Exhibit 14.1
MIMEDX
GROUP, INC.
CODE
OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
April
29, 2008
This
Code of Business Conduct Applies To All Directors, Officers and
Employees
This Code
of Business Conduct and Ethics (the "Code") applies to all directors, officers,
and employees of MiMedx Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries (together, the
"Company"). It also applies to all directors, officers, and employees
of the Company's controlled affiliates and employees who serve as directors or
officers (or an equivalent position) of any non-controlled
affiliate.
This Code
is part of the terms and conditions of each employee's employment with the
Company; provided, however, the Code does not create an express or implied
employment contract and is not intended to be interpreted as a
contract. To the contrary, it presents guidelines and constitutes a
statement of principles to which all of us are held accountable.
General
Statement
The
Company is committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional
conduct. This Code establishes basic standards of business practice,
as well as professional and personal conduct, that are expected of all
directors, officers, and employees. These standards require honesty
and candor in the Company's activities. The Company expects all
directors, officers, and employees to abide not only by the "letter" but also
the "spirit" of the Code.
This
Code also sets forth procedures for bringing complaints or issues before
management or the Audit Committee on a confidential, anonymous
basis. You should review the procedures carefully.
Basic
Principles of Ethical Corporate Conduct
Because
the Company is judged by the performance and public perception of its directors,
officer, and employees, each director, officer, and employee has a
responsibility always to act in a manner that merits public trust and confidence
consistent with the highest standards expected of directors, officers, and
employees of a publicly owned corporation.
The
principles set forth below are basic principles that must be
followed:
1. Be
honest, fair and trustworthy in all relationships in carrying out your duties
for the Company.
2. Avoid
actual and apparent conflicts of interest between work and your personal
interests, and if there are any such conflicts or potential conflicts, seek
approval beforehand from the Company's Chief Financial Officer, or if you are an
officer, from the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
3. Obey
all applicable laws, rules and regulations governing the Company's business,
wherever it is conducted, and do not take any action, either personally or on
behalf of the Company, that violates any such law or any other significant law
or regulation, the violation of which would reflect poorly on you or the
Company. Do not take advantage of the Company, its employees,
customers, vendors, or suppliers or any other third parties.
4. Treat
the Company's property and funds with the same care and respect you would treat
your own property and funds. The Company's property and funds belong
to its stockholders. Do not improperly charge and do not fail to
charge for services the Company renders.
5. Foster
an atmosphere in which personal integrity and fair dealing is part and parcel of
what you do.
6. Be
honest and candid with regard to all reporting of financial
results. Be timely and accurate in all your reporting; do not change
or fudge numbers or facts to make yourself or someone else look
better.
7. Be
loyal to the Company. Do not (i) deprive the Company of an
opportunity; (ii) take for your own advantage an opportunity that belongs
to the Company; or (iii) help others violate (i) or (ii), if they are in a
position to divert a Company opportunity for their own benefit.
8. Keep
confidential information about the Company and its customers, which may include
pricing, research, intellectual property, Company or customer financial
information, the identity of customers or suppliers, trade secrets, and
proprietary information confidential, both
while you are employed and after you leave the Company, and do not use
any such information for your personal advantage or for the benefit of the
Company's competitors.
9. All
employees and representative of the Company should understand the legal and
ethical issues associated with gifts and entertainment and how they can affect
our relationship with our customers, suppliers, and the general
public. The decision to offer or accept gifts or entertainment should
be made only in compliance with legal requirements and ethical considerations,
and with the involvement of a manager if unsure of the appropriate
course.
The issue
of gifts and gratuities may have legal implications when the government, or
government entity is involved, and serious consequences can result from
mishandling these relationships. Offering or accepting bribes or
pay-offs is always prohibited.
Business
gifts and entertainment are courtesies designed to build goodwill and sound
working relationships among business partners. We do not, however,
want to obtain business through improper means as to gain any special advantage
in a relationship. Business gifts that compromise, or even appear to
compromise, our ability to make objective and fair business decisions are
inappropriate. Gifts from a subordinate to a superior should be
limited to reasonable gifts given in recognition of a commonly celebrated
occasion or event.
10. Treat
all persons fairly, regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender,
disability, age or national origin. Adhere to fair employment
practices. Extend courtesy to every employee, customer, vendor, and
supplier of the Company.
11. Be
thoroughly familiar with, adhere to and fully comply with all Company policies
and procedures, including, without limitation, this Code, the Company's Insider
Trading Policy, the Company's Reporting Procedures for Accounting Matters, and
other standards of conduct.
12. Conduct
business in a way that protects the health and safety of the Company employees,
other people, and the environment. Employees should act in a manner
that ensures compliance with all applicable governmental and private health,
safety, and environmental requirements, including contributing to an alcohol-
and drug-free workplace.
13. Invest
the time necessary to learn your job thoroughly and learn from your colleagues
who have more experience in the Company’s business.
14. Promptly
report to your supervisor or the Chief Financial Officer (or, if appropriate,
the Audit Committee) any irregularities or apparent wrongdoing, including
violations of the matters listed in this section and all facts surrounding any
such incident.
15. Do
not withhold, misrepresent or misconstrue facts or information when reporting
any matter to your supervisor or superior or reporting violations of this Code
or any other standards of conduct to your supervisor, the Chief Financial
Officer or the Audit Committee.
16. Any
Company employee who is in possession of material, non-public information
concerning the Company's financial condition, operations, properties or
prospects may not purchase or sell the Company's stock until two (2) business
days after that information has been publicly disclosed. Material,
non-public information is information about the Company an investor would
consider important that has not been publicly disclosed, either by the Company
or otherwise.
Examples
of Conduct That Violates This Code
The
following are examples of conduct that violates this Code:
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Acts
of dishonesty and/or embezzlement, including borrowing money from the
Company without approval of a senior officer or using Company property for
personal use or personal gain.
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Accepting
or giving bribes or kickbacks to or from the Company's customers, vendors,
or suppliers.
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Making
favorable freight arrangements for customers that result in you obtaining
a personal benefit.
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Misusing
Company property.
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Abusing
or misusing property belonging to customers, vendors, suppliers, and other
third parties.
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Looking
up or obtaining information on workstation screens, company records or
elsewhere about the Company's financial or proprietary information, unless
there is a business need to do so that has been expressly approved by your
supervisor.
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Using
Company information for your own benefit or to benefit someone else,
either directly or indirectly.
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Trading
in the Company's stock while in possession of important inside information
about the Company that has not been publicly
disclosed.
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Falsifying
or destroying Company records or documents except as part of a normal and
previously approved record destruction
program.
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Failing
to report any matters accurately or timely to a supervisor or superior or
misrepresenting or misstating facts in any oral or written
report.
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Failing
to report wrongdoings to senior
management.
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Performing
work for a person or entity that has a business relationship with the
Company or for a person or entity that competes with the Company without
prior approval of management.
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The
examples above are not all-inclusive, and the Company reserves the right to
determine if and when conduct constitutes a violation of this Code, whether or
not the conduct is specifically identified.
Where
to Get More Information
If you do
not understand or have any questions about any portion of this Code, you should
contact the Chief Financial Officer, who currently is John C. Thomas,
Jr. You may contact the Chief Financial Officer by phone
(770)514-0077, in person or via e-mail: john@jcthomas.us.
Who
Handles Complaints
If you
believe that you or someone else may be in violation of the Code, you may submit
your complaints, reports, or concerns, on a confidential and anonymous basis as
follows:
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(i)
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writing
or orally notifying the Company's Chief Financial Officer, your supervisor
or an officer of the Company; or
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(ii)
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writing
to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee of MiMedx Group, Inc., 1234
Airport Road, Suite 105, Destin, Florida 32541, in an envelope with a
legend such as "To be
opened by the Audit
Committee."
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The Company forbids retaliation, and
no action will be taken against you for asking in good faith about the Code,
about activities that you are considering engaging in or for reporting in good
faith a perceived violation of the Code, even if it turns out that there was in
fact no violation.
Report
of Matters to Audit Committee
When an
issue is raised pertaining to the Code, the Chief Financial Officer will take
appropriate action under the circumstances; provided, that the Chief Financial
Officer shall report all matters to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee
relating to any (i) alleged violation of the Code by any director,
executive officer, or any Designated Officer (as defined below) (the "Alleged
Code Violation"), (ii) complaints, reports, or concerns regarding financial
statement disclosures, accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing
matters (collectively, "Accounting Matters"); (iii) violation of applicable
securities laws, rules, and regulations relating to financial reporting (a
"Legal Allegation"); (iv) retaliation against any employees who make any
allegations relating to (i) – (iii) above (a "Retaliatory Act"); and
(v) other matters required to be addressed by the Audit Committee
(A) set forth in the Reporting Procedures for Accounting Matters, the
Charter of the Audit Committee (the "Charter"), or otherwise, and
(B) pursuant to all applicable laws, rules, and
regulations.
The Audit
Committee has the continuing duty to review the performance of the Company's
Chief Financial Officer and other members of the financial management staff and
to provide independent and skilled guidance to the Board of Directors in
fulfilling its responsibilities and to ensure the fairness and accuracy of the
Company's Accounting Matters. Pursuant to
Section 301 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated
thereunder and its Charter, the Audit Committee established reporting procedures
for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints (collectively, a
"Complaint") received by the Company and Audit Committee on issues regarding
Alleged Code Violations and Accounting Matters as well as other
matters. A copy of the Reporting Procedures for Accounting Matters is
available on the Company's website (www.mimedx.com) under
“Investor Relations.”
Procedure
Complaints
may be made to the Company anonymously pursuant to the section titled, "Who
Handles Complaints." If the Compliant is, or is required to be,
addressed by the Audit Committee, then the Audit Committee will take the
following actions upon receipt of such Complaint:
· The
Chief Financial Officer and Chairman of the Audit Committee will review the
Complaint and determine whether the full Audit Committee needs to
review.
· The
Audit Committee will determine, in its sole discretion, whether the matters set
forth in the Complaint relate to or involve a material violation of this Code or
any Company policy or have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial
statements, results of operations or financial controls.
· The
Audit Committee may investigate the matters alleged in any Complaint by any
procedure it deems appropriate.
· The
Complaint, if it involves a material matter, will be reviewed by the Company's
independent public accountants or outside legal counsel, or both, as
appropriate, and the Audit Committee will take any necessary action to remedy
the matters set forth in the Complaint, including, without limitation,
presenting such Complaint to the Company's Board of Directors for further action
if the Audit Committee determines there is substance to the matters alleged in
the Complaint.
· Complaints
that are not well-founded will be dismissed, but such Complaints will be
retained by the Audit Committee for an appropriate period of time, as determined
by the Audit Committee.
· No
employee will be subject to discipline for bringing a Complaint in good faith to
the Audit Committee's attention.
Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary herein, any Complaints relating to Accounting Matters,
Alleged Code Violations, Legal Allegations or a Retaliatory Act shall be subject
to the procedures set forth in the Reporting Procedures for Accounting
Matters.
Any
Complaints received by the Audit Committee (or the Company's outside legal
counsel) will be retained in a separate, confidential file restricting access
only to members of the Committee and the Company's outside legal
counsel.
Code
of Ethical Conduct Waivers
A waiver
of any of the rules of the Code must be requested in writing. Any
waiver will be denied or granted in the sole discretion of the Company or the
Audit Committee as appropriate. The Chief Financial Officer has
authority to grant a waiver for employees who are below the rank of Vice
President, subject to approval of the Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors. Waivers of any provision of the Code for Designated
Officers, executive officers, or directors, as well as any changes to the Code,
shall be approved by the Company's Board of Directors and reported or disclosed
in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities and Exchange
Commission and National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
All
waivers of this policy must be reported to the Audit Committee.
Failure
to Comply
Engaging
in prohibited conduct or not adhering to this Code, or any other standards of
conduct adopted by the Company, may lead to disciplinary action against an
employee, which may include, without limitation, a warning or letter of
reprimand, demotion, salary reduction, loss of eligibility for a salary
increase, bonus, or equity compensation, suspension without pay, or termination
of employment. If you have any questions or doubts about whether your
conduct might pose a conflict or a potential conflict of interest or be
otherwise prohibited, refer the matter to your immediate supervisor or the Chief
Financial Officer.
Special
Provisions Relating Only to Principal
Executive
Officer and Senior Financial Officers
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission issued pursuant thereto require the Company to disclose in
its annual report whether it has adopted a code of ethics for its principal
executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or
controller, or persons performing similar functions (the "Designated
Officers"). For purposes of this requirement, the code of ethics
means a codification of standards that is reasonably designed to deter
wrongdoing and to promote:
(i) honest
and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent
conflicts of interest between personal and professional
relationships;
(ii) full,
fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents
that the Company files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange
Commission and in other public communications made by the Company;
(iii) compliance
with applicable governmental laws, rules, and regulations;
(iv) the
prompt internal reporting to an appropriate person or persons identified in the
Code of violations of the Code; and
(v)
accountability for adherence to the Code.
All
provisions of the Code apply to the Designated Officers. In addition,
each Designated Officer shall be responsible for the full, fair, accurate,
timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that a Company
files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other
public communications made by the Company.
Any
Designated Officer who is found to have violated any provision of the Code,
including any of the special provisions set forth herein, will be, at the
discretion of the Company's Board of Directors, subject to disciplinary action,
which may include, without limitation, a warning or letter of reprimand,
demotion, salary reduction, loss of eligibility for a salary increase, bonus, or
equity compensation, suspension without pay or termination of
employment.
Public
Availability
This Code
will be made publicly available in accordance with the applicable requirements
of the Securities and Exchange Commission on the Company's website (www.mimedx.com) under
"Investor Relations."
MiMedx
Group, Inc.
Code
of Business Conduct and Ethics
I have
received and read the MiMedx Group, Inc. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and
understand my responsibilities under it. I agree to comply with the
Code and to abide by its terms and conditions.
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