Document:

EXHIBIT 10.1

 Exhibit 10.1 
  
 September 15, 2005 
  
 Endeavor Acquisition Corp. 
 180 Madison Avenue,
Suite 2305 
 New York, New York 10016 
  
 Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. 
 590 Madison Avenue 
 34th Floor 
 New York, New York 10022 
  

	 	Re:	Initial Public Offering 

  
 Gentlemen: 
  
 The undersigned stockholder, officer and director of Endeavor Acquisition Corp. (“Company”), in consideration of Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. (“Ladenburg”) entering into a letter of intent
(“Letter of 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 13
hereof): 
  
 1. If the Company solicits approval of its
stockholders of a Business Combination, the undersigned will vote all Insider Shares owned by him in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the holders of the IPO Shares. 
  
 2. 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, as soon as reasonably practicable, (i) cause the Trust Fund
(as defined in the Letter of Intent) to be liquidated and distributed to the holders of IPO Shares and (ii) take all reasonable actions within his power to cause the Company to liquidate. The undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title,
interest or claim of any kind in or to any distribution of the Trust Fund and any remaining net assets of the Company as a result of such liquidation with respect to his Insider Shares (“Claim”) 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. In 

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 September 15, 2005 
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the event of the liquidation of the Trust Fund, the undersigned agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, severally and pro rata with Eric J. Watson
based on the number of Insider Shares beneficially owned by such individuals, 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 or other person who is owed money by the Company for
services rendered or products sold or contracted for, or by any target business, 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. 
  
 3. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from
multiple affiliations, the undersigned agrees to present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or entity, any suitable opportunity to acquire an operating business, until the earlier of the consummation by
the Company of a Business Combination, the liquidation of the Company or until such time as the undersigned ceases to be an officer or director of the Company, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations the undersigned might
have. 
  
 4. 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 reasonably acceptable to Ladenburg that the
business combination is fair to the Company’s stockholders from a financial perspective. 
  
 5. Neither the undersigned, any member of the family of the undersigned, nor any affiliate (“Affiliate”) of the undersigned will be entitled to receive and will not accept any compensation prior to, or for
any services rendered in order to effectuate the consummation of, the Business Combination; provided that commencing on the Effective Date, Ironbound Partners, an Affiliate of the undersigned (“Related Party”), shall be allowed to charge
the Company $7,500 per month, representing an allocable share of Related Party’s overhead, to compensate it for the Company’s use of Related Party’s offices, utilities and personnel. Related Party and the undersigned 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. 
  
 6. Neither the undersigned, any member of the family of the undersigned, nor any Affiliate of the undersigned 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 of the undersigned originates a Business Combination. 

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 September 15, 2005 
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 7. The undersigned will escrow his Insider Shares for the three year period commencing on the
Effective Date 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. The undersigned agrees to be the President and Secretary of the Company until the earlier of the consummation by the
Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company. The undersigned’s biographical information furnished to the Company and Ladenburg and attached hereto as Exhibit A is true and accurate in all respects, does not omit any
material information with respect to the undersigned’s background and contains all of the information required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 401 of Regulation S-K, promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. The undersigned’s
Questionnaire furnished to the Company and Ladenburg and annexed as Exhibit B hereto is true and accurate in all respects. The undersigned represents and warrants that: 
  
 (a) he is not 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) he has never filed for bankruptcy or 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 he is not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding; and 
  
 (c) he has never 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. 
  
 9. The undersigned has full right and power, without violating any agreement by which he is bound, to enter into this letter agreement and to serve as
President and Secretary of the Company. 
  
 10. The undersigned
authorizes any employer, financial institution, or consumer credit reporting agency to release to Ladenburg and its legal representatives or agents (including any investigative search firm retained by Ladenburg) any information they may have about
the undersigned’s background and finances (“Information”). Neither Ladenburg nor its agents shall be violating the undersigned’s right of privacy in any manner in requesting and obtaining the Information and the undersigned
hereby releases them from liability for any damage whatsoever in that connection. 

 Endeavor Acquisition Corp. 
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 September 15, 2005 
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 11. 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 him
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 Graubard Miller as agent for
the service of process in the State of New York to receive, for the undersigned and on his 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
Ladenburg and appoint a substitute agent acceptable to each of the Company and Ladenburg 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. 
  
 12. The undersigned acknowledges and understands that Ladenburg and the
Company will rely upon the agreements and representations and warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the IPO. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to render Ladenburg a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the Company, its
stockholders, or any creditor or vendor of the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof. 
  
 13. 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; (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. 
  

	
	
	 Jonathan J. Ledecky

	 Print Name of Insider

	
	/s/    JONATHAN J.
LEDECKY        
	Signature

 Exhibit A 
  
 Jonathan J. Ledecky has been our president and secretary since our inception. Since June 1999, Mr. Ledecky has served as chairman of
the Ledecky Foundation, a philanthropic organization which contributes funds to programs for the education of disadvantaged inner city youth in Washington, D.C., New York and Boston. Since 1998, Mr. Ledecky has also served as chairman of
Ironbound Partners Fund LLC. In 1994, Mr. Ledecky founded U.S. Office Products and served as its chief executive officer until November 1997 and chairman until June 1998. During his tenure, U.S. Office Products completed over 260 acquisitions,
and grew to a Fortune 500 company with over $2.6 billion in revenues. In June 1998, U.S. Office Products completed a comprehensive restructuring plan whereby four separate entities were spun off to shareholders and U.S. Office Products underwent a
leveraged recapitalization. In connection with these transactions, Mr. Ledecky resigned from his position as chairman of U.S. Office Products and became a director of each of the four spin-off entities. In February 1997, Mr. Ledecky
founded Building One Services Corporation (originally Consolidation Capital Corporation), an entity formed to identify attractive consolidation opportunities which ultimately focused on the facilities management industry. In November 1997, Building
One raised $552 million in an initial public offering. Mr. Ledecky served as Building One’s chief executive officer from November 1997 through February 1999 and as its chairman from inception through its February 2000 merger with Group
Maintenance America Corporation. During his tenure with Building One, it completed 46 acquisitions and grew to over $1.5 billion in revenues. From July 1999 to July 2001, Mr. Ledecky was vice chairman of Lincoln Holdings, owners of the
Washington sports franchises in the NBA, NHL and WNBA. Since June 1998, Mr. Ledecky has served as a director of School Specialty, a NASDAQ National Market listed education company that provides products, programs and services that enhance
student achievement and development. School Specialty spun out of U.S. Office Products in June 1998. In May 2005, School Specialty entered into an agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Bain Capital in a transaction valued at approximately $1.8
billion which is scheduled to close in late September 2005. In his role as a board member of School Specialty, Mr. Ledecky initiated the transaction with Bain Capital. Since 1994, Mr. Ledecky has been involved with numerous other companies
in director positions. Two of these companies, U.S.A. Floral Products Inc. and UniCapital, filed for voluntary bankruptcy in the last five years. In addition, after resigning from his position as a director and executive officer
with U.S. Office Products, it filed for bankruptcy protection. In no case was Mr. Ledecky an executive officer of these companies during the two years preceding the bankruptcy filings. Mr. Ledecky was a trustee of George
Washington University and served as commissioner on the National Commission on Entrepreneurship. He is also director of the Washington Educational Television Association. In addition, in 2004, Mr. Ledecky was elected the Chief Marshal of the
2004 Harvard University Commencement, a singular honor bestowed by his alumni peers for a 25th reunion graduate
deemed to have made exceptional contributions to Harvard and the greater society while achieving outstanding professional success. Mr. Ledecky received a B.A. (cum laude) from Harvard University and a M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

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