Mr. Harry Barr reports
NEXT GEN SIGNS BUSINESS COMBINATION AGREEMENT TO COMPLETE THREE-CORNERED
AMALGAMATION WITH MARKET LEADING VAPE E-TAILER
Further to its announcement on Sept. 24, 2015, Next Gen Metals Inc. has signed a business combination agreement dated Oct. 30, 2015, with Dollinger Enterprises Ltd. and Dollinger Enterprises USA Inc., collectively a market-leading organization in the distribution and manufacturing of products, including vaporizers, accessories and herbs, with a presence in 25 countries (herein after referred to as NamasteVapes).
Management commentary
Harry Barr, chairman and chief executive officer of Next Gen, commented: "This signing of this agreement, definition of the board and management, and determination of terms of financing, represent significant milestones in completion of this transaction and our objective to transition Next Gen into an operating business with a solid base of revenue and considerable growth prospects. I would like to thank all those involved in this transaction for their hard work and dedication and our shareholders for their continued support while we move forward with the objective of fulfilling the remaining conditions to closing this transaction."
Sean Dollinger, president of NamasteVapes, commented: "The management team of NamasteVapes is pleased to have consummated this agreement with Next Gen. This proposed transaction will provide us with the funds necessary to further expand our product offerings, reduce our cost of sales by adding additional scale to our business and enable us to retain qualified professionals focused on expanding our company. I would also like to thank all those involved in this transaction for their hard work, dedication and commitment to making Namaste a global leader in the vaporizer industry."
Commercial terms and conditions to closing
Next Gen will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of an entity to be formed under the name of Namaste Technologies Holdings Inc., through a three-cornered amalgamation, whereby Next Gen's wholly owned subsidiary GreenRush Analytical Laboratories will amalgamate with Namaste Holdings upon closing (as defined below) and the shareholders of Namaste Holdings will receive postconsolidated shares of Next Gen in exchange for their shares of Namaste Holdings, upon and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement. The transaction is deemed to be a fundamental change as that term is defined in the Canadian Securities Exchange's policies. The agreement supersedes and replaces the binding letter of intent entered into between the parties.
Material commercial terms of the transaction include:
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Consolidation of Next Gen's stock on a 1:3 basis;
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36,218,202 postconsolidated Next Gen shares to be issued in connection with the transaction;
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8,692,368 postconsolidated Next Gen shares to be held in an escrow
account for distribution to the posttransaction management of Next Gen
over a period of three years, subject to the attainment of certain revenue
and profitability, corporate finance and administrative milestones to be
monitored by the posttransaction compensation committee of Next Gen;
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Finder's fee equal to 4 per cent of the acquisition shares from the transaction.
Conditions to closing include:
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Receipt of all director, shareholder and requisite regulatory approvals
relating to the transaction, including, without limitation, CSE
approval;
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Preparation and filing of a listing statement outlining the definitive
terms of the transaction, in accordance with the policies of the CSE;
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Incorporation and organization of Namaste Holdings and
completion of the share transfer of the Dollinger USA shares from
Dollinger Enterprises to Namaste Holdings;
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Execution of consulting agreements for material members of the posttransaction management team;
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Completion of one or more financings for minimum gross proceeds of
$500,000;
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Change of corporate name to Namaste Technologies Inc.;
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Amendment of the current stock option plan of Next Gen to a 10-per-cent rolling
plan;
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Execution of lock-up agreements for certain material shareholders of
Next Gen;
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Completion of documentation for a shareholder inventory loan of
$265,000 (U.S.) over 24 months and inventory investment recovery, as products
are sold, for any inventory greater than $325,000 (U.S.) as at the date of
closing.
As of the date hereof, Next Gen has 21,730,921 common shares issued and outstanding. There are also 1,883,750 warrants and 1,495,000 stock options to acquire common shares. The current outstanding options and warrants will be cancelled prior to closing. Unless these conditions to closing have been fulfilled by the parties, there can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. The transaction is currently scheduled to close on Dec. 15, 2015. The shares of Next Gen will remain halted from trading on the CSE until closing.
Posttransaction management
Sean Dollinger, president, chief executive officer and director
Sean Dollinger is an experienced entrepreneur, having successfully founded, developed and monetized multiple business ventures. As co-founder of NamasteVapes, Sean Dollinger is the visionary responsible for the strategic direction of a start-up company that has achieved over $4.5-million of sales in the last 12-month period. His core areas of expertise include concept and market creation through international e-commerce marketing channels and the formation of strategic supply and distribution partnerships to secure and develop products, open logistics channels, and improve customer service. As an expert in vaporizers, accessories and aromatherapy, he has done business with companies and customers in nearly every continent around the world. Sean Dollinger previously played baseball with one of the top 10 NJCAA Division One baseball programs in the United States.
Kory Zelickson, chief operating officer
Mr. Zelickson is an experienced engineer focused on designing, developing, manufacturing and distributing new products and concepts internationally. As co-founder of NamasteVapes, Mr. Zelickson has been responsible for execution of the business plan by developing a market for the company's products in more than 25 countries, bringing to market multiple vaporizers and accessories, providing industry recognized reviews to consumers, and engineering fresh new product ideas (such as the Guru, a dry-herb vaporizer that adapts to work with resins and liquids). Mr. Zelickson is also highly experienced in on-line marketing and e-commerce and has been involved in developing multiple companies from scratch. He holds a bachelor of engineering in electrical and electronics from University of Manitoba. While representing the University of Manitoba, Mr. Zelickson and his team won an international engineering competition hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Blair Henderson, CGA, chief financial officer
Mr. Henderson is an accountant with a diverse array of experience in multiple industries. His areas of expertise include financial reporting and analysis, business planning, internal control implementation and monitoring, internal and external audits, and corporate financial planning and tax. Mr. Henderson is currently the principal of Virtus Consulting, a consulting and accounting firm offering a full suite of services to small-and-medium-sized businesses, and was previously a senior auditor with the Investors Group Financial Services Inc., a large financial organization with a presence across Canada. While at Investors Group, Mr. Henderson oversaw the completion of multiple large-scale projects aimed at improving business efficiency and ensuring regulatory and reporting compliance. He holds a bachelor of commerce (honours) in accounting and entrepreneurship from the University of Manitoba and is a certified general accountant.
Darren Collins, executive vice-president, corporate development
Mr. Collins is a financial professional focused on developing growth companies globally and has over eight years of experience as an adviser and executive of public companies. Mr. Collins was previously professionally engaged by a number of advisory and investment firms, including Alegro Capital LP in London, England, and Dalvay Capital Inc., Scotia Capital Inc. and Quest Capital Corp. (currently Sprott Resource Lending Corp.) in Toronto, Canada. While engaged by these companies, Mr. Collins has been involved in upward of a billion dollars of transactions, spanning mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, and joint venture partnerships. Mr. Collins holds a bachelor of commerce in finance from Dalhousie University.
Adam Potts, industry adviser
Mr. Potts is an experienced sales professional and is recognized by physicians as one of the leading field representatives for medical cannabinoids in Canada. In his more than 15 years of professional sales experience, Mr. Potts has worked with multiple global corporations, including pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Bayer, as well as office supply companies such as Xerox. While at these companies, he has developed external sales and marketing skills that have driven revenue growth and forged long-term client relationships. Mr. Potts is currently a sales manager at Tilray, a leading licensed producer in Canada. He holds a bachelor of science from Queen's University. He is also an active volunteer with Camp Ooch, an organization and summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings.
Tina Whyte, corporate secretary
Ms. Whyte is an experienced corporate secretary and has over 15 years of experience in the corporate and securities industry. Her expertise spans to areas of corporate governance, continuous disclosure, financing transactions and regulatory filings. Ms. Whyte has formerly held director and officer positions in publicly traded companies.
Posttransaction board of directors
Harry Barr, chairman of the board
Mr. Barr has over 30 years of public/private company experience in the mining, technology and real estate industries with a focus on acquisition, finance and development of projects on an international scale. He has guided his management teams to complete over 300 option joint venture agreements with major, mid-tier and junior companies. Mr. Barr has raised over $250-million to advance their projects throughout nine countries. Mr. Barr holds a diploma in agriculture from the University of Guelph.
Peter Simeon, independent director
Mr. Simeon is an experienced corporate commercial and securities lawyer. As a partner in Gowlings's Toronto office, Mr. Simeon focuses his practice on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and structured products. Working closely with issuers, underwriters and other corporate clients, Mr. Simeon delivers practical, effective advice to help businesses move their transactions forward. He has acted for clients across a range of industries. Mr. Simeon is on the board of directors of Tolima Gold Inc. and Cluny Capital Corp. He holds an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and a BA from Queen's University.
Sefi Dollinger, independent director
Sefi Dollinger is an experienced entrepreneur and business development professional with a record of building profitable and sustainable business ventures. His core areas of expertise include sales management, new business development, contract negotiation and product procurement. Sefi Dollinger is currently one of the principals of DZD Hardwood, a successful family-owned business located in Montreal, Canada, that specializes in hardwood lumber handling, drying and remanufacturing. He is a graduate of Concordia University.
Gary Moore, independent director
Mr. Moore has an extensive background in finance and accounting. His core areas of expertise include corporate governance and regulatory compliance, risk management and internal control management, and corporate transactions, including, but not limited to, the raising of debt and equity capital, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. He has held junior and senior executive positions with various companies, including Trionics Technology Ltd., Trivest Management Inc., Global Securities Corp. Pacific International Securities Inc. and HTI Ventures Corp. He is a graduate from the University of British Columbia from the faculty of commerce and from the master of business administration program.
Non-brokered private placements
Next Gen announces that it has arranged, subject to the acceptance of the CSE and on a postconsolidated basis, a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 10 million subscription receipts at a price of 10 cents per subscription receipt for gross proceeds of up to $1-million. The subscription receipts are being issued in connection with the proposed transaction between Next Gen and NamasteVapes. Each subscription receipt will be automatically convertible, for no additional consideration, into one unit of the company upon satisfaction of certain conditions relating to the company's completion of the transaction. Each unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the company at a price of 15 cents for a period of 24 months. Should the transaction not close by Feb. 15, 2015, the subscription receipts shall be cancelled and the subscription funds shall be distributed to the holders of subscription receipts, without interest and deduction for reasonable accounting and legal fees. Upon closing of the transaction and the conversion of the subscription receipts, the proceeds from the postconsolidation private placement will be used to finance inventory expansion, commercialization of new products, entering new markets and for general corporate purposes. The common shares issued under the postconsolidated private placement will be subject to a contractual one-year hold period, pursuant to a pooling agreement, and released from escrow each four months over a period of 12 months from the date of completion of the transaction. Finders' fees comprising 7 per cent cash and 7 per cent warrants may be paid in connection with the postconsolidation private placement. Any finders' fees will be payable in accordance with the policies of the CSE. The postconsolidation private placement is anticipated to close on or before Dec. 15, 2015.
In addition to the postconsolidation private placement, Next Gen also announces the completion of a non-brokered private-placement financing of 3.2 million units on a preconsolidated basis (1,066,667 units after consolidation) at a price of 2.5 cents per preconsolidation unit for gross proceeds of $80,000. Each preconsolidation unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the company at a price of five cents for a period of 24 months. The common shares issued under the preconsolidated private placement will be subject to a contractual one-year holder period, pursuant to a pooling agreement, and released from escrow each four months over a period of 12 months from the date of completion of the transaction. The proceeds from the preconsolidation private placement will be used to finance transaction costs, settle historical payables of Next Gen and for general corporate purposes. The common shares forming part of the preconsolidation units shall be consolidated on a 1:3 basis upon completion of the transaction. Insiders of Next Gen and close business associates have subscribed for the preconsolidation units.
Selection of transaction auditor
Next Gen reports that NamasteVapes has appointed and is currently working with MNP SENCRL SRL as independent auditor of its audited annual financial statements, as required by the CSE. MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada. MNP has offices across Canada and is headquartered in Calgary. The firm has approximately 4,000 staff.
Further information
Further details about the proposed transaction and the combined entity will be provided in a comprehensive press release when the parties enter into a definitive agreement and in the listing statement to be prepared and filed in respect of the transaction.
Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a CSE-listed company should be considered highly speculative.
We seek Safe Harbor.
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