CUBESMART 2007 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN NONQUALIFIED SHARE OPTION GRANT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.4
Grant No.: _____
CUBESMART
2007 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
NONQUALIFIED SHARE OPTION GRANT AGREEMENT
CubeSmart, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Company”), grants an option (“Option”) to purchase Shares of the Company to the individual named below (“you”), as of the Grant Date set forth below. The terms and conditions of the Option are set forth in this cover sheet, in the attached agreement (the “Agreement”), and in the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as may be amended from time to time (the “Plan”).
Grant Date:
Name of Participant:
Vesting Start Date:
Number of Shares Covered by Option:
Option Price per Share: $
By signing this cover sheet, you agree to all of the terms and conditions described in the Agreement and the Plan. A copy of the Plan will be provided on request. You acknowledge that you have carefully reviewed the Plan, and agree that the Plan will control in the event that any provision of this Agreement should appear to be inconsistent with the terms of the Plan.
Participant:
Name:
Company:
Name: Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx
President and Chief Executive Officer
This is not a share certificate or a negotiable instrument.
CUBESMART 2007 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
NONQUALIFIED SHARE OPTION GRANT AGREEMENT
Nonqualified | This Option is not intended to be an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code and will be interpreted accordingly. |
Vesting | This Option is only exercisable before it expires and then only with respect to the vested portion of the Option. Subject to the preceding sentence, you may exercise this Option, in whole or in part, to purchase a whole number of Shares not less than 100 Shares, unless the number of Shares purchased is the total number available for purchase under the Option, by following the procedures set forth in the Plan and below in this Agreement. 1/3rd of the Option vests and becomes exercisable on each of the first three (3) anniversaries of the Vesting Start Date (each, an “Anniversary Date”), provided that you continue to be employed or in service with the Company through the applicable Anniversary Date. The resulting aggregate number of Shares underlying the vested portion of the Option will be rounded to the nearest whole number, and you cannot vest in more than the total number of Shares covered by this Option. Other than pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or the Plan, no additional portion of the Option will vest after your employment or service has terminated for any reason, and the unvested portion will terminate expire in connection with any such termination of employment or service, unless otherwise provided in a severance plan adopted by the Company in which you are eligible to participate or as determined by the Committee. |
Term | Your Option will expire in any event at the close of business at Company headquarters on the day before the 10th anniversary of the Grant Date, as shown on the cover sheet. Your Option will expire earlier if your employment or service terminates, as described below. |
Termination for Cause | If your employment or service is terminated for Cause, then you immediately forfeit all rights to your Option and your Option will immediately expire. |
Termination by Death or Disability | If your employment or service terminates as a result of your death or due to your “Disability,” then your Option shall become fully vested and will expire at the close of business at Company headquarters on the earlier of (a) the end of the term of your Option, and (b) at the close of business at Company headquarters on the date twelve (12) months after the date of termination. In the event of your death, during the applicable period |
described in the preceding sentence, your estate or heirs may exercise your Option. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Disability” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in any applicable Company severance plan in which you are an eligible employee, or in the absence of such a severance plan, then it shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Xxxx. Xx addition, if you die during the 90-day period described below in connection with a regular termination (i.e., a termination of your employment or service not on account of your death, Disability or Cause), and a vested portion of your Option has not yet been exercised, then your Option will instead expire on the earlier of (a) the end of the term of your Option, and (b) the date twelve (12) months after your termination date. In such a case, during the applicable period described in the preceding sentence, your estate or heirs may exercise the vested portion of your option. | |
Retirement | If your employment or service terminates because of your “Retirement” and on the “Effective Date of Retirement” you enter into the Restrictive Covenant Agreement attached as Exhibit A hereto, then your unvested Options will continue to vest following the Effective Date of Retirement in accordance with the vesting terms set forth in the “Vesting” section above, and vested Options (including Options that vest after the Effective Date of Retirement) which have not yet been exercised will expire at the close of business at Company headquarters on the earlier of (a) the end of the term of your Option, and (b) the date five (5) years after your Effective Date of Retirement. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) the term “Retirement” shall mean the attainment of the age of sixty (60) plus a minimum of ten (10) years of employment or service with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, and (b) the term “Effective Date of Retirement” shall mean the date that is at least six (6) months following your delivery of written notice to the Company notifying the Company of the effective date of your Retirement. |
Other | If your employment or service terminates for any reason, other than death, Disability, Retirement, or Cause, your Option will expire at the close of business at Company headquarters on the earlier of (a) the expiration of the term of your Option, and (b) on the 90th day after your termination date. |
Leaves of | For purposes of this Option, your employment or service does not terminate when you go on a bona fide employee leave of absence that was approved by the Company in writing, if the terms of the leave provide for continued service crediting, or when continued service crediting is |
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required by applicable law. However, your employment or service will be treated as terminating 90 days after your employee leave commences, unless your right to return to active work is guaranteed by law or by a contract. Your employment or service terminates in any event when the approved leave ends unless you immediately return to active employee work. The Company determines, in its sole discretion, which leaves count for this purpose, and when your employment or service terminates for all purposes under the Plan. | |
Notice of Exercise | When you wish to exercise the vested portion of your Option, you must notify the Company by filing the proper “Notice of Exercise” form at the address given on the form. Your notice must specify how many Shares you wish to purchase (in a parcel of at least 100 Shares generally). Your notice must also specify how your Shares should be registered (in your name only or in your and your spouse’s or domestic partner’s names as joint tenants with right of survivorship). The notice will be effective when it is received by the Company. If someone else wants to exercise this Option after your death, that person must prove to the Company’s satisfaction that he or she is entitled to do so. |
Form of | When you submit your notice of exercise, you must include payment of the Option Price for the Shares you are purchasing. Payment may be made in one (or a combination) of the following forms: ● Cash, your personal check, a cashier’s check, a money order or another cash equivalent acceptable to the Company. ● Shares which have already been owned by you for more than six months and which are surrendered to the Company. The value of the Shares, determined as of the effective date of the Option exercise, will be applied to the Option Price. ● By delivery (on a form prescribed by the Company) of an irrevocable direction to a licensed securities broker acceptable to the Company to sell Shares and to deliver all or part of the sale proceeds to the Company in payment of the aggregate option price and any withholding taxes (if approved in advance by the Compensation Committee of the Board if you are either an executive officer or a director of the Company). |
Withholding | You will not be allowed to exercise this Option unless you make acceptable arrangements to pay any withholding or other taxes that may be due as a result of the Option exercise or sale of Shares acquired under |
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this Option. In the event that the Company determines that any federal, state, local or foreign tax or withholding payment is required relating to the exercise or sale of Shares arising from this grant, the Company shall have the right to require such payments from you, or withhold such amounts from other payments due to you from the Company or any Affiliate. | |
Transfer of | During your lifetime, only you (or, in the event of your legal incapacity or incompetency, your guardian or legal representative) may exercise the Option. You cannot transfer or assign this Option. For instance, you may not sell this Option or use it as security for a loan. If you attempt to do any of these things, this Option will immediately become invalid and expire. You may, however, dispose of this Option in your will or it may be transferred upon your death by the laws of descent and distribution. Regardless of any marital property settlement agreement, the Company is not obligated to honor a notice of exercise from your spouse or domestic partner, nor is the Company obligated to recognize your spouse’s interest in your Option in any other way. |
Retention | This Agreement does not give you the right to be retained by the Company (or any parent, Subsidiaries or Affiliates) in any capacity. Furthermore, nothing in the Plan or this Agreement shall be construed to limit the discretion of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate your employment or service with the Company at any time, with or without Cause. |
Recoupment Policy | The Option granted pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject to any clawback policy maintained by the Company or any Affiliate from time to time as necessary to comply with applicable law or exchange listing requirements. |
No Impact on Other Benefits | The value of this Option and Shares covered by this Option is not part of your normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, retirement, welfare, insurance or similar employee benefit. |
Shareholder | Neither you, nor your estate or heirs, have any rights as a shareholder of the Company until an appropriate book entry has been made reflecting the issuance of Shares. No adjustments are made for dividends or other rights if the applicable record date occurs before an appropriate book entry has been made, except as described in the Plan. |
Adjustments | In the event of a split, a dividend or a similar change in the Shares, the number of Shares covered by this Option and the Option Price per Share shall be adjusted if required pursuant to the Plan. Your Option shall be subject to the terms of the agreement of merger, liquidation or reorganization in the event the Company is subject to such corporate activity. |
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Successors and Assigns | The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein, this Agreement will be binding upon you and your beneficiaries, executors, administrators and the person(s) to whom the Options may be transferred by will or the laws of descent or distribution. |
The Plan | The Plan is discretionary and may be amended, canceled or terminated by the Company at any time, in its discretion. The Grant of the Option under this Agreement does not create any contractual right or other right to receive any Options or other grants in the future. Future grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company. Any amendment, modification, or termination of the Plan shall not constitute a change or impairment of the terms and conditions of your employment or service with the Company. The text of the Plan is incorporated in this Agreement by reference. Except as otherwise noted, capitalized terms used in this Agreement, and not otherwise defined in this Agreement, have the meaning set forth in the Plan. This Agreement, the Plan, and any applicable Company severance plan in which you are an eligible employee, constitute the entire understanding between you and the Company with regard to the Options granted pursuant to this Agreement. Any prior agreements, commitments or negotiations concerning the Options granted under this Agreement are superseded. |
Notices | Any notice required to be delivered to the Company under this Agreement shall be in writing and addressed to the Corporate Secretary of the Company at the Company’s principal corporate offices. Any notice required to be delivered to you under this Agreement shall be in writing and addressed to you at your address as shown in the records of the Company. Either party may designate another address in writing (or by such other method approved by the Company) from time to time. |
Applicable Law | This Agreement will be interpreted and enforced under the laws of the State of Maryland, other than any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of this Agreement to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. |
Severability | The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement or the Plan shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement or the Plan, and each provision of this Agreement and the Plan shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law. |
Data Privacy | In order to administer the Plan, the Company may process personal data about you. Such data includes, but is not limited to, the information |
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provided in this Agreement and any changes thereto, other appropriate personal and financial data about you such as home address and business addresses and other contact information, payroll information and any other information that might be deemed appropriate by the Company to facilitate the administration of the Xxxx. Xx accepting this Option, you give explicit consent to the Company to process any such personal data. You also give explicit consent to the Company to transfer any such personal data outside the country in which you work or are employed, including, with respect to non-U.S. resident Grantees, to the United States, to transferees who shall include the Company and other persons who are designated by the Company to administer the Plan. | |
Consent to Electronic Delivery | The Company may choose to deliver certain statutory materials relating to the Plan in electronic form. By accepting this Option, you agree that the Company may deliver the Plan prospectus and the Company’s annual report to you in an electronic format. If at any time you would prefer to receive paper copies of these documents, as you are entitled to, the Company would be pleased to provide copies. Please contact the Corporate Secretary of the Company to request paper copies of these documents. |
By signing the cover sheet of this Agreement, you agree to all of the terms and conditions described above and in the Plan.
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EXHIBIT A
RESTRICTIVE COVENANT AGREEMENT
THIS RESTRICTIVE COVENANT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of , 20__ by and between CubeSmart, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Company”), and (the “Executive”).
WHEREAS, the Executive is the recipient of one or more grants of common shares of the Company pursuant to those written grant agreements dated , 20__, by and between the Company and the Executive (the “Grant Agreements”), which Grant Agreements were entered into pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan.
WHEREAS, the Executive’s employment with the Company, CubeSmart, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership of which the Company is the general partner, or any of their direct or indirect subsidiaries (collectively, the “REIT”) terminated because of the Executive’s retirement on ___________, 20__ (“Retirement Date”).
WHEREAS, as a condition to participating in the provisions of the Retirement section of the Grant Agreement (“Retirement Benefits”), the Company and the Executive agree that the Executive will not engage in competition with the Company and will refrain from taking certain other actions pursuant to the terms and conditions hereof in an effort to protect the Company’s legitimate business interests and goodwill and for other business purposes.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which hereby are acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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Please take notice that federal law provides criminal and civil immunity to federal and state claims for trade secret misappropriation to individuals who disclose a trade secret to their attorney, a court, or a government official in certain, confidential circumstances that are set forth at 18 U.S.C. §§ 1833(b)(1) and 1833(b)(2), related to the reporting or investigation of a suspected violation of the law, or in connection with a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of the law.
The Executive shall assign to the Company all rights to trade secrets and other products relating to the Company’s business developed by him alone or in conjunction with others at any time while employed by the Company.
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(i)if to the Executive, to the address set forth in the records of the Company; and
(ii)if to the Company:
CubeSmart
0 Xxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Malvern, PA 19355
Attn: Chief Human Resources Officer
Facsimile No.: (000) 000-0000
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[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has executed and delivered this Agreement, or caused this Agreement to be duly executed on its behalf, as of the date first set forth above.
THE EXECUTIVE: |
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THE COMPANY: |
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CUBESMART |
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By: |
Name: |
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