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2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

Stock Option Agreement

2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN | Document Parties: PUGET SOUND ENERGY INC | INFRASTRUX GROUP, INC. You are currently viewing:
This Stock Option Agreement involves

PUGET SOUND ENERGY INC | INFRASTRUX GROUP, INC.

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Title: 2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
Governing Law: Washington     Date: 3/1/2005
Industry: Electric Utilities     Sector: Utilities

2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN, Parties: puget sound energy inc , infrastrux group  inc.
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Exhibit 10.53

 

INFRASTRUX GROUP, INC.

 

2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

 

SECTION 1. PURPOSE

 

The purpose of the InfrastruX Group, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan (the "Plan") is to enhance the long-term shareholder value of InfrastruX Group, Inc., a Washington corporation (the "Company"), by offering opportunities to selected persons to participate in the Company's growth and success, and to encourage them to remain in the service of the Company or a Related Company (as defined in Section 2) and to acquire and maintain stock ownership in the Company.

 

SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS

 

In the Plan:

 

"Award" means any Option Award.

 

"Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

"Cause , " unless otherwise defined in an employment or services agreement between the Company or a Related Company and a Participant, means dishonesty, fraud, misconduct, unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information or trade secrets, or conviction or confession of a crime punishable by law (except minor violations), in each case as determined by the Plan Administrator, and its determination shall be conclusive and binding.

 

"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.

 

"Common Stock" means the common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company.

 

"Company Transaction , " unless otherwise defined in an employment or services agreement between the Company or a Related Company and a Participant, means consummation of either

 

(a)   a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into any other Company or other entity or person or

 

(b)   a sale, lease, exchange or other transfer in one transaction or a series of related transactions of all or substantially all the Company's then outstanding securities or all or substantially all the Company's assets;

 

provided, however, that a Company Transaction shall not include a Related Party Transaction.

 

"Disability , " unless otherwise defined by the Plan Administrator, means a mental or physical impairment of the Participant that is expected to result in death or that has lasted or is expected to last for a continuous period of 12 months or more and that causes the Participant to be unable, in the opinion of the Company, to perform his or her duties for the Company or a Related Company and to be engaged in any substantial gainful activity.

 

"Early Retirement" means Termination of Service (as defined below) prior to Retirement on terms and conditions approved by the Plan Administrator.

 

"Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

"Fair Market Value" means the per share value of the Common Stock as established in good faith by the Plan Administrator or, if the Common Stock is (a) listed on the Nasdaq National Market, the closing sales price for the Common Stock as reported by that market for regular session trading for a single trading day or (b) listed on the New York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange, the closing sales price for the Common Stock as such price is officially quoted in the composite tape of transactions on such exchange for regular session trading for a single trading day. If there is no such reported price for the Common Stock for the date in question, then such price on the last preceding date for which such price exists shall be determinative of Fair Market Value.

 

"Grant Date" means the date on which the Plan Administrator completes the corporate action relating to the grant of an Award or such later date specified by the Plan Administrator, and on which all conditions precedent to the grant have been satisfied, provided that conditions to the exercisability or vesting of Awards shall not defer the Grant Date.

 

"Incentive Stock Option" means an Option granted with the intention, as reflected in the instrument evidencing the Option, that it qualify as an "incentive stock option" as that term is defined in Section 422 of the Code.

 

"Nonqualified Stock Option" means an Option other than an Incentive Stock Option.

 

"Option" means the right to purchase Common Stock granted under Section 7.

 

"Option Expiration Date" means the last day of the Option Term.

 

"Option Term" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.3.

 

"Participant" means the person to whom an Award is granted.

 

"Plan Administrator" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1.

 

''Related Company" means any entity that, directly or indirectly, is in control of, or is controlled by, or is under common control with the Company.

 

"Related Party Transaction" means (a) a merger or consolidation of the Company in which the holders of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to the merger or consolidation hold at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Successor Company immediately after the merger or consolidation; (b) a sale, lease, exchange or other transfer of the Company's assets to a majority-owned subsidiary company; (c) a transaction undertaken for the principal purpose of restructuring the capital of the Company, including but not limited to, reincorporating the Company in a different jurisdiction or creating a holding company; or (d) a corporate dissolution or liquidation.

 

"Retirement , " unless otherwise defined by the Plan Administrator from time to time for purposes of the Plan, means on or after the date the individual reaches "normal retirement age" as that term is defined in Section 411(a)(8) of the Code.

 

"Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

"Successor Company" means the surviving company, the successor company or its parent, as applicable in connection with a Company Transaction.

 

"Termination of Service" means a termination of employment or service relationship with the Company or a Related Company for any reason, whether voluntary or involuntary, including death, Disability, Early Retirement or Retirement, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion. Any question as to whether and when there has been a Termination of Service for the purposes of an Award and the cause of such Termination of Service shall be determined by the Plan Administrator and its determination shall be final. Transfer of the Participant's employment or service relationship between Related Corporations, or between the Company and any Related Corporation, shall not be considered a Termination of Service for purposes of an Award, but unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise, a Termination of Service shall be deemed to occur if the Participant's employment or service relationship is with an entity that has ceased to be a Related Corporation.

 

"Vesting Commencement Date" means the Grant Date or such other date selected by the Plan Administrator as the date from which the Option begins to vest for purposes of Section 7.4.

 

SECTION 3. ADMINISTRATION

 

3.1

Plan Administrator

 

The Plan shall be administered by the Board and/or a committee or committees (which term includes subcommittees) appointed by, and consisting of two or more members of, the Board (a "Plan Administrator"). If and so long as the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, the Board shall consider in selecting the members of any committee acting as Plan Administrator, with respect to any persons subject or likely to become subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, the provisions regarding (a) "outside directors" as contemplated by Section 162(m) of the Code and (b) "nonemployee directors" as contemplated by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may delegate the responsibility for administering the Plan with respect to designated classes of eligible persons to different committees consisting of two or more members of the Board, subject to such limitations as the Board deems appropriate. Committee members shall serve for such term as the Board may determine, subject to removal by the Board at any time.

 

3.2

Administration and Interpretation by Plan Administrator

 

Except for the terms and conditions explicitly set forth in the Plan, the Plan Administrator shall have exclusive authority, in its discretion, to determine all matters relating to Awards under the Plan, including the selection of individuals to be granted Awards, the type of Awards, the number of shares of Common Stock subject to an Award, all terms, conditions, restrictions and limitations, if any, of an Award and the terms of any instrument that evidences the Award. The Plan Administrator shall also have exclusive authority to interpret the Plan and the terms of any instrument evidencing the Award and may from time to time adopt and change rules and regulations of general application for the Plan's administration. The Plan Administrator's interpretation of the Plan and its rules and regulations, and all actions taken and determinations made by the Plan Administrator pursuant to the Plan, shall be conclusive and binding on all parties involved or affected. The Plan Administrator may delegate ministerial duties to such of the Company's officers as it so determines.

 

SECTION 4. STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

 

4.1

Authorized Number of Shares

 

Subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 11.1, a maximum of 3,862,500 shares of Common Stock shall be available for issuance under the Plan. Shares issued under the Plan shall be drawn from authorized and unissued shares or shares now held or subsequently acquired by the Company.

 

4.2

Reuse of Shares

 

Any shares of Common Stock that have been made subject to an Award that cease to be subject to the Award (other than by reason of exercise or settlement of the Award to the extent it is exercised for or settled in shares) shall again be available for issuance in connection with future grants of Awards under the Plan. In the event shares issued under the Plan are reacquired by the Company pursuant to any forfeiture provision, right of repurchase or right of first refusal, such shares shall again be available for the purposes of the Plan; provided, that the maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options shall equal the share number stated in Section 4.1, subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 11.1.

 

SECTION 5. ELIGIBILITY

 

An Award may be granted to any officer, director or employee of the Company or a Related Company that the Plan Administrator from time to time selects. An Award may also be granted to any consultant, advisor or independent contractor who provides services to the Company or any Related Company, so long as such Participant (a) renders bona fide services that are not in connection with the offer and sale of the Company's securities in a capital-raising transaction; and (b) does not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company's securities.

 

SECTION 6. AWARDS

 

6.1

Form and Grant of Awards

 

The Plan Administrator shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to determine the type or types of Awards to be granted under the Plan. Awards may be granted singly or in combination.

 

6.2

Settlement of Awards

 

The Company may settle Awards through the delivery of shares of Common Stock, the granting of replacement Awards or any combination thereof as the Plan Administrator shall determine. Any Award settlement, including payment deferrals, may be subject to such conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the Plan Administrator shall determine. The Plan Administrator may permit or require the deferral of any Award payment, subject to such rules and procedures as it may establish, which may include provisions for the payment or crediting of interest, or dividend equivalents, including converting such credits into deferred stock equivalents.

 

6.3

Acquired Company Awards

 

Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the Plan Administrator may grant Awards under the Plan in substitution for awards issued under other plans, or assume under the Plan awards issued under other plans, if the other plans are or were plans of other acquired entities ("Acquired Entities") (or the parent of an Acquired Entity) and the new Award is substituted, or the old award is assumed, by reason of a merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, reorganization or liquidation (the "Acquisition Transaction"). In the event that a written agreement pursuant to which the Acquisition Transaction is completed is approved by the Board and said agreement sets forth the terms and conditions of the substitution for or assumption of outstanding awards of the Acquired Entity, said terms and conditions shall be deemed to be the action of the Plan Administrator without any further action by the Plan Administrator, except as may be required for compliance with Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, and the persons holding such awards shall be deemed to be Participants.

 

SECTION 7. AWARDS OF OPTIONS

 

7.1

Grant of Options

 

The Plan Administrator shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to grant Options designated as Incentive Stock Options or as Nonqualified Stock Options.

 

7.2

Option Exercise Price

 

The exercise price for shares purchased under an Option shall be as determined by the Plan Administrator, but shall not be less than the minimum exercise price required by Section 8.3 with respect to Incentive Stock Options.

 

7.3

Term of Options

 

Subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the instrument evidencing the Option, the maximum term of an Option (the "Option Term") shall be as established for that Option by the Plan Administrator or, if not so established, shall be ten years from the Grant Date. For Incentive Stock Options, the Option Term shall be as specified in Section 8.4.

 

7.4

Exercise of Options

 

The Plan Administrator shall establish and set forth in each instrument that evidences an Option the time at which, or the installments in which, the Option shall vest and become exercisable, any of which provisions may be waived or modified by the Plan Administrator at any time. If not so established in the instrument evidencing the Option, the Option shall vest and become exercisable according to the following schedule, which may be waived or modified by the Plan Administrator at any time:

 

Period of Participant's Continuous

Employment or Service With the Company

or Its Related Companies From the Vesting

Commencement Date

 

 

 

Portion of Total Option

That Is Vested and Exercisable

 

After 1 year

 

1/4 th

 

 

Each additional one-year period of

continuous service completed thereafter

 

An additional 1/4 th

 

 

After 4 years

 

100%

 

 

The Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, may adjust the vesting schedule of an Option held by a Participant who works less than "full time" as that term is defined by the Plan Administrator or who takes a Company-approved leave of absence.

 

To the extent an Option has vested and become exercisable, the Option may be exercised in whole or from time to time in part by delivery to the Company of a written stock option exercise agreement or notice, in a form and in accordance with procedures established by the Plan Administrator, setting forth the number of shares with respect to which the Option is being exercised, the restrictions imposed on the shares purchased under such exercise agreement, if any, and such representations and agreements as may be required by the Plan Administrator, accompanied by payment in full as described in Section 7.5. An Option may be exercised only for whole shares and may not be exercised for less than a reasonable number of shares at any one time, as determined by the Plan Administrator.

 

7.5

Payment of Exercise Price

 

The exercise price for shares purchased under an Option shall be paid in full to the Company by delivery of consideration equal to the product of the Option exercise price and the number of shares purchased. Such consideration must be paid before the Company will issue the shares being purchased and must be in a form or a combination of forms acceptable to the Plan Administrator for that purchase, which forms may include:

 

(a)   cash;

 

(b)   check;

 

(c)   tendering (either actually or, if the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, by attestation) shares of Common Stock already owned by the Participant for at least six months (or any shorter period necessary to avoid a charge to the Company's earnings for financial reporting purposes) that on the day prior to the exercise date have a Fair Market Value equal to the aggregate exercise price of the shares being purchased under the Option;

 

(d)   if the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, delivery of a properly executed exercise notice, together with irrevocable instructions to a brokerage firm designated by the Company to deliver promptly to the Company the aggregate amount of sale or loan proceeds to pay the Option exercise price and any withholding tax obligations that may arise in connection with the exercise, all in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board; or

 

(e)   such other consideration as the Plan Administrator may permit.

 

In addition, to assist a Participant (including a Participant who is an officer or a director of the Company) in acquiring shares of Common Stock pursuant to an Award granted under the Plan, the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, may authorize, either at the Grant Date or at any time before the acquisition of Common Stock pursuant to the Award, (i) the payment by a Participant of the purchase price of the Common Stock by a full-recourse promissory note or (ii) the guarantee by the Company of a full-recourse loan obtained by the Participant from a third party. Subject to the foregoing, the Plan Administrator shall in its sole discretion specify the terms of any loans or loan guarantees, including the interest rate and terms of and security for repayment.

 

7.6

Post-Termination Exercises

 

The Plan Administrator shall establish and set forth in each instrument that evidences an Option whether the Option shall continue to be exercisable, and the terms and conditions of such exercise, if the Participant ceases to be employed by, or to provide services to, the Company or a Related Company, which provisions may be waived or modified by the Plan Administrator at any time. If not so established in the instrument evidencing the Option, the Option shall be exercisable according to the following terms and conditions, which may be waived or modified by the Plan Administrator at any time:

 

(a)   Any portion of an Option that is not vested and exercisable on the Participant's Termination of Service shall expire on such date.

 

(b)   Any portion of an Option that is vested and exercisable on the Participant's Termination of Service shall expire on the earliest of

 

(i)   if the Participant's Termination of Service occurs for reasons other than Cause, Retirement or Early Retirement, Disability or death, the day which is three months after such Termination of Service;

 

(ii)   if the Participant's Termination of Service occurs by reason of Retirement or Early Retirement, Disability or death, the one-year anniversary of such Termination of Service; or

 

(iii)   the Option Expiration Date.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Participant dies after his or her Termination of Service but while an Option is otherwise exercisable, the portion of the Option that is vested and exercisable on such Termination of Service shall expire upon the earlier to occur of the Option Expiration Date or the one-year anniversary of the date of death, unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise.

 

Also notwithstanding the foregoing, in case of termination of the Participant's Termination of Service occurs for Cause, all Options granted to that Participant shall automatically expire upon first notification to the Participant of such termination, unless the Plan Administrator determines otherwise. If a Participant's employment or service relationship with the Company is suspended pending an investigation of whether the Participant shal


 
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