EX-1.1 3 d97161ex1-1.txt UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT DATED MAY 15, 2002 EXHIBIT 1.1 Newpark Resources, Inc. 2,000,000 Shares Common Stock ($0.01 par value) Underwriting Agreement May 15, 2002 Raymond James & Associates, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, Florida 33716 Ladies and Gentlemen: Newpark Resources, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware (the "Company"), proposes to sell to Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (the "Underwriter") 2,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value ("Common Stock"), of the Company (said shares being hereinafter called the "Securities"). Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 which were filed under the Exchange Act on or before the Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference herein to the terms "amend", "amendment" or "supplement" with respect to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. Certain terms used herein are defined in Section 16 hereof. 1. Representations and Warranties. (a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1(a). (i) The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Act and has prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement (File Number 333-87840) on Form S-3, including a related basic prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including a Preliminary Final Prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to you. The Company will next file with the Commission one of the following: (1) after the Effective Date of such registration statement, a final prospectus supplement relating to the Securities in accordance with Rules 430A and 424(b), (2) prior to the Effective Date of such registration statement, an amendment to such registration statement (including the form of final prospectus supplement) or (3) a final prospectus in accordance with Rules 415 and 424 (b). In the case of clause (1) the Company has included in such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Date, all information (other than Rule 430A Information) required by the Act and the rules thereunder to be included in such registration statement and the Final Prospectus. As filed, such final prospectus supplement or such amendment and form of final prospectus supplement shall contain all Rule 430A Information, together with all other such required information, and, except to the extent the Underwriter shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the Basic Prospectus and any Preliminary Final Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or made therein. The Registration Statement, at the Execution Time, meets the requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x). (ii) On the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did or will, and when the Final Prospectus is first filed (if required) in accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date (as defined herein), the Final Prospectus (and any supplement thereto) will, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act and the respective rules thereunder; on the Effective Date and at the Execution Time, the Registration Statement did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and, on the Effective Date, the Final Prospectus, if not filed pursuant to Rule 424(b), will not, and on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date and any settlement date, the Final Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of the Underwriter specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus (or any supplement thereto). (iii) Each of the Company and its domestic subsidiaries and subsidiaries which are significant subsidiaries (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X), all of which are listed on Schedule II (each such subsidiary, a "Subsidiary," and collectively, the "Subsidiaries"), has been duly organized and is validly existing as an entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is chartered or organized with full power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign entity and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify 2 could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a "Material Adverse Effect"). (iv) All the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and, except as otherwise set forth in the Prospectus, all outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of the Subsidiaries are owned by the Company either directly or through wholly owned Subsidiaries free and clear of any perfected security interest or any other security interests, claims, liens or encumbrances, except for the liens and security interests of the lenders under the Company's existing credit facility. (v) The Company's authorized equity capitalization is as set forth in the Prospectus; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all respects to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus; the outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities being sold hereunder by the Company have been duly and validly authorized, and, when issued and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement, will be fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities being sold hereunder by the Company are duly listed for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on the New York Stock Exchange; the certificates for the Securities are in valid and sufficient form; the holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except as set forth in the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding. (vi) There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required. (vii) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or other similar laws or court decisions, relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally, and except to the extent that enforcement of the indemnification and contribution obligations provided for herein may be limited by federal or state laws relating to securities or the public policies underlying such laws. (viii) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be an "investment company" as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. 3 (ix) No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriter in the manner contemplated herein and in the Prospectus. (x) Neither the issue and sale of the Securities nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with, result in a breach or violation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, (i) the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which its or their property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any of its or their properties, except for, with respect to clause (ii), any such conflict, breach, violation or imposition that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xi) No holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement. (xii) The consolidated historical financial statements and schedules of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries included in the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The selected financial data incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and Registration Statement from "Item 6. Selected Financial Data" included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 fairly present, on the basis stated in the Prospectus and the Registration Statement, the data included therein. (xiii) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or its or their property is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened that (i) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xiv) Each of the Company and Subsidiaries owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted. 4 (xv) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation or default of (i) any provision of its charter or bylaws, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or such Subsidiary or any of its properties, as applicable, except where, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, such violation or default could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xvi) Arthur Andersen LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries and delivered their report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedules included in the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder. (xvii) Except for the filing fees under the Act or any state securities laws, there are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Securities. (xviii) The Company has filed all foreign, federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be filed or has requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure so to file could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect) and has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xix) No labor problem or dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or is threatened or to the Company's knowledge is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or its Subsidiaries' principal suppliers, contractors or customers, that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xx) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; all policies of insurance insuring the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no claims by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the 5 Company nor any such Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xxi) The Company and its Subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xxii) The Company and each of its Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. (xxiii) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities. (xxiv) Except as set forth in the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries are (i) in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants ("Environmental Laws"), (ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has been named as a "potentially responsible party" under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended. (xxv) In the ordinary course of its business, the Company periodically reviews the effect of Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates 6 associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws, or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties). On the basis of such review, the Company has reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities could not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. (xxvi) The Company and its Subsidiaries own, possess, license or have other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the "Intellectual Property") necessary for the conduct of the Company's business as now conducted or as proposed in the Prospectus to be conducted. Except as set forth in the Prospectus, (a) to the Company's best knowledge, there are no rights of third parties to any such Intellectual Property; (b) to the Company's best knowledge, there is no material infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property; (c) there is no pending or, to the Company's best knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company's rights in or to any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (d) there is no pending or, to the Company's best knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (e) there is no pending or, to the Company's best knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (f) to the Company's best knowledge, there is no U.S. patent or published U.S. patent application which contains claims that dominate or may dominate any Intellectual Property described in the Prospectus as being owned by or licensed to the Company or that interferes with the issued or pending claims of any such Intellectual Property; and (g) there is no prior art of which the Company is aware that may render any U.S. patent held by the Company invalid or any U.S. patent application held by the Company unpatentable which has not been disclosed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (xxvii) The Company has complied with all provisions of Florida Statutes, Section 517.075, relating to issuers doing business with Cuba. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Underwriter or counsel for the Underwriter in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to the Underwriter. 2. Purchase and Sale. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase from the Company, the Securities, at a 7 purchase price per share specified in Schedule I hereto across from the caption "Proceeds to Company Per Share." 3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Securities shall be made on the date and at the time specified in Schedule I hereto or at such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing date as the Underwriter shall designate, which date and time may be postponed by agreement among the Underwriter and the Company (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the "Closing Date"). Delivery of the Securities shall be made to the Underwriter against payment by the Underwriter of the aggregate purchase prices of the Securities being sold by the Company to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company. Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the Underwriter shall otherwise instruct. 4. Offering by Underwriter. It is understood that the Underwriter proposes to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Final Prospectus. 5. Agreements. (a) The Company agrees with the Underwriter that: (i) The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement, if not effective at the Execution Time, and any amendment thereof, to become effective. Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement (including the Final Prospectus or any Preliminary Final Prospectus) to the Basic Prospectus or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object. Subject to the foregoing sentence, if the Registration Statement has become or becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A, or filing of the Final Prospectus is otherwise required under Rule 424(b), the Company will cause the Final Prospectus, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Underwriter of such timely filing. The Company will promptly advise the Underwriter (1) when the Registration Statement, if not effective at the Execution Time, shall have become effective, (2) when the Final Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) or when any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission, (3) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective, (4) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Final Prospectus or for any additional information, (5) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (6) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the 8 issuance of any such stop order or the suspension of any such qualification and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof. (ii) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a result of which the Final Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, the Company promptly will (1) notify the Underwriter of such event, (2) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph (a) (i) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance and (3) supply any supplemented Final Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request. (iii) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Underwriter an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 under the Act. (iv) (A) The Company will furnish to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) a copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by the Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Act, as many copies of each Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Underwriter may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering. (B) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriter may reasonably designate, will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities and will pay any fee of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., in connection with its review of the offering; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject. (v) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or any person in privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the 9 Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, any other shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock; or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, until the Business Day set forth on Schedule I hereto, provided, however, that the Company may (i) issue and sell Common Stock pursuant to any employee stock option plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company in effect at the Execution Time, (ii) issue Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of securities or the exercise of warrants outstanding at the Execution Time and (iii) issue up to 200,000 shares of Common Stock pursuant to one or more acquisition transactions. (vi) The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities. (vii) The Company agrees to pay the following costs and expenses and all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus, each Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, each Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities; (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Securities, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Securities; (iv) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Securities; (v) the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act and the listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange; (vi) any registration or qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of the several states (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriter relating to such registration and qualification); (vii) any filings required to be made with the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriter relating to such filings); (viii) the expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Securities; (ix) the fees and expenses of the Company's accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; and (x) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement. 6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriter. The obligations of the Underwriter to purchase the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities, as the case may 10 be, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time, the Closing Date and any settlement date pursuant to Section 3 hereof, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions: (a) If the Registration Statement has not become effective prior to the Execution Time, unless the Underwriter agrees in writing to a later time, the Registration Statement will become effective not later than (i) 6:00 PM New York City time on the date of determination of the public offering price, if such determination occurred at or prior to 3:00 PM New York City time on such date or (ii) 9:30 AM on the Business Day following the day on which the public offering price was determined, if such determination occurred after 3:00 PM New York City time on such date; if filing of the Final Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is required pursuant to Rule 424(b), the Final Prospectus, and any such supplement, will be filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424 (b); and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened. (b) The Company shall have requested and caused Ervin, Cohen & Jessup LLP, counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Underwriter their opinion, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriter, to the effect that: (i) each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has been duly organized and is validly existing as an entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is organized, with full power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Final Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign entity and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification wherein it owns or leases material properties or conducts material business and where the failure to be so qualified could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of Louisiana; (ii) all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and, except as otherwise set forth in the Final Prospectus, all outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of the Subsidiaries are owned by the Company either directly or through wholly owned Subsidiaries free and clear of any perfected security interest and, to the knowledge of such counsel, after due inquiry, any other security interest, claim, lien or encumbrance, except for the liens and security interests of the lenders under the Company's existing credit facility; (iii) the Company's authorized equity capitalization is as set forth in the Final Prospectus; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Final Prospectus; the outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities being sold hereunder by the Company have been duly and 11 validly authorized, and, when issued and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement, will be fully paid and nonassessable; the Securities being sold hereunder by the Company are duly listed for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on the New York Stock Exchange; the certificates for the Securities are in valid and sufficient form; the holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except as set forth in the Final Prospectus, to the knowledge of such counsel, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding; (iv) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of such counsel, threatened action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or its or their property of a character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement which is not adequately disclosed in the Final Prospectus, and there is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Final Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required; (v) the Registration Statement has become effective under the Act; any required filing of the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus, and any supplements thereto, pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); to the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued, no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or threatened and the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act and the respective rules thereunder; and such counsel has no reason to believe that on the Effective Date or the date the Registration Statement was last deemed amended the Registration Statement contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Final Prospectus as of its date and on the Closing Date included or includes any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (in each case, other than the financial statements and other financial information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion); (vi) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company; (vii) the Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Final Prospectus, will not be an "investment company" as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; 12 (viii) no consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriter in the manner contemplated in this Agreement and in the Final Prospectus and such other approvals (specified in such opinion) as have been obtained; (ix) neither the issue and sale of the Securities, nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries pursuant to, (i) the charter or by-laws of the Company or its Subsidiaries, (ii) to the knowledge of such counsel after reasonable inquiry, the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or its Subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which its or their property is subject, or (iii) to the knowledge of such counsel after reasonable inquiry, any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or its Subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or its Subsidiaries or any of its or their properties, which violation or default could, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, either individually or in the aggregate with all other violations and defaults referred to in this paragraph (ix) (if any), reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Prospectus; and (x) no holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement. In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely (A) as to matters involving the application of laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware or the Federal laws of the United States, to the extent they deem proper and specified in such opinion, upon the opinion of other counsel of good standing whom they believe to be reliable and who are satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriter and (B) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials. References to the Final Prospectus in this paragraph (b) include any supplements thereto at the Closing Date. (c) The Underwriter shall have received from Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Underwriter, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriter, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Final Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Underwriter may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters. (d) The Company shall have furnished to the Underwriter a certificate of the Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board or the President and the principal financial or 13 accounting officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Final Prospectus, any supplements to the Final Prospectus and this Agreement and that: (i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as if made on the Closing Date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date; (ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened; and (iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there has been no material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise) prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto). (e) The Company shall have requested and caused Arthur Andersen LLP to have furnished to the Underwriter, at the Execution Time and at the Closing Date, letters (which may refer to letters previously delivered to the Underwriter), dated respectively as of the Execution Time and as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter, confirming that they are independent accountants within the meaning of the Act and the Exchange Act and the respective applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission thereunder and stating in effect, except as provided in Schedule I hereto, that: (i) in their opinion the audited financial statements and financial statement schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus and reported on by them comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the Commission; (ii) on the basis of a reading of the latest unaudited financial statements made available by the Company and its Subsidiaries; carrying out certain specified procedures (but not an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) which would not necessarily reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments set forth in such letter; a reading of the minutes of the meetings of the stockholders, directors and the audit committee of the Company and of the Subsidiaries; and inquiries of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters of the Company and its Subsidiaries as to transactions and events subsequent to March 31, 2002, nothing came to their attention which caused them to believe that: 14 1. any unaudited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements of the Act and with the related rules and regulations adopted by the Commission with respect to financial statements included or incorporated by reference in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; and said unaudited financial statements are not in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus; 2. with respect to the period subsequent to March 31, 2002, there were any changes, at a specified date not more than five days prior to the date of the letter, in the long-term debt of the Company and its Subsidiaries or capital stock of the Company or decreases in the stockholders' equity of the Company as compared with the amounts shown on the March 31, 2002 consolidated balance sheet included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus, or for the period from April 1, 2002 to such specified date there were any decreases, as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding year in net revenues or income before income taxes or in total or per share amounts of net income of the Company and its Subsidiaries, except in all instances for changes or decreases set forth in such letter, in which case the letter shall be accompanied by an explanation by the Company as to the significance thereof unless said explanation is not deemed necessary by the Underwriter; 3. the information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and Final Prospectus in response to Regulation S-K, Item 301 (Selected Financial Data), Item 302 (Supplementary Financial Information) , Item 402 (Executive Compensation) and Item 503 (d) (Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges) is not in conformity with the applicable disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K; and (iii) they have performed certain other specified procedures as a result of which they determined that certain information of an accounting, financial or statistical nature (which is limited to accounting, financial or statistical information derived from the general accounting records of the Company and its Subsidiaries) set forth in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus from Items 1, 2, 6, 7, 7A and 11 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001, and the information incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus from the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2002, agrees with the accounting records of the Company and its Subsidiaries, excluding any questions of legal interpretation. 15 References to the Final Prospectus in this paragraph (e) include any supplement thereto at the date of the letter. (f) Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (e) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the reasonable judgment of the Underwriter, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto). (g) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Underwriter such further information, certificates and documents as the Underwriter may reasonably request. (h) The Securities shall have been listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Underwriter. (i) At the Execution Time, the Company shall have furnished to the Underwriter a letter substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto from each executive officer and director of the Company. If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled in all material respects when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be in all material respects reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriter hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Underwriter. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing. The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered at the office of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Underwriter, at 2300 First City Tower, 1001 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77002, on the Closing Date. 7. Reimbursement of Underwriter's Expenses. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriter set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriter, the Company will reimburse the Underwriter on demand for all out-of-pocket 16 expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been reasonably incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities. 8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Underwriter and each person who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or in any amendment thereof, or in the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have. (b) The Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity to the Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the statements set forth in the last paragraph of the cover page regarding delivery of the Securities and, under the heading "Underwriting," (i) the sentences related to concessions and reallowances and (ii) the paragraph related to stabilization, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in the Final Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriter for inclusion in the Final Prospectus. (c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall 17 be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party's choice at the indemnifying party's expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified party in its reasonable discretion. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party's election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including one local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding. (d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriter agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending same) (collectively "Losses") to which the Company and the Underwriter may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and by the Underwriter from the offering of the Securities; provided, however, that in no case shall the Underwriter be responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities purchased by the Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriter shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company and of the Underwriter in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and benefits received by the Underwriter shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Final Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriter on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue 18 statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriter agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of the Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d). 9. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Underwriter, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such time (i) trading in the Company's Common Stock shall have been suspended by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq National Market shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq National Market (other than minimum prices required by the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq National Market to maintain eligibility for listing or trading on such exchange or market), (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or if any material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services shall have occurred or (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States, declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Underwriter, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto). 10. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriter set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriter or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement. 11. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Underwriter, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to Scott Cook, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716, (facsimile: (727) 573-8274), with a copy to Thomas P. Mason, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., 2300 First City Tower, 1001 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77002, (facsimile: (713) 615-5320); or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to it at 3850 N. Causeway, Suite 1770, Metairie, Louisiana 70002, Attention: James D. Cole (facsimile: (504) 833-9506), with a 19 copy to Ervin, Cohen & Jessup LLP, 9401 Wilshire Boulevard, 9th Floor, Beverly Hills, California 90212, Attention: Howard Z. Berman (facsimile: (310) 859-2325). 12. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. 13. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York. 14. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. A facsimile signature of a party shall have the same legal effect as an original signature when delivered to the other party. 15. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. 16. Definitions. The terms that follow, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated. "Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder. "Basic Prospectus" shall mean the prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) above contained in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date including any Preliminary Final Prospectus. "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City. "Commission" shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission. "Effective Date" shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement became or becomes effective. "Exchange Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder. "Execution Time" shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto. 20 "Final Prospectus" shall mean the prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that was first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the Execution Time, together with the Basic Prospectus. "Preliminary Final Prospectus" shall mean any preliminary prospectus supplement to the Basic Prospectus which describes the Securities and the offering thereof and is used prior to filing of the Final Prospectus, together with the Basic Prospectus. "Registration Statement" shall mean the registration statement referred to in paragraph 1(a) above, including exhibits and financial statements, as amended at the Execution Time (or, if not effective at the Execution Time, in the form in which it shall become effective) and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective prior to the Closing Date, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended or such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, as the case may be. Such term shall include any Rule 430A Information deemed to be included therein at the Effective Date as provided by Rule 430A. "Rule 415", "Rule 424", "Rule 430A" and "Rule 462" refer to such rules under the Act. "Rule 430A Information" shall mean information with respect to the Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A. "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement" shall mean a registration statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) relating to the offering covered by the registration statement referred to in Section 1(a) hereof. 21 If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the Underwriter. Very truly yours, Newpark Resources, Inc. By: ---------------------------------------- Name: Matthew Hardey Title: Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date specified in Schedule I hereto. Raymond James & Associates, Inc. By: ------------------------------- Name: Scott Cook Title: Senior Managing Director 22 SCHEDULE I Underwriting Agreement dated May 15, 2002 Registration Statement No. 333-87840 Title, Purchase Price and Description of Securities: Title: Common Stock Number of Shares to be sold by the Company: 2,000,000 Price to Public per Share (include accrued $8.50 dividends, if any) Price to Public -- total: $17,000,000 Underwriting Discount per Share: $0.30 Underwriting Discount -- total: $600,000 Proceeds to Company per Share: $8.20 Proceeds to Company -- total: $16,400,000 Other provisions: None Closing Date, Time and Location: May 21, 2002 at 9:30 a.m. at the offices of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., 1001 Fannin, Suite 2300, Houston, Texas 77002 Type of Offering: Non-Delayed Date referred to in Section 5(a)(v) after which August 14, 2002 the Company may offer or sell securities issued or guaranteed by the Company without the consent of the Underwriter: Modification of items to be covered by the None letter from Arthur Andersen LLP delivered pursuant to Section 6(g) at the Execution Time:
23 SCHEDULE II SUBSIDIARIES 1. BATSON MILL, L.P. 2. CHESSHER CONSTRUCTION, INC. 3. CONSOLIDATED MAYFLOWER MINES, INC. 4. DARCOM INTERNATIONAL, L.P. 5. EXCALIBAR MINERALS, INC. 6. EXCALIBAR MINERALS OF LA, L.L.C. 7. FLORIDA MAT RENTAL, INC. 8. HYDRA FLUIDS INTERNATIONAL, LTD. 9. INTERNATIONAL MAT, LTD. 10. IML DE VENEZUELA, LLC 11. MALLARD & MALLARD OF LA., INC. 12. NES PERMIAN BASIN, L.P. 13. NEWPARK CANADA, INC. 14. NEWPARK DRILLING FLUIDS, LLC 15. NEWPARK ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, L.L.C. 16. NEWPARK ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. 17. NEWPARK ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES MISSISSIPPI, L.P. 18. NEWPARK ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES OF TEXAS, L.P. 19. NEWPARK HOLDINGS, INC. 20. NEWPARK SHIPHOLDING TEXAS, L.P. 21. NEWPARK TEXAS L.L.C. 22. NID, L.P. 23. OGS LABORATORY, INC. 24. SHAMROCK DRILLING FLUIDS, INC. 25. SOLOCO FSC, INC. 26. SOLOCO, L.L.C. 27. SOLOCO TEXAS, L.P. 28. SUPREME CONTRACTORS, L.L.C. 24