Noncompetition Covenant The Executive agrees that, during the Term, including any extension thereof, and for a period of one year following the Executive’s termination of employment, other than a termination pursuant to Section 4, the Executive shall not, without the express written consent of the Company:
(a) Be engaged, directly or indirectly, in any county where the Company has an office at the time of Executive’s termination, as a partner, officer, director, employee, consultant, independent contractor, security holder, or owner of any entity engaged in any business activity competitive with that of the Company or its Affiliates; provided, however, nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Executive from owning or acquiring an interest in any entity engaged in any competitive business activity if such interest does not constitute “control” as defined in 12 C.F.R. Section 303.81(c);
(b) Call upon or solicit, either for the Executive or for any other person or firm that engages in competition with any business operation actively conducted by the Company or any Affiliate during the Term, any customer with whom the Company or any Affiliate directly conducts business during the Term; or interfere with any relationship, contractual or otherwise, between the Company or any Affiliate and any customer with whom the Company or any Affiliate directly conducts business during the Term; or
(c) Induce or solicit any person who is at the date of termination or was during the 12 months preceding termination an employee, officer or agent of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate said relationship. In the event of a breach by the Executive of any covenant set forth in this Section 9, the term of such covenant will be extended by the period of the duration of such breach and such covenant will survive any termination of this Agreement but only for the limited period of such extension. The restrictions on competition provided herein shall be in addition to any restrictions on competition contained in any other agreement between the Company and the Executive and may be enforced by the Company and/or any successor thereto, by an action to recover payments made under this Agreement, an action for injunction, and/or an action for damages. The provisions of this Section 9 constitute an essential element of this Agreement, without which the Company would not have entered into this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other remedy available to the Company at law or at equity, the parties hereto agree that the Company or any successor thereto, will have the right, at any and all times, to seek injunctive relief in order to enforce the terms and conditions of this Section 9. If the scope of any restriction contained in this Section 9 is too broad to permit enforcement of such restriction to its fullest extent, then such restriction will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law, and the Executive hereby consents and agrees that such scope may be judicially modified accordingly in any proceeding brought to enforce such restriction.
Nonsolicitation Covenant In consideration of the payments to be made to Executive hereunder, Executive hereby covenants, for a period of two (2) years following the Qualifying Termination, that he will not, directly or indirectly (whether as an officer, director, employee, individual proprietor, control shareholder, consultant, partner or otherwise) (i) solicit, recruit or hire-away any employee of the Company or successor of the Company or (ii) solicit, influence or attempt to influence any person or entity to terminate such person’s or entity’s contractual and/or business relationship with the Company or successor of the Company. With regard to this Section 9, Executive acknowledges that the provisions herein are reasonable in both scope and duration and necessary to protect the business of the Company or its successor.
Non-Competition Covenants a. The provisions of this subparagraph a. shall apply both during normal working hours and at all other times including, but not limited to, nights, weekends and vacation time, while Optionee is employed by the Company or any Subsidiary. Optionee shall not directly or indirectly (i) engage in any employment, business, or activity that is competitive with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary, (ii) assist any other person or organization in competing with, or in preparing to engage in competition with, the business of the Company or any Subsidiary. Direct competition shall include, but not be limited to, the design, development, production, promotion or sale of products, software, or services competitive with those of the Company or any Subsidiary. In addition, Optionee shall not directly or indirectly (i) engage in any employment, business, or activity that is competitive with either (A) the proposed business of the Subsidiary that employs Optionee (“Employing Subsidiary”) or (B) any proposed business of any of the Company’s other Subsidiaries (the “Non-Employing Subsidiaries”) of which Optionee has actual knowledge, or (ii) assist any other person or organization in competing with, or in preparing to engage in competition with, either (A) the proposed business of the Employing Subsidiary or (B) any proposed business of any Non-Employing Subsidiary of which Optionee has actual knowledge.
b. The provisions of this subparagraph b. shall apply during Optionee’s employment with the Company or any Subsidiary and for a period of twelve months after Optionee ceases to be employed by the Company or any Subsidiary. Optionee shall not directly or indirectly solicit to conduct any Competitive Business with, or conduct any Competitive Business with, any (i) then-current customer of the Employing Subsidiary or (ii) any person that has been a customer of the Employing Subsidiary within the six months prior to the time of Optionee’s separation from employment. The phrase “Competitive Business” means the line(s) of business(es) conducted by the Employing Subsidiary.
c. The provisions of this subparagraph c. shall apply during Optionee’s employment with the Company or any Subsidiary and for a period of 12 months after Optionee’s separation from employment. Optionee shall not directly or indirectly solicit to hire, or cause to be hired, any employee of the Company or any Subsidiary as an employee or agent of, or consultant to, any business enterprise that Optionee is associated with.
d. Each non-competition covenant of Optionee contained in the preceding provisions of this Paragraph 10 (the “non-competition covenant”) shall be construed as an agreement independent of any other provision of this Agreement and the existence of any claim or cause of action of Optionee against the Company or any Subsidiary, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by the Company or any Subsidiary of such non-competition covenant.
e. The Company and Optionee have in good faith used their best efforts to make each non-competition covenant contained in the preceding provisions of this Paragraph 10 reasonable in both scope and in duration. It is not anticipated, nor is it intended, by either party to this Agreement that any court or other tribunal having jurisdiction over the matter will find it necessary to reform any non-competition covenant to make it reasonable in both scope and in duration, or otherwise. If any non-competition covenant is deemed by a tribunal having jurisdiction over the matter to be unlawful or unenforceable, such provision will be deemed severable from this Agreement and such provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and be enforceable. Furthermore, in lieu of such unlawful or unenforceable provision, there shall be added automatically as part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms as may be possible and be enforceable.
f. Optionee is agreeing to the provisions of this Paragraph 10 in consideration of the grant of this Option. The provisions of this Paragraph 10 shall be valid and enforceable by the Company and its Subsidiaries, regardless of whether or not any of this Option granted hereunder actually becomes exercisable, or whether or not Optionee actually exercises any rights under this Option. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between any provision of this Paragraph 10 and any similar or analogous provision of any other agreement (either currently in effect or that may be entered into in the future) between Optionee, on the one hand, and the Company or any Subsidiary, on the other hand, whichever provision is most favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary shall govern.
Noncompetition and Nonsolicitation During the Executive’s employment with the Bank and for the period that the Executive is entitled to receive severance under Section 4(b), the Executive (i) will not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, shareholder, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or otherwise, engage, participate, assist or invest in any Competing Business (as hereinafter defined); (ii) will refrain from directly or indirectly employing, attempting to employ, recruiting or otherwise soliciting, inducing or influencing any person to leave employment with the Corporations (other than terminations of employment of subordinate employees undertaken in the course of the Executive’s employment with the Bank); and (iii) will refrain from soliciting or encouraging any customer or supplier to terminate or otherwise modify adversely its business relationship with the Corporations. The Executive understands that the restrictions set forth in this Section 7(d) are intended to protect the Corporations’ interest in their Confidential Information and established employee, customer and supplier relationships and goodwill, and agrees that such restrictions are reasonable and appropriate for this purpose. If the Executive chooses not to be bound by the provision of this Section 7(d), then no severance shall be payable under Section 4(b). For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Competing Business” shall mean any financial institution with an office within a 50-mile radius of any office of the Corporations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) the Executive may own up to one percent (1%) of the outstanding stock of a publicly held corporation which constitutes or is affiliated with a Competing Business, and (2) the provision of this Section 7(d) shall not apply if the Executive’s employment is terminated within two (2) years after a Change in Control of either the Bank or the Corporation. A “Change in Control” of either the Bank or the Corporation shall be deemed to occur upon the consummation of (i) any consolidation or merger of the Bank or the Corporation or other transaction where the shareholders of the Bank or the Corporation, immediately prior to the consolidation, merger or other transaction, would not, immediately after the consolidation, merger or other transaction, beneficially own (as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), directly or indirectly, shares representing in the aggregate more than 50 percent of the voting shares of the entity issuing cash or securities in the consolidation, merger or other transaction, or (ii) any sale or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of transactions contemplated by or arranged by any party as a single plan) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Bank or Corporation.
Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Covenants a. The Executive acknowledges that i) he will be employed as a high-level employee in an executive and managerial capacity; ii) his employment with the Company gives him access to confidential and proprietary information concerning the Company; iii) his prior employment with South West gave him access to confidential and proprietary information concerning South West; iv) the agreements and covenants contained in this Section 6 (the "Covenants") are essential to protect the business of the Company and to protect the Company's investment in South West; and v) the Executive is to receive consideration pursuant to this Agreement and the Merger Agreement.
b. During the period of the Executive's employment, the Executive agrees that he will not, on behalf of anyone other than the Company, engage in any managerial, executive, sales, or marketing activities related to any business in which the Company is or becomes engaged during the Executive's employment. The Executive acknowledges the competitive nature of the business and the extensive geographic markets served by the Company. The Executive acknowledges that because of his position with the Company his duties will require him to perform, supervise, or assist in performing work throughout the markets served by the Company. The Executive further acknowledges that because of his position with the Company and the broad scope of his duties, he will be in a position to cause substantial harm to the Company were he to compete in the business of the Company or any other business in which the Company is or becomes engaged during Executive's employment in the Company's markets. Given the broad scope of Executive's duties, he acknowledges that the geographic scope of the covenants in this paragraph shall be limited to the continental United States.
c. Should the Executive (i) be terminated with or without cause following the first 90 days of this Agreement, or (ii) resign from his employment or otherwise terminate this Agreement at any time, he agrees that for a twelve (12) month period following the termination of his employment with the Company, the Executive shall not hire or solicit any employee of the Company employed at the time of his termination, or encourage any such employee to leave such employment.
d. If the Executive commits a material breach of, the Covenants, the Company shall have the rights and remedy (in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies available to the Company at law or in equity) to seek injunctive relief, including permanent injunctions; (ii) to have the Covenants specifically enforced by any court of competent jurisdiction (it being agreed that any breach or threatened breach of the Covenants would cause irreparable injury to the Company and that money damages would not provide an adequate remedy to the Company; and (iii) to cease any severance payments or benefits which the Executive or his eligible dependents may otherwise be due.
e. The Executive agrees that the Covenants are necessary for the reasonable and proper protection of the Company and that the Covenants are reasonable in respect of subject matter, length of time, and geographic scope. The Executive further acknowledges that the Covenants will not unreasonably restrict him from earning a livelihood following the termination of his employment with the Company.
f. If any court of competent jurisdiction determines that the Covenants, or any part thereof, are invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of the Covenants shall not thereby be affected and shall be given full effect, without regard to the invalid portions. In such event, the court shall have the power (and the parties hereto request the court) to reduce or modify the duration or scope, or any other unenforceable aspect of such provision, as the case may be, and, in its reduced or modified form, enforce such provision to the maximum extent permissible.
g. The provisions of this Section 6 so far as they relate to the period after the end of the term of this Agreement shall continue to have effect and shall operate as a separate agreement between the Company and the Executive; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 6 (b) shall terminate.
Non-Competition Covenant Employee acknowledges that the covenants set forth in this Section 4.3 are reasonable in scope and essential to the preservation of the Business of the Company (as defined herein). Employee also acknowledges that the enforcement of the covenant set forth in this Section 4.3 will not preclude Employee from being gainfully employed in such manner and to the extent as to provide a standard of living for himself or herself, the members of his or her family and the others dependent upon Employee of at least the level to which Employee and they have become accustomed and may expect. In addition, Employee acknowledges that the Company has obtained an advantage over its competitors as a result of its name, location and reputation that is characterized by near permanent relationships with vendors, customers, principals and other contacts which it has developed at great expense. Furthermore, Employee acknowledges that competition by him or her following the termination or expiration of his or her employment would impair the operation of the Company beyond that which would arise from the competition of an unrelated third party with similar skills. Employee hereby agrees that he or she shall not, during his or her employment and for a period of one (1) year after the end of his or her employment, directly or indirectly, engage in or become directly or indirectly interested in any proprietorship, partnership, firm, trust, company, limited liability company or other entity, other than the Company (whether as owner, partner, trustee, beneficiary, stockholder, member, officer, director, employee, independent contractor, agent, servant, consultant, lessor, lessee or otherwise) that competes with the Company in the Business of the Company in the Restricted Territory (as defined herein), other than owning an interest in a company listed on a recognized stock exchange in an amount which does not exceed five percent (5%) of the outstanding stock of such corporation. For purposes of this Agreement, (i) the term "Business of the Company" shall include all business activities and ventures related to providing telecommunications services or products in which the Company is engaged, plans to engage in the next twelve (12) months following termination of Employee's employment or has engaged in during the prior twelve (12) months, as determined at any time during the employment of the Employee; and (ii) the term "Restricted Territory" means the geographical area consisting of a seventy mile radius surrounding each city (and including such city) in which the Company maintains either an office or a telecommunications facility.
Confidentiality and Noncompetition (a) Executive acknowledges that, prior to and during the Term of this Agreement, the Company has furnished and will furnish to Executive Confidential Information which could be used by Executive on behalf of a competitor of the Company to the Company's substantial detriment. Moreover, the parties recognize that Executive during the course of his employment with the Company may develop important relationships with customers and others having valuable business relationships with the Company. In view of the foregoing, Executive acknowledges and agrees that the restrictive covenants contained in this Section are reasonably necessary to protect the Company's legitimate business interests and good will.
(b) Executive agrees that he shall protect the Company's Confidential Information and shall not disclose to any Person, or otherwise use, except in connection with his duties performed in accordance with this Agreement, any Confidential Information; provided, however, that Executive may make disclosures required by a valid order or subpoena issued by a court or administrative agency of competent jurisdiction, in which event Executive will promptly notify the Company of such order or subpoena to provide the Company an opportunity to protect its interests. Executive's obligations under this Section 4(b) shall survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement, provided that Executive may after such expiration or termination disclose Confidential Information with the prior written consent of the Chairman of the Board.
(c) Upon the termination or expiration of his employment hereunder, Executive agrees to deliver promptly to the Company all Company files, customer lists, management reports, memoranda, research, Company forms, financial data and reports and other documents supplied to or created by him in connection with his employment hereunder (including all copies of the foregoing) in his possession or control, and all of the Company's equipment and other materials in his possession or control. Executive's obligations under this Section 4(c) shall survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement.
(d) Upon the termination or expiration of his employment under this Agreement, Executive agrees that he shall not enter into or engage in the design, manufacture, marketing or sale of any products similar to those produced or offered by the Company or its affiliates in the area of North America, either as an individual, partner or joint venturer, or as an employee, agent or salesman, or as an officer, director, or shareholder of a corporation for a period of two (2) years from the date of his termination of employment.
(e) Executive acknowledges that if he breaches or threatens to breach this Section 4, his actions may cause irreparable harm and damage to the Company which could not be compensated in damages. Accordingly, if Executive breaches or threatens to breach this Section 4, the Company shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief, in addition to any other rights or remedies of the Company. The existence of any claim or cause of action by Executive against the Company, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by the Company of Executive's agreement under this Section 4(d). 5.
NON-COMPETITION AND NON-DISCLOSURE (a) Upon any termination of Executive's employment hereunder pursuant to Section 4 hereof, Executive agrees not to compete with the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries for a period of one (1) year following such termination in any city, town or county in which the Executive's normal business office is located and the Holding Company or any of its Subsidiaries has an office or has filed an application for regulatory approval to establish an office, determined as of the effective date of such termination, except as agreed to pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the Board. Executive agrees that during such period and within said cities, towns and counties, Executive shall not work for or advise, consult or otherwise serve with, directly or indirectly, any entity whose business materially competes with the depository, lending or other business activities of the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries. The parties hereto, recognizing that irreparable injury will result to the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries, its business and property in the event of Executive's breach of this Subsection 10(a) agree that in the event of any such breach by Executive, the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries, will be entitled, in addition to any other remedies and damages available, to an injunction to restrain the violation hereof by Executive, Executive's partners, agents, servants, employees and all persons acting for or under the direction of Executive. Executive represents and admits that in the event of the termination of his employment pursuant to Section 7 hereof, Executive's experience and capabilities are such that Executive can obtain employment in a business engaged in other lines and/or of a different nature than the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries, and that the enforcement of a remedy by way of injunction will not prevent Executive from earning a livelihood. Nothing herein will be construed as prohibiting the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries from pursuing any other remedies available to the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries for such breach or threatened breach, including the recovery of damages from Executive.
(b) Executive recognizes and acknowledges that the knowledge of the business activities and plans for business activities of the Holding Company and its Subsidiaries as it may exist from time to time, is a valuable, special and unique asset of the business of the Holding Company and its Subsidiaries. Executive will not, during or after the term of his employment, disclose any knowledge of the past, present, planned or considered business activities of the Holding Company and its Subsidiaries thereof to any person, firm, corporation, or other entity for any reason or purpose whatsoever unless expressly authorized by the Board of Directors or required by law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive may disclose any knowledge of banking, financial and/or economic principles, concepts or ideas which are not solely and exclusively derived from the business plans and activities of the Holding Company. In the event of a breach or threatened breach by the Executive of the provisions of this Section, the Holding Company will be entitled to an injunction restraining Executive from disclosing, in whole or in part, the knowledge of the past, present, planned or considered business activities of the Holding Company or its Subsidiaries or from rendering any services to any person, firm, corporation, other entity to whom such knowledge, in whole or in part, has been disclosed or is threatened to be disclosed. Nothing herein will be construed as prohibiting the Holding Company from pursuing any other remedies available to the Holding Company for such breach or threatened breach, including the recovery of damages from Executive.
Noncompetition During the Term and for a period of 12 months following the termination of the Executive’s employment (the “Restricted Period”), the Executive shall not, anywhere in the United States, directly or indirectly, whether as a principal, partner, member, employee, independent contractor, consultant, shareholder or otherwise, provide services to (i) any entity (or any division, unit or other segment of any entity) whose principal business is to originate, or provide management services in connection with the origination of, mortgage loans to, or the purchase of real estate from, and the lease of such real estate back to, the owners and/or operators of, single-tenant retail, distribution, storage, industrial or service companies in the United States, including but not limited to automotive dealers, automotive parts and services stores, bank branches, convenience stores, car washes, department stores, discount stores, drug stores, universities/other education campuses, health clubs/gyms, travel plazas, movie theatres, restaurants, medical facilities and supermarkets, or (ii) any other business or in respect of any other endeavor that is competitive with or similar to any other business activity (x) engaged in by the Company or any of its subsidiaries prior to the date of the Executive’s termination of employment or (y) that has been submitted to the Board (or a committee thereof) for consideration and that is under active consideration by the Board (or a committee thereof) as of the date of the Executive’s termination of employment. Nothing in this Section 11 shall prohibit the Executive from making any passive investment in a public company, from owning 5% or less of the issued and outstanding voting securities of any entity, or from serving as a non-employee, independent director of a company that does not compete with the Company or any of its affiliates (as described in this Section 11(b)), provided that such activities do not create a conflict of interest with Executive’s employment by the Company or result in the Executive being obligated or required to devote any managerial efforts. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 11(b) to the contrary, if (i) the Executive’s employment is terminated under circumstances that the Company asserts do not obligate the Company to make the Severance Payment described in Section 8(a) (e.g., the Company asserts that the Executive’s employment is terminated for Cause), (ii) the Executive disagrees and timely invokes the arbitration process set forth in Section 13(a) to challenge such assertion, and (iii) the Company does not, within 10 business days after it receives the Executive’s written demand for arbitration either make the Severance Payment, confirm in writing that it will make the Severance Payment if the Severance Payment is not yet due, or deposit the full amount of the Severance Payment in escrow with a third party unaffiliated bank pending the outcome of the arbitration, then this Section 11(b) shall cease to apply to the Executive, and such cessation shall be retroactive to the date of termination of employment. To effectuate the purpose of this provision, the Company will, within 10 business days of the termination of Executive’s employment, regardless of who initiates such termination or the reason for it, provide the Executive with a written statement of the Company’s position regarding whether the Company is obligated to make the Severance Payment.
Confidentiality and Non-Competition To the Company’s knowledge, no director, officer, key employee or consultant of the Company is subject to any confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer that could reasonably be expected to materially affect his ability to be and act in his respective capacity of the Company or be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
