Corporate Information
We are a blank check companywere originally incorporated in Delaware on October 23, 2017 under the name “Gores Holdings III, Inc.” as a Delaware corporation andspecial purpose acquisition company, formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, Capital Stockcapital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”). We have reviewed, and continue to review, a number of opportunities to enter into a Business Combination with an operating business, but we are not able to determine at this time whether we will complete a Business Combination with any of the target businesses that we have reviewed or with any other target business. We also have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting solely of cash and/or cash equivalents.
On November 3, 2017, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,781,250 shares (the “Founder Shares”) of our Class F common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class F Common Stock”), for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or approximately $0.002 per share. Subsequently, our Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s independent directors (together with our Sponsor, the “Initial Stockholders”). On October 22, 2018, following the expiration of the unexercised portion of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, our Sponsor forfeited 781,250 Founder Shares so that the Founder Shares held by our Initial Stockholders would represent 20% of our outstanding shares of Capital Stock (as defined below) immediately following the consummation of our Public Offering.
businesses. On September 11, 2018, we consummated our Public Offering of 40,000,000 units (the “Units”) ofIPO, following which our shares began trading on Nasdaq. On February 10, 2020, we consummated the Company, including 2,500,000 Units issued pursuant to the partial exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock” and, together with the Class F Common Stock, the “Capital Stock”), and one-third of one warrant of the Company (“Warrant”), each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share of Common Stock. The Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per share, generating gross proceeds to us of $400,000,000. Simultaneously with the IPO Closing Date, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 6,666,666 warrants to our Sponsor (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, each exercisable to purchase one share of Common Stock at $11.50 per share, generating gross proceeds to us of $10,000,000. The Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the public warrants sold as part of the units in the IPO, except that the Private Placement Warrants may be physical (cash) or net share (cashless) settled and are not redeemable so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. The sale of the Private Placement Warrants was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
On the IPO Closing Date, $400,000,000 of the gross proceeds from the Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was deposited in a U.S.-based trust account (the “Trust Account”) with Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company acting as trustee (the “Trustee”). Of the $10,000,000 held outside of the Trust Account, $8,000,000 was used to pay underwriting discounts and commissions, $300,000 was used to repay notes payable to our Sponsor and the balance was available to pay accrued offering and formation costs, business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective acquisitions and continuing general and administrative expenses. Funds held in the Trust Account have been invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of one hundred and eighty (180) days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. Funds will remain in the Trust Account until the earliest of (i) the completion of the Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any shares of Common Stock properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of such shares of Common Stock if we do not complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the IPO Closing Date and (iii) the redemption of 100% of the shares of Common Stock if we are unable to complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the IPO Closing Date (subject to applicable law).
On October 26, 2018, we announced that the holders of our Units may elect to separately trade the Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units commencing on October 29, 2018 on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “GRSH” and “GRSHW,” respectively. Those Units not separated will continue to trade on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “GRSHU.”
Business Strategy
Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our Business Combination, to build a company in an industry or sector that complements the experience of our management team and can benefit from our operational expertise. Our acquisition selection process is leveraging our team’s network of potential transaction sources, ranging from owners and directors of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, lenders, attorneys, accountants and other trusted advisors across various sectors.
In addition, we are utilizing the networks and industry experience of Mr. Gores and The Gores Group in seeking a Business Combination. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships that we believe will serve as a useful source of acquisition opportunities. This network has been developed through our management team’s combined history of over 80 years of business experience, including in private equity and investment banking. We expect this network will provide our management team with a robust and consistent flow of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Members of our management team are communicating with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential Business Combination and beginningchanged our name to “PAE Incorporated,” and we acquired all of the processequity interests of pursuingShay and reviewing potentially interesting leads.its subsidiaries.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent withOur principal executive office is located at 7799 Leesburg Pike, Suite 300 North, Falls Church, VA 22043. Our telephone number is (703)717-6000. Our website address is www.pae.com. The information on, or accessible through, our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use one or more of these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our Business Combination with a target business thatwebsite does not meet these criteriaconstitute part of, and guidelines. Weis not incorporated into, this Annual Report on Form10-K.
The trade names, trademarks, and service marks appearing in this Annual Report on Form10-K include registered marks and marks in which we claim common law rights, such as PAE and the PAE logo, all of which are seeking to acquireour intellectual property. This Annual Report on Form10-K contains additional trade names, trademarks, and service marks of other companies that we believe:
have a defensible core business, sustainable revenues and established customer relationships;
are undergoing change in capital structure, strategy, operations or growth;
can benefit from our operational and strategic approach;
offer a unique value proposition with transformational potential that can be substantiated during our detailed due diligence process; and
have reached a transition point inthe property of their lifecycle presenting an opportunity for transformation.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular Business Combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
Initial Business Combination
The NASDAQ rules require that our Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (less any deferred underwriting commissions (the “Deferred Discount”) and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our Business Combination. If our board of directors (the “Board”) is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or “FINRA,” or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.respective owners. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks, or service marks to purchase multiple businessesimply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us, by these companies. We have omitted the® and™ designations, as applicable, for the trademarks used in unrelated industries in conjunction with our Business Combination.
We anticipate structuring our Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our Business Combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, dependingthis Annual Report on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the Business Combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding Capital Stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our Business Combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our Business Combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the Business Combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.Form10-K.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expectAnnual Reports on Form10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form10-Q, Current Reports on Form8-K, and amendments to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing a Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that our Business Combination is fair to our Company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our Capital Stock and Warrants, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our Business Combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our Business Combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entityreports filed pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor these obligations to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entity,Sections 13(a) and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our Business Combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our Company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. In particular, an affiliate of our sponsor is currently sponsoring another blank check company, Gores Metropoulos, Inc., which may seek to complete a business combination in an operating company in the consumer products and services industries, but may
also pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or location. Further, one of our directors, Mr. Bort, serves as a director of Gores Metropoulos, Inc. and Mr. McBride, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Metropoulos, Inc. Any such companies, including Gores Metropoulos Inc., may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisitiontarget. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure makes us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred for marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a Business Combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed Business Combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a)15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933,1934, as amended (the “Securities Act”“Exchange Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the IPO Closing Date, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1,070.0 million, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Financial Position
With $388,605,952 in gross proceeds from the Public Offering available for a Business Combination, assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $14,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our Business Combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using the proceeds held in the Trust Account from our Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our Capital Stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration. We may seek to complete our Business Combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If a Business Combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the Trust Account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our Business Combination or used for redemptions of purchases of Common Stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the Trust
Account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing a Business Combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We have reviewed, and continue to review, a number of opportunities to enter into a Business Combination with an operating business, but we are not able to determine at this time whether we will complete a Business Combination with any of the target businesses that we have reviewed or with any other target business. We anticipate that additional target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our final prospectus dated September 6, 2018 relating to the Public Offering and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Members of our management team, including Mr. Gores, are affiliated with The Gores Group. The Gores Group is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a Business Combination. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our Sponsor, our officers or directors or their respective affiliates be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the closing of a Business Combination other than the reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses or the repayment of loans that we may receive from time to time to fund our working capital needs.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in order to fund our working capital needs or in connectionfiled with the completion of a Business Combination, and we may effectuate a Business Combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the Trust Account.
Our Initial Stockholders hold 10,000,000 Founder Shares, which automatically convert into shares of Common Stock at the time of our Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Common Stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in our Public Offering and related to the closing of the Business Combination, the ratio at which the Founder Shares shall convert into shares of Common Stock will be adjusted so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all shares of Capital Stock outstanding upon the completion of the Public Offering plus all shares of Common Stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the Business Combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the Business Combination or pursuant to the Private Placement Warrants issued to our Sponsor. Holders of the Founder Shares and holders of our Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by law.
In the case of a Business Combination funded with assets other than the Trust Account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the Business Combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law or applicable stock exchange rules, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with a Business Combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise in connection with a Business Combination.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination
The NASDAQ rules require that our Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (less the Deferred Discount and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with a Business Combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our Board based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our Board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with a Business Combination. Subject to this requirement, our management has virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses,
although we will not be permitted to effectuate our Business Combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
We anticipate structuring our Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our Business Combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the Business Combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding Capital Stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our Business Combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our Business Combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the Business Combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
To the extent we effect our Business Combination with a target business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such a business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete a Business Combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our Business Combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another Business Combination.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of a Business Combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. If we complete our Business Combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after a Business Combination, and
cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our Business Combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our Business Combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our Business Combination. Moreover, we cannot assure
you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our executive officers will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of a Business Combination. Following a Business Combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”“SEC”). However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of Business Combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each type of transaction.
Type of Transaction
| | Whether Stockholder
Approval is Required
|
Purchase of assets
| | No
|
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company
| | No
|
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company
| | No
|
Merger of the company with a target
| | Yes
|
Under NASDAQ’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for a business combination if, for example:
we issue common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding (other than in a public offering);
any of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by NASDAQ rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or
the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
In the event we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their respective affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of a Business Combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in any such transactions and they will not make any such purchases when theyWe are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. None of the funds in the Trust Account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. We have adopted an insider trading policy which requires insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers
determine at the timeinformational requirements of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the Business Combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our Business Combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Common Stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our Sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our Business Combination. To the extent that our Sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the Trust Account or vote against the Business Combination. Our Sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our Sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our Sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of Common Stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption Rights For Public Stockholders Upon Completion of a Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Common Stock upon the completion of our Business Combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the Trust Account as of December 31, 2018 is approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the Deferred Discount totaling $14,000,000 that we will pay to the underwriter. Our Initial Stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our Business Combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Common Stock upon the completion of our Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our Company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares of Capital Stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our Business Combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our Business Combination, we or our Sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of Common Stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. At this time, no such plan currently exists.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our Business Combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our Sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules)file or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our Business Combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the Business Combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with afurnish reports, proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
file proxy materials with the SEC.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the Business Combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our Capital Stock voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding Capital Stock of the Company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of Capital Stock of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our Initial Stockholders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their Founder Shares and any public shares purchased during or after our Public Offering in favor of our Business Combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our Initial Stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our Business Combination. Public stockholders may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our Initial Stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and any owned public shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to a Business Combination. For example, the proposed Business Combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed Business Combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we
would be required to pay for all shares of Common Stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Common Stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), is restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our Public Offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction discourages stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed Business Combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our Public Offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in our Public Offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our Business Combination, particularly in connection with a Business Combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our Business Combination.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the Business Combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with a Business Combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the Business Combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on a business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, we would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of our stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to us for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of
the Business Combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. Therequirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the Business Combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our Business Combination.
If our Business Combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the Trust Account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public stockholders who elected to redeem their shares. If our initial proposed Business Combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a Business Combination with a different target business until 24 months after the IPO Closing Date.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Business Combination
We have only 24 months after the IPO Closing Date to complete our Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination within such 24-month period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our Warrants or the Private Placement Warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our Business Combination within 24 months after the IPO Closing Date.
Our Initial Stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their Founder Shares if we fail to complete our Business Combination within 24 months from the IPO Closing Date. However, if our Initial Stockholders acquire public shares after the Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our Business Combination within the allotted 24-month time period.
Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of our Public Offering, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules).
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $856,182 of proceeds held outside the Trust Account as of December 31, 2018, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the Trust Account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors, which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, Gores has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then Gores will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We cannot assure you, however, that Gores would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our other officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and Gores asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against Gores to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against Gores to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share.
As of December 31, 2018, we had access to up to approximately $856,182, with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our Trust Account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of the Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our Business Combination within 24 months from the IPO Closing Date may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If we comply with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that we make reasonable provision for all claims against us, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against us, a 90-day period during which we may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to our stockholders, any liability of a stockholder with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to such stockholder, and any liability of our stockholders would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of the Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our Business Combination within 24 months from our Public Offering, is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination within 24 months from our the IPO Closing Date, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 24th month and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we have and will continue to seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the Trust Account is remote. Further, Gores may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the Trust Account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of our Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, Gores will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the Trust Account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a
bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our Board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our Company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our Business Combination within 24 months after the IPO Closing Date, if they properly tender their respective shares in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of such public shares if we do not complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the IPO Closing Date or if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the Business Combination. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in our Trust Account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our Business Combination, a stockholder voting in connection with the Business Combination alone will not result in such stockholder redeeming its shares for an applicable pro rata share of our Trust Account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to our Public Offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our Business Combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-Business Combination activity, we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our Initial Stockholders have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our Business Combination. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
prior to the consummation of our Business Combination, we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in our Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in our Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
we will consummate our Business Combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination;
if our Business Combination is not consummated within 24 months from the IPO Closing Date, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in our Trust Account; and
prior to our Business Combination, we may not issue additional shares of Capital Stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from our Trust Account or (ii) vote on any Business Combination.
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of 65% of Capital Stock. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our Business Combination, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may consummate our Business Combination only if approved by a majority of the shares of Capital Stock voted by our stockholders voting at a duly held stockholders meeting.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our Business Combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting Business
Combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, humanstatements and other resources than us. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire, our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives many of these competitors an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our Business Combination and our outstanding Warrants and Private Placement Warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our Business Combination.
If we succeed in effecting our Business Combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. Subsequent to our Business Combination, we may not have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
Conflicts of Interest
The Gores Group manages several investment vehicles. Funds managed by Gores or its affiliates may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our Business Combination. If these funds decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated within Gores, including by Mr. Gores and other persons who may make decisions for the Company, may be suitable for both us and for a current or future Gores fund and may be directed to such investment vehicle rather than to us. Neither Gores nor members of our management team who are also employed by certain affiliates of The Gores Group have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential Business Combination of which they become aware, unless presented to such member solely in his or her capacity as an officer of our Company. Gores and/or our management, in their capacities as officers or managing directors of Gores or in their other endeavors, may be required to present potential Business Combinations to the related entities described above, current or future Gores investment vehicles, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our Business Combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our Company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. In particular, an affiliate of our sponsor is currently sponsoring another blank check company, Gores Metropoulos, Inc., which may seek to complete a business combination in an operating company in the consumer products and services industries, but may also pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or location. Further, one of our directors, Mr. Bort, serves as a director of Gores Metropoulos, Inc. and Mr. McBride, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Metropoulos, Inc. Any such companies, including Gores Metropoulos Inc., may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to
any claims under indemnity of the underwriter of our Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether or Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our Company. We have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of our Sponsor having to indemnify the Trust Account is limited because we will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Employees
We currently have three executive officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed a Business Combination. The amount of time that Mr. Gores or any other members of our management will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for a Business Combination and the current stage of the Business Combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
Our Units, Common Stock and Warrants are registered under the Exchange Act and as a result we have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reportsinformation with the SEC. Such reports and other information we file with the SEC are available free of charge athttps://investors.pae.com/financials-and-filings/sec-filings when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The SEC maintains an Internet sitea website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at: http:at www.sec.gov. We periodically provide other information for investors on our corporate website, www.pae.com, and our investor relations website, https://www.sec.gov.investors.pae.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, information on corporate governance and details related to our annual meeting of stockholders. The contents ofinformation contained on the websites referenced in this website areAnnual Report on Form10-K is not incorporated by reference into this filing. Further, our references to the uniform resource locator (“URL”) for this website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), or International Financing Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). A particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate may not have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such target business to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete a business acquisition with such a target business.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the IPO Closing Date, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.070.0 million, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Certain factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to other information contained or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report, on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
We have grouped the risks into five categories for ease of reading, and without any reflection on the importance of, or likelihood of, any particular category.
