Employment Offer Letter for Vincent J. Canino, dated February 22, 2024
Exhibit 10.1
Mr. Vincent J. Canino [***]
[***]
February 21, 2024 Dear Mr. Canino,
We are very pleased to extend an offer of employment to you for the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"). This offer of employment is conditioned on the satisfactory completion of certain requirements, as more fully explained in this letter, and your employment will be subject to the terms and conditions set forth below.
1. | Position and Duties |
In your capacity as President and Chief Executive Officer, you will perform duties and responsibilities that are commensurate with your position. You will report directly to the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board"). You will also serve as a member of the Board for no additional compensation. You agree to devote your full business time, attention and best efforts to the performance of your duties and to the furtherance of the Company's interests.
2. | Location |
Your principal place of employment will be at our corporate headquarters in Van Nuys, California, and you will be expected to spend the majority of your time in such office, subject to business travel as needed to properly fulfill your employment duties and responsibilities.
3. | Start Date |
Subject to satisfaction of all conditions described in this letter, your anticipated start date is March
11, 2024 ("Start Date").
4. | Base Salary |
In consideration of your services, you will be paid an initial base salary of $550,000 per year, payable bi-weekly in accordance with the standard payroll practices of the Company and subject to all withholdings and deductions as required by law. Your base salary will be subject to review annually by the Compensation Committee of the Board in consultation with a compensation consultant.
5. | Annual Bonus |
During your employment, you will be eligible to participate in the Company's annual bonus program, designed and developed by the Compensation Committee of the Board. Commencing
with fiscal year 2025 and for each successive fiscal year, your annual target bonus opportunity will be 100% of base salary, with a minimum payout of 50% of base salary and a maximum payout opportunity of 150% of base salary. Actual payments will be determined based on the achievement of performance metrics established by the Compensation Committee of the Board. Any annual bonus with respect to a particular fiscal year will be paid in cash as soon as administratively practicable following filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Company's year end audited financial statements. On an annual basis, the Compensation Committee of the Board and the Board will approve the appropriate metrics that align with the strategic plan adopted for the relevant fiscal year.
You must remain continuously employed with the Company through the bonus payment date to be eligible to receive an annual bonus payment for a particular fiscal year, except as otherwise provided under the Severance Pay Plan and the Change in Control Agreement (each, as defined below).
6. | Equity Grants |
Subject to approval by the Board, on the Start Date, the Company will grant you a one-time equity award in the form of 450,000 Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs"), each RSU representing the right to receive one share of the Company's common stock, subject to the terms and conditions of the Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") and an award agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Award Agreement"). Provided that you remain in Continuous Service (as defined in the Plan) through the applicable vesting date, the RSUs will vest ratably over a three-year period, with 1/3 of the RSUs vesting on each of the first, second and third anniversary of the grant date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Award Agreement and the Plan.
For each full fiscal year of employment following the third anniversary of the Start Date, you will be eligible to receive an annual equity award based on values commensurate with peer group benchmarks, as determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board in consultation with a compensation consultant. Your eligibility for an equity award will also be reviewed annually by the Compensation Committee of the Board.
7. | Benefits and Perquisites |
You will be eligible to participate in the employee benefit plans and programs generally available to the Company's senior executives, including group medical, dental, vision and life insurance, and disability benefits, subject to the terms and conditions of such plans and programs. You will be entitled to four weeks of paid vacation in accordance with the Company's policies in effect from time to time. To accommodate your transition to working out of our corporate headquarters in Van Nuys, California, the Company will reimburse you for the cost of reasonable hotel expenses incurred by you on the business days that you work out of such office during the first twelve months following the Start Date, subject to the Company's receipt of appropriate documentation evidencing the incurrence and amount of such costs in accordance with the Company's expense reimbursement policy (the "Hotel Allowance"). For the avoidance of doubt, the Hotel Allowance
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does not include lodging provided by relatives or friends in lieu of using a hotel and shall cease upon a termination of your employment for any reason. The Company reserves the right to amend, modify or terminate any of its benefit plans or programs at any time and for any reason.
8. | Withholding |
All forms of compensation paid to you as an employee of the Company shall be less all applicable withholdings.
9. | At-will Employment |
Your employment with the Company will be for no specific period of time. Rather, your employment will be at-will, meaning that you or the Company may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without Cause (as defined in the Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc. Severance Pay Plan, effective as of December 7, 2023 (the "Severance Pay Plan")); provided that, except in the event of a termination of your employment by the Company for Cause or due to your death or disability, either party shall be required to give the other party at least 90 days' advance written notice of any termination of your employment. In the event of a termination of your employment by the Company without Cause, the Company shall have the option to provide you with a lump sum payment equal to 90 days' base salary in lieu of notice, which shall be paid to you on the employment termination date; provided that any pay in lieu of notice will not reduce the benefits that may be payable to you under the Severance Pay Plan or the Change in Control Agreement. Although your compensation and benefits may change from time to time, the at-will nature of your employment may only be changed by an express written agreement signed by an authorized officer of the Company.
10. | Severance and Change in Control Benefits |
If your employment with the Company is involuntarily terminated by the Company without Cause, subject to your timely execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims in favor of the Company and related persons and entities in a form prescribed by the Company, you will be eligible to receive severance benefits in accordance with the terms of the Severance Pay Plan.
Subject to your execution of the Amended and Restated Change in Control Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit B (the "Change in Control Agreement"), in the event of a Qualifying Termination within the CIC Window, the Company or the Company's successors shall pay or provide to you certain Change in Control Benefits (each such term, as defined in the Change in Control Agreement), so long as you satisfy the conditions described therein.
You understand and agree that, if you are a member of the Board at the time that your employment with the Company terminates, whether with or without Cause and whether voluntary or involuntary, and as a further condition of your receipt of any severance benefits or Change in Control Benefits to which you otherwise might be entitled under the Severance Pay Plan or the Change in Control Agreement, you will submit your resignation as a member of the Board and, if
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applicable, as a member of the boards of directors or managers (or similar senior-most governing bodies) of each other entity that is a direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Company, effective as of your last day of employment.
11. | Section 409A |
This offer letter is intended to comply with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code ("Section 409A") or an exemption thereunder and shall be construed and administered in accordance with Section 409A. Notwithstanding any other provision herein, payments provided under this offer letter may only be made upon an event and in a manner that complies with Section 409A or an applicable exemption. Any payments provided under this offer letter that may be excluded from Section 409A either as separation pay due to an involuntary separation from service or as a short term deferral shall be excluded from Section 409A to the maximum extent possible. For purposes of Section 409A, each installment payment provided under this offer letter shall be treated as a separate payment. Any payments to be made under this offer letter upon a termination of employment shall only be made upon a "separation from service" under Section 409A. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company makes no representations that the payments and benefits provided under this offer letter comply with Section 409A and in no event shall the Company be liable for all or any portion of any taxes, penalties, interest or other expenses that may be incurred by you on account of non-compliance with Section 409A.
Notwithstanding any other provision herein, if any payment or benefit provided to you in connection with your termination of employment is determined to constitute "nonqualified deferred compensation" within the meaning of Section 409A and you are determined to be a "specified employee" as defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(b)(i), then such payment or benefit shall not be paid until the first payroll date to occur following the six-month anniversary of your termination date (the "Specified Employee Payment Date") or, if earlier, the date of your death. The aggregate of any payments that would otherwise have been paid before the Specified Employee Payment Date shall be paid to you in a lump sum on the Specified Employee Payment Date and, thereafter, any remaining payments shall be paid without delay in accordance with their original schedule.
12. | Clawback |
Any amounts payable hereunder are subject to any policy (whether currently in existence or later adopted) established by the Company providing for clawback or recovery of amounts that were paid to you (the "Clawback Policy") and, by accepting this offer, you acknowledge that you are fully bound by and subject to, and agree to abide by, all of the terms and conditions of the Clawback Policy. The Company will make any determination for clawback or recovery in its sole discretion in accordance with the Clawback Policy and in accordance with any applicable law or regulation (including the requirements of any stock exchange upon which the Company's common stock will be listed in the future). To the extent that the Company determines that any amounts paid to you hereunder must be repaid or otherwise recovered by the Company, you agree to promptly take whatever action is necessary to effectuate any such repayment or recovery. No recovery of any
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amounts paid to you pursuant to the Clawback Policy will be an event giving rise to a right to resign for Good Reason under the Change in Control Agreement or any other agreement with the Company. In the event of any conflict between the terms of the Clawback Policy and the terms of this offer letter, the terms of the Clawback Policy shall govern.
13. | Governing Law |
This offer letter shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.
a. | Final approval by the Board of your designation as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and your appointment to the Board. |
b. | Verification of your right to work in the United States, as demonstrated by your completion of an 1-9 form upon hire and your submission of acceptable documentation (as noted on the 1-9 form) verifying your identity and work authorization within three days of your Start Date. |
c. | Satisfactory completion of reference checks. |
d. | Satisfactory completion of a background investigation. |
This offer will be withdrawn if any of the above conditions are not satisfied.
15. | Representations |
By accepting this offer, you represent that you are able to accept this job and carry out the work that it would involve without breaching any legal restrictions on your activities, such as non competition, non-solicitation or other work-related restrictions imposed by a current or former employer. You also represent that you will inform the Company about any such restrictions and provide the Company with as much information about them as possible, including any agreements between you and your current or former employer describing such restrictions on your activities. You further confirm that you will not remove or take any documents or proprietary data or materials of any kind, electronic or otherwise, with you from your current or former employer to the Company without written authorization from your current or former employer, nor will you use or disclose any such confidential information during the course and scope of your employment with the Company. If you have any questions about the ownership of particular documents or other information, you should discuss such questions with your former employer before removing or copying the documents or information.
The terms of this offer letter may not be amended or modified unless such amendment or modification is agreed to in writing and signed by you and the Chair of the Board.
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We are excited at the prospect of you joining our team. If you have any questions about the above details, please call me immediately. If you wish to accept this position, please sign below and return this letter to me. This offer is open for you to accept until February 23, 2024, at which time it will be deemed to be withdrawn.
I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely,
/s/ Robert C. Flexon
Name: Robert C. Flexon
Title:Chair of the Board of Directors
On behalf of Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc.
Acceptance of Offer
I have read and understood and I accept all of the terms of the offer of employment as set forth in the foregoing letter, subject to satisfaction of the conditions set forth above. I have not relied on any agreements or representations, express or implied, that are not set forth expressly in the foregoing letter, and this letter supersedes all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations and warranties, both written and oral, with respect to the subject matter of this letter.
/s/ Vincent Canino
Name: Vincent Canino
Date:
22 February, 2024
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Exhibit A
Restricted Stock Unit Agreement
This Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (this "Agreement") is made and entered into as of March 11, 2024 (the "Grant Date") by and between Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company") and Vincent Canino (the "Grantee").
WHEREAS, the Company has adopted the Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") pursuant to which awards of Restricted Stock Units may be granted; and
WHEREAS, the Committee has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to grant the award of Restricted Stock Units provided for herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:
1. | Grant of Restricted Stock Units. |
3. | Vesting. |
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Continuous Service terminates for any other reason at any time before all Restricted Stock Units have vested, all unvested Restricted Stock Units shall be automatically forfeited upon such termination and neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall have any further obligations to the Grantee under this Agreement.
5. | Rights as Shareholder; Dividend Equivalents. |
6. | Settlement of Restricted Stock Units. |
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If the Grantee is deemed a "specified employee" within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, as determined by the Committee, at a time when the Grantee becomes eligible for settlement of the Restricted Stock Units upon the Grantee's "separation from service" within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, then to the extent necessary to prevent any accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A of the Code, such settlement will be delayed until the earlier of: (a) the date that is six (6) months following the Grantee's separation from service and (b) the Grantee's death.
9. | Tax Liability and Withholding. |
(a) | tendering a cash payment; |
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Counterpart signature pages to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in portable document format (.pdf), or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, will have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing an original signature.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.
CAPSTONE GREEN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.
By: Name: Robert Flexon
Title: Chair of the Board of Directors
GRANTEE
By: Name: Vincent Canino
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Exhibit B
AMENDED AND RESTATED CHANGEINCONTROLAGREEMENT
This Amended and Restated Change in Control Agreement ("Agreement") is made as of
the 22
day of February 2024 by and between Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and Vincent Canino (the "Employee").
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members of the Board on the Effective Date or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved (the "Incumbent Directors"); or
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a "Change in Control" shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of the foregoing clause (a) solely as the result of an acquisition of securities by the Company that, by reducing the number of shares of Voting Securities outstanding, increases the proportionate number of shares of Voting Securities beneficially owned by any person to fifty
(50) percent or more of the combined voting power of all then outstanding Voting Securities; provided, however, that if any person referred to in this sentence shall thereafter become the beneficial owner of any additional shares of Voting Securities (other than pursuant to a stock split, stock dividend, or similar transaction or as a result of an acquisition of securities directly from the Company) and immediately thereafter beneficially owns fifty (50) percent or more of the combined voting power of all then outstanding Voting Securities, then a "Change in Control" shall be deemed to have occurred for purposes of the foregoing clause (a). Further, notwithstanding the foregoing, a "Change in Control" shall be deemed not to have occurred for purposes of any of the foregoing clauses (a) or (b) unless the respective transaction constitutes a "change in control event" within the meaning of Treas. Reg. §1.409A-3(i)(5).
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performance from the Company, the relevant subsidiary or the Company's successors; (ii) the Employee's inducement of any customer, consultant, employee, or supplier of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors to unreasonably breach any contract with the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors or cease its business relationship with the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors; (iii) the Employee's failure to perform the duties and obligations of the Employee's position(s), which failure has continued for more than thirty (30) days following written notice of such non-performance from the Company, the relevant subsidiary or the Company's successors; (iv) an act or acts of dishonesty undertaken by the Employee resulting in substantial personal gain by the Employee at the expense of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors; (v) the Employee's gross negligence or willful misconduct or material breach of a fiduciary or contractual duty to the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors; (vi) the Employee's material violation of state or federal securities laws or failure to cooperate with a bona fide internal investigation or an investigation by regulatory or law enforcement authorities, after being instructed by the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors to cooperate, or the willful destruction or failure to preserve documents or other materials known to be relevant to such investigation or the inducement of others to fail to cooperate or to produce documents or other materials in connection with such investigation; (vii) the Employee's breach of any confidentiality, trade secret or return of property obligations to the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors, which breach, if curable, has not been cured within thirty (30) days following written notice of such breach from the Company, the relevant subsidiary or the Company's successors;
(viii) a violation by the Employee of the material written employment policies of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors, including those regarding discrimination, harassment and retaliation; (ix) the Employee's commission of, or plea of guilty or no contest to, any felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, deceit, dishonesty or fraud, or any conduct by the Employee that would reasonably be expected to result in material injury or reputational harm to the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors ifhe were retained in his position(s); (x) the Employee's breach of any non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement or other written agreement with the Company, any of its subsidiaries or its successors containing restrictive covenants; (xi) the Employee's excessive use of alcohol or the use or possession of an illegal or controlled substance, in each case, in the workplace or which materially impairs the ability of the Employee to effectively perform his duties or responsibilities; or (xii) the suspension or loss of, or a failure by the Employee to maintain in full force and effect, any professional license or certification needed by the Employee, under applicable law or otherwise, to be entitled to perform any of his duties or responsibilities.
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(60) days after the end of the Cure Period. If the Company, the relevant subsidiary or any successor cures the Good Reason condition during the Cure Period, Good Reason shall be deemed not to have occurred.
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5. | Additional Limitation. |
(2) cash payments subject to Section 409A of the Code; (3) equity-based payments and acceleration; and (4) non-cash forms of benefits; provided that, in the case of all of the foregoing Aggregate Payments, all amounts or payments that are not subject to calculation under Treas. Reg.
§l.280G-l, Q&A-24(b) or (c) shall be reduced before any amounts that are subject to calculation under Treas. Reg. §l.280G-1, Q&A-24(b) or (c).
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6. | Section 409A. |
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any of its subsidiaries or its successors for any reason other than the occurrence of a Qualifying Termination during the CIC Window, or (b) the expiration of the Post-CIC Window if the Employee is still employed by the Company or its successor.
9. | Notice and Date of Termination. |
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shall be determined in accordance with the law as it would be interpreted and applied by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement effective on the date and year first above written.
CAPSTONE GREEN ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.
By: Name: Robert Flexon
Title: Chair of the Board of Directors
EMPLOYEE
By: Name: Vincent Canino
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
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