Exhibit 10.1
EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (this
“Agreement”) is entered into on February 24, 2009,
by and between Crocs, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and John Duerden (the
“Executive”).
BACKGROUND
A.
The Company is in the business of
designing, manufacturing, marketing, distributing, and selling
unique and innovative footwear for men, women and
children.
B.
The Company desires to employ
Executive as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and
President, and Executive desires to be so employed by the Company,
on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
C.
In Executive’s position,
Executive will have access to confidential, proprietary and trade
secret information of the Company. It is desirable and in the
best interests of the Company and its stockholders to protect
confidential, proprietary and trade secret information of the
Company, to prevent unfair competition by former executives of the
Company following separation of their employment with the Company
and to secure cooperation from former executives with respect to
matters related to their employment with the Company.
AGREEMENT
In consideration of the foregoing
premises and the respective agreements of the Company and Executive
set forth below, the Company and Executive, intending to be legally
bound, agree as follows:
1.
EMPLOYMENT;
BOARD APPOINTMENT .
(a)
Employment
. Subject
to the terms and conditions hereof, the Company shall employ
Executive and Executive agrees to be so employed as CEO Designee
from February 24, 2009 through March 16, 2009. On
March 16, 2009, the Board shall appoint, the Company shall
employ, and Executive agrees to be so employed in the capacity of
Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company commencing on
the date of appointment. Executive’s employment as
Chief Executive Officer and President hereunder shall not be for
any specific term and shall be subject to termination at will by
either Executive or the Company for any reason upon written notice
to the other party.
(b)
Board Appointment
. Upon Executive’s
commencement of employment pursuant to Section 1(a), the Board
of Directors of the Company (together with any authorized committee
of the Board, the “Board”), shall appoint Executive as
a director of the Company.
2.
DUTIES
. Beginning
on March 16, 2009, and at all times thereafter during his
employment, Executive shall serve as the Company’s Chief
Executive Officer and President and as a member of the Board.
As the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and
President,
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Executive shall direct and
manage the affairs of the Company with such duties, functions and
responsibilities (including the right to hire and dismiss employees
(subject to approval of the Board in the case of corporate
officers)) as are customarily associated with and incident to the
positions of Chief Executive Officer and President and as the
Company may, from time to time, require of him, subject to the
direction of the Company’s Board. Executive shall be
the only officer of the Company with the right to report directly
to the Board; provided, however, that other officers of the Company
may report directly to the Board: (i) if such officer is
elected to the Board with the prior consent of Executive;
(ii) such officer reports directly to the Board with the
consent of the Executive; or (iii) such officer reports to the
Board as may be required by law. These duties, functions and
responsibilities include, but are not limited to, directing the
Company’s day-to-day affairs, as well as defining the roles
and responsibilities of the Company’s officers and
employees. The Executive shall serve the Company faithfully,
conscientiously and to the best of the Executive’s ability
and shall promote the interests and reputation of the
Company. Unless prevented by sickness or disability, the
Executive shall devote his time, attention, knowledge, energy and
skills, during normal working hours, and at such other times as the
Executive’s duties may reasonably require, to the duties of
the Executive’s employment; provided, however, that it shall
not be a breach of this Agreement for the Executive to manage his
own private financial investments; or with the consent of the Board
(which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld) to be a member
of the board of directors of other companies that do not compete
with the Company, so long as, in either case, such activities do
not require the Executive to spend a material amount of time away
from his performance of his duties hereunder, or otherwise violate
this Agreement or the Company’s other policies. A list
of boards of directors upon which Executive currently is a member
is attached hereto as Exhibit A, and, upon appointment of
Executive as Chief Executive Officer and President, the Board also
will consent to Executive’s service on those boards of
directors. The principal place of employment of the Executive
shall be the principal executive offices of the Company. The
Executive acknowledges that in the course of his employment he may
be required, from time to time, to travel on behalf of the Company.
Executive will follow and comply with the policies and procedures
of the Company, including without limitation, policies relating to
business ethics, code of conduct, conflict of interest,
non-discrimination, confidentiality and protection of trade
secrets, and insider trading. Executive hereby represents and
confirms that neither (i) Executive’s entering into this
Agreement nor (ii) Executive’s performance of
Executive’s duties and obligations hereunder will violate or
conflict with any other agreement (oral or written) to which
Executive is a party or by which Executive is bound. Without
commenting on whether a breach of any other section of this
Agreement is material, the parties agree that a breach of this
Section 2 shall be a material breach of this
Agreement.
3.
COMPENSATION
. During
Executive’s employment under this Agreement, Executive will
be provided with the below compensation and benefits.
(a)
Base
Salary . The Company will pay
to Executive for services provided hereunder an annualized base
salary (“Base Salary”) at an initial rate of
$850,000.00, which Base Salary will be paid on a bi-weekly basis in
accordance with the Company’s normal payroll policies and
procedures. The Board will review Executive’s
performance on an annual basis and determine any adjustments to
Executive’s Base Salary in its sole discretion but in
no
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event may the Board reduce
Executive’s Base Salary by greater than 10% (i.e. during
Executive’s employment with the Company, his base salary
shall never be less than $765,000).
(b)
Incentive
Compensation . Executive will be eligible
to participate in the Company’s 2008 Cash Incentive Plan
bonus plan (the “Bonus Plan”), in accordance with its
terms, as may be amended and in effect from time to time.
Executive’s annual target incentive compensation under the
Bonus Plan shall be 100% of Executive’s Base Salary with a
possible payout of up to a maximum of 200% of Executive’s
Base Salary pursuant to the current terms and conditions of the
Bonus Plan. Executive shall have a guaranteed bonus under the Bonus
Plan equal to no less than 50% of Executive’s Base Salary for
the remainder of 2009 (pro rated based on the proportion of the
year Executive was employed by the Company). However,
Executive shall be eligible to receive the full possible payout of
200%, without proration, in the calendar year 2009. All
payments under the Bonus Plan (and any successor thereto) shall be
made to the Executive within 2 ½ months after the end of the
calendar year in which such payments were earned.
(c)
Stock
Options . Effective upon
commencement of Executive’s employment with the Company and
upon approval by the Board, the Company will grant to Executive an
option to purchase 400,000 shares of common stock of the Company at
the fair market value as of the date of the grant, subject to the
Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan and a written stock
option agreement to be entered into by and between Executive and
the Company.
(d)
Restricted
Stock . Effective upon
commencement of Executive’s employment with the Company and
upon approval by the Board, the Company will grant to Executive
400,000 shares of restricted stock pursuant to the Company’s
2007 Equity Incentive Plan and a written restricted stock award
agreement to be entered into by and between Executive and the
Company.
(e)
Signing
Bonus . Executive will
receive a $350,000 signing bonus payable within 5 business days of
his commencing employment with the Company.
(f)
Deferred
Compensation . Executive will be
eligible to participate in the Company’s 2007 Senior
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan in accordance with its terms,
as may be amended and in effect from time to time.
(g)
Employee
Benefits . Executive will be
entitled to participate in all employee benefit plans and programs
generally available to and on terms no less favorable than
executive employees of the Company, to the extent that Executive
meets the eligibility requirements for each individual plan or
program. Executive’s participation in any plan or
program will be subject to the provisions, rules, and regulations
of, or applicable to, the plan or program. The Company
provides no assurance as to the adoption or continuation of any
particular employee benefit plan or program.
(h)
Business
Expenses . The Company will
reimburse Executive for all reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket
business, travel, and entertainment expenses incurred
by
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Executive in the performance
of Executive’s duties and responsibilities to the Company
during Executive’s employment under this Agreement.
Such reimbursement shall be subject to the Company’s normal
policies and procedures for expense verification, documentation,
and reimbursement; provided, however, that Executive shall submit
verification of expenses within 45 days after the date the expense
was incurred, and the Company shall reimburse Executive for such
expenses eligible for reimbursement within 30 days
thereafter. The right to reimbursement hereunder is not
subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit, and the
amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement in a calendar year
shall not affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement in any
other calendar year.
(i)
Vacation
Time . Executive shall be
entitled to 25 days of paid vacation per year.
(j)
Relocation
Benefits . The Company will
provide Executive with a relocation package with respect to
reasonable costs associated with relocating from the London,
England metropolitan area to the Boulder, Colorado metropolitan
area. If Executive does not commence employment or he
terminates his employment with the Company within one year of his
start date as an employee of the Company, Executive shall reimburse
the Company for a pro-rata share of all relocation expenditures
made by the Company pursuant to this Section 3(j). As an
example: If Executive completes six months of service prior to
terminating his employment with the Company, he shall reimburse the
Company for 50% of all relocation expenditures (6 months = 50%
pro-rata share). Such package shall include:
(i)
Payment to an agreed upon vendor for
reasonable costs of packing, moving and unpacking the household
goods, automobiles and personal effects of Executive and
Executive’s immediate family from the London, England
metropolitan area to the Boulder, Colorado metropolitan
area.
(ii)
Payment of rental costs for
reasonably acceptable temporary housing in the Boulder, Colorado
metropolitan area for Executive and Executive’s immediate
family for up to 12 months while Executive searches for a permanent
residence in the Boulder, Colorado metropolitan area.
(iii)
Executive shall submit invoices,
receipts or other appropriate documentation of each expense under
this Section 3(j) within 30 days after such expense is
incurred, and the Company will pay such reimbursements to
Executive, or directly to a vendor, within 30 days
thereafter.
4.
CONFIDENTIAL
INFORMATION . Except as authorized
in writing by the Board or as necessary in carrying out
Executive’s responsibilities for the Company, Executive will
not at any time divulge, furnish, or make accessible to anyone or
use in any way, any confidential, proprietary, or secret knowledge
or information of the Company that Executive has acquired or will
acquire about the Company, whether developed by himself or by
others, concerning (a) any trade secrets, (b) any
confidential, proprietary, or secret designs, inventions,
discoveries, programs, processes, formulae, plans, devices, or
material (whether or not patented or patentable) directly or
indirectly useful in any aspect of the business of the Company,
(c) any
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confidential, proprietary,
or secret customer or supplier lists, (d) any confidential,
proprietary, or secret development or research work, (e) any
strategic or other confidential business, marketing, or sales
plans, systems or techniques, (f) any confidential,
proprietary, or secret financial data or plans, or (g) any
other confidential or proprietary information or secret aspects of
the business of the Company. Executive acknowledges that the
above-described knowledge and information constitute a unique and
valuable asset of the Company and represent a substantial
investment of time and expense by the Company, and that any
disclosure or other use of such knowledge or information other than
for the sole benefit of the Company would be wrongful and would
cause irreparable harm to the Company. Executive will refrain
from intentionally committing any acts that would materially
reduce, and shall take reasonable steps to protect, the value of
such knowledge or information to the Company. The foregoing
obligations of confidentiality shall not apply to any knowledge or
information that (i) is now or subsequently becomes generally
publicly known, other than as a direct or indirect result of the
breach by Executive of this Agreement, (ii) is independently
made available to Executive in good faith by a third party who has
not violated a confidential relationship with the Company, or
(iii) is required to be disclosed by law or legal
process. Executive understands and agrees that
Executive’s obligations under this Agreement to maintain the
confidentiality of the Company’s confidential information are
in addition to any obligations of Executive under applicable
statutory or common law.
5.
VENTURES
. If,
during Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive
participates in the planning or implementing of any project,
program, or venture involving the Company, all rights in such
project, program, or venture belong to the Company. Except as
approved in writing by the Board, Executive will not be entitled to
any interest in any such project, program, or venture or to any
commission, finder’s fee, or other compensation in connection
therewith. Executive will have no interest, direct or
indirect, in any customer or supplier that conducts business with
the Company, provided, however, that prior to commencing employment
with the Company, Executive has disclosed in writing to the
Company, his interest in certain entities that, at some time, may
be interested in conducting business with the Company.
Executive is under no obligation to divest himself of such
interest. Executive agrees that, if any such entities desire
to conduct business with the Company, Executive shall exclude
himself from any such dealings, shall not participate in any
decision regarding whether to engage in such a relationship, and
shall not engage in conversation with the decision makers at the
Company regarding the advisability of such a
relationship.
6.
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY .
(a)
Disclosure and
Assignment .
Executive hereby transfers and assigns to the Company (or its
designee) all right, title, and interest of Executive in and to
every idea, concept, invention, and improvement (whether patented,
patentable or not) conceived or reduced to practice by Executive
whether solely or in collaboration with others while Executive is
employed by the Company, and all copyrighted or copyrightable
matter created by Executive whether solely or in collaboration with
others while Executive is employed by the Company, in each case,
that relates to the Company’s business (collectively,
“Creations”). Executive shall communicate
promptly and disclose to the Company, in such form as the Company
may request, all information, details, and data pertaining to each
Creation. Every copyrightable Creation, regardless of whether
copyright protection is sought or preserved by the Company, shall
be a
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“work made for hire” as defined in
17 U.S.C. § 101, and the Company shall own all
rights in and to such matter throughout the world, without the
payment of any royalty or other consideration to Executive or
anyone claiming through Executive.
(b)
Trademarks
. All right, title, and
interest in and to any and all trademarks, trade names, service
marks, and logos adopted, used, or considered for use by the
Company during Executive’s employment (whether or not
developed by Executive) to identify the Company’s business or
other goods or services (collectively, the “Marks”),
together with the goodwill appurtenant thereto, and all other
materials, ideas, or other property conceived, created, developed,
adopted, or improved by Executive solely or jointly during
Executive’s employment by the Company and relating to its
business shall be owned exclusively by the Company. Executive
shall not have, and will not claim to have, any right, title, or
interest of any kind in or to the Marks or such other
property.
7.
NONCOMPETITION
AND NONSOLICITATION COVENANTS .
(a)
Agreement Not
to Compete . During
Executive’s employment with the Company and for a period of 8
consecutive months from and after the termination of
Executive’s employment, whether such termination is with or
without Cause, or is at the instance of Executive or the Company,
Executive will not, directly or indirectly, in any manner or
capacity, including without limitation as a proprietor, principal,
agent, partner, officer, director, investor, stockholder, employee,
mem
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