Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Related Parties

v3.19.1
Related Parties
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Parties

14. RELATED PARTIES

 

See Note 9- Notes Payable, Note 12 – Stockholders’ Equity and Note 16 – Commitments and Contingencies for additional details.

 

BLNK HOLDINGS TRANSFERS TO JMJ

 

In February 2018, prior to the closing of the public offering, Mr. Farkas reached an agreement with JMJ that, following the closing of the public offering, BLNK Holdings, an entity for which Mr. Farkas had voting power and investment power with regard to this entity’s holdings, would transfer 260,000 shares to JMJ as additional consideration for JMJ agreeing to waive its claims to $12 million as a mandatory default amount pursuant to previous agreements with the Company. This transfer took place on April 18, 2018. Prior to entering into this agreement, Mr. Farkas did not bring the matter to the entire Board for a vote. The fair value of $785,200 of the 260,000 shares of common stock that were to be transferred to JMJ by BLNK Holdings is reflected as interest expense on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations during the year ended December 31, 2018 with a corresponding credit to additional paid-in capital.

 

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

 

Effective June 15, 2017, the Company amended its employment agreement with Michael D. Farkas, its Executive Chairman (the “Third Amendment”). This Third Amendment was approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board as a whole (with Mr. Farkas recusing himself from the vote regarding the Third Amendment). The Third Amendment clarified that, on a going-forward basis, the Executive Chairman position held by Mr. Farkas is the principal executive officer of the Company. Mr. Farkas will hold this position for a term of three (3) years, with an automatic one (1) year renewal unless either party terminates Mr. Farkas’ employment with the Company at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the term.

 

The Company agreed that Mr. Farkas was paid $20,000 per month from July 24, 2015 to November 24, 2015 and the Company agreed to pay Mr. Farkas the equivalent of $15,000 per month in cash and $15,000 per month in shares of common stock for the past eighteen (18) months (from December 1, 2015 through May 31, 2017), or $270,000 in cash and $270,000 in common stock. Prior to entering into an employment agreement dated October 15, 2010 with Mr. Farkas (the “Original Farkas Employment Agreement”), the Company and an entity controlled by Mr. Farkas entered into: (i) that certain Consulting Agreement dated October 20, 2009 (the “Consulting Agreement”); and (ii) that certain Blink Charging Co. Fee/Commission Agreement dated November 17, 2009 (the “Fee Agreement”) and, after entering into the Original Farkas Employment Agreement, the parties entered into that certain Patent License Agreement dated March 29, 2012 among the Company, Mr. Farkas and Balance Holdings, LLC and the March 11, 2016 Agreement regarding the Patent License Agreement (collectively with the Fee Agreement and the Consulting Agreement, the “Affiliate Agreements”).

 

Upon the closing of the offering for which the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-1 on November 7, 2016 (as amended), Mr. Farkas will be paid: (i) $270,000 in cash for payments owed Mr. Farkas from December 1, 2015 through May 31, 2017; and (ii) at least $645,000 ($375,000 of commissions on hardware sales, accrued commissions on revenue from charging stations due pursuant to the Affiliate Agreements, and $270,000 of common stock for payments owed Mr. Farkas from December 1, 2015 through May 31, 2017) in units of the Company’s common stock and warrants sold in the offering at a 20% discount to the price per unit of the units sold in the offering. Pursuant to the Third Amendment, the Company and Mr. Farkas agreed that not all amounts due pursuant to the Affiliate Agreements had been calculated as of June 15, 2017. Once calculated prior to the offering, the additional amount shall be paid in the form of units at a 20% discount to the price per unit of the units sold in the offering.

 

In addition, pursuant to the Third Amendment, Mr. Farkas is due to receive (regardless of the status of the offering) warrants in replacement of expired warrants he was due to receive under the terms of the Original Farkas Employment Agreement. These warrants will expire five years after their issuance date: (a) warrants for 2,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $9.50 per share; (b) warrants for 68,667 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $21.50 per share; and (c) warrants for 44,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $37.00 per share. On November 27, 2017 the Company issued 114,767 shares of common stock in satisfaction of the replacement warrants with a grant date fair value of $677,010. Mr. Farkas will also receive options (regardless of the status of the offering) for 7,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $30.00 per share and options for 8,240 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $37.50 per share in connection with amounts owed pursuant to the Affiliate Agreements. The options were issued in December 2018 with an issuance date fair value $46,146. The Third Amendment resolves all claims Mr. Farkas had with regard to the Affiliate Agreements.

 

Pursuant to the Third Amendment, Mr. Farkas’ salary will be, prior to the closing of the offering, $15,000 per month in cash and $15,000 per month in shares of common stock. Pursuant to the December 6, 2017 letter agreement between the Company and Mr. Farkas, after the closing of the offering, Mr. Farkas’ monthly salary will be $40,000 of cash compensation. Mr. Farkas agreed that the Fee Agreement and the Consulting Agreement are suspended and no payments are due thereunder (other than the payments specified in the Third Amendment) for as long as he is a full-time employee of the Company and is due to be paid a monthly salary of at least $40,000.

 

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has accrued approximately $120,000 for all necessary amounts due to Mr. Farkas which are specified above. See Note 16 Commitments and Contingencies - Executive Compensation for additional details.

 

CONVERSION AGREEMENTS

 

Effective August 23, 2017, and as amended on January 4, 2018, the Company entered into an agreement with Michael D. Farkas, its Executive Chairman (the “Conversion Agreement”) where the parties agreed to, upon the closing of the offering for which the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-1 on November 7, 2016 (as amended), convert $315,000 of compensation payments owed Mr. Farkas from December 1, 2015 through August 31, 2017 (“Debt”) into common stock, determined by the following formula: (i) the Debt amount multiplied by a factor of 115 and (ii) then divided by 80% of the per share price of common stock sold in the offering. If the Company converts securities at more favorable terms than those provided to Mr. Farkas, then the Debt conversion price shall be automatically modified to equal such more favorable terms. The Conversion Agreement expired on February 14, 2018.

 

COMPENSATION AGREEMENT

 

On June 16, 2017, the Company entered into a compensation agreement with Ira Feintuch, its Chief Operating Officer (the “Compensation Agreement”). The Compensation Agreement clarifies the accrued compensation owed to Mr. Feintuch under the Fee/Commission Agreement dated November 19, 2009. Under the Compensation Agreement, Mr. Feintuch was entitled to receive (i) options for 7,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $30.00 per share; and (ii) options for 9,600 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $37.50 per share. As of December 31, 2018, options were issued and had a fair value of approximately $22,000.

 

Pursuant to the Compensation Agreement, Mr. Feintuch is due to receive (regardless of the status of the offering) $142,250 for accrued commissions on hardware sales and $31,969 for accrued commissions on revenue from charging stations. The aforementioned amounts of commissions on hardware sales and revenue from charging stations were calculated through March 31, 2017. The Company and Mr. Feintuch agreed that from April 1, 2017 through the closing of the offering, these commissions shall be calculated using the same formula (the “Additional Amounts”), and once approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board, will be paid to Mr. Feintuch.

 

The timing of the payments described above shall be as follows: The Company shall pay Mr. Feintuch the following by the third (3rd) business day following the closing of the offering: (i) $130,664 in cash (75% of the value of the accrued commissions on hardware sales and accrued commission on revenues from charging stations as calculated through March 31, 2017) and (ii) an amount of cash equal to 75% of the Additional Amounts. By the third (3rd) business day following the closing of this offering, the Company shall also issue to Mr. Feintuch (i) units of shares of common stock and warrants sold in the offering with a value of $43,555 (25% of the value of the accrued commissions on hardware sales and the accrued commission on revenue from charging stations, as calculated through March 31, 2017) at a 20% discount to the price per unit of the units sold in the offering; and (ii) an amount of units with a value of 25% of the Additional Amounts at a 20% discount to the price per unit of the units sold in the offering.

 

The Compensation Agreement resolves all claims Mr. Feintuch had with regard to the Fee/Commission Agreement.

 

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has accrued for all necessary amounts due to Mr. Feintuch which are specified above.

 

LETTER AGREEMENTS

 

On December 6, 2017, the Company and Mr. Farkas signed a letter agreement, pursuant to which, Mr. Farkas, on behalf of FGI, agreed that upon the closing of the public offering, FGI will cancel 2,930,596 of its shares of the Company’s common stock (of the 2,990,404 received). Mr. Farkas is also due to receive 886,119 shares of common stock upon the closing of the public offering.

 

On December 6, 2017 and December 7, 2017, the two holders of shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (Mr. Farkas and Mr. Feintuch) signed letter agreements pursuant to which, at the closing of the public offering, 11,000,000 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock will convert into 550,000 shares of common stock. On March 22, 2018 the Company issued 550,000 shares of common stock related to this transaction. (See Note 12 – Stockholder’s Equity for additional details.)

 

On December 7, 2017, the Company and Mr. Feintuch signed a letter agreement, pursuant to which, Mr. Feintuch agreed that upon the closing of the public offering, will receive 26,500 shares of common stock.

 

On January 4, 2018, the Company and both Mr. Farkas and Mr. Feintuch have agreed to extend the expiration dates of their respective agreements from December 29, 2017 to February 14, 2018.

 

On March 22, 2018, pursuant to a letter agreement dated December 6, 2017, the Company issued 886,119 shares of common stock to Mr. Farkas as compensation with an issuance date fair value of $2,534,300. On April 16, 2018, Mr. Farkas returned 2,930,596 shares of common stock to the Company which were then retired.

 

On March 22, 2018, pursuant to a letter agreement dated December 7, 2017, the Company issued 26,500 shares of common stock to Mr. Feintuch as compensation with an issuance date fair value of $75,790.

 

THIRD PARTY TRANSACTION

 

On February 7, 2017, BLNK Holdings purchased the following securities from a stockholder of the Company for $1,000,000: 142,857 shares of common stock, 114,491 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, warrants to purchase 526,604 shares of the Company’s common stock, and all rights, claims, title, and interests in any securities of whatever kind or nature issued or issuable as a result of the stockholder’s ownership of the Company’s securities.