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.
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.
Annual Bonus Compensation Executive shall be eligible to receive a bonus each Contract Year (“Annual Bonus”) as the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors shall determine. Executive’s Annual Bonus shall be determined in accordance with the Company’s executive compensation policies as in effect from time to time during the Term and shall be based, in part, on his achieving his individual performance goals for the year and, in part, on the Company’s achieving its performance goals for the year.
Change in Control Severance Benefits If there is a Change in Control, and within one (1) year of such Change in Control, the Executive’s employment is terminated under the circumstances described in Sections 4(a) through 4(f) above, the Executive shall be entitled to the following: (I) if such termination is a termination by the Company without Cause pursuant to Section 4(a) or the Executive resigns for Good Reason pursuant to Section 4(b), the Company shall pay the Executive the Accrued Obligations and the Pro Rata Bonus and, in addition, subject to the provisions of Section 19, (A) an amount equal to twenty-four (24) months of the Executive’s Base Salary at the rate in effect on the date of termination or resignation, payable in a lump sum within sixty (60) calendar days of the date of termination or resignation; and (B) provided the Executive timely elects continuation coverage under COBRA, the Company shall also pay, on the Executive’s behalf, the portion of monthly premiums for the Executive’s group health insurance, including coverage for the Executive’s dependents, that the Company paid immediately prior to the date of termination or resignation, during the eighteen (18) month period following the date of termination or resignation, subject to the Executive’s continued eligibility for COBRA coverage. The Company will pay for such COBRA coverage for eligible dependents only for those dependents who were enrolled immediately prior to the date of termination or resignation. The Executive will continue to be required to pay that portion of the premium for the Executive’s health coverage, including coverage for the Executive’s eligible dependents, that the Executive was required to pay as an active employee immediately prior to the date of termination or resignation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that under applicable guidance the reimbursement of COBRA premiums causes the Company’s group health plan to violate any applicable nondiscrimination rule, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith a mutually agreeable alternative arrangement; and (II) if such termination is a termination or resignation under the circumstances described in Sections 4(c), 4(d), 4(e) or 4(f), the Executive shall be entitled to the compensation and benefits for which the Executive is eligible under such sections.
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.
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.
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.
Compensation Benefits Etc During the Employment Period, the Manager shall be compensated as follows: (a) The Manager shall (i) receive an annual cash base salary, payable not less frequently than semi-monthly, which is not less than the annualized cash base salary payable to Manager as of the Effective Date; (ii) be entitled to at least as favorable annual incentive award opportunity under the Company's annual incentive compensation plan as he did in the calendar year immediately prior to the year in which the Change of Control Event occurs; and (iii) be eligible to participate in all of the Company's long-term incentive compensation plans and programs on terms that are at least as favorable to the Manager as provided to the Manager in the four calendar years prior to the Effective Date. (b) The Manager shall be entitled to receive fringe benefits, employee benefits, and perquisites (including, but not limited to, vacation, medical, disability, dental, and life insurance benefits) which are at least as favorable to those made generally available as of the Effective Date to all of the Company's salaried managers as a group. In addition, the Manager shall be eligible to participate in the Company's Supplemental Retirement Income Program ("SRIP"). (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (whether in this Section 4, in Section 6, or elsewhere), (i) the Board of Directors may authorize an increase in the amount, duration, and nature of and/or the acceleration of any compensation or benefits payable under this Agreement, as well as waive or reduce the requirements for entitlement thereto and (ii) the Company may deduct from amounts otherwise payable to the Manager such amounts as it reasonably believes it is required to withhold for the payment of federal, state, and local taxes.
Change in Control Severance If, following the occurrence of a Change in Control, the Company or an Affiliate terminates the Executive's employment during the Post-Change Period other than as described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of Section 8(a), or if the Executive terminates his employment pursuant to Section 8(b), the Executive shall not be entitled to the severance compensation described in Section 7, and the Company will (i) pay or cause to be paid to the Executive the amounts described in Sections 8(c)(1), 8(c)(2), 8(c)(3), 8(c)(6) and 8(c)(7) within five business days after the Termination Date; (ii) pay or cause to be paid to the Executive the amount described in Section 8(c)(4), such amount to be payable no earlier than the date on which such Incentive Pay, if any, would have been paid under the applicable plan or policy of the Company absent such termination of employment; and (iii) provide the Executive the benefits described in Section 8(c)(5) for the period described therein. (1) A lump sum payment in an amount equal to all Base Pay and Incentive Pay (other than for the calendar year of such termination of employment) owed to the Executive for periods on or prior to the Termination Date. (2) A lump sum payment in an amount equal to two times the Executive's base salary pursuant to Section 4(a) (at the rate in effect immediately prior to the Termination Date). (3) A lump sum payment equal to two times Incentive Pay (in an amount equal to the highest amount of Incentive Pay earned by the Executive in any calendar year during the three calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which the Change in Control occurred). (4) In the event that the Termination Date occurs after June 30 in any calendar year, a lump sum payment equal to one times Incentive Pay for such calendar year, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days between (and including) January 1 of the calendar year in which the Termination Date occurs and the Termination Date, and the denominator of which is 365. (5) For a period of 24 months following the Termination Date (the "Continuation Period"), the Company will provide the Executive with medical, dental and life insurance benefits consistent with the terms in effect for such benefits for active employees of the Company during the Continuation Period. If and to the extent that any benefit described in this Section 8(c)(5) is not or cannot be paid or provided under any Company plan or program, then the Company will pay or provide for the payment to the Executive, his dependants and beneficiaries, of such employee benefits. Without otherwise limiting the purposes of Section 8(d), employee benefits otherwise receivable by the Executive pursuant to this Section 8(c)(5) will be reduced to the extent comparable welfare benefits are actually received by the Executive from another employer during the Continuation Period following the Executive's Termination Date, and any such benefits actually received by the Executive shall be reported by the Executive to the Company. (6) The Company will pay to the Executive the cost of employee outplacement services for the Executive in the amount of $30,000. (7) The Company will pay the Executive a two-year automobile allowance in the amount provided to the Executive immediately prior to the Termination Date.