The Board or the Committee may at any time amend, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan; provided, however, that no such action shall be effective without approval by the shareholders of the Company to the extent required by applicable law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment, suspension, discontinuance or termination of the Plan shall adversely affect the rights of any Participant or beneficiary in respect of any award that the Committee has determined to be payable to a Participant in accordance with the terms hereof or as to any amounts awarded.
Section 9. General Provisions
(a) Effective Date and Duration of the Plan. The Plan shall be effective with respect to calendar years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. The Plan will remain in effect until such time as it shall be terminated by the Board, pursuant to Section 8 above.
(b) Designation of Beneficiary. Each Participant may designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries (which beneficiary may be an entity other than a natural person) to receive any payments which may be made following the Participants death. Such designation may be changed or canceled at any time without the consent of any such beneficiary. Any such designation, change or cancellation must be made in a form approved by the Committee and shall not be effective until received by the Committee. If no beneficiary has been named, or the designated beneficiary or beneficiaries shall have predeceased the Participant, the beneficiary shall be the Participant’s spouse or, if no spouse survives the Participant, the Participant’s estate. If a Participant designates more than one beneficiary, the rights of such beneficiaries shall be payable in equal shares, unless the Participant has designated otherwise.
(c) No Right of Continued Employment. Nothing contained in the Plan shall create any rights of employment in any Participant or in any way affect the right and power of the Company to discharge any Participant or otherwise terminate the Participant’s employment at any time with or without cause or to change the terms of employment in any way.
(d) No Limitations on Corporate Actions. Nothing contained in the Plan shall be construed to prevent the Company from taking any corporate action (including, without limitation, making provision for the payment of other incentive compensation, whether payable in cash or otherwise, or whether pursuant to a plan or otherwise) which is deemed by it to be appropriate or in its best interest, whether or not such action would have an adverse effect on any awards made under the Plan. No employee, beneficiary or other person shall have any claim against the Company as a result of any such action.
(e) No Right to Specific Assets. Nothing contained in the Plan (including, without limitation, the provisions of Section 6 hereof) shall be construed to create in any Participant or beneficiary any claim against, right to or lien on any particular assets of the Company or to require the Company to segregate or otherwise set aside any assets or create any fund to meet any of its obligations hereunder.
(f) No Contractual Right to Incentive. Nothing in this Plan shall be construed to give any Participant any right, whether contractual or otherwise, to receive any incentive with respect to any Performance Period unless and until the Committee shall have expressly determined that such a Participant is entitled to receive such an award pursuant to the terms of the Plan.
(g) Non-alienation of Benefits. Except as expressly provided herein, no Participant or beneficiary shall have the power or right to sell, transfer, assign, pledge or otherwise encumber the Participant’s interest under the Plan.
(h) Withholding. Any amount payable to a Participant or a beneficiary under this Plan shall be subject to any applicable Federal, state and local income and employment taxes and any other amounts that the Company is required at law to deduct and withhold from such payment.
(i) Severability. If any provision of this Plan is held unenforceable, the remainder of the Plan shall continue in full force and effect without regard to such unenforceable provision and shall be applied as though the unenforceable provision were not contained in the Plan.