Exhibit 10.6
EMPLOYMENT AND NONCOMPETITION
AGREEMENT
This EMPLOYMENT AND NONCOMPETITION
AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made as of the 27th day of
April, 2009, between Jon W. Clark (“Executive”) and GKK
Manager LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the
“Employer”), to be effective as of April 24, 2009
(the “Effective Date”).
1.
Term . The term of this
Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue
through, and terminate on, April 30, 2012 (the “Original
Term”), unless earlier terminated as provided in
Section 6 below. The Original Term shall automatically
be extended for successive one (1) year periods (each a
“Renewal Term”), unless either party gives the other
party at least three (3) months written notice of desire to
negotiate terms and/or non-renewal prior to the expiration of the
then current term. The period of Executive’s employment
hereunder consisting of the Original Term and all Renewal Terms, if
any, is herein referred to as the “Employment
Period.”
2.
Employment and
Duties .
(a)
Duties
. During
the Employment Period, Executive shall be employed in the business
of the Employer and its affiliates. Executive shall serve the
Employer as a senior executive. In addition, Executive shall
serve as Chief Financial Officer of Gramercy Capital Corp.
(“Gramercy”). In his capacity as Chief Financial
Officer, Executive’s duties and authority shall be those as
would normally attach to Executive’s position as Chief
Financial Officer, including such duties and responsibilities as
are customary among persons employed in similar capacities for
similar companies, but in all events such duties shall be
commensurate with his position as Chief Financial Officer of
Gramercy and include, by way of example, review and timely
execution of filings and certifications customarily made by a chief
financial officer of a public company so long as they are true and
accurate in all material respects. Executive’s duties
and authority shall be as further set forth by the
Employer.
(b)
Best
Efforts . Executive agrees to
his employment as described in this Section 2 and agrees to
devote substantially all of his business time and efforts to the
performance of his duties under this Agreement, except as otherwise
approved by the Employer; provided, however, that nothing herein
shall be interpreted to preclude Executive, so long as there is no
material interference with his duties hereunder, from
(i) participating as an officer or director of, or advisor to,
any charitable or other tax exempt organization or otherwise
engaging in charitable, fraternal or trade group activities;
(ii) investing and managing his assets as an investor in other
entities or business ventures; provided that he performs no
management or similar role (or, in the case of investments other
than those in entities or business ventures engaged in the Business
(as defined in Section 8), he performs a management role
comparable to the role that a significant limited partner would
have, but performs no day-to-day management or similar role) with
respect to such entities or ventures and such investment does not
violate Section 8 hereof; and provided, further, that, in any
case in which Executive knows that another party involved in the
investment has a business relationship with the Employer, Executive
shall give prior written notice thereof to the Employer; or
(iii) serving as a member of the Board of Directors of a
for-profit corporation with the approval of the
Employer.
(c)
Travel
. In
performing his duties hereunder, Executive shall be available for
all reasonable travel as the needs of the Employer’s business
may require. Executive shall be based in, or within 50 miles
of, Manhattan.
3.
Compensation
and Benefits . In consideration of
Executive’s services hereunder, the Employer shall compensate
Executive as provided in this Agreement, and the Employer shall
have the obligations as set forth herein.
(a)
Base
Salary . The Employer shall
pay Executive a minimum annual salary at the rate of $225,000 per
annum during the Employment Period (“Base
Salary”). Base Salary shall be payable bi-weekly in
accordance with the Employer’s normal business practices and
shall be reviewed by the Employer at least annually.
Incentive
Compensation Bonuses . In addition to Base
Salary, during the Employment Period, Executive shall be eligible
for and shall receive from the Employer such discretionary annual
bonuses as the Employer, in its sole discretion, may deem
appropriate to reward Executive for job performance. The
target discretionary annual bonus for 2009 shall be at least
$200,000; provided that the actual bonus paid shall be determined
by the Employer, in its sole discretion, based on such factors as
it deems relevant. Any bonuses awarded for a fiscal year
shall be paid after the end of such fiscal year and on or before
the 15 th day of the third month
of the following fiscal year (e.g., a bonus for 2009 will be paid
sometime between January 1, 2010 and March 15,
2010).
(b)
Expenses
. Executive
shall be reimbursed for all reasonable business related expenses
incurred by Executive at the request of or on behalf of the
Employer, provided that such expenses are incurred and accounted
for in accordance with the policies and procedures established by
the Employer. Any expenses incurred during the Employment
Period but not reimbursed by the Employer by the end of the
Employment Period, shall remain the obligation of the Employer to
so reimburse Executive.
(c)
Health and
Welfare Benefit Plans . During the Employment
Period, Executive and Executive’s immediate family shall be
entitled to participate in such health and welfare benefit plans as
the Employer shall maintain from time to time for the benefit of
senior executive officers of the Employer and their families, on
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in such
plan. Nothing in this Section shall limit the
Employer’s right to change or modify or terminate any benefit
plan or program as it sees fit from time to time in the normal
course of business so long as it does so for all senior executives
of the Employer.
(d)
Vacations
. Executive
shall be entitled to paid vacations in accordance with the then
regular procedures of the Employer governing senior executive
officers, except that Executive shall be credited with a minimum of
20 vacation days per calendar year, pro-rated for any partial
year. The Employer will pay Executive for unused accrued
vacation upon termination of his employment.
(e)
Other
Benefits . During the Employment
Period, the Employer shall provide to Executive such other benefits
as are generally made available to other senior executives of the
Employer; provided that it is acknowledged that the
Employer’s Chief Executive Officer and President may be
provided with additional benefits not made available to
Executive.
4.
Indemnification and Liability
Insurance . The Employer agrees
to indemnify Executive to the full extent permitted by applicable
law, as the same exists and may hereafter be amended, from and
against any and all losses, damages, claims, liabilities and
expenses asserted against, or incurred or suffered by, Executive
(including the costs and expenses of legal counsel retained by the
Employer to defend Executive and judgments, fines and amounts paid
in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or imposed on
such indemnified party) with respect to any action, suit or
proceeding, whether civil,
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criminal administrative or
investigative (a “Proceeding”) in which Executive is
made a party or threatened to be made a party or is otherwise
involved, either with regard to his entering into this Agreement
with the Employer or in his capacity as an officer or director, or
former officer or director of the Employer, Gramercy or any
affiliate thereof for which he may serve in such capacity.
The Employer also agrees to secure promptly and maintain officers
and directors liability insurance providing coverage for Executive,
with such coverage to be reasonably comparable to the coverage
provided for the other senior executives of Employer and
Gramercy. The provisions of this Section 4 shall remain
in effect after this Agreement is terminated irrespective of the
reasons for termination.
5.
Employer’s
Policies . Executive agrees to
observe and comply with the reasonable written rules and
regulations of the Employer regarding the performance of his duties
and to carry out and perform orders, directions and policies
communicated to him from time to time by the Employer, so long as
same are otherwise consistent with this Agreement.
6.
Termination
.
Executive’s employment hereunder may be terminated under the
following circumstances:
(a)
Termination by
the Employer .
(i)
Death . Executive’s
employment hereunder shall terminate upon his death.
(ii)
Disability
. If, as a
result of Executive’s incapacity due to physical or mental
illness or disability, Executive shall have been incapable of
performing his duties hereunder even with a reasonable
accommodation on a full-time basis for the entire period of four
consecutive months or any 120 days in a 180-day period, and within
30 days after written Notice of Termination (as defined in
Section 6(d)) is given he shall not have returned to the
performance of Executive’s duties hereunder on a full-time
basis, the Employer may terminate Executive’s employment
hereunder.
(iii)
Cause . The Employer may
terminate Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause.
For purposes of this Agreement, “Cause” shall mean
Executive’s: (A) engaging in conduct which is a
felony; (B) material breach of any of his obligations under
Sections 8(a) through 8(e) of this Agreement;
(C) willful misconduct of a material nature or gross
negligence with regard to the Employer or Gramercy or any of their
affiliates; (D) material fraud with regard to the Employer or
Gramercy or any of their affiliates; (E) willful or material
violation of any reasonable written rule, regulation or policy of
the Employer or Gramercy applicable to senior executives unless
such a violation is cured within 30 days after written notice of
such violation by the Employer or Gramercy; or (F) failure to
competently perform his duties which failure is not cured within 30
days after receiving notice from the Employer specifically
identifying the manner in which Executive has failed to perform (it
being understood that, for this purpose, the manner and level of
Executive’s performance shall not be determined based on the
financial performance (including without limitation the performance
of the stock of Gramercy) of the Employer or Gramercy).
(iv)
Without
Cause . Executive’s
employment hereunder may be terminated by the Employer at any time
without Cause (as defined in Section 6(a)(iii) above),
subject only to the severance provisions specifically set forth in
Section 7.
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(b)
Termination by
Executive .
(i)
Disability
. Executive
may terminate his employment hereunder for Disability within the
meaning of Section 6(a)(ii) above.
(ii)
With Good
Reason . Executive’s
employment hereunder may be terminated by Executive with Good
Reason effective immediately by written notice to the Employer
providing at least ten (10) days notice prior to such
termination. For purposes of this Agreement, termination with
“Good Reason” shall mean termination
following:
(A)
a material change
in Executive’s duties, responsibilities, status or positions
with the Employer that does not represent a promotion from or
maintaining of Executive’s duties, responsibilities, status
or positions (which material change, so long as Executive is the
Chief Financial Officer of Gramercy, shall include the appointment
of another person as co-Chief Financial Officer of Gramercy),
except in connection with the (a) termination of
Executive’s employment for Cause, disability, retirement or
death or (b) the appointment by Gramercy of a person other
than the Executive as Gramercy’s Principal Financial Officer
for SEC reporting purposes so long as such person has a title other
than Chief Financial Officer for corporate purposes;
(B)
a failure by the
Employer to pay compensation when due in accordance with the
provisions of Section 3, which failure has not been cured
within 10 business days after the notice of the failure (specifying
the same) has been given by Executive to the Employer;
(C)
a material breach
by the Employer of any provision of this Agreement, which breach
has not been cured within 30 days after notice of noncompliance
(specifying the nature of the noncompliance) has been given by
Executive to the Employer;
(D)
the Employer
requiring Executive to be based in an office more than 50 miles
outside of Manhattan;
(E)
a reduction by
the Employer in Executive’s Base Salary to less than the
minimum Base Salary set forth in Section 3(a);
(F)
the failure by
the Employer to continue in effect an equity award program or other
substantially similar program under which Executive is eligible to
receive awards;
(G)
a material
reduction in Executive’s benefits under any benefit plan
(other than an equity award program) compared to those currently
received (other than in connection with and proportionate to the
reduction of the benefits received by all or most senior executives
or undertaken in order to maintain such plan in compliance with any
federal, state or local law or regulation governing benefits plans,
including, but not limited to, the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974); or
(H)
the failure by
the Employer to obtain from any successor to the Employer an
agreement to be bound by this Agreement pursuant to Section 15
hereof, which has not been cured within 30 days after the notice of
the failure (specifying the same) has been given by Executive to
the Employer.
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(iii)
Without Good
Reason . Executive shall have
the right to terminate his employment hereunder without Good
Reason, subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
(c)
Definitions
. The
following terms shall be defined as set forth below.
(i)
A
“Change-in-Control” shall be deemed to have occurred
if:
(A)
any
“person,” including a “group” (as such
terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the
Exchange Act, but excluding the Employer, SL Green Realty Corp. (or
a successor thereto that directly or indirectly acquires all or
substantially all of the assets of SL Green Realty Corp., whether
by merger, consolidation, asset acquisition or otherwise)
(“SL Green”), any entity controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the Employer, or SL Green, any trustee,
fiduciary or other person or entity holding securities under any
employee benefit plan or trust of the Employer, Gramercy, SL Green
or any such entity, and Executive and any “group” (as
such term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange
Act) of which Executive is a member), is or becomes the
“beneficial owner” (as defined in
Rule 13(d)(3) under the Exchange Act), directly or
indirectly, of securities of Gramercy representing 25% or more of
either (1) the combined voting power of Gramercy’s then
outstanding securities or (2) the then outstanding common
stock (or other similar equity interest, in the case of a company
other than a corporation) of Gramercy (in either such case other
than as a result of an acquisition of securities directly from
Gramercy); or
(B)
any consolidation
or merger of Gramercy where the shareholders of Gramercy, as
applicable, immediately prior to the consolidation or merger, would
not, immediately after the consolidation or merger, beneficially
own (as such term is defied in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange
Act), directly or indirectly, shares representing in the aggregate
50% or more of the combined voting power of the securities of the
corporation issuing cash or securities in the consolidation or
merger (or of its ultimate parent corporation, if any);
or
(C)
there shall occur
(1) any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (in one
transaction or a series of transactions contemplated or arranged by
any party as a single plan) of all or substantially all of the
assets of Gramercy, other than a sale or disposition by Gramercy of
all or substantially all of Gramercy’s assets to an entity at
least 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of
which are owned by “persons” (as defined above) in
substantially the same proportion as their ownership of Gramercy,
as applicable, immediately prior to such sale, or (2) the
approval by shareholders of Gramercy, as applicable, of any plan or
proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of Gramercy, as
applicable; or
(D)
the members of
the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Gramercy (the
“Directors”) at the beginning of any consecutive
24-calendar-month period (the “Incumbent Directors”)
cease for any reason other than due to death to constitute at least
a majority of the members of the Board; provided that any Director
whose election, or nomination for election by Gramercy’s
shareholders was approved or ratified by a vote of at least a
majority of the members of the Board then still in office who were
members of the Board at the
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beginning of such
24-calendar-month period shall be deemed to be an Incumbent
Director.
(d)
Notice of
Termination . Any termination of
Executive’s employment by the Employer or by Executive (other
than on account of death) shall be communicated by written Notice
of Termination to the other party hereto in accordance with
Section 11 of this Agreement. For purposes of this
Agreement, a “Notice of Termination” shall mean a
notice which shall indicate the specific termination provision in
this Agreement relied upon and, as applicable, shall set forth in
reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a
basis for termination of Executive’s employment under the
provision so indicated. Executive’s employment shall
terminate as of the effective date set forth in the Notice of
Termination (the “Termination Date”); provided that,
(i) if the Notice of Termination is given by the Employer, the
Termination Date shall not be more than thirty (30) days after the
date of the Notice of Termination and (ii) if the Notice of
Termination is given by the Executive, the Termination Date shall
not be earlier than the later of (x) the second business day
following the date on which Gramercy files its Form 10-K or
Form 10-Q, as applicable, for the calendar quarter in which
the Notice of Termination is given or (y) five (5) weeks following
the date of the Notice of Termination. For avoidance of
doubt, a notice of non-renewal pursuant to Section 1 shall not
be considered a Notice of Termination. Until the Termination
Date, the Executive and the Employer shall continue to perform
their respective duties and obligations in accordance with the
terms and conditions of this Agreement.
(e)
Resignation
Upon Termination . In the event that
Executive’s employment with the Employer is terminated,
Executive (i) shall, within five business days of receipt of a
written request for resignation, resign all positions (including,
without limitation, as officer, employee, director and member of
any committee) with the Employer and Gramercy and their
subsidiaries and affiliates, and (ii) shall provide such
written confirmation thereof as may be reasonably required by the
Employer. In the event that Executive’s service with
Gramercy is terminated other than as contemplated by the foregoing
sentence, Executive (i) shall, within five business days of
receipt of a written request for resignation, resign all other
positions (including, without limitation, as officer, employee,
director and member of any committee) with Gramercy and its
subsidiaries, and (ii) shall provide such written confirmation
thereof as may be reasonably required by the Employer.
7.
Compensation
Upon Termination; Change-in-Control .
(a)
Termination By
the Employer Without Cause or By Executive With Good
Reason . If (i) Executive
is terminated by the Employer without Cause pursuant to
Section 6(a)(iv) above, or (ii) Executive shall
terminate his employment hereunder with Good Reason pursuant to
Section (6)(b)(ii) above, then the Employment Period
shall terminate as of the Termination Date and Executive shall be
entitled to the following payments and benefits, subject to
Executive’s execution of a mutual release agreement in form
and substance satisfactory to the Employer, whereby, in general,
each party releases the other from all claims such party may have
against the other party (other than (A) claims against the
Employer relating to the Employer’s obligations under this
Agreement and certain other specified agreements arising in
connection with or after Executive’s termination, including,
without limitation, the Employer’s obligations hereunder to
provide severance payments and benefits and accelerated vesting of
equity awards and (B) claims against Executive relating to or
arising out of any act of fraud, intentional misappropriation of
funds, embezzlement or any other action with regard to the Employer
or any of its affiliated companies that constitutes a felony under
any federal or state statute committed or perpetrated by Executive
during the course of Executive’s employment with the Employer
or its affiliates, in any event, that would have a material adverse
effect on the Employer, or any other
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claims that may
not be released by the Employer under applicable law) (the
“Release Agreement”), and the effectiveness thereof on
or within 30 days after the Termination Date (with the date of such
effectiveness being referred to herein as the “Release
Effectiveness Date”):
(i)
Executive shall
receive any earned and accrued but unpaid Base Salary (at the rate
in effect on the date of his termination) on the first regular
payroll payment date for the period in which the Termination Date
occurs, and shall continue to receive Base Salary (at the rate in
effect on the date of his termination) for a period of six
(6) months following the Termination Date on the same periodic
payment dates as payment would have been made to Executive had
Executive not been terminated; provided that no payments of
continued Base Salary will be made until the first regular payroll
payment date that commences 30 days after the Termination Date,
provided that the Release Effectiveness Date has occurred (with the
first such payment to include a catch up payment covering amounts
that would otherwise have been paid prior to such date but for the
application of this provision).
(ii)
the Employer
shall pay Executive annual performance bonuses as follows:
(A) a prorated annual performance bonus (the “Prorated
Annual Bonus”) equal to (x) Executive’s annual
performance bonus for the most recent prior fiscal year for which
the amount of such bonus had been determined or, if the Termination
Date occurs prior to Executive’s annual performance bonus for
2009 having been determined, the amount of $200,000 (with the
applicable amount being referred to herein as the “Prior
Annual Bonus”) multiplied by (y) a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of days in the fiscal year in
which Executive’s employment terminates through the
Termination Date and the denominator of which is 365, and
(B) a further performance bonus (the &ldquo
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