The Company believes that severance protections can play a valuable role in recruiting and retaining superior talent. Severance and other termination benefits are an effective way to offer executives financial security to incent them to forego an opportunity with another company. These agreements also protect the Company as the Named Executive Officers are bound by restrictive non-compete and non-solicit covenants for two years after termination of employment. Outside of the change in control context, severance benefits are payable to the Named Executive Officers if their employment is involuntarily terminated by the Company without cause, or if a Named Executive Officer terminates his own employment for a good reason (as defined in the agreement). In addition, provided he forfeits certain equity awards and agrees to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors for a minimum of two years, the Chief Executive Officer is entitled to certain severance benefits upon termination of his employment for any reason. The Compensation Committee believes that this provision facilitates his retention with the Company. The level of each Named Executive Officer’s severance or other termination benefit is generally tied to his respective annual base salary and targeted short-term incentive opportunity (or past short-term incentive earned). 

Additionally, the Named Executive Officers would receive enhanced severance and other benefits if their employment terminated under certain circumstances in connection with a change in control of the Company. These benefits are described in detail under the “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control” section below. The Named Executive Officers are also entitled to receive a tax gross-up payment (with a $500,000 cap for Named Executive Officers other than the Chief Executive Officer) if they become subject to the 20% golden parachute excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the IRC, as the Company believes that the executives should be able to receive their contractual rights to severance without being subject to punitive excise taxes. The Company further believes these enhanced severance benefits are appropriate because the occurrence, or potential occurrence, of a change in control transaction would likely create uncertainty regarding the continued employment of each Named Executive Officer, and these enhanced severance protections encourage the Named Executive Officers to remain employed with the Company through the change in control process and to focus on enhancing stockholder value both before and during the change in control process. 

Lastly, each Named Executive Officer’s outstanding unvested stock options and restricted stock awards (if any) fully vest upon the occurrence of a change in control. In addition, each outstanding performance share award shall be deemed earned as to the greater of (a) the “target” level or (b) the number of shares that would have been deemed earned under the award as of the day prior to the change in control. The Company believes this accelerated vesting is appropriate given the importance of long-term equity awards in our executive compensation program and the uncertainty regarding the continued employment of Named Executive Officers that typically occurs in a change in control context. The Company’s view is that this vesting protection helps assure the Named Executive Officers that they will not lose the expected value of their equity awards because of a change in control of the Company and encourages the Named Executive Officers to remain employed with the Company through the change in control process and to focus on enhancing stockholder value both before and during the process. 

