The Pennant Group, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan
Exhibit 10.12
THE PENNANT GROUP, INC.
2019 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN
Section 1. Purpose
The purpose of the Plan is to promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders by aiding the Company in attracting and retaining officers, consultants, independent contractors and Directors capable of assuring the future success of the Company and to attract and retain officers, employees and independent contractors and directors for its Affiliates, to offer Eligible Persons incentives to continue in the Company’s, or its Affiliates’ employ or service, as applicable, and to afford Eligible Persons an opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest, or otherwise increase their proprietary interest, in the Company.
Section 2. Definitions
As used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
(a) “Affiliate” shall mean (i) any entity that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, is controlled by the Company and (ii) any entity in which the Company has a significant equity interest, in each case as determined by the Committee.
(b) “Annual Meeting” shall mean the Company’s regular annual meeting of stockholders
(c) “Automatic Stock Grant Program” shall mean the Directors’ Automatic Stock Grant Program described in Section 6(i) of the Plan.
(d) “Award” shall mean any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Award, Dividend Equivalent, Other Stock Grant, or Other Stock-Based Award granted under the Plan.
(e) “Award Agreement” shall mean any written agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing an Award granted under the Plan. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the applicable terms and conditions of the Plan and any other terms and conditions (not inconsistent with the Plan) determined by the Committee.
(f) “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
(g) “Cause” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following: (i) Participant’s personal dishonesty, willful misconduct, or breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit, (ii) Participant’s continuing intentional or habitual failure to perform stated duties, (iii) Participant’s violation of any law (other than minor traffic violations or similar misdemeanor offenses not involving moral turpitude), (iv) Participant’s material breach of any provision of an employment or independent contractor agreement with the Company, or (v) any other act or omission by a Participant that, in the opinion of the Committee, could reasonably be expected to adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, prospects and/or reputation. In each of the foregoing subclauses (i) through (v), whether or not a “Cause” event has occurred will be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion or, in the case of Participants who are Directors or officers or persons subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, the Board, each of whose determination shall be final, conclusive and binding. A Participant’s Service shall be deemed to have terminated for Cause if, after the Participant’s Service has terminated, facts and circumstances are discovered that would have justified a termination for Cause, including, without limitation, violation of material Company policies or breach of noncompetition, confidentiality or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Participant.
(h) “Change in Control” shall mean a change in ownership or control of the Company effected through the consummation of any of the following transactions: (i) a merger, consolidation or other reorganization unless securities representing more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the voting securities of the successor corporation (or its ultimate parent company) are immediately thereafter beneficially owned, directly or indirectly and in substantially the same proportion, by the Persons who beneficially owned the Company’s outstanding voting securities immediately prior to such transaction; (ii) a sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of
the Company’s assets; (iii) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any Person or related group of Persons (other than the Company or a Person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company), of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of securities possessing more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made directly to the Company’s stockholders or (iv) a majority of the members of the Board are replaced during any 12-month period by board of directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the member of the Board before the date of appointment or election. To the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A, a Change in Control must also constitute a Section 409A “change in control event”.
(i) “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and any regulations promulgated thereunder.
(j) “Committee” shall mean a committee of Directors designated by the Board to administer the Plan, which shall initially be the Compensation Committee. The Committee shall be comprised of at least two Directors but not less than such number of Directors as shall be required to permit Awards granted under the Plan to qualify under Rule 16b-3, and each member of the Committee shall be a Rule 16b-3 “Non-Employee Director.”
(k) “Company” shall mean The Pennant Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor corporation.
(l) “Compensation Committee” shall mean the compensation committee of the Board.
(m) “Director” shall mean a member of the Board, including any Non-Employee Director.
(n) “Dividend Equivalent” shall mean any right granted under Section 6(e) of the Plan.
(o) “Eligible Person” shall mean any Person who/that is an employee, officer, consultant, independent contractor or Director providing Services to the Company or any Affiliate who the Committee determines to be an Eligible Person.
(p) “Equity Restructuring” shall mean a dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Shares or other securities of the Company or other similar corporate transaction or event that affects the Shares such that an adjustment is necessary in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan.
(q) “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(r) “Fair Market Value” shall mean, with respect to any property (including, without limitation, any Shares or other securities), the fair market value of such property determined by the Committee pursuant to such methods or procedures as shall be established from time to time by the Committee. Notwithstanding the foregoing and unless otherwise determined by the Committee, the Fair Market Value of a Share as of a given date shall be the closing sale price of one Share as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market or such other principal United States securities market for such Shares on the date as of which Fair Market Value is being determined, if the Shares are then listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market or another principal United States securities market for such Shares.
(s) “Fiscal Year” shall mean the Company’s fiscal year.
(t) “Full Value Award” shall mean any Award of Shares under this Plan or an Award payable in Shares, other than an Option, a Stock Appreciation Right or other purchase right for which the Participant pays fair market value for the Shares measured as of the date of grant.
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(u) “Incentive Stock Option” shall mean an option granted under Section 6(a) of the Plan that is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” in accordance with the terms of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision.
(v) “Non-Employee Director” shall mean any Director who is not also an employee of the Company or an Affiliate within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 (which term “Non-Employee Director” is defined in this paragraph for purposes of the definition of “Committee” only and is not intended to define such term as used elsewhere in the Plan).
(w) “Non-Qualified Stock Option” shall mean an option granted under Section 6(a) of the Plan that is not an Incentive Stock Option.
(x) “Option” shall mean an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option.
(y) “Other Stock Grant” shall mean any right granted under Section 6(f) of the Plan.
(z) “Other Stock-Based Award” shall mean any right granted under Section 6(g) of the Plan.
(aa) “Participant” shall mean an Eligible Person designated to be granted an Award under the Plan.
(bb) “Performance Award” shall mean any right granted under Section 6(d) of the Plan.
(cc) “Performance Goal” shall mean a performance goal selected by the Committee, which may include one or more of the following performance goals, either individually, alternatively or in any combination, applied on a corporate, subsidiary or business unit basis: revenue, cash flow, gross profit, earnings before interest and taxes, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and net earnings, earnings per share, margins (including one or more of gross, operating and net income margins), returns (including one or more of return on assets, equity, investment, capital and revenue and total stockholder return), stock price, economic value added, working capital, market share, cost reductions, workforce satisfaction and diversity goals, employee retention, customer satisfaction, completion of key projects and strategic plan development and implementation. Such goals may reflect absolute entity or business unit performance or a relative comparison to the performance of a peer group of entities or other external measure of the selected performance criteria. The Committee shall establish the Performance Goals for a Performance Award on or before the 90th day of the applicable performance period for which Performance Goals are established and in no event after 25% of the applicable performance period has elapsed and in any event when the achievement of the applicable Performance Goals remains substantially uncertain. The Committee may appropriately adjust any evaluation of performance under such Performance Goals to exclude the effect of certain events, including without limitation any of the following events: asset write-downs; litigation or claim judgments or settlements; changes in tax law, accounting principles or other such laws or provisions affecting reported results; severance, contract termination and other costs related to exiting certain business activities; and gains or losses from the disposition of businesses or assets, from the early extinguishment of debt or items incorporated in the Company’s reporting.
(dd) “Person” shall mean any individual or entity, including a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture or trust.
(ee) “Plan” shall mean The Pennant Group, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time, the provisions of which are set forth herein.
(ff) “Restricted Stock” shall mean any Share granted under Section 6(c) of the Plan (or any Share issued pursuant to an Option that is early exercised).
(gg) “Restricted Stock Unit” shall mean any unit granted under Section 6(c) of the Plan evidencing the right to receive a Share (or evidencing the right to receive a cash payment equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share if explicitly so provided in the Award Agreement) at some future date.
(hh) “Rule 16b-3” shall mean Rule 16b-3 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act, or any successor rule or regulation.
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(ii) “Section 409A” shall mean Section 409A of the Code and the applicable Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
(jj) “Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(kk) “Separation From Service” has the meaning provided to such term under Section 409A and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(ll) “Service” shall mean the Participant’s performance of services for the Company (or any Affiliate) in the capacity of an employee, officer, consultant, independent contractor or Director.
(mm) “Share” or “Shares” shall mean a share or shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of the Company or such other securities or property as may become subject to Awards pursuant to an adjustment made under Section 4(c) of the Plan.
(nn) “Specified Employee” has the meaning provided to such term under Section 409A and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(oo) “Stock Appreciation Right” shall mean any right granted under Section 6(b) of the Plan.
(pp) “Substitute Awards” shall mean the Awards granted or Shares issued by the Company in assumption of, or in substitution or exchange for, awards previously granted, or the right or obligation to make future awards, in each case by a company acquired by the Company or any Affiliate or with which the Company or any Affiliate combines.
Section 3. Administration
(a) Power and Authority of the Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. Any Awards made solely to members of the Committee, however, should also be authorized by a disinterested majority of the Board. Subject to the express provisions of the Plan and to applicable law, the Committee shall have full power and authority to: (i) designate Participants; (ii) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant under the Plan; (iii) determine the number of Shares to be covered by (or the method by which payments or other rights are to be determined in connection with) each Award; (iv) determine the terms and conditions of any Award or Award Agreement; (v) modify or amend the terms and conditions of any Award or Award Agreement and accelerate the exercisability of any Option or waive any restrictions relating to any Award or extending the period of exercisability for an Award; (vi) determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances Awards may be exercised in cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property, or canceled, forfeited or suspended; (vii) interpret and administer the Plan and any instrument or agreement, including an Award Agreement, relating to the Plan; (viii) establish, amend, suspend or waive such rules and regulations and appoint such agents as it shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of the Plan; (ix) include in an Award Agreement a requirement that, under certain circumstances, acceleration of vesting (or compensation payable) with respect to such Award shall be reduced (or eliminated) to the extent that such reduction (or elimination) would, after taking into account any other payments in the nature of compensation to which the Participant would have a right to receive from the Company and any other Person contingent upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, prevent the occurrence of a “parachute payment” as defined under Code Section 280G; (x) granting Awards to Eligible Persons who are foreign nationals on such terms and conditions different from those specified in the Plan, which may be necessary or desirable to foster and promote achievement of the purposes of the Plan, and adopting such modifications, procedures, and/or subplans (with any such subplans attached as appendices to the Plan) and the like as may be necessary or desirable to comply with provisions of the laws or regulations of other countries or jurisdictions to ensure the viability of the benefits from Awards granted to Participants employed in such countries or jurisdictions, or to meet the requirements that permit the Plan to operate in a qualified or tax efficient manner, and/or comply with applicable foreign laws or regulations; and (xi) make any other determination and take any other action that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations and other decisions under or with respect to the Plan or any Award or Award Agreement shall be within the sole discretion of the Committee, may be made at any time and shall be final, conclusive and binding upon any Eligible Person and
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any holder or beneficiary of any Award and shall receive the maximum deference permitted under applicable law. The administration of the Automatic Stock Grant Program, however, shall be self-executing in accordance with the terms of that program so that neither the Board nor any Committee shall exercise any discretionary functions with respect to any Awards made under that program. If at any time (including after a notice of exercise has been delivered) the Committee (or the Board), reasonably believes that a Participant has committed an act of Cause (which includes a failure to act), the Committee (or Board) may suspend the Participant’s right to exercise any Award (or vesting or settlement of any Award) pending a determination of whether there was in fact an act of Cause. If the Committee (or the Board) determines a Participant has committed an act of Cause, neither the Participant nor his or her estate shall be entitled to exercise any outstanding Award whatsoever and all of Participant’s outstanding Awards shall then terminate without consideration. The expenses of the Plan shall be borne by the Company.
Section 4. Shares Available for Awards
(a) Shares Available. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4(c) of the Plan, a maximum number of 5,000,000 shares may be issued pursuant to the Plan (the “Share Limit”). Such Shares may be in whole or in part authorized and unissued or held by the Company as treasury shares.
(b) Accounting for Awards. To the extent that (i) Options or Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan shall expire unexercised, are cancelled, forfeited, terminated or are not distributed, or (ii) Shares subject to Awards under the Plan shall be, cancelled, forfeited, terminated or are settled in cash in lieu of Shares, such Shares shall immediately become available for grant under the Plan, as applicable, and shall increase the number of Shares available for purposes of the Plan. To the extent that Options, Stock Appreciation Rights or Shares awarded under this Plan shall be cancelled, forfeited or terminated (or are settled in cash in lieu of Shares), such Shares shall be added back to the Plan on the same basis and subject to the same ratio that applied when they were granted and shall increase the number of Shares available for purposes of the Plan. Shares delivered in payment of the purchase price in connection with the exercise of any Award, Shares repurchased on the open market with proceeds received by the Company from stock exercises, Shares delivered or withheld to pay tax withholding obligations or otherwise under the Plan and Shares not issued upon the net settlement or net exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights shall be added to and shall increase the number of Shares available for purposes of the Plan. Stock Appreciation Rights to be settled in Shares shall be counted in full against the number of Shares available for award under the Plan regardless of the number of Shares issued upon settlement of the Stock Appreciation Rights.
(c) Adjustments. In the event of any Equity Restructuring, the number and type of Shares (or other securities or other property) subject to outstanding Awards, and the purchase price or exercise price with respect to any Award will be proportionately adjusted; provided, however, that the number of Shares covered by any Award or to which such Award relates shall always be rounded down to the nearest whole number. The adjustments provided under this Section 4(c) shall be nondiscretionary and shall be final and binding on the affected Participant and the Company. The Committee shall make such proportionate adjustments, if any, as the Committee in its discretion may deem appropriate to reflect such Equity Restructuring with respect to the Share Limit, the ISO Limit, the aggregate number and kind of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Sections 4(a), 4(b) and 6(d) hereof, the Limitations and Director Grant Limits as each are defined below, and the automatic grant figures set forth in Section 6(i)).
(d) Substitute Awards. Substitute Awards shall not count toward the Share Limit (or the other limits in Section 4(a)), nor shall Shares subject to a Substitute Award again be available for Awards under the Plan as provided in Section 4(a). Additionally, in the event that a company acquired by the Company or any Affiliate or with which the Company or any Affiliate combines has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by stockholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grant pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not count toward the Share Limit; provided that Awards using such available shares shall not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were not Employees or Board members prior to such acquisition or combination.
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Section 5. Eligibility
Participation in the Plan shall be limited to Eligible Persons. In determining which Eligible Persons shall receive an Award and the terms of any Award, the Committee may take into account the nature of the services rendered by the respective Eligible Persons, their present and potential contributions to the success of the Company or such other factors as the Committee, in its discretion, shall deem relevant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Incentive Stock Option may only be granted to full-time or part-time employees (which term as used herein includes, without limitation, officers and Directors who are also employees), and an Incentive Stock Option shall not be granted to an employee of an Affiliate unless such Affiliate is also a “subsidiary corporation” of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code or any successor provision.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the maximum grant date fair value of any Award granted to any Non-Employee Director during any calendar year will not exceed $500,000, such limit which, for the avoidance of doubt, applies to Awards granted under the Plan only and does not include Shares granted in lieu of all or any portion of such Non-Employee Director’s cash retainer fees.
Section 6. Awards
(a) Options. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Options to Eligible Persons with the following terms and conditions and with such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as the Committee shall determine:
(i) Exercise Price. The purchase price per Share purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Committee; provided, however, that such purchase price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of such Option unless the Committee expressly acknowledges in its granting resolutions that such Option has been structured to be exempt from or compliant with the requirements of Section 409A.
(ii) Option Term. The term of each Option shall be fixed by the Committee at the time of grant, but shall not be longer than 10 years from the date of grant.
(iii) Time and Method of Exercise. The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part and the method or methods by which, and the form or forms (including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property, or any combination thereof, having a Fair Market Value on the exercise date equal to the applicable exercise price) in which payment of the exercise price with respect thereto may be made or deemed to have been made.
(iv) Incentive Stock Options. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the following additional provisions shall apply to the grant of stock options which are intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options:
(A) The Committee will not grant Incentive Stock Options in which the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the option is granted) of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Participant during any calendar year (under this Plan and all other plans of the Company and its Affiliates) shall exceed $100,000.
(B) All Incentive Stock Options must be granted within ten years from the earlier of the date on which this Plan was adopted by the Board or the date this Plan was approved by the stockholders of the Company.
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(C) Unless sooner exercised, all Incentive Stock Options shall expire and no longer be exercisable no later than 10 years after the date of grant; provided, however, that in the case of a grant of an Incentive Stock Option to a Participant who, at the time such Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of its Affiliate, such Incentive Stock Option shall expire and no longer be exercisable no later than 5 years from the date of grant.
(D) The purchase price per Share for an Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Incentive Stock Option; provided, however, that, in the case of the grant of an Incentive Stock Option to a Participant who, at the time such Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of its Affiliate, the purchase price per Share purchasable under an Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Incentive Stock Option.
(E) Any Incentive Stock Option authorized under the Plan shall contain such other provisions as the Committee shall deem advisable, but shall in all events be consistent with and contain all provisions required in order to qualify the Option as an Incentive Stock Option.
(F) Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4(c), the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options granted under this Plan shall not exceed 5,000,000 Shares (the “ISO Limit”).
(b) Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Stock Appreciation Rights to Eligible Persons subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement. Each Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan shall confer on the holder upon exercise the right to receive a whole number of Shares equal to the excess of (a) the Fair Market Value of one Share on the date of exercise (or, if the Committee shall so determine, at any time during a specified period before or after the date of exercise) over (b) the grant price of the Stock Appreciation Right as determined by the Committee, which grant price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of one Share on the date of grant of the Stock Appreciation Right. The term of any Stock Appreciation Right shall not exceed 10 years.
(c) Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units to Eligible Persons with the following terms and conditions and with such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as the Committee shall determine:
(i) Restrictions. Shares of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to such restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, a restriction on or prohibition against the right to receive any dividend or other right or property with respect thereto), which restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such time or times, in such installments or otherwise as the Committee may deem appropriate.
(ii) Issuance of Shares. Any Restricted Stock granted under the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Board may deem appropriate, including book-entry registration or issuance of a stock certificate or certificates, which certificate or certificates shall be held by the Company. Such certificate or certificates shall be registered in the name of the Participant and shall bear an appropriate legend referring to the restrictions and possible forfeiture applicable to such Restricted Stock, as set forth in the Award Agreement.
(iii) Dividends. Dividends payable to holders of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units shall be handled pursuant to Section 9(s) of the Plan.
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(iv) Forfeiture. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon a Participant’s termination of Service (as determined under criteria established by the Committee) during the applicable restriction period, all applicable Shares of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units at such time subject to restriction shall be forfeited and with Shares of Restricted Stock reacquired by the Company; provided, however, that the Committee may, when it finds that a waiver would be in the best interest of the Company, waive in whole or in part any or all remaining restrictions with respect to Shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units.
(d) Performance Awards. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Performance Awards to Eligible Persons subject to the terms of the Plan. A Performance Award granted under the Plan (i) may be denominated or payable in cash, Shares (including, without limitation, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units), other securities, other Awards or other property and (ii) shall confer on the holder thereof the right to receive payments, in whole or in part, upon the achievement of such Performance Goals during such performance periods as the Committee shall establish. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Performance Goals to be achieved during any performance period, the length of any performance period, the amount of any Performance Award granted, the amount of any payment or transfer to be made pursuant to any Performance Award and any other terms and conditions of any Performance Award shall be determined by the Committee.
(e) Dividend Equivalents. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Dividend Equivalents to Eligible Persons under which the Participant shall be entitled to receive payments (in cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property as determined in the discretion of the Committee) equivalent to the amount of cash dividends paid by the Company to holders of Shares with respect to a number of Shares determined by the Committee. Subject to the terms of the Plan, such Dividend Equivalents may have such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine except that all Dividend Equivalents shall be subject to the same vesting conditions as to the underlying Award to which they are attached.
(f) Other Stock Grants. The Committee is hereby authorized, subject to the terms of the Plan, to grant to Eligible Persons Shares without restrictions thereon as are deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purpose of the Plan. Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, such Other Stock Grant may have such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine.
(g) Other Stock-Based Awards. The Committee is hereby authorized to grant to Eligible Persons, subject to the terms of the Plan, such other Awards that are denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on or related to, Shares (including, without limitation, securities convertible into Shares), as are deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purpose of the Plan. Shares or other securities delivered pursuant to a purchase right granted under this Section 6(g) shall be purchased for such consideration, which may be paid by such method or methods and in such form or forms (including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property or any combination thereof), as the Committee shall determine, the value of which consideration, as established by the Committee, shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such Shares or other securities as of the date such purchase right is granted unless the Committee expressly acknowledges in its granting resolutions that such Other Stock-Based Award has been structured to be exempt from or compliant with the requirements of Section 409A.
(h) General.
(i) Consideration for Awards. Awards may be granted for no cash consideration or for any cash or other consideration as determined by the Committee and required by applicable law.
(ii) Awards May Be Granted Separately or Together. Awards may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with or in substitution for any other Award or any award granted under any plan of the Company or any Affiliate. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards or in addition to or in tandem with awards granted under any such other plan of the Company or any Affiliate may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards or awards.
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(iii) Forms of Payment under Awards. Subject to the terms of the Plan and of any applicable Award Agreement, payments or transfers to be made by the Company or an Affiliate upon the grant, exercise or payment of an Award may be made in such form or forms as the Committee shall determine (including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property or any combination thereof), and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments or on a deferred basis, in each case in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Committee. Such rules and procedures may include, without limitation, provisions for the payment or crediting of reasonable interest on installment or deferred payments or the grant or crediting of Dividend Equivalents with respect to installment or deferred payments.
(iv) Limits on Transfer of Awards. No Award (other than Other Stock Grants) and no right under any such Award shall be transferable by a Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and the Company shall not be required to recognize any attempted assignment of such rights by any Participant; provided, however, that, if so determined by the Committee, a Participant may, in the manner established by the Committee, designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise the rights of the Participant and receive any property distributable with respect to any Award upon the death of the Participant; provided, further, that, if so determined by the Committee, a Participant may, at any time that such Participant holds such Option, transfer a Non-Qualified Stock Option to any “Family Member” (as such term is defined in the General Instructions to Form S-8 (or any successor to such Instructions or such Form) under the Securities Act), provided that the Participant may not receive any consideration for such transfer, the Family Member may not make any subsequent transfers other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and the Company receives written notice of such transfer. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, each Award (other than an Incentive Stock Option) or right under any such Award shall be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant or, if permissible under applicable law, by the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, no Award (other than an Incentive Stock Option) or right under any such Award may be pledged, alienated, attached or otherwise encumbered, and any purported pledge, alienation, attachment or other encumbrance thereof shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate.
(v) Term of Awards. Subject to Section 6(a)(iv)(C), the term of each Award shall be fixed by the Committee at the time of grant, but shall not be longer than 10 years from the date of grant.
(vi) Restrictions; Securities Exchange Listing. All Shares or other securities delivered under the Plan pursuant to any Award or the exercise thereof shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the Plan, applicable federal or state securities laws and regulatory requirements, and the Committee may direct appropriate stop transfer orders and cause other legends to be placed on the certificates for such Shares or other securities to reflect such restrictions. If the Shares or other securities are traded on a securities exchange, the Company shall not be required, and shall have no liability for failure, to deliver any Shares or other securities covered by an Award unless and until such Shares or other securities have been and continue to be admitted for trading on such securities exchange. No Shares or other assets shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan, and the Company shall have no liability for failure to issue or deliver Shares under the Plan, unless and until there shall have been compliance with all applicable requirements of applicable securities laws, including the filing and effectiveness of the Form S-8 registration statement for the Shares issuable pursuant to the Plan, and all applicable listing requirements of any stock exchange or trading system, including the Nasdaq Stock Market, on which Common Stock is then traded. No Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan, and the Company shall have no liability for failure to issue or deliver Shares under the Plan, if doing so would violate any internal policies of the Company.
(vii) Prohibition on Repricing. Except as provided in Section 4(c) of the Plan, no Option or Stock Appreciation Right may be amended to reduce its initial exercise or grant price and no Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall be canceled and replaced with either cash or Shares or with Options or Stock Appreciation Rights having a lower exercise or grant price, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company. In addition, no re-load Options may be granted without the approval of the stockholders of the Company.
(i) Directors’ Automatic Stock Grant Program.
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(i) Automatic Quarterly Restricted Stock Awards. Beginning with the Adoption Date, each Non-Employee Director serving as a duly elected or appointed Class I, Class II, or Class III Director on the first day of each fiscal quarter shall receive 750 Shares for each fiscal quarter of service. Shares granted pursuant to the Automatic Stock Grant Program shall vest in accordance with the schedule designated by the Committee as set forth in the Award Agreement. There shall be no limit on the number of Shares any one Non-Employee Director may receive over his or her period of Board service pursuant to the Automatic Stock Grant Program, and Non-Employee Directors who have previously been employees of the Company (or any Affiliate) or who have received one or more Awards from the Company prior to becoming a Non-Employee Director shall nevertheless be eligible to receive Shares pursuant to the Automatic Stock Grant Program over their period of continued Board service. Non-Employee Directors must be serving as a member of the Board on the first day of the fiscal quarter in question to be eligible to receive an Award under this subsection. If a Non-Employee Director ceases to serve as a member of the Board for any reason, such Non-Employee Director shall no longer be eligible or entitled to receive any Awards contemplated by this subsection. Non-Employee Directors elected to fill less than a three-year term will receive a pro rata stock award
(ii) Timing of Awards. Awards made pursuant to the Automatic Stock Grant Program shall be granted on the fifteenth (15th) day of the first month of the fiscal quarter for which the Non-Employee Director qualifies for such Award, provided that such day is not a Saturday, Sunday or holiday observed by the NASDAQ Stock Market. In the event that the fifteenth (15th) day of the first month of the fiscal quarter is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday observed by the NASDAQ Stock Market, the Shares shall be issued on the next regular business and trading day following the fifteenth (15th) day of the first month of the fiscal quarter.
Section 7. Amendment and Termination; Adjustments
(a) Amendments to the Plan. The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan at any time; provided, however, that, notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company, no such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuation or termination shall be made that, absent such approval:
(i) violates the rules or regulations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other securities exchange that are applicable to the Company;
(ii) causes the Company to be unable, under the Code, to grant Incentive Stock Options under the Plan;
(iii) increases the number of shares authorized under the Plan as specified in Section 4(a); or
(iv) permits the award of Options or Stock Appreciation Rights at a price less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of such Option or Stock Appreciation Right, as prohibited by Sections 6(a)(i) and 6(b) of the Plan or the repricing of Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, as prohibited by Section 6(h)(vii) of the Plan.
(b) Amendments to Awards. The Committee may waive any conditions of or rights of the Company under any outstanding Award, prospectively or retroactively. Except as otherwise provided herein or in an Award Agreement, the Committee may not amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate any outstanding Award, prospectively or retroactively, if such action would adversely affect the rights of the holder of such Award, without the consent of the Participant or holder or beneficiary thereof.
(c) Correction of Defects, Omissions and Inconsistencies. The Committee may correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award or Award Agreement in the manner and to the extent it shall deem desirable to implement or maintain the effectiveness of the Plan.
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Section 8. Income Tax Withholding
In order to comply with all applicable federal, state or local income tax laws or regulations, the Company may take such action as it deems appropriate to ensure that all applicable federal, state or local payroll, withholding, income or other taxes, which are the sole and absolute responsibility of a Participant, are withheld or collected from such Participant. In order to assist a Participant in paying all or a portion of the federal, state and local taxes to be withheld or collected upon exercise or receipt of (or the lapse of restrictions relating to) an Award, the Committee, in its discretion and subject to such additional terms and conditions as it may adopt, may permit the Participant to satisfy such tax obligation by (i) electing to have the Company withhold a portion of the Shares otherwise to be delivered upon exercise or receipt of (or the lapse of restrictions relating to) such Award with a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such taxes (but only up to the maximum amount permitted to be withheld under applicable laws or regulations or financial accounting rules and without causing the Award to be classified as a liability under financial accounting rules) or (ii) delivering to the Company Shares other than Shares issuable upon exercise or receipt of (or the lapse of restrictions relating to) such Award with a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such taxes (but only up to the maximum amount permitted to be withheld under applicable laws or regulations or financial accounting rules and without causing the Award to be classified as a liability under financial accounting rules). The election, if any, must be made on or before the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is determined.
Section 9. General Provisions
(a) No Rights to Awards. No Eligible Person or other Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Eligible Persons or holders or beneficiaries of Awards under the Plan. The terms and conditions of Awards need not be the same with respect to any Participant or with respect to different Participants. A grant of any type made hereunder in any one year to an Eligible Person shall neither guarantee nor preclude a further grant of that or any other type of Award to such Eligible Person in that year or subsequent years.
(b) Award Agreements. No Participant will have rights under an Award granted to such Participant unless and until an Award Agreement shall have been duly executed on behalf of the Company and, if requested by the Company, signed by the Participant.
(c) Plan Provisions Control. In the event that any provision of an Award Agreement conflicts with or is inconsistent in any respect with the terms of the Plan as set forth herein or subsequently amended, the terms of the Plan shall control.
(d) No Rights of Stockholders. Except with respect to Shares of Restricted Stock as to which the Participant has been granted the right to vote, neither a Participant nor the Participant’s legal representative shall be, or have any of the rights and privileges of, a stockholder of the Company with respect to any Shares issuable to such Participant upon the exercise or payment of any Award, in whole or in part, unless and until such Shares have been issued in the name of such Participant or such Participant’s legal representative without restrictions thereto.
(e) No Limit on Other Compensation Arrangements. Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Company or any Affiliate from adopting or continuing in effect other or additional compensation arrangements, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.
(f) No Right to Employment. The grant of an Award shall not be construed as giving a Participant the right to be retained in the employ, or as giving a Director of the Company or an Affiliate the right to continue as a Director or an Affiliate of the Company or any Affiliate, nor will it affect in any way the right of the Company or an Affiliate to terminate a Participant’s employment or Service at any time, with or without cause. In addition, the Company or an Affiliate may at any time dismiss a Participant from employment, or terminate the term of a Director of the Company or an Affiliate, free from any liability or any claim under the Plan or any Award, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan or in any Award Agreement. Nothing in this Plan shall confer on any Participant any legal or equitable right against the Company or any Affiliate, directly or indirectly, or give rise to any cause of action at law or in equity against the Company or an Affiliate. The Awards granted hereunder shall not form any part of the wages or salary of any Eligible Person for purposes of severance pay or termination indemnities, irrespective of the reason for termination of employment. Under no circumstances shall any Participant ceasing to
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be an employee of the Company or any Affiliate be entitled to any compensation for any loss of any right or benefit under the Plan which such employee might otherwise have enjoyed but for termination of employment, whether such compensation is claimed by way of damages for wrongful or unfair dismissal, breach of contract or otherwise. By participating in the Plan, each Participant shall be deemed to have accepted all the conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of any rules and regulations adopted by the Committee and shall be fully bound thereby.
(g) Transferability. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, no Award granted under the Plan shall be transferable by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or, with respect to such grants other than grants of Incentive Stock Options, to a Participant’s Family Member by gift or a qualified domestic relations order as defined by the Code. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, an Option or SAR may be exercised only by the Participant thereof; by his or her Family Member if such person has acquired the Option or SAR by gift or qualified domestic relations order; by his or her executor or administrator or the executor or administrator of the estate of any of the foregoing or any person to whom the Option is transferred by will or the laws of descent and distribution; or by his or her guardian or legal representative or the guardian or legal representative of any of the foregoing; provided that Incentive Stock Options may be exercised by any Family Member, guardian or legal representative only if permitted by the Code and any regulations thereunder. All provisions of the Plan shall in any event continue to apply to any Award granted under the Plan and transferred as permitted by this Section 9(g), and any transferee of any such Award shall be bound by all provisions of the Plan as and to the same extent as the applicable original Participant.
(h) Governing Law. The validity, construction and effect of the Plan or any Award, and any rules and regulations relating to the Plan or any Award, shall be determined in accordance with the internal laws, and not the law of conflicts, of the State of Delaware.
(i) Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Committee, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Committee, materially altering the purpose or intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction or Award, and the remainder of the Plan or any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.
(j) No Trust or Fund Created. Neither the Plan nor any Award shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the Company or any Affiliate and an Eligible Person or Participant. To the extent that a Participant acquires a right to receive payments from the Company or any Affiliate pursuant to an Award, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company or any Affiliate.
(k) Other Benefits. No compensation or benefit awarded to or realized by any Participant under the Plan shall be included for the purpose of computing such Participant’s compensation under any compensation-based retirement, disability, or similar plan of the Company unless required by law or otherwise provided by such other plan.
(l) No Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award, and the Committee shall determine whether cash shall be paid in lieu of any fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall be canceled, terminated or otherwise eliminated.
(m) Headings. Headings are given to the Sections and subsections of the Plan solely as a convenience to facilitate reference. Such headings shall not be deemed in any way material or relevant to the construction or interpretation of the Plan or any provision thereof.
(n) Section 16 Compliance. The Plan is intended to comply in all respects with Rule 16b-3 or any successor provision, as in effect from time to time, and in all events the Plan shall be construed in accordance with the requirements of Rule 16b-3. If any Plan provision does not comply with Rule 16b-3 as hereafter amended or interpreted, the provision shall be deemed inoperative. The Board, in its absolute discretion, may bifurcate the Plan so as to restrict, limit or condition the use of any provision of the Plan with respect to persons who are officers or Directors subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act without so restricting, limiting or conditioning the Plan with respect to other Eligible Persons.
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(o) Conditions Precedent to Issuance of Shares. Shares shall not be issued, and the Company shall not have any liability for failure to issue Shares, pursuant to the exercise or payment of the purchase price relating to an Award unless such exercise or payment and the issuance and delivery of such Shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all relevant provisions of law, including, without limitation, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the requirements of any applicable Stock Exchange and the Delaware General Corporation Law. As a condition to the exercise or payment of the purchase price relating to such Award, the Company may require that the Participant exercising or paying the purchase price represent and warrant that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation and warranty is required by law.
(p) Section 409A. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the Plan and Awards granted hereunder are intended to be exempt from or comply with the requirements of Section 409A and shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with such intention. In the event that any provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement is determined by the Committee to not comply with the applicable requirements of Section 409A or the applicable regulations and other guidance issued thereunder, the Committee shall have the authority (but without an affirmative obligation) to take such actions and to make such changes to the Plan or an Award Agreement as the Committee deems necessary to comply with such requirements. Any payment made pursuant to any Award shall be considered a separate payment and not one of a series of payments for purposes of Section 409A. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything elsewhere in the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, if upon a Participant’s Separation From Service he/she is then a Specified Employee, then solely to the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A and avoid the imposition of taxes under Section 409A, the Company shall defer payment of “nonqualified deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A payable as a result of and within six (6) months following such Separation From Service under this Plan until the earlier of (i) the first business day of the seventh month following the Participant’s Separation From Service, or (ii) twenty (20) days after the Company receives written confirmation of the Participant’s death. Any such delayed payments shall be made without interest. While it is intended that all payments and benefits provided under the Plan or an Award will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A, the Company makes no representation or covenant to ensure that the payments under the Plan or an Award are exempt from or compliant with Section 409A. In no event whatsoever shall the Company be liable if a payment or benefit under the Plan or an Award is challenged by any taxing authority or for any additional tax, interest or penalties that may be imposed on a Participant by Section 409A or any damages for failing to comply with Section 409A. The Participant will be entirely responsible for any and all taxes on any benefits payable to such Participant as a result of the Plan or an Award. If the applicable Award Agreement or Participant’s employment agreement provides for Section 409A related provisions other than what is specified above in this Section 9(p), then such provisions in the Award or employment agreement shall govern.
(q) Change in Control. In the event that there is a Change in Control and/or the Company is a party to a merger or acquisition or reorganization or similar transaction, outstanding Awards shall be subject to the merger agreement or other applicable transaction agreement. Such agreement may provide, without limitation, that subject to the consummation of the applicable transaction, for the assumption (or substitution) of outstanding Awards by the surviving entity or its parent, for their continuation by the Company (if the Company is a surviving corporation), for accelerated vesting, or for their cancellation either with or without consideration, in all cases without the consent of the Participant.
(r) Recoupment of Compensation. The Company may (i) cause the cancellation of any Award, (ii) require reimbursement of any Award by a Participant and (iii) effect any other right of recoupment of equity or other compensation provided under this Plan or otherwise in accordance with Company policies as may be adopted and/or modified from time to time by the Company and/or applicable law (each, a “Clawback Policy”). In addition, a Participant may be required to repay to the Company certain previously paid compensation, whether provided under this Plan or an Award Agreement or otherwise, in accordance with the Clawback Policy. By accepting an Award, a Participant is also agreeing to be bound by the Company’s Clawback Policy which may be amended from time to time by the Company in its discretion (including without limitation to comply with applicable laws or stock exchange requirements) and is further agreeing that all of the Participant’s Awards may be unilaterally amended by the Company to the extent needed to comply with the Clawback Policy.
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(s) Dividends. No dividends (that are paid by the Company to holders of Shares) will be paid or accrued with respect to Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock Units or unearned Performance Awards; however, dividends may be paid with respect to unvested Restricted Stock awards issued under the Plan that are subject to time-vesting requirements only.
(t) Dissolution. To the extent not previously exercised or settled, all Awards shall terminate immediately prior to the dissolution or liquidation of the Company and shall be forfeited to the Company (except for repayment of any amounts a Participant had paid to the Company to acquire unvested Shares underlying the forfeited Awards).
Section 10. Effective Date of the Plan
The Plan shall be effective as of the date of its approval by the Board (the “Adoption Date”), however no Awards may be granted until the Plan has been approved by Company stockholders.
Section 11. Term of the Plan
No Award shall be granted under the Plan after (a) the tenth anniversary of the Adoption Date, or (b) any earlier date of discontinuation or termination established pursuant to Section 7(a) of the Plan. However, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan or in an applicable Award Agreement, any Award theretofore granted may extend beyond such date, and the authority of the Committee provided for hereunder with respect to the Plan and any Awards, and the authority of the Board to amend the Plan, shall extend beyond the termination of the Plan.
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