Exhibit 10.7
STEVEN A. GRIGG
FORM OF EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this
“ Agreement ”) is dated as of December 20, 2005,
by and between REPUBLIC PROPERTY TRUST, a Maryland real estate
investment trust (the “ Company ”), and Steven
A. Grigg (the “ Executive ”).
WHEREAS, the Company and Republic
Property Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership and
wholly owned operating partnership subsidiary of the Company (the
“ Operating Partnership ”), are engaging in
various related transactions pursuant to which, among other things,
(i) the Operating Partnership would acquire interests in
various limited liability companies that own real estate
properties, and (ii) the Company would effect an initial
public offering of its common shares of beneficial interest, par
value $0.01 per share, and contribute the proceeds therefrom for a
like number of units of partnership interest in the Operating
Partnership (the “ IPO ”, and together with the
other transactions in connection therewith, the “ IPO
Transactions ”);
WHEREAS, the Executive is currently
employed by the Company; and
WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO
Transactions, the Company wishes to offer employment to the
Executive, and the Executive wishes to accept such offer, on the
terms set forth below.
Accordingly, the parties hereto
agree as follows:
1.
Term . The Company hereby employs the
Executive, and the Executive hereby accepts such employment for an
initial term commencing as of the date hereof and ending on
December 31, 2009, unless sooner terminated in accordance with
the provisions of Section 4 or Section 5 (the period
during which the Executive is employed hereunder being hereinafter
referred to as the “ Term ”). The Term
shall be subject to automatic one-year renewals unless either party
hereto notifies the other, in accordance with Section 7.4, of
non-renewal at least ninety (90) days prior to the end of any such
Term. Notwithstanding the employment of the Executive by the
Company, the Company shall be entitled to pay the Executive from
the payroll of any subsidiary of the Company.
2.
Duties . The Executive, in his capacity as
President and Chief Development Officer shall, unless the Board of
Trustees of the Company (the “ Board ”)
determines otherwise, report directly to the Company’s Chief
Executive Officer Mark R. Keller (or his successor) and faithfully
perform for the Company the duties of said office and shall perform
such other duties of an executive, managerial or administrative
nature as shall be specified and designated from time to time by
the Board of Trustees of the Company (the “ Board
”) (including the performance of services for, and serving on
the Board of Directors of, any subsidiary or affiliate of the
Company without any additional compensation). The Executive
shall devote substantially all of the Executive’s business
time and effort to the performance of the Executive’s duties
hereunder, provided that in no event shall this sentence prohibit
the Executive from performing other activities, whether personal,
charitable or business, so long as such activities do not
materially and adversely interfere with the Executive’s
duties for the Company and do not violate the provisions
of the Noncompetition Agreement
executed by the Executive and the Company. The Board may
delegate its authority to take any action under this Agreement to
the Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees (the “
Compensation Committee ”).
3.
Compensation
.
3.1
Salary . The Company shall pay the Executive
during the Term a base salary at the rate of $350,000 per annum
(the “ Annual Salary ”), in accordance with the
customary payroll practices of the Company applicable to senior
executives generally. The Annual Salary may be increased
annually by an amount as may be approved by the Board or the
Compensation Committee, and, upon such increase, the increased
amount shall thereafter be deemed to be the Annual Salary for
purposes of this Agreement.
3.2
Bonus . The Executive will be
eligible to participate in the Company’s annual bonus plan
(the “ Bonus
Plan ”), the terms of which
will be established by the Compensation Committee. For each
fiscal year, the Executive shall have the opportunity to earn a
bonus determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, taking
into consideration the relative contribution by the Executive to
the business of the Company and such other performance goals and
factors as the Committee deems relevant with the following targets:
threshold target – 50% of Salary;
target – 80% of Salary; and above target –
100% of salary; provided, however that, no minimum bonus amount is
guaranteed.
3.3
Share-Based
Compensation—IPO Award . The Executive may be
awarded such restricted shares, share options and other
equity-based awards under the Company’s equity compensation
plan (“ Equity
Awards ”) as the Compensation
Committee determines to be appropriate.
3.4
Benefits – In
Genera l. The
Executive shall be permitted during the Term to participate in any
group life, hospitalization or disability insurance plans, health
programs, pension and profit sharing plans and similar benefits
that may be available to members of executive management of the
Company generally, on the same terms as may be applicable to such
other executives, in each case to the extent that the Executive is
eligible under the terms of such plans or programs. During
the Term, the Company shall maintain customary liability insurance
for trustees and officers and list the Executive as a covered
officer.
With respect to each such benefit
plan and program, service with the Company or any of its affiliates
(as applicable) shall be included for purposes of determining
eligibility to participate (including waiting periods, and without
being subject to any entry date requirement after the waiting
period has been satisfied), vesting (as applicable) and entitlement
to benefits. The medical plan or plans maintained by the Company
shall waive all limitations as to pre-existing conditions,
exclusions and waiting periods with respect to participation and
coverage requirements. With respect to vacation benefits provided
by the Company, the vacation benefit of Executive shall include all
hours of accrued but unused vacation and sick time hours,
respectively, with the Company or any of its affiliates.
3.5
Vacation . During the Term, the Executive shall be
entitled to vacation of four (4) weeks per year.
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3.6
Expenses . The Company shall pay or reimburse the
Executive for all ordinary and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses
actually incurred (and, in the case of reimbursement, paid) by the
Executive during the Term in the performance of the
Executive’s services under this Agreement; provided that the
Executive submits such expenses in accordance with the policies
applicable to senior executives of the Company
generally.
4.
Termination upon Death or
Disability . If the
Executive dies during the Term, the obligations of the Company to
or with respect to the Executive shall terminate in their entirety
except as otherwise provided under this Section 4. If
the Executive becomes eligible for disability benefits under the
Company’s long-term disability plans and arrangements (or, if
none apply, would have been so eligible under the most recent plan
or arrangement), the Company shall have the right, to the extent
permitted by law, to terminate the employment of the Executive upon
notice in writing to the Executive and such termination in and of
itself shall not be, nor shall it be deemed to be, a breach of this
Agreement; provided, that, the Company will have no right to
terminate the Executive’s employment if, in the opinion of a
qualified physician reasonably acceptable to the Company, it is
reasonably certain that the Executive will be able to resume the
Executive’s duties on a regular full-time basis within 90
days of the date the Executive receives notice of such
termination.
Upon death or other termination of
employment by virtue of disability (i) the Executive (or the
Executive’s estate or beneficiaries in the case of the death
of the Executive) shall have no right to receive any compensation
or benefit hereunder on and after the Effective Date of the
Termination other than Annual Salary earned and accrued under this
Agreement prior to the Effective Date of the Termination, any bonus
for the prior year not yet paid, and other benefits, including
payment for accrued but unused vacation, earned and accrued under
this Agreement prior to the Effective Date of the Termination (and
reimbursement under this Agreement for expenses incurred but not
paid prior to the Effective Date of the Termination) and an amount
equal to the product of (x) the Executive’s Target Annual
Bonus (hereafter defined) for the fiscal year of the
Executive’s death or disability and (y) a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of days in the current fiscal year
through the Effective Date of the Termination, and the denominator
of which is 365; (ii) all Equity Awards held by the Executive
shall become fully vested and exercisable; and (iii) this
Agreement shall otherwise terminate upon the Effective Date of the
Termination and there shall be no further rights with respect to
the Executive hereunder (except as provided in
Section 7.13). For purposes of this Section 4,
(i) the “ Effective Date of the Termination
” shall mean the date of death or the date on which a notice
of termination by virtue of disability is given or any later date
(within thirty (30) days after the giving of such notice) set forth
in such notice of termination, and (ii) “ Target
Annual Bonus” shall mean 80% of the Executive’s
Salary.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Executive acknowledges and agrees that the payments set forth in
this Section 4 constitute liquidated damages for termination
of his employment during the Term upon death or by virtue of
disability.
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5.
Other Terminations of
Employment .
5.1
Termination for Cause;
Termination of Employment by the Executive Without Good
Reason .
(a)
For purposes of this Agreement,
“ Cause ” shall mean:
(i)
the Executive’s conviction for
(or pleading nolo contendere to) any felony;
(ii)
the Executive’s commission of
an act of fraud, theft or dishonesty related to the business of the
Company or its affiliates or the performance of the
Executive’s duties hereunder;
(iii)
the willful and continuing failure
or habitual neglect by the Executive to perform the
Executive’s duties hereunder;
(iv)
any material violation by the
Executive of the covenants contained in Section 6 or that
certain Non-Competition Agreement dated as of the date hereof
between the Executive and the Company (the
“Non-Competition Agreement” ); or
(v)
the Executive’s willful and
continuing material breach of this Agreement.
For purposes of this
Section 5.1, no act, or failure to act, by Executive shall be
considered “willful” unless committed in bad faith and
without a reasonable belief that the act or omission was in the
best interests of the Company or its subsidiaries.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if there exists (without regard to
this sentence) an event or condition that constitutes Cause under
clause (iii), (iv) or (v) above, the Executive shall have
30 days from the date written notice is given by the Company of
such event or condition to cure such event or condition and, if the
Executive does so, such event or condition shall not constitute
Cause hereunder.
(b)
For purposes of this Agreement,
“ Good Reason ” shall mean, unless otherwise
consented to by the Executive:
(i)
the material reduction of the
Executive’s authority, duties and responsibilities, or the
assignment to the Executive of duties materially and adversely
inconsistent with the Executive’s position or positions with
the Company and its subsidiaries;
(ii)
a reduction in Annual Salary of the
Executive except in connection with a reduction in compensation
generally applicable to senior management employees of the
Company;
(iii)
the failure by the Company to obtain
an agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the
Executive from any successor to the business of the Company to
assume and agree to perform this Agreement;
(iv)
a requirement by the Company that
the Executive’s work location be moved more than fifty (50)
miles from the Company’s principal place of business in
Washington, D.C.; or
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(v)
the Company’s material and
willful breach of this Agreement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if
there exists (without regard to this sentence) an event or
condition that constitutes Good Reason under clause (i), (ii),
(iv) or (v) above, the Company shall have 30 days from
the date on which the Executive gives the written notice thereof to
cure such event or condition and, if the Company does so, such
event or condition shall not constitute Good Reason
hereunder. Further, an event or condition shall cease to
constitute Good Reason one (1) year after the event or
condition first occurs or at any time at which there exists an
event or condition which serves as the basis of a termination of
the Executive’s employment for Cause.
(c)
The Company may terminate the
Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause and such
termination in and of itself shall not be, nor shall it be deemed
to be, a breach of this Agreement. If the Company terminates
the Executive for Cause, (i) the Executive shall have no right
to receive any compensation or benefit hereunder on and after the
Effective Date of the Termination other than Annual Salary and
other benefits, including payment for accrued but unused vacation
(but excluding any bonuses except as provided in the Bonus Plan)
earned and accrued under this Agreement prior to the Effective Date
of the Termination (and reimbursement under this Agreement for
expenses incurred but not paid prior to the Effective Date of the
Termination); and (ii) this Agreement shall otherwise
terminate upon the Effective Date of the Termination and the
Executive shall have no further rights hereunder (except as
provided in Section 7.13). For purposes of this
Section 5.1(c), the “ Effective Date of the
Termination ” shall mean the date on which a notice of
termination is given or any later date (within thirty (30) days
after the giving of such notice) set forth in such notice of
termination.
(d)
The Executive may terminate his
employment without Good Reason. If the Executive terminates
the Executive’s employment with the Company without Good
Reason: (i) the Executive shall have no right to receive any
compensation or benefit hereunder on and after the Effective Date
of the Termination other than Annual Salary and other benefits,
including payment for accrued but unused vacation (but excluding
any bonuses except as provided in the Bonus Plan) earned and
accrued under this Agreement prior to the Effective Date of the
Termination (and reimbursement under this Agreement for expenses
incurred but not paid prior to the Effective Date of the
Termination); and (ii) this Agreement shall otherwise
terminate upon the Effective Date of the Termination and the
Executive shall have no further rights hereunder (except as
provided in Section 7.13). For purposes of this
Section 5.1(d), the “ Effective Date of the
Termination ” shall mean the date on which a notice of
termination is given or any later date (within thirty (30) days
after the giving of such notice) set forth in such notice of
termination.
(e)
In the event the Company elects not
to renew this Agreement as contemplated in Section 1 above,
the Executive shall receive (i) a cash payment equal to one
(1) times the sum of: (x) the Executive’s Annual Salary
in effect on the day of expiration of the Term, and (y) the average
bonus actually paid to the Executive with respect to the prior
three (3) calendar years, payable no later than 30 days after
the day of expiration of the Term; and (ii) all Equity Awards
held by the Executive shall become fully vested and exercisable and
Section 5.2 shall not apply.
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5.2
Termination Without Cause;
Termination for Good Reason . The Company may terminate the
Executive’s employment at any time without Cause, for any
reason or no reason and the Executive may terminate the
Executive’s employment with the Company for Good
Reason. If the Company or the Executive terminates the
Executive’s employment and such termination is not described
in Section 4 or Section 5.1:
(a) the Executive shall have no
right to receive any compensation or benefit hereunder on and after
the Effective Date of the Termination other than Annual Salary
earned and accrued under this Agreement prior to the Effective Date
of the Termination, any bonus for the prior year not yet paid, and
other benefits, including payment for accrued but unused vacation,
earned