Retention Bonus (a) Subject to Sections 2(b), 2(c) and 2(d) below and your continued employment through the Determination Date (as defined below), you will be eligible to receive a Retention Bonus equal to the annual bonus you would have been eligible to receive under the Company’s Annual Incentive Plan based on the Company’s actual performance for 2023, as determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Committee”) following the completion of 2023, had you been a participant in the Annual Incentive Plan with a target bonus opportunity of up to 40% of your base salary (such amount as determined by the Committee, the “Retention Bonus”), which determination shall occur between January 1, 2024 and March 15, 2024 (the date of such determination, the “Determination Date”). The Retention Bonus, if any, will be paid in cash in a lump sum between January 1, 2025 and March 15, 2025. You will continue to be considered an employee of the Company for purposes of this letter agreement if you are on a Company- approved leave of absence.
(b) In the event of a Change in Control during 2024, subject to your continued employment through the earlier of: (1) the Determination Date; or (2) the date of the Change in Control, you will be eligible to receive your Retention Bonus in cash in a lump sum within 10 days following the date of the Change in Control.
(c) In the event of your Involuntary Termination (as defined in the Employment Agreement) on or after the Determination Date but on or prior to the date you have received the Retention Bonus, you will be eligible to receive your Retention Bonus in cash in a lump sum within 10 days following the effective date of your Release (as defined below). As a condition to your receipt of the Retention Bonus pursuant to this Section 2(c), you shall execute and not revoke a general release of all claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates (the “Release”) in the form attached to the Employment Agreement as Exhibit A. In the event the Release does not become effective within the 55-day period following the date of your Involuntary Termination, you shall not be entitled to the Retention Bonus.
(d) If your employment terminates prior to the Determination Date for any reason, then this letter agreement will terminate, and you will forfeit any right you may have to receive the Retention Bonus.
Retention Bonuses Provided Executive becomes and remains an active employee of Mercantile, Mercantile will pay Executive retention bonuses in accordance with the following schedule:
(i) $42,750.00 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following the Effective Time,
(ii) $42,750.00 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following six (6) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile,
(iii) $42,750.00 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following twelve (12) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile. After twelve (12) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile, Executive will not be entitled to any further Severance or Retention benefits. The above-listed payments and benefits are in lieu of any and all payments and benefits to which Executive may otherwise have been entitled under the CIC Agreement or any other agreement or practice.
Severance Pay Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 62 (Severance Pay) of this Agreement, where the period of continuous employment in respect of which severance benefit is to be paid consists of both full and part-time employment or varying levels of part-time employment, the benefit shall be calculated as follows: the period of continuous employment eligible for severance pay shall be established and the part-time portions shall be consolidated to equivalent full-time. The equivalent full-time period in years shall be multiplied by the full-time weekly pay rate for the appropriate group and level to produce the severance pay benefit.
Accrued Salary On the Separation Date, the Company will pay you all accrued salary earned through the Separation Date, subject to standard payroll deductions and withholdings. You will receive these payments regardless of whether or not you sign this Agreement.
Accrued Compensation and Benefits Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 2 and 3 above, in connection with any termination of employment upon or following a Change in Control (whether or not a Qualifying Termination or CIC Qualifying Termination), the Company or its subsidiary shall pay Executive’s earned but unpaid base salary and other vested but unpaid cash entitlements for the period through and including the termination of employment, including unused earned vacation pay and unreimbursed documented business expenses incurred by Executive prior to the date of termination (collectively “Accrued Compensation and Expenses”), as required by law and the applicable Company or its subsidiary, as applicable, plan or policy. In addition, Executive shall be entitled to any other vested benefits earned by Executive for the period through and including the termination date of Executive’s employment under any other employee benefit plans and arrangements maintained by the Company or its subsidiary, as applicable, in accordance with the terms of such plans and arrangements, except as modified herein (collectively “Accrued Benefits”). Any Accrued Compensation and Expenses to which the Executive is entitled shall be paid to the Executive in cash as soon as administratively practicable after the termination, and, in any event, no later than two and one-half (2-1/2) months after the end of the taxable year of the Executive in which the termination occurs or at such earlier time as may be required by applicable law or Section 10 below, and to such lesser extent as may be mandated by Section 9 below. Any Accrued Benefits to which the Executive is entitled shall be paid to the Executive as provided in the relevant plans and arrangements.
Salary, Bonus and Benefits For services rendered by the Employee on behalf of the Company during the Employment Term, the following salary, bonus and benefits shall be provided to the Employee by the Company:
(a) The Company shall pay to the Employee, in equal installments, according to the Company’s then current practice for paying its executive officers in effect from time to time during the Employment Term, the Annual Base Salary.
(b) The Employee shall participate in the Sealy Corporation Annual Bonus Plan (the “Bonus Plan”) in accordance with the provisions of that Plan as in effect as of the date of this Agreement based on the Target Annual Bonus Percentage.
(c) The Employee shall be eligible for participation in such other benefit plans, including, but not limited to, the Company’s Profit Sharing Plan and Trust, Executive Severance Benefit Plan, Benefit Equalization Plan, Short-Term and Long Term Disability Plans, Group Term Life Insurance Plan, Medical Plan or PPO, Dental Plan, the 401(k) feature of the Profit Sharing Plan and the 1998 Stock Option Plan, as the Board may adopt from time to time and in which the Company’s executive officers are eligible to participate. Such participation shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the applicable plan documents. As is more fully set forth in Section 6 hereof, the Employee shall not be entitled to duplicative payments under this Agreement and the Executive Severance Benefit Plan.
(d) Without limiting the generality of Subsection 3(c) above, for so long as such coverage shall be available to the executive officers of the Company, the Employee shall be eligible to participate in the Company’s Group Term Life Insurance Plan with a death benefit to be provided at the level of one and one half (1 ½) times annual base salary at Company expense, plus extended coverage with a death benefit to be provided of at least the level in effect on the date of this Agreement for the Employee under such Plan at the Employee’s discretion and expense.
(e) The Employee shall be entitled to take, during each calendar year period during the Employment Term, vacation time equal to four (4) weeks per year.
(f) In addition, the Parties do hereby further confirm that any shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company (“Class A Shares”), and any options to purchase additional Class A Shares previously granted to Employee are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any shares or options which may be granted under any other plan or arrangement of the Company after the date of this Agreement, and (b) the various stock agreements and stock option agreements, and any related Stockholder Agreement (the “Stockholder Agreement”) between the Parties (such agreements being hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Pre-existing Agreements”), all remain in full force and effect except as otherwise provided herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any provision contained herein is inconsistent with the terms of any of the Pre-existing Agreements, the terms of this Agreement shall be controlling.
Vacation Bonus Employees shall receive one day's base pay (or adjusted earnings) for each year of service beyond twenty-five (25) years, to a maximum of ten (10) days’ pay.
Severance Pay and Benefits Upon Termination by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for
Severance Compensation In the event (i) Employee terminates this Agreement for Good Reason in accordance with Paragraph 11.3 hereof; (ii) Employee is terminated for any reason (except death or disability) upon, or within six months following, a "Change in Management or Control (as such term is defined in Paragraph 11.5 hereof);" or (iii) Employee is terminated without Cause, the Company shall be obligated to pay severance compensation to Employee in an amount equal to his salary compensation (at the rate payable at the time of such termination) for a period of six (6) months from the date of termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Employee is employed by a new employer, or as a consultant after the termination of this Agreement, the severance compensation payable to Employee hereunder shall be reduced by the amount of compensation that Employee actually receives from the new employer, or as a consultant. However, Employee shall have a duty to inform the Company that he has obtained such new employment, and the failure to do so is a material breach of this Agreement. In such event, the Company shall be entitled to (i) cease all payments to Employee under this Paragraph 11.4; and (ii) recover any unauthorized payments to Employee in an action for breach of contract. Notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement to the contrary, solely in the event of a termination upon or following a Change in Management or Control, the amount of severance compensation paid to Employee hereunder shall not include any amount that the Company is prohibited from deducting for federal income tax purposes by virtue of Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or any successor provision. In addition to the foregoing severance compensation, the Company shall pay Employee (i) all compensation for services rendered hereunder and not previously paid; (ii) accrued vacation pay; and (iii) any appropriate business expenses incurred by Employee in connection with his duties hereunder and approved pursuant to Section 4 hereof, all through the date of termination. Employee shall not be entitled to any bonus compensation, whether vested or unvested; or any other compensation, benefits or reimbursement of any kind.
Salary Benefits and Bonus Compensation 3.1 BASE SALARY. Effective July 1, 2000, as payment for the services to be rendered by the Employee as provided in Section 1 and subject to the terms and conditions of Section 2, the Employer agrees to pay to the Employee a "Base Salary" at the rate of $180,000 per annum, payable in equal bi-weekly installments. The Base Salary for each calendar year (or proration thereof) beginning January 1, 2001 shall be determined by the Board of Directors of Avocent Corporation upon a recommendation of the Compensation Committee of Avocent Corporation (the "Compensation Committee"), which shall authorize an increase in the Employee's Base Salary in an amount which, at a minimum, shall be equal to the cumulative cost-of-living increment on the Base Salary as reported in the "Consumer Price Index, Huntsville, Alabama, All Items," published by the U.S. Department of Labor (using July 1, 2000, as the base date for computation prorated for any partial year). The Employee's Base Salary shall be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee of Avocent Corporation.
