Exhibit 10.3


 


CONSULTING AGREEMENT


 


Kathryn L. M. Spere


 


This Consulting Agreement (“Agreement”) is made this
28th day of October, 2002, between PACIFIC NORTHWEST BANCORP (“Pacific”),
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BANK and KATHRYN L. M. SPERE.


 


RECITALS


 


A.    Pacific and
Pacific Northwest Bank have entered into a Plan and Agreement of Merger
(“Plan”) with Bank of the Northwest, pursuant to which Bank of the Northwest
will merge into Pacific Northwest Bank (“Merger”).  Ms. Spere is presently Executive Vice President of Bank of the
Northwest, and her employment in that capacity will terminate on the effective
date of the Merger.


 


B.    Following
the Merger, Pacific and Pacific Northwest Bank (hereinafter referred to jointly
as “Pacific” unless Pacific Northwest Bank is specifically mentioned) desire to
retain Ms. Spere as a consultant, and Ms. Spere wishes to perform such
services.  (Ms. Spere is referred to
hereinafter as “Consultant.”)


 


NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
covenants herein recited, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the
parties agree as follows:


1.     Effective Date and Term.


a)                 Effective Date.  This Agreement takes effect on the effective
date of the Merger(“Effective Date”).


b)                 Term.  The term of this Agreement (“Term”) is
thirty (30) months, beginning on the Effective Date.


c)                 Employment Status.  During the Term Consultant shall be an
employee of Pacific Northwest Bank.


d)                 Office.  Consultant will have no specific office
following the Merger but will have access to an office at the former Main
Office of Bank of the Northwest (600 Pioneer Tower, 888 S.W. Fifth Avenue,
Portland Oregon), and necessary support staff will be available to her to
perform the duties assigned to her under this Agreement.


 


2.     Compensation.  For
and in consideration of the consulting services to be performed by Consultant,
and the further covenants and agreements made by her under this Agreement,
Pacific shall:


a)                 Pay to Consultant base monthly
compensation of $6,425 payable in accordance with Pacific Northwest Bank’s
regular payroll schedule (“Compensation”).


b)                 Grant to Consultant an option
to purchase 6,000 shares of common stock of Pacific Northwest Bancorp, which
option will be granted on or before December 31, 2003, subject to the
terms and conditions of the 1993 Amended and Restated Stock Option Plan.  The option will be granted at the fair
market value of Pacific Northwest Bancorp common stock on the date of the
grant, and the option will fully vest on the date of the grant.


c)                 Reimburse Consultant for
out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred by Consultant in the performance of
the services upon Consultant’s submission of any request for reimbursement in a
format consistent with Pacific’s policies from time to time in effect.


 


Any
payments made pursuant to this Agreement shall be net of (i) all amounts
required to be withheld from such payments pursuant to applicable income tax,
Social Security and unemployment insurance laws and regulations, and (ii) such
other amounts as are withheld from such payments pursuant to Consultant’s
authorization.


 

















 


3.     Benefit Plans. 
During the Term of this Agreement, Consultant shall be entitled to
participate in any and all employee welfare and health benefit plans and other
employee benefit plans, including but not limited to qualified pension plans
established by Pacific from time to time for the benefit of all full-time
employees of Pacific.  Consultant shall
be required to comply with the conditions attendant to coverage by such plans
and shall comply with and be entitled to benefits only in accordance with the
terms and conditions of such plans as they may be amended from time to
time.  Nothing herein contained shall be
construed as requiring Pacific to establish or continue any particular benefit
plan in discharge of its obligations under this Agreement.


4.     Duties. 
Consultant will perform the duties assigned to her from time to time by
the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific and the President of Pacific Northwest
Bank Oregon.  These duties will include,
without limitation, the following:


a)                 Consultant will advise and
consult with the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific and the President of
Pacific Northwest Bank Oregon on an as-needed basis only on issues relating to
corporate history, documentation and the operations of Bank of the Northwest
prior to the Merger.


b)                 Consultant will serve as
Secretary to the Oregon Advisory Board of Pacific Northwest Bank.


 


During the Term, Consultant agrees to devote such time as
necessary to discharge the duties assigned to her and to use her best efforts
to perform such duties faithfully and efficiently.  However, it is understood that the time required to complete
these duties will be limited and structured to permit Consultant to be
otherwise employed on a full-time basis. If the time requirements are
significantly greater than contemplated, Consultant’s compensation will be
adjusted by agreement between Pacific and Consultant.


 


5.     Termination.


a)                 Termination By Pacific for
Cause.  If, before the end of the
Term, Pacific terminates Consultant’s employment for Cause or Consultant
terminates her employment without Good Reason (defined below), Pacific will pay
Consultant, in a lump sum, the compensation to which she would be entitled to
receive for the balance of the Term under Section a).


b)                 Other Termination By Pacific.  If, before the end of the Term, Pacific
terminates Consultant’s employment without Cause or Consultant terminates her
employment for Good Reason (defined below), Pacific will pay Consultant a lump
sum payment in an amount equal to the Compensation she would have received for
the balance of the Term if her employment had not terminated, and Pacific will
continue Consultant’s coverage under all employee welfare and health benefit
plans as in effect on the termination date (or provide Consultant with
equivalent benefits) through the expiration of the Term.


c)                 Death or Disability.  This Agreement terminates (1) if Consultant
dies or (2) if Consultant is unable to perform her duties and obligations under
this Agreement for a period of 90 days as a result of a physical or mental
disability arising at any time during the Term of this Agreement, unless with
reasonable accommodation Consultant could continue to perform her duties under
this Agreement and making these accommodations would not pose undue hardship to
Pacific.  If termination occurs under
this Section 5b), Consultant or her estate will be entitled to receive, in a
lump sum, an amount equal to the balance which would be owed Consultant under
this Agreement.


d)                 Return of Bank Property.  If and when Consultant ceases, for any
reason, to be employed by Pacific, Consultant must return to Pacific all keys,
passcards, identification cards and any other property of Pacific. At the same
time, Consultant also must return to Pacific all originals and copies (whether
in hard copy, electronic or other form) of any documents, drawings, notes,
memoranda, designs, devices, diskettes, tapes, manuals and specifications which
constitute proprietary information or material of Pacific.  The obligations in this paragraph include
the return of documents and other materials which may be in Consultant’s desk
at work, in Consultant’s car or place of residence, or in any other location
under Consultant’s control.


 


6.     Definition of “Cause”. “Cause” means
any one or more of the following, as reasonably determined by Pacific:


 


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a)                 Willful misfeasance or gross
negligence in the performance of Consultant’s duties for Pacific that continues
for more than 30 days after written notice to Consultant specifying conduct or
omission that constitutes the misfeasance or gross negligence.


b)                 Conviction of a crime in
connection with her duties for Pacific.


c)                 Conduct demonstrably and
significantly harmful to Pacific, as reasonably determined by the Board of
Directors of Pacific on the advice of legal counsel that continues for more
than 30 days after written notice to Consultant specifying the harmful conduct.


d)                 Conviction of a felony.


e)                 Breach of the covenants set
forth in Sections h) and i) of this Agreement.


f)                  Notwithstanding the foregoing,
Consultant will not be deemed to have been terminated for Cause unless and
until there has been delivered to Consultant a copy of a resolution duly
adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than three-quarters of the
entire membership of the Board of Directors of Pacific at a meeting of the
Board of Directors called and held for that purpose (after reasonable notice to
Consultant and an  opportunity for
Consultant, together with her counsel, to be heard before the Board of
Directors), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board of Directors,
Consultant was guilty of conduct constituting Cause as defined above and
specifying the particulars for such finding in detail.


 


7.     Definition of “Good
Reason”.  “Good Reason” means only
any one or more of the following:


Reduction, without Consultant’s consent, of
Consultant’s Compensation.


a)                 Reduction or elimination of any
benefit plan benefiting Consultant, unless the reduction or elimination is
generally applicable to substantially all similarly situated full-time Pacific
employees formerly benefited.


b)                 The assignment to Consultant
without her consent of any duties materially inconsistent with those set forth
in this Agreement.


c)                 The requirement by Pacific that
Consultant’s employment be based at any office or location other than that set
forth in Section b) hereof.


8.     Confidentiality.  Consultant will not, after signing this
Agreement, including during and after its Term, use for her own purposes or
disclose to any other person or entity any confidential information concerning
Pacific or their business operations or customers, unless (1) Pacific consents
to the use or disclosure of their respective confidential information, (2) the
use or disclosure is consistent with Consultant’s duties under this Agreement,
or (3) disclosure is required by law or court order.


 


 


9.     Noncompetition.


a)                 Participation in a Competing
Business.  During the period
Consultant is employed by Pacific as a consultant and for six (6) months after
Consultant’s employment with Pacific terminates, Consultant will not become
involved with a Competing Business or serve, directly or indirectly, a
Competing Business in any manner, including, without limitation, as a shareholder,
member, partner, director, officer, manager, investor, organizer, “founder,”
employee, consultant, or agent; provided, however, that Consultant may acquire
and passively own an interest not exceeding 2% of the total equity interest in
any Competing Business.


b)                 No Solicitation. During
the period Consultant is employed with Pacific as a consultant and for twelve
(12) months after Consultant’s employment with Pacific terminates, Consultant
will not directly or indirectly solicit or attempt to solicit (1) any employees
of Pacific, or any of Pacific’s Subsidiaries, to leave their employment or (2)
any customers of Pacific, or any of Pacific’s Subsidiaries, to remove their
business from Pacific or to participate in any manner in a Competing Business.  Solicitation prohibited under this Section
includes solicitation by any means, including, without limitation, meetings,
letters or other mailings, electronic communications of any kind, and internet
communications.


c)                 Employment Outside the
Restricted Area.  Nothing in this
Agreement prevents Consultant from accepting employment after the end of the
Term outside the Restricted Area (defined below) from a Competing Business, as
long as Consultant will not (a) act as an employee or other representative or
agent of the Competing Business within the Restricted Area or (b) have any
responsibilities for the Competing Business’ operations within the Restricted
Area.


 


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d)                 Competing Business.  “Competing Business” means any financial
institution (“financial institution” means a state or national bank, a state or
federal savings and loan association, a mutual savings bank, or a state or
federal credit union), trust company or mortgage company (including without
limitation, any start-up or other financial institution, trust company or
mortgage company) that competes with Pacific in the states of Washington and/or
Oregon (the “Restricted Area”).


 


10.   Enforcement.


a)                 Pacific and Consultant
stipulate that, in light of all of the facts and circumstances of the
relationship between Consultant and Pacific, the agreements referred to in
Sections h) and i) (including without limitation their scope, duration and
geographic extent) are fair and reasonably necessary for the protection of
Pacific’s confidential information, goodwill and other protectable
interests.  If a court of competent
jurisdiction should decline to enforce any of those covenants and agreements,
Consultant and Pacific request the court to reform these provisions to restrict
Consultant’s use of confidential information and Consultant’s ability to
compete with Pacific to the maximum extent, in time, scope of activities and
geography, the court finds enforceable.


b)                 Consultant acknowledges that
Pacific will suffer immediate and irreparable harm that will not be compensable
by damages alone, if Consultant repudiates or breaches any of the provisions of
Sections h) and i) or threatens or attempts to do so. For this reason, under
these circumstances, Pacific, in addition to and without limitation of any
other rights, remedies or damages available to it at law or in equity, will be
entitled to obtain temporary, preliminary and permanent injunctions in order to
prevent or restrain the breach, and Pacific will not be required to post a bond
as a condition for the granting of this relief.


 


11.   Adequate Consideration.  Consultant specifically acknowledges the
receipt of adequate consideration for the covenants contained in Sections h)
and i) and that Pacific is entitled to require her to comply with these
Sections.  These Sections will survive
termination of this Agreement. 
Consultant represents that if her employment is terminated, whether
voluntarily or involuntarily, Consultant has experience and capabilities
sufficient to enable Consultant to obtain employment in areas which do not
violate this Agreement and that the Bank’s enforcement of a remedy by way of
injunction will not prevent Consultant from earning a livelihood.


 


12.   Arbitration.


a)                 Arbitration.  At either party’s request, the parties must
submit any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in connection with,
or relating to, this Agreement or any breach or alleged breach of this
Agreement, to arbitration under the American Arbitration Association’s rules
then in effect (or under any other form of arbitration mutually acceptable to
the parties).  A single arbitrator
agreed on by the parties will conduct the arbitration.  If the parties cannot agree on a single
arbitrator, each party must select one arbitrator and those two arbitrators
will select a third arbitrator.  This
third arbitrator will hear the dispute. 
The arbitrator’s decision is final (except as otherwise specifically
provided by law) and binds the parties, and either party may request any court
having jurisdiction to enter a judgment and to enforce the arbitrator’s
decision.  The arbitrator will provide
the parties with a written decision naming the substantially prevailing party
in the action.  This prevailing party is
entitled to reimbursement from the other party for its costs and expenses,
including reasonable attorneys’ fees.


b)                 Governing Law.  All proceedings will be held at a place
designated by the arbitrator in King County, Washington.  The arbitrator, in rendering a decision as
to any state law claims, will apply Washington law.


c)                 Exception to Arbitration.  Notwithstanding the above, if Consultant
violates Section h) or i) , Pacific will have the right to initiate the court
proceedings described in Section b), in lieu of an arbitration proceeding under
this Section c) Pacific may initiate these proceedings wherever
appropriate within Washington State; but Consultant will consent to venue and
jurisdiction in King County, Washington.


 


13.   Miscellaneous Provisions.


a)                 Defined Terms.  Capitalized terms used as defined terms, but
not defined in this Agreement, will have the meanings assigned to those terms
in the Plan.


 


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b)                 Abandonment of the Merger.  If the Plan terminates before the Effective
Date, this Agreement will not become effective and will be void.


c)                 Entire Agreement.  This Agreement constitutes the entire
understanding between the parties concerning its subject matter and supersedes
all prior agreements.


d)                 Reviewed with Independent
Counsel/Construction of Agreement. 
Each party had the opportunity to review this Agreement with legal
counsel of their choosing, and this Agreement is the outcome of that review
process. This Agreement has been entered into after negotiation and review of
its terms and conditions by parties under no compulsion to execute and deliver
a disadvantageous agreement.  This
Agreement incorporates provisions, comments and suggestions proposed by both
parties.  No ambiguity or omission in
this Agreement shall be construed or resolved against any party on the ground
that this Agreement or any of its provisions was drafted or proposed by that
party.


e)                 Binding Effect.  This Agreement will bind and inure to the
benefit of Pacific’s and Consultant’s heirs, legal representatives, successors
and assigns.


f)                  Litigation Expenses.  If either party successfully seeks to
enforce any provision of this Agreement or to collect any amount claimed to be
due under it, this party will be entitled to reimbursement from the other party
for any and all of its out-of-pocket expenses and costs including, without
limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in connection with
the enforcement or collection.


g)                 Waiver.  Any waiver by a party of its rights under
this Agreement must be written and signed by the party waiving its rights.  A party’s waiver of the other party’s breach
of any provision of this Agreement will not operate as a waiver of any other
breach by the breaching party.


h)                 Assignment.  The services to be rendered by Consultant
under this Agreement are unique and personal. 
Accordingly, Consultant may not assign any of her rights or duties under
this Agreement.


i)                  Amendment.  This Agreement may be modified only through
a written instrument signed by all parties.


j)                  Severability.  The provisions of this Agreement are
severable.  The invalidity of any
provision will not affect the validity of other provisions of this Agreement.


k)                 Governing Law.  This Agreement will be governed by and
construed in accordance with Washington law, except to the extent that certain
matters may be governed by federal law.


 


	
   

  	
  PACIFIC NORTHWEST BANCORP

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By: 

  	
  /s/ Patrick M. Fahey

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
  Patrick M. Fahey,
  President and CEO

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  PACIFIC NORTHWEST BANK

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By: 

  	
  /s/ Patrick M. Fahey

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
  Patrick M. Fahey,
  President and CEO

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  /s/ Kathryn L.M. Spere

  
	
   

  	
  KATHRYN L. M. SPERE

  



 


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