PROPOSAL
ONE: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Our
Articles of Incorporation provide that our Board of Directors consists of three
classes of directors, as nearly equal in number as possible, designated Class I,
Class II and Class III and provides that the exact number of directors
comprising our Board of Directors will be determined from time to time by
resolution adopted by the Board. At each annual meeting of
shareholders, successors to the class of directors whose terms expires at that
annual meeting are elected for a three-year term. The current term of
the Class II directors terminates on June 2, 2009, the date of our 2009 Annual
Meeting. The current term of the Class I directors terminates on the
date of our 2010 annual meeting of shareholders and the current term of the
Class III directors terminates on the date of our 2011 annual meeting of
shareholders.
Messrs. Bruce F. Simberg and Richard W.
Wilcox, Jr. currently serve as Class II directors. Our Board of
Directors has nominated them and they will stand for re-election at the 2009
Annual Meeting. Our Board of Directors has established by resolution
that our Board of Directors will consist of 7 members, consisting of three Class
I directors, two Class II directors and two Class III
Directors. Michael H. Braun, Peter J. Prygelski, III and Jenifer G.
Kimbrough currently serve as Class I directors and Carl Dorf and Charles B.
Hart, Jr. currently serve as Class III directors. If elected at the
2009 Annual Meeting, Messrs. Simberg and Wilcox will serve as Class II directors
until our 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders or until their successors are duly
elected and qualified.
Messrs.
Simberg and Wilcox have consented to serve on our Board of Directors and the
Board of Directors has no reason to believe that they will not serve if
elected. However, if any of them should become unavailable to serve
as a director, and if the Board has designed a substitute nominee, the persons
named as proxies will vote for this substitute nominee.
Nominees
for Re-election
The
following persons were recommended by the Board of Directors and are nominated
as directors as follows:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position with the
Company
|
Bruce
F. Simberg
|
|
60
|
|
Chairman
of the Board, Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
W. Wilcox, Jr.
|
|
67
|
|
Director
|
Bruce F. Simberg
has served as
a Class II director of the Company since January 1998. Mr. Simberg has been a
practicing attorney since October 1975, most recently as managing partner of
Conroy, Simberg, Ganon, Krevans, Abel, Lurvey, Morrow & Schefer, P.A.
(“Conroy Simberg”), a law firm in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, since October
1979.
Richard W. Wilcox, Jr.
has
served as a Class II director of the Company since January 2003. Mr.
Wilcox has been in the insurance industry for more than 40 years. In
1963, Mr. Wilcox started an insurance agency that eventually developed into a
business generating $10 million in annual revenue. In 1991, Mr.
Wilcox sold his agency to Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Company (“HRH”) of Fort
Lauderdale, for which he retained the position of President through
1998. In 1998, HRH of Fort Lauderdale merged with Poe and Brown of
Fort Lauderdale, and Mr. Wilcox served as the Vice President of Poe and Brown
until 1999, when he retired.
Vote
Required and Recommendation
The two nominees for election to the
Board of Directors, as Class II directors, who receive the greatest number of
votes cast for the election of directors by the shares present, in person or by
proxy, shall be elected directors. Shareholders do not have the right
to cumulate their votes for directors. In the election of directors,
an abstention or broker non-vote will have no effect on the
outcome. The Board recommends that its shareholders vote “FOR” each
of the nominees for director set forth above.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” EACH OF THE NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR SET
FORTH ABOVE.
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
The
following table sets forth certain information with respect to our executive
officers and directors as of April 1, 2009:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position with the
Company
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
41
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer, Class I Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
40
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer, Class I Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Young
|
|
34
|
|
President
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carl
Dorf
|
|
68
|
|
Class
III Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles
B. Hart, Jr.
|
|
70
|
|
Class
III Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bruce
F. Simberg
|
|
60
|
|
Chairman,
Class II Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
W. Wilcox, Jr.
|
|
67
|
|
Class
II Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jenifer
G. Kimbrough
|
|
37
|
|
Class
I Director
|
The business experience of Bruce F.
Simberg and Richard W. Wilcox, Jr., the two nominees to serve as Class II
Directors, appears under the caption "Nominees for Re-election" beginning on
page 5.
Michael H. Braun
was appointed
to the Board of Directors as a Class I director in December 2005. Mr.
Braun was named Chief Executive Officer in June 2008. Mr. Braun brings to the
mission his experience from a 13-year career with the Company, where he was
Chief Operating Officer of the Company and President of Federated National
Insurance Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, a position he
continues to hold. In these roles, he was responsible for the business
operations and strategic product portfolio. Prior to joining the Company, Mr.
Braun was Managing Partner for an independent chain of insurance agencies that
was located throughout the state of Florida, which was acquired by the Company
in 1998.
Peter J. Prygelski, III
was
appointed to the Board of Directors as a Class I director in June 2008 and has
served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 2007. Mr. Prygelski
served as a Director of the Company and as the Chairman of the Audit Committee
and the Company's designated financial expert from January 2004 through June 25,
2007. He has also served as a member of our Investment Committee and Independent
Director's Committee during that time period. Mr. Prygelski most recently served
as a Senior Manager in the Enterprise Risk Services practice of Deloitte and
Touche from May 2006 to May 2007. Prior to joining Deloitte and Touche, Mr.
Prygelski served in a similar capacity with Ernst & Young from April 2004 to
April 2006. Previously, Mr. Prygelski was a Director of Audit for American
Express Centurion Bank (a subsidiary of American Express), where he began his
career in Corporate Finance and was a member of their Enterprise Risk and
Assurance function from November 1991 to August 2003.
Stephen C. Young
has served as
the Company’s President from June 2007 through the present date, and as
President of Federated Premium Finance, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Company, from January 1998 through the present date. Mr. Young served as Vice
President of Operations of the Company from June 2006 through May
2007.
Carl Dorf
was appointed to the
Board of Directors in August 2001. Since April 2001, Mr. Dorf has
been the principal of Dorf Asset Management, LLC, and is responsible for all
investment decisions made by that company. From January 1991 to
February 2001, Mr. Dorf served as the Fund Manager of ING Pilgrim Bank and
Thrift Fund. Prior to his experience at Pilgrim, Mr. Dorf was a
principal in Dorf & Associates, an investment management
company.
Charles B. Hart, Jr.
was
appointed to the Board of Directors in March 2002. Mr. Hart has more
than 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. From
1973 to 1999, Mr. Hart served as President of Public Assurance Group and as
General Manager of Operations for Bristol West Insurance
Services. Since 1999, Mr. Hart has acted as an insurance
consultant.
Jenifer G. Kimbrough
was
appointed to the Board of Directors effective April 1, 2009. Ms.
Kimbrough has served as the Vice President of Assurance and Process Improvement
for Surgical Care Affiliates since November 2007. Prior to 2007, Ms.
Kimbrough was the Senior Vice President of Investor Relations at Regions
Financial Corporation. From 1993 to 2003, Ms. Kimbrough served as an
Audit Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP. Ms. Kimbrough received
her certification as a certified public accountant from the Alabama State Board
of Public Accountancy in 1994. Ms. Kimbrough is an active member of
several societies, including: American Woman’s Society of CPAs, Institute of
Internal Auditors, Alabama State Society of CPAs and American Institute of
CPAs. Additionally, she recently served on the AICPA Women’s
Initiative Executive Committee and as National President of the
AWSCPA.
Significant
Employees
James Gordon Jennings, III
(age 51) has served as the President of Assurance Managing General Agents, Inc.
(“Assurance MGA”), a wholly-owned subsidiary, since May 2008 and as the
Company’s Vice President of Risk Management since April
2008. Previously he worked for American Vehicle Insurance Company
(“American Vehicle”), one of our wholly-owned subsidiary companies, from 1990
through 2000 where he was involved in all aspects of property and casualty
insurance. Mr. Jennings served as our Controller from May 2000
through August 2002, as Chief Financial Officer from August 2002 through June
2007 and as Chief Accounting Officer from June 2007 through March
2008. Mr. Jennings’, formerly a certified public accountant, also
holds a Certificate in General Insurance and an Associate in Insurance Services
as designated by the Insurance Institute of America.
Thomas J. Spitalny
(age 48)
was appointed to serve as the President of American Vehicle in February
2009. Mr. Spitalny joined the Company in April 2008 to serve as our
Product Development Manager. Mr. Spitalny has over 27 years of experience
in the insurance industry. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Spitalny
served as President of Whitehill Agency Management, LLC (September 2004-April
2008), Senior Vice President of Insurers Unlimited, Inc. (June 2002 to September
2004) and Vice President of Volvo Commercial Finance The Americas, LLC, as well
as Chief Operating Officer of Accelerated Reinsurance Company Ltd., (January
1998 to June 2002).
C. Brian Turnau
(age 42) has
served as the President of Superior Adjusting, Inc. (“Superior”), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company, since July 2006. Mr. Turnau served as the
Litigation Manager of Superior from June 2000 until his promotion to
President. He has over nine years experience in the insurance
industry. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Turnau worked for private
practice insurance defense litigation law firms for over fifteen
years. Mr. Turnau earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in History in
1989 from Washington and Lee University. He currently serves on the
Board of Directors of the Florida High School for Accelerated Learning, a
nonprofit Charter School that serves the needs of underprivileged
students.
Compliance
with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
requires executive officers, directors and holders of more than 10% of our
common stock to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and The Nasdaq National Market
(“Nasdaq”). Such persons are required to furnish us with copies of
all Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based
solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it, or oral or
written representations from certain reporting persons, we believe that, with
respect to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, all filing requirements
applicable to our executive officers, directors and 10% beneficial owners were
complied with, except Edward Lawson filed one Form 4 late, which was amended two
times, which reported 16 transactions.
Corporate
Governance
We have adopted a Code of Conduct for
all employees, officers and directors of the Company. A copy of our
Code of Conduct policy is available on our web site at
www.21stcenturyholding.com
.
Meetings
and Committees of the Board of Directors
During
2008, the Board of Directors held four (4) regular meetings, five (5) special
meetings and took actions by written consent on sixteen (16) occasions. During
2008, no director attended fewer than 75% of the board and committee meetings
held during this period. The Board of Directors encourages, but does
not require, its directors to attend the Company’s annual
meeting. Last year, all seven (7) of our directors attended our
annual meeting.
The Board
has determined that the following directors are independent pursuant to the
Nasdaq Global Market listing requirements ("Nasdaq Rules") Carl Dorf,
Charles B. Hart, Jr., Richard W. Wilcox, Jr., Bruce F. Simberg, and Jenifer G.
Kimbrough. In making the independence determination with respect to
Mr. Simberg, the Board considered the fact that Conroy Simberg, a law firm
founded by Mr. Simberg, had provided legal services to the Company during the
past 14 years. However, the legal services provided by Conroy
Simberg during the past three fiscal years do not exceed the amounts set forth
in Nasdaq Rule 4200(a)(15) and Mr. Simberg qualifies as an independent director
under Nasdaq Rule 4200(a)(15).
In March
2008 the Company’s Board of Directors decided to disband the Independent
Directors Committee and designate separate committees to perform its respective
duties and responsibilities. Therefore, the standing committees of
the Board of Directors in 2008 are the Audit Committee, the Compensation
Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Investment
Committee. Charters for each committee are available upon the
Company’s website at
www.21stcenturyholding.com
. The
charter of each committee is also available in print to any shareholder who
requests it from our Corporate Secretary.
Audit
Committee
As of
December 31, 2008, the Audit Committee was composed of Charles B. Hart, Jr., who
served as the Chairman of the Audit Committee, Richard W. Wilcox, Jr. and Carl
Dorf. Each member was determined to be independent as defined by the
Nasdaq Rules and SEC rules for Audit Committee membership. Mr. Dorf
was designated as a “financial expert” as that term is defined in the applicable
rules and regulations of the Exchange Act.
The Board determined that
Mr. Dorf was a "financial expert" as defined in the applicable rules and
regulations of the Exchange Act based on his forty (40) years of experience as a
securities analyst. The Audit Committee met on six (6) occasions in
2008. Effective as of April 1, 2009, Jennifer G. Kimbrough was
appointed to serve on the Audit Committee. The Board has determined
that Ms. Kimbrough is independent as defined by the Nasdaq Rules and SEC rules
for Audit Committee membership and is a "financial expert" as defined in the
applicable rules and regulations of the Exchange Act.
Pursuant
to its written charter, the duties and responsibilities of the Audit Committee
include, but are not limited to, (a) the appointment of the independent
certified public accountants and any termination of such engagement, (b)
reviewing the plan and scope of independent audits, (c) reviewing significant
accounting and reporting policies and operating controls, (d) having general
responsibility for all related auditing and financial statement matters, and (e)
reporting its recommendations and findings to the full Board of
Directors. The Audit Committee pre-approves all auditing services and
permitted non-audit services (including the fees and terms thereof) to be
performed by the independent accountants, subject to the de minimus exceptions
for non-audit services described in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act
that are approved by the Audit Committee prior to the completion of the
audit.
To ensure prompt handling of unexpected
matters, the Audit Committee delegates to the Chair the authority to amend or
modify the list of approved permissible non-audit services and fees. The Chair
will report action taken to the Audit Committee at the next committee
meeting.
The independent auditor must ensure
that all audit and non-audit services have been approved by the Audit
Committee. The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for tracking
all independent auditor fees against the budget for such services and report at
least annually to the Audit Committee.
Independent
Directors Committee
As of
January 1, 2008, the members of the Independent Directors Committee were Carl
Dorf, who served as the Chairman, Charles B. Hart, Jr., Richard W. Wilcox, Jr.
and Anthony C. Krayer, III. Each member was determined to be
independent as defined by the Nasdaq Rules. Mr. Dorf served as the
Chairman of the Independent Directors Committee. This committee met
in executive session biannually and its duties and responsibilities included,
but were not limited to, the following:
|
•
|
Function
as the Company’s Compensation Committee and review and approve the
compensation of our executive officers and
directors
|
|
•
|
Administer
the Company's 1998 Stock Option Plan, 2001 Franchise Stock Option Plan and
2002 Stock Option Plan
|
|
•
|
Function
as the Company’s Nominating
Committee.
|
The
Independent Directors Committee had adopted written charters for its duties with
respect to (i) the compensation of the Company’s executive officers and
directors, contained in the Compensation Committee Charter and (ii) the
nomination process for directors, contained in its Nomination Committee
Charter.
In March
2008 the Company’s Board of Directors decided to disband the Independent
Directors Committee and designate separate committees to perform its respective
duties and responsibilities. The committees designated to replace the
Independent Directors Committee are the Compensation Committee and the
Nominating Committee to which each committee shall perform the duties and
responsibilities pursuant to its respective charter.
Compensation
Committee
During
fiscal 2008, the Company’s Compensation Committee was composed of Carl Dorf,
Charles B. Hart, Jr., Richard W. Wilcox, Jr., and Bruce F.
Simberg. As of April 1, 2009, Jenifer G. Kimbrough joined the
Compensation Committee. Each member is independent as defined by the Nasdaq
Rules. Mr. Dorf serves as the Chairman. The Compensation
Committee performs the duties and responsibilities pursuant to its charter,
which includes reviewing and approving the compensation of the Company's
executive officers. During fiscal 2008, the Compensation Committee held two (2)
regular meetings, three (3) special meetings and acted two (2) times by written
consent.
Nominating
Committee
The
Company’s Nominating Committee is composed of Bruce F. Simberg, Charles B. Hart,
Jr. and Richard W. Wilcox, Jr. Each member is independent as defined
by the Nasdaq Rules. Mr. Simberg serves as the Chairman.
The
Nominating Committee will consider candidates for director who are recommended
by its members, by other Board members and by management of the
Company. The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended
by our shareholders if the shareholder submits the nomination in compliance with
the advance notice, information and other requirements described in our bylaws
and applicable securities laws. The Nominating Committee evaluates
director candidates recommended by shareholders in the same way that it
evaluates candidates recommended by its members, other members of the Board, or
other persons. The Nominating Committee considers all aspects of a
candidate’s qualifications in the context of the needs of the Company at that
point in time with a view to creating a Board with a diversity of experience and
perspectives. Among the qualifications, qualities and skills of a
candidate considered important by the Nominating Committee is a person with
strength of character, mature judgment, familiarity with the Company’s business
and industry, independent of thought and an ability to work
collegially.
Shareholders who wish to recommend
nominees to the Nominating Committee should submit their recommendation in
writing to the Secretary of the Company at its executive offices pursuant to the
requirements contained in Article III, Section 13 of the Company’s
Bylaws. This section provides that the notice shall include:
(a) as to each person who the shareholder proposed to nominate for
election, (i) name, age, business address and residence address of the person,
(ii) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (iii) the class and
number of shares of capital stock of the Company which are beneficially owned by
the person, (iv) the consent of each nominee to serve as a director of the
Company if so elected and (v) any other information relating to the person that
is required to be disclosed in solicitation for proxies for the election of
directors pursuant to Rule 14A under the Exchange Act; and (b) as to the
shareholder giving the notice, the name and record address of the shareholder,
and (ii) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the Company which
are beneficially owned by the shareholder. The Company may require
any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be
required by the Company to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to
serve as a director of the Company.
Investment
Committee
The
Company’s Investment Committee for 2008 was composed Peter J. Prygelski, III,
Bruce F. Simberg, and Carl Dorf. The Investment Committee manages our
investment portfolio pursuant to its adopted Investment Policy Statement. The
Investment Committee held one (1) formal meeting in 2008 and at least four (4)
informal telephonic meetings throughout the year with its members and investment
advisors.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
This
report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by a general statement
incorporating by reference this Proxy Statement into any filing under the
Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act, except to the
extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference, and shall
not otherwise be deemed filed under such acts.
The Audit
Committee hereby reports as follows:
1. The
Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements with
our management.
2. The
Audit Committee has discussed with DeMeo, Young, McGrath (“DeMeo”), our
independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be
discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended (AICPA,
Professional Standards
, Vol
1, AU section 380) as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(“PCAOB”) in Rule 3200T.
3. The
Audit Committee has as received the written disclosures and the letter from
DeMeo required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding DeMeo's
communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and has
discussed with DeMeo its independence;
4. Based
on the review and discussion referred to in paragraphs (1) through (3) above,
the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of the Company, and the Board has
approved, that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, for
filing with the SEC.
Audit
Committee Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2008
Respectfully
Submitted
March
31, 2009
/s/ Charles
B. Hart, Jr., Chairman
/s/ Carl Dorf
/s/
Richard W. Wilcox,
Jr
.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Overview
and Philosophy of the Compensation Program
The Compensation Directors Committee of
the Board had the responsibility for establishing, implementing and continually
monitoring adherence with the Company’s compensation philosophy. With
respect to executive compensation, the primary goal of the Compensation
Committee is to attract and retain the most qualified, knowledgeable, dedicated
and seasoned executives possible, to reward them for their contributions to the
development of our business and to align the executives incentives with
shareholder value creation.
The Compensation Committee evaluates
individual executive performance with a goal of setting compensation at levels
the committee believes are comparable with executives in other companies of
similar size and stage of development operating in the insurance industry while
taking into account our relative performance and our own strategic
goals.
The Compensation Committee conducts an
annual benchmark review of the aggregate level of our executive compensation, as
well as the mix of elements used to compensate our executive officers. This
review is based on a survey of executive compensation paid by four (4) property
and casualty insurance companies as reported in each company’s proxy
statement. The companies that we made our comparisons with are as
follows: Affirmative Insurance Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ: AFFM), American Safety Insurance Holdings, Ltd.
(NYSE: ASI), Gainsco, Inc. (NYSE: GAN), and Mercer
Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIGP).
The Compensation Committee has not
retained a compensation consultant to review our policies and procedures with
respect to executive compensation. During the evaluation process, the
Compensation Committee receives substantial input from the Chief Executive
Officer regarding the appropriate level and type of compensation for our
executives.
Throughout this proxy statement, the
individuals who served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial
Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and President during fiscal 2008, are
included in the Summary Compensation Table on page 14 are referred to as the
“Named Executive Officers” or "Officers."
Elements
of Compensation
Executive
compensation consists of following elements:
Base
Salary.
Base salaries for our executives are established based
on the scope of their responsibilities, taking into account competitive market
compensation paid by other companies for similar positions. Generally, we
currently believe that executive base salaries should be targeted slightly lower
than the median of the range of salaries for executives in similar positions
with similar responsibilities at comparable companies. This belief may change
over time. Base salaries are reviewed annually, as part of the
Company’s review process, and are adjusted from time to time after taking into
account a number of factors, including each executive’s level of responsibility,
level of performance during the past fiscal year (with respect to specific areas
of responsibility and on an overall basis), past and present contribution to and
achievement of Company goals, and our historical compensation
levels. We believe in supplementing these salaries with stock options
to reward both shareholders and management if the Company does well and the
stock responds accordingly.
During fiscal 2008, our executive
officers were Michael H. Braun, our Chief Executive Officer from July 1, 2008
through present, Peter J. Prygelski, III, our Chief Financial Officer, Stephen
C. Young, our President, Edward J. Lawson, our Chief Executive Officer through
June 30, 2008, and J. Gordon Jennings, III, our Chief Accounting Officer through
March 31, 2008. The salary levels for Michael Braun and Peter
Prygelski are determined by the terms set forth in their respective employment
agreements. Under these agreements, the Company is allowed to make
discretionary increases in the executive’s base salaries, as it determines
appropriate. The salary levels for Edward Lawson and Gordon Jennings
were determined by the terms set forth in their respective
agreements.
Long-Term
Incentive/Options Program
. We believe that long-term
performance is achieved through an ownership culture that encourages such
performance by our executive officers through the use of stock-based awards. Our
stock option plans have been established to provide certain of our employees,
including our executive officers, with incentives to help align those employees’
interests with the interests of our shareholders. The Compensation Committee
believes that the use of stock-based awards offers an additional method to
achieving our compensation goals. Our stock compensation plans have
provided the principal method for our executive officers to acquire equity or
equity-linked interests in our company without the adoption of stock ownership
guidelines. We expect to continue to provide a portion of total
compensation to our executives through our stock option plans rather than
through additional cash-based compensation.
Our 2002 Stock Option Plan (and 1998
Stock Option Plan prior to its expiration on September 16, 2008) authorizes us
to grant options to purchase shares of common stock to our employees, directors
and consultants, as will the 2009 Stock Option Plan upon approval of
shareholders. Our Compensation Committee is the administrator of the stock
option plans. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves stock
option awards to executive officers based upon a review of competitive
compensation data, its assessment of individual performance, and retention
considerations, as well as a review of the individual’s existing share and
option holdings. Periodic stock option grants are made at the discretion of the
Compensation Committee and/or executive management members, who have been
granted limited authority by the Compensation Committee.
Stock options granted by us have an
exercise price equal to or greater than the fair market value of our common
stock on the day of grant, typically vest 20% per annum based upon continued
employment over a five-year period, and generally expire six (6) or ten (10)
years after the date of grant. Incentive stock options also include certain
other terms necessary to assure compliance with the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended.
In 2008, the Compensation Committee
authorized the following grants to our Named Executive Officers:
1) 4,500
stock options to Mr. Braun at an exercise price of $12.58 per share on January
30, 2008, which is equal to 102% of the fair market value of the Company’s
common stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on January 30,
2009 and expire on January 30, 2014;
2) 40,000
stock options to Mr. Braun at an exercise price of $8.32 per share on July 1,
2008, which is equal to 102% of the fair market value of the Company’s common
stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on July 1, 2009 and
expire on July 30, 2014;
3) 500
stock options to Mr. Braun at an exercise price of $4.59 per share on December
12, 2008, which is equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock
on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on December 12, 2009 and
expire on December 12, 2014;
4) 4,500
stock options to Mr. Prygelski at an exercise price of $12.58 per share on
January 30, 2008, which is equal to 102% of the fair market value of the
Company’s common stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on
January 30, 2009 and expire on January 30, 2014;
5) 10,000
stock options to Mr. Prygelski at an exercise price of $8.32 per share on July
1, 2008, which is equal to 102% of the fair market value of the Company’s common
stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on July 1, 2009 and
expire on July 30, 2014;
6) 500
stock options to Mr. Prygelski at an exercise price of $4.59 per share on
December 12, 2008, which is equal to the fair market value of the Company’s
common stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on December 12,
2009 and expire on December 12, 2014;
7) 10,000
stock options to Mr. Young at an exercise price of $13.07 per share on March 4,
2008, which is equal to 102% of the fair market value of the Company’s common
stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on March 4, 2009 and
expire on March 4, 2014;
8) 500
stock options to Mr. Young at an exercise price of $4.59 per share on December
12, 2008, which is equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock
on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on December 12, 2009 and
expire on December 12, 2014;
9) 5,000
stock options to Mr. Jennings at an exercise price of $13.24 per share on April
1, 2008, which is equal to 102% of the fair market value of the Company’s common
stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on April 1, 2009 and
expire on April 1, 2014;
10) 500
stock options to Mr. Jennings at an exercise price of $4.59 per share on
December 12, 2008, which is equal to the fair market value of the Company’s
common stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on December 12,
2009 and expire on December 12, 2014; and
11) 4,500
stock options to Mr. Lawson at an exercise price of $13.56 per share on January
30, 2008, which is equal to 110% of the fair market value of the Company’s
common stock on the date of grant, vest 20% per year beginning on January 30,
2009 and expire on January 30, 2014.
The Compensation Committee has not
established guidelines for the granting of plan-based awards in fiscal
2009.
Discretionary
Annual Bonus
. The Compensation Committee has the authority to
award discretionary annual bonuses to our executive officers. During
fiscal 2008, the Compensation Committee did not award any discretionary annual
bonus to any executive officer but may elect do so in the future with the
intention to compensate officers for achieving financial and/or operational
goals and for achieving individual annual performance objectives.
Other
Compensation.
Our executive officers who are parties to
employment agreements will continue to be parties to such employment agreements
in their current form until such time as the Compensation Committee determines,
at its discretion, that revisions to such employment agreements are advisable.
In addition, consistent with our compensation philosophy, we intend to continue
to maintain our current benefits and perquisites for our executive officers;
however, the Compensation Committee, at its discretion, may revise, amend or add
to the officers’ executive benefits and perquisites, if it deems it advisable.
We believe these benefits and perquisites are currently lower than median
competitive levels for comparable companies. We currently have no plans to
change either the employment agreements (except as required by law or as
required to clarify the benefits to which our executive officers are entitled as
set forth herein) or levels of benefits and perquisites provided
thereunder.
Employee Benefit
Plans.
Our employees, including our executive officers, are
entitled to various employee benefits. These benefits include the following:
medical and dental care plans; flexible benefit accounts; life, accidental death
and dismemberment and disability insurance; a 401(k) plan; and paid time
off.
401(k) Plan
.
We offer a
qualified 401(k) Plan to eligible employees. Under the plan, we may elect to
match contributions made by participants; however, there was no matching
contributions made by us to any employee or executive officer from February 2001
to March 2008. The Company was authorized by the Board of Directors
to match 50% up to 6% of a participant’s elective contributions effective April
1, 2008.
Compensation
Committee Report
The Compensation Committee of the
Company has reviewed and discussed the foregoing Compensation Discussion and
Analysis with management. Based on our review and discussion with
management, we have recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement.
Compensation
Committee Report
Respectfully
Submitted
March
31, 2009
/s/
Carl Dorf, Chairman
/s/
Charles B. Hart
/s/
Richard W. Wilcox, Jr.
/s/
Bruce F. Simberg
Summary
Compensation Table
The following Summary Compensation
table sets forth information regarding compensation earned by, awarded to or
paid to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and President, as
well as our former Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Accounting Officer
for the year ended December 31, 2008. We refer to these officers as
our Named Executive Officers in other parts of this proxy
statement. We currently do not have any other individual employee of
the Company designated as an executive officer.
Name
and Principal
Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Option
Awards
(1)
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
|
|
|
Change
in
Pension
Value
and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
(2)
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
186,863
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
48,447
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
15,880
|
|
|
$
|
251,190
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer (3)
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
146,697
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
19,622
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
3,023
|
|
|
$
|
169,342
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
137,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
16,405
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
153,405
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
169,539
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
23,696
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
25,139
|
|
|
$
|
218,374
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer (4)
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
80,100
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
12,883
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
38,892
|
|
|
$
|
131,904
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Young
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
129,962
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
18,510
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
30,921
|
|
|
$
|
179,393
|
|
President
(5)
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
120,100
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
7,375
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
18,051
|
|
|
$
|
145,526
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
93,331
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1,790
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
95,121
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Edward
J. Lawson
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
175,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
71,905
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
21,162
|
|
|
$
|
268,067
|
|
CEO
and Chairman of the Board (6)
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
175,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
204,732
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
26,942
|
|
|
$
|
406,674
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
175,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
74,674
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
23,630
|
|
|
$
|
273,304
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
132,097
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
31,574
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
32,945
|
|
|
$
|
196,616
|
|
Chief
Accounting Officer (7)
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
143,850
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
33,066
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
17,361
|
|
|
$
|
194,277
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
137,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
51,116
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
16,912
|
|
|
$
|
205,028
|
|
(1)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, in
accordance with FAS123R. Assumptions used in the calculation of
this amount are included in footnote 16 to the Company’s audited financial
statements for fiscal year ended December 31,
2008.
|
(2)
|
See
table "All Other Compensation" for an itemized disclosure of this element
of compensation.
|
(3)
|
Mr.
Braun has served as our Chief Executive Officer since July 1, 2008 and the
President of Federated National Insurance Company, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company since September
2003.
|
(4)
|
Mr.
Prygelski has served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 25,
2007. Prior to this time, he served as an outside director of
the Company from January 2004 through June 25, 2007. Mr.
Prygelski’s 2007 salary represented in the table is not for a full
year.
|
(5)
|
Mr.
Young has served as the Company’s President since June 2007 and as
President of Federated Premium Finance from January 1998 through the
present date.
|
(6)
|
Mr.
Lawson served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the
Board through June 30, 2008.
|
(7)
|
Mr.
Jennings served as our Chief Accounting Officer from June 25, 2007 through
March 31, 2008 and as our Chief Financial Officer from August 2002 through
June 2007.
|
ALL
OTHER COMPENSATION
Name
|
|
Year
|
|
Auto
|
|
|
Cell
Phone
|
|
|
Events
(1)
|
|
|
Club
Member
Dues
|
|
|
Insurance
Benefits
(2)
|
|
|
Contribution
to
401(k)
(3)
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
5,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,375
|
|
|
$
|
3,850
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,599
|
|
|
$
|
1,056
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
15,880
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
923
|
|
|
$
|
2,100
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
3,023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
5,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,475
|
|
|
$
|
10,250
|
|
|
$
|
4,992
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
3,422
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,139
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
100
|
|
|
$
|
13,150
|
|
|
$
|
5,642
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
20,000
|
(5)
|
|
$
|
38,892
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Young
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
6,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,054
|
|
|
$
|
2,600
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,178
|
|
|
$
|
3,089
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
30,921
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
2,500
|
|
|
$
|
971
|
|
|
$
|
2,150
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
12,430
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,051
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Edward
J. Lawson
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
6,750
|
|
|
$
|
1,290
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
13,122
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
21,162
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
13,500
|
|
|
$
|
2,876
|
|
|
$
|
4,325
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
6,241
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
26,942
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
13,500
|
|
|
$
|
1,348
|
|
|
$
|
1,800
|
|
|
$
|
979
|
|
|
$
|
6,003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
23,630
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,125
|
|
|
$
|
1,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,430
|
|
|
$
|
3,504
|
|
|
$
|
17,886
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
32,945
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,150
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
16,211
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
17,361
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,350
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
15,562
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
16,912
|
|
(1)
|
Represents
fees for events attended by the Named Executive Officer and his family
members.
|
(2)
|
Represents
premiums for medical and dental
insurance.
|
(3)
|
Represents
matching contributions made by the Company to the Named Executive
Officer's 401(k) plan.
|
(4)
|
Represents
profits that Named Executive Officers received upon the exercise of stock
options.
|
(5)
|
Represents
fees that Mr. Prygelski received for serving as an outside
director.
|
Employment
Agreements
Michael
H. Braun
We entered into an employment agreement
with Michael H. Braun, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective as of
July 1, 2008. Under his agreement, Mr. Braun is entitled to receive
an annual salary of $214,000 and a $500 monthly automobile
allowance. The employment agreement is effective for four (4) years
through July 1, 2012 and Mr. Braun is also entitled to receive such bonuses and
increases as may be awarded by the Board of Directors. It also
contains customary confidentiality and non-solicitation
provisions. Additionally, we entered into a non-compete agreement
with Mr. Braun effective December 19, 2005. The non-compete agreement
prohibits Mr. Braun from directly or indirectly competing with us for a period
of one (1) year after the termination of his employment for any
reason. If Mr. Braun’s employment with the Company is terminated, he
is entitled to certain payments set forth in “Potential Payments on Termination
or Change of Control” on page 21.
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
We entered into an amended and restated
employment agreement with Peter J. Prygelski, III, the Company’s Chief Financial
Officer, effective as of July 1, 2008. Under his agreement, Mr.
Prygelski is entitled to receive an annual salary of $180,000 and a $500 monthly
automobile allowance. The employment agreement is effective through
June 25, 2010, which is three (3) years from the original employment agreement
effective date of June 25, 2007. Mr. Prygelski is also entitled to
receive such bonuses and increases as may be awarded by the Board of
Directors. It also contains customary confidentiality and
non-solicitation provisions. Additionally, we entered into a
non-compete agreement and an annual review agreement with Mr. Prygelski
effective June 25, 2007. The non-compete agreement prohibits Mr.
Prygelski from directly or indirectly competing with us for a period of one year
after the termination of his employment for any reason. If Mr.
Prygelski’s employment with the Company is terminated, he is entitled to certain
payments set forth in “Potential Payments on Termination or Change of Control”
on page 21.
Edward
J. Lawson
We entered into an employment agreement
with Edward J. Lawson, the Company's former Chief Executive Officer effective as
of September 1, 1998, which was subsequently amended. Under his
agreement, Mr. Lawson was entitled to receive an annual salary of $175,000 per
year and a monthly car allowance of $1,125. Mr. Lawson entered
into a transition agreement with the Company on May 5, 2008 to be effective as
of his termination date of June 30, 2008. Under the transition
agreement, Mr. Lawson’s employment agreement dated September 1, 1998 and any
subsequent amendment was terminated with only certain covenants and obligations
remaining in force. Mr. Lawson will receive an annual salary of
$175,000 per year through the transition agreement expiration date of December
31, 2010. The transition agreement contains standard non-competition,
non-solicitation and confidentiality provisions.
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
We entered into an employment agreement
with J. Gordon Jennings, III, the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer, effective
as of May 6, 2004. Under his agreement, Mr. Jennings was entitled to
receive an annual salary of $144,000. The employment agreement was
effective for four (4) years through May 6, 2008 and Mr. Jennings was also
entitled to receive such bonuses and increases as may be awarded by the Board of
Directors. It also contained customary confidentiality and
non-solicitation provisions. In December 2005, we entered into a
non-compete agreement and an annual review agreement with Mr.
Jennings. The non-compete agreement prohibits Mr. Jennings from
directly or indirectly competing with us for a period of one year after the
termination of his employment for any reason. If Mr. Jennings’
employment with the Company was terminated, he would have been entitled to
certain payments set forth in “Potential Payments on Termination or Change of
Control” on page 21.
Mr. Jennings was appointed as the Vice
President of Risk Management in April 2008 and President of Assurance MGA in May
2008 and will no longer be classified as a Named Executive Officer.
Grants
of Plan Based Awards
The following Grants of Plan-Based
Awards table provides information regarding stock options granted to Named
Executive Officers during 2008:
GRANTS
OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
Name
|
|
Grant Date
|
|
All Other Option Awards Number
of Securities Underlying Options
|
|
|
Exercise or Base Price
of Option Awards
|
|
|
Grant Date Fair Value of
Stock and Option Awards(1)
|
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
01/30/2008
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
12.58
|
|
|
$
|
15,511
|
|
|
|
07/01/2008
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
$
|
8.32
|
|
|
$
|
79,160
|
|
|
|
12/12/2008
|
|
|
500
|
|
|
$
|
4.59
|
|
|
$
|
294
|
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
01/30/2008
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
12.58
|
|
|
$
|
15,511
|
|
|
|
07/01/2008
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
$
|
8.32
|
|
|
$
|
19,790
|
|
|
|
12/12/2008
|
|
|
500
|
|
|
$
|
4.59
|
|
|
$
|
294
|
|
Stephen
C. Young
|
|
03/04/2008
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
$
|
13.07
|
|
|
$
|
35,590
|
|
|
|
12/12/2008
|
|
|
500
|
|
|
$
|
4.59
|
|
|
$
|
294
|
|
Edward
J. Lawson
|
|
01/30/2008
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
13.56
|
|
|
$
|
14,468
|
|
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
|
|
04/01/2008
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
$
|
13.24
|
|
|
$
|
18,125
|
|
|
|
12/12/2008
|
|
|
500
|
|
|
$
|
4.59
|
|
|
$
|
294
|
|
(1)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, in
accordance with FAS123R. Assumptions used in the calculation of
this amount are included in footnote 16 to the Company’s audited financial
statements for fiscal year ended December 31,
2008.
|
All
grants of stock options referenced in the above table were made under the 2002
Stock Option Plan.
1998
Stock Option Plan and 2002 Stock Option Plan
Our 1998 Stock Option Plan (the “1998
Plan) and 2002 Stock Option Plan (“the 2002 Plan), (collectively the “Option
Plans”) are administered by the Compensation Committee. The objectives of the
Option Plans include attracting, motivating and retaining key personnel and
promoting our success by linking the interests of our employees, directors and
consultants with our success.
The Option Plans permit the granting of
incentive stock options, which are options that comply with the requirements of
Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, and non-statutory options that do not
meet the requirements of Section 422. Incentive stock options may
only be granted to our employees. Non-statutory stock options may be
granted to anyone who is eligible to participate in the plan and provides
valuable service to the company, including employees, directors, and
consultants. Both incentive stock options and non-statutory stock
options have been granted under the Option Plans.
Options
Available for Issuance
There are 900,000 shares of common
stock authorized for issuance upon exercise of options granted under the 1998
Plan and 1,800,000 under the 2002 Plan. As of December 31, 2008, we do not have
any options available for grant under the 1998 Plan and 146,997 options are
available for grant under the 2002 Plan, respectively. The options to be
delivered under the Plans will be made available, at the discretion of the
Compensation Committee, from authorized but unissued shares or outstanding
options that expire or are cancelled. If shares covered by an option cease to be
issuable for any reason, such number of shares will no longer count against the
shares authorized under the plan and may again be granted under the
plan.
Term
of Options
The term of each option is typically
ten (10) years from the date of the grant of the option, unless a shorter period
is established for incentive stock options or the administrator of the Option
Plans establishes a shorter period.
Vesting
Schedule
Options granted under our Option Plans,
unless waived or modified in a particular option agreement or by action of the
Compensation Committee, typically vest according to the following
schedule:
Vesting
Schedule
From the Grant Date
|
|
Portion of Grant Vested
|
|
Less
than 1 year
|
|
|
0
|
%
|
1
year
|
|
|
20
|
%
|
2
years
|
|
|
40
|
%
|
3
years
|
|
|
60
|
%
|
4
years
|
|
|
80
|
%
|
5
years
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Options granted under the Option Plans
require that the recipient of a grant be continuously employed or otherwise
provide services to us or our subsidiaries. Failure to be continuously employed
or in another service relationship, generally results in the forfeiture of
options not vested at the time the employment or other service relationship
ends. Termination of a recipient’s employment or other service relationship for
cause generally results in the forfeiture of all of the recipients unexercised
options.
Adjustments
in Our Capital Structure
The number and kind of shares available
for grants under our Option Plans and any outstanding options under the plans,
as well as the exercise price of outstanding options, will be subject to
adjustment by the Compensation Committee in the event of any merger,
consolidation, reorganization, stock split, stock dividend or other event
causing a capital adjustment affecting the number of outstanding shares of
common stock. In the event of a business combination or in the event
of a sale of all or substantially all of our assets, the Compensation Committee
may cash out some or all of the unexercised, vested options under the plan, or
allow some or all of the options to remain outstanding, subject to certain
conditions. Unless otherwise provided in individual option agreements, the
vesting of outstanding options will not accelerate in connection with a business
combination or in the event of a sale of all or substantially all of our
assets.
Administration
The Compensation Committee has full
discretionary authority to determine all matters relating to options granted
under the Option Plans. The Compensation Committee has granted limited authority
to executive management members to grant options to eligible
individuals.
The
Compensation Committee has the authority to determine the persons eligible to
receive options, the number of shares subject to each option, the exercise price
of each option, any vesting schedule, any acceleration of the vesting schedule
and any extension of the exercise period.
Amendment and
Termination
Our Board
of Directors has authority to suspend, amend or terminate the plans, except as
would adversely affect participants rights to outstanding awards without their
consent. As the plan administrator, our Compensation Committee has the authority
to interpret the plans and options granted under the Option Plans and to make
all other determinations necessary or advisable for plan
administration.
Outstanding Equity Awards
a
t Fiscal Year-End; Option Exercises
and Stock Vested
The
following Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End table summarizes the
holdings held by our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and
President, as well as our former Chief Executive Officer and former Chief
Accounting Officer for the year ended December 31, 2008.
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Number of Securities
Underlying Unexercised
Options Exercisable
|
|
Number of Securities
Underlying Unexercised
Options Unexercisable
|
|
Option
Exercise
Price
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
3,000
|
|
2,000
|
|
16.00
|
|
09/14/2011
|
(1)
|
|
|
12,000
|
|
8,000
|
|
15.79
|
|
12/05/2011
|
(2)
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
4,000
|
|
16.59
|
|
10/25/2013
|
(3)
|
|
|
4,000
|
|
16,000
|
|
14.36
|
|
11/08/2013
|
(4)
|
|
|
100
|
|
400
|
|
13.17
|
|
12/06/2013
|
(5)
|
|
|
0
|
|
4,500
|
|
12.58
|
|
01/30/2014
|
(6)
|
|
|
0
|
|
40,000
|
|
8.32
|
|
07/01/2014
|
(7)
|
|
|
0
|
|
500
|
|
4.59
|
|
12/12/2018
|
(8)
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
15,000
|
|
0
|
|
15.413
|
|
01/26/2010
|
|
|
|
6,000
|
|
4,000
|
|
15.79
|
|
12/05/2011
|
(2)
|
|
|
4,000
|
|
16,000
|
|
11.11
|
|
06/25/2013
|
(9)
|
|
|
100
|
|
400
|
|
13.17
|
|
12/06/2013
|
(5)
|
|
|
0
|
|
4,500
|
|
12.58
|
|
01/30/2014
|
(6)
|
|
|
0
|
|
10,000
|
|
8.32
|
|
07/01/2014
|
(7)
|
|
|
0
|
|
500
|
|
4.59
|
|
12/12/2018
|
(8)
|
Stephen
C. Young
|
|
300
|
|
200
|
|
16.00
|
|
12/05/2011
|
(2)
|
|
|
2,000
|
|
3,000
|
|
15.75
|
|
09/01/2012
|
(10)
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
4,000
|
|
11.33
|
|
05/22/2013
|
(11)
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
4,000
|
|
16.59
|
|
10/25/2013
|
(3)
|
|
|
100
|
|
400
|
|
13.17
|
|
12/06/2013
|
(5)
|
|
|
0
|
|
10,000
|
|
13.07
|
|
03/04/2014
|
(12)
|
|
|
0
|
|
500
|
|
4.59
|
|
12/12/2018
|
(8)
|
Edward
J. Lawson
|
|
60,000
|
|
40,000
|
|
15.79
|
|
12/05/2011
|
(2)
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
0
|
|
27.79
|
|
12/15/2011
|
|
|
|
100
|
|
400
|
|
13.17
|
|
12/06/2013
|
(5)
|
|
|
0
|
|
4,500
|
|
13.56
|
|
01/30/2014
|
(6)
|
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
|
|
6,000
|
|
4,000
|
|
15.79
|
|
12/05/2011
|
(2)
|
|
|
24,000
|
|
6,000
|
|
16.00
|
|
05/06/2010
|
(13)
|
|
|
100
|
|
400
|
|
13.17
|
|
12/06/2013
|
(5)
|
|
|
0
|
|
5,000
|
|
13.24
|
|
04/01/2014
|
(14)
|
|
|
0
|
|
500
|
|
4.59
|
|
12/12/2018
|
(8)
|
(1)
|
Options
vested as to 60% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 40% vest as follows:
20%
on 9/14/2009 and 20% on 9/14/2010.
|
(2)
|
Options
vested as to 60% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 40% vest as follows:
20%
on 12/5/2009 and 20% on 12/5/2010.
|
(3)
|
Options
vested as to 20% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 80% vest as follows:
20%
on 10/25/2009, 20% on 10/25/2010, 20% on 10/25/2011 and
10/25/2012.
|
(4)
|
Options
vested as to 20% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 80% vest as follows:
20%
on 11/8/2009, 20% on 11/82009, 20% on 11/8/2010 and 20% on
11/8/2011.
|
(5)
|
Options
vested as to 20% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 80% vest as follows:
20%
on 12/6/2009, 20% on 12/6/2010, 20% on 12/6/2011 and 20% on
12/6/2012.
|
(6)
|
Options
vested as to 0% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 100% vest as follows:
20%
on 1/30/2009, 20% on 1/30/2010, 20% on 1/30/2011, 20% on 1/30/2012 and 20%
on 1/30/2013.
|
(7)
|
Options
vested as to 0% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 100% vest as follows:
20%
on 7/1/2009, 20% on 7/1/2010, 20% on 7/1/2011, 20% on 7/1/2012 and 20% on
7/1/2013.
|
(8)
|
Options
vested as to 0% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 100% vest as follows:
33-1/3%
on 12/12/2009, 33 1/3% on 12/12/2010 and 33 1/3% on
12/12/2011.
|
(9)
|
Options
vested as to 20% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 80% vest as follows:
20%
on 6/25/2009, 20% on 6/25/2010, 20% on 6/25/2011 and 20% on
6/15/2012.
|
(10)
|
Options
vested as to 40% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 60% vest as follows:
20%
on 9/1/2009, 20% on 9/1/2010 and 20% on
9/1/2011.
|
(11)
|
Options
vested as to 20% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 80% vest as follows:
20%
on 5/22/2009, 20% on 5/22/2010, 20% on 5/22/2011 and 20% on
5/22/2012.
|
(12)
|
Options
vested as to 0% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 100% vest as follows:
20%
on 3/4/2009, 20% on 3/4/2010, 20% on 3/4/2011, 20% on 3/4/2012 and 20% on
3/4/2013.
|
(13)
|
Options
vested as to 80% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 20% vest as follows:
20%
on 5/6/2009.
|
(14)
|
Options
vested as to 8% of the underlying shares on December 31, 2008, the
remaining 100% vest as follows:
20%
on 4/1/2009, 20% on 4/1/2010, 20% on 4/1/2011, 20% on 4/1/2012 and 20% on
4/1/2013.
|
Option Exercises and Stock
Vested
The
following table summarizes the exercise of stock options by our Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and President, as well as our former Chief
Executive Officer and former Chief Accounting Officer for the year ended
December 31, 2008. None of our Named Executive Officers
have been granted stock awards or other similar instruments and therefore, have
not exercised nor been vested in these instruments of compensation.
OPTION
EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
|
Stock Awards
|
|
|
|
Number of Shares
|
|
|
Value Realized on
|
|
|
Number of Shares
|
|
|
Value Realized on
|
|
Name
|
|
Acquired on Exercise
|
|
|
Exercise (1)
|
|
|
Acquired on Vesting
|
|
|
Vesting
|
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
$
|
16,545
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Stephen
C. Young
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Edward
J. Lawson
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
|
|
|
14,000
|
|
|
$
|
17,886
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
(1)
|
Represents
the aggregate fair market price less the aggregate option cost on the
date of exercise
.
|
Pension Benefits
None of
our Named Executive Officers participate in or have account balances in
qualified or non-qualified defined pension benefit plans sponsored by
us.
Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation
None of
our Named Executive Officers participate in or have account balances in
non-qualified defined contribution plans or other deferred compensation plans
maintained by us. The Compensation Committee, which will be comprised solely of
outside directors as defined for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal
Revenue Code, may elect to provide our officers and other employees with
non-qualified defined contribution or deferred compensation benefits if the
Compensation Committee determines that doing so is in our best
interests.
During
2008, we had five (5) non-employee directors that qualified for compensation.
Non-employee directors receive an initial stock option grant upon appointment to
the board of directors and subsequent option grants as may be granted at the
discretion of the Compensation Committee. In addition, non-employee directors
receive annual cash compensation, perquisites as approved by the Compensation
Committee and reimbursement of actual out-of-pocket expenses. Beginning in 2006,
in lieu of per meeting directors’ fees, the non-employee directors began to
receive an annual retainer of $40,000, payable in quarterly installments of
$10,000 in January, April, July and October. Directors who are also
employees do not receive this compensation. Directors have not previously been
given the option to be compensated in stock in lieu of cash, but may be given
such option in the future at the discretion of the Compensation
Committee.
We also
grant options to our outside as part of their compensation. In
January 2008, we granted 4,500 options to each of our non-employee directors
under our 2002 Plan. The options vest 20% per year beginning on
January 30, 2009 and expire in six (6) years on January 30, 2014.
The
following Non-Employee Directors’ Compensation Summary table sets forth
information regarding the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors
from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008.
NON-EMPLOYEE
DIRECTORS' COMPENSATION SUMMARY
Name
|
|
Fees
Earned
or
Paid
in
Cash
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Option
Awards(1)(5)
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
|
|
|
Change in
Pension Value
and Non-qualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Carl
Dorf
|
|
$
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
50,041
|
|
Charles
B. Hart, Jr.
|
|
$
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
12,692
|
(2)
|
|
$
|
62,733
|
|
Bruce
F. Simberg
|
|
$
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
50,041
|
|
Richard
W. Wilcox, Jr.
|
|
$
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
6,892
|
(3)
|
|
$
|
56,933
|
|
Anthony
C. Krayer, III (4)
|
|
$
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
10,000
|
|
(1)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, in
accordance with FAS123R. Assumptions used in the calculation of
this amount are included in footnote 16 to the Company’s audited financial
statements for fiscal year ended December 31,
2008.
|
(2)
|
Includes
$4,992 paid for country club membership and $7,700 for events attended by
director and/or family in 2008.
|
(3)
|
Includes
$4,992 paid for country club membership and $1,900 for events attended by
director and/or family in 2008.
|
(4)
|
Mr.
Krayer was appointed as a non-employee director effective as of June 25,
2007 and resigned effective as of March 20, 2008. All options granted to
Mr. Krayer were forfeited when he resigned from the
Board.
|
(5)
|
The
following table provides certain additional information concerning the
option awards of our non-employee directors for fiscal
2008:
|
Name
|
|
Total Stock Option
Awards Outstanding
at
2008 Fiscal Year
End
(Shares)
|
|
|
Option Awards
Granted During
Fiscal
Year
2008(a)
(Shares)
|
|
|
Grant Date Fair
Value of
Option
Awards Granted
During Fiscal Year
2008($)
|
|
Carl
Dorf
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
Charles
B. Hart, Jr.
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
Bruce
F. Simberg
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
Richard
W. Wilcox, Jr.
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
Anthony
C. Krayer, III
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
4,500
|
|
|
$
|
10,041
|
|
(a)
|
The
stock options reported in this column were granted in January 2008, and
vest 20% per year over five years on each anniversary of the date of
grant.
|
Potential Payments Upon Termination
or Change in Control
The following table below illustrates
the potential payouts to each Named Executive Officer employed by the Company in
an officer capacity as of December 31, 2008, under each of the various
separation situations.
Executive Benefits and
Payments Upon
Termination
|
|
Voluntary
Termination
|
|
|
For Good
Reason
Termination
|
|
|
Involuntary Not
for Cause
Termination (1)
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Disability
|
|
|
Change in
Control (1)(2)
|
|
Michael
H. Braun
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
428,020
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
428,000
|
|
Peter
J. Prygelski, III
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
360,020
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
360,020
|
|
J.
Gordon Jennings, III
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
143,850
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
(1)
|
All
amounts are calculated using the Executive's base salary as of December
31, 2008 and the value of unvested options which were accelerated as of
the termination date It has been the Company's practice,
if an Executive is terminated without cause, to accelerate any unvested
options and the value of these accelerated options for Executive as of the
termination date was $20.
|
(2)
|
If
a change in control occurs (as described in his employment agreement) and
the Executive is terminated during the remaining term of his employment
agreement, he will receive the severance payment set forth in this
table. Includes the value of vested stock options which were
accelerated as of the termination
date.
|
Non-compete,
non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreement
As a
condition to Messrs. Braun, Prygelski and Jennings' entitlement to receive the
base salary amounts and equity award acceleration referenced in the tables
above, each is bound by the terms of his non-competition agreement which
prohibits him from working in the insurance industry in any territories where
the Company has been doing business for a period of one (1) year from the date
on which he terminates employment with the Company for any reason (other than
without cause). For a period of one (1) year after his employment is
terminated, he is also prohibited from soliciting directly for himself or for
any third person any employees or former employees of the Company, unless the
employees have not been employed by the Company for a period in excess of six
(6) months and from disclosing any confidential information that he learned
about the Company during his employment.
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS
AND
INSIDER PARTICIPATION
During
fiscal 2008, the Compensation Committee was responsible for overseeing executive
compensation. The members of the Compensation Committee as of December 31,
2008 were Carl Dorf, Charles B. Hart, Jr., Richard W. Wilcox, Jr. and Bruce
F. Simberg. No member of the Compensation Committee was at any time
during fiscal 2008 or at any other time an officer or employee of the
Company. Except for Bruce Simberg, no member of the
Compensation Committee had any relationship with the Company requiring
disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K. No executive officer of
the Company has served on the board of directors or the
Compensation Committee of any other entity that has or has had one or more
executive officers who served as a member of the Board of Directors or the
Compensation Committee of the Company during fiscal 2008.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Family
Relationships
Stephen C. Young, our President, is the
nephew of Edward J. Lawson, who was our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
through June 30, 2008. Except for the foregoing, there are no family
relationships between or among our executive officers and
directors.
Related
Transactions
Bruce F.
Simberg, a director, is a partner of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida law firm of
Conroy, Simberg, Ganon, Krevans, Abel, Lurvey, Morrow & Schefer, P.A.,
which renders legal services to the Company. In 2008, the Company
paid legal fees to Conroy, Simberg, Ganon, Krevans, Abel, Lurvey, Morrow &
Schefer, P.A. for services rendered in the amount of approximately
$139,827. We believe that the services provided by Conroy, Simberg,
Ganon, Krevans, Abel, Lurvey, Morrow & Schefer, P.A. are on terms at least
as favorable as those that we could secure from a non-affiliated third
party.
During
2008, Mr. Lawson’s spouse, cofounder of the Company, received salary plus
transition compensation totaling $353,700 and an auto allowance of $6,750; Mr.
Lawson’s daughter received salary compensation totaling $100,000 for her
services as a executive vice president of one of the Company’s insurance
subsidiaries; Mr. Lawson’s sister-in-law received salary compensation totaling
$52,284 for her services as an underwriter for one of the Company’s insurance
subsidiaries; Mr. Lawson’s mother-in-law received salary compensation totaling
$31,300 for her services as an accounting clerk; and one of Mr. Lawson’s
nephew’s received salary compensation totaling $86,346 for his services as an
information technology technician. Stephen C. Young, the President of
our Company, is the nephew of Mr. Lawson and received the compensation described
in "Executive Compensation" on pages 14 through 21 of this Proxy
Statement. Mr. Young’s mother-in-law received salary compensation of
$30,877 for her services as a customer service representative in the Company’s
claims subsidiary. Mr. Braun’s brother received salary compensation
of $117,039 for his services as the Vice President of Accounting and Finance;
and Mr. Braun’s sister received salary compensation of $51,750 for her services
as a marketing representative. We believe that the compensation
provided to these individuals is comparable to that paid by other companies in
our industry and market for similar positions.
We have
adopted a written policy that any transactions between the Company and executive
officers, directors, principal shareholders or their affiliates take place on an
arms-length basis and require the approval of a majority of our independent
directors, as defined by the Nasdaq Rules.
PROPOSAL
TWO: APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2002 STOCK OPTION PLAN
TO EXTEND THE MAXIMUM TERM OF OPTION GRANTS FROM SIX YEARS TO TEN
YEARS
In 2002,
the Company adopted a Stock Option Plan (the “2002 Plan”). The 2002
Plan authorizes the Company to grant stock options to purchase up to an
aggregate of 1,800,000 shares of common stock. As of April 1, 2009,
the Company has 18,897 shares available to grant to eligible individuals under
the 2002 Plan. In order to continue to effectively attract and retain
employees and directors, the Board of Directors of the Company has amended the
2002 Plan, subject to shareholder approval, to extend the maximum term of option
grants from six (6) years to ten (10) years for option grants made after the
date of this amendment. The Company’s Board of Directors recommends
that the 2002 Plan, as amended, be approved and adopted by the
shareholders.
Summary
of the Plan
The
following is a general description of the terms and provisions of the 2002 Plan
and does not purport to be complete. All such statements are
qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the 2002 Plan,
which is filed herewith, as Annex A.
The
purpose of the 2002 Plan is to provide the employees, directors, independent
contractors and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries with an added
incentive to provide their services to the Company and its subsidiaries and to
induce them to exert their maximum efforts toward the Company’s
success.
The 2002
Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options (“Incentive Stock
Options”) and nonqualified stock options (“Nonqualified Stock
Options”). An Incentive Stock Option is an option to purchase common
stock that meets the definition of “incentive stock option” set forth in Section
422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A
Nonqualified Stock Option is a stock option to purchase common stock that meets
certain requirements in the 2002 Plan but does not meet the definition of an
“incentive stock option” set forth in Section 422 of the
Code. Nonqualified Stock Options and Incentive Stock Options are
sometimes referred to herein as “Options.”
The
number of shares that may be issued pursuant to Options granted under the 2002
Plan is up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 shares. If any Option granted
pursuant to the 2002 Plan terminates or expires for any reason without having
been exercised in full or shall cease for any reason to be exercisable in whole
or in part, the shares subject to the unexercised portion of such Option shall
again be available under the 2002 Plan. The shares acquired upon
exercise of Options granted under the 2002 Plan will be from authorized and
unissued shares of common stock. The shareholders will not have any
preemptive rights to purchase or subscribe for the shares reserved for issuance
under the 2002 Plan.
The 2002
Plan is administered by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors
(the “Committee”), comprised of at least two outside directors of the Board of
Directors or, if a Committee is not designated by the Board of Directors, by the
Board of Directors as a whole. The Committee has the right to
determine, among other things, the persons to whom Options are granted, the
number of shares of common stock subject to Options, the exercise price of
Options and the term thereof.
All
employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, including officers, directors,
consultants and independent contractors to the Company, are eligible to receive
grants of Options under the 2002 Plan; however, no Incentive Stock Option may be
granted to non-employee directors, consultants, independent contractors or
individuals who are not also employees of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries. Upon receiving a grant of Options, each holder of the
Options shall enter into an option agreement with the Company, which contains
the terms and conditions of the Options established by the
Committee.
Terms
and Conditions of Options
Option Price
. For
any Option granted under the 2002 Plan, the Option price per share of common
stock may be any price not less than par value per share as determined by the
Committee; however, the Option price per share of any Incentive Stock Option may
not be less than the Fair Market Value (defined below) of the common stock on
the date such Incentive Stock Option is granted. As of the Record
Date, the closing price of the Company’s common stock as reported by the Nasdaq
National Market was $3.30 per share.
Under the
2002 Plan, the “Fair Market Value” is the closing price of shares of the
Company’s common stock on the business day on or immediately preceding the date
of grant; however, if the shares are not publicly traded, then the fair market
value will be as the Committee shall in its sole and absolute discretion
determine in a fair and uniform manner.
Exercise of
Options
. Each Option is exercisable in such amounts, at such
intervals and upon such terms as the Committee may determine. In no
event may an Option be exercisable after 10 years from the date of
grant.
Unless
further limited by the Committee in any Option agreement, shares of common stock
purchased upon the exercise of Options must be paid for in cash, by certified or
official bank check, by money order, with already owned shares of common stock,
or a combination of the above. The Committee, in its sole discretion,
may accept a personal check in full or partial payment. If paid in
whole or in part with shares of already owned common stock, the value of the
shares surrendered is deemed to be their fair market value on the date the
Option is exercised. Proceeds from the sale of common stock pursuant
to the exercise of Options will be added to the general funds of the Company to
be used for general corporate purposes. Under the 2002 Plan, the
Company may also lend money to an optionee to exercise all or a portion of an
Option granted under the 2002 Plan. If the exercise price is paid in
whole or in part with an optionee’s promissory note, such note shall (1) provide
for full recourse to the maker, (2) be collateralized by the pledge of shares
purchased by the optionee upon exercise of such Option, (3) bears interest at a
rate of interest no less than the rate of interest payable by the Company to its
principal lender, and (4) contain such other terms as the Committee in its sole
discretion shall require. An Option may also be exercised pursuant to
a “cashless” or “net issue” exercise.
Nontransferability
. Incentive
Stock Options granted under the 2002 Plan are not transferable by an optionee
other than by will or the laws of descent and
distribution. Nonqualified Stock Options granted under the 2002 Plan
are not transferable by an optionee other than (a) by will or the laws of
descent and distribution, (b) by gift to a family member, as that term is
defined in the 2002 Plan, and (c) through a domestic relations order in
settlement of marital property rights. No Option shall be exercisable
during the optionee’s lifetime by any person other than the optionee or certain
transferees permitted under the 2002 Plan.
Termination of
Options
. The expiration date of an Option is determined by the
Committee at the time of the grant and is set forth in the applicable stock
option agreement. In no event may an Option be exercisable after 10
years from the date it is granted.
The 2002
Plan provides that if an optionee’s employment is terminated for any reason
other than for cause, retirement, an improper termination, mental or physical
disability or death, then the unexercised portion of the optionee’s Options
shall terminate three months after such termination. If an optionee’s
employment is terminated for cause or if there is an improper termination of
optionee’s employment, the unexercised portion of the optionee’s Options shall
terminate immediately upon such termination. If an optionee’s
employment is terminated by reason of the optionee’s mental or physical
disability or by reason of the optionee’s death, the unexercised portion of the
optionee’s Options shall terminate 12 months after the optionee’s
death.
The
Committee in its sole discretion may by giving written notice cancel, effective
upon the date of the consummation of certain corporate transactions that would
result in an Option becoming fully exercisable, any Option that remains
unexercised on such date. Such notice shall be given a reasonable
period of time prior to the proposed date of such cancellation and may be given
either before or after shareholder approval of such corporate
transaction.
Cancellation and Rescission of
Awards
. Unless the Option says otherwise, during the time the
optionee is employed by the Company and for a period of two years from the date
the optionee ceases being employed by the Company (the “Restrictive Period”),
the committee may cancel, rescind, suspend, withhold or otherwise limit or
restrict any unexpired, unpaid, or deferred Options for certain “Detrimental
Activity”, including (1) the rendering of services to a competitor of the
Company, (2) the disclosure of any of the Company’s confidential information,
(3) the failure or refusal to disclose promptly and to assign to the Company all
right, title and interest in any invention or idea conceived by the optionee
during employment by the Company, (4) activity that results in termination of
the optionee’s employment for cause (as that term is defined in the 2002 Plan),
(5) a material violation of any written rules, policies, procedures or
guidelines of the Company, (6) any attempt to induce another Company employee to
be employed or perform services elsewhere or any attempt to solicit the trade or
business of any current or prospective customer, supplier or partner of the
Company, (7) being convicted of, or entering a guilty plea with respect to a
crime, or (8) any other conduct or act determined by the Company to be
injurious, detrimental or prejudicial to any interest of the
Company.
Upon
exercising an Option, the optionee is required to certify that he or she is in
compliance with the terms of the 2002 Plan. If the optionee engages
in any Detrimental Activity described above within the Restrictive Period, the
exercise of an Option may be rescinded by the Company within the Restrictive
Period. In the event of rescission, the Optionee shall return any and
all shares obtained upon the exercise of Options if the shares are still held by
the optionee. If the optionee no longer holds the shares, the
optionee shall pay to the Company an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of
the shares as of the date of rescission less the exercise price paid for the
shares. The Company shall be entitled to set-off against the
foregoing amount.
Change of
Control
. Unless otherwise expressly provided in any Option as
approved by the Committee, notwithstanding the exercise schedule set forth in
any Option, each outstanding Option, may, in the sole discretion of the
Committee, become fully exercisable upon the date of the occurrence of any
change of control (as defined in the 2002 Plan), but, unless otherwise expressly
provided in any Option, no earlier than six months after the date of grant, and
if and only if Optionee is in the employ of the Company on such
date. A change of control will be deemed to occur if any person
becomes the beneficial owner of 40% or more in voting power of the outstanding
stock of the Company and there is a change of the composition of the Board of
Directors so that, within two years after the acquisition took place, a majority
of the members of the Board of Directors of the Company, or of any corporation
with which the Company may be consolidated or merged, are persons who were not
directors or officers of the Company or one of its subsidiaries immediately
prior to the acquisition, or to the first of a series of transactions which
resulted in the acquisition of forty percent (40%) or more in voting power of
the outstanding stock of the Company.
Amendment
of 2002 Plan
Either
the Board of Directors or the Committee may from time to time amend this 2002
Plan or any Option without the consent or approval of the shareholders of the
Company. However, except to the extent provided in the
Termination of Options
section above, no amendment or suspension of this 2002 Plan or any Option issued
thereunder shall substantially impair any Option previously granted to any
optionee without the consent of such optionee.
Federal
Income Tax Effects
The 2002
Plan is not qualified under the provisions of Section 401(a) of the Code, nor is
it subject to any of the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, as amended.
Incentive Stock
Options
. Incentive Stock Options are “incentive stock options”
as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Under the Code, an optionee
generally is not subject to ordinary income tax upon the grant or exercise of an
Incentive Stock Option. However, an employee who exercises an
Incentive Stock Option by delivering shares of common stock previously acquired
pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option is treated as making a
disqualifying disposition (defined below) of such shares if the employee
delivers such shares before the expiration of the holding period applicable to
such shares. The applicable holding period is the longer of two years
from the date of grant or one year from the date of exercise. The
effect of this provision is to prevent “pyramiding” the exercise of an Incentive
Stock Option (i.e., the exercise of the Incentive Stock Option for one share and
the use of that share to make successive exercise of the Incentive Stock Option
until it is completely exercised) without the imposition of current income
tax.
The
amount by which the fair market value of the shares acquired at the time of
exercise of an Incentive Stock Option exceeds the purchase price of the shares
under such Option will be treated as an item of adjustment included in the
optionee’s alternative minimum taxable income for purposes of the alternative
minimum tax. If, however, there is a disqualifying disposition in the
year in which the Option is exercised, the maximum amount of the item of
adjustment for such year is the gain on the disposition of the
shares. If there is disqualifying disposition in a year other than
the year of exercise, the dispositions will not result in an item of adjustment
for such other year.
If,
subsequent to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option (whether paid for in
cash or in shares), the optionee holds the shares received upon exercise for a
period that exceeds (a) two years from the date such Incentive Stock Option was
granted or, if later, (b) one year from the date of exercise, or the required
holding period, the difference (if any) between the amount realized from the
sale of such shares and their tax basis to the holder will be taxed as long-term
capital gain or loss. If the holder is subject to the alternative
minimum tax in the year of disposition, such holder’s tax basis in his or her
shares will be increased for purposes of determining his alternative minimum tax
for such year, by the amount of the item of adjustment recognized with respect
to such shares in the year the Option was exercised.
In
general, if, after exercising an Incentive Stock Option, an employee disposes of
the shares so acquired before the end of the required holding period a
disqualifying disposition, such optionee would be deemed in receipt of ordinary
income in the year of the disqualifying disposition, in an amount equal to the
excess of the fair market value of the shares at the date the Incentive Stock
Option was exercised over the exercise price. If the disqualifying
disposition is a sale or exchange which would permit a loss to be recognized
under the Code (were a loss in fact to be sustained), and the sales proceeds are
less than the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise, the
optionee’s ordinary income would be limited to the gain (if any) from the
sale. If the amount realized upon disposition exceeds the fair market
value of the shares on the date of exercise, the excess would be treated as
short-term or long-term capital gain, depending on whether the holding period
for such shares exceeded one year.
An income
tax deduction is not allowed to the Company with respect to the grant or
exercise of an Incentive Stock Option or the disposition, after the required
holding period, of shares acquired upon exercise. In the event of a
disqualifying disposition, a federal income tax deduction should be allowed to
the Company in an amount equal to the ordinary income to be recognized by the
optionee, provided that such amount constitutes an ordinary and necessary
business expense to the Company and is reasonable, and the Company satisfies its
withholding obligation with respect to such income.
Nonqualified Stock
Options
. An optionee granted a Nonqualified stock option under
the 2002 Plan will generally recognize, at the date of exercise of such
Nonqualified stock option, ordinary income equal to the difference between the
exercise price and the fair market value of the shares of common stock subject
to the Nonqualified stock option. This taxable ordinary income will
be subject to federal income tax withholding. A federal income tax
deduction should be allowed to the Company in an amount equal to the ordinary
income to be recognized by the optionee, provided that such amount constitutes
an ordinary and necessary business expense to the Company and is reasonable, and
the Company satisfies its withholding obligation with respect to such
income.
If an
optionee exercises a Nonqualified stock option by delivering other shares, the
optionee should not recognize gain or loss with respect to the exchange of such
shares, even if their then fair market value is different from the optionee’s
tax basis. The optionee, however, should be taxed as described above
with respect to the exercise of the Nonqualified Stock Option as if he had paid
the exercise price in cash, and the Company likewise generally should be
entitled to an equivalent tax deduction. Provided a separate
identifiable stock certificate is issued therefore, the optionee’s tax basis in
that number of shares received on such exercise which is equal to the number of
shares surrendered on such exercise should be equal to his tax basis in the
shares surrendered and his holding period for such number of shares received
should include his holding period for the shares surrendered. The
optionee’s tax basis and holding period for the additional shares received on
exercise of a Nonqualified Stock Option paid for, in whole or in part, with
shares should be the same as if the optionee had exercised the Nonqualified
Stock Option solely for cash.
The discussion set forth above does
not purport to be a complete analysis of the potential tax consequences relevant
to the optionees or to the Company, or to describe tax consequences based on
particular circumstances. It is based on federal income tax law and
interpretational authorities as of the date of this Proxy Statement, which are
subject to change at any time
.
Vote
Required and Recommendation
To
approve the amendment to our 2002 Plan, a majority of the shares of common stock
present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting
must be voted in favor of the amendment to the 2002 Plan. Abstentions from
voting will have the same effect as voting against the proposal to approve the
amendment to our 2002 Plan. Broker nonvotes will have no impact on the proposal
to approve our 2002 Plan since they are not considered shares entitled to
vote.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE AMENDMENT OF THE 2002
PLAN.
PROPOSAL
THREE: APPROVE THE 2009 STOCK OPTION PLAN
In order
to continue to effectively attract and retain employees and directors, the Board
of Directors believes that the Company needs to continue to grant stock options
to purchase shares of common stock. The Company’s 1998 Plan expired
in September 2008 and no further grants may be made from this
plan. Additionally, while the 2002 Plan remains in effect, as of
April 1, 2009, only 18,897 shares remain available for future grants of stock
options under the 2002 Plan. As a result, in December 2008, the Board
of Directors adopted the 2009 Stock Option Plan (the “2009 Plan”), subject to
the approval of the Company's shareholders at the Annual
Meeting. Pursuant to the 2009 Plan, the Company may grant options to
purchase up to an aggregate of 800,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to
eligible persons. The Company’s ability to grant “incentive stock
options” under the 2009 Plan is subject to the approval of the Company’s
shareholders at the Annual Meeting. The Company’s Board of Directors
recommends that the 2009 Plan be approved and adopted by the
shareholders.
Summary
of the Plan
The
following is a general description of the terms and provisions of the 2009 Plan
and does not purport to be complete. All such statements are
qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the 2009 Plan,
which is filed herewith, as Annex B.
The
purpose of the 2009 Plan is to provide the employees, directors, independent
contractors and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries with an added
incentive to provide their services to the Company and its subsidiaries and to
induce them to exert their maximum efforts toward the Company’s
success.
The 2009
Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options (“Incentive Stock
Options”) and nonqualified stock options (“Nonqualified Stock
Options”). An Incentive Stock Option is an option to purchase common
stock that meets the definition of “incentive stock option” set forth in Section
422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A
Nonqualified Stock Option is a stock option to purchase common stock that meets
certain requirements in the 2009 Plan but does not meet the definition of an
“incentive stock option” set forth in Section 422 of the
Code. Nonqualified Stock Options and Incentive Stock Options are
sometimes referred to herein as “Options.”
The number of shares that may be issued
pursuant to Options granted under the 2009 Plan is up to an aggregate of 800,000
shares. The maximum number of shares that may be the subject of
grants of Options to an eligible individual under the 2009 Plan during any
fiscal year is Fifty Thousand (50,000) shares. If any Option granted
pursuant to the 2009 Plan terminates or expires for any reason without having
been exercised in full or shall cease for any reason to be exercisable in whole
or in part, the shares subject to the unexercised portion of such Option shall
again be available under the 2009 Plan; provided, however, that any
shares subject to an Option, which is cancelled, forfeited or
terminated in order to pay the exercise price or any taxes or tax withholdings
on an Option shall not be available for future Options granted under the
Plan.
The
shares acquired upon exercise of Options granted under the 2009 Plan will be
from authorized and unissued shares of common stock. The shareholders
will not have any preemptive rights to purchase or subscribe for the shares
reserved for issuance under the 2009 Plan.
The 2009
Plan is administered by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors
(the “Committee”), comprised of at least two (2) outside directors of the Board
of Directors or, if a Committee is not designated by the Board of Directors, by
the Board of Directors as a whole. The Committee has the right to
determine, among other things, the persons to whom Options are granted, the
number of shares of common stock subject to Options, the exercise price of
Options and the term thereof.
All
employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, including officers, directors,
consultants and independent contractors to the Company, are eligible to receive
grants of Options under the 2009 Plan; however, no Incentive Stock Option may be
granted to non-employee directors, consultants, independent contractors or
individuals who are not also employees of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries. Upon receiving a grant of Options, each holder of the
Options shall enter into an option agreement with the Company, which contains
the terms and conditions of the Options established by the
Committee.
Terms
and Conditions of Options
Option Price
. For
any Option granted under the 2009 Plan, the Option price per share of common
stock may be any price not less than the Fair Market Value (as defined below) or
if greater, the par value per share as determined by the Committee; however, the
Option price per share of any Incentive Stock Option with respect to Options
granted to 10% shareholders may not be less than the 110% of the Fair Market
Value of the common stock on the date such Incentive Stock Option is
granted. As of the Record Date, the closing price of the Company’s
common stock as reported by the NASDAQ National Market was $3.30 per
share.
Under the
2009 Plan, the “Fair Market Value” is the closing price of shares of the
Company’s common stock on the business day on or immediately preceding the date
of grant; however, if the shares are not publicly traded, then the fair market
value will be as the Committee shall in its sole and absolute discretion
determine in a fair and uniform manner.
Exercise of
Options
. Each Option is exercisable in such amounts, at such
intervals and upon such terms as the Committee may determine. In no
event may an Option be exercisable after ten (10) years from the date of
grant. The Committee may modify outstanding Options, including having
discretion to rescind, modify, or waive any vesting requirements or other
conditions applicable to an Option. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no
modification of an Option shall adversely affect any rights or obligations of
the Participant under the Option without the Participant’s consent.
Unless
further limited by the Committee in any Option agreement, shares of common stock
purchased upon the exercise of Options must be paid for in cash, by certified or
official bank check, by money order, with already owned shares of common stock,
or a combination of the above. The Committee, in its sole discretion,
may accept a personal check in full or partial payment. If paid in
whole or in part with shares of already owned common stock, the value of the
shares surrendered is deemed to be their fair market value on the date the
Option is exercised. Proceeds from the sale of common stock pursuant
to the exercise of Options will be added to the general funds of the Company to
be used for general corporate purposes. An Option may also be
exercised pursuant to a “cashless” or “net issue” exercise.
Nontransferability
. Incentive
Stock Options granted under the 2009 Plan are not transferable by an optionee
other than by will or the laws of descent and
distribution. Nonqualified Stock Options granted under the 2009 Plan
are not transferable by an optionee other than (a) by will or the laws of
descent and distribution, and (b) if so allowed by the Committee in its sole
discretion - by transfer to a family member, as that term is defined in the 2009
Plan. No Option shall be exercisable during the optionee’s lifetime
by any person other than the optionee or certain other persons permitted under
the 2009 Plan.
Termination of
Options
. The expiration date of an Option is determined by the
Committee at the time of the grant and is set forth in the applicable stock
option agreement. In no event may an Option be exercisable after ten
(10) years from the date it is granted.
The 2009
Plan provides that if an optionee’s employment is terminated for any reason
other than for cause, an improper termination, a voluntary termination within
ninety (90) days after occurrence of an event which would be grounds for
termination of employment or other service by the Company for cause, or due to
disability or death, then the unexercised portion of the optionee’s Options
shall terminate ninety days after such termination. If an optionee’s
employment is terminated for cause, due to a voluntary termination within ninety
(90) days after occurrence of an event which would be grounds for termination of
employment or other service by the Company for cause or if there is an improper
termination of optionee’s employment, the unexercised portion of the optionee’s
Options shall terminate immediately upon such termination. If an
optionee’s employment is terminated by reason of the optionee’s disability or by
reason of the optionee’s death, the Options shall fully vest and the unexercised
portion of the optionee’s Options shall terminate twelve (12) months after the
optionee’s death.
The
Committee in its sole discretion may by giving written notice cancel, effective
upon the date of the consummation of certain corporate transactions that would
result in an Option becoming fully exercisable, any Option that remains
unexercised on such date. Such notice shall be given a reasonable
period of time prior to the proposed date of such cancellation and may be given
either before or after shareholder approval of such corporate
transaction.
Cancellation and Rescission of
Awards
. To the extent that a Participant engages in any
Detrimental Activity at any time prior to, or during the one year period after
the later of any exercise or vesting of an Option but prior to a change in
control (as defined in the Plan), the Committee may cancel and rescind any
unexercised Options and recover profits derived from exercised options for
certain “Detrimental Activity”, including (i) the disclosure to anyone outside
the Company, or the use in other than the Company's business, without written
authorization from the Company, of any confidential information or proprietary
information, relating to the business of the Company, acquired by a Participant
prior to a termination of the Participant's employment or service with the
Company; (ii) activity while employed or providing services that is classified
by the Company as a basis for a termination for Cause; (iii) the Participant's
disparagement, or inducement of others to do so, of the Company or its past or
present officers, directors, employees or services; or (iv) any other conduct or
act determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, to be injurious,
detrimental or prejudicial to the interests of the Company. Upon
exercising an Option, the optionee is required to certify that he or she is in
compliance with the terms of the 2009 Plan.
Change in Control.
Unless
otherwise provided in an Option Agreement, upon the occurrence of a Change in
Control (as defined in the Plan) of the Company, the Committee may in its sole
and absolute discretion, provide on a case by case basis that (i) some or all
outstanding Options may become immediately exercisable or vested, without regard
to any limitation imposed pursuant to this Plan, (ii) that all Options shall
terminate, provided that Participants shall have the right, immediately prior to
the occurrence of such Change in Control and during such reasonable period as
the Committee in its sole discretion shall determine and designate, to exercise
any vested Option in whole or in part, (iii) that all Options shall terminate,
provided that Participants shall be entitled to a cash payment equal to the
Change in Control Price with respect to shares subject to the vested portion of
the Option net of the Exercise Price thereof, (iv) provide that, in
connection with a liquidation or dissolution of the Company, Options shall
convert into the right to receive liquidation proceeds net of the Exercise
Price and (v) any combination of the foregoing. In the
event that the Committee does not terminate or convert an Option upon a Change
in Control, then the Option shall be assumed, or substantially equivalent
Options shall be substituted, by the acquiring, or succeeding corporation (or an
affiliate thereof).
A Change
in Control will generally be deemed to occur if: (i) any person
becomes the beneficial owner of 30% or more of the Company's voting securities;
(ii) directors who constitute the Company's Board at the beginning of any
two-year period, and any new directors whose election or nomination for election
was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of directors then in office who
either were directors at the beginning of such period or whose election or
nomination for election was previously so approved, cease to constitute at least
a majority of the Board; (iii) the shareholders of the Company approve a merger
or consolidation in which the Company's voting securities do not continue to
represent at least a majority of the voting power in the surviving entity or
(iv) the shareholders approve a plan of complete liquidation or sale of all or
substantially all of the Company's assets. However, to the extent
that Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code would cause an adverse tax
consequence to a participant using the above definition, the term "Change in
Control" shall have the meaning ascribed to the phrase "Change in the Ownership
or Effective Control of a Corporation or in the Ownership of a Substantial
Portion of the Assets of a Corporation" under Treasury Department Regulation
1.409A-3(i)(5), as revised from time to time, and in the event that such
regulations are withdrawn or such phrase (or a substantially similar phrase)
ceases to be defined, as determined by the Committee.
Amendment
of 2009 Plan
Either
the Board of Directors or the Committee may from time to time amend this 2009
Plan or any Option without the consent or approval of the shareholders of the
Company. However, except to the extent provided in the
Termination of Options
section above, no amendment or suspension of this 2009 Plan or any Option issued
thereunder shall substantially impair any Option previously granted to any
optionee without the consent of such optionee.
Federal
Income Tax Effects
The 2009
Plan is not qualified under the provisions of Section 401(a) of the Code, nor is
it subject to any of the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, as amended.
Incentive Stock
Options
. Incentive Stock Options are “incentive stock options”
as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Under the Code, an optionee
generally is not subject to ordinary income tax upon the grant or exercise of an
Incentive Stock Option. However, an employee who exercises an
Incentive Stock Option by delivering shares of common stock previously acquired
pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option is treated as making a
disqualifying disposition (defined below) of such shares if the employee
delivers such shares before the expiration of the holding period applicable to
such shares. The applicable holding period is the longer of two years
from the date of grant or one year from the date of exercise. The
effect of this provision is to prevent “pyramiding” the exercise of an Incentive
Stock Option (i.e., the exercise of the Incentive Stock Option for one share and
the use of that share to make successive exercise of the Incentive Stock Option
until it is completely exercised) without the imposition of current income
tax.
The
amount by which the fair market value of the shares acquired at the time of
exercise of an Incentive Stock Option exceeds the purchase price of the shares
under such Option will be treated as an item of adjustment included in the
optionee’s alternative minimum taxable income for purposes of the alternative
minimum tax. If, however, there is a disqualifying disposition in the
year in which the Option is exercised, the maximum amount of the item of
adjustment for such year is the gain on the disposition of the
shares. If there is disqualifying disposition in a year other than
the year of exercise, the dispositions will not result in an item of adjustment
for such other year.
If,
subsequent to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option (whether paid for in
cash or in shares), the optionee holds the shares received upon exercise for a
period that exceeds (a) two years from the date such Incentive Stock Option was
granted or, if later, (b) one year from the date of exercise, or the required
holding period, the difference (if any) between the amount realized from the
sale of such shares and their tax basis to the holder will be taxed as long-term
capital gain or loss. If the holder is subject to the alternative
minimum tax in the year of disposition, such holder’s tax basis in his or her
shares will be increased for purposes of determining his alternative minimum tax
for such year, by the amount of the item of adjustment recognized with respect
to such shares in the year the Option was exercised.
In
general, if, after exercising an Incentive Stock Option, an employee disposes of
the shares so acquired before the end of the required holding period a
disqualifying disposition, such optionee would be deemed in receipt of ordinary
income in the year of the disqualifying disposition, in an amount equal to the
excess of the fair market value of the shares at the date the Incentive Stock
Option was exercised over the exercise price. If the disqualifying
disposition is a sale or exchange which would permit a loss to be recognized
under the Code (were a loss in fact to be sustained), and the sales proceeds are
less than the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise, the
optionee’s ordinary income would be limited to the gain (if any) from the
sale. If the amount realized upon disposition exceeds the fair market
value of the shares on the date of exercise, the excess would be treated as
short-term or long-term capital gain, depending on whether the holding period
for such shares exceeded one year.
An income
tax deduction is not allowed to the Company with respect to the grant or
exercise of an Incentive Stock Option or the disposition, after the required
holding period, of shares acquired upon exercise. In the event of a
disqualifying disposition, a federal income tax deduction should be allowed to
the Company in an amount equal to the ordinary income to be recognized by the
optionee, provided that such amount constitutes an ordinary and necessary
business expense to the Company and is reasonable, and the Company satisfies its
withholding obligation with respect to such income.
Nonqualified Stock
Options
. An optionee granted a Nonqualified Stock Option under
the 2009 Plan will generally recognize, at the date of exercise of such
Nonqualified Stock Option, ordinary income equal to the difference between the
exercise price and the fair market value of the shares of common stock subject
to the Nonqualified Stock Option. This taxable ordinary income will
be subject to federal income tax withholding. A federal income tax
deduction should be allowed to the Company in an amount equal to the ordinary
income to be recognized by the optionee, provided that such amount constitutes
an ordinary and necessary business expense to the Company and is reasonable, and
the Company satisfies its withholding obligation with respect to such
income.
If an
optionee exercises a Nonqualified Stock Option by delivering other shares, the
optionee should not recognize gain or loss with respect to the exchange of such
shares, even if their then fair market value is different from the optionee’s
tax basis. The optionee, however, should be taxed as described above
with respect to the exercise of the Nonqualified Stock Option as if he had paid
the exercise price in cash, and the Company likewise generally should be
entitled to an equivalent tax deduction. Provided a separate
identifiable stock certificate is issued therefore, the optionee’s tax basis in
that number of shares received on such exercise which is equal to the number of
shares surrendered on such exercise should be equal to his tax basis in the
shares surrendered and his holding period for such number of shares received
should include his holding period for the shares surrendered. The
optionee’s tax basis and holding period for the additional shares received on
exercise of a Nonqualified Stock Option paid for, in whole or in part, with
shares should be the same as if the optionee had exercised the Nonqualified
Stock Option solely for cash.
The
discussion set forth above does not purport to be a complete analysis of the
potential tax consequences relevant to the optionees or to the Company, or to
describe tax consequences based on particular circumstances. It is
based on federal income tax law and interpretational authorities as of the date
of this Proxy Statement, which are subject to change at any time.
Vote
Required and Recommendation
To
approve the adoption of the 2009 Plan, a majority of the shares of common stock
present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting
must be voted in favor of the 2009 Plan. Abstentions from voting will have the
same effect as voting against the proposal to approve the amendment to our 2009
Plan. Broker nonvotes will have no impact on the proposal to approve our 2009
Plan since they are not considered shares entitled to vote.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE ADOPTION OF THE 2009
PLAN.
PROPOSAL
FOUR: RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF AUDITORS
The Audit Committee has selected of
DeMeo Young McGrath (“DeMeo”) as the independent registered public accounting
firm to perform the audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and
management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting for the 2009 fiscal year and we are asking the shareholders to ratify
this selection. Representatives of DeMeo will be present at the
Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and
will be available to answer appropriate questions.
Our Audit Committee requires that
management obtain the prior approval of the Audit Committee for all audit and
permissible non-audited services to be provided by DeMeo. The Audit
Committee considers and approves at each meeting, as needed, anticipated audit
and permissible non-audit services to be provided by DeMeo during the year and
estimated fees. The Audit Committee Chairman may approve permissible
non-audit services with subsequent notification to the full Audit
Committee. All services rendered to us by DeMeo in 2008 were
pre-approved in accordance with these procedures.
DeMeo has
served as the Company’s independent auditors for each fiscal year since
2002. DeMeo has advised the Company that neither it, nor any of its
members, has any direct financial interest in the Company as a promoter,
underwriter, voting trustee, director, officer or employee. All
professional services rendered by DeMeo during the fiscal year ended December
31, 2008 were furnished at customary rates.
The
following table shows fees that we paid (or accrued) for professional services
rendered by DeMeo for fiscal 2008 and 2007.
|
|
DeMeo
|
|
|
DeMeo
|
|
|
|
Fiscal 2008
|
|
|
Fiscal 2007
|
|
Audit
Fees (1)
|
|
$
|
362,432
|
|
|
$
|
409,377
|
|
Audit-Related
Fees (2)
|
|
$
|
7,904
|
|
|
$
|
4,560
|
|
Tax
Fees (3)
|
|
$
|
26,891
|
|
|
$
|
83,350
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
397,227
|
|
|
$
|
497,287
|
|
(1)
|
Audit
fees consisted of audit work performed in the preparation of financial
statements, as well as work generally only the independent auditor can
reasonably be expected to provide, such as statutory
audits.
|
(2)
|
Audit-related
fees consisted primarily of audits of employee benefit plans and special
procedures related to regulatory filings in
2008.
|
(3)
|
Tax
fees consisted primarily of assistance with tax compliance and
reporting.
|
Vote
Required and Recommendation
The ratification of the selection of
DeMeo Young McGrath, as our independent certified public accountants for the
2009 fiscal year requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of
the shares of the Company’s common stock, present in person or by proxy, at the
Annual Meeting. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome
of this matter. Abstentions will be counted as present at the Annual
Meeting for purposes of this matter and will have the effect of a vote against
the ratification of the appointment of DeMeo Young McGrath as independent
auditors.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF
DEMEO YOUNG MCGRATH AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT AUDITORS FOR THE 2009 FISCAL
YEAR.
SHAREHOLDER
MATTERS
Shareholder
Communications with the Board
Any shareholder may send communications
by mail to the Board or individual directors c/o Corporate Secretary, 21
st
Century
Holding Company, 3661 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 300, Lauderdale Lakes,
FL 33311 or via our website at
www.21stcenturyholding.com
. The
Board has instructed the Corporate Secretary to review this correspondence and
determine, in his or her discretion, whether matters submitted are appropriate
for Board consideration. The Corporate Secretary may also forward
certain communications elsewhere in the Company for review and possible
response. In particular, communications such as product or commercial
inquiries or complaints, job inquiries, surveys and business solicitations or
advertisements or patently offensive or otherwise inappropriate material will
not be forwarded to the Board.
Shareholder
Proposals for Inclusion in Next Year’s Proxy Statement
Pursuant
to Rule 14a-8 of the SEC’s proxy rules, a shareholder intending to present a
proposal to be included in the proxy statement for our 2010 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders must deliver a proposal in writing to our principal executive
offices no later than the close of business on December 24, 2009 (or a
reasonable time before we begin to print and mail the proxy materials for the
2010 annual meeting, if we change the date of the 2010 annual meeting more than
30 days from the date of this year’s Annual Meeting). Proposals
should be addressed to: Secretary, 21
st
Century
Holding Company, 3661 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 300, Lauderdale Lakes,
Florida 33311. Proposals of shareholders must also comply
with the SEC’s rules regarding the inclusion of shareholder proposals in proxy
materials, and we may omit any proposal from our proxy materials that does not
comply with the SEC’s rules.
Other
Shareholder Proposals for Presentation at Next Year’s Annual
Meeting
Shareholder
proposals intended to be presented at, but not included in the proxy materials
for, our 2010 annual meeting, must be timely received by us in writing at our
principal executive offices, addressed to the Secretary of the Company as
indicated above. Under the Company’s bylaws, to be timely, a
shareholder’s notice must be delivered to or mailed and received at the
Company’s principal executive offices not less than 60 days, nor more than 90
days, prior to the meeting. If we give less than 70 days’ notice or
prior public disclosure of the meeting date, however, notice by a shareholder
will be timely given if received by the Company not later than the close of
business on the tenth day following either the date we publicly announce the
date of our annual meeting or the date of mailing of the notice of the meeting,
whichever occurs first. A shareholder’s notice to the Secretary must
set forth as to each matter the shareholder proposes to bring before the annual
meeting:
|
·
|
A
brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual
meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual
meeting,
|
|
·
|
The
name and record address of the shareholder proposing such
business,
|
|
·
|
The
class and number of shares beneficially owned by the shareholder,
and
|
|
·
|
Any
material interest of the shareholder in such
business.
|
The SEC’s
rules permit our management to vote proxies on a proposal presented by a
shareholder as described above, in the discretion of the persons named as proxy,
if:
|
·
|
We receive timely notice of the
proposal and advise our shareholders in the 2008 proxy materials of the
nature of the matter and how management intends to vote on the matter;
or
|
|
·
|
We do not receive timely notice
of the proposal in compliance with our
bylaws.
|
OTHER
BUSINESS
The Board
knows of no other business to be brought before the Annual
Meeting. If, however, any other business should properly come before
the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying proxy will vote
proxies in their discretion as they may deem appropriate, unless they are
directed by a proxy to do otherwise.
HOUSEHOLDING
OF ANNUAL DISCLOSURE DOCUMENTS
As
permitted by the Exchange Act, only one copy of this Proxy Statement is being
delivered to shareholders residing at the same address, unless such shareholders
have notified us of their desire to receive multiple copies of the Proxy
Statement.
We will
promptly deliver, upon oral or written request, a separate copy of the Proxy
Statement to any shareholder residing at an address to which only one copy was
mailed. Requests for additional copies should be directed to our
Chief Financial Officer by phone at (800) 293-2532 or by mail to the Chief
Financial Officer, 3661 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 300, Lauderdale
Lakes, Florida 33311.
Shareholders residing at the same
address and currently receiving only one copy of the Proxy Statement may contact
our Chief Financial Officer by phone at (800) 293-2532 or by mail to the Chief
Financial Officer, 3661 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 300, Lauderdale
Lakes, Florida 33311 to request multiple copies of the Proxy Statement in the
future.
By Order
of the Board of Directors
REBECCA L. CAMPILLO
,
Secretary
Lauderdale
Lakes, Florida
April 21,
2009
ANNEX
A
21st
CENTURY HOLDING COMPANY
2002
STOCK OPTION PLAN
(as
amended)
1.
PURPOSE
. The
purpose of the 21st Century Holding Company 2002 Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”)
is to advance the interests of 21st Century Holding Company, a Florida
corporation (the “Company”), by providing an additional incentive to attract,
retain and motivate highly qualified and competent persons who are important to
the Company, and upon whose efforts and judgments the success of the Company and
its Subsidiaries is largely dependent, including employees, consultants,
independent contractors, Officers and Directors, by authorizing the grant of
options to purchase Common Stock of the Company to persons who are eligible to
participate hereunder, thereby encouraging stock ownership in the Company by
such persons, all upon and subject to the terms and conditions of this
Plan.
2.
DEFINITIONS
. As
used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
(a)
“Board” shall
mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
(b)
“Cause” shall
mean a determination by the Company that any of the following has
occurred:
(i)
that the Optionee has been willful, reckless or grossly negligent in the
performance of his or her duties as an employee of the Company;
(ii)
that there
has been a willful breach by the Optionee of any of the material terms or
provisions of any employment agreement between such Optionee and the
Company;
(iii)
any conduct
by the Optionee that either results in his or her conviction of a felony under
the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof, or of an
equivalent crime under the laws of any other jurisdiction;
(iv)
that the
Optionee has committed one or more acts involving fraud, embezzlement,
misappropriation, theft, breach of fiduciary duty or material dishonesty against
the Company, its properties or personnel;
(v)
any act by
the Optionee that the Company determines to be in willful or wanton disregard of
the Company’s best interests, or which results, or is intended to result,
directly or indirectly, in improper gain or personal enrichment of the Optionee
at the expense of the Company;
(vi)
that there
has been a willful, reckless or grossly negligent failure by the Optionee to
comply with any rules, regulations, policies or procedures of the Company, or
that the Optionee has engaged in any act, behavior or conduct demonstrating a
deliberate and material violation or disregard of standards of behavior that the
Company has a right to expect of its employees; or
(vii)
if the
Optionee, while employed by the Company and for two years thereafter, violates a
confidentiality and/or noncompete agreement with the Company, or fails to
safeguard, divulges, communicates, uses to the detriment of the Company or for
the benefit of any person or persons, or misuses in any way, any Confidential
Information;
PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that, if the Optionee has entered into a written employment agreement
with the Company which remains effective and which expressly provides for a
termination of such Optionee’s employment for “cause”, the term “Cause” as used
herein shall have the meaning as set forth in the Optionee’s employment
agreement in lieu of the definition of “Cause” set forth in this Section
2(b).
(c)
“Change of
Control” shall mean the acquisition by any person or group (as that term is
defined in the Securities Exchange Act), and the rules promulgated pursuant to
that act) in a single transaction or a series of transactions of forty percent
(40%) or more in voting power of the outstanding stock of the Company and a
change of the composition of the Board of Directors so that, within two years
after the acquisition took place, a majority of the members of the Board of
Directors of the Company, or of any corporation with which the Company may be
consolidated or merged, are persons who were not Directors or Officers of the
Company or one of its Subsidiaries immediately prior to the acquisition, or to
the first of a series of transactions which resulted in the acquisition of forty
percent (40%) or more in voting power of the outstanding stock of the
Company.
(d)
“Code” shall
mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(e)
“Committee”
shall mean the stock option or compensation committee appointed by the Board or,
if not appointed, the Board.
(f)
“Common
Stock” shall mean collectively, the Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per
share.
(g)
“Confidential
Information” shall mean any and all information pertaining to the Company’s
financial condition, clients, customers, prospects, sources of prospects,
customer lists, trademarks, trade names, service marks, service names,
“know-how,” trade secrets, products, services, details of client or consulting
contracts, management agreements, pricing policies, operational methods, site
selection, results of operations, costs and methods of doing business, owners
and ownership structure, marketing practices, marketing plans or strategies,
product development techniques or plans, procurement and sales activities,
promotion and pricing techniques, credit and financial data concerning customers
and business acquisition plans, that is not generally available to the
public.
(h)
“Director”
shall mean a member of the Board.
(i)
“Employee”
shall mean any person, including Officers, Directors, consultants and
independent contractors who are either employed or engaged by the Company or any
parent or Subsidiary of the Company within the meaning of Code Section 3401(c)
or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(j)
“Fair Market
Value” of a Share on any date of reference shall be the Closing Price of a share
of Common Stock on the business day on or immediately preceding such date,
unless the Committee in its sole discretion shall determine otherwise in a fair
manner. For this purpose, the “Closing Price” of the Common Stock on
any business day shall be (i) if the Common Stock is listed or admitted for
trading on any United States national securities exchange (including the
National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System, NASDAQ),
or if actual transactions are otherwise reported on a consolidated transaction
reporting system, the last reported sale price of the Common Stock on such
exchange or reporting system, as reported in any newspaper of general
circulation, or (ii) if clause (i) is not applicable, the mean
between the high bid and low asked quotations for the Common Stock as reported
by the National Quotation Bureau, Incorporated if at least two securities
dealers have inserted both bid and asked quotations for the Common Stock on at
least five of the ten preceding days. If the information set forth in
clauses (i) through (ii) above is unavailable or inapplicable to the Company
(e.g., if the Company’s Common Stock is not then publicly traded or quoted),
then the “Fair Market Value” of a Share shall be the fair market value (i.e.,
the price at which a willing seller would sell a Share to a willing buyer when
neither is acting under compulsion and when both have reasonable knowledge of
all relevant facts) of a share of the Common Stock on the business day
immediately preceding such date as the Committee in its sole and absolute
discretion shall determine in a fair and uniform manner.
(k)
“Family
Member” shall mean any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent,
grandparent, spouse, former spouse, sibling, niece, nephew, mother-in-law,
father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law,
including adoptive relationships, any person sharing the Employee’s household
(other than a tenant or Employee), a trust in which these persons have more than
50% of the beneficial interest, a foundation in which these persons (or the
Employee) control the management of assets, and any other entity in which these
persons (or the Employee) own more than 50% of the voting
interests.
(l)
“Incentive
Stock Option” shall mean an incentive stock option as defined in Section 422 of
the Code.
(m)
“Non-Employee
Directors” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16b-3(b)(3)(i) (17 C.F.R.
§240.16(b)-3(b)(3)(i)) under the Securities Exchange Act.
(n)
“Non-Statutory Stock
Option” or “Nonqualified Stock Option” shall mean an Option which is not an
Incentive Stock Option.
(o)
“Officer”
shall mean the Company’s chairman, chief executive officer, president, principal
financial officer, principal accounting officer (or, if there is no such
accounting officer, the controller), any vice-president of the Company in charge
of a principal business unit, division or function (such as sales,
administration or finance), any other officer who performs a policy-making
function, or any other person who performs similar policy-making functions for
the Company. Officers of Subsidiaries shall be deemed Officers of the Company if
they perform such policy-making functions for the Company. As used in this
paragraph, the phrase “policy-making function” does not include policy-making
functions that are not significant. Unless specified otherwise in a resolution
by the Board, an “executive officer” pursuant to Item 401(b) of Regulation S-K
(17 C.F.R. §229.401(b)) shall be only such person designated as an “Officer”
pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph.
(p)
“Option”
(when capitalized) shall mean any stock option granted under this
Plan.
(q)
“Optionee”
shall mean a person to whom an Option is granted under this Plan or any person
who succeeds to the rights of such person under this Plan by reason of the death
of such person.
(r)
“Plan” shall
mean this 2002 Stock Option Plan of the Company, which Plan shall be effective
upon approval by the Board, subject to approval, within 12 months of the date
thereof by holders of a majority of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common
Stock of the Company.
(s)
“Securities
Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(t)
“Securities
Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
(u)
“Share” or
“Shares” shall mean a share or shares, as the case may be, of the Common Stock,
as adjusted in accordance with Section 10 of this Plan.
(v)
“Subsidiary”
shall mean any corporation (other than the Company) in any unbroken chain of
corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time of the granting of the
Option, each of the corporations other than the last corporation in the unbroken
chain owns stock possessing 50 percent or more of the total combined voting
power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such
chain.
3.
SHARES AND
OPTIONS
. Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 10
hereof, the Company may grant to Optionees from time to time Options to purchase
an aggregate of up to one million eight hundred thousand (1,800,000) Shares from
Shares held in the Company’s treasury or from authorized and unissued
Shares. If any Option granted under this Plan shall terminate,
expire, or be canceled, forfeited or surrendered as to any Shares, the Shares
relating to such lapsed Option shall be available for issuance pursuant to new
Options subsequently granted under this Plan. Upon the grant of any Option
hereunder, the authorized and unissued Shares to which such Option relates shall
be reserved for issuance to permit exercise under this Plan. Subject to the
provisions of Section 14 hereof, an Option granted hereunder shall be either an
Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Statutory Stock Option as determined by the
Committee at the time of grant of such Option and shall clearly state whether it
is an Incentive Stock Option or Non-Statutory Stock Option. All Options shall be
granted within 10 years from the effective date of this Plan.
4.
LIMITATIONS
. Options
otherwise qualifying as Incentive Stock Options hereunder will not be treated as
Incentive Stock Options to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value
(determined at the time the Option is granted) of the Shares, with respect to
which Options meeting the requirements of Code Section 422(b) are exercisable
for the first time by any individual during any calendar year (under all stock
option or similar plans of the Company and any Subsidiary), exceeds
$100,000.
5.
CONDITIONS FOR GRANT OF
OPTIONS
.
(a) Each
Option shall be evidenced by an Option agreement that may contain any term
deemed necessary or desirable by the Committee, provided such terms are not
inconsistent with this Plan or any applicable law. Optionees shall be those
persons selected by the Committee from the class of all regular Employees of the
Company or its Subsidiaries, including Employee Directors and Officers who are
regular or former regular employees of the Company, Directors who are not
regular employees of the Company, as well as consultants to the Company. Any
person who files with the Committee, in a form satisfactory to the Committee, a
written waiver of eligibility to receive any Option under this Plan shall not be
eligible to receive any Option under this Plan for the duration of such
waiver.
(b) In
granting Options, the Committee shall take into consideration the contribution
the person has made, or is expected to make, to the success of the Company or
its Subsidiaries and such other factors as the Committee shall determine. The
Committee shall also have the authority to consult with and receive
recommendations from Officers and other personnel of the Company and its
Subsidiaries with regard to these matters. The Committee may from time to time
in granting Options under this Plan prescribe such terms and conditions
concerning such Options as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation,
(i) the exercise price or prices of the Option or any installments thereof, (ii)
prescribing the date or dates on which the Option becomes and/or remains
exercisable, (iii) providing that the Option vests or becomes exercisable in
installments over a period of time, and/or upon the attainment of certain stated
standards, specifications or goals, (iv) relating an Option to the continued
employment of the Optionee for a specified period of time, or (v) conditions or
termination events with respect to the exercisability of any Option, provided
that such terms and conditions are not more favorable to an Optionee than those
expressly permitted herein; provided, however, that to the extent not canceled
pursuant to Section 9(b) hereof, upon a Change in Control, any Options that have
not yet vested, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, vest upon such
Change in Control.
(c) The
Options granted to employees under this Plan shall be in addition to regular
salaries, pension, life insurance or other benefits related to their employment
with the Company or its Subsidiaries. Neither this Plan nor any Option granted
under this Plan shall confer upon any person any right to employment or
continuance of employment (or related salary and benefits) by the Company or its
Subsidiaries.
6.
EXERCISE PRICE
. The
exercise price per Share of any Option shall be any price determined by the
Committee but shall not be less than the par value per Share; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that in no event shall the exercise price per Share of any Incentive Stock
Option be less than the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying such Option
on the date such Option is granted and, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option
granted to a 10% shareholder, the per Share exercise price will not be less than
110% of the Fair Market Value in accordance with Section 14 of this Plan.
Re-granted Options, or Options which are canceled and then re-granted covering
such canceled Options, will, for purposes of this Section 6, be deemed to have
been granted on the date of the re-granting.
7.
EXERCISE OF
OPTIONS
.
(a) An
Option shall be deemed exercised when (i) the Company has received written
notice of such exercise in accordance with the terms of the Option, (ii) full
payment of the aggregate Option price of the Shares as to which the Option is
exercised has been made, (iii) the Optionee has agreed to be bound by the terms,
provisions and conditions of any applicable shareholders’ agreement, and (iv)
arrangements that are satisfactory to the Committee in its sole discretion have
been made for the Optionee’s payment to the Company of the amount that is
necessary for the Company or the Subsidiary employing the Optionee to withhold
in accordance with applicable Federal or state tax withholding requirements.
Unless further limited by the Committee in any Option, the exercise price of any
Shares purchased pursuant to the exercise of such Option shall be paid in cash,
by certified or official bank check, by money order, with Shares or by a
combination of the above; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Committee in its sole
discretion may accept a personal check in full or partial payment of any Shares.
If the exercise price is paid in whole or in part with Shares, the value of the
Shares surrendered shall be their Fair Market Value on the date the Option is
exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may, on an individual basis or
pursuant to a general program established by the Committee in connection with
this Plan, lend money to an Optionee to exercise all or a portion of the Option
granted hereunder. If the exercise price is paid in whole or part with the
Optionee’s promissory note, such note shall (i) provide for full recourse to the
maker, (ii) be collateralized by the pledge of the Shares that the Optionee
purchases upon exercise of such Option, (iii) bear interest at a rate no less
than the rate of interest payable by the Company to its principal lender, and
(iv) contain such other terms as the Committee in its sole discretion shall
require. No Optionee shall be deemed to be a holder of any shares subject to an
Option unless and until a stock certificate or certificates for such shares are
issued to the person(s) under the terms of this Plan. No adjustments shall be
made for dividends (ordinary or extraordinary, whether in cash, securities or
property) or distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to
the date such stock certificate is issued, except as expressly provided in
Section 10 hereof. Additionally, any Option may be exercised pursuant
to a “cashless” or “net issue” exercise provision set forth in the Option
agreement evidencing such Option.
(b) No
Optionee shall be deemed to be a holder of any Shares subject to an Option
unless and until a stock certificate or certificates for such Shares are issued
to such person(s) under the terms of this Plan. No adjustment shall be made for
dividends (ordinary or extraordinary, whether in cash, securities or other
property) or distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to
the date such stock certificate is issued, except as expressly provided in
Section 10 hereof.
8.
EXERCISABILITY OF OPTIONS
. Any
Option shall become exercisable in such amounts, at such intervals, upon such
events or occurrences and upon such other terms and conditions as shall be
provided in this Plan or in an individual Option agreement evidencing such
Option, except as otherwise provided in Section 5(b) or this Section
8.
(a) The
expiration date(s) of an Option shall be determined by the Committee at the time
of grant, but in no event shall an Option be exercisable after the expiration of
10 years from the date of grant of the Option.
(b) Unless
otherwise expressly provided in any Option as approved by the Committee,
notwithstanding the exercise schedule set forth in any Option, each outstanding
Option, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, become fully exercisable
upon the date of the occurrence of any Change of Control, but, unless otherwise
expressly provided in any Option, no earlier than six months after the date of
grant, and if and only if Optionee is in the employ of the Company on such
date.
(c) The
Committee may in its sole discretion at any time accelerate the date on which
any Option may be exercised and may accelerate the vesting of any Shares subject
to any Option or previously acquired by the exercise of any Option.
9.
TERMINATION OF OPTION
PERIOD
.
(a) Unless
otherwise expressly provided in any Option, the unexercised portion of any
Option shall automatically and without notice immediately terminate and become
forfeited, null and void at the time of the earliest to occur of the
following:
(i) three
months after the date on which the Optionee’s employment is terminated for any
reason other than by reason of (A) Cause, (B) the termination of the Optionee’s
employment with the Company by such Optionee following less than ninety (90)
days’ prior written notice to the Company of such termination (an “Improper
Termination”), (C) a mental or physical disability (within the meaning of
Section 22(e) of the Code) as determined by a medical doctor satisfactory to the
Committee, or (D) death;
(ii) immediately
upon (A) the termination by the Company of the Optionee’s employment for Cause,
or (B) an Improper Termination; or
(iii) one
year after the date on which the Optionee’s employment is terminated by reason
of a mental or physical disability (within the meaning of Code Section 22(e)) as
determined by a medical doctor satisfactory to the Committee; or
(iv) the
later of (A) one year after the date of termination of the Optionee’s employment
by reason of death of the Employee, or (B) three months after the date on which
the Optionee shall die if such death shall occur during the one year period
specified in Section 9(a)(iii) hereof.
(b) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if the Optionee’s employment is terminated by reason of a mental
or physical disability (within the meaning of Section 22(e) of the Code) as
determined by a medical doctor satisfactory to the Committee or the Optionee
retires from employment by the Company or any other entity, then the Option
shall continue until the original expiration date.
(c) The
Committee in its sole discretion may, by giving written notice (the
“Cancellation Notice”), cancel effective upon the date of the consummation of
any corporate transaction described in Section 10(d) hereof, any Option that
remains unexercised on such date. The Cancellation Notice shall be given a
reasonable period of time prior to the proposed date of such cancellation and
may be given either before or after approval of such corporate
transaction.
(d) Upon
Optionee’s termination of employment as described in this Section 9, or
otherwise, any Option (or portion thereof) not previously vested or not yet
exercisable pursuant to Section 8 of this Plan or the vesting schedule set forth
in the Option Agreement evidencing the Option shall be immediately
canceled.
10.
ADJUSTMENT OF
SHARES
.
(a) If
at any time while this Plan is in effect or unexercised Options are outstanding,
there shall be any increase or decrease in the number of issued and outstanding
Shares through the declaration of a stock dividend or through any
recapitalization resulting in a stock split, combination or exchange of Shares
(other than any such exchange or issuance of Shares through which Shares are
issued to effect an acquisition of another business or entity or the Company’s
purchase of Shares to exercise a “call” purchase option), then and in such
event:
(i) appropriate
adjustment shall be made in the maximum number of Shares available for grant
under this Plan, so that the same percentage of the Company’s issued and
outstanding Shares shall continue to be subject to being so
optioned;
(ii) appropriate
adjustment shall be made in the number of Shares and the exercise price per
Share thereof then subject to any outstanding Option, so that the same
percentage of the Company’s issued and outstanding Shares shall remain subject
to purchase at the same aggregate exercise price; and
(iii) such
adjustments shall be made by the Committee, whose determination in that respect
shall be final, binding and conclusive.
(b) Subject
to the specific terms of any Option, the Committee may change the terms of
Options outstanding under this Plan, with respect to the Option price or the
number of Shares subject to the Options, or both, when, in the Committee’s sole
discretion, such adjustments become appropriate by reason of a corporate
transaction described in Section 10(d) hereof, or otherwise.
(c) Except
as otherwise expressly provided herein, the issuance by the Company of shares of
its capital stock of any class, or securities convertible into or exchangeable
for shares of its capital stock of any class, either in connection with a direct
or underwritten sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe
therefore or purchase such Shares, or upon conversion of shares of obligations
of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not
affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to the
number of or exercise price of Shares then subject to outstanding Options
granted under this Plan.
(d) Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, the existence of outstanding Options
granted under this Plan shall not affect in any manner the right or power of the
Company to make, authorize or consummate (i) any or all adjustments,
reclassifications, recapitalizations, reorganizations or other changes in the
Company’s capital structure or its business; (ii) any merger or consolidation of
the Company or to which the Company is a party; (iii) any issuance by the
Company of debt securities, or preferred or preference stock that would rank
senior to or above the Shares subject to outstanding Options; (iv) any purchase
or issuance by the Company of Shares or other classes of common stock or common
equity securities; (v) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company; (vi) any
sale, transfer, encumbrance, pledge or assignment of all or any part of the
assets or business of the Company; or (vii) any other corporate act or
proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.
(e) The
Optionee shall receive written notice within a reasonable time prior to the
consummation of such action advising the Optionee of any of the foregoing. The
Committee may, in the exercise of its sole discretion, in such instances declare
that any Option shall terminate as of a date fixed by the Board and give each
Optionee the right to exercise his or her Option.
11.
TRANSFERABILITY OF
OPTIONS
. Unless otherwise authorized by the Board, no
Incentive Stock Option granted hereunder shall be sold, pledged, assigned,
hypothecated, disposed or otherwise transferred by the Optionee other than by
will or the laws of descent and distribution. Nonqualified Stock
Options granted hereunder may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated,
disposed or otherwise transferred by the Optionee other than (a) by will or the
laws of descent and distribution (b) by gift to a Family Member, or (c) through
a domestic relations order in settlement of marital property
rights. No Option shall be exercisable during the Optionee’s lifetime
by any person other than the Optionee or transferee permitted under this Section
11.
12.
ISSUANCE OF
SHARES
. As a condition of any sale or issuance of Shares upon
exercise of any Option, the Committee may require such agreements or
undertakings, if any, as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable to assure
compliance with any such law or regulation including, but not limited to, the
following:
(a) a
representation and warranty by the Optionee to the Company, at the time any
Option is exercised, that he is acquiring the Shares to be issued to him for
investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the
distribution of any such Shares; and
(b) (i) an
agreement and undertaking to comply with all of the terms, restrictions and
provisions set forth in any then applicable shareholders’ agreement relating to
the Shares, including, without limitation, any restrictions on transferability,
any rights of first refusal, any option of the Company to “call” or purchase
such Shares under then applicable agreements, and any option of the Company to
rescind the issuance of the Shares; and
(ii) any
restrictive legend or legends, to be embossed or imprinted on Share
certificates, that are, in the discretion of the Committee, necessary or
appropriate to comply with the provisions of any securities law or other
restriction applicable to the issuance of the Shares.
13.
ADMINISTRATION OF THIS
PLAN
.
(a) This
Plan shall initially be administered by the Board. As soon as may be
practicable, but no later than the date (if ever) the Common Stock is listed or
admitted for trading on any United States national securities exchange, the Plan
shall be administered by the Committee, which shall consist of not less than two
Non-Employee Directors. The Committee shall have all of the powers of the Board
with respect to this Plan. Any member of the Committee may be removed at any
time, with or without cause, by resolution of the Board and any vacancy
occurring in the membership of the Committee may be filled by appointment by the
Board.
(b) Subject
to the provisions of this Plan, the Committee shall have the authority, in its
sole discretion, to: (i) grant Options, (ii) determine the exercise price per
Share at which Options may be exercised, (iii) determine the Optionees to whom,
and time or times at which, Options shall be granted, (iv) determine the number
of Shares to be represented by each Option, (v) determine the terms, conditions
and provisions of each Option granted (which need not be identical) and, with
the consent of the holder thereof, modify or amend each Option, (vi) defer (with
the consent of the Optionee) or accelerate the exercise date of any Option, and
(vii) make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the
administration of this Plan, including repricing, canceling and regranting
Options.
(c) The
Committee, from time to time, may adopt rules and regulations for carrying out
the purposes of this Plan. The Committee’s determinations and its interpretation
and construction of any provision of this Plan shall be final, conclusive and
binding upon all Optionees and any holders of any Options granted under this
Plan.
(d) Any
and all decisions or determinations of the Committee shall be made either (i) by
a majority vote of the members of the Committee at a meeting of the Committee or
(ii) without a meeting by the unanimous written approval of the members of the
Committee.
(e) No
member of the Committee, or any Officer or Director of the Company or its
Subsidiaries, shall be personally liable for any act or omission made in good
faith in connection with this Plan.
14.
INCENTIVE OPTIONS FOR 10%
SHAREHOLDERS
. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this
Plan to the contrary, an Incentive Stock Option shall not be granted to any
person owning directly or indirectly (through attribution under Section 424(d)
of the Code) at the date of grant, stock possessing more than 10% of the total
combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or of its
Subsidiary) at the date of grant unless the exercise price of such Option is at
least 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to such Option on the
date the Option is granted, and such Option by its terms is not exercisable
after the expiration of 10 years from the date such Option is
granted.
15.
INTERPRETATION
.
(a) This
Plan shall be administered and interpreted so that all Incentive Stock Options
granted under this Plan will qualify as Incentive Stock Options under Section
422 of the Code. If any provision of this Plan should be held invalid for the
granting of Incentive Stock Options or illegal for any reason, such
determination shall not affect the remaining provisions hereof, and this Plan
shall be construed and enforced as if such provision had never been included in
this Plan.
(b) This
Plan shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida.
(c) Headings
contained in this Plan are for convenience only and shall in no manner be
construed as part of this Plan or affect the meaning or interpretation of any
part of this Plan.
(d) Any
reference to the masculine, feminine, or neuter gender shall be a reference to
such other gender as is appropriate.
(e) Time
shall be of the essence with respect to all time periods specified for the
giving of notices to the Company hereunder, as well as all time periods for the
expiration and termination of Options in accordance with Section 9 hereof (or as
otherwise set forth in an Option agreement).
16.
CANCELLATION AND RESCISSION OF
AWARDS
.
(a) Unless
the Option specifies otherwise, the Committee may cancel, rescind, suspend,
withhold or otherwise limit or restrict any unexpired, unpaid, or deferred
Options at any time if the Optionee is not in compliance with all applicable
provisions of this Plan and the individual Option agreement evidencing such
Option, or if the Optionee engages in any “Detrimental Activity” (as defined in
this Section 16). For purposes of this Section 16 and during the time
the Optionee is employed by the Company and for a period of two years from the
date the Optionee ceases being employed by the Company (the “Restrictive
Period”), without the Company’s prior written consent, in each instance,
“Detrimental Activity” shall include: (i) the rendering of services for any
organization or engaging directly or indirectly in any business which is or
becomes competitive with the Company, or which organization or business, or the
rendering of services to such organization or business, is or becomes otherwise
prejudicial to or in conflict with the interests of the Company; (ii) the
disclosure to anyone outside the Company, or the use in other than the Company’s
business, without prior written authorization from the Company, of any
confidential information or material, as defined in any agreement between the
Optionee and the Company regarding confidential information and intellectual
property either during or after employment with the Company; (iii) the failure
or refusal to disclose promptly and to assign to the Company, pursuant to the
Company’s confidentiality agreement with the Optionee, all right, title and
interest in any invention or idea, patentable or not, made or conceived by the
Optionee during employment by the Company, relating in any manner to the actual
or anticipated business, research or development work of the Company or the
failure or refusal to do anything reasonably necessary to enable the Company to
secure a patent where appropriate in the United States and in other countries;
(iv) activity that results in termination of the Optionee’s employment for
cause; (v) a material violation of any written rules, policies, procedures or
guidelines of the Company; (vi) any attempt directly or indirectly to induce any
employee of the Company to be employed or perform services elsewhere or any
attempt directly or indirectly to solicit the trade or business of any current
or prospective customer, supplier or partner of the Company; (vii) the Optionee
being convicted of, or entering a guilty plea with respect to, a crime, whether
or not connected with the Company; or (viii) any other conduct or act determined
to be injurious, detrimental or prejudicial to any interest of the
Company.
(b) Upon
exercising an Option, the Optionee shall certify in a manner reasonably
acceptable to the Company that he or she is in compliance with the terms and
conditions of the Plan. In the event an Optionee fails to comply with the
provisions of paragraphs (a)(i)-(viii) of this Section 16 within the Restrictive
Period, the exercise of an Option may be rescinded by the Company at any time
within the Restrictive Period. In the event of any such rescission,
the Optionee shall return any and all Shares obtained upon the exercise of
Options if the Shares are still held by the Optionee. If the Optionee
no longer holds the Shares, the Optionee shall pay the Company an amount equal
to the Fair Market Value of the Shares as of the date of the rescission less the
exercise price paid for the Shares, in such manner and on such terms and
conditions as may reasonably be required by the Company. The Company
shall be entitled to set-off against the foregoing amount.
17.
AMENDMENT AND DISCONTINUATION OF THIS
PLAN
. Either the Board or the Committee may from time to time
amend this Plan or any Option without the consent or approval of the
shareholders of the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, except to the extent
provided in Section 9, no amendment or suspension of this Plan or any Option
issued hereunder shall substantially impair any Option previously granted to any
Optionee without the consent of such Optionee.
18.
TERMINATION
DATE
. This Plan shall terminate 10 years after the date of
adoption by the Board provided, however, that no such termination shall affect
the validity of Options granted hereunder in accordance with the terms of this
Plan, which Options expire after such termination date.
ANNEX
B
21st
CENTURY HOLDING COMPANY
2009 STOCK OPTION
PLAN
1.
ESTABLISHMENT,
EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM
21st
Century Holding Company (“21st Century”), a Florida corporation hereby
establishes the 21st Century Holding Company 2009 Stock Option Plan (the
“Plan”). The Effective Date of the Plan shall be the date that the
Plan is approved by the shareholders of 21st Century in accordance with the laws
of the State of Florida.
2.
PURPOSE
The
purpose of the Plan is to enable the Company to attract, retain, reward and
motivate Eligible Individuals by providing them with an opportunity to acquire
or increase a proprietary interest in 21st Century and to incentivize them to
expend maximum effort for the growth and success of the Company, so as to
strengthen the mutuality of the interests between the Eligible Individuals and
the shareholders of 21st Century.
3.
ELIGIBILITY
Awards
may be granted under the Plan to any Eligible Individual, as determined by the
Committee from time to time, on the basis of their importance to the business of
the Company pursuant to the terms of the Plan.
4.
DEFINITIONS
All
capitalized terms which are not defined herein shall have the same meaning as
defined terms in Appendix A, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by
reference.
5.
ADMINISTRATION
Committee
. The
Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Board or a committee or
sub-committee appointed by the Board (the "Committee"). The Committee
shall consist of two (2) or more members of the Board, none of whom shall be an
officer or other salaried employee of the Company. If no Committee
exists, the functions of the Committee will be exercised by the
Board.
Committee
Authority
. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee,
which shall have the full power and authority to take all actions, and to make
all determinations not inconsistent with the specific terms and provisions of
the Plan deemed by the Committee to be necessary or appropriate to the
administration of the Plan, any Option granted or any Option Agreement entered
into hereunder. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any
omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Option Agreement
in the manner and to the extent it shall deem expedient to carry the Plan into
effect as it may determine in its sole discretion. The decisions by
the Committee shall be final, conclusive and binding with respect to the
interpretation and administration of the Plan, including but not limited to any
Option or any Option Agreement entered into under the Plan.
Delegation to Officers or
Employees
. The Committee may designate officers or employees
of the Company to assist the Committee in the administration of the
Plan. The Committee may delegate authority to officers or employees
of the Company to grant Options and execute Option Agreements or other documents
on behalf of the Committee in connection with the administration of the Plan,
subject to whatever limitations or restrictions the Committee may impose and in
accordance with Applicable Laws.
Designation of
Advisors
. The Committee may designate professional advisors to
assist the Committee in the administration of the Plan. The Committee
may employ such legal counsel, consultants, and agents as it may deem desirable
for the administration of the Plan and may rely upon any advice and any
computation received from any such counsel, consultant, or agent. The
Company shall pay all expenses and costs incurred by the Committee for the
engagement of any such counsel, consultant, or agent.
6.
SHARES
OF COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO PLAN
Shares Available for
Options
. The Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to
Options granted under the Plan shall be treasury shares or authorized but
unissued shares of the Common Stock. The total number of shares of
Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to Options granted under the Plan shall
be Eight Hundred Thousand (800,000) Shares.
Certain Limitations on
Specific Types of Options
. The granting of Options under this
Plan shall be subject to the following limitations: (i) with respect
to the shares of Common Stock reserved pursuant to this Section, a maximum of
Seven Hundred Thousand (700,000) of such shares may be subject to grants of
Incentive Stock Options; and (ii) with respect to the shares of Common Stock
reserved pursuant to this Section, a maximum of Fifty Thousand (50,000) of such
shares may be subject to grants of Options to any one Eligible Individual during
any one fiscal year.
Reduction of Shares
Available for Options
. Upon the granting of an Option, the
number of shares of Common Stock available under this Section for the granting
of further Options shall be reduced as follows: in connection with the granting
of an Option, the number of shares of Common Stock shall be reduced by the
number of shares of Common Stock subject to the Option.
Cancelled, Forfeited, or
Surrendered Options
. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
in this Plan, if any Option is cancelled, forfeited or terminated for any reason
prior to exercise or becoming vested in full, the shares of Common Stock that
were subject to such Option shall, to the extent cancelled, forfeited or
terminated, immediately become available for future Options granted under the
Plan as if said Option had never been granted; provided, however, that any
shares of Common Stock subject to an Option, which is cancelled, forfeited or
terminated in order to pay the Exercise Price, purchase price or any taxes or
tax withholdings on an Option shall not be available for future Options granted
under the Plan.
Recapitalization
. If
the outstanding shares of Common Stock are increased or decreased or changed
into or exchanged for a different number or kind of shares or other securities
of 21st Century by reason of any recapitalization, reclassification,
reorganization, stock split, reverse split, combination of shares, exchange of
shares, stock dividend or other distribution payable in capital stock of 21st
Century or other increase or decrease in such shares effected without receipt of
consideration by 21st Century occurring after the Effective Date, an appropriate
and proportionate adjustment shall be made by the Committee to (i) the aggregate
number and shares of Common Stock and Options available under the Plan, (ii) the
aggregate limit of the number of shares of Common Stock that may be granted
pursuant to an Incentive Stock Option, (iii) the limits on the number of shares
of Common Stock that may be granted to an Eligible Employee in any one fiscal
year, (iv) the calculation of the reduction or increase of shares of Common
Stock available under the Plan, (v) the number and kind of shares of Common
Stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding Options granted under the Plan; or
(vi) the Exercise Price of outstanding Options granted under the
Plan. No fractional shares of Common Stock or units of other
securities shall be issued pursuant to any such adjustment under this Section
6(e), and any fractions resulting from any such adjustment shall be eliminated
in each case by rounding downward to the nearest whole share or
unit. Any adjustments made under this Section 6(e) with respect to
any Incentive Stock Options must be made in accordance with Code Section
424.
7.
OPTIONS
Grant of
Options
.
Subject to the terms and
conditions of the Plan, the Committee may grant to such Eligible Individuals, as
the Committee may determine, Options to purchase such number of shares of Common
Stock and on such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine in its
sole and absolute discretion.
Each grant of an Option
shall satisfy the requirements set forth in this Section.
Type of Options
.
Each Option granted
under the Plan may be designated by the Committee, in its sole discretion, as
either (i) an Incentive Stock Option, or (ii) a Non-Qualified Stock
Option. Options designated as Incentive Stock Options that fail to
continue to meet the requirements of Code Section 422 shall be re-designated as
Non-Qualified Stock Options automatically on the date of such failure to
continue to meet such requirements without further action by the
Committee. In the absence of any designation, Options granted under
the Plan will be deemed to be Non-Qualified Stock Options.
Exercise
Price
. Subject to the limitations set forth in the Plan
relating to Incentive Stock Options, the Exercise Price of an Option shall be
fixed by the Committee and stated in the respective Option Agreement, provided
that the Exercise Price of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Option may
not be less than Fair Market Value of such Common Stock on the Grant Date, or if
greater, the par value of the Common Stock.
Limitation on Option
Period
. Subject to the limitations set forth in the Plan
relating to Incentive Stock Options and unless otherwise provided by the
Committee, Options granted under the Plan and all rights to purchase Common
Stock thereunder shall terminate no later than the tenth anniversary of the
Grant Date of such Options, or on such earlier date as may be stated in the
Option Agreement relating to such Option. In the case of Options
expiring prior to the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date, the Committee may in
its discretion, at any time prior to the expiration or termination of said
Options, extend the term of any such Options for such additional period as it
may determine, but in no event beyond the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date
thereof.
Limitations on Incentive
Stock Options
. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the
Plan, the following provisions shall apply with respect to Incentive Stock
Options granted pursuant to the Plan.
Limitation on
Grants
. Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to Section
424 Employees. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the
time such Incentive Stock Option is granted) of the shares of Common Stock for
which any individual may have Incentive Stock Options which first become vested
and exercisable in any calendar year (under all incentive stock option plans of
the Company) shall not exceed $100,000. Options granted to such
individual in excess of the $100,000 limitation, and any Options issued
subsequently which first become vested and exercisable in the same calendar
year, shall automatically be treated as Non-Qualified Stock
Options.
Minimum Exercise
Price
. In no event may the Exercise Price of a share of Common
Stock subject an Incentive Stock Option be less than 100% of the Fair Market
Value of such share of Common Stock on the Grant Date.
Ten Percent
Shareholder
. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan
to the contrary,
in
the case of Incentive Stock Options granted to a Section 424 Employee who,
at the time the Option is granted, owns (after application of the rules set
forth in Code Section 424(d)) stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of
the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company, such
Incentive Stock Options (i) must have an Exercise Price
per share of Common
Stock that is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value as of the Grant Date of a
share of Common Stock, and (ii) must not be exercisable after the fifth
anniversary of the Grant Date.
Vesting Schedule and
Conditions
. No Options may be exercised prior to the
satisfaction of the conditions and vesting schedule provided for in the Option
Agreement relating thereto or in the Plan.
Exercise
. When
the conditions to the exercise of an Option have been satisfied, the Participant
may exercise the Option only in accordance with the following
provisions. The Participant shall deliver to 21st Century a written
notice stating that the Participant is exercising the Option and specifying the
number of shares of Common Stock which are to be purchased pursuant to the
Option, and such notice shall be accompanied by payment in full of the Exercise
Price of the shares for which the Option is being exercised, by one or more of
the methods provided for in the Plan. Unless otherwise provided by
the Committee, said notice must be delivered to 21st Century at its principal
office and addressed to the attention of Chief Financial Officer. An
attempt to exercise any Option granted hereunder other than as set forth in the
Plan shall be invalid and of no force and effect.
Payment
. Payment
of the Exercise Price for the shares of Common Stock purchased pursuant to the
exercise of an Option shall be made by one of the following
methods: (i) by cash, certified or cashier’s check, bank draft or
money order
, provided however that the Committee
may in its sole discretion accept a personal check, from the Optionee
;
(ii) through the delivery to 21
st
Century
of shares of Common Stock which have been previously owned by the Participant
for the requisite period necessary to avoid a charge to the Company’s earnings
for financial reporting purposes; such shares shall be valued, for purposes of
determining the extent to which the Exercise Price has been paid thereby, at
their Fair Market Value on the date of exercise; without limiting the foregoing,
the Committee may require the Participant to furnish an opinion of counsel
acceptable to the Committee to the effect that such delivery would not result in
the Company incurring any liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act; or
(iii) by any other method which the Committee, in its sole and absolute
discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable Laws, may permit,
including, but not limited to, any of the following: (A) through a “cashless
exercise sale and remittance procedure” pursuant to which the Participant shall
concurrently provide irrevocable instructions (1) to a brokerage firm approved
by the Committee to effect the immediate sale of the purchased shares and remit
to the Company, out of the sale proceeds available on the settlement date,
sufficient funds to cover the aggregate Exercise Price payable for the purchased
shares plus all applicable federal, state and local income, employment, excise,
foreign and other taxes required to be withheld by the Company by reason of such
exercise and (2) to the Company to deliver the certificates for the purchased
shares directly to such brokerage firm in order to complete the sale;
(B) through a "cashless" or "net issue" exercise
provision set forth in the Option Agreement; or (C
) by any other method
as may be permitted by the Committee.
Termination of
Employment
. Unless otherwise provided in an Option Agreement,
upon the termination of the employment or other service of a Participant with
Company, all of the Participant’s outstanding Options (whether vested or
unvested) shall be subject to the rules of this paragraph. Upon such
termination, other than by virtue of Death or Disability, the Participant’s
unvested Options shall expire. Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to
the contrary, the Committee may provide, in its sole and absolute discretion,
that following the termination of employment or other service of a Participant
with the Company (i) any unvested Options held by the Participant that vest
solely upon a future service requirement shall vest in whole or in part, at any
time subsequent to such termination of employment or other service, and or (ii)
a Participant or the Participant’s estate, guardian, representative, devisee or
heir at law (whichever is applicable), may exercise an Option, in whole or in
part, at any time subsequent to such termination of employment or other service
and prior to the termination of the Option pursuant to its
terms. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, temporary
absence from employment because of illness, vacation, approved leaves of absence
or military service shall not constitute a termination of employment or other
service.
Termination for Reason Other
Than Cause, Improper Termination, Death, Disability or Certain Voluntary
Terminations
. If a Participant’s termination of employment or
other service is for any reason other than Cause, Improper Termination, Death,
Disability or a voluntary termination within ninety (90) days after occurrence
of an event which would be grounds for termination of employment or other
service by the Company for Cause (without regard to any notice or cure period
requirement) any Option held by such Participant, may be exercised, to the
extent exercisable at termination, by the Participant at any time within a
period not to exceed ninety (90) days from the date of such termination, but in
no event after the termination of the Option pursuant to its terms.
Termination for Cause,
Improper Notice or Certain Voluntary Terminations
. In the
event the termination is for Cause, is an Improper Termination or is a voluntary
termination within ninety (90) days after occurrence of an event which would be
grounds for termination of employment or other service by the Company for Cause
(without regard to any notice or cure period requirement), any Option held by
the Participant at the time of such termination shall be deemed to have
terminated and expired upon the date of such termination.
Disability
. If
a Participant’s termination of employment or other service with the Company is
by reason of a Disability of such Participant, the Participant’s unvested
Options shall become 100% vested and the Participant shall have the right at any
time within a period not to exceed one (1) year after such termination, but in
no event after the termination of the Option pursuant to its terms, to exercise,
in whole or in part, the Option held by such Participant at the date of such
termination;
provided,
however
, that if the Participant dies within such period, any Option held
by such Participant upon death shall be exercisable by the Participant’s estate,
devisee or heir at law (whichever is applicable) for a period not to exceed one
(1) year after the Participant’s death, but in no event after the termination of
the Option pursuant to its terms.
Death
. If
a Participant dies while in the employment or other service of the Company, the
Participant’s unvested Options shall become 100% vested and the Participant’s
estate or the devisee named in the Participant’s valid last will and testament
or the Participant’s heir at law who inherits the Option has the right, at any
time within a period not to exceed one (1) year after the date of such
Participant’s death, but in no event after the termination of the Option
pursuant to its terms, to exercise, in whole or in part, the Option held by such
Participant at the date of such Participant’s death.
8.
CHANGE
IN CONTROL
Unless
otherwise provided in an Option Agreement, upon the occurrence of a Change in
Control of 21st Century, the Committee may in its sole and absolute discretion,
provide on a case by case basis that (i) some or all outstanding Options may
become immediately exercisable or vested, without regard to any limitation
imposed pursuant to this Plan, (ii) that all Options shall terminate, provided
that Participants shall have the right, immediately prior to the occurrence of
such Change in Control and during such reasonable period as the Committee in its
sole discretion shall determine and designate, to exercise any vested Option in
whole or in part, (iii) that all Options shall terminate, provided that
Participants shall be entitled to a cash payment equal to the Change in Control
Price with respect to shares subject to the vested portion of the Option net of
the Exercise Price thereof, (iv) provide that, in connection with a
liquidation or dissolution of the Company, Options shall convert into the right
to receive liquidation proceeds net of the Exercise Price and (v) any
combination of the foregoing. In the event that the Committee does
not terminate or convert an Option upon a Change in Control of 21st Century,
then the Option shall be assumed, or substantially equivalent Options shall be
substituted, by the acquiring, or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate
thereof).
9.
CHANGE
IN STATUS OF PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY
Unless
otherwise provided in an Option Agreement or otherwise determined by the
Committee, in the event that an entity or business unit which was previously a
part of the Company is no longer a part of the Company, as determined by the
Committee in its sole discretion, the Committee may, in its sole and absolute
discretion: (i) provide on a case by case basis that some or all outstanding
Options held by a Participant employed by or performing service for such entity
or business unit may become immediately exercisable or vested, without regard to
any limitation imposed pursuant to this Plan; (ii) provide on a case by case
basis that some or all outstanding Options held by a Participant employed by or
performing service for such entity or business unit may remain outstanding, may
continue to vest, and/or may remain exercisable for a period not exceeding one
(1) year, subject to the terms of the Option Agreement and this Plan; and/or
(ii) treat the employment or other services of a Participant employed by such
entity or business unit as terminated if such Participant is not employed by
21st Century or any entity that is a part of the Company immediately after such
event.
10.
REQUIREMENTS
OF LAW
Violations of
Law
. 21st Century shall not be required to sell or issue any
shares of Common Stock under any Option if the sale or issuance of such shares
would constitute a violation by the individual exercising the Option, the
Participant or the Company of any provisions of any law or regulation of any
governmental authority, including without limitation any provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and any other federal or state securities laws or
regulations. Any determination in this connection by the Committee
shall be final, binding, and conclusive. The Company shall not be
obligated to take any affirmative action in order to cause the exercise of an
Option, the issuance of shares pursuant thereto or the grant of an Option to
comply with any law or regulation of any governmental authority.
Registration
. At
the time of any exercise or receipt of any Option, the Company may, if it shall
determine it necessary or desirable for any reason, require the Participant (or
Participant’s heirs, legatees or legal representative, as the case may be), as a
condition to the exercise or grant thereof, to deliver to the Company a written
representation of present intention to hold the shares for their own account as
an investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the
distribution of such shares, except in compliance with applicable federal and
state securities laws with respect thereto. In the event such
representation is required to be delivered, an appropriate legend may be placed
upon each certificate delivered to the Participant (or Participant’s heirs,
legatees or legal representative, as the case may be) upon the Participant’s
exercise of part or all of the Option or receipt of an Option and a stop
transfer order may be placed with the transfer agent. Each Option
shall also be subject to the requirement that, if at any time 21st Century
determines, in its discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification
of the shares subject to the Option upon any securities exchange or under any
state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory
body, is necessary or desirable as a condition of or in connection with, the
issuance or purchase of the shares thereunder, the Option may not be exercised
in whole or in part unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or
approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not
acceptable to the Company in its sole discretion. The Participant
shall provide the Company with any certificates, representations and information
that the Company requests and shall otherwise cooperate with the Company in
obtaining any listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval that the
Company deems necessary or appropriate. The Company shall not be
obligated to take any affirmative action in order to cause the exercisability or
vesting of an Option, to cause the exercise of an Option or the issuance of
shares pursuant thereto, or to cause the grant of Option to comply with any
Applicable Laws or regulation of any governmental authority.
Withholding
. The
Committee may make such provisions and take such steps as it may deem necessary
or appropriate for the withholding of any taxes that the Company is required by
any law or regulation of any governmental authority, whether federal, state or
local, domestic or foreign, to withhold in connection with the grant or exercise
of an Option, or the removal of restrictions on an Option including, but not
limited to: (i) the withholding of delivery of shares of Common Stock until the
holder reimburses the Company for the amount the Company is required to withhold
with respect to such taxes; (ii) the canceling of any number of shares of Common
Stock issuable in an amount sufficient to reimburse the Company for the amount
it is required to so withhold; (iii) withholding the amount due from any such
person’s wages or compensation due to such person; or (iv) requiring
the Participant to pay the Company cash in the amount the Company is required to
withhold with respect to such taxes.
Governing
Law
. The Plan shall be governed by, and construed and enforced
in accordance with, the laws of the State of Florida.
11.
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
Option
Agreements
. All Options granted pursuant to the Plan shall be
evidenced by an Option Agreement. Each Option Agreement shall specify
the terms and conditions of the Option granted and shall contain any additional
provisions as the Committee shall deem appropriate, in its sole and absolute
discretion (including, to the extent that the Committee deems appropriate,
provisions relating to confidentiality, non-competition, non-solicitation and
similar matters). The terms of each Option Agreement need not be
identical for Eligible Individuals provided that all Option Agreements comply
with the terms of the Plan.
Issuance of Certificates;
Shareholder Rights
. The Company shall deliver to the
Participant a certificate evidencing the Participant’s ownership of shares of
Common Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option as soon as
administratively practicable after satisfaction of all conditions relating to
the issuance of such shares. A Participant shall not have any of the
rights of a shareholder with respect to such Common Stock prior to satisfaction
of all conditions relating to the issuance of such Common Stock, and, except as
expressly provided in the Plan, no adjustment shall be made for dividends,
distributions or other rights of any kind for which the record date is prior to
the date on which all such conditions have been satisfied.
Transferability of
Options
. A Participant may not Transfer an Option other than
by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Unless otherwise
provided in the Option Agreement, Options may be exercised during the
Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant. No Option shall be
liable for or subject to the debts, contracts, or liabilities of any
Participant, nor shall any Option be subject to legal process or attachment for
or against such person. Any purported Transfer of an Option in
contravention of the provisions of the Plan shall have no force or effect and
shall be null and void, and the purported transferee of such Option shall not
acquire any rights with respect to such Option. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary, the Committee may in its sole and absolute discretion
permit the Transfer of an Option to a Participant’s “family member” as such term
is defined in the Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, under such terms and conditions as specified by the
Committee. In such case, such Option shall be exercisable only by the
transferee approved of by the Committee. To the extent that the
Committee permits the Transfer of an Incentive Stock Option to a “family
member”, so that such Option fails to continue to satisfy the requirements of an
incentive stock option under the Code such Option shall automatically be
re-designated as a Non-Qualified Stock Option.
Buyout and Settlement
Provisions
. Except as prohibited by any Applicable
Laws, the Committee may at any time on behalf of the Company offer to
buy out any Options previously granted based on such terms and conditions as the
Committee shall determine which shall be communicated to the Participants at the
time such offer is made.
Use of
Proceeds
. The proceeds received by 21st Century from the sale
of Common Stock pursuant to Options granted under the Plan shall constitute
general funds of 21st Century.
Modification or Substitution
of an Option
. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan,
the Committee may modify outstanding Options. Notwithstanding the
following, no modification of an Option shall adversely affect any rights or
obligations of the Participant under the applicable Option Agreement without the
Participant’s consent, including causing adverse tax consequences under Section
409A of the Code. The Committee in its sole and absolute discretion
may rescind, modify, or waive any vesting requirements or other conditions
applicable to an Option.
Amendment and Termination of
Plan
. The Board may, at any time and from time to time, amend,
suspend or terminate the Plan;
provided, however,
that the
Board shall obtain shareholder approval of any amendment to the Plan to the
extent necessary to comply with any Applicable Laws. No amendment,
alteration, suspension of termination of the Plan shall impair the rights of any
Participant, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Participant and the
Committee, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Participant and
the Company. Termination of the Plan shall not affect the Committee's ability to
exercise the powers granted hereunder with respect to Options granted under the
Plan prior to the date of such termination.
Section 409A of the
Code
. The Plan is intended not to provide for deferral of compensation
for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, by means of complying with Section
1.409A-1(b)(5) of the final Treasury regulations issued under Section 409A of
the Code. The provisions of the Plan shall be interpreted in a manner that
satisfies the requirements of Section 1.409A-1(b)(5) of the final Treasury
regulations issued under Section 409A of the Code and the Plan shall be operated
accordingly. If any provision of the Plan or any term or condition of
any Option would otherwise frustrate or conflict with this intent, the
provision, term or condition will be interpreted and deemed amended so as to
avoid this conflict.
In the
event that following the application of the immediately preceding paragraph, any
Option is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the provisions of Section 409A of
the Code and the regulations issued thereunder are incorporated herein by
reference to the extent necessary for any Option that is subject Section 409A of
the Code to comply therewith. In such event, the provisions of the Plan shall be
interpreted in a manner that satisfies the requirements of Section 409A of the
Code and the related regulations, and the Plan shall be operated
accordingly. If any provision of the Plan or any term or condition of
any Option would otherwise frustrate or conflict with this intent, the
provision, term or condition will be interpreted and deemed amended so as to
avoid this conflict.
Notwithstanding
any other provisions of the Plan, the Company does not guarantee to any
Participant or any other person that any Option intended to be exempt from
Section 409A of the Code shall be so exempt, nor that any Option intended to
comply with Section 409A of the Code shall so comply, nor will the Company
indemnify, defend or hold harmless any individual with respect to the tax
consequences of any such failure.
Detrimental
Activity
. All Options shall be subject to cancellation by the
Committee in accordance with the terms of this Section 11(i) if the Participant
engages in any Detrimental Activity. To the extent that a Participant
engages in any Detrimental Activity at any time prior to, or during the one year
period after the later of exercise or vesting of an Option but prior to a Change
in Control, the Company shall, upon the recommendation of the Committee, in its
sole and absolute discretion, be entitled to (i) immediately terminate and
cancel any Options held by the Participant that have not yet been exercised,
and/or (ii) with respect to Options of the Participant that have been previously
exercised, recover from the Participant at any time within two (2) years after
such exercise but prior to a Change in Control (and the Participant shall be
obligated to pay over to the Company with respect to any such Option previously
held by such Participant): (A) with respect to any Options exercised, an amount
equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock for which any
Option was exercised over the Exercise Price paid (regardless of the form by
which payment was made) with respect to such Option and (B) any cash or other
property received by the Participant from the Company pursuant to an
Option. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the
event that a Participant engages in any Detrimental Activity at any time prior
to any exercise of an Option and the Company exercises its remedies pursuant to
this Section 11(i) following the exercise of such Option, such exercise shall be
treated as having been null and void, provided that the Company will
nevertheless be entitled to recover the amounts referenced above.
Disclaimer of
Rights
. No provision in the Plan, any Option granted
hereunder, or any Option Agreement entered into pursuant to the Plan shall be
construed to confer upon any individual the right to remain in the employ of or
other service with the Company or to interfere in any way with the right and
authority of the Company either to increase or decrease the compensation of any
individual, including any holder of an Option, at any time, or to terminate any
employment or other relationship between any individual and the
Company. The grant of an Option pursuant to the Plan shall not affect
or limit in any way the right or power of the Company to make adjustments,
reclassifications, reorganizations or changes of its capital or business
structure or to merge, consolidate, dissolve or liquidate, or to sell or
transfer all or any part of its business or assets.
Unfunded Status of
Plan
. The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan
for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments
as to which a Participant has a fixed and vested interest but which are not yet
made to such Participant by the Company, nothing contained herein shall give any
such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of
the Company.
Nonexclusivity of
Plan
. The adoption of the Plan shall not be construed as
creating any limitations upon the right and authority of the Board to adopt such
other incentive compensation arrangements (which arrangements may be applicable
either generally to a class or classes of individuals or specifically to a
particular individual or individuals) as the Board in its sole and absolute
discretion determines desirable.
Other
Benefits
. No Option payment under the Plan shall be deemed
compensation for purposes of computing benefits under any retirement plan of the
Company or any agreement between a Participant and the Company, nor affect any
benefits under any other benefit plan of the Company now or subsequently in
effect under which benefits are based upon a Participant’s level of
compensation.
Headings
. The
section headings in the Plan are for convenience only; they form no part of this
Plan and shall not affect its interpretation.
Pronouns
. The
use of any gender in the Plan shall be deemed to include all genders, and the
use of the singular shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa,
wherever it appears appropriate from the context.
Successors and
Assigns
. The Plan shall be binding on all successors of the
Company and all successors and permitted assigns of a Participant, including,
but not limited to, a Participant’s estate, devisee, or heir at
law.
Severability
. If
any provision of the Plan or any Option Agreement shall be determined to be
illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining
provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance
with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other
jurisdiction.
Notices
. Unless
otherwise provided by the Committee, any communication or notice required or
permitted to be given under the Plan shall be in writing, and mailed by
registered or certified mail or delivered by hand, to 21st Century, to its
principal place of business, attention: Chief Financial Officer, 21st Century
Holding Company, and if to the holder of an Option, to the address as appearing
on the records of the Company.
APPENDIX
A
DEFINITIONS
"Applicable
Laws" means the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based
options or equity compensation plans under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S.
federal and state securities laws, the Code (including, to the extent
applicable, requirements of Sections 422 and 162(m) thereof), any stock exchange
or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the
applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Options are, or
will be granted under the Plan.
"Option
Agreement" means a written agreement entered into by 21st Century and a
Participant setting forth the terms and conditions of the grant of an Option to
such Participant.
"Board"
means the board of directors of 21st Century.
"Cause"
means, with respect to a termination of employment or other service with the
Company, a termination of employment or other service due to a Participant's
dishonesty, fraud, insubordination, willful misconduct, refusal to perform
services (for any reason other than illness or incapacity) or materially
unsatisfactory performance of the Participant's duties for the Company;
provided, however,
that if
the Participant and the Company have entered into an employment agreement or
consulting agreement which defines the term Cause, the term Cause shall be
defined in accordance with such agreement with respect to any Option granted to
the Participant on or after the effective date of the respective employment or
consulting agreement. The Committee shall determine in its sole and
absolute discretion whether Cause exists for purposes of the Plan.
"Change
in Control" shall be deemed to occur upon:
(a) any
"person" as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act
(other than 21
st
Century,
any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under any employee benefit
plan of the Company, or any company owned, directly or indirectly, by the
shareholders of 21
st
Century
in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of Common Stock of
21
st
Century),
is or becomes the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the
Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of 21
st
Century
representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of 21st
Century's then outstanding securities;
(b) during
any period of two (2) consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of
such period constitute the Board, and any new director (other than a director
designated by a person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to
effect a transaction described in paragraph (a), (c), or (d) of this Section)
whose election by the Board or nomination for election by 21
st
Century's
shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then
still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the two-year
period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved,
cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the
Board;
(c) a
merger, consolidation, reorganization, or other business combination of 21st
Century with any other entity, other than a merger or consolidation which would
result in the voting securities of 21st Century outstanding immediately prior
thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being
converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) more than fifty
percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of 21st
Century or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or
consolidation; provided, however, that a merger or consolidation effected to
implement a recapitalization of 21st Century (or similar transaction) in which
no person acquires more than twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the combined
voting power of 21st Century's then outstanding securities shall not constitute
a Change in Control; or
(d) the
shareholders of 21st Century approve a plan of complete liquidation of 21
st
Century
or the consummation of the sale or disposition by 21st Century of all or
substantially all of 21st Century's assets other than (x) the sale or
disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of 21st Century to a
person or persons who beneficially own, directly or indirectly, at least fifty
percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting
securities of 21st Century at the time of the sale or (y) pursuant to a spin-off
type transaction, directly or indirectly, of such assets to the shareholders of
21st Century.
However,
to the extent that Section 409A of the Code would cause an adverse tax
consequence to a Participant using the above definition, the term "Change in
Control" shall have the meaning ascribed to the phrase "Change in the Ownership
or Effective Control of a Corporation or in the Ownership of a Substantial
Portion of the Assets of a Corporation" under Treasury Department Regulation
1.409A-3(i)(5), as revised from time to time, and in the event that such
regulations are withdrawn or such phrase (or a substantially similar phrase)
ceases to be defined, as determined by the Committee.
"Change
in Control Price" means the price per share of Common Stock paid in any
transaction related to a Change in Control of 21st
Century.
"Code"
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations
promulgated thereunder.
"Committee"
means a committee or sub-committee of the Board consisting of two (2) or more
members of the Board, none of whom shall be an officer or other salaried
employee of the Company. If no Committee exists, the functions of the
Committee will be exercised by the Board. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, with respect to the grant of Options to non-employee directors, the
Committee shall be the Board.
"Common
Stock" means the common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of 21st
Century.
"Company"
means 21st Century Holding Company, a Florida corporation, the subsidiaries
of 21st Century Holding Company, and all other entities whose financial
statements are required to be consolidated with the financial statements of 21st
Century Holding Company pursuant to United States generally accepted accounting
principles, and any other entity determined to be an affiliate of 21st Century
Holding Company as determined by the Committee in its sole and absolute
discretion and any successor thereto.
"Detrimental
Activity" means any of the following: (i) the disclosure to anyone outside the
Company, or the use in other than the Company's business, without written
authorization from the Company, of any confidential information or proprietary
information, relating to the business of the Company, acquired by a Participant
prior to a termination of the Participant's employment or service with the
Company; (ii) activity while employed or providing services that is classified
by the Company as a basis for a termination for Cause; (iii) the Participant's
Disparagement, or inducement of others to do so, of the Company or its past or
present officers, directors, employees or services; or (iv) any other conduct or
act determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, to be injurious,
detrimental or prejudicial to the interests of the Company. For
purposes of subparagraph (i) above, the Chief Executive Officer and the General
Counsel of 21
st
Century
shall each have authority to provide the Participant with written authorization
to engage in the activities contemplated thereby and no other person shall have
authority to provide the Participant with such authorization.
"Disability"
means a "permanent and total disability" within the meaning of Code
Section 22(e)(3);
provided, however
, that if a
Participant and the Company have entered into an employment or consulting
agreement which defines the term Disability for purposes of such agreement,
Disability shall be defined pursuant to the definition in such agreement with
respect to any Option granted to the Participant on or after the effective date
of the respective employment or consulting agreement. The Committee
shall determine in its sole and absolute discretion whether a Disability exists
for purposes of the Plan.
"Disparagement"
means making any comments or statements to the press, the Company's employees,
clients or any other individuals or entities with whom the Company has a
business relationship, which could adversely affect in any manner: (i) the
conduct of the business of the Company (including, without limitation, any
products or business plans or prospects), or (ii) the business reputation of the
Company or any of its products, or its past or present officers, directors or
employees.
"Effective
Date" shall mean the date that the Plan was approved by the shareholders of 21st
Century in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida.
"Eligible
Individual" means any employee, officer, director (employee or non-employee
director) or consultant of the Company and any Prospective Employee to whom
Options are granted in connection with an offer of future employment with the
Company, provided, however, that for purposes of granting Options
there shall be excluded from the definition of Eligible Individual any
individual performing services for the Company, who does not perform services
for 21st Century or any other entity with respect which Common Stock is "service
recipient stock" as such term is defined for purposes of the Treasury
regulations promulgated under Section 409A of the Code.
"Exchange
Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
"Exercise
Price" means the purchase price per share of each share of Common Stock subject
to an Option.
"Fair
Market Value" means, unless otherwise required by the Code, as of any date, the
last sales price reported for the Common Stock on the day immediately prior to
such date (i) as reported by the national securities exchange in the United
States on which it is then traded, or (ii) if not traded on any such national
securities exchange, as quoted on an automated quotation system sponsored by the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or if the Common Stock shall
not have been reported or quoted on such date, on the first day prior thereto on
which the Common Stock was reported or quoted;
provided, however,
that the
Committee may modify the definition of Fair Market Value to reflect any changes
in the trading practices of any exchange or automated system sponsored by the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. on which the Common Stock is
listed or traded. If the Common Stock is not readily traded on a
national securities exchange or any system sponsored by the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc., the Fair Market Value shall be determined in good
faith by the Committee in accordance, when applicable, with Section 409A of the
Code and the regulations issued thereunder.
"Grant
Date" means the date on which the Committee approves the grant of an Option or
such later date as is specified by the Committee and set forth in the applicable
Option Agreement.
“Improper
Termination” means if a Participant terminates his or her employment or other
service with the Company without providing the Company with written notice of
such termination at least fourteen (14) days in advance of his/her termination
date;
provided,
however
, that if a Participant and the Company have entered into an
employment or consulting agreement which provides for a different notice period
than described above, the notice period described in such agreement shall be
used to determine whether Improper Termination has occurred on or after the
effective date of the respective employment or consulting
agreement. It is understood that termination by virtue of Death or
Disability shall not constitute Improper Termination.
"Incentive
Stock Option" means an "incentive stock option" within the meaning of Code
Section 422.
"21st
Century" means 21st Century Holding Company, a Florida corporation, including
any successor thereto by merger, consolidation, acquisition or
otherwise.
"Non-Qualified
Stock Option" means an Option which is not an Incentive Stock
Option.
"Option"
means an option to purchase Common Stock granted pursuant to Section 6 of the
Plan.
"Participant"
means any Eligible Individual who holds an Option under the Plan and any of such
individual's successors or permitted assigns.
"Person"
shall mean any person, corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity
or any group (as such term is defined for purposes of Section 13(d) of the
Exchange Act), other than a parent or subsidiary of 21st Century.
"Plan"
means this 21st Century Holding Company 2009 Stock Option Plan.
"Prospective
Employee" means any individual who has committed to become an employee of the
Company within sixty (60) days from the date an Option is granted to such
individual, provided, however, that for purposes of granting Options
there shall be excluded for the definition of Prospective Employee any
individual who does commit to perform services for 21
st
Century
or any other entity with respect which Common Stock is "service recipient stock"
as such term is defined for purposes of the Treasury regulations promulgated
under Section 409A of the Code.
"Section
424 Employee" means an employee of 21st Century or any "subsidiary corporation"
or "parent corporation" as such terms are defined in and in accordance with Code
Section 424. The term "Section 424 Employee" also includes employees
of a corporation issuing or assuming any Options in a transaction to which Code
Section 424(a) applies.
"Transfer"
means, as a noun, any direct or indirect, voluntary or involuntary, exchange,
sale, bequeath, pledge, mortgage, hypothecation, encumbrance, distribution,
transfer, gift, assignment or other disposition or attempted disposition of,
and, as a verb, directly or indirectly, voluntarily or involuntarily, to
exchange, sell, bequeath, pledge, mortgage, hypothecate, encumber, distribute,
transfer, give, assign or in any other manner whatsoever dispose or attempt to
dispose of.