Exhibit 10.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of the 14 th
day of July, 2008, by and between BLOUNT INTERNATIONAL,
INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and
RICHARD H. IRVING, III
(“Executive”).
W I T N E S S E T H
:
WHEREAS, the Company and Executive
entered into an Employment Agreement, which Agreement became
effective on August 19, 1999, and which Agreement has
previously been amended by Amendment Nos. 1 and 2 (such
Agreement as so amended is hereinafter referred to as the
“Prior Employment Agreement”), providing for
Executive’s employment by the Company and specifying the
terms and conditions of such employment; and
WHEREAS, the parties now desire to
amend the Prior Employment Agreement in a number of respects and to
restate such agreement as hereinafter provided to reflect
Executive’s current employment arrangements with the Company;
and
WHEREAS, Executive desires to
continue his employment with the Company on the terms and
conditions provided herein;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained
herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:
1.
Purpose and
Effective Date .
(a)
The purpose of
this Amended and Restated Employment Agreement is to amend the
Prior Employment Agreement, to recognize
Executive’s
significant contributions to
the success of the Company, and to provide a single, integrated
document which shall provide the basis for Executive’s
continued employment by the Company.
(b)
This Agreement
shall be effective as of July 14, 2008 (“Effective
Date”) and this Agreement shall terminate as hereinafter
provided.
2.
Employment and
Term .
(a)
Subject to the
terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company hereby employs
Executive and Executive hereby accepts employment as Senior Vice
President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company and shall
have such responsibilities, duties and authority that are
consistent with such position as may be from time to time assigned
to Executive by the Board of Directors. Executive agrees that
during the Term of this Agreement he will devote substantially all
his working time, attention and energies to the diligent
performance of his duties and responsibilities for the
Company. With the consent of the Board of Directors,
Executive may serve as a director on the boards of directors or
trustees of additional companies and organizations.
(b)
Unless earlier
terminated as provided herein, Executive’s employment under
this Amended and Restated Employment Agreement shall commence on
the Effective Date and shall end on August 7, 2010 (the
“Term”), unless the parties otherwise agree to an
extension in writing (in which case such extended period shall
constitute the Term). If Executive’s employment is
terminated by the Company or if Executive terminates his employment
prior to August 7, 2010, his rights will be determined in
accordance with Section 5 of this Agreement.
2
3.
Compensation
and Benefits . As compensation for
his services during the Term of this Agreement, Executive shall be
paid and receive the amounts and benefits set forth in subsections
(a) through (e) below:
(a)
An annual base
salary (“Base Salary”) of Three Hundred Forty-Eight
Thousand Dollars ($348,000.00), prorated for any partial year of
employment. Executive’s Base Salary shall be subject to
annual review for increase at such time as the Company conducts
salary reviews for its executive officers generally.
Executive’s salary shall be payable in substantially equal
installments on a bi-monthly basis, or in accordance with the
Company’s regular payroll practices in effect from time to
time for executive officers of the Company.
(b)
Executive shall
be eligible to participate in the Executive Management Annual
Incentive Program (“Incentive Program”) and such other
annual incentive plans as may be established by the Company from
time to time for its executive officers. The Board, a
committee of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer will
establish performance goals each year under the Incentive Program,
and Executive’s annual Target Bonus shall be 50% of Base
Salary; the maximum award for exceeding the performance goals
(which will be determined in accordance with the current plan
design) shall be 100% of Base Salary. The annual incentive
bonus payable under this subsection (b) shall be payable as a
lump sum at the same time bonuses are paid to other senior
executives after certification by the Compensation Committee of the
Board, that the applicable performance objectives have been met,
unless Executive elects to defer all or a portion of such amount
pursuant to any deferral plan established by the Company for such
purpose.
3
(c)
Except as
provided in Section 3(d), Executive shall be entitled to
participate in, or receive benefits under, any “employee
benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA)
or employee benefit arrangement made generally available by the
Company to its executive officers, including plans providing
retirement, 401(k) benefits, deferred compensation, health
care (including Exec-U-Care), life insurance (including the
Executive Life Insurance Program), disability (including the
Corporate Office Long-Term Disability Plan) and similar
benefits.
(d)
On or about
August 15, 2002, Executive was paid in a lump sum a 100%
vested benefit under the Blount, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Supplemental Retirement Benefit Plan (“SERP”) and the
Blount International, Inc. Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan for Richard H. Irving, III (“Individual
SERP”), which included an amount as if Executive had earned
two (2) additional years of benefit service, and as if he were
two (2) years older. Following the making of such
payments, the Company had no further obligations to Executive in
respect of the SERP or the Individual SERP, except that commencing
August 1, 2004, Executive was again eligible to participate in
the SERP (but Executive acknowledges that such SERP was frozen as
of December 31, 2006). Any benefit to which Executive is
entitled under the SERP will be calculated using his total years of
benefit service while the SERP was in effect and will be reduced in
an equitable manner by the SERP benefit (but not the Individual
SERP benefit) previously paid to Executive in August,
2002.
(e)
Executive will be
provided an automobile in accordance with the Company’s
automobile policy for Executives, and the Company will pay all
insurance, maintenance, fuel, oil and related operational expenses
for such automobile. Executive
4
will be entitled to five
(5) weeks vacation during 2008, which amount will be subject
to increase during the Term in accordance with Company
policy. Executive will be provided an annual physical
examination and a financial/tax consultant for personal financial
and tax planning. Executive will be promptly reimbursed by
the Company for all reasonable business expenses he incurs in
carrying out his duties and responsibilities under this
Agreement.
4.
Confidentiality and
Noncompetition .
(a)
Executive
acknowledges that, prior to and during the Term of this Agreement,
the Company has furnished and will furnish to Executive
Confidential Information which could be used by Executive on behalf
of a competitor of the Company to the Company’s substantial
detriment. Moreover, the parties recognize that Executive
during the course of his employment with the Company may develop
important relationships with customers and others having valuable
business relationships with the Company. In view of the
foregoing, Executive acknowledges and agrees that the restrictive
covenants contained in this Section are reasonably necessary
to protect the Company’s legitimate business interests and
good will.
(b)
Executive agrees
that he shall protect the Company’s Confidential Information
and shall not disclose to any Person, or otherwise use, except in
connection with his duties performed in accordance with this
Agreement, any Confidential Information at any time, including
following the termination of his employment with the Company for
any reason; provided, however, that Executive may make disclosures
required by a valid order or subpoena issued by a court or
administrative agency of competent jurisdiction, in which event
Executive will promptly notify the Company of
5
such order or subpoena to
provide the Company an opportunity to protect its interests.
Executive’s obligations under this
Section 4(b) shall survive any expiration or termination
of this Agreement for any reason, provided that Executive may after
such expiration or termination disclose Confidential Information
with the prior written consent of the Board.
(c)
Upon the
termination or expiration of his employment hereunder, Executive
agrees to deliver promptly to the Company all Company files,
customer lists, management reports, memoranda, research, Company
forms, financial data and reports and other documents supplied to
or created by him in connection with his employment hereunder
(including all copies of the foregoing) in his possession or
control, and all of the Company’s equipment and other
materials in his possession or control. Executive’s
obligations under this Section 4(c) shall survive any
expiration or termination of this Agreement.
(d)
Upon the
termination or expiration of his employment under this Agreement,
Executive agrees that for a period of one (1) year from his
date of termination or until the end of the period for which
he is entitled to receive compensation under
Section 5.1(a) below, whichever is longer, he shall not
(i) enter into or engage in the design, manufacture, marketing
or sale of any products similar to those produced or offered by the
Company or its affiliates in the area of North America, either as
an individual, partner or joint venturer, or as an employee, agent
or salesman, or as an officer, director, or shareholder of a
corporation, (ii) divert or attempt to divert any person,
concern or entity which is furnished products or services by the
Company from doing business with the Company or otherwise change
its relationship with the
6
Company, or
(iii) solicit, lure or attempt to hire away any of the
employees of the Company with whom the Executive interacted
directly or indirectly while employed with the Company.
(e)
Executive
acknowledges that if he breaches or threatens to breach this
Section 4, his actions may cause irreparable harm and damage
to the Company which could not be compensated in damages.
Accordingly, if Executive breaches or threatens to breach this
Section 4, the Company shall be entitled to seek injunctive
relief, in addition to any other rights or remedies of the
Company. The existence of any claim or cause of action by
Executive against the Company, whether predicated on this Agreement
or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by
the Company of Executive’s agreement under this
Section 4(e).
5.
Termination
.
5.1
By
Executive . Executive shall have
the right to terminate his employment hereunder at any time by
Notice of Termination (as described in Section 7). If
Executive terminates his employment because (i) the Company
has materially breached this Agreement, and such breach has not
been cured within thirty (30) days after written notice of such
breach is given by Executive to the Company, provided that it shall
not be a breach of this Agreement for the Company to promote or
hire a replacement for Executive during the Term for purposes of
providing a transition of all or part of Executive’s duties
and responsibilities so long as the Company continues to provide
Executive with the compensation and benefits set forth in
Section 3; or (ii) Executive has determined that his
termination is for Good Reason (as defined in Section 6.7),
Executive shall be entitled to receive the compensation and
benefits set
7
forth in subsections
(a) through (h) below. If Executive terminates his
employment other than pursuant to clauses (i) or (ii) of
this Section 5.1, the Company’s obligations under this
Agreement shall cease as of the date of such termination.
Unless specified otherwise, the time periods in (a) through
(h) below shall be the lesser of (i) the 12-month period
(or the 24-month period if Executive is terminated within 12 months
following the date of a Change in Control, as defined in
Section 6.3), commencing on Executive’s Date of
Termination, or (ii) the time period remaining from the date
of Executive’s termination until August 7, 2010, unless
the parties have agreed in writing to extend the expiration date of
the Term (such time period under (i) or (ii) is
hereinafter referred to as the “Severance
Period”). Except as otherwise provided in
Section 5.3, the Company agrees that if Executive terminates
employment and is entitled to compensation and benefits under this
Section 5.1, he shall not be required to mitigate damages by
seeking other employment, nor shall any amount he earns reduce the
amount payable by the Company hereunder.
(a)
Base
Salary - Executive will continue to
receive his Base Salary as then in effect (subject to withholding
of all applicable taxes) for the Severance Period in the same
manner as it was being paid as of the date of termination;
provided , however , that the salary payments
provided for hereunder shall be paid in a single lump sum payment,
to be paid not later than 30 days after his termination of
employment; provided , further , that the amount of
such lump sum payment shall be determined by taking the salary
payments to be made and discounting them to their Present Value (as
defined in Section 6.9) on the date Executive’s
employment under this Agreement is terminated.
8
(b)
Bonuses and
Incentives - Executive shall receive
bonus payments from the Company for each month of the Severance
Period in an amount for each such month equal to one-twelfth of the
average of the bonuses earned by him for the two fiscal years in
which bonuses were paid to him immediately preceding the year in
which such termination occurs. Any bonus amounts that
Executive had previously earned from the Company but which may not
yet have been paid as of the date of termination shall be payable
on the date such amounts are payable to other executives and
Executive’s termination shall not affect the payment of such
bonus. Executive shall also receive a prorated bonus for any
uncompleted fiscal year at the date of termination (calculated as
if a bonus at the Target Award level had been achieved), based upon
the number of days that he was employed during such fiscal
year. The bonus amounts determined herein shall be paid in a
single lump sum payment, to be paid not later than 30 days after
termination of employment; provided , that the amount of
such lump sum payment representing the monthly bonus payments shall
be determined by taking the monthly bonus payments to be made and
discounting them to their Present Value on the date
Executive’s employment under this Agreement is
terminated.
(c)
Health and
Life Insurance Coverage - The health care coverage
(including executive medical) and group term life insurance
coverage provided to Executive at his date of termination shall be
continued for the Severance Period at the same level and in the
same manner as then provided to actively employed executive
participants as if his employment under this Agreement had not
terminated. Any additional coverages Executive had at
termination, including dependent coverage, will also be continued
for such period on the same terms, to the extent permitted by
the
9
applicable policies or
contracts. Any costs Executive was paying for such coverages
at the time of termination shall be paid by Executive by separate
check payable to the Company each month in advance. If the
terms of the life insurance coverage referred to in this subsection
(c), or the laws applicable to such life insurance coverage, do not
permit continued participation by Executive, then the Company will
arrange for other life insurance coverage at its expense providing
substantially similar benefits (even if the costs of such coverage
are higher than if Executive had remained in the Company
plan).
If the terms of the healthcare
benefits program referred to in this subsection (c) do not
permit continued participation by Executive as required by this
subsection or if the healthcare benefits to be provided to
Executive and his dependents pursuant to this subsection
(c) cannot be provided in a manner such that the benefit
payments will continue to be tax-free to Executive and his
dependents, then the Company shall (i) pay to Executive
within five (5) days after Executive’s date of
termination a lump sum amount equal to the monthly rate for COBRA
coverage at Executive’s termination date that is then being
paid by former active employees for the level of coverage that
applies to Executive and his dependents, minus the amount active
employees are then paying for such coverage, multiplied by the
number of months in the Severance Period (plus a gross-up on the
lump sum amount determined under this subsection (c)), and
(ii) permit Executive and his dependents to elect to
participate in the healthcare plan for the length of the Severance
Period upon payment of the applicable rate for COBRA coverage
during the Severance Period.
10
Executive and his dependents shall
be entitled to receive coverage under the Company’s retiree
healthcare plan commencing at the end of the Severance
Period. The level of coverage and costs under the retiree
healthcare plan for Executive and his dependents will be the same
level of coverage and costs provided under the Company’s
retiree healthcare plan for executive level employees on
Executive’s Date of Termination and such retiree healthcare
coverage shall be 100% vested and shall not be terminated in the
future (regardless of any termination of such coverage that may
occur that affects other executives). The Executive’s
entitlement to retiree healthcare coverage shall terminate upon the
later of: (i) the death of the Executive and
(ii) the death of his spouse.
(d)
Employee
Retirement Plans - To the extent permitted by
the applicable plan, Executive will be entitled to continue to
participat
|