Exhibit 10.3
NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc. Equity and Incentive Award Plan
(As amended and restated September 1, 2023)
The purpose of the NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc. Equity and Incentive Award Plan (the “Plan”) is to promote the success and enhance the value of the Company by linking the personal interests of the members of the Board, Employees, and Consultants to those of the Company’s stockholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to the Company’s stockholders. The Plan is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company in its ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of members of the Board, Employees, and Consultants upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of the Company’s operations is largely dependent.
The Plan was originally adopted by Keane Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Keane”), by resolution of its Board of Directors on January 3, 2017. The Plan became effective upon its approval by Keane’s stockholders on January 20, 2017 (the “Effective Date”). The Plan was subsequently amended on December 7, 2020 and February 23, 2021, and further amended and restated on each of April 6, 2021, April 19, 2021, April 29, 2021 and April 18, 2023, in each case subject to shareholder approval. On September 1, 2023, in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among the Company, Pecos Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, Pecos Second Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and NexTier, dated as of June 14, 2023, as amended (the “Patterson-UTI Merger”), the Company assumed the Plan and the Awards outstanding hereunder and amended and restated the Plan in connection therewith.
Article I.
DEFINITIONS
Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.
1.1. | “Applicable Exchange” shall mean The Nasdaq Global Select Market or other securities exchange or national market system as may at the applicable time be the principal market for the Common Stock. |
1.2. | “Award” shall mean an Option, a Restricted Stock Award, a Restricted Stock Unit Award, a Performance Award, a Deferred Stock Award, a Stock Payment Award or a Stock Appreciation Right, in each case, which may be awarded or granted under the Plan. |
1.3. | “Award Agreement” shall mean any written notice, agreement, terms and conditions, contract or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium, which shall contain such terms and conditions with respect to an Award as the Committee shall determine consistent with the Plan. |
1.4. | “Award Limit” shall mean the maximum Award amounts set forth in Section 2.3. |
1.5. | “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company. |
1.6. | “Change in Control” shall mean, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Award Agreement, the occurrence of any of the following transactions or events occurring on or after the Effective Date: |
| (a) | the acquisition by any Person of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 51% or more of either (x) the then outstanding shares of the Company (the “Outstanding Company Shares”) or (y) the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”); provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (a), the following acquisitions shall not constitute a Change in Control: (1) any acquisition directly from the Company; (2) any acquisition by the Company; (3) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any corporation controlled by the Company; or (4) any acquisition pursuant to a transaction which complies with clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of subsection (c) below; |
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