INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT Center Coast Core MLP Fund I, LLC
AGREEMENT made this 31st day of May, 2011, by and between Center Coast Core MLP Fund I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the "Fund"), and Center Coast Capital Advisors, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the "Advisor").
WHEREAS, the Fund is a closed-end, management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to retain the Advisor to render investment management services with respect to the Fund and the Advisor is willing to render such services:
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT AND ACCEPTANCE. The Fund hereby appoints the Advisor to act as Advisor to the Fund for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement. The Advisor accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish the services herein set forth for the compensation herein provided.
The Advisor will, at its own expense, render the services and provide the office space, furnishings and equipment, and personnel (including any sub-advisers) required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. The Advisor will not, however, pay for the cost of securities, commodities, and other investments (including brokerage commissions and other transaction charges, if any) purchased or sold for any Fund.
2. DUTIES OF ADVISOR. The Fund employs the Advisor to furnish and manage a continuous investment program for the Fund. The Advisor will continuously review, supervise and (where appropriate) administer the investment program of the Fund, to determine in its discretion (where appropriate) the securities to be purchased, held, sold or exchanged, to provide the Fund with records concerning the Advisor’s activities which the Fund is required to maintain and to render regular reports to the Fund’s officers and Trustees concerning the Advisor’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Advisor may hire (subject to the approval of the Fund's Board of Managers (“Board”) and, except as otherwise permitted under the terms of any applicable exemptive relief obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission, or by rule or regulation, a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund) and thereafter supervise the investment activities of one or more sub-advisers deemed necessary to carry out the investment program of the Fund. The retention of a sub-adviser by the Advisor shall not relieve the Advisor of its responsibilities under this Agreement.
The Advisor shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the control of the Fund’s Board and in compliance with such policies as the Board may from time to time establish, with the objectives, policies, and limitations for the Fund set forth in the Fund's registration statement as amended from time to time, and with applicable laws and regulations.
3. FUND TRANSACTIONS. The Advisor is authorized to select the brokers or dealers that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Fund and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain “best execution,” considering the Fund’s investment objectives, policies, and restrictions as stated in the Fund’s Confidential Private Placement Memorandum and Statement of Additional Information, as the same may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and resolutions of the Fund’s Board. The Advisor will promptly communicate to the officers and the Board such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request.
It is understood that the Advisor will not be deemed to have acted unlawfully, or to have breached a fiduciary duty to the Fund or be in breach of any obligation owing to the Fund under this Agreement, or otherwise, by reason of its having directed a securities transaction on behalf of the Fund to a broker-dealer in compliance with the provisions of Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or as described from time to time by the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.
4. COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISOR. For the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to this Agreement, the Fund shall pay to the Advisor compensation at an annual rate of 1.10%, payable monthly in arrears, based upon the Fund’s net assets as of month-end. Net assets means the total value of all assets of the Fund, less an amount equal to all accrued debts, liabilities and obligations of the Fund. In the case of a partial month, compensation will be based on the number of days during the month in which the Advisor invested Fund assets. Compensation will be paid to the Advisor before giving effect to any repurchase of limited liability company interests in the Fund effective as of that date. The Advisor may, in its discretion and from time to time, waive all or a portion of its fee.
All rights of compensation under this Agreement for services performed as of the termination date shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
5. BOOKS AND RECORDS. The Advisor will maintain all books and records with respect to the securities transactions of the Fund and will furnish to the Fund’s Board such periodic and special reports as the Board may reasonably request. The Fund and the Advisor agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current registration statements, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the 1940 Act which are prepared or maintained by the Advisor on behalf of the Fund are the property of the Fund and will be surrendered promptly to the Fund on request.
6. STATUS OF ADVISOR. The services of the Advisor to the Fund are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Advisor shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Fund are not impaired thereby. The Advisor shall be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund.
7. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF ADVISOR.
(a) In the absence of willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations to the Fund, the Advisor and any partner, director, officer or employee of the Advisor, or any of their affiliates, executors, heirs, assigns, successors or other legal representatives, will not be liable for any error of judgment, mistake of law or for any act or omission by the person in connection with the performance of services to the Fund, except as may otherwise be provided under provisions of applicable state law or Federal securities law which cannot be waived or modified hereby.
(b) The Fund shall indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Advisor, or any member, manager, officer or employee of the Advisor, and any of their affiliates, executors, heirs, assigns, successors or other legal representatives, against any liability or expense to which the person may be liable that arises in connection with the performance of services to the Fund, so long as the liability or expense is not incurred by reason of the person’s willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations to the Fund. The rights of indemnification provided under this Section shall not be construed so as to provide for indemnification of any aforementioned persons for any losses (including any liability under Federal securities laws which, under certain circumstances, impose liability even on persons that act in good faith) to the extent (but only to the extent) that such indemnification would be in violation of applicable law, but shall be construed so as to effectuate the applicable provisions of this Section to the fullest extent permitted by law.
(c) The Advisor shall indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Fund and all controlling persons of the Fund (as described in Section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended), against any liability or expense to which the person may be liable that arises in connection with the performance of services to the Advisor, so long as the liability or expense is not incurred by reason of the person’s willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations to the Advisor. The rights of indemnification provided under this Section shall not be construed so as to provide for indemnification of any aforementioned persons for any losses (including any liability under Federal securities laws which, under certain circumstances, impose liability even on persons that act in good faith) to the extent (but only to the extent) that such indemnification would be in violation of applicable law, but shall be construed so as to effectuate the applicable provisions of this Section to the fullest extent permitted by law.
8. PERMISSIBLE INTERESTS. Managers, agents, and interest holders of the Fund are or may be interested in the Advisor (or any successor thereof) as members, managers, officers, or interest holders, or otherwise; members, managers, officers, agents, and interest holders of the Advisor are or may be interested in the Fund as Managers, interest holders or otherwise; and the Advisor (or any successor) is or may be interested in the Fund as an interest holder or otherwise. In addition, brokerage transactions for the Fund may be effected through affiliates of the Advisor if approved by the Fund’s Board, subject to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
9. AUTHORITY; NO CONFLICT. The Advisor represents, warrants and agrees that: it has the authority to enter into and perform the services contemplated by this Agreement; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not, and will not, conflict with, or result in any violation or default under, any agreement to which Advisor or any of its affiliates are a party.
10. LICENSE OF ADVISOR'S NAME. The parties agree that the name of the Advisor, the names of any affiliates of the Advisor and any derivative or logo or trademark or service ▇▇▇▇ or trade name are the valuable property of the Advisor and its affiliates. The Advisor hereby agrees to grant a license to the Fund for use of its name in the name of the Fund for the term of this Agreement and such license shall terminate upon termination of this Agreement. If the Fund makes any unauthorized use of the Advisor’s names, derivatives, logos, trademarks, or service marks or trade names, the parties acknowledge that the Advisor shall suffer irreparable harm for which monetary damages may be inadequate and thus, the Advisor shall be entitled to injunctive relief, as well as any other remedy available under law.
11. DURATION AND TERMINATION. This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall remain in effect until May 31, 2013 and thereafter, may continue in effect only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the vote of a majority of those Managers of the Board who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any party to this Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (b) by a vote of a majority of the Fund’s Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; provided, however, that if the interest holders of any Fund fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Advisor may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated as to the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty by vote of a majority of members of the Fund’s Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60 days written notice to the Advisor, or by the Advisor at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Fund. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at any office of such party.
As used in this Section 11, the terms "assignment", "interested persons", and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall have the respective meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
12. NOTICE. Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be deemed sufficient if sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed by the party giving notice to the other party at the last address furnished by the other party to the party giving notice:
If to the Advisor:
Center Coast Capital Advisors, LP
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If to the Fund:
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13. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
14. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without reference to conflict of law or choice of law doctrines, and the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Delaware, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
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CENTER COAST CAPITAL ADVISORS, LP
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