9.8.Rights of Holders of Restricted Stock Units; Dividend Equivalents. Participants who receive Restricted Stock Units shall have no rights as stockholders with respect to such Restricted Stock Units until such time as share certificates for Common Stock are issued to the Participants; and such Participants shall never have rights as stockholders if the Restricted Stock Units are payable only in cash; provided, however, that, the Award agreement may provide for Dividend Equivalents. Dividend Equivalents, if any, shall be payable quarterly during the applicable restricted period for all Restricted Stock Units awarded hereunder, or at the end of the restricted period, or otherwise as provided in the Award agreement; provided, that Dividend Equivalents shall be payable at a time that satisfies the requirements of (or an exemption from) Section 409A of the Code, including the rules and regulations thereunder (together, “Section 409A”). Dividend Equivalents shall otherwise be considered a part of the award of Restricted Stock Units.
10.Performance Awards. A Performance Award is based on the extent to which the applicable Performance Goals are achieved. A Performance Award shall be of no value to a Participant unless and until earned in accordance with this Section 10.
10.1.Establishment of Performance Goals. Performance Goals applicable to a Performance Award shall be established by the Committee in its absolute discretion and not more than 90 days after the beginning of the relevant Performance Period. Such Performance Goals for Performance Awards that are intended to qualify as “performance-based” compensation within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code shall be based on one or more of the following business criteria: earnings per share, operating income or profit, net income, gross or net sales, expenses, expenses as a percentage of net sales, inventory turns, cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on equity, and cash flow return on investment), gross profit, margins, working capital, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), return measures (including, but not limited to, return on assets, capital, invested capital, equity, sales, or revenue), revenue growth, share price (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total shareholder return), operating efficiency, productivity ratios, market share, economic value added and safety. For Performance Awards that are intended to so qualify under Section 162(m), the targets shall be established within the required time period. Any of the above criteria may be used to measure the performance of the Company, a Subsidiary, and/or affiliate of the Company as a whole or any business unit of the Company, Subsidiary, and/or such an affiliate or any combination thereof, as the Committee may deem appropriate, or any of the above criteria as compared to the performance of a group of comparator companies, or published or special index that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate, or the Committee may select criteria based on the Company’s share price as compared to various stock market indices. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may modify the Performance Goals if it determines that circumstances have changed and modification is required to reflect the original intent of the Performance Goals; provided, however, that no such change or modification may be made to the extent it increases the amount of compensation payable to any Participant who is a “covered employee” within the meaning of Code Section 162(m).
10.2.Levels of Performance Required to Earn Performance Awards. At or about the same time that Performance Goals are established for a specific period, the Committee shall in its absolute discretion establish the percentage of the Performance Awards granted for such Performance Period which shall be earned by the Participant for various levels of performance measured in relation to achievement of Performance Goals for such Performance Period.
10.3.Other Terms. The Committee shall determine the terms and conditions applicable to any Performance Award, which may include vesting provisions, restrictions on the
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delivery of Common Stock payable in connection with the Performance Award, the requirement that such Common Stock be delivered in the form of Restricted Stock, or other restrictions that could result in the future forfeiture of all or part of any Common Stock earned. The Committee may provide that shares of Common Stock issued in connection with a Performance Award be held in escrow and/or legended.
10.4.Notification to Participants. Promptly after the Committee has established or modified the Performance Goals with respect to a Performance Award, the Participant shall be provided with written notice of the Performance Goals so established or modified.
10.5.Measurement of Performance Against Performance Goals. The Committee shall, as soon as practicable after the close of a Performance Period, determine:
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| (a) the extent to which the Performance Goals for such Performance Period have been achieved; and |
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| (b) the percentage of the Performance Awards earned as a result. |
These determinations shall be absolute and final as to the facts and conclusions therein made and be binding on all parties. Promptly after the Committee has made the foregoing determination, each Participant who has earned Performance Awards shall be notified, in writing thereof. For all purposes of this Plan, notice shall be deemed to have been given the date action is taken by the Committee making the determination. Participants may not sell, transfer, pledge, exchange, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of all or any portion of their Performance Awards during the Performance Period, except that Performance Awards may be transferable by assignment by a Participant to the extent provided in the applicable Performance Award agreement.
10.6.Treatment of Performance Awards Earned. Upon the Committee’s determination that a percentage of any Performance Awards have been earned for a Performance Period, Participants to whom such earned Performance Awards have been granted and who have been (or were) in the employ of the Company or a Subsidiary thereof continuously from the Grant Date, subject to the exceptions set forth in this section and in Section 10.9 hereof, shall be entitled, subject to the other conditions of this Plan, to payment in accordance with the terms and conditions of their Performance Awards. Such terms and conditions may permit or require that any applicable tax withholding be deducted from the amount payable. Performance Awards shall under no circumstances become earned or have any value whatsoever for any Participant who is not in the employ of the Company or a Subsidiary continuously during the entire Performance Period for which such Performance Award was granted, except as provided by the Committee in circumstances it deems advisable or as provided in Section 10.9 hereof.
10.7.Distribution. Distributions payable pursuant to Section 10.6 above shall be made as soon as practicable after the Committee determines the Performance Awards have been earned unless the provisions of Section 10.8 hereof are applicable to a Participant.
10.8.Deferral of Receipt of Performance Award Distributions; Compliance with Section 409A. With the consent of the Committee, a Participant who has been granted a Performance Award may elect to defer receipt of all or any part of any distribution associated with that Performance Award pursuant to the terms of a deferred compensation plan of the Company. In any such event, the agreement evidencing such Performance Award shall comply in all respects with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
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10.9.Non-Disqualifying Termination of Employment. Exceptions to the requirement of continuous employment during a Performance Period for Performance Award distribution include Retirement as defined in Section 11.4(a), or termination of a Participant’s employment by reason of death (in which event the Performance Award may be transferable by will or the laws of descent and distribution only to such Participant’s beneficiary designated to receive the Performance Award or to the Participant’s applicable legal representatives, heirs or legatees) or total and permanent disability, with the consent of the Committee, occurring during the Performance Period applicable to the subject Performance Award. In the instance of Retirement, death or total and permanent disability as described above, a distribution of the Performance Award shall be made as soon as practicable, with the distributed amount equal to the amount that could have been earned during the Performance Period if the Participant were continuously employed by the Company or a Subsidiary until the last day of the Performance Period; provided, that the amount earned will be established by the Committee (i) based upon the actual achievement level of the Performance Goals for any fiscal year during the Performance Period that was completed prior to termination and for the fiscal year in which the termination occurred, and (ii) based upon the assumed achievement of target levels of the Performance Goals for any subsequent fiscal year during the Performance Period.
11.General
11.1. Effective Date. The Plan will become effective upon its approval by the Board, subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders.
11.2.Duration. The Plan shall remain in effect until all Incentives granted under the Plan have either been satisfied by the issuance of shares of Common Stock or the payment of cash or been terminated under the terms of the Plan and all restrictions imposed on shares of Common Stock in connection with their issuance under the Plan have lapsed. No Incentives may be granted under the Plan after the tenth anniversary of the date the Plan is approved by the Company’s stockholders.
11.3.Limits on Transfer of Awards. No Award and no right under any such Award shall be transferable by a Participant for any consideration. Except as otherwise provided by the terms of this Plan, no Award and no right under any such Award shall be transferable by a Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. The Committee may establish procedures as it deems appropriate for a Participant to designate a Person or Persons, as beneficiary or beneficiaries, to exercise the rights of the Participant and receive any property distributable with respect to any Award in the event of the Participant’s death. The Committee, in its discretion and subject to such additional terms and conditions as it determines, may permit a Participant to transfer a Stock Option to any “family member” (as such term is defined in the General Instructions to Form S-8 (or any successor to such Instructions or such Form) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) at any time that such Participant holds such Option, provided that such transfers may not be for value (i.e., the transferor may not receive any consideration therefore) and the family member may not make any subsequent transfers other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Each Award under the Plan or right under any such Award shall be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant, except as provided herein or in an agreement evidencing an Award or amendment thereto relating to a Stock Option) or, if permissible under applicable law, by the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. No Award or right under any such Award may be pledged, alienated, attached or otherwise encumbered, and any purported pledge, alienation, attachment or encumbrance thereof shall be void and unenforceable against the Company.
11.4.Effect of Retirement or Other Termination.
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| (a) In the event of a Participant’s Retirement (as defined below), if and to the extent provided in the agreement evidencing any Incentive described in this sentence, |
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| (1) all outstanding Restricted Stock Awards, Stock Options, SARs and Restricted Stock Units previously granted to the Participant will become 100% vested, (2) the Participant shall be entitled to exercise any outstanding Stock Options and SARs for the remainder of the original term of the Stock Option or SAR, provided that if the Participant violates his/her Non-Compete Agreement (as defined below), all of his/her unexercised Stock Options and SARs shall terminate immediately and be forfeited to the Company and (3) the Participant will become entitled to a distribution of any Performance Award as described in Section 10.9. For purposes of this Plan, “Retirement” means the termination of employment with the Company or a Subsidiary for any reason other than death, Disability or Termination for Cause (as defined below) at any time after the Participant has attained the age of fifty-five years or a different age specified for a Participant for any Incentive) if the Participant has executed a Non-Compete Agreement (as defined below). “Non-Compete Agreement” means an agreement not to directly or indirectly render services (including consulting or research) for a period of three years to any person or business organization that is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of any product, process or service (including any component thereof or research to develop information useful in connection with a product or service) that is being designed, developed, assembled, manufactured, marketed or sold by anyone other than the Company and which is of the same general type, performs similar functions, competes with or is used for the same purposes as a product of the Company or a Subsidiary. “Termination for Cause” means the termination of employment with the Company or a Subsidiary as a result of an illegal act, gross insubordination or willful violation of a policy of the Company or a Subsidiary by a Participant. |
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| (b) In the event that a Participant ceases to be an employee of or consultant to the Company or a Subsidiary or a director of the Company, as applicable, for any reason other than Retirement, including death or disability, any Incentives may be exercised or shall expire at such times as may be set forth in the agreement, if any, applicable to the Incentive, or otherwise as determined by the Committee. |
11.5.Restrictions under Securities Laws. Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary: (a) the Company may, if it shall determine it necessary or desirable for any reason, at the time of Award of any Incentive or the issuance of any shares of Common Stock pursuant to any Incentive, require the recipient of the Incentive, as a condition to the receipt thereof or to the receipt of shares of Common Stock issued pursuant thereto, to deliver to the Company a written representation of present intention to acquire the Incentive or the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant thereto for his or her own account for investment and not for distribution; and (b) if at any time the Company further determines, in its sole discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification (or any updating of any such document) of any Incentive or the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant thereto is necessary on any securities exchange or under any federal or state securities or blue sky law, or that the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with the Award of any Incentive, the issuance of shares of Common Stock pursuant thereto, or the removal of any restrictions imposed on such shares, such Incentive shall not be awarded or such shares of Common Stock shall not be issued or such restrictions shall not be removed, as the case may be, 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.
11.6.Adjustment. In the event of any change in the outstanding Common Stock of the Company by reason of a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, combination of shares, spin-off, dividend (other than regular, quarterly cash dividends), recapitalization, merger or similar event, the Committee shall make appropriate adjustments in the number of shares of
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Common Stock then subject to the Plan, the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to any Incentive, the exercise price of any Stock Option or SAR, the Performance Goals for any Incentive, and other provisions of this Plan and outstanding Incentives, in order to reflect the change in the Common Stock and to provide Participants with the same relative rights before and after such adjustment.
11.7.Incentive Plans and Agreements. Except in the case of Stock Awards, the terms of each Incentive shall be stated in a plan or agreement approved by the Committee. The Committee shall communicate the key terms of each Award to the Participant promptly after the Committee approves the grant of such Award.
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| 11.8.Withholding |
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| (a) The Company shall have the right to withhold from any payments made under the Plan or to collect as a condition of payment, any taxes required by law to be withheld. At any time when a Participant is required to pay to the Company an amount required to be withheld under applicable income tax laws in connection with a distribution of Common Stock or upon exercise of a Stock Option or SAR or upon vesting of Restricted Stock, the Participant may satisfy this obligation in whole or in part by electing (the “Election”) to have the Company withhold, from the distribution or from such shares of Restricted Stock, shares of Common Stock having a value up to the minimum amount of withholding taxes required to be collected on the transaction. The value of the shares to be withheld shall be based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date that the amount of tax to be withheld shall be determined (“Tax Date”). |
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| (b) Each Election must be made prior to the Tax Date. The Committee may disapprove of any Election, may suspend or terminate the right to make Elections, or may provide with respect to any Incentive that the right to make Elections shall not apply to such Incentive. An Election is irrevocable. |
11.9.No Continued Employment, Engagement or Right to Corporate Assets. No Participant under the Plan shall have any right, because of his or her participation, to continue in the employ of the Company for any period of time or to any right to continue his or her present or any other rate of compensation. Nothing contained in the Plan shall be construed as giving an employee, a consultant, such persons’ beneficiaries or any other person any equity or interests of any kind in the assets of the Company or creating a trust of any kind or a fiduciary relationship of any kind between the Company and any such person.
11.10.Payments Under Incentives. Payment of cash or distribution of any shares of Common Stock to which a Participant is entitled under any Incentive shall be made as provided in the Incentive. Except as permitted under Section 11.14, payments and distributions may not be deferred under any Incentive unless the deferral complies with the requirements of Code Section 409A.
11.11.Amendment of the Plan. The Board or Committee may amend or discontinue the Plan at any time. However, no such amendment or discontinuance shall adversely change or impair, without the consent of the recipient, an Incentive previously granted. Further, no such amendment shall, without approval of the stockholders of the Company, (a) increase the maximum number of shares of Common Stock which may be issued to all Participants under the Plan, or (b) make any other change for which stockholder approval is required by law or under the applicable rules of the New York Stock Exchange.
11.12.Amendment of Agreements for Incentives; No Stock Option or SAR Repricing Without Stockholder Approval. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 11.12, the terms of an existing Incentive may be amended by agreement between the Committee and the
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Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, except as permitted under Section 11.6, 11.13 or 11.14, (a) without the prior approval of the Company’s stockholders, (i) no Stock Option or SAR will be repriced, replaced, or regranted through cancellation, (ii) the exercise price of a previously granted Stock Option or SAR will not be lowered and (iii) no Stock Option or SAR whose Fair Market Value is lower than its exercise price will be exchanged for cash or another Incentive, and (b) no such amendment shall (i) extend the maximum period during which such Incentive may be exercised, either by extending the term of the Incentive or by extending the exercise period following termination of employment or any other applicable event, or (ii) reduce the exercise price per share below the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date the Incentive was granted, unless, in either case, the Incentive, as amended, complies with the requirements of Section 409A.
11.13.Change in Control. In the event of a Change in Control, the Committee or a comparable committee of any corporation assuming the obligations of the Company hereunder shall declare (a) that the restriction period of all Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units has been eliminated; (b) that all Restricted Stock Units shall be payable in connection with the Change in Control, pursuant to the following paragraph, if applicable; (c) that subject to the third paragraph of this Section 11.13, all outstanding Stock Options and SARs shall accelerate and become exercisable in full but that all outstanding Stock Options and SARs, whether or not exercisable prior to such acceleration, must be exercised within the period of time set forth in a notice to Participant or they will terminate; and (d) that all Performance Awards granted to Participants are deemed earned.
In connection with any declaration pursuant to this Section 11.13 that applies to Restricted Stock Units that are payable in cash, the Committee shall cause a cash payment to be made to each Participant who holds any such Restricted Stock Unit in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of the Transaction Proceeds Per Share (as defined in the following sentence) times (b) the number of shares of Common Stock covered by such Restricted Stock Unit. For purposes of this Section 11.13, “Transaction Proceeds Per Share” shall mean the cash plus the Fair Market Value of the non-cash consideration to be received per share by the shareholders of the Company upon the occurrence of the transaction.
In connection with any declaration pursuant to this Section 11.13 that applies to Stock Options or SARs, the Committee may, but shall not be obligated to, cause a cash payment to be made to each Participant who holds a Stock Option or SAR that is terminated in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (a) the amount (if any) by which the Transaction Proceeds Per Share exceeds the exercise price per share covered by such Stock Option, times (b) the number of shares of Common Stock covered by such Stock Option or SAR.
The Board may restrict the rights of Participants or the applicability of this Section 11.13 to the extent necessary to comply with Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, the Code or any other applicable law or regulation. The grant of an Incentive Award pursuant to the Plan shall not 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, exchange or consolidate or to dissolve, liquidate, sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets.
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| 11.14.Deferred Compensation |
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| (a) Except to the extent such acceleration or deferral is permitted or complies with the requirements of Code Section 409A and the regulations promulgated thereunder, neither the Committee nor a Participant may accelerate or defer the time or schedule of any payment of, or the amount scheduled to be paid under, an Incentive that constitutes Deferred Compensation; provided, however, that payment shall be permitted if it is in accordance with a fixed date or schedule or on |
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| account of “separation from service,” “disability,” death, “change in control” or “ unforeseeable emergency” as those terms are defined under Code Section 409A and the regulations promulgated thereunder. |
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| (b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan, unless the agreement evidencing the Incentive specifically provides otherwise, the Company may not make payment to a Specified Employee of any Incentive that constitutes Deferred Compensation, earlier than 6 months following the Participant’s “separation from service” as defined for purposes of Code Section 409A (or if earlier, upon the Specified Employee’s death), except as permitted under Code Section 409A and the regulations promulgated thereunder. Any payments that otherwise would be payable to the Specified Employee during the foregoing 6 month period will be accumulated and payment delayed until the first date after the 6 month period. The Committee may specify in the Stock Incentive Agreement, that the amount of the Deferred Compensation delayed shall accumulate interest, earnings or Dividend Equivalents (as applicable) during the period of such delay. |
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| (c) The Committee may, however, reform any provision in an Incentive intended to comply with (or be exempt from) Code Section 409A to maintain to the maximum extent practicable the original intent of the applicable provision without violating the provisions of Code Section 409A and the regulations promulgated thereunder. |
11.15.Prior Plans. Notwithstanding the adoption of this Plan by the Board and its approval by the stockholders, the Company’s Prior Plans, as they have been amended from time to time, shall remain in effect, and all grants and awards made under the Prior Plans shall be governed by the terms of the Prior Plans. No further grants shall be made under the Prior Plans.
Approved by the Board of Directors on December 10, 2008.
Approved by the stockholders on February 25, 2009.
Amended on October 20, 2009 to add an additional 3,000,000 shares to the Plan reserve;
amendment approved by the stockholders on February 18, 2010.
Amended June 8, 2010.
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