Exhibit 10.40
AGREEMENT
Agreement made as of the 1st day of December, 1999, by and
among Philadelphia Suburban Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation ("PSC" or
the "Company") and Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx (the "Executive").
WHEREAS, the Executive is presently employed by the Company,
as its Senior Vice President - Finance; and
WHEREAS, the Company considers it essential to xxxxxx the
employment of well-qualified, key management personnel, and, in this regard, the
board of directors of the Company recognize that, as is the case with many
publicly-held corporations, the possibility of a change of control of the
Company may exist and that such possibility, and the uncertainty and questions
which it may raise among management, may result in the departure or distraction
of key management personnel to the detriment of the Company;
WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company have determined
that appropriate steps should be taken to reinforce and encourage the continued
attention and dedication of key members of the Company's management to their
assigned duties without distraction in the face of potentially disturbing
circumstances arising from the possibility of a change of control of the
Company, although no such change is now contemplated;
WHEREAS, in order to induce the Executive to remain in the
employ of the Company, the Company, for which certain of the employees of the
Company, such as the Executive, provide key executive services, agree that the
Executive shall receive the compensation set forth in this Agreement in the
event his employment with the Company is terminated subsequent to a "Change of
Control" (as defined in Section 1 hereof) as a cushion against the financial and
career impact on the Executive of any such Change of Control;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the
mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth and intending to be
legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Definitions. For all purposes of this Agreement, the
following terms shall have the meanings specified in this Section unless the
context clearly otherwise requires:
(a) "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the respective
meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and
Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act").
(b) "Base Compensation" shall mean the average of the total
cash base salary, annual bonus and dividend equivalents (paid under the
Company's Equity Compensation Plan) received by the Executive in all capacities
with the Company, and its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, as reported for Federal
income tax purposes on Form W-2, together with any amounts the payment of which
has been deferred by the Executive under any deferred compensation plan of the
Company, and its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, or otherwise, and any and all
salary reduction authorized amounts under any of the benefit plans or programs
of the Company, and its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, but excluding any amounts
attributable to the exercise of stock options or the receipt of Restricted Stock
granted to the Executive under the Company's Equity Compensation Plan and its
predecessors or successors, for the three calendar years (or such number of
actual full calendar years of employment, if less than three) immediately
preceding the calendar year in which occurs a Change of Control or the
Executive's Termination Date, whichever period produces the higher amount.
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(c) A Person shall be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of any
securities: (i) that such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates, directly or indirectly, has the right to acquire (whether such right
is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any
agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) or upon the
exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights, warrants or options, or
otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the "Beneficial
Owner" of securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by
such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates until such tendered
securities are accepted for payment, purchase or exchange; (ii) that such Person
or any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates, directly or indirectly, has
the right to vote or dispose of or has "beneficial ownership" of (as determined
pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange
Act), including without limitation pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or
understanding, whether or not in writing; provided, however, that a Person shall
not be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of any security under this clause (ii) as a
result of an oral or written agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote
such security if such agreement, arrangement or understanding (A) arises solely
from a revocable proxy given in response to a public proxy or consent
solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable provisions
of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, and (B) is not then
reportable by such Person on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any
comparable or successor report); or (iii) that are beneficially owned, directly
or indirectly, by any other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate thereof) with
which such Person (or any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates) has any
agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) for the
purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except pursuant to a revocable proxy as
described in the proviso to clause (ii) above) or disposing of any voting
securities of PSC; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 1(c) shall
cause a Person engaged in business as an underwriter of securities to be the
"Beneficial Owner" of any securities acquired through such Person's
participation in good faith in a firm commitment underwriting until the
expiration of forty days after the date of such acquisition.
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(d) "Board" shall mean the board of directors of PSC.
(e) "Change of Control" shall mean:
(i) any Person (including any individual, firm, corporation,
partnership or other entity except PSC or its subsidiaries or any employee
benefit plan of the PSC or its subsidiaries or of any Affiliate or Associate,
any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by PSC or its
subsidiaries for or pursuant to the terms of any such employee benefit plan),
together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, shall become the
Beneficial Owner in the aggregate of 20% or more of the Common Stock of PSC then
outstanding;
(ii) during any twenty-four month period, individuals who at
the beginning of such period constitute the Board cease for any reason to
constitute a majority thereof, unless the election, or the nomination for
election by PSC's shareholders, of at least seventy-five percent of the
directors who were not directors at the beginning of such period was approved by
a vote of at least seventy-five percent of the directors in office at the time
of such election or nomination who were directors at the beginning of such
period; or
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(iii) there occurs a sale of substantially all of the assets
of PSC or its liquidation is approved by a majority of its shareholders or PSC
is merged into or is merged with an unrelated entity such that following the
merger the shareholders of PSC no longer own more than 51% of the resultant
entity.
Notwithstanding anything in this Section 1(e) to the contrary, a Change of
Control shall not be deemed to have taken place under clause (e)(i) above if (a)
such Person becomes the beneficial owner in the aggregate of 20% or more of the
Common Stock of the Company then outstanding as a result of an inadvertent
acquisition by such Person if such Person, as soon as practicable, divests
itself of a sufficient amount of its Common Stock so that it no longer owns 20%
or more of the Common Stock then outstanding, as determined by the Board of
Directors of the Company, or (ii) the shares of Common Stock required to be
counted in order to meet the 20% minimum threshold described under such clause
(i) include any of the shares described in subsections (i) through (iv) of
section 2543(b) of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988 (15
Pa.C.S.A. section 2543(b)) as in effect on the date of adoption of the Plan.
(f) "Cause" shall mean 1) misappropriation of funds, 2)
habitual insobriety or substance abuse, 3) conviction of a crime involving moral
turpitude, or 4) gross negligence in the performance of duties, which gross
negligence has had a material adverse effect on the business, operations,
assets, properties or financial condition of the Company.
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(g) "Good Reason Termination" shall mean a Termination of
Employment initiated by the Executive upon one or more of the following
occurrences:
(i) any failure of the Company to comply with and
satisfy any of the terms of this the Agreement;
(ii) any significant involuntary reduction of the
authority, duties or responsibilities held by the Executive
immediately prior to the Change of Control;
(iii) any involuntary removal of the Executive from
the employment grade, compensation level or officer positions
which the Executive holds with the Company or, if the
Executive is employed by a Subsidiary, with a Subsidiary, held
by him immediately prior to the Change of Control, except in
connection with promotions to higher office;
(iv) any involuntary reduction in the Executive's
target level of annual and long-term compensation as in effect
immediately prior to the Change of Control;
(v) any transfer of the Executive, without his
express written consent, to a location which is outside the
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania area by more than 50 miles, other than
on a temporary basis (less than 6 months); or
(vi) the Executive being required to undertake
business travel to an extent substantially greater than the
Executive's business travel obligations immediately prior to
the Change of Control.
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(h) "Normal Retirement Date" shall mean the first day of the
calendar month coincident with or next following the Executive's 65th birthday.
(i) "Subsidiary" shall mean any corporation in which the
Company, directly or indirectly, owns at least a 50% interest or an
unincorporated entity of which the Company, directly or indirectly, owns at
least 50% of the profits or capital interests.
(j) "Termination Date" shall mean the date of receipt of the
Notice of Termination described in Section 2 hereof or any later date specified
therein, as the case may be.
(k) "Termination of Employment" shall mean the termination of
the Executive's actual employment relationship with the Company and any of it
Subsidiaries that actually employs the Executive.
2. Notice of Termination. Any Termination of Employment
following a Change of Control shall be communicated by a Notice of Termination
to the other party hereto given in accordance with Section 14 hereof. For
purposes of this Agreement, a "Notice of Termination" means a written notice
which (i) indicates the specific provision in this Agreement relied upon, (ii)
briefly summarizes the facts and circumstances deemed to provide a basis for the
Executive's Termination of Employment under the provision so indicated, and
(iii) if the Termination Date is other than the date of receipt of such notice,
specifies the Termination Date (which date shall not be more than 15 days after
the giving of such notice).
3. Severance Compensation upon Termination.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 11 hereof, in the
event of the Executive's involuntary Termination of Employment for any reason
other than Cause or in the event of a Good Reason Termination, in either event
within two years after a Change of Control, the Company shall pay to the
Executive, upon the execution of a release in the form required by the Company
of its terminating executives prior to the Change of Control, within 15 days
after the Termination Date (or as soon as possible thereafter in the event that
the procedures set forth in Section 11(b) hereof cannot be completed within 15
days), an amount in cash equal to two times the Executive's Base Compensation,
subject to required employment taxes and deductions.
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(b) In the event the Executive's Normal Retirement Date would
occur prior to 12 months after the Termination Date, the aggregate cash amount
determined as set forth in (a) above shall be reduced by multiplying it by a
fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of days from the
Termination Date to the Executive's Normal Retirement Date and the denominator
of which shall be 365 days. In the event the Termination Date occurs after the
Executive's Normal Retirement Date, no payments shall be made under this Section
3.
4. Other Payments. The payment due under Section 3 hereof
shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any payments or benefits due to the
Executive under any other plan, policy or program of the Company, and its
Subsidiaries or Affiliates. In addition, the Executive shall be entitled to a
continuation of health, dental, life and welfare benefits, excluding disability
benefits, otherwise provided to senior level executives or employees generally,
as the same may be amended for all such individuals from time to time, for the
period of two (2) years.
5. Trust Fund. PSC sponsors an irrevocable trust fund pursuant
to a trust agreement to hold assets to satisfy its obligations to the Executive
under this Agreement. Funding of such trust fund shall be subject to the
discretion of PSC's President, as set forth in the agreement pursuant to which
the fund has been established.
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6. Enforcement.
(a) In the event that the Company shall fail or refuse to make
payment of any amounts due the Executive under Sections 3 and 4 hereof within
the respective time periods provided therein, the Company shall pay to the
Executive, in addition to the payment of any other sums provided in this
Agreement, interest, compounded daily, on any amount remaining unpaid from the
date payment is required under Section 3 or 4, as appropriate, until paid to the
Executive, at the rate from time to time announced by PNC Bank as its "prime
rate" plus 1%, each change in such rate to take effect on the effective date of
the change in such prime rate.
(b) It is the intent of the parties that the Executive not be
required to incur any expenses associated with the enforcement of his rights
under this Agreement by arbitration, litigation or other legal action because
the cost and expense thereof would substantially detract from the benefits
intended to be extended to the Executive hereunder. Accordingly, the Company
shall pay the Executive on demand the amount necessary to reimburse the
Executive in full for all reasonable expenses (including all attorneys' fees and
legal expenses) incurred by the Executive in enforcing any of the obligations of
the Company under this Agreement.
7. No Mitigation. The Executive shall not be required to
mitigate the amount of any payment or benefit provided for in this Agreement by
seeking other employment or otherwise, nor shall the amount of any payment or
benefit provided for herein be reduced by any compensation earned by other
employment or otherwise.
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8. Non-exclusivity of Rights. Nothing in this Agreement shall
prevent or limit the Executive's continuing or future participation in or rights
under any benefit, bonus, incentive or other plan or program provided by the
Company, or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, and for which the Executive
may qualify.
9. No Set-Off. The Company's obligation to make the payments
provided for in this Agreement and otherwise to perform its obligations
hereunder shall not be affected by any circumstances, including, without
limitation, any set-off, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which
the Company may have against the Executive or others.
10. Taxes. Any payment required under this Agreement shall be
subject to all requirements of the law with regard to the withholding of taxes,
filing, making of reports and the like, and the Company shall use its best
efforts to satisfy promptly all such requirements.
11. Certain Reduction of Payments.
(a) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary
notwithstanding, in the event that it shall be determined that any payment or
distribution by the Company to or for the benefit of the Executive, whether paid
or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement or otherwise (a "Payment"), would constitute an "excess parachute
payment" within the meaning of Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the "Code"), the aggregate present value of amounts payable or
distributable to or for the benefit of the Executive pursuant to this Agreement
(such payments or distributions pursuant to this Agreement are hereinafter
referred to as "Agreement Payments") shall be reduced (but not below zero) to
the Reduced Amount. The "Reduced Amount" shall be an amount expressed in present
value which maximizes the aggregate present value of Agreement Payments without
causing any Payment to be subject to the loss of deduction under Section 280G of
the Code. For purposes of this Section 11, present value shall be determined in
accordance with Section 280G(d)(4) of the Code.
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(b) All determinations to be made under this Section 11 shall
be made by the Company's independent public accountant immediately prior to the
Change of Control (the "Accounting Firm"), which firm shall provide its
determinations and any supporting calculations both to the Company and the
Executive within 10 days of the Termination Date. Any such determination by the
Accounting Firm shall be binding upon the Company and the Executive. The
Executive shall then have the right to determine which of the Agreement Payments
shall be eliminated or reduced in order to produce the Reduced Amount in
accordance with the requirements of this Section. Within five days after this
determination, the Company shall pay (or cause to be paid) or distribute (or
cause to be distributed) to or for the benefit of the Executive such amounts as
are then due to the Executive under this Agreement.
(c) As a result of the uncertainty in the application of
Section 280G of the Code at the time of the initial determination by the
Accounting Firm hereunder, it is possible that Agreement Payments, as the case
may be, will have been made by the Company which should not have been made
("Overpayment") or that additional Agreement Payments which have not been made
by the Company could have been made ("Underpayment"), in each case, consistent
with the calculations required to be made hereunder. Within two years after the
Termination of Employment, the Accounting Firm shall review the determination
made by it pursuant to the preceding paragraph and the Company shall cooperate
and provide all information necessary for such review. In the event that the
Accounting Firm determines that an Overpayment has been made, any such
Overpayment shall be treated for all purposes as a loan to the Executive which
the Executive shall repay to the Company together with interest from the date of
payment under this Agreement at the applicable Federal rate provided for in
Section 7872(f)(2) of the Code (the "Federal Rate"); provided, however, that no
amount shall be payable by the Executive to the Company if and to the extent
such payment would not reduce the limit on the amount that is deductible under
Section 280G of the Code. In the event that the Accounting Firm determines that
an Underpayment has occurred, any such Underpayment shall be promptly paid by
the Company to or for the benefit of the Executive together with interest from
the date of payment under this Agreement at the Federal Rate.
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(d) All of the fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm in
performing the determinations referred to in subsections (b) and (c) above shall
be borne solely by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless the Accounting Firm of and from any and all claims, damages and
expenses resulting from or relating to its determinations pursuant to
subsections (b) and (c) above, except for claims, damages or expenses resulting
from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Accounting Firm.
12. Term of Agreement. The term of this Agreement shall be
indefinite until the Company notifies the Executive in writing that this
Agreement will not be renewed at least sixty days prior to the proposed
termination; provided, however, that (i) after a Change of Control during the
term of this Agreement, this Agreement shall remain in effect until all of the
obligations of the parties hereunder are satisfied or have expired, and (ii)
this Agreement shall terminate if, prior to a Change of Control, the employment
of the Executive with the Company and its Subsidiaries, as the case may be,
shall terminate for any reason; provided, however, that if a Change of Control
occurs within 18 months after (a) the Executive's termination incurred for any
reason other than a voluntary resignation or retirement ( a Good Reason
Termination shall not be deemed voluntary) or termination for Cause or (b) the
termination of this Agreement, the Executive shall be entitled to all of the
terms and conditions of this Agreement as if the Executive's termination had
occurred on the date of the Change of Control.
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13. Successor Company. PSC shall require any successor or
successors (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger or otherwise) to all
or substantially all of the business and/or assets of PSC or of any of its
Subsidiaries that actually employ the Executive, by agreement in form and
substance satisfactory to the Executive, to acknowledge expressly that this
Agreement is binding upon and enforceable against the successor or successors,
in accordance with the terms hereof, and to become jointly and severally
obligated with PSC to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same
extent that PSC would be required to perform if no such succession or
successions had taken place. Failure of PSC to notify the Executive in writing
as to such successorship, to provide the Executive the opportunity to review and
agree to the successor's assumption of this Agreement or to obtain such
agreement prior to the effectiveness of any such succession shall be a breach of
this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, PSC and the Company shall mean PSC
and its Subsidiaries as hereinbefore defined and any such successor or
successors to their business and/or assets, jointly and severally.
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14. Notice. All notices and other communications required or
permitted hereunder or necessary or convenient in connection herewith shall be
in writing and shall be delivered personally or mailed by registered or
certified mail, return receipt requested, or by overnight express courier
service, as follows:
If to PSC to:
Philadelphia Suburban Corporation
000 X. Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxx Xxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attention: President
If to the Executive, to:
Xx. Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
or to such other names or addresses as the Company or the Executive, as the case
may be, shall designate by notice to the other party hereto in the manner
specified in this Section; provided, however, that if no such notice is given by
the Company following a Change of Control, notice at the last address of the
Company or to any successor pursuant to Section 13 hereof shall be deemed
sufficient for the purposes hereof. Any such notice shall be deemed delivered
and effective when received in the case of personal delivery, five days after
deposit, postage prepaid, with the U.S. Postal Service in the case of registered
or certified mail, or on the next business day in the case of overnight express
courier service.
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15. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
interpreted under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania without giving
effect to any conflict of laws provisions.
16. Contents of Agreement, Amendment and Assignment. This
Agreement supersedes all prior agreements, sets forth the entire understanding
between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and cannot
be changed, modified, extended or terminated except upon written amendment
executed by the Executive and the Company's Chairman of the Company's Executive
Compensation and Employee Benefits Committee, or its successor. The provisions
of this Agreement may require a variance from the terms and conditions of
certain compensation or bonus plans under circumstances where such plans would
not provide for payment thereof in order to obtain the maximum benefits for the
Executive. It is the specific intention of the parties that the provisions of
this Agreement shall supersede any provisions to the contrary in such plans, and
such plans shall be deemed to have been amended to correspond with this
Agreement without further action by the Company or the Board.
17. No Right to Continued Employment. Nothing in this
Agreement shall be construed as giving the Executive any right to be retained in
the employ of the Company.
18. Successors and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of
this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be
enforceable by the respective heirs, representatives, successors and assigns of
the parties hereto, except that the duties and responsibilities of PSC hereunder
shall not be assignable in whole or in part.
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19. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or
application thereof to anyone or under any circumstances shall be determined to
be invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not
affect any other provisions or applications of this Agreement which can be given
effect without the invalid or unenforceable provision or application.
20. Remedies Cumulative; No Waiver. No right conferred upon
the Executive by this Agreement is intended to be exclusive of any other right
or remedy, and each and every such right or remedy shall be cumulative and shall
be in addition to any other right or remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter
existing at law or in equity. No delay or omission by the Executive in
exercising any right, remedy or power hereunder or existing at law or in equity
shall be construed as a waiver thereof.
21. Miscellaneous. All section headings are for convenience
only. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which is
an original. It shall not be necessary in making proof of this Agreement or any
counterpart hereof to produce or account for any of the other counterparts.
22. Arbitration. In the event of any dispute under the
provisions of this Agreement other than a dispute in which the sole relief
sought is an equitable remedy such as an injunction, the parties shall be
required to have the dispute, controversy or claim settled by arbitration in
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in accordance with the National Rules for the
Settlement of Employment Disputes of the American Arbitration Association,
before one arbitrator who shall be an executive officer or former executive
officer of a publicly traded corporation, selected by the parties. Any award
entered by the arbitrator shall be final, binding and nonappealable and judgment
may be entered thereon by either party in accordance with applicable law in any
court of competent jurisdiction. This arbitration provision shall be
specifically enforceable. The arbitrator shall have no authority to modify any
provision of this Agreement or to award a remedy for a dispute involving this
Agreement other than a benefit specifically provided under or by virtue of the
Agreement. The Company shall be responsible for all of the fees of the American
Arbitration Association and the arbitrator and any expenses relating to the
conduct of the arbitration (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses).
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, intending to be legally
bound, have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.
ATTEST: PHILADELPHIA SUBURBAN CORPORATION
[Seal]
/s/ Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx By /s/ Xxx X. Xxxxx
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Secretary
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
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Witness Executive
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