UnitekHoldings, Inc. 2007Equity Incentive Plan

 

 

 

Article 1.  Establishment & Purpose

 

1.1           Establishment.  Unitek Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”), establishes the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”) as set forth in this document.  

 

1.2           Purpose of the Plan.  The purpose of the Plan is to attract, retain and motivate officers and employees of, consultants to, and non-employee directors providing services to the Company and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates, and to promote the success of the Company’s business by providing them with appropriate incentives and rewards either through a proprietary interest in the long-term success of the Company or compensation based on fulfilling their individual performance goals.

 

Article 2.  Definitions

 

Whenever capitalized in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below.

 

2.1           “Affiliate” means any entity that the Company, either directly or indirectly, is in common control with, is controlled by or controls or any entity in which the Company has a substantial direct or indirect equity interest, as determined by the Board.

 

2.2           “Annual Award Limit” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.1(b).

 

2.3           “Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Other Stock-Based Award or Performance-Based Compensation award that is granted under the Plan.

 

2.4           “Award Agreement” means either (a) a written agreement entered into by the Company and a Participant setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan, or (b) a written statement issued by the Company to a Participant describing the terms and provisions of the actual grant of such Award.

 

2.5           “Beneficial Owner” or “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.

 

2.6           “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

2.7           “Cause” shall mean with respect to a Participant, (i) “cause” as defined in any employment or other written agreement between the Participant and the Company (or, if applicable, the Affiliate to which the Participant renders services) or (ii) if the Participant is not a party to an employment agreement or other written agreement or “cause” is not defined therein:

 

(a)

the Participant shall have committed, been convicted of, or shall have plead guilty or nolo contendere to, any felony or any crime involving personal dishonesty or fraud;

 

(b)

the Participant’s willful or persistent failure to perform, or refusal to perform his or her assigned duties or to comply with Company directives;

 

(c)

the Participant shall have breached any written policy, or procedure or any confidential or proprietary information, non-compete or non-solicitation covenant for the benefit of the Company or any of its Affiliates;

 

(d)

the Participant shall have committed any fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, breach of fiduciary duty or any other act of dishonesty of a material nature against the Company or any of its Affiliates; or

 

(e)

the Participant shall have engaged in any gross or willful misconduct which could result in a substantial loss to the Company or any of its Affiliates or substantial damage to their reputation.

 

2.8           “Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

 

(a)

any Person, other than the Permitted Holders, is or becomes the Beneficial Owner (except that a Person shall be deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of all Shares that any such Person has the right to acquire, whether such right is currently exercisable or only after the passage of time), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the total voting power of the voting stock of the Company, including by way of merger, consolidation, tender or exchange offer or otherwise;

 

(b)

the sale or disposition, in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all, of the assets of the Company to any Person, other than the Permitted Holders; or

 

(c)

Approval by the shareholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company.

 

2.9                      “Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.

 

2.10           “Committee” means the compensation committee of the Board, or any other committee designated by the Board to administer the Plan, subject to any listing requirements of each exchange on which the Company may be listed.

 

2.11           “Company” means Unitek Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor thereto.

 

2.12           “Consultant” means any person (other than an Employee or a Director) who is engaged by the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services to the Company or such Subsidiary or Affiliate.

 

2.13           “Covered Employee” means for any Plan Year, a Participant designated by the Company as a potential “covered employee,” as such term is defined in Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

2.14           “Director” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee.

 

2.15           “Effective Date” means the date set forth in Section 15.15.

 

2.16           “Employee” means an officer or other employee of the Company, its Subsidiaries or an Affiliate, including a member of the Board who is such an employee.

 

2.17           “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

 

2.18           “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the per Share value determined as follows:

 

(a)

if the Shares are listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, the per Share Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for each Share (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) on the date of determination (or, if no closing sales price or closing bid was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such closing sales price or closing bid was reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Committee deems reliable;

 

(b)

if the Shares are regularly quoted on an automated quotation system (including the OTC Bulletin Board and the “Pink Sheets” published by the National Quotation Bureau, Inc.) or by a recognized securities dealer, but selling prices are not reported, the per Share Fair Market Value shall be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for a Share on the date of determination (or, if no such prices were reported on that date, on the last date such prices were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Committee deems reliable; or

 

(c)

in the absence of an established market for the Shares of the type described in (a) and (b) above, the per Share Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in accordance with applicable provisions of Section 409A of the Code.

 

2.19           “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to meet the requirements of an incentive stock option as defined in Section 422 of the Code and designated as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

2.20           “Non-Employee Director” means a person defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

2.21           “Nonqualified Stock Option” means an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.

 

2.22           “Other Stock-Based Award” means any right granted under Article 9 of the Plan.

 

2.23           “Option” means any stock option granted form time to time under Article 6 of the Plan.

 

2.24           “Option Price” means the purchase price per Share subject to an Option, as determined pursuant to Section 6.2 of the Plan.

 

2.25           “Outside Director” means a member of the Board who is an “outside director” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

2.26           “Participant” means any eligible person as set forth in Section 4.1 to whom an Award is granted.

 

 

2.27           “Performance-Based Compensation” means compensation under an Award that is intended to constitute “qualified performance-based compensation” within the meaning of the regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of Code or any successor provision.

 

2.28           “Performance Measures” means measures as described in Section 10.1 on which the performance goals are based in order to qualify Awards as Performance-Based Compensation.

 

2.29           “Performance Period” means the period of time during which the performance goals must be met in order to determine the degree of payout and/or vesting with respect to an Award.

 

2.30           “Permitted Holders” means, as of the date of determination, (i) an employee benefit plan (or trust forming a part thereof) maintained by the Company or any corporation or other Person of which a majority of its voting power of its voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company and (ii) any Affiliate.

 

2.31           “Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, including a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.

 

2.32           “Plan” means this Unitek Holdings, Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

2.33           “Plan Year” means the applicable calendar year.

 

2.34           “Recapitalization” shall mean an event or series of events affecting the capital structure of the Company such as a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, distribution, recapitalization, combination or reclassification of the Company’s securities.

 

2.35           “Restricted Stock” means any Award granted under Article 8.

 

2.36           “Restriction Period” means the period during which Restricted Stock awarded under Article 8 of the Plan is subject to forfeiture.

 

2.37           “Section 409A Guidance” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11.1.

 

2.38           “Service” means service as an Employee, Director or Consultant.

 

2.39           “Share” means a share of common stock of the Company, par value $0.01 per share, or such other class or kind of shares or other securities resulting from the application of Section 13.1.

 

2.40           “Stock Appreciation Right” means any right granted under Article 7.

 

2.41           “Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company (or any parent of the Company) if each of the corporations, other than the last corporation in each unbroken chain owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.

 

2.42           “Tandem SAR” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.

 

2.43           “Ten Percent Shareholder” means a person who on any given date owns, either directly or indirectly (taking into account the attribution rules contained in Section 424(d) of the Code), stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or a Subsidiary or Affiliate.

 

 

Article 3.  Administration

 

3.1           Authority of the Committee.  The Plan shall be administered by the Committee, which shall have full power to interpret and administer the Plan and full authority to select the Directors, Employees and Consultants to whom Awards will be granted and determine the type and amount of Awards to be granted to each such Director, Employee or Consultant, the terms and conditions of Awards granted under the Plan and the terms of Award Agreements to be entered into with Participants.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, clarify, construe or resolve any ambiguity in any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement, accelerate or waive vesting of Awards and exercisability of Awards, extend the term or period of exercisability of any Awards, modify the purchase price under any Award, or waive any terms or conditions applicable to any Award; provided that no action taken by the Committee shall adversely affect in any material respect the rights granted to any Participant under any outstanding Awards without the Participant’s written consent (other than pursuant to Article 11 or Article 13 hereof).  Awards may, in the discretion of the Committee, be made under the Plan in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by the Company or its Affiliates or a company acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines.  The Committee shall have full and exclusive discretionary power to adopt rules, forms, instruments and guidelines for administering the Plan as the Committee deems necessary or proper.  Notwithstanding anything in this Section 3.1 to the contrary, the Board, or any other committee or sub-committee established by the Board, is hereby authorized (in addition to any necessary action by the Committee) to grant or approve Awards as necessary to satisfy the requirements of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and to act in lieu of the Committee with respect to Awards made to Non-Employee Directors under the Plan.  All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Committee or by the Board (or any other committee or sub-committee thereof), as applicable, shall be final and binding upon the Participants, the Company, and all other interested individuals.

 

3.2           Delegation.  The Committee may delegate to one or more of its members, one or more officers of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and one or more agents or advisors such administrative duties or powers as it may deem advisable.

 

Article 4.  Eligibility and Participation

 

4.1           Eligibility.  Participants will consist of such Employees, Consultants and Directors as the Committee in its sole discretion determines and whom the Committee may designate from time to time to receive Awards under the Plan.  Designation of a Participant in any year shall not require the Committee to designate such person to receive an Award in any other year or, once designated, to receive the same type or amount of Award as granted to the Participant in any other year.  

 

4.2           Type of Awards.  Awards under the Plan may be granted in any one or a combination of:  (a) Options, (b) Stock Appreciation Rights, (c) Restricted Stock and (d) Other Stock-Based Awards.  The Plan sets forth the performance goals and procedural requirements to permit the Company to design Awards that qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, as described in Article 10 hereof.  Awards granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Agreements (which need not be identical) that provide additional terms and conditions associated with such Awards, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion; provided, however, that in the event of any conflict between the provisions of the Plan and any such Award Agreement, the provisions of the Plan shall prevail.

 

 

Article 5.  Shares Subject to the Plan and Maximum Awards

 

5.1           Number of Shares Available for Awards.

 

(a)

General.  Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 5.1(c) and Article 13, the maximum number of Shares available for issuance to Participants pursuant to Awards under the Plan shall be 13,581,250 Shares.  The Shares available for issuance under the Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Shares or treasury Shares.  The number of Shares available for granting Incentive Stock Options under the Plan shall not exceed 13,581,250 Shares, subject to adjustments provided in Article 13 hereof and subject to the provisions of Sections 422 or 424 of the Code or any successor provisions.  Any Shares delivered to the Company as part or full payment for the purchase price of an Award granted under the Plan or, to the extent the Committee determines that the availability of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan will not be compromised, to satisfy the Company’s withholding obligation with respect to an Award granted under the Plan, shall again be available for Awards under the Plan; provided, however, that such Shares shall continue to be counted as outstanding for purposes of determining whether an Annual Award Limit has been attained.

 

(b)

Annual Award Limits.  The maximum number of Shares with respect to which any Options and Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted to any Participant in any Plan Year shall be 4,346,000 Shares, subject to adjustments made in accordance with Article 13 hereof, or the cash equivalent thereof to the extent such Awards are payable in cash or property, and the maximum amount of Awards constituting Performance-Based Compensation granted to any Participant in a Plan Year shall be 4,346,000 Shares, subject to adjustments made in accordance with Article 13 hereof, or the cash equivalent thereof to the extent such Awards are payable in cash or property (each an “Annual Award Limit” and collectively, “Annual Award Limits”).

 

(c)

Additional Shares.  In the event that any outstanding Award expires, is forfeited, cancelled or otherwise terminated without the issuance of Shares or are otherwise settled for cash, the Shares subject to such Award, to the extent of any such forfeiture, cancellation, expiration, termination or settlement for cash, shall again be available for Awards under the Plan.  If the Committee authorizes the assumption under the Plan, in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization, of awards granted under another plan, such assumption shall not (i) reduce the maximum number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan or (ii) be subject to or counted against a Participant’s Annual Award Limit.

 

6.1           Grant of Options.  The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Options to Participants.  Each Option shall permit a Participant to purchase from the Company a stated number of Shares at an Option Price established by the Committee, subject to the terms and conditions described in this Article 6 and to such additional terms and conditions, as established by the Committee, in its sole discretion, that are consistent with the provisions of the Plan.  Options shall be designated as either Incentive Stock Options or Nonqualified Stock Options, provided that Options granted to Directors and Consultants shall be Nonqualified Stock Options.  An Option granted as an Incentive Stock Option shall, to the extent it fails to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option, be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option.  Neither the Committee nor the Company or any of its Affiliates shall be liable to any Participant or to any other person if it is determined that an Option intended to be an Incentive Stock Option does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.  Options shall be evidenced by Award Agreements which shall state the number of Shares covered by such Option.  Such agreements shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall deem advisable.

 

 

6.2           Terms of Option Grant.  The Option Price shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, but shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.  In the case of any Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Shareholder, the Option Price shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.

 

6.3           Option Term.  The term of each Option shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant and shall be stated in the Award Agreement, but in no event shall such term be greater than ten years (or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Shareholder, five years).

 

6.4           Time of Exercise.  Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercisable at such times and be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Committee shall in each instance approve, which terms and restrictions need not be the same for each grant or for each Participant.

 

6.5           Method of Exercise.  Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or in an Award Agreement, an Option may be exercised for all, or from time to time any part, of the Shares for which it is then exercisable.  For purposes of this Article 6, the exercise date of an Option shall be the later of the date a notice of exercise is received by the Company and, if applicable, the date payment is received by the Company pursuant to clauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) in the following sentence.  The aggregate Option Price for the Shares as to which an Option is exercised shall be paid to the Company in full at the time of exercise at the election of the Participant (i) in cash or its equivalent (e.g., by cashier’s check), (ii) to the extent permitted by the Committee, in Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the aggregate Option Price for the Shares being purchased and satisfying such other requirements as may be imposed by the Committee, (iii) partly in cash and, to the extent permitted by the Committee, partly in such Shares or (iv) if there is a public market for the Shares at such time, subject to such requirements as may be imposed by the Committee, through the delivery of irrevocable instructions to a broker to sell Shares obtained upon the exercise of the Option and to deliver promptly to the Company an amount out of the proceeds of such sale equal to the aggregate Option Price for the Shares being purchased.  The Committee may prescribe any other method of payment that it determines to be consistent with applicable law and the purpose of the Plan.  

 

6.6           Limitations on Incentive Stock Options.  Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to employees of the Company or of a “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” (as such terms are defined in Section 424 of the Code) at the date of grant.  The aggregate Fair Market Value (generally 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 a Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and of any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation) shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).  For purposes of the preceding sentence, Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account generally in the order in which they are granted.  No Incentive Stock Option may be exercised later than ten (10) years after the date it is granted.  Each provision of the Plan and each Award Agreement relating to an Incentive Stock Option shall be construed so that each Incentive Stock Option shall be an incentive stock option as defined in Section 422 of the Code, and any provisions of the Award Agreement thereof that cannot be so construed shall be disregarded.

 

 

Article 7.  Stock Appreciation Rights

 

7.1           Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights.  The Committee is hereby authorized to grant Stock Appreciation Rights to Participants, including a grant of Stock Appreciation Rights in tandem with any Option at the same time such Option is granted (a “Tandem SAR”).  Stock Appreciation Rights shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall deem advisable.  Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, a Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan shall confer on the holder thereof a right to receive, upon exercise thereof, the excess of (a) the Fair Market Value of a specified number of Shares on the date of exercise over (b) the grant price of the right as specified by the Committee on the date of the grant.  Such payment may be in the form of cash, Shares, other property or any combination thereof, as the Committee shall determine in its sole discretion.

 

7.2           Terms of Stock Appreciation Right.  Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, the grant price (which shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant), term, methods of exercise, methods of settlement and any other terms and conditions of any Stock Appreciation Right shall be as determined by the Committee.  The Committee may impose such other conditions or restrictions on the exercise of any Stock Appreciation Right as it may deem appropriate.  Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, no Stock Appreciation Right shall have a term of more than ten (10) years from the date of grant.

 

7.3           Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights and Options.  A Tandem SAR shall be exercisable only to the extent that the related Option is exercisable and shall expire no later than the expiration of the related Option.  Upon the exercise of all or a portion of a Tandem SAR, a Participant shall be required to forfeit the right to purchase an equivalent portion of the related Option (and, when a Share is purchased under the related Option, the Participant shall be required to forfeit an equivalent portion of the Stock Appreciation Right).

 

Article 8.  Restricted Stock

 

8.1           Grant of Restricted Stock.  An Award of Restricted Stock is a grant by the Company of a specified number of Shares to the Participant, which Shares are subject to forfeiture upon the occurrence of specified events.  Participants shall be awarded Restricted Stock in exchange for consideration not less than the minimum consideration required by applicable law.  Restricted Stock shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, which shall conform to the requirements of the Plan and may contain such other provisions as the Committee shall deem advisable.

 

8.2           Terms of Restricted Stock Awards.  Each Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock grant shall specify the period(s) of restriction, the number of Shares of Restricted Stock subject to the Award, the performance, employment or other conditions (including the termination of a Participant’s Service whether due to death, disability or other cause) under which the Restricted Stock may be forfeited to the Company and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.  Upon determination of the number of Shares of Restricted Stock to be granted to the Participant, the Committee shall direct that a certificate or certificates representing the number of Shares be issued to the Participant with the Participant designated as the registered owner.  The certificate(s) representing such shares shall be legended as to sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or other encumbrances during the Restriction Period and deposited by the Participant, together with a stock power endorsed in blank, with the Company, to be held in escrow during the Restriction Period.  At the end of the Restriction Period, the restrictions imposed hereunder shall lapse with respect to the number of shares of Restricted Stock as determined by the Committee, and the legend shall be removed and such number of Shares delivered to the Participant (or, where appropriate, the Participant’s legal representative).  The Committee may, in its sole discretion, modify or accelerate the lapsing of the restrictions imposed on Restricted Stock.

 

 

8.3           Voting and Dividend Rights.  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee and set forth in a Participant’s Award Agreement, Participants holding Restricted Stock granted hereunder shall not have the right to exercise voting rights with respect to the Restricted Stock and shall not have the right to receive dividends on such Restricted Stock.   

 

8.4           Performance Goals.  The Committee may condition the grant of Restricted Stock or the expiration of the Restriction Period upon the Participant’s achievement of one or more performance goal(s) specified in the Award Agreement.  If the Participant fails to achieve the specified performance goal(s), the Committee shall not grant the Restricted Stock to such Participant or the Participant shall forfeit the Award of Restricted Stock to the Company.

 

8.5           Section 83(b) Election.  If a Participant makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code concerning Restricted Stock, the Participant shall be required to file promptly a copy of such election with the Company.   

 

Article 9.  Other Stock-Based Awards

 

The Committee, in its sole discretion, may grant Awards of Shares and Awards that are valued, in whole or in part, by reference to, or are otherwise based on the Fair Market Value of, Shares (the “Other Stock-Based Awards”).  Such Other Stock-Based Awards shall be in such form, and dependent on such conditions, as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, the right to receive one or more Shares (or the equivalent cash value of such Shares) upon the completion of a specified period of service, the occurrence of an event and/or the attainment of performance objectives.  Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted alone or in addition to any other Awards granted under the Plan.  Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine to whom and when Other Stock-Based Awards will be made, the number of Shares to be awarded under (or otherwise related to) such Other Stock-Based Awards; whether such Other Stock-Based Awards shall be settled in cash, Shares or a combination of cash and Shares; and all other terms and conditions of such Awards (including, without limitation, the vesting provisions thereof and provisions ensuring that all Shares so awarded and issued shall be fully paid and non-assessable).

 

Article 10.  Performance-Based Compensation

 

The Committee is authorized to design any Award so that the amounts or Shares payable or distributed pursuant to such Award are treated as “qualified performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code and related regulations.

 

10.1           Performance Measures.  The vesting, crediting and/or payment of Performance-Based Compensation shall be based on the achievement of objective performance goals based on one or more of the following Performance Measures: (i) consolidated earnings before or after taxes (including earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization); (ii) net income; (iii) operating income; (iv) earnings per Share; (v) book value per Share; (vi) return on shareholders’ equity; (vii) expense management; (viii) return on investment; (ix) improvements in capital structure; (x) profitability of an identifiable business unit or product; (xi) maintenance or improvement of profit margins; (xii) stock price; (xiii) market share; (xiv) revenues or sales; (xv) costs; (xvi) cash flow; (xvii) working capital and (xviii) return on assets.

 

 

Any Performance Measure may be (i) used to measure the performance of the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates as a whole, any business unit thereof or any combination thereof or (ii) compared to the performance of a group of comparable companies, or a published or special index, in each case that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.

 

10.2           Establishment of Performance Goals for Covered Employees.  No later than ninety (90) days after the commencement of a performance period (but in no event after twenty-five percent (25%) of such performance period has elapsed), the Committee shall establish in writing:  (a) the performance goals applicable to the Performance Period; (b) the Performance Measures to be used to measure the performance goals in terms of an objective formula or standard; (c) the method for computing the amount of compensation payable to the Participant if such performance goals are obtained; and (d) the Participants or class of Participants to which such performance goals apply.

 

10.3           Adjustment of Performance-Based Compensation.  Awards that are designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation may not be adjusted upward.  The Committee shall retain the discretion to adjust such Awards downward, either on a formula or discretionary basis or any combination, as the Committee determines.

 

10.4           Certification of Performance.  No Award designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation shall be vested, credited or paid, as applicable, with respect to any Participant until the Committee certifies in writing that the performance goals and any other material terms applicable to such Performance Period have been satisfied.

 

Article 11.  Compliance with Section 409A of the Code

 

11.1           General.  To the extent that the Plan and/or Awards are subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Committee may, in its sole discretion and without a Participant’s prior consent, amend the Plan and/or Awards, adopt policies and procedures, or take any other actions (including amendments, policies, procedures and actions with retroactive effect) as are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Plan and/or any Award from the application of Section 409A of the Code, (b) preserve the intended tax treatment of any such Award, or (c) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretive guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulations or other guidance that may be issued after the date of the grant (“Section 409A Guidance”).  The Plan shall be interpreted at all times in such a manner that the terms and provisions of the Plan and Awards are exempt from or comply with Section 409A Guidance.

 

11.2           Timing of Payment.  All Awards that would otherwise be subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be paid or otherwise settled on or as soon as practicable after the applicable payment date and not later than the fifteenth (15th) day of the third month from the end of (i) the Participant’s tax year that includes the applicable payment date, or (ii) the Company’s tax year that includes the applicable payment date, whichever is later; provided, however, that the Committee reserves the right to delay payment with respect to any such Award under the circumstances set forth in Proposed Regulation Section 1.409A-3(h)(2) or any successor thereof or upon such other events and conditions as the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service may prescribe in generally applicable guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin; provided further that, notwithstanding any contrary provision in the Plan or Award Agreement, any payment(s) that are otherwise required to be made under the Plan to a “specified employee” (as defined under Section 409A of the Code) as a result of his or her separation from Service (other than a payment that is not subject to Section 409A of the Code) shall be delayed for the first six (6) months following such separation from Service (or, if earlier, the date of death of the specified employee) and shall instead be paid (in a manner set forth in the Award Agreement) on the payment date that immediately follows the end of such six (6)-month period or as soon as administratively practicable thereafter. 

 

 

Article 12.  Vesting; Termination of Service; Forfeiture of Awards.

 

12.1           Vesting of Awards.  Unless the Award Agreement provides otherwise, Awards under the Plan shall vest, and Options and Stock Appreciation Rights shall become exercisable, with respect to twenty percent (20%) of the Shares subject to the Award on each of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth anniversaries of the date of grant of the Award provided that the Participant’s Service has not terminated prior to such anniversary dates.

 

12.2           Termination of Service (except for Cause).  If a Participant’s Service terminates for any reason other than for Cause, then unless the Award Agreement provides otherwise:

 

(a)

Options/Stock Appreciation Rights.  Any vested and exercisable outstanding Options or Stock Appreciation Rights shall expire on the earliest of: (A) the expiration of their term, (B) twelve (12) months following termination of the Participant’s Service as a result of death or Disability, and (C) thirty (30) days following termination of Service for any other reason.  Any unvested and/or un-exercisable Options or Stock Appreciation Rights shall expire and be forfeited as of the date the Participant’s Service terminates.

 

(b)

Restricted Stock Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards.  All unvested Restricted Stock Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards shall expire and be forfeited upon termination of Service except that if on the date Service terminates, an Award the vesting of which is conditioned solely upon satisfying performance conditions and remaining in Service until the payment date, and the performance conditions are satisfied but the Participant is not in Service on the payment date due to his termination of Service on account of his death or Disability, such Award shall be payable to the Participant at the regularly scheduled payment date.

 

12.3           Termination of Service (for Cause).  Unless the Award Agreement provides otherwise, all of a Participant’s Awards (including any exercised Options for which Shares have not been delivered to the Participant) shall be cancelled and forfeited immediately on the date Participant’s Service terminates if such termination is for Cause or Cause exists on such date and the Company shall return to the Participant the price (if any) paid for such undelivered Shares.  If a Participant dies at a time when Cause exists but prior to the date Participant’s Service is terminated for Cause, all of the Participant’s Awards (including any exercised Options for which Shares have not been delivered to the Participant) shall be cancelled and forfeited immediately as of the date of the Participant’s death.

 

12.4           Leave of Absence.  For purposes of the Plan, Service shall be deemed to continue while a Participant is on a bona fide leave of absence, if such leave is approved by the Company in writing or if continued crediting of Service for this purpose is expressly required by the terms of such leave or by applicable law (as determined by the Board).

 

12.5           Right of Repurchase.  At any time prior to an Initial Public Offering on ten (10) days written notice to the Participant, the Company may, but is not obligated to, repurchase Shares acquired under the Plan from any Participant whose Service terminated for an amount equal to: (i) if Participant’s Service terminates for Cause, the purchase price paid, if any by the Participant for such Shares (or if less, the Fair Market Value of such Shares), or (ii) in the case of any other termination of Service, at the Fair Market Value of such Shares on the date of the exercise of the repurchase right by the Company, as determined in the sole discretion of the Company in accordance with the terms of the Plan.  For purposes of this Section 12.5, “Initial Public Offering” shall mean consummation of a firm commitment underwritten public offering of Shares or other event the result of which is that Shares are tradable on the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ National Market or similar United States market system.

 

 

Article 13.  Adjustments

 

13.1           Adjustments in Authorized Shares.  In the event of a Recapitalization, the Board shall adjust, in a fair and equitable manner, the Plan and each outstanding Award thereunder, to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participants’ rights under the Plan and an adjustment shall be made successively each time any such change shall occur.  Such adjustment shall be effected by one or more of the following, as applicable:  (i) adjusting the number and kind of Shares that may be issued under the Plan, the number and kind of Shares subject to outstanding Awards, and where applicable, the exercise price, base value or purchase price applicable to such Awards; (ii) granting a right to receive one or more payments of securities, cash and/or property (which right may be evidenced as an additional Award under the Plan) in respect of any Award, (iii) in the case of an Award other than an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, providing that the Award shall be settled in such securities, cash and/or other property as would have been received had the Award been settled in full immediately prior to the Recapitalization; provided, however, that in the case of an adjustment made in accordance with (ii) or (iii) above, the right to any securities, cash and/or property may be issued subject to the same vesting schedule as the Award being adjusted; and provided further, that any adjustment pursuant to this Section 13 shall comply with Section 409A of the Code, to the extent applicable.  Should the vesting of any Award be conditioned upon the Company’s attainment of performance conditions, the Board may make such adjustments to the terms and conditions of such Awards and the criteria therein to recognize unusual and nonrecurring events affecting the Company or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations or accounting principles.

 

13.2           Change of Control.  Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control after the Effective Date, unless otherwise specifically prohibited under applicable laws or by the rules and regulations of any governing governmental agencies or national securities exchanges, or unless the Committee shall determine otherwise in the Award Agreement, the Committee is authorized (but not obligated) to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of outstanding Awards, including, without limitation, the following (or any combination thereof): (i) continuation or assumption of such outstanding Awards under the Plan by the Company (if it is the surviving company or corporation) or by the surviving company or corporation or its parent; (ii) substitution by the surviving company or corporation or its parent of awards with substantially the same terms for such outstanding Awards; (iii) accelerated exercisability, vesting and/or lapse of restrictions under all then outstanding Awards immediately prior to the occurrence of such event; (iv) upon written notice, provide that any outstanding Awards must be exercised, to the extent then exercisable, within fifteen (15) days immediately prior to the scheduled consummation of the event, or such other period as determined by the Committee (in either case contingent upon the consummation of the event), and at the end of such period, such Awards shall terminate to the extent not so exercised within the relevant period; and (v) cancellation of all or any portion of outstanding Awards for fair value (as determined in the sole discretion of the Committee) which, in the case of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights, may equal the excess, if any, of the value of the consideration to be paid in the Change of Control transaction to holders of the same number of Shares subject to such Options or Stock Appreciation Rights (or, if no such consideration is paid, Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to such outstanding Awards or portion thereof being canceled) over the aggregate Option Price or grant price, as applicable, with respect to such Awards or portion thereof being canceled.  

 

 

Article 14.  Duration, Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination

 

14.1           Duration of the Plan.  Unless sooner terminated as provided in Section 14.2, the Plan shall terminate on the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Effective Date.

 

14.2           Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination of Plan.  The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan or any portion thereof or any Award (or Award Agreement) thereunder at any time; provided that no such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuation or termination shall be made (i) without shareholder approval if such approval is necessary to comply with any tax or regulatory requirement applicable to the Plan and (ii) without the consent of the Participant, if such action would materially diminish any of the rights of any Participant under any Award theretofore granted to such Participant under the Plan; provided, however, the Committee may amend the Plan, any Award or any Award Agreement in such manner as it deems necessary to comply with applicable laws.

 

Article 15.  General Provisions

 

15.1           No Right to Service.  The granting of an Award under the Plan shall impose no obligation on the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate to continue the Service of a Participant and shall not lessen or affect any right that the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate may have to terminate the Service of such Participant.  No Participant or other Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants, or holders or beneficiaries of Awards.  The terms and conditions of Awards and the Committee’s determinations and interpretations with respect thereto need not be the same with respect to each Participant (whether or not such Participants are similarly situated).

 

15.2           Settlement of Awards; No Fractional Shares.  Each Award Agreement shall establish the form in which the Award shall be settled.  No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award.  The Committee shall determine whether cash, Awards, other securities or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall be rounded, forfeited or otherwise eliminated.

 

15.3           Tax Withholding.  The Company shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, the minimum statutory amount to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes, domestic or foreign, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result of the Plan.  With respect to required withholding, Participants may elect, subject to the approval of the Committee, to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the Company withhold Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be determined equal to the minimum statutory total tax that could be imposed on the transaction.

 

15.4           No Guarantees Regarding Tax Treatment.  Participants (or their beneficiaries) shall be responsible for all taxes with respect to any Awards under the Plan.  The Committee and the Company make no guarantees to any person regarding the tax treatment of Awards or payments made under the Plan.  Neither the Committee nor the Company has any obligation to take any action to prevent the assessment of any excise tax on any person with respect to any Award under Section 409A of the Code or otherwise and none of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, or any of their employees or representatives shall have any liability to a Participant with respect thereto.

 

15.5           Section 16 Participants.  With respect to Participants subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, transactions under the Plan are intended to comply with all applicable conditions of Rule 16b-3 or its successors under the Exchange Act.  To the extent any provision of the Plan or action by the Committee fails to so comply, it shall be deemed null and void, to the extent permitted by law and deemed advisable by the Committee.

 

 

15.6           Non-Transferability of Awards.  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, an Award shall not be transferable or assignable by the Participant except in the event of his death (subject to the applicable laws of descent and distribution) and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate.  An Award exercisable after the death of a Participant may be exercised by the legatees, personal representatives or distributees of the Participant.  Any permitted transfer of the Awards to heirs or legatees of the Participant shall not be effective to bind the Company unless the Committee shall have been furnished with written notice thereof and a copy of such evidence as the Committee may deem necessary to establish the validity of the transfer and the acceptance by the transferee or transferees of the terms and conditions hereof.

 

15.7           Conditions and Restrictions on Shares.  The Committee may impose such other conditions or restrictions on any Shares received in connection with an Award as it may deem advisable or desirable.  These restrictions may include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that the Participant hold the Shares received for a specified period of time or a requirement that a Participant represent and warrant in writing that the Participant is acquiring the Shares for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares.  The certificates for Shares may include any legend which the Committee deems appropriate to reflect any conditions and restrictions applicable to such Shares.

 

15.8           Compliance with Law.  The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies, Nasdaq or stock exchanges on which the Shares are admitted to trading or listed, as may be required.  The Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver evidence of title for Shares issued under the Plan prior to:

 

(a)

Obtaining any approvals from governmental agencies that the Company determines are necessary or advisable; and

 

(b)

Completion of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any applicable national, state or foreign law or ruling of any governmental body that the Company determines to be necessary or advisable.

 

The restrictions contained in this Section 15.8 shall be in addition to any conditions or restrictions that the Committee may impose pursuant to Section 15.7.  The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.

 

15.9           Rights as a Shareholder.  Except as otherwise provided herein or in the applicable Award Agreement, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a shareholder with respect to Shares covered by any Award until the Participant becomes the record holder of such Shares.

 

15.10                      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 as to any Person or Award, 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 intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction, Person or Award, and the remainder of the Plan and any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.

 

 

15.11                      Unfunded Plan.  Participants shall have no right, title or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may make to aid it in meeting its obligations under the Plan.  Nothing contained in the Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant, beneficiary, legal representative or any other person.  To the extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under the Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company or a Subsidiary, as the case may be.  All payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general funds of the Company or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, and no special or separate fund shall be established and no segregation of assets shall be made to assure payment of such amounts.  The Plan is not subject to the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time.

 

15.12                      No Constraint on Corporate Action.  Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to (a) limit, impair, or otherwise affect the right or power of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations or changes of its capital or business structure, or to merge or consolidate, or dissolve, liquidate, sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets, or (b) limit the right or power of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to take any action which such entity deems to be necessary or appropriate.

 

15.13                      Successors.  All obligations of the Company under the Plan with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company.

 

15.14                      Governing Law.  The Plan and each Award Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, excluding any conflict or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of the Plan to the substantive law of another jurisdiction.

 

15.15                      Effective Date.  The Plan shall be effective as of the date of adoption by the Board, which date is set forth below (the “Effective Date”), provided that the Plan is approved by the stockholders of the Company at an annual meeting or any special meeting of stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months of the Effective Date, and such approval of stockholders shall be a condition to the right of each Participant to receive any Awards hereunder.  Any Awards granted under the Plan prior to such approval of stockholders shall be effective as of the date of grant, but no such Award may be exercised or settled and no restrictions relating to any Award may lapse prior to such stockholder approval, and if stockholders fail to approve the Plan as specified hereunder, any such Award shall be cancelled.

 

The Plan was duly adopted and approved by the Board by resolution at a meeting held on the 25th day of September, 2007.

/s/ David W. Knickel

David W. Knickel

Secretary of the Company