the employment letter, Ms. Hayden will be paid an annual base salary and be eligible to participate in the variable cash compensation incentive program. She also will receive other benefits, including relocation benefits, change-in-control payments as a participant in a Severance Plan described below, and is eligible for participation in our other long-term incentive programs and our Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan.
On January 11, 2018, we entered into an employment letter with Mr. Dean that was in connection with his appointment as our Vice President and General Counsel, effective January 12, 2018. Under the employment letter, Mr. Dean was paid an annual base salary and eligible to participate in the variable cash compensation incentive program. He also received other benefits, including relocation benefits and change-in-control payments as a participant in the Severance Plan described below, and was eligible for participation in our other long-term incentive programs and our Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan.
See the “Employment Arrangements and Potential Payments upon Certain Events” section for more information on Mr. Baur’s, Mr. Eldh’s, Mr. Jones’, Ms. Hayden’s and Mr. Dean’s employment arrangements that were in effect during fiscal 2022.
Severance Plan
We have established a severance plan to provide severance and other benefits to certain executives selected by the Compensation Committee to participate in the severance plan. The Company’s severance plan is uniform for the current executives selected by the Compensation Committee to participate at their respective levels, excepting Mr. Eldh, who has several provisions that are individually tailored, as described below. We refer to the Company severance plan and Mr. Eldh’s severance plan collectively as the “Severance Plan.”
The employment arrangements with our NEOs and the Severance Plan provide that, if the employment of any participant in the Severance Plan is terminated by the Company without cause, or if the Executive resigns for good reason, we will be required to pay or provide the executive’s base salary earned through the date of termination. In addition, we will also be required to pay to the executive in such instances any other amounts or benefits the executive is eligible to receive under any Company plan, program, policy, practice, contract or agreement in accordance with their terms. In such instances, we will also be required to provide severance benefits to the executive, subject to the executive’s execution of a release, consisting of compensation equal to the average annual base salary and variable compensation earned by the executive, including any amounts earned but deferred, in the last three fiscal years completed prior to the termination (the “Average Compensation Amount”), multiplied by a severance multiple, less withholdings. In the case of Mr. Baur, the severance multiple is equal to 2.5, in the case of Mr. Eldh, Mr. Jones, Ms. Hayden and Mr. Dean the severance multiple is 1.5, and in the case of any other executive participating in the Severance Plan, the severance multiple will be set forth in a participation agreement between the Company and such executive (a “Participation Agreement”), but such multiple may not exceed 2.5. In the event the termination occurs within 12 months after or prior to and in contemplation of certain change in control events, Mr. Baur will receive three times his Average Compensation Amount, Mr. Eldh, Mr. Jones, Ms. Hayden and Mr. Dean will receive two times their respective Average Compensation Amount and, in the case of any other executive participating in the Severance Plan, such executive will receive his or her Average Compensation Amount multiplied by his or her change in control multiple, as set forth in a Participation Agreement. In addition, in the event that the executive’s employment is terminated by us without cause, or if the executive resigns for good reason, the executive will be entitled to receive a bonus equal to the pro-rata portion of the then current fiscal year annual variable compensation that otherwise would be payable to the executive based on actual performance. For a period of up to twenty-four months (or in the case of Mr. Eldh, for up to eighteen months) following the date of such a termination (or in the case of Mr. Baur, until he attains 65 years of age), the executives shall be entitled to participate in our medical and dental plans, with the executive paying the full premium charged for such coverage subject to the terms of the employment agreement, the employment letter, and/or the Severance Plan, as applicable.
If the executive’s employment is terminated for cause or if the executive voluntarily terminates his or her employment during the term of the agreement, other than for good reason, we will only be obligated to provide any accrued amounts payable on the executive’s annual base salary or any other amounts not previously paid, but earned, by the executive through the date of termination, and benefits under other plans in accordance with their terms. If the executive dies, becomes disabled, or retires during the term of the employment agreement, the employment letter, and/or the Severance Plan, as applicable, we will only be obligated to provide any accrued
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