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EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

Employee Retention Agreement

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT You are currently viewing:
This Employee Retention Agreement involves

QUEST RESOURCE CORPORATION

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Title: EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Governing Law: Pennsylvania     Date: 8/11/2008
Industry: OILPRD     Sector: ENERGY

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exv10w15

Exhibit 10.15

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

     This Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into on this 14th day of July, 2008 (the “Effective Date”), between QUEST RESOURCE CORPORATION (the “Company), and Tom Lopus (“Employee”).

     1. Agreement to Employ; Duties.

          a. Agreement to Employ. Subject to Section 1.c. below, the Company hereby employs Employee and Employee hereby accepts employment upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth. Employee will serve as Executive Vice President, Quest Eastern.

          b. Duties. Employee agrees that so long as he is employed pursuant to this Agreement, he will: (i) to the satisfaction of the Company, devote his best efforts and his entire business time to further properly the interests of the Company; (ii) at all times be subject to the direction and control of the Chief Operating Officer of the Company with respect to his activities on behalf of the Company; (iii) comply with all rules, orders and regulations of the Company and all statutes, regulations, interpretive rulings and other enactments to which the Company is subject; (iv) truthfully and accurately maintain and preserve such records and make all reports as the Company may require; and (v) fully account for all monies which he may from time to time have custody over and deliver the same to the Company whenever and however directed to do so.

          c. Contingent on PetroEdge Resources (WV) LLC Closing. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the effectiveness of this Agreement is contingent, in all respects, upon the Company’s acquisition of PetroEdge Resources (WV) LLC. In the event that the Company’s acquisition of PetroEdge Resources (WV) LLC is not consummated, this Agreement shall become null and void and Employee shall have no rights hereunder.

     2. Compensation.

          a. Base Salary. For all services to be rendered by Employee, the Company shall pay Employee a salary at the rate of Two Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($225,000.00) per year, in installments of equal frequency to the Company’s standard payroll practices. Salary payments shall be subject to withholding and other applicable taxes (e.g., federal and state withholding, FICA, earnings tax, etc).

          b. Incentive Bonus Compensation/Stock Options. Employee shall be entitled to participate in an incentive bonus plan or program with a maximum potential amount of up to 73.5% of Base Salary, as such plan or program is established annually by the Board of Directors (or the Company’s Compensation Committee). Employee’s actual bonus level will be contingent

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upon the Company achieving predetermined financial results and the Board’s (and/or Compensation Committee’s) approval, including approval of any components based on Company or individual performance. Employee acknowledges that actual payouts under the plan may be more or less than Employee’s target level based on the performance of the Company against plan criteria and Employee’s performance against any individual objectives.

     c. Restricted Stock Grant. Employee shall be granted 45,000 restricted shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the 2005 Omnibus Stock Award Plan (including the terms of any Award Agreement executed in connection with such Plan). The restricted shares will vest in accordance with the following schedule, if employee is employed on such date:

July 14, 2009               15,000 Restricted Shares
July 14, 2010               15,000 Restricted Shares
July 14, 2011               15,000 Restricted Shares

     Term. Unless earlier terminated by either party as provided in Section 5 or 6 hereof, this Agreement shall commence on July 14, 2008, and shall continue for a period of three (3) year[s] thereafter until July 14, 2011 (the “Initial Term”). Upon the expiration of the Initial Term, this Agreement shall automatically continue in effect for successive one (1) year terms (a “Renewal Term”) unless terminated by either party by providing written Notice of Termination (as provided in Section 7) not less than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the end of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term.

     3. Employee Benefits. Employee shall be entitled, during his employment hereunder, to receive and participate in employee benefits available to executives of the Company as the Board of Directors (or the Compensation Committee) of the Company determines, in its sole discretion, from time to time; provided however, that Employee shall receive 160 hours paid time off (“PTO”) hours per year commencing with his employment with the Company.

          Employee acknowledges that the benefits described above are subject to change in the discretion of the Board of Directors (or the Compensation Committee) of the Company, and that Employee is only entitled to participate in these benefits to the extent they are made available by the Company to executives from time to time

     4. Termination of Employment by the Employee.

          a. Voluntary Resignation. Employee shall have the right to terminate his employment at any time by providing no less than thirty (30) days prior written Notice of Termination to the Company as specified in section 6 herein. Employee hereby agrees to assist in the training of his replacement, if requested.

          b. With Good Reason. The Employee may terminate this Agreement with “Good Reason” as provided in this Section 4(b). If Employee terminates with Good Reason, the Company shall:

     (1) Continue to pay Employee his Base Salary as required pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof as severance pay for the remaining period of the Initial Term, or

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as applicable, any subsequent Renewal Term (subject to a potential six month deferral as described in the next sentence.) If (A) Employee is a “specified employee” under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and the Company’s or Parent’s I.R.C. § 409A Specified Employee Policy (a “Specified Employee”) and (B) the aggregate amount of the severance payments provided for in the prior sentence that will be made before the end of the second tax year following the Employee’s termination of employment exceeds the limitation available to be paid on account of an involuntary separation under Treasury Regulations § 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii), then the portion of such excess which otherwise would be paid during the first six months following Employee’s termination of employment (assuming the entire excess amount were spread ratably over the remainder of the Initial Term or Renewal Term, as the case may be) (the “Excess Separation Payments”) shall not be paid and instead shall be held in arrears (without any interest accrual) and paid in a lump sum by the Company on the first day after six months following Employee’s termination of employment. For the purpose of this entire agreement, a “termination of employment” shall have the same meaning and be interpreted in the same manner as a “separation from service” under section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code and applicable Treasury Regulations issued thereunder.

     (2) Pay Employee his pro rata portion of any annual bonus or other compensation to which he would have been entitled for the year during which the termination occurred, such payment to be made at such time that bonuses are made for such year (but in no event later than 2 1/2 months after the end of the later of Employee’s tax year containing the date of Employee’s termination or the Company’s tax year for which the annual bonus relates); and

     (3) Pay all of Employee’s COBRA health insurance premium payments (for the same coverage that employee had in place prior to his termination) for the duration of the COBRA continuation period, or if earlier, until Employee becomes eligible for health insurance because of employment with a different employer.

     Employee shall only be paid such severance pay, pro rata bonuses and COBRA insurance premiums if he (i) signs an agreement containing a release of claims against the Company, in a form substantially similar to that included in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated herein; and (ii) does not own, manage, operate, join, contract with, or become employed by or connected in any manner with (whether as principal, partner, shareholder, member, director, officer, employee, agent or otherwise), any business which is competitive to the business engaged in by the Company. For purposes of this Agreement, a business shall be deemed to be competitive to the activities conducted by the Company in the same geographical area in which the Company conducts its business operations (or is actively pursuing business operations) at the time of Employee’s termination of employment.

     For purposes of this Agreement, Good Reason means (i) the Company’s failure to pay Employee’s salary or annual bonus in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (unless the payment is not material and is being contested by the Company in good faith); (ii) the requirement of the Company that Employee be based anywhere other than [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania], which for

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this purpose includes any surrounding communities within a [30] miles radius of [Pittsburgh] and the understanding that substantial travel will be required for Employee’s position; or (iii) a substantial and adverse change in Employee’s duties or responsibilities; provided, however, that (1) (A) that Employee must provide written notice within 90 days of the initial occurrence or event that constitutes Good Reason and (B) any termination of employment for “Good Reason” must occur within the one-year period beginning on the initial existence of the event or condition giving rise to the purported good reason, (2) Employee shall give the Company thirty days prior written Notice of Termination, as specified in Section 6, of the basis for claiming Good Reason exists and (3) the Company shall have failed to cure such breach or nonperformance during the thirty day Notice period.

          c. Employee’s Disability. The Employee may terminate his employment hereunder if (A) the Employee is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, or (B) the Employee is, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three months under an accident and health plan covering employees of the Company; provided that the Employee shall have furnished the Company with a written statement from a qualified doctor to such effect. The Employee shall receive from the Company, (i) in a lump-sum payment due within thirty (30) days of the date the Company receives a written statement from a qualified doctor that the Employee meets the definition of disability set forth in the section, the sum equal to Two Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars 00/100 ($225,000.00), and (ii) all compensation and benefits that accrued and vested as of the date such written statement is received.

     5. Termination of Employment by the Company.

          a. Without Cause. The Company may terminate Employee’s employment under this Agreement at any time without cause by giving Employee a Notice of Termination as provided under Section 6 hereof. In such event either prior to, or more than two years after, a “change in control,” as defined below, the Company shall:

     (1) Continue to pay Employee his Base Salary as required pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof as severance pay for the remaining period of the Initial Term, or as applicable, any subsequent Renewal Term (subject to a potential six month deferral as described in the next sentence.) If (A) Employee is a “specified employee” under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and the Company’s or Parent’s I.R.C. § 409A Specified Employee Policy (a “Specified Employee”) and (B) the aggregate amount of the severance payments provided for in the prior sentence that will be made before the end of the second tax year following the Employee’s termination of employment exceeds the limitation available to be paid on account of an involuntary separation under Treasury Regulations § 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii), then the portion of such excess which otherwise would be paid during the first six months following Employee’s termination of employment (assuming the entire excess amount were spread ratably over the remainder of the Initial Term or

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Renewal Term, as the case may be) (the “Excess Separation Payments”) shall not be paid and instead shall be held in arrears (without any interest accrual) and paid in a lump sum by the Company on the first day after six months following Employee’s termination of employment. For the purpose of this entire agreement, a “termination of employment” shall have the same meaning and be interpreted in the same manner as a “separation from service” under section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code and applicable Treasury Regulations issued thereunder.

     (2) Pay Employee his pro rata portion of any annual bonus or other compensation to which he would have been entitled for the year during which the termination occurred, such payment to be made at such time that bonuses are made for such year (but in no event later than 2 1/2 months after the end of the later of Employee’s tax year containing the date of Employee’s termination or the Company’s tax year for which the annual bonus relates); and

     (3) Pay all of Employee’s COBRA health insurance premium payments (for the same coverage that employee had in place prior to his termination) for the duration of the COBRA continuation period, or if earlier, until Employee becomes eligible for health insurance because of employment with a different employer.

     In the event that Employee’s employment is terminated without cause within two (2) years following a “change in control” (as defined below), the Company shall:

     (1) pay to Employee in one lump sum within thirty (30) days following Employee’s termination of employment severance pay equal to Employee’s remaining Base Salary for the Initial Term or for any Renewal Term, as applicable. If (A) Employee is a “specified employee” under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and the Company’s or Parent’s I.R.C. § 409A Specified Employee Policy (a “Specified Employee”) and (B) the aggregate amount of the severance payments provided for in this paragraph exceeds the limitation available to be paid on account of an involuntary separation under Treasury Regulations § 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii), then the portion of such excess which otherwise would be paid in a lump sum within thirty (30) days following Employee’s termination of employment will instead be paid in a lump sum by the Company on the first day after six months following Employee’s termination of employment. For the purpose of this entire agreement, a “termination of employment” shall have the same meaning and be interpreted in the same manner as a “separation from service” under section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code and applicable Treasury Regulations issued thereunder.

     (2) Pay Employee his pro rata portion of any annual bonus or other compensation to which he would have been entitled for the year during which the termination occurred, such payment to be made at such time that bonuses are made for such year (but in no event later than 2 1/2 months after the end of the later of Employee’s tax year containing the date of Employee’s termination or the Company’s tax year for which the annual bonus relates); and

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     (3) Pay all of Employee’s COBRA health insurance premium payments (for the same coverage that employee had in place prior to his termination) for the duration of the COBRA continuation period, or if earlier, until Employee becomes eligible for health insurance because of employment with a different employer.

     Employee shall only be paid the severance pay, pro rata bonuses and COBRA insurance premiums provided under this Section 5(a) if he (i) signs an agreement containing a release of claims against the Company, in a form substantially similar to that included in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated herein; and (ii) does not own, manage, operate, join, contract with, or become employed by or connected in any manner with (whether as principal, partner, shareholder, member, director, officer, employee, agent or otherwise), any business which is competitive to the business engaged in by the Company. For purposes of this Agreement, a business shall be deemed to be competitive to the activities conducted by the Company in the same geographical area in which the Company conducts its business operations (or is actively pursuing business operations) at the time of Employee’s termination of employment.

     For purposes of this section, a “Change in Control” shall be consistent with regulations issued under Internal Revenue Code section 409A (the “409A regulations”) and shall mean the occurrence of a “Change in the Ownership of the Company,” a “Change in Effective Control of the Company”, or a “Change in the Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Company’s Assets.” A “Change in the Ownership of the Company” means the acquisition by any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, of the outstanding and issued common stock (“Shares”) of the Company that, together with Shares held by such person or group, constitutes more than 50 percent of the total voting power of the Shares of the Company (however, if any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, is considered to own more than 50 percent of the total voting power of the Shares of the Company, the acquisition of additional Shares by the same person or group shall not constitute a Change in the Ownership of the Company). A “Change in Effective Control of the Company” shall occur if either (i) any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, acquires (or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) ownership of Shares of the Company possessing 30 percent or more of the total voting power of the Shares of the Company (however, if a person, or more than one person acting as a group owns 30% of the total fair market value or total voting power of the Shares of the Company, the acquisition of additional Shares by such person or group shall not constitute a Change in Effective Control of the Company; or (ii) a majority of members of the Company’s board of directors is replaced during any 12-month period by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Company’s board of directors prior to the date of the appointment or election. A “Change in the Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Company’s Assets” occurs when any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, acquires (or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value (“gross fair market value” means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets) equal to or more than 40 percent of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions. For purposes of this section, the term

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“acting as a group” shall have the same meaning as defined in the 409A regulations.

          b. With Cause The Company may terminate Employee’s employment under this Agreement at any time for cause effective immediately upon Notice of Termination. In the event the Company terminates this Agreement for cause on the part of Employee, Employee shall receive Base Salary for the period to the date of his termination. Employee shall not be entitled to receive Severance Pay from the Company if his employment is terminated for cause. For purposes of this Agreement, “cause” shall be defined to include, but not be limited to, the following: (i) any act or omission by Employee that constitutes gross negligence or willful misconduct; (ii) theft, dishonest acts or breach of fiduciary duty that materially enrich the Employee or materially damage the Company or conviction of a felony, (iii) any conflict of interest, except those consented to in writing by the Company; (iv) any material failure by Employee to observe Company work rules, policies or procedures; (v) failure or refusal by Employee to perform his duties and responsibilities required hereunder, or to carry out reasonable instruction, to the satisfaction of the Company; (vi) any conduct that is materially detrimental to the operations, financial condition or reputation of the Company; or (vii) any material breach of this Agreement by Employee; provided, however, the occurrence of those events set forth in clauses (i), (iv), (v) or (vii), shall be deemed “Good Cause” to the extent and only to the extent that such breach or nonperformance remains uncorrected for thirty (30) days following Company’s reasonably detailed written notice to Employee of such breach or nonperformance; provided further, however, that a repeated breach after notice and cure of any provision of clauses (i), (iv), (v) or (vii) involving the same or substantially similar actions or conduct, shall be grounds for termination for “Good Cause” without any additional notice from the Company.

          c. Employee’s Disability. If, as a result of incapacity due to physical or mental illness or injury, the Employee shall fail to render services of the character contemplated by this Agreement for three (3) consecutive months or for an aggregate period of one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days during any twelve (12) month period, then thirty (30) days after receiving written notice (which notice may occur before or after the end of such three (3) or twelve (12) month period, but which shall not be effective earlier than the last day of such three (3) or twelve (12) month period), the Company may terminate the Employee’s employment hereunder provided the Employee is unable to resume his full-time duties as contemplated by this Agreement at the conclusion of such notice period. In the event this Agreement is terminated by the Company as a result of the Employee’s disability, and a qualified doctor provides a written statement that (A) the Employee is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, or (B) the Employee is, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months (i) the Employee shall receive from the Company, in a lump-sum payment due within thirty (30) days of the effective date of termination, the sum equal to Two Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars 00/100 ($225,000.00), and (ii) all compensation and benefits that accrued and vested as of the date of termination. In the event that the Employee’s employment is terminated under this Section 5(c) but the qualified doctor determines that the definition of disability provided in this section is not met, such termination of employment will be deemed a termination without cause as provided in Section 5(a).

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     6. Notice of Termination. Any termination of Employee’s employment by the Company pursuant to Section 6 or by Employee pursuant to Section 5 shall be communicated by written Notice of Termination to the other party hereto. Said Notice shall be deemed to have been duly given when delivered personally or by overnight delivery, sent via facsimile, or mailed by United States certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed as follows:

          If to the Company:

Quest Resource Corporation
210 Park Avenue, Suite 2750
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102
Attention: Jerry Cash (or then current Chief Executive Officer)
     Facsimile: (405) 600.7756

          If to the Employee:

Thomas A. Lopus
110 Searight Drive
Baden, PA 15005
Email tlopus@zoominternet.net

or at such other address as either party may designate in writing to the other.

     7. Company Property. Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever, Employee shall immediately deliver to the Company any and all Company property, including, without limitation, all Confidential Information, as such Confidential Information is defined in Section 15. From and after termination of this Agreement, Employee shall not represent that he has any further authority to act as a representative of the Company, in any capacity.

     8. Intellectual Property. Any interest in patents, patent applications, inventions, copyrights, developments and processes (“Inventions”) which Employee now or hereafter during the period Employee is employed by the Company may own or develop relating to the fields in which the Company may then be engaged shall belong to the Company; and forthwith upon request of the Company, Employee shall execute all assignments and other documents and take all such other action as the Company may reasonably request in order to vest in the Company all his right, title and interest in and to the Inventions free and clear of all liens, charges and encumbrances.

     9. No Conflicts. Employee represents and warrants to the Company that neither the execution nor delivery of this Agreement, nor the performance of Employee’s obligations hereunder, will conflict with, or result in a breach of, any term, condition, or provision of, or constitute a default under, any obligation, contract, agreement, covenant or instrument to which Employee is a party or under which the Employee is bound, including, without limitation, the breach by Employee of a fiduciary duty to any former employers.

     10. Personnel Policies. The general personnel policies of the Company (as said policies may exist from time to time) will apply to Employee with the same force and effect as to any other

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employee of the Company, except to the extent such general personnel policies are inconsistent with the terms and provisions of this Agreement, in which event the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall control.

     11. Compensation Review. The Company will conduct periodic reviews of Employee and his performance no less frequently than annually. While the Company currently anticipates that during such reviews, it may consider possible increases to Base Salary, both Employee and the Company hereby agree that the Company shall have no obligation to alter or adjust any compensation or benefits due to Employee pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

     12. Expense Reimbursement. Employee shall be reimbursed by the Company for the reasonable and necessary business expenses incurred by Employee in the discharge of his duties, subject to the Company’s standard policies and procedures related to expense reimbursement and approval thereof.

     13. Conflict of Interest. Employee shall devote his full time and attention to the business of the Company and the diligent discharge of the duties assigned to Employee throughout the term of this Agreement. Unless consented to by the Company, Employee will not, directly or indirectly, have any business interests or investments (whether as principal, partner, shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent or otherwise) that: (i) are other than passive investments which do not require Employee’s direct personal time, attention, or services; or (ii) create any conflict of interest with the Company or with Employee’s employment by the Company. For purposes of the foregoing, a conflict of interest shall include, but not be limited to, any direct or indirect interest in any business or enterprise that is competitive with the Company or any corporation or business enterprise directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company.

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