March 8, 2006
  



 


 


Echo Healthcare Acquisition Corp.


8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Suite 1300


Vienna, Virginia 22182


 


Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc.


600 Fifth Avenue


19th Floor


New York, New York 10020


 



	
            Re:
 	
            Initial Public Offering
 



 


Gentlemen:


 


The undersigned stockholder of Echo Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (“Company”), in consideration of Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc.’s (“Morgan Joseph”) intent to underwrite an initial public offering of the securities of the Company (“IPO”) and embarking on the IPO process, hereby agrees as follows (certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 9 hereof): 


 


1.         In the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 18 months from the effective date (“Effective Date”) of the registration statement relating to the IPO (or 24 months under the circumstances described in the prospectus relating to the IPO), the undersigned will (i) cause the trust fund which will be established for holders of the IPO Shares (“Trust Fund”), as defined below, to be liquidated and distributed to the holders of IPO Shares and (ii) take all reasonable actions within its power to cause the Company to liquidate as soon as reasonably practicable.  The undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in or to any distribution of the Trust Fund, except with respect to any of the IPO Shares, as defined herein, acquired by the
undersigned in connection with or following the IPO, and any remaining net assets of the Company as a result of such liquidation and hereby waives any Claim the undersigned may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Fund for any reason whatsoever.  The undersigned agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claims, damage and expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim whatsoever) which the 











Company may become subject as a result of any claim by any vendor that is owed money by the Company for services rendered or products sold but only to the extent necessary to ensure that such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense does not reduce the amount in the Trust
Fund.


 


2.         The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Company will not consummate any Business Combination which involves a company which is affiliated with any of the Insiders unless the Company obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and is reasonably acceptable to Morgan Joseph that the Business Combination is fair to the Company’s stockholders from a financial perspective.


 


3.         Neither the undersigned nor any affiliate of the undersigned (“Affiliate”) will be entitled to receive and will not accept any compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to the consummation of the Business Combination; provided that commencing on the Effective Date, Windy City, Inc., shall be allowed to charge the Company an allocable share of its overhead, up to $7,500 per month, to compensate it for the Company’s use of its office space, utilities, administrative, technology and secretarial services.  Windy City, Inc. shall also be entitled to reimbursement from the Company for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with seeking and consummating a Business Combination.


 


4.         Neither the undersigned nor any Affiliate will be entitled to receive or accept a finder’s fee or any other compensation in the event the undersigned, any member of the family of the undersigned or any Affiliate originates a Business Combination.  


 


5.         The undersigned represents and warrants that neither it nor any of its Affiliates:


 


 (a)       is subject to or a respondent in any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order or order or stipulation to desist or refrain from any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction;


 


 (b)       has ever been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any crime (i) involving any fraud or (ii) relating to any financial transaction or handling of funds of another person, or (iii) pertaining to any dealings in any securities, and is not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding; and


 


 (c)       has ever been suspended or expelled from membership in any securities or commodities exchange or association or had a securities or commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked.


 


6.         In connection with
the vote required to consummate a Business Combination, the undersigned agrees that it will vote all shares of common stock, par 











value $0.0001,
owned by it prior to the IPO (“Insider Shares”) in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the holders of the IPO Shares,
and all shares of commonstock acquired in connection with or following the IPO “For” a
Business Combination.


 


7.          The undersigned will escrow one-half of its Insider Shares for the period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the third anniversary of the Effective Date, and the remaining one-half of its Insider Shares until the completion of a Business Combination and the last sale price of the Company’s common stock thereafter equals or exceeds $11.50 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period after the Company completes the Business Combination, subject to the terms of a Stock Escrow Agreement which the Company will enter into with the undersigned and an escrow agent acceptable to the Company.


 


8.         This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.  The undersigned hereby (i) agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this letter agreement (a “Proceeding”) shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York of the United States of America for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive, (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum and (iii) irrevocably agrees to appoint Ellenoff Grossman & Schole
LLP as agent for the service of process in the State of New York to receive, for the undersigned and on its behalf, service of process in any Proceeding.  If for any reason such agent is unable to act as such, the undersigned will promptly notify the Company and Morgan Joseph and appoint a substitute agent acceptable to each of the Company and Morgan Joseph within 30 days and nothing in this letter will affect the right of either party to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.  


 


9.         As used herein, (i) a “Business Combination” shall mean an acquisition by merger, capital stock exchange, asset or stock acquisition, reorganization or otherwise, of an operating business or businesses in the healthcare industry; (ii) “Insiders” shall mean all officers, directors and stockholders of the Company immediately prior to the IPO; (iii) “Insider Shares” shall mean all of the shares of Common Stock of the Company owned by an Insider prior to the IPO; and (iv) “IPO Shares” shall mean the shares of Common Stock issued in the Company’s IPO.


 


Chicago Investments, Inc. 


 



	
            By:  /s/ Joshua Kanter
 
	
            Name:  Joshua Kanter
 
	
            Title:  President