Document:

EXHIBIT
10.22

 

RELEASE AND TERMINATION
AGREEMENT

 

by and among

 

FSA Asset Management LLC

 

FSA Capital Management Services LLC

 

FSA
Capital Markets Services LLC

 

and

 

Financial
Security Assurance Inc.

 

February 20, 2009

 

 

RELEASE
AND TERMINATION AGREEMENT

 

This release and
termination agreement (the “Agreement”) is dated as of February 20, 2009, and entered
into between FSA Asset Management LLC (the “FSAM”), FSA Capital
Management Services LLC (“FSA Capital Management”), FSA Capital Markets
Services LLC (“FSA Capital Markets”) and Financial Security Assurance
Inc. (the “Guarantor”).  Each of
FSAM, FSA Capital Management, FSA Capital Markets and the Guarantor are
sometimes referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively
as the “Parties”.

 

WHEREAS, the Guarantor has issued the Financial
Guaranty Insurance Policies (collectively, the “Policies”) listed in
Schedule A;

 

WHEREAS, in connection with the issuance of the
Policies and certain amendments to those policies, certain of the Parties have
entered into the agreements listed in Schedule A (collectively, the “Related
Agreements”); and

 

WHEREAS,  in
connection with the reorganization of the business of Financial Security
Assurance Holdings Ltd. and certain of its affiliates, the Parties have each deemed
it to be in their best interests that the Policies and the Related Agreements
be terminated;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the
representations, warranties, covenants and agreements herein contained, and
intending to be legally bound hereby, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

 

Article I

Release
and Termination

 

Section 1.1             Surrender of Policy.  The Parties agree that each of the Policies
are terminated, effective immediately. 
Each Party that it is a  “Holder”
or “Policyholder” under any of the Policies hereby surrenders such Policies to
the Guarantor, irrevocably releases and waives any and all rights it may have
under such Policies, and agrees to hold the Guarantor harmless against any
claims it (or any third party claiming rights through such Party) may make
under such Policies.  Each Party that it
is a  “Holder” or “Policyholder” under
any of the Policies agrees to return any original Policies provided to it to
the Guarantor promptly following the execution of this Agreement.

 

Section 1.2.         Termination of Related Agreements. 
The Parties hereby agree that each of the Related Agreements to which
they are party are terminated, effective immediately, and each Party
irrevocably releases and waives any and all rights it may have under the
Related Agreements and agrees to hold each other Party harmless against any
claims it (or any third party claiming rights through such Party) may make
thereunder.

 

Section 1.3             Payment
of Premiums.  FSAM agrees to pay to
the Guarantor the premium owed to the Guarantor under the Reimbursement
Agreement and the Premium Letter (as defined in Schedule A) in accordance with
the terms of such agreements for the portion of the 

 

 

Payment Period (as defined therein) during which the
relevant Policies were outstanding.  The
Guarantor agrees that (a) FSAM shall not owe any premium to the Guarantor
with respect to any period from and after the date of this Agreement under (i) the
Reimbursement Agreement, (ii) the Premium Letter, or (iii) the
Amended and Restated Insurance and Indemnity Agreement dated as of October 21,
2008 between FSAM and the Guarantor; (b) FSA Capital Management shall not
owe any premium to the Guarantor with respect to any period from and after the
date of this Agreement under (i) the Reimbursement Agreement, (ii) the
Premium Letter, or (iii) the Insurance and Indemnity Agreement dated as of
October 29, 2001, as amended, between FSA Capital Management and the
Guarantor; and (c) FSA Capital Markets shall not owe any premium to the
Guarantor with respect to any period from and after the date of this Agreement
under (i) the Reimbursement Agreement, (ii) the Premium Letter, or (iii) the
Insurance and Indemnity Agreement dated as of October 29, 2001, as
amended, between FSA Capital Markets and the Guarantor.

 

Article II

Other
Provisions

 

Section 3.1. 
Entire Agreement.  This
Agreement contains, and is intended as, a complete statement of all of the
terms of the agreement among the Parties with respect to the matters provided
for herein.

 

Section 3.2 
Further Assurances.  The
Parties will from time to
time and at all times hereafter make, do, execute, or cause or procure to be
made, done and executed such further acts, deeds, conveyances, consents and
assurances without further consideration, which may reasonably be required to
effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

Section 3.3 
Counterparts.  This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different
parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall
be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute
but one and the same agreement.  Delivery
of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by email
or facsimile shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart
of this Agreement.

 

Section 3.4 Governing Law.  This Agreement will be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to
contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York.

 

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

 

2

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed by their respective authorized signatories as
of the date first
written above.

 

 

	
   

  	
  FSA ASSET
  MANAGEMENT LLC

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By:

  	
   

  	
  /s/
  Guy Cools

  
	
   

  	
  Name:

  	
  Guy
  Cools

  
	
   

  	
  Title:

  	
  Managing
  Director

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  FSA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By:

  	
   

  	
  /s/
  Guy Cools

  
	
   

  	
  Name:

  	
  Guy
  Cools

  
	
   

  	
  Title

  	
  Managing
  Director

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  FSA
  CAPITAL MARKETS SERVICES LLC

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By:

  	
   

  	
  /s/
  Guy Cools

  
	
   

  	
  Name:

  	
  Guy
  Cools

  
	
   

  	
  Title:

  	
  Managing
  Director

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  FINANCIAL
  SECURITY ASSURANCE INC.

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By:

  	
   

  	
  /s/
  Robert P. Cochran

  
	
   

  	
  Name:

  	
  Robert
  P. Cochran

  
	
   

  	
  Title:

  	
  Chairman &
  CEO

  

 

3

 

SCHEDULE A

 

Policies

 

1.     Policy No. 90002-A, dated
October 29, 2001.

 

2.     Policy No. 90002-B, dated
October 29, 2001.

 

3.     Policy No. 90002-C, dated
October 29, 2001.

 

4.     Policy No. 90002-D, dated
October 29, 2001.

 

5.     Policy
No. 91001-N et seq. as described in Schedule A to Endorsement No. 1
thereto, dated December 31, 2007, as amended on September 30, 2008
through the issuance by the Guarantor of Endorsement No. 2 thereto.

 

Related Agreements

 

1.    Reimbursement Agreement dated
December 31, 2007 (the “Reimbursement Agreement”).

 

2.    Agreement on Additional Obligations For
Policy No.91001-N et seq. dated September 30, 2008.

 

3.    Premium Letter dated
December 31, 2007 between FSAM and the Guarantor (the “Premium Letter”).

 

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 Exhibit 10.4  

 
 

  AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
  Richard D. Smith    
    

        THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT, dated and effective as of December 22, 2008, is between Allied Motion
Technologies Inc., a Colorado corporation (the "Company"), and Richard D. Smith ("Employee"). 

 RECITALS:  

        WHEREAS, the Employee has acknowledged skills and experience in the business conducted by the Company and the Company desires to obtain
the benefit of the Employee's knowledge, skills and experience and assure itself of the ongoing right to Employee's services from and after the date hereof, and is willing to do so on the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement; and 

        WHEREAS,
Employee is willing and able to render services to the Company, from and after the date hereof, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; and 

        WHEREAS,
the Company and Employee entered into an Employment Agreement effective as of August 1, 2003; and 

        WHEREAS,
the Company and Employee desire to amend and restate the Employment Agreement in order to conform with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the Code"). 

 AGREEMENT:  

        NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and Employee agree as follows: 

        1.    Employment.    

        1.1    Title and Duties of Employee.    The Company hereby employs
Employee as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and Employee hereby accepts such employment with the Company. 

        (a)   Powers and Duties.    Employee shall have the powers and duties normally incident to
the offices he holds as provided in the bylaws of the Company and such other duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") consistent with
Employee's qualifications and the best interest of the Company. Employee shall report to the Board. Employee's powers and authorities shall be superior to those of any other officer or employee of the
Company or any subsidiary thereof. 

        (b)   Contract Rights.    Failure of the Board to elect Employee as Chief Executive Officer
or Chief Financial Officer, or action by the Board to remove Employee from such offices, shall be without prejudice to the contract rights in this Agreement. 

        (c)   Service on the Board.    So long as Employee is willing to serve on the Board and has
not been terminated for cause, the Board shall nominate Employee for election to the Board. Failure to elect to, or removal from, the position of director or Chief Executive Officer or termination of
this Agreement for any reason shall not constitute resignation from the Board or termination of Employee's service on the Board and termination of employment as Chief Executive Officer shall not
include termination as a director. 

        1.2    Performance.    Throughout the period of Employee's employment
hereunder, Employee shall devote Employee's full business time, attention, knowledge and skills, faithfully, diligently, and to the best of Employee's ability, to the active performance of Employee's
duties and responsibilities hereunder; provided, however, Employee may serve as a director of other corporations and entities and may engage in other activities to the extent they do not inhibit the 

 

performance
of Employee's duties hereunder, or conflict with the business of the Company. Employee shall disclose to the Company the name of any corporation or entity on which he serves as a director
or in a similar capacity and describe other activities that are not personal in nature in which he engages. Employee shall do such traveling as reasonably may be required in connection with the
performance of such duties and responsibilities. Employee shall not be required to relocate Employee's residence and Employee may conduct work out of his residence from time to time as he determines
appropriate. 

        2.    Term of Employment.    The original term of this Agreement extended to July 31, 2008. Unless terminated
as provided in Section 4 hereof, the term of this Agreement shall automatically continue on a year to year basis (each a "Subsequent Period") unless the Company or Employee shall give the other
party notice at least 60 days prior to the termination of the Initial Period or any Subsequent Period of its or his election not to renew the term of employment, in which case this Agreement
shall terminate at the end of the period in which the notice is given; provided, however, the Company's obligation to pay compensation pursuant to Section 3 or perform any other acts with
respect to the last year for which this Agreement is effective shall continue and be enforceable notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. 

        3.    Compensation Benefits.    

        3.1    Base Salary.    As compensation for services to be rendered by
Employee hereunder, the Company shall pay to Employee an annual salary of not less than $235,000 per year, payable in periodic installments (but in no event less frequently than monthly) in accordance
with the standard payroll practices of the Company in effect from time to time. Employee's salary shall be reviewed annually for increase (but not decrease) on a merit basis. Such review shall be
conducted at the first meeting of the Board after the end of a fiscal year but not later than February 28 of each year and the effective date of any such increase shall be March 1. The
Employee's annual salary in effect from year to year is herein referred to as the "Base Salary". 

        3.2    Annual Bonus.    

        (a)   Performance Criteria.    The Company shall pay to Employee an Annual Bonus with respect
to each fiscal year in amounts determined as provided by the Board based on achieving performance criteria established at the beginning of each fiscal year. Such performance criteria will recognize
the overall financial performance of the Company and the improvements made in financial results. 

        (b)   Time of Payment.    The first payment of the Annual Bonus to Employee pursuant to
Section 3.2 (a) shall be with respect to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003. An Annual Bonus provided herein shall be paid, subject to achieving the performance criteria,
with respect to each fiscal year thereafter during the term of this Agreement. All Annual Bonuses payable under Section 3.2 (a) shall be paid in cash immediately following the first
Board meeting held after the end of the applicable fiscal year at which the Annual Bonus calculation is approved by the Board. In no event shall payment be made later than
March 15th of the year following the year in which the Annual Bonus was earned. 

        3.3    Long-Term Incentive Payment Plan.    On or before
the first Board meeting held in a current fiscal year, the Board shall consider whether to grant options to purchase the Company's Common Stock ("Stock Options") to Employee, including the terms and
the provisions of any Stock Options. Grants of Stock Options provided under this Section 3.3 are referred to herein as "Long-Term Incentive Payout". In making its determination the
Board shall consider, among other things, the Employee's responsibilities and efforts and performance under this Agreement in relation to the business plan and forecast, the relationship between the
benefits of Stock Options and improving shareholder value, the development of the Company's products and the 

2

 

performance
of the Company's products in the marketplace, impact of the Company's products and product development on future prospects for the Company, and an increase in the trading price per share
of the Company's Common Stock. The Board shall also consider customary business practices and Long-Term Incentive Payment Plan benefits granted to Employee in comparison to such benefits
provided to other executives in positions similar to the Employee. 

        3.4    Expenses.    The Company promptly shall reimburse Employee,
upon presentation of appropriate receipts and vouchers, for any reasonable business expenses incurred by Employee in connection with the performance of his duties and responsibilities hereunder. 

        3.5    Vacation.    Throughout the period of Employee's employment
hereunder, Employee shall be entitled to take, from time to time, 5 weeks of vacation annually with pay at such times as shall be mutually convenient to Employee and the Company. 

        3.6    Benefits and Perquisites.    

        (a)   Participation.    The Company shall make available to Employee, throughout the period
of employment hereunder, such benefits and perquisites as are generally provided by the Company to its employees. Without limiting the foregoing, Employee shall be eligible to participate in any bonus
plan, stock option plan, stock purchase plan, pension plan and group life, health and accident insurance plans as the Company shall continue to provide or which may hereafter be adopted by the Company
for the benefit of its employees generally. The Company shall provide and pay the premium on long term disability insurance for Employee. The Company shall not make any changes in such plans or
arrangements which would adversely affect the Employee's rights or benefits thereunder, unless such changes occur pursuant to a program applicable to all employees of the Company and do not result in
a proportionately greater reduction in the rights of, or benefits to, the Employee as compared with any other employee of the Company. 

        (b)   Office Space.    The Company shall provide office space and secretarial services at the
Company's offices suitable to Employee's position. 

        (c)   Life Insurance.    The Company shall provide whole life insurance on the life of
Employee with death benefits of $500,000 with all premiums paid by the Company. Employee may designate the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such policy. 

        (d)   Automobile.    The Company shall provide a new automobile no less frequently than every
3 years for Employee's sole use and the Company shall pay all costs of operating and maintaining or repairing such automobile. At or before the time of replacement, Employee shall have the
right to purchase, at its depreciated cost to the Company, the automobile previously provided. 

        (e)   Benefit Plans.    The Company will make non-qualified contributions for
Employee's benefit under the Company's IRS §401(k) plan on the same basis as it makes contributions for other employees. 

        (f)    Retirement Plan Benefits.    The Company will provide to Employee retirement plan
benefits under any plan on the same basis it provides benefits to other employees. 

        4.    Termination.    This Agreement may be terminated by the Company or Employee as provided in this
Section 4. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, any payment that is subject to Code Section 409A and is payable upon termination of this agreement due to
Retirement, Disability, or termination of employment other than for cause, shall only be made if such termination otherwise meets the definition of a "separation from service" as defined under Code
Section 409A. Furthermore, if Employee is a "specified employee" within the meaning of Code Section 409A, the payment of any amount that is both subject to Code Section 409A and
due upon termination of this 

3

 

Agreement
shall not be made until at least six months following Employee's separation from service. At that time, all amounts, if any, that would have been paid during the six-month period
shall be paid to Employee, and thereafter all payments shall be made as if there had been no six-month delay. 

        4.1    Cause.    

        (a)   Definition.    This Agreement may be terminated at any time at the option of the
Company for Cause (as such term is hereinafter defined), effective as provided in Section 4.9. As used herein, the term "Cause" shall mean and be limited to: (i) conviction of, the
indictment for (or its procedural equivalent), or the entering of a guilty plea or plea of no contest with respect to, a felony; (ii) the willful violation of the terms of this Agreement;
(iii) gross negligence by Employee in connection with the performance of Employee's duties, responsibilities, agreements and covenants hereof, which violation or negligence shall continue
uncorrected for a period of 45 days after receipt by Employee of a written notice from the Company; (iv) the appropriation (or attempted appropriation) of a material business opportunity
of the Company, including attempting to secure or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company; (v) the misappropriation (or attempted
misappropriation) of any of the Company's funds or property; or (vi) the excessive use (following at least one written warning) of alcohol or any illegal use of drugs or narcotics. For purposes
of this Section, no act or failure to act on the Employee's part shall be considered "willful" unless done, or omitted to be done, by him not in good faith and without reasonable belief that his
action or omission was in the best interest of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Employee shall not be deemed to have been terminated for Cause without written notice pursuant to
Section 13 and providing Employee an opportunity to be heard before the Board with the provisions relied upon for termination provided in reasonable detail. 

        (b)   Salary; Benefits; Bonuses.    Upon termination for Cause, the Company shall
(i) continue the Base Salary through the Date of Termination, (ii) pay all fringe benefits through the end of the calendar month in which termination occurs, and (iii) pay any
annual bonuses pursuant to Section 3.2 treating the effective Date of Termination as being the last day of the fiscal year in which termination under this Section 4 occurs. 

        4.2    Retirement.    Termination of employment based on "Retirement"
shall mean termination in accordance with any retirement arrangement established with Employee's consent, including settlement for the Annual Bonus pursuant to Section 3.2. 

        4.3    Death of Employee.    This Agreement shall terminate upon the
death of Employee; provided, however, the Company shall (i) continue Employee's Base Salary through the month in which death occurs and for the following three months and (ii) shall make
payments as provided in Section 4.5 in place of (x) Annual Bonus payments provided in Section 3.2 and (y) the Long-Term Incentive Payout pursuant to
Section 3.3. 

        4.4    Disability of Employee.    

        (a)   Termination; Definition.    In the event Employee becomes mentally or physically
disabled during the term of employment hereunder, this Agreement shall terminate as of the date such disability is established. As used in this Section, the term "Disabled" or "Disability" means
suffering from any mental or physical condition, other than use of alcohol or illegal use of drugs or narcotics, which renders Employee unable to perform substantially all of Employee's duties and
services under this Agreement in a satisfactory manner for 120 consecutive days, or 180 days during any 12-month period. If, by reason of Disability, Employee is absent from the
full-time performance of his duties with the Company for the periods above provided, Notice of Termination may be given and if Employee has not 

4

 

returned
to the full-time performance of his duties within 30 days thereafter, Employee's Disability shall be deemed "established" at the end of such 30-day period. 

        (b)   Salary, Benefits.    During any period that Employee fails to perform his full duties
with the Company because he is Disabled, Employee shall continue to receive Base Salary until this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 4.8 at the rate in effect at the commencement of
any such period adjusted for any compensation payable to him under any Company paid disability plan during such period. In the event of termination for Disability the Company shall continue
(i) Employee's Base Salary adjusted for any compensation payable to him under any Company paid disability plan during such period and (ii) the same coverage under medical, dental,
long-term disability and life insurance for the greater of (x) the remaining term of this Agreement or (y) until long term disability insurance coverage becomes effective. 

        (c)   Bonuses.    In the event of termination upon established Disability the Company shall
make payments as provided in Section 4.5 in place of (i) the Annual Bonus payment provided in Section 3.2 and (ii) the Long-Term Incentive Payout pursuant to
Section 3.3. 

        4.5    Death and Disability of Employee.    In the event of
termination upon death the Company shall make payments to Employee's personal representative, and in the event of termination for Disability the Company shall make payments to Employee, as hereinafter
provided. Such payments shall be made immediately following the first meeting of the Board held after the end of the fiscal year in which death or Disability occurred, but in no event later than
February 28 of the year following the year of such death or disability. 

        (a)   Annual Bonus.    With respect to the Annual Bonus payment provided in
Section 3.2(a) the Company shall make a separate determination of the Annual Bonus based on the factors provided in Section 3.2(a) for the fiscal year in which death or Disability
occurs. 

        (b)   Long Term Incentive Plan.    With respect to the Long-Term Incentive Payout
provided in Section 3.3 the Company shall make a separate determination of the Long-Term Incentive Payout based on the factors provided in Section 3.3 for the fiscal year in
which death or Disability occurs. 

        4.6    Other than for Cause.    If Employee's employment shall be
terminated by the Company other than for Cause, Retirement, death or Disability, prior to a change in control of the Company or potential change in control of the Company as defined in the Severance
Agreement referred to in Section 4.7, then Employee shall be entitled to the payments provided below: 

        (a)   Base Salary.    On the effective Date of Termination the Company shall pay Employee his
full Base Salary through the end of the month in which termination occurs at the rate in effect at the time Notice of Termination is given, and for one full year thereafter with payments being made
over the following 12 months and no less frequently than once per month. 

        (b)   Benefits.    The Company shall continue providing medical, dental,
long-term disability and life insurance equal to the coverages existing at the time Notice of Termination is given for one full year. 

        (c)   Annual and Long Term Bonus.    On the effective Date of Termination the Company shall
make payments to and issue to Employee with respect to, and in place of (i) the Annual Bonus payment provided in Section 3.2 an amount in cash equal to 0.9 multiplied by Base Salary for
the year in which employment is terminated and (ii) the Long Term Incentive Payout provided in Section 3.3 for the fiscal year in which employment is terminated under this Section. 

5

 

        4.7    Change in Control.    

        (a)   Severance Agreement Continued.    The letter agreement dated July 24, 2003 as
subsequently amended, (Severance Agreement) between the Company and Employee providing certain benefits to Employee upon a change in control of the Company is continued and upon a change in control of
the Company the Severance Agreement shall apply and have priority over this Agreement so that in the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the Severance Agreement the Severance Agreement
shall apply. Any payments made or benefits provided pursuant to the Severance Agreement are not to be duplicated by any requirements of this Agreement. 

        (b)   Definition.    As used in this Agreement the term "change in control of the Company"
shall have the meaning expressed in the Severance Agreement. 

        4.8    Notice of Termination.    Any purported termination of
employment by the Company or by Employee, other than for death, may be communicated orally or in writing. If communicated orally, such communication shall be followed within 10 days by a
written communication which, and if communicated by written communication the communication, shall indicate the specific termination provisions in this Agreement relied upon, shall set forth in
reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination of employment under the provisions so indicated and shall state an effective date of termination. 

        4.9    Date of Termination, Etc.    "Date of Termination" shall mean:
(i) if employment is terminated for Disability, the date as provided in Section 4.4(a), and (ii) if employment is terminated for Cause pursuant to Section 4.1 or for any
other reason (other than Disability), the date specified in the Notice of Termination (which, in the case of a termination pursuant to Section 4.1 shall be the end of a calendar month but not
less than 15 days). Amounts paid under this Section are in addition to all other amounts due under this Agreement and shall not be offset against or reduce any other amounts due under this
Agreement. 

        4.10    Termination by Employee.    Employee may terminate this
Agreement by resigning as Chief Executive Officer upon at least 30 days prior written notice of the effective Date of Termination. In such event the Company shall continue Employee's Base
Salary and all fringe benefits to the effective Date of Termination. Termination of this Agreement under this Section does not affect the Company's obligation to make all payments to Employee which
were fixed and determined prior to the effective Date of Termination. 

        5.    Confidential Information.    

        5.1    Definition.    Confidential Information means: 

        (a)   Any and all (i) trade secrets concerning the business and affairs of the Company, product specifications, data,
know-how, formula, compositions, processes, designs, sketches, photographs, graphs, drawings, samples, inventions and ideas, past, current, and planned research and development, current
and planned manufacturing or distribution methods and processes, customer lists, current and anticipated customer requirements, price lists, market studies, business plans, computer software and
programs (including object code and source code), computer software and database technologies, systems, structures, architectures (and related formula), improvements, devices, discoveries, concepts,
ideas, methods and information, and any other information, however documented, that is a trade secret within the meaning of Colorado Revised Statutes
§ 7-74-101 et seq.; and 

        (b)   information concerning the business and affairs of the Company (which includes historical financial statements, financial
projections and budgets, historical and projected sales, 

6

 

capital
spending budgets and plans, the names and backgrounds of key personnel, personnel training and techniques and materials), however documented; and 

        (c)   notes, analyses, compilations, studies, summaries and other material prepared by or for the Company containing or based,
in whole or in part, on any information included in the foregoing. 

        5.2    Disclosure and Use.    Employee shall not disclose, either
during or subsequent to Employee's employment with the Company, any Confidential Information or proprietary data of the Company, whether or not developed by Employee, except (i) as may be
required for Employee to perform Employee's employment duties with the Company; (ii) to the extent such information has been disclosed to Employee by a third party who is not subject to
restriction on the dissemination of such information; (iii) as such information becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of a disclosure by Employee;
(iv) information which must be disclosed as a result of a subpoena or other legal process, or (v) if Employee shall first secure the Company's prior written authorization. This covenant
shall survive the termination of the Employee's employment with the Company, and shall remain in effect and be enforceable against Employee for so long as any such Confidential Information or
proprietary data retains economic value, whether actual or potential, from not being generally known to other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use. 

        5.3    Return of Materials.    The Employee will not remove from the
Company's premises (except to the extent such removal is for the purposes of the performance of Employee's duties at home or while traveling, or except as otherwise specifically authorized by the
CEO), any Confidential Information Employee recognizes that, as between the Company and Employee, all the Confidential Information, whether or not developed by the Employee, are the exclusive property
of the Company. Upon termination of employment by the Company, Employee shall promptly deliver to the Company all Confidential Information, and all other materials of a secret or confidential nature
relating to the Company's business, which are in the possession or under the control of Employee and Employee shall not retain copies of any such Confidential Information. 

        6.    Inventions and Discoveries.    Employee hereby assigns to the Company all of the Employee's rights, title and
interest in and to all inventions, techniques, discoveries, processes, designs or improvements (whether patentable or not), any industrial design (whether registrable or not), or uses Confidential
Information as described in Section 5.1, or other intellectual property rights pertaining thereto, that relates in any way to, or is useful in any manner in, the business then being conducted
or proposed to be conducted by the Company, and any such item created by the Employee, either solely or in conjunction with others, following termination of Employee's employment with the Company
(hereinafter referred to collectively as the "Inventions"). Promptly upon the development or making of any Invention or improvement thereon, Employee shall disclose the same to the Company and shall
execute and deliver to the Company such reasonable documents as the Company may request to confirm the assignment of Employee's rights therein and if requested by the Company, shall assist the Company
in applying for and prosecuting any patents which may be available in respect thereof. Employee acknowledges that all of Employee's Company-related writing, works of authorship, specially commissioned
works and other Employee Inventions are works made for hire, property of the Company, including all copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property rights pertaining thereto. If it is determined
that any such works are not works made for hire, the Employee hereby assigns to the Company all of the Employee's right, title, and interest, including all rights of copyright, patent, and other
intellectual property rights, to or in such Inventions. 

        7.    Restrictive Covenant.    

        (a)   While the Employee is an employee of the Company and during a period in which the Company is making continuation payments
of Base Salary pursuant to Section 4 hereof, 

7

 

Employee
shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company, (i) engage directly or indirectly in any Competing Business in the geographical area where the Company does business
(including, without limitation, the United States and any country in which the Company has a sales representative at the time of termination) whether as an employee, consultant or advisor, or owner as
principal, shareholder or partner of any equity interest in excess of 5% of any business entity (which shall include any proprietorship, trust, joint venture, partnership or any type of corporation or
association), or (ii) serve as an officer, director, trustee, partner or the like in any such business entity. 

        (b)   The term "Competing Business" as used in this Section 7 includes any business conducted by the Company, which
initially includes the design, production and marketing of motion control products and any other products manufactured or marketed by the Company at the date of termination of this Agreement. 

        8.    Arbitration.    Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach thereof
shall be settled by arbitration in the City and County of Denver in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrators may be
entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The Company shall pay all costs of arbitration. In the event that it shall be necessary or desirable for Employee to retain legal counsel and/or incur
other costs and expenses in connection with interpretation of his rights under this Agreement, including any procedure in arbitration, Employee shall be entitled to recover from the Company reasonable
attorneys' fees and costs and expenses incurred by him in connection with such interpretation or arbitration, regardless of the final outcome, unless the arbitrator shall determine that under the
circumstances such payment would be unjust. Reimbursement of attorneys' fees, costs and expenses shall be subject to the following requirements: (a) such reimbursement shall be available to the
Employee for as long as he has enforceable rights under this Agreement; (b) reimbursements provided during the Employee's taxable year may not affect the reimbursements provided in any other
taxable year; (c) reimbursement must be made on or before the last day of the Employee's taxable year following the taxable year in which the expense was incurred; and (d) no
reimbursement provided under this paragraph shall be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit. 

        9.    Mitigation.    Employee shall not be required to mitigate the amount of any payment provided in this Agreement
by seeking other employment or otherwise, nor shall the amount of any payment or benefit provided in this Agreement be reduced by any compensation earned by Employee as the result of employment by
another employer, by retirement benefits, by offset against any amount claimed to be owed by Employee to the Company, or otherwise. 

        10.    Announcements.    No public announcement regarding termination of employment of the Employee or any change in
status of the Employee of the Company shall be made without Employee's approval except the Company may announce Employee's termination if Company is otherwise required to do so pursuant to the rules
of the Securities and Exchange Commission or to any other legal requirement. All matters with respect to termination of employment of Employee, retirement of Employee or other action taken pursuant to
this Agreement shall be kept confidential and neither Company nor Employee will make unfavorable comments about the other in connection with this Agreement. 

        11.    Severability.    If any provision of this Agreement, including the Restrictive Covenant in Section 7, is
held invalid or unenforceable, either in its entirety or by virtue of its scope or application to given circumstances, such provision shall thereupon be deemed modified only to the extent necessary to
render same valid, or not applicable to given circumstances, or excised from this Agreement, as the situation may require, and this Agreement shall be construed and enforced as if such provision had
been included herein as so modified in scope or application, or had not been included herein, as the case may be. 

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        12.    Non-Assignability.    In light of the unique personal services to be performed by Employee
hereunder, it is acknowledged and agreed that any purported or attempted assignment or transfer by Employee of this Agreement or any of Employee's duties, responsibilities or obligations hereunder
shall be void. This Agreement may not be assigned by the Company without the prior written consent of Employee. 

        13.    Notices.    Any notice, request, demand or other communication required or permitted under this Agreement shall
be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given when delivered personally or on the date of receipt when mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed as follows: 

			
	If to the Company:	 	Allied Motion Technologies, Inc.
	 	 	23 Inverness Way East, Ste 150

Englewood, Colorado 80112

Attention: Chairman and Secretary
	
 If to the Employee:	
 	
Richard D. Smith

or
to such other address or addresses as may be specified from time to time by notice; provided however, that any notice of change of address shall not be effective until its receipt by the party to
be charged therewith. 

        14.    General.    

        14.1    Amendments.    Neither this Agreement nor any of the terms or
conditions hereof may be waived, amended or modified except by means of a written instrument duly executed by the party to be charged therewith. 

        14.2    Captions and Headings.    The captions and paragraph headings
used in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only, and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement or any of the provisions hereof. 

        14.3    Governing Law.    This Agreement, and all matters or disputes
relating to the validity, construction, performance or enforcement hereof, shall be governed, construed and controlled by and under the laws of the State of Colorado without regard to principles of
conflicts of law. 

        14.4    Successors and Assigns.    This Agreement shall be binding
upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective heirs, personal representatives, successors and permitted assigns. 

        (a)   The Company shall require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to
all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company, by agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Employee, to expressly assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same
manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place. Failure of the Company to obtain such agreement
prior to the effectiveness of any such succession shall be a breach of this Agreement and shall entitle Employee to all rights for breach hereunder. 

        (b)   If Employee should die while any amounts would still be payable to him hereunder if he had continued to live, all such
amounts, unless otherwise provided herein, shall be paid in accordance with the terms of this Agreement to Employee's personal representatives or to his estate. 

        14.5    Counterparts.    This Agreement may be executed in any number
of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original hereof, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. 

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        14.6    Entire Agreement.    Except as otherwise set forth or referred
to in this Agreement, this Agreement constitutes the sole and entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto as to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior discussions,
agreements and understandings of every kind and nature between them as to such subject matter. 

        IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on and as of the date first set forth above. 

					
	

 	
 	
ALLIED MOTION TECHNOLOGIES INC.
	

 	
 	
By:	
 	
/s/ DELWIN HOCK

  Delwin Hock—Chairman
	

 	
 	
 /s/ RICHARD D. SMITH

  Richard D. Smith—Employee

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QuickLinks

AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Richard D. Smith

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