PRODUCER initially delivers biodiesel produced at the Facility to RPMG for shipment as provided in Section 4 above (the “Initial Term”). This Agreement shall thereafter automatically renew for successive *** year terms (each a “Renewable Term”) following the end of the Initial Term unless either party gives written notice of non-renewal to the other party not less than one hundred eighty (180) days before the end of the then current Initial Term or any Renewal Term. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may terminate this Agreement upon written notice to the other party if the other party breaches this Agreement and fails to cure the breach within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice of such breach or if the other party becomes insolvent, files or has filed against it a petition in bankruptcy that is not dismissed within thirty (30) days, or has a receiver appointed over its assets. This Agreement may also be terminated by mutual written agreement of the parties or as provided in Section 1 hereof. Upon termination of this Agreement, the parties shall be obligated to pay any and all payments due to the other party through the date of termination and to satisfy any continuing obligations provided by Section 19 below, but shall otherwise have no further obligation to each other under this Agreement.
***Portions omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment and filed separately with the SEC.
20. Good and Marketable Title. PRODUCER represents that it will have good and marketable title to all of the biodiesel marketed for it by RPMG at the time of delivery to RPMG and that said biodiesel will be free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, provided that this Section shall not be applicable to any open market purchases of biodiesel made by RPMG under Section 13 hereof.
21. Independent Contractor. Nothing contained in this Agreement will be interpreted to make either party the agent of the other for any purpose whatsoever. Without limiting the foregoing, RPMG and its employees shall be deemed to be independent contractors, with full control over the manner and method of performance of the services they will be providing on behalf of PRODUCER under this Agreement.
22. Samples. PRODUCER will take and retain for a minimum of 90 days at least one sample of biodiesel per Batch. A “Batch” is defined as any time new biodiesel product is introduced into PRODUCER’s finished product tank. At the reasonable request of RPMG, PRODUCER agrees to provide RPMG with samples of its biodiesel produced at the Facility so that RPMG may test such biodiesel for product quality on a regular basis. RPMG shall provide PRODUCER with copies of any testing results received by RPMG.
23. Insurance. During the entire term of this Agreement, PRODUCER will maintain insurance coverage that is standard, in the reasonable opinion of RPMG, for a company of its type and size that is engaged in the production and selling of biodiesel. At a minimum, PRODUCER’s insurance coverage must include:
| | |
| (i) | Comprehensive general product and public liability insurance, with liability limits of at least $5 million in the aggregate. |
| | |
| (ii) | Property and casualty insurance adequately insuring its production facilities and its other assets against theft, damage and destruction on a replacement cost basis. |
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| (iii) | RPMG shall be added as an additional insured under the comprehensive general product and public liability insurance policy and the property and casualty insurance policy. |
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| (iv) | Workers’ compensation insurance to the extent required by law. |
PRODUCER will not change its insurance coverage during the term of this Agreement, except to increase it or enhance it, without the prior written consent of RPMG, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld.
24. Indemnifications and Hold Harmless – PRODUCER. If a third party makes a claim against RPMG or any of its directors, officers, employees, agents or affiliates (“RPMG Related Persons”) directly as the result of the actions or omissions of PRODUCER or any of its directors, managers, officers, employees, agents or affiliates (“PRODUCER Related Persons”), including, but not limited to, claims relating to the quality of biodiesel produced by PRODUCER, then PRODUCER agrees to indemnify RPMG and the RPMG Related Persons and to hold them harmless from any liabilities, damages, costs and/or expenses, including costs of litigation and reasonable attorneys fees, which RPMG or RPMG Related Persons incur as a result of any such actions or omissions of PRODUCER or PRODUCER Related Persons.
25. Indemnifications and Hold Harmless – RPMG. If a third party makes a claim against PRODUCER or any of its directors, managers, officers, employees agents or affiliates (“PRODUCER Related Persons”) directly as the result of the actions or omissions of RPMG or any of its directors,
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managers, officers, employees, agents or affiliates (“RPMG Related Persons”), then RPMG agrees to indemnify and hold harmless PRODUCER and the PRODUCER Related Persons from and against any liabilities, damages, costs and/or expenses, including costs of litigation and reasonable attorneys fees, which PRODUCER OR PRODUCER Related Persons incur as a result of any such actions or omissions of RPMG or RPMG Related Person
26. Setoff Rights. If PRODUCER defaults on any of its obligations hereunder or with respect to any order made pursuant to this Agreement or breaches this Agreement, then (i) PRODUCER shall be liable to the extent specified in this Agreement for damages incurred by RPMG in connection with such default or breach, and (ii) RPMG may, upon delivery of prior written notice to PRODUCER, offset the amount of such damages against any amounts otherwise payable by RPMG to PRODUCER. If RPMG defaults on any of its obligations hereunder or with respect to any order made pursuant to this Agreement or breaches this Agreement, then (i) RPMG shall be liable to the extent specified in this Agreement for damages incurred by PRODUCER in connection with such default or breach, and (ii) PRODUCER may, upon delivery of prior written notice to RPMG, offset the amount of such damages against any amounts otherwise payable by PRODUCER to RPMG.
27. Recoupment of Overpayments. RPMG shall have the right to recoup the amount of any overpayments made by RPMG to PRODUCER hereunder or with respect to any order made pursuant to this Agreement during the preceding year.
28. Survival of Terms/Dispute Resolution. All representations, warranties and agreements made in connection with this Agreement will survive the termination of this Agreement. The parties will, therefore, be able to pursue claims related to those representations, warranties and agreements after the termination of this Agreement, unless those claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations. Similarly, any claims that the parties have against each other that arise out of actions or omissions that take place while this Agreement is in effect will survive the termination of this Agreement. This means that the parties may pursue those claims even after the termination of this Agreement, unless applicable statutes of limitation bar those claims. The parties agree that, should a dispute between them arise in connection with this Agreement, the parties will, in good faith, attempt to mediate such dispute prior to the filing of any action in any court. Such mediation shall occur at a place that is mutually agreeable, and shall be conducted by a mediator to be selected by mutual agreement of the parties.
29. Choice of Law. The parties agree that this Agreement will be governed by, interpreted under and enforced in accordance with Minnesota law.
30. Assignment. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the written consent of the other party, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. Notwithstanding the foregoing, RPMG consents to the assignment of this Agreement by PRODUCER to its lender in connection with the PRODUCER’s securing of debt financing for the Facility.
31. Entire Agreement Amendment. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties regarding the subject matter hereof. There are no oral promises, conditions, representations, understandings, interpretations, or terms of any kind (including as conditions or inducements to the execution hereof in effect between the parties), except as expressed in this Agreement. No amendment, change or addition shall be made to this Agreement except by a written document signed by all parties hereto.
32. Execution of Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties in any number of separate counterparts, each of such counterparts being deemed by the parties to be an original
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instrument; and all of such counterparts, taken together, shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
33. Counterpart Includes Facsimile. The parties specifically agree and acknowledge that a counterpart produced by virtue of a facsimile (“fax”) machine or .pdf file shall be binding upon the parties.
34. Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of, the parties hereto and their respective heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns.
35. Confidential Information. The parties acknowledge that they will be exchanging information about their businesses under this Agreement which is confidential and proprietary, and the parties agree to handle that confidential and proprietary information in the manner described in this Section 34.
a. Definition of Confidential Information. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Confidential Information” means information related to the business operations of PRODUCER or RPMG and disclosed by one party (sometimes referred to herein as the “disclosing party”) to the other party (sometimes referred to herein as the “receiving party”) that meets all of the following criteria:
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| (i) The information must not be generally known to the public, and must not be a part of the public domain. |
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| (ii) The information must belong to the party claiming it is confidential, and must be in that party’s possession. |
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| (iii) The information must have been protected and safeguarded by the party claiming it is confidential by measures that were reasonable under the circumstances before the information was disclosed to the other party. |
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| (iv) Written information must be clearly designated in writing as “Confidential Information” by the party claiming it is confidential before it is disclosed to the other party, except that all information about costs and prices will always be considered Confidential Information under this Agreement, without the need for specifically designating it as such. |
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| (v) Verbal Confidential Information which is disclosed to the other party must be summarized in writing, designated in writing as “Confidential Information,” and transmitted to the other party within ten (10) days of the verbal disclosure. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Confidential Information” shall exclude, and the obligations of this Section 34 shall not apply to, information which:
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| (i) a receiving party can demonstrate was known to the receiving party at or prior to the time of disclosure by the disclosing party; |
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| (ii) is or becomes generally available to the public at or after the time of disclosure by the disclosing party other than through any act or omission of the receiving party; |
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| (iii) is or was developed by the receiving party completely independent of any Confidential Information it received from the disclosing party; or |
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| (iv) is or was received by the receiving party from a third party, that, to the knowledge of the receiving party, was free to make such disclosure without breach of any legal obligation to the disclosing party. |
b. Limitations on the Use of Confidential Information. Each party agrees that it will not use any Confidential Information that it obtains about the other party for any purpose, other than to perform its obligations under this Agreement.
c. The Duty not to Disclose Confidential Information. Each party agrees that it will not disclose any Confidential Information about the other party to any third person or organization, other than their respective legal counsel and accountants who have a reasonable need to know such Confidential Information, without first getting written consent to do so from the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a receiving party or anyone to whom such receiving party transmits Confidential Information in accordance with this Section 34 is requested or required (by deposition, interrogatories, requests for information or documents in legal proceedings, subpoenas, civil investigative demand or similar process, SEC filings or administrative proceedings) to disclose any Confidential Information, such receiving party will give the disclosing party prompt written notice of such request or requirement so that the disclosing party may seek an appropriate protective order or other remedy and/or waive compliance with the provisions of this Section 34, and the receiving party will cooperate with the disclosing party to obtain such protective order. The fees and costs of obtaining such protective order, including payment of reasonable attorney’s fees, shall be paid for by the disclosing party. If such protective order or other remedy is not obtained or the disclosing party waives compliance with this Section 34 of this Agreement, the receiving party (or such other persons to whom such request is directed) will furnish only that portion of the Confidential Information which, in the opinion of legal counsel for the receiving party, is legally required to be disclosed, and upon the disclosing party’s request, use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain assurances that confidential treatment will be accorded to such Confidential Information.
d. The Duty to Notify the Other Party in Cases of Improper Use or Disclosure. Each party agrees to immediately notify the other party if it becomes aware of any improper use or any improper disclosure of the Confidential Information of the other party at any time during the term of this Agreement.
e. Protection of the Confidential Information. Each party agrees to develop effective procedures for protecting the Confidential Information that it obtains from the other party, and to implement those procedures with the same degree of care that it uses in protecting its own Confidential Information.
f. Return of the Confidential Information. Immediately upon the termination of this Agreement, each party agrees to return to the other party all of the other party’s Confidential Information (including copies thereof) that is in its possession or under its control.
g. Disclosure in SEC Filings. Notwithstanding any other provision contained in this Agreement, RPMG acknowledges and agrees that the disclosure of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby by PRODUCER (i) on a Form 8-K or other report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at any time after the date hereof (including the filing of the text of this Agreement with such report), or (ii) in a customary press release or on a customary analyst call, will not be violation of this Section 34. Upon RPMG’s request, PRODUCER will cooperate with any reasonable requests of RPMG to request confidential treatment concerning sensitive/confidential items in connection with the events described in (i) and (ii) above.
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h. Survival. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the provisions of this Section 34 shall survive termination of this Agreement and remain in effect for a period of five (5) years thereafter.
36. Remedies Non-Exclusive. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, any remedy provided for in this Agreement shall be cumulative and in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other remedy set forth herein or any other remedy otherwise available at law or in equity.
37. Notices. Any notice or other communication required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and shall be considered delivered in all respects when it has been delivered by hand, mailed by U.S. mail postage prepaid, sent by facsimile with delivery confirmed, or one day after transmission via electronic mail, addressed as follows:
| | |
| TO: | RPMG, Inc. |
| | 1157 Valley Park Drive, Suite 100 |
| | Shakopee, MN 55379 |
| | Facsimile No. 952-465-3222 |
| | Email: |
| | |
| TO: | Soy Energy, LLC |
| | P.O. Box 663 |
| | Marcus, IA 51305 |
| | Facsimile No. |
| | Email: |
| | |
| | With a copy to: |
| | |
| | Thomas D. Johnson |
| | 666 Grand Avenue, Suite 2000 |
| | Des Moines, Iowa 50309 |
| | Facsimile No.: 515-323-8514 |
| | Email:johnson@brownwinick.com |
37. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement are held invalid, illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have set their hands the day and year first written above.
| | | |
| RPMG, INC. | |
| | | |
| By | /s/ Steven L. Dietz | |
| Its | Chief Operating Officer | |
| | | |
| SOY ENERGY, LLC | |
| | | |
| By | /s/ Charles Sand | |
| Its | Chairman | |
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EXHIBIT A
Terms and Procedures Relating to Loading and Shipment
Except by special arrangement(s) in advance, biodiesel shall be available for loading and shipment twenty-four (24) hours per day, Monday through Sunday, except on scheduled holidays. Trailers and rail cars shall be visually inspected by PRODUCER prior to loading. If unsanitary conditions exist and cannot be corrected on site, the trailer or rail car shall be rejected by PRODUCER and RPMG shall be notified.
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