Exhibit 10.3
TULLY’S COFFEE
CORPORATION
2004 STOCK OPTION
PLAN
Effective as of November 1,
2004
This Plan establishes the right of
and procedures for TULLY’S COFFEE CORPORATION (the
“Company”) to grant stock options to its key employees
and directors. The Plan provides for the granting of two types of
options, namely (1) Non-Qualified Stock Options to employees
and directors and (2) Incentive Stock Options to employees
only as the latter are defined and governed by Section 422 of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”). This Plan sets forth provisions applicable to
both types of options, to Non-Qualified Options only, to Incentive
Stock Options only, and to the procedures allowed for the
conversion of Non-Qualified Stock Options into Incentive Stock
Options.
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2.
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PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO BOTH NON-QUALIFIED
OPTIONS AND INCENTIVE STOCK OPTIONS
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The provisions of this
Section 2 apply to both Non-Qualified Options and Incentive
Stock Options granted by the Company.
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2.1
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Objectives of the Plan
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The purpose of this Plan is to
encourage ownership of shares of common stock of the Company by key
employees and directors of the Company and any current or future
subsidiary. This Plan is intended to provide an incentive for
maximum effort in the successful operation and management of the
Company and is expected to benefit the shareholders by enabling the
Company to attract and retain individuals of the best available
talent through the opportunity to share, by the proprietary
interests created by this Plan, in the increased value of the
Company’s shares to which such individuals have
contributed.
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2.2
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Stock
Reserved for This Plan
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The number of shares of common stock
of the Company reserved for issue upon the exercise of options
granted under this Plan shall not exceed two million five hundred
thousand (2,500,000) of the issued and outstanding shares of
the Company (the “Shares”), provided that, a portion of
the shares so authorized may be allocated to the 1999 Employee
Stock Option Plan. The number of shares allocated to each
plan
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shall be determined by the Board of Directors of
the Company (the “Board”), but shall not exceed two
million five hundred thousand (2,500,000) Shares for both
plans. Shares allocated to this Plan which are subject to any
option under this Plan which are not exercised in full or Shares as
to which the right to purchase is forfeited through default or
otherwise, shall remain available for other options under this
Plan.
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2.3
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Administration of This Plan
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This Plan will be administered by
the Board, provided that at all times during which the Company is
subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 as amended from time to time (the
“Exchange Act”) each member of the Board who
participates in the administration of the Plan must be a
non-employee director” as that term is defined in
Section 16b(3) of the Exchange Act (“Non-employee
Directors”). A committee of not less than three members of
the Board who are Non-employee Directors shall be appointed by the
Board to carry out the administrative duties of the Board
hereunder.
A majority of the Board shall
constitute a quorum, and acts of a majority of the members present
at any meeting at which a quorum is present, or acts approved in
writing by a majority of the Board, shall be deemed the acts of the
Board.
The Non-employee directors of the
Board on consideration of recommendations of the President and of
other officers, if the Board shall deem the same appropriate,
shall:
(a) Determine the number of Shares
subject to each option, the terms thereof, and the type of options
to be granted and direct the President, or other officer in his
absence, to issue each such option;
(b) Prescribe rules and regulations
from time to time for administration of this Plan; and
(c) Decide any questions arising as
to the interpretation or application of any provision of this
Plan.
Any action, decision,
interpretation, or determination by the Board with respect to this
Plan shall be final and binding upon any and all employees or
directors.
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2.4
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Eligibility; Facts to Be Considered in Granting
Options
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An option may be granted to any
officer, key employee or director who, at the time the option is
granted, is an employee or director of the Company or of any
subsidiary. In its determination of an employee or director to whom
an option shall be granted and the number of Shares to be covered
by such option, the Board shall take
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into account the duties of the employee or
director, the present and potential contributions of the employee
or director to the success of the Company, and other factors deemed
relevant by the Board in connection with accomplishing the purpose
of this Plan. An employee or director who has been granted an
option to purchase Shares of the Company, whether under this Plan
or otherwise, may, if the Board shall so determine, be granted
additional options.
The Board shall have the authority
to establish the time of times at which the optioned Shares may be
purchased and whether all of the options may be exercised at one
time or in increments.
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2.6
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Rights of
Optionee in Event of Merger, Consolidation, Tender Offer, Takeover
Bid, Sale of Assets or Dissolution
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(a) Notwithstanding anything in this
Plan to the contrary, the Optionee may purchase the full amount of
optioned Shares for which options have been granted to the Optionee
and for which the options have not been exercised under the
following conditions:
(1) The Optionee may conditionally
purchase any or all optioned Shares during the period commencing
twenty-seven (27) days and ending (7) days prior to the
scheduled effective date of a merger or consolidation (as such
effective date may be delayed from time to time) wherein the
Company is not to be the surviving corporation, which merger or
consolidation is not between or among the Company and other
corporations related to or affiliated with the Company;
(2) The Optionee may conditionally
purchase any or all optioned Shares during the period commencing on
the initial date of a tender offer or takeover bid for the Shares
(other than a tender offer by the Company) subject to the Exchange
Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and ending on the day
preceding the scheduled termination date of acceptance of tenders
of Shares by the offeror under any such tender offer or takeover
bid (as such termination date may be extended by such
offeror);
(3) The Optionee may conditionally
purchase any or all optioned Shares during the period commencing on
the date the shareholders of the Company approve a sale of
substantially all the assets of the Company and ending seven
(7) days prior to the scheduled closing date of such sale (as
such closing date may be delayed from time to time); and
(4) The Optionee may conditionally
purchase any or all optioned Shares during the period commencing on
the date the shareholders of the
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Company approve the dissolution of the Company
and ending seven (7) days prior to the scheduled effective
date of such dissolution.
(b) If the merger, consolidation,
tender offer, takeover bid, sale of assets, or dissolution, as the
case may be and as described in Subsections (1) through
(4) of Section 2.6(a), once commenced, is canceled or
revoked, the conditional purchase of Shares for which the option to
purchase would not have otherwise been exercisable at the time of
said cancellation or revocation, but for the operation of this
Section 2.6, shall be rescinded. With respect to all other
Shares conditionally purchased, the Optionee may rescind such
purchase at his option.
(c) If the merger, consolidation,
tender offer, takeover bid, or sale of assets does occur or one
hundred twenty (120) days passes after the effective date of
the dissolution of the Company, as the case may be and as described
in Subsections (1) through (4) of Section 2.6(a),
and the Optionee has not conditionally purchased all optioned
Shares, all unexercised options shall terminate on the effective,
termination, or closing date, or one hundred twenty (120) days
after the effective date of said dissolution, as the case may
be.
(d) If the Company shall be the
surviving corporation in any merger or is a party to a merger or
consolidation which is between or among the Company and other
corporations related to or affiliated with the Company, any option
granted hereunder shall pertain and apply to the securities to
which a holder of the number of Shares of common stock subject to
the option would have been entitled.
(e) Nothing herein shall allow the
Optionee to purchase optioned Shares, the options for which have
expired.
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2.7
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Terms and
Expiration of Options
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Each option granted under this Plan
shall be in writing, shall be subject to such amendment or
modification from time to time as the Board shall deem necessary or
appropriate to comply with or take advantage of applicable laws or
regulations and shall contain provisions to the following effect,
together with such other provisions as the Board shall from time to
time approve:
(a) That, subject to the provisions
of Section 2.7(b) below, the option, as to the whole or any
part thereof, may be exercised only by the Optionee or his personal
representative;
(b) That neither the whole nor any
part of the option shall be transferable by the Optionee or by
operation of law otherwise than by the will of, or by the laws of
descent and distribution applicable to, a deceased Optionee and
that the option and any and all rights granted to the Optionee
thereunder and not theretofore
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effectively and completely exercised shall
automatically terminate and expire upon any sale, transfer, or
hypothecation of or any attempted sale, transfer, or hypothecation
of such rights or upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of the Optionee
or his or her estate;
(c) That subject to the foregoing
provisions, an option may be exercised at different times for
portions of the total number of option Shares for which the right
to purchase shall have vested provided that such portions are in
multiples of one hundred (100) shares;
(d) That the Optionee shall have no
right to receive any dividend on or to vote or exercise any right
in respect to any Shares the certificate for which has not been
issued to him;
(e) That each vested option shall
expire at the earliest of the following:
(1) The earlier of the date
specified in the option or ten (10) years from the date of
grant for the option;
(2) If the option is an Incentive
Stock Option as described in Section 4.1, then no later than
three (3) months after voluntary or involuntary termination of
Optionee’s employment other than termination as described in
paragraphs (4) or (5) below.
(3) If the option is not an
Incentive Stock Option and the Optionee is, or becomes an employee
or a director of the Company, then no later than three
(3) years after: (i) voluntary or involuntary termination
of Optionee’s employment if Optionee is a non-director
employee or (ii) termination of membership on the Board if
Optionee is a non-employee director, or (iii) termination of
both employment and membership on the Board if Optionee is both a
director and employee, in all instances other than termination as
described in paragraphs (4) or (5)&n