EXHIBIT 10.20
THERMO POWER CORPORATION
STOCK HOLDING ASSISTANCE PLAN
(As adopted on July 19, 1996)
SECTION 1. Purpose.
The purpose of this Plan is to benefit Thermo Power
Corporation (the "Company") and its stockholders by encouraging
Key Employees to acquire and maintain share ownership in the
Company, by increasing such employees' proprietary interest in
promoting the growth and performance of the Company and its
subsidiaries and by providing for the implementation of the Stock
Holding Policy.
SECTION 2. Definitions.
The following terms, when used in the Plan, shall have the
meanings set forth below:
Committee: The Human Resources Committee of the Board of
Directors of the Company as appointed from time to time.
Common Stock: The common stock of the Company and any
successor thereto.
Company: Thermo Power Corporation, a Massachusetts
corporation.
Stock Holding Policy: The Stock Holding Policy of the
Company, as adopted by the Committee and as in effect from time
to time.
Key Employee: Any employee of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, including any officer or member of the Board of
Directors who is also an employee, as designated by the
Committee, and who, in the judgment of the Committee, will be in
a position to contribute significantly to the attainment of the
Company's strategic goals and long-term growth and prosperity.
Loans: Loans extended to Key Employees by the Company
pursuant to this Plan.
Plan: The Thermo Power Corporation Stock Holding
Assistance Plan, as amended from time to time.
SECTION 3. Administration.
The Plan and the Stock Holding Policy shall be administered
by the Committee, which shall have authority to interpret the
Plan and the Stock Holding Policy and, subject to their
provisions, to prescribe, amend and rescind any rules and
regulations and to make all other determinations necessary or
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desirable for the administration thereof. The Committee's
interpretations and decisions with regard to the Plan and the
Stock Holding Policy and such rules and regulations as may be
established thereunder shall be final and conclusive. The
Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or
reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or the Stock Holding
Policy, or in any Loan in the manner and to the extent the
Committee deems desirable to carry it into effect. No member of
the Committee shall be liable for any action or omission in
connection with the Plan or the Stock Holding Policy that is made
in good faith.
SECTION 4. Loans and Loan Limits.
The Committee has determined that the provision of Loans
from time to time to Key Employees in such amounts as to cause
such Key Employees to comply with the Stock Holding Policy is, in
the judgment of the Committee, reasonably expected to benefit the
Company and authorizes the Company to extend Loans from time to
time to Key Employees in such amounts as may be requested by such
Key Employees in order to comply with the Stock Holding Policy.
Such Loans may be used solely for the purpose of acquiring Common
Stock (other than upon the exercise of stock options or under
employee stock purchase plans) in open market transactions or
from the Company.
Each Loan shall be full recourse and evidenced by a
non-interest bearing promissory note substantially in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Note") and maturing
accordance with the provisions of Section 6 hereof, and
containing such other terms and conditions, which are not
inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan and the Stock
Holding Policy, as the Committee shall determine in its sole and
absolute discretion.
SECTION 5. Federal Income Tax Treatment of Loans.
For federal income tax purposes, interest on Loans shall be
imputed on any interest free Loan extended under the Plan. A Key
Employee shall be deemed to have paid the imputed interest to the
Company and the Company shall be deemed to have paid said imputed
interest back to the Key Employee as additional compensation.
The deemed interest payment shall be taxable to the Company as
income, and may be deductible to the Key Employee to the extent
allowable under the rules relating to investment interest. The
deemed compensation payment to the Key Employee shall be taxable
to the employee and deductible to the Company, but shall also be
subject to employment taxes such as FICA and FUTA.
SECTION 6. Maturity of Loans.
Each Loan to a Key Employee hereunder shall be due and
payable on demand by the Company. If no such demand is made,
then each Loan shall mature and the principal thereof shall
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become due and payable in five equal annual installments from the
payment of annual cash incentive compensation (referred to as
bonus) to the Key Employee by the Company, beginning with the
first such bonus payment to occur after the date of the Note
evidencing the Loan, and on each of the next four bonus payment
dates. Each Loan shall also become immediately due and payable
in full, without demand, upon the occurrence of any of the
events set forth in the Note; provided that the Committee may, in
its sole and absolute discretion, authorize an extension of the
time for repayment of a Loan upon such terms and conditions as
the Committee may determine.
SECTION 7. Amendment and Termination of the Plan.
The Committee may from time to time alter or amend the Plan
or the Stock Holding Policy in any respect, or terminate the Plan
or the Stock Holding Policy at any time. No such amendment or
termination, however, shall alter or otherwise affect the terms
and conditions of any Loan then outstanding to Key Employee
without such Key Employee's written consent, except as otherwise
provided herein or in the promissory note evidencing such Loan.
SECTION 8. Miscellaneous Provisions.
(a) No employee or other person shall have any claim or
right to receive a Loan under the Plan, and no employee shall
have any right to be retained in the employ of the Company due to
his or her participation in the Plan.
(b) No Loan shall be made hereunder unless counsel for the
Company shall be satisfied that such Loan will be in compliance
with applicable federal, state and local laws.
(c) The expenses of the Plan shall be borne by the Company.
(d) The Plan shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not
be required to establish any special or separate fund or to make
any other segregation of assets to assure the making of any Loan
under the Plan.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in Section 7 hereof, by
accepting any Loan under the Plan, each Key Employee shall be
conclusively deemed to have indicated his acceptance and
ratification of, and consent to, any action taken under the Plan
or the Stock Holding Policy by the Company, the Board of
Directors of the Company or the Committee.
(f) The appropriate officers of the Company shall cause to
be filed any reports, returns or other information regarding
Loans hereunder, as may be required by any applicable statute,
rule or regulation.
SECTION 9. Effective Date.
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The Plan and the Stock Holding Policy shall become effective
upon approval and adoption by the Committee.
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EXHIBIT A TO STOCK HOLDING ASSISTANCE PLAN
THERMO POWER CORPORATION
Promissory Note
$_________
Dated:____________
For value received, ________________, an individual whose
residence is located at _______________________ (the "Employee"),
hereby promises to pay to Thermo Power Corporation (the
"Company"), or assigns, ON DEMAND, but in any case on or before
[insert date which is the fifth anniversary of date of issuance]
(the "Maturity Date"), the principal sum of [loan amount in
words] ($_______), or such part thereof as then remains unpaid,
without interest. Principal shall be payable in lawful money of
the United States of America, in immediately available funds, at
the principal office of the Company or at such other place as the
Company may designate from time to time in writing to the
Employee.
Unless the Company has already made a demand for payment in
full of this Note, the Employee agrees to repay the Company an
amount equal to 20% of the initial principal amount of the Note
from the payment of annual cash incentive compensation (referred
to as bonus) to the Employee by the Company, beginning with the
first such bonus payment to occur after the date of this Note,
and on each of the next four bonus payment dates. Any amount
remaining unpaid under this Note, if no demand has been made by
the Company, shall be due and payable on the Maturity Date.
This Note may be prepaid at any time or from time to time,
in whole or in part, without any premium or penalty. The
Employee acknowledges and agrees that the Company has advanced to
the Employee the principal amount of this Note pursuant to the
Company's Stock Holding Assistance Plan, and that all terms and
conditions of such Plan are incorporated herein by reference.
The unpaid principal amount of this Note shall be and become
immediately due and payable without notice or demand, at the
option of the Company, upon the occurrence of any of the
following events:
(a) the termination of the Employee's employment with
the Company, with or without cause, for any reason or for no
reason;
(b) the death or disability of the Employee;
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(c) the failure of the Employee to pay his or her
debts as they become due, the insolvency of the Employee,
the filing by or against the Employee of any petition under
the United States Bankruptcy Code (or the filing of any
similar petition under the insolvency law of any
jurisdiction), or the making by the Employee of an
assignment or trust mortgage for the benefit of creditors or
the appointment of a receiver, custodian or similar agent
with respect to, or the taking by any such person of
possession of, any property of the Employee; or
(d) the issuance of any writ of attachment, by trustee
process or otherwise, or any restraining order or injunction
not removed, repealed or dismissed within thirty (30) days
of issuance, against or affecting the person or property of
the Employee or any liability or obligation of the Employee
to the Company.
In case any payment herein provided for shall not be paid
when due, the Employee further promises to pay all costs of
collection, including all reasonable attorneys' fees.
No delay or omission on the part of the Company in
exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver of such
right or of any other right of the Company, nor shall any delay,
omission or waiver on any one occasion be deemed a bar to or
waiver of the same or any other right on any future occasion.
The Employee hereby waives presentment, demand, notice of
prepayment, protest and all other demands and notices in
connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default or
enforcement of this Note. The undersigned hereby assents to any
indulgence and any extension of time for payment of any
indebtedness evidenced hereby granted or permitted by the
Company.
This Note has been made pursuant to the Company's Stock
Holding Assistance Plan and shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with, such Plan and the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and shall have the effect of a sealed instrument.
_______________________________
Employee Name: _________________
________________________
Witness