Exhibit
3.3
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
OF
BIRCH BRANCH, INC.
ARTICLE I - OFFICES
SECTION 1.
Offices. The principal
office of the corporation shall be designated from time to time by the
corporation and may be within or outside of Colorado.
The corporation may have such other offices, either within or outside
of the State of Colorado, as the Board of Directors may designate or as the business of the
corporation may require from time to time.
SECTION 2. Registered
Office. The registered
office of the corporation, required by the Colorado Business Corporation Act to
be maintained in the State of Colorado, may be, but need not be, identical with
the principal office in the State of Colorado, and the address of the registered
office may be changed from time to time by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE II -
SHAREHOLDERS
SECTION 1. Annual
Meeting. The annual meeting
of the shareholders shall be held on a date and at a time fixed by the
Board of
Directors of the
corporation (or by the President in the absence of action by the Board of
Directors), for the purpose
of electing directors and for the transaction of such other business as may come
before the meeting. If the election of directors is not held
on the day fixed as provided herein for any annual meeting of the shareholders, or any adjournment
thereof, the Board of
Directors shall cause the
election to be held at a special meeting of the shareholders as soon thereafter as it may conveniently
be held.
SECTION 2. Special
Meetings. Unless otherwise
prescribed by statute, special meetings of the shareholders may be called for any purpose by the
President or by the Board of Directors. The
President shall call a special meeting of the
shareholders if the corporation receives one or more written demands for
the meeting, stating the
purpose or purposes for which it is to be held, signed and dated by holders of
shares representing at least ten percent of all the votes entitled to be cast on
any issue proposed to be considered at the meeting.
SECTION 3. Place of
Meetings. The Board of Directors may designate any place, either within
or outside of the State of Colorado, as the place for any annual meeting or any
special meeting called by the Board of Directors. A waiver of notice signed by all
shareholders entitled to vote at a meeting may designate any place, either
within or outside the State of Colorado, as the place for such meeting.
SECTION 4. Notice of
Meeting. Written notice
stating the place, date and hour of the meeting shall be given not less than ten
nor more than fifty days before the date of the meeting,
unless any other longer notice period is
required by the Colorado Business Corporation Act. The Secretary shall be required to give such notice
only to shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting except as otherwise
required by the Colorado Business Corporation Act.
Notice of a special meeting shall
include a description of the purpose or purposes of the meeting. Notice of an annual meeting need not
include a description of the purpose or purposes of the meeting except the
purpose or purposes shall be stated with respect to (i) an amendment to the
articles of incorporation of the corporation; (ii) a merger or share exchange in
which the corporation is a party and, with respect to a share exchange, in which
the corporation's shares will be acquired; (iii) a sale, lease, exchange or
other disposition, other than in the usual and regular course of business, of
all or substantially all of the property of the corporation or of another entity
which this corporation controls, in each case with or without the goodwill; (iv)
a dissolution of the corporation; (v) restatement of the articles of incorporation;
or (vi) any other purpose
for which a statement of purpose is required by the Colorado Business
Corporation Act. Notice shall be given personally or by mail, private carrier,
telegraph, teletype, electronically transmitted facsimile or other form, of wire
or wireless communication by or at the direction of the President, the Secretary, or the officer or persons calling the
meeting, to each shareholder of record entitled to vole at such meeting. if
mailed and if in a comprehensible form, such notice shall be deemed to be given
and effective when deposited in the United States mail, properly addressed to
the shareholder at his address as it appears in the corporation's current record
of shareholders, with first class postage prepaid. If notice is given other than by mail,
and provided that such notice is in a comprehensible form, the notice is given
and effective on the date actually received by the
shareholder.
When a meeting is adjourned to another
date, time or place, notice
need not be given of the new date, time or place if the new date, time or place
of such meeting is announced before adjournment at the meeting at which the
adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting the corporation
may transact any business which may have been transacted at the original
meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 120
days, or if a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a new notice
of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each shareholder of record entitled
to vote at the meeting as of the new record date.
A shareholder may waive notice of a
meeting before or after the time and date of the meeting by a writing signed by
such shareholder. Such waiver shall be delivered to the
corporation for filing with the corporate records, but this
delivery and filing shall not be conditions to the effectiveness of the waiver.
Further, by attending a meeting either
in person or by proxy, a shareholder waives objection to lack of notice or
defective notice of the meeting unless the shareholder objects at the beginning
of the meeting to the holding of the meeting or the transaction of
business at the meeting
because of lack of notice
or defective notice. By attending the meeting, the
shareholder also waives any objection to consideration at the meeting of a
particular matter not within the purpose or purposes described in the meeting
notice unless the shareholder objects to considering the matter when it is
presented.
SECTION 5. Fixing of Record
Date. For the purpose of
determining shareholders entitled to (i) notice of or to vote at any meeting of
shareholders or any adjournment thereof, (ii) receive distributions or share
dividends, (iii) demand a special meeting, or (iv) make a determination of
shareholders for any other proper purpose, the Board of Directors may fix a future date as the record
date for any such determination of shareholders, such date in any case to be not
more than seventy days, and, in case of a meeting of shareholders, not less than
ten days, prior to the date on which the particular action requiring such
determination of shareholders is to be taken. If no record date is fixed by the
directors, the record date shall be the day before the notice of the meeting it
given to shareholders, or the date on which the resolution of the Board of Directors providing for a distribution is
adopted, as the case may be. When a determination of shareholders entitled to
vote at any meeting of shareholders is made as provided in this
Section 5, such determination shall apply to any
adjournment thereof unless the Board of Directors fixes a new record date, which it must
do if the meeting is adjourned to a date more than 120 days after the date fixed
for the original meeting. Unless otherwise specified when the record date is
fixed, the time of day for such determination shall be as of
the corporation's close of business on the record date.
Notwithstanding the above, the record
date for determining the shareholders entitled to take action without a meeting
or entitled to be given notice of action so taken shall be the date a writing
upon which the action is taken is first received by the corporation.
The record date for determining
shareholders entitled to
demand a special meeting
shall be the date of the earliest of any of the demands pursuant to which the
meeting is called.
SECTION 6. Voting
Lists. After a record date
is fixed for a shareholder's meeting, the Secretary shall make, at the earlier of ten days
before such meeting or two business days after notice of the meeting has been
given, a complete list of the shareholders entitled to be given notice of such
meeting or any adjournment thereof. The list shall be arranged by voting
group by class or series of shares, shall be in alphabetical order within each
class or series, and shall show the address of and the number of shares of each
class or series held by each shareholder. For the period beginning the earlier of
ten days prior to the meeting or two business days after notice of the meeting
is given and continuing through the meeting and any adjournment thereof, this
list shall be kept on file at the principal office of the corporation, or at a
place (which shall be identified in the notice) in the city where the meeting
will be held. Such list shall be available for
inspection on written demand by any shareholder (including for the purpose of
this Section 6 any holder of voting trust certificates) or his agent or attorney
during regular business hours and during the period available for inspection.
The original stock transfer books shall
be prima facie evidence as to who are the shareholders entitled to examine such
list or transfer books or to vote at any meeting of
shareholders.
Any shareholder, his agent or attorney
may copy the list during regular business hours and during the period it is
available for inspection, provided (i) the shareholder has been a shareholder
for at least three months immediately preceding the demand or holds at least
five percent of all outstanding shares of any class of shares as of the date of
the demand, (ii) the demand is made in good faith and for a purpose reasonably
related to the demanding shareholder's interest as a shareholder, (iii) the
shareholder describes with reasonable particularity the purpose and the
records the shareholder desires to inspect, (iv) the
records are directly connected with the described purpose, and (v) the
shareholder pays a reasonable charge covering the costs of labor and materials
for such copies, not to exceed the estimated cost of production and
reproduction.
SECTION 7. Quorum and Manner
of Acting. A majority of
the votes entitled to be cast on a matter by a voting group represented in
person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum of that voting group for action on
the matter. If less than one-third of such votes are represented at a meeting, a
majority of the votes so represented may adjourn the meeting from time to time
without further notice, for a period not to exceed 120 days for any one
adjournment. If a quorum is present at such adjourned meeting, any business may
be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally
noticed. The shareholders present at a duly organized meeting may continue to
transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough
shareholders to leave less than a quorum, unless the meeting is adjourned and a
new record date is set for the adjourned meeting.
If a quorum exists, action on a matter
other than the election of directors by a voting group is approved if the votes
cast within the voting group favoring the action exceed the votes cast within
the voting group opposing the action, unless the vote of a greater number or
voting by classes is required by law or the articles of
incorporation.
SECTION 8.
Proxies. At all meetings of
shareholders, a shareholder may vote by proxy by signing an appointment form or
similar writing, either personally or by his duly authorized attorney-in-fact. A
shareholder may also appoint a proxy by transmitting or authorizing the
transmission of a telegram, teletype, or other electronic transmission providing
a written statement of the appointment to the proxy, a proxy solicitor, proxy
support service organization, or other person duly authorized by the proxy to
receive appointments as agent for the proxy, or to the corporation. The
transmitted appointment shall set forth or be transmitted with written evidence
from which it can be determined that the shareholder transmitted or authorized
the transmission of the appointment. The proxy appointment form or similar
writing shall be filed with the Secretary of the corporation before or at the
time of the meeting. The appointment of a proxy is effective when received by
the corporation and is valid for eleven months unless a different period is
expressly provided in the appointment form or similar
writing.
SECTION 9. Voting of
Shares. Each outstanding
share, regardless of class, shall be entitled to one vote, except in the
election of directors, and each fractional share shall be entitled to a
corresponding fractional vote on each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of
shareholders, except to the extent that the voting rights of the shares of any
class or classes are limited or denied by the articles of incorporation as
permitted by the Colorado Business Corporation Act. Cumulative voting shall not be permitted
in the election of directors or for any other purpose. Each holder of stock shall be entitled
to vote in the election of directors and shall have as many votes for each of
the shares owned by him as there are directors to be elected and for whose
election he has the right to vote.
At each election of
directors, that number of
candidates equaling the
number of directors to be elected, having the highest number of votes cast in
favor of their election, shall be elected to the Board of Directors.
SECTION 10. Informal Action by
Shareholders. Any action
required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the shareholders may be taken
without a meeting if a written consent (or counterparts thereof) that sets forth
the action so taken is signed by all of the shareholders entitled to vote with
respect to the subject matter thereof and received by the corporation. Such
consent shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote of the
shareholders and may be stated as such in any document. Action taken under this
Section 10 is effective as of the date the last
writing necessary to effect the action is received by the corporation, unless
all of the writing specify a different effective date, in which case such
specified date shall be the effective date for such action. If any shareholder revokes his consent
as provided for herein prior to what would otherwise be the effective date, the
action proposed in the consent shall be invalid. The record date for determining
shareholders entitled to take action without a meeting is the date the
corporation first receives a writing upon which the action is
taken.
Any shareholder who has signed a writing
describing and consenting to action taken pursuant to this Section 10 may revoke such consent by a writing
signed by the shareholder describing the action and stating that the
shareholder's prior consent thereto is revoked, if such writing is received by
the corporation before the effectiveness of the action.
SECTION 11. Meetings by
Telecommunication. Any or
all of the shareholders may participate in an annual or special shareholders'
meeting by, or the meeting may be conducted through the use of, any means of
communication by which all persons participating in the meeting may hear each
other during the meeting. A shareholder participating in a meeting by this means
is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.
ARTICLE III - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 1. General
Powers. All corporate
powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the business and
affairs of the corporation shall be managed under the direction of its
Board of
Directors, except as
otherwise provided in the Colorado Business Corporation Act or the articles of
incorporation.
SECTION 2. Number,
Qualifications and Tenure.
The number of directors of the corporation shall be fixed from time to time by
the Board of
Directors, but in no
instance shall there be less than one director or that number otherwise required
by law and no decrease in the number of directors shall have the effect of
shortening the term of any incumbent director. A director shall be a natural
person who is eighteen years of age or older. A director need not be a resident
of the State of Colorado or a shareholder of the
corporation.
Directors shall be elected at each
annual meeting of shareholders. Each director shall hold office until the next
annual meeting of shareholders following his election and thereafter until his
successor shall have been elected and qualified. Directors shall be removed in
the manner provided by the Colorado Business Corporation Act. Any director may
be removed by the shareholders, with or without cause, at a meeting called for
that purpose. The notice of the meeting shall state that the purpose or one of
the purposes of the meeting is removal of the director. A director may be
removed only if the number of votes cast in favor of removal exceeds the number
of votes cast against removal.
SECTION 3.
Vacancies. Any director may
resign at any time by giving written notice to the Secretary. Such resignation shall take effect at
the time the notice is received by the Secretary unless the notice specifies a later
effective date. Unless otherwise specified in the notice of resignation, the
corporation's acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it
effective. Any vacancy on the Board of Directors may be filled by the affirmative vote
of a majority of all the directors remaining in office. If elected by the
directors, the director shall hold office until the next annual shareholders'
meeting at which directors are elected. If elected by the shareholders, the
director shall hold office for the unexpired term of his predecessor in office;
except that, if the director's predecessor was elected by the directors to fill
a vacancy, the director elected by the shareholders shall hold office for the
unexpired term of the last predecessor elected by the
shareholders.
SECTION 4. Regular
Meetings. A regular meeting
of the Board of
Directors shall be held
without notice immediately after and at the same place as the annual meeting of
shareholders. The Board of
Directors may provide by
resolution the time and place, either within or outside the State of Colorado,
for the holding of additional regular meetings without other
notice.
SECTION 5. Special
Meetings. Special meetings
of the Board of
Directors may be called by
or at the request of the President or any two directors. The person or
persons authorized to call special meetings of the Board of Directors may fix any place, either within or
outside the State of Colorado, as the place for holding any special meeting of
the Board of
Directors called by them,
provided that no meeting shall be called outside the State of Colorado unless a
majority of the Board of
Directors has so
authorized.
SECTION 6. Notice. Notice of the date, time and place of
any special meeting shall be given to each director at least two days prior to
the meeting by written notice either personally delivered or mailed to each
director at his business address, or by notice transmitted by private courier,
telex, electronically transmitted facsimile or other form of wire or wireless
communication. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given and to be
effective on the earlier of (i) five days after such notice is deposited in the
United States mail, properly addressed, with first class postage prepaid, or
(ii) the date shown on the return receipt, if mailed by registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, provided that the return receipt is signed by
the director to whom the notice is addressed. If notice is given by telex,
electronically transmitted facsimile or other similar form of wire or wireless
communication, such notice shall be deemed to be given and to be effective when
sent, and with respect to a telegram, such notice shall be deemed to be given
and to be effective when the telegram is delivered to the telegraph company. If
a director has designated in writing one or more reasonable addresses or
facsimile numbers for delivery of notice to him, notice sent by mail, telegraph,
telex, electronically transmitted facsimile or other form of wire or wireless
communication shall not be deemed to have been given or to be effective unless
sent to such addresses or facsimile numbers, as the case
maybe.
A director may waive notice of a meeting
before or after the time and date of the meeting by a writing signed by such
director. Such waiver shall be delivered to the Secretary for filing with the corporate records,
but such delivery and filing shall not be conditions to the effectiveness of the
waiver. Further, a director's attendance at or participation in a meeting waives
any required notice to him of the meeting unless at the beginning of the
meeting, or promptly upon his later arrival, the director objects to holding the
meeting or transacting business at the meeting because of lack of notice or
defective notice and does not thereafter vote for or assent to action taken at
the meeting. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any
regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors need be specified in the notice or
waiver of notice of such meeting.
SECTION 7.
Quorum. A majority of the
number of directors fixed by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article III, Section 2, or,
if no number is fixed, a majority of the number in office immediately before the
meeting begins, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any
meeting of the Board of
Directors.
SECTION 8. Manner of
Acting. The act of the
majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present
shall be the act of the Board of Directors.
SECTION 9.
Committees. By resolution
adopted by a majority of the directors in office when the action is taken, the
Board of
Directors may designate
from among its members an executive committee and one or more other committees,
and appoint one or more members of the Board of Directors to serve on them. To the extent
provided in the resolution, each committee shall have all the authority of the
Board of
Directors, except that no
such committee shall have the authority to (i) authorize distributions; (ii)
approve or propose to shareholders actions or proposals required by the Colorado
Business Corporation Act to be approved by shareholders; (iii) fill vacancies on
the Board of
Directors or any committee
thereof; (iv) amend the articles of incorporation; (v) adopt, amend or repeal
the Bylaws; (vi) approve a plan of merger not requiring shareholder approval;
(vii) authorize or approve the reacquisition of shares unless pursuant to a
formula or method prescribed by the Board of Directors; or (viii) authorize or approve the
issuance or sale of shares, or contract for the sale of shares or determine the
designations and relative rights, preferences and limitations of a class or
series of shares, except that the Board of Directors may authorize a committee or officer to
do so within limits specifically prescribed by the Board of Directors. The committee shall then have full
power within the limits set by the Board of Directors to adopt any final resolution setting
forth all preferences, limitations and relative rights of such class or series
and to authorize an amendment to the articles of incorporation stating the
preferences, limitations and relative rights of a class or series for filing
with the Secretary of State under the Colorado Business
Corporation Act.
Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 10 of Article III, which govern meetings,
notice, waiver of notice, quorum, voting requirements and action without a
meeting of the Board of
Directors, shall apply to
committees and their members appointed under this Section 9.
SECTION 10. Informal Action by
Directors. Any action
required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the directors or any committee
designated by the Board of
Directors may be taken
without a meeting if a written consent (or counterparts thereof) that sets forth
the action so taken is signed by all of the directors or all of the committee
members entitled to vote with respect to the action taken. Such consent shall
have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote of the directors or committee
members and may be stated as such in any document. Unless the consent specifies
a different effective time or date, action taken under this Section
10 is effective at the time or date the
last director signs a writing describing the action so taken, unless, before
such time, any director has revoked his consent by a writing signed by the
director and received by the President or the Secretary of the corporation.
SECTION 11. Telephonic
Meetings. The Board of Directors may permit any director (or any member
of a committee designated by the Board) to participate in a regular or special
meeting of the Board of
Directors or a committee
thereof thro ugh the use of any means of communication by which all directors
participating in the meeting can hear each other during the meeting. A director
participating in a meeting in this manner is deemed to be present in person at
the meeting.
ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS AND
AGENTS
SECTION 1.
General. The officers of
the corporation shall consist of, as the Board of Directors may determine and appoint from time to
time, a Chief Executive
Officer, President, a Chief Operating Officer, one or more Vice Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer, each of whom shall be appointed by the
Board of
Directors and shall be a
natural person eighteen years of age or older. One person may hold more than one
office or may be assigned the duties of one or more offices. The Board of Directors or an officer or officers so authorized
by the Board may appoint such other officers,
assistant officers, committees and agents, including a Chairman of the Board, Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Treasurers, as they may consider necessary.
Except as expressly prescribed by these Bylaws, the Board of Directors or the officer or officers authorized
by the Board shall from time to time determine the
procedure for appointment of officers, their authority and duties and their
compensation, provided that the Board of Directors may change the authority, duties and
compensation of any officer who is not appointed by the Board. In its discretion, the Board of Directors may leave unfilled any office except as
may be required by law.
SECTION 2. Appointment and
Term of Office. The
officers of the corporation to be appointed by the Board of Directors shall be appointed at each annual
meeting of the Board held after each annual meeting of the shareholders.
If the appointment of
officers is not made at such meeting or if an officer or officers are to be
appointed by another officer or officers of the corporation, such appointment
shall be made as determined by the Board of Directors or the appointing person or persons.
Each officer shall hold office until the first of the following occurs: his
successor shall have been duly appointed and qualified, his death, his
resignation, or his removal in the manner provided in Section
3.
SECTION 3. Resignation and
Removal. An officer may
resign at any time by giving written notice of resignation to the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Secretary or other person who appoints such
officer. The resignation is effective when the notice is received by the
corporation unless the notice specifies a later effective
date.
Any officer or agent may be removed at
any time with or without cause by the Board of Directors or an officer or officers authorized by
the Board. Such removal does not affect the
contract rights, if any, of the corporation or of the person so removed. The
appointment of an officer or agent shall not in itself create contract
rights.
SECTION 4.
Vacancies. A vacancy
in any office, however
occurring may be filled by
the Board of
Directors, or by the
officer or officers authorized by the Board, for the unexpired portion of the
officer's term. If an officer resigns and his resignation is made effective at a
later date, the Board of
Directors, or officer or
officers authorized by the Board, may permit the officer to remain in
office until the effective date and may fill the pending vacancy before the
effective date if the Board
of Directors or officer or
officers authorized by the Board provide that the successor shall not
take office until the effective date. In the alternative, the Board of Directors, or officer or officers authorized by
the Board of
Directors, may remove the
officer at any time before the effective date and may fill the resulting
vacancy.
SECTION 5. Chairman of the
Board. The Chairman of the Board, if any, shall preside at all meetings
of shareholders and of the Board of Directors and shall have such other authority and
perform such other duties as are prescribed by law, by these Bylaws and by the
Board of
Directors.
SECTION 6. Chief Executive
Officer. The Chief Executive Officer of the corporation shall have, subject
to the supervision and direction of the Board of Directors, general supervision of the
business, property and
affairs of the corporation. The Chief Executive Officer may sign and
execute in the name of the corporation deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other
instruments. The Chief Executive Officer shall perform all duties
incident to the office of the Chief Executive Officer and shall, when requested,
counsel with and advise the other officers of the corporation and shall perform
such other duties as the Board may from time to time
determine.
SECTION 7.
President. The President
shall have such authority and perform such duties as are prescribed by law, by
these Bylaws, by the Board of Directors and by the Chief Executive
Officer. The President, if there is no Chairman of the Board, or in the absence or the inability to
act of the Chairman of the Board, shall preside at all meetings of shareholders and all
meetings of the Board of Directors. The President may sign
and execute in the name of the corporation deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other
instruments. The President shall perform all duties incident to the
office of President and shall, when requested, counsel with and advise the other
officers of the corporation and shall perform such other duties as the Chief
Executive Officer may from time to time determine.
SECTION 8. Chief Operating
Officer. The Chief Operating Officer of the corporation, if any, subject to
the supervision and direction of the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors, shall manage and direct the day-to-day
operations of the corporation and shall oversee the implementation of the
corporation's business plan and objectives. He shall have such other powers and
perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the
Board of
Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or the President.
SECTION 9. Vice
Presidents. The Vice Presidents shall assist the President and shall perform such duties as may be
assigned to them by the President or by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 10.
Secretary. The Secretary
shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the shareholders;
shall attend to the giving and serving of all notices to shareholders and
directors or other notices
required by law or by these Bylaws; shall affix the seal of the
corporation to deeds, contracts and other instruments in writing requiring a
seal, when duly signed or when so ordered by the Board of Directors; shall have charge of the
certificate books and stock books and such other books and papers as the
Board of Directors may direct; and shall
perform all other duties incident to the office of Secretary and as may be
prescribed by the Board of
Directors.
SECTION 11. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds,
securities and evidences of indebtedness of the corporation; shall
receive and give receipts
and acquittances for moneys
paid in on account of the corporation, and shall pay out of the funds on hand
all bills, payrolls and other just debts of the corporation, of whatever nature,
upon maturity; shall enter regularly in books to be kept by the Treasurer for that purpose, full and accurate
accounts of all moneys received and paid out by the Treasurer on account of the corporation; and
shall perform all other duties incident to the office of Treasurer and as may be prescribed by the
Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V - STOCK
SECTION 1.
Certificates. The
Board of
Directors shall be
authorized to issue any of its classes of shares with or without certificates.
The fact that the shares are not represented by certificates shall have no
effect on the rights and obligations of the shareholders. If the shares are
represented by certificates, such shares shall be represented by consecutively
numbered certificates signed, either manually or by facsimile, in the name of
the corporation by the President or one or more Vice Presidents and the Secretary or an assistant Secretary. In case any officer who has signed or
whose facsimile signature has been placed upon such certificate shall have
ceased to be such officer before such certificate is issued, such certificate
may nonetheless be issued by the corporation with the same effect as if he were
such officer at the date of its issue. All certificates shall be consecutively
numbered, and the names of the owners, the number of shares, and the date of
issue shall be entered on the books of the corporation.
If shares are not represented by
certificates, within a reasonable time following the issue or transfer of such
shares, the corporation shall send the shareholder a complete written statement
of all of the information required to be provided to holders of uncertificated
shares by the Colorado Business Corporation Act.
SECTION 2. Consideration for
Shares. Certificated or
uncertificated shares shall not be issued until the shares represented thereby
are fully paid.
SECTION 3. Lost
Certificates. In case of an
alleged loss, destruction or mutilation of a certificate of stock, the
Board of
Directors may direct the
issuance of a new certificate in lieu thereof upon such terms and conditions in
conformity with the law as the Board may prescribe. The Board of Directors may in its discretion require an
affidavit of lost certificate and/or a bond in such form and amount and with
such surety as it may determine before issuing a new
certificate.
SECTION 4. Transfer of
Shares. Upon surrender to
the corporation or to a transfer agent of the corporation of a certificate of
stock duly endorsed or accompanied by proper evidence of succession, assignment
or authority to transfer, and receipt of such documentary stamps as may be
required by law and evidence of compliance with all applicable securities laws
and other restrictions, the corporation shall issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, and
cancel the old certificate.
Every such transfer of stock shall be entered on the stock books of the
corporation which shall be kept at its principal office or by the person and at
the place designated by the Board of Directors.
Except for the assertion of dissenters'
rights to the extent provided in Article 113 of the Colorado Business
Corporation Act, the corporation shall be entitled to treat the registered
holder of any shares of the corporation as the owner thereof for all purposes,
and the corporation shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim
to, or interest in, such shares or rights deriving from such shares on the part
of any person other than the registered holder, including without limitation any
purchaser, assignee or transferee of such shares or right deriving from such
shares, unless and until such other person becomes the registered holder of such
shares, whether or not the corporation shall have either actual or constructive
notice of the claimed interest of such other person.
SECTION 5. Transfer Agent,
Registrars and Paying Agents. The Board may at its discretion appoint one or more
transfer agents, registrars
and agents for making payment upon any class of stock, bond, debenture or other
security of the corporation, Such agents and registrars may be located either
within or outside the State of Colorado. They shall have such rights and duties
and shall be entitled to such compensation as may be agreed.
ARTICLE VI - INDEMNIFICATION OF CERTAIN
PERSONS
SECTION 1.
Indemnification. For
purposes of this Article
VI, a “Proper Person” means
any person (including the estate or personal representative of a director) who
was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened,
pending, or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal, by reason of
the fact that he is or was
a director or officer,
employee, fiduciary or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at
the request of the
corporation as a director,
officer, partner, trustee, employee, fiduciary or agent of any foreign or
domestic profit or nonprofit corporation or of any partnership, joint venture,
trust, profit or nonprofit unincorporated association, limited liability
company, or other enterprise or employee benefit plan. The corporation shall
indemnify any Proper Person against reasonably incurred expenses (including
attorneys' fees), judgments, penalties, fines (including any excise tax assessed
with respect to an employee benefit plan) and amounts paid in settlement
reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding
if it is determined by the groups set forth
in Section 4 of this Article-that he conducted himself in good faith and that he reasonably
believed (i) in the case of conduct in his official capacity with the corporation, that his conduct
was in the corporation's best interest; or (ii) in all other cases (except
criminal cases) that his conduct was at least not opposed to the corporation's
best interest; or (iii) in the case of any criminal proceeding, that he had no
reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. Official capacity means,
when used with respect to a director, the office of director and, when used with
respect to any other Proper Person, the office in a corporation held by the
officer or the employment, fiduciary or agency relationship undertaken by the
employee, fiduciary, or agent on behalf of the corporation. Official capacity
does not include service for any other domestic or foreign corporation or other
person or employee benefit plan.
A director’s conduct with respect to an employee
benefit plan for a purpose the director reasonably believed to be in the best
interests of the participants in or beneficiaries of the plan is conduct that
satisfies the requirements in clause (ii) of this Section 1 above.
A director’s conduct with respect to an employee
benefit plan for a purpose that the director did not reasonably believe to be in
the interests of the participants in or beneficiaries of the plan shall be
deemed not to satisfy the requirements of this Section 1 that he conducted himself in good
faith.
No indemnification shall be made under
this Article VI to a Proper Person with respect to any claim, issue or matter in
connection with a proceeding by or in the right of a corporation in which the
Proper Person was adjudged liable to the corporation or in connection with any
proceeding charging that the Proper Person derived an improper personal benefit,
whether or not involving action in an official capacity, in which he was
adjudged liable on the basis that he derived an improper personal benefit.
Further, indemnification under this Section 1 in connection with a proceeding brought
by or in the right of the corporation shall be limited to reasonable expenses,
including attorneys' fees, incurred in connection with the
proceeding.
SECTION 2. Right to
Indemnification. The
corporation shall indemnify any Proper Person who was wholly successful, on the
merits or otherwise, in defense of any action, suit, or proceeding as to which
he was entitled to indemnification under Section 1 of this Article VI against
expenses (including attorneys' fees) reasonably incurred by him in connection
with the proceeding without the necessity of any action by the corporation other
than the determination in good faith that the defense has been wholly
successful.
SECTION 3. Effect of
Termination of Action. The
termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or
conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not of
itself create a presumption that the person seeking indemnification did not meet
the standards of conduct described in Section 1 of this Article VI. Entry of a judgment
by consent as part of a settlement shall not be deemed an adjudication of
liability, as described in Section 2 of this Article VI.
SECTION 4. Groups Authorized
to Make Indemnification Determination. Except where there is a right to
indemnification as set forth in Sections 1 or 2 of this Article or where
indemnification is ordered by a court in Section 5, any indemnification shall be made by
the corporation only as determined in the specific case by a proper group that
indemnification of the Proper Person is permissible under the circumstances
because he has met the applicable standards of conduct set forth in Section 1 of
this Article. This determination shall be made by the
Board of
Directors by a majority
vote of those present at a meeting at which a quorum is present, which quorum shall
consist of directors not
parties to the proceeding (“Quorum”). If a Quorum cannot be obtained, the
determination shall be made by a majority vote of a committee of the
Board of
Directors designated by the
Board, which committee shall consist of two
or more directors not parties to the proceeding, except that directors who are
parties to the proceeding may participate in the designation of directors for
the committee. If a Quorum of the Board of Directors cannot be obtained and the committee
cannot be established, or even if a Quorum is obtained or the committee is
designated and
a majority of the directors constituting
such Quorum or committee so directs, the determination shall be made by (i)
independent legal counsel selected by a vote of the Board of Directors or the committee in the manner
specified in this Section 4 or, if a Quorum of the full Board of Directors cannot be obtained and a committee
cannot be established, by independent legal counsel selected by a majority vote
of the full Board (including directors who are parties to
the action) or (ii) a vote of the shareholders.
Authorization of indemnification and
advance of expenses shall be made in the same manner as the determination that
indemnification or advance of expenses is permissible except that, if the
determination that indemnification or advance of expenses is permissible is made
by independent legal counsel, authorization of indemnification and advance of
expenses shall be made by the body that selected such
counsel.
SECTION 5. Court-Ordered
Indemnification. Any Proper
Person may apply for indemnification to the court
conducting the proceeding or to another court of competent jurisdiction for
mandatory indemnification under Section 2 of this Article, including
indemnification for reasonable expenses incurred to obtain court-ordered
indemnification. If a court determines that the Proper Person is entitled to
indemnification under Section 2 of this Article, the court shall order
indemnification, including the Proper Person's reasonable expenses incurred to
obtain court-ordered indemnification. If the court determines that such Proper
Person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all the
relevant circumstances, whether or not he met the standards of conduct set forth
in Section 1 of this Article or was adjudged liable
in the proceeding, the court may order such indemnification as the court deems
proper except that if the Proper Person has been adjudged liable,
indemnification shall be limited to reasonable expenses incurred in connection
with the proceeding and reasonable expenses incurred to obtain court-ordered
indemnification.
SECTION 6. Advance of
Expenses. Reasonable
expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred in defending an action, suit or
proceeding as described in Section 1 may be paid by the corporation to any
Proper Person in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or
proceeding upon receipt of (i) a written affirmation of such Proper Person's
good faith belief that he has met the standards of conduct prescribed in
Section 1 of this Article VI; (ii) a written undertaking, executed personally or
on the Proper Person's behalf, to repay such advances if it is ultimately
determined that he did not meet the prescribed standards of conduct (the
undertaking shall be an unlimited general obligation of the Proper Person but
need not be secured and may be accepted without reference to financial ability
to make repayment); and (iii) a determination is made by the proper group (as
described in Section 4 of this Article VI) that the facts as then known to the
group would not preclude indemnification. Determination and authorization of
payments shall be made in the same manner specified in Section 4 of this Article
VI.
SECTION 7. Additional
Indemnification to Certain Persons Other Than Directors. In addition to the indemnification
provided to officers, employees, fiduciaries or agents because of their status
as Proper Persons under this Article, the corporation may also indemnify and
advance expenses to them if they are not directors of the
corporation to a greater extent than is provided in these Bylaws, if not
inconsistent with public policy, and if provided for by general or specific
action of its Board of
Directors or shareholders
or by contract.
SECTION 8. Witness
Expenses. The Sections of
this Article VI do not limit the corporation's authority to pay or reimburse
expenses incurred by a director in connection with an appearance as a witness in
a proceeding at a time when he has not been made or named as a defendant or
respondent in the proceeding.
SECTION 9. Report to
Shareholders. Any
indemnification of or
advance of expenses to a director in accordance with this Article
VI, if arising out of a proceeding by or on behalf of the corporation, shall be
reported in writing to the shareholders with or before the notice of the next
shareholders' meeting. If the next shareholder action is taken without a meeting
at the instigation of the Board of Directors, such notice shall be given to the
shareholders at or before the time the first shareholder signs a writing
consenting to such action.
ARTICLE VII - MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 1 Seal. The Board of Directors may adopt a corporate seal, which shall
be circular in form and shall contain the name of the corporation and the words,
"Seal, Colorado."
SECTION 2. Fiscal
Year. The fiscal year of
the corporation shall be as established by the Board of Directors
SECTION 3.
Amendments. The
Board of
Directors shall have power,
to the maximum extent permitted by the Colorado Business Corporation Act, to
make, amend and repeal the Bylaws of the corporation at any regular or special
meeting of the Board unless the shareholders, in making,
amending or repealing a particular Bylaw, expressly provide that the directors
may not amend or repeal such Bylaw. The shareholders also shall have the power
to make, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the corporation at any annual meeting or
at any special meeting called for that purpose.
SECTION 4. Receipt of Notices
by the Corporation.
Notices, shareholder writings consenting to action, and other documents or
writings shall be deemed to have been received by the corporation when they are
actually received: (1) at the registered office of the corporation in Colorado;
(2) at the principal office of the corporation (as that office is designated in
the most recent document filed by the corporation with the Secretary of State for Colorado designating a
principal office) addressed to the attention of the Secretary of the corporation; (3) by the
Secretary of the corporation wherever the
Secretary may be found; or (4) by any other
person authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors or the President to receive such writings, wherever such
person is found.
SECTION 5. Gender. The masculine gender is used in these
Bylaws as a matter of convenience only and shall be interpreted to include the
feminine and neuter genders as the circumstances indicate.
SECTION 6
Conflicts. In the
event of any irreconcilable conflict between these Bylaws and either the
corporation's Articles of Incorporation or applicable law, the
latter shall control.
SECTION 7.
Definitions. Except as
otherwise specifically provided in these Bylaws, all terms used in these Bylaws
shall have the same definition as in the Colorado Business Corporation
Act.