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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

  

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 11, 2023

 

SPRUCE POWER HOLDING CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   001-38971   83-4109918

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

  (Commission File Number)  

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1875 Lawrence Street, Suite 320

Denver, CO

  80202
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(866903-2399

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act

 

  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act

 

  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act

 

  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)  

Name of each exchange

on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share   SPRU   New York Stock Exchange

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On May 11, 2023, Spruce Power Holding Corporation (the "Company") announced that effective on May 19, 2023, Sarah Weber Wells is appointed as Chief Financial Officer. In addition to her role as Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Wells will continue to serve as Head of Sustainability of the Company. Donald Klein's position as Chief Financial Officer of the Company is terminated effective May 19, 2023, consistent with the previously announced transition from XL Fleet to Spruce Power executive management.

 

Mrs. Wells, age 45, has served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Accounting, and Head of Sustainability of the Company since September 2022; prior thereto she served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Accounting of Spruce Power from November 2018 to September 2022. Prior to joining Spruce Power, Mrs. Wells served as Finance Manager of Cornerstone Building Brands, a building products manufacturer, from November 2013 to November 2018. There are no family relationships among Mrs. Wells and any other executive officers or directors of the Company.

 

Mrs. Wells is a party to a 2018 Offer Letter and a 2022 Enhanced Severance Benefits Letter (collectively, the "Employment Letters"). The Employment Letters include a minimum base salary of $145,000 per year and a severance benefit equal to three months of base salary. The description of the Employment Letters set forth herein is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Employment Letters, copies of which are attached as Exhibit 10.1 and Exhibit 10.2 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit
Number
  Description
10.1   Offer Letter, dated October 25, 2018, between Sarah Weber Wells and Spruce Lending, Inc.
     
10.2   Enhanced Severance Letter, dated April 27, 2022, between Sarah Weber Wells and Spruce Power.
     
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

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SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Current Report on Form 8-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  SPRUCE POWER HOLDING CORPORATION
     
Date: May 12, 2023 By:

/s/ Stacey Constas

  Name:  Stacey Constas
  Title: General Counsel

 

 

2

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

October 25, 2018

 

Sarah Wells

Via Email Address

 

Dear Sarah:

 

On behalf of Spruce Finance Inc. (“Spruce”) and its subsidiary Spruce Lending, Inc. (“Spruce Lending”), I am pleased to extend to you our offer of employment. This offer supersedes any prior representations or understandings, whether expressed orally or in writing. The terms of your employment with Spruce Lending will be as follows:

 

Position: You will be the Assistant Controller reporting to Shaun Lambert, Vice President, Finance and Treasurer, in our Houston office. This is a full time position, and you will be classified as exempt. This position is primarily responsible overseeing the General Accounting and Financial Reporting functions and the financial services area including Credit, A/R and A/P, but your actual responsibilities may vary as Spruce Lending’s needs may require.

 

Start Date: Your regular employment will begin on November 5, 2018, unless this date is adjusted by mutual agreement. Please note that on your first day of work you will need to present documentation that establishes your identity and employment eligibility.

 

Compensation: You will receive a monthly salary of $12,083.33, payable semimonthly. This equates out to an annual salary of $145,000.00.

 

All compensation payable to you is subject to applicable tax withholdings.

 

TriNet HR Corporation: Our benefits, payroll, and other human resource management services are provided through TriNet HR Corporation, a professional employer organization. As a result of Spruce’s arrangement with TriNet, TriNet will be considered your employer of record for these purposes, and your managers here at Spruce Lending will be responsible for directing your work, reviewing your performance, setting your schedule, and otherwise supervising you at Spruce Lending. Because of this arrangement with TriNet, all pay statements will be issued under the name of Spruce Lending, Inc.

 

Benefits: Through TriNet, Spruce and Spruce Lending offer benefits for you and your qualified dependents as outlined in a Summary of Benefits that is available upon request. Information about these benefits and additional information will be available on-line on the terms and conditions included in the Terms and Conditions Agreement (TCA) each new employee must accept in order to access TriNet’s on-line self-service portal, HR Passport®.

 

Paid time-off: You will earn fifteen (15) business days of paid time-off annually.

 

Assignment of Inventions and Confidentiality and Acknowledgement of Spruce Lending Handbook: We require, as a condition of employment, that all employees sign an At-Will Employment, Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement. As a Spruce Lending employee, you are required to follow its rules and regulations. Therefore, you will be asked to acknowledge in writing that you have read the Spruce Lending employee handbook. In order to retain necessary flexibility in the administration of its policies and procedures, Spruce and Spruce Lending reserve the right to change or revise their policies, procedures, and benefits at any time.

 

 

Spruce Lending, Inc. | 2900 N. Loop W. 3rd Floor | Houston, TX 77092

 

sprucefinance.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secure Background Screening: HireRight, Inc. will be verifying the information you provide to Spruce Lending either during the pre-employment process or at the time of employment and researching background information at our request, including credit file information where required for your position. Our objective is to complete this process quickly. Please make every effort to accurately provide all of the information requested on the application. A HireRight associate may contact you for additional information during the verification process. Please return the associate’s call or e-mail promptly to help ensure that your application is processed as quickly as possible. This offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion of this background screening, credit and reference checks.

 

Non-disparagement: During the term of your employment and thereafter, you agree that you will not nor will you encourage or actively assist any third-party to in any way disparage Spruce, Spruce Lending or their current and former officers, directors and employees, verbally or in writing, or make any statements to the press or to third-parties that may be derogatory or detrimental to Spruce or Spruce Lending’s products and/or services. You understand that nothing in this letter shall in any way limit or prohibit you from engaging for a lawful purpose in any Protected Activity. For purposes of this letter, “Protected Activity” shall mean filing a charge or complaint, or otherwise communicating, cooperating, or participating with, any state, federal, or other governmental agency, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board.

 

At-Will Status: Please understand, as stated in all job offers, Spruce Lending is an employment-at- will company. That means that you or Spruce Lending may terminate your employment at any time, with or without cause and with or without prior notice. Your at-will status may not be changed except by a written agreement signed by Spruce’s CEO.

 

Sincerely,  
   
/s/ Daniel Garcia  
Daniel Garcia  
Manager, Administration  

 

Acceptance

 

I accept this conditional offer which is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and acknowledge that my employment with Spruce Lending will be, subject to the terms and conditions contained herein, on an at-will basis.

 

/s/ Sarah Wells   Date: 10/25/2018
Sarah Wells    

 

 

Spruce Lending, Inc. | 2900 N. Loop W. 3rd Floor | Houston, TX 77092

 

sprucefinance.com

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.2

 

 

April 27, 2022

 

Sarah Wells

Via Email

 

Dear Sarah:

 

We value your continued support of, and service to, Spruce Power (the “Company”). In recognition of your continued commitment to the Company, I am pleased to provide you with this letter (this “Letter”) amending your offer letter with the Company to provide for the below separation benefits.

 

Separation Benefits 

 

In the event that the Company terminates your employment without Cause (not including any termination of employment due to your death or disability), and provided that such termination is a “separation from service” under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 409A”), then subject to the conditions of this Letter (including your execution and non-revocation of the Separation Agreement), the Company will make a lump sum separation payment to you equal to 3 months of your current base salary (the “Separation Payment”), less applicable withholdings.

 

Definitions

 

For purposes of this Letter, “Cause” means (i) your material breach of any agreement between you and the Company, (ii) your continued failure to perform any material duty or responsibility specified in the description of your duties set forth in any agreement between you and the Company, reasonably assigned to you by the Company, or otherwise owed to the Company, (iii) your conviction of, or your plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, a felony under the laws of the United States or any State or your conviction of, or your plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, any other crime involving moral turpitude or fraud, (iv) your gross misconduct, commission of an act of moral turpitude, embezzlement, gross negligence, willful malfeasance, or willful violation of any law, rule, regulation, written agreement or final cease-and-desist order applicable to the Company or its business which causes or could be expected to cause harm to the Company, (v) your failure to cooperate in good faith with a governmental or internal investigation of the Company or its directors, officers or employees, if the Company has requested your cooperation, (vi) your material failure to comply with the Company’s written policies or rules, as they may be in effect from time to time. For avoidance of doubt, your termination of employment due to your death or disability will not be deemed termination without Cause, nor will the acceleration of your resignation from the Company.

 

 

Spruce Power | 820 Gessner Rd. Ste. 500 | Houston, TX 77024

 

sprucepower.com

 

 

 

 

Separation Agreement Requirement

 

Your receipt of the Separation Payment is subject to you signing and not revoking a release of claims with the Company (which may include an agreement not to disparage the Company, non-solicit provisions and other standard terms and conditions) in the form provided to you by the Company (the “Separation Agreement”) and provided that such Separation Agreement becomes effective and irrevocable no later than sixty (60) days following your termination of employment (such deadline, the “Separation Agreement Deadline”). If the Separation Agreement does not become effective and irrevocable by the Separation Agreement Deadline, you will forfeit any rights to the Separation Payment. In no event will Separation Payment be made or provided until the Separation Agreement becomes effective and irrevocable. Except as provided below, any cash amounts due to you will be paid, less applicable withholdings, as soon as practicable following the effectiveness of the Separation Agreement (and in all cases, within 60 days following your separation from service, except as required by the Section 409A provisions below).

 

Section 409A

 

This Letter and all payments and benefits thereunder are intended to be exempt from or otherwise comply with Section 409A so that none of the payments and benefits to be provided thereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities or ambiguous terms herein will be interpreted in that manner. References to your “termination of employment” will refer to your “separation from service” as defined in Section 409A.

 

In the event that your separation from service occurs at a time during the calendar year where the Separation Agreement Deadline is in the calendar year following the calendar year in which your separation from service occurs, all cash severance payments to which you may be entitled will be paid on the first payroll date to occur during the calendar year following the calendar year in which such separation from service occurs (the “Payroll Date”), or, if later: (x) the Separation Agreement Deadline, (y) such time as required by the payment schedule applicable to each severance benefit, or (z) such time as required by the following paragraph. Except as required by the below paragraph, any payments that would have been made to you prior to the later of the Payroll Date or Separation Agreement Deadline but for the payment requirements of the preceding sentence will be paid to you on the later of the Payroll Date or the Separation Agreement Deadline following your separation from service and the remaining payments will be made as provided in this Letter. In no event will you have discretion to determine the taxable year of payment of any severance payments.

 

Further, if and to the extent necessary to avoid subjecting you to an additional tax under Section 409A, payment of all or a portion of the payments that constitute deferred compensation under Section 409A (the “Deferred Payments”), if any, that otherwise would be payable to you within the first 6 months following your termination of employment will instead be delayed until the date that is 6 months and 1 day following your termination of employment (except where your termination of employment is due to your death). All subsequent Deferred Payments, if any, will be payable in accordance with the payment schedule applicable to each payment or benefit. Each payment and benefit payable under this Letter is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of the Section 409A-related regulations.

 

 

 

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You and the Company agree to work together to consider amendments to this Letter and to take such reasonable actions to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A prior to actual payment to you. In no event will the Company reimburse you for any taxes that may be imposed on you as a result of Section 409A.

 

Miscellaneous

 

This Letter will be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas. All determinations under this Letter shall be made by the Company’s board of directors in good faith, and all such determinations shall be final and binding on all parties, and given the maximum deference permitted under law. Your employment with the Company continues to be “at-will” and this Letter does not guarantee or imply any right to your continued employment for any period whatsoever with the Company. This Letter supersedes any prior representations, understandings, or discussions, whether expressed orally or in writing, relating to the terms and subject matter of this Letter, including the terms of any offer letter or agreement between you and the Company providing for separation benefits. This Letter is the full and complete agreement between you and the Company regarding the subject matter hereof. This Letter may be modified only in a signed written agreement between you and the CEO of the Company.

 

To indicate your acceptance of the terms of this Letter, please sign in the space indicated below.

 

  Sincerely,
   
  SPRUCE POWER
   
  /s/ Christian Fong
  Christian Fong
  Chairman & CEO

 

AGREED AND ACCEPTED:  
   
/s/ Sarah Wells  
Sarah Wells  
   
5/5/2022  
Date  

 

 

 

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