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.
Retention Payment Subject to your compliance with Sections 6 and 7 of this letter agreement, if you remain an active full-time employee of the Company, Parent or any of their respective subsidiaries through the expiration of the 6-month period beginning on the day following the Closing Date (as defined in the Merger Agreement) (the “Vesting Date”), you will receive a cash payment equal to (i) the aggregate amount described in Section 6.2(a) of the Employment Agreement, determined as if your employment with the Company was terminated by the Company without Cause as of the Closing plus (ii) an amount equal to the portion of the premiums the Company would need to pay to provide you with the benefits under Sections 6.2(b) and (c) for the 12 month period following the Vesting Date, based on the premium costs in effect as of the Closing and assuming for this purpose that your employment terminated on the Vesting Date and that you timely elected to receive all such benefits, plus (iii) the Retention Bonus. The aggregate of these amounts will be paid to you in a lump sum on the third business day following the Release Effective Date (as defined below). You hereby agree that, notwithstanding anything contained in the Employment Agreement or any other agreement between you and the Company providing for severance or separation payments or benefits, you may either receive payment of amounts set forth in Section 2(a) or in Section 4, but in no event shall you be entitled to receive payment of both amounts; furthermore, you shall not be entitled to any severance or separation payments or benefits under the Employment Agreement (including under Sections 5 and 6 thereof) or under any other plan, program, policy, agreement or arrangement maintained by the Company, Parent or any of their respective affiliates, and all of your rights to such payments and benefits under the Employment Agreement and any such other plan, program, policy, agreement or arrangement will immediately terminate, in each case, except as otherwise provided herein. If you continue to be employed by Parent or its subsidiaries following the Vesting Date, you shall be eligible for severance benefits under either the applicable severance policy of Parent or one of its subsidiaries, as determined by Parent; provided, however, that you shall not receive credit for your service with Parent or the Company, or any of their respective subsidiaries, for the periods of employment that precede the Closing Date for any purpose under such policy, including eligibility, vesting or calculation of benefits.
Severance Payment If, during the Employment Term at any time during the period of twelve (12) consecutive months following the occurrence of a Change in Corporate Control, the Executive is involuntarily terminated (other than for Cause) or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason, then subject to compliance with the restrictive covenants in Section 9 and Section 10 and the execution and timely return by the Executive of the Release, the Executive shall be entitled to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to the present value of a series of monthly payments for twenty-four (24) months, each in an amount equal to one-twelfth (1/12th) of the sum of (i) the Executive’s Base Salary, as in effect at the time of the Change in Corporate Control, and (ii) the average of the annual bonuses paid to the Executive for the prior two fiscal years of the Company ending prior to the Change in Corporate Control, if any. Such present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to the interest rate on 90-day Treasury bills, as reported in the Wall Street Journal (or similar publication) on the date of the Change in Corporate Control. Such lump sum payment shall be made to the Executive within sixty (60) days following the date of such involuntary termination. In addition, if during the Employment Term within twelve (12) months after a Change in Corporate Control the Executive is involuntarily terminated (other than for Cause) or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason, he shall be entitled to continued coverage at the Company’s expense under any health insurance programs maintained by the Company in which the Executive participated at the time of his termination, which coverage shall be continued for eighteen (18) months or until, if earlier, the date the Executive obtains comparable coverage under a group health plan maintained by a new employer. To the extent the benefits provided under the immediately preceding sentence are otherwise taxable to the Executive, such benefits, for purposes of Section 409A of the Code (and the regulations and other guidance issued thereunder) shall be provided as separate monthly in-kind payments of those benefits, and to the extent those benefits are subject to and not otherwise excepted from Section 409A of the Code, the provision of the in-kind benefits during one calendar year shall not affect the in-kind benefits to be provided in any other calendar year.
Severance Payments 5.1 The Company shall pay the Executive the payments described in this Section 5.1 ("Severance Payments") upon the termination of the Executive's employment following a Change in Control during the term of this Agreement, including the Executive's termination of employment for Good Reason, unless such termination is (a) by the Company for Cause, or (b) by reason of the Executive's Death or Disability. The Executive's employment shall be deemed to have been terminated following a Change in Control by the Company without Cause if the Executive's employment is terminated prior to a Change in Control without Cause at the direction (or action which constitutes a direction) of a Person who has entered into an agreement with the Company the consummation of which will constitute a Change in Control.
(i) Within three (3) business days after the Date of Termination, the Company shall make a lump sum or monthly, at the Executive's option, cash severance payment to the Executive in an amount equal to: (x) the Executive's annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the occurrence of the event or circumstance upon which the Notice of Termination is based or in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control; and (y) a pro-rated portion of Executive's Targeted Annual Bonus for the fiscal year in which the Date of Termination occurs.
(ii) For a twelve (12) month period after the Date of Termination, the Company shall arrange to provide the Executive with medical and dental insurance benefits substantially similar to those that the Executive is receiving immediately prior to the Notice of Termination. Benefits otherwise receivable by the Executive pursuant to this Section 5.1(ii) shall be reduced to the extent comparable benefits are actually received by or made available to the Executive without cost during the twelve (12) month period following the Executive's termination of employment (and any such benefits actually received by the Executive shall be reported to the Company by the Executive).
5.2 The Company also shall pay to the Executive all legal fees and expenses incurred by the Executive in disputing the non-payment of Severance Payments in connection with a termination which entitles the Executive to Severance Payments. Such payments shall be made within five (5) business days after delivery of the Executive's written request for payment accompanied with such evidence of fees and expenses incurred as the Company reasonably may require.
Transaction Bonus In addition, in the event of a transaction involving a Change in Control, in a transaction approved by the Company's Board of Directors, which transaction results in the receipt by the Company's stockholders of consideration with a value representing, in the sole judgment of the Board of Directors, a significant premium over the average of the closing prices per share of the Company's common stock as quoted on the Nasdaq National Market for 20 trading days ending one day prior to the public announcement of such transaction (a "Change in Control Transaction"), Executive shall be paid a Transaction Bonus at the closing of such a transaction in the amount equal to three (3) times 50% of Executive's Base Salary in effect immediately preceding the closing of such a transaction. Executive shall also be paid said Transaction Bonus if the Company enters into a transaction approved by the Board of Directors which is not a Change in Control Transaction, but which, nonetheless, involves a significant change in the ownership of the Company or the composition of the Board of Directors of the Company, or which results in receipt of a premium for the Company's stockholders (a "Significant Event"). In the event Executive receives a Transaction Bonus, no Achievement Bonus will be paid to Executive in the year in which such Transaction Bonus is paid. If the Company enters into a transaction which is a Change in Control Transaction, then all of the Executive's stock options granted prior to July 27, 1999 shall become exercisable in full and all of the shares of the common stock of the Company awarded to Executive under the Company's 1997 Stock Incentive Plan and the 1993 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan prior to July 27, 1999 shall become fully vested. If the Company enters into a transaction which is not a Change in Control Transaction but which is a Significant Event, then the Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion, determine that all, or a portion, of the Executive's stock options granted prior to July 27, 1999 shall become exercisable in full and all, or a portion, of the shares of the common stock of the Company awarded to Executive under the Company's 1997 Stock Incentive Plan and the 1993 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan prior to July 27, 1999 shall become fully vested.
Timing of Severance Payments Any severance payment to which Employee is entitled under Sections 3(a)(i)(1), 3(a)(i)(2) and 3(a)(i)(5) shall be paid by the Company to the Employee (or to the Employee's successors in interest pursuant to Section 7(b)) in cash and in full, not later than thirty (30) calendar days following the Termination Date, subject to any delay required under Section 9.
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.
Bonus Severance A lump-sum payment equal to 100% of the Executive’s target annual bonus as in effect for the fiscal year in which the CIC Qualified Termination occurs.
Lump Sum Severance Payment Payment of a lump sum amount equal to twelve (12) months of Executive’s then-current Base Salary plus the Pro Rated Bonus, less all customary and required taxes and employment-related deductions, paid on the first payroll date following the date on which the Release required by Paragraph 4(g) becomes effective and non-revocable, but not after seventy (70) days following the effective date of termination from employment.
