What It Took to Begin
Forming a regulated futures business in 1997 was not a simple act of filing paperwork. It required moving through two distinct legal systems simultaneously: the state corporate law of Ohio, which governed the existence of the corporation itself, and the federal regulatory framework of the National Futures Association and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which governed whether that corporation could operate in the futures industry at all. The documents in this collection record the first of those two processes — the creation of the legal entity.
The Ohio formation sequence began in late July 1997 and concluded with federal S-Corporation acceptance later that year. The sequence was not bureaucratic formality. Each document in the chain served a specific legal function: the Articles of Incorporation established the corporation's name, structure, and authorized capital; the Certificate of Incorporation confirmed the state's acceptance of that filing; the Incorporator Proceedings transferred authority from the incorporator to the corporation's initial officers and directors; the Corporation Record Book established the internal governance framework; and the IRS S-Corporation acceptance notice completed the federal tax election that would govern how the firm's income was treated.
The startup capitalization check — the earliest financial artifact in the collection — predates the formal NFA application and regulatory registration that would follow. It documents the moment when the decision to form the company was translated into an act of financial commitment. Taken together, these nine documents record the complete legal birth of Argo Futures Group, Inc.: from the first state filing in July 1997 to the federal acknowledgment that the corporation had been properly constituted as a regulated business entity.
Nine Documents, One Legal Architecture
The nine documents in this collection follow a precise legal sequence. Each one depended on the one before it. Together they record the complete transformation of an entrepreneurial intention into a legally constituted, federally recognized corporation.
The $5,000 startup capitalization check from Sidney E. Miller — the earliest surviving financial artifact of the firm's founding, predating the formal NFA application.
The Articles of Incorporation filed with the Ohio Secretary of State, establishing the corporation's legal name, principal office, and authorized capital structure of 850 no-par common shares.
The Certificate of Incorporation issued by Ohio Secretary of State Bob Taft, confirming the state's acceptance of the filing and recording the corporation on Roll 5955 at Frame 1688–1689.
The Ohio Secretary of State processing statement confirming receipt of the Articles of Incorporation filing under Charter Number 986581, Document Number 97073038301.
The Corporation Record Book establishing the internal governance framework — the foundational document of the corporation's own institutional records.
The first Incorporator Proceedings, transferring authority from the incorporator to the corporation's initial officers and directors and formally constituting the board.
The second Incorporator Proceedings, first page — completing the organizational actions required to activate the corporation's governance structure.
The second Incorporator Proceedings, second page — completing the record of the organizational meeting and the formal establishment of the corporation's initial operating framework.
The IRS S-Corporation Acceptance Notice — the federal acknowledgment that the corporation's tax election had been accepted, completing the legal architecture of the new business entity.
The documents below are authenticated original records from the Argo Futures Group, Inc. corporate archive. They are presented in their original condition. Select any document to enlarge. Use arrow keys or the navigation controls to move through the sequence.
Corporate Formation — 1997
Nine original documents recording the complete legal formation of Argo Futures Group, Inc., from the initial startup capitalization through federal S-Corporation acceptance. Presented in chronological order.
All documents in this collection are authenticated original records from the Argo Futures Group, Inc. corporate archive. They are presented without alteration. The archive continues to accept additional authenticated materials as they are identified and verified.