Termination of Employment.
(e)“Restricted Period” means the period beginning on the Grant Date (as defined in the Notice of Grant) and ending on the twelve (12) month anniversary of the Participant’s Termination of Employment.
3.NON-COMPETITION; NON-SOLICITATION
(a)During the Restricted Period, the Participant shall not, directly or indirectly (including as an employee, officer, director, owner, consultant, manager, or independent contractor), other than in connection with his employment by the Company, engage in the Business anywhere within the Market Area.
(b)During the Restricted Period, the Participant shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit, recruit or hire any person who is, or was during the Restricted Period, an employee of the Company; provided, however, that the foregoing provision shall not prohibit solicitations made by the Participant to the general public, including through a general public posting site or forum.
(c)During the Restricted Period, the Participant shall not, directly or indirectly, (i) solicit or encourage any client, customer, bona fide prospective client or customer, supplier, licensee, licensor, landlord or other business relation of the Company with whom the Participant had material personal dealings during the Restricted Period (each a “Business Contact”) to terminate or diminish its relationship with the Company; or (ii) seek to persuade any such Business Contact to conduct with anyone else any business or activity conducted or, to the Participant’s knowledge, under consideration by the Company during the Restricted Period that such Business Contact conducts or could conduct with the Company.
(d)Nothing contained in this Section 3 shall be construed to prevent the Participant from (i) investing in the equity of any competing entity listed on a national securities exchange or traded in the over-the-counter market, but only if the Participant is not involved directly or indirectly in the management of said entity and if the Participant and the Participant’s associates (as such term is defined in Regulation 14(A) promulgated under the Act), collectively, do not own more than an aggregate of 5% of the equity of such entity, or (ii) indirectly owning securities through ownership of shares of a registered investment company or mutual fund.
4.NON-DISPARAGEMENT
At all times during the Participant’s employment with the Company and its Affiliates and after the Participant’s Termination of Employment, the Participant agrees that the Participant shall not make any disparaging comments about the Company, the Affiliates of the Company or any of their respective members, managers or employees, which may tend to impugn or injure their respective reputation, goodwill, and relationships with their past, present and future customers, employees, vendors and with the business community generally; provided, however, that nothing in these Restrictive Covenants shall prohibit either party from providing accurate information to any court, governmental entity.