THE SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY 2005 DIRECTOR DEFERRED FEE PLANDeferred Unit Award Agreement |
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EXHIBIT
10(g)
THE
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY 2005
DIRECTOR DEFERRED FEE PLAN
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1. |
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PURPOSE. The purpose of The Sherwin-Williams
Company 2005 Director Deferred Fee Plan (the “Plan”) is to
provide non-employee Directors of the Company with the opportunity to defer
taxation of all or a portion of such Director’s Board Retainer and/or
Meeting Fees and to help build loyalty to the Company through increased
opportunity to invest in Company Common Stock, all in compliance with the
requirements of The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. |
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2. |
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DEFINITIONS. The following terms when used herein
with initial capital letters shall have the following respective meanings
unless the text clearly indicates otherwise: |
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(a) |
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Administration
Committee.
“Administration Committee” means the committee provided for in
paragraph 11. |
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(b) |
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Board of
Directors. “Board
of Directors” means the Board of Directors of the Company. |
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(c) |
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Board
Retainer. “Board
Retainer” means the compensation payable monthly to Directors. |
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(d) |
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Common Stock. “Common Stock” means the
common stock of the Company or any security into which such Common Stock may
be changed by reason of: (i) any stock dividend, stock split,
combination of shares, recapitalization or other change in the capital
structure of the Company, (ii) any merger, consolidation, separation,
reorganization or partial or complete liquidation, or (iii) any other
corporate transaction or event having an effect similar to any of the
foregoing. |
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(e) |
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Common Stock
Account. “Common
Stock Account” means the bookkeeping account established and maintained
under this Plan which is credited with Common Stock in accordance with
paragraph 5(b). |
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(f) |
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Company. “Company” means The
Sherwin-Williams Company, an Ohio corporation or its successor(s) in
interest. |
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(g) |
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Deferred
Cash Account.
“Deferred Cash Account” means the bookkeeping account established
and maintained under this Plan which is valued in accordance with paragraph
5(a). |
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(h) |
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Deferred
Compensation.
“Deferred Compensation” means the amount of the Board Retainer
and/or Meeting Fee of the Participant deferred pursuant to this Plan. |
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(i) |
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Director. “Director” means a member
of the Board of Directors. |
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(j) |
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Eligible
Director.
“Eligible Director” means a Director who is not an employee of
the Company or a Subsidiary. |
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(k) |
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Fair Market
Value. “Fair
Market Value” of Common Stock means: (i) with respect to Deferred
Compensation deferred prior to April 23, 1997, the closing price of Common
Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on the
applicable date, or, in the event that no sales take place on such day, the
closing |
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price of Common
Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange (or any successor exchange)
Composite Tape on the nearest preceding day on which there were sales of
Common Stock; or (ii) with respect to Deferred Compensation deferred on
or after April 23, 1997, the average between the highest and the lowest
quoted selling price of the Company’s Common Stock on the New York
Stock Exchange or any successor exchange |
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(l) |
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Fees. “Fees” means the
compensation payable to Directors for their services as a director, including
the Board Retainer and Meeting Fee. |
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(m) |
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Meeting Fee. “Meeting Fee” means the
compensation payable at the time of a meeting to a Director for each meeting
of the Board of Directors or committee of the Board of Directors that such
Director attends and/or chairs. |
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(n) |
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Participant. “Participant” means an Eligible
Director who has elected to participate in the Plan. |
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(o) |
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Payment Date. “Payment Date” means
(i) with respect to the payment of a Board Retainer, the first business
day of each calendar month or (ii) with respect to the payment of a
Meeting Fee, the date on which a meeting of the Board of Directors or a
committee of the Board of Directors was held. |
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(p) |
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Plan. “Plan” means the plan set
forth in this instrument, and known as “The Sherwin-Williams Company
Director Deferred Fee Plan”, as adopted at the meeting of the Board of
Directors held July 20, 2005.. |
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(q) |
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Plan Year. “Plan Year” means the
twelve consecutive month period commencing on April 1 of a year and ending on
March 31 of the following year, except with respect to the initial Plan
Year, which shall be a short Plan Year commencing January 1, 2005 and
ending March 31, 2005. |
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(r) |
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Shadow Stock. “Shadow Stock” means a
unit of interest equivalent to a share of Common Stock. |
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(s) |
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Shadow Stock
Account. “Shadow
Stock Account” means the bookkeeping account established and maintained
under this Plan credited with Shadow Stock in accordance with paragraph 5(c). |
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(t) |
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Subsidiary. Any corporation (other than the
Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company, if,
at the time of the time of investment in the Common Stock, each of the
corporations other than the last corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock
possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of
all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain. |
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(u) |
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Trust. “Trust” means one or more
trust funds established for the purpose of (i) providing a source from
which to pay benefits under the Plan and (ii) purchasing and holding
assets, including shares of Common Stock. Any such trust funds shall be
subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors in the event of the
Company’s insolvency, though such trust funds may not necessarily hold
sufficient assets to satisfy all of the benefits to be provided under the
Plan. |
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3. |
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ELIGIBILITY. An Eligible Director shall become a
Participant upon satisfaction of the following: (i) the later of the
effective date of the Plan or the date such Director becomes an Eligible
Director; and (ii) completion of an Election (as defined in paragraph
4). |
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4. |
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ELECTION
PROCEDURE. An Eligible
Director wishing to participate in the Plan must file a written notice on the
Notice of Election form, attached as Exhibit A, electing to defer
payment for a Plan Year of all or a portion of his Fees as a Director
(“Election”). Such Election shall be made within thirty
(30) days after the date such Director initially becomes an Eligible
Director. Any such Election shall be effective only with respect to Fees earned
after the effective date of the Election. Thereafter, a Director for whom an
Election is not in effect may only elect to participate in the Plan by filing
a timely Election on or before the March 31st of the Plan Year
immediately preceding the Plan Year for which the Election is to become
effective. An Election shall not be effective until receipt of the fully and
properly completed Notice of Election form by the Secretary of the Company. A
fully and properly completed Notice of Election form must indicate:
(i) the percentage of Fees to be deferred; (ii) manner of payment
upon distribution; (iii) payment commencement date; and (iv) deemed
investment election. Once effective for a Plan Year, an Election is
irrevocable and may not be changed for that Plan Year. No subsequent election
may change the manner of payment, the payment commencement date or the deemed
investment of the Fees previously deferred. An Election shall apply to Fees
payable with respect to each subsequent Plan Year, unless terminated or
modified as described herein. An effective Election may be terminated or
modified for any subsequent Plan Year by filing either a new Notice of
Election form to effect modifications, or a Notice of Termination form,
attached as Exhibit B, to effect terminations, on or before the
March 31st immediately preceding the Plan Year for which such
modification or termination is to be effective. A person for whom an
effective Election is terminated may thereafter file a new Notice of Election
form, in the manner described above, for future Plan Years for which he is
eligible to participate in the Plan. |
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5. |
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INVESTMENT
ACCOUNTS. The amount of
a Participant’s Deferred Compensation pursuant to an Election shall be
deemed credited to the investment options specified in this paragraph 5 in
the manner elected by the Participant. A Participant’s election as to
the investment options in which his Deferred Compensation for a Plan Year
shall be deemed to be invested shall be irrevocable with respect to Deferred
Compensation and deemed earnings thereon, and Deferred Compensation and
deemed earnings thereon cannot be transferred between investment accounts. A
Participant may elect to credit no less than twenty-five percent (25%) of his
Deferred Compensation for a Plan Year (the “Minimum Election”) to
any particular investment option. Any amounts in excess of the Minimum
Election shall be made in five percent (5%) increments. If a Participant
fails to direct the investment of any Deferred Compensation, all such Deferred
Compensation will be credited to the Participant’s Deferred Cash
Account. A Participant may elect to have his Deferred Compensation deemed to
be invested in one of the following investment accounts: |
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(a) |
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DEFERRED
CASH ACCOUNT. Each
Participant’s Deferred Cash Account shall accrue interest computed
using the base lending rate of interest as announced by Key Bank, Cleveland,
Ohio in effect during the immediately preceding calendar quarter. |
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The interest
shall be computed on the actual balance in each Participant’s Deferred
Cash Account during the previous calendar quarter. |
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(b) |
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COMMON STOCK
ACCOUNT. The
Participant’s Common Stock Account shall be credited with that quantity
of Common Stock equal to the number of full and fractional shares (to the
nearest thousandths) which could have been purchased by the Trust with the
portion of Deferred Compensation a Participant has elected to allocate to the
Common Stock Account based on the Fair Market Value of such Common Stock on
each Payment Date. There will be credited to each Participant’s Common
Stock Account amounts equal to the cash dividends, and other distributions,
paid on shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock represented by the
Participant’s Common Stock Account which the Participant would have
received had he been a record owner of shares of Common Stock equal to the
amount of Common Stock in his Common Stock Account at the time of payment of
such cash dividends or other distributions. The Participant’s Common
Stock Account shall be credited with a quantity of shares of Common Stock and
fractions thereof (to the nearest thousandths) that could have been purchased
with the dividends or other distributions based on the Fair Market Value of
Common Stock on the date of payment of such dividends or other distributions. |
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(c) |
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SHADOW STOCK
ACCOUNT. The
Participant’s Shadow Stock Account shall be credited with a quantity of
Shadow Stock units and fractions thereof (to the nearest thousandths) equal
to the value of Common Stock that could have been purchased with the portion
of the Deferred Compensation credited to the Shadow Stock Account on each
Payment Date based on the Fair Market Value of Common Stock on such Payment
Date. There will be credited to each Participant’s Shadow Stock Account
amounts equal to the cash dividends, and other distributions, paid on shares
of issued and outstanding Common Stock represented by the Participant’s
Shadow Stock Account which the Participant would have received had he been a
record owner of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the amount of
Shadow Stock in his Shadow Stock Account at the time of payment of such cash
dividends or other distributions. The Participant’s Shadow Stock
Account shall be credited with a quantity of Shadow Stock units and fractions
thereof (to the nearest thousandths) that could have been purchased with the
dividends or other distributions based on the Fair Market Value of Common
Stock on the date of payment of such dividends or other distributions. |
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6. |
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DEPOSITS TO
THE TRUST. The Company
shall transfer to the Trust, within sixty (60) days of the date Fees
would otherwise be paid, amounts which a Participant has directed to be
deferred in accordance with the Plan. In addition, as of the first day of
each calendar quarter, the Company shall deposit into the Trust the following
cash amounts accrued during the immediately preceding calendar quarter:
(i) all accrued interest on Participants’ Deferred Cash Accounts;
(ii) an amount equal to cash dividends and other distributions paid on
shares of Common Stock represented by units of Shadow Stock and shares of
Common Stock credited to Participants’ Shadow Stock Accounts and Common
Stock Accounts; (iii) an amount equal to the appreciation in the value
of a unit of Shadow Stock multiplied times the |
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number of units
of Shadow Stock credit to Participants’ Shadow Stock Accounts; and
(iv) an amount equal to the appreciation in the value of a share of
Common Stock multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock credited to
Participants’ Common Stock Accounts. |
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7. |
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PAYMENT OF
DEFERRED COMPENSATION. |
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(a) |
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Amount of
Payment. The benefit
that a Participant will receive from the Company in accordance with the Plan
shall be: (i) the number of full shares of Common Stock credited to the
Participant’s Common Stock Account; and (ii) cash equal to the sum
of (I) the amount credited to the Participant’s Deferred Cash
Account; (II) the Fair Market Value of the fractional shares (to the
nearest thousandths) of Common Stock on the date such fractional shares were
credited to the Participant’s Common Stock Account; and (III) the
value of the Shadow Stock units and fractions thereof (to the nearest
thousandths) credited to the Participant’s Shadow Stock Account. The
value of a Participant’s Deferred Cash Account, fractional shares of
Common Stock and Shadow Stock Account shall be determined by the Company as
of the end of the calendar quarter immediately preceding the calendar quarter
in which a Participant is entitled to a distribution hereunder in accordance
with paragraph 7(c) below. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence to the
contrary, in the event of a Change of Control or termination of the Plan as
provided in paragraphs 9 and 13, respectively, the value of a Participant’s
Deferred Cash Account, Shadow Stock Account and Common Stock Account shall be
determined by the Company immediately following such an event. |
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(b) |
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Manner of
Payment. A
Participant’s Deferred Compensation for a Plan Year, as adjusted for
deemed earnings or losses thereon, will be paid by the Company to him or, in
the event of his death, to the Participant’s beneficiary, in kind, in a
lump sum unless the Participant makes a timely election to have the benefits
paid in substantially equal annual cash installments over a period not
exceeding ten (10) years. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
Participant’s Deferred Compensation invested in the Common Stock
Account shall only be distributed to the Participant in kind in a lump sum.
Upon the commencement of installment payments hereunder, if so elected, the
value (as determined under paragraph 7(a) above) of the Participant’s
Shadow Stock Account shall be transferred to his Deferred Cash Account and
the Participant’s Shadow Stock Account shall be eliminated. Amounts
credited to a Participant’s Deferred Cash Account held pending
distribution pursuant to this paragraph shall continue to be credited with
interest in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 5(a) above. |
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(c) |
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Payment
Commencement Date. Payments
of Deferred Compensation and earnings thereon shall commence within two
(2) business days following the first business day of the first calendar
quarter beginning after the earlier of the date the Participant elects to
receive payment or ceases to be a Director. Notwithstanding a
Participant’s manner of payment election hereunder, if a Participant
dies before payments have begun under the Plan, the Company shall pay to the
Participant’s beneficiary or beneficiaries a lump sum on the first
business day of the first calendar quarter beginning after the
Participant’s death. If a Participant dies while payments are being |
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made under the
Plan, the Company shall continue to pay installments to the
Participant’s beneficiary or beneficiaries in accordance with the
payment method elected by the Participant prior to his death. |
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(d) |
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Acceleration
of Payment. In the
event a Participant has elected to receive distribution from the plan in the
form of installment payments, the Administration Committee may, nonetheless,
upon request of the Participant, in its sole discretion, accelerate payment
of all or any portion of the Participant’s remaining account under the
Plan, if the Administration Committee determines that the Participant has
experienced an unanticipated financial emergency beyond the control of the
Participant that would result in severe financial hardship to the Participant
and the amount of the payment is the amount necessary to alleviate the
hardship. |
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BENEFICIARIES. A Participant may, by executing and
delivering to the Secretary of the Company prior to the Participant’s
death a Beneficiary Election form attached hereto as Exhibit C,
designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to whom distribution of his interest
under this Plan shall be made in the event of his death prior to the full
receipt of his interest under this Plan, and he may designate the portions to
be distributed to each such designated beneficiary if there is more than one.
Any such designation may be revoked or changed by the Participant at any time
and from time to time by filing, prior to the Participant’s death, with
the Secretary of the Company an executed Beneficiary Election form. If there
is no such designated beneficiary living upon the death of the Participant,
or if all such designated beneficiaries die prior to the full distribution of
the Participant’s interest, then any remaining unpaid amounts shall be
paid in a cash lump sum to the estate of the Participant or
Participant’s beneficiaries. |
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CHANGE OF
CONTROL. In the event
of a Change of Control, the amounts held in the Trust shall be immediately
distributed in a cash lump sum to Participants. Any and all remaining
benefits shall be immediately paid by the Company in a cash lump sum to
Participants. For purposes of this Plan, a “Change of Control”
shall be deemed to have occurred if: |
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(i) |
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Any person (as
such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) who or
that, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such person, is the
Beneficial Owner of ten percent (10%) or more of the shares of Common Stock
of the Company then outstanding, except : |
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(A) |
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the Company; |
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any of the
Company’s subsidiaries in which a majority of the voting power of the
equity securities or equity interests of such subsidiary is owned, directly
or indirectly, by the Company; |
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(C) |
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any employee
benefit or stock ownership plan of the Company or any trustee or fiduciary
with respect to such a plan acting in such capacity; or |
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(D) |
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any such person
who has reported or may, pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b)(1) of the General Rules
and Regulations under the Exchange Act, report such ownership (but only as
long as such person is the Beneficial Owner of less than fifteen percent
(15%) of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding) |
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on
Schedule 13G (or any comparable or successor report) under the Exchange
Act. |
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Notwithstanding
the foregoing, (I) no person shall become the Beneficial Owner of ten
percent (10%) or more (fifteen percent (15%) or more in the case of any
person identified in clause (D) above) solely as the result of an
acquisition of Common Stock by the Company that, by reducing the number of
shares outstanding, increases the proportionate number of shares beneficially
owned by such person to ten percent (10%) or more (fifteen percent (15%) or
more in the case of any person identified in clause (D) above) of the
shares of Common Stock then outstanding; provided, however, that if a person
becomes the Beneficial Owner of ten percent (10%) or more (fifteen percent
(15%) or more in the case of any person identified in clause (D) above)
of the shares of Common Stock solely by reason of purchases of Common Stock
by the Company and shall, after such purchases by the Company, become the
Beneficial Owner of any additional shares of Common Stock which has the
effect of increasing such person’s percentage ownership of the
then-outstanding shares of Common Stock by any means whatsoever, then such
person shall be deemed to have triggered a Change of Control, and
(II) if the Board of Directors determines that a person who would
otherwise be the Beneficial Owner of ten percent (10%) or more (fifteen
percent (15%) or more in the case of any person identified in clause (D)
above) of the shares of Common Stock has become such inadvertently
(including, without limitation, because (1) such person was unaware that
it Beneficially Owned ten percent (10%) or more (fifteen percent (15%) or
more in the case of any person identified in clause (D) above) of the
shares of Common Stock or (2) such person was aware of the extent of
such beneficial ownership but such person acquired beneficial ownership of
such shares of Common Stock without the intention to change or influence the
control of the Company) and such person divests itself as promptly as
practicable of a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock so that such
person would no longer be the Beneficial Owner of ten percent (10%) or more
(fifteen percent (15%) or more in the case of any person identified in clause
(D) above), then such person shall not be deemed to be, or have been,
the Beneficial Owner of ten percent (10%) or more (fifteen percent (15%) or
more in the case of any person identified in clause (D) above) of the
shares of Common Stock, and no Change of Control shall be deemed to have
occurred. |
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(ii) |
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During any
period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such
period constituted the Board of Directors of the Company and any new director
(other than a director initially elected or nominated as a director as a
result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to directors
or any other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies by or on behalf of
such director) whose election by the Board of Directors or nomination for
election by the Company’s shareholders was approved by a vote of at
least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were
directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for
election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a
majority thereof. |
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