January 1, 2005
Mr. Jeffrey S. Sperber
3378 Soaring Eagle Lane
Castle Rock, CO 80109
Dear Jeff:
This letter agreement ("Agreement") will confirm your employment
("Executive" or "you") with Osmotics Pharma, Inc. (the
"Corporation"), under the following terms and conditions and for
the following consideration:
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1.
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Term and Compensation . (a) This Agreement shall continue
for a two year period, except the term shall be automatically
renewed for a period of one year on each expiration date
("Employment Term") unless either party provides three months
written notice of non-renewal to the other party.
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(a)
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Executive shall be paid $175,000 per year (the "Base Salary"),
payable on a bi-monthly basis in arrears. The Base Salary may be
increased from time to time as determined by the Compensation
Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Committee"). Such salary
shall be effective upon the Corporation completing a Minimum
Financing Transaction. A Minimum Financing Transaction is defined
as a single or series of transactions that take place subsequent to
the date of this Agreement whereby the Corporation raises at least
$4 million in gross proceeds. A Minimum Financing Transaction may
consist of, or a combination of, the sale of equity or debt, the
exercise of warrants or proceeds received under a licensing
agreement. From the date of this Agreement until such time that the
Minimum Financing Transaction is completed, Executive shall be paid
the interim salary of $144,000, payable on a bi-monthly basis in
arrears.
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(b)
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Executive shall be entitled to an annual cash performance bonus
of up to 50% of the Base Salary (the "Performance Bonus") based on
annual target performance objectives approved by the Committee. The
bonus target may be raised during the Employment Term at the
discretion of the Committee. The bonus will only be earned and
payable in the event that the Corporation completes a Minimum
Financing Transaction. The Compensation Committee of the Board
shall be responsible for determining annual bonuses and shall make
such determination on or before December 15 th of each
fiscal year. Bonuses earned in any fiscal year shall be paid in
full on or before March 15 th of the following fiscal
year (e.g. bonus earned in FY'05 shall be paid no later than March
15, 2006).
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(c)
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Executive currently holds options to purchase 400,000 shares of
the Corporation's common stock and options to purchase 750,000
shares of common stock of Osmotics Corporation, all as evidenced by
formal option agreements. From time to time, at the discretion of
the Committee, Executive may be eligible for additional stock
option grants and/or other equity incentive awards.
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2.
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Position and Responsibilities. Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, the Corporation hereby engages and
employs you, and you hereby accept engagement and employment as the
Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation. Your responsibilities
and authority will be consistent with those customarily assigned to
a senior executive holding the title of Chief Financial Officer
including, but not limited to, overall responsibility for the
finances and accounting of the Corporation, overall responsibility
for financial reporting; overall responsibility for treasury and
taxation; overall responsibility for financial planning and
analysis; any other projects or responsibilities as determined by
the CEO of the Corporation. The Executive's employment shall be on
substantially a full-time basis, and the Executive shall spend such
time as may reasonably be necessary, including being on call when
out of the office to fully and adequately perform his duties as
customarily understood and assigned by the Board of Directors.
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3.
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Vacation. Executive shall be entitled to four (4) weeks
of paid vacation during each calendar year.
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4.
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Non-Competition. As of the date of this Agreement, the
Corporation's business areas include: (1) the development and sale
of prescription barrier repair skin care products; and (2) the
development and sale of products based on technology in-licensed
from Brigham Young University which may have applications as
antibiotic, antiviral and anti-cancer agents. Executive understands
and recognizes that his services to the Corporation are special and
unique and agrees that, during the Employment Term, and for a
period of twelve (12) months from the date of termination of the
Employment Term, Executive shall not in any manner directly or
indirectly, on behalf of Executive or any person, firm,
partnership, joint venture, corporation or other business entity
("Person"), enter into, engage in or consult for any commercial
business that directly competes with the Corporation (the
"Restricted Business") within the geographic area of the
Corporation's business. In the event that at the time the
restriction applies the Corporation is no longer actively engaged
in one or more of its business areas (as outlined above), then the
Executive shall not be restricted from engaging in such line of
business. However, nothing shall prevent the Executive from
purchasing shares of any company in the public market or for
working for a company that conducts a Restricted Business, so long
as Executive is not performing work which is directly competitive
to the Corporation's business areas. Executive acknowledges and
agrees that given the services to be provided hereunder that this
non-compete clause is reasonable.
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5.
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Confidential Information . Executive agrees that during
the course of the Employment Term, and at any time after
termination, Executive will keep in strictest confidence and will
not disclose or make accessible to any other person without prior
written consent of the Corporation, the Corporation's products,
services, business plan, manner of doing business and technology,
both current and under development, promotion, marketing and
educational programs, customer and other lists, trade secrets and
other confidential information and proprietary business information
of the Corporation or any of its clients and third parties
including, without limitation, Proprietary Information (as defined
in Section 6) (all the foregoing collectively being referred to
herein as the "Confidential Information"). Executive agrees (i) not
to use any such Confidential Information for himself or others,
(ii) not to disclose or publish any of the Confidential Information
and (iii) not to take any such material or reproductions thereof
from the Corporation's facilities at any time during the Employment
Term, except, in each case, as required in connection with
Executive's duties to the Corporation. Upon written notice by the
Corporation, Executive shall promptly redeliver to the Corporation,
or, if requested by the Corporation, promptly destroy all written
or electronic Confidential Information and any other written or
electronic material containing any information included in the
Confidential Information, and will not retain any copies, extracts
or other reproductions in whole or in part of such written or
electronic Confidential Information (and upon request certify such
redelivery or destruction to the Corporation in a written
instrument reasonably acceptable to the Corporation and its
counsel). Confidential Information shall not include information or
materials which becomes publicly known through no fault of the
Executive.
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6.
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Ownership of Proprietary Information. Executive agrees
that all information, materials and/or inventions created,
discovered or developed by Executive during the term of this
Agreement (collectively, the "Inventions"), by the Corporation, its
subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors, or made known to the
Corporation or any of its affiliates by Executive during the
Employment Term, and information relating to the Corporation's
customers, suppliers, consultants, and licensees, and/or in which
property rights have been assigned or otherwise conveyed to the
Corporation or any of its affiliates ("Proprietary Information"),
shall be the sole property of the Corporation or affiliates, as
applicable, and the Corporation or the affiliates, as the case may
be, shall be the sole owner of all patents, copyrights and other
rights in connection therewith, including without limitation the
right to make application for statutory protection.
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7.
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Non-Solicitation . During the Employment Term, and for
one (1) year thereafter, Executive shall not, directly or
indirectly, without prior written consent of the Corporation: (a)
interfere with, disrupt or attempt to disrupt any past, present or
prospective relationship, contractual or otherwise, between the
Corporation and any of its licensees, clients, customers,
suppliers, employees, consultants or other related parties, or (b)
solicit or induce to hire any of the employees, agents, consultants
or advisors of the Corporation, within six (6) months of the
termination of said individuals employment or retention by the
Corporation; provided, however, that this prohibition shall not
apply to consultants or advisors so long as Executive is not in
violation of this non-compete agreement and such consultant or
advisor do not terminate their relationship with the Corporation as
a result of such consultant's or advisor's involvement with the
Executive, or (c) solicit or accept employment or be retained by
any party who, at any time during the Employment Term, was a
customer or supplier of the Corporation or any of its affiliates or
any licensor or licensee thereof where such person's position will
be related to a Restricted Business, or (d) solicit or accept the
business of any customer or supplier of the Corporation or any
affiliate of the Corpora
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