Exhibit 10(g)
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF CATAWBA
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT ("Agreement"), is made as of the 1st day of
December, 2001, by and between PEOPLES BANK, Newton, North Carolina, a North
Carolina banking institution (the "Bank"), and A. JOSEPH LAMPRON (the
"Employee") and is joined in by PEOPLES BANCORP OF NORTH CAROLINA, INC., a North
Carolina corporation (the "Holding Company");
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS the Employee is currently rendering services to the Bank as
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and to the Holding Company
as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Corporate Treasurer,
and,
WHEREAS the Bank is a North Carolina banking corporation and the Holding
Company is a North Carolina bank holding company and the sole shareholder of the
Bank; and,
WHEREAS the Bank considers the continued availability of the Employee's
services to be important to the Bank's and Holding Company's business, and
desires to secure for the Bank and Holding Company the continued availability of
the Employee's services; and,
WHEREAS the Employee is willing to provide services to the Bank and Holding
Company on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein,
the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. EMPLOYMENT. The Employee is employed as Executive Vice President and
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Chief Financial Officer. The Employee shall render administrative and
management services to the Bank, such as are customarily performed by
persons situated in a similar executive
capacity. Employee shall promote the business of the Bank and Holding
Company and perform such other duties as shall from time to time be
reasonably described by the President of the Bank.
2. COMPENSATION.
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A. BASE SALARY. The Bank shall pay the Employee during the term of
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this Agreement a base salary at the rate of $100,000.00 per annum, payable
in monthly installments or more frequently as the Bank elects; provided,
that the rate of such salary shall be reviewed annually by the Bank. Such
rate of salary may be increased (but not decreased) from time to time in
such amounts as the Bank, in its discretion, may decide.
B. MANAGEMENT INCENTIVE PLAN. The Employee shall be entitled to
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participate in an equitable manner with other management personnel of the
Bank in the Bank's management incentive plan adopted in 1998.
3. DISCRETIONARY BONUSES. The Employee shall be entitled to participate
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in an equitable manner with all other key management personnel of the Bank in
discretionary bonuses authorized and declared by the Directors of the Bank for
all members of Bank management. No other compensation provided for in this
Agreement shall be deemed a substitute for the Employee's right to participate
in such discretionary bonuses when and as are declared by the Board of
Directors, so long as such bonuses are provided for Bank management generally.
4. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.
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A. PARTICIPATION IN RETIREMENT AND MEDICAL PLAN. The Employee shall
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be entitled to participate in any plan of the Bank relating to pension,
profit sharing or other retirement benefits and health, medical and
disability coverage, or reimbursement plans that the Bank may adopt for the
benefit of its employees subject to the eligibility rules of such plan.
B. OFFICER BENEFITS/EXPENSES. The Employee shall be eligible to
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participate in any fringe benefits which may be or become applicable to the
Bank's executive employees, commensurate with the
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responsibilities and functions to be performed by the Employee under this
Agreement. Additionally, the Employee shall be entitled to four (4) weeks
of paid vacation, as an exception to uniform employee policies promulgated
by the Directors, and such sick leave as is established by such policies.
The Bank shall reimburse the Employee for all out-of-pocket reasonable and
necessary business expenses which the Employee shall incur in connection
with services on behalf of the Bank. Additionally, the Employee shall be
entitled to life insurance in the amount of two times annual salary; the
same amount in accidental death and dismemberment insurance; dependent life
insurance upon Employee's spouse in the amount of Two Thousand Dollars
($2,000.00); and disability insurance as which will compensate the Employee
66-2/3% of salary after Employee is out of work pursuant to company policy
for thirty (30) calendar days. The Employer shall pay all premiums for the
insurance noted above.
5. TERM. The initial term of employment under this Agreement shall be
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for the period commencing December 1, 2001 and ending three (3) calendar years
after such date. At the end of each one-year period following such commencing
date, this Agreement shall automatically be extended for an additional one (1)
year period beyond the then-effective expiration date, unless written notice
from the Bank or the Employee is received sixty (60) days prior to an
anniversary date advising the other party that this Agreement shall not be
further extended, or in the event the Employee and Employer agree to a further
extension before the expiration of this Agreement. The parties intend that this
Agreement shall be a continuing employment agreement, unless written notice is
given as provided in this Paragraph, or unless this Agreement is otherwise
terminated as provided in this Agreement.
6. LOYALTY/NON-COMPETITION.
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A. Employee shall devote Employee's full efforts and entire business
time to the performance of Employee's duties under this Agreement.
B. During the term of this Agreement, or any renewals or extensions
thereof, and for a period of one (1) year after termination, the Employee
shall not, within Catawba, Alexander, Iredell or Lincoln
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Counties, North Carolina, directly or indirectly, own, manage, operate,
join, control or participate in the management, operation or control of or
be employed by or connected in any manner with any depository institution
or financial services business which competes with the Bank or the Holding
Company without the prior written consent of the Bank. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Employee shall be free without such consent to purchase or
hold as an investment or otherwise up to 5% of the outstanding stock or
other securities of any corporation which has its securities publicly
traded on any recognized securities exchange or in any over-the-counter
market.
The Employee shall hold in confidence all knowledge or
information of a confidential nature with respect to the business of the
Bank or the Holding Company, received during the term of this Agreement,
and will not disclose or make use of such information without the prior
written consent of the Bank.
The Employee acknowledges that it would not be possible to
ascertain the amount of monetary damages in the event of a breach by the
Employee under the provisions of this Paragraph 6. The Employee agrees that
in the event of the breach of this Paragraph, injunctive relief enforcing
the terms of this Paragraph is an appropriate remedy.
The Bank and Employee further agree that in the event the Bank
shall terminate the employment of the Employee for cause or should the
Employee resign employment during any period of the term of this employment
contract, then and in that event, the non-competition provisions of this
Agreement shall be applicable. If, however, the Bank should terminate the
employment of the Employee without cause during the last year of said
Agreement, the non-competition provisions of this Agreement shall not be
applicable, and the Bank shall not proceed with respect to the remedies as
set forth above.
7. STANDARDS. The Employee shall perform under this Agreement in
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accordance with such reasonable standards expected of employees with comparable
positions in comparable organizations and as may be established from
time-to-time by the Board of Directors. The Bank shall provide the Employee with
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the working facilities and staff customary at the Bank for similar executives
and necessary for him to perform his duties under this Agreement.
8. TERMINATION AND TERMINATION PAY.
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A. The Employee's employment under this Agreement shall be
terminated upon the following occurrences:
(1) The death of the Employee during the term of this Agreement,
in which event the Employee's estate shall be entitled to receive the
compensation due the Employee through the last day of the calendar
month in which death shall have occurred and for a period of three (3)
months thereafter.
(2) The Employee's employment under this Agreement may be
terminated by the Bank at any time or by the Employee upon sixty (60)
days written notice to the Employee or the Bank, as the case may be.
Upon such termination by the Employee or by the Bank "for cause," the
Employee shall be entitled to receive compensation under this
Agreement through the effective date of such termination and such
other benefits, if any, as may be provided by the terms of other plans
and programs of the Bank in the event of termination.
Any such termination by the Bank other than termination "for cause"
shall not prejudice the Employee's right to compensation or benefits
under this Agreement. The Employee shall have no right to receive
compensation or benefits for any period after termination "for cause."
Termination "for cause" shall include termination because of the
Employee's personal dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct,
breach of duty involving personal profit, intentional failure to
perform stated duties, willful violation of any law, rule or
regulation (other than traffic violations or similar offenses), or
final cease and desist order,
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or any material breach of any provision of this Agreement. Termination
"for cause" shall also include any termination pursuant to a
resolution of the Board of Directors approved by a vote of at least
eighty-five percent of directors entitled to vote, finding that
termination of the Employee's Agreement is in the best interests of
the Bank or the Holding Company.
(3) If the Employee is removed or permanently prohibited from
participating in the conduct of the Bank's affairs by any order issued
by any regulatory agency, all obligations of the Bank under this
Agreement shall terminate as of the effective date of the order. The
rights of the Employee vested prior to the date of such order shall
not be affected.
(4) All obligations under this Agreement may be terminated:
(a) by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at the
time it enters into an agreement to provide assistance to or on
behalf of the Bank under the authority contained in its Rules and
Regulations; and,
(b) by any regulatory or supervisory agency which enters
any orders to resolve problems related to the operation of the
Bank, or when the Bank is determined to be in an unsafe or
unsound condition. Any rights of the Employee vested prior to
such time shall not be affected by any such determination or
order.
9. SUSPENSION OF EMPLOYMENT.
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A. The suspension of the Employee from office or temporary
prohibition from participation by the
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Employee in the conduct of the affairs of the Bank pursuant to notice
served by any supervisory or regulatory agency, unless stayed by
appropriate proceedings, shall suspend, as of the date of such service, all
obligations of the Bank under the terms of this Agreement.
B. In the event the charges specified in a notice served as provided
in Subparagraph A of this Section shall be dismissed, the Bank shall:
(1) pay the Employee the compensation withheld from such
Employee pursuant to the suspension of the Bank's obligation as
required in Subparagraph A of this Section; and,
(2) reinstate the obligations suspended as required in
Subparagraph A of this section.
10. CHANGE IN CONTROL.
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A. In the event of a "Change in Control" (as defined in Subparagraph
(C) below), the term of employment under this Agreement
automatically shall be extended to a period of three (3) years
beginning on the date of the Change in Control, and the Bank or
its successor shall be bound by the terms of this Agreement and
shall be prohibited, during the remainder of such term, from:
(1) Assigning Employee any duties and/or responsibilities that are
inconsistent with his position, duties, responsibilities or
status at the time of the Change in Control or with his reporting
responsibilities or equivalent titles in effect at such time; or
(2) Adjusting Employee's annual base salary rate other than in
accordance with Subparagraph (B) below; or
(3) Reducing in level, scope or coverage or eliminating Employee's
life insurance, medical or hospitalization insurance, disability
insurance,
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profit sharing plans, stock option plans, stock purchase plans,
deferred compensation plans, management retention plans,
retirement plans, stock ownership plans or similar plans or
benefits being provided by the Bank or the Holding Company to the
Employee other than those arising from the Bank's management
incentive plan as of the effective date of the Change in Control;
or
(4) Transferring Employee to a location which is an unreasonable
distance from the Employee's current principal work location,
without the Employee's express written consent.
B. In the event of a Change in Control, the Employee's base salary
shall be adjusted to include an amount equal to the average of the two
previous years' bonuses arising from the Bank's management incentive plan,
and/or discretionary bonuses, if any, and such adjusted base salary shall
be increased by not less than six percent (6%) annually beginning at the
date of the Change in Control and continuing each year for the three-year
term thereafter.
C. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "Change in Control"
shall mean any of the following events:
(1) a change in control of a nature that would be required to be
reported in response to Item 1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K, as
in effect on the date hereof, pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"); or
(2) such time as any "person" (as such term is used in Sections 13(d)
and 14(d) of the Exchange Act), other than a person who beneficially
owned as of January 1, 1998, more than 5% of the Bank's securities, is
or becomes the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the
Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Holding
Company or Bank representing 20 percent or more of the combined voting
Power
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of the outstanding Common Stock of the Holding Company or Common Stock
of the Bank, as applicable; or
(3) individuals who constitute the Board or board of directors
of the Holding Company on the date hereof (the "Incumbent Board" and
"Incumbent Holding Company Board," respectively) cease for any reason
to constitute at least a majority thereof, provided that any person
becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election was
approved by a vote of at least three-quarters of the directors
comprising the Incumbent Board or Incumbent Holding Company Board, as
applicable, or whose nomination for election by the Bank's or Holding
Company's shareholders was approved by the Bank's or Holding Company's
Board of Directors or Nominating Committee, as applicable, shall be
considered as though he or she were a member of the Incumbent Board or
Incumbent Holding Company Board, as applicable; or
(4) either the Holding Company or the Bank consolidates or
merges with or into another corporation, association or entity or is
otherwise reorganized, where neither the Holding Company nor the Bank,
respectively, is the surviving corporation in such transaction; or
(5) all or substantially all of the assets of either the Holding
Company or the Bank are sold or otherwise transferred to or are
acquired by any other entity or group.
Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Paragraph 10, a
transaction or event shall not be considered a Change in Control if, prior
to the consummation or occurrence of such transaction or event, Employee,
Bank and Holding Company agree in writing that the same shall not be
treated as a Change in Control for purposes of this Agreement.
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D. In the event any dispute shall arise between the Employee and the
Bank or Holding Company (or any successor) as to the terms or
interpretation of this Agreement, including this Paragraph 10, whether
instituted by formal legal proceedings or otherwise, including any action
taken by the Employee to enforce the terms of this Paragraph 10 or in
defending against any action taken by the Holding Company or the Bank, the
Bank shall reimburse the Employee for all costs and expenses incurred in
such proceedings or actions, including attorney's fees, in the event the
Employee prevails in any such action.
11. DISABILITY. If, by reason of physical or mental disability during
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the term hereof, Employee is unable to carry out the normal and usual duties of
employment hereunder, the Employee shall receive full salary from the Bank for
up to twenty (20) working days for which Employee is unable to work. Medical
disability shall require a doctor's statement indicating the date the Employee
became disabled as well as a statement that Employee is medically able to return
to work before resuming duties. If, after thirty (30) consecutive days,
Employee is still unable to return to work, Employee will be covered by the
disability insurance policy of the Bank, if that policy applies under its terms.
While disabled, the Employee will keep Employee's original date of employment
and all seniority benefits for up to twelve (12) weeks. Group insurance will be
kept in force (Employee will continue to pay for dependent insurance); however,
if the Employee does not return to work from medical leave after twelve (12)
weeks, the Bank may recover the premiums paid to maintain the coverage. A
"return to work" occurs when an Employee returns to work for at least thirty
(30) days. Upon returning to work from such disability, the Employee shall be
restored to Employee's previous position or to an equivalent position with
equivalent benefits, pay, and other conditions of employment.
12. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS.
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A. This Employment Agreement shall enure to the benefit of and be
binding upon any corporate or other successor of the Bank which shall
acquire, directly or indirectly, by conversion, merger, consolidation,
purchase or otherwise, all or substantially all of the assets of the Bank.
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B. Since the Bank is contracting for the unique and personal skills
of the Employee, the Employee shall be precluded from assigning or
delegating Employee's rights or duties hereunder without first obtaining
the written consent of the Bank.
13. AMENDMENTS. No amendments or additions to this Agreement shall be
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binding unless in writing by both parties, except as herein otherwise provided.
14. APPLICABLE LAW. This Agreement shall be governed in all respects,
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whether as to validity, construction, capacity, performance or otherwise, by the
laws of the State of North Carolina, except to the extent that federal law shall
be deemed to apply.
15. SEVERABILITY. The provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed
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severable and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not
affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof.
16. ENTIRE AGREEMENT; COUNTERPARTS.
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A. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Employee
and the Bank with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all
prior agreements with respect thereto. This Agreement may be executed in
one or more counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one
and the same instrument.
17. NOTICES. Any notice or other communication required or permitted
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under this Agreement shall be effective only if it is writing, delivered in
person or by reliable overnight courier service or deposited in the mail,
postage prepaid, return receipt requested and addressed as follows:
Address of the Bank: Peoples Bank, Post Office Box 467, Newton, North
Carolina, 28658.
Address of the Holding Company: Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc.,
Post Office Box 467, Newton, North Carolina, 28658.
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Address of the Employee: A. Joseph Lampron, 7824 Nine Iron Court, Denver,
NC 28037.
Notices given in person or by overnight courier service shall be deemed
given when delivered to the address required by this section, and notices given
by mail shall be deemed given three (3) days after deposit in the mail. Any
party hereto may designate, by written notice to the other party in accordance
herewith, any other address to which notices addressed to him shall be sent.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, THE PARTIES HAVE EXECUTED THIS AGREEMENT THE DAY AND
YEAR FIRST WRITTEN.
PEOPLES BANK, a North Carolina banking
Corporation
By: /s/ Tony W. Wolfe
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Tony W. Wolfe, President/
Chief Executive Officer
EMPLOYEE
/s/ A. Joseph Lampron
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A. Joseph Lampron
THE FOREGOING AGREEMENT IS JOINED IN AND AGREED TO BY PEOPLES BANCORP OF NORTH
CAROLINA, INC.
PEOPLES BANCORP OF NORTH CAROLINA, INC., a North
Carolina Corporation
by: /s/ Tony W. Wolfe
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Tony W. Wolfe
President/Chief Executive Officer
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