EX-10 4 ex10_1-f10q03312007.htm EX-10.1; WAIVER AND AMENDMENT NO. 9

Exhibit 10.1

WAIVER AND AMENDMENT NO. 9
TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED
REVOLVING CREDIT AND SECURITY AGREEMENT

        THIS WAIVER AND AMENDMENT NO. 9 (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of May 18, 2007, by and among SPAR MARKETING FORCE, INC. (“SMF”), SPAR, INC. (“SPAR”), SPAR/BURGOYNE RETAIL SERVICES, INC (“SBRS”), SPAR GROUP, INC. (“SGI”), SPAR INCENTIVE MARKETING, INC. (“SIM”), SPAR TRADEMARKS, INC. (“STM”), SPAR MARKETING, INC. (DE) (“SMIDE”), SPAR MARKETING, INC. (NV) (“SMINV”), SPAR ACQUISITION, INC. (“SAI”), SPAR TECHNOLOGY GROUP, INC. (“STG”), SPAR/PIA RETAIL SERVICES, INC. (“Pia Retail”), RETAIL RESOURCES, INC. (“Retail”), PIVOTAL FIELD SERVICES, INC. (“Pivotal Field”), PIA MERCHANDISING CO., INC. (“PIA”), PACIFIC INDOOR DISPLAY CO. (“Pacific”), PIVOTAL SALES COMPANY (“Pivotal”), SPAR ALL STORE MARKETING SERVICES, INC., (“SAS”) and SPAR BERT FIFE, INC. (“SBFI”) (each a “Borrower” and collectively “Borrowers”) and WEBSTER BUSINESS CREDIT CORPORATION (formerly known as Whitehall Business Credit Corporation) (“Lender”).

BACKGROUND

        The Borrowers and Lender are parties to that certain Third Amended and Restated Revolving Credit and Security Agreement dated January 24, 2003 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which Lender provides the Borrowers with certain financial accommodations.

        The Borrowers have violated certain covenants and have requested Lender waive the resulting Events of Default and Lender is willing to do so in connection with making certain amendments to the Loan Agreement.

        NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of any loan or advance or grant of credit heretofore or hereafter made to or for the account of Borrowers by Lender, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

    1.        Definitions. All capitalized terms not otherwise defined or amended herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Loan Agreement.

    2.        Waiver. Subject to the satisfaction of Section 4 below, Lender hereby waives the Event of Default that has occurred and is continuing as a result Borrowers’ non-compliance with Section 12(r) with respect to the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2007 due to Borrowers’ failure to maintain the requisite EBITDA level for the twelve month period then ended. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the waiver of the Event of Default set forth above does not establish a course of conduct between Borrowers and Lender and Borrowers hereby agree that Lender is not obligated to waive any future Events of Default under the Loan Agreement.


    3.        Amendments. Subject to the satisfaction of Section 4 below, the Loan Agreement is hereby amended as follows:

    (a)               Section 1(A) of the Loan Agreement is hereby amended by inserting the following defined terms in appropriate alphabetical order:


          “Amendment No. 9 Effective Date” means May 18, 2007.

          “Availability Reserve” means $500,000, or such lesser amount as determined by Lender in its sole and absolute discretion.

    (b)               Section 2(a)(y)(v) of the Loan Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the text “General Availability Reserve” and inserting the text “Availability Reserve” in lieu thereof.


    (c)               Section 9 of the Loan Agreement is hereby amended by inserting the following sentence at the end thereof:


  “Notwithstanding the foregoing, on and after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, each Borrower shall provide to the Lender on a daily basis (or such at such other interval as may be satisfactory to Lender) information pertaining to its sales and credits, an accounts receivables roll forward, information pertaining to cash collections and such other information as Lender may reasonably require, in each case presented in a format reasonably satisfactory to Lender.”

    4.        Conditions of Effectiveness. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date hereof, provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied: Lender shall have received (i) four (4) copies of this Agreement executed by the Borrowers and the Guarantor (“Guarantor”) listed on the signature page hereto, (ii) payment of an amendment fee in the sum of $25,000 which fee shall be charged by Lender to Borrowers’ loan account as a Revolving Advance and (iii) limited guarantees from William Bartels (limited to $400,000) and Robert Brown (limited to $600,000) in form and substance satisfactory to Lender.

    5.        Representations, Warranties and Covenants. Each of the Borrowers hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

    (a)        This Agreement and the Loan Agreement constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of each of the Borrowers and are enforceable against each of the Borrowers in accordance with their respective terms.

    (b)        Upon the effectiveness of this Agreement, each of the Borrowers hereby reaffirms all covenants, representations and warranties made in the Loan Agreement to the extent the same are not amended hereby and agrees that all such covenants, representations and warranties shall be deemed to have been remade as of the effective date of this Agreement.

    (c)        No Borrower has any defense, counterclaim or offset with respect to the Loan Agreement or the Obligations.

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    (d)        On or prior to May 31, 2007, Borrowers shall execute such agreements as Lender deems reasonably necessary in order to assign to Lender the proceeds due to Pia and Pivotal arising out of the litigation with Safeway, Inc. in Alameda County Superior Court.

    6.        Effect on the Loan Agreement.

    (a)        Except as specifically amended herein, the Loan Agreement, and all other documents, instruments and agreements executed and/or delivered in connection therewith, shall remain in full force and effect, and are hereby ratified and confirmed.

    (b)        Except as set forth in Section 2 hereof, the execution, delivery and effectiveness of this Agreement shall not operate as a waiver of any right, power or remedy of Lender, nor constitute a waiver of any provision of the Loan Agreement, or any other documents, instruments or agreements executed and/or delivered under or in connection therewith.

    7.           Governing Law. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns and shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York (other than those conflict of law rules that would defer to the substantive law of another jurisdiction).

    8.        Cost and Expenses. Borrowers and Guarantors each hereby agree to pay the Lender, on demand, all costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and legal expenses) incurred in connection with this Agreement and any instruments or documents contemplated hereunder.

    9.        Release. Borrowers and Guarantor hereby release, remise, acquit and forever discharge Lender, Lender’s employees, agents, representatives, consultants, attorneys, fiduciaries, officers, directors, partners, predecessors, successors and assigns, subsidiary corporations, parent corporations, and related corporate divisions (all of the foregoing hereinafter called the “Released Parties”), from any and all actions and causes of action, judgments, executions, suits, debts, claims, demands, liabilities, obligations, damages and expenses of any and every character, known or unknown, direct and/or indirect, at law or in equity, of whatsoever kind or nature, for or because of any matter or things done, omitted or suffered to be done by any of the Released Parties prior to and including the date of execution hereof, and in any way directly or indirectly arising out of or in any way connected to this Amendment or the Ancillary Agreements (all of the foregoing hereinafter called the “Released Matters”). Borrowers and Guarantor acknowledge that the agreements in this Section are intended to be in full satisfaction of all or any alleged injuries or damages arising in connection with the Released Matters.

    10.        Headings. Section headings in this Agreement are included herein for convenience of reference only and shall not constitute a part of this Agreement for any other purpose.

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    11.        Counterparts; Facsimile Signatures. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in one or more counterparts of the entire document or of the signature pages hereto, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Any signature received by facsimile transmission shall be deemed an original signature hereto.

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        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed as of the day and year first written above.

  SPAR MARKETING FORCE, INC.
SPAR, INC.
SPAR/BURGOYNE RETAIL SERVICES, INC.
SPAR GROUP, INC.
SPAR INCENTIVE MARKETING, INC.
SPAR TRADEMARKS, INC.
SPAR MARKETING, INC. (DE)
SPAR MARKETING, INC. (NV)
SPAR ACQUISITION, INC.
SPAR TECHNOLOGY GROUP, INC.
SPAR/PIA RETAIL SERVICES, INC.
RETAIL RESOURCES, INC.
PIVOTAL FIELD SERVICES, INC.
PIA MERCHANDISING CO., INC.
PACIFIC INDOOR DISPLAY CO.
PIVOTAL SALES COMPANY
SPAR ALL STORE MARKETING SERVICES, INC.
SPAR BERT FIFE, INC.


By: /s/ Charles Cimitile
       Name: Charles Cimitile
       Title:   Chief Financial Officer of each of the
                             foregoing entities


WEBSTER BUSINESS CREDIT CORPORATION

By /s/ Joseph J. Zautra
       Name: Joseph J. Zautra
       Its:       Senior Vice President

CONSENTED AND AGREED TO BY:

PIA MERCHANDISING LIMITED, Guarantor

By: /s/ Charles Cimitile
Name: Charles Cimitile
Title:   Chief Financial Officer of each of the foregoing entities