exv10w8



 




Exhibit 10.8



WINDSTREAM

PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN



RECITALS



     Pursuant to Section 7.01(a)(2) of the Employee Benefits Agreement by and between ALLTEL
Corporation and ALLTEL Holding Corp. (the “Company”) dated as of December 8, 2005 (the “Employee
Benefits Agreement”), the Company agreed to establish, or cause to be established, a plan, the
provisions of which are substantially identical to the provisions of the ALLTEL Corporation
Performance Incentive Compensation Plan, which such plan shall apply to the performance period
beginning the day after the Distribution Date (as defined in the Employee Benefits Agreement) and
ending December 31, 2006. The Company has adopted this Windstream Performance Incentive
Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to the terms of the Employee Benefits Agreement.



I. PURPOSE




     The purpose of the Plan is to advance the interests of the Company by strengthening, through
the payment of incentive awards, the linkage between executives of the Company and stockholders of
the Company, the decision-making focus of executives of the Company upon improving stockholder
wealth, and the ability of the Company to attract and retain those key employees upon whose
judgment, initiative, and efforts the successful growth and profitability of the Company depends.



II. DEFINITIONS




     a. “Award” shall mean a cash award granted under the Plan to a Participant by the Committee
pursuant to such terms, conditions, restrictions and/or limitations, if any, as the Committee may
establish.



     b. “Beneficiary” shall mean the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated in accordance with
Section XII to receive any amount payable under the Plan after the death of a Participant.



     c. “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.



     d. “CEO” shall mean the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.



     e. “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.



     f. “Committee” shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board (or subcommittee thereof),
consisting of not less than two Board members each of whom shall be (i)



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a “non-employee director” as defined in Rule 16b-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and (ii) an “outside director” as defined in the regulations under Section 162(m) of the
Code.




     g. “Company” shall mean ALLTEL Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation, its successors and
survivors resulting from any merger or acquisition of ALLTEL Holding Corp. with or by any other
corporation or other entity or enterprise including, without limitation, the surviving corporation
resulting from the proposed merger between the Company and Valor Communications Group, Inc.
pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of December 8, 2005, among
ALLTEL Corporation, ALLTEL Holding Corp., and Valor Communications Group, Inc. (which merged
corporation is to be known as Windstream Corporation).



     h. “Covered Employee” shall mean a Participant who the Committee deems likely to have
compensation for the Plan Year which would be non-deductible by the Company under Section 162(m) of
the Code if the Company did not comply with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the
regulations thereunder with respect to such compensation.



     i. “Disability” shall mean incapacity resulting in the Participant’s being unable to engage in
gainful employment at his usual occupation by reason of any medically demonstrable physical or
mental condition, excluding, however, incapacity contracted, suffered or incurred while the
Participant was engaged in, or which resulted from having engaged in, a felonious enterprise;
incapacity resulting from or consisting of chronic alcoholism or addiction to drugs or abuse; and
incapacity resulting from an intentionally self-inflicted injury or illness.



     j. “Effective Date” shall mean the day after the Distribution Date as defined in the Employee
Benefits Agreement.



     k. “Eligible Employee” shall mean any officer or key management employee of the Company or a
Subsidiary who is a regular full-time employee of the Company or a Subsidiary. A director of the
Company or a Subsidiary is not an Eligible Employee unless he is also a regular full-time salaried
employee of the Company or a Subsidiary. A “full-time” employee means any employee who is
customarily employed more than 20 hours per week and at least six months per year.



     l. “Participant” shall mean any Eligible Employee who is approved by the Committee for
participation in the Plan for the Plan Year with respect to which an Award may be made and which
has not been paid, forfeited or otherwise terminated or satisfied under the Plan.



     m. “Payout Formula” shall mean the formula established by the Committee for determining Awards
for a Plan Year based on the level of achievement of the Performance Objectives for the Plan Year.



     n. “Performance Objectives” means the measurable performance objective or objectives
established pursuant to the Plan for Participants. Performance Objectives may be described in
terms of Company-wide objectives or objectives that are related to the performance of the
individual Participant or of the Subsidiary, division, department, region or function within the
Company or Subsidiary in which the Participant is employed. The Performance Objectives



 









 




may be made relative to the performance of other corporations. The Performance Objectives
applicable to any Award to a Covered Employee that is intended to qualify for the performance-based
compensation exception to Section 162(m) of the Code shall be based on specified levels of growth
in one or more of the following criteria: revenues, weighted average revenue per unit, earnings
from operations, operating income, earnings before or after interest and taxes, operating income
before or after interest and taxes, net income, cash flow, earnings per share, debt to capital
ratio, economic value added, return on total capital, return on invested capital, return on equity,
return on assets, total return to stockholders, earnings before or after interest, taxes,
depreciation, amortization or extraordinary or special items, operating income before or after
interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization or extraordinary or special items, return on
investment, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment (discounted or otherwise), net cash
provided by operations, cash flow in excess of cost of capital, operating margin, profit margin,
contribution margin, stock price and/or strategic business criteria consisting of one or more
objectives based on meeting specified product development, strategic partnering, research and
development, market penetration, geographic business expansion goals, cost targets, customer
satisfaction, gross or net additional customers, average customer life, employee satisfaction,
management of employment practices and employee benefits, supervision of litigation and information
technology, and goals relating to acquisitions or divestitures of subsidiaries, affiliates and
joint ventures. Performance Objectives may be stated as a combination of the listed factors.




     o. “Plan” shall mean the Windstream Performance Incentive Compensation Plan, as set forth in
this instrument, as amended from time to time.



     p. “Plan Year” shall mean (i) the period beginning on the Effective Date and ending on
December 31, 2006 and (ii) for each period beginning after December 31, 2006, the Company’s fiscal
year for tax and financial reporting purposes, or such other period as determined by the Committee
in its discretion, to be used to measure actual performance against Performance Objectives and to
determine the amount of Awards for Participants.



     q. “Retirement” shall mean the Participant’s termination of employment with the Company and/or
all Subsidiaries for any reason other than death after either: (i) attaining age fifty-five and
completing twenty (20) or more “Vesting Years of Service”; (ii) attaining age sixty (60) and
completing fifteen (15) or more “Vesting Years of Service”; or (iii) satisfying the conditions
specified for eligibility for “retirement” under a written employment contract between the
Participant and the Company and/or a Subsidiary. For purposes of the immediately preceding
sentence, “Vesting Years of Service” shall have the meaning given it under the terms of the
Windstream Pension Plan.



     r. “Subsidiary” shall mean a corporation of which fifty percent (50%) or more of the issued
and outstanding voting stock is owned (directly or indirectly) by the Company.



III. ADMINISTRATION




     a. Administration of the Plan shall be by the Committee, which shall, in applying and
interpreting the provisions of the Plan, have full power and authority to construe, interpret and
carry out the provisions of the Plan. All decisions, interpretations and actions of the



 









 




Committee under the Plan shall be at the Committee’s sole and absolute discretion and shall be
final, conclusive and binding upon all parties. The generality of the provisions of the
immediately preceding sentence shall not be deemed to be limited by any reference to the
Committee’s discretion in any other provision of the Plan. The Committee may delegate to the CEO
or other officers, subject to such terms as the Committee shall determine, authority to perform
certain functions, including administrative functions, except that the Committee shall retain
exclusive authority to determine matters relating to Awards to the CEO and other individuals who
are Covered Employees. In the event of such delegation, all references to the Committee in this
Plan shall be deemed references to such officers as it relates to those aspects of the Plan that
have been delegated.




     b. No member of the Committee shall be jointly or severally liable by reason of any contract
or other instrument executed by him or on his behalf in his capacity as a member of the Committee,
nor for any mistake of judgment made in good faith, and the Company shall indemnify and hold
harmless each member of the Committee and each other officer, employee and director of the Company
to whom any duty or act relating to the administration of the Plan may be allocated or delegated,
against any cost or expense (including counsel fees) or liability (including any sum paid in
settlement of the claim with the approval of the Board) arising out of any act or omission to act
in connection with the Plan, unless arising out of such person’s or persons’ own fraud or bad
faith.



     c. The existence of this Plan or any Award or other right granted hereunder will not affect
the authority of the Company or the Committee to take any other action, including in respect of the
grant or award of any annual or long-term bonus or other right or benefit, whether or not
authorized by this Plan, subject only to limitations imposed by applicable law.



IV. ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION




     a. As soon as practicable after the beginning of each Plan Year, the Committee shall designate
those Eligible Employees who shall participate in the Plan for the current Plan Year (or, if a
person becomes an Eligible Employee after the beginning of the Plan Year, he shall be designated as
a Participant as soon as practicable after he becomes an Eligible Employee). In determining which
Eligible Employees shall participate for any given Plan Year, the Committee shall consider the
recommendations of the CEO. Each Eligible Employee shall be notified of his participation in the
Plan as soon as practicable after approval of his participation for any Plan Year (or portion
thereof) for which his participation has been approved. An Eligible Employee who is a Participant
for a given Plan Year is neither guaranteed nor assured of being selected for participation in any
subsequent Plan Year.



     b. Notwithstanding anything contained in Section IV(a) to the contrary, individuals who are
Covered Employees shall be designated by the Committee to participate in the Plan no later than 90
days following the beginning of the Plan Year or before 25% of the Plan Year has elapsed, whichever
is earlier.



     c. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Section IV to the contrary, the individuals
listed on Exhibit A, and such other individuals as may be designated pursuant to this



 









 




Section IV, shall participate in the Plan for the Plan Year beginning on the day after the
Effective Date and ending on December 31, 2006.




V. DETERMINATION OF AWARDS




     a. The Committee shall establish the Performance Objectives and Payout Formulas for each
Participant during the first quarter of each Plan Year and notify each Participant in writing of
his or her Payout Formulas and Performance Objectives. In determining the applicable Payout
Formulas or Performance Objectives other than for the CEO, the Committee shall consider the
recommendations of the CEO. The Performance Objectives and Payout Formulas established by the
Committee need not be uniform with respect to any or all Participants. The Committee may also
make Awards to newly hired or newly promoted executives without compliance with such timing and
other limitations as provided herein, which Awards may be based on performance during less than the
full Plan Year and may be pro rated in the discretion of the Committee.



     b. Participants must achieve the Performance Objectives established by the Committee in order
to receive an Award under the Plan. However, the Committee may determine that only the threshold
level relating to a Performance Objective must be achieved for Awards to be paid under the Plan.
Similarly, the Committee may establish a minimum threshold performance level, a maximum performance
level, and one or more intermediate performance levels or ranges, with target award levels or
ranges that will correspond to the respective performance levels or ranges included in the Payout
Formula.



     c. The Committee may establish multiple Performance Objectives with respect to a single
Participant. If more than one Performance Objective is selected by the Committee for a Plan Year,
the Performance Objectives will be weighted by the Committee to reflect their relative importance
to the Company in the applicable Plan Year. If the Committee establishes a threshold level of
achievement with respect to multiple Performance Objectives, Awards will be paid under the Plan
upon achievement of threshold levels of one or more of the specified Performance Objectives.



     d. The Committee may in its sole discretion modify such Payout Formulas, Performance
Objectives or the related minimum acceptable level of achievement, in whole or in part, as the
Committee deems appropriate and equitable (i) to reflect a change in the business, operations,
corporate structure or capital structure of the Company or its Subsidiaries, the manner in which it
conducts its business, or other events or circumstances or (ii) in the event that a Participant’s
responsibilities materially change during a Plan Year or the Participant is transferred to a
position that is not designated or eligible to participate in the Plan.



     e. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Section IV to the contrary, the Committee shall
establish the Performance Objectives (including the relative weight of multiple Performance
Objectives) and Payout Formulas for each Covered Employee not later than 90 days following the
beginning of the Plan Year or before 25% of the Plan Year has elapsed, whichever is earlier.
Furthermore, the Committee shall not modify the Performance Objectives (including the relative
weight of multiple Performance Objectives) and Payout Formulas



 









 




applicable to a Covered Employee to the extent that such action would result in the loss of
the otherwise available exemption of the Award under Section 162(m) of the Code.




     f. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, in no event shall an Award
paid to any Participant for a Plan Year exceed $7,000,000.



VI. CERTIFICATION OF ACHIEVEMENT




     a. Promptly following the end of each Plan Year, the Committee shall meet to certify
achievement of the Performance Objectives for the applicable Plan Year and, if such Performance
Objectives have been achieved, to review management recommendations and approve actual Awards under
the Plan pursuant to the applicable Payout Formulas. Such certification of achievement of the
Performance Objectives of a Covered Employee shall be documented in writing (and otherwise conform
to the requirements of applicable regulations under Section 162(m) of the Code) prior to the payout
of such Award to a Covered Employee.



     b. If a Participant’s employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries is terminated before
the last day of a Plan Year due to Disability, death, or Retirement, the Participant’s Award shall
be pro rated on the basis of the ratio of the number of days of participation during the Plan Year
to which the Award relates to the aggregate number of days in such Plan Year. If a Participant’s
employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries is terminated before the last day of a Plan Year
for any other reason, then, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, such Participant shall
become ineligible to participate in the Plan and shall not receive payment of any Award for any
Plan Year that has not ended prior to the Participant’s termination of employment.



     c. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Plan, the Committee in its sole discretion
may (i) eliminate or reduce the amount of any Award payable to any Participant below that which
otherwise would be payable under the Payout Formula, and (ii) except in the case of a Covered
Employee, increase the amount of any Award payable to any Participant above that which otherwise
would be payable under the Payout Formula to recognize a Participant’s individual performance or in
other circumstances deemed appropriate by the Committee.



VII. PAYMENT OF AWARDS




          Subject to Section VI hereof, Awards shall be paid as soon as practicable after the close of
the Plan Year, but in no event later than 75 days after the end of the Plan Year to which the
Awards relate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its sole discretion and upon
such terms and conditions as it may establish, direct that payments to the Participants (other than
Covered Employees) be made during December of the Plan Year in the amount of all or any portion
specified by the Committee of the estimated Award for that Plan Year, subject to adjustment as soon
as practicable after the end of the Plan Year and the determination of the exact amount of the
Award therefore.




 









 








VIII. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF PLAN




     a. The Board reserves the right, at any time, to amend, suspend or terminate the Plan, in
whole or in part, in any manner, and for any reason, and without the consent of any Participant,
Eligible Employee or Beneficiary or other person; provided, that no such amendment, suspension or
termination shall adversely affect the payment of any amount for a Plan Year ending prior to the
action of the Board amending, suspending or terminating the Plan.



     b. It is the intention of the Company that the Plan qualify for the performance-based
compensation exception of Section 162(m) of the Code and the short-term deferral exception of
Section 409A of the Code. The Plan and any Awards hereunder shall be administrated in a manner
consistent with this intent, and any provision that would cause the Plan or any Awards hereunder to
fail to satisfy either such exception shall have no force and effect until amended to so comply
(which amendment may be retroactive and may be made by the Company without the consent of any
Participant, Eligible Employee or Beneficiary or other person).



IX. GOVERNING LAW




     The provisions of the Plan shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of Delaware.



X. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS




     Nothing contained in the Plan shall give any employee the right to be retained in the
employment of the Company or a Subsidiary or affect the right of the Company or a Subsidiary to
dismiss any employee. The Plan shall not constitute a contract between the Company or a Subsidiary
and any employee. No Participant shall receive any right to be granted an Award hereunder. No
Award shall be considered as compensation under any employee benefit plan of the Company or a
Subsidiary, except as may be otherwise provided in such employee benefit plan. No reference in the
Plan to any other plan or program maintained by the Company shall be deemed to give any Participant
or other person a right to benefits under such other plan or program. The Company and its
Subsidiaries shall have the right to deduct from all payments made to any person under the Plan any
federal, state, local, foreign or other taxes which, in the opinion of the Company and its
Subsidiaries are required to be withheld with respect to such payments.



XI. NO ALIENATION OF BENEFITS




     Except insofar as may otherwise be required by law, no amount payable at any time under the
Plan shall be subject in any manner to alienation by anticipation, sale, transfer, assignment,
bankruptcy, pledge, attachment, charge or encumbrance of any kind, nor in any



 









 




manner be subject to the debts or liabilities of a Participant or Beneficiary, and any attempt
to so alienate or subject any such amount, whether presently or thereafter payable, shall be void.




XII. DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARIES




     a. Each Participant shall file with the Company a written designation of one or more persons
as the Beneficiary who shall be entitled to receive any Award payable under the Plan after his
death. A Participant may from time to time, revoke or change his Beneficiary designation without
the consent of any prior Beneficiary by filing a new designation with the Company.



     b. The last such designation received by the Company shall be controlling; except that no
designation, or change or revocation thereof, shall be effective unless received by the Company
prior to the Participant’s death, and in no event shall it be effective as of the date prior to
such receipt.



     c. If no designation is in effect at the time of a Participant’s death, or if no designated
Beneficiary survives the Participant, or if such designation, in the Company’s discretion,
conflicts with applicable law, the Participant’s estate shall be deemed to have been designated his
Beneficiary and shall receive any Award payable under the Plan after his death.



     d. A Participant’s Beneficiary designation made by the Participant in accordance with the
terms of the ALLTEL Corporation Performance Incentive Compensation Plan prior to the Effective Date
shall constitute a proper Beneficiary designation under the Plan and shall remain in effect after
the Effective Date until revoked or otherwise modified by the Participant in accordance with this
Article XII.



XIII. PAYMENTS TO PERSON OTHER THAN PARTICIPANT




     If the Committee shall find that a Participant or his Beneficiary to whom an Award is payable
under the Plan is unable to care for his affairs because of illness or accident, or is a minor, or
has died, then any payment due him or his estate (unless a prior claim therefore has been made by a
duly appointed representative) may, if the Committee so directs, be paid to his spouse, child, a
relative, an institution maintaining custody of such person or any other person deemed by the
Committee to be a proper recipient on behalf of such person otherwise entitled to payment. Any
such payment shall be a complete discharge of the liability of the Plan, the Company and the
Committee therefore.



XIV. NO RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN COMPANY’S ASSETS




     No Participant or Beneficiary shall have any right, title or interest whatsoever in or to any
investments which the Company or a Subsidiary may make to aid it in meeting its obligations



 









 




under the Plan. Nothing contained in the Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its
provisions, shall create, or be construed to create, a trust of any kind, or fiduciary relationship
between the Company or a Subsidiary and any Participant or Beneficiary or any other person. To the
extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company under the Plan, such
rights shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company. All
payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general funds of the Company, and no special
or separate funds shall be established, and no segregation of assets shall be made, to assure
payment thereof.




XV. SUCCESSORS




     The Company shall require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger,
consolidation, reorganization or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or
assets of the Company expressly to assume this Plan. This Plan shall be binding upon and inure to
the benefit of the Company and any successor of or to the Company, including without limitation any
persons acquiring directly or indirectly all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of
the Company whether by sale, merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise (and such successor
shall thereafter be deemed the “Company” for the purposes of this Plan), and the heirs,
beneficiaries, executors and administrators of each Participant; provided that any successor to
this Plan shall not assume any obligation with respect to any Participant for services performed or
related compensation earned by the Participant prior the Effective Date or any obligation of Alltel
Corporation to such Participant under the Alltel Corporation Incentive Compensation.