CONSULTING AGREEMENT
This Consulting Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between Eternal Energy Corp. (the “Company”) and Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx (“Chairman”). This Agreement shall become effective as of the consummation of the Transactions contemplated by that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger executed by the Company and American Eagle Energy, Inc. on the 12th day of April, 2011, (the “Effective Date”). The Company and the Chairman may be referred to herein collectively as “Parties” and individually as “Party.” In consideration of the mutual promises, covenants and conditions hereinafter set forth and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which the Parties acknowledge, the Parties agree as follows:
1. Nature and Purpose of Agreement. The Chairman is a shareholder of EERG and is a member of its Board of Directors (“Board”). Prior to accepting appointment to the Board, Chairman was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Xxxxxx Oil Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of American Eagle Energy, Inc. The Chairman has vast experience in the oil and gas business, particularly in Montana, North Dakota, Alberta and Saskatchewan and possesses extensive knowledge of the Company’s oil and gas properties. The Chairman has also participated in numerous efforts to secure financing necessary to develop oil and gas investment opportunities. The Company wishes to engage the Chairman to assist it in securing financing necessary to facilitate the Company’s development of its oil and gas properties and other opportunities, to act together with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer as a spokesperson for the Company as it seeks to communicate with its shareholders and with investment bankers and investors, to coordinate the activities of the Company’s Board and to oversee issues related to the Company’s corporate governance, all pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. The Chairman desires to accept this engagement, upon the terms and conditions set forth herein.
2. Position, Responsibilities and Extent of Services.
3. Term of Agreement. The term of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue through and including June 30, 2012; provided, however, that this Agreement shall thereafter continue for successive one-year terms unless either Party shall give the other written notice of termination of this Agreement not more than sixty days prior to expiration of the initial term of this Agreement or of any one year extension thereof (the later of these dates may be referred to herein as the “Expiration Date”), subject to the provisions of the Section in this Agreement entitled “Termination or Expiration of Agreement” (the “Term”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of the Sections in this Agreement entitled “Position, Responsibilities and Extent of Services,” “Relationship of Parties,” “Non-competition; Secrecy,” “Representations and Warranties” and “Miscellaneous” shall survive, and continue in full force and effect, after any termination or expiration of this Agreement, irrespective of the reason for the termination or any claim that the termination was wrongful or unlawful.
4. Payment of Compensation. As consideration for the performance of the Services the Chairman pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, Company shall pay the Chairman a consulting fee (“Consulting Fee”) in the amount of Five Thousand and No/100s US dollars ($5,000.00 USD) for each full calendar month for which the Chairman performs Services for the Company, or a prorated amount for each portion of a calendar month for which the Chairman performs such Services. The Consulting Fee shall be payable in arrears on the last day of each calendar month.
5. Reimbursement of Expenses. The Company shall reimburse the Chairman for all reasonable travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses incurred by the Chairman in connection with the Chairman’s performance of the Services or otherwise incurred for and on behalf of the Company, upon the Chairman’s submission to the Company of reasonable documentation pertaining to such expenses.
6. Company’s Cooperation. The Company agrees to furnish or cause to be furnished to the Chairman access to such information and data relating to the Company and its business as the Chairman reasonably requests, to provide the Chairman with access to its officers, employees, agents, counsel and independent accountants as may be reasonably necessary to perform The Chairman’s duties hereunder, and to make space available on its premises during the Chairman’s trips to Denver sufficient to enable the Chairman to perform the Services while in Denver.
7. Termination or Expiration of Agreement.
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7.1.3 Termination of Agreement Following a Change in Control.
A. If, immediately prior to or within twelve months following a Change in Control (defined below): (i) this Agreement is terminated by the Company without Cause; or (ii) this Agreement is terminated for Good Reason (defined below) , the Chairman shall be entitled to receive the following: (y) payment of the Consulting Fee through and including the date of the termination of this Agreement, and (z) reimbursement of business expenses incurred by the Chairman prior to the termination of this Agreement. In addition, if the termination of this Agreement falls within the terms of this Subsection, then, subject to the condition precedent that the Chairman sign a general release of all claims in a form approved by the Company in the exercise of its sole discretion, the Chairman shall also receive, and the Company shall pay the Chairman, liquidated damages in an amount equal to the product of two times the Chairman’s annual Consulting Fee as the same may have been changed through the date of the termination of this Agreement.
B. If the Chairman terminates this Agreement within sixty (60) days of a Change in Control (defined below) for any reason other than Good Reason (defined below), the Chairman shall be entitled to receive the following: (y) payment of the Consulting Fee through and including the date of the termination of this Agreement, and (z) reimbursement of business expenses incurred by the Chairman prior to the termination of this Agreement. In addition, if the Chairman terminates this Agreement within sixty (60) days of a Change in Control for any reason other than Good Reason, then, subject to the condition precedent that the Chairman sign a general release of all claims in a form approved by the Company in the exercise of its sole discretion, the Chairman shall also receive, and the Company shall pay the Chairman, liquidated damages in an amount equal to the Chairman’s annual Consulting Fee as the same may have been changed through the date of the termination of this Agreement.
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C. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) the consummation of any transaction after the Effective Date in which any person or entity or group of related persons and/or entities becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities representing more than twenty percent (20%) of the combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding voting securities, (ii) three or more directors, whose election or nomination for election is not approved by a majority of the members of the Company’s Board of Directors on the Effective Date, are elected within any twelve month period to serve on its Board of Directors, or (iii) any merger (other than a merger in which the Company is the survivor and there is no change of control pursuant to (i) or (ii) of this sentence), reorganization, consolidation, liquidation, winding up or dissolution of the Company or the sale of all or substantially all of its assets.
7.1.4 “Cause.” As used in this Agreement, “Cause” means:
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7.1.5 “Good Reason.” As used in this Agreement, “Good Reason” means the occurrence of any of the following without the Chairman’s prior written consent and in the absence of any circumstance that constitutes Cause: (i) the regular assignment to the Chairman of duties materially inconsistent with the position and status of the Chairman; (ii) a material reduction in the nature, status or prestige of the Chairman’s responsibilities or a materially detrimental change in the Chairman’s title or reporting level, excluding for this purpose an isolated, insubstantial or inadvertent action by the Company which is remedied by the Company promptly after the Company’s receipt of written notice from the Chairman; or (iii) a reduction by the Company of the Chairman’s annual Consulting Fee.
7.2 Termination upon Death or Permanent Disability.
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8. Relationship of Parties. The Company and the Chairman agree that the Chairman's relationship to the Company shall, during the period or periods of his engagement by the Company and while performing the Services, be that of an independent contractor. The Chairman shall, subject to the terms of this Agreement, be free to dispose of such portion of his entire time, energy, and skill during regular business hours, in such manner as the Chairman sees fit and to such persons, firms, or corporations as he deems advisable. The Chairman shall not be considered as having employee status with the Company or as being entitled to vacation pay, sick leave, retirement benefits, social security, workmen's compensation, disability or unemployment insurance benefits of any kind from the Company. The Chairman acknowledges that he shall not be treated by the Company as an employee for purposes of the Federal Insurance Contribution Act, the Social Security Act, the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, Federal income tax withholding or any similar law or laws enacted by the Federal government or by any State or local government. The Chairman further acknowledges that he shall not be entitled to unemployment insurance benefits unless he is provided unemployment compensation coverage by himself or some other entity other than the Company. The Chairman agrees that he is obligated to and shall timely pay all federal and state income tax on any and all compensation for services rendered paid pursuant to this contractual relationship. The Chairman agrees to promptly and timely comply with these laws. At each calendar year end, the Company shall issue to the Chairman an IRS Form 1099 certifying the total amount of Consulting Fees paid to the Chairman by the Company during each calendar year. The Form 1099 shall be issued using the employer identification number or such other number provided to the Company by the Chairman.
9.1 Assistance to Competitors. Unless otherwise provided in this Subsection, the Chairman shall not during the Term and for a period of two years following the termination or expiration of this Agreement own a material interest in, render financial assistance to, or offer personal services to (whether for payment or otherwise), (i) any person or entity that competes with the Company in the Company Business (defined below), or (ii) any person or entity or any subsidiary or affiliate of any person or entity which is pursuing any business or investment opportunity which the Company reviewed within the previous six month period. “Company Business” shall mean the conduct of the oil and gas exploration and development business in those basins or areas of mutual interest (i) within which the Company directly or indirectly owns, leases or otherwise holds mineral interests, (ii) as to which the Company is actively evaluating the desirability of directly or indirectly acquiring mineral interests, or (iii) as to which the Company is endeavoring to directly or indirectly acquire mineral interests. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, the Chairman shall have the right to own a material interest in or render financial assistance to any person or entity in connection with a project or opportunity in which the Company has failed or declined to exercise its right of first refusal described below. The Chairman agrees that during the Term he will offer the Company a right of first refusal, in writing, to pursue all opportunities of which the Chairman learns involving the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons. Contemporaneously with the Chairman’s delivery of such written notification to the Company, the Chairman shall provide the Company with all material information in the Chairman’s possession or control which is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to evaluate the economic viability and risks of pursuing each such opportunity. Company shall exercise its right of first refusal to pursue such an opportunity by giving the Chairman written notice of its exercise within forty five business days of its receipt of the Chairman’s written notification and all of the information described above.
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9.2 Confidential Information. The Chairman acknowledges and agrees that the Company is engaged in business activities in which it is and will in the future be crucial to develop and retain proprietary, trade secret, or confidential information for the benefit of the Company (collectively, “Confidential Information”). Accordingly, the Chairman shall not at any time during the Term or for a period of three years following the termination or expiration of this Agreement, (i) divulge, convey or communicate any Confidential Information to any person or entity, except as may be expressly authorized in writing by the Company or as may be necessary for the Chairman to perform the Services, or (ii) use any Confidential Information for the Chairman’s own benefit or the benefit of any person or entity other than the Company. Confidential Information includes, but is not limited to geological, geophysical, and engineering data, models, analyses, compilations, estimates of reserves, interpretations, data, studies, reports, business plans, business methods, contractual and financial information, matters of a technical or intellectual nature such as inventions, designs, improvements, processes of discovery, techniques, methods, ideas, discoveries, developments, know-how, formulae, compounds, compositions, specifications, trade secrets, specialized knowledge, or matters of a business nature such as information about costs and profits, records, customer lists, customer data, sales data and other data in whatever form stored or maintained, whether oral, written, documentary, digital, computer storage or otherwise.
9.3 Ownership of Ideas. The Company shall own, and the Chairman hereby transfers and assigns to the Company, all rights, of every kind and character throughout the world, in perpetuity, in and to any and all materials, ideas, concepts and results inuring from, relating to, or in connection with the Chairman’s performance of the Services or the conduct of the Company Business, or conceived of or produced by the Chairman during the Term and which relate to the Company Business. The Parties acknowledge and agree, however, that such transfer and assignment shall not apply to, or attach in and to, any materials, ideas or concepts which fall outside the ambit of this Agreement. The Chairman shall execute and deliver to the Company such assignments, certificates of authorship, or other instruments as the Company may require from time to time to evidence the Company’s ownership of such materials, ideas and other results.
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9.5 Interference with Employees and Clients.
9.5.1 Non-Solicitation of Employees. During the Term, and for a three-year period thereafter, shall not, directly or indirectly, whether for his own benefit or for the benefit of any other entity or individual: (i) solicit, encourage, or in any way influence any person or entity employed by, or engaged to render services on behalf of, the Company, to cease performing services for the Company, or to engage in any activity contrary to or conflicting with the interests of the Company; (ii) hire away any person or entity employed by, or engaged to render services on behalf of, the Company; or (iii) otherwise interfere to the Company’s detriment in any way in the Company’s relationship with any person or entity who is employed by, or engaged to render services on behalf of, the Company.
10. Representation and Warranties. The Chairman represents and warrants to the Company that he is under no contractual or other restriction or obligation that is materially inconsistent with the execution of this Agreement, the performance of his duties hereunder, or the rights of the Company hereunder, including, without limitation, any development agreement, non-competition agreement or confidentiality agreement previously entered into by the Chairman.
If to the Chairman: | ||
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If to the Company: | Eternal Energy Corp. |
Attn: President | |
0000 X. Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000 | |
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000 |
11.5 Severability. If any covenant or agreement set forth herein conflicts with any applicable statute, law, rule or regulation, such covenant or agreement shall be deemed by the Parties to be modified but only to the extent necessary to conform to what is allowed under such statute, law, rule or regulation. If for any reason whatsoever, any one or more of the provisions of this Agreement shall be held or deemed to be inoperative, unenforceable or invalid as applied to any particular case or in all cases, such circumstances shall not have the effect of rendering such provision invalid in any other case or of rendering any of the other provisions of this Agreement inoperative, unenforceable or invalid.
11.6 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado exclusive of the conflict of law provisions thereof.
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11.7.3 Claims Not Subject to Arbitration. This Subsection does not preclude either Party from making an application to a court of competent jurisdiction for provisional remedies (e.g., temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction), subject to the Colorado Revised Statutes. This Agreement also does not apply to any claims by the Chairman: (i) filed with an administrative agency which are not legally subject to arbitration under this Agreement, or (ii) which are otherwise expressly prohibited by law from being subject to arbitration under this Agreement.
11.7.5 Procedure. The arbitration shall be conducted in the City and County of Denver. Any Claim submitted to arbitration shall be decided by a single, neutral arbitrator (the “Arbitrator”). The Parties to the arbitration shall mutually select the Arbitrator not later than 45 days after service of the demand for arbitration. If the Parties for any reason do not mutually select the Arbitrator within the 45 day period, then any Party may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction to appoint a retired judge as the Arbitrator. The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the Colorado Revised Statutes, except as modified by this Agreement. The Arbitrator shall apply the substantive federal, state, or local law and statute of limitations governing any Claim submitted to arbitration. In ruling on any Claim submitted to arbitration, the Arbitrator shall have the authority to award only such remedies or forms of relief as are provided for under the substantive law governing such Claim. The Arbitrator shall issue a written decision revealing the essential findings and conclusions on which the decision is based. Judgment on the Arbitrator’s decision may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement effective as of the day and year first above written.
COMPANY: | THE CHAIRMAN: | ||
Eternal Energy Corp. | |||
By: | |||
Chief Executive Officer | Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx |
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