Document:

Document

Description of Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
As used herein, references to “we,” “our,” “us” or “Blade” are to Blade Air Mobility, Inc. Terms used, but not defined, herein have the meanings given to such terms in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021 (the “Form 10-K”). Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, all references herein to “warrants” include our Public Warrants and our Private Placement Warrants.
The following summary of the material terms of our securities is not intended to be a complete summary of the rights and preferences of such securities and is qualified in its entirety by our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, and, with respect to the warrants, the Warrant Agreement, dated September 12, 2019, by and between Experience Investment Corp. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”). The full text of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, and the Warrant Agreement are filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to our Form 10-K. For a complete description of the rights and preferences of our securities, we urge you to read our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, the warrant agreement, and the applicable provisions of Delaware law.
As of December 31, 2021, we had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): (1) our Class A common stock; and (2) our warrants. Our Class A common stock is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “BLDE” and the warrants are traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “BLDE.WS.” As of December 31, 2021, we had warrants to purchase 14,166,666 shares of Class A common stock outstanding. 
Authorized Capital Stock
Pursuant to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, Blade’s authorized capital stock consists of 400,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The following description summarizes the material terms of Blade’s capital stock. We have no preferred stock outstanding. 
Common Stock
Voting Rights: Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election or removal of directors. The holders of Class A common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.
Liquidation: Upon Blade’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up and after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to the holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of Class A common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata Blade’s remaining assets available for distribution.
Rights and Preferences: Holders of Class A common stock do not have preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The Class A common stock is not subject to further calls or assessment by Blade. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class A common stock.
Fully Paid and Non-assessable: All outstanding shares of Class A common stock are fully paid and non- assessable. The rights, powers, preferences and privileges of holders of Class A common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of preferred stock that we may authorize and issue in the future.
Preferred Stock
Our certificate of incorporation provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors (our “Board”) is authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our Board is able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of  the Class A common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our Board to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. 
Dividends
1

        

Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock, under our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, holders of our Class A common stock will be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the Board in its discretion out of funds legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions. The payment of any cash dividends will be within the discretion of our Board at such time. Our ability to declare dividends will also be limited by restrictive covenants pursuant to any debt financing.
Annual Stockholder Meetings
Our bylaws provide that annual stockholder meetings will be held at a date, time and place, if any, as exclusively selected by our Board. To the extent permitted under applicable law, we may conduct meetings by remote communications, including by webcast.
Anti-Takeover Effects of the Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the “DGCL”) contain provisions, which are summarized in the following paragraphs, that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our Board. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce our vulnerability to a hostile change of control and enhance the ability of our Board to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire Blade. However, these provisions may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a merger or acquisition of Blade by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of Class A common stock held by our stockholders.
Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock
Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares.
However, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of Class A common stock. Additional shares that may be used in the future may be issued for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.
Our Board may generally issue preferred shares on terms calculated to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of Blade or the removal of our management. Moreover, our authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock will be available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, to facilitate acquisitions and employee benefit plans.
One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved Class A common stock or preferred stock may be to enable our Board to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of Blade by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of Class A common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.
Undesignated Preferred Stock
The ability to authorize undesignated preferred stock will make it possible for our Board to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to effect a change in control of Blade. These and other provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control or management of Blade.
Classified Board of Directors
Our certificate of incorporation provides that our Board will be divided into three classes of directors, with the classes to be as nearly equal in number as possible, and with each director serving a three- year term. As a result, approximately one-third of our Board will be elected each year. The classification of directors will have the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our Board. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that, subject to any rights of holders of preferred stock to elect additional directors under 

2

        

specified circumstances, the number of directors will be fixed from time to time exclusively pursuant to a resolution adopted by our Board.
Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute
Blade is subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which prohibits persons deemed “interested stockholders” from engaging in a “business combination” with a publicly-held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders, unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with its affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. The existence of this provision may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to a transaction not approved in advance by our Board, such as discouraging takeover attempts that might result in payment of a premium over the market price of the Class A common stock.
Removal of Directors; Vacancies
Under the DGCL, unless otherwise provided in our certificate of incorporation, a director serving on a classified board may be removed by stockholders only for cause. Our certificate of incorporation provides that directors may be removed at any time with or without cause upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the holders of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
In addition, our certificate of incorporation also provides that, subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding, any newly created directorship on our Board that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on our Board will be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors (other than directors elected by the holders of any series of preferred stock, voting separately as a series or together with one or more series, as the case may be), even if less than a quorum, by a sole remaining director or by stockholders.
No Cumulative Voting
Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the charter specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our certificate of incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting. Therefore, stockholders holding a majority of the shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be able to elect all Blade directors.
Stockholder Action; Special Stockholder Meetings
Our certificate of incorporation provides that stockholders are not be able to take any action by written consent for any matter and may only take action at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders. As a result, a holder of a majority of our capital stock would not be able to amend our bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of stockholders called in accordance with our bylaws, unless previously approved by our Board. Our certificate of incorporation provides that special meetings of stockholders may be called at any time only by or at the direction of our Board or the chairperson of our Board. Our bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting. These provisions might delay the ability of stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders controlling a majority of our capital stock to take any action, including the removal of directors.
Advance Notification Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholders seeking to bring business before the annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our Board or a committee of our Board. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions might preclude stockholders from bringing matters before an annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at the annual meeting of  stockholders if  the proper procedures are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of Blade.

3

        

Consent of Stockholders in Lieu of Meeting
Our certificate of incorporation precludes stockholder action by any consent in lieu of a meeting at any time.
Amendment of Certain Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares then entitled to vote is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation, unless the certificate of incorporation requires a greater percentage. Our certificate of  incorporation provides that the amendment of any of the foregoing provisions in our certificate of incorporation would require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2∕3% of the voting power of all the then outstanding shares of  stock entitled to vote on such amendment, voting together as a single class.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that our Board is expressly authorized to adopt, make, alter, amend or repeal our bylaws without a stockholder vote in any manner not inconsistent with the laws of the State of Delaware. Furthermore, any adoption, alteration, amendment or repeal of our bylaws by stockholders will require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2∕3% of the voting power of all the then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote on such matter, voting together as a single class.
The provisions of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of the Class A common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to consummate transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal and Payment
Under the DGCL, with certain exceptions, stockholders will have appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation of Blade. Pursuant to the DGCL, stockholders who properly request and perfect appraisal rights in connection with such merger or consolidation will have the right to receive payment of the fair value of their shares as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Stockholders’ Derivative Actions
Under the DGCL, any stockholder may bring an action in Blade’s name to procure a judgment in Blade’s favor, also known as a derivative action, provided that the stockholder bringing the action is a holder of shares of stock at the time of the transaction to which the action relates or such stockholder’s stock thereafter devolved by operation of law.
Exclusive Forum
Our certificate of incorporation requires that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative actions brought on behalf of Blade (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or (4) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have jurisdiction, another state court in Delaware or the federal district court for the District of  Delaware) and, if  brought outside of  Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, except for any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) that is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction or (D) any action arising under the federal securities laws, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. In addition, the provisions described above will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To 

4

        

prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, our certificate of incorporation will provides that the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a forum selection provision as written in connection with claims arising under the Securities Act.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation.
Description of Warrants
Public Warrants
Each whole Public Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its Public Warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole Public Warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No Public Warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a Public Warrant unless the Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Public Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Public Warrant, the holder of such Public Warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any Public Warrant. 
Redemption of Public Warrants for Cash.
We may call the Public Warrants for redemption:
•in whole and not in part;
•at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;
•upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each Public Warrant holder; and
•if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30)-trading day period ending three (3) business days before we send the notice of redemption to the Public Warrant holders.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the Public Warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the Public Warrants, each Public Warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its Public Warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) Public Warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption of Public Warrants for Shares of Class A common stock
Commencing ninety days after the Public Warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:

5

        

•in whole and not in part;
•at $0.10 per Public Warrant upon a minimum of thirty (30) days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their Public Warrants prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock to be determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described below;
•if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the Public Warrant holders;
•if, and only if, the Private Placement Warrants are also concurrently exchanged at the same  price (equal to a number of shares of Class A common stock) as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above; and
•if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the thirty (30)-day period after written notice of redemption is given.
The numbers in the table below represent the number of shares of Class A common stock that a Public Warrant holder will receive upon exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of the Class A common stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their Public Warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined based on the average of the last reported sales price for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of Public Warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the Public Warrants, each as set forth in the table below.
The stock prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Public Warrant is adjusted. The adjusted stock prices in the column headings will equal the stock prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a Public Warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a Public Warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Public Warrant.

6

        

																														
	Redemption Date (Period to Expiration of Public Warrants)	Fair Market Value of Class A common stock
	$10.00	$11.00	$12.00	$13.00	$14.00	$15.00	$16.00	$17.00	$18.00
	57 months	0.257	0.277	0.294	0.310	0.324	0.337	0.348	0.358	0.365
	54 months	0.252	0.272	0.291	0.307	0.322	0.335	0.347	0.357	0.365
	51 months	0.246	0.268	0.287	0.304	0.320	0.333	0.346	0.357	0.365
	48 months	0.241	0.263	0.283	0.301	0.317	0.332	0.344	0.356	0.365
	45 months	0.235	0.258	0.279	0.298	0.315	0.330	0.343	0.356	0.365
	42 months	0.228	0.252	0.274	0.294	0.312	0.328	0.342	0.355	0.364
	39 months	0.221	0.246	0.269	0.290	0.309	0.325	0.340	0.354	0.364
	36 months	0.213	0.239	0.263	0.285	0.305	0.323	0.339	0.353	0.364
	33 months	0.205	0.232	0.257	0.280	0.301	0.320	0.337	0.352	0.364
	30 months	0.196	0.224	0.250	0.274	0.297	0.316	0.335	0.351	0.364
	27 months	0.185	0.214	0.242	0.268	0.291	0.313	0.332	0.350	0.364
	24 months	0.173	0.204	0.233	0.260	0.285	0.308	0.329	0.348	0.364
	21 months	0.161	0.193	0.223	0.252	0.279	0.304	0.326	0.347	0.364
	18 months	0.146	0.179	0.211	0.242	0.271	0.298	0.322	0.345	0.363
	15 months	0.130	0.164	0.197	0.230	0.262	0.291	0.317	0.342	0.363
	12 months	0.111	0.146	0.181	0.216	0.250	0.282	0.312	0.339	0.363
	9 months	0.090	0.125	0.162	0.199	0.237	0.272	0.305	0.336	0.362
	6 months	0.065	0.099	0.137	0.178	0.219	0.259	0.296	0.331	0.362
	3 months	0.034	0.065	0.104	0.150	0.197	0.243	0.286	0.326	0.361
	0 months	—	—	0.042	0.115	0.179	0.233	0.281	0.323	0.361

The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued for each Public Warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Public Warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are  57 months until the expiration of the Public Warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their Public Warrants for 0.277 shares of Class A common stock for each whole Public Warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth  in the table above, if the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Public Warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the Public Warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their Public Warrants for 0.298 shares of  Class A common stock for each whole Public Warrant. In no  event will the Public Warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.365 shares of Class A common stock per Public Warrant. Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the Public Warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any shares of Class A common stock.
No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the Public Warrants are exercisable for a security other than Class A common stock pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, the Public Warrants may be exercised for such security.
Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise.
If we call the Public Warrants for redemption for cash as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its Public Warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” If  our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of Public Warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their Public Warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of  Class A common stock underlying the Public Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the Public Warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which 

7

        

the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of Public Warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the Public Warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. If  we call our Public Warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, Experience Sponsor LLC and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their Private Placement Warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other Public Warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their Warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a Public Warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.8% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
If the number of  outstanding shares of  Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each Public Warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for the Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of the Class A common stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which   the shares of Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if  we, at any time while the Public Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the Public Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above or (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, then the Public Warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each Public Warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants is adjusted, as described above, the Public Warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the Public Warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the Public Warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Public Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such 

8

        

reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Public Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their Public Warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market,  or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the Public Warrant properly exercises the Public Warrant within thirty (30) days following public disclosure of such transaction, the Public Warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the Warrant Agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the Warrant Agreement) of the Public Warrant. The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Public Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Public Warrants.
The Public Warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of Public Warrants being exercised. The Public Warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock or any voting rights until they exercise their Public Warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the Public Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. If, upon exercise of the Public Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the Public Warrant holder.
Private Placement Warrants
The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by Experience Sponsor LLC or its permitted transferees (except for a number of shares of Class A common stock as described under “— Redemption of Public Warrants for Shares of Class A common stock”). Otherwise, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the Public Warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than Experience Sponsor LLC or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
If holders of the Private Placement Warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their Private Placement Warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the Private Placement Warrants by (y) the fair market value.
The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. 

9Document

Exhibit 10.4

FASTENAL COMPANY
NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN
(As amended and restated effective December 20, 2021)

This Plan is adopted and made by Fastenal Company, a Minnesota corporation with principal offices at Winona, Minnesota (the “Company”), for the benefit of the Non-Employee Directors of the Company.

1.         Purpose.

The Fastenal Company Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”) is intended to more closely align the interests of the Company’s Non-Employee Directors with those of the Company’s shareholders by allowing for the grant of equity-based compensation to Non-Employee Directors in the form of options to acquire shares of the Company’s common stock and to enable each of the Company’s Non-Employee Directors to elect to receive awards of options to acquire shares of the Company’s common stock in lieu of some or all of the annual cash payments that the Director would otherwise be entitled to receive for service on the Company’s Board.

2.         Definitions.

(a)       “Administrator” means the Board or the committee appointed by the Board to administer the Plan, as specified in Section 10. 

(b)       “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company. 

(c)       “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time.  For purposes of the Plan, references to Sections of the Code shall be deemed to include any applicable regulations or interpretations thereunder and any successor or similar statutory provisions. 

(d)       “Company” means Fastenal Company, a Minnesota corporation, and any successor corporation. 

(e)       “Common Stock” means the Company’s $.01 par value common stock. 

(f)        “Employee” means an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary. 

(g)       “Exercise Price” means the specified price at which Shares subject to an Option may be purchased.

(h)       “Fair Market Value” means the fair market value of a Share determined as follows:

(1)       If the Shares are readily tradable on an established securities market (as determined under Code Section 409A), then Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for a Share on the principal securities market on which it trades on the date for which it is being determined, or if no sale of Shares occurred on that date, on the next preceding date on which a sale of Shares occurred, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or

(2)       If the Shares are not then readily tradable on an established securities market (as determined under Code Section 409A), then Fair Market Value will be determined by the Administrator as the result of a reasonable application of a reasonable valuation method that satisfies the requirements of Code Section 409A.

(i)        “Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee.

(j)        “Option” means a right granted under the Plan to purchase a specified number of Shares at a specified price during a specified period of time.  Each Option granted under the Plan will be a non-qualified stock option not intended to satisfy the requirements of Code Section 422.

(k)       “Participant” means an individual to whom a then-outstanding Option has been granted under the Plan.

(l)        “Reorganization” means a statutory merger, statutory consolidation or statutory share exchange involving the Company, a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or a sale, pursuant to an agreement with the Company, of securities of the Company, any of which results in the Company not being the surviving or acquiring company, or in the Company becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of another company after the effective date of the Reorganization.

(m)      “Share” means a share of Common Stock, or such other securities or property as may become subject to an Option in lieu of or in addition to a Share pursuant to an adjustment as provided under Section 8 of the Plan.

(n)       “Subsidiary” means a subsidiary corporation of the Company as defined in Section 424 of the Code.

3.         Shares Subject to Options.

The aggregate number of authorized and unissued Shares for which Options may be granted and which may be purchased upon the exercise of Options granted under the Plan shall not exceed 5,000,000 (adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock split effected in May 2019), subject to adjustment under the provisions of Section 8.  In the event any Option shall, for any reason, terminate or expire or be forfeited or surrendered without having been exercised in full, the Plan’s share reserve as specified in the preceding sentence shall correspondingly be replenished.  If the elections by Participants pursuant to Section 5 for any calendar year would otherwise involve a number of Shares that would exceed the number of Shares then available in the Plan’s share reserve, the Administrator will allocate to each Participant a ratable portion of the remaining number of Shares in the Plan’s share reserve, and the resulting Option awards shall be adjusted accordingly.

4.         Participants.

All Non-Employee Directors shall be eligible to participate in the Plan. Non-Employee Directors who have received an Option award under the Plan and/or who timely elect to participate in accordance with Section 5 shall be Participants in the Plan.

5.         Election to Receive an Option in Lieu of Cash.

(a)       Making an Election.  On or before any November 20, each Non-Employee Director may elect to receive an Option award under the Plan in lieu of some or all of certain cash payment amounts as specified by the Administrator (the “Annual Cash Payment”) that such Director would otherwise be entitled to receive for services as a Non-Employee Director of the Company during the calendar year commencing after the effective date of such election (an “Election”).  A Non-Employee Director may elect to receive an Option award in lieu of any ten percent increment of an Annual Cash Payment amount between 10% and 100% of such payment amount.  Any such Election shall be made by completing, signing and submitting to the Company the Election form approved for such purpose by the Administrator, and will be effective with respect to the Annual Cash Payment otherwise payable for services as a Non-Employee Director performed during the calendar year commencing after the completion of the Election.  An Election must be made with respect to each calendar year by completing the Election form provided by the Administrator prior to end of the immediately preceding calendar year, and once an Election becomes effective as of the first day of a calendar year, such election shall be irrevocable for that calendar year,

(b)       Grants Pursuant to an Election.  For each calendar year during the term of this Plan and pursuant to the Election form, such Director will be granted an Option award hereunder on the date(s) specified by the Administrator during such calendar year (each, a “Grant Date”) on which some or all of the Annual Cash Payment would have been paid to the Non-Employee Director but for such Election.

6.         Grant of Option Awards.

In addition to Options granted in connection with Elections made by Non-Employee Directors pursuant to Section 5, the Administrator has the authority to grant Options to Non-Employee Directors, at such times (each such date of grant, also a “Grant Date”), in such amounts and with such terms, provisions and conditions as it shall determine in its sole discretion.  Each Option award pursuant to the Plan will be evidenced by a grant notification in the form approved by the Administrator (the “Grant Notification”).

7.         Terms and Conditions of Option Awards.  All Option awards granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:

(a)       Number of Option Shares.  The number of Shares subject to each Option award will be determined: (i) by the Administrator with respect to Option awards granted by the Administrator not pursuant to an Election, and (ii) with respect to Option awards granted pursuant to an Election, by dividing (A) the portion of the Annual Cash Payment that a Participant would have received in cash on the Grant Date but for the Election by (B) the Black-Scholes value as of the Grant Date of each Share subject to the Option award, and rounding down to the nearest whole number.

(b)       Exercise Price.  The per Share Exercise Price of each Option award shall be determined and stated by the Administrator at the time of grant, but shall not be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Grant Date of the Option award.

(c)       Vesting and Exercisability.  (i) With respect to Option awards granted pursuant to an Election, each such Option award will be fully vested and exercisable on its Grant Date; and (ii) with respect to Option awards granted by the Administrator not pursuant to an Election, each such Option award will have such vesting conditions and timing as the Administrator may determine.

(d)       Period of Option.  The expiration date with respect to each Option award shall be determined and stated by the Administrator at the time of grant.

(e)       Transferability of Option Awards.  During the lifetime of a Participant, only the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative may exercise an Option, and no Option may be sold, assigned, transferred, exchanged or encumbered, voluntarily or involuntarily, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.  Any attempted transfer in violation of this Section 7(e) shall be of no effect.  Any Option award held by a permitted transferee shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions that were applicable to that award immediately before the transfer thereof.  For purposes of any provision of the Plan relating to notice to a Participant or to expiration of an Option upon termination of service of a Participant, the references to “Participant” shall mean the original grantee of an Option award and not any transferee.

(f)        Shareholder Rights.  Neither a Participant nor any permitted transferee of an Option shall have any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company until the Option has been exercised and the Shares purchased are properly issued to such Participant or transferee.

(g)       Manner of Exercise   Each exercise of an Option shall be in writing, in such form as the Administrator may prescribe, delivered to the Administrator or its designee, specifying the number of Shares being purchased and accompanied by payment of the Exercise Price for such Shares, by check payable to the Company or in such other manner as the Administrator may prescribe.

(h)       Forfeiture For Breach of Obligations.  Notwithstanding any other provision in this Plan, if a Participant violates any duty of loyalty owed to, or agreement with, the Company in any material respect, any outstanding Option held by such Participant shall be subject to immediate forfeiture in the discretion of the Board, and with respect to any Option that has been exercised by such Participant within a 12 month period prior to the occurrence of such violation, the Board may demand payment of and the Participant shall be liable to the Company for the difference between the aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the Shares acquired upon such exercise and the aggregate Exercise Price of such Shares. The Participant shall pay such amount promptly upon demand by the Company.

8.         Adjustments and Reorganizations.

(a)       Adjustments for Changes in Capitalization.  In the event of any equity restructuring (within the meaning of FASB ASC Topic 718) that causes the per share value of Shares to change, such as a stock dividend, stock split, spinoff, rights offering or recapitalization through an extraordinary dividend, the Administrator shall make such adjustments as it deems equitable and appropriate to (i) the aggregate number and kind of Shares or other securities subject to the Plan, (ii) the number and kind of Shares or other securities subject to outstanding Option awards, and (iii) the Exercise Price of outstanding Option awards.  In the event of any other change in corporate capitalization, including a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or partial or complete liquidation of the Company, such equitable adjustments described in the foregoing sentence may be made as determined to be appropriate and equitable by the Administrator to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights of Participants.  In either case, any such adjustment shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes of the Plan.  No adjustment shall be made pursuant to this Section 8(a) in connection with the conversion of any convertible securities of the Company, or in a manner that would cause an Option to be subject to adverse tax consequences under Section 409A of the Code.

(b)       Dissolution or Liquidation.  In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any Option granted under the Plan shall terminate as of a date to be fixed by the Administrator, provided that not less than 30 days written notice of the date so fixed shall be given to each Participant and each such Participant shall have the right during such period (but in no event beyond the expiration date of the applicable Option) to exercise each of his or her outstanding Options as to all or any part of the Shares covered thereby.

(c)       Reorganization.  In the event of a Reorganization, then:

(1)       If there is no plan or agreement respecting the Reorganization (“Reorganization Agreement”) or if the Reorganization Agreement does not specifically provide for the change, conversion, or exchange of the Shares under outstanding and unexercised Options for securities of another corporation, then any Option granted under the Plan shall terminate as of a date to be fixed by the Administrator, provided that not less than 30 days written notice of the date so fixed shall be given to each Participant and each such Participant shall have the right during such period (but in no event beyond the expiration date of the applicable Option) to exercise each of his or her outstanding Options as to all or any part of the Shares covered thereby; or 

(2)       If there is a Reorganization Agreement and if the Reorganization Agreement specifically provides for the change, conversion, or exchange of the Shares under outstanding and unexercised Options for securities of another corporation, then the securities received on account of such Shares shall be subject to the Plan and then-outstanding Options, with such adjustments by the Administrator to the number and kind of securities subject to the then-outstanding Options as may be required or permitted by Section 8(a).  

(d)       Administrator Decisions Final.  Adjustments and determinations under this Section 8 shall be made by the Administrator as specified herein, and its decisions as to what adjustments or determinations shall be made, and the extent thereof, shall be final, binding, and conclusive.

9.         Restrictions on Issuing Shares.

The exercise of each Option and the issuance of Shares in connection therewith shall be subject to the condition that if at any time the Administrator shall determine in its discretion that the listing, registration, or qualification of any Shares otherwise deliverable upon such exercise upon the Nasdaq Global Select Market or other recognized national securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or that the consent or approval of any regulatory body, is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, such exercise or the delivery or purchase of Shares pursuant thereto, then in any such event, such exercise shall not be effective unless such withholding, listing, registration, qualification, consent, or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Administrator.

10.       Administration of Plan.

(a)       Administrator.  The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Company.  If the Administrator is such a committee, it shall report all actions taken by it to the Board.  In administering the Plan, the Administrator shall be governed by and shall adhere to the provisions of the Plan. Subject to the foregoing, the Administrator may establish, amend or rescind rules to administer the Plan, interpret the Plan and any Grant Notification, reconcile any inconsistency, correct any defect or supply an omitted term in the Plan or any Grant Notification, and make all other determinations necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan.  All such actions and determinations shall be conclusively binding for all purposes and upon all persons. The Administrator may delegate non-discretionary administrative responsibilities in connection with the Plan to such persons as it deems advisable. 

(b)       Liability and Indemnification.  To the greatest extent permitted by law, (i) no member or former member of the Administrator shall be liable for any action or determination taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Option granted under the Plan, and (ii) the members or former members of the Administrator shall be entitled to indemnification by the Company against and from any loss incurred by such members by reason of any such actions and determinations.

11.       Delivery of Shares and Proceeds.

Upon the exercise of an Option, the Administrator shall cause the purchased Shares to be issued by the Company’s transfer agent and a certificate or statement of issuance to be delivered to the Participant.  The proceeds received from the sale of Shares pursuant to the exercise of Options granted under the Plan shall be the property of the Company, and shall be delivered to it promptly by the Administrator.

12.       Amendment, Suspension, or Termination of Plan.

(a)       Board’s Authority.  Subject to Section 12(b), the Board may at any time suspend or terminate the Plan or may amend it from time to time in such respects as it may deem advisable in order that the Options granted thereunder may conform to any changes in the law or in any other respect which it may deem to be in the best interests of the Company.  Unless the Plan shall theretofore have been terminated as provided herein, the Plan shall terminate when all available Shares have been granted and no granted Option is outstanding.  No Option may be granted during any suspension or after the termination of the Plan.  No amendment, suspension, or termination of the Plan shall, without a Participant’s consent, materially impair any of the rights or obligations under any outstanding Option theretofore granted to such Participant under the Plan, unless such action is necessary to comply with applicable law or stock exchange rules.  A Participant’s consent to any amendment, suspension, or termination of the Plan or to any Option issued pursuant to the Plan shall be deemed to have been given if the Participant fails to object in writing within 15 days after written notice thereof, given in person or by certified mail sent to the Participant’s address contained in the records of the Company. To the extent considered necessary to comply with applicable provisions of law or the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Select Market or other applicable recognized national securities exchange, any such amendments to the Plan may be made subject to approval by the shareholders of the Company.

(b)       No Option Repricing.  Except as provided in Section 8(a), no Option award granted under the Plan may be (i) amended to decrease the exercise price thereof, (ii) cancelled in conjunction with the grant of any new Option award with a lower exercise price, (iii) cancelled in exchange for cash, other property or the grant of any other form of equity award at a time 

when the per Share Exercise Price of the Option Award is greater than the current Fair Market Value of a Share, or (iv) otherwise subject to any action that would be treated under accounting rules as a “repricing” of such Option award, unless such action is first approved by the Company’s shareholders.

13.       Adoption and Effective Date of Plan.

The Plan was approved and adopted by the Board on October 10, 2017, which is the effective date of the Plan, subject to approval of the Plan by the Company's shareholders.  The Company's shareholders approved the Plan on April 24, 2018, the date of the Company’s 2018 annual meeting of shareholders.  The Plan was amended effective December 20, 2021, by approval of the Board. 

14.       Other Provisions.

            (a)       Unfunded Plan.  The Plan shall be unfunded and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Option awards under the Plan.  Neither the Company, its Subsidiaries, the Administrator, nor the Board shall be deemed to be a trustee of any amounts to be paid under the Plan nor shall anything contained in the Plan or any action taken pursuant to its provisions create or be construed to create a fiduciary relationship between the Company and/or its Subsidiaries, and a Participant.   To the extent any person has or acquires a right to receive a payment in connection with an Option award under the Plan, this right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company.

            (b)       Governing Law.  To the extent that federal laws do not otherwise control, the Plan and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant to the Plan shall be governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota without regard to its conflicts-of-law principles and shall be construed accordingly.

            (c)       Severability.  If any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.

Source: [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00339-of-00352.parquet"}, [{"source": "alea-institute/alea-institute/kl3m-data-edgar-agreements/train-00339-of-00352.parquet"}]]