Item 5.02.
Departure
of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain
Officers; Compensatory Arrangement of Certain Officers
(c)
On March 7, 2008, the Board of
Directors (the Board) of Commerce Energy Group, Inc. (the Company)
appointed Michael J. Fallquist, 30, as Chief Operating Officer of the Company
and designated Mr. Fallquist as a director of each of the subsidiaries of
the Company, effective March 10, 2008.
From December 2005
to March 2008, Mr. Fallquist served as a Senior Manager in the Equity
Markets Division of Macquarie Bank Limited, an international provider of
banking, advisory and investment services.
Prior to that, Mr. Fallquist
was a Strategy Consultant with Macquarie Bank Limited from August 2004 to December 2005. Mr. Fallquist received his Bachelor of
Arts degree from Colgate University and his Master of Business Administration
(MBA) from Cornell University.
Mr. Fallquist was
not selected as an officer of the Company or a director of the Companies
subsidiaries pursuant to any understanding between Mr. Fallquist and any
other person. There are no family relationships between Mr. Fallquist
and the directors and executive officers of the Company.
Pursuant to an employment
agreement with Mr. Fallquist dated March 10, 2008 (the Employment
Agreement), Mr. Fallquist will receive an annual base salary of $225,000
and is eligible to participate in all bonus plans applicable to senior
executive officers established by the Board, including the existing Bonus
Program. As soon as the American Stock Exchange (the AMEX) approves the
application to list 375,000 additional shares of the Companys common stock,
the Compensation Committee of the Board, comprised of all independent
directors, as defined under the AMEX Company Guide, intends to make the
following awards to Mr. Fallquist under the Companys Fallquist Incentive
Plan (and related Forms of Stock Option Award Agreement and Restricted Share
Award Agreement), a plan adopted by the Board on March 7, 2008 and made
effective on March 10, 2008 (the Plan):
(i) an option to purchase 125,000 shares of the Companys common
stock at an exercise price per share equal to the closing sale price of a share
of common stock on the date of grant (the Option) and (ii) an award of 250,000
shares of restricted stock (the Restricted Shares). The Option will be vested in full on the date
of grant and will have a term of six years and the Restricted Shares will vest 150,000
shares on the date of the award, with the remaining shares vesting in equal
50,000 share increments on each of the first and second anniversary dates of
the award. To the extent that Mr. Fallquist
voluntarily resigns without Good Reason, as defined in the Employment
Agreement, within the first twelve months of employment, he will be obligated
to return to the Company the initially vested 150,000 restricted shares, or if
he sold such shares, the proceeds of the sale. The Employment Agreement has no
specific term and is subject to termination by either the Company or Mr. Fallquist
without cause upon 60 days written notice.
The Option and the
Restricted Shares will be issued to Mr. Fallquist as awards under an
exemption from an AMEX Rule which requires that officers, directors,
employees, or consultants of companies may only acquire options or stock from
option and equity compensation plans which have been approved by the
stockholders. Because there were not a
sufficient number of shares of common stock of the Company (the Common Stock)
left in the Companys 2006 Stock Incentive Plan, the Board approved a special incentive
plan for Mr. Fallquist with a maximum of 375,000 shares of Common Stock to
accommodate the proposed grant of the above-referenced Option and Restricted
Shares. Using this AMEX exemption, no
stockholder approval is required for the Company to issue these shares to Mr. Fallquist.
The Employment Agreement
provides that if Mr. Fallquist is terminated without Cause, as defined in
the Employment Agreement, or if he resigns for Good Reason, Mr. Fallquist will
be entitled to severance equal to twelve 12 months of his then current base
salary payable over a 12-month period, plus continued vesting for an additional
12 months for outstanding unvested stock options and restricted stock. In
the event of a Change in Control of the Company, Mr. Fallquist may resign
for Good Reason and be entitled to receive severance as if he resigned without
Cause.
Under the Employment
Agreement, Mr. Fallquist agrees not to solicit the Companys employees,
customers, clients or suppliers during the term of his employment and for
defined periods after termination of employment with the Company, and refrain
from being connected with certain restricted businesses during any severance
period. Finally, in accordance with the Employment Agreement, the Company
entered into its standard form of Indemnification Agreement with Mr. Fallquist
dated March 10, 2008.
2
Summary
of the Fallquist Incentive Plan
Shares
Subject to the Plan.
The Plan provides that no more than
375,000 shares of the Companys common stock, par value $.001 per share (Common
Stock) may be issued pursuant to awards under the Plan. These shares shall be
authorized but unissued shares. The number of shares available for awards, as
well as the terms of outstanding awards, is subject to adjustment as provided
in the Plan for stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations and other
similar events. The Board has registered the shares of Common Stock that are
available for issuance under the Plan on a registration statement on Form S-8
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Administration.
Either the Board or a committee appointed by the Board will administer the
Plan. The Board of Directors and any committee exercising discretion under the
Plan from time to time are referred to as the Committee. The Board may at any time appoint additional
members to the Committee, remove and replace members of the Committee with or
without cause, and fill vacancies on the Committee. The Committee may delegate
administrative functions to individuals who are reporting persons for purposes
of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, officers or employees of the Company or
its affiliates.
Subject to the terms of
the Plan, the Committee has express authority to determine the number of shares
of Common Stock or units to be covered by each award, and the terms and
conditions of awards. The Committee has broad discretion to prescribe, amend
and rescind rules relating to the Plan and its administration, to
interpret and construe the Plan and the terms of all award agreements, and to
take all actions necessary or advisable to administer the Plan. The Plan provides that the Company and its
affiliates will indemnify members of the Committee and their delegates against
any claims, liabilities or costs arising from the good faith performance of
their duties under the Plan. The Plan releases these individuals from liability
for good faith actions associated with the Plans administration.
Eligibility.
Awards will be granted to Michael J.
Fallquist in accordance with the terms of the Plan. The Plan and the discussion
below use the term Participant to refer to Mr. Fallquist after receipt of
an award pursuant to the Plan. The Plan
provides that no Participant may receive options that relate to more than
125,000 shares of Common Stock under the Plan.
Options.
Options granted under the Plan provide the Participant with the right to
purchase shares of Common Stock at a predetermined exercise price. The
Committee may grant options that are not intended to qualify as ISOs (Non-ISOs). The exercise price of Non-ISOs may not be
less than 100% of the fair market value on the grant date of the shares of
Common Stock subject to the award.
Neither the Company nor the Committee shall, without shareholder
approval, allow for a repricing within the meaning of the federal securities
laws applicable to proxy statement disclosures.
Exercise
of Options.
To the extent exercisable in accordance with the
agreement granting them, an option may be exercised in whole or in part, and
from time to time during its term; subject to earlier termination relating to a
holders termination of employment or service. With respect to options, the
Committee has the discretion to accept payment of the exercise price in any of
the following forms (or combination of them): cash or check in
U.S. dollars, certain shares of Common Stock, and cashless exercise under
a program the Committee approves. The
term over which the Participant may exercise options may not exceed ten years
from the date of grant.
Restricted
Shares, Restricted Share Units and Unrestricted Shares.
Under
the Plan, the Committee may grant restricted shares that are forfeitable until
certain vesting requirements are met, may grant restricted share units which
represent the right to receive shares of Common Stock after certain vesting
requirements are met, and may grant unrestricted shares as to which the Participants
interest is immediately vested. For restricted awards, the Plan provides the
Committee with discretion to determine the terms and conditions under which the
Participants interests in such awards become vested.
3
Whenever shares of Common
Stock are released pursuant to these awards, the Participant will be entitled
to receive additional shares of Common Stock that reflect any stock dividends
that the Companys stockholders received between the date of the award and
issuance or release of the shares of Common Stock. Likewise, a Participant will
be entitled to receive a cash payment reflecting cash dividends paid to the
Companys stockholders during the same period. Such cash dividends will accrue
interest, at a rate to be determined by the Committee, from their payment date
to the Companys stockholders until paid in cash when the shares of Common
Stock to which they relate are either released from restrictions in the case of
restricted shares or issued in the case of restricted share units.
Performance
Awards.
The Plan authorizes the Committee to grant
performance-based awards in the form of Performance Units. Performance Units
vest and become payable based upon the achievement, within the specified period
of time, of performance objectives applicable to the individual, the Company or
any affiliate. Performance Units are
payable in shares of Common Stock, cash or some combination of the two, subject
to limits in any one performance period of 375,000 shares of Common Stock and
$1,000,000 in cash. The Committee decides the length of performance periods,
but the periods may not be less than one fiscal year of the Company.
Income
Tax Withholding.
As a condition for the issuance of shares of
Common Stock pursuant to awards, the Plan requires satisfaction of any
applicable federal, state, local or foreign withholding tax obligations that
may arise in connection with the award or the issuance of shares of Common
Stock.
Transferability.
Awards may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred or
disposed of other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except
to the extent the Committee permits lifetime transfers to charitable
institutions, certain family members or related trusts or as otherwise approved
by the Committee.
Certain
Corporate Transactions.
The Committee shall equitably adjust
the number of shares covered by each outstanding award, and the number of
shares that have been authorized for issuance under the Plan but as to which no
awards have yet been granted or that have been returned to the Plan upon
cancellation, forfeiture or expiration of an award, as well as the price per
share covered by each such outstanding award, to reflect any increase or
decrease in the number of issued shares resulting from a stock split, reverse
stock split, stock dividend, combination, recapitalization or reclassification
of the shares of Common Stock, or any other increase or decrease in the number
of issued shares effected without receipt of consideration by the Company. In the event of any such transaction or
event, the Committee may provide in substitution for any or all outstanding options
under the Plan such alternative consideration (including securities of any
surviving entity) as it may in good faith determine to be equitable under the
circumstances and may require in connection therewith the surrender of all options
so replaced. In any case, such substitution of securities will not require the
consent of any person who is granted options pursuant to the Plan.
In addition, in the event
or in anticipation of a Change in Control (as defined in the Plan), the
Committee may at any time in its sole and absolute discretion and authority,
without obtaining the approval or consent of the Companys stockholders or a
Participant with respect to his outstanding awards (except to the extent an award
provides otherwise), take one or more of the following actions: (a) arrange
for or otherwise provide that each outstanding award will be assumed or substituted
with a substantially equivalent award by a successor corporation or a parent or
subsidiary of such successor corporation; (b) accelerate the vesting of awards
for any period (and may provide for termination of unexercised options at the
end of that period) so that awards shall vest (and, to the extent applicable,
become exercisable) as to the shares of Common Stock that otherwise would have
been unvested and provide that repurchase rights of the Company with respect to
shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise of an award shall lapse as to the
shares of Common Stock subject to such repurchase right; (c) arrange or
otherwise provide for payment of cash or other consideration to a Participant
in exchange for the satisfaction and cancellation of outstanding awards; or (d) terminate
upon the consummation of the transaction, provided that the Committee may in
its sole discretion provide for vesting of all or some outstanding awards in
full as of a date immediately prior to consummation of the Change of Control.
To the extent that an award is not exercised prior to consummation of a
transaction in which the award is not being assumed or substituted, such award
shall terminate upon such consummation.
4
Notwithstanding the
above, in the event a Participant holding an award assumed or substituted by
the successor corporation in a Change in Control is Involuntarily Terminated
(as defined in the Plan) by the successor corporation in connection with, or
within 12 months following consummation of, the Change in Control, then
any assumed or substituted award held by the terminated Participant at the time
of termination shall accelerate and become fully vested (and exercisable in
full in the case of options), and any repurchase right applicable to any shares
of Common Stock shall lapse in full. The acceleration of vesting and lapse of
repurchase rights provided for in the previous sentence shall occur immediately
prior to the effective date of the Participants termination.
In the event of any
distribution to the Companys stockholders of securities of any other entity or
other assets (other than dividends payable in cash or stock of the Company)
without receipt of consideration by the Company, the Committee may, in its
discretion, appropriately adjust the price per share covered by each
outstanding Award to reflect the effect of such distribution.
Term
of Plan; Amendments and Termination.
The term of the Plan is
ten years from its effective date, March 10, 2008. The Board of Directors
may from time to time, amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate the
Plan; provided that no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan shall
materially and adversely affect awards already granted unless it relates to an
adjustment pursuant to certain transactions that change the Companys
capitalization or it is otherwise mutually agreed between the Participant and
the Committee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may amend the Plan
to eliminate provisions which are no longer necessary as a result of changes in
tax or securities laws or regulations, or in the interpretation thereof.
Termination,
Rescission and Recapture.
Each award under the Plan is
intended to align the Participants long-term interest with those of the
Company. If the Participant engages in certain activities (such as disclosure
of confidential or proprietary information without Company authorization,
breaches certain agreements relating to the protection of the Companys
intellectual property, solicits non-administrative employees of the Company to
leave the Company or renders services to an organization or business which is,
or working to become, competitive to the Company), either during employment or
within one year after employment with the Company terminates for any reason,
the Participant is deemed to be acting contrary to the long-term interests of
the Company. In such cases, except as
otherwise expressly provided in the award agreement, the Company may terminate
any outstanding, unexercised, unexpired, unpaid, or deferred Awards, rescind
any exercise, payment or delivery pursuant to the award, or recapture any
Common Stock (whether restricted or unrestricted) or proceeds from the
Participants sale of Shares issued pursuant to the award.
Income
Taxes and Deferred Compensation.
The Plan provides that
participants are solely responsible and liable for the satisfaction of all
taxes and penalties that may arise in connection with awards (including any
taxes arising under Section 409A of the Code), and that the Company will
not have any obligation to indemnify or otherwise hold any Participant harmless
from any or all of such taxes. Nevertheless, the Plan authorizes the Committee
to organize any deferral program, to require deferral election forms, and to
grant or to unilaterally modify any award in a manner that (a) conforms
with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code; (b) that voids any
Participant election to the extent it would violate Section 409A of the
Code; and (c) for any distribution election that would violate Section 409A
of the Code, to make distributions pursuant to the award at the earliest to
occur of a distribution event that is allowable under Section 409A of the
Code or any distribution event that is both allowable under Section 409A
of the Code and is elected by the Participant, with the Committees consent, in
accordance with Section 409A.
5
The foregoing description
of the Employment Agreement, the Form of Stock Option Award Agreement, the Form
of Restricted Share Award Agreement, the Indemnification Agreement and the
Fallquist Incentive Plan are only summaries, are not complete, and are each
qualified in their entirety to the actual agreement, which are attached hereto
as Exhibits 99.1, 99.2, 99.3, 99.4, and
99.5 respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference. A
copy of the Press Release that the Company issued on March 13, 2008
related to Mr. Fallquists appointment as Chief Operating Officer of the
Company is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.6 and is incorporated herein by
reference.
Item 9.01.
Financial
Statements and Exhibits.
Exhibit No.
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Description
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99.1
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Employment Agreement
between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael J. Fallquist dated
March 10, 2008.
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99.2
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Form of Stock
Option Award Agreement between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael
J. Fallquist.
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99.3
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Form of Restricted
Share Award Agreement between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael J.
Fallquist.
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99.4
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Indemnification Agreement
between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael J. Fallquist dated
March 10, 2008.
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99.5
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Commerce Energy
Group, Inc. Fallquist Incentive Plan.
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99.6
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Press Release of
Commerce Energy Group, Inc., dated March 13, 2008.
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6
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Commerce Energy Group, Inc.
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
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COMMERCE ENERGY GROUP,
INC.
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a Delaware corporation
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Date: March 13,
2008
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By:
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/S/ GREGORY L.
CRAIG
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Gregory
L. Craig
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Chief
Executive Officer
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EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit No.
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Description
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99.1
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Employment Agreement
between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael J. Fallquist dated
March 10, 2008.
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99.2
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Form of Stock
Option Award Agreement between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael
J. Fallquist.
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99.3
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Form of Restricted
Share Award Agreement between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael J.
Fallquist.
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99.4
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Indemnification
Agreement between Commerce Energy Group, Inc. and Michael J. Fallquist
dated March 10, 2008.
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99.5
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Commerce Energy
Group, Inc. Fallquist Incentive Plan.
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99.6
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Press Release of
Commerce Energy Group, Inc., dated March 13, 2008.
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Commerce Energy (AMEX:EGR)
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