SEC Company Response from UNITED SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY INC (CIK 0000350194) — Jul 15, 2005
UNITED SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY INC (CIK 0000350194)
Date: July 15, 2005 · CIK: 0000350194 · Accession: 0001157523-05-006137
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: July 11, 2005, July 11, 2005
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July 15, 2005
direct dial: 817.420.8209
vrew@winstead.com
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direct dial: 817.420.8225
jhoover@winstead.com
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Via Federal Express
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Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
Division of Corporate Finance
Mail Stop 4-6
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Re: Response to Comments Received from the Staff of the Commission
with respect to the Schedule 13E-3 filed June 29, 2005 (File
No. 5-37771), which was previously filed on June 3, 2005 and
April 19, 2005 and originally filed on March 7, 2005, and the
Schedule 14A filed June 29, 2005 (File No. 0-09574), which was
previously filed on June 3, 2005 and April 18, 2005 and
originally filed on March 7, 2005, of United Systems
Technology, Inc.
Dear Ms. Mills-Apenteng:
As legal counsel to United Systems Technology, Inc. (the "Company"), this
letter sets forth the responses of the Company to the comments of the staff of
the Division of Corporation Finance (the "Staff") of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") received by letter dated July 11, 2005 (the
"Comment Letter") with respect to the above-referenced Schedule 13E-3 (the
"Schedule 13E-3") and Schedule 14A (the "Schedule 14A"). Enclosed herewith is
one clean and one black-lined copy of Amendment No. 4 to the Schedule 14A (the
"Amendment"), which, in response to the Comment Letter, includes revisions to
the Schedule 14A. Also enclosed is a copy of the Company's acknowledgment letter
in response to a request contained in your April 5, 2005 comment letter to the
Company.
For the convenience of the Staff, we have set forth below, in boldface
type, the number of each comment in the Comment Letter followed by the Company's
responses thereto. As applicable, after each of our responses below, we have
also provided the page number of the black-lined copy of the Amendment to
indicate where changes in response to your comments are located within such
copy.
<PAGE>
Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
July 15, 2005
Page 2 of 7
General
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1. Although the Company continues to maintain that the contents of its
May 20, 2005, May 31, 2005, and June 3, 2005 press releases do not
constitute proxy solicitations subject to Rule 14a-12, we acknowledge
your contrary interpretation (i.e., that such press releases could
constitute communications to security holders under circumstances
reasonably calculated to result in the procurement, withholding or
revocation of a proxy). Accordingly, the Company will file all future
press releases related to the going private transaction as soliciting
material under cover of Schedule 14A.
Schedule 14A
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2. Your comment is duly noted. The Company will use the EDGAR tag "PRER
14A" for all future preliminary proxy filings which are not initial
filings, as opposed to using the EDGAR tag "PRE 14A." Furthermore, it
is our understanding that any black-lined copies of the Proxy
Statement filed on EDGAR will be viewable as such by the Staff but
will appear as clean copies to the public.
Special Factors
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Fairness of the Transaction
---------------------------
3. We have revised the disclosure as requested (see the two revised
excerpts from the black-lined Proxy Statement below). As you will note
in our revised disclosure, the Company's Board of Directors did not
receive or review any portion of the written materials contained in
the compilations referenced in your comment 3. Rather, the Company's
legal counsel orally presented the general conclusions (and the
general conclusions only) contained in the compilations. Such
presentation was intended to provide the Board of Directors with a few
key facts regarding recent trends in pricing going private
transactions since the Board of Directors has had no previous
experience in such transactions. The only information provided to the
Board of Directors was this brief oral presentation from the Company's
legal counsel, the material points of which are now set forth in the
amended proxy. Given this factual background, the oral presentation by
counsel should not be considered a report from an outside party, as
described Item 1015 of Regulation M-A.
a. The following paragraph appears on Page 21 of the black-lined
Proxy Statement:
Cash consideration. In determining the cash consideration to be
paid to Cashed-Out Shareholders in connection the Reverse/Forward
Stock Split, the Board of Directors factored in the Common Stock's
current market prices, historical market prices, and going concern or
fair market value, on a non-controlling interest basis (as determined
by W&T). Regarding going concern or fair market value, the Board of
Directors relied on and adopted the conclusion and analyses contained
in the Valuation Report and the W&T Update Letter and did not
independently conduct an analysis or calculation of such
<PAGE>
Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
July 15, 2005
Page 3 of 7
value. The Board of Directors also considered market premiums paid by
other issuers in going private transactions (particularly during the
post-SOX period), as contained in compilations of publicly available
information, as orally presented by the Company's legal counsel with
respect to the general conclusions contained in such compilations (see
"SPECIAL FACTORS - Fairness of the Transaction - Deliberations of the
Board of Directors"). The Board of Directors also considered the
Common Stock's net book value and liquidation value, but did not
factor such values into the cash consideration calculation because the
Board of Directors did not consider such values to be indicative of
the Company's value. With the Company having been in existence for
over twenty-five years, the Board of Director's believed net book
value to represent historical accounting values that do not properly
reflect the current economic value of the Company or its assets.
Regarding liquidation value, the Board of Directors focused on the
Company's status as a software company. Given that most of the
Company's assets are service-related and intangible, the Board of
Directors did not believe that liquidation values for such assets
would accurately reflect their market value to an ongoing business
enterprise. It should also be noted that W&T did not rely on net book
value or liquidation value in making its independent valuation of the
Common Stock. Finally, the Board of Directors did not consider prior
purchases of the Common Stock by the Company or firm offers received
by the Company, as no such purchases were made or firm offers received
during the past two years. However, in reaching its cash consideration
calculation, the Board of Directors did consider an unsolicited
indication of interest letter (not a firm offer) received from a third
party regarding the possible acquisition of all of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock, subject to certain conditions (see "SPECIAL
FACTORS - Fairness of the Transaction - Deliberations of the Board of
Directors").
b. The following paragraph appears on Page 32 of the black-lined
Proxy Statement:
On March 2, 2005, the Board of Directors held a special meeting,
by telephone, attended by all four of the Company's directors,
including the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial
Officer, and two Independent Directors, and Vernon E. Rew, Jr. and
Justin A. Hoover. At such meeting, the directors examined the
constituent documents necessary to proceed with the Reverse/Forward
Stock Split and submit such transaction to shareholder vote at the
Annual Meeting of Shareholders. First, the Board of Directors reviewed
an initial draft of the proposed Schedule 13E-3, which Mr. Rew
explained is primarily a technical document that must be filed with
the SEC for all going private transactions regardless of the method
employed by the issuer (in this case a reverse/forward stock split).
Second, the Board of Directors revisited the draft of a proposed proxy
statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which had been
revised since the last meeting of the Board of Directors on February
17, 2005. Among other things, the Company's Chief Financial Officer
confirmed the anticipated cost savings associated with the Company's
not having to obtain and pay premiums for directors and officers
insurance as a result of going private. Third, the Board of Directors
discussed the initial draft of the Valuation Report prepared by W&T as
of February 11, 2005,
<PAGE>
Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
July 15, 2005
Page 4 of 7
and confirmed that there were no material concerns regarding the
contents of the Valuation Report as presented in its initial draft.
Fourth, the Board of Directors discussed an initial draft of a
proposed press release to announce the Company's going private
transaction and proposed Reverse/Forward Stock Split. On a related
matter, Mr. Rew generally discussed the SEC's proxy solicitation rules
as applied to director discussions with shareholders leading up to the
Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Finally, the meeting culminated with a
detailed discussion of considerations for the Board of Director's
determination of the cash consideration (i.e., the price per share to
be paid to Cashed-Out Shareholders) to be used for the Reverse/Forward
Stock Split. Such discussion included, among other items,
consideration of the Valuation Report, the historical prices of the
Common Stock, and market premiums used by other issuers in going
private transactions (particularly during the post-SOX period), as
well as the impact of the Reverse/Forward Stock Split on both
Cashed-Out Shareholders and Continuing Shareholders. The market
premium analysis involved an oral presentation by Mr. Rew of the
general conclusions contained in two compilations of publicly
available information on market premiums paid in going private
transactions prepared by two reputable investment banking firms. The
Board of Directors did not receive or review any written materials
with respect to such compilations. Specifically, Mr. Rew orally
presented the following general conclusions from the two compilations:
(i) a downward trend in premiums for going private transactions (noted
in both compilations); (ii) a median premium in 2003 of 25.4% for all
issuers, 19.6% for issuers in smaller transactions valued under $10
million, and 12.3% for issuers in transactions with a share price of
$2.00 per share or less (contained in one compilation's 2001 to 2003
analysis); and (iii) a median premium in 2004 of 17.2% (contained in
the other compilation's 1994 to 2004 analysis). In concluding the
meeting, the Board of Directors set the following day, March 3, 2005,
for its next meeting to address the Reverse/Forward Stock Split and
the amount of cash consideration which would be paid to Cashed-Out
Shareholders in such a transaction.
Additional Revisions.
---------------------
In addition to the items discussed above, you will note several revisions
to Proxy Statement which have been made to bring certain market information
disclosures current as of the date of the amended proxy filing.
[See Pages 23, 39, 49, and 50 of the black-lined Proxy Statement.]
We have also revised the disclosure on Page 42 of the black-lined Proxy
Statement regarding persons who have indicated that they will vote in favor of
the Reverse/Forward Stock Split at the Annual Meeting to include the voting
shares held by three of the Company's key employees.
Finally, we have now included the relevant record date, mailing date, and
annual shareholder meeting date
---------------
<PAGE>
Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
July 15, 2005
Page 5 of 7
Should any member of the Staff have any questions or additional comments
regarding the Amendment or the responses to the Staff's Comment Letter set forth
above, please do not hesitate the call the undersigned at (817) 420-8209 or
(817) 420-8225, respectively.
Sincerely,
Vernon E. Rew, Jr.
Justin A. Hoover
VER:jah
Enclosures
cc: Barbara C. Jacobs (w/ encl.)
Assistant Director, Division of Corporate Finance, SEC
Thomas E. Gibbs (w/ encl.)
Randall L. McGee (w/ encl.)
<PAGE>
Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
July 15, 2005
Page 6 of 7
July 15, 2005
Ms. Maryse Mills-Apenteng
Division of Corporate Finance
Mail Stop 4-6
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Re: Acknowledgments Relating to Comments Received from the Staff of
the Commission with respect to the Schedule 13E-3 filed June 29,
2005 (File No. 5-37771), which was previously filed on June 3,
2005 and April 19, 2005 and originally filed on March 7, 2005,
and the Schedule 14A filed June 29, 2005 (File No. 0-09574),
which was previously filed on June 3, 2005 and April 18, 2005 and
originally filed on March 7, 2005, of United Systems Technology,
Inc.
Dear Ms. Mills-Apenteng:
The acknowledgments below are being provided in connection with the
responses of United Systems Technology, Inc. (the "Company") to the comments of
the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the "Staff") of the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") received by letter dated July 11,
2005 (the "Comment Letter") with respect to the above-referenced filings.
On behalf of the Company, I hereby acknowledge that:
o The Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the
disclosure in the above-referenced filings;
o Staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to Staff
comments do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action
with respect to the above-referenced filings; and
o The Company may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any
proceeding initiated by the Commission or any pe