As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 26, 2018 

Registration No. 333-__________ 

 

UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

 THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

GOOSEHEAD INSURANCE, INC.  

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware

  82-3886022
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
 

1500 Solana Blvd

Building 4, Suite 4500

Westlake, TX 76262

(214) 838-5500

 
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)
 
 

Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

(Full title of the plan)

 

     
 

P. Ryan Langston

Vice President and General Counsel

1500 Solana Blvd

Building 4, Suite 4500

Westlake, TX 76262

(214) 838-5500

 
(Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
 
With a copy to:
 

Richard D. Truesdell, Jr. 

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 

450 Lexington Avenue 

New York, NY 10017 

(212) 450-4000

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer ☐
   
Non-accelerated filer  ☒   (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company
   
  Emerging growth company

 

 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered Amount to be Registered (1) Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Share (2) Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (2) Amount of
Registration Fee (3)
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share 20,000 $10.00 $200,000 $24.90

 

 

(1)This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) covers shares of Class A common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”), of Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (the “Company” or “Registrant”) (i) authorized for issuance under the Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) and (ii) pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), any additional shares of Class A Common Stock that may become issuable under the Plan by reason of any stock dividend, stock split or other similar transaction.

 

(2)Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h) and Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act. The Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share is based on the price per share of the Registrant’s proposed initial public offering.

 

(3)Rounded up to the nearest penny.

 

 

 

 

PART I

 

The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this filing in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the introductory note to Part I of the Form S-8 instructions. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the participants in the Plan as required by Rule 428(b)(1).

 

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

The following documents are incorporated herein by reference:

 

(a)       The Registrant’s prospectus, dated April 17, 2018, filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, in connection with the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-224080), as originally filed by the Company on April 2, 2018, and subsequently amended;

 

(b)       All reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) since the end of the fiscal year covered by the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 referred to in clause (a) above; and

 

(c)       The description of the Registrant’s capital stock which is contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A (Registration No. 001-38466), dated April 24, 2018, including any amendments or supplements thereto.

 

All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment that indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and are a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents; except as to any portion of any future annual or quarterly report to stockholders or document or current report furnished under current Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K that is not deemed filed under such provisions. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers as well as other employees and individuals against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed actions, suits or proceedings in which such person is made a party by reason of such person being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent to the Registrant. The DGCL provides that Section 145 is not exclusive of other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. The Registrant’s certificate of incorporation provides for indemnification by the Registrant of its directors, officers and employees to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL. The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its current directors and executive officers to provide these directors and executive officers additional contractual

 

 

 

assurances regarding the scope of the indemnification set forth in the Registrant’s certificate of incorporation and to provide additional procedural protections. There is no pending litigation or proceeding involving a director or executive officer of the Registrant for which indemnification is sought.

 

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) for unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. The Registrant’s certificate of incorporation provides for such limitation of liability.

 

The Registrant maintains standard policies of insurance under which coverage is provided (a) to its directors and officers against loss rising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act, and (b) to the Registrant with respect to payments which may be made by the Registrant to such officers and directors pursuant to the above indemnification provision or otherwise as a matter of law.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits.

 

Exhibit Number  
4.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Goosehead Insurance, Inc.’s Form S-1, filed on April 2, 2018 (Registration No. 333-224080))
   
4.2 Amended and Restated By-Laws of Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Goosehead Insurance, Inc.’s Form S-1, filed on April 2, 2018 (Registration No. 333-224080))
   
5 Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (filed herewith)
   
23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP (filed herewith)
   
23.2 Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (included in Exhibit 5)
   
24 Powers of Attorney (included in signature pages hereof)
   
99 Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (filed herewith)
   
   

Item 9. Undertakings.

 

(a)       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)       To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

(i)       To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii)       To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding

 

 

 

the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in this registration statement; and

 

(iii)       To include any material information with respect to the Plans not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

 

(2)       That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)       To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(b)       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c)       Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions referenced in Item 6 of this Registration Statement, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered hereunder, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Westlake, State of Texas on the 26th day of April, 2018.

 

GOOSEHEAD INSURANCE, INC.
 
 
By:               /s/ Mark E. Jones      
  Name: Mark E. Jones
  Title:    Chairman, Director and Chief Executive Officer  

 

 

 

 

 

 



POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below, constitutes and appoints Mark E. Jones, Michael C. Colby, Mark S. Colby and P. Ryan Langston, and each of them, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to do any and all acts and things and execute, in the name of the undersigned, any and all instruments which said attorneys-in-fact and agents may deem necessary or advisable in order to enable Goosehead Insurance, Inc. to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission of one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including, specifically, but without limitation, power and authority to sign the name of the undersigned to any such registration statement, and any amendments to any such registration statement (including post-effective amendments), and to file the same with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, to sign any and all applications, registration statements, notices or other documents necessary or advisable to comply with applicable state securities laws, and to file the same, together with other documents in connection therewith with the appropriate state securities authorities, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and to perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and any of them, or their substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

Title

Date

     

/s/ Mark E. Jones

Chairman, Director and Chief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer)
April 26, 2018
Mark E. Jones
     

/s/ Mark S. Colby

Chief Financial Officer
(principal financial officer and principal accounting officer)
April 26, 2018
Mark S. Colby
     

/s/ Robyn Jones

Vice Chairman and Director April 26, 2018
Robyn Jones
     

/s/ Peter Lane

Director April 26, 2018
Peter Lane
     

/s/ Mark Miller

Director April 26, 2018
Mark Miller
     

/s/ James Reid

Director April 26, 2018
James Reid

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Number  
4.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Goosehead Insurance, Inc.’s Form S-1, filed on April 2, 2018 (Registration No. 333-224080))
   
4.2 Amended and Restated By-Laws of Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Goosehead Insurance, Inc.’s Form S-1, filed on April 2, 2018 (Registration No. 333-224080))
   
5 Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (filed herewith)
   
23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP (filed herewith)
   
23.2 Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (included in Exhibit 5)
   
24 Powers of Attorney (included in signature pages hereof)
   
99 Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (filed herewith)
   
   

 

 

 

  New York
Northern California
Washington DC
São Paulo
London
Paris
Madrid
Tokyo
Beijing
Hong Kong
DavisPolk
 

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

450 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017

 

212 450 4000 tel

212 701 5800 fax

 

 
 
 
       

EXHIBITS 5 AND 23.2

 

OPINION OF DAVIS POLK & WARDWELL LLP

 

April 26, 2018

 

Goosehead Insurance, Inc.
1500 Solana Blvd 

Building 4, Suite 4500 

Westlake, Texas 76262

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Goosehead Insurance, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) for the purpose of registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), 20,000 shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Securities”) issuable pursuant to the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”).

 

We, as your counsel, have examined originals or copies of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion.

 

In rendering the opinion expressed herein, we have, without independent inquiry or investigation, assumed that (i) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and complete, (ii) all documents submitted to us as copies conform to authentic, complete originals, (iii) all signatures on all documents that we reviewed are genuine, (iv) all natural persons executing documents had and have the legal capacity to do so, (v) all statements in certificates of public officials and officers of the Company that we reviewed were and are accurate and (vi) all representations made by the Company as to matters of fact in the documents that we reviewed were and are accurate.

 

 

 

On the basis of the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Securities have been duly authorized and, when and to the extent issued pursuant to the Plan upon receipt by the Company of the consideration for the Securities specified therein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

We are members of the Bar of the State of New York and the foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

 

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated March 15, 2018, relating to the consolidated and combined financial statements of Goosehead Financial, LLC appearing in Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement No. 333-224080 on Form S-1 of Goosehead Insurance, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2017.

 

__ /s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP_____

Dallas, Texas

April 26, 2018

 

 

 

Exhibit 99

 

GOOSEHEAD INSURANCE, INC. EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

 

Section 1. Purpose. This Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) is intended to provide employees of the Company and its Participating Subsidiaries with an opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company through the purchase Shares. The Company intends that the Plan qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the Code and the Plan shall be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with that intent.

 

Section 2. Definitions.

 

(a)        “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(b)       “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, and the rules, regulations and guidance thereunder. Any reference to a provision in the Code shall include any successor provision thereto.

 

(c)       “Committee” means the Board, unless a committee is designated by the Board. If the Board does not designate a committee, references herein to the “Committee” shall refer to the Board.

 

(d)       “Company” means Goosehead Insurance, Inc., a Delaware corporation, including any successor thereto.

 

(e)       “Compensation” means base salary, wages, annual bonuses and commissions paid to an Eligible Employee by the Company or a Participating Subsidiary as compensation for services to the Company or Participating Subsidiary, before deduction for any salary deferral contributions made by the Eligible Employee to any tax-qualified or nonqualified deferred compensation plan, including overtime, vacation pay, holiday pay, parental leave pay, jury duty pay and funeral leave pay, but excluding education or tuition reimbursements, imputed income arising under any group insurance or benefit program, travel expenses, business and relocation expenses, and income received in connection with stock options or other equity-based awards.

 

(f)       “Corporate Transaction” means a merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, separation, reorganization or other corporate event described in Section 424 of the Code.

 

(g)       “Designated Broker” means the financial services firm or other agent designated by the Company to maintain ESPP Share Accounts on behalf of Participants who have purchased Shares under the Plan.

 

(h)       “Effective Date” means the date as of which this Plan is adopted by the Board and approved by the shareholders of the Company in accordance with Section 18(k).

 

 

 

(i)       “Employee” means any person who renders services to the Company or a Participating Subsidiary as an employee pursuant to an employment relationship with such employer. For purposes of the Plan, the employment relationship shall be treated as continuing intact while the individual is on military leave, sick leave or other leave of absence approved by the Company or a Participating Subsidiary that meets the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h)(2). Where the period of leave exceeds three (3) months, or such other period of time specified in Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h)(2), and the individual’s right to re-employment is not guaranteed by statute or contract, the employment relationship shall be deemed to have terminated on the first day immediately following such three-month period, or such other period specified in Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h)(2).

 

(j)       “Eligible Employee” means an Employee who (i) has been employed by the Company or a Participating Subsidiary for at least six (6) months and (ii) is customarily employed for at least twenty (20) hours per week and more than five (5) months in any calendar year; provided that executive officers, members of the Board and managing directors, in each case who are “highly compensated employees” of the Company or a Participating Subsidiary (within the meaning of Section 414(q) of the Code), shall not constitute “Eligible Employees.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee (i) may exclude from participation in the Plan or any Offering any other Employees who are “highly compensated employees” or sub-set of such “highly compensated employees” and (ii) shall exclude any Employees located outside of the United States to the extent permitted under Section 423 of the Code.

 

(k)       “Enrollment Form” means an agreement pursuant to which an Eligible Employee may elect to enroll in the Plan, to authorize a new level of payroll deductions, or to stop payroll deductions and withdraw from an Offering Period.

 

(l)       “ESPP Share Account” means an account into which Shares purchased with accumulated payroll deductions at the end of an Offering Period are held on behalf of a Participant.

 

(m)       “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, and the rules, regulations and guidance thereunder. Any reference to a provision in the Exchange Act shall include any successor provision thereto.

 

(n)       “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the closing price of a Share on the trading day immediately preceding the date of determination (or, if there is no reported sale on such date, on the last preceding date on which any reported sale occurred), on the principal stock market or exchange on which Shares are quoted or traded, or if Shares are not so quoted or traded, the fair market value of a Share as determined by the Committee and such determination shall be conclusive and binding on all persons.

 

(o)       “Offering Date” means the first Trading Day of each Offering Period as

 

 

 

designated by the Committee.

 

(p)       “Offering or Offering Period” means a period of six months beginning each June 15th and December 15th of each year; provided that, pursuant to Section 5, the Committee may change the duration of future Offering Periods (subject to a maximum Offering Period of twenty-seven (27) months) and/or the start and end dates of future Offering Periods.

 

(q)      “Participant” means an Eligible Employee who is actively participating in the Plan.

 

(r)       “Participating Subsidiaries” means the Subsidiaries that have been designated as eligible to participate in the Plan, and such other Subsidiaries that may be designated by the Committee from time to time in its sole discretion.

 

(s)       “Plan” means this Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as set forth herein, and as amended from time to time.

 

(t)       “Purchase Date” means the last Trading Day of each Offering Period.

 

(u)       “Purchase Price” means an amount equal to ninety-five percent (95%) (or such greater percentage as designated by the Committee) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Purchase Date; provided that the Purchase Price per Share will in no event be less than the par value of the Shares.

 

(v)      “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(w)      “Share” means a share of the Company’s Class A common stock, $0.01 par value.

 

(x)       “Subsidiary” means any corporation, domestic or foreign, of which not less than 50% of the combined voting power is held by the Company or a Subsidiary, whether or not such corporation exists now or is hereafter organized or acquired by the Company or a Subsidiary. In all cases, the determination of whether an entity is a Subsidiary shall be made in accordance with Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

(y)       “Trading Day” means any day on which the national stock exchange upon which the Shares are listed is open for trading or, if the Shares are not listed on an established stock exchange or national market system, a business day, as determined by the Committee in good faith.

 

Section 3. Administration.

 

(a)       Administration of Plan. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee which shall have the authority to construe and interpret the Plan, prescribe, amend and rescind rules relating to the Plan’s administration and take any other actions necessary or

 

 

 

desirable for the administration of the Plan including, without limitation, adopting sub- plans applicable to particular Participating Subsidiaries or locations, which sub-plans may be designed to be outside the scope of Section 423 of the Code. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency or ambiguity in the Plan. The decisions of the Committee shall be final and binding on all persons. All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

 

(b)       Delegation of Authority. To the extent permitted by applicable law, including under Section 157(c) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Committee may delegate to (i) one or more officers of the Company some or all of its authority under the Plan and (ii) one or more committees of the Board some or all of its authority under the Plan.

 

Section 4. Eligibility. In order to participate in an Offering, an Eligible Employee must deliver a completed Enrollment Form to the Company at least five (5) business days prior to the Offering Date (unless a different time is set by the Company for all Eligible Employees with respect to such Offering) and must elect his or her payroll deduction rate as described in Section 6. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Eligible Employee shall be granted an option under the Plan if (i) immediately after the grant of the option, such Eligible Employee (or any other person whose stock would be attributed to such Eligible Employee pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) would own capital stock of the Company or hold outstanding options to purchase stock possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or any Subsidiary or (ii) such option would permit his or her rights to purchase stock under all employee stock purchase plans (described in Section 423 of the Code) of the Company and its Subsidiaries to accrue at a rate that exceeds $25,000 of the Fair Market Value of such stock (determined at the time the option is granted) for each calendar year in which such option is outstanding at any time.

 

Section 5. Offering Periods. The Plan shall be implemented by a series of Offering Periods, each of which shall be six (6) months in duration, with new Offering Periods commencing on or about June 15th and December 15th of each year (or such other times as determined by the Committee). The Committee shall have the authority to change the duration, frequency, start and end dates of Offering Periods.

 

Section 6. Participation.

 

(a)       Enrollment; Payroll Deductions. An Eligible Employee may elect to participate in the Plan by properly completing an Enrollment Form, which may be electronic, and submitting it to the Company, in accordance with the enrollment procedures established by the Committee. Participation in the Plan is entirely voluntary. By submitting an Enrollment Form, which may be electronic, the Eligible Employee authorizes payroll deductions from his or her pay check in an amount equal to at least one percent (1%), but not more than five percent (5%) of his or her Compensation on each pay day occurring during an Offering Period (or such other maximum percentage as the Committee may establish from time to time before an Offering Period begins). Payroll

 

 

 

deductions shall commence as soon as practicable following the Offering Date and end on the latest practicable payroll date on or before the Purchase Date. The Company shall maintain records of all payroll deductions but shall have no obligation to pay interest on payroll deductions or to hold such amounts in a trust or in any segregated account. Unless expressly permitted by the Committee, a Participant may not make any separate contributions or payments to the Plan.

 

(b)       Election Changes. During an Offering Period, a Participant may decrease his or her rate of payroll deductions applicable to such Offering Period only once. To make such a change, the Participant must submit a new Enrollment Form authorizing the new rate of payroll deductions at least fifteen (15) days before the Purchase Date. A Participant may decrease or increase his or her rate of payroll deductions for future Offering Periods by submitting a new Enrollment Form authorizing the new rate of payroll deductions at least fifteen days before the start of the next Offering Period.

 

(c)       Automatic Re-enrollment. The deduction rate selected in the Enrollment Form shall remain in effect for subsequent Offering Periods unless the Participant (i) submits a new Enrollment Form authorizing a new level of payroll deductions in accordance with Section 6(b), (ii) withdraws from the Plan in accordance with Section 10, or (iii) terminates employment or otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in the Plan.

 

Section 7. Grant of Option. On each Offering Date, each Participant in the applicable Offering Period shall be granted an option to purchase, on the Purchase Date, a number of Shares determined by dividing the Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions by the applicable Purchase Price; provided, that in no event shall any Participant purchase more than 2,500 Shares during an Offering Period (subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 17 and the limitations set forth in Section 13 of the Plan).

 

Section 8. Exercise of Option/Purchase of Shares. A Participant’s option to purchase Shares will be exercised automatically on the Purchase Date of each Offering Period. The Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions will be used to purchase the maximum number of whole Shares that can be purchased with the amounts in the Participant’s notional account. No fractional Shares may be purchased, but contributions unused in a given Offering Period due to being less than the cost of a Share will be carried forward to the next Offering Period, subject to earlier withdrawal by the Participant in accordance with Section 10 or termination of employment in accordance with Section 11.

 

Section 9. Transfer of Shares. As soon as reasonably practicable after each Purchase Date, the Company will arrange for the delivery to each Participant of the Shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option. The Committee may permit or require that the Shares be deposited directly into an ESPP Share Account established in the name of the Participant with a Designated Broker and may require that the Shares be retained with such Designated Broker for a specified period of time. Participants will not have any voting, dividend or other rights of a shareholder with respect to the Shares

 

 

 

subject to any option granted hereunder until such Shares have been delivered pursuant to this Section 9.

 

Section 10. Withdrawal.

 

(a)       Withdrawal Procedure. A Participant may withdraw from an Offering by submitting to the Company a revised Enrollment Form indicating his or her election to withdraw at least fifteen days before the Purchase Date. The accumulated payroll deductions held on behalf of a Participant in his or her notional account (that have not been used to purchase Shares) shall be paid to the Participant promptly following receipt of the Participant’s Enrollment Form indicating his or her election to withdraw and the Participant’s option shall be automatically terminated. If a Participant withdraws from an Offering Period, no payroll deductions will be made during any succeeding Offering Period, unless the Participant re-enrolls in accordance with Section 6(a) of the Plan.

 

(b)       Effect on Succeeding Offering Periods. A Participant’s election to withdraw from an Offering Period will not have any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in succeeding Offering Periods that commence following the completion of the Offering Period from which the Participant withdraws.

 

Section 11. Termination of Employment; Change in Employment Status. Notwithstanding Section 10, upon termination of a Participant’s employment for any reason, including death, disability or retirement, or a change in the Participant’s employment status following which the Participant is no longer an Eligible Employee, which in either case occurs at least ten days before the Purchase Date, the Participant will be deemed to have withdrawn from the Plan and the payroll deductions in the Participant’s notional account (that have not been used to purchase Shares) shall be returned to the Participant, or in the case of the Participant’s death, to the person(s) entitled to such amounts by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and the Participant’s option shall be automatically terminated. If the Participant’s termination of employment or change in status occurs within ten days before a Purchase Date, the accumulated payroll deductions shall be used to purchase Shares on the Purchase Date.

 

Section 12. Interest. No interest shall accrue on or be payable with respect to the payroll deductions of a Participant in the Plan.

 

Section 13. Shares Reserved for Plan.

 

(a)       Number of Shares. A total of 20,000 Shares have been reserved as authorized for the grant of options under the Plan. The Shares may be newly issued Shares, treasury Shares or Shares acquired on the open market. The total number of Shares available for purchase under the Plan shall be increased on the first day of each Company fiscal year following the Effective Date in an amount equal to the least of (i) 50,000 Shares, (ii) 1% of the Shares authorized on the Effective Date and (iii) such number of Shares as determined by the Board in its discretion; provided that the maximum number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan in any event shall be

 

 

 

200,000 Shares (subject to any adjustment in accordance with Section 17).

 

(b)       Over-subscribed Offerings. The number of Shares which a Participant may purchase in an Offering under the Plan may be reduced if the Offering is over-subscribed. No option granted under the Plan shall permit a Participant to purchase Shares which, if added together with the total number of Shares purchased by all other Participants in such Offering would exceed the total number of Shares remaining available under the Plan. If the Committee determines that, on a particular Purchase Date, the number of Shares with respect to which options are to be exercised exceeds the number of Shares then available under the Plan, the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the Shares remaining available for purchase in as uniform a manner as practicable and as the Committee determines to be equitable.

 

Section 14. Transferability. No payroll deductions credited to a Participant, nor any rights with respect to the exercise of an option or any rights to receive Shares hereunder may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution) by the Participant. Any attempt to assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of such rights or amounts shall be without effect.

 

Section 15. Application of Funds. All payroll deductions received or held by the Company under the Plan may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose to the extent permitted by applicable law, and the Company shall not be required to segregate such payroll deductions or contributions.

 

Section 16. Statements. Participants will be provided with statements at least annually which shall set forth the contributions made by the Participant to the Plan, the Purchase Price of any Shares purchased with accumulated funds, the number of Shares purchased, and any payroll deduction amounts remaining in the Participant’s notional account.

 

Section 17. Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization; Dissolution or Liquidation; Corporate Transactions.

 

(a)       Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the Company’s structure affecting the Shares occurs, then in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, the Committee will, in such manner as it deems equitable, adjust the number of Shares and class of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan, the Purchase Price per Share and the number of Shares covered by each outstanding option under the Plan, and the numerical limits of Section 7 and Section 13.

 

(b)      Dissolution or Liquidation. Unless otherwise determined by the

 

 

 

Committee, in the event of a proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any Offering Period then in progress will be shortened by setting a new Purchase Date and the Offering Period will end immediately prior to the proposed dissolution or liquidation. The new Purchase Date will be before the date of the Company’s proposed dissolution or liquidation. Before the new Purchase Date, the Committee will provide each Participant with written notice, which may be electronic, of the new Purchase Date and that the Participant’s option will be exercised automatically on such date, unless before such time, the Participant has withdrawn from the Offering in accordance with Section 10.

 

(c)      Corporate Transaction. In the event of a Corporate Transaction, each outstanding option will be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a parent or Subsidiary of such successor corporation. If the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute the option, the Offering Period with respect to which the option relates will be shortened by setting a new Purchase Date on which the Offering Period will end. The new Purchase Date will occur before the date of the Corporate Transaction. Prior to the new Purchase Date, the Committee will provide each Participant with written notice, which may be electronic, of the new Purchase Date and that the Participant’s option will be exercised automatically on such date, unless before such time, the Participant has withdrawn from the Offering in accordance with Section 10. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of a Corporate Transaction, the Committee may also elect to terminate all outstanding Offering Periods in accordance with Section 18(i).

 

Section 18. General Provisions.

 

(a)       Equal Rights and Privileges. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary and in accordance with Section 423 of the Code, all Eligible Employees who are granted options under the Plan shall have the same rights and privileges.

 

(b)       No Right to Continued Service. Neither the Plan nor any compensation paid hereunder will confer on any Participant the right to continue as an Employee or in any other capacity.

 

(c)       Rights as Shareholder. A Participant will become a shareholder with respect to the Shares that are purchased pursuant to options granted under the Plan when the Shares are transferred to the Participant’s ESPP Share Account. A Participant will have no rights as a shareholder with respect to Shares for which an election to participate in an Offering Period has been made until such Participant becomes a shareholder as provided above.

 

(d)       Successors and Assigns. The Plan shall be binding on the Company and its successors and assigns.

 

(e)       Entire Plan. This Plan constitutes the entire plan with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior plans with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

 

 

(f)       Compliance with Law. The obligations of the Company with respect to payments under the Plan are subject to compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Shares shall not be issued with respect to an option granted under the Plan unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and delivery of the Shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all applicable provisions of law, including, without limitation, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the requirements of any stock exchange upon which the Shares may then be listed.

 

(g)       Disqualifying Dispositions. Each Participant shall give the Company prompt written notice of any disposition or other transfer of Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an option acquired under the Plan, if such disposition or transfer is made within two years after the Offering Date or within one year after the Purchase Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Participants shall not transfer Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an option acquired under the Plan to a broker other than the Designated Broker within two years after the Offering Date or within one year after the Purchase Date.

 

(h)       Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective on the Effective Date and, unless terminated earlier pursuant to Section 18(i), shall have a term of ten years.

 

(i)       Amendment or Termination. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend, suspend or terminate the Plan at any time and for any reason. If the Plan is terminated, the Committee may elect to terminate all outstanding Offering Periods either immediately or once Shares have been purchased on the next Purchase Date (which may, in the discretion of the Committee, be accelerated) or permit Offering Periods to expire in accordance with their terms (and subject to any adjustment in accordance with Section 17). If any Offering Period is terminated before its scheduled expiration, all amounts that have not been used to purchase Shares will be returned to Participants (without interest, except as otherwise required by law) as soon as administratively practicable.

 

(j)       Applicable Law. The laws of the State of Delaware shall govern all questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of the Plan, without regard to such state’s conflict of law rules.

 

(k)       Shareholder Approval. The Plan shall be subject to approval by the shareholders of the Company within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board.

 

(l)       Section 423. The Plan is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the Code. Any provision of the Plan that is inconsistent with Section 423 of the Code shall be reformed to comply with Section 423 of the Code.

 

(m)       Withholding. To the extent required by applicable Federal, state or local law, a Participant must make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the payment of any withholding or similar tax obligations that arise in connection with the Plan.

 

 

 

(n)       Severability. If any provision of the Plan shall for any reason be held to be invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision hereof, and the Plan shall be construed as if such invalid or unenforceable provision were omitted.

 

(o)       Headings. The headings of sections herein are included solely for convenience and shall not affect the meaning of any of the provisions of the Plan.