Document:

ex10-1.htm

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

 

September 15, 2015

 

	
Mr. Rick Sohm
	
Sent via email

 

 

Dear Rick:

 

 

On behalf Spartan Motors, Inc., we are pleased that you will be joining the Spartan Motors team. 

 

As a follow-up to our conversations and term sheet, this letter is to confirm our offer of employment with Spartan Motors, Inc. in the position of Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Daryl Adams, President & Chief Executive Officer. 

 

The following outlines the components of our offer of employment:

 

	 	
●
	
Your bi-weekly base salary will be $9,615 which annualized equals $250,000. You are eligible to receive a merit increase in 2016.

 

	 	
●
	
You will be eligible to participate in the Annual Incentive Compensation Plan. This incentive bonus is based upon the corporation’s overall financial performance and performance to operational objectives. The target level for this bonus in your position (Tier 1) is 55% of your annual base salary. Per the terms of the Spartan Leadership Compensation Plan, you are eligible to participate in the Annual Incentive Compensation Plan on a prorata basis in fiscal 2015.

 

	 	
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You will also be eligible to participate in the Annual Long Term Incentive Plan (“annual stock award”) for restricted stock grants valued at an equivalent amount of 60% of your annual base salary. These discretionary performance based awards are to be granted by the Spartan Motors Board of Directors on an annual basis. Restricted stock grants are awarded solely within the discretion of the Spartan Motors board, and are not guaranteed. Restricted stock grants are subject to the terms of the applicable Company stock plan. This stock will be fully vested over a three (3) year period. According to the plan, this vesting is ratable. Per the terms of the Spartan Leadership Compensation Plan, you are eligible to participate in the Long Term Incentive Compensation Plan on a prorata basis in fiscal 2015. Your first eligibility for this stock grant will be in 2016. 

	 	 	 

	 	
●
	
Sign-on Bonus - The number of shares equivalent to $250,000 based on the stock price at the time of your hire. The shares will be issued at the annual grant period in March 2016. This stock will be fully vested over a three (3) year period. According to the plan, this vesting is ratable. 

 

 

 

 

 

	 	
●
	
You are eligible to receive (4) four weeks of vacation benefits on an annual basis. You will receive a prorated vacation allowance in 2015 beginning with your date of hire and will accrue bi-weekly at the rate of 6.16 thereafter. The vacation period is the calendar year. If your employment ends within one year of your date of hire (with or without cause), you will not be paid for the unused vacation.

 

	 	
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Spartan Motors will pay for reasonable relocation costs associated with your family’s move to the mid-Michigan region according to the Company’s relocation guidelines. This will include moving of your household items, house-hunting trips and closing costs. This relocation offer will expire one year from your hire date. In addition, should you voluntarily leave Spartan Motors within your first year of employment; you will be required to repay any relocation costs incurred.

 

	 	
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In the event your employment with Spartan Motors is terminated, you will be eligible to receive a one (1) year base pay severance with COBRA health benefits paid for by Spartan Motors during the same period.

 

	 	
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You will also be eligible for our medical benefits 61 calendar days from your date of hire. Spartan Motors offers one PPO plan and a High Deductible Plan with an HSA. There are also Dental and Vision plans available separate from the health plan offerings. If you are in need of COBRA coverage for two months, we will reimburse you the two month cost.

 

	 	
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You will also be automatically enrolled at 3% in the Spartan Motors Retirement Plan, a 401(k) Plan, the first day of the month following sixty (60) days of employment. Spartan Motors matches 25% of the associate’s contribution up to the first 6%. If you have an existing balance in a 401(k) plan and wish to roll it over, information can be obtained from our Human Resources Department. 

 

Your employment with the Company will be “at will,” meaning that either you or the Company will be entitled to terminate your employment at any time and for any reason, with or without cause and with or without notice, without liability to you other than as expressly provided in this agreement. Any contrary representations, which may have been made to you, are superseded by this offer. This is the full and complete agreement between you and the Company on this matter. Although your job duties, title, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company personnel policies and procedures, may change from time to time (subject to your rights hereunder in any such event), the “at will” nature of your employment may only be changed in an express written agreement signed by you and a duly authorized member of the Compensation Committee of the Board.

 

By signing this letter agreement, you represent and warrant to the Company that you are under no contractual commitments inconsistent with your obligations to the Company. While you are a full time employee at the Company, you will abide by your duty of loyalty to the Company and will devote your full time, energy and attention to the interests of the Company, subject to your devotion of time to manage your personal assets and investments, to participate in charitable, professional and community activities and to service on boards of directors of other companies, provided such devotion of time does not materially interfere with your service to the Company. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we discussed, all of these commitments are subject to you beginning your employment with Spartan Motors on September 28, 2015.

 

Spartan Motors has a Confidentiality Agreement, background check forms that will require your signature and this offer is pending the results of this check. 

 

Attached for your review are a number of items already mentioned - Employment Inquiry Release, a summary of Associate benefits (two documents) and an Application for Employment. 

 

If the above terms and conditions of our offer of employment are acceptable, please place your signature, date below, and return a scanned copy to my attention. Also, please mail the originally signed letter to my attention.

 

If you have any questions concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me through my contact information previously supplied.

 

Lastly, in anticipation of your acceptance of this offer, we wish you every success as you join the Spartan Motors team. Acceptance is requested before or by the end of the day on September 16, 2015. 

 

Sincerely,

 

  /s/ Thomas C. Schultz                           

By: Thomas C. Schultz

Its: Corporate Vice President, Human Resources

SPARTAN MOTORS, INC

 

Acknowledged and agreed to the   16th   day of   September   ,   2015   . 

 

  /s/ Frederick J. Sohm                             

Signature

 

 

Note: This offer is contingent on Board of Director approval anticpated on or about September 14, 2015 by the Spartan Motors Board of Directors.Exhibit
10.1

 

EIGHTH
AMENDMENT TO

RESTRICTED
SHARE AGREEMENT

 

THIS
EIGHTH AMENDMENT TO RESTRICTED SHARE AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”) is entered into by and between Paragon
Real Estate Equity and Investment Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Trust”), and
______________ (the “Trustee”), as of September 30, 2015 (the “Effective Date”).

 

WHEREAS,
the Trust and the Trustee are parties to that certain Restricted Share Agreement dated September 29, 2006 (the “Original
Agreement”);

 

WHEREAS,
under the Original Agreement, the Trust agreed to issue to the Trustee, and the Trustee agreed to receive 12,500 restricted shares
of the Trust’s Class C Convertible Preferred Shares (the “Restricted Shares”) in exchange for
the Trustee’s services as a trustee of the Trust for a prescribed period of time;

 

WHEREAS,
the Restricted Shares are subject to forfeiture and restricted from being transferred by the Trustee until the completion of a
prescribed vesting schedule;

 

WHEREAS,
as of the Effective Date the Restricted Shares are nonvested, subject to substantial risk of forfeiture and nontransferable;

 

WHEREAS,
the Trustee and the Trust have agreed to amend the Original Agreement to extend the period for which the Trustee shall provide
services as a trustee of the Trust and to postpone the vesting of the Restricted Shares until the completion of that extended
period;

 

WHEREAS,
the Board of Trustees of the Trust has determined that the provisions of this Amendment, including the extension of the period
for which the Trustee shall serve as a trustee of the Trust and the postponement of the vesting of the Restricted Shares, are
in the best interest of the Trust.

 

NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree to amend the Original Agreement
as follows:

 

1.Defined
Terms. Capitalized words and phrases not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Original Agreement.

 

2.Extension
of Period of Services. Section 1 of the Original Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

“1)
GRANTING OF RESTRICTED SHARES. The Trust will issue to the Trustee a total of 12,500 restricted shares of the Trust’s
Class C Convertible Preferred Shares (“Restricted Shares”) for his services as a trustee of the Trust for the period
beginning as of the date of this Agreement through September 30, 2016.”

 

    	 	 1	 

    	 	 	 

    

 

3.Extension
of Period of Restrictions on Transferability. The third sentence of Section 2 of the Original Agreement is hereby amended
and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

“However,
the holder of any Restricted Shares may not otherwise transfer, sell, assign or dispose of any of the Restricted Shares until
they have vested as provided for in this Agreement; provided however, that notwithstanding whether or not some or all of the Restricted
Shares have vested as provided for in this Agreement, the holder of any Restricted Shares may not transfer or sell any of the
Restricted Shares until the seventh anniversary of the date of this Agreement.”

 

4.Extension
of Vesting Period. The first sentence of Section 3 of the Original Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety
as follows:

 

“The
Restricted Shares will vest upon the latest to occur of:

 

		(i)	a
                                         public offering by the Trust sufficient to liquidate the Restricted Shares;

 

		(ii)	an
                                         exchange of the Trust’s existing shares for new shares, and

 

		(iii)	September
                                         30, 2016.”

 

5.Extension
of Forfeiture Period. The last sentence of Section 3 is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

“The
holder of the Restricted Shares will automatically and without notice be forfeited and cease to have any right, title or interest
to any of the Restricted Shares that remain subject to forfeiture immediately if the Trustee resigns from being a member of the
Board of Trustees of the Trust prior to September 30, 2016.”

 

6.Terms
of Original Agreement Ratified and Confirmed. Except as expressly modified, amended or supplemented by this Amendment, all
terms, covenants and conditions of the Original Agreement remain unchanged and in full force and effect. The parties hereto hereby
acknowledge that all of the terms, covenants and conditions of the Original Agreement, as hereby modified, amended or supplemented
by this Amendment, are hereby ratified and confirmed and shall continue to be and remain in full force and effect throughout the
remainder of the term of the Original Agreement, and that the Original Agreement and this Amendment shall be read and interpreted
as if it was one agreement.

 

7.Conflict.
In the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of this Amendment and the terms and conditions of the Original Agreement,
such conflict shall be resolved in favor of the terms and conditions of this Amendment and the Original Agreement shall be construed
accordingly.

 

8.Binding
Effect and Counterparts. It is understood and agreed that this Amendment shall not be binding upon any of the parties hereto
until all of the parties hereto shall have executed and delivered the same. This Amendment may be executed in multiple counterparts,
each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which shall constitute one agreement, and the signature of any party to any
counterpart shall be deemed to be a signature to, and may be appended to, any other counterpart. Delivery of an executed counterpart
of this Amendment by facsimile shall be equally as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Amendment.
Any party delivering an executed counterpart of this Amendment by facsimile also shall deliver a manually executed counterpart
of this Amendment, but failure to deliver a manually executed counterpart shall not affect the validity, enforceability and binding
effect of this Amendment.

 

9.Governing
Law; Amendments. The construction, interpretation, and enforcement of this Amendment shall be governed by the laws of the
State of Ohio, without resort to choice of law principles. In the event any provision of this Amendment is deemed to be unenforceable
under applicable law, the remaining provisions of this Amendment shall not be affected and shall remain enforceable unless the
effect of the unenforceability of the provision at issue materially alters the agreement evidenced hereby. This Amendment cannot
be changed orally, and can be changed only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against whom enforcement of such change
is sought.

 

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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amendment as of the Effective Date.

 

	 	PARAGON
    REAL ESTATE EQUITY AND
	 	INVESTMENT
    TRUST, a Maryland real estate 
	 	investment
    trust
	 	 	 
	 	By:	/s/
    John J. Dee 
	 		John
    J. Dee
	 	Its:	Secretary
	 	 	 
	 	 	 
	 	 	Trustee

 

    	 	 3

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