obtaining prior authorization from the Company or any other member of the Company Group: (i) initiating communications directly with, cooperating with, providing information to, causing information to be provided to, or otherwise assisting in an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or any other governmental or regulatory agency, entity, or official(s) (collectively, “Governmental Authorities”) regarding a possible violation of any law; (ii) responding to any inquiry or legal process directed to an employee individually from any Governmental Authority; (iii) testifying, participating or otherwise assisting in an action or proceeding by any Governmental Authorities relating to a possible violation of law, including providing documents or other confidential information to Governmental Authorities; or (iv) receiving an award for information provided to the SEC or any other Governmental Authority. This Agreement shall not be construed or applied to require Employee to obtain prior authorization from the Company or any other member of the Company Group before engaging in any of the foregoing conduct referenced in this Section 6.1(c), or to notify the Company of having engaged in any such conduct.

# 6.2 Nature of Business.

(a) Acknowledgment of Competitive Business. Executive acknowledges and agrees that the Company is engaged in a highly competitive industry and must protect its Confidential Information against unauthorized use or disclosure that would irreparably harm the Company’s interests. Executive recognizes that the disclosure by the Company to Executive of certain of its Confidential Information will be necessary and useful to Executive in the performance of Executive’s job duties for the Company under this Agreement. As a result, Executive will have access to Confidential Information that could be used by the Company’s competitors in a manner which would irreparably harm the Company’s competitive position in the marketplace.

(b) Acknowledgment of Need for Protection. Executive further acknowledges and agrees that it would be virtually impossible for Executive to ignore all knowledge of the Company’s Confidential Information if Executive were to engage in competition with the Company. It is, therefore, reasonable and proper for the Company to protect against the intentional or inadvertent use of such Confidential Information. Accordingly, Executive agrees that restrictions on competition and soliciting the Company’s customers or employees during Executive’s employment under this Agreement and for a reasonable period of time thereafter are appropriate and necessary for the protection of the Company’s Confidential Information, goodwill, and other legitimate business interests.

# ARTICLE VII

# NON-SOLICITATION AND NON-COMPETITION

7.1 Non-Solicitation and Non-Competition. Ancillary to the agreements to provide Executive with the Confidential Information as set forth above, and in order to aid in the enforcement of those agreements and as a condition of Executive’s employment hereunder, Executive agrees that, during the Term and for a period of two (2) years after the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company (or, in the event Executive is entitled to the payments and benefits described in Section 4.3(c) hereof, for a period of one (1) year after

termination of Executive’s employment with the Company) (as applicable, the “Prohibited Period”), Executive will:

(a) refrain from carrying on or engaging in the Business in the Restricted Area. Executive agrees and covenants that, because the following conduct would effectively constitute carrying on or engaging in the Business, Executive will not, and Executive will cause Executive’s affiliates not to, in the Restricted Area during the Prohibited Period: directly or indirectly, own, manage, operate, join, become an employee of, control or participate in or be connected with any business, individual, partnership, firm, corporation or other entity which engages in the Business;

(b) refrain from, and cause Executive’s affiliates to refrain from, soliciting or causing to be solicited any customer of the Company that was a customer of the Company in the Restricted Area during the period when Executive was employed by the Company; and

(c) refrain from, and cause Executive’s affiliates to refrain from, engaging or employing or soliciting or contacting with a view to the engagement or employment of, any person who is an officer or employee of the Company.

7.2 Exception for Equity Ownership. Notwithstanding the restrictions contained in Section 7.1, Executive or any of Executive’s affiliates may own (a) less than five percent (5%) of any equity security registered under the Exchange Act, in any entity engaged in the Business, provided that neither Executive nor Executive’s affiliates has the power, directly or indirectly, to control or direct the management or affairs of any such entity and is not involved in the management of such entity, and (b) those equity investments owned by Executive as of the date of this Agreement as previously disclosed in writing to and agreed by the Board.

7.3 Exception Within Certain States. Notwithstanding the restrictions contained in Section 7.1, within those areas of the State of Oklahoma that are within the Restricted Area (the “Oklahoma Restricted Area”), the restrictions in Sections 7.1(a) and 7.1(b) shall not apply after Executive’s employment with the Company has ended but before the Prohibited Period has expired; provided, however, that at no point during the Prohibited Period shall Executive, within the Oklahoma Restricted Area, solicit goods, services or a combination of goods and services from any established customer of the Company. Further, within those areas of the States of California or North Dakota that are within the Restricted Area, the restrictions contained in Section 7.1(a) and Section 7.1(b) shall not apply following the date that Executive is no longer employed by the Company and, during such period, Section 7.1(c) shall be applied within the States of California and North Dakota only to prohibit Executive from, directly or indirectly, soliciting or contacting with a view to the engagement or employment of, any person who is an officer or employee of the Company or otherwise directly or indirectly interfering with or raiding the Company’s employees.

# ARTICLE VIII

# SURVIVAL OF COVENANTS, ENFORCEMENT OF COVENANTS AND REMEDIES

8.1 Survival of Covenants. Executive acknowledges and agrees that Executive’s covenants in Articles V, VI and VII, and those provisions necessary to interpret and enforce them, shall survive the termination of this Agreement, and the existence of any claim or cause