Exhibit
4.1
AMERICAN FIRE RETARDANT
CORP.
EMPLOYEE STOCK INCENTIVE
PLAN FOR THE YEAR 2004 No. 7
1.1
Purpose . This Stock Incentive Plan (the "Plan") is intended
to allow designated officers and employees (all of whom are
sometimes collectively referred to herein as the "Employees," or
individually as the "Employee") of American Fire Retardant Corp., a
Nevada corporation (the "Company") and its Subsidiaries (as that
term is defined below) which they may have from time to time (the
Company and such Subsidiaries are referred to herein as the
"Company") to receive certain options (the "Stock Options") to
purchase common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share
(the "Common Stock"), and to receive grants of the Common Stock
subject to certain restrictions (the "Awards"). As used in this
Plan, the term "Subsidiary" shall mean each corporation which is a
"subsidiary corporation" of the Company within the meaning of
Section 424(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the "Code"). The purpose of this Plan is to provide the Employees,
who make significant and extraordinary contributions to the
long-term growth and performance of the Company, with equity-based
compensation incentives, and to attract and retain the
Employees.
1.2.1 The Plan
shall be administered by the Compensation Committee (the
"Committee") of, or appointed by, the Board of Directors of the
Company (the "Board"). The Committee shall select one of its
members as Chairman and shall act by vote of a majority of a
quorum, or by unanimous written consent. A majority of its members
shall constitute a quorum. The Committee shall be governed by the
provisions of the Company’s Bylaws and of Nevada law
applicable to the Board, except as otherwise provided herein or
determined by the Board.
1.2.2 The
Committee shall have full and complete authority, in its
discretion, but subject to the express provisions of this Plan (a)
to approve the Employees nominated by the management of the Company
to be granted Awards or Stock Options; (b) to determine the number
of Awards or Stock Options to be granted to an Employee; (c) to
determine the time or times at which Awards or Stock Options shall
be granted; (d) to establish the terms and conditions upon which
Awards or Stock Options may be exercised; (e) to remove or adjust
any restrictions and conditions upon Awards or Stock Options; (f)
to specify, at the time of grant, provisions relating to
exercisability of Stock Options and to accelerate or otherwise
modify the exercisability of any Stock Options; and (g) to adopt
such rules and regulations and to make all other determinations
deemed necessary or desirable for the administration of this Plan.
All interpretations and constructions of this Plan by the
Committee, and all of its actions hereunder, shall be binding and
conclusive on all persons for all purposes.
1.2.3 The Company
hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Committee member
and each Employee, and the estate and heirs of such Committee
member or Employee, against all claims, liabilities, expenses,
penalties, damages or other pecuniary losses, including legal fees,
which such Committee member or Employee, his estate or heirs may
suffer as a result of his responsibilities, obligations or duties
in connection with this Plan, to the extent that insurance, if any,
does not cover the payment of such items. No member of the
Committee or the Board shall be liable for any action or
determination made in good faith with respect to this Plan or any
Award or Stock Option granted pursuant to this Plan.
1.3
Eligibility and Participation . The Employees eligible under
this Plan shall be approved by the Committee from those Employees
who, in the opinion of the management of the Company, are in
positions which enable them to make significant contributions to
the long-term performance and growth of the Company. In selecting
the Employees to whom Award or Stock Options may be granted,
consideration shall be given to factors such as employment
position, duties and responsibilities, ability, productivity,
length of service, morale, interest in the Company and
recommendations of supervisors.
1.4
Shares Subject to this Plan . The maximum number of shares
of the Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to this Plan shall
be 2,500,000,000, subject to adjustment pursuant to the provisions
of Paragraph 4.1. If shares of the Common Stock awarded or issued
under this Plan are re-acquired by the Company due to a forfeiture
or for any other reason, such shares shall be cancelled and
thereafter shall again be available for purposes of this Plan. If a
Stock Option expires, terminates or is cancelled for any reason
without having been exercised in full, the shares of the Common
Stock not purchased thereunder shall again be available for
purposes of this Plan. In the event that any outstanding Stock
Option or Award under this Plan for any reason expires or is
terminated, the shares of Common Stock allocable to the unexercised
portion of the Stock Option or Award shall be available for
issuance under the American Fire Retardant Corp. Non-Employee
Directors and Consultants Retainer Stock Plan for the Year 2004 No.
7. The Compensation Committee of the Board shall have the
authority, in its discretion, to increase the number of shares
available for issuance under this Plan, while correspondingly
decreasing the number of shares available for issuance under the
American Fire Retardant Corp. Non-Employee Directors and
Consultants Retainer Stock Plan for the Year 2004 No. 7.
2.
Provisions Relating to Stock
Options .
2.1
Grants of Stock Options . The Committee may grant Stock
Options in such amounts, at such times, and to the Employees
nominated by the management of the Company as the Committee, in its
discretion, may determine. Stock Options granted under this Plan
shall constitute "incentive stock options" within the meaning of
Section 422 of the Code, if so designated by the Committee on the
date of grant. The Committee shall also have the discretion to
grant Stock Options which do not constitute incentive stock
options, and any such Stock Options shall be designated
non-statutory stock options by the Committee on the date of grant.
The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time an
incentive stock option is granted) of the Common Stock with respect
to which incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time
by any Employee during any one calendar year (under all plans of
the Company and any parent or subsidiary of the Company) may not
exceed the maximum amount permitted under Section 422 of the Code
(currently, $100,000.00). Non-statutory stock options shall not be
subject to the limitations relating to incentive stock options
contained in the preceding sentence. Each Stock Option shall be
evidenced by a written agreement (the "Option Agreement") in a form
approved by the Committee, which shall be executed on behalf of the
Company and by the Employee to whom the Stock Option is granted,
and which shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this
Plan. In the discretion of the Committee, Stock Options may include
provisions (which need not be uniform), authorized by the Committee
in its discretion, that accelerate an Employees rights to exercise
Stock Options following a "Change in Control," upon termination of
the Employees employment by the Company without "Cause" or by the
Employee for "Good Reason," as such terms are defined in Paragraph
3.1 hereof. The holder of a Stock Option shall not be entitled to
the privileges of stock ownership as to any shares of the Common
Stock not actually issued to such holder.
2.2
Purchase Price . The purchase price (the "Exercise Price")
of shares of the Common Stock subject to each Stock Option (the
"Option Shares") shall not be less than 85 percent of the Fair
Market Value of the Common Stock on the date of the grant of the
option. For an Employee holding greater than 10 percent of the
total voting power of all stock of the Company, either Common or
Preferred, the Exercise Price of an incentive stock option shall be
at least 110 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock
on the date of the grant of the option. As used herein, "Fair
Market Value" means the mean between the highest and lowest
reported sales prices of the Common Stock on the New York Stock
Exchange Composite Tape or, if not listed on such exchange, on any
other national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is
listed or on The Nasdaq Stock Market, or, if not so listed on any
other national securities exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market, then
the average of the bid price of the Common Stock during the last
five trading days on the OTC Bulletin Board immediately preceding
the last trading day prior to the date with respect to which the
Fair Market Value is to be determined. If the Common Stock is not
then publicly traded, then the Fair Market Value of the Common
Stock shall be the book value of the Company per share as
determined on the last day of March, June, September, or December
in any year closest to the date when the determination is to be
made. For the purpose of determining book value hereunder, book
value shall be determined by adding as of the applicable date
called for herein the capital, surplus, and undivided profits of
the Company, and after having deducted any reserves theretofore
established; the sum of these items shall be divided by the number
of shares of the Common Stock outstanding as of said date, and the
quotient thus obtained shall represent the book value of each share
of the Common Stock of the Company.
2.3
Option Period . The Stock Option period (the "Term") shall
commence on the date of grant of the Stock Option and shall be 10
years or such shorter period as is determined by the Committee.
Each Stock Option shall provide that it is exercisable over its
term in such periodic installments as the Committee may determine,
subject to the provisions of Paragraph 2.4.1. Section 16(b) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")
exempts persons normally subject to the reporting requirements of
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act (the "Section 16 Reporting
Persons") pursuant to a qualified employee stock option plan from
the normal requirement of not selling until at least six months and
one day from the date the Stock Option is granted.
2.4
Exercise of Options .
2.4.1 Each Stock
Option may be exercised in whole or in part (but not as to
fractional shares) by delivering it for surrender or endorsement to
the Company, attention of the Corporate Secretary, at the principal
office of the Company, together with payment of the Exercise Price
and an executed Notice and Agreement of Exercise in the form
prescribed by Paragraph 2.4.2. Payment may be made (a) in cash, (b)
by cashier’s or certified check, (c) by surrender of
previously owned shares of the Common Stock valued pursuant to
Paragraph 2.2 (if the Committee authorizes payment in stock in its
discretion), (d) by withholding from the Option Shares which would
otherwise be issuable upon the exercise of the Stock Option that
number of Option Shares equal to the exercise price of the Stock
Option, if such withholding is authorized by the Committee in its
discretion, or (e) in the discretion of the Committee, by the
delivery to the Company of the optionee’s promissory note
secured by the Option Shares, bearing interest at a rate sufficient
to prevent the imputation of interest under Sections 483 or 1274 of
the Code, and having such other terms and conditions as may be
satisfactory to the Committee. Subject to the provisions of this
Paragraph 2.4 and Paragraph 2.5, the Employee has the right to
exercise his or her Stock Options at the rate of at least 20
percent per year over five years from the date the Stock Option is
granted.
2.4.2 Exercise of
each Stock Option is conditioned upon the agreement of the Employee
to the terms and conditions of this Plan and of such Stock Option
as evidenced by the Employees execution and delivery of a Notice
and Agreement of Exercise in a form to be determined by the
Committee in its discretion. Such Notice and Agreement of Exercise
shall set forth the agreement of the Employee that (a) no Option
Shares will be sold or otherwise distributed in violation of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or any
other applicable federal or state securities laws, (b) each Option
Share certificate may be imprinted with legends reflecting any
applicable federal and state securities law restrictions and
conditions, (c) the Company may comply with said securities law
restrictions and issue "stop transfer" instructions to its Transfer
Agent and Registrar without liability, (d) if the Employee is a
Section 16 Reporting Person, the Employee will furnish to the
Company a copy of each Form 4 or Form 5 filed by said Employee and
will timely file all reports required under federal securities
laws, and (e) the Employee will report all sales of Option Shares
to the Company in writing on a form prescribed by the
Company.
2.4.3 No Stock
Option shall be exercisable unless and until any applicable
registration or qualification requirements of federal and state
securities laws, and all other legal requirements, have been fully
complied with. At no time shall the total number of securities
issuable upon exercise of all outstanding options under this Plan,
and the total number of securities provided for under any bonus or
similar plan or agreement of the Company exceed a number of
securities which is equal to 30 percent of the then outstanding
securities of the Company, unless a percentage higher than 30
percent is approved by at least two-thirds of the outstanding
securities entitled to vote. The Company will use reasonable
efforts to maintain the effectiveness of a Registration Statement
under the Securities Act for the issuance of Stock Options and
shares acquired thereunder, but there may be times when no such
Registration Statement will be currently effective. The exercise of
Stock Options may be temporarily suspended without liability to the
Company during times when no such Registration Statement is
currently effective, or during times when, in the reasonable
opinion of the Committee, such suspension is necessary to preclude
violation of any requirements of applicable law or regulatory
bodies having jurisdiction over the Company. If any Stock Option
would expire for any reason except the end of its term during such
a suspension, then if exercise of such Stock Option is duly
tendered before its expiration, such Stock Option shall be
exercisable and exercised (unless the attempted exercise is
withdrawn) as of the first day after the end of such suspension.
The Company shall have no obligation to file any Registration
Statement covering resales of Option Shares.
2.5
Continuous Employment . Except as provided in Paragraph 2.7
below, an Employee may not exercise a Stock Option unless from the
date of grant to the date of exercise the Employee remains
continuously in the employ of the Company. For purposes of this
Paragraph 2.5, the period of continuous employment of an Employee
with the Company shall be deemed to include (without extending the
term of the Stock Option) any period during which the Employee is
on leave of absence with the consent of the Company, provided that
such leave of absence shall not exceed three months and that the
Employee returns to the emp
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