FORM OF RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT GRANTED OCTOBER 9, 2009
Exhibit 10.3
FORM OF
GRANTED OCTOBER
9, 2009
Ralcorp
Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”), pursuant to its Amended and Restated 2007
Incentive Stock Plan (the “Plan”), grants to [ ] (the “Recipient”) a Restricted
Stock Award of [ ] shares of its $.01 par value Common Stock. The
Award is subject to the provisions of the Plan and to the following terms and
conditions:
1. Delivery
Upon
acceptance by the Recipient of the Award, the Company will instruct its transfer
agent, (the “Transfer Agent”) to issue the Award via book-entry form and cause
the Transfer Agent to set up an account in the name of the Recipient for the
Award. Upon lapse of the restrictions as described below, the
Transfer Agent will release the shares from restrictions.
2. Restrictions
The
shares are subject to restrictions which shall be released on December 31, 2013
(“Release Date”) provided that Recipient remains continuously employed with the
Company through the Release Date, and further provided that the attainment of
the following performance target (“Performance Target”) is
achieved: The compounded annual growth in the Company’s earnings per
share over the course of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 is no less than
10%. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the restrictions shall be
released on the date of (i) involuntary termination of employment by the Company
without Cause after the Performance Target is achieved, (ii) death, (iii)
Disability, or (iv) Change of Control, provided that Recipient remains
continuously employed with the Company through the date any such event occurs
and further provided that such event occurs before December 31,
2013.
In the
event that the Award is not released from the restrictions on or before December
31, 2013, Recipient shall forfeit all shares which are not released from
restrictions as of December 31, 2013 and Recipient shall not be entitled to any
payment or other consideration hereunder. Except as otherwise
provided herein, neither the shares nor any ownership interest therein may be
sold, pledged, transferred or otherwise disposed of prior to December 31,
2013.
3. Forfeiture
Without
limiting the foregoing provisions, this paragraph sets forth certain
circumstances under which this Award will be forfeited. All shares of
Common Stock under the Award that are restricted shall be forfeited upon the
occurrence of certain events described in this Award Agreement, including any of
the following events (any of which is referred to as a “Forfeiture
Event”):
a. Recipient
is Terminated for Cause;
b. Recipient
voluntarily terminates his or her employment;
c. Recipient
engages in competition with the Company;
d. Recipient
engages in any of the following actions:
(i) being
openly critical in the media of the Company or any subsidiary or its directors,
officers, or employees or those of any subsidiary;
(ii) pleading
guilty or nolo contendere to any felony or any charge involving moral
turpitude;
(iii) Misappropriating
or destroying Company or subsidiary property including, but not limited to,
trade secrets or other proprietary property;
(iv) improperly
disclosing material nonpublic information regarding the Company or any
subsidiary; or
(v) inducing
or attempting to induce any customer, supplier, lender, or other business
relation of the Company or any subsidiary to cease doing business with the
Company or any subsidiary; or
e. Any
other event or reason resulting in forfeiture as described in paragraph 2 hereof
or otherwise as described in this Award Agreement or the Plan, including,
without limitation, failure to achieve the Performance Target to the extent
required herein.
Upon the occurrence of a Forfeiture
Event, the Award, if restricted at the time of a Forfeiture Event, will be
forfeited and will be cancelled. The Corporate Governance and
Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) or entire Board of Directors may waive
any condition of forfeiture described in this paragraph.
4. Shareholder
Rights
Prior to
the release of restrictions as set forth above, Recipient shall be entitled to
all shareholder rights except the right to sell, pledge, transfer or otherwise
dispose of the shares, and except that any and all dividends declared and paid
with respect to restricted shares will be held by the Company in an account
until release of restrictions. Interest will be credited to the
account quarterly on the full amount in the account until the account is
distributed. Interest shall be calculated at a rate equal to the
average of the daily close of business prime rates for the quarter, as such
prime rates are established by JPMorgan Chase, or such other bank as may be
designated by the Committee. On the date on which restrictions are
released, all dividends and interest, if any, accrued to that date with respect
to the shares on which the restrictions are released will be payable to
Recipient; provided that, for this purpose, to the extent necessary to avoid the
adverse tax
consequences
under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”),
restrictions will be deemed to be released under this paragraph on account of a
total and permanent disability or a Change in Control only to the extent such
events occur both under the terms of this Agreement and in a manner
consistent
with
Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event
that the Recipient is determined to be a specified employee within the meaning
of Section 409A of the Code, for purposes of payment on termination of
employment hereunder, payment shall be made on the first payroll date which is
more than six months following the date of separation from service, to the
extent required to avoid any adverse tax consequences under Section 409A of the
Code. In the event that the restrictions are not released and the
award is forfeited pursuant to Paragraph 3 above or otherwise, Recipient shall
not be entitled to receive any dividends and interest which may have accrued
with respect to the shares so forfeited, unless approved by the Committee or the
entire Board.
5. Other
The Company reserves the right, as
determined by the Committee, to convert this Award to a substantially equivalent
award and to make any other modification it may consider necessary or advisable
to comply with any law or regulation. In addition, this Agreement
shall be governed by the laws of the State of Missouri with reference to the
conflict of laws provisions therein.
6. Effective
Date
This Award shall be deemed to be
effective October 9, 2009.
7. Restrictive
Covenants.
a. Non
Competition:
(i) During the term of
Recipient’s employment with the Company (or one of its subsidiaries or
affiliates) and for one (1) year thereafter, except in the course of Recipient
performing his/her job responsibilities with the Company, Recipient will not
directly or indirectly, in a competitive capacity, engage or invest in, own,
manage, operate, finance, control or participate in the ownership, management,
operation, financing or control of, be employed by or under contract with
(including as a director, advisor, or consultant), lend Recipient’s name or any
similar name to, lend Recipient’s credit to or render services or advice to, or
plan or prepare to do any of the foregoing with any business organization or
entity whose products or activities compete or intend to compete with the
Company in the United States or Canada on food products produced by the Company
(including those of its subsidiaries and operating divisions) (“Competing
Company”) at the time of termination of employment; provided however, Recipient
may purchase or otherwise acquire up to (but not more than) five percent (5%) of
any class of securities of any entity (but without otherwise participating in
the activities of such entity) if such securities are listed on any national or
regional securities exchange or have been registered under §12(g) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. For purposes of this
Agreement, a business entity or organization shall be a Competing
Company
only if more than ten percent (10%) of its aggregate gross revenues and more
than ten percent (10%) of its aggregate net income are derived from products or
activities which compete or intend to compete with the Company’s food products
in the United States and Canada.
(ii) In
the event Recipient violates this Section 7(a), the Recipient shall pay the
Company, within five (5) days of receipt by Recipient of a written demand
therefor, an amount in cash equal to the amount determined by multiplying the
number of shares of Common Stock released from restrictions hereunder by the
Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date the shares of Common
Stock were released from restrictions. In the event Recipient fails
to pay this amount within five (5) days of receipt of a written demand, the
Company shall have the right to seek and obtain any equitable and injunctive
relief (without the requirement to post a bond) that a court may determine is
appropriate. To the extent that the Company is successful in
enforcing this Agreement, Recipient shall be responsible for paying the
Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
b. Non Solicitation/Non
Hire:
(i) Whether
for Recipient’s own account or the account of any other person or entity,
Recipient will not (i) at any time during the Recipient’s employment with the
Company and for one (1) year after Recipient’s employee termination of
employment, directly or indirectly, solicit as an employee, independent
contractor or otherwise, any person who was a salaried and bonus eligible
employee of the Company at any time during the term of Recipient’s employment
with the Company or in any manner induce or attempt to induce any employee of
the Company to terminate his or her employment with the Company or any
affiliate; or (ii) at any time during the Recipient’s employment with the
Company and for one (1) year after Recipient’s termination of employment,
interfere with the Company’s relationship with any person or entity who was a
customer or supplier of the Company at the time of Recipient’s termination of
employment.
(ii) In
the event Recipient violates any provision of this Section 7(b), the Company
shall have the right to take all necessary legal action to enforce this
provision. In addition to any remedies available at law, the Company
shall have the right to seek and obtain any equitable and injunctive relief
(without the requirement to post a bond) that a court may determine is
appropriate. To the extent that the Company is successful in
enforcing this provision, Recipient shall be responsible for paying the
Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
(iii) If
Recipient breaches any covenant concerning non hiring or non solicitation
contained herein or to which Recipient is or may become a party in the future,
then, in addition to and without in any way limiting the foregoing or any other
remedies:
(a) any
shares that have not been released from restrictions as provided herein shall be
forfeited automatically on the date Recipient commits such breach;
and
(b) in
the event of such a breach, Recipient shall pay the Company, within five (5)
days of receipt by Recipient of a written demand therefore, an amount in cash
equal to the amount determined by multiplying the number of shares of Common
Stock released from restrictions hereunder by the Fair Market Value of a share
of Common Stock on the date the shares of Common Stock were released from
restrictions; and
(c) Recipient
shall pay any damages in excess of the amounts paid to the Company under the
foregoing.
c. The
parties acknowledge and agree that the time and other limitations contained in
this Section are reasonable and necessary for the proper protection of the
Company. However, if any arbitrator or court of competent
jurisdiction finds that the time period of the foregoing covenants is too
lengthy or the geographic coverage and scope of the covenants is too broad, the
restrictive time period shall be deemed to comprise the largest scope
permissible by law under the circumstances. Recipient further
acknowledges that, in the event of the termination of his employment with the
Company, Recipient’s skills and experience will permit him to find employment in
many markets, and the limitations contained herein will not prevent him from
earning a livelihood. The period of time applicable to any covenant
in this Section shall be extended by the duration of any actual or threatened
violation by Recipient of such covenant.
8. Definitions
For
purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings as set forth
below:
a. “Change
in Control” means (i) the acquisition by any person, entity or “group” within
the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (the “Exchange Act”), of beneficial ownership of 50% or more of the
aggregate voting power of the then outstanding shares of Stock, other than
acquisitions by Ralcorp or any of its subsidiaries or any employee benefit plan
of Ralcorp (or any Trust created to hold or invest in issues thereof) or any
entity holding Stock for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan; or (ii)
individuals who shall qualify as Continuing Directors shall have ceased for any
reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors of
Ralcorp. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change-in-Control shall not
include a transaction (commonly known as a “Xxxxxx Trust” transaction) pursuant
to which a third party acquires one or more businesses of the Company by
acquiring all of the common stock of the Company while leaving the Company’s
remaining businesses in a separate public company, unless the businesses so
acquired constitute all or substantially all of the Company’s
businesses.
b. “Continuing
Director” means any member of the Board of Directors of Ralcorp, as of February
1, 1997 while such person is a member of the Board, and any other director,
while such other director is a member of the Board, who is
recommended
or
elected to succeed the Continuing Director by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the
Continuing Directors then in office.
c. “Termination
for Cause” shall mean the Recipient’s termination of employment with the Company
because of the willful engaging by the Recipient in gross misconduct; provided,
however, that a termination for cause shall not include termination attributable
to (i) poor work performance, bad judgment or negligence on the part of the
Recipient, (ii) an act or omission believed by the Recipient in good faith to
have been in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company and reasonably
believed by the Recipient to be lawful, or (iii) the good faith conduct of the
Recipient in connection with a Change in Control (including opposition to or
support of such Change in Control).
d. “Disability”
means Recipient is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by
reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be
expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period
of not less than 12 months; or, Recipient is, by reason of any medically
determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in
death or can be expected to last for continuous period of not less than 12
months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than
three months under an accident and health plan covering employees of the
Company.
ACKNOWLEDGED
AND
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RALCORP
HOLDINGS, INC.
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ACCEPTED:
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_____________________________
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By: ______________________
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Recipient
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Secretary
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_____________________________
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Date
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_____________________________
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Location
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S.S.N.
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