As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2003

Registration No. 333-             


SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 


 

SUPERIOR UNIFORM GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Florida

 

33772-2539

 

11-1385670

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Zip Code)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

10055 Seminole Boulevard

Seminole, Florida

(Address of principal executive offices)

 


 

Superior Uniform Group, Inc.

2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan

(Full title of the plans)

 


 

Richard T. Dawson

Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel

Superior Uniform Group, Inc.

10055 Seminole Boulevard

Seminole, Florida 33772-2539

(727) 397-9611

(Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 


 

Copy to:

 

Carolyn T. Long

Foley & Lardner

100 North Tampa St., Suite 2700

Tampa, Florida 33602

(813) 229-2300


 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 


Title of Securities to be Registered

 

Amount

to be

Registered

(1)(3)(4)

    

Proposed Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share(2)

  

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price(2)

  

Amount of

Registration Fee(3)


Common Stock, $.001 par value

 

2,500,000 shares

    

$

11.18

  

$

27,950,000

  

$

322.70


(1)   The provisions of Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) shall apply to this Registration Statement and the number of shares registered on this Registration Statement shall increase or decrease as a result of stock splits, stock dividends, or similar transactions.
(2)   Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. The fee is calculated upon the basis of the average between the high and low sales prices for shares of common stock of the Registrant as reported on the American Stock Exchange on June 2, 2003 pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) under the Securities Act.

 



 

(3) An aggregate of 415,200 shares being registered under the 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan are shares that were previously registered under the 1993 Incentive Stock Option Plan on a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 33-67604). The registration fee paid in connection with the registration of such shares was $1,938.46. Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8, the Registrant is transferring the registration fee associated with 415,200 shares from that prior Registration Statement. The registrant has filed a post-effective amendment to the prior registration statement deregistering those shares.

 

(4) Includes an indeterminate number of additional shares that may be issued to adjust the number of shares issued pursuant to the 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan described herein as the result of any future stock split, stock dividend, or similar adjustment of Superior Uniform Group’s outstanding common stock.

 

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PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

The document or documents containing the information specified in Part I are not required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) as part of this Form S-8 Registration Statement.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference .

 

The following documents have been previously filed by Superior Uniform Group, Inc. (the “Registrant”) with the Commission and are incorporated herein by reference:

 

(a) The Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 (including information specifically incorporated by reference into the Registrant’s Form 10-K from the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement).

 

(b) The description of the Registrant’s Common Stock contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed on January 27, 1969 (File No. 1-05869) filed pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and any amendments thereto or other reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

(c) The Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2003, filed on May 13, 2003.

 

(d) The Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 25, 2003.

 

All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 12(g), 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the “Exchange Act”, after the date of filing of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement that indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such reports and documents.

 

Any statement contained in a report or document incorporated or deemed incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superceded for the purpose of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed report or document that also is, or is deemed to be, incorporated herein by reference modifies or supercedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superceded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superceded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities .

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel .

 

Not applicable.

 

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Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers .

 

The Registrant is a Florida corporation. The Florida Business Corporation Act, as amended (the “Florida Act”), provides that, in general, a business corporation may indemnify any person who is or was a party to any proceeding (other than an action by, or in the right of, the corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the corporation, against liability incurred in connection with such proceeding, including any appeal thereof, provided certain standards are met, including that such officer or director acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and provided, further that, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, the officer or director had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. In the case of proceedings by or in the right of the corporation, the Florida Act provides that, in general, a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party to any such proceeding by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the corporation against expenses and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such proceeding, including any appeal thereof, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim as to which such person is adjudged liable unless a court of competent jurisdiction determines upon application that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity. To the extent that any officers or directors are successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any of the proceedings described above, the Florida Act provides that the corporation is required to indemnify such officers or directors against expenses actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. However, the Florida Act further provides that, in general, indemnification or advancement of expenses shall not be made to or on behalf of any officer or director if a judgment or other final adjudication establishes that his actions, or omissions to act, were material to the cause of action so adjudicated and constitute: (i) a violation of the criminal law, unless the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was lawful or had no reasonable cause to believe it was unlawful; (ii) a transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit; (iii) in the case of a director, a circumstance under which the director has voted for or assented to a distribution made in violation of the Florida Act or the corporation’s articles of incorporation; or (iv) willful misconduct or a conscious disregard for the best interests of the corporation in a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor or in a proceeding by or in the right of a shareholder. The Registrant has purchased insurance with respect to, among other things, any liabilities that may arise under the statutory provisions referred to above.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed .

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits .

 

The following exhibits have been filed (except where otherwise indicated) as part of this Registration Statement:

 

Exhibit No.


  

Exhibit


(4)

  

Superior Uniform Group, Inc. 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan.

(5)

  

Opinion of Foley & Lardner regarding legality of common stock.

(15)

  

Letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP regarding unaudited interim financial information.

(23.1)

  

Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

(23.2)

  

Consent of Foley & Lardner (contained in Exhibit 5 hereto).

(24)

  

Power of Attorney relating to subsequent amendments (included on the signature page to this Registration Statement).

 

4


 

Item 9. Undertakings .

 

(1) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act, if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in this Registration Statement.

 

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement.

 

PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference herein.

 

(b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

2. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

3. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

5


 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Seminole, and State of Florida, on this 2 nd day of June, 2003.

 

S UPERIOR U NIFORM G ROUP , I NC .

By:

 

/s/     A NDREW D. D EMOTT , J R .


   

Andrew D. Demott, Jr.

Senior Vice President, Treasurer,

and Chief Financial Officer

 

Power of Attorney

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Andrew D. Demott, Jr. his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and revocation, for him and in his, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agents, or either of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Signature


  

Title


 

Date


/s/     G ERALD M. B ENSTOCK


Gerald M. Benstock

  

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)

 

June 2, 2003

/s/     A LAN D. S CHWARTZ


Alan D. Schwartz

  

Co-President and Director

 

June 2, 2003

/s/     M ICHAEL B ENSTOCK


Michael Benstock

  

Co-President and Director

 

June 2, 2003

/s/     A NDREW D. D EMOTT , J R .


Andrew D. Demott, Jr.

  

Senior Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

June 2, 2003

/s/     P ETER B ENSTOCK


Peter Benstock

  

Executive Vice President and Director

 

June 2, 2003

/s/     S AUL S CHECHTER


Saul Schechter

  

Executive Vice President and Director

 

June 2, 2003

/s/     M ANUEL G AETAN , P H .D.


Manuel Gaetan, Ph.D.

  

Director

 

June 2, 2003

 

6


/s/     S IDNEY K IRSCHNER


Sidney Kirschner

  

Director

 

June 1, 2003

/s/     R OBIN M. H ENSLEY


Robin M. Hensley

  

Director

 

June 1, 2003

 

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.


  

Exhibit


(4)

  

Superior Uniform Group, Inc. 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan.

(5)

  

Opinion of Foley & Lardner regarding legality of common stock.

(15)

  

Letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP regarding unaudited interim financial information.

(23.1)

  

Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

(23.2)

  

Consent of Foley & Lardner (contained in Exhibit 5 hereto).

(24)

  

Power of Attorney relating to subsequent amendments (included on the signature page to this Registration Statement).

 

 

Exhibit 4

 

SUPERIOR UNIFORM GROUP, INC.

2003 INCENTIVE STOCK AND AWARDS PLAN

 

1. Purpose .

 

The Superior Uniform Group, Inc. 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan has two complementary purposes: (a) to attract and retain outstanding people as officers, directors, employees, consultants and advisors and (b) to increase shareholder value. The Plan will provide participants incentives to increase shareholder value by offering the opportunity to acquire shares of the Company’s common stock, receive monetary payments based on the value of such common stock, or receive other incentive compensation, on the potentially favorable terms that this Plan provides.

 

2. Definitions .

 

Capitalized terms used in this Plan have the following meanings:

 

(a) “Affiliates” means any corporation, partnership, joint venture, or other entity during any period in which the Company owns, directly or indirectly, at least twenty percent (20%) of the equity, voting or profits interest, and any other business venture that the Committee designates in which the Company has a significant interest, as the Committee determines in its discretion.

 

(b) “Award” means a grant of Options, Performance Shares, Performance Units, Restricted Stock, SARs or an annual incentive award under this Plan.

 

(c) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(d) “Change of Control” means the occurrence of any one of the following events:

 

(i) any “Person” (as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, except that the term “Person” shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, or (D) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock in the Company) is or becomes the “Beneficial Owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the securities beneficially owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Company or its affiliates) representing twenty-five percent (25%) or more of either the then outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company or the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities; or

 

(ii) the following individuals cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of Directors then serving: individuals who, on May 2, 2003, constitute the Board and any new Director (other than a Director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including but not limited to a consent solicitation, relating to the election of Directors of the Company, as such terms are used in Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act) whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds ( 2/3) of the Directors then still in office who either were Directors on May 2, 2003, or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved; or

 

(iii) consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation or approve the issuance of voting securities of the Company in connection with a merger or consolidation of the Company (or any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company) pursuant to applicable stock exchange requirements, other than (A) a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) at least sixty percent (60%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or (B) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the securities beneficially owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Company or its affiliates) representing twenty-five percent (25%) or more of either the then outstanding shares of


Common Stock of the Company or the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities; or

 

(iv) the shareholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (in one transaction or a series of related transactions within any period of twenty-four (24) consecutive months), other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by Persons in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, no “Change of Control” shall be deemed to have occurred if there is consummated any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which the record holders of the common stock of the Company immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Company immediately following such transaction or series of transactions.

 

(e) “Change of Control Price” means the highest of the following: (i) the Fair Market Value of the Shares, as determined on the date of the Change of Control; (ii) the highest price per Share paid in the Change of Control transaction; or (iii) the Fair Market Value of the Shares, calculated on the date of surrender of the relevant Award in accordance with Section 14(c), but this clause (iii) shall not apply if in the Change of Control transaction, or pursuant to an agreement to which the Company is a party governing the Change of Control transaction, all of the Shares are purchased for and/or converted into the right to receive a current payment of cash and no other securities or other property.

 

(f) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a specific provision of the Code includes any successor provision and the regulations promulgated under such provision.

 

(g) “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board (or such successor committee with the same or similar authority), which must be composed solely of not less than two Directors, each of whom must qualify as an “outside director” within the meaning of Code Section 162(m) and as a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3.

 

(h) “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 14.

 

(i) “Company” means Superior Uniform Group, Inc., a Florida corporation, or any successor thereto.

 

(j) “Director” means a member of the Board, and “Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not also an employee of the Company or its Affiliates.

 

(k) “Director Options” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(d).

 

(l) “Effective Date” means the date the Company’s shareholders approve this Plan.

 

(m) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any reference to a specific provision of the Exchange Act includes any successor provision and the regulations and rules promulgated under such provision.

 

(n) “Fair Market Value” means, per Share on a particular date, the last sales price on such date on the national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then traded, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, or if no sales of Common Stock occur on the date in question, on the last preceding date on which there was a sale on such exchange. If the Shares are not listed on a national securities exchange, but are traded in an over-the-counter market, the last sales price (or, if there is no last sales price reported, the average of the closing bid and asked prices) for the Shares on the particular date, or on the last preceding date on which there was a sale of Shares on that market, will be used. If the Shares are neither listed on a national securities exchange nor traded in an over-the-counter market, the price determined by the Committee, in its discretion, will be used.

 

(o) “Option” means the right to purchase Shares at a stated price. “Options” may either be “incentive stock options” which meet the requirements of Code section 422, or “nonqualified stock options” which do not meet the requirements of Code section 422.

 

2


(p) “Participant” means an officer or other employee of the Company or its Affiliates, or an individual that the Company or an Affiliate has engaged to become an officer or employee, or a consultant or advisor who provides services to the Company or its Affiliates, who the Committee designates to receive an Award under this Plan.

 

(q) “Performance Goals” means any goals the Committee establishes that relate to one or more of the following with respect to the Company or any one or more Subsidiaries or other business units: revenue; cash flow; net cash provided by operating activities; net cash provided by operating activities less net cash used in investing activities; cost of goods sold; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; profit before tax; gross profit; net profit; net sales; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; Fair Market Value of Shares; basic earnings per share; diluted earnings per share; return on shareholder equity; average accounts receivable (calculated by taking the average of accounts receivable at the end of each month); average inventories (calculated by taking the average of inventories at the end of each month); return on average total capital employed; return on net assets employed before interest and taxes; economic value added; return on year-end equity; and/or in the case of Awards that the Committee determines will not be considered “performance-based compensation” under Code section 162(m), such other goals as the Committee may establish in its discretion.

 

(r) “Performance Shares” means the right to receive Shares to the extent the Company or Participant achieves certain goals that the Committee establishes over a period of time the Committee designates consisting of one or more full fiscal years of the Company, but not in any event more than five years.

 

(s) “Performance Units” means the right to receive monetary units with a designated dollar value or monetary units the value of which is equal to the Fair Market Value of one or more Shares, to the extent the Company or Participant achieves certain goals that the Committee establishes over a period of time the Committee designates consisting of one or more full fiscal years of the Company, but in any event not more than five years.

 

(t) “Plan” means this Superior Uniform Group, Inc. 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan, as amended from time to time.

 

(u) “Restricted Stock” means Shares that are subject to a risk of forfeiture and/or restrictions on transfer, which may lapse upon the achievement or partial achievement of Performance Goals during the period specified by the Committee and/or upon the completion of a period of service, as determined by the Committee.

 

(v) “SAR” means the right to receive cash or Shares with a value equal to the increase in the Fair Market Value of one or more Shares.

 

(w) “Section 16 Participants” means Participants who are subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

(x) “Share” means a share of Common Stock.

 

(y) “Subsidiary” means any corporation in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if each of the corporations (other than the last corporation in the chain) owns stock possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain.

 

(z) The term “Ten Percent Shareholder” shall mean an individual who owns stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of its parent or subsidiary corporations within the meaning of Code section 422.

 

3. Administration .

 

(a) Committee Administration . Except as set forth in Sections 4 and 7(d), the Committee has full authority to administer this Plan, including the authority to (i) interpret the provisions of this Plan, (ii) prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to this Plan, (iii) correct any defect, supply any omission, or reconcile any inconsistency in any Award or agreement covering an Award in the manner and to the extent it deems desirable to carry this Plan or such Award into effect, and (iv) make all other determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of this Plan. A majority of the members of the Committee will constitute a quorum, and a majority of the Committee’s members must make all determinations of the Committee. The Committee may make any determination under this Plan without notice or meeting of the Committee by a writing that a majority of the Committee members have signed. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations, and other decisions made under or with respect to the Plan or any Award shall be within the sole discretion of the Committee, be made at any time, and are final and binding on any person with an interest therein.

 

3


 

(b) Delegation to Other Committees or Officers. To the extent applicable law permits, the Board may delegate to another committee of the Board or to one or more officers of the Company any or all of the authority and responsibility of the Committee. Except as set forth in Section 7(d), no such delegation is permitted with respect to individuals who are Section 16 Participants at the time any such delegated authority or responsibility is exercised. The Board also may delegate to another committee of the Board consisting entirely of Non-Employee Directors any or all of the authority and responsibility of the Committee with respect to individuals who are Section 16 Participants. If the Board has made such a delegation, then all references to the Committee in this Plan include such other committee or one or more officers to the extent of such delegation.

 

(c) No Liability. No member of the Committee, and no officer to whom a delegation under subsection (b) has been made, will be liable for any act done, or determination made, by the individual in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Award. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless such individual to the maximum extent that the law and the Company’s bylaws permit.

 

4. Eligibility . The Company’s Chief Executive Officer may designate from time to time the Participants to receive Awards under Section 7(d) of this Plan. The Committee may designate from time to time the Participants to receive all other Awards under this Plan. The Chief Executive Officer’s or Committee’s designation of a Participant in any year will not require them to designate such person to receive an Award in any other year. The Chief Executive Officer and Committee may consider such factors as they deem pertinent in selecting a Participant and in determining the types and amounts of Awards. In making such selection and determination, factors the Chief Executive Officer and Committee may consider include: (a) the Company’s financial condition; (b) anticipated profits for the current or future years; (c) the Participant’s contributions or expected contributions to the profitability and development of the Company or any Affiliate; and (d) other compensation provided to the Participant. Non-Employee Directors may receive Options under Section 7(d), without action of the Committee, and are not eligible to receive any other Awards.

 

5. Discretionary Grants of Awards. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Committee has full power and authority to: (i) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant; (ii) determine the number of Shares with respect to which an Award is granted to a Participant, if applicable; and (iii) determine any terms and conditions of any Award granted to a Participant. Awards under this Plan may be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution for any other Award (or any other award granted under another plan of the Company or any Affiliate). Tandem Awards may be granted either at the same time as, or at different times from, the grant of the other Awards (or awards) to which they relate. The Committee’s determinations need not be the same for each grant or for each Participant.

 

6. Shares Reserved under this Plan.

 

(a) Plan Reserve. Subject to subsection (c), an aggregate of 2.5 million Shares are reserved for issuance under this Plan. The number of Shares reserved for issuance under this Plan shall be reduced only by the number of Shares delivered in payment or settlement of Awards. The limitations of this subsection are subject to adjustments as provided in Section 14.

 

(b) Replenishment of Shares Under this Plan. If an Award lapses, expires, terminates or is cancelled without the issuance of Shares or payment of cash under the Award, then the Shares subject to, reserved for or delivered in payment in respect of such Award may again be used for new Awards under this Plan as determined under subsection (a), including issuance as Restricted Stock or pursuant to incentive stock options. If Shares are issued under any Award and the Company subsequently reacquires them pursuant to rights reserved upon the issuance of the Shares, or if previously owned Shares are delivered to the Company in payment of the exercise price of an Award, then the Shares subject to, reserved for or delivered in payment in respect of such Award may again be used for new Awards under this Plan as determined under subsection (a), including issuance as Restricted Stock, but such shares may not be issued pursuant to incentive stock options.

 

(c) Addition of Shares from Predecessor Plan. After the Effective Date of this Plan, if any Shares subject to awards granted under the Company’s 1993 Incentive Stock Option Plan would again become available for new grants under the terms of such prior plan if the prior plan were still in effect, then those Shares will be available for the purpose of granting Awards under this Plan, thereby increasing the Shares available under this Plan as determined under the first sentence of subsection (a). Any such Shares will not be available for future awards under the terms of the Company’s 1993 Incentive Stock Option Plan.

 

7. Options .

 

(a) Eligibility . The Committee may grant Options to any Participant it selects. The Committee must specify whether the Option is an incentive stock option or a nonqualified stock option, but only employees of the Company or a Subsidiary may receive grants of incentive stock options.

 

4


(b) Exercise Price. For each Option, other than Director Options, the Committee will establish the exercise price, which may not be less than the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the Option as determined on the date of grant. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if an incentive stock option is granted to any Participant who, at the time of grant, is a Ten Percent Shareholder, the exercise price of such Option shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the Option as determined on the date of grant and the term of such Option shall not extend beyond five years from the date of grant.

 

(c) Terms and Conditions of Options. An Option will be exercisable at such times and subject to such conditions as the Committee specifies, except that the Option must terminate no later than 10 years after the date of grant. In all other respects, the terms of any incentive stock option should comply with the provisions of Code section 422 except to the extent the Committee determines otherwise. The aggregate Fair Market Value of the stock for which an incentive stock option is exercisable by a Participant for the first time during any calendar year under the Plan and any other plans of the Company or its subsidiaries may not exceed $100,000. To the extent this limitation is exceeded, such incentive stock option shall automatically be treated as a nonqualified stock option. This limit shall be applied by taking Options into account in the order in which they were granted.

 

(d) Terms and Conditions of Non-Employee Director Options. On the date of each annual meeting of shareholders of the Company during the term of this Plan, each Non-Employee Director (including members of the Committee) will be eligible to receive a grant on such meeting date of a nonqualified stock option for the purchase of up to 5000 Shares at a purchase price equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares on such date (“Director Options”) as determined by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Each Director Option may not be exercised to any extent for six months following the date of grant and, except as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer may otherwise provide, will terminate upon the earliest of: (i) 10 years from the date of grant; (ii) if the Director is at least age 65 or has completed six years of service as of the date he or she ceases to serve as a Director, three years after the Director ceases to serve on the Board for any reason other than death; (iii) if the Director is not age 65 and has not completed six years of service as of the date he or she ceases to serve as a Director, six months after the Director ceases to serve on the Board for any reason other than death of the Director; or (iv) 12 months after the date of death if the Director should die while serving, or within any period after termination of his or her service during which the Director Option was exercisable. Non-Employee Directors will not be eligible for any other Award under this Plan.

 

8. Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(a) Eligibility. The Committee may grant SARs to any Participant it selects. The Committee may grant SARs in tandem with an Option or alone and unrelated to an Option. Tandem SARs shall expire no later than the expiration of the underlying Option.

 

(b) Exercise of SARs. Tandem SARs may be exercised:

 

(i) with respect to all or part of the Shares subject to the related Option upon the surrender of the right to exercise the equivalent portion of the related Option;

 

(ii) only with respect to the Shares for which its related Option is then exercisable; and

 

(iii) only when the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the Option exceeds the exercise price of the Option.

 

The value of the payment with respect to the tandem SAR may be no more than 100% of the difference between the exercise price of the underlying Option and the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the underlying Option at the time the tandem SAR is exercised.

 

(c) Payment of SAR Benefit. Upon exercise of an SAR, the Participant shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:

 

(i) the excess of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the SAR exercise price; by

 

(ii) the number of Shares with respect to which the SAR is exercised;

 

provided that the Committee may provide that the benefit payable on exercise of an SAR shall not exceed such percentage of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant as the Committee shall specify. As determined by the Committee, the payment upon exercise of an SAR may be in

 

5


cash, in Shares that have an aggregate Fair Market Value (as of the date of exercise of the SAR) equal to the amount of the payment, or in some combination thereof.

 

9. Performance and Stock Awards.

 

(a) Eligibility for Performance and Stock Awards. The Committee may grant awards of Restricted Stock, Performance Shares or Performance Units to Participants the Committee selects.

 

(b) Terms and Conditions. Each award of Restricted Stock, Performance Shares or Performance Units may be subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee determines appropriate, including, without limitation, a condition that one or more Performance Goals be achieved for the Participant to realize all or a portion of the benefit provided under the Award. However, an award of Restricted Stock that requires the achievement of Performance Goals must have a restriction period of at least one year, and an award of Restricted Stock that is not subject to Performance Goals must have a restriction period of at least three years. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may provide that the restrictions imposed on Restricted Stock are accelerated, and that all or a portion of the Performance Goals subject to an Award are deemed achieved, upon a Participant’s death, disability or retirement. The Committee may determine to pay Performance Units in cash, in Shares, or in a combination of cash and Shares.

 

10. Annual Management Incentive Awards. The Committee may grant annual incentive awards each year to such executive officers of the Company as it selects. The Committee will determine all terms and conditions of the annual incentive award. However, the Committee must require that payment of all or any portion of the amount subject to the annual incentive award is contingent on the achievement or partial achievement of one or more Performance Goals during the period the Committee specifies. An annual incentive award must relate to a period of at least one year except that, if the award is made at the time of commencement of employment with the Company or on the occasion of a promotion, then the award may relate to a period shorter than one year.

 

11. Transferability. Each Award granted under this Plan is not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except that a Participant or Non-Employee Director may, to the extent the Committee allows and in a manner the Committee specifies: (a) designate in writing a beneficiary to exercise the Award after the Participant’s or Non-Employee Director’s death; or (b) transfer any award.

 

12. Termination and Amendment of Plan; Amendment, Modification or Cancellation of Awards .

 

(a) Term of Plan. This Plan will terminate, and no Award may be granted, more than ten (10) years after the Effective Date, unless the Board earlier terminates this Plan pursuant to subsection (b).

 

(b) Termination and Amendment. The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate this Plan at any time, subject to the following limitations:

 

(i) shareholders must approve any amendment of this Plan if required by: (A) the rules and/or regulations promulgated under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (for this Plan to remain qualified under Rule 16b-3), (B) the Code or any rules promulgated thereunder (to allow for incentive stock options to be granted under this Plan or to enable the Company to comply with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code so that the Company can deduct compensation in excess of the limitation set forth in that section), or (C) the listing requirements of the American Stock Exchange or any principal securities exchange or market on which the Shares are then traded (to maintain the listing or quotation of the Shares on that exchange); and

 

(ii) shareholders must approve any of the following Plan amendments: (A) an amendment to materially increase any number of Shares specified in Section 6(a) (except as permitted by Section 14); (B) an amendment to shorten the restriction periods specified in Section 9(b); or (C) an amendment to the provisions of Section 12(e).

 

(c) Amendment, Modification or Cancellation of Awards. Except as provided in subsection (e) and subject to the requirements of this Plan, the Committee may modify or amend any Award or waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any Award or the exercise of the Award, and the terms and conditions applicable to any Awards may at any time be amended, modified or canceled by mutual agreement between the Committee and the Participant or any other persons as may then have an interest in the Agreement, so long as any amendment or modification does not increase the number of Shares issuable under this Plan (except as permitted by Section 14), but the Committee need not obtain Participant or Non-Employee Director (or other interested party) consent for the cancellation of an Award pursuant to the provisions of Section 14(a).

 

6


 

(d) Survival of Committee Authority and Awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the authority of the Committee to administer this Plan and modify or amend an Award, and the authority of the Board to amend the Plan, shall extend beyond the date of this Plan’s termination so long as any Award remains outstanding. In addition, termination of this Plan will not affect the rights of Participants or Non-Employee Directors with respect to Awards previously granted to them, and all unexpired Awards will continue in force and effect after termination of this Plan except as they may lapse or be terminated by their own terms and conditions or the terms of this Plan.

 

(e) Repricing Prohibited. Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, and except for the adjustments provided in Section 14, neither the Committee nor any other person may decrease the exercise price for any outstanding Option granted under this Plan after the date of grant nor allow a Participant or Non-Employee Director to surrender an outstanding Option granted under this Plan to the Company as consideration for the grant of a new Option with a lower exercise price.

 

(f) Foreign Participation. To assure the viability of Awards granted to Participants employed in foreign countries, the Committee may provide for such special terms as it may consider necessary or appropriate to accommodate differences in local law, tax policy or custom. Moreover, the Committee may approve such supplements to, or amendments, restatements or alternative versions of this Plan as it determines is necessary or appropriate for such purposes. Any such amendment, restatement or alternative versions that the Committee approves for purposes of using this Plan in a foreign country will not affect the terms of this Plan for any other country. In addition, all such supplements, amendments, restatements or alternative versions must comply with the provisions of Section 12(b)(ii).

 

13. Taxes. The Company is entitled to withhold the amount of any tax attributable to any amount payable or Shares deliverable under this Plan after giving the person entitled to receive such amount or Shares notice as far in advance as practicable, and the Company may defer making payment or delivery if any such tax may be pending unless and until indemnified to its satisfaction. The Committee may permit a Participant to pay all or a portion of the federal, state and local withholding taxes arising in connection with (a) the exercise of a nonqualified stock option, (b) a disqualifying disposition of Shares received upon the exercise of an incentive stock option, or (c) the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Stock, by electing to (i) have the Company withhold Shares otherwise issuable under the Award, (ii) tender back Shares received in connection with such Award or (iii) deliver other previously owned Shares, in each case having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount to be withheld. However, the amount to be withheld may not exceed the total minimum federal, state and local tax withholding obligations associated with the transaction. The election must be made on or before the date as of which the amount of tax to be withheld is determined and otherwise as the Committee requires. The Fair Market Value of fractional Shares remaining after payment of the withholding taxes may be paid to the Participant in cash.

 

14. Adjustment Provisions; Change of Control.

 

(a) Adjustment of Shares. If the Committee determines that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Shares or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares such that the Committee determines an adjustment to be appropriate to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under this Plan, then, subject to Participants’ rights under subsection (c), the Committee may, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i) the number and type of Shares subject to this Plan (including the number and type of Shares that may be granted as Restricted Stock or issued pursuant to incentive stock options, that may be granted to a Participant in any fiscal year, or that will be granted as Director Options) and which may after the event be made the subject of Awards under this Plan, (ii) the number and type of Shares subject to outstanding Awards, and (iii) the grant, purchase, or exercise price with respect to any Award. In any such case, the Committee may also make provision for a cash payment in an amount determined by the Committee to the holder of an outstanding Award in exchange for the cancellation of all or a portion of the Award (without the consent of the holder of an Award) effective at such time as the Committee specifies (which may be the time such transaction or event is effective), but if such transaction or event constitutes a Change of Control, then (A) such payment shall be at least as favorable to the holder as the greatest amount the holder could have received in respect of such Award under subsection (c) and (B) from and after the Change of Control, the Committee may make such a provision only if the Committee determines that doing so is necessary to substitute, for each Share then subject to an Award, the number and kind of shares of stock, other securities, cash or other property to which holders of Common Stock are or will be entitled in respect of each Share pursuant to the transaction or event in accordance with the last sentence of this subsection (a). However, in each case, with respect to Awards of incentive stock options, no such adjustment may be authorized to the extent that such authority would cause this Plan to violate Code section 422(b). Further, the number of Shares subject to any Award payable or denominated in Shares must always be a whole number. In any event, Director Options subject to grant or previously granted to Non-Employee Directors under Section 7(d) at the time of any event described in this subsection are subject to only such adjustments as are necessary to maintain the relative proportionate interest the Director

 

7


 

Options represented immediately prior to any such event and to preserve, without exceeding, the value of such Options. Without limitation, subject to Participants’ rights under subsection (c), in the event of any reorganization, merger, consolidation, combination or other similar corporate transaction or event, whether or not constituting a Change of Control, other than any such transaction in which the Company is the continuing corporation and in which the outstanding Common Stock is not being converted into or exchanged for different securities, cash or other property, or any combination thereof, the Committee may substitute, on an equitable basis as the Committee determines, for each Share then subject to an Award, the number and kind of shares of stock, other securities, cash or other property to which holders of Common Stock are or will be entitled in respect of each Share pursuant to the transaction.

 

(b) Issuance or Assumption. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, and without affecting the number of Shares otherwise reserved or available under this Plan, in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization, the Committee may authorize the issuance or assumption of awards upon such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate.

 

(c) Change of Control. Except to the extent the Committee provides a result more favorable to holders of Awards, in the event of a Change of Control:

 

(i) each holder of an Option or SAR (A) shall have the right at any time thereafter to exercise the Option or SAR in full whether or not the Option was theretofore exercisable; and (B) shall have the right, exercisable by written notice to the Company within 60 days after the Change of Control, to receive, in exchange for the surrender of the Option or SAR, an amount of cash equal to the excess of the Change of Control Price of the Shares covered by the Option or SAR that is so surrendered over the purchase or grant price of such Shares under the Award; provided that the foregoing shall not apply with respect to any portion of an Option or SAR that was forfeited or cancelled upon a Participant’s termination of employment or service prior to the date of the Change of Control;

 

(ii) Restricted Stock that is not then vested shall vest upon the date of the Change of Control and each holder of such Restricted Stock shall have the right, exercisable by written notice to the Company within 60 days after the Change of Control, to receive, in exchange for the surrender of such Restricted Stock, an amount of cash equal to the Change of Control Price of such Restricted Stock;

 

(iii) each holder of a Performance Share and/or Performance Unit for which the performance period has not expired shall have the right, exercisable by written notice to the Company within 60 days after the Change of Control, to receive, in exchange for the surrender of the Performance Share and/or Performance Unit, an amount of cash equal to the product of the value of the Performance Share and/or Performance Unit and a fraction the numerator of which is the number of whole months which have elapsed from the beginning of the performance period to the date of the Change of Control and the denominator of which is the number of whole months in the performance period;

 

(iv) each holder of a Performance Share and/or Performance Unit that has been earned but not yet paid shall receive an amount of cash equal to the value of the Performance Share and/or Performance Unit; and

 

(v) all annual incentive awards that are earned but not yet paid shall be paid, and all annual incentive awards that are not yet earned shall be deemed to have been earned pro rata, as if the Performance Goals are attained as of the effective date of the Change of Control, by taking the product of (A) the Participant’s maximum award opportunity for the fiscal year, and (B) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full or partial months that have elapsed from the beginning of the fiscal year to the date of the Change of Control and the denominator of which is 12.

 

For purposes of this Section 14, the “value” of a Performance Share shall be equal to, and the “value” of a Performance Unit the value of which is equal to the Fair Market Value of one or more Shares shall be based on, the Change of Control Price.

 

15. Miscellaneous.

 

(a) Other Terms and Conditions. The grant of any Award under this Plan may also be subject to other provisions (whether or not applicable to the Award awarded to any other Participant) as the Committee determines appropriate, including, without limitation, provisions for:

 

(i) one or more means to enable Participants or Non-Employee Directors to defer the delivery of Shares or recognition of taxable income relating to Awards or cash payments derived from the Awards on such terms and conditions as the Committee determines, including, by way of example, the form and manner of the deferral election, the treatment of dividends paid on the Shares during the deferral period or a means for

 

8


 

providing a return to a Participant or Non-Employee Director on amounts deferred, and the permitted distribution dates or events (provided that no such deferral means may result in an increase in the number of Shares issuable under this Plan);

 

(ii) the purchase of Shares under Options in installments;

 

(iii) the payment of the purchase price of Options by delivery of cash or other Shares or other securities of the Company (including by attestation) having a then Fair Market Value equal to the purchase price of such Shares, or by delivery (including by fax) to the Company or its designated agent of an executed irrevocable option exercise form together with irrevocable instructions to a broker-dealer to sell or margin a sufficient portion of the Shares and deliver the sale or margin loan proceeds directly to the Company to pay for the exercise price;

 

(iv) provisions giving the Participant the right to receive dividend payments or dividend equivalent payments with respect to the Shares subject to the Award (both before and after the Shares subject to the Award are earned, vested or acquired), which payments may be either made currently or credited to an account for the Participant, and may be settled in cash or Shares, as the Committee determines;

 

(v) restrictions on resale or other disposition; and

 

(vi) compliance with federal or state securities laws and stock exchange requirements.

 

(b) Employment. Nothing in the Plan or an Award agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or its Affiliates to terminate any Participant’s employment or other service relationship at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the capacity in which he or she is employed or otherwise serves the Company or its Affiliates. Unless the Committee provides otherwise in a Participant’s Award agreement, if a Participant changes status from an employee to a Director, or vice versa, or directly transfers employment among the Company or any of its Affiliates such that the Participant does not cease to be an employee of the Company and its Affiliates, the Participant shall not be considered to have terminated employment or service under the terms of this Plan or the Participant Award. However, in the event that the Company sells its entire interest in an Affiliate, or sells a portion of its interest in such Affiliate so that such entity no longer meets the definition of an Affiliate, then a Participant at such entity will be considered to have terminated employment for purposes of this Plan and the Participant’s Award agreement unless the Participant’s Award Agreement or the Committee provides otherwise.

 

(c) Award Agreement. No Award granted under this Plan shall be effective unless and until either (i) the Company and the Participant execute a written agreement that sets forth the terms and provisions applicable to the Participant’s Award, or (ii) the Company issues a written statement to a Participant describing the terms and provisions of the Participant’s Award.

 

(d) No Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares or other securities may be issued or delivered pursuant to this Plan, and the Committee may determine whether cash, other securities or other property will be paid or transferred in lieu of any fractional Shares or other securities, or whether such fractional Shares or other securities or any rights to fractional Shares or other securities will be canceled, terminated or otherwise eliminated.

 

(e) Unfunded Plan. This Plan is unfunded and does not create, and should not be construed to create, a trust or separate fund with respect to this Plan’s benefits. This Plan does not establish any fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant, Non-Employee Director or other person. To the extent any person holds any rights by virtue of an Award granted under this Plan, such rights are no greater than the rights of the Company’s general unsecured creditors.

 

(f) Requirements of Law. The granting of Awards under this Plan and the issuance of Shares in connection with an Award are subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan or any award agreement, the Company has no liability to deliver any Shares under this Plan or make any payment unless such delivery or payment would comply with all applicable laws and the applicable requirements of any securities exchange or similar entity.

 

(g) Governing Law. This Plan, and all agreements under this Plan, should be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without reference to any conflict of law principles, except for corporate law matters that are governed by the laws of the State of Florida.

 

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(h) Construction. Titles and heading to sections are for purposes of reference only, and shall in no way limit, define or otherwise affect the meaning or interpretation of the Plan. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine, the plural shall include the singular, and the singular shall include the plural.

 

(i) Severability. If any provision of this Plan or any award agreement or any Award (i) is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, or as to any person or Award, or (ii) would disqualify this Plan, any award agreement or any Award under any law the Committee deems applicable, then such provision should be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Committee, materially altering the intent of this Plan, award agreement or Award, then such provision should be stricken as to such jurisdiction, person or Award, and the remainder of this Plan, such award agreement and such Award will remain in full force and effect.

 

*****

 

 

10

 

Exhibit 5

 

June 6, 2003

 

Superior Uniform Group, Inc.

10055 Seminole Boulevard

P.O. Box 4002

Seminole, Florida 33775

 

  Re:   Registration Statement on Form S-8

 

Gentlemen:

 

We refer to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Statement”) on Form S-8 filed today by Superior Uniform Group, Inc. (the “Company”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, for the purpose of registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, an aggregate of 2,500,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the authorized common stock, par value $.001 per share, which may be issued or acquired pursuant to the Superior Uniform Group, Inc. 2003 Incentive Stock and Awards Plan (the “Plan”). This opinion letter is rendered pursuant to Item 8 of Form S-8 and Item 601(b)(3) of Regulation S-K.

 

In connection with the foregoing registration, we have acted as counsel for the Company and have examined originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of such corporate records of the Company, certificates of public officials, and representatives of the Company, and other documents as we deemed necessary to deliver the opinion expressed below.

 

Based upon the foregoing, and having regard for legal considerations that we deem relevant, it is our opinion that the Shares will be, when and if issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan, will be duly authorized, validly issued, and fully paid and non-assessable.

 

This opinion letter is provided to you for your benefit and for the benefit of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in each case, solely with regard to the Registration Statement, may be relied upon by you and the Commission only in connection with the Registration Statement, and may not be relied upon by any other person or for any other purpose without our prior written consent. We hereby consent to the inclusion of this opinion as Exhibit 5 in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules or regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/    F OLEY & L ARDNER

 

FOLEY & LARDNER

 

EXHIBIT 15

 

June 5, 2003

 

Board of Directors

Superior Uniform Group, Inc.

Seminole, Florida

 

We have made a review, in accordance with standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, of the unaudited interim financial information of Superior Uniform Group, Inc. for the periods ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, as indicated in our report dated April 24, 2003; because we did not perform an audit, we expressed no opinion on that information.

 

We are aware that our report referred to above, which is included in your Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2003, is being used in this Registration Statement.

 

We also are aware that the aforementioned report, pursuant to Rule 436(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, is not considered a part of the Registration Statement prepared or certified by an accountant or a report prepared or certified by an accountant within the meaning of Sections 7 and 11 of that Act.

 

/s/    D ELOITTE & T OUCHE LLP

 

Tampa, Florida

 

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ CONSENT

 

The Board of Directors

Superior Uniform Group, Inc.

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of Superior Uniform Group, Inc. on Form S-8 of our report dated February 26, 2003, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Superior Uniform Group, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

/s/    D ELOITTE & T OUCHE LLP

 

June 5, 2003

Tampa, Florida