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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-197680

 

The information in this prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to the securities has become effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion

Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated October 23, 2014

P R O S P E C T U S    S U P P L E M E N  T

(To Prospectus dated July 28, 2014)

$250,000,000

 

% Senior Notes 2022

 

 

We are offering $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of our         % senior notes due 2022. The notes will mature on                 , 2022.

We will use the net proceeds of this offering, together with cash on hand and/or additional borrowings, to refinance, through a redemption, all $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 7.875% senior notes due 2018, which we refer to as our 2018 notes, at a redemption premium plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including                  , 2014, the redemption date, and to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with this offering and the redemption.

We will pay interest on the notes semi-annually in cash in arrears on                  and                  of each year, beginning on                 , 2015.

The notes will be guaranteed by Graphic Packaging Holding Company and Graphic Packaging Corporation, as well as by certain of our material domestic subsidiaries who have guaranteed our obligations in respect of our senior credit facilities and our existing 4.75% senior notes due 2021, which we refer to as our 2021 notes.

The notes and the guarantees will be general unsecured senior obligations and will rank equally with our and the guarantors’ senior unsecured obligations. The notes and the guarantees will be effectively subordinated to all of our and the guarantors’ existing and future secured debt to the extent of the assets securing that secured debt.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange. Currently, there is no public market for the notes.

At any time prior to                 , 2022, we may redeem the notes, in whole or in part, at any time at a redemption price equal to 100% of their principal amount plus a make-whole premium, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. In addition, prior to                 , 2017, we may redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the notes with the net cash proceeds from certain equity offerings. At any time on or after                 , 2022, we may redeem the notes, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of redemption.

This investment involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-13 of this prospectus supplement.

 

 

 

		Per Note				Total
Public offering price				%		$
Underwriting discount				%		$
Proceeds, before expenses, to us				%		$

The public offering price set forth above does not include accrued interest, if any. Interest on the notes will begin to accrue on                 , 2014 and must be paid by the purchaser if the notes are delivered after                 , 2014.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the “SEC”, nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the notes to investors on or about                 , 2014 only in book-entry form through the facilities of The Depositary Trust Company.

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

BofA Merrill Lynch		J.P. Morgan		SunTrust Robinson Humphrey

Citigroup		Goldman, Sachs & Co.		Rabo Securities

 

Co-Managers

 

BBVA		Regions Securities LLC		MUFG		SMBC Nikko
Fifth Third Securities		TD Securities		PNC Capital Markets LLC		HSBC

The date of this prospectus supplement is October     , 2014.

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Prospectus Supplement

 

		Page
Summary			S-1
Risk Factors			S-13
Use of Proceeds			S-17
Capitalization			S-18
Description of the Notes			S-19
Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations			S-64
Underwriting			S-68
Legal Matters			S-73
Experts			S-73
Where You Can Find More Information			S-73

Prospectus

 

		Page
About This Prospectus			2
Where You Can Find More Information			3
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			5
Our Company			6
Risk Factors			7
Use of Proceeds			8
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges			9
Description of Capital Stock			10
Description of the Debt Securities			16
Description of the Warrants			27
Description of the Purchase Contracts			29
Description of the Units			30
Selling Stockholders			31
Plan of Distribution			32
Legal Matters			35
Experts			35

 

 

In this prospectus supplement, “we,” “our,” “us,” “GPHC,” “Graphic Packaging” and the “Company” means Graphic Packaging Holding Company, including, unless the context otherwise requires or as otherwise expressly stated, our subsidiary Graphic Packaging International, Inc., the issuer of the notes offered hereby, and our other subsidiaries. In addition, “GPC” means Graphic Packaging Corporation and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into the accompanying prospectus. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information, some of which does not apply to this offering. You should read both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before deciding to invest in the notes offered hereby.

 

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To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. You should also read and consider the additional information under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus supplement.

In making your investment decision, you should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, in the accompanying prospectus and in any free writing prospectus with respect to this offering filed by us with the SEC. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized any other person to provide you with different information. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus with respect to the offering filed by us with the SEC and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

The underwriters are offering to sell, and are seeking offers to buy, the notes offered hereby only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the notes offered hereby in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to the offering of the notes offered hereby and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements we have made in this prospectus supplement or in documents incorporated by reference herein which are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s historical experience and its present expectations.

The discussions in our “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus supplement and the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which we refer to as our 2013 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014, highlight some of the more important risks identified by our management, but should not be assumed to be the only factors that could affect future performance. Other factors that could cause the actual results of our operations or our financial condition to differ from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, inflation of and volatility in raw material and energy costs, continuing pressure for lower cost products, our ability to implement our business strategies, including productivity initiatives and cost reduction plans, our debt level, our ability to borrow or raise money on favorable terms, currency movements and other risks of conducting business internationally, our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and achieve anticipated synergies from such acquisitions, and the impact of regulatory and litigation matters, including those that could impact our ability to utilize our net operating losses to offset taxable income and those that impact our ability to protect and use our intellectual property, and other factors described in our filings with the SEC.

 

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Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The foregoing review of factors should not be construed as exhaustive or as any admission regarding the adequacy of our disclosures. Certain risk factors are detailed from time to time in our various public filings. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our filings with the SEC.

You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historic or current facts. Forward-looking statements use terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “preliminary,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “pro forma” or similar expressions in connection with any disclosure of future operating or financial performance. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results of operations, financial condition, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results of operations, financial condition, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

This prospectus supplement includes industry data and statistics that we obtained from periodic industry publications, including Resource Information System Inc., Paper Shipping Sack Manufacturers’ Association, Inc. and Paperboard Packaging Council, as well as our internal estimates. We believe data regarding the paperboard packaging industry and our market position and market share within the industry are inherently imprecise, but generally indicate size and position and market share within the industry. Industry publications generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Although we believe that the information provided by these third parties is generally accurate, we have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any industry data presented herein, our estimates, in particular as they relate to our general expectations concerning the paperboard packaging and flexible packaging industries, involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and our 2013 10-K.

 

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RISK FACTORS

You should consider carefully all of the information set forth or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and, in particular, the risks described below as well as the risk factors set forth in our 2013 10-K before you decide to invest in the notes. If any of the following uncertainties or risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. The selected risks described below and in our 2013 10-K are not the only risks that may affect your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently view as immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our substantial indebtedness may adversely affect our financial health, our ability to obtain financing in the future and our ability to react to changes in our business.

As of September 30, 2014, we had an aggregate principal amount of $2,079.2 million of outstanding debt. Because of our substantial debt, our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or general corporate purposes may be restricted in the future. We are also exposed to the risk of increased interest costs because approximately $836 billion of our debt is at variable rates of interest. A significant portion of our cash flow from operations must be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for other purposes. Our interest expense, net for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $62.0 million.

Additionally, our Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, effective as of October 2, 2014, for which Bank of America N.A. acts as administrative agent, which we refer to as the Credit Agreement, governing our senior credit facilities, the indenture governing our 2021 notes, which we refer to as the Existing Indenture, and the indenture that will govern the notes offered hereby contain covenants that prohibit or restrict, among other things, the disposal of assets, the incurrence of additional indebtedness (including guarantees), payment of dividends, loans or advances and certain other types of transactions. The Credit Agreement also requires compliance with a maximum consolidated total leverage ratio and a minimum consolidated interest expense ratio. Our ability to comply in future periods with these covenants will depend on our ongoing financial and operating performance.

Our substantial debt and the restrictions under the Credit Agreement, the Existing Indenture and the indenture that will govern the notes offered hereby could limit our flexibility to respond to changing market conditions and competitive pressures. Our material outstanding debt obligations and these restrictions may also leave us more vulnerable to a downturn in general economic conditions or our business, or unable to carry out capital expenditures that are necessary or important to our growth strategy and productivity improvement programs.

The breach of any of the covenants or restrictions contained in the Credit Agreement, the Existing Indenture and the indenture that will govern the notes offered hereby, or agreements governing our other indebtedness could result in a default under the applicable agreement which would permit the applicable lenders or noteholders, as the case may be, to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In any such case, we may be unable to make borrowings under our credit facilities and may not be able to repay the amounts due under our credit facilities, the existing notes and the notes offered hereby. This could have serious consequences to our financial condition and results of operations and could cause us to become bankrupt or insolvent. Furthermore, if an event of default arises under the Credit Agreement during the period from the date of the issuance of the notes offered hereby to                         , 2014, the redemption date, we may be unable to re-borrow the proceeds of this offering to effect the redemption of the 2018 notes as contemplated hereby. See “Use of Proceeds”.

 

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The notes and the guarantees will not be secured by any of our assets or the assets of the guarantors and therefore will be effectively subordinated to our and their existing and future secured indebtedness.

The notes and the guarantees will be general unsecured obligations ranking effectively junior in right of payment to all existing and future secured debt, including borrowings under the Credit Agreement to the extent of the collateral securing such debt. In addition, the Credit Agreement and the Existing Indenture permit, and the indenture governing the notes offered hereby will permit, the incurrence of additional debt in certain circumstances, some of which may be secured debt. In the event that we are declared bankrupt, become insolvent or are liquidated or reorganized, creditors whose debt is secured by our and the guarantors’ assets will be entitled to the remedies available to secured creditors under applicable laws, including the foreclosure of the collateral securing such debt, before any payment may be made with respect to the notes or the guarantees. As a result, there may be insufficient assets to pay amounts due on the notes, and holders of the notes may receive less, ratably, than holders of secured indebtedness. As of September 30, 2014, the total amount of secured debt and other secured obligations (excluding undrawn letters of credit of $26.2 million) that we and the guarantors had outstanding was $1.4 billion, with $943.3 million of additional revolving loans available to be borrowed under the Credit Agreement.

The parent guarantors of the notes are holding companies with no significant independent operations and no significant assets except capital stock of their respective subsidiaries. As a result, the parent guarantors of the notes would be unable to meet their obligations if we fail to make payment of interest or principal on the notes.

GPHC is a holding company with no independent operations and no significant assets other than the capital stock of GPC. GPHC, therefore, is dependent upon the receipt of dividends or other distributions from GPC to fund any obligations that it incurs, including obligations under our guarantee of the notes. GPC is also a holding company with no independent operations and no significant assets other than capital stock of Graphic Packaging International, Inc. GPC, therefore, is dependent upon the receipt of dividends or other distributions from us to fund any obligations that it incurs, including obligations under our guarantee of the notes. The indenture governing the notes will not, however, permit distributions from us to GPC or GPHC, other than for certain specified purposes as described under “Description of the Notes—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Restricted Payments.” The Credit Agreement and the Existing Indenture contain similar or more restrictive provisions. Accordingly, if we should at any time be unable to pay interest on or principal of the notes, it is highly unlikely that GPC or GPHC will be able to distribute the funds necessary to enable GPC or GPHC to meet their obligations under their parent guarantees.

The notes will be structurally subordinated to the existing and future liabilities of certain of our subsidiaries which are not guaranteeing the notes.

The notes offered hereby will not be guaranteed by certain of our immaterial domestic subsidiaries or any of our foreign subsidiaries. As a result, the notes will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of such non-guarantor subsidiaries. Our rights and the rights of our creditors to participate in the assets of any non-guarantor subsidiary in the event that such a subsidiary is liquidated or reorganized will be subject to the prior claims of such subsidiary’s creditors. As a result, all indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, of our non-guarantor subsidiaries, whether secured or unsecured, must be satisfied before any of the assets of such subsidiaries would be available for distribution, upon a liquidation or otherwise, to us in order for us to meet our obligations with respect to the notes. To the extent that we may be a creditor with recognized claims against any non-guarantor subsidiary, our claims would still be subject to the prior claims of such subsidiary’s creditors to the extent that they are secured or senior to those held by us. Subject to restrictions contained in financing arrangements, our non-guarantor subsidiaries may incur additional indebtedness and other liabilities, all of which would rank structurally senior to the notes.

 

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As of September 30, 2014, our non-guarantor subsidiaries had approximately $294.1 million of total indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables and accrued expenses, all of which ranked structurally senior to the notes. This amount does not include borrowings under the Credit Agreement. In addition, our foreign subsidiaries had additional available borrowings of up to $100.1 million as of September 30, 2014 under credit facilities used by such subsidiaries, of which approximately $87 million would also be structurally senior to the notes. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, after intercompany eliminations, our subsidiaries who will not be guarantors of the notes represented approximately 26% of the Company’s net sales, and approximately 18% of our total assets.

Our ability to repurchase the notes upon a change of control may be limited.

We are required under the indenture that will govern the notes offered hereby to make an offer to repurchase the notes and the existing notes upon a change of control (as defined in the Existing Indenture). A change of control (as defined in the Existing Indenture), also would constitute a default under the Credit Agreement. Therefore, upon the occurrence of a change of control, the lenders under the Credit Agreement would have the right to accelerate their loans, and if so accelerated, we would be required to pay all of our outstanding obligations under such facilities. We may not be able to pay you the required price for your notes at that time because we may not have available funds to pay the repurchase price. In addition, the terms of other existing or future debt may prevent us from paying you. There can be no assurance that we would be able to repay such other debt or obtain consents from the holders of such other debt to repurchase these notes. Any requirement to offer to purchase any outstanding notes may result in us having to refinance our outstanding indebtedness, which we may not be able to do. In addition, even if we were able to refinance our outstanding indebtedness, such financing may be on terms unfavorable to us. In addition, certain important corporate events, such as leveraged recapitalizations that would increase the level of our indebtedness, would not constitute a “Change of Control” under the indenture. See “Description of the Notes—Change of Control.”

Our being subject to certain fraudulent transfer and conveyance statutes may have adverse implications for the holders of the notes.

If, under relevant federal and state fraudulent transfer and conveyance statutes, in a bankruptcy or reorganization case or a lawsuit by or on behalf of our unpaid creditors or the guarantors, a court were to find that, at the time the notes were issued by us or guaranteed by the guarantors:

 

—

We issued or the guarantors guaranteed the notes with the intent of hindering, delaying or defrauding current or future creditors, we or the guarantors received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration for issuing or guaranteeing the notes, as applicable; and

 

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We or the guarantors, as the case may be,

 

—

were insolvent or were rendered insolvent by reason of the incurrence or guarantee, as applicable, of the indebtedness constituting the notes,

 

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were engaged, or about to engage, in a business or transaction for which our assets constituted unreasonably small capital,

 

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intended to incur, or believed that we would incur, debts beyond our ability to pay as such debts matured, or

 

—

were a defendant in an action for money damages, or had a judgment for money damages docketed against us if, in either case, after final judgment the judgment is unsatisfied,

such court could avoid or subordinate the notes and the relevant guarantee to presently existing and future indebtedness of us or the guarantors, as the case may be, and take other action detrimental to the holders of the notes, including, under certain circumstances, invalidating the notes or the guarantees.

 

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The measure of insolvency for purposes of the foregoing considerations will vary depending upon the law of the jurisdiction that is being applied in any such proceeding. Generally, however, we or any guarantor would be considered insolvent if, at the time we incur or guarantee, as the case may be, the indebtedness constituting the notes, either:

 

—

the sum of our debts, including contingent liabilities, is greater than our assets, at a fair valuation; or

 

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the present fair saleable value of our assets is less than the amount required to pay the probable liability on our total existing debts and liabilities, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and matured.

We cannot give you any assurance as to what standards a court would use to determine whether we or a guarantor, as the case may be, were solvent at the relevant time, or whether, whatever standard was used, the notes or guarantees would not be avoided on another of the grounds described above.

We believe that at the time the notes are initially issued by us and guaranteed by the guarantors, we and the guarantors will be:

 

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neither insolvent nor rendered insolvent thereby,

 

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in possession of sufficient capital to run our respective businesses effectively,

 

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incurring debts within our respective abilities to pay as the same mature or become due, and

 

—

will have sufficient assets to satisfy any probable money judgment against us in any pending action.

In reaching these conclusions, we have relied upon our analysis of cash flow projections, which, among other things, assume that we will in the future realize certain selling prices and volumes and favorable changes in product mix, and estimated values of assets and liabilities. We cannot assure you, however, that a court passing on such questions would reach the same conclusions.

An active trading market may not develop for the notes and you may not be able to resell your notes.

There is currently no public market for the notes. We do not intend to list the notes on any securities exchange or quotation system. We have been informed by the underwriters that they intend to make a market in the notes after this offering is completed. However, they are not obligated to do so and may cease their market-making activities at any time without notice. In addition, such market-making activity will be subject to the limits imposed by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. In addition, the liquidity of the trading market in the notes and the market price quoted for the notes may be adversely affected by changes in the overall market for debt securities and by changes in our financial performance or in the prospects for companies in our industry generally. As a result, you cannot be certain that an active trading market for the notes will develop or be sustained. If an active trading market for the notes fails to develop or to be sustained, your ability to sell your notes at a particular time or at favorable prices may be reduced.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We anticipate that the estimated net proceeds from this offering will be $         million after deducting the underwriters’ discount and offering expenses.

We will use the net proceeds of this offering, together with cash on hand and/or additional borrowings, to refinance, through a redemption, all $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 2018 notes at a redemption price equal to 103.938% of the principal amount of the notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including the redemption date, and to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with this offering and the redemption. Pending redemption of our 2018 notes on the redemption date, we intend to use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to repay outstanding borrowings under the U.S. Dollar portion of our senior secured revolving credit facility and to re-borrow such amounts under this facility to complete the redemption of our 2018 notes on the redemption date.

This prospectus supplement shall not constitute a notice of redemption, an offer to purchase, a solicitation of an offer to purchase or a solicitation of consent with respect to any security, including our 2018 notes.

Certain affiliates of the Underwriters are lenders and agents under our senior secured revolving credit facility and will receive a portion of the proceeds from the offering. See “Underwriting–Other Relationships.”

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our consolidated cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of September 30, 2014:

 

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on an actual basis; and

 

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on an as adjusted basis to give effect to the issuance of the notes offered hereby and the use of proceeds therefrom, including the redemption of $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2018 notes as described in “Use of Proceeds.”

You should read this table in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the unaudited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto, each incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement from our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014.

 

		As of September 30, 2014
		Actual				As adjusted
		(in millions)
Cash and cash equivalents		$	55.2			$	40.9
Debt:
Senior secured revolving credit facilities (1)(2)		$	227.6			$	227.6
Senior secured term loan facilities (2)			1,168.5				1,168.5
New notes offered hereby (3)			—				250.0
7.875% senior notes due 2018 (4)			247.7				—
4.75% senior notes due 2021			425.0				425.0
Other debt (5)			10.4				10.4
Total debt		$	2,079.2			$	2,081.5
Shareholders’ equity			1,098.3				1,089.3
Total capitalization		$	3,177.5			$	3,170.8

 

 

 

(1)	As of September 30, 2014, $26.2 million of standby letters of credit were issued and $943.3 million of additional borrowings were available under our senior secured revolving credit facilities.

 

(2)

Does not give effect to the amendment and restatement of our Credit Agreement effective October 2, 2014, pursuant to which we, among other things, added approximately $250 million of additional borrowing capacity under our senior secured revolving credit facilities and reduced borrowings under our senior secured term loan facility by approximately $169 million. After giving effect to the amendment and restatement of our Credit Agreement, as of October 2, 2014, we had $422.1 million of outstanding borrowings under our senior secured revolving credit facilities and $1,000 million of outstanding borrowings under our senior secured term loan facility.

 

(3)	Represents the principal amount of the notes offered hereby.

 

(4)	$250.0 million face amount.

 

(5)	Other debt includes $6.8 million outstanding under our international credit facilities and $3.6 million of other indebtedness.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES

The following description of the particular terms of the notes offered hereby supplements the description of the general terms and provisions of the debt securities set forth under the heading “Description of Debt Securities” in the accompanying prospectus. This description replaces the description of the debt securities in the accompanying prospectus, to the extent of any inconsistency. Terms used in this prospectus supplement that are otherwise not defined have the meanings given to them in the accompanying prospectus.

General

The Company will issue the notes offered hereby under an indenture, to be dated as of                 , 2014, as supplemented by a supplemental indenture, to be dated as of                 , 2014 (collectively, the “Indenture”) among itself, each Guarantor and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (the “Trustee”). The Indenture will define your rights under the Notes. In addition, the Indenture will govern the obligations of the Company under the Notes.

The following is a summary of certain provisions of the Indenture and the Notes. It does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the Indenture, including the definitions of certain terms therein and those terms to be made a part thereof by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “TIA”). You may request a copy of the Indenture from us at the address provided under “Where You Can Find More Information.” The term “Company” and the other capitalized terms defined in “—Certain Definitions” below are used in this “Description of the Notes” as so defined.

Brief Description of the Notes and the Guarantees

The Notes and the Guarantees will be:

 

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unsecured Senior Indebtedness of the Company and the Guarantors;

 

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effectively subordinated to all secured Indebtedness of the Company and the Guarantors to the extent of the value of the assets securing such secured Indebtedness and to all Indebtedness and other liabilities (including Trade Payables) of the Company’s Subsidiaries (other than Subsidiaries that become Note Guarantors pursuant to the provisions described below under “—Subsidiary Guarantees”);

 

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pari passu in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Indebtedness of the Company and the Guarantors; and

 

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senior in right of payment to all existing and future Subordinated Obligations of the Company and the Guarantors.

Principal, Maturity and Interest

The Notes will mature on                 , 2022. Each Note offered hereby will bear interest at a rate of         % per annum. Interest will be payable semiannually in cash to Holders of record at the close of business on the             or             immediately preceding the interest payment date, on             and             of each year, commencing                 , 2015. Interest will be paid on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

Additional securities may be issued under the Indenture in one or more series from time to time (“Additional Notes”), subject to the limitations set forth under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness,” which will vote as a class with the Notes and otherwise be treated as Notes for purposes of the Indenture. The Notes offered hereby will be issued in an aggregate principal amount of $250.0 million.

 

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Principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on, the Notes will be payable, and the Notes may be exchanged or transferred, at the office or agency of the Company in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York (which initially shall be the corporate trust office of the Trustee), except that, at the option of the Company, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the registered Holders as such address appears in the Note Register.

The Notes will be issued only in fully registered form, without coupons, in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000. No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Notes, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or other similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

Optional Redemption

The Notes may be redeemed or purchased (by the Company or any other Person) in whole or in part, at the Company’s option, prior to                 , 2022 at a price (the “Redemption Price”) equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus the Applicable Premium as of, and accrued but unpaid interest, if any, to, the date of redemption or purchase (the “Redemption Date”) (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date). Such redemption or purchase may be made upon notice mailed by first-class mail to each Holder’s registered address, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date. The Company may provide in such notice that payment of the Redemption Price and performance of the Company’s obligations with respect to such redemption or purchase may be performed by another Person. Any such redemption, purchase or notice may, at the Company’s discretion, be subject to the satisfaction of one or more conditions precedent, including but not limited to the occurrence of a Change of Control.

In addition, at any time and from time to time on or prior to                 , 2017, the Company at its option may redeem Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to up to 35% of the original aggregate principal amount of the Notes (including the principal amount of any Additional Notes), with funds in an aggregate amount (the “Redemption Amount”) not exceeding the aggregate proceeds of one or more Equity Offerings (as defined below) at a redemption price (expressed as a percentage of principal amount thereof) of         %, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date); provided, however, that an aggregate principal amount of Notes equal to at least 65% of the original aggregate principal amount of the Notes (including the principal amount of any Additional Notes) must remain outstanding after each such redemption. “Equity Offering” means a sale of Capital Stock (x) that is a sale of Capital Stock of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock), or (y) proceeds of which in an amount equal to or exceeding the Redemption Amount are contributed to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries. The Company may make such redemption upon notice mailed by first-class mail to each Holder’s registered address, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption date (but in no event more than 180 days after the completion of the related Equity Offering). The Company may provide in such notice that payment of the redemption price and performance of the Company’s obligations with respect to such redemption may be performed by another Person. Any such notice may be given prior to the completion of the related Equity Offering, and any such redemption or notice may, at the Company’s discretion, be subject to the satisfaction of one or more conditions precedent, including but not limited to the completion of the related Equity Offering.

“Applicable Premium” means, with respect to a Note at any Redemption Date, the greater of (i) 1.00% of the principal amount of such Note and (ii) the excess of (a) the present value at such Redemption Date of (1) the principal amount of such Note plus (2) all required remaining scheduled interest payments due on such Note through such date, computed for such principal and interest using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate plus 50 basis points, over (b) the principal amount of such Note on such Redemption Date. Calculation of the Applicable Premium will be made by the Company or on behalf of the Company by such Person as the Company shall designate; provided that such calculation shall not be a duty or obligation of the Trustee.

 

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At any time on or after                 , 2022, the Company may, in whole at any time or in part from time to time, redeem the Notes (including any Additional Notes) at its option upon not less than 30 nor more the 60 days’ prior notice mailed by first-class mail to each holder’s registered address, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, the Redemption Date.

“Treasury Rate” means, with respect to a Redemption Date, the yield to maturity at the time of computation of United States Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled and published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release H. 15(519) that has become publicly available at least two Business Days prior to such Redemption Date (or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data)) most nearly equal to the period from such Redemption Date to the maturity date of the Notes; provided, however, that if the period from the Redemption Date to such date is not equal to the constant maturity of a United States Treasury security for which a weekly average yield is given, the Treasury Rate shall be obtained by linear interpolation (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth of a year) from the weekly average yields of United States Treasury securities for which such yields are given, except that if the period from the Redemption Date to such date is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year shall be used.

Selection

In the case of any partial redemption, selection of the Notes for redemption will be made by the Trustee on a pro rata basis, by lot or by such other method as the Trustee in its sole discretion shall deem to be fair and appropriate, although no Note of $2,000 in original principal amount or less will be redeemed in part. If any Note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption relating to such Note shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. A new Note in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Note.

Parent Guarantees

Holding and GPC will, as primary obligors and not merely as sureties, irrevocably and fully and unconditionally Guarantee (the “Parent Guarantees,” and each of Holding and GPC in such capacity, a “Parent Guarantor”), on an unsecured senior basis, the punctual payment when due, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, of all monetary obligations of the Company under the Indenture and the Notes, whether for principal of or interest on the Notes, expenses, indemnification or otherwise (all such obligations guaranteed by each Parent Guarantor being herein called the “Parent Guaranteed Obligations”). Each Parent Guarantor, pursuant to its Parent Guarantee, will agree to pay, in addition to the amount stated above, any and all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) incurred by the Trustee or the Holders in enforcing any rights under its Parent Guarantee.

Each Parent Guarantee shall be a continuing Guarantee and shall (i) subject to the next two paragraphs, remain in full force and effect until payment in full of the principal amount of all outstanding Notes (whether by payment at maturity, purchase, redemption, defeasance, retirement or other acquisition) and all other applicable Parent Guaranteed Obligations of the applicable Parent Guarantor then due and owing, (ii) be binding upon such Parent Guarantor and (iii) inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Trustee, the Holders and their permitted successors, transferees and assigns.

Each Parent Guarantor will automatically and unconditionally be released from all obligations under its Parent Guarantee, and its Parent Guarantee will thereupon terminate and be discharged and of no further force or effect, (i) upon any merger or consolidation of such Parent Guarantor with and into the Company or the other Parent Guarantor, (ii) upon legal or covenant defeasance of the Company’s obligations under, or satisfaction and discharge of, the Indenture, or (iii) subject to customary contingent reinstatement provisions, upon payment in full of the aggregate principal amount of all Notes then outstanding and all other applicable Parent Guaranteed Obligations of such Parent Guarantor then due and owing.

 

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Upon any such occurrence specified in the preceding paragraph, the Trustee shall execute any documents reasonably required in order to evidence such release, discharge and termination in respect of the applicable Parent Guarantee. Neither the Company nor either Parent Guarantor shall be required to make a notation on the Notes to reflect either Parent Guarantee or any such release, termination or discharge.

Subsidiary Guarantees

The Company will cause each Significant Domestic Subsidiary that guarantees payment by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company of any Bank Indebtedness of the Company or the Existing Senior Notes due 2021 to execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture or other instrument pursuant to which such Subsidiary will guarantee payment of the Notes, whereupon such Subsidiary will become a Subsidiary Guarantor for all purposes under the Indenture. The Company will also have the right to cause any other Subsidiary so to guarantee payment of the Notes. Subsidiary Guarantees will be subject to release and discharge under certain circumstances prior to payment in full of the Notes. See “—Certain Covenants—Future Note Guarantors.”

Ranking

The indebtedness evidenced by the Notes will be unsecured Senior Indebtedness of the Company, will rank pari passu in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Indebtedness of the Company, including the Existing Senior Notes due 2021, and will be senior in right of payment to all existing and future Subordinated Obligations of the Company. The Notes will also be effectively subordinated to all secured Indebtedness and other liabilities (including Trade Payables) of the Company, including obligations under the Senior Credit Facility, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such Indebtedness, and to all Indebtedness of its Subsidiaries (other than any Subsidiaries that are or become Note Guarantors pursuant to the provisions described above under “—Subsidiary Guarantees”). As of September 30, 2014, after giving pro forma effect to the offering of the Notes and the use of proceeds to redeem the Existing Senior Notes due 2018, the total amount of secured debt that we had outstanding was approximately $1.4 billion (excluding undrawn letters of credit), with $943.3 million of additional revolving loans available to be borrowed under the Senior Credit Agreement. These numbers do not give effect to the amendment and restatement of our Senior Credit Agreement effective October 2, 2014. See “Capitalization”.

Each Note Guarantee in respect of the Notes will be unsecured Senior Indebtedness of the applicable Note Guarantor, will rank pari passu in right of payment with all existing and future Senior Indebtedness of such Person and will be senior in right of payment to all existing and future Guarantor Subordinated Obligations of such Person. Such Note Guarantee will also be effectively subordinated to all secured Indebtedness of such Person to the extent of the value of the assets securing such Indebtedness, and to all Indebtedness and other liabilities (including Trade Payables) of the Subsidiaries of such Person (other than any Subsidiaries that become Note Guarantors pursuant to the provisions described above under “—Subsidiary Guarantees”).

A substantial part of the operations of the Company are conducted through its Subsidiaries. Claims of creditors of such Subsidiaries, including trade creditors, and claims of preferred shareholders (if any) of such Subsidiaries will have priority with respect to the assets and earnings of such Subsidiaries over the claims of creditors of the Company, including Holders, unless such Subsidiary is a Subsidiary Guarantor. As of the Issue Date, the Significant Domestic Subsidiaries that have guaranteed payment by the Company of any Bank Indebtedness of the Company will be Subsidiary Guarantors. The Notes, therefore, will be effectively subordinated to creditors (including trade creditors) and preferred shareholders (if any) of Subsidiaries of the Company (other than Subsidiaries, if any, that may become Subsidiary Guarantors in the future with respect to the Notes). Certain of the operations of a Subsidiary Guarantor may be conducted through Subsidiaries thereof that are not also Subsidiary Guarantors. Claims of creditors of such Subsidiaries, including trade creditors, and claims of preferred shareholders (if any) of such Subsidiaries will have priority with respect to the assets and earnings of such Subsidiaries over the claims of creditors of such Subsidiary Guarantor, including claims under its Note Guarantee of the Notes. Such Note Guarantee, if any, therefore, will be effectively subordinated to creditors (including trade creditors) and preferred shareholders (if any) of such Subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2014, our non-guarantor subsidiaries would have had liabilities of approximately $294.1 million, including

 

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indebtedness under credit facilities to fund our international subsidiaries and trade payables and accrued expenses, all of which is structurally senior to the Notes. We also have additional available borrowings of up to $100.1 million under our credit facilities used to fund our international subsidiaries, of which approximately $87 million would be structurally senior to the Notes. Although the Indenture will limit the incurrence of Indebtedness (including preferred stock) by certain of the Company’s Subsidiaries, such limitation will be subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions.

Change of Control

Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control (as defined below), each Holder of the Notes will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or any part of such Holder’s Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of repurchase (subject to the right of Holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to repurchase Notes pursuant to this covenant in the event that it has exercised its right to redeem all of the Notes as described under “—Optional Redemption.”

The term “Change of Control” means:

 

(i)

any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act), other than one or more Permitted Holders, becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Company, provided that (x) so long as the Company is a Subsidiary of Holding, no “person” shall be deemed to be or become a “beneficial owner” of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the Company unless such “person” shall be or become a “beneficial owner” of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of Holding and (y) any Voting Stock of which any Permitted Holder is the “beneficial owner” shall not in any case be included in any Voting Stock of which any such “person” is the beneficial owner;

 

(ii)

the Company merges or consolidates with or into, or sells or transfers (in one or a series of related transactions) all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries to, another Person (other than one or more Permitted Holders) and any “person” (as defined in clause (i) above), other than one or more Permitted Holders, Holding or GPC, is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as so defined), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of the surviving Person in such merger or consolidation, or the transferee Person in such sale or transfer of assets, as the case may be, provided that (x) so long as such surviving or transferee Person is a Subsidiary of a parent Person, no “person” shall be deemed to be or become a “beneficial owner” of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of such surviving or transferee Person unless such “person” shall be or become a “beneficial owner” of more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of such parent Person and (y) any Voting Stock of which any Permitted Holder is the “beneficial owner” shall not in any case be included in any Voting Stock of which any such “person” is the beneficial owner; or

 

(iii)

during any period of two consecutive years (during which period the Company has been a party to the Indenture), individuals who at the beginning of such period were members of the board of directors of the Company or Holding (together with any new members thereof whose election by such board of directors or whose nomination for election by holders of Capital Stock of the Company or Holding was approved by one or more Permitted Holders or by a vote of a majority of the members of such board of directors then still in office who were either members thereof at the beginning of such period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of such board of directors then in office.

 

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A recent Delaware court case has implied that the provisions in clause (iii) above may be unenforceable on public policy grounds. No assurances can be given that a court would enforce clause (iii) as written for the benefit of Holders.

In the event that, at the time of such Change of Control, the terms of the Bank Indebtedness restrict or prohibit the repurchase of the Notes pursuant to this covenant, then prior to the mailing of the notice to the Holders provided for in the immediately following paragraph but in any event not later than 30 days following the date the Company obtains actual knowledge of any Change of Control (unless the Company has exercised its right to redeem all the Notes as described under “—Optional Redemption”), the Company shall (i) repay in full all Bank Indebtedness subject to such terms or offer to repay in full all such Bank Indebtedness and repay the Bank Indebtedness of each lender who has accepted such offer or (ii) obtain the requisite consent under the agreements governing the Bank Indebtedness to permit the repurchase of the Notes as provided for in the immediately following paragraph. The Company shall first comply with the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence before it shall be required to repurchase Notes pursuant to the provisions described below. The Company’s failure to comply with such provisions or the provisions of the immediately following paragraph shall constitute an Event of Default described in clause (iv) and not in clause (ii) under “—Defaults” below.

Unless the Company has exercised its right to redeem all the Notes as described under “—Optional Redemption,” the Company shall, not later than 30 days following the date the Company obtains actual knowledge of any Change of Control having occurred, mail a notice to each Holder with a copy to the Trustee stating: (i) that a Change of Control has occurred or may occur and that such Holder has, or upon such occurrence will have, the right to require the Company to purchase such Holder’s Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of purchase (subject to the right of Holders of record on a record date to receive interest on the relevant interest payment date); (ii) the circumstances and relevant facts and financial information regarding such Change of Control; (iii) the repurchase date (which shall be no earlier than 30 days nor later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed); (iv) the instructions determined by the Company, consistent with this covenant, that a Holder must follow in order to have its Notes purchased; and (v) if such notice is mailed prior to the occurrence of a Change of Control, that such offer is conditioned on the occurrence of such Change of Control.

The Company will comply, to the extent applicable, with the requirements of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act and any other securities laws or regulations in connection with the repurchase of Notes pursuant to this covenant. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with provisions of this covenant, the Company will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under this covenant by virtue thereof.

The Change of Control purchase feature is a result of negotiations between the Company and the Representatives. The Company has no present plans to engage in a transaction involving a Change of Control, although it is possible that the Company would decide to do so in the future. Subject to the limitations discussed below, the Company could, in the future, enter into certain transactions, including acquisitions, refinancings or recapitalizations, that would not constitute a Change of Control under the Indenture, but that could increase the amount of Indebtedness outstanding at such time or otherwise affect the Company’s capital structure or credit ratings. In addition, the definition of “Change of Control” under the Indenture may not correspond exactly to the definition of “change of control” (or similar term) under the Company’s other indebtedness (including the Existing Notes), and as a result, a “change of control” offer may be made to holders of all or some of such other indebtedness after a transaction that does not constitute a Change of Control under the Indenture.

The occurrence of a Change of Control would constitute a default under the Senior Credit Agreement. Agreements governing existing or future Indebtedness of the Company may contain prohibitions of certain events that would constitute a Change of Control or require such Indebtedness (including the Existing Notes) to be repurchased or repaid upon a Change of Control. The Senior Credit Agreement prohibits, and the agreements governing future indebtedness of the Company may prohibit, the Company from repurchasing the Notes upon a Change of Control unless the indebtedness governed by the Senior Credit Agreement or the agreements

 

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governing such future indebtedness, as the case may be, has been repurchased or repaid. Moreover, the exercise by the Holders of their right to require the Company to repurchase the Notes could cause a default under such agreements, even if the Change of Control itself does not, due to the financial effect of such repurchase on the Company. Finally, the Company’s ability to pay cash to the Holders upon a repurchase may be limited by the Company’s then existing financial resources. There can be no assurance that sufficient funds will be available when necessary to make any required repurchases. As described above under “—Optional Redemption,” the Company will also have the right to redeem the Notes at specified prices, in whole or in part, upon a Change of Control.

The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the sale or other transfer of “all or substantially all” of the Company’s assets. Although there is a developing body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, in certain circumstances there may be a degree of uncertainty in ascertaining whether a particular transaction would involve a disposition of “all or substantially all” of the assets of the Company, and therefore it may be unclear as to whether a Change of Control has occurred and whether the Holders have the right to require the Company to repurchase such Notes.

Changes in Covenants upon a Ratings Event

If on any date following the date of the Indenture, the Company certifies in a notice to the Trustee that:

 

(1)

a Ratings Event has occurred; and

 

(2)

at the time of the giving of such notice, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing,

then, beginning on the day such notice is given, the covenants specifically listed under the following captions in this prospectus supplement will be terminated:

 

(1)

“—Limitation on Indebtedness”;

 

(2)

“—Limitation on Restricted Payments”;

 

(3)

“—Limitation on Restrictions on Distributions from Restricted Subsidiaries”;

 

(4)

“—Limitation on Sales of Assets and Subsidiary Stock”;

 

(5)

“—Future Note Guarantors”;

 

(6)

“—Limitation on Transactions with Affiliates”; and

 

(7)

clause (iii) of the covenant described below under the caption “—Merger and Consolidation”.

Certain Covenants

The Indenture will contain covenants, including, among others, the covenants described below.

Limitation on Indebtedness.    The Indenture will provide as follows:

 

(a)

The Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, Incur any Indebtedness; provided, however, that the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor may Incur Indebtedness if on the date of the Incurrence of such Indebtedness, after giving effect to the Incurrence thereof, the Consolidated Coverage Ratio would be greater than 2.00:1.00.

 

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(b)

Notwithstanding the foregoing paragraph (a), the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries may Incur the following Indebtedness:

 

(i)

Indebtedness Incurred pursuant to any Credit Facility (including but not limited to in respect of letters of credit or bankers’ acceptances issued or created thereunder) and Indebtedness of any Foreign Subsidiary Incurred other than under the Senior Credit Facility, and (without limiting the foregoing), in each case, any Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof, in a maximum principal amount at any time outstanding not exceeding in the aggregate the amount equal to (A) $2,300 million, plus (B) the Borrowing Base minus (C) the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness Incurred by a Receivables Subsidiary and then outstanding pursuant to clause (ix) of this paragraph at such time plus (D) in the case of any refinancing of any Credit Facility or any portion thereof, the aggregate amount of fees, underwriting discounts, premiums and other costs and expenses incurred in connection with such refinancing;

 

(ii)

Indebtedness (A) of any Restricted Subsidiary to the Company or (B) of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary to any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that any subsequent issuance or transfer of any Capital Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary to which such Indebtedness is owed, or other event, that results in such Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any other subsequent transfer of such Indebtedness (except to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) will be deemed, in each case, an Incurrence of such Indebtedness by the issuer thereof not permitted by this clause (ii);

 

(iii)

Indebtedness represented by the Notes (other than Additional Notes), the Existing Notes, any other Indebtedness (other than the Indebtedness described in clauses (i) or (ii) above) outstanding on the Issue Date and any Refinancing Indebtedness Incurred in respect of any Indebtedness described in this clause (iii) or paragraph (a) above;

 

(iv)

Purchase Money Obligations and Capitalized Lease Obligations, and any Refinancing Indebtedness with respect thereto, in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding not exceeding an amount equal to 10% of Consolidated Tangible Assets;

 

(v)

Indebtedness consisting of accommodation guarantees for the benefit of trade creditors of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or represented by Guarantees consisting of contracts for the purchase of wood chips in the ordinary course of business;

 

(vi)

(A) Guarantees by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness or any other obligation or liability of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Indebtedness Incurred by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, in violation of the covenant described under “—Limitation on Indebtedness”), or (B) without limiting the covenant described under “—Limitation on Liens,” Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary arising by reason of any Lien granted by or applicable to such Person securing Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Indebtedness Incurred by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, in violation of the covenant described under “—Limitation on Indebtedness”);

 

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(vii)

Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (A) arising from the honoring of a check, draft or similar instrument of such Person drawn against insufficient funds, provided that such Indebtedness is extinguished within five Business Days of its Incurrence, or (B) consisting of guarantees, indemnities, obligations in respect of earnouts or other purchase price adjustments, or similar obligations, Incurred in connection with the acquisition or disposition of any business, assets or Person;

 

(viii)

Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of (A) letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances or other similar instruments or obligations issued, or relating to liabilities or obligations incurred, in the ordinary course of business (including those issued to governmental entities in connection with self-insurance under applicable workers’ compensation statutes), or (B) completion guarantees, surety, judgment, appeal or performance bonds, or other similar bonds, instruments or obligations, provided, or relating to liabilities or obligations incurred, in the ordinary course of business, or (C) Hedging Obligations, entered into for bona fide hedging purposes in the ordinary course of business, or (D) Management Guarantees, or (E) the financing of insurance premiums in the ordinary course of business;

 

(ix)

Indebtedness of a Receivables Subsidiary secured by a Lien on all or part of the assets disposed of in, or otherwise Incurred in connection with, a Financing Disposition;

 

(x)

Indebtedness of any Person that is assumed by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in connection with its acquisition of assets from such Person or any Affiliate thereof or is issued and outstanding on or prior to the date on which such Person was acquired by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or merged or Consolidated with or into any Restricted Subsidiary (other than Indebtedness Incurred to finance, or otherwise Incurred in connection with, such acquisition), provided that on the date of such acquisition, merger or consolidation, after giving effect thereto, the Company could Incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to paragraph (a) above; and any Refinancing Indebtedness with respect to any such Indebtedness;

 

(xi)

Indebtedness of any Foreign Subsidiary in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding not exceeding an amount equal to the sum (determined as of the end of the most recently ended fiscal quarter for which consolidated financial statements of the Company are available) of (A) 90% of Receivables of all Foreign Subsidiaries plus (B) 75% of Inventory of all Foreign Subsidiaries plus (C) $200 million; and

 

(xii)

Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding not exceeding an amount equal to 5% of Consolidated Tangible Assets.

 

(c)

For purposes of determining compliance with, and the outstanding principal amount of any particular Indebtedness Incurred pursuant to and in compliance with, this covenant, (i) any other obligation of the obligor on such Indebtedness (or of any other Person who could have Incurred such Indebtedness under this covenant) arising under any Guarantee, Lien or letter of credit, bankers’ acceptance or other similar instrument or obligation supporting such Indebtedness shall be disregarded to the extent that such Guarantee, Lien or letter of credit, bankers’ acceptance or other similar instrument or obligation secures the principal

 

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amount of such Indebtedness; (ii) in the event that Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the types of Indebtedness described in paragraph (b) above, the Company, in its sole discretion, shall classify such item of Indebtedness and may include the amount and type of such Indebtedness in one or more of such clauses; and (iii) the amount of Indebtedness issued at a price that is less than the principal amount thereof shall be equal to the amount of the liability in respect thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

(d)

For purposes of determining compliance with any Dollar-denominated restriction on the Incurrence of Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency, the Dollar-equivalent principal amount of such Indebtedness Incurred pursuant thereto shall be calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date that such Indebtedness was Incurred, in the case of term Indebtedness, or first committed, in the case of revolving credit Indebtedness, provided that (x) the Dollar-equivalent principal amount of any such Indebtedness outstanding on the Issue Date shall be calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the Issue Date, (y) if such Indebtedness is Incurred to refinance other Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency, and such refinancing would cause the applicable Dollar-denominated restriction to be exceeded if calculated at the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date of such refinancing, such Dollar-denominated restriction shall be deemed not to have been exceeded so long as the principal amount of such refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount of such Indebtedness being refinanced and (z) the Dollar-equivalent principal amount of Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency and Incurred pursuant to the Senior Credit Facility shall be calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on, at the Company’s option, (i) the Issue Date, (ii) any date on which any of the respective commitments under the Senior Credit Facility shall be reallocated between or among facilities or subfacilities thereunder, or on which such rate is otherwise calculated for any purpose thereunder, or (iii) the date of such Incurrence. The principal amount of any Indebtedness Incurred to refinance other Indebtedness, if Incurred in a different currency from the Indebtedness being refinanced, shall be calculated based on the currency exchange rate applicable to the currencies in which such respective Indebtedness is denominated that is in effect on the date of such refinancing.

Limitation on Restricted Payments.    The Indenture will provide as follows:

 

(a)

The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, to (i) declare or pay any dividend or make any distribution on or in respect of its Capital Stock (including any such payment in connection with any merger or consolidation to which the Company is a party) except (x) dividends or distributions payable solely in its Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) and (y) dividends or distributions payable to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (and, in the case of any such Restricted Subsidiary making such dividend or distribution, to other holders of its Capital Stock on no more than a pro rata basis, measured by value), (ii) purchase, redeem, retire or otherwise acquire for value any Capital Stock of the Company held by Persons other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary or (iii) make any Investment in any Subsidiary designated (or to be designated in connection with such Investment) as an Unrestricted Subsidiary (any such dividend, distribution, purchase, redemption, repurchase, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement or Investment being herein referred to as a “Restricted Payment”), if at the time the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary makes such Restricted Payment and after giving effect thereto:

 

(i)

a Default shall have occurred and be continuing (or would result therefrom);

 

(ii)

the Company could not Incur at least an additional $1.00 of Indebtedness pursuant to paragraph (a) of the covenant described under “—Limitation on Indebtedness”; or

 

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(iii)

the aggregate amount of such Restricted Payment and all other Restricted Payments (the amount so expended, if other than in cash, to be as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive and evidenced by a resolution of the Board of Directors) declared or made subsequent to the Issue Date and then outstanding would exceed, without duplication, the sum of:

 

(A)

50% of the Consolidated Net Income accrued during the period (treated as one accounting period) beginning on July 1, 2012 to the end of the most recent fiscal quarter ending prior to the date of such Restricted Payment for which consolidated financial statements of the Company are available (or, in case such Consolidated Net Income shall be a negative number, 100% of such negative number);

 

(B)

the aggregate Net Cash Proceeds and the fair value (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors) of property or assets received (x) by the Company as capital contributions to the Company after the Issue Date or from the issuance or sale (other than to a Restricted Subsidiary) of its Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) after the Issue Date (other than Excluded Contributions) or (y) by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary from the issuance and sale by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date of Indebtedness that shall have been converted into or exchanged for Capital Stock of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock), plus the amount of any cash and the fair value (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors) of any property or assets received by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary upon such conversion or exchange; and

 

(C)

the aggregate amount equal to the net reduction in Investments in Unrestricted Subsidiaries resulting from (x) dividends, distributions, interest payments, return of capital, repayments of Investments or other transfers of assets to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary from any Unrestricted Subsidiary, or (y) the redesignation of any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary (valued in each case as provided in the definition of “Investment”), not to exceed in the case of any such Unrestricted Subsidiary the aggregate amount of Investments made by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in such Unrestricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date.

As of September 30, 2014, the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments the Company may make under this paragraph (a) equals $377.5 million.

 

(b)

The provisions of the foregoing paragraph (a) will not prohibit any of the following (each, a “Permitted Payment”):

 

(i)

any purchase, redemption, repurchase, or other acquisition or retirement of Capital Stock of the Company made by exchange (including any such exchange pursuant to the exercise of a conversion right or privilege in connection with which cash is paid in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares) for, or out of the proceeds of the substantially concurrent issuance or sale of, Capital Stock of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock and other than Capital Stock issued or sold to a Subsidiary) or substantially concurrent capital contribution to the Company, in each case other than Excluded Contributions; provided, that the Net Cash Proceeds

 

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from such issuance, sale or capital contribution shall be excluded in subsequent calculations under clause (iii)(B) of the preceding paragraph;

 

(ii)

dividends paid within 60 days after the date of declaration thereof if at such date of declaration such dividend would have complied with the preceding paragraph (a);

 

(iii)

Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount outstanding at any time not to exceed the amount of Excluded Contributions;

 

(iv)

loans, advances, dividends or distributions by the Company to Holding or GPC to permit Holding to repurchase or otherwise acquire its Capital Stock (including any options, warrants or other rights in respect thereof), or payments by the Company to repurchase or otherwise acquire Capital Stock of Holding or the Company (including any options, warrants or other rights in respect thereof), in each case from Management Investors, such payments, loans, advances, dividends or distributions not to exceed since the Issue Date an amount (net of repayments of any such loans or advances) equal to (1) $20.0 million, plus (2) $5.0 million multiplied by the number of calendar years that have commenced since the Issue Date, plus the Net Cash Proceeds received by the Company since the Issue Date from, or as a capital contribution from, the issuance or sale to Management Investors of Capital Stock (including any options, warrants or other rights in respect thereof), to the extent such Net Cash Proceeds are not included in any calculation under clause (iii)(B)(x) of the preceding paragraph (a);

 

(v)

the payment by the Company of, or loans, advances, dividends or distributions by the Company to GPC or Holding to pay, dividends on the common stock or equity of the Company, GPC or Holding following a public offering of such common stock or equity in an amount not to exceed in any fiscal year 6% of the aggregate gross proceeds received by the Company, GPC or Holding in or from such public offering;

 

(vi)

other Restricted Payments since the Issue Date not to exceed $200.0 million;

 

(vii)

loans, advances, dividends or distributions to Holding or GPC or other payments by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary to pay or permit Holding or GPC to pay any Holding Expenses or any Related Taxes;

 

(viii)

payments by the Company, or loans, advances, dividends or distributions by the Company to Holding to make payments, to holders of Capital Stock of the Company or Holding in lieu of issuance of fractional shares of such Capital Stock, not to exceed $100,000 since the Issue Date;

 

(ix)

dividends or other distributions of Capital Stock, Indebtedness or other securities of Unrestricted Subsidiaries;

 

(x)

Restricted Payments in the form of Investments in Unrestricted Subsidiaries if, at the time of the making of such Investment, and after giving pro forma effect to any designation of any Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary related to such Investment, the aggregate amount of all Investments in all Subsidiaries that are designated as Unrestricted Subsidiaries does not exceed 2.5% of consolidated total assets of the Company as reflected on the most recent balance sheet of the Company;

 

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(xi)

in addition to the Restricted Payments permitted by the preceding clauses (i) through (x), other Restricted Payments since the Issue Date not to exceed $100.0 million, in each case so long as, at the time of and after giving effect to the making of such Restricted Payment and the consummation of all other related transactions, the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio would not exceed 3.75:1.00;

 

(xii)

in addition to the Restricted Payments permitted by the preceding clauses (i) through (xi), other Restricted Payments since the Issue Date not to exceed $100.0 million, in each case so long as, at the time of and after giving effect to the making of such Restricted Payment and the consummation of all other related transactions, the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio would not exceed 3.50:1.00; and

 

(xiii)

in addition to the Restricted Payments permitted by the preceding clauses (i) through (xii), other Restricted Payments in an unlimited amount, in each case so long as, at the time of and after giving effect to the making of such Restricted Payment and the consummation of all other related transactions, the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio would not exceed 3.25:1.00;

provided that (A) in the case of clauses (ii), (v) and (viii), the net amount of any such Permitted Payment shall be included in subsequent calculations of the amount of Restricted Payments, (B) in the case of clause (iv), at the time of any calculation of the amount of Restricted Payments, the net amount of Permitted Payments that have then actually been made since the Issue Date under clause (iv) that is in excess of 50% of the total amount of Permitted Payments then permitted under clause (iv) shall be included in such calculation of the amount of Restricted Payments, (C) in all cases other than pursuant to clauses (A) and (B) immediately above, the net amount of any such Permitted Payment shall be excluded in subsequent calculations of the amount of Restricted Payments and (D) solely with respect to clauses (vi), (xi), (xii) and (xiii), no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred or be continuing at the time of any such Permitted Payment after giving effect thereto.

Limitation on Restrictions on Distributions from Restricted Subsidiaries.    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create or otherwise cause to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to (i) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Capital Stock or pay any Indebtedness or other obligations owed to the Company, (ii) make any loans or advances to the Company or (iii) transfer any of its property or assets to the Company, except any encumbrance or restriction:

 

(a)

pursuant to an agreement or instrument in effect at or entered into on the Issue Date, any Credit Facility, the Existing Indenture, the Existing Notes, the Indenture or the Notes;

 

(b)

pursuant to any agreement or instrument of a Person, or relating to Indebtedness or Capital Stock of a Person, which Person is acquired by or merged or consolidated with or into the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, or which agreement or instrument is assumed by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in connection with an acquisition of assets from such Person, as in effect at the time of such acquisition, merger or consolidation (except to the extent that such Indebtedness was incurred to finance, or otherwise in connection with, such acquisition, merger or consolidation); provided that for purposes of this clause (b), if another Person is the Successor Company, any Subsidiary thereof or agreement or instrument of such Person or any such Subsidiary shall be deemed acquired or assumed, as the case may be, by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, when such Person becomes the Successor Company;

 

(c)

pursuant to an agreement or instrument (a “Refinancing Agreement”) effecting a refinancing of Indebtedness Incurred pursuant to, or that otherwise extends, renews,

 

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refunds, refinances or replaces, an agreement or instrument referred to in clause (a) or (b) of this covenant or this clause (c) (an “Initial Agreement”) or contained in any amendment, supplement or other modification to an Initial Agreement (an “Amendment”); provided, however, that the encumbrances and restrictions contained in any such Refinancing Agreement or Amendment are not materially less favorable to the Holders of the Notes taken as a whole than encumbrances and restrictions contained in the Initial Agreement or Initial Agreements to which such Refinancing Agreement or Amendment relates (as determined in good faith by the Company);

 

(d)

(A) that restricts in a customary manner the subletting, assignment or transfer of any property or asset that is subject to a lease, license or similar contract, or the assignment or transfer of any lease, license or other contract, (B) by virtue of any transfer of, agreement to transfer, option or right with respect to, or Lien on, any property or assets of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary not otherwise prohibited by the Indenture, (C) contained in mortgages, pledges or other security agreements securing Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary to the extent restricting the transfer of the property or assets subject thereto, (D) pursuant to customary provisions restricting dispositions of real property interests set forth in any reciprocal easement agreements of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, (E) pursuant to Purchase Money Obligations that impose encumbrances or restrictions on the property or assets so acquired, (F) on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers under agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business, (G) pursuant to customary provisions contained in agreements and instruments entered into in the ordinary course of business (including but not limited to leases and joint venture and other similar agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business), (H) that arises or is agreed to in the ordinary course of business and does not detract from the value of property or assets of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in any manner material to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary or (I) pursuant to Hedging Obligations;

 

(e)

with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary (or any of its property or assets) imposed pursuant to an agreement entered into for the direct or indirect sale or disposition of all or substantially all the Capital Stock or assets of such Restricted Subsidiary (or the property or assets that are subject to such restriction) pending the closing of such sale or disposition;

 

(f)

by reason of any applicable law, rule, regulation or order, or required by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or any of their businesses; or

 

(g)

pursuant to an agreement or instrument (A) relating to any Indebtedness permitted to be Incurred subsequent to the Issue Date pursuant to the provisions of the covenant described under “—Limitation on Indebtedness” (i) if the encumbrances and restrictions contained in any such agreement or instrument taken as a whole are not materially less favorable to the Holders of the Notes than the encumbrances and restrictions contained in the Initial Agreements (as determined in good faith by the Company), or (ii) if such encumbrance or restriction is not materially more disadvantageous to the Holders of the Notes than is customary in comparable financings (as determined in good faith by the Company) and either (x) the Company determines that such encumbrance or restriction will not materially affect the Company’s ability to make principal or interest payments on the Notes or (y) such encumbrance or restriction applies only if a default occurs in respect of a payment or financial covenant relating to such Indebtedness, (B) relating to any sale of receivables by a Foreign Subsidiary, (C) relating to Indebtedness of or a Financing Disposition to or by any Receivables Entity or (D) relating to Indebtedness of a Foreign Subsidiary.

 

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Limitation on Sales of Assets and Subsidiary Stock.    The Indenture will provide as follows:

 

(a)

The Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, make any Asset Disposition unless:

 

(i)

the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary receives consideration (including by way of relief from, or by any other Person assuming responsibility for, any liabilities, contingent or otherwise) at the time of such Asset Disposition at least equal to the fair market value of the shares and assets subject to such Asset Disposition, as such fair market value may be determined (and shall be determined, to the extent such Asset Disposition or any series of related Asset Dispositions involves aggregate consideration in excess of $50.0 million) in good faith by the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive (including as to the value of all noncash consideration),

 

(ii)

in the case of any Asset Disposition (or series of related Asset Dispositions) having a fair market value of $50.0 million or more, at least 75% of the consideration therefor (excluding, in the case of an Asset Disposition (or series of related Asset Dispositions), any consideration by way of relief from, or by any other Person assuming responsibility for, any liabilities, contingent or otherwise, that are not Indebtedness) received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is in the form of cash, and

 

(iii)

an amount equal to 100% of the Net Available Cash from such Asset Disposition is applied by the Company (or any Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) as follows:

 

(A)

first, either (x) to the extent the Company elects (or is required by the terms of any Bank Indebtedness, any Senior Indebtedness of the Company or any Note Guarantor, or any Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Note Guarantor), to prepay, repay or purchase any such Indebtedness (in each case other than Indebtedness owed to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) within 365 days after the later of the date of such Asset Disposition and the date of receipt of such Net Available Cash, or (y) to the extent the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary elects, to reinvest in Additional Assets (including by means of an investment in Additional Assets by a Restricted Subsidiary with Net Available Cash received by the Company or another Restricted Subsidiary) within 365 days from the later of the date of such Asset Disposition and the date of receipt of such Net Available Cash, or, if such reinvestment in Additional Assets is a project authorized by the Board of Directors that will take longer than such 365 days to complete, the period of time necessary to complete such project;

 

(B)

second, to the extent of the balance of such Net Available Cash after application in accordance with clause (A) above (such balance, the “Excess Proceeds”), to make an offer to purchase Notes and (to the extent the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary elects, or is required by the terms thereof) to purchase, redeem or repay any other Senior Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, pursuant and subject to the conditions of the Indenture and the agreements governing such other Indebtedness; and

 

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(C)

third, to the extent of the balance of such Net Available Cash after application in accordance with clauses (A) and (B) above, to fund (to the extent consistent with any other applicable provision of the Indenture) any general corporate purpose (including but not limited to the repurchase, repayment or other acquisition or retirement of any Subordinated Obligations);

provided, however, that in connection with any prepayment, repayment or purchase of Indebtedness pursuant to clause (A)(x) or (B) above, the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary will retire such Indebtedness and will cause the related loan commitment (if any) to be permanently reduced in an amount equal to the principal amount so prepaid, repaid or purchased.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this covenant, the Company and the Restricted Subsidiaries shall not be required to apply any Net Available Cash in accordance with this covenant except to the extent that the aggregate Net Available Cash from all Asset Dispositions that is not applied in accordance with this covenant exceeds $50.0 million. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes and other Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary validly tendered and not withdrawn (or otherwise subject to purchase, redemption or repayment) in connection with an offer pursuant to clause (iii)(B) above exceeds the Excess Proceeds, the Excess Proceeds will be apportioned between such Notes and such other Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, with the portion of the Excess Proceeds payable in respect of such Notes to equal the lesser of (x) the Excess Proceeds amount multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the outstanding principal amount of such Notes and the denominator of which is the sum of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes and the outstanding principal amount of the relevant other Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, and (y) the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn.

For the purposes of clause (ii) of paragraph (a) above, the following are deemed to be cash: (1) Temporary Cash Investments and Cash Equivalents, (2) the assumption of Indebtedness of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock of the Company) or any Restricted Subsidiary and the release of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary from all liability on payment of the principal amount of such Indebtedness in connection with such Asset Disposition, (3) Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary that is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such Asset Disposition, to the extent that the Company and each other Restricted Subsidiary are released from any Guarantee of payment of the principal amount of such Indebtedness in connection with such Asset Disposition, (4) securities received by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary from the transferee that are converted by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary into cash within 180 days, (5) consideration consisting of Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary and (6) any Designated Noncash Consideration received by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in an Asset Disposition having an aggregate Fair Market Value, taken together with all other Designated Noncash Consideration received pursuant to this clause, not to exceed an aggregate amount at any time outstanding equal to 3% of Consolidated Tangible Assets (with the Fair Market Value of each item of Designated Noncash Consideration being measured at the time received and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value).

 

(b)

In the event of an Asset Disposition that requires the purchase of Notes pursuant to clause (iii)(B) of paragraph (a) above, the Company will be required to purchase Notes tendered pursuant to an offer by the Company for the Notes (the “Offer”) at a purchase price of 100% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to the Purchase Date in accordance with the procedures (including prorating in the event of oversubscription) set forth in the Indenture. If the aggregate purchase price of the Notes tendered pursuant to the Offer is less than the Net Available Cash allotted to the purchase of Notes, the remaining Net Available Cash will be available to the Company for use in accordance with clause (iii)(B) of paragraph (a) above (to repay other Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) or clause (iii)(C) of paragraph (a) above. The Company shall not be required to make an Offer for Notes pursuant to this covenant if the Net Available Cash available therefor (after application of the proceeds as provided in clause (iii)(A) of paragraph

 

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(a) above) is less than $25.0 million for any particular Asset Disposition (which lesser amounts shall be carried forward for purposes of determining whether an Offer is required with respect to the Net Available Cash from any subsequent Asset Disposition).

 

(c)

The Company will comply, to the extent applicable, with the requirements of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act and any other securities laws or regulations in connection with the repurchase of Notes pursuant to this covenant. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with provisions of this covenant, the Company will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under this covenant by virtue thereof.

Limitation on Transactions with Affiliates.    The Indenture will provide as follows:

 

(a)

The Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, enter into or conduct any transaction or series of related transactions (including the purchase, sale, lease or exchange of any property or the rendering of any service) with any Affiliate of the Company (an “Affiliate Transaction”) unless (i) the terms of such Affiliate Transaction are not materially less favorable to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, than those that could be obtained at the time in a transaction with a Person who is not such an Affiliate and (ii) if such Affiliate Transaction involves aggregate consideration in excess of $15.0 million, the terms of such Affiliate Transaction have been approved by a majority of the Disinterested Directors. For purposes of this paragraph, any Affiliate Transaction shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements set forth in this paragraph if (x) such Affiliate Transaction is approved by a majority of the Disinterested Directors or (y) in the event there are no Disinterested Directors, a fairness opinion is provided by a nationally recognized appraisal or investment banking firm with respect to such Affiliate Transaction.

 

(b)

The provisions of the preceding paragraph (a) will not apply to:

 

(i)

any Restricted Payment Transaction;

 

(ii)

(1) the entering into, maintaining or performance of any employment contract, collective bargaining agreement, benefit plan, program or arrangement, related trust agreement or any other similar arrangement for or with any employee, officer or director heretofore or hereafter entered into in the ordinary course of business, including vacation, health, insurance, deferred compensation, severance, retirement, savings or other similar plans, programs or arrangements, (2) the payment of compensation, performance of indemnification or contribution obligations, or any issuance, grant or award of stock, options, other equity-related interests or other securities, to employees, officers or directors in the ordinary course of business, (3) the payment of reasonable fees to directors of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (as determined in good faith by the Company or such Subsidiary), (4) any transaction with an officer or director in the ordinary course of business not involving more than $100,000 in any one case, or (5) Management Advances and payments in respect thereof;

 

(iii)

any transaction with the Company, any Restricted Subsidiary, or any Receivables Entity;

 

(iv)

any transaction arising out of agreements or instruments in existence on the Issue Date, and any payments made pursuant thereto;

 

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(v)

any transaction in the ordinary course of business on terms not materially less favorable to the Company or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that could be obtained at the time in a transaction with a Person who is not an Affiliate of the Company;

 

(vi)

any transaction in the ordinary course of business, or approved by a majority of the Board of Directors, between the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary and any Affiliate of the Company controlled by the Company that is a joint venture or similar entity; and

 

(vii)

the Transactions, all transactions in connection therewith (including but not limited to the financing thereof), and all fees and expenses paid or payable in connection with the Transactions.

Limitation on Liens.    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, create or permit to exist any Lien (other than Permitted Liens) on any of its property or assets (including Capital Stock of any other Person), whether owned on the date of the Indenture or thereafter acquired, securing any Indebtedness (the “Initial Lien”), unless contemporaneously therewith effective provision is made to secure the Indebtedness due under the Indenture and the Notes or, in respect of Liens on any Restricted Subsidiary’s property or assets, any Note Guarantee of such Restricted Subsidiary, equally and ratably with (or on a senior basis to, in the case of Subordinated Obligations or Guarantor Subordinated Obligations) such obligation for so long as such obligation is so secured by such Initial Lien. Any such Lien thereby created in favor of the Notes or any such Note Guarantee will be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged upon (i) the release and discharge of the Initial Lien to which it relates or (ii) any sale, exchange or transfer to any Person not an Affiliate of the Company of the property or assets secured by such Initial Lien, or of all of the Capital Stock held by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in, or all or substantially all the assets of, any Restricted Subsidiary creating such Initial Lien.

Future Note Guarantors.    The Indenture will provide as follows:

The Company will cause each Significant Domestic Subsidiary that guarantees payment by the Company of any Bank Indebtedness of the Company or any of the Existing Notes to execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture or other instrument pursuant to which such Subsidiary will guarantee payment of the Notes, whereupon such Subsidiary will become a Note Guarantor for all purposes under the Indenture. In addition, the Company may cause any Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor so to guarantee payment of the Notes and become a Subsidiary Guarantor.

Each Subsidiary Guarantor, as primary obligor and not merely as surety, will jointly and severally, irrevocably and fully and unconditionally Guarantee, on an unsecured senior basis, the punctual payment when due, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, of all monetary obligations of the Company under the Indenture and the Notes, whether for principal of or interest on the Notes, expenses, indemnification or otherwise (all such obligations guaranteed by such Subsidiary Guarantors being herein called the “Subsidiary Guaranteed Obligations”). Such Subsidiary Guarantor will agree to pay, in addition to the amount stated above, any and all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) incurred by the Trustee or the Holders in enforcing any rights under its Subsidiary Guarantee.

The obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor will be limited to the maximum amount, as will, after giving effect to all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Subsidiary Guarantor, result in the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under applicable law, or being void or unenforceable under any law relating to insolvency of debtors.

 

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Each such Subsidiary Guarantee will be a continuing Guarantee and will (i) remain in full force and effect until payment in full of the principal amount of all outstanding Notes (whether by payment at maturity, purchase, redemption, defeasance, retirement or other acquisition) and all other applicable Subsidiary Guaranteed Obligations then due and owing unless earlier terminated as described below, (ii) be binding upon such Subsidiary Guarantor and (iii) inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Trustee, the Holders and their permitted successors, transferees and assigns.

Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, any Subsidiary Guarantor will automatically and unconditionally be released from all obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee, and such Subsidiary Guarantee shall thereupon terminate and be discharged and of no further force or effect, (i) concurrently with any sale or disposition (by merger or otherwise) of any Subsidiary Guarantor or any interest therein in accordance with the terms of the Indenture (including the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Sales of Assets and Subsidiary Stock” and “—Certain Covenants—Merger and Consolidation”) by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, following which such Subsidiary Guarantor is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, (ii) at any time that such Subsidiary Guarantor is released from all of its obligations under all of its Guarantees of payment by the Company of any Bank Indebtedness of the Company and the Existing Notes, if applicable, (iii) upon the merger or consolidation of any Subsidiary Guarantor with and into the Company or another Subsidiary Guarantor that is the surviving Person in such merger or consolidation, (iv) concurrently with any Subsidiary Guarantor becoming an Unrestricted Subsidiary, (v) upon legal or covenant defeasance of the Company’s obligations, or satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture, (vi) subject to customary contingent reinstatement provisions, upon payment in full of the aggregate principal amount of all Notes then outstanding and all other applicable Guaranteed Obligations then due and owing, or (vii) upon the occurrence of a Ratings Event. In addition, the Company will have the right, upon 30 days’ notice to the Trustee to cause any Subsidiary Guarantor that has not guaranteed payment by the Company of any Bank Indebtedness of the Company or the Existing Notes, if applicable, to be unconditionally released from all obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee, and such Subsidiary Guarantee shall thereupon terminate and be discharged and of no further force or effect. Upon any such occurrence specified in this paragraph, the Trustee shall execute any documents reasonably required in order to evidence such release, discharge and termination in respect of such Subsidiary Guarantee.

Neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary Guarantor shall be required to make a notation on the Notes to reflect any such Guarantee or any such release, termination or discharge.

SEC Reports.    The Indenture will provide that, notwithstanding that the Company may not be required to be or remain subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the Company will file with the SEC (unless such filing is not permitted under the Exchange Act or by the SEC), so long as the Notes are outstanding, the annual reports, information, documents and other reports that the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to such Section 13(a) or 15(d) or would be so required to file if the Company were so subject. The Company will also, within 15 days after the date on which the Company was so required to file or would be so required to file if the Company were so subject, transmit by mail to all Holders, as their names and addresses appear in the Note Register, and to the Trustee copies of any such information, documents and reports (without exhibits) so required to be filed. The Company will be deemed to have satisfied such requirements if Holding files and provides reports, documents and information of the types otherwise so required, in each case within the applicable time periods, and the Company is not required to file such reports, documents and information separately under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC (after giving effect to any exemptive relief) because of the filings by Holding. The Company also will comply with the other provisions of TIA § 314(a).

 

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Merger and Consolidation

The Indenture will provide that the Company will not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all its assets to, any Person, unless:

 

(i)

the resulting, surviving or transferee Person (the “Successor Company”) will be a Person organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and the Successor Company (if not the Company) will expressly assume all the obligations of the Company under the Notes and the Indenture by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture or one or more other documents or instruments in form reasonably satisfactory to such Trustee;

 

(ii)

immediately after giving effect to such transaction (and treating any Indebtedness that becomes an obligation of the Successor Company or any Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been Incurred by the Successor Company or such Restricted Subsidiary at the time of such transaction), no Default will have occurred and be continuing;

 

(iii)

immediately after giving effect to such transaction, either (A) the Successor Company could Incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to paragraph (a) of the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness,” or (B) the Consolidated Coverage Ratio of the Successor Company would equal or exceed the Consolidated Coverage Ratio of the Company immediately prior to giving effect to such transaction;

 

(iv)

each applicable Note Guarantor (other than any party to any such consolidation or merger) shall have delivered a supplemental indenture or other document or instrument in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, confirming its Note Guarantee; and

 

(v)

the Company will have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each to the effect that such consolidation, merger or transfer complies with the provisions described in this paragraph, provided that (x) in giving such opinion such counsel may rely on an Officer’s Certificate as to compliance with the foregoing clauses (ii) and (iii) and as to any matters of fact, and (y) no Opinion of Counsel will be required for a consolidation, merger or transfer described in the last paragraph of this covenant.

Any Indebtedness that becomes an obligation of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (or that is deemed to be Incurred by any Restricted Subsidiary that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary) as a result of any such transaction undertaken in compliance with this covenant, and any Refinancing Indebtedness with respect thereto, shall be deemed to have been Incurred in compliance with the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness.”

The Successor Company will succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under the Indenture, and thereafter the predecessor Company shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under the Indenture, except that the predecessor Company in the case of a lease of all or substantially all its assets will not be released from the obligation to pay the principal of and interest on the Notes.

Clauses (ii) and (iii) of the first paragraph of this “Merger and Consolidation” covenant will not apply to any transaction in which (1) any Restricted Subsidiary consolidates with, merges into or transfers all or part of its assets to the Company or (2) the Company consolidates or merges with or into or transfers all or substantially all its properties and assets to (x) an Affiliate incorporated or organized for the purpose of reincorporating or reorganizing the Company in another jurisdiction or changing its legal structure to a corporation or other entity or

 

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(y) a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company so long as all assets of the Company and the Restricted Subsidiaries immediately prior to such transaction (other than Capital Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary) are owned by such Restricted Subsidiary and its Restricted Subsidiaries immediately after the consummation thereof.

Defaults

An Event of Default will be defined in the Indenture as:

 

(i)

a default in any payment of interest on any Note when due, continued for 30 days;

 

(ii)

a default in the payment of principal of any Note when due, whether at its Stated Maturity, upon optional redemption, upon required repurchase, upon declaration or otherwise;

 

(iii)

the failure by the Company to comply with its obligations under the first paragraph of the covenant described under “—Merger and Consolidation” above;

 

(iv)

the failure by the Company to comply for 30 days after notice with any of its obligations under the covenant described under “—Change of Control” above (other than a failure to purchase Notes);

 

(v)

the failure by the Company to comply for 60 days after notice with its other agreements contained in the Notes or the Indenture;

 

(vi)

the failure by any Subsidiary Guarantor to comply for 45 days after notice with its obligations under its Note Guarantee;

 

(vii)

the failure by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary to pay any Indebtedness within any applicable grace period after final maturity or the acceleration of any such Indebtedness by the holders thereof because of a default, if the total amount of such Indebtedness so unpaid or accelerated exceeds $75.0 million or its foreign currency equivalent; provided, that no Default or Event of Default will be deemed to occur with respect to any such accelerated Indebtedness that is paid or otherwise acquired or retired within 20 Business Days after such acceleration (the “cross acceleration provision”);

 

(viii)

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company or a Significant Subsidiary, or of other Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Significant Subsidiaries but would in the aggregate constitute a Significant Subsidiary if considered as a single Person (the “bankruptcy provisions”);

 

(ix)

the rendering of any judgment or decree for the payment of money in an amount (net of any insurance or indemnity payments actually received in respect thereof prior to or within 90 days from the entry thereof, or to be received in respect thereof in the event any appeal thereof shall be unsuccessful) in excess of $75.0 million or its foreign currency equivalent against the Company or a Significant Subsidiary, or jointly and severally against other Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Significant Subsidiaries but would in the aggregate constitute a Significant Subsidiary if considered as a single Person, that is not discharged, or bonded or insured by a third Person, if such judgment or decree remains outstanding for a period of 90 days following such judgment or decree and is not discharged, waived or stayed (the “judgment default provision”); or

 

(x)

the failure of any applicable Note Guarantee by a Note Guarantor that is a Significant Subsidiary to be in full force and effect (except as contemplated by the terms thereof or of the Indenture) or the denial or disaffirmation in writing by any applicable Note Guarantor

 

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that is a Significant Subsidiary of its obligations under the Indenture or any applicable Note Guarantee, if such Default continues for 10 days.

The foregoing will constitute Events of Default whatever the reason for any such Event of Default and whether it is voluntary or involuntary or is effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body.

However, a Default under clause (iv), (v) or (vi) will not constitute an Event of Default until the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes notify the Company of the Default and the Company does not cure such Default within the time specified in such clause after receipt of such notice.

If an Event of Default (other than a Default relating to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company) occurs and is continuing under the Indenture, the Trustee by notice to the Company, or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes by notice to the Company and the Trustee, may declare the principal of and accrued but unpaid interest on all Notes to be due and payable. Upon the effectiveness of such a declaration, such principal and interest will be due and payable immediately.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default relating to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company occurs and is continuing, the principal of and accrued interest on all Notes will become immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holders. Under certain circumstances, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may rescind any such acceleration with respect to the Notes and its consequences.

Subject to the provisions of the Indenture relating to the duties of the Trustee, in case an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers under the Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders unless such Holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity or security against any loss, liability or expense. Except to enforce the right to receive payment of principal, premium (if any) or interest when due, no Holder may pursue any remedy with respect to the Indenture or the Notes unless (i) such Holder has previously given the Trustee written notice that an Event of Default is continuing, (ii) Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes have requested the Trustee in writing to pursue the remedy, (iii) such Holders have offered the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against any loss, liability or expense, (iv) the Trustee has not complied with such request within 60 days after the receipt of the request and the offer of security or indemnity and (v) the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes have not given the Trustee a direction inconsistent with such request within such 60-day period. Subject to certain restrictions, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes are given the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or of exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee. The Trustee, however, may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or the Indenture or that the Trustee determines is unduly prejudicial to the rights of any other Holder or that would involve the Trustee in personal liability. Prior to taking any action under the Indenture, the Trustee will be entitled to indemnification satisfactory to it in its sole discretion against all losses and expenses caused by taking or not taking such action.

The Indenture provides that if a Default occurs and is continuing and is known to the Trustee, the Trustee must mail to each Holder notice of the Default within 90 days after it occurs. Except in the case of a Default in the payment of principal of, or premium (if any) or interest on, any Note, the Trustee may withhold notice if and so long as a committee of its Trust Officers in good faith determines that withholding notice is in the interests of the Holders. In addition, the Company is required to deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, a certificate indicating whether the signers thereof know of any Default occurring during the previous year. The Company also is required to deliver to the Trustee, within 30 days after the occurrence thereof, written notice of any event that would constitute certain Defaults, their status and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take in respect thereof.

 

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Amendments and Waivers

Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture may be amended with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding and any past default or compliance with any provisions may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding (including in each case, consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for Notes). However, without the consent of each Holder of an outstanding Note affected thereby, no amendment or waiver may (i) reduce the principal amount of Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment or waiver, (ii) reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest on any Note, (iii) reduce the principal of or extend the Stated Maturity of any Note, (iv) reduce the premium payable upon the redemption of any Note, or change the date on which any Note may be redeemed as described under “—Optional Redemption” above, (v) make any Note payable in money other than that stated in such Note, (vi) impair the right of any Holder to receive payment of principal of and interest on such Holder’s Notes on or after the due dates therefor or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or with respect to such Holder’s Notes or (vii) make any change in the amendment or waiver provisions described in this sentence.

Without the consent of any Holder, the Company, the Trustee and (as applicable) any Note Guarantor may amend the Indenture to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency, to provide for the assumption by a successor of the obligations of the Company or a Note Guarantor under the Indenture, to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes, to add Guarantees with respect to the Notes, to secure the Notes, to confirm and evidence the release, termination or discharge of any Guarantee or Lien with respect to or securing the Notes when such release, termination or discharge is provided for under the Indenture, to add to the covenants of the Company for the benefit of the Holders or to surrender any right or power conferred upon the Company, to provide for or confirm the issuance of Additional Notes, to make any change that does not materially adversely affect the rights of any Holder, or to comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the Indenture under the TIA or otherwise.

The consent of the Holders is not necessary under the Indenture to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment or waiver. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substance of the proposed amendment or waiver. Until an amendment or waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder is a continuing consent by such Holder and every subsequent Holder of all or part of the related Note. Any such Holder or subsequent holder may revoke such consent as to its Note by written notice to the Trustee or the Company, received thereby before the date on which the Company certifies to the Trustee that the Holders of the requisite principal amount of Notes have consented to such amendment or waiver. After an amendment or waiver under the Indenture becomes effective, the Company is required to mail to Holders a notice briefly describing such amendment or waiver. However, the failure to give such notice to all Holders, or any defect therein, will not impair or affect the validity of the amendment or waiver.

Defeasance

The Company at any time may terminate all its obligations under the Notes and the Indenture (“legal defeasance”), except for certain obligations, including those relating to the defeasance trust and obligations to register the transfer or exchange of the Notes, to replace mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Notes and to maintain a registrar and paying agent in respect of the Notes. The Company at any time may terminate its obligations under certain covenants under the Indenture, including the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants” and “—Change of Control,” the operation of the default provisions relating to such covenants described under “—Defaults” above, the operation of the cross acceleration provision, the bankruptcy provisions with respect to Subsidiaries and the judgment default provision described under “—Defaults” above, and the limitations contained in clauses (iii), (iv) and (v) under “—Merger and Consolidation” above (“covenant defeasance”). If the Company exercises its legal defeasance option or its covenant defeasance option, each Note Guarantor will be released from all of its obligations with respect to its applicable Note Guarantee.

The Company may exercise its legal defeasance option notwithstanding its prior exercise of its covenant defeasance option. If the Company exercises its legal defeasance option, payment of the Notes may not be

 

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accelerated because of an Event of Default with respect thereto. If the Company exercises its covenant defeasance option, payment of the Notes may not be accelerated because of an Event of Default specified in clause (iv), (v) (as it relates to the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants” above), (vi), (vii), (viii) (but only with respect to events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of a Subsidiary), (ix) or (x) under “Defaults” above or because of the failure of the Company to comply with clause (iii), (iv) or (v) under “—Merger and Consolidation” above.

Either defeasance option may be exercised to any redemption date or to the maturity date for the Notes. In order to exercise either defeasance option, the Company must irrevocably deposit in trust (the “defeasance trust”) with the Trustee money or U.S. Government Obligations, or a combination thereof, sufficient (without reinvestment) to pay principal of, and premium (if any) and interest on, the Notes to redemption or maturity, as the case may be, and must comply with certain other conditions, including delivery to the Trustee of an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that Holders will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and defeasance had not occurred (and, in the case of legal defeasance only, such Opinion of Counsel must be based on a ruling of the Internal Revenue Service or other change in applicable Federal income tax law since the Issue Date).

Satisfaction and Discharge

The Indenture will be discharged and cease to be of further effect (except as to surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of the Notes, as expressly provided for in the Indenture) as to all outstanding Notes when (i) either (a) all Notes previously authenticated and delivered (other than certain lost, stolen or destroyed Notes, and certain Notes for which provision for payment was previously made and thereafter the funds have been released to the Company) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation or (b) all Notes not previously delivered to the Trustee for cancellation (x) have become due and payable, (y) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year or (z) have been or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company; (ii) the Company has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee money, U.S. Government Obligations, or a combination thereof, sufficient (without reinvestment) to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the Notes not previously delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal, premium, if any, and interest to the date of deposit; (iii) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable under the Indenture by the Company; and (iv) the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel each to the effect that all conditions precedent under the “Satisfaction and Discharge” section of the Indenture relating to the satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture have been complied with, provided that any such counsel may rely on any Officer’s Certificate as to matters of fact (including as to compliance with the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii)).

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees, Incorporators and Stockholders

No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Company, any Note Guarantor or any Subsidiary of any thereof shall have any liability for any obligation of the Company or any Note Guarantor under the Indenture, the Notes or any Note Guarantee, or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, any such obligation or its creation. Each Holder, by accepting the Notes, waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

Concerning the Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association will be the Trustee under the Indenture and will be appointed by the Company as Registrar and Paying Agent with regard to the Notes.

The Indenture will provide that, except during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Trustee will perform only such duties as are set forth specifically in the Indenture. During the existence of an Event of

 

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Default, the Trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it under the Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

The Indenture and the TIA will impose certain limitations on the rights of the Trustee, should it become a creditor of the Company, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases or to realize on certain property received by it in respect of any such claims, as security or otherwise. The Trustee will be permitted to engage in other transactions; provided that if it acquires any conflicting interest as described in the TIA, it must eliminate such conflict, apply to the SEC for permission to continue as Trustee with such conflict, or resign.

Transfer and Exchange

A Holder may transfer or exchange Notes in accordance with the Indenture. Upon any transfer or exchange, the registrar and the Trustee may require such Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and the Company may require such Holder to pay any taxes or other governmental charges required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Company is not required to transfer or exchange any Note selected for redemption or purchase or to transfer or exchange any Note for a period of 15 Business Days prior to the day of the mailing of the notice of redemption or purchase. The Notes will be issued in registered form and the registered holder of a Note will be treated as the owner of such Note for all purposes.

Governing Law

The Indenture will provide that it and the Notes will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

Certain Definitions

“Additional Assets” means (i) any property or assets that replace the property or assets that are the subject of an Asset Disposition; (ii) any property or assets (other than Indebtedness and Capital Stock) to be used by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary in a Related Business; (iii) the Capital Stock of a Person that is engaged in a Related Business and becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of the acquisition of such Capital Stock by the Company or another Restricted Subsidiary; or (iv) Capital Stock of any Person that at such time is a Restricted Subsidiary acquired from a third party.

“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person, directly or indirectly, controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” when used with respect to any Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

“Asset Disposition” means any sale, lease, transfer or other disposition of shares of Capital Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary (other than directors’ qualifying shares, or (in the case of a Foreign Subsidiary) to the extent required by applicable law), property or other assets (each referred to for the purposes of this definition as a “disposition”) by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (including any disposition by means of a merger, consolidation or similar transaction), other than (i) a disposition to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, (ii) a disposition in the ordinary course of business, (iii) the sale or discount (with or without recourse, and on customary or commercially reasonable terms) of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising in the ordinary course of business, or the conversion or exchange of accounts receivable for notes receivable, (iv) any Restricted Payment Transaction, (v) a disposition that is governed by the provisions described under “—Merger and Consolidation”, (vi) any Financing Disposition, (vii) any “fee in lieu” or other disposition of assets to any governmental authority or agency that continue in use by the Company or any Restricted

 

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Subsidiary, so long as the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary may obtain title to such assets upon reasonable notice by paying a nominal fee, (viii) any exchange of like property pursuant to Section 1031 (or any successor section) of the Code, or any exchange of equipment to be used in a Related Business, (ix) any financing transaction with respect to property built or acquired by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date, including without limitation any sale/leaseback transaction or asset securitization, (x) any disposition arising from foreclosure, condemnation or similar action with respect to any property or other assets, (xi) any disposition of Capital Stock, Indebtedness or other securities of an Unrestricted Subsidiary, (xii) a disposition of Capital Stock of a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to an agreement or other obligation with or to a Person (other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) from whom such Restricted Subsidiary was acquired, or from whom such Restricted Subsidiary acquired its business and assets (having been newly formed in connection with such acquisition), entered into in connection with such acquisition, (xiii) a disposition of the outstanding Capital Stock or assets of a Foreign Subsidiary, or (xiv) any disposition or series of related dispositions for aggregate consideration not to exceed $50.0 million.

“Bank Indebtedness” means any and all amounts, whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter incurred, payable under or in respect of any Credit Facility, including without limitation principal, premium (if any), interest (including interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy or for reorganization relating to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary whether or not a claim for post-filing interest is allowed in such proceedings), fees, charges, expenses, reimbursement obligations, guarantees, other monetary obligations of any nature and all other amounts payable thereunder or in respect thereof.

“Board of Directors” means the board of directors or other governing body of the Company or, if the Company is owned or managed by a single entity, the board of directors or other governing body of such entity, or, in either case, any committee thereof duly authorized to act on behalf of such board or governing body.

“Borrowing Base” means the sum (determined as of the end of the most recently ended fiscal quarter for which consolidated financial statements of the Company are available) of (1) 60% of Inventory of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries and (2) 85% of Receivables of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

“Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banking institutions are authorized or required by law to close in New York City.

“Capital Stock” of any Person means any and all shares of, rights to purchase, warrants or options for, or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) equity of such Person, including any Preferred Stock, but excluding any debt securities convertible into such equity.

“Capitalized Lease Obligation” means an obligation that is required to be classified and accounted for as a capitalized lease for financial reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Stated Maturity of any Capitalized Lease Obligation shall be the date of the last payment of rent or any other amount due under the related lease.

“Cash Equivalents” means any of the following: (a) securities issued or fully guaranteed or insured by the United States Government or any agency or instrumentality thereof, (b) time deposits, certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances of (i) any lender under the Senior Credit Agreement or (ii) any commercial bank having capital and surplus in excess of $500,000,000 and the commercial paper of the holding company of which is rated at least A-1 or the equivalent thereof by S&P or at least P-1 or the equivalent thereof by Moody’s (or if at such time neither is issuing ratings, then a comparable rating of another nationally recognized rating agency), (c) commercial paper rated at least A-1 or the equivalent thereof by S&P or at least P-1 or the equivalent thereof by Moody’s (or if at such time neither is issuing ratings, then a comparable rating of another nationally recognized rating agency), (d) investments in money market funds complying with the risk limiting conditions of Rule 2a-7 or any successor rule of the SEC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and (e) investments similar to any of the foregoing denominated in foreign currencies approved by the Board of Directors.

 

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“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

“Commodities Agreements” means, in respect of a Person, any commodity futures contract, forward contract, option or similar agreement or arrangement (including derivative agreements or arrangements), as to which such Person is a party or beneficiary.

“Company” means Graphic Packaging International, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor in interest thereto.

“Consolidated Coverage Ratio” as of any date of determination means the ratio of (i) the aggregate amount of Consolidated EBITDA of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the period of the most recent four consecutive fiscal quarters ending prior to the date of such determination for which consolidated financial statements of the Company are available to (ii) Consolidated Interest Expense for such four fiscal quarters; provided, that

 

(1)

if since the beginning of such period the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary has Incurred any Indebtedness that remains outstanding on such date of determination or if the transaction giving rise to the need to calculate the Consolidated Coverage Ratio is an Incurrence of Indebtedness, Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Interest Expense for such period shall be calculated after giving effect on a pro forma basis to such Indebtedness as if such Indebtedness had been Incurred on the first day of such period (except that in making such computation, the amount of Indebtedness under any revolving credit facility outstanding on the date of such calculation shall be computed based on (A) the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during such four fiscal quarters or such shorter period for which such facility was outstanding or (B) if such facility was created after the end of such four fiscal quarters, the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the period from the date of creation of such facility to the date of such calculation),

 

(2)

if since the beginning of such period the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary has repaid, repurchased, redeemed, defeased or otherwise acquired, retired or discharged any Indebtedness that is no longer outstanding on such date of determination (each, a “Discharge”) or if the transaction giving rise to the need to calculate the Consolidated Coverage Ratio involves a Discharge of Indebtedness (in each case other than Indebtedness Incurred under any revolving credit facility unless such Indebtedness has been permanently repaid), Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Interest Expense for such period shall be calculated after giving effect on a pro forma basis to such Discharge of such Indebtedness, including with the proceeds of such new Indebtedness, as if such Discharge had occurred on the first day of such period,

 

(3)

if since the beginning of such period the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary shall have disposed of any company, any business or any group of assets constituting an operating unit of a business (any such disposition, a “Sale”), the Consolidated EBITDA for such period shall be reduced by an amount equal to the Consolidated EBITDA (if positive) attributable to the assets that are the subject of such Sale for such period or increased by an amount equal to the Consolidated EBITDA (if negative) attributable thereto for such period and Consolidated Interest Expense for such period shall be reduced by an amount equal to (A) the Consolidated Interest Expense attributable to any Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary repaid, repurchased, redeemed, defeased or otherwise acquired, retired or discharged with respect to the Company and its continuing Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with such Sale for such period (including but not limited to through the assumption of such Indebtedness by another Person) plus (B) if the Capital Stock of any Restricted Subsidiary is sold, the Consolidated Interest Expense for such period attributable to the Indebtedness of such Restricted Subsidiary to the extent the Company and its continuing Restricted Subsidiaries are no longer liable for such Indebtedness after such Sale,

 

 

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(4)

if since the beginning of such period the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (by merger, consolidation or otherwise) shall have made an Investment in any Person that thereby becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, or otherwise acquired any company, any business or any group of assets constituting an operating unit of a business, including any such Investment or acquisition occurring in connection with a transaction causing a calculation to be made hereunder (any such Investment or acquisition, a “Purchase”), Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Interest Expense for such period shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto (including the Incurrence of any related Indebtedness) as if such Purchase occurred on the first day of such period, and

 

(5)

if since the beginning of such period any Person who became a Restricted Subsidiary was merged or consolidated with or into the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, and since the beginning of such period such Person shall have Discharged any Indebtedness or made any Sale or Purchase that would have required an adjustment pursuant to clause (2), (3) or (4) above if made by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary during such period, Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Interest Expense for such period shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto as if such Discharge, Sale or Purchase occurred on the first day of such period.

For purposes of this definition, whenever pro forma effect is to be given to any Sale, Purchase or other transaction, or the amount of income or earnings relating thereto and the amount of Consolidated Interest Expense associated with any Indebtedness Incurred or repaid, repurchased, redeemed, defeased or otherwise acquired, retired or discharged in connection therewith, the pro forma calculations in respect thereof (including without limitation in respect of anticipated cost savings or synergies relating to any such Sale, Purchase or other transaction) shall be as determined in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting Officer of the Company. If any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest and is being given pro forma effect, the interest expense on such Indebtedness shall be calculated as if the rate in effect on the date of determination had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Interest Rate Agreement applicable to such Indebtedness). If any Indebtedness bears, at the option of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, a rate of interest based on a prime or similar rate, a eurocurrency interbank offered rate or other fixed or floating rate, and such Indebtedness is being given pro forma effect, the interest expense on such Indebtedness shall be calculated by applying such optional rate as the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary may designate. If any Indebtedness that is being given pro forma effect was Incurred under a revolving credit facility, the interest expense on such Indebtedness shall be computed based upon the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the applicable period. Interest on a Capitalized Lease Obligation shall be deemed to accrue at an interest rate determined in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the Company to be the rate of interest implicit in such Capitalized Lease Obligation in accordance with GAAP.

“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for any period, the Consolidated Net Income for such period, plus the following to the extent deducted in calculating such Consolidated Net Income: (i) provision for all taxes (whether or not paid, estimated or accrued) based on income, profits or capital, (ii) Consolidated Interest Expense and any Receivables Fees, (iii) depreciation, amortization (including but not limited to amortization of goodwill and intangibles and amortization and write-off of financing costs) and all other non-cash charges or non-cash losses, (iv) any expenses or charges related to any Equity Offering, Investment or Indebtedness permitted by the Indenture (whether or not consummated or incurred), (v) the amount of any minority interest expense, (vi) litigation costs and expenses for non-ordinary course litigation, (vii) to the extent covered by insurance, expenses with respect to liability or casualty events or business interruptions, and (viii) losses or gains from discontinued operations.

“Consolidated Interest Expense” means, for any period, (i) the total interest expense of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent deducted in calculating Consolidated Net Income, net of any interest income of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, including without limitation any such interest expense consisting of (a) interest expense attributable to Capitalized Lease Obligations, (b) amortization of debt discount,

 

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(c) interest in respect of Indebtedness of any other Person that has been Guaranteed by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, but only to the extent that such interest is actually paid by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, (d) non-cash interest expense, (e) the interest portion of any deferred payment obligation and (f) commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and bankers’ acceptance financing, plus (ii) Preferred Stock dividends paid in cash in respect of Disqualified Stock of the Company held by Persons other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary and minus (iii) to the extent otherwise included in such interest expense referred to in clause (i) above, Receivables Fees and amortization or write-off of financing costs, in each case under clauses (i) through (iii) as determined on a Consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; provided that gross interest expense shall be determined after giving effect to any net payments made or received by the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to Interest Rate Agreements.

“Consolidated Net Income” means, for any period, the net income (loss) of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of Preferred Stock dividends; provided that there shall not be included in such Consolidated Net Income:

 

(i)

any net income (loss) of any Person if such Person is not a Restricted Subsidiary, except that (A) subject to the limitations contained in clause (iii) below, the Company’s equity in the net income of any such Person for such period shall be included in such Consolidated Net Income up to the aggregate amount actually distributed by such Person during such period to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary as a dividend or other distribution (subject, in the case of a dividend or other distribution to a Restricted Subsidiary, to the limitations contained in clause (ii) below) and (B) the Company’s equity in the net loss of such Person shall be included to the extent of the aggregate Investment of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in such Person,

 

(ii)

any net income (loss) of any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Note Guarantor if such Restricted Subsidiary is subject to restrictions, directly or indirectly, on the payment of dividends or the making of similar distributions by such Restricted Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, to the Company by operation of the terms of such Restricted Subsidiary’s charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute or governmental rule or regulation applicable to such Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders (other than (x) restrictions that have been waived or otherwise released, (y) restrictions pursuant to the Existing Notes, the Notes, the Existing Indenture or the Indenture and (z) restrictions in effect on the Issue Date with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary and other restrictions with respect to such Restricted Subsidiary that taken as a whole are not materially less favorable to the Holders than such restrictions in effect on the Issue Date), except that (A) subject to the limitations contained in clause (iii) below, the Company’s equity in the net income of any such Restricted Subsidiary for such period shall be included in such Consolidated Net Income up to the aggregate amount of any dividend or distribution that was or that could have been made by such Restricted Subsidiary during such period to the Company or another Restricted Subsidiary (subject, in the case of a dividend that could have been made to another Restricted Subsidiary, to the limitation contained in this clause) and (B) the net loss of such Restricted Subsidiary shall be included to the extent of the aggregate Investment of the Company or any of its other Restricted Subsidiaries in such Restricted Subsidiary,

 

(iii)

any gain or loss realized upon the sale or other disposition of any asset of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (including pursuant to any sale/leaseback transaction) that is not sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors),

 

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(iv)

any item classified as an extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring gain, loss or charge (including fees, expenses and charges associated with the Transactions and any acquisition, merger or consolidation after the Issue Date),

 

(v)

the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles,

 

(vi)

all deferred financing costs written off and premiums paid in connection with any early extinguishment of Indebtedness,

 

(vii)

any unrealized gains or losses in respect of Currency Agreements,

 

(viii)

any unrealized foreign currency transaction gains or losses in respect of Indebtedness of any Person denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of such Person,

 

(ix)

any non-cash compensation charge arising from any grant of stock, stock options or other equity based awards,

 

(x)

all other non-cash expenses, charges or costs (other than depreciation expense and amortization of intangible asset expense but in any event including within this clause (x) any impairment charges or write-down of other assets) and all non-cash gains or credits, in each case, to the extent reducing (or increasing) net income; and

 

(xi)

to the extent otherwise included in Consolidated Net Income, any unrealized foreign currency translation or transaction gains or losses in respect of Indebtedness or other obligations of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary owing to the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary.

In the case of any unusual or nonrecurring gain, loss or charge not included in Consolidated Net Income pursuant to clause (iv) above in any determination thereof, the Company will deliver an Officer’s Certificate to the Trustee promptly after the date on which Consolidated Net Income is so determined, setting forth the nature and amount of such unusual or nonrecurring gain, loss or charge. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the purpose of clause (a)(iii)(A) of the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Restricted Payments” only, there shall be excluded from Consolidated Net Income, without duplication, any dividends, repayments of loans or advances or other transfers of assets from Unrestricted Subsidiaries to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary to the extent such dividends, repayments or transfers are applied by the Company to increase the amount of Restricted Payments permitted under such covenant pursuant to clause (a)(iii)(C) or (D) thereof.

“Consolidated Tangible Assets” means, as of any date of determination, the total assets less the total intangible assets (including, without limitation, goodwill), in each case shown on the consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of the most recent date for which such a balance sheet is available, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP (and, in the case of any determination relating to any Incurrence of Indebtedness or any Investment, on a pro forma basis including any property or assets being acquired in connection therewith); provided that for purposes of paragraph (b) of the covenant described in “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness” and the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Sale of Assets and Subsidiary Stock”, Consolidated Tangible Assets shall not be less than $2,409.0 million.

“Consolidation” means the consolidation of the accounts of each of the Restricted Subsidiaries with those of the Company in accordance with GAAP; provided that “Consolidation” will not include consolidation of the accounts of any Unrestricted Subsidiary, but the interest of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary in any Unrestricted Subsidiary will be accounted for as an investment. The term “Consolidated” has a correlative meaning.

 

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“Consolidated Total Debt” means, as of any date of determination, the total Indebtedness shown on the consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of such date, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.

“Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (i) Consolidated Total Debt as of the last day of the most recent fiscal quarter of the Company ending prior to the date of such determination for which consolidated financial statements of the Company are available, less Unrestricted cash and Cash Equivalents of up to $125.0 million to (ii) the aggregate amount of Consolidated EBITDA of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the period of the most recent four consecutive fiscal quarters ending prior to the date of such determination for which consolidated financial statements of the Company are available; provided, that

 

(1)

if since the beginning of the period for which the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio is being calculated the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary has Incurred any Indebtedness that remains outstanding on such date of determination, then the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio shall be calculated after giving effect on a pro forma basis to such Indebtedness as if such Indebtedness had been Incurred immediately prior to the last day of such period (except that in making such computation, the amount of Indebtedness under any revolving credit facility outstanding on the date of such calculation shall be computed based on (A) the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during such four fiscal quarters or such shorter period for which such facility was outstanding or (B) if such facility was created after the end of such four fiscal quarters, the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the period from the date of creation of such facility to the date of such calculation),

 

(2)

if since the beginning of the period for which the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio is being calculated the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary has repaid, repurchased, redeemed, defeased or otherwise acquired, retired or discharged any Indebtedness that is no longer outstanding on such date of determination (each, a “Discharge”) (in each case other than Indebtedness Incurred under any revolving credit facility unless such Indebtedness has been permanently repaid), then the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio shall be calculated after giving effect on a pro forma basis to such Discharge of such Indebtedness as if such Discharge had occurred immediately prior to the last day of such period,

 

(3)

if since the beginning of the period for which the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio is being calculated the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary shall have disposed of any company, any business or any group of assets constituting an operating unit of a business (any such disposition, a “Sale”), then the Consolidated EBITDA for such period shall be reduced by an amount equal to the Consolidated EBITDA (if positive) attributable to the assets that are the subject of such Sale for such period or increased by an amount equal to the Consolidated EBITDA (if negative) attributable thereto for such period,

 

(4)

if since the beginning of the period for which the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio is being calculated the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (by merger, consolidation or otherwise) shall have made an Investment in any Person that thereby becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, or otherwise acquired any company, any business or any group of assets constituting an operating unit of a business, including any such Investment or acquisition occurring in connection with a transaction causing a calculation to be made hereunder (any such Investment or acquisition, a “Purchase”), Consolidated EBITDA for such period shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto (including the Incurrence of any related Indebtedness) as if such Purchase occurred on the first day of such period, and

 

(5)

if since the beginning of the period for which the Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio is being calculated any Person who became a Restricted Subsidiary was merged or consolidated with or into

 

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the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, and since the beginning of such period such Person shall have Discharged any Indebtedness or made any Sale or Purchase that would have required an adjustment pursuant to clause (2), (3) or (4) above if made by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary during such period, Consolidated EBITDA for such period shall be calculated after giving pro forma effect thereto as if such Discharge, Sale or Purchase occurred on the first day of such period.

For purposes of this definition, whenever pro forma effect is to be given to any Sale, Purchase or other transaction, or the amount of income or earnings relating thereto, the pro forma calculations in respect thereof (including without limitation in respect of anticipated cost savings or synergies relating to any such Sale, Purchase or other transaction) shall be determined on a basis consistent with Article 11 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act.

“Credit Facilities” means one or more of (i) the Senior Credit Facility and (ii) other facilities or arrangements designated by the Company, in each case with one or more banks or other institutions providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financings (including without limitation through the sale of receivables to such institutions or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from such institutions against such receivables), letters of credit or other Indebtedness, in each case, including all agreements, instruments and documents executed and delivered pursuant to or in connection with any of the foregoing, including but not limited to any notes and letters of credit issued pursuant thereto and any guarantee and collateral agreement, patent and trademark security agreement, mortgages or letter of credit applications and other guarantees, pledge agreements, security agreements and collateral documents, in each case as the same may be amended, supplemented, waived or otherwise modified from time to time, or refunded, refinanced, restructured, replaced, renewed, repaid, increased or extended from time to time (whether in whole or in part, whether with the original banks or other institutions or other banks or other institutions or otherwise, and whether provided under any original Credit Facility or one or more other credit agreements, indentures, financing agreements or other Credit Facilities or otherwise). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term “Credit Facility” shall include any agreement (i) changing the maturity of any Indebtedness Incurred thereunder or contemplated thereby, (ii) adding Subsidiaries as additional borrowers or guarantors thereunder, (iii) increasing the amount of Indebtedness Incurred thereunder or available to be borrowed thereunder or (iv) otherwise altering the terms and conditions thereof.

“Currency Agreement” means, in respect of a Person, any foreign exchange contract, currency swap agreement or other similar agreement or arrangements (including derivative agreements or arrangements), as to which such Person is a party or a beneficiary.

“Default” means any event or condition that is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

“Designated Noncash Consideration” means the Fair Market Value of noncash consideration received by the Company or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with an Asset Disposition that is so designated as Designated Noncash Consideration pursuant to an Officer’s Certificate, setting forth the basis of such valuation.

“Disinterested Director” means, with respect to any Affiliate Transaction, a member of the Board of Directors having no material direct or indirect financial interest in or with respect to such Affiliate Transaction. A member of the Board of Directors shall not be deemed to have such a financial interest by reason of such member’s holding Capital Stock of the Company or Holding or any options, warrants or other rights in respect of such Capital Stock.

“Disqualified Stock” means, with respect to any Person, any Capital Stock (other than Management Stock) that by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable or exercisable) or upon the happening of any event (other than following the occurrence of a

 

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Change of Control or other similar event described under such terms as a “change of control,” or an Asset Disposition) (i) matures or is mandatorily redeemable pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, (ii) is convertible or exchangeable for Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock or (iii) is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof (other than following the occurrence of a Change of Control or other similar event described under such terms as a “change of control,” or an Asset Disposition), in whole or in part, in each case on or prior to the final Stated Maturity of the Notes.

“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company other than a Foreign Subsidiary.

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“Excluded Contribution” means Net Cash Proceeds, or the Fair Market Value of property or assets, received by the Company as capital contributions to the Company after the Issue Date or from the issuance or sale (other than to a Restricted Subsidiary) of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company, in each case to the extent designated as an Excluded Contribution pursuant to an Officer’s Certificate of the Company and not previously included in the calculation set forth in subparagraph (a)(iii)(B)(x) of the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Restricted Payments” for purposes of determining whether a Restricted Payment may be made.

“Existing Indenture” means the Supplemental Indenture dated April 2, 2013 among the Company, U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, and the other parties thereto relating to the Existing Senior Notes due 2021.

“Existing Notes” means the Existing Senior Notes due 2018 and the Existing Senior Notes due 2021, in each case, outstanding on the Issue Date.

“Existing Senior Notes due 2018” means the Company’s 7.875% Senior Notes due 2018 outstanding on the Issue Date.

“Existing Senior Notes due 2021” means the Company’s 4.75% Senior Notes due 2021 outstanding on the Issue Date.

“Fair Market Value” means, with respect to any asset or property, the fair market value of such asset or property as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, whose determination will be conclusive.

“Financing Disposition” means any sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of property or assets by the Company or any Subsidiary thereof to any Receivables Entity, or by any Receivables Subsidiary, in each case in connection with the Incurrence by a Receivables Entity of Indebtedness, or obligations to make payments to the obligor on Indebtedness, which may be secured by a Lien in respect of such property or assets.

“Foreign Subsidiary” means (a) any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that is not organized under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or the District of Columbia and (b) any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that has no material assets other than securities of one or more Foreign Subsidiaries, and other assets relating to an ownership interest in any such securities or Subsidiaries.

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America as in effect on the Issue Date (for purposes of the definitions of the terms “Consolidated Coverage Ratio,” “Consolidated EBITDA,” “Consolidated Interest Expense,” “Consolidated Net Income” and “Consolidated Tangible Assets,” all defined terms in the Indenture to the extent used in or relating to any of the foregoing definitions, and all ratios and computations based on any of the foregoing definitions) and as in effect from time to time (for all other purposes of the Indenture), including those set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting

 

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Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession. All ratios and computations based on GAAP contained in the Indenture shall be computed in conformity with GAAP.

“GPC” means Graphic Packaging Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and any successor in interest thereto.

“Guarantee” means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of any Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person; provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business. The term “Guarantee” used as a verb has a corresponding meaning.

“Guarantor Subordinated Obligations” means, with respect to a Note Guarantor, any Indebtedness of such Note Guarantor (whether outstanding on the Issue Date or thereafter Incurred) that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the obligations of such Note Guarantor under its Note Guarantee pursuant to a written agreement.

“Hedging Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person pursuant to any Interest Rate Agreement, Currency Agreement or Commodities Agreement.

“Holder” means the Person in whose name a Note is registered in the Note Register.

“Holding” means Graphic Packaging Holding Company, a Delaware corporation, and any successor in interest thereto.

“Holding Expenses” means (i) costs (including all professional fees and expenses) incurred by Holding or GPC in connection with its reporting obligations under, or in connection with compliance with, applicable laws or applicable rules of any governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory body or stock exchange, the Indenture or any other agreement or instrument relating to Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, including in respect of any reports filed with respect to the Securities Act, Exchange Act or the respective rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, (ii) expenses incurred by GPC or Holding in connection with the acquisition, development, maintenance, ownership, prosecution, protection and defense of its intellectual property and associated rights (including but not limited to trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade dress, patents, copyrights and similar rights, including registrations and registration or renewal applications in respect thereof, inventions, processes, designs, formulae, trade secrets, know-how, confidential information, computer software, data and documentation, and any other intellectual property rights; and licenses of any of the foregoing) to the extent such intellectual property and associated rights relate to the business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (iii) indemnification obligations of Holding or GPC owing to directors, officers, employees or other Persons under its charter or by-laws or pursuant to written agreements with any such Person, or obligations in respect of director and officer insurance (including premiums therefor), (iv) other operational expenses of Holding or GPC incurred in the ordinary course of business, and (v) fees and expenses incurred by Holding or GPC in connection with any offering of Capital Stock or Indebtedness, (x) where the net proceeds of such offering are intended to be received by or contributed or loaned to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, or (y) in a prorated amount of such expenses in proportion to the amount of such net proceeds intended to be so received, contributed or loaned, or (z) otherwise on an interim basis prior to completion of such offering so long as Holding or GPC shall cause the amount of such expenses to be repaid to the Company or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary out of the proceeds of such offering promptly if completed.

“Incur” means issue, assume, enter into any Guarantee of, incur or otherwise become liable for; provided, however, that any Indebtedness or Capital Stock of a Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary (whether by merger, consolidation, acquisition or otherwise) shall be deemed to be Incurred by such Subsidiary at the time it becomes a Subsidiary. Accrual of interest, the accretion of accreted value and the

 

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payment of interest in the form of additional Indebtedness will not be deemed to be an Incurrence of Indebtedness. Any Indebtedness issued at a discount (including Indebtedness on which interest is payable through the issuance of additional Indebtedness) shall be deemed Incurred at the time of original issuance of the Indebtedness at the initial accreted amount thereof.

“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any Person on any date of determination (without duplication):

 

(i)

the principal of indebtedness of such Person for borrowed money,

 

(ii)

the principal of obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments,

 

(iii)

all reimbursement obligations of such Person in respect of letters of credit or other similar instruments (the amount of such obligations being equal at any time to the aggregate then undrawn and unexpired amount of such letters of credit or other instruments plus the aggregate amount of drawings thereunder that have not then been reimbursed),

 

(iv)

all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred and unpaid purchase price of property (except Trade Payables), which purchase price is due more than one year after the date of placing such property in final service or taking final delivery and title thereto,

 

(v)

all Capitalized Lease Obligations of such Person,

 

(vi)

the redemption, repayment or other repurchase amount of such Person with respect to any Disqualified Stock of such Person or (if such Person is a Subsidiary of the Company other than a Note Guarantor) any Preferred Stock of such Subsidiary, but excluding, in each case, any accrued dividends (the amount of such obligation to be equal at any time to the maximum fixed involuntary redemption, repayment or repurchase price for such Capital Stock, or if less (or if such Capital Stock has no such fixed price), to the involuntary redemption, repayment or repurchase price therefor calculated in accordance with the terms thereof as if then redeemed, repaid or repurchased, and if such price is based upon or measured by the fair market value of such Capital Stock, such fair market value shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors or the board of directors or other governing body of the issuer of such Capital Stock),

 

(vii)

all Indebtedness of other Persons secured by a Lien on any asset of such Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by such Person; provided that the amount of Indebtedness of such Person shall be the lesser of (A) the fair market value of such asset at such date of determination (as determined in good faith by the Company) and (B) the amount of such Indebtedness of such other Persons,

 

(viii)

all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of other Persons, to the extent so Guaranteed by such Person, and

 

(ix)

to the extent not otherwise included in this definition, net Hedging Obligations of such Person (the amount of any such obligation to be equal at any time to the termination value of such agreement or arrangement giving rise to such Hedging Obligation that would be payable by such Person at such time).

The amount of Indebtedness of any Person at any date shall be determined as set forth above or otherwise provided in the Indenture, or otherwise shall equal the amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person (excluding any notes thereto) prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

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“Interest Rate Agreement” means, with respect to any Person, any interest rate protection agreement, future agreement, option agreement, swap agreement, cap agreement, collar agreement, hedge agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement (including derivative agreements or arrangements), as to which such Person is party or a beneficiary.

“Inventory” means goods held for sale or lease by a Person in the ordinary course of business, net of any reserve for goods that have been segregated by such Person to be returned to the applicable vendor for credit, as determined in accordance with GAAP.

“Investment” in any Person by any other Person means any direct or indirect advance, loan or other extension of credit (other than to customers, suppliers, directors, officers or employees of any Person in the ordinary course of business) or capital contribution (by means of any transfer of cash or other property to others or any payment for property or services for the account or use of others) to, or any purchase or acquisition of Capital Stock, Indebtedness or other similar instruments issued by, such Person. For purposes of the definition of “Unrestricted Subsidiary” and Investments therein only, (i) “Investment” shall include the portion (proportionate to the Company’s equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the fair market value of the net assets of any Subsidiary of the Company at the time that such Subsidiary is designated an Unrestricted Subsidiary, provided that upon a redesignation of such Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary, the Company shall be deemed to continue to have a permanent “Investment” in an Unrestricted Subsidiary in an amount (if positive) equal to (x) the Company’s “Investment” in such Subsidiary at the time of such redesignation less (y) the portion (proportionate to the Company’s equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the fair market value of the net assets of such Subsidiary at the time of such redesignation, (ii) any property transferred to or from an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be valued at its fair market value at the time of such transfer, and (iii) in each case under clause (i) or (ii) above, fair market value shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors. Guarantees shall not be deemed to be Investments. The amount of any Investment outstanding at any time shall be the original cost of such Investment, reduced (at the Company’s option) by any dividend, distribution, interest payment, return of capital, repayment or other amount or value received in respect of such Investment.

“Issue Date” means                 , 2014.

“Lien” means any mortgage, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, lien or charge of any kind (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement or lease in the nature thereof).

“Management Advances” means (1) loans or advances made to directors, officers or employees of GPC, the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (x) in respect of travel, entertainment or moving-related expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business, (y) in respect of moving-related expenses incurred in connection with any closing or consolidation of any facility, or (z) in the ordinary course of business and (in the case of this clause (z)) not exceeding $5.0 million in the aggregate outstanding at any time, (2) promissory notes of Management Investors acquired in connection with the issuance of Management Stock to such Management Investors, (3) Management Guarantees, or (4) other Guarantees of borrowings by Management Investors in connection with the purchase of Management Stock, which Guarantees are permitted under the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness.”

“Management Guarantees” means guarantees (x) of up to an aggregate principal amount of $10.0 million of borrowings by Management Investors in connection with their purchase of Management Stock or (y) made on behalf of, or in respect of loans or advances made to, directors, officers or employees of GPC, Holding, the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (1) in respect of travel, entertainment and moving-related expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business, or (2) in the ordinary course of business and (in the case of this clause (2)) not exceeding $5.0 million in the aggregate outstanding at any time.

“Management Investors” means the officers, directors, employees and other members of the management of Holding, GPC, the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries, or family members or relatives thereof, or trusts or partnerships for the benefit of any of the foregoing, or any of their heirs, executors,

 

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successors and legal representatives, who at any date beneficially own or have the right to acquire, directly or indirectly, Capital Stock of the Company, Holding or GPC.

“Management Stock” means Capital Stock of the Company or GPC (including any options, warrants or other rights in respect thereof) held by any of the Management Investors.

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., and its successors.

“Net Available Cash” from an Asset Disposition means cash payments received (including any cash payments received by way of deferred payment of principal pursuant to a note or installment receivable or otherwise, but only as and when received, but excluding any other consideration received in the form of assumption by the acquiring person of Indebtedness or other obligations relating to the properties or assets that are the subject of such Asset Disposition or received in any other non-cash form) therefrom, in each case net of (i) all legal, title and recording tax expenses, commissions and other fees and expenses incurred, and all Federal, state, provincial, foreign and local taxes required to be paid or accrued as a liability under GAAP, as a consequence of such Asset Disposition (including as a consequence of any transfer of funds in connection with the application thereof in accordance with the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Sales of Assets and Subsidiary Stock”), (ii) all payments made, and all installment payments required to be made, on any Indebtedness that is secured by any assets subject to such Asset Disposition, in accordance with the terms of any Lien upon such assets, or that must by its terms, or in order to obtain a necessary consent to such Asset Disposition, or by applicable law, be repaid out of the proceeds from such Asset Disposition, (iii) all distributions and other payments required to be made to minority interest holders in Subsidiaries or joint ventures as a result of such Asset Disposition, or to any other Person (other than the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary) owning a beneficial interest in the assets disposed of in such Asset Disposition and (iv) any liabilities or obligations associated with the assets disposed of in such Asset Disposition and retained by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary after such Asset Disposition, including without limitation pension and other post-employment benefit liabilities, liabilities related to environmental matters, and liabilities relating to any indemnification obligations associated with such Asset Disposition.

“Net Cash Proceeds,” with respect to any issuance or sale of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary by the Company or any Subsidiary, or any capital contribution, means the cash proceeds of such issuance, sale or contribution net of attorneys’ fees, accountants’ fees, underwriters’ or placement agents’ fees, discounts or commissions and brokerage, consultant and other fees actually incurred in connection with such issuance, sale or contribution and net of taxes paid or payable as a result thereof.

“Notes” means the promissory notes issued pursuant to the Indenture.

“Note Guarantee” means a Parent Guarantee or a Subsidiary Guarantee.

“Note Guarantor” means a Parent Guarantor or a Subsidiary Guarantor.

“Officer” means, with respect to the Company or any other obligor upon the Notes, the Chairman of the Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice President, the Controller, the Treasurer or the Secretary (a) of such Person or (b) if such Person is owned or managed by a single entity, of such entity (or any other individual designated as an “Officer” for the purposes of the Indenture by the Board of Directors).

“Officer’s Certificate” means, with respect to the Company or any other obligor upon the Notes, a certificate signed by one Officer of such Person.

“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion from legal counsel who is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company or the Trustee.

 

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“Permitted Holder” means any of the following: (i) any of the Management Investors and their respective Affiliates; and (ii) any Person acting in the capacity of an underwriter in connection with a public or private offering of Capital Stock of Holding or the Company.

“Permitted Liens” means:

 

(i)

Liens for taxes, assessments or other governmental charges not yet delinquent or the nonpayment of which in the aggregate would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries or that are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the Company or a Subsidiary thereof, as the case may be, in accordance with GAAP;

 

(ii)

carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, landlords’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business in respect of obligations that are not overdue for a period of more than 60 days or that are bonded or that are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings;

 

(iii)

pledges, deposits or Liens in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security and other similar legislation or other insurance-related obligations (including, without limitation, pledges or deposits securing liability to insurance carriers under insurance or self-insurance arrangements);

 

(iv)

pledges, deposits or Liens to secure the performance of bids, tenders, trade, government or other contracts (other than for borrowed money), obligations for utilities, leases, licenses, statutory obligations, completion guarantees, surety, judgment, appeal or performance bonds, other similar bonds, instruments or obligations, and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

(v)

easements (including reciprocal easement agreements), rights-of-way, building, zoning and similar restrictions, utility agreements, covenants, reservations, restrictions, encroachments, charges, and other similar encumbrances or title defects incurred, or leases or subleases granted to others, in the ordinary course of business, which do not in the aggregate materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

 

(vi)

Liens existing on, or provided for under written arrangements existing on, the Issue Date, or (in the case of any such Liens securing Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries existing or arising under written arrangements existing on the Issue Date) securing any Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of such Indebtedness so long as the Lien securing such Refinancing Indebtedness is limited to all or part of the same property or assets (plus improvements, accessions, proceeds or dividends or distributions in respect thereof) that secured (or under such written arrangements could secure) the original Indebtedness;

 

(vii)

(a) mortgages, liens, security interests, restrictions, encumbrances or any other matters of record that have been placed by any developer, landlord or other third party on property over which the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company has easement rights or on any leased property and subordination or similar agreements relating thereto and (b) any condemnation or eminent domain proceedings affecting any real property;

 

(viii)

Liens securing Hedging Obligations, Purchase Money Obligations or Capitalized Lease Obligations Incurred in compliance with the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness”;

 

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(ix)

Liens arising out of judgments, decrees, orders or awards in respect of which the Company shall in good faith be prosecuting an appeal or proceedings for review, which appeal or proceedings shall not have been finally terminated, or if the period within which such appeal or proceedings may be initiated shall not have expired;

 

(x)

Leases, subleases, licenses or sublicenses to third parties;

 

(xi)

Liens securing (1) Indebtedness Incurred in compliance with clause (b)(i), (b)(iv), (b)(vii), (b)(viii)(E), (b)(x), (b)(xi) or (b)(xii) of the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness,” or clause (b)(iii) thereof (other than Refinancing Indebtedness Incurred in respect of Indebtedness described in paragraph (a) thereof), (2) Bank Indebtedness, (3) the Existing Notes (but only to the extent to the Notes are secured equally and ratably with the Existing Notes) and the Notes, (4) Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Note Guarantor, (5) Indebtedness or other obligations of any Receivables Entity or (6) obligations in respect of Management Advances or Management Guarantees;

 

(xii)

Liens existing on property or assets of a Person at the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Company (or at the time the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary acquires such property or assets, including any acquisition by means of a merger or consolidation with or into the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary); provided, however, that such Liens are not created in connection with, or in contemplation of, such other Person becoming such a Subsidiary (or such acquisition of such property or assets), and that such Liens are limited to all or part of the same property or assets (plus improvements, accessions, proceeds or dividends or distributions in respect thereof) that secured (or, under the written arrangements under which such Liens arose, could secure) the obligations to which such Liens relate;

 

(xiii)

Liens on Capital Stock or other securities of an Unrestricted Subsidiary that secure Indebtedness or other obligations of such Unrestricted Subsidiary;

 

(xiv)

any encumbrance or restriction (including, but not limited to, put and call agreements) with respect to Capital Stock of any joint venture or similar arrangement pursuant to any joint venture or similar agreement;

 

(xv)

Liens securing Refinancing Indebtedness Incurred in respect of any Indebtedness secured by, or securing any refinancing, refunding, extension, renewal or replacement (in whole or in part) of any other obligation secured by, any other Permitted Liens, provided that any such new Lien is limited to all or part of the same property or assets (plus improvements, accessions, proceeds or dividends or distributions in respect thereof) that secured (or, under the written arrangements under which the original Lien arose, could secure) the obligations to which such Liens relate; and

 

(xvi)

Liens (a) arising by operation of law (or by agreement to the same effect) in the ordinary course of business, (b) on property or assets under construction (and related rights) in favor of a contractor or developer or arising from progress or partial payments by a third party relating to such property or assets, (c) on receivables (including related rights), (d) on cash set aside at the time of the incurrence of any Indebtedness or government securities purchased with such cash, in either case to the extent that such cash or government securities prefund the payment of interest on such Indebtedness and are held in an escrow account or similar arrangement to be applied for such purpose, (e) securing or arising by reason of any netting or set-off arrangement entered into in the ordinary course of banking or other trading activities, (f) in favor of the Company or any

 

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Subsidiary (other than Liens on property or assets of the Company in favor of any Subsidiary that is not a Note Guarantor) or (g) arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for the sale of goods entered into in the ordinary course of business.

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity.

“Preferred Stock” as applied to the Capital Stock of any corporation means Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated) that by its terms is preferred as to the payment of dividends, or as to the distribution of assets upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such corporation, over shares of Capital Stock of any other class of such corporation.

“Purchase Money Obligations” means any Indebtedness Incurred to finance or refinance the acquisition, leasing, construction or improvement of property (real or personal) or assets, and whether acquired through the direct acquisition of such property or assets or the acquisition of the Capital Stock of any Person owning such property or assets, or otherwise.

“Ratings Event” means the Notes are assigned a credit rating of at least BBB- from S&P and of at least Baa3 from Moody’s.

“Receivable” means a right to receive payment arising from a sale or lease of goods or services by a Person pursuant to an arrangement with another Person pursuant to which such other Person is obligated to pay for goods or services under terms that permit the purchase of such goods and services on credit, as determined in accordance with GAAP.

“Receivables Entity” means (x) any Receivables Subsidiary or (y) any other Person that is engaged in the business of acquiring, selling, collecting, financing or refinancing Receivables, accounts (as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in any jurisdiction from time to time), other accounts and/or other receivables, and/or related assets.

“Receivables Fees” means distributions or payments made directly or by means of discounts with respect to any participation interest issued or sold in connection with, and other fees paid to a Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary in connection with, any Receivables Financing.

“Receivables Financing” means any financing of Receivables of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary that have been transferred to a Receivables Entity in a Financing Disposition.

“Receivables Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary of the Company that (a) is engaged solely in the business of acquiring, selling, collecting, financing or refinancing Receivables, accounts (as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in any jurisdiction from time to time) and other accounts and receivables (including any thereof constituting or evidenced by chattel paper, instruments or general intangibles), all proceeds thereof and all rights (contractual and other), collateral and other assets relating thereto, and any business or activities incidental or related to such business, and (b) is designated as a “Receivables Subsidiary” by the Board of Directors.

“Refinance” means refinance, refund, replace, renew, repay, modify, restate, defer, substitute, supplement, reissue, resell or extend (including pursuant to any defeasance or discharge mechanism); and the terms “refinances,” “refinanced” and “refinancing” as used for any purpose in the Indenture shall have a correlative meaning.

 

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“Refinancing Indebtedness” means Indebtedness that is Incurred to refinance any Indebtedness existing on the date of the Indenture or Incurred in compliance with the Indenture (including Indebtedness of the Company that refinances Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary (to the extent permitted in the Indenture) and Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary that refinances Indebtedness of another Restricted Subsidiary) including Indebtedness that refinances Refinancing Indebtedness; provided, that (1) if the Indebtedness being refinanced is Subordinated Obligations or Guarantor Subordinated Obligations, the Refinancing Indebtedness has a final Stated Maturity at the time such Refinancing Indebtedness is Incurred that is equal to or greater than the final Stated Maturity of the Indebtedness being refinanced (or if shorter, the Notes), (2) such Refinancing Indebtedness is Incurred in an aggregate principal amount (or if issued with original issue discount, an aggregate issue price) that is equal to or less than the sum of (x) the aggregate principal amount (or if issued with original issue discount, the aggregate accreted value) then outstanding of the Indebtedness being refinanced, plus (y) fees, underwriting discounts, premiums and other costs and expenses incurred in connection with such Refinancing Indebtedness and (3) Refinancing Indebtedness shall not include (x) Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Note Guarantor that refinances Indebtedness of the Company that could not have been initially Incurred by such Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness” or (y) Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary that refinances Indebtedness of an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

“Related Business” means those businesses in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is engaged on the date of the Indenture, or that are related, complementary, incidental or ancillary thereto or extensions, developments or expansions thereof.

“Related Taxes” means (x) any taxes, charges or assessments, including but not limited to sales, use, transfer, rental, ad valorem, value-added, stamp, property, consumption, franchise, license, capital, net worth, gross receipts, excise, occupancy, intangibles or similar taxes, charges or assessments (other than (i) federal, state, local, foreign or provincial taxes measured by income and (ii) federal, state, local, foreign or provincial withholding imposed on payments made by or to Holding or GPC), required to be paid by Holding or GPC by virtue of its being incorporated or having Capital Stock outstanding (but not by virtue of owning stock or other equity interests of any corporation or other entity other than the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), or being a holding company parent of the Company or receiving dividends from or other distributions in respect of the Capital Stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or having guaranteed any obligations of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, or having made any payment in respect of any of the items for which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is permitted to make payments to Holding or GPC pursuant to the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Restricted Payments,” or acquiring, developing, maintaining, owning, prosecuting, protecting or defending its intellectual property and associated rights (including but not limited to receiving or paying royalties for the use thereof) relating to the business or businesses of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, or (y) any consolidated, combined or similar federal, state, foreign, provincial or local taxes measured by income for which Holding or GPC is liable up to an amount not to exceed, with respect to any such tax, the amount of any such tax that the Company and its Subsidiaries would have been required to pay on a separate company basis, or on a consolidated basis as if the Company had filed a consolidated, combined or similar return on behalf of an affiliated group (as defined in Section 1504 of the Code or an analogous provision of state, local, foreign or provincial law) of which it were the common parent; provided that this definition of “Related Taxes” shall not include any taxes, charges or assessments that are directly paid to the appropriate taxing authority by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

“Restricted Payment Transaction” means any Restricted Payment permitted pursuant to the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Restricted Payments,” any Permitted Payment or any transaction specifically excluded from the definition of the term “Restricted Payment.”

“Restricted Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary of the Company other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

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“Senior Credit Agreement” means the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, effective October 2, 2014 among the Company, certain of its subsidiaries, as Borrowers; Bank of America, N.A. as Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer, Swing Line Lender, Swing Line Euro Tranche Lender and Alternative Currency Funding Fronting Lender; Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A. (“Rabobank Nederlands”) New York Branch, SunTrust Bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Citibank, N.A., as Co-Syndication Agents; Compass Bank, as Documentation Agent; the several lenders from time to time parties thereto; and the other parties thereto, and as such agreement may be further amended, supplemented, waived or otherwise modified from time to time or refunded, refinanced, restructured, replaced, renewed, repaid, increased or extended from time to time (whether in whole or in part, whether with the original administrative agent and lenders or other agents and lenders or otherwise, and whether provided under the original Senior Credit Agreement or other credit agreements or otherwise).

“Senior Credit Facility” means the collective reference to the Senior Credit Agreement, any Loan Documents (as defined therein), any notes and letters of credit issued pursuant thereto and any guarantee and collateral agreement, patent and trademark security agreement, mortgages, letter of credit applications and other guarantees, pledge agreements, security agreements and collateral documents, and other instruments and documents, executed and delivered pursuant to or in connection with any of the foregoing, in each case as the same may be amended, supplemented, waived or otherwise modified from time to time, or refunded, refinanced, restructured, replaced, renewed, repaid, increased and/or extended from time to time (whether in whole or in part, whether with the original agent and lenders or other agents and lenders or otherwise, and whether provided under the original Senior Credit Agreement or one or more other credit agreements, indentures (including the Indenture) or financing agreements or otherwise). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term “Senior Credit Facility” shall include any agreement (i) changing the maturity of any Indebtedness Incurred thereunder or contemplated thereby, (ii) adding Subsidiaries of the Company as additional borrowers or guarantors thereunder, (iii) increasing the amount of Indebtedness Incurred thereunder or available to be borrowed thereunder or (iv) otherwise altering the terms and conditions thereof.

“Senior Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary other than, in the case of the Company, Subordinated Obligations and, in the case of any Note Guarantor, Guarantor Subordinated Obligations.

“Significant Domestic Subsidiary” means any Domestic Subsidiary that is a Significant Subsidiary.

“Significant Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary that would be a “significant subsidiary” of the Company within the meaning of Rule 1-02 under Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC, as in effect on the Issue Date.

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and its successors.

“Stated Maturity” means, with respect to any security, the date specified in such security as the fixed date on which the payment of principal of such security is due and payable, including pursuant to any mandatory redemption provision (but excluding any provision providing for the repurchase of such security at the option of the holder thereof upon the happening of any contingency).

“Subordinated Obligations” means any Indebtedness of the Company (whether outstanding on the date of the Indenture or thereafter Incurred) that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Notes pursuant to a written agreement.

“Subsidiary” of any Person means any corporation, association, partnership or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock or other equity interests (including partnership interests) entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (i) such Person or (ii) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person.

 

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“Subsidiary Guarantee” means any guarantee that may from time to time be entered into by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company pursuant to the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Future Note Guarantors.”

“Subsidiary Guarantor” means any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that enters into a Subsidiary Guarantee.

“Successor Company” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in clause (i) under “—Merger and Consolidation.”

“Temporary Cash Investments” means any of the following: (i) any investment in (x) direct obligations of the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof or obligations Guaranteed by the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof or (y) direct obligations of any foreign country recognized by the United States of America rated at least “A” by S&P or “A-1” by Moody’s (or, in either case, the equivalent of such rating by such organization or, if no rating of S&P or Moody’s then exists, the equivalent of such rating by any nationally recognized rating organization), (ii) overnight bank deposits, and investments in time deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and money market deposits (or, with respect to foreign banks, similar instruments) maturing not more than one year after the date of acquisition thereof issued by (x) any lender under the Senior Credit Agreement or (y) a bank or trust company that is organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or any foreign country recognized by the United States of America having capital and surplus aggregating in excess of $250 million (or the foreign currency equivalent thereof) and whose long term debt is rated at least “A” by S&P or “A-1” by Moody’s (or, in either case, the equivalent of such rating by such organization or, if no rating of S&P or Moody’s then exists, the equivalent of such rating by any nationally recognized rating organization) at the time such Investment is made, (iii) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than 30 days for underlying securities of the types described in clause (i) or (ii) above entered into with a bank meeting the qualifications described in clause (ii) above, (iv) Investments in commercial paper, maturing not more than 270 days after the date of acquisition, issued by a Person (other than of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), with a rating at the time as of which any Investment therein is made of “P-2” (or higher) according to Moody’s or “A-2” (or higher) according to S&P (or, in either case, the equivalent of such rating by such organization or, if no rating of S&P or Moody’s then exists, the equivalent of such rating by any nationally recognized rating organization), (v) Investments in securities maturing not more than one year after the date of acquisition issued or fully guaranteed by any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States of America, or by any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof, and rated at least “A” by S&P or “A” by Moody’s (or, in either case, the equivalent of such rating by such organization or, if no rating of S&P or Moody’s then exists, the equivalent of such rating by any nationally recognized rating organization), (vi) Preferred Stock (other than of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) having a rating of “A” or higher by S&P or “A2” or higher by Moody’s (or, in either case, the equivalent of such rating by such organization or, if no rating of S&P or Moody’s then exists, the equivalent of such rating by any nationally recognized rating organization), (vii) investment funds investing 95% of their assets in securities of the type described in clauses (i)-(vi) above (which funds may also hold reasonable amounts of cash pending investment and/or distribution), (viii) any money market deposit accounts issued or offered by a domestic commercial bank or a commercial bank organized and located in a country recognized by the United States of America, in each case, having capital and surplus in excess of $250 million (or the foreign currency equivalent thereof), or investments in money market funds complying with the risk limiting conditions of Rule 2a-7 (or any successor rule) of the SEC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and (ix) similar investments approved by the Board of Directors in the ordinary course of business.

“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa-7bbbb) as in effect on the date of the Indenture.

“Trade Payables” means, with respect to any Person, any accounts payable or any indebtedness or monetary obligation to trade creditors created, assumed or guaranteed by such Person arising in the ordinary course of business in connection with the acquisition of goods or services.

 

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“Transactions” means, collectively, any or all of the following:

 

(a)

the entry into the Indenture, the offer and issuance of the Notes, and the provision of the Parent Guarantees by the Parent Guarantors and the Subsidiary Guarantees by the Subsidiary Guarantors;

 

(b)

the repayment of a portion of the Company’s revolving facility under the Company’s Senior Credit Agreement using the proceeds of the Notes and a reborrowing of such proceeds under the Senior Credit Facility on or about November 21, 2014 to effect a full redemption of the Existing Senior Notes due 2018; and

 

(c)

all other transactions relating to any of the foregoing (including payment of fees and expenses related to any of the foregoing).

“Trustee” means the party named as such in the Indenture until a successor replaces it and, thereafter, means the successor.

“Trust Officer” means the Chairman of the Board, the President or any other officer or assistant officer of the Trustee assigned by the Trustee to administer its corporate trust matters.

“Unrestricted cash and Cash Equivalents” means cash and Cash Equivalents held by the Company and its Subsidiaries that are not (i) by operation of law, or contractually, restricted from being used to repay general obligations of the Company and its Subsidiaries or (ii) subject to a Lien (other than Permitted Liens).

“Unrestricted Subsidiary” means (i) any Subsidiary of the Company that at the time of determination is an Unrestricted Subsidiary, as designated by the Board of Directors in the manner provided below, and (ii) any Subsidiary of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. The Board of Directors may designate any Subsidiary of the Company (including any newly acquired or newly formed Subsidiary of the Company) to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary unless such Subsidiary or any of its Subsidiaries owns any Capital Stock or Indebtedness of, or owns or holds any Lien on any property of, the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that is not a Subsidiary of the Subsidiary to be so designated; provided, that (A) such designation was made at or prior to the Issue Date or (B) the Subsidiary to be so designated has total consolidated assets of $1,000 or less or (C) if such Subsidiary has consolidated assets greater than $1,000, then such designation would be permitted under the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitations on Restricted Payments.” The Board of Directors may designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary; provided, that immediately after giving effect to such designation either the Company could incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness under paragraph (a) in the covenant described under “—Certain Covenants—Limitation on Indebtedness” or (y) the Consolidated Coverage Ratio would be greater than it was immediately prior to giving effect to such designation. Any such designation by the Board of Directors shall be evidenced to the Trustee by promptly filing with the Trustee a copy of the resolution of the Company’s Board of Directors giving effect to such designation and an Officer’s Certificate of the Company certifying that such designation complied with the foregoing provisions.

“U.S. Government Obligation” means (x) any security that is (i) a direct obligation of the United States of America for the payment of which the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged or (ii) an obligation of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America, which, in either case under the preceding clause (i) or (ii), is not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and any depositary receipt issued by a bank (as defined in Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act) as custodian with respect to any U.S. Government Obligation that is specified in clause (x) above and held by such bank for the account of the holder of such depositary receipt, or with respect to any specific payment of principal of or interest on any U.S. Government Obligation that is so specified and held, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable

 

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to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation or the specific payment of principal or interest evidenced by such depositary receipt.

“Voting Stock” of an entity means all classes of Capital Stock of such entity then outstanding and normally entitled to vote in the election of directors or all interests in such entity with the ability to control the management or actions of such entity.

 

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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder (as defined below), certain estate tax consequences with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences of such purchase, ownership and disposition. This summary deals only with holders who will hold the notes as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and who purchase the notes for cash in this offering at their “issue price” (i.e., the first price at which a substantial amount of notes is sold for cash to investors, excluding sales to bond houses, brokers, or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers). This summary does not address the U.S. federal income or estate tax consequences to any particular holder of notes and does not deal with persons who may be subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, such as financial institutions, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes or investors in such entities, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, former residents or citizens of the United States, tax-exempt entities, non-U.S. trusts or estates with U.S. beneficiaries, individual retirement and other tax-deferred accounts, dealers in securities or currencies, holders that hold the notes as a position in a hedge, straddle, constructive sale transaction, conversion transaction, “synthetic security” or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes and U.S. Holders (defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. Further, this summary does not discuss any U.S. federal tax consequences other than U.S. federal income tax consequences (such as alternative minimum tax consequences and U.S. federal gift tax consequences) or the tax laws of any state, local or foreign government that may be applicable to the notes.

As used in this prospectus supplement, the term U.S. Holder means a beneficial owner of the notes that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

—

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

—

a corporation organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

—

an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

—

a trust, if (1) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (2) it has a valid election in effect under applicable United States Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

As used in this prospectus supplement and except as modified for estate tax purposes, a Non-U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of notes that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an individual, corporation, estate or trust and is not a U.S. Holder.

If any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes is a beneficial owner of notes, the treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. A prospective investor that is a partnership and partners in such partnership should consult their own tax advisors.

This summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), existing and proposed Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, and judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all as in effect on the date hereof and all of which are subject to change, which change may be retroactive and may affect the tax consequences described herein. We have not and will not seek any rulings from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regarding the matters discussed below. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not take positions concerning the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership or disposition of the notes that are different from those discussed below.

 

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We urge prospective investors to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of notes in light of their own particular circumstances, including the tax consequences under state, local, foreign and other tax laws and U.S. federal tax laws.

U.S. Holders

Payment of Stated Interest

A U.S. Holder of a note is generally required to include in ordinary income the stated interest payable on the note when received or accrued, in accordance with the holder’s method of tax accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Disposition

Upon a redemption, sale, exchange, retirement or other taxable disposition of a note, a U.S. Holder will recognize capital gain or loss measured by the difference, if any, between the amount received in exchange therefor (other than the portion received for accrued but unpaid stated interest not previously included in the U.S. Holder’s income, which will be taxable as ordinary income) and such holder’s adjusted tax basis in the note. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in a note will generally be equal to the price paid for such note. Any gain or loss recognized on the redemption, sale, exchange, retirement or other taxable disposition of a note generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if such note is held for more than one year at the time of such disposition. For certain non-corporate U.S. Holders (including individuals), any such long-term capital gain is currently subject to U.S. federal income tax at a reduced rate. The deduction of capital losses is subject to limitation.

Medicare Tax

Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals, estates and trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on the lesser of (1) the U.S. Holder’s “net investment income” for the relevant taxable year (for these purposes, net investment income generally includes interest and gains from sales of notes) and (2) the excess of the U.S. Holder’s modified adjusted gross income for the relevant taxable year over a certain over a certain threshold (over $250,000 in the case of a married individual filing a joint return or a surviving spouse, $125,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return, or $200,000 in the case of a single individual). U.S. Holders that are individuals, estates or trusts should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this legislation on their purchase, ownership and disposition of notes.

Backup Withholding and Related Information Reporting

Under the Code and applicable Treasury Regulations, a U.S. Holder of a note may be subject to backup withholding (currently at a rate of 28%) and related information reporting on payments of interest and the proceeds of a disposition unless such holder (1) is a corporation or comes within certain other exempt categories and, when required, provides proof of such exemption; or (2) provides a correct taxpayer identification number, and complies with certain certification procedures. U.S. Holders of notes should consult their own tax advisors as to their qualification for exemption from backup withholding and the procedure for obtaining such an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and may be credited against a U.S. Holder’s federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund provided that the required information is properly and timely submitted to the IRS.

When required, information will be reported to both U.S. Holders and the IRS regarding the amount of interest paid on the notes and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the notes in each calendar year as well as the corresponding amount of tax withheld, if any exists. This obligation, however, does not apply with respect to payments to certain U.S. Holders, including corporations, provided that they establish entitlement to an exemption.

 

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Non-U.S. Holders

Payment of Interest

Subject to the discussion of backup withholding below, in general, payments of interest received by a Non-U.S. Holder that is not effectively connected income (as described below) will not be subject to U.S. federal income and withholding tax, provided that:

 

(a)

the Non-U.S. Holder does not, actually or constructively, own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock entitled to vote;

 

(b)

the Non-U.S. Holder is not a controlled foreign corporation related to us, actually or constructively, through sufficient stock ownership;

 

(c)

the Non-U.S. Holder is not a bank receiving interest on an extension of credit pursuant to a loan arrangement entered into in the ordinary course of its trade or business; and

 

(d)

either (i) the Non-U.S. Holder certifies it is not a United States person (within the meaning of the Code) by providing a properly completed and executed Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or other applicable form) to us or our Paying Agent, or (ii) a financial institution or other intermediary that holds the note on behalf of the Non-U.S. Holder has entered into a withholding agreement with the IRS and submits an IRS Form W-8IMY (or suitable successor or substitute form) and certain other required documentation to us or our Paying Agent,

Payments of interest not exempt from U.S. federal income and withholding tax as described above will be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, unless the Non-U.S. Holder is entitled to an exemption from or a reduction in withholding under the benefits of an income tax treaty and the Non-U.S. Holder or such Non-U.S. Holder’s agent provides a Form W-8BEN or BEN-E, as applicable (or other applicable form) to us or our Paying Agent demonstrating the exemption or reduction.

Disposition

Subject to the discussion of backup withholding below, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income and withholding tax with respect to any gain realized on the redemption, sale, exchange, retirement or other taxable disposition of a note unless (1) the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 or more days in the taxable year of the disposition and certain other conditions are met, in which case the Non-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax on any gain recognized, which may be offset by certain U.S. source losses (unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise); or (2) such gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a U.S. trade or business, as described below.

Effectively Connected Income

If interest or gain from a taxable disposition (including a retirement or redemption) of notes is effectively connected with a Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, and if an income tax treaty applies and the Non-U.S. Holder maintains a U.S. “permanent establishment” or “fixed base” to which the interest or gain is generally attributable, the Non-U.S. Holder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the interest or gain on a net income basis in generally the same manner as if it were a U.S. Holder. A foreign corporation may also under certain circumstances be subject to a branch profits tax on its effectively connected earnings and profits for the taxable year, subject to certain adjustments, at a rate of 30% or a lower applicable treaty rate. If income received with respect to the notes is effectively connected income, the U.S. federal withholding tax described above will not apply (assuming an appropriate certification is provided, generally on IRS Form W-8ECI).

 

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Backup Withholding and Related Information Reporting

Backup withholding (currently at a rate of 28%) and related information reporting requirements do not apply to payments of interest made by us or a Paying Agent to Non-U.S. Holders if the certification described above under “—Non-U.S. Holders—Payment of Interest” is received, provided that the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a U.S. Holder. Payments of the proceeds from a disposition (including a retirement or redemption) by a Non-U.S. Holder of a note made by or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding and information reporting, except that information reporting (but generally not backup withholding) may apply to those payments if the broker is a United States person; a controlled foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes; a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business for a specified three-year period; or a foreign partnership with certain specified connections to the United States unless, in each case, the certification requirements described above are met or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption, and the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know the holder is a United States person. Information reporting and backup withholding generally will apply to a payment of disposition proceeds by a U.S. office of a broker, unless the Non-U.S. Holder certifies its nonresident status or otherwise establishes an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and may be credited against a Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is properly and timely submitted to the IRS. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding in their particular situation, the availability of an exemption from backup withholding, the procedure for obtaining such an exemption, if available, and the filing of a U.S. federal income tax return for claiming a refund of such backup withholding, when applicable.

U.S. Federal Estate Taxes

Subject to applicable estate tax treaty provisions, notes owned (or deemed to be owned) at the time of death by an individual who at the time of death is not a citizen or resident of the United States (as specifically defined for estate tax purposes) will not be included in such individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes provided that the individual does not directly, indirectly or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock entitled to vote or hold the notes in connection with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business.

FATCA Withholding

Under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, the final Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, and subsequent IRS administrative guidance (commonly referred to as “FATCA”), a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax may be imposed on any interest paid on the notes and, after December 31, 2016, payments of the gross proceeds from a disposition of the notes, to a foreign financial institution or a non-financial foreign entity (whether such foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity is the beneficial owner or an intermediary), unless such foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity agrees to comply with certain certification, reporting and withholding obligations (which may include entering into an agreement with the IRS), or otherwise satisfies the requirements of an applicable FATCA intergovernmental agreement. Holders should contact their own tax advisors regarding the particular consequences to them of the application of FATCA.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is acting as representative of each of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement among us and the underwriters, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters listed below has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the principal amount of notes set forth opposite its name below.

 

Underwriter		Principal Amount of Notes
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith                           Incorporated		$
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
BBVA Securities Inc.
Regions Securities LLC
Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.
SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc.
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
TD Securities (USA) LLC
PNC Capital Markets LLC
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
Total		$	250,000,000

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase all of the notes sold under the underwriting agreement if any of these notes are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the nondefaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters and their controlling persons against certain liabilities in connection with this offering, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriters are offering the notes, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the notes, and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriters of officer’s certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Commissions and Discounts

The underwriters propose initially to offer the notes to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement. After the initial offering, the public offering price or any other term of the offering may be changed.

The expenses of the offering, not including the underwriting discount, are estimated at $750,000 and are payable by us.

 

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New Issue of Notes

The notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We do not intend to apply for listing of the notes on any national securities exchange or for inclusion of the notes on any automated dealer quotation system. We have been advised by the underwriters that they presently intend to make a market in the notes after completion of the offering. However, they are under no obligation to do so and may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without any notice. We cannot assure the liquidity of the trading market for the notes or that an active public market for the notes will develop. If an active public trading market for the notes does not develop, the market price and liquidity of the notes may be adversely affected. If the notes are traded, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering price, depending on prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities, our operating performance and financial condition, general economic conditions and other factors.

No Sales of Similar Securities

We have agreed that, for a period of 30 days as of the date of this prospectus supplement, we will not without first obtaining the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer to contract or grant any option to sell, pledge, transfer or otherwise dispose of, any debt securities or securities exchangeable for or convertible into debt securities, except for the notes sold to the underwriters pursuant to the underwriting agreement.

Short Positions

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell the notes in the open market. These transactions may include short sales and purchases on the open market to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater principal amount of notes than they are required to purchase in the offering. The underwriters must close out any short position by purchasing notes in the open market. A short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the notes in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of the notes or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the notes. As a result, the price of the notes may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market.

Neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the notes. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the representatives will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Settlement

We expect that delivery of the notes will be made to investors on or about                     , 2014, which will be the tenth business day following the date of this prospectus supplement (such settlement being referred to as “T+10”). Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market are required to settle in three business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes prior to the delivery of the notes hereunder will be required, by virtue of the fact that the notes initially settle in T+10, to specify an alternate settlement arrangement at the time of any such trade to prevent a failed settlement. Purchasers of the notes who wish to trade the notes prior to their date of delivery hereunder should consult their advisors.

 

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Other Relationships

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Some of the underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. Certain of the underwriters or their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us routinely hedge, and certain other of the underwriters or their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us may hedge, their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, such underwriters and their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the notes offered hereby. Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the notes offered hereby. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Affiliates of certain of the underwriters act as lenders and/or as agents under our senior credit facilities. In addition, certain of the underwriters hold a portion of our outstanding 2021 Notes. Lastly, certain of the underwriters may hold a portion of our outstanding 2018 Notes, which are being redeemed by us in connection with this offering, and therefore, such underwriters or their affiliates may receive a portion of the proceeds of the offering of the notes.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), the underwriters have represented and agreed that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the “Relevant Implementation Date”) they have not made and will not make an offer of notes which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus to the public in that Relevant Member State other than:

 

(a)

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

(b)

to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by us for any such offer; or

 

(c)

in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of notes shall require us or any underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of notes to the public” in relation to any notes in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the notes, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC

 

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(and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression “2010 PD Amending Directive” means Directive 2010/73/EU.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

This prospectus supplement does not constitute an issue prospectus pursuant to Article 652a or Article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations and the notes will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Therefore, this prospectus supplement may not comply with the disclosure standards of the listing rules (including any additional listing rules or prospectus schemes) of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Accordingly, the notes may not be offered to the public in or from Switzerland, but only to a selected and limited circle of investors who do not subscribe to the notes with a view to distribution. Any such investors will be individually approached by the underwriters from time to time.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus supplement relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus supplement is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus supplement nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus supplement. The notes to which this prospectus supplement relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the notes offered should conduct their own due diligence on the notes. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus supplement you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The notes may not be offered or sold by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the notes may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to notes which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The notes have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the “Financial Instruments and Exchange Law”) and the underwriters have agreed that they will not offer or sell any notes, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus supplement has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the notes are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is: (a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for 6 months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the notes under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is given for the transfer; or (3) by operation of law.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the notes offered and sold in this offering will be passed upon for us by Alston & Bird LLP. Alston & Bird LLP has, from time to time, represented, currently represents, and may continue to represent, some or all of the underwriters in connection with various legal matters. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Graphic Packaging Holding Company appearing in Graphic Packaging Holding Company’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2013 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are, and audited financial statements to be included in subsequently filed documents will be, incorporated herein in reliance upon the report of Ernst & Young LLP pertaining to such financial statements (to the extent covered by consents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

GPHC files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information on file at the SEC’s public reference facility located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information regarding its public facilities. GPHC’s SEC filings are available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and also available at the Internet website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. You may also retrieve GPHC’s SEC filings at our Internet website at www.graphicpkg.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement.

We are “incorporating by reference” information into this prospectus supplement. This means that we are disclosing important information by referring to another document separately filed with the SEC. This information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement, except for any information superseded by information in this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that we have previously filed with the SEC. These documents contain important information about us.

 

—

Annual Report on Form 10-K of GPHC for the year ended December 31, 2013;

 

—

the information responsive to Part III of Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 provided in our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 10, 2014;

 

—

Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014; and

 

—

Current Reports on Form 8-K of GPHC filed on February 18, 2014, March 3, 2014, May 22, 2014, May 23, 2014, June 2, 2014, June 4, 2014, July 2, 2014, August 12, 2014, September 19, 2014, October 3, 2014 and October 7, 2014.

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than those made pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K or any other information “furnished” to the SEC, unless specifically stated otherwise) after the date of this prospectus supplement and before the end of the offering of the securities pursuant to this prospectus supplement or the offering is otherwise terminated.

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

GRAPHIC PACKAGING HOLDING COMPANY

Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Debt Securities, Guarantees of Debt Securities, Warrants, Purchase Contracts and Units

GRAPHIC PACKAGING INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Debt Securities Guaranteed by Graphic Packaging Holding Company and Guarantees of Debt Securities

 

 

From time to time, we or selling stockholders may offer to sell the following securities:

Graphic Packaging Holding Company

Graphic Packaging Holding Company may offer and sell the following securities:

 

•

common stock;

 

•

preferred stock;

 

•

debt securities;

 

•

guarantees of debt securities;

 

•

warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities;

 

•

purchase contracts; or

 

•

units.

Graphic Packaging International, Inc.

Graphic Packaging International, Inc. may offer and sell the following securities:

 

•

debt securities guaranteed by Graphic Packaging Holding Company; or

 

•

guarantees of debt securities.

The Co-Registrants listed in the Table of Additional Registrants may offer and sell the following securities:

 

•

Guarantees of debt securities issued by Graphic Packaging Holding Company or Graphic Packaging International, Inc.

This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to these securities. The specific terms of any securities to be offered will be described in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you make your investment decision. This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. Supplements to this prospectus will describe the terms of any offering of these securities, including any underwriting arrangements. See “Plan of Distribution.”

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “GPK.” Each prospectus supplement will indicate if the securities offered thereby will be listed on any securities exchange.

 

 

You should carefully read and consider the risk factors included in our periodic reports and other information that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission before you invest in our securities.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is July 28, 2014.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

We include cross references to captions elsewhere in this prospectus where you can find related additional information. The following table of contents tells you where to find these captions.

 

		Page
About This Prospectus			2
Where You Can Find More Information			3
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			5
Our Company			6
Risk Factors			7
Use of Proceeds			8
Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges			9
Description of Capital Stock			10
Description of the Debt Securities			16
Description of the Warrants			27
Description of the Purchase Contracts			29
Description of the Units			30
Selling Stockholders			31
Plan of Distribution			32
Legal Matters			35
Experts			35

In this prospectus, except as otherwise indicated, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” mean Graphic Packaging Holding Company and all entities included in our consolidated financial statements. “GPHC” refers to Graphic Packaging Holding Company, “GPC” refers to Graphic Packaging Corporation, and “GPII” refers to Graphic Packaging International, Inc.

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the “SEC,” using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of those securities. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering, including the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities offered. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

You may obtain from the SEC, through the SEC’s website or at the SEC’s offices mentioned in the following paragraph, a copy of the registration statement, including exhibits, that we have filed with the SEC to register the securities offered under this prospectus. This prospectus is part of the registration statement and does not contain all the information in the registration statement on Form S-3. You will find additional information about us in the registration statement. Any statement made in this prospectus concerning a contract or other document of ours is not necessarily complete, and you should read the documents that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement or otherwise filed with the SEC for a more complete understanding of the document or matter. Each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on our corporate website at www.graphicpkg.com. Information on our website does not constitute part of this prospectus. You may inspect without charge any documents filed by us at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain copies of all or any part of these materials from the SEC upon the payment of certain fees prescribed by the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room.

We “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus documents we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Some information contained in this prospectus updates the information incorporated by reference, and information that we file subsequently with the SEC will automatically update this prospectus. In other words, in the case of a conflict or inconsistency between information set forth in this prospectus and information that we file later and incorporate by reference into this prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.

We incorporate by reference into this prospectus the documents listed below and any filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act,” after the initial filing of the registration statement that contains this prospectus and prior to the time that all the securities offered by this prospectus have been issued as described in this prospectus (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been “furnished” and not “filed” in accordance with SEC rules):

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, including portions of our proxy statement for the 2014 annual meeting of stockholders to the extent specifically incorporated by reference therein;

 

•

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed on April 24, 2014 and July 24, 2014;

 

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 18, 2014, March 3, 2014, May 22, 2014, May 23, 2014, June 2, 2014, June 4, 2014 and July 2, 2014; and

 

•

the description of our common stock set forth in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act on March 10, 2008 and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating that description.

You may request a copy of the registration statement, the above filings and any future filings that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, other than an exhibit to a filing unless that exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference into that filing, at no cost, by writing or calling us at the following address: Office of the Secretary, Graphic Packaging Holding Company, 1500 Riveredge Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30328; telephone: (770) 240-7200.

 

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You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC and any information about the terms of securities offered conveyed to you by us, our underwriters or agents. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with additional or different information. These securities are only being offered in jurisdictions where the offer is permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements we have made in this prospectus or in documents incorporated by reference herein which are not current or historical facts are “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements use terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “preliminary,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “pro forma” or similar expressions in connection with any disclosure of future operating or financial performance. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s historical experience and its present expectations.

The discussions in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which we refer to as our 2013 10-K, and as updated in our future filings with the SEC, highlight some of the more important risks identified by our management, but should not be assumed to be the only factors that could affect future performance. Other factors that could cause the actual results of our operations or our financial condition to differ from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, inflation of and volatility in raw material and energy costs, continuing pressure for lower cost products, our ability to implement our business strategies, including productivity initiatives and cost reduction plans, our debt level, currency movements and other risks of conducting business internationally, our ability to successfully identify and integrate acquired businesses and achieve anticipated synergies from such acquisitions, and the impact of regulatory and litigation matters, including those that could impact our ability to utilize our net operating losses to offset taxable income and those that impact our ability to protect and use our intellectual property, and other factors described in our filings with the SEC.

Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The foregoing review of factors should not be construed as exhaustive or as any admission regarding the adequacy of our disclosures. Certain risk factors are detailed from time to time in our various public filings. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our filings with the SEC.

 

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OUR COMPANY

We are committed to providing consumer packaging that makes a world of difference. We are a leading provider of packaging solutions to food, beverage and other consumer products companies. We are the largest U.S. producer of folding cartons and hold leading market positions in coated unbleached kraft paperboard and coated-recycled paperboard.

Our customers include many of the world’s most widely recognized companies and brands with prominent market positions in the beverage, food and other consumer products industries. We strive to provide our customers with packaging solutions designed to deliver marketing and performance benefits at a competitive cost by capitalizing on our low-cost paperboard mills and converting plants, proprietary carton and packaging designs, and our commitment to quality and service.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves risk. You should carefully consider the specific risks discussed or incorporated by reference in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all the other information contained in the prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” included in our 2013 10-K, which is incorporated by reference herein. These risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Except as may be otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, the net proceeds from the sale of the securities will be used for general corporate purposes, including:

 

•

repayment of short-term or long-term borrowings;

 

•

acquisitions of or investments in businesses or assets;

 

•

working capital; or

 

•

capital expenditures.

Pending application of the net proceeds, we may temporarily invest the net proceeds in short-term marketable securities.

 

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RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

Our ratios of earnings to fixed charges for the five fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 and for the six months ended June 30, 2014 are set forth below:

 

		6 Months Ended June 30,				Year Ended December 31,
		2014				2013				2012				2011				2010				2009
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges (1)(2)			(3	)			2.8x				2.6x				1.3x				1.2x				1.4x

 

(1)

For purposes of calculating this ratio, “earnings” consists of income from continuing operations before income taxes and income from equity affiliates plus (a) fixed charges minus interest capitalized during the period, (b) distributed income from equity affiliates and (c) amortization of previously capitalized interest. Fixed charges consist of interest expense, capitalized interest, amortization of discount on indebtedness and an appropriate portion of rental expense representative of the interest factor.

(2)	Currently, we have no shares of preferred stock outstanding and thus have not paid any dividends on preferred stock in the periods presented. Therefore, the ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preference dividends is not different from the ratio of earnings to fixed charges.

(3)	Earnings for the six months ended June 30, 2014 were inadequate to cover fixed charges by $14.7 million.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Overview

Our restated certificate of incorporation authorizes 1 billion shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 100 million shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Approximately 327,020,678 shares of our common stock are issued and outstanding as of July 23, 2014, and no shares of preferred stock are issued and outstanding.

The following descriptions of our capital stock and provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws are summaries of their material terms and provisions and are qualified by reference to the complete text of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety and filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Common Stock

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Holders of common stock are entitled to receive proportionately any dividends that may be declared by our board of directors, subject to the preferences and rights of any shares of preferred stock. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, holders of common stock will be entitled to receive proportionately any of our assets remaining after the payment of debts and liabilities and subject to the preferences and rights of any shares of preferred stock. Holders of common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The rights and privileges of holders of our common stock will be subject to any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future, as described below.

Preferred Stock

Our certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors has the authority, without further vote or action by our stockholders, to issue up to 100 million shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the number of shares constituting any such series and the preferences, limitations and relative rights, including but not limited to, dividend rights, dividend rate, voting rights, terms of redemption, redemption price or prices, conversion rights and liquidation preferences of the shares constituting any series. The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the rights of holders of common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes shares of preferred stock that may be designated Series A junior participating preferred stock in connection with our stockholder rights plan. See “— Stockholder Rights Plan” below.

Change of Control Related Provisions

A number of provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and under the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, may make it more difficult for third parties to acquire control of us. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deferring, discouraging, preventing or rendering more difficult a future takeover attempt which is not approved by our board of directors, but which individual stockholders may deem to be in their best interests or in which stockholders may receive a substantial premium for their shares over then current market prices. As a result, stockholders who might desire to participate in such a transaction may not have an opportunity to do so. In addition, these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of the common stock. These provisions are intended to:

 

•

discourage some types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened change in control;

 

•

discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights;

 

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•

enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors;

 

•

ensure that our board of directors will have sufficient time to act in what the board believes to be in the best interests of us and our stockholders; and

 

•

encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to consult first with our board to negotiate the terms of any proposed business combination or offer.

Unissued Shares of Common Stock

There are currently outstanding approximately 327,020,678 shares of our authorized common stock. The remaining shares of authorized and unissued common stock are available for future issuance without additional stockholder approval, except as may be required by the rules or regulations of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or other stock exchange on which our common stock may be listed. While the additional shares are not designed to deter or prevent a change of control, under some circumstances we could use the additional shares to create voting impediments or to frustrate persons seeking to effect a takeover or otherwise gain control by, for example, issuing those shares in private placements to purchasers who might side with our board of directors in opposing a hostile takeover bid.

Unissued Shares of Preferred Stock

Our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors the authority, without any further vote or action by our stockholders, except as may be required by the rules or regulations of the NYSE or other stock exchange on which our common stock may be listed, to issue preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the number of shares constituting any such series and the preferences, limitations and relative rights, including but not limited to, dividend rights, dividend rate, voting rights, terms of redemption, redemption price or prices, conversion rights and liquidation preferences of the shares constituting any series. The existence of authorized but unissued preferred stock could reduce our attractiveness as a target for an unsolicited takeover bid since we could, for example, issue shares of preferred stock to parties who might oppose such a takeover bid or shares that contain terms the potential acquirer may find unattractive. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control, may discourage bids for the common stock at a premium over the market price of the common stock, and may adversely affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of, common stock.

Classified Board of Directors, Vacancies and Removal of Directors

Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws provide that our board of directors is divided into three classes of even number or nearly even number, with each class elected for staggered three-year terms expiring in successive years. Any effort to obtain control of our board of directors by causing the election of a majority of the board of directors may require more time than would be required without a staggered board structure. Under the DGCL, for companies like us with a classified board of directors, stockholders may remove directors only for cause. Vacancies (including a vacancy created by increasing the size of the board) in our board of directors may only be filled by a majority vote of our directors. Any director elected to fill a vacancy will hold office for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred (including a vacancy created by increasing the size of the board) and until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified. No decrease in the number of directors will shorten the term of any incumbent director. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws provide that the number of directors will be fixed and increased or decreased from time to time solely by resolution of the board of directors, but the board of directors will at no time consist of fewer than three directors. These provisions may have the effect of slowing or impeding a third party from initiating a proxy contest, making a tender offer or otherwise attempting a change in the membership of our board of directors that would effect a change of control.

 

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Advance Notice Requirements for Nomination of Directors and Presentation of New Business at Meetings of Stockholders; Action by Written Consent

Our by-laws provide for advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations for director. Generally, to be timely, notice must be delivered to us not fewer than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. In addition, under the provisions of both our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, action may not be taken by written consent of stockholders; rather, any action taken by the stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting. A special meeting may only be called by our board of directors. These provisions make it more procedurally difficult for a stockholder to place a proposal or nomination on the meeting agenda or to take action without a meeting, and therefore may reduce the likelihood that a stockholder will seek to take independent action to replace directors or seek a stockholder vote with respect to other matters that are not supported by management.

Business Combination under Delaware Law

We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Subject to specified exceptions, Section 203, as currently in effect, prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

•

before that date, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction in which such stockholder became an interested stockholder;

 

•

upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder’s becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares; or

 

•

on or after that date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

A “business combination”, as further defined by the DGCL, includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Except as otherwise described in the DGCL, an “interested stockholder” is defined to include (1) any person that is the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation, or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within three years immediately before the date of determination, and (2) the affiliates and associates of any such person.

Limitation of Liability of Directors

Our certificate of incorporation provides that no director will be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent that this limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted by the DGCL. As currently enacted, the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation will not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability for:

 

•

any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or our stockholders;

 

•

acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

•

payments of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions; or

 

•

any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

 

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The principal effect of this limitation on liability provision is that a stockholder will be unable to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of fiduciary duty unless the stockholder can demonstrate that one of the exceptions listed in the DGCL applies. The inclusion of this provision in our certificate of incorporation may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for a breach of their fiduciary duties, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited us and our stockholders. This provision should not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as an injunction or rescission of a transaction based upon a director’s breach of his or her fiduciary duties.

The DGCL provides that a corporation may indemnify its directors and officers as well as its other employees and agents against judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred in connection with various proceedings, other than an action brought by or in the right of the corporation, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. A similar standard applies to actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, except that indemnification in such a case may only extend to expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such actions, and the statute requires court approval before there can be any indemnification where the person seeking indemnification has been found liable to the corporation.

Our certificate of incorporation and, with regard to our officers, our by-laws provide that we will indemnify our current and former directors, as well as any person who has agreed to become a director, and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL. Under these provisions and subject to the DGCL, we are required to indemnify our directors and officers for all judgments, fines, settlements, liabilities, losses, ERISA excise taxes or penalties, legal fees and other expenses actually and reasonably incurred in connection with pending or threatened legal proceedings because of the director’s or officer’s position with us or another entity that the director or officer serves as a director, officer, employee or agent at our request, subject to various conditions, and to advance funds to our directors and officers before final disposition of such proceedings to enable them to defend against such proceedings. To receive indemnification, the director or officer must have met the applicable standard of conduct required by Delaware law to be indemnified.

Unless otherwise ordered by a court, any indemnification of a present or former director, officer or employee of the Company shall be made by us (and may be made by us in the case of an agent) upon a determination that indemnification of such person is proper because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct required by Delaware law to be indemnified. With respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, such determination shall be made: (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to the proceeding, even though less than a quorum, (ii) a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, (iii) by independent legal counsel in a written opinion if there are no such directors or if such directors so direct, or (iv) by our stockholders. The by-laws also specifically authorize us to maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was or has agreed to become a director, officer, employee or agent, or is or was serving at our request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another entity, against certain liabilities.

Supermajority Voting Requirement for Amendment of Certain Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

The provisions of our certificate of incorporation governing, among other things, our classified board of directors, the liability of directors and the elimination of the ability of stockholders to act by written consent, may not be amended, altered or repealed unless the amendment is approved by the vote of holders of 75% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon. This requirement exceeds the majority vote of the outstanding stock that would otherwise be required by the DGCL for the repeal or amendment of provisions of the certificate of incorporation. Our by-laws may be amended by the board of

 

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directors or by the vote of holders of 75% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon. These provisions make it more difficult for any person to remove or amend any provisions that may have an anti-takeover effect.

Stockholder Rights Plan

We have adopted a stockholder rights plan under which each outstanding share of our common stock will be coupled with a stock purchase right. The description and terms of the rights can be found in a rights agreement between us and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as the rights agent. The following is a summary of the material provisions of the rights plan. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the rights plan, which is attached as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This summary may not contain all of the information about the rights plan which is important to you, and we encourage you to read the rights plan in its entirety.

The rights are currently attached to the certificates representing outstanding shares of common stock, and no separate rights certificates will be distributed. The rights are transferable only with the common stock until a distribution date (as described below). Each right entitles the holder to purchase one one-thousandth of a share of our Series A junior participating preferred stock at an exercise price of $20.00, subject to adjustment. Each one one-thousandth of a share of Series A junior participating preferred stock will have economic and voting terms approximately equivalent to one share of our common stock. Until it is exercised, the right itself will not entitle the holder of the right to any rights as a stockholder, including the right to receive dividends or to vote at stockholder meetings.

The rights are not exercisable until the distribution date and will expire at the close of business on March 10, 2018, unless earlier redeemed or exchanged by us. As soon as practicable after the distribution date, we would issue separate certificates representing the rights which would trade separately from the shares of our common stock. A distribution date would generally occur upon the earlier of:

 

•

the tenth day after the first public announcement by or communication to us that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (referred to as an acquiring person) has acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock (the date of such announcement or communication is referred to as the stock acquisition time); or

 

•

the tenth business day after the commencement or first public announcement of the intention to commence a tender offer or exchange offer that would result in a person or group becoming an acquiring person.

However, an acquiring person will not include us, any of our subsidiaries, any of our employee benefit plans or any person or entity acting under our employee benefit plans.

If any person becomes an acquiring person, each right will represent, instead of the right to acquire one one-thousandth of a share of Series A junior participating preferred stock, the right to receive upon exercise a number of shares of common stock having a value equal to two times the purchase price of the right, subject to certain exceptions. All rights that are beneficially owned by an acquiring person or its transferee will become null and void.

If at any time after a public announcement has been made or we have received notice that a person has become an acquiring person and:

 

•

We are acquired in a merger or other business combination and we are not the surviving corporation; or

 

•

50% or more of our assets, cash flow or earning power (taken as a whole with our subsidiaries) is sold or transferred;

 

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each right, except rights that previously have been voided as described above, will represent the right to receive, upon exercise, common stock of the acquiring company having a value equal to two times the purchase price of the right.

At any time until the earlier of (1) the time we become aware that a person has become an acquiring person or (2) March 10, 2018, we may redeem all the rights at a price of $0.001 per right. At any time after a person has become an acquiring person and before the acquisition by such person and its affiliates of 50% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock, we may exchange the rights, in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of common stock per right.

The purchase price of the rights, the number of thousandths of a share of Series A junior participating preferred stock and the amount of common stock, cash or other securities or property issuable upon exercise of, or exchange for, the rights, and the number of such rights outstanding, are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution. Except as provided in the rights agreement, no adjustment in the purchase price or the number of shares of Series A junior participating preferred stock issuable upon exercise of a right will be required until the cumulative adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the purchase price or number of shares for which a right is exercisable.

Before the time that a person or group becomes an acquiring person, and subject to specified limitations, the rights agreement may be supplemented or amended by us and the rights agent, without the approval of the holders of the rights.

The stockholder rights plan is designed to protect stockholders in the event of unsolicited offers to acquire us and other coercive takeover tactics which, in the opinion of our board of directors, could impair our ability to represent stockholder interests. The rights will not prevent a takeover of us. However, the provisions of the stockholder rights plan may render an unsolicited takeover more difficult or less likely to occur, even though such takeover may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market rate and/or may be favored by a majority of our stockholders.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “GPK.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES

General

The following description of the terms of our senior debt securities and subordinated debt securities (together, the “debt securities”) sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities to which any prospectus supplement may relate. Unless otherwise noted, the general terms and provisions of our debt securities discussed below apply to both our senior debt securities and our subordinated debt securities. Our debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The particular terms of any series of debt securities and the extent to which the general provisions may apply to a particular series of debt securities will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to that series.

Debt securities may be issued either by GPHC or GPII. When describing any debt securities, references to “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the issuer of those debt securities.

The senior debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as Senior Indenture Trustee (the “senior indenture”). The subordinated debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as Subordinated Indenture Trustee (the “subordinated indenture” and, together with the senior indenture, the “indentures”). The Senior Indenture Trustee and the Subordinated Indenture Trustee are both referred to, individually, as the “Trustee.” The senior debt securities will constitute our unsecured and unsubordinated obligations and the subordinated debt securities will constitute our unsecured and subordinated obligations. A detailed description of the subordination provisions is provided below under the caption “— Ranking and Subordination — Subordination.” In general, however, if we declare bankruptcy, holders of the senior debt securities will be paid in full before the holders of subordinated debt securities will receive anything.

We have summarized below the material provisions of the indentures and the debt securities, or indicated which material provisions will be described in the related prospectus supplement. These descriptions are only summaries, and each investor should refer to the indentures, which describe completely the terms and definitions summarized below and contain additional information regarding the debt securities. Any reference to particular sections or defined terms of the indentures in any statement under this heading qualifies the entire statement and incorporates by reference the applicable section or definition into that statement.

The indentures will not limit the amount of debt securities that may be issued under the applicable indenture, and debt securities may be issued under the applicable indenture up to the aggregate principal amount that may be authorized from time to time by us. Any such limit applicable to a particular series will be specified in the prospectus supplement relating to that series.

The prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will contain the following terms, among others, for each such series of debt securities:

 

•

the designation and issue date of the debt securities;

 

•

the date or dates on which the principal amount of the debt securities is payable;

 

•

the rate or rates (or manner of calculation thereof), if any, per annum at which the debt securities will bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which interest will accrue and the interest payment date or dates for the debt securities;

 

•

any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities which may be authenticated and delivered under the applicable indenture;

 

•

the period or periods within which, the redemption price or prices or the repayment price or prices, as the case may be, at which, and the terms and conditions upon which, the debt securities may be redeemed at the issuing company’s option or the option of the holder of such debt securities;

 

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•

the obligation, if any, of the issuing company to purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of such debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

•

if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the debt securities will be issuable;

 

•

in the case of debt securities issued by GPHC, provisions, if any, with regard to the conversion or exchange of the debt securities, at the option of the holders of such debt securities or GPHC, as the case may be, for or into new securities of a different series, GPHC’s common stock or other securities;

 

•

if other than U.S. dollars, the currency or currencies or units based on or related to currencies in which the debt securities will be denominated and in which payments of principal of, and any premium and interest on, such debt securities shall or may be payable;

 

•

if the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the debt securities are to be payable, at the election of the issuing company or a holder of such debt securities, in a currency (including a composite currency) other than that in which such debt securities are stated to be payable, the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made;

 

•

if the amount of payments of principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the debt securities may be determined with reference to an index based on a currency (including a composite currency) other than that in which such debt securities are stated to be payable, the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;

 

•

provisions, if any, related to the exchange of the debt securities, at the option of the holders of such debt securities, for other securities of the same series of the same aggregate principal amount or of a different authorized series or different authorized denomination or denominations, or both;

 

•

the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities, if other than the principal amount thereof, which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof as more fully described under the section “— Events of Default, Notice and Waiver” below;

 

•

whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of global securities and, if so, the identity of the depositary with respect to such global securities;

 

•

if the debt securities will be guaranteed, the terms and conditions of such guarantees and provisions for the accession of the guarantors to certain obligations under the applicable indenture;

 

•

with respect to subordinated debt securities only, the amendment or modification of the subordination provisions in the subordinated indenture with respect to the debt securities; and

 

•

any other specific terms.

We may issue debt securities of any series at various times and we may reopen any series for further issuances from time to time without notice to existing holders of securities of that series.

Some of the debt securities may be issued as original issue discount debt securities. Original issue discount debt securities bear no interest or bear interest at below-market rates. These are sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. If we issue these securities, the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities will describe any special tax, accounting or other information which we think is important. We encourage you to consult with your own tax and financial advisors on these important matters.

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the covenants contained in the indentures will not provide special protection to holders of debt securities if we enter into a highly leveraged transaction, recapitalization or restructuring.

 

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Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, on each interest payment date, interest on outstanding debt securities will be paid to holders of record on the date that is 15 days prior to the date such interest is to be paid or, if not a business day, the next preceding business day. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, debt securities will be issued in fully registered form only. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the principal amount of the debt securities will be payable at the corporate trust office of the Trustee in New York, New York. The debt securities may be presented for transfer or exchange at such office unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, subject to the limitations provided in the applicable indenture, without any service charge, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charges payable in connection therewith.

Guarantees

The payment obligations of GPHC under any series of debt securities may be guaranteed by one or more of GPHC’s direct or indirect subsidiaries, including GPC, GPII or by other persons. The payment obligations of GPII under any series of debt security will be guaranteed fully and unconditionally by GPHC, and may be guaranteed by one or more of GPHC’s other direct or indirect subsidiaries or by other persons. If a series of debt securities is so guaranteed, the guarantors will execute a supplemental indenture or notation of guarantee as further evidence of their guarantee. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any guarantee.

The obligations of each guarantor under its guarantee may be limited to the maximum amount that will not result in such guarantee obligations constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under federal or state law, after giving effect to all other contingent and fixed liabilities of that subsidiary and any collections from or payments made by or on behalf of any other guarantor in respect to its obligations under its guarantee.

Ranking and Subordination

General

The subordinated debt securities and the related guarantees will effectively rank junior in right of payment to any of our or the guarantors’ current and future secured obligations to the extent of the value of the assets securing such obligations. The debt securities and the guarantees will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities, including indebtedness and trade payables, of our non-guarantor subsidiaries. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the indentures will not limit the amount of unsecured indebtedness or other liabilities that can be incurred by our non-guarantor subsidiaries.

Furthermore, GPHC is a holding company with no material business operations. GPHC’s ability to service its indebtedness and other obligations is dependent primarily upon the earnings and cash flows of its subsidiaries and the distribution or other payment to GPHC of such earnings or cash flows. In addition, certain indebtedness of GPHC’s subsidiaries contains, and future agreements relating to any indebtedness of its subsidiaries may contain, significant restrictions on the ability of its subsidiaries to pay dividends or otherwise make distributions to GPHC.

Ranking of Debt Securities

The senior debt securities described in this prospectus will be unsecured, senior obligations of the issuing company and will rank equally with the issuing company’s other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. Any guarantees of the senior debt securities will be unsecured and senior obligations of each of the guarantors, and will rank equally with all other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of such guarantors. The subordinated debt securities will be unsecured, subordinated obligations and any guarantees of the subordinated debt securities will be unsecured and subordinated obligations of each of the guarantors.

 

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Subordination

If issued, the indebtedness evidenced by the subordinated debt securities will be subordinate to the prior payment in full of all our Senior Indebtedness (as defined below). During the continuance beyond any applicable grace period of any default in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other payment due on any of our Senior Indebtedness, we may not make any payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on the subordinated debt securities. In addition, upon any payment or distribution of our assets upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, and interest on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the extent provided in the subordinated indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all our Senior Indebtedness. Because of this subordination, if we dissolve or otherwise liquidate, holders of our subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than holders of our Senior Indebtedness. The subordination provisions do not prevent the occurrence of an event of default under the subordinated indenture.

The subordination provisions also apply in the same way to each guarantor with respect to the Senior Indebtedness of such guarantor.

The term “Senior Indebtedness” of a person means with respect to such person the principal of, premium, if any, interest on, and any other payment due pursuant to any of the following, whether outstanding on the date of the subordinated indenture or incurred by that person in the future:

 

•

all of the indebtedness of that person for borrowed money, including any indebtedness secured by a mortgage or other lien which is (1) given to secure all or part of the purchase price of property subject to the mortgage or lien, whether given to the vendor of that property or to another lender, or (2) existing on property at the time that person acquires it;

 

•

all of the indebtedness of that person evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments sold by that person for money;

 

•

all of the lease obligations which are capitalized on the books of that person in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

•

all indebtedness of others of the kinds described in the first two bullet points above and all lease obligations of others of the kind described in the third bullet point above, in each case, that the person, in any manner, assumes or guarantees or that the person in effect guarantees through an agreement to purchase, whether that agreement is contingent or otherwise; and

 

•

all renewals, extensions or refundings of indebtedness of the kinds described in the first, second or fourth bullet point above and all renewals or extensions of leases of the kinds described in the third or fourth bullet point above;

unless, in the case of any particular indebtedness, lease, renewal, extension or refunding, the instrument or lease creating or evidencing it or the assumption or guarantee relating to it expressly provides that such indebtedness, lease, renewal, extension or refunding is not superior in right of payment to the subordinated debt securities. Our senior debt securities, and any unsubordinated guarantee obligations of ours or any guarantor to which we and the guarantors are a party, including the guarantors’ guarantees of our debt securities and other indebtedness for borrowed money, constitute Senior Indebtedness for purposes of the subordinated indenture.

Pursuant to the subordinated indenture, the subordinated indenture may not be amended, at any time, to alter the subordination provisions of any outstanding subordinated debt securities without the consent of the requisite holders of each outstanding series or class of Senior Indebtedness (as determined in accordance with the instrument governing such Senior Indebtedness) that would be adversely affected thereby.

 

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Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance or Transfer on Certain Terms

Except as described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities, we will not consolidate with or merge into any other entity or convey or transfer our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any entity, unless:

 

(1)

the entity formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged or the entity that acquires by conveyance or transfer our properties and assets substantially as an entirety shall be organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America or any State or the District of Columbia, and will expressly assume, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all the debt securities and the performance of every covenant of the applicable indenture (as supplemented from time to time) on our part to be performed or observed;

 

(2)

immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default (as defined below), and no event which, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have happened and be continuing; and

 

(3)

we have delivered to the Trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer and such supplemental indenture comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) above and that all conditions precedent relating to such transaction have been complied with.

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any conveyance or transfer of our properties and assets substantially as an entirety as set forth above, the successor person formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged or to which such conveyance or transfer is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of ours under the applicable indenture with the same effect as if such successor had been named in the applicable indenture. In the event of any such conveyance or transfer, we, as the predecessor, shall be discharged from all obligations and covenants under the applicable indenture and the debt securities issued under such indenture and may be dissolved, wound up or liquidated at any time thereafter.

Certain Covenants

Any covenants pertaining to a series of debt securities will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities.

Except as described in the prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the indentures and the debt securities do not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to afford holders of debt securities protection in the event of a recapitalization or highly leveraged transaction involving us.

Certain Definitions

The following are certain of the terms defined in the indentures:

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles as such principles are in effect in the United States as of the date of the applicable indenture.

“Significant Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary which would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), as in effect on the date of the applicable indenture.

“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any person, any corporation more than 50% of the voting stock of which is owned directly or indirectly by such person, and any partnership, association, joint venture or other entity in which such person owns more than 50% of the equity interests or has the power to elect a majority of the board of directors or other governing body.

 

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Optional Redemption

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may redeem any of the debt securities as a whole at any time or in part from time to time, at our option, on at least 15 days, but not more than 45 days, prior notice mailed to the registered address of each holder of the debt securities to be redeemed, at respective redemption prices equal to the greater of:

 

•

100% of the principal amount of the debt securities to be redeemed, and

 

•

the sum of the present values of the Remaining Scheduled Payments, as defined below, discounted to the redemption date, on a semi-annual basis, assuming a 360 day year consisting of twelve 30 day months, at the Treasury Rate, as defined below, plus the number, if any, of basis points specified in the applicable prospectus supplement;

plus, in each case, accrued interest to the date of redemption that has not been paid (such redemption price, the “Redemption Price”).

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means, with respect to the debt securities, the U.S. Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term (“Remaining Life”) of the debt securities being redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the Remaining Life of such debt securities.

“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any redemption date for the debt securities: (1) the average of two Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for that redemption date, after excluding the highest and lowest of four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations; or (2) if the Trustee obtains fewer than four Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all quotations obtained by the Trustee.

“Independent Investment Banker” means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers, to be appointed by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means four primary U.S. Government securities dealers to be selected by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the Trustee, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue, expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount, quoted in writing to the Trustee by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding such redemption date.

“Remaining Scheduled Payments” means, with respect to each debt security to be redeemed, the remaining scheduled payments of the principal thereof and interest thereon that would be due after the related redemption date but for such redemption; provided, however, that, if such redemption date is not an interest payment date with respect to such debt security, the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment thereon will be deemed to be reduced by the amount of interest accrued thereon to such redemption date.

“Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date for the debt securities: (1) the yield, under the heading which represents the average for the immediately preceding week, appearing in the most recently published statistical release designated “H.15(519)” or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and which establishes yields on actively traded United States Treasury debt securities adjusted to constant maturity under the caption “Treasury Constant Maturities,” for the maturity corresponding to the Comparable Treasury Issue; provided that if no maturity is within three months before or after the maturity date for the debt securities, yields for the two published maturities most closely corresponding to the Comparable Treasury Issue will be determined and the Treasury Rate will be interpolated or extrapolated from those yields on a straight line basis, rounding to the nearest month; or (2) if that release, or any successor release, is not published during the week preceding the calculation date or does not

 

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contain such yields, the rate per annum equal to the semiannual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, calculated using a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that redemption date. The Treasury Rate will be calculated on the third business day preceding the redemption date.

On and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on the debt securities or any portion thereof called for redemption, unless we default in the payment of the Redemption Price, and accrued interest. On or before the redemption date, we shall deposit with a paying agent, or the applicable Trustee, money sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of and accrued interest on the debt securities to be redeemed on such date. If we elect to redeem less than all of the debt securities of a series, then the Trustee will select the particular debt securities of such series to be redeemed in a manner it deems appropriate and fair.

Defeasance

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, each indenture will provide that we, at our option,

 

(a)

will be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of any series of debt securities (except in each case for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of debt securities, replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities, maintain paying agencies and hold monies for payment in trust), or

 

(b)

need not comply with any restrictive covenants described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the guarantors will be released from the guarantees and certain Events of Default (other than those arising out of the failure to pay interest or principal on the debt securities of a particular series and certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization) will no longer constitute Events of Default with respect to such series of debt securities,

in each case, if we deposit with the Trustee, in trust, money or the equivalent in securities of the government which issued the currency in which the debt securities are denominated or government agencies backed by the full faith and credit of such government, or a combination thereof, which through the payment of interest thereon and principal thereof in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay all the principal (including any mandatory sinking fund payments) of, and interest on, such series on the dates such payments are due in accordance with the terms of such series.

To exercise any such option, we are required, among other things, to deliver to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the deposit and related defeasance would not cause the holders of such series to recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes and, in the case of a discharge pursuant to clause (a) above, accompanied by a ruling to such effect received from or published by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

In addition, we are required to deliver to the Trustee an officers’ certificate stating that such deposit was not made by us with the intent of preferring the holders over other creditors of ours or with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of ours or others.

Events of Default, Notice and Waiver

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, each indenture will provide that, if an Event of Default specified therein with respect to any series of debt securities issued thereunder shall have happened and be continuing, either the Trustee thereunder or the holders of 33-1/3% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series (or 33-1/3% in aggregate principal amount of all outstanding debt securities under such indenture, in the case of certain Events of Default affecting all series of debt securities issued under such indenture) may declare the principal of all the debt securities of such series to be due and payable.

 

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Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, an “Event of Default” in respect of any series will be defined in the indentures as being any one of the following events:

 

•

default for 30 days in payment of any interest installment with respect to such series;

 

•

default in payment of principal of, or premium, if any, on, or any sinking or purchase fund or analogous obligation with respect to, debt securities of such series when due at their stated maturity, by declaration or acceleration, when called for redemption or otherwise;

 

•

default for 90 days after written notice to us by the Trustee thereunder or by holders of 33 1⁄3% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty pertaining to debt securities of such series; and

 

•

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization with respect to us or any Significant Subsidiary of ours which is organized under the laws of the United States or any political sub-division thereof or the entry of an order ordering the winding up or liquidation of our affairs.

Each indenture will provide that the Trustee thereunder will, within 90 days after the occurrence of a default with respect to the debt securities of any series issued under such indenture, give to the holders of the debt securities of such series notice of all uncured and unwaived defaults known to it; provided, however, that, except in the case of default in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any of the debt securities of such series, the Trustee will be protected in withholding such notice if it in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the holders of the debt securities of such series. The term “default” for the purpose of this provision means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of such series.

Each indenture will contain provisions entitling the Trustee under such indenture, subject to the duty of the Trustee during an Event of Default to act with the required standard of care, to be indemnified to its reasonable satisfaction by the holders of the debt securities before proceeding to exercise any right or power under the applicable indenture at the request of holders of such debt securities.

Each indenture will provide that the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series issued under such indenture may direct the time, method and place of conducting proceedings for remedies available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee in respect of such series, subject to certain conditions.

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the debt securities, in certain cases, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may waive, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of such series, any past default or Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of such series except, among other things, a default not theretofore cured in payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any of the senior debt securities of such series or payment of any sinking or purchase fund or analogous obligations with respect to such senior debt securities.

Each indenture will include a covenant that we will file annually with the Trustee a certificate of no default or specifying any default that exists.

Modification of the Indentures

Except as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the debt securities, we and the Trustee may, without the consent of the holders of the debt securities issued under the indenture governing such debt securities, enter into indentures supplemental to the applicable indenture for, among others, one or more of the following purposes:

 

(1)

to evidence the succession of another person to us or to a guarantor, if any, and the assumption by such successor of our or the guarantor’s obligations under the applicable indenture and the debt securities of any series;

 

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(2)

to add to our covenants or those of any guarantor, if any, or to surrender any of our rights or powers or those of any guarantor for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any or all series issued under such indenture;

 

(3)

to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision in the applicable indenture which may be inconsistent with any other provision therein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under such indenture;

 

(4)

to add to the applicable indenture any provisions that may be expressly permitted by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “TIA”), excluding the provisions referred to in Section 316(a)(2) of the TIA as in effect at the date as of which the applicable indenture was executed or any corresponding provision in any similar federal statute hereafter enacted;

 

(5)

to establish the form or terms of any series of debt securities to be issued under the applicable indenture, to provide for the issuance of any series of debt securities and/or to add to the rights of the holders of debt securities;

 

(6)

to evidence and provide for the acceptance of any successor Trustee with respect to one or more series of debt securities or to add or change any of the provisions of the applicable indenture as shall be necessary to facilitate the administration of the trusts thereunder by one or more trustees in accordance with the applicable indenture;

 

(7)

to provide any additional Events of Default;

 

(8)

to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities; provided that the uncertificated securities are issued in registered form for certain federal tax purposes;

 

(9)

to provide for the terms and conditions of converting those debt securities that are convertible into common stock or another such similar security;

 

(10)

to secure any series of debt securities;

 

(11)

to add guarantees in respect of any series or all of the debt securities;

 

(12)

to make any change necessary to comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the applicable indenture or any supplemental indenture under the TIA; and

 

(13)

to make any other change that does not adversely affect the rights of the holders of the debt securities.

No supplemental indenture for the purpose identified in clauses (2), (3) or (5) above may be entered into if to do so would adversely affect the rights of the holders of debt securities of any series issued under the same indenture in any material respect.

Except as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, each indenture will contain provisions permitting us and the Trustee under such indenture, with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all series issued under such indenture to be affected voting as a single class, to execute supplemental indentures for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing or eliminating any of the provisions of the applicable indenture or modifying the rights of the holders of the debt securities of such series to be affected, except that no such supplemental indenture may, without the consent of the holders of affected debt securities, among other things:

 

•

change the maturity of the principal of, or the maturity of any premium on, or any installment of interest on, any such debt security, or reduce the principal amount or the interest or any premium of any such debt securities, or change the method of computing the amount of principal or interest on any such debt securities on any date or change any place of payment where, or the currency in which, any debt securities or any premium or interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the maturity of principal or premium, as the case may be;

 

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•

reduce the percentage in principal amount of any such debt securities the consent of whose holders is required for any supplemental indenture, waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the applicable indenture or certain defaults under the applicable indenture;

 

•

modify any of the provisions of the applicable indenture related to (i) the requirement that the holders of debt securities issued under such indenture consent to certain amendments of the applicable indenture, (ii) the waiver of past defaults and (iii) the waiver of certain covenants, except to increase the percentage of holders required to make such amendments or grant such waivers; or

 

•

impair or adversely affect the right of any holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on, or with respect to, such senior debt securities on or after the maturity of such debt securities.

In addition, the subordinated indenture will provide that we may not make any change in the terms of the subordination of the subordinated debt securities of any series in a manner adverse in any material respect to the holders of any series of subordinated debt securities without the consent of each holder of subordinated debt securities that would be adversely affected.

The Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association is the Trustee under each indenture. The Trustee and its affiliates may also provide banking, trustee and other services for, and transact other banking business with, us in the normal course of business.

Governing Law

The indentures will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

Global Securities

We may issue debt securities through global securities. A global security is a security, typically held by a depositary, that represents the beneficial interests of a number of purchasers of the security. If we do issue global securities, the following procedures will apply.

We will deposit global securities with the depositary identified in the prospectus supplement. After we issue a global security, the depositary will credit on its book-entry registration and transfer system the respective principal amounts of the debt securities represented by the global security to the accounts of persons who have accounts with the depositary. These account holders are known as “participants.” The underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the debt securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Only a participant or a person who holds an interest through a participant may be the beneficial owner of a global security. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global security will be shown on, and the transfer of that ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary and its participants.

We and the Trustee will treat the depositary or its nominee as the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by a global security. Except as set forth below, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not be entitled to have the debt securities represented by the global security registered in their names. They also will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the debt securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the debt securities.

Principal, any premium and any interest payments on debt securities represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee as the registered owner of the global security. None of us, the Trustee or any paying agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the global security or maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to the beneficial ownership interests.

 

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We expect that the depositary, upon receipt of any payments, will immediately credit participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of the global security as shown on the depositary’s records. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the global security will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers registered in “street names,” and will be the responsibility of the participants.

If the depositary is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue registered securities in exchange for the global security. In addition, we may at any time in our sole discretion determine not to have any of the debt securities of a series represented by global securities. In that event, we will issue debt securities of that series in definitive form in exchange for the global securities.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS

The following description of the terms of the warrants sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the warrants to which any prospectus supplement may relate. We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock, or debt securities. Warrants may be issued independently or together with common stock, preferred stock, or debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from any such offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. The following summary of certain provisions of the warrants does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the provisions of the warrant agreement that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the offering of such warrants.

Debt Warrants

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular issue of debt warrants will describe the terms of such debt warrants, including the following:

 

•

the title of such debt warrants;

 

•

the offering price for such debt warrants, if any;

 

•

the aggregate number of such debt warrants;

 

•

the designation and terms of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise of such debt warrants;

 

•

if applicable, the designation and terms of the debt securities with which such debt warrants are issued and the number of such debt warrants issued with each such debt security;

 

•

if applicable, the date from and after which such debt warrants and any debt securities issued therewith will be separately transferable;

 

•

the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of a debt warrant and the price at which such principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon exercise (which price may be payable in cash, securities or other property);

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise such debt warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire;

 

•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such debt warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

•

whether the debt warrants represented by the debt warrant certificates or debt securities that may be issued upon exercise of the debt warrants will be issued in registered or bearer form;

 

•

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

 

•

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

•

if applicable, a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations;

 

•

the antidilution or adjustment provisions of such debt warrants, if any;

 

•

the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to such debt warrants; and

 

•

any additional terms of such debt warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of such debt warrants.

 

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Stock Warrants

The prospectus supplement relating to any particular issue of common stock warrants, preferred stock warrants or depositary share warrants will describe the terms of such warrants, including the following:

 

•

the title of such warrants;

 

•

the offering price for such warrants, if any;

 

•

the aggregate number of such warrants;

 

•

the designation and terms of the offered securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants;

 

•

if applicable, the designation and terms of the offered securities with which such warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such offered security;

 

•

if applicable, the date from and after which such warrants and any offered securities issued therewith will be separately transferable;

 

•

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant and the price at which such shares may be purchased upon exercise;

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise such warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire;

 

•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

•

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

•

if applicable, a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations;

 

•

the antidilution provisions of such warrants, if any;

 

•

the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to such warrants; and

 

•

any additional terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of such warrants.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PURCHASE CONTRACTS

We may issue, from time to time, purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us and us to sell to the holders, a specified principal amount of senior debt securities, subordinated debt securities, shares of common stock or preferred stock, government securities, or any of the other securities that we may sell under this prospectus at a future date or dates. The consideration payable upon settlement of the purchase contracts may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by a specific reference to a formula set forth in the purchase contracts. The purchase contracts may be issued separately or as part of units consisting of a purchase contract and other securities or obligations issued by us or third parties, including United States treasury securities, securing the holders’ obligations to purchase the relevant securities under the purchase contracts. The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders of the purchase contracts or units or vice versa, and the payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis. The purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations under the purchase contracts.

The prospectus supplement related to any particular purchase contracts will describe, among other things, the material terms of the purchase contracts and of the securities being sold pursuant to such purchase contracts, a discussion, if appropriate, of any special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the purchase contracts and any material provisions governing the purchase contracts that differ from those described above. The description in the prospectus supplement will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the purchase contracts, and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements, relating to the purchase contracts.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE UNITS

We may, from time to time, issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities that may be offered under this prospectus, in any combination. Each unit may also include debt obligations of third parties, such as U.S. Treasury securities. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately at any time, or at any time before a specified date.

Any prospectus supplement related to any particular units will describe, among other things:

 

•

the material terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

•

any material provisions relating to the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units;

 

•

if appropriate, any special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and

 

•

any material provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described above.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

We may register shares of common stock covered by this prospectus for re-offers and resales by any selling stockholders named in a prospectus supplement filed with the Commission. We may register these shares to permit selling stockholders to resell their shares when they deem appropriate. Selling stockholders may resell all, a portion or none of their shares at any time and from time to time. Selling stockholders may also sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of some or all of their shares of our securities in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. We do not know when or in what amounts the selling stockholders may offer shares for sale under this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We may pay all expenses incurred with respect to the registration of the shares of common stock owned by the selling stockholders, other than underwriting fees, discounts or commissions, which will be borne by the selling stockholders. We will provide you with a prospectus supplement naming the selling stockholder(s), the amount of securities to be registered and sold and any other terms of the securities being sold by the selling stockholder(s).

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We or the selling stockholders may offer and sell the securities in any one or more of the following ways:

 

•

to or through underwriters, brokers or dealers;

 

•

directly to one or more other purchasers;

 

•

through a block trade in which the broker or dealer engaged to handle the block trade will attempt to sell the securities as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

 

•

through agents on a best-efforts basis; or

 

•

otherwise through a combination of any of the above methods of sale.

In addition, we may enter into option, share lending or other types of transactions that require us to deliver shares of common stock to an underwriter, broker or dealer, who will then resell or transfer the shares of common stock under this prospectus. We may also enter into hedging transactions with respect to our securities.

Any selling stockholder will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale of shares of common stock covered by this prospectus.

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

Shares of common stock may also be exchanged for satisfaction of the selling stockholders’ obligations or other liabilities to their creditors. Such transactions may or may not involve brokers or dealers.

Each time we or the selling stockholders sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will name any underwriter, dealer or agent involved in the offer and sale of the securities. The prospectus supplement will also set forth the terms of the offering, including:

 

•

the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale of the securities;

 

•

any underwriting discounts and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation;

 

•

any public offering or purchase price and any discounts or commissions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers;

 

•

any commissions allowed or paid to agents;

 

•

any other offering expenses;

 

•

any securities exchanges on which the securities may be listed;

 

•

the method of distribution of the securities;

 

•

the terms of any agreement, arrangement or understanding entered into with the underwriters, brokers or dealers; and

 

•

any other information we think is important.

 

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If underwriters or dealers are used in the sale, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters or dealers for their own account. The securities may be sold from time to time by us or the selling stockholders in one or more transactions:

 

•

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

•

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

•

at prices related to such prevailing market prices;

 

•

at varying prices determined at the time of sale; or

 

•

at negotiated prices.

Such sales may be effected:

 

•

in transactions on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the securities may be listed or quoted at the time of sale;

 

•

in transactions in the over-the-counter market;

 

•

in block transactions in which the broker or dealer so engaged will attempt to sell the securities as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction, or in crosses, in which the same broker acts as an agent on both sides of the trade;

 

•

through the writing of options; or

 

•

through other types of transactions.

The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more of such firms. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of underwriters or dealers to purchase the securities offered will be subject to certain conditions precedent and the underwriters or dealers will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if any are purchased. Any public offering price and any discount or concession allowed or reallowed or paid by underwriters or dealers to other dealers may be changed from time to time.

The selling stockholders might not sell any shares of common stock under this prospectus. In addition, any shares of common stock covered by this prospectus that qualify for sale pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than pursuant to this prospectus.

The securities may be sold directly by us or through agents designated by us from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered will be named, and any commissions payable by us to such agent will be set forth in, the prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

Offers to purchase the securities offered by this prospectus may be solicited, and sales of the securities may be made by us or by selling stockholders directly to institutional investors or others, who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any resale of the securities. The terms of any offer made in this manner will be included in the prospectus supplement relating to the offer.

If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, underwriters, dealers or agents will be authorized to solicit offers by certain institutional investors to purchase securities from us pursuant to contracts providing for payment and delivery at a future date. In all cases, these purchasers must be approved by us. Underwriters and other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of these contracts.

Some of the underwriters, dealers or agents used by us in any offering of securities under this prospectus may be customers of, engage in transactions with, and perform services for us or affiliates of ours in the ordinary

 

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course of business. Underwriters, dealers, agents and other persons may be entitled under agreements which may be entered into with us to indemnification against and contribution toward certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to be reimbursed by us for certain expenses.

Subject to any restrictions relating to debt securities in bearer form, any securities initially sold outside the United States may be resold in the United States through underwriters, dealers or otherwise.

Any underwriters to which offered securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in such securities, but those underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time.

The anticipated date of delivery of the securities offered by this prospectus will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to the offering.

To comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the securities may be sold in these jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale or an exemption from registration or qualification requirements is available and is complied with.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Alston & Bird LLP will pass upon the validity of any securities we offer by this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. If the validity of any securities is also passed upon by counsel for underwriters participating in an offering of securities offered by this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, the underwriters’ counsel will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Graphic Packaging Holding Company appearing in Graphic Packaging Holding Company’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2013 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are, and audited financial statements to be included in subsequently filed documents will be, incorporated herein in reliance upon the report of Ernst & Young LLP pertaining to such financial statements (to the extent covered by consents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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$250,000,000

 

 

        % Senior Notes due 2022

 

 

P R O S P E C T U S    S U P P L E M  E N T

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

BofA Merrill Lynch

J.P. Morgan

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey

Citigroup

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Rabo Securities

 

Co-Managers

BBVA

Regions Securities LLC

MUFG

SMBC Nikko

Fifth Third Securities

TD Securities

PNC Capital Markets LLC

HSBC

, 2014