Exhibit 10.22
CHANGE IN CONTROL SEVERANCE
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is entered into as of
this 12 th day of February 2008, by and between
Gevity HR, Inc., a Florida corporation (the
“Company”), and Edwin E. Hightower, Jr.
(“Executive”).
W I T N E S S E T
H
WHEREAS, the Company considers the
establishment and maintenance of a sound and vital management to be
essential to protecting and enhancing the best interests of the
Company and its stockholders; and
WHEREAS, the Company recognizes
that, as is the case with many publicly held corporations, the
possibility of a change in control may arise and that such
possibility may result in the departure or distraction of
management personnel to the detriment of the Company and its
stockholders; and
WHEREAS, the Board (as defined in
Section 1) has determined that it is in the best interests of
the Company and its stockholders to secure Executive’s
continued services and to ensure Executive’s continued
dedication to his duties in the event of any threat or occurrence
of a Change in Control (as defined in Section 1) of the
Company; and
WHEREAS, the Board has authorized
the Company to enter into this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in
consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and
agreements herein contained, the Company and Executive hereby agree
as follows:
1.
Definitions.
As used in
this Agreement, the following terms shall have the respective
meanings set forth below:
(a)
“Board” means the
Board of Directors of the Company.
(b)
“Bonus
Amount” means the greater of (i) the average annual
incentive bonus earned by Executive from the Company (or its
affiliates) during the last three (3) completed fiscal years
of the Company immediately preceding Executive’s Date of
Termination (annualized in the event Executive was not employed by
the Company (or its affiliates) for the whole of any such fiscal
year), and (ii) the Executive’s target annual incentive
bonus for the year in which the Date of Termination
occurs.
(c)
“Cause” means
(i) the willful and continued failure of Executive to perform
substantially his duties with the Company (other than any such
failure resulting from Executive’s incapacity due to physical
or mental illness or any such failure subsequent to Executive being
delivered a Notice of Termination without Cause by the Company or
delivering a Notice of Termination for Good Reason to the Company)
after a written demand for substantial
performance is delivered to
Executive by the Board which specifically identifies the manner in
which the Board believes that Executive has not substantially
performed Executive’s duties, or (ii) the willful
engaging by Executive in illegal conduct or gross misconduct which
is demonstrably and materially injurious to the Company or its
affiliates. For purpose of this paragraph (c), no act or
failure to act by Executive shall be considered
“willful”, unless done or omitted to be done by
Executive in bad faith and without reasonable belief that
Executive’s action or omission was in the best interests of
the Company or its affiliates. Any act, or failure to act,
based upon authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by
the Board, based upon the advice of counsel for the Company or upon
the instructions of the Company’s chief executive officer or
another senior officer of the Company shall be conclusively
presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by Executive in good
faith and in the best interests of the Company. Cause shall
not exist unless and until the Company has delivered to Executive a
copy of a resolution duly adopted by three-quarters (3/4) of the
entire Board (excluding Executive if Executive is a Board member)
at a meeting of the Board called and held for such purpose (after
reasonable notice to Executive and an opportunity for Executive,
together with counsel, to be heard before the Board), finding that
in the good faith opinion of the Board an event set forth in
clauses (i) or (ii) has occurred and specifying the
particulars thereof in detail.
(d)
“Change in
Control” means the occurrence of any one of the following
events:
(i)
individuals who,
on the date hereof, constitute the Board (the “Incumbent
Directors”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a
majority of the Board, provided that any person becoming a director
subsequent to the date hereof, whose election or nomination for
election was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the
Incumbent Directors then on the Board (either by a specific vote or
by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such
person is named as a nominee for director, without written
objection to such nomination) shall be an Incumbent Director;
provided, however, that no individual initially elected or
nominated as a director of the Company as a result of an actual or
threatened election contest with respect to directors or as a
result of any other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or
consents by or on behalf of any person other than the Board shall
be deemed to be an Incumbent Director;
(ii)
any
“person” (as such term is defined in
Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the “Exchange Act”) and as used in
Sections 13(d)(3) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act)
is or becomes a “beneficial owner” (as defined in
Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of
securities of the Company representing 25% or more of the combined
voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities
eligible to vote for the election of the Board (the “Company
Voting Securities”); provided, however, that the event
described in this paragraph (ii) shall not be deemed to
be a Change in Control by virtue of any of the following
acquisitions: (A) by the Company or any Subsidiary,
(B) by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored
or maintained by the Company or any Subsidiary, (C) by any
underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering
of such securities, (D) pursuant to a
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Non-Qualifying
Transaction (as defined in paragraph (iii)), or
(E) unless otherwise approved by the Board, pursuant to any
acquisition by Executive or any group of persons including
Executive (or any entity controlled by Executive or any group of
persons including Executive);
(iii)
the consummation
of a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or similar
form of corporate transaction involving the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries that requires the approval of the Company’s
stockholders, whether for such transaction or the issuance of
securities in the transaction (a “Business
Combination”), unless immediately following such Business
Combination: (A) more than 50% of the total voting power
of (x) the corporation resulting from such Business
Combination (the “Surviving Corporation”), or
(y) if applicable, the ultimate parent corporation that
directly or indirectly has beneficial ownership of 100% of the
voting securities eligible to elect directors of the Surviving
Corporation (the “Parent Corporation”), is represented
by Company Voting Securities that were outstanding immediately
prior to such Business Combination (or, if applicable, is
represented by shares into which such Company Voting Securities
were converted pursuant to such Business Combination), and such
voting power among the holders thereof is in substantially the same
proportion as the voting power of such Company Voting Securities
among the holders thereof immediately prior to the Business
Combination, (B) no person (other than any employee benefit
plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Surviving
Corporation or the Parent Corporation), is or becomes the
beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 25% or more of the
total voting power of the outstanding voting securities eligible to
elect directors of the Parent Corporation (or, if there is no
Parent Corporation, the Surviving Corporation) and (C) at
least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the
Parent Corporation (or, if there is no Parent Corporation, the
Surviving Corporation) following the consummation of the Business
Combination were Incumbent Directors at the time of the
Board’s approval of the execution of the initial agreement
providing for such Business Combination (any Business Combination
which satisfies all of the criteria specified in (A), (B) and
(C) above shall be deemed to be a “Non-Qualifying
Transaction”); or
(iv)
the stockholders
of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation or
dissolution of the Company or a sale of all or substantially all of
the Company’s assets.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
Change in Control of the Company shall not be deemed to occur
solely because any person acquires beneficial ownership of more
than 25% of the Company Voting Securities as a result of the
acquisition of Company Voting Securities by the Company which
reduces the number of Company Voting Securities outstanding;
provided that, if after such acquisition by the Company such person
becomes the beneficial owner of additional Company Voting
Securities that increases the percentage of outstanding Company
Voting Securities beneficially owned by such person, a Change in
Control of the Company shall then occur.
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(e)
“Date of
Termination” means (1) the effective date on which
Executive’s employment by the Company terminates as specified
in a prior written notice by the Company or Executive, as the case
may be, to the other, delivered pursuant to Section 10 or
(2) if Executive’s employment by the Company terminates
by reason of death, the date of death of Executive.
(f)
“Disability”
means termination of Executive’s employment by the Company
due to Executive’s absence from Executive’s duties with
the Company on a full-time basis for at least one hundred eighty
(180) consecutive days as a result of Executive’s
incapacity due to physical or mental illness.
(g)
“Good
Reason” means, without Executive’s express written
consent, the occurrence of any of the following events after a
Change in Control:
(i)
(A) any
change in the duties or responsibilities (including reporting
responsibilities) of Executive that is inconsistent in any material
and adverse respect with Executive’s position(s), duties,
responsibilities or status with the Company immediately prior to
such Change in Control (including any material and adverse
diminution of such duties or responsibilities) or (B) a
material and adverse change in Executive’s titles or offices
(including, if applicable, membership on the Board) with the
Company as in effect immediately prior to such Change in
Control;
(ii)
a reduction by
the Company in Executive’s rate of annual base salary or
annual target bonus opportunity (including any material and adverse
change in the formula for such annual bonus target) as in effect
immediately prior to such Change in Control or as the same may be
increased from time to time thereafter;
(iii)
any requirement
of the Company that Executive (A) be based anywhere more than
fifty (50) miles from the office where Executive is located at the
time of the Change in Control or (B) travel on Company
business to an extent substantially greater than the travel
obligations of Executive immediately prior to such Change in
Control;
(iv)
the failure of
the Company to (A) continue in effect any employee benefit
plan, compensation plan, welfare benefit plan or material fringe
benefit plan in which Executive is participating immediately prior
to such Change in Control or the taking of any action by the
Company which would adversely affect Executive’s
participation in or reduce Executive’s benefits under any
such plan, unless Executive is permitted to participate in other
plans providing Executive with substantially equivalent benefits in
the aggregate (at substantially equivalent cost with respect to
welfare benefit plans), or (B) provide Executive with paid
vacation in accordance with the most favorable vacation policies of
the Company (and its affiliated companies) as in effect for
Executive immediately prior to such Change in Control, including
the crediting of all service for which Executive had been credited
under such vacation policies prior to the Change in
Control;
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(v)
any purported
termination of Executive’s employment which is not
effectuated pursuant to Section 10(b) (and which will not
constitute a termination hereunder); or
(vi)
the failure of
the Company to obtain the assumption agreement from any successor
as contemplated in Section 9(b).
An isolated, insubstantial and
inadvertent action taken in good faith and which is remedied by the
Company within ten (10) days after receipt of notice thereof
given by Executive shall not constitute Good Reason.
Executive’s right to terminate employment for Good Reason
shall not be affected by Executive’s incapacities due to
mental or physical illness and Executive’s continued
employment shall not constitute consent to, or a waiver of rights
with respect to, any event or condition constituting Good Reason;
provided, however, that Executive must provide notice of
termination of employment within ninety (90) days following
Executive’s knowledge of an event constituting Good Reason or
such event shall not constitute Good Reason under this
Agreement.
(h)
“Qualifying
Termination” means a termination of Executive’s
employment (i) by the Company other than for Cause or
(ii) by Executive for Good Reason. Termination of
Executive’s employment on account of death, Disability or
Retirement shall not be treated as a Qualifying
Termination.
(i)
“Retirement”
means Executive’s mandatory retirement (not including any
mandatory early retirement) in accordance with the Company’s
retirement policy generally applicable to its salaried employees,
as in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control, or in
accordance with any retirement arrangement established with respect
to Executive with Executive’s written consent.
(j)
“Subsidiary”
means any corporation or other entity in which the Company has a
direct or indirect ownership interest of 50% or more of the total
combined voting power of the then outstanding securities or
interests of such corporation or other entity entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors or in which the Company has
the right to receive 50% or more of the distribution of profits or
50% of the assets or liquidation or dissolution.
(k)
“Termination
Period” means the period of time beginning with a Change in
Control and ending two (2) years following such Change in
Control. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, if (i) Executive’s employment is terminated
prior to a Change in Control for reasons that would have
constituted a Qualifying Termination if they had occurred following
a Change in Control; (ii) Executive reasonably demonstrates
that such termination (or Good Reason event) was at the request of
a third party who had indicated an intention or taken steps
reasonably calculated to effect a Change in Control; and
(iii) a Change in Control involving such third party (or a
party competing with such third party to effectuate a Change in
Control) does occur, then for purposes of this Agreement, the date
immediately prior to the date of such termination of employment or
event constituting Good Reason shall be treated as a Change
in
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Control. For purposes
of determining the timing of payments and benefits to Executive
under Section 4, the date of the actual Change in Control
shall be treated as Executive’s Date of Termination under
Section 1(e).
2.
Obligation of
Executive. In the event of a
tender or exchange offer, proxy contest, or the execution of any
agreement which, if consummated, would constitute a Change in
Control, Executive agrees not to voluntarily leave the employ of
the Company, other than as a result of Disability or an event which
would constitute
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