EX-3.1 2 a2161879zex-3_1.htm EXHIBIT 3.1

Exhibit 3.1

 

FORM OF AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

RBC BEARINGS INCORPORATED

 

RBC BEARINGS INCORPORATED, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of Delaware (the “Corporation”) hereby certifies that:

 

1.                                      The name of the Corporation is RBC Bearings Incorporated.  The Corporation was originally incorporated under the name Roller Bearing Holding Company, Inc.

 

2.                                      The date of filing of the Corporation’s original Certificate of Incorporation was March 23, 1992.

 

3.                                      The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation as provided in Exhibit A hereto was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

 

4.                                      Pursuant to Section 245 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, approval of the stockholders of the Corporation has been obtained.

 

5.                                      The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation so adopted reads in full as set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto and is hereby incorporated by reference.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has signed this certificate this      day of            , 2005, and hereby affirms and acknowledges under penalty of perjury that the filing of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation is the act and deed of RBC Bearings Incorporated.

 

 

RBC BEARINGS INCORPORATED

 

 

 

 

 

By

 

 

 

 

Daniel A. Bergeron

 

 

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

EXHIBIT A

 



AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

 

OF
RBC BEARINGS INCORPORATED

 

ARTICLE ONE

 

The name of the Corporation is RBC Bearing Incorporated (the “Corporation”).

 

ARTICLE TWO

 

The address of the Corporation’s registered office in the state of Delaware is 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, Delaware 19808, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle.  The name of its registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company.

 

ARTICLE THREE

 

The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

 

ARTICLE FOUR

 

Section 1.                                            Authorized Shares.  The total number of shares of capital stock which the Corporation has authority to issue is  70,000,000  shares, consisting of:

 

(a)                                  10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (“Preferred Stock”); and

 

(b)                                 60,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (“Common Stock”).

 

The Preferred Stock and the Common Stock shall have the rights, preferences and limitations set forth below.

 

Section 2.                                            Preferred Stock.  The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time and in one or more series.  The Board of Directors of the Corporation is authorized to determine or alter the powers, preferences and rights (including voting rights), and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions granted to or imposed upon any wholly unissued series of Preferred Stock, and within the limitations or restrictions stated in any resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors originally fixing the number of shares constituting any series of Preferred Stock, to increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares of any such series of Preferred Stock then outstanding) the number of shares of any such series of Preferred Stock, and to fix the number of shares of any series of Preferred Stock.  In the event that the number of shares of any series of Preferred Stock shall be so decreased, the shares constituting such decrease shall resume the status which such shares had prior to the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series of Preferred Stock subject to the requirements of applicable law.

 

 



 

Section 3.                                            Common Stock.

 

(a)                                  Dividends.  Except as otherwise provided by the Delaware General Corporation Law or this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (this “Certificate of Incorporation”), the holders of Common Stock: (i) subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock, shall share ratably, on a per share basis, in all dividends and other distributions payable in cash, securities or other property of the Corporation as may be declared thereon by the Board of Directors from time to time out of assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor; and (ii) are subject to all the powers, rights, privileges, preferences and priorities of any series of Preferred Stock as provided herein or in any resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to authority expressly vested in it by the provisions of Section 2 of this ARTICLE FOUR.

 

(b)                                 Conversion Rights.  The Common Stock shall not be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes or of any other series of the same class of the Corporation’s capital stock.

 

(c)                                  Preemptive Rights.  No holder of Common Stock shall have any preemptive rights with respect to the Common Stock or any other securities of the Corporation, or to any obligations convertible (directly or indirectly) into securities of the Corporation whether now or hereafter authorized.

 

(d)                                 Voting Rights.  Except as otherwise provided by the Delaware General Corporation Law or this Certificate of Incorporation and subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock, all of the voting power of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be vested in the holders of the Common Stock, and each holder of Common Stock shall have one vote for each share held by such holder on all matters voted upon by the stockholders of the Corporation.

 

(e)                                  Liquidation Rights.  In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, after payment or provision for payment of the Corporation’s debts and subject to the rights of the holders of shares of Preferred Stock upon such dissolution, liquidation or winding up, the remaining net assets of the Corporation shall be distributed among holders of shares of Common Stock ratably on a per share basis.  A merger or consolidation of the Corporation with or into any other corporation or other entity, or a sale or conveyance of all or any part of the assets of the Corporation (which shall not in fact result in the liquidation of the Corporation and the distribution of assets to its stockholders) shall not be deemed to be a voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution or winding up of the Corporation within the meaning of this Section 3(e).

 

(f)                                    Registration or Transfer.  The Corporation shall keep or cause to be kept at its principal office (or such other place as the Corporation reasonably designates) a register for the registration of Common Stock.  Upon the surrender of any certificate representing shares of any class of Common Stock at such place, the Corporation shall, at the request of the registered holder of such certificate, execute and deliver a new certificate or certificates in exchange therefor representing in the aggregate the number of shares of such class represented by the surrendered certificate, and the Corporation forthwith shall cancel such surrendered certificate.  Each such new certificate will be registered in such name and will represent such number of shares of such class as is requested by the holder of the surrendered certificate and shall be

 

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substantially identical in form to the surrendered certificate.  The issuance of new certificates shall be made without charge to the holders of the surrendered certificates for any issuance tax in respect thereof or other cost incurred by the Corporation in connection with such issuance.

 

(g)                                 Replacement.  Upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Corporation (an affidavit of the registered holder will be satisfactory) of the ownership and the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of any certificate evidencing one or more shares of any class of Common Stock, and in the case of any such loss, theft or destruction, upon receipt of indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Corporation (provided that if the holder is a financial institution or other institutional investor, its own agreement will be satisfactory), or, in the case of any such mutilation upon surrender of such certificate, the Corporation shall (at its expense) execute and deliver in lieu of such certificate a new certificate of like kind representing the number of shares of such class represented by such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated certificate and dated the date of such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated certificate.

 

(h)                                 Notices.  All notices referred to herein shall be in writing, shall be delivered personally or by first class mail, postage prepaid, and shall be deemed to have been given when so delivered or mailed to the Corporation at its principal executive offices and to any stockholder at such holder’s address as it appears in the stock records of the Corporation (unless otherwise specified in a written notice to the Corporation by such holder).

 

(i)                                     Fractional Shares.  In no event will holders of fractional shares be required to accept any consideration in exchange for such shares other than consideration which all holders of Common Stock are required to accept.

 

Section 4.               Reclassification of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock.  Upon this Certificate of Incorporation becoming effective in accordance with the Delaware General Corporate Law (the "Effective Time"): (i) each share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Old Class A Common"), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be reclassified as, and converted into, 1 validly issued, fully paid and nonassessble share of Common Stock and (ii) each share of Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Old Class B Common"), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be reclassified as, and converted into, 1 validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable share of Common Stock, (such reclassification as, and the conversion of Old Class A Common and Old Class B Common, respectively, into Common Stock, the "Reclassification").  Each stock certificate that, immediately prior to the Effective Time, represented shares of Old Class A Common or Old Class B Common, respectively, shall, from and after the Effective Time, automatically and without the necessity of presenting the same for exchange, represent the number of shares of Common Stock into which the shares represented by such certificate shall have been reclassified as of the Effective Time after giving effect to the Reclassification; provided, however, that each person holding of record a stock certificate or certificates that represented Old Class A Common or Old Class B Common, respectively, shall receive, upon surrender of such certificate, a new certificate or certificates evidencing and representing the number of shares of Common Stock into which such shares of Old Class A Common or Old Class B Common, respectively, shall have been reclassified in accordance with the Reclassification.

ARTICLE FIVE

 

The Corporation is to have perpetual existence.

 

ARTICLE SIX

 

Section 1.                                            Number, Election and Term of Office.  At each annual meeting of stockholders, directors of the Corporation shall be elected to hold office until the expiration of the term for which they are elected, and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified; except that if any such election shall be not so held, such election shall take place at stockholders’ meeting called and held in accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law.  The directors of the Corporation shall be divided into 3 classes as nearly equal in size as is practicable, hereby designated Class I, Class II and Class III.  The term of office of the initial Class I directors shall expire at the next succeeding annual meeting of stockholders, the term of office of the initial Class II directors shall expire at the second succeeding annual meeting of stockholders and the term of office of the initial Class III directors shall expire at the third succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders.  For the purposes hereof, the initial Class I, Class II and Class III directors shall be those directors elected by the stockholders of the Corporation in connection with the adoption of this Certificate of Incorporation.  At each annual meeting after the first annual meeting of stockholders, directors to replace those of a Class whose terms expire at such annual meeting shall be elected to hold office until the third succeeding annual meeting and until their respective successors shall have been duly elected and qualified.  If the number of directors is hereafter changed, any newly created directorships or decrease in directorships shall be so apportioned among the classes as to make all classes as nearly equal in number as practicable.

Section 2.                                            Vacancies.  Vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors for any reason may be filled by vote of a majority of the remaining members of the Board of Directors, although less than a quorum, at any meeting of the Board of Directors.  A person so elected by the Board of Directors to fill a vacancy shall hold office until the next succeeding annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation and until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified.

 

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ARTICLE SEVEN

 

In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, alter, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE EIGHT

 

Section 1.                                            Limitation of Liability.

 

(a)                                  To the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law as it now exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than permitted prior thereto), and except as otherwise provided in the Corporation’s Bylaws, no Director of the Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages arising from a breach of fiduciary duty owed to the Corporation or its stockholders.

 

(b)                                 Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a Director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.

 

Section 2.                                            Right to Indemnification.  Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved (including involvement as a witness) in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a Director or officer of the Corporation or, while a Director, officer or other employee of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a Director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (an “indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a Director or officer or in any other capacity while serving as a Director or officer, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than permitted prior thereto), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such indemnitee in connection therewith and such indemnification shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a Director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 3 of this ARTICLE EIGHT with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.  The right to indemnification conferred in this Section 2 of this ARTICLE EIGHT shall be a contract right and shall include the obligation of the Corporation to pay the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (an “advance of expenses”); provided, however, that, if and to the extent that the Delaware General Corporation Law requires, an advance of expenses incurred by an indemnitee in his or her capacity as a Director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking (an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (a “final adjudication”) that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under this Section 2 or otherwise.  The Corporation may, by action of its Board of Directors, provide indemnification to employees and agents of the Corporation with the same or lesser scope and effect as the foregoing indemnification of Directors and officers.

 

Section 3.                                            Procedure for Indemnification.  Any indemnification of a Director or officer of the Corporation or advance of expenses under Section 2 of this ARTICLE EIGHT

 

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shall be made promptly, and in any event within forty-five days (or, in the case of an advance of expenses, twenty days), upon the written request of the Director or officer.  If a determination by the Corporation that the Director or officer is entitled to indemnification pursuant to this ARTICLE EIGHT is required, and the Corporation fails to respond within sixty days to a written request for indemnity, the Corporation shall be deemed to have approved the request.  If the Corporation denies a written request for indemnification or advance of expenses, in whole or in part, or if payment in full pursuant to such request is not made within forty-five days (or, in the case of an advance of expenses, twenty days), the right to indemnification or advances as granted by this ARTICLE EIGHT shall be enforceable by the Director or officer in any court of competent jurisdiction.  Such person’s costs and expenses incurred in connection with successfully establishing his or her right to indemnification, in whole or in part, in any such action shall also be indemnified by the Corporation.  It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for the advance of expenses where the undertaking required pursuant to Section 2 of this ARTICLE EIGHT, if any, has been tendered to the Corporation) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under the Delaware General Corporation Law for the Corporation to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of such defense shall be on the Corporation.  Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification of the claimant is proper in the circumstances because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or its stockholders) that the claimant has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that the claimant has not met the applicable standard of conduct.  The procedure for indemnification of other employees and agents for whom indemnification is provided pursuant to Section 2 of this ARTICLE EIGHT shall be the same procedure set forth in this Section 3 for Directors or officers, unless otherwise set forth in the action of the Board of Directors providing indemnification for such employee or agent.

 

Section 4.                                            Insurance.  The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on its own behalf and on behalf of any person who is or was a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a Director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, against any expense, liability or loss asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expenses, liability or loss under the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

Section 5.                                            Service for Subsidiaries.  Any person serving as a Director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other enterprise, at least 50% of whose equity interests are owned by the Corporation (a “subsidiary” for this ARTICLE EIGHT) shall be conclusively presumed to be serving in such capacity at the request of the Corporation.

 

Section 6.                                            Reliance.  Persons who after the date of the adoption of this provision become or remain Directors or officers of the Corporation or who, while a Director, officer or

 

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other employee of the Corporation, become or remain a Director, officer, employee or agent of a subsidiary, shall be conclusively presumed to have relied on the rights to indemnity, advance of expenses and other rights contained in this ARTICLE EIGHT in entering into or continuing such service.  The rights to indemnification and to the advance of expenses conferred in this ARTICLE EIGHT shall apply to claims made against an indemnitee arising out of acts or omissions which occurred or occur both prior and subsequent to the adoption hereof.

 

Section 7.                                            Non-Exclusivity of Rights.  The rights to indemnification and to the advance of expenses conferred in this ARTICLE EIGHT shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under this Restated Certificate or under any statute, by-law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested Directors or otherwise.

 

Section 8.                                            Merger or Consolidation.  For purposes of this ARTICLE EIGHT, references to the “Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting Corporation, any constituent Corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its Directors, officers and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a Director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent Corporation as a Director, officer, employee or agent of another Corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this ARTICLE EIGHT with respect to the resulting or surviving Corporation as he or she would have with respect to such constituent Corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 

Section 9.                                            Savings Clause.  If this ARTICLE EIGHT or any portion hereof shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Corporation shall nevertheless indemnify each person entitled to indemnification under Section 2 of this ARTICLE EIGHT as to all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, penalties and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred or suffered by such person and for which indemnification is available to such person pursuant to this ARTICLE EIGHT to the full extent permitted by any applicable portion of this ARTICLE EIGHT that shall not have been invalidated and to the full extent permitted by applicable law.

 

ARTICLE NINE

 

Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws may provide.  The books of the Corporation may be kept (subject to any provision contained in the statutes) outside of the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors or in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE TEN

 

For so long as any security of the Company is registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: (i) the stockholders of the Corporation may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting, and must take any actions at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and the power of stockholders to consent in writing without a

 

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meeting is specifically denied; and (ii) special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of the majority of the total number of directors then in office.

 

ARTICLE ELEVEN

 

Section 1.                                            Certain Acknowledgments.  In recognition and anticipation that: (i) the partners, principals, directors, officers, members, managers and/or employees of Whitney & Co., LLC and its affiliates (“Whitney”) may serve as directors and/or officers of the Corporation, (ii)  Whitney may engage in the same or similar activities or related lines of business as those in which the Corporation, directly or indirectly, may engage and/or other business activities that overlap with or compete with those in which the Corporation, directly or indirectly, may engage, and (iii) that the Corporation and its subsidiaries may engage in material business transactions with Whitney and that the Corporation is expected to benefit therefrom, the provisions of this ARTICLE ELEVEN are set forth to regulate and define the conduct of certain affairs of the Corporation as they may involve Whitney and their respective directors, officers, members, managers and/or employees, and the powers, rights, duties and liabilities of the Corporation and its officers, directors and stockholders in connection therewith.

 

Section 2.                                            Competition and Corporate Opportunities.  Whitney shall not have any duty to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries.  In the event that Whitney acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for itself and the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, neither the Corporation nor any of its subsidiaries shall have any expectancy in such corporate opportunity, and neither Whitney shall have any duty to communicate or offer such corporate opportunity to the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries and may pursue or acquire such corporate opportunity for itself or direct such corporate opportunity to another person.

 

Section 3.                                            Allocation of Corporate Opportunities.  In the event that a director or officer of the Corporation who is also a partner, principal, director, officer, member, manager and/or employee of Whitney acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries and Whitney, neither the Corporation nor any of its subsidiaries shall have any expectancy in such corporate opportunity unless such corporate opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation.

 

Section 4.                                            Certain Matters Deemed Not Corporate Opportunities.  In addition to and notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this ARTICLE ELEVEN, a corporate opportunity shall not be deemed to belong to the Corporation if it is a business opportunity that the Corporation is not financially able or contractually permitted or legally able to undertake, or that is, from its nature, not in the line of the Corporation’s business or is of no practical advantage to it or that is one in which the Corporation has no interest or reasonable expectancy.

 

Section 5.                                            Agreements and Transactions with Whitney.  In the event that Whitney enters into an agreement or transaction with the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, a director or officer of the Corporation who is also a partner, principal, director, officer, member, manager

 

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and/or employee of Whitney, as applicable, shall have fully satisfied and fulfilled the fiduciary duty of such director or officer to the Corporation and its stockholders with respect to such agreement or transaction, if:

 

(a)                                  The agreement or transaction was approved, after being made aware of the material facts of the relationship between each of the Corporation or subsidiary thereof and Whitney, and the material terms and facts of the agreement or transaction, by (i) an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation who are not persons or entities with a material financial interest in the agreement or transaction (“Interested Persons”) or (ii) an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of a committee of the Board of Directors of the Corporation consisting of members who are not Interested Persons;

 

(b)                                 The agreement or transaction was fair to the Corporation at the time the agreement or transaction was entered into by the Corporation; or

 

(c)                                  The agreement or transaction was approved by an affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of the Corporation’s Common Stock entitled to vote, excluding Whitney, and any Interested Person; provided that if no Common Stock is then outstanding a majority of the voting power of the Corporation’s capital stock entitled to vote, excluding Whitney and any other Interested Person, as applicable.

 

Section 6.                                            Amendment of this Article.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary elsewhere contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 80% of the voting power of all shares of Common Stock then outstanding, voting together as a single class, shall be required to alter, amend or repeal, or to adopt any provision inconsistent with, this ARTICLE ELEVEN.

 

Section 7.                                            Deemed Notice.  Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice or and to have consented to the provisions of this ARTICLE ELEVEN.

ARTICLE TWELVE

 

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Certificate or any provision of law which might otherwise permit a lesser vote or no vote, but in addition to any affirmative vote of the holders of the capital stock required by law or this Certificate, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the combined voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the Corporation eligible to be cast in the election of directors shall be required to alter, amend or repeal ARTICLES EIGHT, TEN or FOURTEEN hereof, or this ARTICLE TWELVE, or any provision thereof or hereof.

 

ARTICLE THIRTEEN

 

The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.

 

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ARTICLE FOURTEEN

 

The Corporation expressly elects to be governed by Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.  Notwithstanding the terms of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Whitney and its affiliates shall not be deemed at any time and without regard to the percentage of voting stock of the Corporation owned by Whitney or any of its affiliates, as applicable, to be an “interested stockholder” as such term is defined in Section 203(c)(5) of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

ARTICLE FIFTEEN

 

Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between the Corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between the Corporation and its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may, on the application in a summary way of the Corporation or any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the application of a receiver or receivers appointed for the Corporation under the provisions of Section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed for the Corporation under the provisions of Section 279 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code, order a meeting of the creditors, and/or the shareholders or class of stockholders of the Corporation, as the case may be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs.  If a majority in number representing three-fourths in value of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of the Corporation, as the case may be, agree to any compromise or arrangement and to any reorganization of the Corporation as a consequence of such compromise or arrangement, the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization shall, if sanctioned by the court to which the said application has been made, be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the stockholders, or class of stockholders, of the Corporation, as the case may be, and also on this Corporation.

 

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