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EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made
and entered into as of September 19, 2007 between QUEST MIDSTREAM
GP, LLC (the “Company”), and Richard E. Muncrief
(“Employee”).
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1.
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Agreement to Employ; Term; Duties
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a.
Agreement to Employ .
The Company hereby employs Employee and Employee hereby accepts
employment upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.
Employee will serve as President and Chief Operating Officer of the
Company.
b.
Term . Unless earlier
terminated by either party as provided in Section 4 or 5 hereof,
this Agreement shall commence on September 19, 2007, and shall
continue for a period of three years thereafter until September 19,
2010 (the “Initial Term”). Upon the expiration of the
Initial Term, this Agreement shall automatically continue in effect
for successive one year terms (each a “Renewal Term”)
unless terminated by either party by providing written Notice of
Termination (as provided in Section 6) not less than 120 days prior
to the end of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term.
c.
Duties . During the
Initial Term and any Renewal Term, Employee agrees he will: (i) to
the satisfaction of the Company, devote his best efforts and his
entire business time to promote the interests of the Company and
perform the functions of his position in a professional, ethical
and business like manner; (ii) at all times be subject to the
direction and control of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company
with respect to his activities on behalf of the Company; (iii)
comply with all lawful 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; (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; and (vi)
perform such other duties as may be requested or assigned to him
from time to time by the Company.
a.
Base Salary . For all
services to be rendered by Employee, the Company shall pay Employee
a salary at the rate of Three Hundred Forty-Two Thousand Five
Hundred Dollars ($342,500) per year. The salary (less applicable
payroll withholdings) shall be paid in installments of equal
frequency in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll
practices but in no event less than once per month.
b.
Incentive Bonus Compensation/Stock
Options . Employee shall be entitled to
participate in an incentive bonus plan or program (“Bonus
Plan”) with a maximum potential amount of up to 100% of Base
Salary, as such plan or program is established annually by the
Board of Directors (the “Board”) or the compensation
committee of the Board (“Compensation Committee”).
Employee’s actual bonus level will be contingent 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
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acknowledges that actual payouts under the Bonus
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.
MLP Bonus Units . The
Company will issue to Employee a total of 75,000 common units
(“Bonus Units”) of Quest Midstream, L.P. (the
“MLP”). Such Bonus Units to be issued and to vest in
accordance with the following schedule: (1) the later to occur of a
Liquidity Event or one year of employment – 25,000 Bonus
Units; (2) the later to occur of a Liquidity Event or two years of
employment – 25,000 Bonus Units; and (3) the later to occur
of a Liquidity Event or three years of employment – 25,000
Bonus Units. Notwithstanding the foregoing vesting schedule, the
Company shall also pay Employee, at the same time as any
distributions are paid on the common units of the MLP, an amount
equal to the distribution that would have been paid on any unvested
(and unforfeited) Bonus Units if such Bonus Units had been vested
and issued. If the Company terminates Employee’s employment
other than for Cause (as “Cause” is defined in Section
5(a) herein) or if Employee terminates his employment with Good
Reason (as “Good Reason” is defined in Section 4(b)
herein), all Bonus Units not vested at the time of such termination
shall become immediately vested and will be issued promptly. If
Employee’s employment terminates for any other reason prior
to such time that the Bonus Units are fully vested, any unvested
Bonus Units shall be forfeited.
For purposes of this section, a “Liquidity
Event” means the expiration of any “lock-up
agreement” entered into by Employee in connection with an
Initial Public Offering (as defined in the Amended and Restated
Agreement of Limited Partnership of the MLP dated as of December
22, 2006).
d.
Restricted Stock Grant . The Company will grant Employee 40,000 restricted shares of
the Company’s parent corporation, Quest Resource Corporation
(“Parent”) pursuant to the terms of the Parent’s
2005 Omnibus Stock Award Plan and the applicable Restricted Stock
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:
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Applicable Vesting Date
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Number of Restricted Shares Becoming
Vested
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9/19/2008
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13,333 Shares
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9/19/2009
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13,333 Shares
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9/19/2010
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13,333 Shares
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e.
Withholding . The
Company shall deduct from all compensation paid to Employee
pursuant to this Agreement any sums for income tax, unemployment
insurance, social security or any other withholding required by law
or other requirement of any governmental body. Upon issuance of any
of the Bonus Units, Employee shall pay to the Company the amount
required to be withheld by the Company in connection with such
issuance. Alternatively, at the Company’s election, the
Company may withhold from any Bonus Units to be issued an amount of
Bonus Units required to satisfy any withholding requirements with
respect to the vesting of
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such Bonus Units; provided, however, that if
Employee’s employment with the Company is terminated without
Cause and Employee would not be able under applicable securities
laws to immediately sell a sufficient number of the Bonus Units to
satisfy such withholding obligation, the Company shall withhold an
amount of Bonus Units required to satisfy any withholding
requirements with respect to the vesting of such Bonus Units from
the Bonus Units to be issued.
3.
Employee Benefits .
Employee shall be entitled, during his employment hereunder, to
receive and participate in employee benefit plans or programs
available to senior 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.
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 senior executives
from time to time.
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4.
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Termination of Employment by Employee
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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. Employee hereby agrees to
assist in the training of his replacement, if requested. In such
event, Employee shall be entitled only to the compensation and
benefits that accrued and vested through the date of his
termination.
b.
With Good Reason . The
Employee may terminate this Agreement with “Good
Reason.” 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 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;
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(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 ½ 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 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which for
this purpose includes any surrounding communities within a 30 miles
radius of Oklahoma City and the understanding that substantial
travel may be required for Employee’s position; or (iii) a
substantial and adverse change in Employee’s duties or
responsibilities; provided, however, that (1) 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 his health should become
impaired to an extent that makes the continued performance of his
duties hereunder hazardous to his physical or mental health or his
life; provided, that Employee shall have furnished the Company with
a written statement from a qualified doctor to such effect. In the
event this Agreement is terminated as a result of Employee’s
disability, (i) 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 Three Hundred Forty-Two Thousand
Five Hundred Dollars ($342,500), and (ii) all compensation and
benefits that accrued and vested as of the date of his termination.
If Employee is a Specified Employee,
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all cash amounts due under this Section 4(c) shall
be payable to Employee in a lump-sum cash payment on the first day
following the six-month anniversary of the date of Employee’s
termination of employment.
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5.
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Termination of Employment by the
Company .
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a.
Without Cause . The
Company may terminate Employee’s employment under this
Agreement at any time without cause upon Notice of Termination. In
such event, the Company shall:
(1) Fully
vest Employee in his accrued benefits under each Company employee
benefit plan intended to be qualified under Code Section
401(a);
(2) 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 and (B) a portion of the
severance payments provided for in the prior sentence are Excess
Separation Payments, then, the Excess Separation Payments shall be
paid in the same manner as provided above in Section
4(b)(1);
(3) 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 (but in no event later than 2
½ 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
(4) Pay
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.
Employee will cease to be an employee of the Company
as of the date Notice of Termination is given, and he will not
receive or accrue any benefits of employment after such termination
of employment except as provided herein.
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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 h
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