Exhibit 10.17


                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


         EMPLOYMENT  AGREEMENT made as of this 11th day of March,  1996, between
AIR RESOURCES CORPORATION,  a Colorado business corporation,  SPURLOCK ADHESIVES
INCORPORATED,  a Virginia business corporation, and SPURLOCK INDUSTRIES, INC., a
Virginia  business  corporation,  all with a place of  business  at P. 0. Box 8,
Route 460 East, Waverly, Virginia 23890 (all jointly hereafter "Employer"),  and
PHILLIP S. SUMPTER (hereafter "Employee") currently of 263 Gilson Road, Jaffrey,
New Hampshire 03452.

         In   consideration   of  the  mutual   promises   and  other   valuable
consideration provided hereinafter,  Employer and Employee agree and covenant as
follows:

         1.       Employment Term.  Employer employs Employee,  commencing as of
the effective date of this  Agreement and continuing  until the earlier of March
31, 1998 or termination as provided for herein,  as Executive Vice President (or
such other officer title upon which Employer and Employee agree).

         2.       Termination.    Employee    shall    not   be   a    so-called
"employee-at-will."  Employee  shall serve as Executive  Vice President (or such
other  officer  title upon which  Employer and  Employee  agree) until March 31,
1998;  provided  however,  Employee's  employment  may be  terminated  upon  the
happening of any of the following:

                  A.       Employee dying;

                  B.       Employee  retiring  or  resigning,  by  first  giving
                           Employer thirty (30) days advance written notice;


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                  C.       Resolution   of   Employer's   Board   of   Directors
                           discharging   Employee   based  upon  an  affirmative
                           finding, made in good faith, that Employee either has
                           breached  a  fiduciary  duty  owed  Employer,  or has
                           committed   any  fraud  or  serious   dishonest   act
                           detrimentally   affecting   Employer  in   Employer's
                           business  relations,  or has  willfully and knowingly
                           violated  any  statute  governing  either  Employer's
                           business   or   Employee's   conduct  as   Employer's
                           employee, or has become either physically or mentally
                           disabled resulting in Employee's inability to fulfill
                           the  terms  of  this  Agreement;   provided  however,
                           Employee  shall be  entitled  to  fifteen  (15)  days
                           advance written notice before any such proposed Board
                           resolution  may be  acted  upon  and  Employee  shall
                           further be entitled to attend any such Board  meeting
                           and to hear and respond to any and all evidence which
                           the  Board   considers   before   adopting  any  such
                           resolution.

         3.       Scope of Employment.  Subject to the applicable  provisions of
Employer's Articles of Agreement and By-Laws, Employee shall serve as Employer's
Executive  Vice  President (or such other officer title upon which  Employer and
Employee agree) and shall perform all duties which Employer's Board of Directors
might assign to Employee. Employee shall report directly to Employer's President
and  Employer's  Chairman  of the Board of  Directors.  Employee  shall  provide
Employee's services to Employer on a full time basis.  Employee shall not engage
in any other substantial  business  endeavors which would  detrimentally  impact


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upon Employee's ability to offer his time, attention and talent to Employer.

         4.       Base  Compensation.  Employer  shall pay Employee a guaranteed
annual salary of $180,000.00,  payable in equal weekly installments,  commencing
March 11, 1996.

         5.       Bonuses.  Employer and Employee  agree that Employee  shall be
eligible for additional compensation in the form of bonuses based upon the value
of the  Employee's  work  contributions  to the Employer and the  performance of
Employer in the market place - in the event Employer establishes a bonus plan or
program.

         6.       Stock  Options.  Employee  shall be entitled to participate in
and shall receive the benefit of any existing  stock option plans of Employer or
of any stock  option  plans  created  during  the term of this  Agreement  which
benefits other executive employees.

         7.       Company  Vehicle.  Employer  shall  provide  to  Employee,  as
additional  compensation,  a suitable vehicle for Employee's use. Employer shall
solely  be  responsible  for any  and all  costs  associated  with  maintaining,
insuring and registering said vehicle.

         8.       Retirement.  Employee  shall be entitled to participate in and
shall receive the benefit of any existing retirement plans of Employer or of any
retirement  plans created during the term of this Agreement which benefits other
executive employees.

         9.       Fringe Benefits.  Employer shall procure  comprehensive health
and dental insurance for Employee and Employee's spouse and disability insurance
for  Employee  under one of more  policies of



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insurance comparable to the best existing policies by which Employer insures its
other executive employees.

         10.      Vacation and Holidays.  Employee shall be entitled to four (4)
weeks of paid annual  vacation.  Employee  may accrue  vacation,  in whole or in
part,  from year to year.  Employee shall also receive such holidays as Employer
provides its other executive employees.

         11.      Moving  and  Relocation  Expenses.  Employer  shall  reimburse
Employee for the reasonable  moving  expenses  Employee  incurs  associated with
moving  Employee's  family  and  possessions  from New  Hampshire  to  Virginia.
Employer also shall pay Employee's  reasonable  relocation and temporary housing
expenses,  in such  standard  as is  appropriate  to  Employee's  position  with
Employer, associated with Employee moving to Virginia to be employed by Employer
previous to the sale of Employee's house in New Hampshire.

         12.      Change of  Employer.  Upon final  approval of a merger plan by
the shareholders of Air Resources Corporation and Spurlock Industries,  Inc. and
consummation  of such  merger,  Air  Resources  Corporation  shall no  longer be
considered  as one of the  parties to this  Agreement.  From that time  forward,
Employee shall only have claims against Air Resources  Corporation  for breaches
of this Agreement which occurred previous to consummation of such merger.

         13.      Indemnification.  Employer shall indemnify and defend and hold
Employee harmless from any and all liability whatsoever, including defense costs
and attorney's  fees,  arising from Employee's  performance on behalf of or as a
result of Employee's


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employment by Employer;  provided however,  Employer shall not have to indemnify
Employee  from any claim based upon an action of  Employee  which is both beyond
Employee's scope of employment and performed by Employee with actual, subjective
bad faith. Employee's rights under this paragraph are in addition to (and not in
substitution  for) Employee's  rights under an  Indemnification  Agreement dated
December 21, 1995 and entered into by Air  Resources  Corporation  as Indemnitor
and Employee as Indemnitee. Employer reaffirms said Indemnification Agreement as
if each of the entities which constitute the Employer herein were parties to the
Indemnification as additional indemnitees.

         14.      Binding  Agreement.  This Agreement  shall be binding upon any
successor of Employer  including,  but not  necessarily  limited to, any person,
firm, corporation or other entity which at any time, whether by merger, purchase
or  otherwise,  acquires  all or  substantially  all  of  Employer's  assets  or
business.

         15.      Partial   Invalidity.   This  Agreement  shall  be  valid  and
enforceable  to the fullest  extent  permitted  by law. In the event any term of
this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall be
judicially  determined  to be invalid or  unenforceable,  the  remainder of this
Agreement and the application of such term to persons or  circumstances -- other
than those as to which  application is judicially held invalid or  unenforceable
-shall not be affected thereby.

         16.      Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement and performance
thereunder  shall be  governed  by and  construed  according


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to the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia is an appropriate forum to
litigate any matters involving this Agreement and the courts of the Commonwealth
of Virginia possess jurisdiction over this Agreement, Employer and Employee.

         17.      Merger  Clause.  This  Agreement,   together  with  any  other
agreements  explicitly  incorporated  in this  Agreement,  constitute the entire
understanding   between  Employer  and  Employee  and  all  representations  and
covenants are merged into this Agreement.  This Agreement can only be amended by
a document executed by Employer and Employee.

         18.      Costs and Expenses. In the event of any litigation between the
parties  involving  their  respective  obligations and  performances  under this
Agreement,  the  successful  party  shall be  entitled  to recovery of costs and
expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees.

         19.      Captions.  Any  and  all  captions  or  headings  used in this
Agreement  are for  reference  and  convenience  only and shall not  affect  its
interpretation.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Employer and Employee have hereunto set their hands
and seals as of the date first written above.


                                         AIR RESOURCES CORPORATION,
                                         Employer


/s/ H. Norman Spurlock, Jr.              By: /s/ Harold N. Spurlock
------------------------------               -----------------------------------
Witness                                           Its Duly Authorized Officer





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                                         SPURLOCK ADHESIVES INCORPORATED,
                                         Employer

/s/ H. Norman Spurlock, Jr.              By: /s/ Irvine R. Spurlock
------------------------------               -----------------------------------
Witness                                           Its Duly Authorized Officer




                                         SPURLOCK INDUSTRIES, INC.,
                                         Employer

/s/ H. Norman Spurlock, Jr.              By: /s/ Harold N. Spurlock
------------------------------               -----------------------------------
Witness                                           Its Duly Authorized Officer


/s/ H. Norman Spurlock, Jr.              /s/ Phillip S. Sumpter
------------------------------           ---------------------------------------
Witness                                  PHILLIP S. SUMPTER, Employee