exv10w22



 





EXHIBIT 10.22




EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT




          AGREEMENT made on October 2, 2006, by and between RENT-A-CENTER, INC. (the “Company”) and MARK
E. SPEESE (“Mr. Speese”).




     1. Employment. The Company desires to enter into a written agreement to employ Mr.
Speese upon and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, and Mr. Speese hereby agrees
to be employed by the Company upon and subject to such terms and conditions.



     2. Certain Defined Terms. The following terms have the following meanings when used in
this Agreement.



          (a) “Accrued Compensation” means, as of any date, (1) the unpaid amount, if any, of Mr.
Speese’s previously earned base salary, (2) the unpaid amount, if any, of the bonus earned by Mr.
Speese for the preceding year, and (3) additional payments or benefits, if any, earned by Mr.
Speese under and in accordance with any employee plan, program or arrangement of or with the
Company or an Affiliate (other than this Agreement).




          (b) “Affiliate” means an entity at least 50% of the voting, capital or profits interests of
which are owned directly or indirectly by the Company.




          (c) “Benefit Continuation Coverage” means continuing group health insurance coverage for
Executive and, where applicable, Executive’s covered spouse and covered eligible dependents for a
specified period following the termination of Executive’s Employment with Company and its
Affiliates at the same benefit and contribution levels that would be in effect if the Executive’s
employment had continued, if and to the extent such coverage would be permitted by the applicable
plan and applicable law. Benefit Continuation Coverage, if any, shall be in addition to and not in
lieu of COBRA coverage. Unless sooner terminated, Benefit Continuation Coverage will be subject to
early termination if and when the Executive becomes entitled to comparable coverage from another
employer.




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




          (e) “Cause” means (1) material act or acts of willful misconduct by Mr. Speese, whether in
violation of the Company’s policies, including, without limitation, the Company’s Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics, or otherwise; (2) Mr. Speese’s willful and repeated failure (except where due
to physical or mental incapacity) or refusal to perform in any material respect the duties and
responsibilities of Mr. Speese’s employment; (3) embezzlement or fraud committed by Mr. Speese, at
Mr. Speese’s direction, or with Mr. Speese’s prior personal knowledge; (4) Mr. Speese’s conviction
of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, the commission of a felony; or (5) substance
abuse or use of illegal drugs that, in the reasonable judgment of the Compensation Committee, (A)
impairs the ability of Mr. Speese to perform the duties of Mr. Speese’s employment, or (B) causes
or is likely to cause harm or embarrassment to the Company or any of its Affiliates. Except as
specified, the Compensation Committee, acting in its own discretion, will be responsible for
determining whether particular conduct constitutes “Cause” for the purposes of this Agreement.




 









 








          (f) “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following after the date of this
Agreement:





     (i) any person (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”)) becomes the beneficial
owner (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 40%
or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of
the Company;




     (ii) a consolidation, merger or reorganization of the Company, unless (1) the
stockholders of the Company immediately before such consolidation, merger or
reorganization own, directly or indirectly, at least a majority of the combined
voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the corporation or other entity
resulting from such consolidation, merger or reorganization, (2) individuals who
were members of the Board immediately prior to the execution of the agreement
providing for such consolidation, merger or reorganization constitute a majority of
the board of directors of the surviving corporation or of a corporation directly or
indirectly beneficially owning a majority of the voting securities of the surviving
corporation, and (3) no person beneficially owns more than 40% of the combined
voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the surviving corporation
(other than a person who is (A) the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, (B) an
employee benefit plan maintained by the Company, the surviving corporation or any
subsidiary, or (C) the beneficial owner of 40% or more of the combined voting power
of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such
consolidation, merger or reorganization);




     (iii) individuals who, as of the date of this Agreement, constitute the entire
Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the
Board, provided that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date of
this Agreement whose appointment or nomination for election by the Company’s
stockholders, was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then
comprising the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual were a
member of the Incumbent Board;




     (iv) approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or
dissolution of the Company, or a sale or other disposition of all or substantially
all of the assets of the Company (other than to an entity described in (f)(ii)
above); or




     (v) any other event or transaction which the Board, acting in its discretion,
designates is a Change in Control.



          (g) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.




          (h) “Company” means Rent-A-Center, Inc. and any successor thereto.




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          (i) “Compensation Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board.




          (j) “Disability” means the inability of Mr. Speese to substantially perform the customary
duties and responsibilities of Mr. Speese’s Employment with the Company or an Affiliate for a
period of at least 120 consecutive days or 120 days in any 12-month period by reason of a physical
or mental incapacity which is expected to result in death or last indefinitely, as determined by a
duly licensed physician appointed by the Company.




          (k) “Employment” means Mr. Speese’s employment with the Company and/or any of its Affiliates.




          (l) “Good Reason” means the occurrence of any of the following without the written consent of
Mr. Speese: (1) a material diminution by the Company or an Affiliate of Mr. Speese’s duties or
responsibilities in a manner which is inconsistent with Mr. Speese’s position or which has or is
reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Mr. Speese’s status or authority, provided,
however, that a change in Mr. Speese’s position as Chairman of the Board shall not be considered a
material diminution in Mr. Speese’s duties or responsibilities or having or reasonably likely to
have a material adverse effect on Mr. Speese’s status or authority within the meaning of “Good
Reason” if a majority of the independent directors of the Board (such independent directors being
determined in accordance with securities listing standards then applicable to the Company’s common
stock), (a) upon the advice of counsel, determines such change in position is required to comply
with such applicable securities listing standard or any law or regulation applicable to the
Company, or (b) in their reasonable discretion, determines such a change in position to be in the
best interest of the Company to comply with appropriate corporate governance practices or for
similar reasons; (2) a relocation by more than 50 miles of Mr. Speese’s principal place of
business; or (3) a reduction by the Company or an Affiliate of Mr. Speese’s rate of salary or
annual incentive opportunity or a breach by the Company or any of its Affiliates of a material
provision of this Agreement which is not corrected within 15 business days following notice thereof
by Mr. Speese to the Company.




          (m) “Pro Rata Bonus” means the annual bonus, if any, earned by Mr. Speese for the calendar
year preceding the year in which Mr. Speese’s Employment terminates multiplied by a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of days elapsed from the beginning of the calendar year in which
Mr. Speese’s Employment terminates until the date Mr. Speese’s Employment terminates, and the
denominator of which is 365. If Mr. Speese’s Employment terminates before April 1 of a calendar
year, the Pro Rata Bonus for such calendar year shall be deemed to be zero.




          (n) “Salary & Bonus” means, as of the effective date of the termination of Mr. Speese’s
Employment with the Company and its Affiliates, the sum of: (1) Mr. Speese’s highest annual rate of
salary at any time during the preceding 24 months, and (2) Mr. Speese’s average annual bonus for
the two preceding calendar years.




          (o) “Transfer Restrictions” means the contractual restrictions against the sale or transfer of
Company stock acquired upon the exercise of the special option granted to Mr. Speese pursuant to
Section 6 of this Agreement.




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     3. Term. The term of this Agreement will be begin on the date hereof and will end on
December 31, 2009, unless sooner terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 or
Section 9 hereof. The term of this Agreement will be renewed for successive one year renewal
periods unless (a) at least 90 days before the end of the initial term or a renewal term, either
party gives written notice of non-renewal to the other, or (B) Mr. Speese’s employment is sooner
terminated pursuant to Section 8 or Section 9 of this Agreement.



     4. Position and Duties. During the term of this Agreement, Mr. Speese shall serve as
the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The Company agrees to use
its reasonable best efforts to cause Mr. Speese to be a member of the Board. Mr. Speese shall
report directly to the Board and will have such executive and managerial powers, duties and
responsibilities as are assigned to him by the Board, consistent with his position as Chief
Executive Officer. At the request of the Board, Mr. Speese shall serve as an officer and director
of the Company’s subsidiaries and other affiliates without additional compensation. Mr. Speese
shall devote all of his business time, attention, knowledge and skills faithfully and to the best
of his ability to the performance of the obligations, duties and responsibilities of his position
as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and in furtherance of the
business, affairs, policies, codes of conduct and activities of the Company in the interests of its
shareholders. Subject to the Company’s policies applicable to senior executives generally, Mr.
Speese may engage in personal, charitable, professional and investment activities to the extent
such activities do not conflict or interfere with his obligations to, or his ability to perform the
duties and responsibilities of his employment with the Company.



     5. Annual Compensation.



          (a) Base Salary. During the term of this Agreement, the Company will pay salary to Mr.
Speese at an annual rate of $740,000, in accordance with its regular payroll practices. The Board
and/or the Compensation Committee will review Mr. Speese’s salary at least annually. The Board,
acting in its discretion, may increase (but may not decrease) the annual rate of Mr. Speese’s
salary in effect at any time.




          (b) Bonus. Mr. Speese will be eligible for an annual bonus determined at the sole
discretion of the Compensation Committee. The amount of the annual bonus, if any, will be payable
to Mr. Speese as soon as practicable after the end of the year, consistent with the payment of
annual incentive compensation to senior executives generally.




     6. Additional Compensation. Simultaneously with the execution of this Agreement, the
Company will make a special option grant to Mr. Speese pursuant to the Company’s 2006 Long Term
Incentive Plan. The special option will cover seventy thousand (70,000) shares of the Company’s
common stock and will be fully vested on the date of grant, provided, however, that, except as
otherwise specified in the option agreement, if Mr. Speese exercises the option before December 31,
2009, any shares of the Company stock acquired upon such exercise may not be sold or otherwise
transferred until such date. The Compensation Committee, acting in its discretion, may reduce the
transfer restriction period with respect to some or all of the shares covered by the option. The
terms and conditions of the special option are set forth in a separate option agreement made of
even date herewith between the Company and Mr. Speese.



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     7. Employee Benefit Programs and Perquisites.



          (a) General. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, Mr. Speese will be entitled
to participate in such qualified and nonqualified employee pension plans, stock option or other
equity or long term incentive compensation plans, group health, long term disability and group life
insurance plans, and any other welfare and fringe benefit plans, arrangements, programs and
perquisites sponsored or maintained by the Company from time to time for the benefit of its
employees generally or its senior executives generally.




          (b) Reimbursement of Business Expenses. Mr. Speese is authorized to incur reasonable
expenses in carrying out his duties and responsibilities under this Agreement, and the Company will
promptly reimburse him for all expenses that are so incurred upon presentation of appropriate
vouchers or receipts, subject to the Company’s expense reimbursement policies applicable to senior
executive officers generally as in effect from time to time.




          (c) Conditions of Employment. Mr. Speese’s place of employment during the term of his
employment under this Agreement will be at the principal office of the Company in Plano, Texas,
subject to the need for business travel. The conditions of Mr. Speese’s employment, including,
without limitation, office space and accouterments, secretarial, administrative and other support,
will be consistent with his status as the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of
the Company.




     8. Termination of Employment. Subject to the provisions hereof, including, without
limitation, Section 12 (relating to the execution and delivery of a release as a condition of Mr.
Speese’s (or a beneficiary’s) entitlement to certain payments and benefits hereunder), upon
termination of Employment, other than a termination of Employment in conjunction with a Change in
Control to which Section 9 applies, Mr. Speese (or Mr. Speese’s beneficiary, as the case may be)
will be entitled to receive the applicable payments and benefits set forth in this Section. For the
purposes hereof, termination of Employment at the expiration of the initial term or a renewal term
due to the Company’s providing notice of non-renewal pursuant to Section 3 of this Agreement will
be deemed to be a termination by the Company without Cause; and, if such a termination is due to
notice of non-renewal by Mr. Speese, it shall be deemed to be a voluntary termination by Mr. Speese
without Good Reason.



          (a) Termination of Employment by the Company without Cause or Mr. Speese for Good
Reason. If Mr. Speese’s Employment is terminated by the Company or an Affiliate without Cause
or by Mr. Speese for Good Reason, then Mr. Speese shall be entitled to receive the following
payments and benefits:





     (i) Accrued Compensation;




     (ii) Pro Rata Bonus;




     (iii) 2.0 times Salary & Bonus, payable to Mr. Speese in equal monthly (or, at
the option of the Company, more frequent) installments;




     (iv) Lapse of any Transfer Restrictions; and



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     (v) Benefit Continuation Coverage for twenty-four months following termination
of Employment.



          (b) Disability or Death. If Mr. Speese’s Employment is terminated by the Company or an
Affiliate due to Mr. Speese’s Disability or if Mr. Speese’s Employment terminates by reason of
death, then Mr. Speese (or Mr. Speese’s beneficiary) shall be entitled to receive the following
payments and benefits:





     (i) Accrued Compensation;




     (ii) Pro Rata Bonus;




     (iii) Lapse of any Transfer Restrictions; and




     (iv) Benefit Continuation Coverage for twelve months.



          (c) Termination by the Company or an Affiliate for Cause or Termination by Mr. Speese
without Good Reason. If the Company or an Affiliate terminates Mr. Speese’s Employment for
Cause or if Mr. Speese terminates such Employment for any reason other than death or for Good
Reason, then Mr. Speese shall be entitled to receive any Accrued Compensation, subject to set off
for amounts owed by Mr. Speese to the Company or an Affiliate, and nothing more.




          (d) Restoration. Any severance payments and benefits paid under this Section 8 shall
be subject to continuing compliance with the covenants described in and repayment pursuant to
Section 13.




     9. Termination in Conjunction with a Change in Control. Subject to the provisions
hereof, including, without limitation, Section 11 (relating to a reduction of severance payments
and benefits in order to avoid adverse tax consequences) and Section 12 (relating to execution and
delivery of a general release as a condition of Mr. Speese’s entitlement to certain payments and
benefits hereunder), upon the termination of Mr. Speese’s Employment with the Company and its
Affiliates in conjunction with a Change in Control, Mr. Speese (or Mr. Speese’s beneficiary, as the
case may be) will be entitled to receive the applicable severance payments and benefits described
in Section 8, provided, however, that, if Mr. Speese’s Employment is terminated by the Company
without Cause or by Mr. Speese for Good Reason in conjunction with a Change in Control, then (a) in
lieu of the installment payout described in Section 8(a)(iii), Mr. Speese shall be entitled to
receive a single sum payment equal to 2.0 times Salary & Bonus within 10 business days following
the date of Mr. Speese’s termination of Employment or, if later, the date of the Change in Control,
and (b) the period of Benefit Continuation Coverage will be thirty-six months (as opposed to
twenty-four months). For the purposes hereof, a termination of Employment is in conjunction with a
Change in Control if (and only if) it occurs during the period beginning six months prior to a
Change in Control (or, in the case of a Change in Control described in Section 2(f)(i) or (ii),
beginning on the date of the definitive agreement pursuant to which the Change in Control is
consummated), and ending on the second anniversary of the date of the Change in Control. If Mr.
Speese is entitled to receive payments and benefits under Section 8 (due to a termination of
Employment not in conjunction with a Change in Control) and if, by reason of a subsequent Change in
Control, Mr. Speese’s termination of Employment is



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deemed to be in conjunction with the Change in Control, then, in order to avoid duplication,
the payments and benefits to which Mr. Speese is entitled under this Section upon and following the
Change in Control will be reduced by the payments and benefits which Mr. Speese received under
Section 8, and no further payments will be made under Section 8. Any severance payments and
benefits paid under this Section 9 shall be subject to continuing compliance with the covenants
described in and repayment pursuant to Section 13.



     10. Effect of a Change in Control on Options and Other Equity-Based Awards. All
Transfer Restrictions shall lapse immediately before a Change In Control. All outstanding Company
stock options and other Company equity-based awards held by Mr. Speese shall become fully vested
immediately before the occurrence of a Change in Control if (a) Mr. Speese is then still employed
by the Company or an Affiliate; or (b) if Mr. Speese’s Employment is terminated by the Company or
an Affiliate without Cause or by Mr. Speese for Good Reason during the pre-Change in Control
severance protection period described in Section 9. If Mr. Speese becomes vested in a stock option
or other equity-based award pursuant to part (b) of the preceding sentence, then, before the Change
in Control, the Company will either reinstate the option or other award to the extent it would
otherwise not be vested, or make a cash payment to Mr. Speese equal to the intrinsic value of the
non-vested portion of the option or other award based upon the then value per share of the
Company’s common stock. The vesting and other terms and conditions of Mr. Speese’s stock options
and other equity-based awards will continue to govern except as otherwise specifically provided by
this Section 10.



     11. Golden Parachute Tax Limitation. If Mr. Speese is entitled to receive payments and
benefits under this Agreement and if, when combined with the payments and benefits Mr. Speese is
entitled to receive under any other plan, program or arrangement of the Company or an Affiliate,
Mr. Speese would be subject to excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code or Company would be denied
a deduction under Section 280G of the Code, then the severance amounts otherwise payable to Mr.
Speese under this Agreement will be reduced by the minimum amount necessary to ensure that Mr.
Speese will not be subject to such excise tax and the Company will not be denied any such
deduction.



     12. Release of Claims. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the
Compensation Committee or the Board may condition severance payments or benefits otherwise payable
under this Agreement upon the execution and delivery by Mr. Speese (or Mr. Speese’s beneficiary) of
a general release in favor of the Company, its Affiliates and their officers, directors and
employees, in such form as the Board or the Compensation Committee may specify; provided, however,
that no such release will be required as a condition of Mr. Speese’s (or the beneficiary’s)
entitlement to Accrued Compensation. Any payment or benefit that is so conditioned may be deferred
until the expiration of the seven day revocation period prescribed by the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967, as amended, or any similar revocation period in effect on the effective
date of the termination of Mr. Speese’s Employment.



     13. Restoration. Mr. Speese has been provided and is privy to intellectual property,
trade secrets and other confidential information of the Company and its Affiliates. For two years
following Mr. Speese’s termination of Employment, Mr. Speese has agreed not to engage in any
activity or provide any services which are similar to or competitive with the business of the
Company and its Affiliates. For the same two year period, Mr. Speese also agreed not to solicit



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or induce, or cause or permit others to solicit or induce, any employee to terminate their
employment with the Company and its Affiliates. These covenants are set forth and agreed to in the
Loyalty and Confidentiality Agreement between Mr. Speese and the Company (“Loyalty Agreement”). The
parties hereto understand and acknowledge that the promises in this Agreement and those in the
Loyalty Agreement, and not any employment of or services performed by Mr. Speese in the course and
scope of that employment, constitute the sole consideration for the severance payments and benefits
provided by this Agreement. Further, it is agreed that should Mr. Speese violate or be in breach of
any restrictions set forth herein or in the Loyalty Agreement (which determination shall be made in
the discretion of the Compensation Committee), (a) Mr. Speese shall not be entitled to any further
severance payments and benefits under this Agreement, (b) Mr. Speese shall immediately return to
the Company any severance payments and the value of any severance benefits which were received
hereunder, and (c) Mr. Speese will have no further rights or entitlements under this Agreement.
This Section 13 shall not in any manner supersede or limit any other right the Company may have to
enforce or seek legal or equitable relief based on this Agreement or the Loyalty Agreement.



     14. No Duty to Mitigate. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein with respect
to early termination of Benefit Continuation Coverage, Mr. Speese’s entitlement to payments or
benefits hereunder is not subject to mitigation or a duty to mitigate by Mr. Speese.



     15. Amendment. The Board may amend this Agreement, provided, however, that, no such
action which would have the effect of reducing or diminishing Mr. Speese’s entitlements under this
Agreement shall be effective without the express written consent of Mr. Speese.



     16. Successors and Beneficiaries.



          (a) Successors and Assigns of the Company. The Company shall require any successor or
assignee, whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, to all or
substantially all the business or assets of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole,
expressly and unconditionally to assume and agree to perform or cause to be performed the Company’s
obligations under this Agreement. In any such event, the term “Company,” as used herein shall mean
the Company, as defined in Section 2 hereof, and any such successor or assignee. Mr. Speese
acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement and the Loyalty Agreement shall be fully enforceable by
the Company’s successor or assignee.




          (b) Mr. Speese’s Beneficiary. For the purposes hereof, Mr. Speese’s beneficiary will
be the person or persons designated as such in a written beneficiary designation filed with the
Company, which may be revoked or revised in the same manner at any time prior to Mr. Speese’s
death. In the absence of a properly filed written beneficiary designation or if no designated
beneficiary survives Mr. Speese, Mr. Speese’s estate will be deemed to be the beneficiary
hereunder.




     17. Nonassignability. With the exception of Mr. Speese’s beneficiary designation,
neither Mr. Speese nor Mr. Speese’s beneficiary may pledge, transfer or assign in any way the right
to receive payments or benefits hereunder, and any attempted pledge, transfer or assignment shall
be void and of no force or effect.



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     18. Legal Fees to Enforce Rights after a Change in Control. If, following a Change in
Control, the Company fails to comply with any of its obligations under this Agreement or the
Company takes any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable or institutes any
litigation or other legal action designed to deny, diminish or to recover from Mr. Speese (or Mr.
Speese’s beneficiary) the payments and benefits intended to be provided, then Mr. Speese (or Mr.
Speese’s beneficiary, as the case may be) shall be entitled to select and retain counsel at the
expense of the Company to represent Mr. Speese (or Mr. Speese’s beneficiary) in connection with the
good faith initiation or defense of any litigation or other legal action, whether by or against the
Company or any director, officer, stockholder or other person affiliated with the Company or any
successor thereto in any jurisdiction.



     19. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
Texas, excluding its conflict of law rules. Any suit with respect to this Agreement will be brought
in the federal or state courts in the districts, which include Dallas, Texas, and Mr. Speese hereby
agrees to submit to the personal jurisdiction and venue thereof.



     20. Compliance with Section 409A Deferral Requirements. This Agreement is intended to
comply with Section 409A of the Code, if and to the extent applicable, and will be interpreted and
applied in a manner consistent with that intention. Toward that end, unless permitted sooner by
Section 409A of the Code, severance amounts otherwise payable within six-months after termination
of employment will be deferred until and become payable on the first day of the seventh month
following termination of Employment.



     21. Withholding. The Company and its Affiliates may withhold from any and all amounts
payable under this Agreement such federal, state and local taxes as may be required to be withheld
pursuant to applicable law.



     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first above
written.



	 	 	 	 	 
	 	 	RENT-A-CENTER, INC.
	 
	 	 	 	 
	 

	 	By:
	 	/s/ Mitchell E. Fadel
	 

	 	 	 	 
	 

	 	 	 	Mitchell E. Fadel, President and COO
	 
	 	 	 	/s/ Mark E. Speese 
	 	 	 
	 	 	Mark E. Speese






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