Brainworks Ventures, Inc. Combines with AssuranceAmerica Corporation.Business Editors ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2003 BRAINWORKS VENTURES, INC inc - /ink/ increment, i.e. increase by one. Especially used by assembly programmers, as many assembly languages have an "inc" mnemonic. Antonym: dec. . (OTCBB OTCBB See OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB). : BRAV) today announced that it has combined with AssuranceAmercia Corporation, an insurance-oriented holding company, formed by Guy W. Millner and Lawrence "Bud" Stumbaugh, of which Mr. Millner serves as Chairman of the Board and Mr. Stumbaugh serves as Chief Executive Officer. The purpose of the business combination is to allow Brainworks Ventures, which has provided funding and business consulting services to early stage technology companies, to enter the property and casualty insurance business through AssuranceAmerica, which will become a wholly-owned subsidiary by Brainworks Ventures, and which will discontinue its former business. AssuranceAmerica is a property and casualty-oriented insurance holding company which currently focuses on the non-standard automobile insurance markets, primarily in Florida and Georgia. Its two principal operating subsidiaries are AssetAmerica Insurance Agencies (acquired in 1998), which sells personal automobile insurance policies through its 26 retail agencies, and Ameraset Assurance Group, which is a managing general agency established in 2000, which develops and markets insurance products, underwrites insurance risks, adjusts insurance claims and binds new policies. In 2002, these two subsidiaries of AssuranceAmerica wrote an aggregate of approximately $56 million in premiums. The combination was effected through a merger of a newly-formed and wholly-owned subsidiary of Brainworks with AssuranceAmerica, as the surviving corporation in the merger. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of AssuranceAmerica will receive, in exchange for their ownership of AssuranceAmerica, approximately 19,508,900 shares of Brainworks Ventures common stock and will be entitled to receive an additional approximately 23,241,000 shares of Brainworks Ventures common stock upon conversion of their shares of preferred stock Stock shares that have preferential rights to dividends or to amounts distributable on liquidation, or to both, ahead of common shareholders. Preferred stock is given preference over common stock. Holders of preferred stock receive dividends at a fixed annual rate. of AssuranceAmerica into common stock of Brainworks Ventures. That conversion will occur automatically when shareholders of Brainworks Ventures authorize sufficient additional shares of Brainworks Ventures common stock to permit such conversion. Brainworks Ventures will hold a special meeting of its shareholders to authorize the additional shares of common stock as soon as practicable. Mr. Millner will become Chairman of the Board of the combined companies and Mr. Stumbaugh will become Chief Executive Officer and President. They will serve, together with Dr. Donald Ratajczak Donald Ratajczak, PhD is an economist known initially as a professor at Georgia State University. Throughout the 1980s to present day he has been quoted on radio, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. References
n. Intellectual activity, especially as an aspect of a person's profession. Ventures. One or more independent members of the Board of Directors of Brainworks Ventures will be sought to join the Brainworks Board. In commenting on the combination, Dr. Ratajczak stated "We are very pleased with the opportunity to combine with AssuranceAmerica Corporation and move forward as an Atlanta-based growth company under leadership that has a strong track record for producing shareholder value. Mr. Millner and his team have a strategic plan for growing the company in a rapidly expanding segment of the insurance industry." Prior to co-founding AssuranceAmerica, Mr. Millner was founder and chairman of Norrell Corporation, an Atlanta-based staffing and outsourcing company whose stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. and which had over $1.4 billion in revenues at the time it was acquired by Spherion Corporation. Mr. Millner announced that he was pleased with the first three years of operations of AssuranceAmerica in the non-standard auto insurance sector. He also stated that Brainworks Ventures would seek to qualify to have its common stock listed on the NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on SmallCap Market, stating, "If we are able to qualify for listing on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market, and continue to grow the business of AssuranceAmerica, we believe that Brainworks Ventures will regain a following in the marketplace, which will inure To result; to take effect; to be of use, benefit, or advantage to an individual. For example, when a will makes the provision that all Personal Property is to inure to the benefit of a certain individual, such an individual is given the right to receive all the personal to the benefit of its shareholders and provide further flexibility for growth." Brainworks Ventures advised that further information concerning the business combination will be contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K Form 8-K The form required by the SEC when a publicly held company incurs any event that might affect its financial situation or the share value of its stock. Form 8-K See 8-K. to be filed by Brainworks Ventures with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release includes statement that may constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. Forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statement. By making the forward-looking statements, Brainworks Ventures undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release. |
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