Agreement”) is entered into as of June 21, 2015 by and among Danaher Corporation (“Parent”), Satellite Acquisition Corp. (“Merger Sub”), Raul S. McQuivey, Ashish H. Raval, and Daniel W. Farrell (each, an “Officer” and, collectively, the “Officers”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).

Whereas, contemporaneously with the execution of this Letter Agreement on the date hereof, Parent, Merger Sub, and Sutron Corporation (the “Company”) have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended, restated or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”) pursuant to which Merger Sub shall be merged with and into the Company with the Company remaining as the surviving corporation (the “Surviving Corporation”);

Whereas, each of the Officers is an officer of the Company;

Whereas, to induce Parent to enter into the Merger Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated thereby, Parent has required that the Officers enter into this Letter Agreement;

Now therefore, to induce and in consideration for Parent to enter into the Merger Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated thereby and in consideration of the promises and the representations, warranties and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:


1. Non-Competition, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality.

(a) Prohibited Activities. As further consideration for Parent and Merger Sub to enter into the Merger Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated thereby, each Officer severally and not jointly covenants and agrees with Parent and Merger Sub that, during the Restricted Period:

(i) such Officer shall not, and shall cause his present and future Affiliates not to, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatsoever, whether for or on behalf of himself or in conjunction with or on behalf of any other Person, whether as an officer, director, trustee, stockholder, beneficiary, owner, partner, member, joint venturer, investor, manager, employee, independent contractor, agent, consultant, adviser, sales representative or otherwise, engage in, invest in or manage, anywhere in the world where the Surviving Corporation, the Company, or a Company Subsidiary now operates or has ever operated, any business that is similar to the type of business conducted by the Surviving Corporation, the Company or any Company Subsidiary and that competes directly or indirectly with the business conducted or presently proposed to be conducted by the Surviving Corporation, the Company, or any Company Subsidiary; provided, however, that the ownership of less than 2% of the equity interests of any Person shall not be deemed to cause a violation of this Section 1(a)(i) as long as (x) such equity interests have been registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act or the laws of similar nature in any foreign jurisdiction and (y) neither the Officer nor any of his Affiliates manages or exercises control over any such Person or otherwise take part in any of its businesses; and

(ii) such Officer shall not, and shall cause his present and future Affiliates not to, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatsoever, whether for or on behalf of such Officer or in conjunction with or on behalf of any other Person: (x) employ or hire away any employee, contractor, subcontractor, consultant, sales representative, customer or vendor of the Surviving Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates (each, a “Restricted Person”) or (y) call upon, solicit or communicate with any Restricted Person for the purpose or with the intent of enticing, or in a manner reasonably likely to entice, such Restricted Person away from the Surviving Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates; and

(iii) such Officer shall not, and shall cause his present and future Affiliates not to, directly or indirectly, at any time, divulge, disclose or communicate to any Person in any manner whatsoever, information or statements which disparage or are intended to disparage the business conducted or presently proposed to be conducted by the Company or any Company Subsidiary, Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Corporation or any of their respective Affiliates and their respective business reputations. For purposes of this Section 1(a)(iii), the term “Parent” means Parent and any present or future Affiliate of Parent.

 

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Restricted Period” means (i) with respect to Raul S. McQuivey, a period of five (5) years from and following the Effective Time, (ii) with respect to Daniel W. Farrell, a period of four (4) years from and following the Effective Time, and (iii) with respect to Ashish H. Raval, a period of three (3) years from and following the Effective Time.

(b) Confidentiality. Each Officer recognizes that by reason of (i) his ownership of Shares in the Company and/or employment by the Company prior to the date hereof, (ii) the information provided by Parent to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, and (iii) the information each shall acquire concerning the Surviving Corporation by reason of any continuing employment, such Officer has acquired and/or may acquire Confidential Information (as defined below) of the Company, Parent, and Surviving Corporation, the use or disclosure of which may cause Parent, the Surviving Corporation and/or their respective Affiliates or Subsidiaries substantial loss and damages that may not be readily calculated and for which no remedy at Law would be adequate. Accordingly, each Officer, severally and not jointly, covenants and agrees with Parent that such Officer will not at any time after the Effective Time directly or indirectly, use, disclose or publish, or permit other Persons to disclose or publish, any Confidential Information or use any Confidential Information in a manner detrimental to the interests of Parent, the Surviving Corporation and/or their respective Affiliates and Subsidiaries, unless (A) the disclosing party obtains prior written consent from Parent or the Surviving Corporation, as applicable, to disclose such Confidential Information, (B) such information becomes generally known to the public through no fault of any Officer or his Affiliates, or (C) the disclosing party is advised in writing by counsel that disclosure is required by Law or Order of any Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction under applicable Law; provided that prior to disclosing any information pursuant to clause (C) above, such Person shall give prior written notice thereof to Parent and provide Parent with the opportunity to contest such disclosure and shall cooperate with efforts to prevent such disclosure. For purposes of this Section 1(b), the term “Confidential Information” means, as to any Person, (i) any information not generally known outside such Person that the disclosing party would reasonably believe to be of value to such Person including information that has not been disclosed to the public or to the trade with respect to such Person’s present or future business, operations, services, products, research, inventions, discoveries, drawings, designs, plans, processes, models, technical information, facilities, methods, trade secrets, copyrights, software, source code, systems, patents, procedures, manuals, specifications, any other intellectual property, confidential reports, price lists, pricing formulas, customer lists, financial information (including the revenues, costs or profits associated with any of such Person’s products or services), business plans, lease structures, projections, prospects, opportunities or strategies, acquisitions or mergers, advertising or promotions, personnel matters, legal matters, any other confidential and proprietary information, but excludes any information already in the public domain other than as a result of a disclosure by such Person in violation of this Section 1(b) and (ii) confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets that third parties entrust to such Person in confidence. Nothing in this Letter Agreement prohibits Officers from reporting possible violations of law to any governmental agency or entity or making other disclosures that are protected under whistleblower provisions of federal, state or local laws or regulations. Officers do not need prior consent or authorization from the Parent, the Surviving Corporation or the Company to make any reports or disclosures and Officers are not required to notify the Company that an Officer has made such a report or disclosure.

 

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(c) Reasonable Restraint. Each of the Officers acknowledges, in connection with the prohibited activities restrictions herein that: (i) the relevant market for the business conducted or presently proposed to be conducted by the Company or any Company Subsidiary is worldwide in scope, there exists intense worldwide competition for the products and services of the Surviving Corporation, and that the covenants in this Section 1 impose a reasonable restraint in light of the activities, businesses and plans of Parent, the Surviving Corporation and their respective Affiliates together with the compensation to be paid each by the Surviving Corporation and their individual proceeds resulting from the Merger Agreement; (ii) it is the intention of the parties that the entire goodwill of the Company and any Company Subsidiary and the business conducted or presently proposed to be conducted by the Surviving Corporation, the Company, or any Company Subsidiary be transferred to Parent as part of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the goodwill existing between the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and their clients, customers, suppliers, agents, employees, consultants, and other Persons under contract or otherwise associated or doing business with the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, on the other hand; (iii) parties hereto explicitly considered the value of the goodwill to be transferred in connection with Parent’s acquisition of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and that such goodwill is valued as a component of the consideration to be paid by Parent pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement; and (iv) the covenants set forth in this Section 1 are a material and substantial part of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement (supported by adequate consideration), and Parent’s failure to receive the entire goodwill contemplated by the Merger Agreement would have the effect of significantly reducing the value of the Company Common Stock and the Company to Parent.

(d) Submission to Jurisdiction; Reformation. Each of the parties hereto, on behalf of himself and his Affiliates, intend to and hereby accept jurisdiction of the courts of any jurisdiction within the geographical scope of the restrictions set forth in this Section 1 for the purpose of construing and enforcing such restrictions. In the event any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that the scope, time or territorial restrictions set forth in this Section 1 are unreasonable, then it is the intention of the parties that such restrictions be enforced to the fullest extent which the court deems reasonable and the Letter Agreement shall thereby be reformed. In addition, the determination by any court of one or more jurisdictions shall not bar or in any way affect Parent’s right to enforce the restrictions set forth in this Section 1 or obtain relief in the courts of any other jurisdictions, with such restrictions in such other jurisdictions being, for these purposes, severable into diverse and independent covenants.

(e) Independent Covenant. All of the covenants in this Section 1 shall be construed as an agreement independent of any other provision in this Letter Agreement, and the existence of any claim or cause of action against Parent, whether predicated on this Letter Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by Parent of such covenants. The parties expressly acknowledge that the terms and conditions of this Section 1 are independent of the terms and conditions of any other agreements including any employment agreements entered into by any Officer with Parent, the Company, the Surviving Corporation or any of their respective Subsidiaries or Affiliates. It is specifically agreed that the periods set forth in this Section 1 during which the agreements and covenants made in this Section 1 shall be effective, shall be computed by excluding from such computation any time during which the Person bound by such agreement or covenant is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have been in violation of any provision of this Section 1. The covenants contained in Section 1 shall not be affected by any breach of any other provision hereof by any party hereto.

 

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2. Waiver and Releases. Each Officer, on his, her or its own behalf and on behalf of his, her or its heirs, successors, assigns, executors and personal representatives, hereby irrevocably and unconditionally releases, relinquishes, waives and forever discharges the Surviving Corporation and its predecessors, successors, parents, Subsidiaries and Affiliates, together with each and every of their current and former officers, directors, securityholders, general partners, limited partners, members, employees and agents and the heirs, personal representatives and executors of the same (herein collectively referred to as the “Company Releasees”), from any and all suits, causes of action, complaints, disputes, controversies, liabilities, obligations, demands or claims of any kind, whether in law or in equity, fixed, contingent or absolute, direct or indirect, known or unknown, suspect or unsuspected, determined, determinable or otherwise, existing by law, contract or otherwise, whether or not involving any third party claim, which such Person ever had, now has, or may have in the future against the Company Releasees based upon action, inaction, event or matter occurring prior to the Effective Time or which may be hereafter claimed to arise out of any action, inaction, event or matter occurring prior to the Effective Time, including, without limitation, any rights to indemnification or reimbursement from the Company; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be deemed to release any claim which an Officer may have under the Merger Agreement, including, but not limited to, the right to receive the consideration contemplated by the Merger Agreement in accordance with the terms thereof, or any agreement executed and delivered in connection with the consummation of the Merger. The claims released pursuant to this Section 2 are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Released Claims.” Each Officer represents and warrants with respect to the Released Claims that such Officer has not in any manner assigned, pledged or otherwise voluntarily or involuntarily disposed of or transferred to any Person any interest in any Released Claims and that each of the Released Claims is hereby fully and finally discharged, settled and satisfied. In granting the foregoing wavier and releases, each Officer expressly waives any and all rights that he, she or it may have under any state or federal statute or any common law principle of similar effect regarding the release of unknown claims. Each Officer acknowledges that such Officer may hereafter discover facts different from, or in addition to, those that he, she or it knows or believes to be true with respect to the Released Claims, and agrees that the waiver and releases set forth in this Section 2 shall be and remain effective in all respects notwithstanding such different or additional facts or the discovery thereof. Each Officer acknowledges that he, she or it has had the opportunity to consult legal counsel with respect to the waiver and releases set forth in this Section 2.

3. Further Assurances. Each Officer will, from time to time, execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, such additional proxies, transfers, assignments, endorsements, consents and other instruments as Parent may reasonably request for the purpose of effectively carrying out the transactions contemplated by this Letter Agreement and the Merger Agreement.

4. Counterparts; Delivery by Facsimile or Email. This Letter Agreement may be executed by facsimile and in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. This Letter Agreement, and any amendments hereto,

 

5


waivers hereof or consents or notifications hereunder, to the extent signed and delivered by means of a facsimile machine or by email with facsimile or scan attachment, shall be treated in all manner and respects as an original contract and shall be considered to have the same binding legal effects as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered in person. At the request of any party, each other party shall re-execute original forms thereof and deliver them to all other parties. No party shall raise the use of a facsimile machine or email to deliver a signature or the fact that any signature or Contract was transmitted or communicated through the use of facsimile machine or by email with facsimile or scan attachment as a defense to the formation of a contract, and each such party forever waives any such defense.

5. Entire Agreement. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof.

6. Severability. If any term or other provision of this Letter Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Letter Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Letter Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible to the end that transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the greatest extent possible.

7. Specific Performance. The parties agree that irreparable damage would occur if any provision of this Letter Agreement were not performed in accordance with the terms hereof, and, accordingly, that the parties shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Letter Agreement or to enforce specifically the performance of the terms and provisions hereof, in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity. In any Action for specific performance, the parties will waive the defense of adequacy of a remedy at law, and the parties waive any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with the remedies referred to in this Section 7.

8. Headings. The headings contained in this Letter Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Letter Agreement.

9. Mutual Drafting. Each party has participated in the drafting of this Letter Agreement, which each party acknowledges is the result of extensive negotiations between the parties; accordingly, in the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Letter Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provisions of this Letter Agreement.

10. Interpretation. Unless the context otherwise requires, as used in this Letter Agreement: (i) “or” is not exclusive; (ii) “including” and its variants mean “including, without limitation” and its variants; (iii) words defined in the singular have the parallel meaning in the

 

6


plural and vice versa; (iv) words of one gender shall be construed to apply to each gender; (v) the words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Letter Agreement, refer to this Letter Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Letter Agreement and (vi) the term “Section” refers to the specified Section of or to this Letter Agreement.

11. No Agreement Until Executed. Irrespective of negotiations among the parties or exchanging of drafts of this Letter Agreement, this Letter Agreement shall not constitute or be deemed to evidence a contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding among the parties unless and until (i) the Merger Agreement is executed by all parties thereto, and (ii) this Letter Agreement is executed by all parties hereto.

12. Officer Obligations Several and Not Joint. The obligations of each Officer hereunder shall be several and not joint, and no Officer shall be liable for any breach of the terms of this Letter Agreement by any other Officer.

13. Governing Law; Venue.

(a) THIS AGREEMENT AND ALL CLAIMS OR CAUSES OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) THAT MAY BE BASED UPON, ARISE OUT OF OR RELATE TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE NEGOTIATION, EXECUTION OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT, SHALL BE CONSTRUED, PERFORMED, ENFORCED, INTERPRETED AND GOVERNED BY AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF THE STATE OF VIRGINIA WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ITS PRINCIPLES OR RULES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS TO THE EXTENT SUCH PRINCIPLES OR RULES WOULD REQUIRE OR PERMIT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION.

(b) Except as set forth in Section 1, any Action against, arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the rights and obligations arising hereunder or the transactions contemplated hereby or for the recognition and enforcement of any judgment in respect of this Agreement shall be brought solely and exclusively in the Federal courts of the United States of America located in the Eastern District of Virginia; provided, that if (and only after) such Federal courts of the United States of America located in the Eastern District of Virginia determine that they lack subject matter jurisdiction over any such legal Action, such legal Action shall be brought solely and exclusively in the Loudoun County Circuit Court in the State of Virginia. Except as set forth in Section 1, each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment (subject to any appeals therefrom) in any such Action shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by Law. Except as set forth in Section 1, each party hereto hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in respect of any legal Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any such court in accordance with the provisions of this Section 13. Except as set forth in Section 1, each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such Action in any such court.

 

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(c) EACH PARTY HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT SUCH PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, INCLUDING ANY CONTROVERSY INVOLVING ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF PARENT UNDER THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (i) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER, (ii) EACH PARTY UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS WAIVER, (iii) EACH PARTY MAKES THIS WAIVER VOLUNTARILY, AND (iv) EACH PARTY HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 13.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

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Sincerely,
DANAHER CORPORATION
By:

/s/ Frank T. McFaden

Name:

Frank T. McFaden

Its:

Vice President & Treasurer

SATELLITE ACQUISITION CORP.
By:

/s/ Robert S. Lutz

Name:

Robert S. Lutz

Its:

Vice President, Treasurer & Secretary

 

Acknowledged and Agreed:
RAUL S. MCQUIVEY
By:

/s/ Raul S. McQuivey

Date:

June 21, 2015

ASHISH H. RAVAL
By:

/s/ Ashish H. Raval

Date:

June 21, 2015

DANIEL W. FARRELL
By:

/s/ Daniel W. Farrell

Date:

June 21, 2015

[Signature Page to Letter Agreement]

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