AMENDED AND
RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this
“Agreement”), dated as of the 12th day of August, 2008,
between Forward Industries, Inc., a New York corporation having its
principal offices at 1801 Green Road, Suite E, Pompano Beach,
Florida 33064 (the “Company”), and Douglas W. Sabra,
residing at 7441 Brunswick Circle, Boynton Beach FL 33437
(“Executive”).
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS , Executive has been rendering services to the
Company pursuant to an employment agreement between him and the
Company dated as of December 27, 2005, effective as of October 1,
2005, and amended as of January 2, 2008 (the “Prior
Agreement”);
WHEREAS , the Company and Executive desire to amend and
restate the Prior Agreement in order to reflect their current
agreements as to the terms of employment, with effect from the date
of execution of this Agreement (“Effective Date”);
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants
herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the
receipt of which the parties hereby acknowledge, the parties agree
as follows:
1. PRIOR
AGREEMENT
The parties hereto hereby agree that (a) the terms of this Amended
and Restated Agreement shall govern the terms of employment of
Executive by the Company, and (b) the Company has no obligations to
Executive under the Prior Agreement that have not been discharged
except in respect of accrued and unpaid salary to the date of
execution hereof, unused personal days and vacation time accrued in
respect of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, and pension,
medical benefits, and other benefits granted to all employees
generally as such benefits have accrued on behalf of Executive
consistent with the terms of the Prior Agreement and as continued
pursuant to this Agreement.
2. EMPLOYMENT
TERM
Unless earlier terminated in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement, the term of employment hereunder (the “
Term”) shall commence on the Effective Date and expire on
December 31 , 2009. Upon expiration of the Term, this
Agreement shall be automatically renewed for successive terms of
one year each; provided , however, that if either party
provides written notice to the other party of its or his
determination not to so renew not later than 90 (ninety) days prior
to the expiration of the Term, or any renewal thereof, as the case
may be, this Agreement and Executive’s employment shall
terminate at the end of the Term or such renewal term, as the case
may be. In the event that the Company is the party giving
notice of non-renewal, this shall be treated as a termination
without Cause and governed by the terms of Section 6 or Section 8,
as the case may be.
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EMPLOYMENT DUTIES AND SERVICES
(a) On the terms and
conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby employs Executive
as its President (chief executive officer) for the term of this
Agreement and any renewal(s) thereof, and Executive hereby accepts
such employment. Executive shall perform such duties and
responsibilities of a chief executive nature for the Company as
shall be consistent with the provisions of the Company’s
By-laws in effect from time to time and as are customary for a
chief executive officer of corporations of similar size and
business as the Company, subject to the direction of the
Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”).
Subject to election thereto by the shareholders of the Company at
the annual or other meeting from time to time, for so long as he
serves as President Executive shall serve as a member of the Board,
for which he shall not be entitled to additional
compensation. Executive shall serve the Company faithfully
and to the best of his ability and shall devote his full business
time and attention to the business and affairs of the Company,
subject to reasonable absences for vacation and illness as
determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board (the
“Compensation Committee”). Executive will not
engage, directly or indirectly, in any other business or occupation
during the Term.
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(b) Nothing in this
Agreement shall preclude the Executive from (i) engaging in
personal investment activities for himself and his family, (ii)
accepting directorships unrelated to the Company, subject to the
prior, written approval of the Compensation Committee, (iii)
engaging in charitable and civic activities, and (iv) engaging in
such other limited activities on behalf of family interests as have
been or may be approved by the Nominating and Governance Committee
of the Board, so long as any one or more such outside interests set
forth in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) hereof do not interfere
with or affect the performance of his duties or responsibilities
hereunder.
(c) Unless otherwise
agreed in writing by the Company and Executive, the performance of
Executive’s services during the term of this Agreement shall
be rendered at the principal executive offices of the Company,
subject to such travel in furtherance of Executive’s
performance of his duties hereunder as the business of the Company
may require.
4. COMPENSATION
AND EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT
(a) Salary .
Executive shall be entitled to receive for all services
rendered by Executive in any and all capacities in connection with
his employment hereunder a salary (as it may be adjusted,
“Salary”) of $250,000 per annum, payable in equal
installments in accordance with the prevailing practices of the
Company (but not less frequently than monthly).
(b) Bonus; Calculation
and Payment . The Executive shall be eligible to receive
a bonus (“Bonus”) with respect to each full fiscal year
or part thereof (except to the extent expressly provided in Section
4(b), 5, 6, or 7(b) hereof) in respect of his employment hereunder,
as set forth in this Section 4. The amount of Bonus, if any,
that Executive may earn in any fiscal year during the Term hereof
pursuant to this Section 4(b) shall be based on the extent to
which, if any, the Company achieves all or a percentage of, or
exceeds, Target (as defined below) in each such fiscal year, in
accordance with guidelines, or a formula, for earning such bonus as
fixed by the Compensation Committee in its sole discretion not
later than the date referred to in the next paragraph.
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“Target” means, with respect to any fiscal year, the
amount of pre-tax income or other measure of operating results of
the Company as determined by the Compensation Committee of the
Board in its sole discretion, projected for achievement, in whole
or in part, in such fiscal year by the Compensation Committee for
the purpose of establishing Executive’s right to receive
Bonus compensation in respect of such fiscal year. The
Compensation Committee shall determine the Target, together with
the formulas for earning Bonus hereunder, after the Board has
adopted the Annual Budget in respect of each fiscal year during the
Term hereof but not later than the 75 th day of each
such fiscal year. The Compensation Committee may determine
that the amount of Bonus for such purposes may be pro rated based
on Target being achieved, exceeded, or missed.
Bonus compensation, if any, payable pursuant to Section 4(b) shall
be payable to Executive not earlier than the date on which the
Company’s audited financial statements relating to the fiscal
year in respect of which such Bonus compensation is payable are
first filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) nor
later than the tenth (10 th ) business day after such
date. If Executive is otherwise entitled to payment of a
Bonus pursuant to this Section 4(b) and the terms of this Agreement
but has not served as an employee for the full fiscal year in
respect of which such Bonus is payable, Executive, or his estate,
shall be entitled to payment, at the time specified in the next
preceding sentence, of a ratable portion of such Bonus to which he
or his estate is entitled, based on the ratio that the actual
number of days in such fiscal year during which he served as an
Employee pursuant to this Agreement and is so entitled bears to
365; provided , however, that no Bonus (pro-rated or
otherwise) shall be payable in respect of a fiscal year during
which Executive is employed hereunder solely for the first fiscal
quarter thereof because of expiration of the Term, or any renewal
thereof as a result of notice of non-renewal furnished pursuant to
Section 2; and provided , further, that if Executive’s
employment was terminated as a result of notice pursuant to Section
5, Termination for Cause, he shall not be entitled to any Bonus
compensation in respect of the fiscal year during which such notice
of termination was given or during which such termination becomes
effective.
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(c) Expenses
. Executive will be reimbursed for all reasonable and
necessary expenses incurred by Executive in carrying out the duties
contemplated under this Agreement, in accordance with Company
practices and procedures in effect from time to time, as such
practices may be changed from time to time by the Board.
Executive shall be entitled to a monthly allowance, subject to the
approval and discretion of the Compensation Committee, to defray
the expense of the lease of an automobile (including monthly lease
cost, maintenance, insurance, and operating expense) for
Executive’s use in connection with the discharge of his
duties under this Agreement, the amount of which allowance shall be
includible in Executive’s W-2 statements and be subject to
applicable income tax withholding regulations..
(d) Benefits
. Executive shall be entitled to participate in all group
health and other insurance programs and all other fringe benefit
(including vacation) and retirement plans (including any 401(k)
plan) or other compensatory plans that the Company may hereafter
elect to make available to its executives generally on terms no
less favorable than those provided to other executives generally,
provided Executive meets the qualifications therefor. The
Company shall not be required to establish any such program or
plan, except to the extent expressly set forth in this Section
4.
(e) Withholding
. All payments required to be made by the Company hereunder
to the Executive shall be subject to the withholding of such
amounts relating to taxes and other governmental assessments as the
Company may reasonably determine it should withhold pursuant to any
applicable law, rule or regulation.
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(f)
IRC§409A . Executive and
the Company agree that the provisions of this Agreement shall be
construed and implemented, and any deferrals and elections shall be
made, in order to comply with Internal Revenue Code Section 409A,
as it may be amended, and the rules and regulations issued
thereunder from time to time.
5. TERMINATION
BY THE COMPANY FOR CAUSE
(a) The Board of
Directors may, by written notice given at any time during the Term,
or any renewal thereof, terminate the employment of Executive for
cause, the cause to be specified in reasonable detail in such
notice. For purposes of this Agreement, “cause”
shall mean Executive’s:
(i) willful misconduct in connection with the performance of any of
his duties or services hereunder, including without limitation (1)
misappropriation or improper diversion of funds, rights or property
of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company
(“Subsidiary” ), or (2) securing or attempting to
secure personally (including for the benefit of any family member,
or person sharing the same household, or any entity (corporate,
partnership, unincorporated association, proprietorship, limited
liability company, trust, or otherwise) in which Executive has any
economic or beneficial interest) any profit or benefit in
connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the
Company or any Subsidiary unless the transaction benefiting the
entity has been approved by the Board upon the basis of full
disclosure of such benefit, or (3) material breach of any covenant
contained in this Agreement or (4) any other action in violation of
Executive’ s fiduciary duty owed to the Company or
Executive’ s acting in a manner adverse to the
interests of the Company and for his own pecuniary benefit or that
of a family member (or member of his household) or any entity (as
described in clause (i)(2) of Section 5(a) above) in which he or
any such person has an economic or beneficial interest; or (5)
Executive’ s failure to cooperate, if requested by the Board,
with any investigation or inquiry into his or the Company’ s
business practices, whether internal or external;
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(ii) willful failure, neglect or refusal to perform his duties or
services under this Agreement, which failure, neglect or refusal
shall continue for a period of 30 days after written notice thereof
shall have been given to the Executive by or on behalf of the Board
; and/or
(iii) conviction of, or nolo contendere or guilty
plea in connection with, a felony.
(b) Termination for cause
under clause (i) or (iii) of paragraph (a) of this Section 5 shall
be effective immediately upon the giving of such notice; if notice
of termination for cause relates to clause (ii) of paragraph (a) of
this Section 5, termination shall be effective on the thirtieth (30
th ) day after the notice referred to in the first
sentence of this Section 5 is given to Executive, unless the
Executive shall have, prior to such thirtieth (30 th )
day, cured the alleged cause to the satisfaction of the Board, in
which case the Board shall so notify Executive and such cause shall
be deemed to no longer exist; provided , however, that if
the Board concludes that Executive’s willful failure,
neglect, or refusal to perform has resulted in material damage to
the Company or its reputation that is not capable of being
remedied, termination shall be effective immediately upon giving of
notice.
For purposes of this Agreement, an act or failure to act on the
Executive’s part shall be considered “willful” if
it was done or omitted to be done by him not in good faith, and
shall not include any act or failure to act resulting from any
incapacity of the Executive.
(c) Upon termination of
employment by the Company for Cause, the Executive shall be
entitled to receive, and his sole remedies under this Agreement
shall be:
(i) any earned and unpaid Salary accrued through the date of
termination for Cause, payable in a lump sum not later than 15 days
following Executive’s termination of employment;
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(ii) compensation for any unused personal holidays and unused
vacation days accrued in the fiscal year in which termination
occurs through the date of termination, payable as in clause (i) of
this Section 5;
(iii) except for any Bonus compensation (for which Executive shall
not be eligible), any unpaid benefits accrued through the day
immediately prior to the date of termination that may be due the
Executive under any employee benefit plans or programs of the
Company, payable in accordance with the terms of such plans or
programs, together with any documented, unreimbursed business
expenses, payable in accordance with Company policies; and
(iv) any stock options, grants of Common Stock, restricted share
grants or other benefits under any of the Company’s
compensation plans that were vested as of 5:00 PM on the date
immediately prior to the date of termination in accordance with the
terms of such plans and any applicable plan agreements with
Executive, provided, however, that any vested but unexercised stock
options may not be exercised on or after the effective date of
termination.
(d) Termination of
Executive’s employment under this Section 5 shall be in
addition to and not exclusive of any other rights and remedies that
the Company has or may have relating to Executive with respect to
the facts and circumstances pertaining to such termination.
6. TERMINATION
BY EXECUTIVE FOR GOOD REASON OR TERMINATION WITHOUT CAUSE PRIOR TO
CHANGE IN CONTROL
(a) In the event
Executive terminates his employment under this Agreement for Good
Reason (as hereinafter defined), or in the event Executive’s
employment is terminated without Cause (which termination shall be
effective as of the date specified by the Company in written notice
delivered to Executive not fewer than 15 days prior to the date of
termination) other than due to death or Disability (as hereinafter
defined), in either case prior to a Change in Control (as
hereinafter defined), the Executive shall be entitled to receive,
and his sole remedies under this Agreement shall be:
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(i) any earned and unpaid Salary accrued through the date of
termination, payable in a lump sum not later than 15 days following
Executive’s termination of employment;
(ii) Salary, at the annualized rate in effect on the date of
termination of Executive’s employment (or, in the event a
reduction in Salary is a basis for termination for Good Reason,
then the Salary in effect immediately prior to such reduction), for
a period of (A) in case of executive’s termination for Good
Reason, six months following such termination, or (B) in case of
termination by the Company without cause, the greater of (x) six
months or (y) the balance of the Term (or renewal thereof, as the
case may be) remaining after the date of termination set forth in
such notice, in either case payable in a lump sum not later than 15
days following termination of employment;
(iii) compensation for any unused personal holidays and unused
vacation days accrued in the fiscal year in which termination
occurs through the date of termination, payable as in clause (i) of
this Section 6;
(iv) except in the case of the Company giving notice of non-renewal
at the end of the Term (or any renewal thereof), the ratable amount
of Bonus, if any, to which Executive would otherwise have been
entitled in the current fiscal year but for termination under this
Section, payable at the time specified in Section 4(b);
(v) any unpaid benefits accrued through the day immediately prior
to the date of termination that may be due the Executive under any
employee benefit plans or programs of the Company, payable in
accordance with the terms of such plans or programs