UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

 

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

 Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

 

 

Filed by the Registrant [X] Filed by a party other than the Registrant [  ]

 

Check the appropriate box:

 

[X] Preliminary Proxy Statement
   
[  ] Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
   
[  ] Definitive Proxy Statement
   
[  ] Definitive Additional Materials
   
[  ] Soliciting Material Pursuant to § 240.14a-12

 

Q2Earth, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)

 

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box)

 

[X] No fee required.
   
[  ] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
   
  1.

Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

     
  2.

Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

     
  3.

Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):

 

 

     
  4.

Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:

 

 

     
  5.

Total fee paid:

 

 

   
[  ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
   
[  ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
     
  1.

Amount previously paid:

 

 

     
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:

 

 

     
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Filing party:

 

 

     
  4.

Date Filed:

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

 

 

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD _______________, 2020

 

Dear Stockholders:

 

You are cordially invited to a Special Meeting of Stockholders of Q2Earth, Inc., or the Special Meeting, which will be held at _____________________________________, on ______________, 2020 at 10:00 A.M., local time.

 

We are holding the Special Meeting for the following purposes, as more fully described in the accompanying Proxy Statement:

 

  1. To approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 shares.
     
  2. To approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such exact ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors.
     
  3.

To adopt our Amended Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan.

     
  4. To authorize an adjournment of the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 1, Proposal 2, or Proposal 3.
     
  5. To transact any other business that may be properly brought before the Special Meeting or any continuation, adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

All of our stockholders of record as of [November 11, 2019], are entitled to attend and vote at the Special Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement of the Special Meeting.

 

Stockholders can obtain a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 on the following web site: www.proxyvote.com

 

On or about [____________, 2019], we first began mailing the Proxy Statement, Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders, and Proxy Card to our Stockholders.

 

Our board of directors recommends that you vote FOR the amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 shares as provided in Proposal 1; FOR the amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors, as provided in Proposal 2; FOR the adoption of our Amended Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan, as provided in Proposal 3; and FOR the authorization to adjourn the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 1, Proposal 2, or Proposal 3.

 

     
 

 

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting, we encourage you to read this Proxy Statement and we urge you to submit your proxy (1) over the internet, (2) by telephone or (3) by mail. If you plan to attend the meeting and wish to vote your shares personally, you may do so at any time before the proxy is voted.

 

  By Order of the Board of Directors
   
  Sincerely,
   
   
  Kevin Bolin
  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Palm Beach, Florida

[_______________], 2019

 

Your vote is important. Please vote your shares whether or not you plan to attend the meeting.

 

     
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING AND VOTING 1
PROPOSAL 1: APPROVAL OF INCREASE IN NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK 6
PROPOSAL 2: APPROVAL OF REVERSE STOCK SPLIT OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK 7
PROPOSAL 3: ADOPTION OF AMENDED OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN 11
PROPOSAL 4: AUTHORIZATION TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING 19
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT 20
STOCKHOLDERS SHARING THE SAME ADDRESS 22
ANNUAL REPORT 22
OTHER MATTERS 23
Appendix A 24
Appendix B 26
Appendix C – Copy of Plan (provided on www.proxyvote.com) 27

 

     
 

 

 

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE

SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON [_______________], 2020

 

Our board of directors is soliciting proxies for use at a special meeting of stockholders of Q2Earth, Inc., or the Special Meeting, to be held on [_______________], 2020 at 10:00 A.M., local time, at [________________________________________]. Q2Earth, Inc. is sometimes referred to herein as “we”, “us”, “our” or the “Company.”

 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING AND VOTING

 

The following questions and answers are intended to briefly address potential questions that our stockholders may have regarding this Proxy Statement and the Special Meeting. They are also intended to provide our stockholders with certain information that is required to be provided under the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. These questions and answers may not address all of the questions that are important to you as a stockholder. If you have additional questions about the Proxy Statement or the Special Meeting, please see the response to the question entitled “Whom should I contact with other questions?” below.

 

Q: What is the purpose of the Special Meeting?

 

A: At the Special Meeting, our stockholders will be asked to consider and vote upon the matters described in this Proxy Statement and in the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders, and any other matters that properly come before the Special Meeting.

 

Q: When and where will the Special Meeting be held?

 

A: You are invited to attend the Special Meeting on [_______________], 2020 at 10:00 A.M., local time. The Special Meeting will be held at [____________________________].

 

Q: Why did I receive these proxy materials?

 

A: We are making these proxy materials available in connection with the solicitation by our board of directors of proxies to be voted at the Special Meeting, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. Your proxy is being solicited in connection with the Special Meeting because you owned our common stock at the close of business on [November 11, 2019] which is the record date for the Special Meeting. This Proxy Statement contains important information for you to consider when deciding how to vote on the matters brought before the Special Meeting.

 

You are invited to attend the Special Meeting in person to vote on the proposals described in this Proxy Statement. However, you do not need to attend the Special Meeting to vote your shares. Instead, you may vote your shares as described in the response to the question entitled “How can I vote my shares” below and as described elsewhere in this Proxy Statement.

 

We intend to begin mailing this Proxy Statement, the attached notice of Special Meeting and the enclosed proxy card on or about [_______________], 2019 to all stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Special Meeting.

 

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting, we encourage you to read this Proxy Statement and submit your proxy or voting instructions as soon as possible.

 

1

 

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to Be Held on [_______________], 2020.

 

Electronic copies of this proxy statement are available under the Investor Relations, Financial Information section of our website at www.q2earth.com.

 

Q: What proposals will be voted on at the Special Meeting?

 

A: The proposals to be voted on at the Special Meeting, and our board of directors’ voting recommendations with respect to each, are as follows:

 

Proposal  

Board’s Voting

Recommendation

1.   Increase in the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 shares (Proposal 1): The approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 shares.   For
     
2.   Effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors (Proposal 2): The approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors.   For
         
3.   Adoption of the Amended Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal 3): Adoption of the Amended Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan, as previously approved by our board of directors.   For
     
4.   Authorize an adjournment of the Special Meeting (Proposal 4): The authorization to adjourn the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 1, Proposal 2, or Proposal 3.   For

 

We will also consider any other business that properly comes before the Special Meeting. As of the record date, we are not aware of any other matters to be submitted for consideration at the Special Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the Special Meeting, the persons named in the enclosed proxy card or voter instruction card will vote the shares they represent using their best judgment. Kevin Bolin and Christopher Nelson, the designated proxyholders, are members of our management.

 

Q: Who may vote at the Special Meeting?

 

A: If you owned our common stock on [November 11, 2019], the record date for the Special Meeting, you may attend and vote at the Special Meeting. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on all matters to be voted on. On the record date, there were 51,997,460 shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Special Meeting.

 

Q: What is the quorum requirement for the Special Meeting?

 

A: We need a quorum of stockholders in order to hold our Special Meeting. A quorum exists when at least a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote as of the record date, or 25,998,731 shares, are represented at the Special Meeting, either in person or by proxy (whether submitted by mailing proxy card, via telephone or the internet). If a quorum is not present, the Special Meeting will be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.

 

Q: What vote is required to approve each proposal?

 

A: Increase in the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 shares (Proposal 1): The approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 shares requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

2

 

 

Effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors (Proposal 2): The approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

Adoption of the Amended Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal 3): Adoption of the Amended Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock present or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting and entitled to vote on such matter.

 

Authorize an adjournment of the Special Meeting (Proposal 4): The authorization to adjourn the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 1, Proposal 2, or Proposal 3 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock present or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting and entitled to vote on such matter.

 

Q: What is the difference between a “stockholder of record” and a “beneficial owner”?

 

A: You are considered to be a stockholder of record if your shares were registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Transfer Online, Inc. on the record date.

 

If, however, your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a bank or other agent, and not in your name, you are considered to be the beneficial owner of shares held in street name.

 

Q: May I vote my shares in person at the Special Meeting?

 

A: If you are the stockholder of record, you have the right to vote in person at the Special Meeting. When you arrive at the Special Meeting, you may request a ballot.

 

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you are welcome to attend the Special Meeting, but you may not vote your shares in person at the Special Meeting unless you bring with you a proxy from the broker, bank or other agent that holds your shares, giving you the right to vote at the Special Meeting.

 

Admission to the Special Meeting will be on a first-come, first-served basis. You should be prepared to present government-issued photo identification for admittance, such as a passport or driver’s license. Please note that for security reasons, you and your bags may be subject to search prior to your admittance to the Special Meeting. If you do not comply with each of the foregoing requirements, you will not be admitted to the Special Meeting.

 

Q: What happens if I do not give specific voting instructions?

 

A: If you are a stockholder of record and you indicate when voting that you wish to vote as recommended by our board of directors, or if you sign and return a proxy card without giving specific voting instructions, then the proxy holders will vote your shares as recommended by our board of directors on all matters presented in this Proxy Statement, and as the proxy holders may determine in their discretion how to vote with respect to any other matters properly presented for a vote at the Special Meeting.

 

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name and do not provide the entity that holds your shares with specific voting instructions, the entity that holds your shares may generally vote at its discretion on “routine” matters. However, if the entity that holds your shares does not receive instructions from you on how to vote your shares on a “non-routine” matter, it will be unable to vote your shares on that matter. This is generally referred to as a “broker non-vote.”

 

Q: Which proposals in this Proxy Statement are considered “routine” or “non-routine” matters?

 

A: All matters presented in this Proxy Statement are considered routine matters under applicable rules. As a result, a broker or other nominee may vote without instructions on any matter, so there will not be broker non-votes on Proposal 1, Proposal 2, Proposal 3, or Proposal 4.

 

Q: What is the effect of abstentions?

 

A: Shares held by persons attending the Special Meeting but not voting, and shares represented by proxies that reflect abstentions as to a particular proposal, will be counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. Abstentions are treated as shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote. On all matters presented in this Proxy Statement, abstentions will have the same effect as an “against” vote.

 

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Q: How can I vote my shares?

 

A: For all matters presented in this Proxy Statement, you may vote “For” or “Against” or you may abstain from voting.

 

The procedures for voting are as follows:

 

Stockholder of Record

 

If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in person at the Special Meeting or using the accompanying proxy card. Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting, we urge you to vote by proxy to ensure your vote is counted. You may still attend the Special Meeting and vote in person if you have already voted by proxy. You may also vote over the telephone by calling [a toll-free number], or electronically using the internet. If you would like to submit your proxy by telephone or internet, please refer to the specific instructions provided on the enclosed proxy card. If you receive more than one proxy card or voting instruction form, it means that you hold shares registered in more than one account. To ensure that all of your shares are voted, sign and return each proxy card, or if you submit your proxy vote by telephone or internet, vote once for each proxy card or voting instruction form you receive.

 

  To vote in person, come to the Special Meeting and you may request a ballot when you arrive.

 

  To vote using the proxy card, simply complete, sign and date the proxy card and return it promptly in the envelope provided. If you return your signed proxy card to us before the Special Meeting, we will vote your shares as you direct. You may also vote online using the instructions provided on the proxy card.

 

Beneficial Owner

 

If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your broker, bank or other agent, you should have received a proxy card and voting instructions with these proxy materials from that organization rather than from us. Simply follow the instructions in the proxy card received from your broker, bank or other agent or complete, sign and return the proxy card (or vote online) to ensure that your vote is counted. To vote in person at the Special Meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other agent. Follow the instructions from your broker, bank or other agent included in their materials, or contact your broker, bank or other agent to request a proxy form.

 

Q: How may I revoke or change my vote after submitting my proxy?

 

A: You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time before the final vote at the Special Meeting.

 

Stockholder of Record

 

If you are a stockholder of record, you may revoke your proxy in one of the three following ways:

 

 

you may revoke your proxy and change your vote by submitting a later-dated proxy by telephone, internet or mail,;

     
 

you may send a written notice that you are revoking your proxy to Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Suite 100, Palm Beach, Florida 33480, Attention: Christopher Nelson (such written notice, in order to be effective, must be received no later than [_______, 2020]; or

     
  you may attend the Special Meeting and vote in person (however, simply attending the Special Meeting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy or change your vote).

 

Your most current proxy card will be the one that is counted at the Special Meeting.

 

Beneficial Owner

 

If you are a beneficial owner of shares, you may revoke your proxy by following instructions provided by your broker, bank or other agent.

 

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Q: What are the costs of soliciting these proxies?
   
A: We will pay all of the costs of soliciting these proxies. Our directors, officers and other employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone, fax or email, but will be paid no additional compensation for these services. We will also reimburse brokerage firms, banks, and other agents for the cost of forwarding the Company’s proxy materials to beneficial owners. We have not retained a proxy solicitor in conjunction with the Special Meeting, but may do so in the future at the discretion of our Board of Directors.
   
Q: Where can I find voting results of the Special Meeting?
   
A: In accordance with SEC rules, final voting results will be published in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the Special Meeting, unless final results are not known at that time in which case preliminary voting results will be published within four business days of the Special Meeting and final voting results will be published once they are known by us.
   
Q: When are stockholder proposals and director nominations due for next year’s annual meeting?
   
A: To be considered at next year’s annual meeting, your proposal or nomination must be delivered to or mailed and received by our corporate secretary at our principal executive offices located at 420 Royal Palm Way, Suite 100, Palm Beach, Florida 33480 not later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that no annual meeting was held in the previous year or the annual meeting is called for a date that is not within 30 days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which such notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the meeting was made, whichever occurs first.
   
Q: Whom should I contact with other questions?
   
A: If you have additional questions about this Proxy Statement or the Special Meeting, or if you would like additional copies of this Proxy Statement, please contact: Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Suite 100, Palm Beach, Florida 33480, Attention: Christopher Nelson, Telephone: (561) 693-1423, or Email: cnelson@q2earth.com.
   
  Stockholders can obtain a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 on the following web site: www.proxyvote.com

 

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PROPOSAL 1: APPROVAL OF INCREASE IN NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK

 

General

 

Our board of directors is requesting stockholder approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 shares.

 

The additional common stock to be authorized by adoption of the amendment would have rights identical to our currently outstanding common stock. Adoption of the proposed amendment would not affect the rights of the holders of currently outstanding common stock, except for effects incidental to increasing the number of shares of our common stock outstanding, such as dilution of the earnings per share and voting rights of current holders of common stock, to the extent the additional common stock is ultimately issued. If the amendment is adopted, it will become effective upon filing of a Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The complete text of the Certificate of Amendment that would be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware is set forth in Appendix A to this Proxy Statement. However, the text of the Certificate of Amendment is subject to revision to include such changes as may be required by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and as our board of directors deems necessary and advisable to effect the proposed amendment of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation.

 

In addition to the 51,997,460 shares of common stock outstanding on [November 11, 2019], the record date, our board of directors has reserved 5,337,345 shares for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding warrants, 8,515,480 shares for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding stock options, and 7,650,000 shares for the issuance of outstanding convertible notes and convertible preferred stock not including shares of common stock issuable on the conversion of the Company’s convertible note bridge offering in the aggregate principal amount of $3,496,798 plus an additional $197,339 in uncapitalized interest as of September 30, 2019 (the “Bridge Offering”), for which we can currently estimate reserving an additional 41,045,973 shares based on a presently calculated conversion price of $0.09 per share). This means that, without giving effect to Proposal 2, we have 62,548,798 additional shares reserved for issuance, which is 12,548,798 greater than we currently have authorized.

 

Our board of directors desires to have the additional shares of common stock available to provide additional flexibility to use its capital stock for business and financial purposes in the future. In addition to being able to issue shares when any of these convertible securities are exercised, the additional shares may be used for various purposes without further stockholder approval. These purposes may include raising capital; establishing strategic relationships with other companies; expanding our business through the acquisition of other businesses or products; providing additional equity incentives to employees, officers or directors; and other purposes. If this proposal is not approved by our stockholders, capital-raising and acquisition alternatives for us may be limited by the lack of unissued and unreserved authorized shares of common stock, and stockholder value may be harmed by this limitation.

 

We are not in any formal discussions with potential acquisition targets at the current time, and no formal agreements exist which will require the issuance of additional common stock at the date of this proxy statement other than the convertible securities listed above. The Company is currently seeking funding from third parties that may be structured as equity issuances. Management will need the flexibility to issue common stock, warrants, or preferred stock convertible into common stock to funders that will provide the capital required to close any future growth opportunities, as well as provide other working capital to the Company. No such definitive agreement for growth opportunities or equity funding exists at this time.

 

In addition, our success depends in part on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management and key personnel, and if this proposal is not approved by our stockholders, the lack of unissued and unreserved authorized shares of common stock to provide future equity incentive opportunities could adversely impact our ability to achieve these goals. In short, if our stockholders do not approve this proposal, we may not be able to access the capital markets, complete corporate collaborations or partnerships, attract, retain and motivate employees, and pursue other business opportunities integral to our growth and success.

 

The additional shares of common stock that would become available for issuance if this proposal were adopted could also be used by us to oppose a hostile takeover attempt or to delay or prevent changes in our management. For example, without further stockholder approval, our board of directors could adopt a “poison pill” which would, under certain circumstances related to an acquisition of shares not approved by our board of directors, give certain holders the right to acquire additional shares of common stock at a low price, or our board of directors could strategically sell shares of common stock in a private transaction to purchasers who would oppose a takeover or favor of the current board of directors. Although this proposal to increase the authorized common stock has been prompted by business and financial considerations and not by the threat of any hostile takeover attempt, nevertheless, stockholders should be aware that approval of this proposal could facilitate future efforts by us to deter or prevent changes in control, including transactions in which the stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares over then current market prices.

 

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our directors and executive officers do not have substantial interests, directly or indirectly, in the matters set forth in this proposal except to the extent of their ownership of shares of our Common Stock or any other of our securities which may be convertible into Common Stock including stock options and convertible notes.

 

Vote Required

 

The affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock will be required to approve the amendment of our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of our common stock from 100,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 shares.

 

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A “FOR” VOTE FOR THIS

PROPOSAL

 

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PROPOSAL 2: APPROVAL OF REVERSE STOCK SPLIT OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK

 

General

 

Our board of directors has adopted and is recommending that our stockholders approve proposed amendments to our Certificate of Incorporation, and thereby authorize our board of directors, within twelve months from the date of the Special Meeting, if in their judgment it is necessary, to select and file one such amendment to effect a reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock. Holders of our common stock are being asked to approve the proposal that our Certificate of Incorporation be amended to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors. Pursuant to the law of the State of Delaware, our state of incorporation, if our board of directors adopts any amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation (excluding certain non-material amendments such as a name change), the amendment must be submitted to our stockholders for their approval. The form of proposed amendments to our Certificate of Incorporation to effect the reverse stock split is attached as Appendix B to this Proxy Statement. However, the text of the proposed amendments is subject to revision to include such changes as may be required by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and as our board of directors deems necessary and advisable to effect the proposed amendment of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation.

 

By approving this proposal, stockholders will approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation pursuant to which any whole number of outstanding shares between and including two and twenty-five would be combined into one share of our common stock, and authorize our board of directors to file such amendment, as determined by our board of directors in the manner described herein. Our board of directors believes that stockholder approval of an amendment granting our board of directors this discretion, rather than approval of a specified exchange ratio, provides our board of directors with maximum flexibility to react to then-current market conditions and, therefore, is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Our board of directors may effect only one reverse stock split as a result of this authorization. Our board of directors may also elect not to do any reverse split. Our board of directors’ decision as to whether and when to effect the reverse stock split will be based on a number of factors, including market conditions, existing and expected trading prices for our common stock, and the potential for an up-listing to a national securities exchange. Although our stockholders may approve the reverse stock split, we will not effect the reverse stock split if our board of directors does not deem it to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The reverse split will take effect, if at all, after it is approved by our stockholders holding a majority of the shares of our common stock outstanding, is deemed by the board of directors to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, and after filing the Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

 

Background and Purpose

 

Our common stock is currently quoted on the over the counter (OTC) market. In order for our common stock to be listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market or NYSE Market, we must satisfy various listing standards established by Nasdaq or NYSE. Among other things, our common stock must have a minimum bid price of at least $4.00 per share for Nasdaq or $2.00 to $3.00 per share (depending on the applicable listing standard) for NYSE. If we are unable to meet The Nasdaq Capital Market or NYSE Market requirements, our common stock would not be able to be listed.

 

Our common stock, at its current price, may not appeal to brokerage firms that are reluctant to or cannot recommend lower priced securities to their clients. Investors may also be dissuaded from purchasing lower priced stocks because the brokerage commissions, as a percentage of the total transaction, tend to be higher for such stocks. Institutional investors may be prohibited from purchasing lower priced stocks based on their internal policies or governing documents. Moreover, the analysts at many brokerage firms do not monitor the trading activity or otherwise provide coverage of lower priced stocks. The reverse stock split could diminish many of these concerns.

 

Additionally, as the Company is pursuing strategic opportunities and funding, management believes it is in the best interest of the Company and all stockholders if it has the ability to efficiently effect a reverse stock split if so required by future partners or funding sources as a condition to closing. A higher share price could help generate interest in us among investors, and may make it easier to us to find financing. The Company does not currently have any agreements in place that will require a reverse split of its common stock.

 

7

 

 

Material Effects of Proposed Reverse Split

 

The effect of the reverse split upon the market price for our common stock cannot be predicted, and the history of similar reverse stock splits for companies in like circumstances is varied. The market price per share of our common stock after the reverse split may not rise in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of our common stock outstanding resulting from the reverse split. The market price per post-reverse split share may not either exceed or remain in excess of the minimum bid price as required by Nasdaq or NYSE. The market price of our common stock may also be based on our performance and other factors, some of which may be unrelated to the number of shares outstanding.

 

The reverse split will affect all of our stockholders uniformly and will not affect any stockholder’s percentage ownership interests in our company or proportionate voting power, except for minor adjustment due to the additional net share fraction that will need to be issued as a result of the treatment of fractional shares. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Instead, the Company will issue one full share of the post- reverse stock split common stock to any stockholder who would have been entitled to receive a fractional share as a result of the process.

 

The principal effect of the reverse split will be that (i) the number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding will be reduced from 51,997,460 shares as of [November 11, 2019], the record date, to a number of shares between and including one-half to one-twenty-fifth that amount, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our board of directors, (ii) all outstanding options and warrants entitling the holders thereof to purchase shares of common stock will enable such holders to purchase, upon exercise of their options, between and including one-half to one-twenty-fifth of the number of shares of common stock which such holders would have been able to purchase upon exercise of their options or warrants immediately preceding the reverse split at an exercise price equal to between and including two to twenty-five times the exercise price specified before the reverse split, resulting in the same aggregate price being required to be paid therefor upon exercise thereof immediately preceding the reverse split, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our board of directors, and (iii) the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant to convertible securities will be reduced to between and including one-half to one-twenty-fifth.

 

The reverse split will not affect the par value of our common stock. As a result, on the effective date of the reverse split, the stated capital on our balance sheet attributable to the common stock will be reduced to between and including one-half to one-twenty-fifth of its present amount, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our board of directors, and the additional paid-in capital account shall be credited with the amount by which the stated capital is reduced. The per share net income or loss and net book value of our common stock will be retroactively increased for each period because there will be fewer shares of our common stock outstanding.

 

The amendment will not change the terms of our common stock. The shares of new common stock will have the same voting rights and rights to dividends and distributions and will be identical in all other respects to the common stock now authorized. The common stock issued pursuant to the reverse split will remain fully paid and non-assessable. The reverse split is not intended as, and will not have the effect of, a “going private transaction” covered by Rule 13e-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We will continue to be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

Because our authorized common stock will not be reduced by the reverse stock split, the overall effect will be an increase in authorized but unissued shares of common stock. These shares may be issued by our board of directors in its discretion. Any future issuances will have the effect of diluting the percentage of stock ownership and voting rights of the present holders of common stock.

 

While our board of directors believes it advisable to authorize and approve the reverse stock split for the reasons set forth above, our board of directors is aware that the increase in the number of authorized but unissued shares of common stock may have a potential anti-takeover effect. Our ability to issue additional shares could be used to thwart persons, or otherwise dilute the stock ownership of stockholders, seeking to control the company. The reverse stock split is not being recommended by our board of directors as part of an anti-takeover strategy.

 

8

 

 

Certain Effects of the Reverse Split

 

Stockholders should recognize that if the reverse split is effectuated they will own fewer shares than they presently own (a number equal to the number of shares owned immediately prior to the filing of the amendment divided by 2-to-25, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our board of directors). The reverse split will have no effect on the number of our currently authorized but unissued shares of common stock. While we expect that the reverse split will result in an increase in the market price of our common stock, the reverse split may not increase the market price of our common stock by a multiple equal to the exchange number or result in the permanent increase in the market price (which is dependent upon many factors, including our performance and prospects). Also, should the market price of our common stock decline, the percentage decline as an absolute number and as a percentage of our overall market capitalization may be greater than would pertain in the absence of the reverse split. Furthermore, the possibility exists that liquidity in the market for our common stock could be adversely affected by the reduced number of shares that would be outstanding after the reverse split. The reverse stock split may result in some stockholders owning “odd-lots” of less than 100 shares of our common stock. Brokerage commissions and other costs of transactions in odd-lots are generally higher than the costs of transactions in “round-lots” of even multiples of 100 shares. Consequently, the reverse split may not achieve the desired results that have been outlined above.

 

Procedure for Effecting Reverse Split and Exchange of Stock Certificates

 

If the reverse split is approved by our stockholders, the reverse stock split would become effective at such time as it is deemed by our board of directors to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and we file the Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of Delaware. Even if the reverse stock split is approved by our stockholders, our board of directors has discretion not to carry out or to delay in carrying out the reverse stock split. Upon the filing of the amendment, all the old common stock will be converted into new common stock as set forth in the amendment.

 

As soon as practicable after the effective time of the reverse stock split, stockholders will be notified that the reverse split has been effected. If you hold shares of common stock in a book-entry form, you will receive a transmittal letter from our transfer agent as soon as practicable after the effective time of the reverse stock split with instructions on how to exchange your shares. After you submit your completed transmittal letter, a transaction statement will be sent to your address of record as soon as practicable after the effective date of the reverse split indicating the number of shares of common stock you hold.

 

Some stockholders hold their shares of common stock in certificate form or a combination of certificate and book-entry form. We expect that our transfer agent will act as exchange agent for purposes of implementing the exchange of stock certificates, if applicable. If you are a stockholder holding pre-split shares in certificate form, you will receive a transmittal letter from our transfer agent as soon as practicable after the effective time of the reverse stock split. The transmittal letter will be accompanied by instructions specifying how you can exchange your certificate representing the pre-split shares of our common stock for a statement of holding. When you submit your certificate representing the pre-split shares of our common stock, your post-split shares of our common stock will be held electronically in book-entry form in the Direct Registration System. This means that, instead of receiving a new stock certificate, you will receive a statement of holding that indicates the number of post-split shares you own in book-entry form. We will no longer issue physical stock certificates unless you make a specific request for a share certificate representing your post-split ownership interest.

 

STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD NOT DESTROY ANY STOCK CERTIFICATE(S) AND SHOULD NOT SUBMIT ANY CERTIFICATE(S) UNTIL REQUESTED TO DO SO.

 

Beginning on the effective time of the reverse stock split, each certificate representing pre-split shares will be deemed for all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of post-split shares.

 

Fractional Shares

 

No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Instead, the Company will issue one full share of the post-reverse stock split common stock to any stockholder who would have been entitled to receive a fractional share as a result of the process. Each common stockholder will hold the same percentage of the outstanding common stock immediately following the reverse split as that stockholder did immediately prior to the reverse split, except for minor adjustment due to the additional net share fraction that will need to be issued as a result of the treatment of fractional shares.

 

9

 

 

Criteria to be used for Decision to Apply the Reverse Stock Split

 

In the event that approval for the reverse stock split is obtained, our board of directors will be authorized to proceed with the reverse split. In determining which ratio to implement, if any, following receipt of stockholder approval, our Board may consider, among other things, various factors such as:

 

  the historical trading price and trading volume of our common stock;
     
  the then prevailing trading price and trading volume of our common stock and the expected impact of the reverse stock split on the trading market for our common stock;
     
  the least administrative cost to us;
     
  the requirements or necessities of any acquisition or funding transaction;
     
  the ability to satisfy the minimum bid price to list the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market or the NYSE; and
     
  prevailing general market and economic conditions.

 

No Dissenter’s Rights

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, our stockholders are not entitled to dissenter’s rights with respect to our proposed amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to effect the reverse split and we will not independently provide our stockholders with any such right.

 

Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Split

 

The following summary of the federal income tax consequences of the reverse stock split is based on current law, including the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and is for general information only. The tax treatment of a stockholder may vary depending upon the particular facts and circumstances of such stockholder, and the discussion below may not address all the tax consequences for a particular stockholder. For example, foreign, state and local tax consequences are not discussed below. Accordingly, each stockholder should consult his or her tax adviser to determine the particular tax consequences to him or her of a reverse stock split, including the application and effect of federal, state, local and/or foreign income tax and other laws.

 

Generally, a reverse stock split will not result in the recognition of gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. The adjusted basis of the new shares of common stock will be the same as the adjusted basis of the common stock exchanged for such new shares. The holding period of the new, post-reverse split shares of the common stock resulting from implementation of the reverse stock split will include the stockholder’s respective holding periods for the pre-reverse split shares.

 

No Effect on Authorized Preferred Stock

 

Pursuant to our Certificate of Incorporation, our capital stock currently consists of a total of 105,000,000 authorized shares, of which 100,000,000 shares, par value $0.0001 per share, are designated as Common Stock, and 5,000,000 shares, par value $0.001 per share, are designated Preferred Stock, not considering the approval of Proposal 1 to increase the number of authorized common shares to 300,000,000. The proposed reverse stock split would not impact the total authorized number of shares of preferred stock or the par value of the preferred stock.

 

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our directors and executive officers do not have substantial interests, directly or indirectly, in the matters set forth in this proposal except to the extent of their ownership of shares of our Common Stock or any other of our securities.

 

Vote Required

 

The affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock will be required to approve the amendment of our Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:25, such ratio to be determined in the discretion of our board of directors.

 

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A “FOR” VOTE FOR THIS

PROPOSAL

 

10

 

 


PROPOSAL 3: ADOPTION OF THE AMENDED OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

General

 

Equity-based compensation is an integral component of our overall compensation program. Our Board believes that our use of equity-based compensation is a significant factor in our ability to recruit, retain and motivate our employees and enhance stockholder value. A robust incentive plan will allow us to use equity-based compensation as a meaningful component of our compensation programs. Without our incentive plan, our ability to attract and retain executive talent may compromise our ability to drive stockholder value creation. Accordingly, on February 25, 2016, the Board adopted the Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Omnibus Plan”). The Omnibus Plan was not adopted subsequently by the stockholders.

 

On August 25, 2017, the Board approved an amendment to the Omnibus Plan to provide additional shares to be issued thereunder as well as certain other changes set forth below, and approved that the Omnibus Plan as amended be submitted to the Company’s stockholders for adoption. The amended Omnibus Plan has been approved by the Board and equity-based compensation may be issued under it at the current time. Failure of the stockholders to adopt the amended Omnibus Plan will only act to limit the Company from issuing Incentive Stock Options to officers, directors and employees, which have certain beneficial tax consequences for the recipient (see below). Regardless of stockholder approval, the Company may still issue non-qualified options and other equity-based compensation under the amended Omnibus Plan.

 

Importance of Equity-Based Compensation to the Company

 

The Omnibus Plan as amended, will allow us to continue to motivate employees via awards of equity-based compensation. As of [November 11, 2019], the record date, we had 5,700,000 shares granted as options under the Omnibus Plan (not including an additional 2,815,480 options issued under previous stock option plans), and 4,300,000 shares available for grant under the Omnibus Plan. The number of shares authorized and eligible for issuance is expected to automatically increase as of January 1, 2020, per the terms of the plan outlined below.

 

For the following reasons, among others, we believe that the ability to make further equity awards as a meaningful component of our compensation programs is critically important for our continued success.

 

Alignment with Stockholder Interests. Our ability to use equity-based compensation gives us the most effective means to align the interests of employees with those of our stockholders, because equity-based compensation directly links the employee’s compensation to an increase in the value of our Common Stock.
   
Attraction and Retention. Our ability to use equity-based compensation is vital for us to attract and retain executive, and technical talent and other key employees. In particular, the market for talent is extremely competitive in our industry and, in general, equity-based compensation is a significant element of the compensation of our employees. As such, equity awards are crucial to supporting our philosophy of targeting competitive compensation when compared to our peer group and other applicable benchmarks.
   
Motivation. Our ability to use equity-based compensation is fundamental to our ability to motivate our employees to achieve our financial and strategic objectives.

 

Highlights of the Omnibus Plan

 

The Omnibus Plan authorizes us to provide equity-based compensation in the form of stock options, SARs, restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance units. Some of the key features of the Omnibus Plan that reflect the Company’s commitment to effective management of incentive compensation are as follows:

 

Limitations on Individual Grants. The Omnibus Plan contains the grant limitations described under “—Summary of the Omnibus Plan—Limits on Grants Under the Omnibus Plan” below.
   
No In-the-Money Stock Option or SAR Grants. The Omnibus Plan prohibits the grant of stock options or SARs with an exercise or base price that is less than the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant.

 

11

 

 

Section 162(m) Qualification. The Omnibus Plan is designed to allow awards made under the Omnibus Plan to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) (“Section 162(m)”) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). This is the provision which would be affected should our shareholders fail to vote for the adoption of the Omnibus Plan.
   
Independent Administration. The Compensation Committee administers the Omnibus Plan as amended.

 

We anticipate that our equity-based compensation program will primarily utilize a combination of stock options and restricted stock units, including restricted stock units with performance-based vesting. Awards made in connection with the initial entry into an employment agreement or an amendment to that agreement are expected to generally vest over an agreed term, subject to continued service or the achievement of one or more performance metrics. However, the Compensation Committee will use its judgment to determine the appropriate amount and form of equity-based compensation necessary to recruit, retain and motivate our employees and, as such, may modify our granting practices from time to time.

 

Equity Dilution

 

As of [November 11, 2019], the record date, there were 5,700,000 shares subject to awards outstanding under the Omnibus Plan, and based on the Board-approved amendment, an additional 4,300,000 available and remaining to be awarded.

 

The following table illustrates the maximum number of shares of our Common Stock that could be available for issuance under the Omnibus Plan and the resulting equity dilution rate (as measured by the stock available as a percentage of the shares of our Common Stock outstanding).

 

(Numbers as of November 11, 2019)   Total
Shares
    Dilution
Rate (1)
 
Existing equity awards outstanding under the Omnibus Plan     5,700,000       11.0 %
                 
Total Omnibus Plan shares available for grant (2)     4,300,000       8.3 %
                 
Shares of our Common Stock outstanding     51,997,460          

 

(1) Dilution rate determined based upon the total shares shown as a percent of shares of our Common Stock outstanding inclusive of the options.
   
(2) The Omnibus Plan, as amended, provides for an automatic increase in the number of shares available for issuance on the first day of the new fiscal year equal to 5% of the total issued and outstanding common stock outstanding on a fully-diluted basis on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year. The Board did not approve this automatic increase for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, and therefore, despite the automatic increase provided in the Plan, the Company has kept the total number of shares available at 10 million.

 

Requested Shares

 

There are 4,300,000 shares of our Common Stock available for issuance under the Omnibus Plan, as amended. The number of stocks available for issuance under the amended Omnibus Plan was recommended by our Compensation Committee based on careful consideration of the equity compensation needs of the Company, and the potential dilution to our stockholders that would result from their approval of the amended Omnibus Plan. Each year, the number of shares available to be issued on the Omnibus Plan, as amended, will be increased by 5% of the total issued and outstanding common shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis as of December 31 of the previous fiscal year (the “Evergreen Provision”). The Board did not approve this automatic increase for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.

 

12

 

 

Executive Compensation

 

The following table sets forth the aggregate compensation paid by us for services rendered during last two fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018.

 

Summary Executive Compensation Table

 

Name and

Principal

Position

  Year    

Salary

($)

(a)

   

Bonus ($)

(b)

   

Stock Awards

($)
(c)

    Option Awards ($)
(d)
   

Non-Equity

Incentive Plan

Compensation

($)

(e)

   

Nonqualified

Deferred Compensation ($)

(f)

   

All Other Compensation

($)

(g)

   

Total Earnings ($)

(h)

 
                                                       
Kevin Bolin,     2018       202,085       0       0       0       0       0       18,000       220,085  
Chairman & CEO     2017       118,500       0       0       0       0       0       0       118,500  
                                                                         
Christopher Nelson,     2018       161,665       0       0       0       0       0       18,000       179,665  
President & GC     2017       96,000       0       0       0       0       0       0       96,000  

 

  (a) Salaries include those amounts paid and accrued as an expense on the books of the Company.
     
  (c)(d) Stock and Option Awards are calculated based on the face value of awards as of the date of grant.
     
  (g) All Other Compensation is comprised of cash paid directly to the executive for healthcare costs.

 

Director Compensation in the Last Full Fiscal Year

 

The Company did not provide any cash compensation to its outside directors in 2018. All three independent directors received a grant of 400,000 stock options in 2018. Directors are reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses incurred in connection with meetings of the Board of Directors, but no such expenses were incurred in 2018. The following table excludes fees paid to the two executive directors, Messrs. Bolin and Nelson, for their services in their respective officer capacities.

 

Name   Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)     Stock Awards ($)     Option Awards
($)
    Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)     Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)     All Other Compensation ($)     Total ($)  
                                           
Kevin Bolin           -             -       - (1)            -               -                -          
Scott Whitney     -       -       16,110 (2)     -       -       -     $ 16,110  
Joel Mayersohn     -       -      

16,110

(3)     -       -       -     $ 16,110  
Tristan Peitz     -       -      

16,110

(4)     -       -       -     $ 16,110  
Christopher Nelson     -       -       - (5)     -       -       -          

 

(1) For Mr. Bolin, the aggregate number of option awards outstanding at fiscal year end were 2,200,000.

 

(2) For Mr. Whitney, the aggregate number of option awards outstanding at fiscal year end were 1,000,000.

 

(3) For Mr. Mayersohn, the aggregate number of option awards outstanding at fiscal year end were 946,000.

 

(4) For Mr. Peitz, the aggregate number of option awards outstanding at fiscal year end were 600,000.

 

(5) For Mr. Nelson, the aggregate number of option awards outstanding at fiscal year end were 285,000.

 

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Outstanding Option and Stock Awards For Named Executive Officers as of December 31, 2018

 

Option Awards   Stock Awards  
Name (a)   Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable (b)     Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable (c)    

Equity Incentive Plan Awards Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#)

(d)

   

Option Exercise Price ($)

(e)

   

Option Expiration Date

(f)

   

Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#)

(g)

   

Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)

(h)

   

Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Vested Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#)

(i)

   

Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($)

(j)

 
Kevin Bolin     400,000       -       -     $ 0.10       2/29/26 *                                
Chairman & CEO     1,800,000       -       -     $ 0.10       12/28/26 *     -       -       -       -  
                                                                         
Christopher Nelson,     255,000       -       -     $ 0.10       7/30/24       -       -       -       -  
President     60,000               -     $ 0.10       11/17/25       -       -       -       -  

 

* The term of Mr. Bolin’s options was extended from five to ten years in 2018.

 

New Benefits Plan

 

The following table sets forth the incentive awards that were awarded to the listed individuals and groups under the Omnibus Plan during fiscal year 2018. The table does not set forth options or other incentive awards that could be granted in the future under the Omnibus Plan, because they are not determinable at this time.

 

Name and Position   Restricted Stock     Stock
Awards
    Option Awards     Total Units     Total
Value ($)
 
Scott Whitney, Director        -       -       400,000       400,000     $ 16,110  
Joel Mayersohn, Director     -       -       400,000       400,000     $ 16,110  
Tristan Peitz, Director     -       -       400,000       400,000     $ 16,110  
Benjamin Verschuere, Board Observer     -       -       400,000       400,000     $ 16,110  
Executive Officers as a Group     -       -       -       -       -  
Non-Executive Director Group     -       -       1,200,000       1,200,000     $ 48,330  
Non-Executive Officer Employee Group     -       -       400,000       -     $ 16,110  

 

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Summary of the Omnibus Plan

 

The following summary of the principal terms and provisions of the Omnibus Plan is qualified in its entirety by the terms of the Omnibus Plan, which is included on our website (www.q2earth.com) and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Stocks Available for Awards

 

There are 10 million shares of our Common Stock available for issuance under the Omnibus Plan as amended, of which 5,700,000 have already been issued. The number of shares available for issuance under the amended Omnibus Plan will be adjusted in the event of stock splits, stock dividends, the issuance of rights and certain other events (see “—Adjustments” below). As noted above, in addition, the number of shares reserved for issuance under the Omnibus Plan will be further increased from time to time by the Omnibus Plan’s Evergreen Provision, although there has been no increase under this provision to date.

 

Under the Omnibus Plan:

 

shares relating to awards that expire, or are forfeited, terminated or cancelled, without the issuance of shares, awards that are settled in cash in lieu of shares and awards that are exchanged, with the Compensation Committee’s permission, prior to the issuance of shares of our Common Stock, for awards not involving our Common Stock, will again be available for issuance or transfer under the Omnibus Plan; and
   
if the exercise price of any stock option is, or the tax withholding requirements with respect to any award are, satisfied by withholding shares otherwise then deliverable in respect of the award or the actual or constructive transfer to us of shares already owned, a number of shares equal to the withheld or transferred shares will again be available for issuance or transfer under the Omnibus Plan.

 

The closing price of our Common Stock on __________, 2019, was [$0.__].

 

Limits on Grants under the Amended Omnibus Plan

 

The Omnibus Plan, as amended, contains the following aggregate and individual annual grant limitations:

 

Limits on Stock Options and SARs. The number of shares issuable or transferable in respect of stock options or SARs granted to any one participant in a single fiscal year may not exceed 1,000,000 in the aggregate; provided in connection with initial service, the limit is 3,000,000 in its aggregate;
   
Limits on Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units. The number of restricted shares granted to any one participant in a single fiscal year may not exceed 1,000,000 in the aggregate; provided in connection with the initial service, the limit is 3,000,000 in its aggregate;
   
Limits on Performance Shares; Limits on Performance Units. The number of performance shares performance units granted to any one participant in a single fiscal year may not exceed 1,000,000 in the aggregate; provided in connection with the initial service, the limit is 3,000,000 in its aggregate.

 

Eligibility

 

Directors, officers and other employees of, and consultants to the Company and our subsidiaries are eligible to participate in the Omnibus Plan. Incentive stock options may only be granted to employees, officers and directors.

 

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Types of Awards Authorized

 

The Omnibus Plan provides for the granting of stock options, SARs (both freestanding SARs and SARs granted in tandem with stock options), restricted stocks, restricted stock units, performance stocks, performance units, and custom awards. Awards granted under the amended Omnibus Plan will be granted upon whatever terms are approved by the Compensation Committee and set forth in an award agreement or other evidence of an award, provided that (a) the exercise price per share of stock options, and the price per share of freestanding SARs, granted under the Omnibus Plan will be not less than the “market value per share” (defined as (i) the closing price per share of our Common Stock as reported on the principal securities exchange, association or quotation system on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted or (ii) if clause (i) does not apply, the fair market value of a stock of Common Stock as determined by the Compensation Committee), and (b) no stock option or freestanding SAR granted under the Omnibus Plan may be exercised more than 10 years from the date of grant. An award will contain those terms and provisions, consistent with the Omnibus Plan, which the Compensation Committee approves, including provisions for the acceleration of vesting or the lapse, expiration or termination of restrictions or other conditions upon the occurrence of certain events, including change of control events. Restricted stocks, restricted stock units and performance stocks may, but are not required to, receive dividend equivalents, on a current, deferred or contingent basis.

 

Administration and Amendments

 

The Omnibus Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has sole discretion to interpret any provision of the Omnibus Plan or an award thereunder, make any determination necessary or advisable for the administration of the Omnibus Plan and awards thereunder, and waive any condition or right of the Company under an award or discontinue or terminate an award. Further, any decision or determination made by the Compensation Committee with respect to the Omnibus Plan or an award thereunder will be made by the Compensation Committee in its sole and absolute discretion, subject to the terms of the Omnibus Plan. The interpretation and construction by the Compensation Committee of any provision of the Omnibus Plan or of any award, and any determination by the Compensation Committee pursuant to any provision of the Omnibus Plan or of any award, will be final and conclusive. In the instance the Company does not have a Compensation Committee, the Board of Directors will administer the Omnibus Plan and have all the of powers and responsibilities set forth above.

 

Change of Control

 

Awards under the Omnibus Plan may provide that, upon a change of control of the Company each outstanding award will be treated as the Compensation Committee determines. All awards are not required to be treated similarly in the event of a change of control.

 

Transferability

 

Unless otherwise permitted by the Compensation Committee, (1) no award or other derivative security granted under the Omnibus Plan is transferable by a participant except, upon death, by will or the laws of descent and distribution and (2) are exercisable during the participant’s lifetime only to the participant.

 

Adjustments

 

The number of shares authorized under the Omnibus Plan, the number of, and, if applicable, amounts payable for, shares subject to outstanding awards and the various limits contained in the Omnibus Plan will be adjusted in the event of stock dividends, extraordinary dividends, stock splits, combinations of shares, recapitalizations, mergers, consolidations, spin-offs, split-offs, spin-outs, split-ups, reorganizations, liquidations, issuances of rights, and similar events. In the event of any such transaction or event, the Compensation Committee will make or provide for such adjustments in the number or kind of class of stock available under the Omnibus Plan and the other limitations contained in the Omnibus Plan as is appropriate to reflect any transaction or event described above.

 

Termination

 

No award will be made under the Omnibus Plan after June 30, 2026, but all awards made on or prior to that date will continue in effect thereafter subject to the terms of those awards and of the Omnibus Plan.

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information.

 

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Plan Category   Number of Securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, stock appreciation rights and common stock awards*     Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, stock appreciation rights and common stock awards     Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans excluding securities reflected in column (a)  
      (a)       (b)       (c)  
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders     None       None       None  
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
    8,515,480       0.10       3,850,000  
Total     8,515,480       0.10       3,850,000  

 

*  All securities in this table are issued under the Company’s 2014 Founder’s Stock Option Plan, 2014 Employee Stock Option Plan, and the 2016 Omnibus Plan, as amended. All securities are common stock options. All options and other securities remaining available under equity compensation plans are from the 2016 Omnibus Plan, as amended. There are no warrants or other securities issued under these plans.

 

Federal Income Tax Consequences

 

The following discussion of the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences with respect to awards under the Omnibus Plan is based on statutory authority and judicial and administrative interpretations as of the date of this proxy statement, which are subject to change at any time (possibly with retroactive effect) and may vary in individual circumstances. Therefore, the following discussion is designed to provide a general understanding of the federal income tax consequences, but not to provide you with the specific tax consequences to you with respect to your awards. Further, state, local and other tax consequences are not addressed below, nor is the Medicare tax on net investment income. This discussion assumes that awards granted under the Omnibus Plan are exempt from, or comply with, the provisions of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. This discussion is limited to the U.S. federal income tax consequences to individuals who are citizens or residents of the U.S. The U.S. federal income tax law is technical and complex and the discussion below represents only a general summary.

 

Non-Qualified Stock Options

 

In general, no income will be recognized by a participant at the time a non-qualified stock option is granted. At the time of exercise of a non-qualified stock option, ordinary income will be recognized by the participant in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise price paid for the stocks and the fair market value of the stocks, if unrestricted, on the date of exercise. At the time of sale of stocks acquired pursuant to the exercise of a non-qualified stock option, appreciation (or depreciation) in value of the stocks after the date of exercise will be treated as either short-term or long-term capital gain (or loss) depending on how long the stocks have been held.

 

Incentive Stock Options

 

No income generally will be recognized by a participant upon the grant or exercise of an ISO. The exercise of an ISO, however, may result in alternative minimum tax liability. If stocks are issued to the participant pursuant to the exercise of an ISO and no disqualifying disposition of those stocks is made by the participant within two years after the date of grant or within one year after the transfer of those stocks to the participant, then upon sale of those stocks any amount realized in excess of the exercise price will be taxed to the participant as a capital gain and any loss sustained will be a capital loss. If stocks acquired upon the exercise of an ISO are disposed of prior to the expiration of either holding period described above, the participant generally will recognize ordinary income in the year of disposition in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the fair market value of those stocks at the time of exercise (or, if less, the amount realized on the disposition of those stocks if a sale or exchange) over the exercise price paid for the stocks. Any further gain (or loss) realized by the participant generally will be taxed as capital gain (or loss).

 

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Stock Appreciation Rights

 

Generally, no income will be recognized by a participant in connection with the grant of a SAR. When the SAR is exercised, the participant normally will be required to include as taxable ordinary income in the year of exercise an amount equal to the amount of cash received and the fair market value of any unrestricted stocks received on the exercise.

 

Restricted Shares

 

A recipient of restricted shares generally will be subject to tax at ordinary income rates on the fair market value of the restricted shares (reduced by any amount paid by the participant for the restricted shares) at the time the shares are no longer subject to forfeiture or restrictions on transfer for purposes of Section 83 of the Internal Revenue Code. However, a recipient who makes an election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code within 30 days of the date of grant of the shares will have taxable ordinary income on the date of grant of the shares equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares (determined without regard to the restrictions) over the purchase price, if any, of the restricted shares. Also if a Section 83(b) is made, then the holder is not taxed at the time of vesting but only at the time of disposition, and the tax will be assessed at the applicable capital gains rate, not the ordinary income rate. If a Section 83(b) election has not been made, any dividends received with respect to restricted shares that are subject to the restrictions generally will be treated as compensation that is taxable as ordinary income to the participant.

 

Restricted Share Units

 

No income generally will be recognized upon the award of restricted stock units. The recipient of a restricted stock unit award generally will be subject to tax at ordinary income rates on the fair market value of unrestricted shares on the date that the shares are transferred to the participant under the award (reduced by any amount paid by the participant for the restricted stock units).

 

Performance Shares and Performance Units

 

No income generally will be recognized upon the grant of performance shares or performance units. Upon payment in respect of the vesting or payment in respect of performance shares or performance units, as the case may be, the recipient generally will be required to include as taxable ordinary income in the year of receipt an amount equal to the amount of any cash received and the fair market value of any unrestricted shares received.

 

Tax Consequences to the Company or Subsidiary

 

To the extent that a participant recognizes ordinary income in the circumstances described above, we or the subsidiary of ours for which the participant performs services will be entitled to a corresponding deduction provided that, among other things, the amount of compensation is reasonable within the meaning of the federal tax principles, is an ordinary and necessary business expense, and is not an “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code. Further, any such deduction with respect to compensation paid to “covered employees” within the meaning of Section 162(m) (generally, the chief executive officer and the three other highest paid officers other than the chief financial officer) is subject to limitation thereunder unless that compensation is qualified performance-based compensation.

 

Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code

 

To the extent that any award granted under the Omnibus Plan constitutes a deferral of compensation within the meaning of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, the Compensation Committee intends to cause the award to comply with the requirements of Section 409A. If an award does not comply with the requirements of Section 409A, penalty taxes and interest may be imposed on the participant receiving the award.

 

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Special Meeting is required for the approval of Proposal 3.

 

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A “FOR” VOTE FOR THIS

PROPOSAL

 

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PROPOSAL 4: AUTHORIZATION TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING

 

General

 

If the Special Meeting is convened and a quorum is present, but there are not sufficient votes to approve Proposal 1, Proposal 2, or Proposal 3, our proxy holders may move to adjourn the Special Meeting at that time in order to enable our board of directors to solicit additional proxies.

 

In this proposal, we are asking our stockholders to authorize the holder of any proxy solicited by our board of directors to vote in favor of granting discretionary authority to the proxy holders, and each of them individually, to adjourn the Special Meeting to another time and place, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies in the event that there are not sufficient votes to approve Proposal 1, Proposal 2, or Proposal 3. If our stockholders approve this proposal, we could adjourn the Special Meeting and any adjourned session of the Special Meeting and use the additional time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from our stockholders that have previously voted. Among other things, approval of this proposal could mean that, even if we had received proxies representing a sufficient number of votes to defeat Proposal 1, Proposal 2 or Proposal 3, we could adjourn the Special Meeting without a vote on such proposals and seek to convince our stockholders to change their votes in favor of such proposals.

 

If it is necessary to adjourn the Special Meeting, no notice of the adjourned meeting is required to be given to our stockholders, other than an announcement at the Special Meeting of the time and place to which the Special Meeting is adjourned, so long as the meeting is adjourned for 30 days or less and no new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting. At the adjourned meeting, we may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting.

 

Vote Required

 

Approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock present or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting and entitled to vote on such matter.

 

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A “FOR” VOTE FOR THIS

PROPOSAL

 

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

 

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of [November 11, 2019], the record date, by:

 

  each person, or group of affiliated persons, whom we know to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock;
     
  each of our named executive officers;
     
  each of our directors; and
     
  all of our executive officers and directors as a group.

 

We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with the rules of the SEC. These rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to those securities. In addition, the rules include shares of common stock issuable pursuant to the exercise of stock options or warrants that are either immediately exercisable or exercisable on or before January 10, 2019 which is 60 days after November 11, 2019. These shares are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding those options or warrants for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of that person, but they are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, the persons or entities identified in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares shown as beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws. The percentages are based on 51,997,460 shares outstanding as of November 11, 2019.

  

Except as otherwise noted below, the address for persons listed in the table is c/o Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Suite 100, Palm Beach, Florida 33480.

 

Name of beneficial owner   Amount and nature of
beneficial ownership
    Percent of class  
Kevin Bolin (1)     12,200,000       22.5 %
Christopher Nelson (2)     6,822,200       13.0 %
Joel Mayersohn (3)     1,031,842       2.0 %
Scott Whitney (4)     1,200,000       2.3 %
Tristan Peitz (5)     800,000       1.5 %
All Officers and Directors     22,054,043       40.0 %

 

* Under 1%

 

(1) Mr. Bolin’s holdings include 2,200,000 vested stock options and 10,000,000 shares subject to forfeiture (see below).
   
(2)  Mr. Nelson’s holdings include 285,000 vested stock options and 5,000,000 shares subject to forfeiture (see below).
   
(3) Mr. Mayersohn’s holdings include 946,000 vested stock options.
   
(4) Mr. Whitney’s holdings are all vested stock options
   
(5) Mr. Peitz’s holdings are all vested stock options.

 

None of our officers and directors own any preferred stock or other classes of securities other than common stock and common stock options. Currently, to our knowledge there are no other shareholders that hold 5% or more of the total outstanding common stock of the Company.

 

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Forfeiture of Executive Shares

 

In December 2016, the Board of Directors approved for Mr. Bolin, our CEO, 10,000,000 shares of common stock, and for Mr. Nelson, our President, 5,000,000 shares of common stock, both as compensation and both subject to forfeiture provisions. These shares were not actually issued until February 2017. To fully earn their shares, the Company must complete at least $3 million in funding and complete its first strategic acquisition. The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has the authority to interpret and apply in their best business judgement these stated milestones. If these individuals do not fulfill their commitments and performance goals, the Board of Directors may in its full discretion terminate the shares and retire them to treasury. Until such time, however, the shareholders may exercise all rights of voting and otherwise afforded to the common stock of the Company.

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Proxy Statement contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this Proxy Statement. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements and information concerning statements regarding:

 

  our consummation of the reverse stock split and authorized share increase, as well as the timing of such transactions;
     
  the intended benefits of the reverse stock split, including that the reverse stock split is in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders, is expected to result in an increase to the per share trading price of our Common Stock, and is expected to make such Common Stock more attractive to a broader range of institutional and other investors;
     
  the potential dilution of current stockholders of the Company if the reverse stock split or the authorized share increase is approved and the Company issues shares of Common Stock upon conversion of its outstanding convertible securities and the Preferred Stock;
     
    the market’s near and long term reaction to the reverse stock split and authorized share increase; and
     
    statements regarding our intention to engage in future equity transactions, each as further provided and described below.

 

Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect,” “is expected,” “anticipates” or “does not anticipate,” “plans,” “budget,” “scheduled,” “forecasts,” “estimates,” “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “might” or “will” be taken, will occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements and are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

 

These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the management of the Company as well as on assumptions that such management believes to be reasonable, based on information currently available at the time such statements were made. However, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Such assumptions and factors include, among other things, the anticipated benefits and risks of the reverse stock split, as further provided and described below.

 

By their nature, forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation:

 

  difficulties, delays, unanticipated costs or our inability to consummate the reverse stock split and authorized share increase on the expected terms and conditions or timeline;

 

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  difficulties, delays or the inability to increase the per share trading price of our Common Stock as a result of the reverse stock split, including future decreases in the price of our Common Stock due to, among other things, the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon the conversion of our outstanding preferred stock and convertible securities causing dilution of the Common Stock, the announcement of the reverse stock split and authorized share increase or our inability to make our Common Stock more attractive to a broader range of institutional or other investors, as a result of, among other things, investors viewing the reverse stock split and authorized share increase negatively or due to future financial results, market conditions, the market perception of our business, our inability to realize anticipated cost reductions or other factors adversely affecting the market price of our Common Stock, notwithstanding the reverse stock split and authorized share increase or otherwise;
     
  unanticipated negative reactions to the reverse stock split and authorized share increase or unanticipated circumstances or results that could negatively affect interest in our Common Stock by the investment community; or
     
  general business, economic, competitive, political, regulatory and social uncertainties; risks related to competition; risks related to factors beyond the control of the Company; the global economic climate; the execution of strategic growth plans; insurance risks; and litigation.

 

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the forward-looking statements of the Company. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of the matters set out in this Proxy Statement generally and certain economic and business factors, some of which may be beyond the control of the Company. Some of the important risks and uncertainties that could affect forward-looking statements are described further under the proposals contained in this Proxy Statement. The Company does not intend, and does not assume, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. For all of these reasons, Company stockholders should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

 

ANNUAL REPORT

 

Any person who was a beneficial owner of our common stock on the record date may request a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and it will be furnished without charge upon receipt of a written request identifying the person so requesting an Annual Report as a stockholder of the Company at such date. Requests should be directed in writing to Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Suite 100, Palm Beach, Florida 33480, Attention: Christopher Nelson, or by telephone to (561) 693-1423 or email: cnelson@q2earth.com. Alternatively, stockholders may view our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 on the website: www.proxyvote.com.

 

STOCKHOLDERS SHARING THE SAME ADDRESS

 

SEC rules permit companies, brokers, banks or other agents to deliver a single copy of a proxy statement and annual report to households at which two or more stockholders reside. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce duplicate mailings and save significant printing and postage costs as well as natural resources. Stockholders sharing an address who have been previously notified by their broker, bank or other agent and have consented to householding will receive only one copy of our proxy statement and annual report.

 

If you would like to opt out of this practice for future mailings and receive separate proxy statements and annual reports for each stockholder sharing the same address, please contact your broker, bank or other agent. You may also obtain a separate proxy statement or annual report without charge by contacting us at Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Suite 100, Palm Beach, Florida 33480, Attention: Christopher Nelson, or by telephone to (561) 693-1423 or email: cnelson@q2earth.com. We will promptly send additional copies of the proxy statement or annual report.

 

Stockholders sharing an address that are receiving multiple copies of the proxy statement or annual report can request delivery of a single copy of the proxy statement or annual report by contacting their broker, bank or other intermediary or by contacting us as indicated above.

 

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OTHER MATTERS

 

We do not know of any business other than that described in this Proxy Statement that will be presented for consideration or action by the stockholders at the Special Meeting. If, however, any other business is properly brought before the Special Meeting, shares represented by proxies will be voted in accordance with the best judgment of the persons named in the proxies or their substitutes.

 

  By Order of the Board of Directors
   
  Sincerely,
   
   
  Kevin Bolin
  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Palm Beach, Florida  
[_______________], 2019  

 

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APPENDIX A

 

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

TO

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

Q2EARTH, INC.

 

Q2Earth, Inc. (the “Company”), a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), does hereby certify that:

 

FIRST: The name of this corporation is Q2Earth, Inc. and the date on which the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation was originally filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware was August 26, 2004.

 

SECOND: The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) is hereby amended as follows:

 

“The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue shall be Three Hundred Five Million (305,000,000) shares, of which Three Hundred Million (300,000,000) shares shall be common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) and Five Million (5,000,000) shares shall be preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”). All of the shares of Common Stock shall be of one class.

 

The shares of Preferred Stock shall be undesignated Preferred Stock and may be issued from time to time in one or more series pursuant to a resolution or resolutions providing for such issuance and duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation, authority to do so being hereby expressly vested in the Corporation’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is further authorized to determine or alter the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions granted to or imposed upon any wholly unissued series of Preferred Stock and to fix the number of shares of any series of Preferred Stock and the designation of any such series of Preferred Stock. The Board of Directors of the Corporation, within the limits and restrictions stated in any resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors originally fixing the number of shares constituting any series, may increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares in any such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any series subsequent to the issuance of shares of that series.

 

The Corporation shall not issue any non-voting equity securities to the extent prohibited by Section 1123(a)(6) of Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) as the same is in effect on the date of the filing of this Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware; provided, however, that this provision of Article IV will have no further force and effect beyond that required under Section 1123(a)(6) of the Bankruptcy Code, (ii) will have such further force and effect, if any, only for so long as Section 1123(a)(6) of the Bankruptcy Code is in effect and applicable to the Corporation, and (iii) in all events may be amended or eliminated in accordance with such applicable law as from time to time may be in effect.

 

The authority of the Board of Directors of the Corporation with respect to each such class or series of Preferred Stock shall include, without limitation of the foregoing, the right to determine and fix:

 

  the distinctive designation of such class or series and the number of shares to constitute such class or series;
     
  the rate at which dividends on the shares of such class or series shall be declared and paid or set aside for payment, whether dividends at the rate so determined shall be cumulative or accruing, and whether the shares of such class or series shall be entitled to any participating or other dividends in addition to dividends at the rate so determined, and if so, on what terms;
     
  the right or obligation, if any, of the Corporation to redeem shares of the particular class or series of Preferred Stock and, if redeemable, the price, terms and manner of such redemption;
     
  the special and relative rights and preferences, if any, and the amount or amounts per share, which the shares of such class or series of Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation;

 

24

 

 

  the terms and conditions, if any, upon which shares of such class or series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of capital stock of any other class or series, including the price or prices or the rate or rates of conversion or exchange and the terms of adjustment, if any;
     
  the obligation, if any, of the Corporation to retire, redeem or purchase shares of such class or series pursuant to a sinking fund or fund of a similar nature or otherwise, and the terms and conditions of such obligations;
     
  voting rights, if any, on the issuance of additional shares of such class or series or any shares of any other class or series of Preferred Stock;
     
  limitations, if any, on the issuance of additional shares of such class or series or any shares of any other class or series of Preferred Stock; and
     
  such other preferences, powers, qualifications, special or relative rights and privileges thereof as the Board of Directors of the Corporation, acting in accordance with this Certificate of Incorporation, may deem advisable and are not inconsistent with the law and the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation.

 

THIRD: The foregoing amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation was duly approved by the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”).

 

FOURTH: Thereafter, pursuant to a resolution of the Board, this Certificate of Amendment was submitted to the stockholders of the Company for their approval, and was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 228 and 242 of the DGCL.

 

FIFTH: This amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation shall be effective on and as of the date of filing of this Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Q2Earth, Inc. has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be executed by its Chairman and CEO as of [_____________], 2019.

 

  By:  
    Kevin Bolin
    Chairman and CEO

 

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APPENDIX B

 

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

TO

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

Q2EARTH, INC.

 

Q2Earth, Inc. (the “Company”), a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), does hereby certify that:

 

FIRST: The name of this corporation is Q2Earth, Inc. and the date on which the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation was originally filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware was August 26, 2004.

 

SECOND: The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”), acting in accordance with the provisions of Sections 141 and 242 of the DGCL, adopted resolutions amending its Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), so that effective upon the filing of this Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, every [__________] shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Common Stock”) issued and outstanding shall, automatically and without any action on the part of the respective holders thereof, be combined and converted into one share of Common Stock without increasing or decreasing the par value of each share of Common Stock (the “Reverse Split”) and without increasing or decreasing the authorized number of shares of Common Stock or the Company’s Preferred Stock; provided, however, no fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued in connection with the Reverse Split, and instead, the Company shall issue one full share of post-Reverse Split Common Stock to any stockholder who would have been entitled to receive a fractional share of Common Stock as a result of the Reverse Split. The Reverse Split shall occur whether or not the certificates representing such shares of Common Stock are surrendered to the Company or its transfer agent. The Reverse Split shall be effected on a record holder-by-record holder basis, such that any fractional shares of Common Stock resulting from the Reverse Split and held by a single record holder shall be aggregated.

 

THIRD: The foregoing amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation was duly approved by the Board.

 

FOURTH: Thereafter, pursuant to a resolution of the Board, this Certificate of Amendment was submitted to the stockholders of the Company for their approval, and was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 228 and 242 of the DGCL.

 

FIFTH: This amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation shall be effective on and as of the date of filing of this Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Q2Earth, Inc. has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be executed by its Chairman and CEO as of [_____________________], 2019.

 

  By:  
    Kevin Bolin
    Chairman and CEO

 

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APPENDIX C

 

Q2EARTH, INC.

 

2016 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

AMENDED AS OF AUGUST 25, 2017

 

1. Purposes of the Plan. The purposes of this Plan are (a) to attract and retain the best available personnel to ensure the Company’s success and accomplish the Company’s goals; (b) to incentivize Officers, Employees, Directors and Consultants with long-term equity-based compensation to align their interests with the Company’s stockholders, and (c) to promote the success of the Company’s business.

 

The Plan permits the grant of Incentive Stock Options, Nonstatutory Stock Options, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Stock Appreciation Rights, Performance Units and Performance Shares.

 

2. Definitions. As used herein, the following definitions will apply:

 

(a) “Administrator” means the Board or any of its Committees as will be administering the Plan, in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.

 

(b) “Applicable Laws” means the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are, or will be, granted under the Plan.

 

(c) “Award” means, individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units or Performance Shares.

 

(d) “Award Agreement” means the written or electronic agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to each Award granted under the Plan. The Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

(e) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company. In the instance the Company has a Committee administering the Plan, the use of the term “Board” shall mean the Committee unless otherwise specifically stated.

 

(f) “Change in Control” except as may otherwise be provided in a Stock Option Agreement, Restricted Stock Agreement or other applicable agreement, means the occurrence of any of the following:

 

(i) The consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or any other corporate reorganization, if the Company’s shareholders immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or reorganization cease to directly or indirectly own immediately after such merger, consolidation or reorganization at least a majority of the combined voting power of the continuing or surviving entity’s securities outstanding immediately after such merger, consolidation or other reorganization;

 

27

 

 

(ii) The consummation of the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (other than (x) to a corporation or other entity of which at least a majority of its combined voting power is owned directly or indirectly by the Company, (y) to a corporation or other entity owned directly or indirectly by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the common stock of the Company or (z) to a continuing or surviving entity described in Section 2(f)(i) in connection with a merger, consolidation or corporate reorganization which does not result in a Change in Control under Section 2(f)(i));

 

(iii) A change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this clause, if any Person (as defined below in Section 2(f)(iv)) is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control;

 

(iv) The consummation of any transaction as a result of which any Person becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power represented by the Company’s then outstanding voting securities. For purposes of this Paragraph (iv), the term “person” shall have the same meaning as when used in sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act but shall exclude:

 

(1) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or an affiliate of the Company;

 

(2) a corporation or other entity owned directly or indirectly by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the common stock of the Company;

 

(3) the Company; and

 

(4) a corporation or other entity of which at least a majority of its combined voting power is owned directly or indirectly by the Company; or

 

(v) A complete winding up, liquidation or dissolution of the Company.

 

A transaction shall not constitute a Change in Control if its sole purpose is to change the state of the Company’s incorporation or to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such transactions.

 

(g) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Reference to a specific section of the Code or regulation thereunder shall include such section or regulation, any valid regulation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

 

(h) “Committee” means a committee of Directors or of other individuals satisfying Applicable Laws appointed by the Board in accordance with Section 4 hereof.

 

(i) “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company.

 

(j) “Company” means Q2Earth, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.

 

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(k) “Consultant” means any person, including an advisor, engaged by the Company or a Parent or Subsidiary to render services to such entity.

 

(l) “Director” means a member of the Board who is also an Employee.

 

(m) “Disability” means total and permanent disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, provided that in the case of Awards other than Incentive Stock Options, the Administrator in its discretion may determine whether a permanent and total disability exists in accordance with uniform and non-discriminatory standards adopted by the Administrator from time to time.

 

(n) “Employee” means any person, including Officers and Directors, employed by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. Neither service as a Director nor payment of a director’s fee by the Company will be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

 

(o) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(p) “Exchange Program” means a program established by the Committee under which outstanding Awards are amended to provide for a lower Exercise Price or surrendered or cancelled in exchange for (i) Awards with a lower exercise price, (ii) a different type of Award or awards under a different equity incentive plan, (iii) cash, or (iv) a combination of (i), (ii) and/or (iii). Notwithstanding the preceding, the term Exchange Program does not include any (i) action described in Section 13 or any action taken in connection with a change in control transaction nor (ii) transfer or other disposition permitted under Section 12. For the purpose of clarity, each of the actions described in the prior sentence, none of which constitute an Exchange Program, may be undertaken (or authorized) by the Committee in its sole discretion without approval by the Company’s shareholders.

 

(q) “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

 

(i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

 

(ii) If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, or if the Common Stock is quoted on the Over-the-Counter (OTC) market, be that the OTCQB, OTCBB or Pink Sheets, the Fair Market Value of a Share will be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, the OTC, or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

 

(iii) For purposes of any Awards granted on the Registration Date, the Fair Market Value will be the initial price to the public as set forth in the final prospectus included within the registration statement in Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the initial public offering of the Company’s Common Stock; or

 

(iv) In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value will be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

 

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(r) “Fiscal Year” means the fiscal year of the Company.

 

(s) “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(t) “Inside Director” means a Director who is an Employee.

 

(u) “Nonstatutory Stock Option” means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

(v) “Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(w) “Option” means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.

 

(x) “Outside Director” means a Director who is not an Employee.

 

(y) “Parent” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company if each of the corporations other than the Company owns stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain. A corporation that attains the status of a Parent on a date after the adoption of the Plan shall be considered a Parent commencing as of such date.

 

(z) “Participant” means the holder of an outstanding Award.

 

(aa) “Performance Goal” means a performance goal established by the Committee pursuant to Section 10(c) of the Plan.

 

(bb) “Performance Share” means an Award denominated in Shares which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of Performance Goals or other vesting criteria as the Administrator may determine pursuant to Section 10.

 

(cc) “Performance Unit” means an Award which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of Performance Goals or other vesting criteria as the Administrator may determine and which may be settled for cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of the foregoing pursuant to Section 10.

 

(dd) “Period of Restriction” means the period during which the transfer of Shares of Restricted Stock are subject to restrictions and therefore, the Shares are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. Such restrictions may be based on the passage of time, the achievement of target levels of performance, or the occurrence of other events as determined by the Administrator.

 

(ee) “Plan” means this 2016 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan; as amended effective as of August 25, 2017 (the “Amendment Date”).

 

(ff) “Registration Date” means the effective date of the first registration statement that is filed by the Company and declared effective pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, with respect to any class of the Company’s securities.

 

(gg) “Restricted Stock” means Shares issued pursuant to a Restricted Stock award under Section 7 of the Plan.

 

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(hh) “Restricted Stock Unit” means a bookkeeping entry representing an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of one Share, granted pursuant to Section 8. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents an unfunded and unsecured obligation of the Company.

 

(ii) “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect when discretion is being exercised with respect to the Plan.

 

(jj) “Section 16(b)” means Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.

 

(kk) “Service Provider” means an Employee, Director or Consultant.

 

(ll) “Share” means a share of the Common Stock, as adjusted in accordance with Section 13 of the Plan.

 

(mm) “Stock Appreciation Right” means an Award, granted alone or in connection with an Option, that pursuant to Section 9 is designated as a Stock Appreciation Right.

 

(nn) “Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if each of the corporations other than the last corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain. A corporation that attains the status of a Subsidiary on a date after the adoption of the Plan shall be considered a Subsidiary commencing as of such date.

 

3. Stock Subject to the Plan.

 

(a) Stock Subject to the Plan. As of the Amendment Date, 4,550,000 Nonstatutory Options have been issued under the Plan. Subject to the provisions of Section 13 of the Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan, effective as of the Amendment Date, shall be 10,000,000 Shares (the “Initial Share Reserve”). The Shares may be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing and, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options will equal the aggregate Share number stated in this Section 3(a), plus, to the extent allowable under Section 422 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, any Shares that become available for issuance under the Plan pursuant to Sections 3(b) and 3(c).

 

(b) Automatic Share Reserve Increase. The number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan will be increased on the first day of each Fiscal Year beginning with the 2018 Fiscal Year, in an amount equal to the greater of (i) an amount of Shares equal to five percent (5%) of the issued and outstanding Shares, inclusive of all issued and outstanding securities convertible into Shares other than Options granted under the Plan and non-cashless warrants, on the last day of the immediately preceding Fiscal Year or (ii) such number of Shares determined by the Board.

 

(c) Lapsed Awards. To the extent an Award expires, is surrendered pursuant to an Exchange Program or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised or, with respect to Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units or Performance Shares, is forfeited to or repurchased by the Company due to failure to vest, the unpurchased Shares (or for Awards other than Options or Stock Appreciation Rights the forfeited or repurchased Shares), which were subject thereto will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). Notwithstanding the foregoing (and except with respect to Shares of Restricted Stock that are forfeited rather than vesting), Shares that have actually been issued under the Plan under any Award will not be returned to the Plan and will not become available for future distribution under the Plan; provided, however, that if Shares issued pursuant to Awards of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares or Performance Units are repurchased by the Company or are forfeited to the Company, such Shares will become available for future grant under the Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise price of an Award or to satisfy the tax withholding obligations related to an Award will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan. To the extent an Award under the Plan is paid out in cash rather than Shares, such cash payment will not result in reducing the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan.

 

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4. Administration of the Plan.

 

(a) Procedure.

 

(i) Multiple Administrative Bodies. Different Committees with respect to different groups of Service Providers may administer the Plan; provided however, the Company’s Compensation Committee, if then in existence, shall be the ultimate Administrator of the Plan unless otherwise determined by the Board.

 

(ii) Section 162(m). To the extent that the Administrator determines it to be desirable to qualify Awards granted hereunder as “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, the Plan will be administered by a Committee of two (2) or more “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

(iii) Rule 16b-3. To the extent desirable to qualify transactions hereunder as exempt under Rule 16b-3, the transactions contemplated hereunder will be structured to satisfy the requirements for exemption under Rule 16b-3.

 

(iv) Other Administration. Other than as provided above, the Plan will be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee, which committee will be constituted to satisfy Applicable Laws.

 

(b) Powers of the Administrator. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Administrator will have the authority, in its discretion:

 

(i) to determine the Fair Market Value;

 

(ii) to select the Service Providers to whom Awards may be granted hereunder;

 

(iii) to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

 

(iv) to approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;

 

(v) to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award granted hereunder. Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Awards may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Award or the Shares relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Administrator will determine;

 

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(vi) to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the Plan;

 

(vii) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules and regulations established for the purpose of satisfying applicable foreign laws, for qualifying for favorable tax treatment under applicable foreign laws or facilitating compliance with foreign laws; sub-plans may be created for any of these purposes;

 

(viii) to modify or amend each Award (subject to Section 18 of the Plan), including but not limited to the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercisability period of Awards and to extend the maximum term of an Option (subject to Section 6(b) of the Plan regarding Incentive Stock Options);

 

(ix) to allow Participants to satisfy withholding tax obligations in such manner as prescribed in Section 14 of the Plan;

 

(x) to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required to effect the grant of an Award previously granted by the Administrator;

 

(xi) to allow a Participant to defer the receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due to such Participant under an Award; and

 

(xii) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering the Plan.

 

(c) Effect of Administrator’s Decision. The Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations will be final and binding on all Participants and any other holders of Awards.

 

(d) Exchange Program. Notwithstanding the anything in this Section 4, the Committee shall not implement an Exchange Program without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Shares that are present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of Company’s shareholders.

 

(e) Delegation by the Committee. The Committee, in its sole discretion and on such terms and conditions as it may provide, may delegate all or any part of its authority and powers under the Plan to one or more Directors or officers of the Company; provided, however, that the Committee may not delegate its authority and powers (a) with respect to an Officer or (b) in any way which would jeopardize the Plan’s qualification under Code Section 162(m) or Rule 16b-3.

 

5. Award Eligibility and Limitations.

 

(a) Award Eligibility. Nonstatutory Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and Performance Units may be granted to any qualified person including Service Providers. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees, Officers and Directors.

 

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(b) Award Limitations. The following limits shall apply to the grant of any Award if, at the time of grant, the Company is a “publicly held corporation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code:

 

(i) Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13, no Employee shall be granted within any fiscal year of the Company one or more Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, which in the aggregate cover more than 1,000,000 Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan; provided, however, that in connection with an Employee’s initial service as an Employee, an Employee may be granted Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, which in the aggregate cover up to an additional 3,000,000 Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan.

 

(ii) Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13, no Employee shall be granted within any fiscal year of the Company one or more awards of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, which in the aggregate cover more than 1,000,000 Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan; provided, however, that in connection with an Employee’s initial service as an Employee, an Employee may be granted Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units which in the aggregate cover up to an additional 3,000,000 Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan.

 

(iii) Performance Units and Performance Shares. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13, no Employee shall receive Performance Units or Performance Shares having a grant date value (assuming maximum payout) greater than two million dollars ($2 million) or covering more than 1,000,000 Shares, whichever is greater; provided, however, that in connection with an Employee’s initial service as an Employee, an Employee may receive Performance Units or Performance Shares having a grant date value (assuming maximum payout) of up to an additional amount equal five million dollars ($5 million) or covering up to 3,000,000 Shares, whichever is greater. No Participant may be granted more than one award of Performance Units or Performance Shares for the same Performance Period.

 

6. Stock Options.

 

(a) Limitations. Each Option will be designated in the Award Agreement as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option. However, notwithstanding such designation, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), unless such greater number is approved by the Board and allowable under law, such Options will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 6(a), Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted. The Fair Market Value of the Shares will be determined as of the time the Option with respect to such Shares is granted. With respect to the Committee’s authority in Section 4(b)(viii), if, at the time of any such extension, the exercise price per Share of the Option is less than the Fair Market Value of a Share, the extension shall, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, be limited to the earlier of (1) the maximum term of the Option as set by its original terms, or (2) ten (10) years from the grant date. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, any extension of the term of an Option pursuant to this Section 4(b)(viii) shall comply with Code Section 409A to the extent necessary to avoid taxation thereunder.

 

(b) Term of Option. The term of each Option will be stated in the Award Agreement. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the term will be ten (10) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement. Moreover, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Participant who, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option will be five (5) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement.

 

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(c) Option Exercise Price and Consideration.

 

(i) Exercise Price. The per share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to exercise of an Option will be determined by the Administrator, subject to the following:

 

(1) In the case of an Incentive Stock Option

 

(A) granted to an Employee who, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

 

(B) granted to any Employee other than an Employee described in paragraph (A) immediately above, the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

 

(2) In the case of a Nonstatutory Stock Option, the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.

 

(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Options may be granted with a per Share exercise price of less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant pursuant to a transaction described in, and in a manner consistent with, Section 424(a) of the Code.

 

(ii) Waiting Period and Exercise Dates. At the time an Option is granted, the Administrator will fix the period within which the Option may be exercised and will determine any conditions that must be satisfied before the Option may be exercised.

 

(iii) Form of Consideration. The Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration for exercising an Option, including the method of payment. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration at the time of grant. Such consideration for both types of Options may consist entirely of: (1) cash; (2) check; (3) promissory note, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, (4) other Shares, provided that such Shares have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which such Option will be exercised and provided that accepting such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion; (5) consideration received by the Company under a broker-assisted (or other) cashless exercise program (whether through a broker or otherwise) implemented by the Company in connection with the Plan; (6) by net exercise; (7) such other consideration and method of payment for the issuance of Shares to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws; or (8) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.

 

(d) Exercise of Option.

 

(i) Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder. Any Option granted hereunder will be exercisable according to the terms of the Plan and at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.

 

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An Option will be deemed exercised when the Company receives: (i) a notice of exercise (in such form as the Administrator may specify from time to time) from the person entitled to exercise the Option, and (ii) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised (together with applicable withholding taxes). Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Award Agreement and the Plan. Shares issued upon exercise of an Option will be issued in the name of the Participant or, if requested by the Participant, in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse. Until the Shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to the Shares subject to an Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Company will issue (or cause to be issued) such Shares promptly after the Option is exercised. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.

 

(ii) Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider. If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, other than upon the Participant’s termination as the result of the Participant’s death or Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement). In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for three (3) months following the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified by the Administrator, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

 

(iii) Disability of Participant. If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement). In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

 

(iv) Death of Participant. If a Participant dies while a Service Provider, the Option may be exercised following the Participant’s death within such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of death (but in no event may the Option be exercised later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement), by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to Participant’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator. If no such beneficiary has been designated by the Participant, then such Option may be exercised by the personal representative of the Participant’s estate or by the person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution. In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following Participant’s death. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if at the time of death Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will immediately revert to the Plan. If the Option is not so exercised within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

 

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7. Restricted Stock.

 

(a) Grant of Restricted Stock. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock to Service Providers in such amounts as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

 

(b) Restricted Stock Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Stock will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Period of Restriction, the number of Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the Company as escrow agent will hold Shares of Restricted Stock until the restrictions on such Shares have lapsed.

 

(c) Transferability. Except as provided in this Section 7 or the Award Agreement, Shares of Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction.

 

(d) Other Restrictions. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may impose such other restrictions on Shares of Restricted Stock as it may deem advisable or appropriate.

 

(e) Removal of Restrictions. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 7, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock grant made under the Plan will be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the Period of Restriction or at such other time as the Administrator may determine. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed.

 

(f) Voting Rights. During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder may exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares, unless the Administrator determines otherwise.

 

(g) Dividends and Other Distributions. During the Period of Restriction, Employees and Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock will be entitled to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such Shares, unless the Administrator provides otherwise. If any such dividends or distributions are paid in Shares, the Shares will be subject to the same restrictions on transferability and forfeitability as the Shares of Restricted Stock with respect to which they were paid.

 

(h) Return of Restricted Stock to Company. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock for which restrictions have not lapsed will revert to the Company and again will become available for grant under the Plan.

 

8. Restricted Stock Units.

 

(a) Grant. Restricted Stock Units may be granted at any time and from time to time as determined by the Administrator. After the Administrator determines that it will grant Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, it will advise the Participant in an Award Agreement of the terms, conditions, and restrictions (if any) related to the grant, including the number of Restricted Stock Units.

 

(b) Vesting Criteria and Other Terms. The Administrator will set vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which the criteria are met, will determine the number of Restricted Stock Units that will be paid out to the Participant. The Administrator may set vesting criteria based upon the achievement of Company-wide, business unit, or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment), or any other basis (including the passage of time) determined by the Administrator in its discretion.

 

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(c) Earning Restricted Stock Units. Upon meeting the applicable vesting criteria, the Participant will be entitled to receive a payout as determined by the Administrator. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time after the grant of Restricted Stock Units, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any vesting criteria that must be met to receive a payout.

 

(d) Dividend Equivalents. The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, award dividend equivalents in connection with the grant of Restricted Stock Units that may be settled in cash, in Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof.

 

(e) Form and Timing of Payment. Payment of earned Restricted Stock Units will be made upon the date(s) determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may only settle earned Restricted Stock Units in cash, Shares, or a combination of both.

 

(f) Cancellation. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited to the Company.

 

9. Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(a) Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, a Stock Appreciation Right may be granted to Service Providers at any time and from time to time as will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion.

 

(b) Number of Shares. The Administrator will have complete discretion to determine the number of Stock Appreciation Rights granted to any Service Provider.

 

(c) Exercise Price and Other Terms. The per share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right will be determined by the Administrator and will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. Otherwise, the Administrator, subject to the provisions of the Plan, will have complete discretion to determine the terms and conditions of Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan.

 

(d) Stock Appreciation Right Agreement. Each Stock Appreciation Right grant will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the exercise price, the term of the Stock Appreciation Right, the conditions of exercise, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

 

(e) Expiration of Stock Appreciation Rights. A Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan will expire upon the date determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the rules of Section 6(b) relating to the maximum term and Section 6(d) relating to exercise also will apply to Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(f) Payment of Stock Appreciation Right Amount. Upon exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right, a Participant will be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:

 

(i) The difference between the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the exercise price; times

 

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(ii) The number of Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised.

 

At the discretion of the Administrator, the payment upon Stock Appreciation Right exercise may be in cash, in Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof.

 

10. Performance Units and Performance Shares.

 

(a) Grant of Performance Units/Shares. Performance Units and Performance Shares may be granted to Service Providers at any time and from time to time, as will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion. The Administrator will have complete discretion in determining the number of Performance Units and Performance Shares granted to each Participant.

 

(b) Value of Performance Units/Shares. Each Performance Unit will have an initial value that is established by the Administrator on or before the date of grant. Each Performance Share will have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.

 

(c) Performance Objectives and Other Terms. The Administrator will set Performance Goals or other vesting provisions (including, without limitation, continued status as a Service Provider) in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of Performance Units/Shares that will be paid out to the Service Providers. The time period during which the performance objectives or other vesting provisions must be met will be called the “Performance Period.” Each Award of Performance Units/Shares will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Performance Period, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. The Administrator may set performance objectives based upon the achievement of Company-wide, divisional, or individual goals, applicable federal or state securities laws, or any other basis determined by the Administrator in its discretion.

 

(d) Measurement of Performance Goals. Performance Goals shall be established by the Committee on the basis of targets to be attained (“Performance Targets”) with respect to one or more measures of business or financial performance (each, a “Performance Measure”), subject to the following:

 

(i) Performance Measures. For each Performance Period, the Committee shall establish and set forth in writing the Performance Measures, if any, and any particulars, components and adjustments relating thereto, applicable to each Participant. The Performance Measures, if any, will be objectively measurable and will be based upon the achievement of a specified percentage or level in one or more objectively defined and non-discretionary factors preestablished by the Committee. Performance Measures may be one or more of the following, as determined by the Committee: (i) sales or non-sales revenue; (ii) return on revenues; (iii) operating income; (iv) income or earnings including operating income; (v) income or earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation and/or amortization; (vi) income or earnings from continuing operations; (vii) net income; (vii) pre-tax income or after-tax income; (viii) net income excluding amortization of intangible assets, depreciation and impairment of goodwill and intangible assets and/or excluding charges attributable to the adoption of new accounting pronouncements; (ix) raising of financing or fundraising; (x) project financing; (xi) revenue backlog; (xii) power purchase agreement backlog; (xiii) gross margin; (xiv) operating margin or profit margin; (xv) capital expenditures, cost targets, reductions and savings and expense management; (xvi) return on assets (gross or net), return on investment, return on capital, or return on shareholder equity; (xvii) cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment (discounted or otherwise), net cash provided by operations, or cash flow in excess of cost of capital; (xviii) performance warranty and/or guarantee claims; (xix) stock price or total stockholder return; (xx) earnings or book value per share (basic or diluted); (xxi) economic value created; (xxii) pre-tax profit or after-tax profit; (xxiii) strategic business criteria, consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specified market penetration or market share, geographic business expansion, objective customer satisfaction or information technology goals; (xxiv) objective goals relating to divestitures, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and similar transactions; (xxv) construction projects consisting of one or more objectives based upon meeting project completion timing milestones, project budget, site acquisition, site development, or site equipment functionality; (xxvi) objective goals relating to staff management, results from staff attitude and/or opinion surveys, staff satisfaction scores, staff safety, staff accident and/or injury rates, headcount, performance management, completion of critical staff training initiatives; (xxvii) objective goals relating to projects, including project completion timing milestones, project budget; (xxviii) key regulatory objectives; and (xxix) enterprise resource planning.

 

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(ii) Committee Discretion on Performance Measures. As determined in the discretion of the Committee, the Performance Measures for any Performance Period may (a) differ from Participant to Participant and from Award to Award, (b) be based on the performance of the Company as a whole or the performance of a specific Participant or one or more subsidiaries, divisions, departments, regions, stores, segments, products, functions or business units of the Company or individual project company, (c) be measured on a per share, per capita, per unit, per square foot, per employee, per store basis, and/or other objective basis (d) be measured on a pre-tax or after-tax basis, and (e) be measured on an absolute basis or in relative terms (including, but not limited to, the passage of time and/or against other companies, financial metrics and/or an index). Without limiting the foregoing, the Committee shall adjust any performance criteria, Performance Measures or other feature of an Award that relates to or is wholly or partially based on the number of, or the value of, any stock of the Company, to reflect any stock dividend or split, repurchase, recapitalization, combination, or exchange of shares or other similar changes in such stock. Awards that are not intended by the Company to comply with the performance-based compensation exception under Code Section 162(m) may take into account other factors (including subjective factors).

 

(e) Earning of Performance Units/Shares. After the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units/Shares will be entitled to receive a payout of the number of Performance Units/Shares earned by the Participant over the Performance Period, to be determined as a function of the extent to which the corresponding Performance Goals or other vesting provisions have been achieved. After the grant of a Performance Unit/Share, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any Performance Goals or other vesting provisions for such Performance Unit/Share.

 

(f) Form and Timing of Payment of Performance Units/Shares. Payment of earned Performance Units/Shares will be made upon the time set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may pay earned Performance Units/Shares in the form of cash, in Shares (which have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the value of the earned Performance Units/Shares at the close of the applicable Performance Period) or in a combination thereof.

 

(g) Cancellation of Performance Units/Shares. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned or unvested Performance Units/Shares will be forfeited to the Company, and again will be available for grant under the Plan.

 

11. Leaves of Absence/Transfer Between Locations. Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, vesting of Awards granted hereunder will be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence unless contrary to Applicable Law. A Participant will not cease to be an Employee in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Participant’s employer or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, its Parent, or any Subsidiary. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed three (3) months, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. If reemployment upon expiration of a leave of absence approved by the Participant’s employer is not so guaranteed, then six (6) months following the first (1st) day of such leave any Incentive Stock Option held by the Participant will cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and will be treated for tax purposes as a Nonstatutory Stock Option.

 

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12. Transferability of Awards. Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, an Award may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant. If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award will contain such additional terms and conditions as the Administrator deems appropriate.

 

13. Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control.

 

(a) Adjustments. In the event of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination, consolidation, recapitalization (including a recapitalization through a large nonrecurring cash dividend) or reclassification of the Shares, subdivision of the Shares, a rights offering, a reorganization, merger, spin-off, split-up, repurchase, or exchange of Common Stock or other securities of the Company or other significant corporate transaction, or other change affecting the Common Stock occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust the number, kind and class of securities that may be delivered under the Plan and/or the number, class, kind and price of securities covered by each outstanding Award, the numerical Share limits in Section 3 of the Plan. Notwithstanding the forgoing, all adjustments under this Section 13 shall be made in a manner that does not result in taxation under Code Section 409A.

 

(b) Dissolution or Liquidation. In the event of the proposed winding up, dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Administrator will notify each Participant as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction. To the extent it has not been previously exercised, an Award will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.

 

(c) Change in Control. In the event of a merger or Change in Control, each outstanding Award will be treated as the Administrator determines, including, without limitation, that each Award be assumed, cancelled or an equivalent option or right substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. The Administrator will not be required to treat all Awards similarly in the transaction.

 

Except as set forth in an Award Agreement, in the event that the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the Award, the Participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise all of his or her outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights, including Shares as to which such Awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units will lapse, and, with respect to Awards with performance-based vesting, all Performance Goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at one hundred percent (100%) of target levels and all other terms and conditions met. In addition, if an Option or Stock Appreciation Right is not assumed or substituted in the event of a Change in Control, the Administrator will notify the Participant in writing or electronically that the Option or Stock Appreciation Right will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, and the Option or Stock Appreciation Right will terminate upon the expiration of such period.

 

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For the purposes of this subsection (c), an Award will be considered assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the Change in Control by holders of Common Stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right or upon the payout of a Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Unit or Performance Share, for each Share subject to such Award, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the Change in Control.

 

Notwithstanding anything in this Section 13(c) to the contrary, an Award that vests, is earned or paid-out upon the satisfaction of one or more Performance Goals will not be considered assumed if the Company or its successor modifies any of such Performance Goals without the Participant’s consent; provided, however, a modification to such Performance Goals only to reflect the successor corporation’s post-Change in Control corporate structure will not be deemed to invalidate an otherwise valid Award assumption.

 

14. Tax.

 

(a) Withholding Requirements. Prior to the delivery of any Shares or cash pursuant to an Award (or exercise thereof) or prior to any time the Award or Shares are subject to taxation, the Company and/or the Participant’s employer will have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local, foreign or other taxes (including the Participant’s FICA obligation or social insurance contributions) required to be withheld with respect to such Award (or exercise thereof).

 

(b) Withholding Arrangements. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit a Participant to satisfy such tax withholding obligation, in whole or in part by (without limitation) (a) paying cash, (b) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable cash or Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld (to the extent required to avoid adverse accounting consequences), or (c) delivering to the Company already-owned Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld to the extent required to avoid adverse accounting consequences or Shares having a Fair Market Value in excess of such amount that have been held for such period required to avoid adverse accounting consequences. Except as otherwise determined by the Administrator, the Fair Market Value of the Shares to be withheld or delivered will be determined as of the date that the taxes are required to be withheld.

 

(c) Compliance With Code Section 409A. Awards will be designed and operated in such a manner that they are either exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Code Section 409A such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Code Section 409A. The Plan and each Award Agreement under the Plan is intended to meet the requirements of Code Section 409A (or an exemption therefrom) and will be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. To the extent that an Award or payment, or the settlement or deferral thereof, is subject to Code Section 409A the Award will be granted, paid, settled or deferred in a manner that will meet the requirements of Code Section 409A (or an exemption therefrom), such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Code Section 409A. In no event will the Company be responsible for or reimburse a Participant for any taxes or other penalties incurred as a result of applicable of Code Section 409A.

 

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15. No Effect on Employment or Service. Neither the Plan nor any Award will confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant’s relationship as a Service Provider with the Company, or (if different) the Participant’s employer, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant’s right or the Participant’s employer’s right to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.

 

16. Date of Grant. The date of grant of an Award will be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Award, or such other later date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the determination will be provided to each Participant within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.

 

17. Term of Plan. Subject to Section 21 of the Plan, the Plan will become effective upon the earlier of its adoption by the Board or the Company’s shareholders. It will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years from such effective date, unless terminated earlier under Section 18 of the Plan.

 

18. Amendment and Termination of the Plan.

 

(a) Amendment and Termination. The Committee may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Plan.

 

(b) Stockholder Approval. The Company will obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws.

 

(c) Effect of Amendment or Termination. No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan will impair the rights of any Participant, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Participant and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Participant and the Company. Termination of the Plan will not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it hereunder with respect to Awards granted under the Plan prior to the date of such termination.

 

19. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares.

 

(a) Legal Compliance. Shares will not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares will comply with Applicable Laws and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

 

(b) Investment Representations. As a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required.

 

20. Inability to Obtain Authority. The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority will not have been obtained.

 

21. Stockholder Approval. The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.

 

22. Governing Law. The Plan and all Awards hereunder shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York, but without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

 

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Q2EARTH, INC.

 

2016 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

STOCK OPTION AWARD AGREEMENT

 

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the Q2Earth, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Stock Option Award Agreement (the “Award Agreement”).

 

I. NOTICE OF STOCK OPTION GRANT

 

Participant Name:

 

Address:

 

You have been granted an Option to purchase Common Stock of Q2Earth, Inc. (the “Company”), subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, as follows:

 

Grant Number  
   
Date of Grant  
   
Vesting Commencement Date  
   
Exercise Price per Share $
   
Total Number of Shares Granted  
   
Total Exercise Price $
   
Type of Option: U.S. Incentive Stock Option
   
  U.S. Nonstatutory Stock Option

 

Term/Expiration Date:

 

Vesting Schedule:

 

Subject to Section 2 of the Award Agreement and any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan or set forth below, this Option may be exercised, in whole or in part, in accordance with the following schedule:

 

[INSERT VESTING SCHEDULE]

 

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Termination Period:

 

This Option will be exercisable for three (3) months after Participant ceases (as defined in Section 2 of the Award Agreement) to be a Service Provider, unless such termination is due to Participant’s death or Disability, in which case this Option will be exercisable for twelve (12) months after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event may this Option be exercised after the Term/Expiration Date as provided above and may be subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.

 

By Participant’s signature and the signature of the Company’s representative below, Participant and the Company agree that this Option is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Stock Option Grant (including any country-specific addendum thereto), attached hereto as Exhibit A, all of which are made a part of this document. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Award Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Award Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Award Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Award Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated below.

 

PARTICIPANT:   Q2EARTH, INC.
     
     
Signature   By
     
     
Print Name   Title
     
Residence Address:    

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF STOCK OPTION GRANT

 

1. Grant of Option. The Company hereby grants to the Participant named in the Notice of Grant attached as Part I of this Award Agreement (the “Participant”) an option (the “Option”) to purchase the number of Shares, as set forth in the Notice of Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in the Notice of Grant (the “Exercise Price”), subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Award Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 18 of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan will prevail.

 

If designated in the Notice of Grant as an Incentive Stock Option (“ISO”), this Option is intended to qualify as an ISO under Section 422 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). However, if this Option is intended to be an ISO, to the extent that it exceeds the $100,000 rule of Code Section 422(d) it will be treated as a Nonstatutory Stock Option (“NSO”). Further, if for any reason this Option (or portion thereof) will not qualify as an ISO, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option (or portion thereof) shall be regarded as a NSO granted under the Plan. In no event will the Administrator, the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary or any of their respective employees or directors have any liability to Participant (or any other person) due to the failure of the Option to qualify for any reason as an ISO.

 

2. Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Section 3, the Option awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Shares scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in Participant in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs. Service Provider status will end on the day that notice of termination is provided (whether by the Company or Parent or Subsidiary for any reason or by Participant upon resignation) and will not be extended by any notice period that may be required contractually or under applicable local law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator (or any delegate) shall have the sole discretion to determine when Participant is no longer providing active service for purposes of Service Provider status and participation in the Plan.

 

3. Administrator Discretion. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Option at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Option will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.

 

4. Exercise of Option.

 

(a) Right to Exercise. This Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Grant, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Award Agreement.

 

(b) Method of Exercise. This Option is exercisable by delivery of an exercise notice, in the form attached as Exhibit B (the “Exercise Notice”) or in a manner and pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may determine, which will state the election to exercise the Option, the number of Shares in respect of which the Option is being exercised (the “Exercised Shares”), and such other representations and agreements as may be required by the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Plan. The Exercise Notice will be completed by Participant and delivered to the Company. The Exercise Notice will be accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as to all Exercised Shares together with any applicable tax withholding. This Option will be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by such aggregate Exercise Price.

 

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5. Method of Payment. Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price will be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of Participant unless the Administrator in its sole discretion requires a specific method of payment:

 

(a) cash (US dollars); or

 

(b) check (denominated in U.S. dollars); or

 

(c) consideration received by the Company under a formal cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan; or

 

(d) surrender of other Shares which have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Exercised Shares, provided that accepting such Shares, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company.

 

Participant understands and agrees that any cross-border remittance made to exercise this option or transfer proceeds received upon the sale of Stock must be made through a locally authorized financial institution or registered foreign exchange agency and may require the Participant to provide such entity with certain information regarding the transaction.

 

6. Tax Obligations.

 

(a) Withholding Taxes. Regardless of any action the Company or Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all applicable national, local, or other tax or social contribution, withholding, required deductions, or other payments, if any, that arise upon the grant, vesting, or exercise of this Option, the holding or subsequent sale of Shares, and the receipt of dividends, if any (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges and agrees that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains Participant’s responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the Company or the Employer. Participant further acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (a) makes no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Option, including the grant, vesting, or exercise of the Option, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan and the receipt of dividends, if any; and (b) does not commit to and is under no obligation to structure the terms of the Option or any aspect of the Option to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax-Related Items, or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if Participant has become subject To tax in more than one jurisdiction between the date of grant and the date of any relevant taxable event, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction.

 

(b) No payment will be made to Participant (or his or her estate or beneficiary) for an Option unless and until satisfactory arrangements (as determined by the Company) have been made by Participant with respect to the payment of any Tax-Related Items obligations of the Company and/or the Employer with respect to the Option. In this regard, Participant authorizes the Company and/or the Employer, or their respective agents, at their discretion, to satisfy the obligations with regard to all Tax-Related Items by one or a combination of the following:

 

(i) withholding from Participant’s wages or other cash compensation paid to Participant by the Company or the Employer; or

 

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(ii) withholding from proceeds of the sale of Shares acquired upon exercise of the Option, either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on Participant’s behalf pursuant to this authorization); or

 

(iii) withholding in Shares to be issued upon exercise of the Option; or

 

(iv) surrendering already-owned Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the Tax-Related Items that have been held for such period of time to avoid adverse accounting consequences.

 

If the obligation for Tax-Related Items is satisfied by withholding Shares, the Participant is deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares purchased for tax purposes, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares is held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax-Related Items due as a result of the Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant shall pay to the Company or Employer any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company may be required to withhold as a result of Participant’s participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by one or more of the means previously described in this paragraph 6. Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to honor the exercise and refuse to issue or deliver the Shares or the proceeds of the sale of Shares if Participant fails to comply with his or her obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items.

 

(b) Notice of Disqualifying Disposition of ISO Shares. If the Option granted to Participant herein is an ISO, and if Participant sells or otherwise disposes of any of the Shares acquired pursuant to the ISO on or before the later of (i) the date two (2) years after the Grant Date, or (ii) the date one (1) year after the date of exercise, Participant will immediately notify the Company in writing of such disposition. Participant agrees that Participant may be subject to income tax withholding by the Company on the compensation income recognized by Participant.

 

(c) Code Section 409A (Applicable Only to Participants Subject to U.S. Taxes). Under Code Section 409A, an option that vests after December 31, 2004 (or that vested on or prior to such date but which was materially modified after October 3, 2004) that was granted with a per Share exercise price that is determined by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) to be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant (a “Discount Option”) may be considered “deferred compensation.” A Discount Option may result in (i) income recognition by Participant prior to the exercise of the option, (ii) an additional twenty percent (20%) federal income tax, and (iii) potential penalty and interest charges. The Discount Option may also result in additional state income, penalty and interest charges to the Participant. Participant acknowledges that the Company cannot and has not guaranteed that the IRS will agree that the per Share exercise price of this Option equals or exceeds the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Date of Grant in a later examination. Participant agrees that if the IRS determines that the Option was granted with a per Share exercise price that was less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant, Participant will be solely responsible for Participant’s costs related to such a determination.

 

7. Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant. After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

 

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8. No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF SHARES PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE EMPLOYER AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THE OPTION OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AWARD AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND WILL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE EMPLOYER TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE (SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LOCAL LAWS).

 

9. Nature of Grant. In accepting the Option, Participant acknowledges that:

 

(a) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time;

 

(b) the grant of the Option is voluntary and occasional and does not Create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Options, or benefits in lieu of Options even if Options have been granted repeatedly in the past;

 

(c) all decisions with respect to future awards of Options, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company;

 

(d) Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary;

 

(e) the Option and the Shares subject to the Option are an extraordinary items that do not constitute regular compensation for services rendered to the Company or the Employer, and that are outside the scope of Participant’s employment contract, if any;

 

(f) the Option and the Shares subject to the Option are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;

 

(g) the Option and the Shares subject to the Option are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, or end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or the Employer;

 

(h) the future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty; further, if Participant exercises the Option and obtains Shares, the value of the Shares acquired upon exercise may increase or decrease in value, even below the Exercise Price;

 

(i) Participant also understands that neither the Company, nor any affiliate is responsible for any foreign exchange fluctuation between local currency and the United States Dollar or the selection by the Company or any affiliate in its sole discretion of an applicable foreign currency exchange rate that may affect the value of the Option (or the calculation of income or Tax-Related Items thereunder);

 

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(j) in consideration of the grant of the Option, no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from forfeiture of the Option resulting from termination of employment by the Employer (for any reason whatsoever and whether or not in breach of local labor laws), and Participant irrevocably releases the Employer from any such claim that may arise; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have arisen, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have waived his or her entitlement to pursue such claim; and

 

(k) the Option and the benefits under the Plan, if any, will not automatically transfer to another company in the case of a merger, take-over or transfer of liability.

 

10. No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan, or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the underlying Shares. Participant is hereby advised to consult with his or her own personal tax, legal and financial advisors regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

 

11. Data Privacy. Participant hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of Participant’s personal data as described in this Award Agreement by and among, as applicable, the Company and its affiliates for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.

 

Participant understands that the Company and its affiliates may hold certain personal information about Participant, including, but not limited to, Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares of stock or directorships held in the Company or any affiliate, details of all Options or any other entitlement to shares of stock awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Participant’s favor, for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan (“Personal Data”). Participant understands that Personal Data may be transferred to any third parties assisting in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan, that these recipients may be located in the United States, Participant’s country (if different than the United States), or elsewhere, and that the recipient’s country may have different data privacy laws and protections than Participant’s country.

 

For Participants located in the European Union, the following paragraph applies: Participant understands that he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Personal Data by contacting Participant’s local human resources representative. Participant authorizes the recipients to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Personal Data, in electronic or other form, for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan, including any requisite transfer of such Personal Data as may be required to a broker or other third party with whom Participant may elect to deposit any Shares received upon exercise of the Option. Participant understands that Personal Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant understands that he or she may, at any time, view Personal Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Personal Data, require any necessary amendments to Personal Data or refuse or withdraw the consents herein, without cost, by contacting in writing Participant’s local human resources representative. Participant understands that refusal or withdrawal of consent may affect Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan or to realize benefits from the Option. For more information on the consequences of Participant’s refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, Participant understands that he or she may contact his or her local human resources representative.

 

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12. Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Award Agreement will be addressed to the Company, in care of its CEO or General Counsel at Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

 

13. Non-Transferability of Option. This Option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of Participant only by Participant.

 

14. Binding Agreement. Subject to the limitation on the transferability of this grant contained herein, this Award Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.

 

15. Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or foreign law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the issuance of Shares to Participant (or his or her estate), such issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval will have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. The Company will make all reasonable efforts to meet the requirements of any such state, federal or foreign law or securities exchange and to obtain any such consent or approval of any such governmental authority. Assuming such compliance, for income tax purposes the Exercised Shares will be considered transferred to Participant on the date the Option is exercised with respect to such Exercised Shares. The Company shall not be obligated to issue any Shares pursuant to this Option at any time if the issuance of Shares, or the exercise of an Option by Participant, violates or is not in compliance with any laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any state or country.

 

16. Lock-Up Agreement. In connection with the initial public offering of the Company’s securities, Optionee hereby agrees not to offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, make any short sale of, loan, grant any option for the purchase of, or otherwise dispose of any securities of the Company however and whenever acquired (other than those included in the registration) without the prior written consent of the Company and the managing underwriters for such offering for such period of time (not to exceed 180 days) from the effective date of such registration as may be requested by the Company or such managing underwriters and to execute an agreement reflecting the foregoing as may be requested by the underwriters at the time of the Company’s initial public offering. In addition, upon request of the Company or the underwriters managing a public offering of the Company’s securities (other than the initial public offering), Optionee hereby agrees to be bound by similar restrictions, and to sign a similar agreement, in connection with no more than one additional registration statement filed within 12 months after the closing date of the initial public offering, provided that the duration of the lock-up period with respect to such additional registration shall not exceed 90 days from the effective date of such additional registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if during the last 17 days of the restricted period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or prior to the expiration of the restricted period the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the restricted period, then, upon the request of the managing underwriter, to the extent required by any FINRA rules, the restrictions imposed by this subsection shall continue to apply until the end of the third trading day following the expiration of the 15-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event. In no event will the restricted period extend beyond 216 days after the effective date of the registration statement. In order to enforce the restriction set forth above, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares acquired under this Agreement until the end of the applicable stand-off period. The Company’s underwriters shall be beneficiaries of the agreement set forth in this Section.

 

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If the underwriters release or waive any of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Common Stock, the underwriters shall notify the Company at least three business days before the effective date of any such release or waiver. Further, the Company will announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the underwriters shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (x) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (y) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms of the lock-up provisions applicable in general to the extent, and for the duration, that such lock-up provision remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

 

17. Plan Governs. This Award Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions of the Plan. In the event of a conflict between one or more provisions of this Award Agreement and one or more provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan will govern. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Award Agreement will have the meaning set forth in the Plan.

 

18. Administrator Authority. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Award Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Shares subject to the Option have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. No member of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Award Agreement.

 

19. Electronic Delivery. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Options awarded under the Plan or future options that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.

 

20. Language. If Participant has received this Award Agreement, including appendices, or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English, and the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

 

21. Imposition of Other Requirements. The Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on Participant’s participation in the Plan, on the Option and on any Shares acquired under the Plan, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable in order to comply with local law or facilitate the administration of the Plan, and to require Participant to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing. Furthermore, Participant understands that the laws of the country in which he or she is resident at the time of grant, vesting, and/or exercise of this Option or the holding or disposition of Shares (including any rules or regulations governing securities, foreign exchange, tax, labor or other matters) may restrict or prevent exercise of this Option or may subject Participant to additional procedural or regulatory requirements he or she is solely responsible for and will have to independently fulfill in relation to this Option or the Shares. Notwithstanding any provision herein, this Option and any Shares shall be subject to any special terms and conditions or disclosures as set forth in any addendum for Participant’s country (the “Country-Specific Addendum,” which forms part this Award Agreement).

 

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22. Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Award Agreement.

 

23. Agreement Severable. In the event that any provision in this Award Agreement will be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be severable from, and such invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining provisions of this Award Agreement.

 

24. Modifications to the Agreement. This Award Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Award Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein. Modifications to this Award Agreement or the Plan can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Award Agreement, the Company reserves the right to revise this Award Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Participant, to comply with Code Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A of the Code in connection to this Option.

 

25. Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Option under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.

 

26. Governing Law. This Award Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof. For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Option or this Award Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of Ohio.

 

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EXHIBIT B

 

Q2EARTH, INC.

 

2016 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

EXERCISE NOTICE

 

Q2Earth, Inc.

420 Royal Palm Way

Palm Beach, FL 33480

 

1. Exercise of Option. Effective as of today,             ,     , the undersigned (“Purchaser”) hereby elects to purchase         shares (the “Shares”) of the Common Stock of Q2Earth, Inc. (the “Company”) under and pursuant to the 2016 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the Stock Option Award Agreement dated       (the “Award Agreement”). The purchase price for the Shares will be $       , as required by the Award Agreement.

 

2. Delivery of Payment. Purchaser herewith delivers to the Company the full purchase price of the Shares and any required tax withholding to be paid in connection with the exercise of the Option.

 

3. Representations of Purchaser. Purchaser acknowledges that Purchaser has received, read and understood the Plan and the Award Agreement and agrees to abide by and be bound by their terms and conditions.

 

4. Rights as Stockholder. Until the issuance (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) of the Shares, no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to the Shares subject to the Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Shares so acquired will be issued to Purchaser as soon as practicable after exercise of the Option. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date of issuance, except as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.

 

5. Tax Consultation. Purchaser understands that Purchaser may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result of Purchaser’s purchase or disposition of the Shares. Purchaser represents that Purchaser has consulted with any tax consultants Purchaser deems advisable in connection with the purchase or disposition of the Shares and that Purchaser is not relying on the Company for any tax advice.

 

6. Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan and Award Agreement are incorporated herein by reference. This Exercise Notice, the Plan and the Award Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Purchaser with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Purchaser’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Purchaser. This agreement is governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the choice of law rules, of the State of Delaware.

 

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Submitted by:   Accepted by:
     
PURCHASER:   Q2EARTH, INC
     
     
Signature   By
     
     
Print Name   Title
     
Address:    
     
     
    Date Received

 

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Q2EARTH, INC.

 

2016 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT

 

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the Q2Earth, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (the “Award Agreement”).

 

I. NOTICE OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT

 

Participant Name:

 

You have been granted the right to receive an Award of Restricted Stock Units, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, as follows:

 

Grant Number:

 

Date of Grant:

 

Vesting Commencement Date:

 

Number of Restricted Stock Units:

 

Vesting Schedule:

 

Subject to Section 3 of the Award Agreement and any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan or set forth below, the Restricted Stock Unit will vest on the Vesting Commencement Date if the Participant is still in the employment of the Company and in good standing, as determined by the Board of Directors.

 

In the event Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company (or gives or is given notice of such termination) for any or no reason before Participant vests in the Restricted Stock Unit, the Restricted Stock Unit and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder will immediately terminate.

 

By Participant’s signature and the signature of the representative of Q2Earth, Inc. (the “Company”) below, Participant and the Company agree that this Award of Restricted Stock Units is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Unit Grant (including any country-specific addendum thereto), attached hereto as Exhibit A, all of which are made a part of this document. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Award Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Award Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Award Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Award Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated below.

 

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PARTICIPANT:   Q2EARTH, INC.
     
     
Signature   By
     
     
Print Name   Title
     
Residence Address:    

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT

 

1. Grant. The Company hereby grants to the individual named in the Notice of Grant attached as Part I of this Award Agreement (the “Participant”) under the Plan an Award of Restricted Stock Units, subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Award Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 18 of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan will prevail.

 

2. Company’s Obligation to Pay. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive a Share on the date it vests. Unless and until the Restricted Stock Units will have vested in the manner set forth in Section 3, Participant will have no right to payment of any such Restricted Stock Units. Prior to actual payment of any vested Restricted Stock Units, such Restricted Stock Unit will represent an unsecured obligation of the Company, payable (if at all) only from the general assets of the Company. Any Restricted Stock Units that vest in accordance with Sections 3 or 4 will be paid to Participant (or in the event of Participant’s death, to his or her estate) in whole Shares, subject to Participant satisfying any applicable tax withholding or other obligations as set forth in Section 7. Subject to the provisions of Section 4, such vested Restricted Stock Units will be paid in Shares as soon as practicable after vesting.

 

3. Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Section 4, and subject to Section 5, the Restricted Stock Units awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Restricted Stock Units scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in Participant in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs. Service Provider status will end on the day that notice of termination is provided (whether by the Company or Parent or Subsidiary for any reason or by Participant upon resignation) and will not be extended by any notice period that may be required contractually or under applicable local law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator (or any delegate) shall have the sole discretion to determine when Participant is no longer providing active service for purposes of Service Provider status and participation in the Plan.

 

4. Administrator Discretion. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Restricted Stock Units at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Restricted Stock Units will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.

 

Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or this Award Agreement to the contrary, if the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the Restricted Stock Units is accelerated in connection with Participant’s termination as a Service Provider (provided that such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A, as determined by the Company), other than due to death, and if (x) Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of such termination as a Service Provider and (y) the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units will result in the imposition of additional tax under Section 409A if paid to Participant on or within the six (6) month period following Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, then the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units will not be made until the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, unless the Participant dies following his or her termination as a Service Provider, in which case, the Restricted Stock Units will be paid in Shares to the Participant’s estate as soon as practicable following his or her death. It is the intent of this Award Agreement to comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the Restricted Stock Units provided under this Award Agreement or Shares issuable thereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply. For purposes of this Award Agreement, “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code, and any proposed, temporary or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance thereunder, as each may be amended from time to time.

 

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5. Forfeiture upon Termination of Status as a Service Provider. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Award Agreement, the balance of the Restricted Stock Units that have not vested as of the time notice is provided (whether by Participant or the Company or Parent or Subsidiary) of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider for any or no reason and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder will immediately terminate.

 

6. Death of Participant. Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Award Agreement will, if Participant is then deceased, be made to Participant’s designated beneficiary, or if no beneficiary survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s estate. Any such transferee must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.

 

7. Withholding of Taxes. Regardless of any action the Company or Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all applicable national, local, or other tax or social contribution, withholding, required deductions, or other payments, if any, that arise upon the grant or vesting of the Restricted Stock Units or the holding or subsequent sale of Shares, and the receipt of dividends, if any (“Tax-Related Items”), Participant acknowledges and agrees that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by Participant is and remains Participant’s responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the Company or the Employer. Participant further acknowledges that the Company and the Employer (a) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units, including grant or vesting, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired under the Plan, and the receipt of dividends, if any; and (b) does not commit to and is under no obligation to structure the terms of the Restricted Stock Units or any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax-Related Items, or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if Participant has become subject to tax in more than one jurisdiction between the date of grant and the date of any relevant taxable event, Participant acknowledges that the Company and/or the Employer (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Award Agreement, no certificate representing the Shares will be issued to Participant, unless and until satisfactory arrangements (as determined by the Administrator) will have been made by Participant with respect to the payment of any Tax-Related Items which the Company determines must be withheld with respect to such Shares.

 

The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit Participant to satisfy such Tax-Related Items, in whole or in part (without limitation) by (a) paying cash, (b) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum amount required to be withheld, (c) delivering to the Company already vested and owned Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount required to be withheld, or (d) selling a sufficient number of such Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant through such means as the Company may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the amount required to be withheld. To the extent determined appropriate by the Company in its discretion, it will have the right (but not the obligation) to satisfy any Tax-Related Items by reducing the number of Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of any required Tax-Related Items hereunder at the time any applicable Restricted Stock Units otherwise are scheduled to vest pursuant to Sections 3 or 4, Participant will permanently forfeit such Restricted Stock Units and any right to receive Shares thereunder and the Restricted Stock Units will be returned to the Company at no cost to the Company.

 

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8. Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant. After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

 

9. No Guarantee of Continued Service or Grants. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF THE RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS AWARD OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AWARD AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND WILL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

 

Participant also acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time; (b) the grant of Restricted Stock Units is voluntary and occasional and does not Create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Restricted Stock Units, or benefits in lieu of Restricted Stock Units even if Restricted Stock Units have been granted repeatedly in the past; (c) all decisions with respect to future awards of Restricted Stock Units, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company; (d) Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary; (e) the Restricted Stock Units and the Shares subject to the Restricted Stock Units are extraordinary items that do not constitute regular compensation for services rendered to the Company or the Employer, and that are outside the scope of Participant’s employment contract, if any; (f) the Restricted Stock Units and the Shares subject to the Restricted Stock Units are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation; (g) the Restricted Stock Units and the Shares subject to the Restricted Stock Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, or end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments and in no event should be considered as compensation for, or relating in any way to, past services for the Company or the Employer.

 

10. Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Award Agreement will be addressed to the Company, in care of its CEO or General Counsel at Q2Earth, Inc., 420 Royal Palm Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

 

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11. Grant is Not Transferable. Except to the limited extent provided in Section 6, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby will not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby immediately will become null and void.

 

12. Binding Agreement. Subject to the limitation on the transferability of this grant contained herein, this Award Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.

 

13. Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the issuance of Shares to Participant (or his or her estate), such issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval will have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. Where the Company determines that the delivery of the payment of any Shares will violate federal securities laws or other applicable laws, the Company will defer delivery until the earliest date at which the Company reasonably anticipates that the delivery of Shares will no longer cause such violation. The Company will make all reasonable efforts to meet the requirements of any such state or federal law or securities exchange and to obtain any such consent or approval of any such governmental authority. The Company shall not be obligated to issue any Shares pursuant to the Restricted Stock Units at any time if the issuance of Shares violates or is not in compliance with any laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any state or country.

 

Furthermore, the Company reserves the right to impose other requirements on Participant’s participation in the Plan, on the Restricted Stock Units and on any Shares acquired under the Plan, to the extent the Company determines it is necessary or advisable in order to comply with local law or facilitate the administration of the Plan, and to require Participant to sign any additional agreements or undertakings that may be necessary to accomplish the foregoing. Furthermore, Participant understands that the laws of the country in which he or she is resident at the time of grant or vesting of the Restricted Stock Units or the holding or disposition of Shares (including any rules or regulations governing securities, foreign exchange, tax, labor or other matters) may restrict or prevent the issuance of Shares or may subject Participant to additional procedural or regulatory requirements he or she is solely responsible for and will have to independently fulfill in relation to the Restricted Stock Units or the Shares. Notwithstanding any provision herein, the Restricted Stock Units and any Shares shall be subject to any special terms and conditions or disclosures as set forth in any addendum for Participant’s country (the “Country-Specific Addendum,” which forms part this Award Agreement).

 

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14. Lock-Up Agreement. In connection with the initial public offering of the Company’s securities, Participant hereby agrees not to offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, make any short sale of, loan, grant any option for the purchase of, or otherwise dispose of any securities of the Company however and whenever acquired (other than those included in the registration) without the prior written consent of the Company and the managing underwriters for such offering for such period of time (not to exceed 180 days) from the effective date of such registration as may be requested by the Company or such managing underwriters and to execute an agreement reflecting the foregoing as may be requested by the underwriters at the time of the Company’s initial public offering. In addition, upon request of the Company or the underwriters managing a public offering of the Company’s securities (other than the initial public offering), Participant hereby agrees to be bound by similar restrictions, and to sign a similar agreement, in connection with no more than one additional registration statement filed within 12 months after the closing date of the initial public offering, provided that the duration of the lock-up period with respect to such additional registration shall not exceed 90 days from the effective date of such additional registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if during the last 17 days of the restricted period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or prior to the expiration of the restricted period the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the restricted period, then, upon the request of the managing underwriter, to the extent required by any FINRA rules, the restrictions imposed by this subsection shall continue to apply until the end of the third trading day following the expiration of the 15-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event. In no event will the restricted period extend beyond 216 days after the effective date of the registration statement. In order to enforce the restriction set forth above, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares acquired under this Agreement until the end of the applicable stand-off period. The Company’s underwriters shall be beneficiaries of the agreement set forth in this Section.

 

If the underwriters release or waive any of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Common Stock, the underwriters shall notify the Company at least three business days before the effective date of any such release or waiver. Further, the Company will announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the underwriters shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (x) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (y) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms of the lock-up provisions applicable in general to the extent, and for the duration, that such lock-up provision remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

 

15. Plan Governs. This Award Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions of the Plan. In the event of a conflict between one or more provisions of this Award Agreement and one or more provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan will govern. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Award Agreement will have the meaning set forth in the Plan.

 

16. Administrator Authority. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Award Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Restricted Stock Units have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. No member of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Award Agreement.

 

17. Electronic Delivery and Language. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Restricted Stock Units awarded under the Plan or future Restricted Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company. If Participant has received this Award Agreement, including appendices, or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English, and the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

 

18. Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Award Agreement.

 

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19. Agreement Severable. In the event that any provision in this Award Agreement will be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be severable from, and such invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining provisions of this Award Agreement.

 

20. Modifications to the Agreement. This Award Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Award Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein. Modifications to this Award Agreement or the Plan can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Award Agreement, the Company reserves the right to revise this Award Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Participant, to comply with Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A in connection to this Award of Restricted Stock Units.

 

21. Data Privacy. Participant hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of Participant’s personal data as described in this Award Agreement by and among, as applicable, the Company and its affiliates for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant understands that the Company and its affiliates may hold certain personal information about Participant, including, but not limited to, Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares of stock or directorships held in the Company or any affiliate, details of all Restricted Stock Units or any other entitlement to shares of stock awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Participant’s favor, for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan (“Personal Data”). Participant understands that Personal Data may be transferred to any third parties assisting in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan, that these recipients may be located in the United States, Participant’s country (if different than the United States), or elsewhere, and that the recipient’s country may have different data privacy laws and protections than Participant’s country.

 

For Participants located in the European Union, the following paragraph applies: Participant understands that he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Personal Data by contacting Participant’s local human resources representative. Participant authorizes the recipients to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Personal Data, in electronic or other form, for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan, including any requisite transfer of such Personal Data as may be required to a broker or other third party with whom Participant may elect to deposit any Shares received. Participant understands that Personal Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant understands that he or she may, at any time, view Personal Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Personal Data, require any necessary amendments to Personal Data or refuse or withdraw the consents herein, without cost, by contacting in writing Participant’s local human resources representative. Participant understands that refusal or withdrawal of consent may affect Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan or to realize benefits from the Plan. For more information on the consequences of Participant’s refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, Participant understands that he or she may contact his or her local human resources representative.

 

22. Foreign Exchange Fluctuations and Restrictions. Participant understands and agrees that the future value of the underlying Shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty and may decrease. Participant also understands that neither the Company, nor any affiliate is responsible for any foreign exchange fluctuation between local currency and the United States Dollar or the selection by the Company or any affiliate in its sole discretion of an applicable foreign currency exchange rate that may affect the value of the Restricted Stock Units or Shares received (or the calculation of income or Tax-Related Items thereunder). Participant understands and agrees that any cross-border remittance made to transfer proceeds received upon the sale of Shares must be made through a locally authorized financial institution or registered foreign exchange agency and may require the Participant to provide such entity with certain information regarding the transaction.

 

23. Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Award of Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.

 

24. Governing Law. This Award Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof. For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Award of Restricted Stock Units or this Award Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of Ohio.

 

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