As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 27, 2016

Registration No. 333-

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

AXOGEN, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

13631 Progress Boulevard, Suite 400,

Alachua, Florida 32615

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

AxoGen, Inc. 2010 Stock Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

 

Karen Zaderej

Chief Executive Officer

AxoGen, Inc.

13631 Progress Boulevard, Suite 400,

Alachua, Florida 32615

(386) 462-6800

(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

 

With copies to:

 

Gregory G. Freitag

General Counsel

AxoGen, Inc.

13631 Progress Boulevard, Suite 400

Alachua, Florida 32615

(386) 462-6800

 

Fahd M.T. Riaz, Esq.

DLA Piper LLP (US)

1650 Market Street, Suite 4900

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

(215) 656-3300

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

This registration statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement") is filed by AxoGen, Inc. (the "Company" or the "Registrant"), relating to the registration of 2,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the "Common Stock"), of the Registrant to be offered and sold under the AxoGen, Inc. 2010 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended and restated as of March 23, 2016 (the “Plan”).

 

 

 

PART I

Information Required in the Section 10(a) Prospectus

 

As permitted by the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), this registration statement omits the information specified in Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the participants in the Plan as required by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Such documents are not being filed with the Commission as part of this registration statement or as a prospectus or prospectus supplement pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this registration statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II hereof, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

 

PART II

Information Required in the Registration Statement

 

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference

 

The following documents previously filed by the Registrant with the Commission are incorporated herein by reference and shall be deemed to be a part hereof:

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, all documents that the Company files pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the effective date of this Registration Statement (except for any portions of the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 thereof and any corresponding exhibits thereto not filed with the Commission), but prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement indicating that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents.

 

For purposes of this Registration Statement, any document or statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such document or statement in such document. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4.  Description of Securities

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

Minnesota Statutes, Section 302A.521, subd. 2, requires the Company to indemnify a person made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of the former or present official capacity of the person with respect to the Company, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements, and reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements, incurred by the person in connection with the proceeding if certain statutory standards are met, unless the Company amends its Amended the Restated Articles of Incorporation, or the “Articles of Incorporation,” or its Amended and Restated Bylaws, or the “Bylaws,” to prohibit or condition such indemnification rights. In addition, Minnesota Statutes, Section 302A.521, subd. 3 requires payment by the Company, upon written request, of reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of the proceeding in certain circumstances unless the Company amends the Articles of Incorporation or the Bylaws to prohibit or condition such expense advancement rights. Under Section 302A.521, subd. 4, the Company may amend the Articles of Incorporation or the Bylaws to prohibit or condition such indemnification or expense advancement rights. A decision as to required indemnification is made (i) by a disinterested majority of the Company’s Board of Directors present at a meeting at which a disinterested quorum is present, (ii) by a designated committee of the Board of Directors consisting of two or more disinterested directors, (iii) by special legal counsel selected by the board or a committee by vote pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) above, (iv) by an affirmative vote of the shareholders, in which the shares held by parties to the proceeding is not counted in determining the presence of a quorum and are not considered to be present and entitled to vote, or (v) by a court in Minnesota. For purposes of clauses (i) and (ii) above, a director is disinterested if he or she is not a party to the proceeding for which indemnification or expense advancement is at issue. Section 302A.521 contains detailed terms regarding such right of indemnification and reference is made thereto for a complete statement of such indemnification rights.

 

Article 7 of the Articles of Incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the Minnesota Business Corporation Act as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, a director of the Company shall not be personally liable to the Company or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director; provided, however, that Article 7 shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director to the extent provided by applicable law (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under section 302A.559 or 80A.76 of the Minnesota Statutes, (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit, or (v) for any act or omission occurring prior to the effective date of Article 7 or any predecessor of this provision. Neither the amendment, modification or repeal of Article 7 nor the adoption of any provision in the Articles of Incorporation inconsistent with Article 7 shall adversely affect any right or protection of a director or officer of the Company with respect to any act or omission that occurred prior to the time of such amendment, modification, repeal or adoption.

 

The Bylaws provide that the directors and officers of the Company shall have the right to indemnification provided by Minnesota Statutes, Section 302A.521, as now enacted or hereafter amended. Under Section 302A.521, subd. 2, indemnification will be available only where an officer, director or employee can establish that he or she: (i) has not been indemnified by another organization with respect to the same acts or omissions; (ii) acted in good faith; (iii) received no improper personal benefits; (iv) in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful; and (v) reasonably believed the conduct was in the best interests of the Company or, in certain circumstances, reasonably believed that the conduct was not opposed to the best interests of the Company.

 

The Company maintains, on behalf of its directors and officers, insurance protection against certain liabilities arising out of the discharge of their duties, as well as insurance covering the Company for indemnification payments made to its directors and officers for certain liabilities. The premiums for such insurance are paid by the Company.

 

With respect to possible indemnification of directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company for liabilities arising under the Securities Act pursuant to such provisions, the Company is aware that the Commission has publicly taken the position that such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

 

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8.  Exhibits

 

*Filed herewith.

 

Item 9.  Undertakings

 

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

 

 

 

 

provided,  however, that paragraphs (A)(1)(i) and (A)(1)(ii) shall not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement;

 

 

 

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act)  that is incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Alachua, State of Florida, on this 27th day of May, 2016.

 

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

 

Each person whose individual signature appears below hereby authorizes and appoints Karen Zaderej and Peter J. Mariani, and each of them, with full power of substitution and resubstitution and full power to act without the other, as his or her true and lawful attorney in fact and agent to act in his or her name, place and stead and to execute in the name and on behalf of each person, individually and in each capacity stated below, and to file any and all amendments to this registration statement, including any and all post-effective amendments and amendments thereto, and any registration statement relating to the same offering filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys in fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing, ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys in fact and agents or any of them or their or his substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

*Filed herewith.