EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Presently, neither our sole officer nor our directors have received any compensation for services rendered to us. We currently have no funds available to pay officers or directors. Further, our sole officer and directors are not accruing any compensation pursuant to any agreement with us. Except as described in this Information Statement with respect to the Incentive Plan, we have not adopted any retirement, pension, profit sharing, stock option or insurance programs or other similar programs for the benefit of our employees, nor does our sole executive officer have any “golden parachute” arrangement with us.
CHANGES IN CONTROL
We are not aware of any person who owns of record, or is known to own beneficially, five percent or more of our outstanding securities, other than as set forth above.
There are no current definitive arrangements or agreements, which will result in a change in control. See “RECENT DEVELOPMENTS” below.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
We are currently in negotiations with Bionik Laboratories, Inc., a Canadian corporation (“Bionik”), with respect to a potential reorganization pursuant to which, as currently contemplated, we would acquire Bionik as our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and the shareholders of Bionik would exchange all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Bionik currently held by them for shares of Bionik that are exchangeable for Common Stock (the
“Proposed Transaction”). As the definitive agreement and other transaction documents are still being negotiated,and the parties are still performing due diligence we can give no assurance as to the ultimate form or terms of the Proposed Transaction or that the Proposed Transaction will be consummated at all.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
On September 24, 2014, the Board, believing it to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, adopted a resolution approving our Certificate of Incorporation be amended and restated (the “Amended Certificate”), and adopting the Incentive Plan. The Board further directed that the Amended Certificate and the Incentive Plan be submitted for consideration by our stockholders. By written consent dated September 24, 2014, the Majority Stockholder approved and adopted resolutions to amend and restate the Company’s existing Certificate of Incorporation and to adopt the Incentive Plan, in each case to effect the Actions. The Amended Certificate is included in the attachment marked as Annex A to this Information Statement, and the Incentive Plan is included in the attachment marked as Annex B to this Information Statement.
We intend to file, as soon as practicable on or after the twentieth day after this Information Statement is sent to our stockholders, the Amended Certificate with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to effect the Actions with respect thereto, which will become effective at the close of business on the date the Amended Certificate is accepted for filing by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware; provided, however, that we may file an amendment relating to the Name Change Amendment as a separate amendment as, if and when we consummate the Proposed Transaction, and we reserve the right to file separate amendments to our existing Certificate of Incorporation instead of the Amended Certificate for each particular applicable Action. The text of the Amended Certificate is subject to modification to include such changes as may be required by the Delaware Secretary of State to effectuate the Amendments.
Amendment to Decrease the Number of Authorized Shares of Common Stock
On September 24, 2014, our Board and majority stockholder, believing it to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to decrease our authorized Common Stock from 200,000,000 shares to 150,000,000 shares. The Amendment will be reflected in the Amended Certificate to be filed with the Delaware Secretary of State.
Our Board of Directors believes it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company to have available authorized but unissued shares of common stock in an amount we deem sufficient to provide for our future needs. The unissued shares will be available from time to time as deemed advisable and required for various purposes, including the issuance of shares in connection with financing or acquisition transactions, which may be, if consummated, the Proposed Transaction.
This decrease in our authorized common shares will have no material effect on the rights of existing stockholders, since it will not change the percentage of ownership of the Company of any stockholder. Moreover, the adoption of this amendment will not of itself without further action of our Board cause or result in any changes in our current capital accounts or outstanding Common Stock.
Taken together, the two corporate actions of a 0.831105-for-1 reverse stock split and setting our authorized Common Stock at 150,000,000 shares, will result in creating a smaller percentage of available common shares relative to our outstanding shares than existed before these two corporate actions. While only approximately 42% of our authorized Common Stock is currently available for issuance, approximately 36% of our authorized Common Stock will be available for issuance after these two corporate actions become effective with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. This comparison is set forth in tabular format as follows:
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Authorized Common
Shares
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Issued and Outstanding
Shares
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Unissued Authorized Common
Shares
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Percentage of Authorized Common Shares Available for
Issuance
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Before Reverse Stock Split and Change in Authorized Shares
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200,000,000
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115,818,383
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84,181,617
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42.09%
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After Reverse Stock Split and Change in Authorized Shares
(1)
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150,000,000
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96,257,237
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53,742,763
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35.83%
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The issuance by the Company of available authorized Common Stock could dilute the equity ownership, voting impact and future earnings per share of our existing stockholders, and depending on the amount of shares issued, such dilution may be substantial.
Although we are reducing the authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock compared to outstanding shares of Common Stock due to these Actions, there remains the potential that such Actions could continue to have an anti-takeover effect, such as permitting the issuance of shares to purchasers who might oppose a hostile takeover bid or oppose stockholder efforts to amend or repeal the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company. Using available authorized shares in this manner could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to acquire control of the Company even if such a transaction would be beneficial to stockholders.
Currently, we have no definitive plans or arrangements to issue any such shares, although the Company evaluates from time to time potential transactions that may result in the issuance of shares, such as the Proposed Transaction. Any such use or issuance of our shares would be regardless of whether the Authorized Stock Decrease is effected. Additionally, we would not need to effect the Authorized Stock Decrease to consummate the Proposed Transaction as it is currently contemplated.
Amendment and Restatement of Existing Rights to Designate and Issue
Blank Check Preferred Stock
The Board believes that it is prudent to continue to have authorized 10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, which may be issued from time to time for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions, equity financings, stock dividends, stock splits or other recapitalizations, and grants of stock options and other equity incentives. The Board wishes to amend and restate the existing rights of the Company to designate and issue “Blank Check” Preferred Stock found in Section 5 of the existing Certificate of Incorporation by adopting the Blank Check Preferred Stock Provisions. The Company currently has no definitive arrangements or understandings for the issuance of shares of Preferred Stock, although opportunities for acquisitions and equity financings could arise at any time. If the Board deems it to be in the best interests of the Company and the stockholders to designate the rights to be associated with the issuance of shares of Preferred Stock in the future, and to issue shares from the authorized shares, the Board generally will not seek further authorization by vote of the stockholders, unless such authorization is otherwise required by law or regulations.
The amendment provides that Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series and/or classes (a “Series”). The Amendment authorizes the Board to issue shares of Preferred Stock in Series and, by filing a Preferred Stock Designation or similar instrument with the Delaware Secretary of State, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such Series, and to fix the designation, power, preferences and rights of the shares of each such Series and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof. The authority of the Board with respect to each Series shall include, but not be limited to, determination of the following:
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the designation of the Series, which may be by distinguishing number, letter or title;
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the number of shares of the Series, which number the Board may thereafter (except where otherwise provided in the Preferred Stock Designation) increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding);
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the amounts payable on, and the preferences, if any, of shares of the Series in respect of dividends, and whether such dividends, if any, shall be cumulative or noncumulative;
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dates on which dividends, if any, shall be payable;
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the redemption rights and price or prices, if any, for shares of the Series;
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the terms and amount of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of the Series;
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the amounts payable on and the preference, if any, of shares of the Series in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company;
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whether the shares of the Series shall be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of any other Series, or any other security, of the Company or any other entity, and, if so, the specification of such other Series of such other security, the conversion or exchange price or prices or rate or rates, any adjustments thereof, the date or dates at which such shares shall be convertible or exchangeable and all other terms and conditions upon which such conversion or exchange may be made;
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restrictions on the issuance of shares of the same Series or of any other Series; and
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the voting rights, if any, of the holders of shares of the Series.
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The Common Stock shall be subject to the express terms of the Preferred Stock and any Series thereof. Except as may be provided in the Amended Certificate or in a Preferred Stock Designation or similar instrument, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share upon all questions presented to the stockholders.
Effects of Blank Check Preferred Stock
The issuance of Preferred Stock may have a dilutive effect on holders of shares of Common Stock if the Preferred Stock is convertible into shares of Common Stock. For example, in a liquidation, the holders of Preferred Stock may be entitled to receive a certain amount per share of Preferred Stock before the holders of Common Stock receive any distribution. In addition, the holders of Preferred Stock may be entitled to a certain number of votes per share of Preferred Stock and such votes may dilute the voting rights of the holders of Common Stock when the Company seeks to take corporate action. Furthermore, Preferred Stock may be issued with certain preferences over the holders of Common Stock with respect to dividends or the power to approve the declaration of a dividend. These are only examples of how shares of Preferred Stock, if issued, may dilute the interests of the holders of Common Stock. Although the Company has no present intention to issue any shares of Preferred Stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. Furthermore, additional issuances of Common Stock could also have a dilutive effect on holders of shares of our Common Stock.
The Issuance of Preferred Stock Could Have an Anti-Takeover Effect
The issuance of Preferred Stock may discourage, delay or prevent a takeover of the Company. When, in the judgment of the Board, this action will be in the best interest of the stockholders and the Company, such shares may be used to create voting or other impediments or to discourage persons seeking to gain control of the Company. The ability of the Company to issue such shares of Preferred Stock may, under certain circumstances, make it more difficult for a third party to gain control of the Company (e.g., by means of a tender offer), prevent or substantially delay such a change of control, discourage bids for the Common Stock at a premium, or otherwise adversely affect the market price of the Common Stock. Such shares also could be privately sold to purchasers favorable to the
Board in opposing such action. In addition, the Board may authorize holders of a Series of Preferred Stock to vote either separately as a class or with the holders of the Company's Common Stock on any merger, sale or exchange of assets by the Company or any other extraordinary corporate transaction. The existence of the additional authorized shares may have the effect of discouraging unsolicited takeover attempts. The issuance of new shares also may be used to dilute the stock ownership of a person or entity seeking to obtain control of the Company should the Board consider the action of such entity or person not to be in the best interest of the stockholders of the Company. The issuance of new shares also may be used to entrench current management or deter an attempt to replace the Board by diluting the number or rights of shares held by individuals seeking to control the Company by obtaining a certain number of seats on the Board.
The Preferred Stock may afford the Company greater flexibility in seeking capital and potential acquisition targets. The Amended Certificate will allow the Board to authorize one or more Series of Preferred Stock and to allow the Board the widest possible flexibility in setting the terms of Preferred Stock that may be issued in the future. The Company will, therefore, be afforded the greatest flexibility possible in seeking additional financing, as the Board deems appropriate in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment. The Company currently has no commitments or plans for the issuance of any shares of Preferred Stock.
Amendment of Our Certificate of Incorporation to Effect a Reverse Stock Split at a Ratio of 0.831105
For One
Purpose of the Reverse Stock Split; Potential Consequences of Reverse Stock Split
Affecting the Reverse Stock Split would result in a smaller number of shares in the public float and we believe will result in a higher stock price, which may encourage investor interest and improve the marketability of our Common Stock. However, when the Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, there can be no assurance than any future bid price of the Common Stock will continue at the level in proportion to the decreased number of outstanding shares resulting from the Reverse Stock Split. While, the Reverse Stock Split is intended, absent other factors, to increase the market price of the Common Stock, other factors such as our financial results, market conditions, market perception of our business and the size of our public float may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. There can further be no assurance that the Reverse Stock Split will generate investor interest as expected and, in general, that the Reverse Stock Split will result in any of the anticipated benefits described above. Accordingly, the total market capitalization of our Common Stock after the Reverse Stock Split could be lower or higher than the total market capitalization prior to the Reverse Stock Split.
In deciding to implement the Reverse Stock Split and the actual ratio, the Board considered among other things: (i) the market price of the Common Stock; (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock that will be outstanding after the Reverse Stock Split; (iii) the stockholders’ equity; (iv) the shares of Common Stock available for issuance in the future; and (v) the nature of our operations assuming the consummation of the Proposed Transaction, although the Reverse Stock Split will be effected regardless of whether the Proposed Transaction is consummated and is not contingent thereon. Although the Action to authorize the Reverse Stock Split has been prompted by the Proposed Transaction, the potential beneficial effects of the Reverse Stock Split to the Company and its stockholders apply regardless of whether the Company enters into the Proposed Transaction or not and, accordingly, the Reverse Stock Split is not contingent on the Proposed Transaction in any way.
Potential Effects of the Reverse Stock Split
Split shares issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split will be fully paid and non-assessable. The number of stockholders will remain unchanged as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. Pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split, each two shares of the Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split will become one share of the same class of the Common Stock after consummation of the Reverse Stock Split. As of the Voting Record Date, we had 200,000,000 authorized shares of Common Stock, of which 115,818,383 shares were issued and outstanding. The number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock will be decreased to a number that will be equal to the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding, immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split, multiplied by .831105, so that there will be 96,257,237 shares of Common Stock outstanding post-Reverse Stock Split (subject to rounding). Although, after the effective date of the Reverse Stock Split, each stockholder will own a smaller number of shares of the Common Stock, the Reverse Stock Split will, subject to the provisions for elimination of fractional shares, affect all of our stockholders uniformly and will not affect any stockholder’s percentage ownership interests in us. With the exception of the number of shares issued and outstanding, the rights and preferences of the shares of Common Stock prior and subsequent to the Reverse Stock Split will remain the same. Further, it is not anticipated that our financial condition, the percentage ownership of management, the number of stockholders, or any aspect of our existing or proposed business will materially change as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. The Reverse Stock Split will not
change the number of authorized shares of the Common Stock as designated by our Certificate of Incorporation, although our authorized shares will be decreased as a result of the Authorized Stock Decrease described above.
Exchange Act Registration
We will continue to be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. The Common Stock is currently registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and as a result, is subject to periodic reporting and other requirements. The proposed Reverse Stock Split nor any other Action will not affect the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act.
Fractional Shares
No fractional shares of post-Reverse Stock Split Common Stock will be issued to any stockholder in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. In order to avoid the expense and inconvenience of issuing and transferring fractional shares of Common Stock to stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive fractional shares of Common Stock following the Reverse Stock Split, any fractional shares which result from the Reverse Stock Split will be rounded to the next whole share.
Effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split and Procedure for Exchange of Stock Certificates
The Reverse Stock Split will become effective as of the filing of the Amended Certificate with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and the approval of FINRA (the “Effective Date”). Commencing on the Effective Date, each certificate evidencing shares of the Common Stock will be deemed for all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of the decreased number of shares of Common Stock resulting from the Reverse Stock Split. If required, we will obtain a new CUSIP number for the Common Stock at or about the time of the Reverse Stock Split. As soon as practicable after the Effective Date, stockholders should contact our transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC, attention Chief Executive Officer, 77 Spruce Street, Suite 201, Cedarhurst, New York 11516, or successor transfer agent, to arrange to surrender their certificates representing shares of pre-Reverse Stock Split Common Stock in exchange for certificates representing shares of post-Reverse Stock Split Common Stock. No new certificates will be issued to a stockholder until that stockholder has surrendered the stockholder's outstanding certificate(s) to our transfer agent.
Stockholders should not destroy any stock certificate.
Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split
The following is a summary of certain material federal income tax consequences of the Reverse Stock Split. It does not purport to be a complete discussion of all of the possible federal income tax consequences of the Reverse Stock Split and is included for general information only. Further, it does not address any state, local or foreign income or other tax consequences. In addition, it does not address the tax consequences to holders that are subject to special tax rules, such as banks, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, personal holding companies, foreign entities, non-resident alien individuals, broker-dealers and tax-exempt entities. The discussion is based on the provisions of the United States federal income tax law as of the date hereof, which is subject to change retroactively as well as prospectively. This summary also assumes that the shares of common stock were, prior to the Reverse Stock Split, and will be, after the Reverse Stock Split, held as a “capital asset,” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (i.e., generally, property held for investment). The tax treatment of a stockholder may vary depending upon the particular facts and circumstances of such stockholder. Each stockholder is urged to consult with such stockholder’s own tax advisor with respect to the tax consequences of the Reverse Stock Split.
No gain or loss should be recognized by a stockholder upon such stockholder’s exchange of pre-Reverse Stock Split shares of common stock for post-Reverse Stock Split shares of common stock pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split. The aggregate tax basis of the new shares of common stock received in the Reverse Stock Split will be the same as the stockholder’s aggregate tax basis in the pre-Reverse Stock Split shares of common stock exchanged therefor. The stockholders' holding period for the post-Reverse Stock Split shares will include the period during which the stockholder held the pre-Reverse Stock Split shares of common stock surrendered in the Reverse Stock Split.
TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH TREASURY DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 230, STOCKHOLDERS ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT: (A) ANY DISCUSSION OF FEDERAL TAX ISSUES IN THIS INFORMATION STATEMENT IS NOT INTENDED OR WRITTEN TO BE RELIED UPON, AND CANNOT BE RELIED UPON BY STOCKHOLDERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF AVOIDING PENALTIES THAT MAY BE IMPOSED ON STOCKHOLDERS UNDER THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE; (B) SUCH DISCUSSION IS INCLUDED HEREIN BY US IN CONNECTION WITH OUR PROMOTION OR MARKETING (WITHIN THE MEANING OF CIRCULAR 230) OF THE TRANSACTIONS OR MATTERS ADDRESSED HEREIN; AND (C) STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD SEEK ADVICE BASED ON THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES FROM AN INDEPENDENT TAX ADVISOR.
Our view regarding the tax consequences of the Reverse Stock Split is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or the courts. Accordingly, each stockholder should consult with his or her own tax advisor with respect to all of the potential tax consequences to him or her of the Reverse Stock Split.
Amendment of Our Certificate of Incorporation to Effect a Change of Name from Drywave Technologies, Inc. to Bionik Laboratories Corp.
The Board expects to, but has the right not to, cause an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to change our name from “Drywave Technologies, Inc.” to “Bionik Laboratories Corp.” if we affect the Proposed Transaction. We can give no assurance that we will enter into the Proposed Transaction or any other transaction with Bionik.
The change of our name will not by itself have any effect on our corporate status or the rights of stockholders, or affect in any way the validity of currently outstanding stock certificates or the trading of our securities. Our stockholders will not be required to surrender or exchange any of our stock certificates that they currently hold. Stockholders with certificated shares may continue to hold their existing certificates or receive new certificates reflecting the name change upon tendering the old certificates to our transfer agent.
The DGCL does not grant our stockholders dissenter’s rights or rights of appraisal upon any amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation to change our name.
If the Name Change Amendment is effected, we intend to apply for a new ticker symbol and a new CUSIP number of our Common Stock.
Amendment of Our Certificate of Incorporation to Amend and Restate the Provisions With Respect to Indemnification of Directors, Officers and Other Covered Persons
On September 24, 2014, our Board and majority stockholder, believing it to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to amend and restate section 9 and 10 thereof with respect to the Company’s existing rights governing the indemnification of our directors, officers and other covered persons, to reflect what we perceive to be current best practices and to make it more attractive to potential officer and director candidates to join our company.
The Indemnification Amendment will limit our directors’ and officers’ liability to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware corporate law. Specifically, our directors and officers will not be liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty by a director or officer, except for liability:
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for any breach of the director’s or officer’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;
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for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
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under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law; or
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for any transaction from which a director or officer derives an improper personal benefit.
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If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors or officers, then the liability of our directors or officers shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as so amended.
The provision regarding indemnification of our directors and officers in our Amended Certificate will generally not limit liability under state or federal securities laws.
Delaware law and our Amended Certificate provide that we will, in certain situations, indemnify any person made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of that person’s former or present official capacity with our company against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses including reasonable attorney’s fees. Any person is also entitled, subject to certain limitations, to payment or reimbursement of reasonable expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding.
The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our Amended Certificate may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, an investment in the Company may be adversely affected to the extent that, in a class action or direct suit, we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
Although the Action to authorize the Indemnification Amendment has been prompted by the Proposed Transaction, the potential beneficial effects of the Indemnification Amendment to the Company and its stockholders apply regardless of whether the Company enters into the Proposed Transaction or not and, accordingly, the Indemnification Amendment is not contingent on the Proposed Transaction in any way.
Amendment to Our Certificate of Incorporation to Delete Section 7 Thereof, Relating to the Existing Right of Stockholders to Remove, With or Without Cause, One or More Members of the Board Upon a 66-2/3 Vote.
On September 24, 2014, our Board and majority stockholder, believing it to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, approved an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to
delete Section 7 thereof, relating to the existing right of stockholders to remove, with or without cause, one or more members of the Board upon a 66-2/3 vote. The Board and majority stockholder believe that Section 7 was originally adopted at a time when a single stockholder owned a super-majority of the Company’s common stock and such stockholder wanted to retain the ability and right to remove the Board in his, her or its discretion. However, the Board and the majority stockholder has determined that Section 7 and the rights it provides to the majority stockholder are not customary for public companies and creates uncertainty for the long-term effectiveness of the Board of Directors and the governance of the Company.
Although the Board Removal Deletion has been prompted by the Proposed Transaction, the potential beneficial effects of the Board Removal Deletion to the Company and its stockholders apply regardless of whether the Company enters into the Proposed Transaction or not and, accordingly, the Board Removal Deletion is not contingent on the Proposed Transaction in any way.
Adoption of the Amended Certificate
In connection with the amendments described in Actions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the Board of Directors believes that it is in the best interest of the stockholders to adopt the Amended Certificate attached hereto as Exhibit A. The Amended Certificate will incorporate the amendments set forth in the Actions set forth above and other than Actions 1 through 6, the Amended Certificate does not incorporate any other material changes.
The principal reason for adopting the Amended Certificate is to incorporate all amendments into one document, however, the Company reserves the right to instead file one or more amendments to the existing Certificate of Incorporation of the Company to effect the relevant Actions instead of filing the Amended Certificate.
ADOPTION OF 2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
Introduction
The Board and Majority Holder adopted the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”) on September 24, 2014. Although the Action to adopt the Incentive Plan has been prompted by the Proposed Transaction, the potential beneficial effects of the Incentive Plan to the Company and its stockholders apply regardless of whether the Company enters into the Proposed Transaction or not and, accordingly, the Incentive Plan is not contingent on the Proposed Transaction in any way.
The Incentive Plan is designed to provide a vehicle under which a variety of stock-based and other awards can be granted to the Company’s employees, consultants and directors, which will align the interests of award recipients with those of our stockholders, reinforce key goals and objectives that help drive stockholder value, and attract, motivate and retain experienced and highly qualified individuals who will contribute to the Company’s financial success. Our Board of Directors believes that the Incentive Plan will serve a critical role in attracting and retaining high caliber employees, consultants and directors essential to our success and in motivating these individuals to strive to meet our goals.
Shares Available Under the Plan
The Incentive Plan authorizes the Compensation Committee or Board to provide incentive compensation in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and stock units, performance shares and units and other stock-based awards. Under the Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee is authorized to issue up to 12,994,748 shares, subject to adjustment as provided below.
Section 162(m) Tax Considerations
The Incentive Plan is designed to help us comply with the rules relating to our ability to deduct in full for federal income tax purposes the compensation recognized by our executive officers in connection with certain types of awards. Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code generally denies a corporate tax deduction for annual compensation exceeding $1 million paid to the chief executive officer or any of the three other most highly compensated officers of a publicly held company other than the chief financial officer. However, qualified performance-based compensation is excluded from this limit. To enable compensation in connection with stock options, stock appreciation rights, certain restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards, performance shares,
performance units and certain other stock-based awards granted under the Incentive Plan that are intended to qualify as “performance-based” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code to be deductible, the stockholders were asked to approve certain material terms of the Incentive Plan. By approving the Incentive Plan, the Majority Holder specifically approved, among other things:
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the eligibility requirements for participation in the Incentive Plan;
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the maximum numbers of shares for which stock-based awards may be granted to an employee in any fiscal year; and
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the performance measures that may be used by the Compensation Committee to establish the performance goals applicable to the grant or vesting of awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other stock-based awards that are intended to result in qualified performance-based compensation.
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While we believe that compensation provided by such awards under the Incentive Plan generally will be deductible by us for federal income tax purposes, under certain circumstances, such as a change in control, compensation paid in settlement of certain awards may not qualify as performance-based. In addition, Section 162(m) of the Code imposes a number of other requirements that must be met in order for awards to qualify for deduction under the Code. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that awards under the Incentive Plan will be fully deductible under all circumstances. In addition, other awards under the Incentive Plan which are not intended to satisfy these “performance-based” compensation requirements generally will not so qualify. To the extent that such compensation, when added to other non-exempt compensation, exceeds $1 million in any given year is paid to certain executives, then the amount in excess of $1 million will be subject to the deduction limitations of Section 162(m) of the Code.
Summary of the Incentive Plan
The following summarizes the principal features of the Incentive Plan which is set forth in its entirety as Exhibit B to this Information Statement. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to Exhibit B.
General
. The purpose of the Incentive Plan is to advance the interests of the Company and its stockholders by providing an incentive program that will enable it to attract and retain employees, consultants and directors and to provide them with an equity interest in the Company’s growth and profitability. These incentives are provided through the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other stock-based awards.
Authorized Shares
. The maximum number of shares of stock that may be issued under the Incentive Plan pursuant to awards shall be equal to 12,994,748 shares, subject to adjustment as provided below.
Share Counting
. If an outstanding award under the Incentive Plan for any reason expires or is terminated or canceled without having been exercised or settled in full, or if shares of stock acquired pursuant to an award subject to forfeiture or repurchase are forfeited or repurchased by the Company for an amount not greater than the participant’s purchase price, then in each case the shares of stock allocable to the terminated portion of such award or such forfeited or repurchased shares of stock shall again be available for issuance under the Incentive Plan. Shares of Stock shall not be deemed to have been issued pursuant to the Incentive Plan with respect to any portion of an award that is settled in cash. Shares withheld or reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations applicable to appreciation awards shall not again be available for issuance under the Incentive Plan. Shares withheld in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations with respect to full value awards, shall again be available for issuance under the Incentive Plan. Upon payment in shares of stock pursuant to the exercise of an SAR under the Incentive Plan, the number of shares available for issuance under the Incentive Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares subject to the SAR. If the exercise price of an option under the Incentive Plan is paid by tender, or attestation to the ownership, of shares owned by the participant, or by means of a net-exercise, the number of shares available for issuance under the Incentive Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares of stock for which the option is exercised. Shares reacquired by us on the open market or otherwise using cash proceeds from the exercise of options shall not be added to the shares authorized for grant under this Plan.
Adjustments for Capital Structure Changes
. Appropriate and proportionate adjustments will be made to the number of shares authorized under the Incentive Plan, to the numerical limits on certain types of awards described below, and to outstanding awards in the event of any change in our common stock through merger, consolidation, reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares or similar change in our capital structure, or if we make a distribution to our stockholders in a form other than common stock (excluding normal cash dividends) that has a material effect on the fair market value of our common stock. In such circumstances, the Compensation Committee also has the discretion under the Incentive Plan to adjust other terms of outstanding awards as it deems appropriate.
Award Limits
. As described above, in order to enable compensation provided in connection with certain types of awards intended to qualify as “performance-based” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, the Incentive Plan establishes a limit on the maximum aggregate number of shares or dollar value for which such awards may be granted to an employee in any fiscal year which are intended to qualify as performance-based awards under Section 162(m) of the Code, as follows:
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an employee many not receive more than 1,000,000 shares under stock-based awards (other stock appreciation rights and stock options) for each fiscal year contained in the performance period for such award;
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an employee may not be granted stock appreciation rights or stock options with respect to more than 1,000,000 shares during any calendar year; and
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an employee may not be granted a cash award of performance-based compensation with respect to more than $5,000,000 during any fiscal year.
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The share limitations set forth above are subject to adjustment in the event of changes in our capital structure, as outlined above. In addition, to comply with applicable tax rules, the Incentive Plan also limits to 12,994,748 the number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of incentive stock options granted under the Incentive Plan, as adjusted in accordance with the terms of the Incentive Plan.
Administration
. The Incentive Plan generally will be administered by the Compensation Committee of our Board, although our Board of Directors retains the right to appoint another of its committees to administer the Incentive Plan or to administer the Incentive Plan directly. In the case of awards intended to qualify for the performance-based compensation exemption under Section 162(m) of the Code, administration of the Incentive Plan must be by a compensation committee comprised solely of two or more “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. (For purposes of this summary, the term “Committee” will refer to either such duly appointed committee or the Board of Directors.) Subject to the provisions of the Incentive Plan, the Committee determines in its discretion the persons to whom and the times at which awards are granted, the types and sizes of awards, and all of their terms and conditions. The Committee may, subject to certain limitations on the exercise of its discretion required by Section 162(m) of the Code or otherwise provided by the Incentive Plan, amend, cancel or renew any award, waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any award, and accelerate, continue, extend or defer the vesting of any award. The Incentive Plan provides, subject to certain limitations, for indemnification by us of any director, officer or employee against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with any legal action arising from such person’s action or failure to act in administering the Incentive Plan. All awards granted under the Incentive Plan will be evidenced by a written or digitally signed agreement between the Company and the participant specifying the terms and conditions of the award, consistent with the requirements of the Incentive Plan. The Committee will interpret the Incentive Plan and awards granted thereunder, and all determinations of the Committee generally will be final and binding on all persons having an interest in the Incentive Plan or any award.
Eligibility
. Awards may be granted to employees, directors and consultants of the Company or any present or future parent or subsidiary corporation or other affiliated entity of the Company. Incentive stock options may be granted only to employees who, as of the time of grant, are employees of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company. As of the Voting Record Date, other than our Chief Executive Officer, we did not have any full or part-time employees. Any future employees will be hired only if and when we are successful in implementing our business plan or otherwise consummate the Proposed Transaction or other business combination with an operating entity, of which we can give no assurance of success.
Stock Options
. The Committee may grant nonstatutory stock options, incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, or any combination of these. The exercise price of each option may not be less than the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant. However, any incentive stock option granted to a person who at the time of grant owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock or any parent or subsidiary of the Company (a “10% Stockholder”) must have an exercise price equal to at least 110% of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of grant.
The Incentive Plan provides that the option exercise price may be paid in cash, by check, or cash equivalent; by means of a broker-assisted cashless exercise; by means of a net-exercise procedure; to the extent legally permitted, by tender to us of shares of common stock owned by the participant having a fair market value not less than the exercise price; by such other lawful consideration as approved by the Committee; or by any combination of these. Nevertheless, the Committee may restrict the forms of payment permitted in connection with any option grant. No option may be exercised unless the participant has made adequate provision for federal, state, local and foreign taxes, if any, relating to the exercise of the option, including, if permitted or required by us, through the participant’s surrender of a portion of the option shares to us.
Options will become vested and exercisable at such times or upon such events and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria or restrictions as specified by the Committee. The maximum term of any option granted under the Incentive Plan is ten years, provided that an incentive stock option granted to a 10% Stockholder must have a term not exceeding five years. Unless otherwise permitted by the Committee, an option generally will remain exercisable for three months following the participant’s termination of service, provided that if service terminates as a result of the participant’s death or disability, the option generally will remain exercisable for 12 months, but in any event the option must be exercised no later than its expiration date, and provided further that an option will terminate immediately upon a participant’s termination for cause.
Options are nontransferable by the participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and are exercisable during the participant’s lifetime only by the participant. However, a nonstatutory stock option may be assigned or transferred to certain family members or trusts for their benefit to the extent permitted by the Committee, and provided further that such transfer is not for consideration. No dividend equivalents shall be paid with respect to Options.
Stock Appreciation Rights
. The Committee may grant stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) either in tandem with a related option (a “Tandem SAR”) or independently of any option (a “Freestanding SAR”). A Tandem SAR requires the option holder to elect between the exercise of the underlying option for shares of common stock or the surrender of the option and the exercise of the related stock appreciation right. A Tandem SAR is exercisable only at the time and only to the extent that the related stock option is exercisable, while a Freestanding SAR is exercisable at such times or upon such events and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria or restrictions as specified by the Committee. The exercise price of each stock appreciation right may not be less than the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant.
Upon the exercise of any stock appreciation right, the participant is entitled to receive an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the underlying shares of common stock as to which the right is exercised over the aggregate exercise price for such shares. Payment of this amount upon the exercise of a Tandem SAR may be made only in shares of common stock whose fair market value on the exercise date equals the payment amount. At the Committee’s discretion, payment of this amount upon the exercise of a Freestanding SAR may be made in cash or shares of common stock. The maximum term of any stock appreciation right granted under the Incentive Plan is ten years. No dividend equivalents shall be paid with respect to SARs.
Stock appreciation rights are generally nontransferable by the participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and are generally exercisable during the participant’s lifetime only by the participant. If permitted by the Committee, a Tandem SAR related to a nonstatutory stock option and a Freestanding SAR may be assigned or transferred to certain family members or trusts for their benefit to the extent permitted by the Committee (and also subject to the restrictions that any such transfer not be for consideration). Other terms of stock appreciation rights are generally similar to the terms of comparable stock options.
Restricted Stock Awards
. The Committee may grant restricted stock awards under the Incentive Plan either in the form of a restricted stock purchase right, giving a participant an immediate right to purchase common stock, or in the form of a restricted stock bonus, in which stock is issued in consideration for services to us rendered by the participant. The Committee determines the purchase price payable under restricted stock purchase awards, which may be less than the then current fair market value of our common stock. Restricted stock awards may be subject to vesting conditions based on such service or performance criteria as the Committee specifies, including the attainment of one or more performance goals similar to those described below in connection with performance awards. Shares acquired pursuant to a restricted stock award may not be transferred by the participant until vested. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a participant will forfeit any shares of restricted stock as to which the vesting restrictions have not lapsed prior to the participant’s termination of service. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, participants holding restricted stock will have the right to vote the shares and to receive any dividends paid, except that dividends or other distributions paid in shares will be subject to the same restrictions as the original award and dividends paid in cash may be subject to such restrictions.
Restricted Stock Units
. The Committee may grant restricted stock units under the Incentive Plan, which represent rights to receive shares of our common stock at a future date determined in accordance with the participant’s award agreement. No monetary payment is required for receipt of restricted stock units or the shares issued in settlement of the award, the consideration for which is furnished in the form of the participant’s services to us. The Committee may grant restricted stock unit awards subject to the attainment of one or more performance goals similar to those described below in connection with performance awards, or may make the awards subject to vesting conditions similar to those applicable to restricted stock awards. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a participant will forfeit any restricted stock units which have not vested prior to the participant’s termination of service. Participants have no voting rights or rights to receive cash dividends with respect to restricted stock unit awards until shares of common stock are issued in settlement of such awards. However, the Committee may grant restricted stock units that entitle their holders to dividend equivalent rights, which are rights to receive additional restricted stock units for a number of shares whose value is equal to any cash dividends we pay.
Performance Awards
. The Committee may grant performance awards subject to such conditions and the attainment of such performance goals over such periods as the Committee determines in writing and sets forth in a written agreement between us and the participant. These awards may be designated as performance shares or performance units, which consist of unfunded bookkeeping entries generally having initial values equal to the fair market value determined on the grant date of a share of common stock in the case of performance shares and a monetary value established by the Committee at the time of grant in the case of performance units. Performance awards will specify a predetermined amount of performance shares or performance units that may be earned by the participant to the extent that one or more performance goals are attained within a predetermined performance period. To the extent
earned, performance awards may be settled in cash, shares of common stock (including shares of restricted stock that are subject to additional vesting) or any combination thereof.
Prior to the beginning of the applicable performance period or such later date as permitted under Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee will establish one or more performance goals applicable to the award. Performance goals will be based on the attainment of specified target levels with respect to one or more measures of business or financial performance of the Company and each subsidiary consolidated for financial reporting purposes, or such division or business unit as may be selected by the Committee. The Committee, in its discretion, may base performance goals on one or more of the following such measures:
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Earnings or Profitability Metrics, such as: any derivative of revenue (gross, operating or net); earnings/loss (gross, operating, net, or adjusted); earnings/loss before interest and taxes (EBIT); earnings/loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA); operating income; net income; economic profit; profit margin; gross margin; merchandise margin; product margin; inventory turns; sales growth and volume; expense levels or ratios; expense reduction or controllable expenses; provided that any of the foregoing metrics may be adjusted to eliminate the effect of any one or more of the following: interest expense, asset impairments, early extinguishment of debt or stock-based compensation expense;
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Return Metrics, such as: any derivative of return on investment, assets, equity or capital (total or invested); and
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Cash Flow Metrics, such as: any derivative of operating cash flow; cash flow sufficient to achieve financial ratios or a specified cash balance; free cash flow; cash flow return on capital; net cash provided by operating activities; cash flow per share; working capital.
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The target levels with respect to these performance measures may be expressed on an absolute basis or relative to an index, budget or other standard specified by the Committee. The degree of attainment of performance measures will be calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, if applicable, but prior to the accrual or payment of any performance award for the same performance period, and, according to criteria established by the Committee, excluding the effect (whether positive or negative) of changes in accounting standards or any extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring item occurring after the establishment of the performance goals applicable to a performance award.
Following completion of the applicable performance period, the Committee will certify in writing the extent to which the applicable performance goals have been attained and the resulting value to be paid to the participant. The Committee retains the discretion to eliminate or reduce, but not increase, the amount that would otherwise be payable on the basis of the performance goals attained to a participant who is a “covered employee” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code (with respect to awards intended to qualify as performance-based awards under Section 162(m) of the Code). However, no such reduction may increase the amount paid to any other participant. The Committee may make positive or negative adjustments to performance award payments to participants other than covered employees to reflect the participant’s individual job performance or other factors determined by the Committee. The Committee may provide for performance award payments in lump sums or installments. If any payment is to be made on a deferred basis, the Committee may provide for the payment of dividend equivalent rights or interest during the deferral period.
Dividends and Dividend Equivalents on Performance Awards
. In its discretion, the Committee may provide for a participant awarded performance share to receive dividends or dividend equivalent rights with respect to cash dividends paid on our common stock, however, such rights shall only vest if, and to the extent, the underlying awards vest.
Other Stock-Based Awards
. The Committee may grant other stock-based awards in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee determines. Other stock-based awards will specify a number of shares or units based on shares or other equity-related awards. Such awards may be subject to vesting conditions based on continued performance of service or subject to the attainment of one or more performance goals similar to those described above in connection with performance awards. Settlement of awards may be in cash or shares of common stock, as determined by the Committee. A participant will have no voting rights with respect to any such award
unless and until shares are issued pursuant to the award. The committee may grant dividend equivalent rights with respect to other stock-based awards. The effect on such awards of the participant’s termination of service will be determined by the Committee and set forth in the participant’s award agreement.
Change in Control
. Unless otherwise defined in a participant’s award or other agreement with the company, the Incentive Plan provides that a “Change in Control” occurs upon (a) a person or entity (with certain exceptions described in the Incentive Plan) becoming the direct or indirect beneficial owner of more than 50% of our voting stock; (b) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or (c) a consolidation, share exchange, reorganization or merger of the Company resulting in the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such event not owning at least a majority of the voting power of the resulting entity’s securities outstanding immediately following such event; or (d) the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all the assets of the Company (other than a transfer of financial assets made in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of securitization.
If a Change in Control occurs, the surviving, continuing, successor or purchasing entity or its parent may, without the consent of any participant, either assume or continue outstanding awards or substitute substantially equivalent awards for its stock. If so determined by the Committee, stock-based awards will be deemed assumed if, for each share subject to the award prior to the Change in Control, its holder is given the right to receive the same amount of consideration that a stockholder would receive as a result of the Change in Control. In general, awards which are not assumed, substituted for or otherwise continued, in connection with a Change in Control will have their vesting accelerate in full such that the Award will be 100% vested and nonforfeitable effective upon the consummation of the Change in Control. In general, any awards which are not assumed, substituted for or otherwise continued in connection with a Change in Control or exercised or settled prior to the Change in Control will terminate effective as of the time of the Change in Control. Subject to the restrictions of Section 409A of the Code, the Committee may provide for the acceleration of vesting or settlement of any or all outstanding awards upon such terms and to such extent as it determines. The Incentive Plan also authorizes the Committee, in its discretion and without the consent of any participant, to cancel each or any award denominated in shares of stock upon a Change in Control in exchange for a payment to the participant with respect each vested share (and each unvested share if so determined by the Committee) subject to the cancelled award of an amount equal to the excess of the consideration to be paid per share of common stock in the Change in Control transaction over the exercise price per share, if any, under the award. The vesting of all awards held by any non-employee director will be accelerated in full upon a Change in Control if the non-employee director does not continue to serve as a director of the surviving entity.
Awards Subject to Section 409A of the Code
. Certain awards granted under the Incentive Plan may be deemed to constitute “deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, providing rules regarding the taxation of nonqualified deferred compensation plans, and the regulations and other administrative guidance issued pursuant to Section 409A of the Code. Any such awards will be required to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding any provision of the Incentive Plan to the contrary, the Committee is authorized, in its sole discretion and without the consent of any participant, to amend the Incentive Plan or any award agreement as it deems necessary or advisable to comply with Section 409A of the Code.
Amendment, Suspension or Termination
. The Incentive Plan will continue in effect until its termination by the Committee, provided that no awards may be granted under the Incentive Plan following the tenth anniversary of the date the Incentive Plan was adopted by the Board. The Committee may amend, suspend or terminate the Incentive Plan at any time, provided that no amendment may be made without stockholder approval that would increase the maximum aggregate number of shares of stock authorized for issuance under the Incentive Plan, change the class of persons eligible to receive incentive stock options, or require stockholder approval under any applicable law. No amendment, suspension or termination of the Incentive Plan may affect any outstanding award unless expressly provided by the Committee, and, in any event, may not have a materially adverse effect an outstanding award without the consent of the participant unless necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation or rule, including, but not limited to, Section 409A of the Code, or unless expressly provided in the terms and conditions governing the award.
Summary of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The following summary is intended only as a general guide to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of participation in the Incentive Plan and does not attempt to describe all possible federal or other tax consequences of such participation or tax consequences based on particular circumstances.
Incentive Stock Options
. A participant recognizes no taxable income for regular income tax purposes as a result of the grant or exercise of an incentive stock option qualifying under Section 422 of the Code. Participants who neither dispose of their shares within two years following the date the option was granted nor within one year following the exercise of the option will normally recognize a capital gain or loss upon the sale of the shares equal to the difference, if any, between the sale price and the purchase price of the shares. If a participant satisfies such holding periods upon a sale of the shares, we will not be entitled to any deduction for federal income tax purposes. If a participant disposes of shares within two years after the date of grant or within one year after the date of exercise (a “disqualifying disposition”), the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the option exercise date and the exercise price (not to exceed the gain realized on the sale if the disposition is a transaction with respect to which a loss, if sustained, would be recognized) will be taxed as ordinary income at the time of disposition. Any gain in excess of that amount will be a capital gain. If a loss is recognized, there will be no ordinary income, and such loss will be a capital loss. Any ordinary income recognized by the participant upon the disqualifying disposition of the shares generally should be deductible by us for federal income tax purposes, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
In general, the difference between the option exercise price and the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise of an incentive stock option is treated as an adjustment in computing the participant’s alternative minimum taxable income and may be subject to an alternative minimum tax which is paid if such tax exceeds the regular tax for the year. Special rules may apply with respect to certain subsequent sales of the shares in a disqualifying disposition, certain basis adjustments for purposes of computing the alternative minimum taxable income on a subsequent sale of the shares and certain tax credits which may arise with respect to participants subject to the alternative minimum tax.
Nonstatutory Stock Options
. Options not designated or qualifying as incentive stock options are nonstatutory stock options having no special tax status. A participant generally recognizes no taxable income upon receipt of such an option. Upon exercising a nonstatutory stock option, the participant normally recognizes ordinary income equal to the difference between the exercise price paid and the fair market value of the shares on the date when the option is exercised. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. Upon the sale of stock acquired by the exercise of a nonstatutory stock option, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date, will be taxed as capital gain or loss. We generally should be entitled to a tax deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant as a result of the exercise of a nonstatutory stock option, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
Stock Appreciation Rights
. A participant recognizes no taxable income upon the receipt of a stock appreciation right. Upon the exercise of a stock appreciation right, the participant generally will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the underlying shares of common stock on the exercise date over the exercise price. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant in connection with the exercise of the stock appreciation right, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
Restricted Stock
. A participant acquiring restricted stock generally will recognize ordinary income equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the “determination date” over the price paid, if any, for such shares. The “determination date” is the date on which the participant acquires the shares unless the shares are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and are not transferable, in which case the determination date is the earlier of (i) the date on which the shares become transferable or (ii) the date on which the shares are no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture (e.g., when they become vested). If the determination date follows the date on which the participant acquires the shares, the participant may generally elect, pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code, to designate the date of acquisition as the determination date by filing an election with the Internal Revenue Service no later than 30 days after the date on which the shares are acquired. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. Upon the sale of shares acquired pursuant to a restricted stock award, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value of the shares on the determination date, will be taxed as capital gain or loss. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant on the determination date, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
Restricted Stock Unit, Performance and Other Stock-Based Awards
. A participant generally will recognize no income upon the receipt of a restricted stock unit, performance share, performance unit or other stock-based award. Upon the settlement of such awards, participants normally will recognize ordinary income in the year of settlement in an amount equal to the cash received and the fair market value of any substantially vested shares of stock received. If the participant is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. If the participant receives shares of restricted stock, the participant generally will be taxed in the same manner as described above under “Restricted Stock.” Upon the sale of any shares received, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value of the shares on the determination date (as defined above under “Restricted Stock”), will be taxed as capital gain or loss. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant on the determination date, except to the extent such deduction is limited by applicable provisions of the Code.
New Plan Benefits
A new plan benefits table for the Incentive Plan and the benefits or amounts that would have been received by or allocated to participants for the last completed fiscal year under the Incentive Plan if the Incentive Plan was then in effect, as described in the federal proxy rules, are not provided because all awards made under the Incentive Plan will be made at the Committee’s discretion, subject to the terms of the Incentive Plan. Therefore, the benefits and amounts that will be received or allocated under the Incentive Plan are not determinable at this time.
INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN THE ACTION
Our sole officer and our directors have an interest in the Actions as a result of their ownership of shares of our Common Stock, as set forth in the section entitled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” above. However, we do not believe that our sole officer and directors have interests in the Actions that are different from or greater than those of any other of our stockholders.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and other information with the SEC. You may obtain such SEC filings from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can also read and copy these materials at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can obtain information about the operation of the SEC’s public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.
DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS TO SECURITY HOLDERS SHARING AN ADDRESS
If hard copies of the materials are requested, we will send only one Information Statement and other corporate mailings to stockholders who share a single address unless we received contrary instructions from any stockholder at that address. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce our printing and postage costs. However, we will deliver promptly upon written or oral request a separate copy of the Information Statement to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the Information Statement was delivered. You may make such a written or oral request by (a) sending a written notification stating (i) your name, (ii) your shared address and (iii) the address to which we should direct the additional copy of the Information Statement, to us at Drywave Technologies, Inc., c/o Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., 1425 RXR Plaza, East Tower, 15
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Floor, Uniondale, New York 11556; Attention: Stephen E. Fox.
If multiple stockholders sharing an address have received one copy of this Information Statement or any other corporate mailing and would prefer us to mail each stockholder a separate copy of future mailings, you may send notification to or call our principal executive offices. Additionally, if current stockholders with a shared address received multiple copies of this Information Statement or other corporate mailings and would prefer us to mail one copy of future mailings to stockholders at the shared address, notification of such request may also be made by mail or telephone to our principal executive offices.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This information statement contains forward-looking statements within the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to our financial condition, results of operations and business, and financial performance. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
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Austin Kibler
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Chief Executive Officer and Director
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ANNEX A
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
DRYWAVE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
(Pursuant to Sections 242 and 245 of the
General Corporation Law of the State Of Delaware)
Drywave Technologies, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”),
DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:
1. That the name of this corporation is Drywave Technologies, Inc., and that this corporation was originally incorporated pursuant to the DGCL on June 25, 2013.
2. That the Board of Directors duly adopted resolutions proposing to amend and restate the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation (as amended, the “Certificate of Incorporation”), declaring said amendment and restatement to be advisable and in the best interests of this corporation and its stockholders, and authorizing the appropriate officers of this corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor, which resolution setting forth the proposed amendment and restatement is as follows:
3. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation amends and restates the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation in its entirety to read as follows:
FIRST
: The name of this corporation is Bionik Laboratories Corp. (the “Corporation”).
SECOND
: The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801 New Castle County. The name of the registered agent of the Corporation at such address is The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801 New Castle County.
THIRD
: The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted by the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL.
FOURTH
: The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is (a) 150,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), and (b) 10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”). Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series and/or classes (“Series”). The Board of Directors is hereby authorized to provide for the issuance of shares of Preferred Stock in Series and, by filing a certificate pursuant to the DGCL (hereinafter, along with any similar designation relating to any other class of stock that may hereafter be authorized, referred to as a “Preferred Stock Designation”), to established from time to time one or more Series, by fixing and determining the number of shares to be included in each such Series, and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such Series and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof. The authority of the Board of Directors with respect to each Series is hereby expressly vested in it and shall include, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, determination of the following:
(i) the designation of such Series, which may be by distinguishing number, letter or title;
(ii) the number of shares of the Series, which number the Board of Directors may thereafter (except where otherwise provided in the Preferred Stock Designation) increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding);
(iii) the amounts payable on, and the preferences, if any, of shares of the Series in respect of dividends payable and any other class or classes of capital stock of the Company, and whether such dividends, if any, shall be cumulative or noncumulative;
(iv) dates on which dividends, if any, shall be payable;
(v) whether the shares of such Series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, and if made subject to redemption, the redemption rights and price or prices, if any, for shares of the Series;
(vi) the terms and amount of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of the Series;
(vii) the amounts payable on and the preferences, if any, of shares of the Series in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company;
(viii) whether the shares of the Series shall be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of any other Series, or any other security, of the Company or any other corporation, and, if so, the specification of such other Series of such other security, the conversion or exchange price or prices or rate or rates, any adjustments thereof, the date or dates at which such shares shall be convertible or exchangeable and all other terms and conditions upon which such conversion or exchange may be made;
(ix) restrictions on the issuance of shares of the same Series or of any other Series; and
(x) whether the holders of the shares of such Series shall be entitled to vote, as a Series or otherwise, on any and all matters of the Company to which holders of Common Stock are entitled to vote.
The Common Stock shall be subject to the express terms of the Preferred Stock and any Series thereof. Each share of Common Stock shall be equal to each other share of Common Stock. Except as may be provided in these Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or in a Preferred Stock Designation, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share upon all matters presented to the stockholders.
FIFTH
: Effective on [__], 2014 (the “Effective Time”), a reverse stock split of the Common Stock will be effected such that every one share of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time will be converted into 0.831105 share of Common Stock. As of the Effective Time, every share of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (the “Old Common Stock”) will be automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof reclassified as and converted into that number of shares of Common Stock obtained by multiplying each share of Common Stock by .831105 (the “New Common Stock”), subject to the treatment of fractional share interests as described below. Each old certificate that, immediately prior to the Effective Time, represented shares of Old Common Stock (the “Old Certificates”) shall, from and after the Effective Time, automatically and without the necessity of presenting the same for exchange, represent that number of whole shares of New Common Stock into which the shares of Old Common Stock represented by such Old Certificate shall have been reclassified. All fractional shares of Common Stock shall be rounded to the next higher whole number of shares of Common Stock. If more than one Old Certificate shall be surrendered at one time for the account of the same stockholder, the number of full shares of New Common Stock for which new certificates (the “New Certificates”) shall be issued shall be computed on the basis of the aggregate number of shares represented by the Old Certificates so surrendered. If any New Certificate is to be issued in a name other than that in which the Old Certificates surrendered for exchange are issued, the Old Certificates so surrendered shall be properly endorsed and otherwise in proper form for transfer, and the person or persons requesting the exchange shall affix any requisite
stock transfer tax stamps to the Old Certificates surrendered, or provide funds for their purchase, or establish to the satisfaction of the transfer agent that transfer taxes are not payable. From and after the Effective Time, the amount of capital represented by the shares of New Common Stock into which and for which the shares of Old Common Stock are reclassified under the terms hereof shall be the same as the amount of capital represented by the shares of Old Common Stock so reclassified, until thereafter reduced or increased in accordance with applicable law.
SIXTH
: Unless and except to the extent that the bylaws of the Corporation (the “Bylaws”) shall so require, the vote by stockholders on any matter, including the election of directors, need not be by written ballot.
SEVENTH
:
(a) The Corporation shall indemnify to the fullest extent permitted under and in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation; provided, no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity by the Corporation for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
(c) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding shall (in the case of any action, suit or proceeding against a director of the Corporation) or may (in the case of any action, suit or proceeding against an officer, trustee, employee or agent of the Corporation) be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding as authorized by the Board of Directors upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of a person so indemnified to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Article SEVENTH.
(d) The indemnification and other rights set forth in this Article SEVENTH shall not be exclusive of any provisions with respect thereto in the bylaws of the Corporation or any other contract or agreement between the Corporation and any officer, director, employee or agent of the Corporation. The Corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against liability under this Article SEVENTH and applicable law, including the DGCL.
(e) No director shall be personally liable to the Corporation or any stockholder for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director: (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders; (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL; or (e) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the DGCL is amended after the date hereof to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.
(f) Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Article SEVENTH, nor the adoption of any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation inconsistent with this Article SEVENTH, shall eliminate or reduce the effect of this Article SEVENTH in respect of any matter occurring before such amendment, repeal or adoption of an inconsistent provision or in respect of any cause of action, suit or claim relating to any such matter which would have given rise to a right of indemnification or right to the reimbursement of expenses pursuant to this Article SEVENTH if such provision had not been so amended or repealed or if a provision inconsistent therewith had not been so adopted.
EIGHTH:
In furtherance of, and not in limitation of, the powers conferred by statute, the Board is expressly authorized to adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws or adopt new Bylaws without any action on the part of the stockholders; provided that any Bylaw adopted or amended by the board of directors, and any powers thereby conferred, may be amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders.
NINTH
: The Corporation shall have the right, subject to any express provisions or restrictions contained in the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) or the Bylaws, from time to time, to amend the Certificate of Incorporation or any provision thereof in any manner now or hereafter provided by law, and all rights and powers of any kind conferred upon a director or stockholder of the Corporation by the Certificate of Incorporation or any amendment thereof are conferred subject to such right.
TENTH
: Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation's stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or the By-laws or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to said Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein.
4. That the foregoing amendment and restatement was approved by the holders of the requisite number of shares of this corporation in accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law.
5. That this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which restates and integrates and further amends the provisions of this corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, has been duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has been executed by a duly authorized officer of this corporation on this __ day of _____, 2014.
DRYWAVE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
By: _____________________________
Name: Austin Kibler
Title: Chief Executive Officer
ANNEX B
2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
1.
ESTABLISHMENT, PURPOSE AND TERM OF PLAN.
1.1
Establishment. The Drywave Technologies, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive
Plan (the
“
Plan
”
) was approved by the Board and a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of the common stock of the Company as of September 24, 2014 (the
“
Effective Date
”
).
1.2
Purpose
.
The purpose of the Plan is to advance the interests of the Participating Company Group and its stockholders by providing an incentive to attract, retain and reward persons performing services for the Participating Company Group and by motivating such persons to contribute to the growth and profitability of the Participating Company Group. The Plan seeks to achieve this purpose by providing for Awards in the form of Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock Purchase Rights, Restricted Stock Bonuses, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares, Performance Units and Other Stock-Based Awards.
1.3
Term of Plan.
The Plan shall continue in effect until its termination by the Committee; provided, however, that all Awards shall be granted, if at all, on or before ten (10) years from the Effective Date.
2.
DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION
.
2.1
Definitions.
Whenever used herein, the following terms shall have their respective meanings set forth below:
(a) “
Affiliate
”
means (i) a parent entity, other than a Parent Corporation, that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediary entities, controls the Company or (ii) a subsidiary entity, other than a Subsidiary Corporation, that is controlled by the Company directly or indirectly through one or more intermediary entities. For this purpose, the terms “parent,” “subsidiary,” “control” and “controlled by” shall have the meanings assigned such terms for the purposes of registration of securities on Form S-8 under the Securities Act.
(b) “
Appreciation Award”
(i) an Option, (ii) a Stock Appreciation Right, or (iii) a Restricted Stock Purchase Right under which the Company will receive monetary consideration equal to the Fair Market Value (determined on the effective date of grant) of the shares subject to such Award.
(c) “
Award
”
means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Purchase Right, Restricted Stock Bonus, Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Share, Performance Unit or Other Stock-Based Award granted under the Plan.
(d) “
Award Agreement
”
means a written or electronic agreement between the Company and a Participant setting forth the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to an Award.
(e) “
Board
”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) “
Cashless Exercise
”
means a Cashless Exercise as defined in Section 6.3(b)(i).
(g)
“
Cause
”
means (i) conviction of, or the entry of a plea of guilty or no contest to, a felony or any other crime that causes any Participating Company public disgrace or disrepute, or adversely affects any Participating Company’s operations or financial performance or the relationship the Company has with any other Participating Company, (ii) gross negligence or willful misconduct with respect to any Participating Company, including, without limitation fraud, embezzlement, theft or proven dishonesty in the course of his employment; (iii) refusal, failure or inability to perform any material obligation or fulfill any duty (other than any duty or obligation of the type described in clause (v) below) to any Participating Company (other than due to a Disability), which failure, refusal or inability is not cured within 10 days after delivery of notice thereof; (iv) material breach of any agreement with or duty owed to any Participating Company; (v) any breach of any obligation or duty to any Participating Company (whether arising by statute,
common law, contract or otherwise) relating to confidentiality, noncompetition, nonsolicitation or proprietary rights; or (vi) any other conduct that constitutes “cause” at common law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Participant and the Company (or any other Participating Company) have entered into an employment agreement, consulting agreement or other similar agreement that specifically defines “cause,” then with respect to such Participant, “Cause” shall have the meaning defined in that employment agreement, consulting agreement or other agreement unless otherwise specifically provided therein.
(h) “
Change in Control
” means, the occurrence of any of the following, in one transaction or a series of related transactions: (i) any person (as such term is used in section 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becoming a “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the voting power of the Company’s then outstanding capital stock; (ii) a consolidation, share exchange, reorganization or merger of the Company resulting in the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such event not owning at least a majority of the voting power of the resulting entity’s securities outstanding immediately following such event; (iii) the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all the assets of the Company (other than a transfer of financial assets made in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of securitization); or (iv) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company.
(i) “
Code
”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any applicable regulations or administrative guidelines promulgated thereunder.
For the avoidance of doubt, a transaction or a series of related transactions will not constitute a Change in Control if such transaction(s) result(s) in the Company, any successor to the Company, or any successor to the Company’s business, being controlled, directly or indirectly, by the same Person or Persons who controlled the Company, directly or indirectly, immediately before such transaction(s).
(j) “
Committee
”
means the Compensation Committee of the Board and such other committee or subcommittee of the Board, if any, duly appointed to administer the Plan and having such powers in each instance as shall be specified by the Board. If, at any time, there is no committee of the Board then authorized or properly constituted to administer the Plan, the Board shall exercise all of the powers of the Committee granted herein, and, in any event, the Board may in its discretion exercise any or all of such powers.
(k) “
Company
”
means Drywave Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor corporation thereto.
(l) “
Consultant
”
means a person engaged to provide consulting or advisory services (other than as an Employee or a member of the Board) to a Participating Company, provided that the identity of such person, the nature of such services or the entity to which such services are provided would not preclude the Company from offering or selling securities to such person pursuant to the Plan in reliance on registration on Form S-8 under the Securities Act.
(m) “
Covered Employee
”
means, at any time the Plan is subject to Section 162(m), any Employee who is or may reasonably be expected to become a “covered employee” as defined in Section 162(m), or any successor statute, and who is designated, either as an individual Employee or a member of a class of Employees, by the Committee no later than the earlier of (i) the date that is ninety (90) days after the beginning of the Performance Period, or (ii) the date on which twenty-five percent (25%) of the Performance Period has elapsed, as a “Covered Employee” under this Plan for such applicable Performance Period.
(n) “
Director
”
means a member of the Board.
(o) “
Disability
”
means the permanent and total disability of the Participant, within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.
(p) “
Dividend Equivalent Right
”
means the right of a Participant, granted at the discretion of the Committee or as otherwise provided by the Plan, to receive a credit for the account of such Participant in an amount equal to the cash dividends paid on one share of Stock for each share of Stock represented by an Award (other than an Appreciation Award) held by such Participant.
(q) “
Employee
”
means any person treated as an employee (including an Officer or a member of the Board who is also treated as an employee) in the records of a Participating Company and, with respect to any Incentive Stock Option granted to such person, who is an employee for purposes of Section 422 of the Code; provided, however, that neither service as a member of the Board nor payment of a director’s fee shall be sufficient to constitute employment for purposes of the Plan. The Company shall determine in good faith and in the exercise of its discretion, whether an individual has become or has ceased to be an Employee and the effective date of such individual’s employment or termination of employment, as the case may be. For purposes of an individual’s rights, if any, under the terms of the Plan as of the time of the Company’s determination of whether or not the individual is an Employee, all such determinations by the Company shall be final, binding and conclusive as to such rights, if any, notwithstanding that the Company or any court of law or governmental agency subsequently makes a contrary determination as to such individual’s status as an Employee.
(r) “
Exchange Act
”
means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(s) “
Fair Market Value
”
means, as of any date, the value of a share of Stock or other property as determined by the Committee, in its discretion, or by the Company, in its discretion, if such determination is expressly allocated to the Company herein, subject to the following:
(i) Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, if, on such date, the Stock is listed or quoted on a national or regional securities exchange or quotation system, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock shall be the closing price of a share of Stock as quoted on the national or regional securities exchange or quotation system constituting the primary market for the Stock, as reported in such source as the Company deems reliable. If the relevant date does not fall on a day on which the Stock has traded on such securities exchange or quotation system, the date on which the Fair Market Value shall be established shall be the last day on which the Stock was so traded or quoted prior to the relevant date, or such other appropriate day as shall be determined by the Committee, in its discretion.
(ii) If, on such date, the Stock is not listed or quoted on a national or regional securities exchange or quotation system, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock shall be as determined by the Committee in good faith without regard to any restriction other than a restriction which, by its terms, will never lapse, and in a manner consistent with the requirements of Section 409A.
(t) “
Full Value Award
”
means any Award settled in Stock, other than an Appreciation Award (i.e., (i) an Option, (ii) a Stock Appreciation Right, or (iii) a Restricted Stock Purchase Right under which the Company will receive monetary consideration equal to the Fair Market Value (determined on the effective date of grant) of the shares subject to such Award).
(u) “
Incentive Stock Option
”
means an Option intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) and which qualifies as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the Code.
(v) “
Incumbent Director
”
means a director who either (i) is a member of the Board as of the Effective Date or (ii) is elected, or nominated for election, to the Board with the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the Incumbent Directors at the time of such election or nomination (but excluding a director who was elected or nominated in connection with an actual or threatened proxy contest relating to the election of directors of the Company).
(w) “
Net Exercise
”
means a Net Exercise as defined in Section 6.3(b)(iii).
(x) “
Nonemployee Director
”
means a Director who is not an Employee.
(y) “
Nonemployee Director Award
”
means any Award granted to a Nonemployee Director.
(z) “
Non-Qualified Stock Option
”
means an Option not intended to be (as set forth in the Award Agreement) or which does not qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the Code.
(aa) “
Officer
”
means any person designated by the Board as an officer of the Company.
(bb) “
Option
”
means an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option granted pursuant to the Plan.
(cc) “
Other Stock-Based Award
”
means an Award denominated in shares of Stock and granted pursuant to Section 11.
(dd) “
Parent Corporation
”
means any present or future “parent corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.
(ee) “
Participant
”
means any eligible person who has been granted one or more Awards.
(ff) “
Participating Company
”
means the Company or any Parent Corporation, Subsidiary Corporation or Affiliate.
(gg) “
Participating Company Group
”
means, at any point in time, the Company and all other entities collectively which are then Participating Companies.
(hh) “
Performance Award
”
means an Award of Performance Shares or Performance Units.
(ii) “
Performance Award Formula
”
means, for any Performance Award, a formula or table established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10.3 which provides the basis for computing the value of a Performance Award at one or more levels of attainment of the applicable Performance Goal(s) measured as of the end of the applicable Performance Period.
(jj) “
Performance-Based Compensation
” means compensation under an Award that satisfies the requirements of Section 162(m) for certain performance-based compensation paid to Covered Employees.
(kk) “
Performance Goal
”
means a performance goal established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10.3.
(ll) “
Performance Period
”
means a period established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10.3 at the end of which one or more Performance Goals are to be measured.
(mm) “
Performance Share
”
means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 10 to receive a payment equal to the value of a Performance Share, as determined by the Committee, based upon attainment of applicable Performance Goal(s).
(nn) “
Performance Unit
”
means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 10 to receive a payment equal to the value of a Performance Unit, as determined by the Committee, based upon attainment of applicable Performance Goal(s).
(oo) “
Restricted Stock Award
”
means an Award of a Restricted Stock Bonus or a Restricted Stock Purchase Right.
(pp) “
Restricted Stock Bonus
”
means Stock granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8.
(qq) “
Restricted Stock Purchase Right
”
means a right to purchase Stock granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8.
(rr) “
Restricted Stock Unit
”
means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 9 to receive on a future date or event a share of Stock or cash in lieu thereof, as determined by the Committee.
(ss) “
Rule 16b-3
”
means Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, as amended from time to time, or any successor rule or regulation.
(tt) “
SAR
”
or
“
Stock Appreciation Right
”
means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 7 to receive payment, for each share of Stock subject to such Award, of an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the Award over the exercise price thereof.
(uu) “
Section 16 Insider
” means an Officer, Director or any other person whose transactions in Stock are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
(vv) “
Section 162(m)
”
means Section 162(m) of the Code.
(ww) “
Section 409A
”
means Section 409A of the Code.
(xx) “
Section 409A Deferred Compensation
”
means compensation provided pursuant to an Award that constitutes nonqualified deferred compensation within the meaning of Section 409A.
(yy) “
Securities Act
”
means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(zz) “
Service
”
means a Participant’s employment or service with the Participating Company Group, whether as an Employee, a Director or a Consultant. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a Participant’s Service shall not be deemed to have terminated merely because of a change in the capacity in which the Participant renders such Service or a change in the Participating Company for which the Participant renders such Service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant’s Service. Furthermore, a Participant’s Service shall not be deemed to have been interrupted or terminated if the Participant takes any military leave, sick leave, or other bona fide leave of absence approved by the Company. However, unless otherwise provided by the Committee, and/or set forth in an applicable Award Agreement, if any such leave taken by a Participant exceeds ninety (90) days, then on the ninety-first (91st) day following the commencement of such leave the Participant’s Service shall be deemed to have terminated, unless the Participant’s right to return to Service is guaranteed by statute or contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise designated by the Company or required by law, an unpaid leave of absence shall not be treated as Service for purposes of determining vesting under the Participant’s Award Agreement. A Participant’s Service shall be deemed to have terminated either upon an actual termination of Service or upon the business entity for which the Participant performs Service ceasing to be a Participating Company. Subject to the foregoing, the Company, in its discretion, shall determine whether the Participant’s Service has terminated and the effective date of such termination.
(aaa) “
Short-Term Deferral Period
”
means the period described in Section 16.1.
(bbb) “
Stock
”
means the common stock of the Company, as adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 4.3.
(ccc) “
Stock Tender Exercise
”
means a Stock Tender Exercise as defined in Section 6.3(b)(ii).
(ddd) “
Subsidiary Corporation
”
means any present or future “subsidiary corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.
(eee) “
Ten Percent Owner
”
means a Participant who, at the time an Option is granted to the Participant, owns stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a Participating Company (other than an Affiliate) within the meaning of Section 422(b)(6) of the Code.
(fff) “
Trading Compliance Policy
”
means the written policy of the Company pertaining to the purchase, sale, transfer or other disposition of the Company’s equity securities by Directors, Officers, Employees or other service providers who may possess material, nonpublic information regarding the Company or its securities.
(ggg) “
Vesting Conditions
”
mean those conditions established in accordance with the Plan prior to the satisfaction of which an Award or shares subject to an Award remain subject to forfeiture or a repurchase option in favor of the Company exercisable for the Participant’s monetary purchase price, if any, for such shares upon the Participant’s termination of Service.
2.2
Construction.
Captions and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of any provision of the Plan. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular. Use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
3.1
Administration by the Committee.
The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. All questions of interpretation of the Plan, of any Award Agreement or of any other form of agreement or other document employed by the Company in the administration of the Plan or of any Award shall be determined by the Committee, and such determinations shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest in the Plan or such Award, unless fraudulent or made in bad faith. Any and all actions, decisions and determinations taken or made by the Committee in the exercise of its discretion pursuant to the Plan or Award Agreement or other agreement thereunder (other than determining questions of interpretation pursuant to the preceding sentence) shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest therein. All expenses incurred in the administration of the Plan shall be paid by the Company. The Committee may delegate to one or more “executive officers” (as defined under applicable rules promulgated under the Exchange Act) the authority to grant Awards hereunder to employees who are not executive officers, and to consultants and advisers, in accordance with such guidelines as the Committee shall set forth at any time or from time to time.
3.2
Administration
. Directors who are eligible for Awards or have received Awards may vote on any matters affecting the administration of the Plan or the grant of Awards, except that no such member will act upon the grant of an Award to himself or herself, but any such member may be counted in determining the existence of a quorum at any meeting of the Board during which action is taken with respect to the grant of Awards to himself or herself.
3.3
Administration with Respect to Section 16 Insiders.
With respect to participation by Section 16 Insiders in the Plan, at any time that any class of equity security of the Company is registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, the Plan shall be administered in compliance with the requirements, if any, of Rule 16b-3.
3.4
Committee Complying with Section 162(m).
If the Company is a “publicly held corporation” within the meaning of Section 162(m), the Board may establish a Committee of “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) to approve the grant of any Award intended to result in the payment of Performance-Based Compensation.
3.5
Powers of the Committee
.
In addition to any other powers set forth in the Plan and subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall have the full and final power and authority, in its discretion:
(a) to determine the persons to whom, and the time or times at which, Awards shall be granted and the number of shares of Stock, units or monetary value to be subject to each Award;
(b) to determine the type of Award granted;
(c) to determine the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock or other property;
(d) to determine the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to each Award (which need not be identical) and any shares acquired pursuant thereto, including, without limitation, (i) the exercise or purchase price of shares pursuant to any Award, (ii) the method of payment for shares purchased pursuant to any Award, (iii) the method for satisfaction of any tax withholding obligation arising in connection with any Award, including by the withholding or delivery of shares of Stock, (iv) the timing, terms and conditions of the exercisability or vesting of any Award or any shares acquired pursuant thereto, (v) the Performance Measures, Performance Period, Performance Award Formula and Performance Goals applicable to any Award and the extent to which such Performance Goals have been attained, (vi) the time of the expiration of any Award, (vii) the effect of the Participant’s termination of Service on any of the foregoing and (viii) all other terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to any Award or shares acquired pursuant thereto not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan;
(e) to determine whether an Award will be settled in shares of Stock, cash, other property or in any combination thereof;
(f) to approve one or more forms of Award Agreement;
(g) to amend, modify, extend, cancel or renew any Award or to waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any Award or any shares acquired pursuant thereto;
(h) to accelerate, continue, extend or defer the exercisability or vesting of any Award or any shares acquired pursuant thereto, including with respect to the period following a Participant’s termination of Service;
(i) to prescribe, amend or rescind rules, guidelines and policies relating to the Plan, or to adopt sub-plans or supplements to, or alternative versions of, the Plan, including, without limitation, as the Committee deems necessary or desirable to comply with the laws or regulations of or to accommodate the tax policy, accounting principles or custom of, foreign jurisdictions whose citizens may be granted Awards; and
(j) to correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or any Award Agreement and to make all other determinations and take such other actions with respect to the Plan or any Award as the Committee may deem advisable to the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan or applicable law.
3.6
Indemnification.
In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as members of the Board or the Committee or as officers or employees of the Participating Company Group, to the extent permitted by applicable law, members of the Board or the Committee and any officers or employees of the Participating Company Group to whom authority to act for the Board, the Committee or the Company is delegated shall be indemnified by the Company against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and necessarily incurred in connection with the defense of any action, suit or proceeding, or in connection with any appeal therein, to which they or any of them may be a party by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan, or any right granted hereunder, and against all amounts paid by them in settlement thereof (provided such settlement is approved by independent legal counsel selected by the Company) or paid by them in satisfaction of a judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to which it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such person is liable for gross negligence, bad faith or intentional misconduct in duties; provided, however, that within sixty (60) days after the institution of such action, suit or proceeding, such person shall offer to the Company, in writing, the opportunity at its own expense to handle and defend the same.
4.
SHARES SUBJECT TO PLAN
.
4.1
Maximum Number of Shares Issuable.
Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, as of the Plan’s Effective Date, the maximum number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan pursuant to Awards shall be equal to 12,994,748 shares.
4.2
Share Counting.
If an outstanding Award for any reason expires or is terminated or canceled without having been exercised or settled in full, or if shares of Stock acquired pursuant to an Award subject to forfeiture or repurchase are forfeited or repurchased by the Company for an amount not greater than the Participant’s purchase price, then in each case the shares of Stock allocable to the terminated portion of such Award or such forfeited or repurchased shares of Stock shall again be available for issuance under the Plan. Shares of Stock shall not be deemed to have been issued pursuant to the Plan with respect to any portion of an Award that is settled in cash. Shares withheld or reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations applicable to Appreciation Awards pursuant to Section 16.2, shall not again be available for issuance under the Plan. Shares withheld by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations described in Section 16.2 with respect to Full Value Awards, shall again be available for issuance under the Plan. Upon payment in shares of Stock pursuant to the exercise of an SAR, the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares subject to such SAR. If the exercise price of an Appreciation Award is paid by tender to the Company, or attestation to the ownership, of shares of Stock owned by the Participant, or by means of a Net Exercise, the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares of stock for which the Option is exercised. Shares reacquired by the Company on the open market or otherwise using cash proceeds from the exercise of Options shall not be added to the shares of Stock authorized for grant under this Plan.
4.3
Adjustments for Changes in Capital Structure.
Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company and the requirements of Section 409A Section 424 of the Code to the extent applicable, in the event of any change in the Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, whether through merger, consolidation, reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares, or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of payment of a dividend or distribution to the stockholders of the Company in a form other than Stock (excepting regular, periodic cash dividends) that has a material effect on the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock, appropriate and proportionate adjustments shall be made in the number and kind of shares subject to the Plan and to any outstanding Awards, the Award limits set forth in Section 5.3, and in the exercise or purchase price per share under any outstanding Award in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participants’ rights under the Plan. For purposes of the foregoing, conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be treated as “effected without receipt of consideration by the Company.” If a majority of the shares which are of the same class as the shares that are subject to outstanding Awards are exchanged for, converted into, or otherwise become (whether or not pursuant to an Ownership Change Event) shares of another corporation (the “New Shares”), the Committee may unilaterally amend the outstanding Awards to provide that such Awards are for New Shares. In the event of any such amendment, the number of shares subject to, and the exercise or purchase price per share of, the outstanding Awards shall be adjusted in a fair and equitable manner as determined by the Committee, in its discretion. Any fractional share resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number, and in no event may the exercise or purchase price under any Award be decreased to an amount less than the par value, if any, of the stock subject to such Award. The Committee in its discretion, may also make such adjustments in the terms of any Award to reflect, or related to, such changes in the capital structure of the Company or distributions as it deems appropriate, including modification of Performance Goals, Performance Award Formulas and Performance Periods. The adjustments determined by the Committee pursuant to this Section shall be final, binding and conclusive.
4.4
Assumption or Substitution of Awards.
The Committee may, without affecting the number of shares of Stock reserved or available hereunder, authorize the issuance or assumption of benefits under this Plan in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization upon such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate, subject to compliance with Section 409A and any other applicable provisions of the Code. Shares reacquired by the Company on the open market or otherwise using cash proceeds from the exercise Options shall not be added to the shares of Stock authorized for grant under this Plan.
5.
ELIGIBILITY, PARTICIPATION AND AWARD LIMITATIONS
.
5.1
Persons Eligible for Awards.
Awards may be granted only to Employees, Consultants and Directors.
5.2
Participation in the Plan. Awards are granted solely at the discretion of the Committee.
Eligible persons may be granted more than one Award. However, eligibility in accordance with this Section shall not entitle any person to be granted an Award, or, having been granted an Award, to be granted an additional Award.
5.3
Award Limitations.
(a)
Incentive Stock Option Limitations.
(i)
Maximum Number of Shares Issuable Pursuant to Incentive Stock Options.
Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options shall not exceed 12,994,748.
(ii)
Persons Eligible.
An Incentive Stock Option may be granted only to a person who, on the effective date of grant, is an Employee of the Company, a Parent Corporation or a Subsidiary Corporation (each being an
“
ISO-Qualifying Corporation
”
). Any person who is not an Employee of an ISO-Qualifying Corporation on the effective date of the grant of an Option to such person may be granted only a Non-Qualified Stock Option.
(iii)
Fair Market Value Limitation.
To the extent that options designated as Incentive Stock Options (granted under all stock option plans of the Participating Company Group, including the Plan) become exercisable by a Participant for the first time during any calendar year for stock having a Fair Market Value greater than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000), the portion of such options which exceeds such amount shall be treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options. For purposes of this Section, options designated as Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, and the Fair Market Value of stock shall be determined as of the time the option with respect to such stock is granted. If the Code is amended to provide for a limitation different from that set forth in this Section, such different limitation shall be deemed incorporated herein effective as of the date and with respect to such Options as required or permitted by such amendment to the Code. If an Option is treated as an Incentive Stock Option in part and as a Non-Qualified Stock Option in part by reason of the limitation set forth in this Section, the Participant may designate which portion of such Option the Participant is exercising. In the absence of such designation, the Participant shall be deemed to have exercised the Incentive Stock Option portion of the Option first. Upon exercise, shares issued pursuant to each such portion shall be separately identified.
(b)
Section 162(m) Award Limits
.
Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, no Employee shall be granted within any fiscal year of the Company one or more Awards (other than Options and SARs) intended to qualify for treatment as Performance-Based Compensation, which could result in such Employee receiving more than 1,000,000 shares of Stock for each full fiscal year of the Company contained in the Performance Period for such Award. In addition, no Participant may, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, be granted Appreciation Awards with respect to more than 1,000,000 shares of Stock in any calendar year. With respect to an Award of Performance Based Compensation payable in cash to an Employee, the maximum amount shall be $5,000,000 for each fiscal year contained in the Performance Period.
Options shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock covered thereby, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. Award Agreements evidencing Options may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
6.1
Exercise Price.
The exercise price for each Option shall be established in the discretion of the Committee; provided, however, that (a) the exercise price per share shall be not less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the Option and (b) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Owner shall have an exercise price per share less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the Option. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option (whether an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option) may be granted with an exercise price lower than the minimum exercise price set forth above if such Option is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner that would qualify under the provisions of Section 409A or Section 424(a) of the Code.
6.2
Exercisability and Term of Options.
Options shall be exercisable at such time or times, or upon such event or events, and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria and restrictions as shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Option; provided, however, that (a) no Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of such Option and (b) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Owner shall be exercisable after the expiration of five (5) years after the effective date of grant of such Option. Subject to the foregoing, unless otherwise specified by the Committee in the grant of an Option, each Option shall terminate ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of the Option, unless earlier terminated in accordance with its provisions.
6.3
Payment of Exercise Price.
(a)
Forms of Consideration Authorized.
Except as otherwise provided below, payment of the exercise price for the number of shares of Stock being purchased pursuant to any Option shall be made (i) in cash, by check or in cash equivalent; (ii) if permitted by the Committee and subject to the limitations contained in Section 6.3(b), by means of (1) a Cashless Exercise, (2) a Stock Tender Exercise or (3) a Net Exercise; (iii) by such other consideration as may be approved by the Committee from time to time to the extent permitted by applicable law, or (iv) by any combination thereof. The Committee may at any time or from time to time grant Options which do not permit all of the foregoing forms of consideration to be used in payment of the exercise price or which otherwise restrict one or more forms of consideration.
(b)
Limitations on Forms of Consideration.
(i)
Cashless Exercise.
A
“
Cashless Exercise
”
means the delivery of a properly executed notice of exercise together with irrevocable instructions to a broker providing for the assignment to the Company of the proceeds of a sale or loan with respect to some or all of the shares being acquired upon the exercise of the Option (including, without limitation, through an exercise complying with the provisions of Regulation T as promulgated from time to time by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System). The Company reserves, at any and all times, the right, in the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, to establish, decline to approve or terminate any program or procedures for the exercise of Options by means of a Cashless Exercise, including with respect to one or more Participants specified by the Company notwithstanding that such program or procedures may be available to other Participants.
(ii)
Stock Tender Exercise.
A
“
Stock Tender Exercise
”
means the delivery of a properly executed exercise notice accompanies by a Participant’s tender to the Company, or attestation to the ownership, in a form acceptable to the Company of whole shares of Stock owned by the Participant having a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price for the shares with respect to which the Option is exercised. A Stock Tender Exercise shall not be permitted if it would constitute a violation of the provisions of any law, regulation or agreement restricting the redemption of the Company’s stock. If required by the Company, an Option may not be exercised by tender to the Company, or attestation to the ownership, of shares of Stock unless such shares either have been owned by the Participant for a period of time required by the Company (and not used for another option exercise by attestation during such period) or were not acquired, directly or indirectly, from the Company.
(iii)
Net Exercise.
A
“
Net Exercise
”
means the delivery of a properly executed exercise notice followed by a procedure pursuant to which (1) the Company will reduce the number of shares otherwise issuable to a Participant upon the exercise of an Option by the largest whole number of shares having a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price for the shares with respect to which the Option is exercised, and (2) the Participant shall pay to the Company in cash the remaining balance of such aggregate exercise price not satisfied by such reduction in the number of whole shares to be issued.
6.4
Effect of Termination of Service.
(a)
Option Exercisability.
Subject to earlier termination of the Option as otherwise provided by this Plan and unless otherwise provided by the Committee, an Option shall terminate immediately upon the Participant’s termination of Service to the extent that it is then unvested and shall be exercisable after the Participant’s termination of Service to the extent it is then vested only during the applicable time period determined in accordance with this Section and thereafter shall terminate. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, or other agreement governing the Option, Options shall be subject to the following terms with respect to terminations of Service as follows:
(i)
Disability.
If the Participant’s Service terminates because of the Disability of the Participant, the Option to the extent unexercised and exercisable on the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, by the Participant (or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative) at any time prior to the expiration of one (1) year after the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, but in any event no later than the date of expiration of the Option’s term as set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Option (the
“
Option Expiration Date
”
).
(ii)
Death.
If the Participant’s Service terminates because of the death of the Participant, the Option to the extent unexercised and exercisable on the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, by the Participant’s legal representative or other person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by reason of the Participant’s death at any time prior to the expiration of one (1) year after the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, but in any event no later than the Option Expiration Date.
(iii)
Termination for Cause.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, if the Participant’s Service is terminated for Cause or if, following the Participant’s termination of Service and during any period in which the Option otherwise would remain exercisable, the Participant engages in any act that would constitute Cause: (A) the Option shall terminate in its entirety and cease to be exercisable immediately upon such termination of Service or act, and (B) any shares of Stock for which the Company has not yet delivered share certificates will be immediately and automatically forfeited and the Company will refund to the Participant the Option exercise price paid for such shares of Stock, if any.
(iv)
Other Termination of Service.
If the Participant’s Service terminates for any reason, except Disability, death or Cause, the Option, to the extent unexercised and exercisable for vested shares of Stock on the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, may be exercised by the Participant at any time prior to the expiration of ninety (90) days after the date on which the Participant’s Service terminated, but in any event no later than the Option Expiration Date.
(b)
Extension if Exercise Prevented by Law.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to compliance with applicable law, including, but not limited to Section 409A other than termination of Service for Cause, if the exercise of an Option within the applicable time periods set forth in Section 6.4(a) is prevented by the provisions of Section 14 below, the Option shall remain exercisable until the later of (i) thirty (30) days after the date such exercise first would no longer be prevented by such provisions or (ii) the end of the applicable time period under Section 6.4(a).
6.5
Transferability of Options.
During the lifetime of the Participant, an Option shall be exercisable only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. An Option shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in its discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Option, a Non-Qualified Stock Option may be assignable or transferable subject to the applicable limitations, if any, described in the General Instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act, and provided further that no consideration may be received in any transfer. An Incentive Stock Option shall not be assignable or transferable in any manner.
7.
STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS
.
Stock Appreciation Rights shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. Award Agreements evidencing SARs may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
7.1
Types of SARs Authorized.
SARs may be granted in tandem with all or any portion of a related Option (a
“
Tandem SAR
”
) or may be granted independently of any Option (a
“
Freestanding SAR
”
). A Tandem SAR may only be granted concurrently with the grant of the related Option.
7.2
Exercise Price.
The exercise price for each SAR shall be established in the discretion of the Committee; provided, however, that (a) the exercise price per share subject to a Tandem SAR shall be the exercise price per share under the related Option and (b) the exercise price per share subject to a Freestanding SAR shall be not less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the SAR. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a SAR may be granted with an exercise price lower than the minimum exercise price set forth above if such SAR is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another stock appreciation right in a manner that would qualify under the provisions of Section 409A.
7.3
Exercisability and Term of SARs.
(a)
Tandem SARs.
Tandem SARs shall be exercisable only at the time and to the extent, and only to the extent, that the related Option is exercisable, subject to such provisions as the Committee may specify where the Tandem SAR is granted with respect to less than the full number of shares of Stock subject to the related Option. The Committee may, in its discretion, provide in any Award Agreement evidencing a Tandem SAR that such SAR may not be exercised without the advance approval of the Company and, if such approval is not given, then the Option shall nevertheless remain exercisable in accordance with its terms. A Tandem SAR shall terminate and cease to be exercisable no later than the date on which the related Option expires or is terminated or canceled. Upon the exercise of a Tandem SAR with respect to some or all of the shares subject to such SAR, the related Option shall be canceled automatically as to the number of shares with respect to which the Tandem SAR was exercised. Upon the exercise of an Option related to a Tandem SAR as to some or all of the shares subject to such Option, the related Tandem SAR shall be canceled automatically as to the number of shares with respect to which the related Option was exercised.
(b)
Freestanding SARs.
Freestanding SARs shall be exercisable at such time or times, or upon such event or events, and subject to such terms, conditions, performance criteria and restrictions as shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such SAR; provided, however, that (i) no Freestanding SAR shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of such SAR, and (ii) no Freestanding SAR granted to an Employee who is a non-exempt employee for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall be first exercisable until at least six (6) months following the date of grant of such SAR (except in the event of such Employee’s death, Disability, upon a Change in Control, or as otherwise permitted by the Worker Economic Opportunity Act). Subject to the foregoing, unless otherwise specified by the Committee in the grant of a Freestanding SAR, each Freestanding SAR shall terminate ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of the SAR, unless earlier terminated in accordance with its provisions.
7.4
Exercise of SARs.
Upon the exercise (or deemed exercise pursuant to Section 7.5) of an SAR, the Participant (or the Participant’s legal representative or other person who acquired the right to exercise the SAR by reason of the Participant’s death) shall be entitled to receive payment of an amount for each share with respect to which the SAR is exercised equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the SAR over the exercise price. Payment of such amount shall be made (a) in the case of a Tandem SAR, solely in shares of Stock in a lump sum upon the date of exercise of the SAR and (b) in the case of a Freestanding SAR, in cash, shares of Stock, or any combination thereof as determined by the Committee, in a lump sum upon the date of exercise of the SAR. When payment is to be made in shares of Stock, the number of shares to be issued shall be determined on the basis of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the SAR. For purposes of Section 7, an SAR shall be deemed exercised on the date on which the Company receives notice of exercise from the Participant or as otherwise provided in Section 7.5.
7.5
Deemed Exercise of SARs.
If, on the date on which an SAR would otherwise terminate or expire, the SAR by its terms remains exercisable immediately prior to such termination or expiration and, if so exercised, would result in a payment to the holder of such SAR, then any portion of such SAR which has not previously been exercised shall automatically be deemed to be exercised as of such date with respect to such portion pursuant to a Net Exercise procedure and withholding of Shares as described in Section 16.2.
7.6
Effect of Termination of Service.
Subject to earlier termination of the SAR as otherwise provided herein and unless otherwise provided by the Committee, an SAR shall be exercisable after a Participant’s termination of Service only to the extent and during the applicable time period determined in accordance with Section 6.4 (treating the SAR as if it were an Option) and thereafter shall terminate.
7.7
Transferability of SARs.
During the lifetime of the Participant, an SAR shall be exercisable only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. An SAR shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in its discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award, a Tandem SAR related to a Non-Qualified Stock Option or a Freestanding SAR may be assignable or transferable subject to the applicable limitations, if any, described in the General Instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act, and provided further that no consideration may be received in any transfer.
8.
RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS
.
Restricted Stock Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying whether the Award is a Restricted Stock Bonus or a Restricted Stock Purchase Right and the number of shares of Stock subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. Award Agreements evidencing Restricted Stock Awards may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions.
8.1
Types of Restricted Stock Awards Authorized.
Restricted Stock Awards may be granted in the form of either a Restricted Stock Bonus or a Restricted Stock Purchase Right. Restricted Stock Awards may be granted upon such conditions as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals described in Section 10.4. If either the grant of or satisfaction of Vesting Conditions applicable to a Restricted Stock Award is to be contingent upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals, the Committee shall follow procedures substantially equivalent to those set forth in Sections 10.3 through 10.5(a).
8.2
Purchase Price.
The purchase price for shares of Stock issuable under each Restricted Stock Purchase Right shall be established by the Committee in its discretion. No monetary payment (other than applicable tax withholding) shall be required as a condition of receiving shares of Stock pursuant to a Restricted Stock Bonus, the consideration for which shall be services actually rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if required by applicable state corporate law, the Participant shall furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit having a value not less than the par value of the shares of Stock subject to a Restricted Stock Award.
8.3
Purchase Period.
A Restricted Stock Purchase Right shall be exercisable within a period established by the Committee, which shall in no event exceed thirty (30) days from the effective date of the grant of the Restricted Stock Purchase Right.
8.4
Payment of Purchase Price.
Except as otherwise provided below, payment of the purchase price for the number of shares of Stock being purchased pursuant to any Restricted Stock Purchase Right shall be made (a) in cash, by check or in cash equivalent, (b) by such other consideration as may be approved by the Committee from time to time to the extent permitted by applicable law, or (c) by any combination thereof.
8.5
Vesting and Restrictions on Transfer.
Shares issued pursuant to any Restricted Stock Award may (but need not) be made subject to Vesting Conditions based upon the satisfaction of such Service requirements, conditions, restrictions or performance criteria, including, without limitation, Performance Goals as described in Section 10.4, as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award. During any period in which shares acquired pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award remain subject to Vesting Conditions, such shares may not be sold, exchanged, transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise disposed of other than pursuant to an Ownership Change Event or as provided in Section 8.8. The Committee, in its discretion, may provide in any Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Award that, if the satisfaction of Vesting Conditions with respect to any shares subject to such Restricted Stock Award would otherwise occur on a
day on which the sale of such shares would violate the provisions of the Trading Compliance Policy, then satisfaction of the Vesting Conditions automatically shall be determined on the next trading day on which the sale of such shares would not violate the Trading Compliance Policy. Upon request by the Company, each Participant shall execute any agreement evidencing such transfer restrictions prior to the receipt of shares of Stock hereunder and shall promptly present to the Company any and all certificates representing shares of Stock acquired hereunder for the placement on such certificates of appropriate legends evidencing any such transfer restrictions.
8.6
Voting Rights; Dividends and Distributions.
Except as provided in this Section, Section 8.5 and any Award Agreement, during any period in which shares acquired pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award remain subject to Vesting Conditions, the Participant shall have all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company holding shares of Stock, including the right to vote such shares and to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such shares; provided, however, that such dividends and distributions shall be subject to the same Vesting Conditions as the shares subject to the Restricted Stock Award with respect to which such dividends or distributions were paid, and otherwise shall vest and become nonforfeitable only if the underlying shares of Stock subject to the Restricted Stock Award become vested (including, but not limited to, the satisfaction of any performance related Vesting Conclusion). In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant is entitled by reason of the Participant’s Restricted Stock Award shall be immediately subject to the same Vesting Conditions as the shares subject to the Restricted Stock Award with respect to which such dividends or distributions were paid or adjustments were made.
8.7
Effect of Termination of Service.
Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in the Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Award, if a Participant’s Service terminates for any reason, whether voluntary or involuntary (including the Participant’s death or Disability), then (a) the Company shall have the option to repurchase for the purchase price paid by the Participant any shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to a Restricted Stock Purchase Right which remain subject to Vesting Conditions as of the date of the Participant’s termination of Service and (b) the Participant shall forfeit to the Company any shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to a Restricted Stock Bonus which remain subject to Vesting Conditions as of the date of the Participant’s termination of Service. The Company shall have the right to assign at any time any repurchase right it may have, whether or not such right is then exercisable, to one or more persons as may be selected by the Company.
8.8
Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Award Rights.
Rights to acquire shares of Stock pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or the laws of descent and distribution. All rights with respect to a Restricted Stock Award granted to a Participant hereunder shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.
9.
RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARDS
.
Restricted Stock Unit Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements specifying the number of Restricted Stock Units subject to the Award, in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. Award Agreements evidencing Restricted Stock Units may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
9.1
Grant of Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
Restricted Stock Unit Awards may be granted upon such conditions as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals described in Section 10.4. If either the grant of a Restricted Stock Unit Award or the Vesting Conditions with respect to such Award is to be contingent upon the attainment of one or more Performance Goals, the Committee shall follow procedures substantially equivalent to those set forth in Sections 10.3 through 10.5(a).
9.2
Purchase Price.
No monetary payment (other than applicable tax withholding, if any) shall be required as a condition of receiving a Restricted Stock Unit Award, the consideration for which shall be services actually rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if required by applicable state corporate law, the Participant shall furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit having a value not less than the par value of the shares of Stock issued upon settlement of the Restricted Stock Unit Award.
9.3
Vesting.
Restricted Stock Unit Awards may (but need not) be made subject to Vesting Conditions based upon the satisfaction of such Service requirements, conditions, restrictions or performance criteria, including, without limitation, Performance Goals as described in Section 10.4, as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award. The Committee, in its discretion, may provide in any Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Unit Award that, if the satisfaction of Vesting Conditions with respect to any shares subject to the Award would otherwise occur on a day on which the sale of such shares would violate the provisions of the Trading Compliance Policy, then the satisfaction of the Vesting Conditions automatically shall be determined on the first to occur of (a) the next trading day on which the sale of such shares would not violate the Trading Compliance Policy or (b) the later of (i) last day of the calendar year in which the original vesting date occurred or (ii) the last day of the Company’s taxable year in which the original vesting date occurred.
9.4
Voting Rights, Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions.
Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to shares of Stock represented by Restricted Stock Units until the date of the issuance of such shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). However, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Restricted Stock Unit Award that the Participant shall be entitled to Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Stock during the period beginning on the date such Award is granted and ending, with respect to each share subject to the Award, on the earlier of the date the Award is settled or the date on which it is terminated. Such Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be paid by crediting the Participant with additional whole Restricted Stock Units as of the date of payment of such cash dividends on Stock. The number of additional Restricted Stock Units (rounded to the nearest whole number) to be so credited shall be determined by dividing (a) the amount of cash dividends paid on such date with respect to the number of shares of Stock represented by the Restricted Stock Units previously credited to the Participant by (b) the Fair Market Value per share of Stock on such date. Such additional Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to the same terms and conditions and shall be settled in the same manner and at the same time as the Restricted Stock Units originally subject to the Restricted Stock Unit Award. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the Participant’s Restricted Stock Unit Award so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant would be entitled by reason of the shares of Stock issuable upon settlement of the Award, and all such new, substituted or additional securities or other property shall be immediately subject to the same Vesting Conditions as are applicable to the Award.
9.5
Effect of Termination of Service.
Unless otherwise provided by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Unit Award, if a Participant’s Service terminates for any reason, whether voluntary or involuntary (including the Participant’s death or Disability), then the Participant
shall forfeit to the Company any Restricted Stock Units pursuant to the Award which remain subject to Vesting Conditions as of the date of the Participant’s termination of Service.
9.6
Settlement of Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
The Company shall issue to a Participant on the date on which Restricted Stock Units subject to the Participant’s Restricted Stock Unit Award vest or on such other date determined by the Committee, in its discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement one (1) share of Stock (and/or any other new, substituted or additional securities or other property pursuant to an adjustment described in Section 9.4) for each Restricted Stock Unit then becoming vested or otherwise to be settled on such date, subject to the withholding of applicable taxes, if any. If permitted by the Committee, the Participant may elect, consistent with the requirements of Section 409A, to defer receipt of all or any portion of the shares of Stock or other property otherwise issuable to the Participant pursuant to this Section, and such deferred issuance date(s) and amount(s) elected by the Participant shall be set forth in the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide for settlement of any Restricted Stock Unit Award by payment to the Participant in cash of an amount equal to the Fair Market Value on the payment date of the shares of Stock or other property otherwise issuable to the Participant pursuant to this Section.
9.7
Nontransferability of Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
The right to receive shares pursuant to a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. All rights with respect to a Restricted Stock Unit Award granted to a Participant hereunder shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.
Performance Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. Award Agreements evidencing Performance Awards may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
10.1
Types of Performance Awards Authorized.
Performance Awards may be granted in the form of either Performance Shares or Performance Units. Each Award Agreement evidencing a Performance Award shall specify the number of Performance Shares or Performance Units subject thereto, the Performance Award Formula, the Performance Goal(s) and Performance Period applicable to the Award, and the other terms, conditions and restrictions of the Award.
10.2
Initial Value of Performance Shares and Performance Units.
Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in granting a Performance Award, each Performance Share shall have an initial monetary value equal to the Fair Market Value of one (1) share of Stock, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3, on the effective date of grant of the Performance Share, and each Performance Unit shall have an initial monetary value established by the Committee at the time of grant. The final value payable to the Participant in settlement of a Performance Award determined on the basis of the applicable Performance Award Formula will depend on the extent to which Performance Goals established by the Committee are attained within the applicable Performance Period established by the Committee.
10.3
Establishment of Performance Period, Performance Goals and Performance Award Formula.
In granting each Performance Award, the Committee shall establish in writing the applicable Performance Period, Performance Award Formula and one or more Performance Goals which, when measured at the end of the Performance Period, shall determine on the basis of the Performance Award Formula the final value of the Performance Award to be paid to the Participant. Unless otherwise permitted in compliance with the requirements under Section 162(m) with respect to each Performance Award intended to result in the payment of Performance-Based Compensation, the Committee shall establish the Performance Goal(s) and Performance Award Formula applicable to each Performance Award no later than the earlier of (a) the date ninety (90) days after the commencement of the applicable Performance Period or (b) the date on which 25% of the Performance Period has elapsed, and, in any event, at a time when the outcome of the Performance Goals remains substantially uncertain. Once established, the Performance Goals and Performance Award Formula applicable to a Covered Employee shall
not be changed during the Performance Period. The Company shall notify each Participant granted a Performance Award of the terms of such Award, including the Performance Period, Performance Goal(s) and Performance Award Formula.
10.4
Measurement of Performance Goals.
Performance Goals shall be established by the Committee on the basis of targets to be attained (
“
Performance Targets
”
) with respect to one or more measures of business or financial performance (each, a
“
Performance Measure
”
), subject to the following:
(a)
Performance Measures.
Performance Measures shall be calculated in accordance with the Company’s financial statements, or, if such terms are not used in the Company’s financial statements, they shall be calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, a method used generally in the Company’s industry, or in accordance with a methodology established by the Committee prior to the grant of the Performance Award. Performance Measures shall be calculated with respect to the Company and each Subsidiary Corporation consolidated therewith for financial reporting purposes or such division or other business unit as may be selected by the Committee. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee prior to the grant of the Performance Award, the Performance Measures applicable to the Performance Award shall be calculated prior to the accrual of expense for any Performance Award for the same Performance Period and excluding the effect (whether positive or negative) on the Performance Measures of any change in accounting standards or any extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring item, as determined by the Committee, occurring after the establishment of the Performance Goals applicable to the Performance Award. Each such adjustment, if any, shall be made solely for the purpose of providing a consistent basis from period to period for the calculation of Performance Measures in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the Participant’s rights with respect to a Performance Award. Performance Measures may be one or more of the following, as determined by the Committee:
(i) Earnings or Profitability Metrics, including but not limited to: any derivative of revenue (gross, operating or net); earnings/loss (gross, operating, net, or adjusted); earnings/loss before interest and taxes (EBIT); earnings/loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA); pre-tax operating income; operating income; net income; economic profit; profit margin; gross margin; merchandise margin; inventory turns; sales growth and volume; expense levels or ratios; expense reduction or controllable expenses; provided that any of the foregoing metrics may be adjusted to eliminate the effect of any one or more of the following: interest expense, asset impairments, early extinguishment of debt or stock-based compensation expense;
(ii) Return Metrics, including but not limited to: any derivative of return on investment, assets, equity or capital (total or invested);
(iii) Cash Flow Metrics, including but not limited to: any derivative of operating cash flow; cash flow sufficient to achieve financial ratios or a specified cash balance; free cash flow; cash flow return on capital; net cash provided by operating activities; cash flow per share; and working capital;
(iv) Liquidity Metrics, including but not limited to: any derivative of capital raising; debt reduction; extension of maturity dates of outstanding debt; debt leverage (debt to capital, net debt-to-capital, debt-to-EBITDA or other liquidity ratios) or access to capital; debt ratings; and total or net debt; and
(v) Stock Price and Equity Metrics, including but not limited to:
any derivative of
return on stockholders’ equity; total shareholder return; stock price; stock price appreciation; market capitalization; earnings/loss per share (basic or diluted) (before or after taxes); and price-to-earnings ratio.
(b)
Performance Targets.
Performance Targets may include a minimum, maximum, target level and intermediate levels of performance, with the final value of a Performance Award determined under the applicable Performance Award Formula by the level attained during the applicable Performance Period. A Performance Target may be stated as an absolute value, an increase or decrease in a value, or as a value determined relative to an index, budget or other standard selected by the Committee.
10.5
Settlement of Performance Awards.
(a)
Determination of Final Value.
As soon as practicable following the completion of the Performance Period applicable to a Performance Award, the Committee shall certify in writing the extent to which the applicable Performance Goals have been attained and the resulting final value of the Award earned by the Participant and to be paid upon its settlement in accordance with the applicable Performance Award Formula.
(b)
Discretionary Adjustment of Award Formula.
In its discretion, the Committee may, either at the time it grants a Performance Award or at any time thereafter, provide for the positive or negative adjustment of the Performance Award Formula applicable to a Performance Award granted to any Participant who is not a Covered Employee to reflect such Participant’s individual performance in his or her position with the Company or such other factors as the Committee may determine. If permitted under a Covered Employee’s Award Agreement, the Committee shall have the discretion, on the basis of such criteria as may be established by the Committee, to reduce some or all of the value of the Performance Award that would otherwise be paid to the Covered Employee upon its settlement notwithstanding the attainment of any Performance Goal and the resulting value of the Performance Award determined in accordance with the Performance Award Formula. No such reduction may result in an increase in the amount payable upon settlement of another Participant’s Performance Award that is intended to result in Performance-Based Compensation.
(c)
Effect of Leaves of Absence.
To the extent required by law or a Participant’s Award Agreement, payment of the final value, if any, of a Performance Award held by a Participant who has taken in excess of thirty (30) days in unpaid leaves of absence during a Performance Period shall be prorated on the basis of the number of days of the Participant’s Service during the Performance Period during which the Participant was not on an unpaid leave of absence. Otherwise, the effect of a leave of absence shall be as established by the Committee and/or set forth in an Award Agreement.
(d)
Notice to Participants.
As soon as practicable following the Committee’s determination and certification in accordance with Sections 10.5(a) and (b), the Company shall notify each Participant of the determination of the Committee.
(e)
Payment in Settlement of Performance Awards.
As soon as practicable following the Committee’s determination and certification in accordance with Sections 10.5(a) and (b) but in any event within the Short-Term Deferral Period described in Section 16.1 (except as otherwise provided below or consistent with the requirements of Section 409A), payment shall be made to each eligible Participant (or such Participant’s legal representative or other person who acquired the right to receive such payment by reason of the Participant’s death) of the final value of the Participant’s Performance Award. Payment of such amount shall be made in cash, shares of Stock, or a combination thereof as determined by the Committee. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement evidencing a Performance Award, payment shall be made in a lump sum. If permitted by the Committee, the Participant may elect, consistent with the requirements of Section 409A, to defer receipt of all or any portion of the payment to be made to the Participant pursuant to this Section, and such deferred payment date(s) elected by the Participant shall be set forth in the Award Agreement. If any payment is to be made on a deferred basis, the Committee may, but shall not be obligated to, provide for the payment during the deferral period of Dividend Equivalent Rights or interest.
(f)
Provisions Applicable to Payment in Shares.
If payment is to be made in shares of Stock, the number of such shares shall be determined by dividing the final value of the Performance Award by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock determined by the method specified in the Award Agreement. Shares of Stock issued in payment of any Performance Award may be fully vested and freely transferable shares or may be shares of Stock subject to Vesting Conditions as provided in Section 8.5. Any shares subject to Vesting Conditions shall be evidenced by an appropriate Award Agreement and shall be subject to the provisions of Sections 8.5 through 8.8 above.
10.6
Voting Rights; Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions.
Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to shares of Stock represented by Performance Share Awards until the date of the issuance of such shares, if any (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). However, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Performance Share Award that the Participant shall be entitled to Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Stock during the period beginning on the date the Award is granted and ending, with respect to each share subject to the Award, on the earlier of the date on which the Performance Shares are settled or the date on which they are forfeited. Such Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be credited to the Participant in the form of additional whole Performance Shares as of the date of payment of such cash dividends on Stock. The number of additional Performance Shares (rounded down to the nearest whole number) to be so credited shall be determined by dividing (a) the amount of cash dividends paid on the dividend payment date with respect to the number of shares of Stock represented by the Performance Shares previously credited to the Participant by (b) the Fair Market Value per share of Stock on such date. Dividend Equivalent Rights shall be accumulated and paid to the extent that Performance Shares become nonforfeitable, as determined by the Committee. Settlement of Dividend Equivalent Rights may be made in cash, shares of Stock, or a combination thereof as determined by the Committee, and may be paid on the same basis as settlement of the related Performance Share as provided in Section 10.5. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the Participant’s Performance Share Award so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant would be entitled by reason of the shares of Stock issuable upon settlement of the Performance Share Award, and all such new, substituted or additional securities or other property shall be immediately subject to the same Performance Goals as are applicable to the Award.
10.7
Effect of Termination of Service.
Unless otherwise provided by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing a Performance Award or in the Participant’s employment agreement, if any, referencing such Awards, the effect of a Participant’s termination of Service on the Performance Award shall be as follows:
(a)
Disability.
If the Participant’s Service terminates because of the Disability of the Participant before the completion of the Performance Period applicable to the Performance Award, the final value of the Participant’s Performance Award shall be determined by the extent to which the applicable Performance Goals have been attained with respect to the entire Performance Period and shall be prorated based on the number of months of the Participant’s Service during the Performance Period. Payment shall be made following the end of the Performance Period in any manner permitted by Section 10.5.
(b)
Death
.
If the Participant’s Service terminates due to death before the completion of a Performance Period applicable to the Performance Award, the Award shall vest in full based the target level of performance and shall be paid as soon as practicable following the Participant’s death.
(c)
Other Termination of Service.
If the Participant’s Service terminates for any reason except death or Disability before the completion of the Performance Period applicable to the Performance Award, such Award shall be forfeited in its entirety.
10.8
Nontransferability of Performance Awards.
Prior to settlement in accordance with the provisions of the Plan, no Performance Award shall be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. All rights with respect to a Performance Award granted to a Participant hereunder shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.
11.
OTHER STOCK-BASED AWARDS
.
Other Stock-Based Awards shall be evidenced by Award Agreements in such form as the Committee shall from time to time establish. Award Agreements evidencing Other Stock-Based Awards may incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
11.1
Grant of Other Stock-Based Awards
. The Committee may grant other types of equity-based or equity-related Awards not otherwise described by the terms of this Plan (including the grant or offer for sale of unrestricted securities, stock-equivalent units, stock appreciation units, securities or debentures convertible into common stock or other forms determined by the Committee) in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine. Other Stock-Based Awards may be made available as a form of payment in the settlement of other Awards or as payment in lieu of compensation to which a Participant is otherwise entitled. Other Stock-Based Awards may involve the transfer of actual shares of Stock to Participants, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of Stock and may include, without limitation, Awards designed to comply with or take advantage of the applicable local laws of jurisdictions other than the United States.
11.2
Value of Other Stock-Based Awards
. Each Other Stock-Based Award shall be expressed in terms of shares of Stock or units based on such shares of Stock, as determined by the Committee. The Committee may require the satisfaction of such Service requirements, conditions, restrictions or performance criteria, including, without limitation, Performance Goals as described in Section 10.4, as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award. If the Committee exercises its discretion to establish performance criteria, the final value of Other Stock-Based Awards that will be paid to the Participant will depend on the extent to which the performance criteria are met. The establishment of performance criteria with respect to the grant or vesting of any Other Stock-Based Award intended to result in Performance-Based Compensation shall follow procedures substantially equivalent to those applicable to Performance Awards set forth in Section 10.
11.3
Payment or Settlement of Other Stock-Based Awards
. Payment or settlement, if any, with respect to an Other Stock-Based Award shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Award, in cash, shares of Stock or other securities or any combination thereof as the Committee determines. The determination and certification of the final value with respect to any Other Stock-Based Award intended to result in Performance-Based Compensation shall comply with the requirements applicable to Performance Awards set forth in Section 10. To the extent applicable, payment or settlement with respect to each Other Stock-Based Award shall be made in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A.
11.4
Voting Rights; Dividend Equivalent Rights and Distributions.
Participants shall have no voting rights with respect to shares of Stock represented by Other Stock-Based Awards until the date of the issuance of such shares of Stock (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), if any, in settlement of such Award. However, the Committee, in its discretion, may provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Other Stock-Based Award that the Participant shall be entitled to Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the payment of cash dividends on Stock during the period beginning on the date such Award is granted and ending, with respect to each share subject to the Award, on the earlier of the date the Award is settled or the date on which it is terminated. Such Dividend Equivalent Rights, if any, shall be paid in accordance with the provisions set forth in Section 9.4. In the event of a dividend or distribution paid in shares of Stock or other property or any other adjustment made upon a change in the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 4.3, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the Participant’s Other Stock-Based Award so that it represents the right to receive upon settlement any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, periodic cash dividends) to which the Participant would be entitled by reason of the shares of Stock issuable upon settlement of such Award, and all such new, substituted or additional securities or other property shall be immediately subject to the same Vesting Conditions and performance criteria, if any, as are applicable to the Award.
11.5
Effect of Termination of Service
. Each Award Agreement evidencing an Other Stock-Based Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to retain such Award following termination of the Participant’s Service. Such provisions shall be determined in the discretion of the Committee, need not be uniform among all Other Stock-Based Awards, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination, subject to the requirements of Section 409A, if applicable.
11.6
Nontransferability of Other Stock-Based Awards.
Prior to the payment or settlement of an Other Stock-Based Award, the Award shall not be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. The Committee may impose such additional restrictions on any shares of Stock issued in settlement of Other Stock-Based Awards as it may deem advisable, including, without limitation, minimum holding period requirements, restrictions under applicable federal securities laws, under the requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such shares of Stock are then listed and/or traded, or under any state securities laws or foreign law applicable to such shares of Stock.
12.
STANDARD FORMS OF AWARD AGREEMENT
.
12.1
Award Agreements
.
Each Award shall comply with and be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the appropriate form of Award Agreement approved by the Committee and as amended from time to time. No Award or purported Award shall be a valid and binding obligation of the Company unless evidenced by a fully executed Award Agreement, which execution may be evidenced by electronic means.
12.2
Authority to Vary Terms
.
The Committee shall have the authority from time to time to vary the terms of any standard form of Award Agreement either in connection with the grant or amendment of an individual Award or in connection with the authorization of a new standard form or forms; provided, however, that the terms and conditions of any such new, revised or amended standard form or forms of Award Agreement are not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan.
13.1
Effect of Change in Control on Awards.
Subject to the requirements and limitations of Section 409A, if applicable, the Committee may provide for any one or more of the following:
(a)
Assumption, Continuation or Substitution.
In the event of a Change in Control, the surviving, continuing, successor, or purchasing corporation or other business entity or parent thereof, as the case may be (the
“
Acquiror
”
), may, without the consent of any Participant, assume or continue the Company’s rights and obligations under each or any Award or portion thereof outstanding immediately prior to the Change in Control or substitute for each or any such outstanding Award or portion thereof a substantially equivalent award with respect to the Acquiror’s stock, as applicable. For purposes of this Section, if so determined by the Committee in its discretion, an Award denominated in shares of Stock shall be deemed assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to receive, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, for each share of Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, other securities or property or a combination thereof) to which a holder of a share of Stock on the effective date of the Change in Control was entitled (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Stock); provided, however, that if such consideration is not solely common stock of the Acquiror, the Committee may, with the consent of the Acquiror, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise or settlement of the Award, for each share of Stock subject to the Award, to consist solely of common stock of the Acquiror equal in Fair Market Value to the per share consideration received by holders of Stock pursuant to the Change in Control. Any Award which is not assumed, substituted for or otherwise continued by the Acquiror shall vest in full effective and contingent upon the consummation of the Change in Control. Any Award or portion thereof which is not
assumed, substituted for, or otherwise continued by the Acquiror in connection with the Change in Control nor exercised or settled as of the time of consummation of the Change in Control shall terminate and cease to be outstanding effective as of the time of consummation of the Change in Control.
(b)
Cash-Out of Outstanding Stock-Based Awards.
The Committee may, in its discretion and without the consent of any Participant, determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, each or any Award denominated in shares of Stock or portion thereof outstanding immediately prior to the Change in Control and not previously exercised or settled shall be canceled in exchange for a payment with respect to each vested share (and each unvested share, if so determined by the Committee) of Stock subject to such canceled Award in (i) cash, (ii) stock of the Company or of a corporation or other business entity a party to the Change in Control, or (iii) other property which, in any such case, shall be in an amount having a Fair Market Value equal to the Fair Market Value of the consideration to be paid per share of Stock in the Change in Control, reduced (but not below zero) by the exercise or purchase price per share, if any, under such Award. In the event such determination is made by the Committee, an Award having an exercise or purchase price per share equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of the consideration to be paid per share of Stock in the Change in Control may be canceled without payment of consideration to the holder thereof. Payment pursuant to this Section (reduced by applicable withholding taxes, if any) shall be made to Participants in respect of the vested portions of their canceled Awards as soon as practicable following the date of the Change in Control and in respect of the unvested portions of their canceled Awards in accordance with the vesting schedules applicable to such Awards.
(c)
Accelerated Vesting.
In its discretion, the Committee may provide in the grant of any Award or at any other time may take such action as it deems appropriate to provide for acceleration of the exercisability, vesting and/or settlement in connection with a Change in Control of each or any outstanding Award or portion thereof and shares acquired pursuant thereto upon such conditions, including termination of the Participant’s Service prior to, upon, or following such Change in Control, and to such extent as the Committee shall determine.
13.2
Effect of Change in Control on Nonemployee Director Awards.
Subject to the requirements and limitations of Section 409A, if applicable, including as provided by Section 16.4(f), in the event of a Change in Control, each outstanding Nonemployee Director Award shall become immediately exercisable and vested in full to the extent the Nonemployee Director will cease to be a member of the Board of the surviving entity in connection with the Change in Control and, except to the extent assumed, continued, or substituted for pursuant to Section 13.1(b), shall be settled effective immediately prior to the time of consummation of the Change in Control.
13.3
Federal Excise Tax Under Section 4999 of the Code.
(a)
Excess Parachute Payment.
In the event that any acceleration of vesting pursuant to an Award and any other payment or benefit received or to be received by a Participant would subject the Participant to any excise tax pursuant to Section 4999 of the Code due to the characterization of such acceleration of vesting, payment or benefit as an “excess parachute payment” under Section 280G of the Code, the Participant, subject to compliance with applicable law, including, but not limited to Section 409A, may elect to reduce the amount of any acceleration of vesting called for under the Award in order to avoid such characterization.
(b)
Determination by Independent Accountants.
To aid the Participant in making any election called for under Section 13.3(a), no later than the date of the occurrence of any event that might reasonably be anticipated to result in an “excess parachute payment” to the Participant as described in Section 13.3(a), the Company shall request a determination in writing by independent public accountants selected by the Company (the
“
Accountants
”
). As soon as practicable thereafter, the Accountants shall determine and report to the Company and the Participant the amount of such acceleration of vesting, payments and benefits which would produce the greatest after-tax benefit to the Participant. For the purposes of such determination, the Accountants may rely on reasonable, good faith interpretations concerning the application of Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code. The Company and the Participant shall furnish to the Accountants such information and documents as the Accountants may reasonably request in order to make their required determination. The Company shall bear all fees and expenses the Accountants charge in connection with their services contemplated by this Section.
14.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITIES LAW
.
The grant of Awards and the issuance of shares of Stock pursuant to any Award shall be subject to compliance with all applicable requirements of federal, state and foreign law with respect to such securities and the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Stock may then be listed. In addition, no Award may be exercised or shares issued pursuant to an Award unless (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act shall at the time of such exercise or issuance be in effect with respect to the shares issuable pursuant to the Award, or (b) in the opinion of legal counsel to the Company, the shares issuable pursuant to the Award may be issued in accordance with the terms of an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The inability of the Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any shares under the Plan shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained. As a condition to issuance of any Stock, the Company may require the Participant to satisfy any qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate, to evidence compliance with any applicable law or regulation and to make any representation or warranty with respect thereto as may be requested by the Company.
15.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 409A
.
15.1
Awards Subject to Section 409A.
The Company intends that Awards granted pursuant to the Plan shall either be exempt from or comply with Section 409A, and the Plan shall be so construed. The provisions of this Section 15 shall apply to any Award or portion thereof that constitutes or provides for payment of Section 409A Deferred Compensation. Such Awards may include, without limitation:
(a) A Non-Qualified Stock Option or SAR that includes any feature for the deferral of compensation other than the deferral of recognition of income until the later of (i) the exercise or disposition of the Award or (ii) the time the stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Award first becomes substantially vested.
(b) Any Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award or Other Stock-Based Award that either (i) provides by its terms for settlement of all or any portion of the Award at a time or upon an event that will or may occur later than the end of the Short-Term Deferral Period (as defined below) or (ii) permits the Participant granted the Award to elect one or more dates or events upon which the Award will be settled after the end of the Short-Term Deferral Period.
Subject to the provisions of Section 409A, the term “
Short-Term Deferral Period
”
means the 2½ month period ending on the later of (i) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Participant’s taxable year in which the right to payment under the applicable portion of the Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture or (ii) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Company’s taxable year in which the right to payment under the applicable portion of the Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. For this purpose, the term “substantial risk of forfeiture” shall have the meaning provided by Section 409A.
15.2
Deferral and/or Distribution Elections.
Except as otherwise permitted or required by Section 409A, the following rules shall apply to any compensation deferral and/or payment elections (each, an “
Election
”) that may be permitted or required by the Committee pursuant to an Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation:
(a) Elections must be in writing and specify the amount of the payment in settlement of an Award being deferred, as well as the time and form of payment as permitted by this Plan.
(b) Elections shall be made by the end of the Participant’s taxable year prior to the year in which services commence for which an Award may be granted to such Participant.
(c) Elections shall continue in effect until a written revocation or change in Election is received by the Company, except that a written revocation or change in Election must be received by the Company prior to the last day for making the Election determined in accordance with paragraph (b) above or as permitted by Section 16.3.
15.3
Subsequent Elections
.
Except as otherwise permitted or required by Section 409A, any Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation which permits a subsequent Election to delay the payment or change the form of payment in settlement of such Award shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) No subsequent Election may take effect until at least twelve (12) months after the date on which the subsequent Election is made.
(b) Each subsequent Election related to a payment in settlement of an Award not described in Section 16.4(a)(ii), 16.4(a)(iii) or 16.4(a)(vi) must result in a delay of the payment for a period of not less than five (5) years from the date on which such payment would otherwise have been made.
(c) No subsequent Election related to a payment pursuant to Section 16.4(a)(iv) shall be made less than twelve (12) months before the date on which such payment would otherwise have been made.
(d) subsequent Elections shall continue in effect until a written revocation or change in the subsequent Election is received by the Company, except that a written revocation or change in a subsequent Election must be received by the Company prior to the last day for making the subsequent Election determined in accordance the preceding paragraphs of this Section 16.3.
15.4
Payment of Section 409A Deferred Compensation
.
(a)
Permissible Payments.
Except as otherwise permitted or required by Section 409A, an Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation must provide for payment in settlement of the Award only upon one or more of the following:
(i) The Participant’s “separation from service” (as defined by Section 409A);
(ii) The Participant’s becoming “disabled” (as defined by Section 409A);
(iii) The Participant’s death;
(iv) A time or fixed schedule that is either (i) specified by the Committee upon the grant of an Award and set forth in the Award Agreement evidencing such Award or (ii) specified by the Participant in an Election complying with the requirements of Section 16.2 or 16.3, as applicable;
(v) A change in the ownership or effective control or the Company or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company determined in accordance with Section 409A; or
(vi) The occurrence of an “unforeseeable emergency” (as defined by Section 409A).
(b)
Installment Payments
. It is the intent of this Plan that any right of a Participant to receive installment payments (within the meaning of Section 409A) shall, for all purposes of Section 409A, be treated as a right to a series of separate payments.
(c)
Required Delay in Payment to Specified Employee Pursuant to Separation from Service.
Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, except as otherwise permitted by Section 409A, no payment pursuant to Section 16.4(a)(i) in settlement of an Award providing for Section 409A Deferred Compensation may be made to a Participant who is a “specified employee” (as defined by Section 409A) as of the date of the Participant’s separation from service before the date (the
“
Delayed Payment Date
”
) that is six (6) months after the date of such Participant’s separation from service, or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death. All such amounts that would, but for this paragraph, become payable prior to the Delayed Payment Date shall be accumulated and paid on the Delayed Payment Date.
(d)
Payment Upon Disability.
All distributions of Section 409A Deferred Compensation payable by reason of a Participant becoming disabled shall be paid in a lump sum or in periodic installments as established by the Participant’s Election. If the Participant has made no Election with respect to distributions of Section 409A Deferred Compensation upon becoming disabled, all such distributions shall be paid in a lump sum upon the determination that the Participant has become disabled.
(e)
Payment Upon Death
.
If a Participant dies before complete distribution of amounts payable upon settlement of an Award subject to Section 409A, such undistributed amounts shall be distributed to his or her beneficiary under the distribution method for death established by the Participant’s Election upon receipt by the Committee of satisfactory notice and confirmation of the Participant’s death. If the Participant has made no Election with respect to distributions of Section 409A Deferred Compensation upon death, all such distributions shall be paid in a lump sum upon receipt by the Committee of satisfactory notice and confirmation of the Participant’s death.
(f)
Payment Upon Change in Control.
Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, to the extent that any amount constituting Section 409A Deferred Compensation would become payable under this Plan by reason of a Change in Control, such amount shall become payable only if the event constituting a Change in Control would also constitute a change in ownership or effective control of the Company or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company within the meaning of Section 409A. Any Award which constitutes Section 409A Deferred Compensation and which would vest and otherwise become payable upon a Change in Control as a result of the failure of the Acquiror to assume, continue or substitute for such Award in accordance with Section 13.1(b) shall vest to the extent provided by such Award but shall be converted automatically at the effective time of such Change in Control into a right to receive, in cash on the date or dates such award would have been settled in accordance with its then existing settlement schedule (or as required by Section 16.4(c)), an amount or amounts equal in the aggregate to the intrinsic value of the Award at the time of the Change in Control.
(g)
Payment Upon Unforeseeable Emergency.
The Committee shall have the authority to provide in the Award Agreement evidencing any Award providing for Section 409A Deferred Compensation for payment in settlement of all or a portion of such Award in the event that a Participant establishes, to the satisfaction of the Committee, the occurrence of an unforeseeable emergency. In such event, the amount(s) distributed with respect to such unforeseeable emergency cannot exceed the amounts reasonably necessary to satisfy the emergency need plus amounts necessary to pay taxes reasonably anticipated as a result of such distribution(s),
after taking into account the extent to which such emergency need is or may be relieved through reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise, by liquidation of the Participant’s assets (to the extent the liquidation of such assets would not itself cause severe financial hardship) or by cessation of deferrals under the Award. All distributions with respect to an unforeseeable emergency shall be made in a lump sum upon the Committee’s determination that an unforeseeable emergency has occurred. The Committee’s decision with respect to whether an unforeseeable emergency has occurred and the manner in which, if at all, the payment in settlement of an Award shall be altered or modified, shall be final, conclusive, and not subject to approval or appeal.
(h)
Prohibition of Acceleration of Payments.
Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, this Plan does not permit the acceleration of the time or schedule of any payment under an Award providing Section 409A Deferred Compensation, except as permitted by Section 409A.
(i)
No Representation Regarding Section 409A Compliance
. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Company makes no representation that Awards shall be exempt from or comply with Section 409A. No Participating Company shall be liable for any tax, penalty or interest imposed on a Participant by Section 409A.
16.1
Tax Withholding in General.
The Company shall have the right to deduct from any and all payments made under the Plan, or to require the Participant, through payroll withholding, cash payment or otherwise, to make adequate provision for, the federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including social insurance), if any, required by law to be withheld by any Participating Company with respect to an Award or the shares acquired pursuant thereto. The Company shall have no obligation to deliver shares of Stock, to release shares of Stock from an escrow established pursuant to an Award Agreement, or to make any payment in cash under the Plan until the Participating Company Group’s tax withholding obligations have been satisfied by the Participant.
16.2
Withholding in or Directed Sale of Shares.
The Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to deduct from the shares of Stock issuable to a Participant upon the exercise or settlement of an Award, or to accept from the Participant the tender of, a number of whole shares of Stock having a Fair Market Value, as determined by the Company, equal to all or any part of the tax withholding obligations of any Participating Company. The Fair Market Value of any shares of Stock withheld or tendered to satisfy any such tax withholding obligations shall not exceed the amount determined by the applicable minimum statutory withholding rates. The Company may require a Participant to direct a broker, upon the vesting, exercise or settlement of an Award, to sell a portion of the shares subject to the Award determined by the Company in its discretion to be sufficient to cover the tax withholding obligations of any Participating Company and to remit an amount equal to such tax withholding obligations to such Participating Company in cash.
17.
AMENDMENT, SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF PLAN
.
The Committee may amend, suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. However, without the approval of the Company’s stockholders, there shall be (a) no increase in the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan (except by operation of the provisions of Section 4.3), (b) no change in the class of persons eligible to receive Incentive Stock Options and (c) no other amendment of the Plan that would require approval of the Company’s stockholders under any applicable law, regulation or rule, including the rules of any stock exchange or quotation system upon which the Stock may then be listed or quoted. No amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan shall affect any then outstanding Award unless expressly provided by the Committee. Except as provided by the next sentence, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan may adversely affect any then outstanding Award without the consent of the Participant. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, the Committee may, in its sole and absolute discretion and without the consent of any Participant, amend the Plan or any Award Agreement, to take effect retroactively or otherwise, as it deems necessary or advisable for the purpose of conforming the Plan or such Award Agreement to any present or future law, regulation or rule applicable to the Plan, including, but not limited to, Section 409A.
18.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
.
18.1
Repurchase Rights
.
Shares issued under the Plan may be subject to one or more repurchase options, or other conditions and restrictions as determined by the Committee in its discretion at the time the Award is granted. The Company shall have the right to assign at any time any repurchase right it may have, whether or not such right is then exercisable, to one or more persons as may be selected by the Company. Upon request by the Company, each Participant shall execute any agreement evidencing such transfer restrictions prior to the receipt of shares of Stock hereunder and shall promptly present to the Company any and all certificates representing shares of Stock acquired hereunder for the placement on such certificates of appropriate legends evidencing any such transfer restrictions.
(a) The Committee may specify in an Award Agreement that the Participant’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Such events may include, but shall not be limited to, termination of Service for Cause or any act by a Participant, whether before or after termination of Service, that would constitute Cause for termination of Service.
(b) If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company, as a result of misconduct, with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, any Participant who knowingly or through gross negligence engaged in the misconduct, or who knowingly or through gross negligence failed to prevent the misconduct, and any Participant who is one of the individuals subject to automatic forfeiture under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, shall reimburse the Company for (i) the amount of any payment in settlement of an Award received by such Participant during the twelve- (12-) month period following the first public issuance or filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (whichever first occurred) of the financial document embodying such financial reporting requirement, and (ii) any profits realized by such Participant from the sale of securities of the Company during such twelve- (12-) month period. In addition, to the extent claw-back or similar provisions applicable to Awards are required by applicable law, listing standards and/or policies adopted by the Company, Awards granted under the Plan shall be subject to such provisions.
18.3
Provision of Information.
Each Participant shall be given access to information concerning the Company equivalent to that information generally made available to the Company’s common stockholders.
18.4
R
ights as Employee, Consultant or Director.
No person, even though eligible pursuant to Section 5, shall have a right to be selected as a Participant, or, having been so selected, to be selected again as a Participant. Nothing in the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan shall confer on any Participant a right to remain an Employee, Consultant or Director or interfere with or limit in any way any right of a Participating Company to terminate the Participant’s Service at any time. To the extent that an Employee of a Participating Company other than the Company receives an Award under the Plan, that Award shall in no event be understood or interpreted to mean that the Company is the Employee’s employer or that the Employee has an employment relationship with the Company.
18.5
Rights as a Stockholder.
A Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares covered by an Award until the date of the issuance of such shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). No adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date such shares are issued, except as provided in Section 4.3 or another provision of the Plan.
18.6
Delivery of Title to Shares.
Subject to any governing rules or regulations, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued the shares of Stock acquired pursuant to an Award and shall deliver such shares to or for the benefit of the Participant by means of one or more of the following: (a) by delivering to the Participant evidence of book entry shares of Stock credited to the account of the Participant, (b) by depositing such shares of Stock for the benefit of the Participant with any broker with which the Participant has an account relationship, or (c) by delivering such shares of Stock to the Participant in certificate form.
18.7
Fractional Shares.
The Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares upon the exercise or settlement of any Award.
18.8
Retirement and Welfare Plans
. Neither Awards made under this Plan nor shares of Stock or cash paid pursuant to such Awards may be included as “compensation” for purposes of computing the benefits payable to any Participant under any Participating Company’s retirement plans (both qualified and non-qualified) or welfare benefit plans unless such other plan expressly provides that such compensation shall be taken into account in computing a Participant’s benefit. In addition, unless a written employment agreement or other service agreement references Awards, a general reference to “benefits” in such agreement shall not be deemed to refer to Awards granted hereunder.
18.9
Beneficiary Designation.
Subject to local laws and procedures, each Participant may file with the Company a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any benefit under the Plan to which the Participant is entitled in the event of such Participant’s death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit. Each designation will revoke all prior designations by the same Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Company, and will be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant’s lifetime. If a married Participant designates a beneficiary other than the Participant’s spouse, the effectiveness of such designation may be subject to the consent of the Participant’s spouse. If a Participant dies without an effective designation of a beneficiary who is living at the time of the Participant’s death, the Company will pay any remaining unpaid benefits to the Participant’s legal representative.
18.10
Severability
. If any one or more of the provisions (or any part thereof) of this Plan shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such provision shall be modified so as to make it valid, legal and enforceable, and the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions (or any part thereof) of the Plan shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
18.11
No Constraint on Corporate Action.
Nothing in this Plan shall be construed to: (a) limit, impair, or otherwise affect the Company’s or another Participating Company’s right or power to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, or changes of its capital or business structure, or to merge or consolidate, or dissolve, liquidate, sell, or transfer all or any part of its business or assets; or (b) limit the right or power of the Company or another Participating Company to take any action which such entity deems to be necessary or appropriate.
18.12
Unfunded Obligation.
Participants shall have the status of general unsecured creditors of the Company. Any amounts payable to Participants pursuant to the Plan shall be considered unfunded and unsecured obligations for all purposes, including, without limitation, Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. No Participating Company shall be required to segregate any monies from its general funds, or to create any trusts, or establish any special accounts with respect to such obligations. The Company shall retain at all times beneficial ownership of any investments, including trust investments, which the Company may make to fulfill its payment obligations hereunder. Any investments or the creation or maintenance of any trust or any Participant account shall not create or constitute a trust or fiduciary relationship between the Committee or any Participating Company and a Participant, or otherwise create any vested or beneficial interest in any Participant or the Participant’s creditors in any assets of any Participating Company. The Participants shall have no claim against any Participating Company for any changes in the value of any assets which may be invested or reinvested by the Company with respect to the Plan.
18.13
Choice of Law.
Except to the extent governed by applicable federal law, the validity, interpretation, construction and performance of the Plan and each Award Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law rules.