Exhibit 10.2
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) dated October 20, 2023
BETWEEN:
PURE SUNFARMS CORP., a corporation governed by the laws of British Columbia
(the “Company”)
AND:
ORVILLE BOVENSCHEN, of ----------------------------------------------------------
(the “Executive”)
BACKGROUND FACTS:
NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSES that in consideration of the premises, the mutual covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged by each of the parties), the parties hereby agree as follows:
This Agreement becomes effective on the Effective Date. However, the Company will recognize the Executive’s start date with the Company as January 16, 2023, for all applicable purposes under this Agreement.
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The Executive will continue to be employed by the Company for an indefinite term (the “Term”) until the Executive’s employment is terminated in accordance with this Agreement.
At all times during the Executive’s employment with the Company, the Executive will:
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The Executive’s base salary will be CAD $420,000 per annum (the “Base Salary”). The Company will pay the Executive’s Base Salary in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices, as may be amended from time to time. The Company will prorate the Base Salary for any partial calendar years that the Executive is employed by the Company.
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The Executive will be reimbursed by the Company for all reasonable business expenses incurred in the course of the Executive’s employment in accordance with Company policy. In order to be eligible for reimbursement for business expenses, the Executive must submit valid receipts at the time and in the form designated by the Company.
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The Executive is entitled to four (4) weeks of paid vacation per annum. This will be paid vacation through the Company continuing to provide the Executive with the Base Salary during the Executive’s vacation. The Executive will take vacation at times approved by the Company. All vacation entitlement must be taken by the Executive in the year it is earned, unless otherwise approved by the Company in its sole discretion. The Company will prorate the Executive’s annual vacation entitlement for any partial calendar years that the Executive is employed by the Company.
The Executive expressly acknowledges and agrees that unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing by the Company subsequent to execution of this Agreement by the parties hereto, the Executive will not be entitled by reason of the Executive’s employment by the Company to any remuneration, compensation or benefits other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement. The Executive further acknowledges that the compensation provided to the Executive in this Agreement represents compensation for all hours worked by the Executive in the performance of the Executive’s duties for the Company.
(a) The Executive may resign at any time, but only by giving the Company two (2) months’ prior written notice of the effective date of such resignation (the “Resignation Effective Date”). In the event that the Executive resigns the Executive’s employment, the Company will continue to pay the Executive the Base Salary up to the Resignation Effective Date; pay the Executive the value of any unused accrued vacation entitlement pro-rated for that portion of the calendar year up to the Resignation Effective Date or as may be required by the minimum provisions of the British Columbia Employment Standards Act (the “ESA”); and reimburse the Executive for any unpaid business expenses. The Executive will not be entitled to any further compensation or payments from the Company.
(b) The Company may waive the Executive’s resignation notice provided pursuant to paragraph 12(a) of this Agreement, in whole or in part, and in such circumstances, the Executive’s employment with the Company will end on the date specified by the Company and the Company will continue to provide the Executive with the following: (i) Base Salary payments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practices through to the Resignation Effective Date; and (ii) benefit coverage under the Benefit Plans (except any benefit coverage which the Company’s insurer(s) do not agree to extend following the end of the Executive’s employment with the Company) through to the Resignation Effective Date.
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The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment with the Company at any time for cause without any notice, severance or other payments except Accrued Obligations owing by the Company to the Executive up to the effective date of his termination for cause. If the Company terminates for cause, and an adjudicator later determines that the Company did not have cause, the Executive agrees that the Executive will only be entitled to damages in respect of the termination of the Executive’s employment in the amount that would have been payable on termination without cause under paragraph 13.
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If the Executive dies, this Agreement will be considered frustrated at law and terminated by that death and the Company will not be required to pay any amounts to any heir or estate of the Executive except the Accrued Obligations owing by the Company to the Executive up to the date of the Executive’s death.
During the Term, the Executive agrees that:
and following such disclosure the Company may, in its sole discretion, determine that a conflict of interest exists and require the Executive to eliminate such conflict of interest.
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In this Agreement, “Confidential Information” means any and all information in any form (whether written, electronic, graphic or otherwise) relating to the business, property, assets or operations of the Company or any of its affiliates, licensors, licensees, customers, investors, joint venturers, distributors, suppliers, or persons who have supplied information on a confidential basis to the Company or its affiliates, including, without limitation, business opportunities (including markets which have been investigated); trade secrets; intellectual property; methods, including production methods and techniques; models; passwords; financial information; product or proposed product information; prototypes; formulas; recipes; processes; marketing or business plans and strategies, forecasts, and pricing information; employee, licensor, licensee, customer, investor, joint venturer, distributor, and supplier information and records; computer software programs; agreements and contracts; customer lists; customer contacts; the buying habits and special requirements of customers; the types of products purchased from the Company or its affiliates by customers; financial or business projections; and any information from which the Company or its affiliates derives economic value or the disclosure of which could cause harm to the Company or its affiliates. For sake of clarity, the phrase “Confidential Information” is intended by the parties to be construed broadly and to encompass all information that has or could have commercial value to the Company or its affiliates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Confidential Information” will not include:
(i) maintain the strict confidentiality of all Confidential Information;
(ii) not use the Confidential Information or disclose the Confidential Information except during the Executive’s employment with the Company and only as strictly required to carry out the Executive’s duties and responsibilities for the Company and on a confidential basis, and for no other purpose and in no other manner; and
(iii) take all precautions necessary to prevent unauthorized access to or use, disclosure or reproduction of the Confidential Information.
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For the purpose of this Agreement, “Intellectual Property” includes any and all products, materials, information, programs, designs, artwork, data, correspondence, discoveries, concepts, software, know-how, inventions, methods, trademarks, trade names, plans, training and marketing materials, strategies, trade secrets, improvements, modifications, derivative works, ideas, developments, and other intellectual property, whether or not they may be patented, copyrighted, trademarked or otherwise protected, which are disclosed to, made, developed, conceived, contributed to or worked upon by the Executive in connection with or arising from the Executive’s duties or otherwise in the course of the Executive’s employment by the Company, including without limitation, any materials and inventions: (i) that have been substantially facilitated by the use of the Company’s intellectual property or resources, or (ii) the idea for which was gained during the Executive’s employment with the Company.
The Executive agrees as follows:
(a) the Company is the exclusive owner of all right, title and interest in and to the Intellectual Property, including without limitation, all copyrights, patent rights, trade-marks, trade names, industrial designs, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights in and to all the Intellectual Property;
(b) for greater certainty, and to the extent that the Intellectual Property is not already owned by the Company pursuant to the preceding subsection or otherwise, the Executive hereby irrevocably and unconditionally assigns to the Company or its nominee all right, title and interest throughout the world that the Executive may have in any Intellectual Property, including without limitation, all copyrights, patent rights, trade-marks, trade names, industrial designs, trade secrets and other intellectual property in and to all the Intellectual Property, effective at the time each is created;
(c) if the Executive has any rights to the Intellectual Property that cannot be assigned to the Company, the Executive unconditionally and irrevocably waives the enforcement of such rights, and all claims and causes of action of any kind against the Company with respect to such rights, and agrees, at the Company’s request and expense, to consent to and join in any action to enforce such rights. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Executive hereby unconditionally waives any and all moral rights that the Executive may have in the Intellectual Property, including the right to the integrity of the work, the right
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to be associated with the work or identified as its author, the right to restrain or claim damages for any distortion, mutilation or other modification of them, and the right to restrain their use or reproduction in any context or in connection with any product, service, cause or institution;
(d) to the extent that a formal transfer or assignment of any rights of the Executive in any of the Intellectual Property is required, or the consent of the Executive to the registration of any right in any Intellectual Property is required, the Executive will execute and deliver or, as applicable, will cause to be so executed and delivered, any further assignments, documentation and other instruments as may be reasonably required by the Company to effect the transfer, assignment or registration; and
(e) notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary if, due to the Executive’s unavailability, mental or physical incapacity, or for any other reason, the Company is unable to secure the Executive’s signature on any assignment agreement, patent application or any other document, application or other instrument contemplated by this paragraph, including without limitation any document required in order to apply for or to pursue any application for any Canadian, United States or foreign patent or copyright registrations covering any Intellectual Property assigned to the Company as per this Agreement, the Executive hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company and its duly authorized officers and agents as the Executive’s agent in fact, to act for and on the Executive’s behalf and stead to execute and, as necessary, file any such agreements, applications, instruments or other documents, and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to further the prosecution and issuance of patents and copyright registrations thereon with the same legal force and effect as if executed by the Executive.
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During the Executive’s employment with the Company and after the termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company for any reason whatsoever, the Executive agrees that, except as may be required by law, the Executive will not take any action or make any statement or disclosure, written or oral, that is intended or reasonably likely to disparage the Company or its affiliates, or any of their past or present employees, officers or directors.
The Executive acknowledges and agrees that any breach or threatened breach of paragraphs 18-22 inclusive of this Agreement would cause or result in irreparable harm, loss and damages to the Company for which the Company could not be adequately compensated by the Company’s recovery of monetary damages, and that in the event of a breach or threatened breach of any of such paragraphs, the Company will have the right to seek an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief or other relief, including an accounting of all the Executive’s profits or benefits arising out of any such breach, and the Executive waives all defences to the strict enforcement of this Agreement. It is further acknowledged and agreed that the remedies of the Company specified in this paragraph are in addition to, and not in substitution for, any rights or remedies of the Company at law or in equity and that all such rights and remedies are cumulative and not alternative and that the Company may have recourse to any one or more of its available rights or remedies as it shall see fit. The Executive acknowledges that paragraphs 18 through 22 of this Agreement shall survive the termination of the Executive’s employment for any reason whatsoever. In the event that the Executive breaches or threatens to breach any provision of this Agreement, including but not limited to paragraphs 18 through 22, or commences any legal proceedings challenging the validity or enforceability of any of paragraphs 18 through 22, any remaining Severance Payments due
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to the Executive under paragraph 13(d) of this Agreement will immediately cease and the Company may seek return of any payments previously made to the Executive under paragraph 13(d), except any amount that the Executive is entitled to receive pursuant to the ESA.
The Executive agrees that the Executive will inform the Executive’s prospective or subsequent employers or principals (the “Future Employers”) of the terms and conditions of this Agreement or any other policy or agreement between the Executive and the Company that may be in effect at, or survive, the termination of the Executive’s employment (the “Surviving Obligations”). If the Executive fails to satisfy the Company that the Executive has complied with the Executive’s disclosure obligations under this provision, the Executive agrees that the Company may, at its discretion, contact any Future Employer and inform them of the Surviving Obligations.
The Executive represents and warrants that the Executive is not a party to any agreement, or otherwise bound by any duty to another person or entity, that may restrict the Executive’s ability to enter into this Agreement or perform the duties and responsibilities contemplated by this Agreement. The Executive further agrees that in the performance of the duties and responsibilities contemplated by this Agreement the Executive will not disclose or use any confidential or proprietary information belonging to any prior employer or other persons or entities.
The Company agrees, to the extent permitted by law, to indemnify and save the Executive harmless from and against any and all costs, charges, expenses, fees, damages or liabilities (including legal or other professional fees and any amount paid to settle an action or satisfy a judgment) which the Executive may reasonably suffer, sustain, incur or be required to pay arising out of or incurred in respect of any action, suit, proceeding, investigation or claim which may be brought, commenced, made, prosecuted or threatened against the Executive howsoever arising and whether arising in law, equity or under statute, regulation or governmental ordinance of any jurisdiction, for or in respect of any act, deed, matter or thing done, made, permitted or omitted by the Executive arising out of, or in connection with the exercise by the Executive of the Executive’s powers or the performance of the Executive’s duties as an Executive of the Company provided that the indemnity provided for herein will not be available to the extent that in so acting the Executive:
This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the laws of Canada applicable therein.
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If any provision of this Agreement provides for a lesser benefit to the Executive than the minimum standards contained in any applicable legislation, the minimum standard contained in any such legislation will prevail and be deemed to apply to the extent of the inconsistency.
The terms and conditions of this Agreement are in addition to, and not in substitution for, the obligations, duties and responsibilities imposed by law on Executives of corporations generally, and the Executive agrees to comply with such obligations, duties and responsibilities. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement supersedes and replaces all prior written and oral agreements, offer letters, and representations made by either party, and all such agreements, offer letters, and representations are hereby cancelled and of no further force and effect, and both parties renounce any reliance on them. This Agreement may only be varied by further written agreement signed by the Executive and the Company.
The parties agree that for the purposes of this Agreement, “affiliate” means when used with respect to the Company, another person that either directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company. For purposes of this definition, “control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through ownership of equity, voting or other interests, as trustee or executor, by contract or otherwise.
The parties will execute and deliver to each other such further instruments and assurances and do such further acts as may be required to give effect to this Agreement.
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The termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company for any reason whatsoever will not prejudice the rights and obligations of the parties under this Agreement.
All payments by the Company to the Executive under this Agreement will be made in Canadian funds and will be subject to all required statutory deductions and withholdings.
The Executive agrees that this Agreement may be assigned by the Company to any of its affiliates or, with the Executive’s consent, to any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, amalgamation, arrangement, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company. The Executive shall not be entitled to any payment or other consideration or to any advance notice of any such assignment and, for greater certainty, such assignment shall not constitute a constructive dismissal. The Executive may not assign or delegate the Executive’s duties under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Company.
If any provision of this Agreement or any part thereof will for any reason be held to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, then such invalid or unenforceable provision or part will be severable and severed from this Agreement and the other provisions of this Agreement will remain in effect and be construed as if such invalid or unenforceable provision or part had never been contained herein.
Any waiver of any breach or default under this Agreement will only be effective if in writing signed by the party against whom the waiver is sought to be enforced, and no waiver will be implied by any other act or conduct or by any indulgence, delay or omission. Any waiver will only apply to the specific matter waived and only in the specific instance in which it is waived.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same agreement. Electronic and pdf copies of signed signature pages shall be binding originals.
The Executive hereby acknowledges and confirms having the full opportunity to seek independent legal advice prior to signing this Agreement, and further acknowledges that the Executive has read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of the terms and conditions contained herein.
[signature page follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have entered into this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
PURE SUNFARMS CORP.
Per: /s/ Michael A. DeGiglio
Michael A. DeGiglio
Global Chief Executive Officer
Village Farms International, Inc.
Signed by ORVILLE BOVENSCHEN in the presence of: /s/ Kim Davies | ) |
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