As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 10, 2021
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
____________
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
____________
LSI INDUSTRIES INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Ohio (State Or Other Jurisdiction Of Incorporation Or Organization) |
10000 Alliance Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 (513) 793-3200 (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices) |
31-0888951 (IRS Employer Identification Number) |
____________
LSI Industries Inc. Performance Stock Unit Inducement Award Agreements and Restricted Stock Unit Inducement Award Agreements
(Full Title of the Plan)
____________
Thomas A. Caneris
Senior Vice President – Human Resources and General Counsel
LSI Industries Inc.
10000 Alliance Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
(513) 793-3200
Facsimile (513) 793-3601
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)
With copies to:
F. Mark Reuter, Esq.
Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
One East Fourth Street, Suite 1400
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Telephone: (513) 579-6469
Facsimile: (513) 579-6457
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emergency growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
Accelerated filer |
☒ |
|||
Non-accelerated filer |
☐ |
Smaller reporting company |
☒ |
|||
Emerging growth company |
☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Securities To Be Registered |
Amount To Be Registered (2) |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share (3) |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Amount of Registration Fee (4) |
Common Stock (1) |
153,135 Shares |
$8.10 |
$1,240, 394 |
$136 |
(1) |
Pursuant to Rule 416 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement shall be deemed to cover additional shares of common stock, no par value per share (“Common Stock”), of LSI Industries Inc. (the “Registrant”) to be offered or issued in connection with any stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions, whether pursuant to the terms of the Performance Stock Unit (“PSU”) and Restricted Stock Unit (“RSU”) Inducement Award Agreements or otherwise. |
(2) |
Represents an aggregate of 153,135 shares of Common Stock issuable upon vesting of inducement awards of 122,509 PSUs and 30,626 RSUs issued to five new employees of the Registrant formerly of JSI Holding Corp., a company the Registrant acquired on May 21, 2021. |
(3) |
Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c), based upon the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as of September 7, 2021 |
(4) |
Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, the registration fee has been calculated solely with respect to the 153,135 shares of Common Stock being registered hereby.
Proposed sales to take place as soon after the effective date of the registration statement as awards granted under the above-named plan are granted and exercised. |
NOTE
This Registration Statement on Form S-8 is filed pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8 by LSI Industries Inc. (the “Company” or “Registrant”) for the purpose of registering 153,135 shares of the Company’s common stock, no par value per share (the “Common Stock”), which may be issued pursuant to the vesting of inducement awards of 122,509 PSUs and 30,626 RSUs issued to five new employees of the Registrant formerly of JSI Holding Corp., a company the Registrant acquired on May 21, 2021 (“JSI”). All grants are pursuant to the Registrant’s forms of PSU and RSU Award Agreements. (The Registrant issued additional inducement awards to a sixth employee of JSI who resigned from employment with the Company after it acquired JSI. This sixth employee forfeited his inducement awards and the shares of Common Stock underlying such awards are not included in this Registration Statement.
PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
The information called for in Part I of Form S-8 is not being filed with or included in this Form S-8 (by incorporation by reference or otherwise in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or “Commission”).
PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference
The following documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof:
1. |
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021; |
2. |
Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on August 5, 2021; and |
3. |
The description of the Common Stock contained in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A on or about April 11, 1985 registering the Registrant's Common Stock under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as supplemented by Exhibit 4.1 filed with the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on September 6, 2019. |
All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all Common Stock offered has been sold or which deregisters all Common Stock then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents, except as to any portion of any future annual or quarterly report to shareholders or document or current report furnished under Items 2.02, 7.01 and 9.01 of Form 8-K that is not deemed filed under such provisions. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein, or in any subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute part of this Registration Statement.
Item 4. Description of Securities
Not Applicable.
Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel
The legality of the Common Stock offered hereby will be passed upon for the Registrant by Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL, One East Fourth Street, Suite 1400, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Attorneys of Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL participating in matters relating to this Form S-8 own no shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock.
Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
The following discussion is subject to the complete text of Section 1701.13(E) and is qualified in its entirety by reference thereto.
Ohio General Corporation Law Section 1701.13(E), allows indemnification by the Registrant to any person made or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, other than an action by or in the right of the Registrant, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, against expenses, including, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, if he acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the Registrant's best interests and, with respect to criminal actions, in which he had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. Similar provisions apply to actions brought by or in the right of the Registrant, except that no indemnification shall be made in such cases when the person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct to the Registrant unless deemed otherwise by the court. Indemnifications are to be made by a majority vote of a quorum of disinterested directors or the written opinion of independent counsel or by the shareholders or by the court.
Article V of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Code of Regulations provides as follows:
INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 1. Right of Indemnification. Each person who was or is made a party to or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved (including, without limitation as a witness) in any actual or threatened action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a Director, officer or member of a committee of the Corporation or that, being or having been such a Director or officer of the Corporation, he or she is or was serving at the request of an executive officer of the Corporation as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, limited liability company or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan as a trustee, fiduciary or otherwise (hereinafter an “Indemnitee”), whenever the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as such a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by the Ohio Revised Code, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than permitted prior thereto), or by other applicable law as then in effect, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, the cost of reasonable settlements with or without suit, attorneys’ fees, costs of investigation, judgments, fines, excise taxes or penalties arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) or other federal or state acts) actually incurred or suffered by such Indemnitee in connection therewith and such indemnification shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the Indemnitee’s heirs, executors, and administrators. Except as provided in ARTICLE V Section 2 with respect to proceedings seeking to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such Indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized or ratified by the Board of Directors of the Corporation. To the extent any of the indemnification provisions set forth above prove to be ineffective for any reason in furnishing the indemnification provided, each of the persons named above shall be indemnified by the Corporation to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law.
(a) The right to indemnification conferred in this ARTICLE V Section 1 shall be a contract right and shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”). An advancement of expenses shall be made only upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence in a court of competent jurisdiction that his omission or failure to act involved an act or omission undertaken with deliberate intent to cause injury to the Corporation or undertaken with reckless disregard for the best interests of the Corporation. An advancement of expenses shall not be made if the Corporation’s Board of Directors makes a good faith determination that such payment would violate applicable law.
Section 2. Right of Indemnitee to Bring Suit. If a claim under ARTICLE V Section 1 is not paid in full by the Corporation within 30 days after a written claim has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful, in whole or in part, in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. The Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification under this ARTICLE V upon submission of a written claim (and, in an action brought to enforce a claim for an advancement of expenses, where the required undertaking has been tendered to the Corporation), and thereafter the Corporation shall have the burden of proof to overcome the presumption that the Indemnitee is so entitled.
(a) Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or its Shareholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or its Shareholders) that the Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification shall be a defense to the suit or create a presumption that the Indemnitee is not so entitled.
Section 3. Nonexclusivity and Survival of Rights. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in this ARTICLE V shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provisions of the Articles, these Regulations, agreement, vote of Shareholders or disinterested Directors, or otherwise. Such rights shall also not be exclusive of, and shall be in addition to, any rights to which such person may be entitled by contract with the Corporation, which is expressly permitted hereby.
(a) Notwithstanding any amendment to or repeal of this ARTICLE V, or of any of the procedures established by the Board of Directors pursuant to ARTICLE V Section 6, any Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification in accordance with the provisions hereof and thereof with respect to any acts or omissions of such Indemnitee occurring prior to such amendment or repeal.
(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing paragraph, the rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in this ARTICLE V shall, notwithstanding any amendment to or repeal of this ARTICLE V, inure to the benefit of any person who otherwise may be entitled to be indemnified pursuant to this ARTICLE V (or the estate or personal representative of such person) for a period of six years after the date such person’s service to or on behalf of the Corporation shall have terminated or for such longer period as may be required in the event of a lengthening in the applicable statute of limitations.
(c) Advancement of expenses may be made by the Corporation against costs, expenses and fees to the extent permitted by, and in accordance with, any terms and conditions of applicable law.
Section 4. Insurance, Contracts and Funding. The Corporation may, to the full extent then permitted by law, purchase and maintain insurance or furnish similar protection, including but not limited to trust funds, letters of credit or self-insurance, on behalf of or for any persons described in this ARTICLE V, against any liability asserted against and incurred by any such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability, loss and/or expense under the Ohio Revised Code. The Corporation may enter into contracts with any Indemnitee in furtherance of the provisions of this ARTICLE V and may create a trust fund, grant a security interest or use other means (including, without limitation, a letter of credit) to ensure the payment of such amounts as may be necessary to effect indemnification as provided in this ARTICLE V. Insurance may be purchased from or maintained with a person in which the Corporation has a financial interest.
Section 5. Indemnification of Employees and Agents of the Corporation. The Corporation may, by action of its Board of Directors, authorize one or more executive officers to grant rights to advancement of expenses to employees or agents of the Corporation on such terms and conditions no less stringent than provided in ARTICLE V Section 1 hereof as such officer or officers deem appropriate under the circumstances. The Corporation may, by action of its Board of Directors, grant rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses to employees or agents or groups of employees or agents of the Corporation with the same scope and effect as the provisions of this ARTICLE V with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of Directors, officers and members of a committee of the Corporation; provided, however, that an undertaking shall be made by an employee or agent only if required by the Board of Directors.
Section 6. Procedures for the Submission of Claims. The Board of Directors may establish reasonable procedures for the submission of claims for indemnification pursuant to this ARTICLE V, determination of the entitlement of any person thereto, and review of any such determination. Such procedures shall be set forth in an appendix to these Regulations and shall be deemed for all purposes to be a part hereof.
Section 7. Definition of Performance. For the purposes of this Article, a Director, officer or member of a committee shall conclusively be deemed not to have been willfully derelict in the performance of such person’s duty as such Director, officer or member of committee:
(a) Determination by Suit. In a matter which shall have been the subject of a suit or proceeding in which such person was a party which is disposed of by adjudication on the merits, unless such person shall have been finally adjudged in such suit or proceeding to have been willfully derelict in the performance of that person’s duty as such Director, officer or member of a committee; or
(b) Determination by Committee. In a matter not falling within (a) above, a majority of disinterested members of the Board of Directors or a majority of a committee of disinterested Shareholders of the Corporation, selected as hereinafter provided, shall determine that such person was not willfully derelict. Such determination shall be made by the disinterested members of the Board of Directors except where such members shall determine that such matter should be referred to said committee of disinterested Shareholders.
Section 8. Selection of Committee. The selection of a committee of Shareholders provided above may be made by the majority vote of the disinterested Directors or, if there be no disinterested Director or Directors, by the chief executive officer of the Corporation. A Director or Shareholder shall be deemed disinterested in a matter if such person has no interest therein other than as a Director or Shareholder of the Corporation as the case may be. The Corporation shall pay the fees and expenses of the Shareholders or Directors, as the case may be, incurred in connection with making a determination as above provided.
Section 9. Non-Committee Determination. In the event that a Director, officer or member of a committee shall be found by some other method not to have been willfully derelict in the performance of such person’s duty as such Director, officer or member of a committee, then such determination as to dereliction shall not be questioned on the ground that it was made otherwise than as provided above.
The Registrant maintains liability insurance for all of its directors and officers (“D&O Insurance”). The D&O Insurance provides for payment on behalf of the directors and officers, up to the policy limits and after expenditure of a specified deductible, of all Loss (as defined) from claims made against them during the policy period for defined wrongful acts, which include errors, misstatements or misleading statements, acts or omissions and neglect or breach of duty by directors and officers in the discharge of their individual or collective duties as such. The D&O Insurance includes the cost of investigations and defenses, appeals and bonds and settlements and judgments and contains various limits, exclusions and reporting requirements.
Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed
Not Applicable.
Item 8. Exhibits*
Exhibit 3.1 |
|
Exhibit 3.2 |
|
Exhibit 5.1 |
|
Exhibit 23.1 |
|
Exhibit 23.2 |
Consent of Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL (included in Exhibit 5) |
Exhibit 24.1 |
|
Exhibit 99.1 |
Form of LSI Industries Inc. Inducement PSU Award Agreement++ |
Exhibit 99.2 |
|
* All Exhibits filed herewith unless otherwise indicated. ++ Certain portions of this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K. The omitted information is not material and would likely cause competitive harm to the Registrant if publicly disclosed. The Registrant hereby agrees to furnish a copy of any omitted portion to the SEC upon request. |
Item 9. Undertakings
(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(1) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(2) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement;
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;
(3) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(d) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(e) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 10, 2021.
LSI INDUSTRIES INC. |
||||
By: |
/s/ James A. Clark | |||
James A. Clark |
||||
Chief Executive Officer and President |
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below whose name is preceded by an (*) hereby constitutes and appoints James A. Clark and James E. Galeese, and each of them acting individually, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and to sign any and all registration statements relating to the same offering of securities as this Registration Statement that are filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated under of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission and any other regulatory authority, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
Capacity |
Date |
|
/s/ Wilfred T. O’Gara |
Chairman of the Board |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*Wilfred T. O’Gara | |||
/s/ James E. Galeese |
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*James E. Galeese | (Principal Financial Officer) | ||
/s/ Jeffery S. Bastian |
Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer) |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*Jeffery S. Bastian | |||
/s/ James A. Clark |
Chief Executive Officer and President, Director |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*James A. Clark | |||
/s/ Robert P. Beech |
Director |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*Robert P. Beech | |||
/s/ Ronald D. Brown |
Director |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*Ronald D. Brown | |||
/s/Amy L. Hanson |
Director |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*Amy L. Hanson | |||
/s/ Chantel E. Lenard |
Director |
September 10, 2021 |
|
*Chantel E. Lenard |
Exhibit 5.1
September 10, 2021
LSI Industries Inc.
10000 Alliance Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are familiar with your Articles of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Code of Regulations and corporate proceedings and have served as your counsel in connection with the registration of 153,135 shares of common stock that you intend to issue in connection with the vesting of inducement awards of 122,509 performance stock units (the “PSUs”) and 30,626 restricted stock units (the “RSUs” and, collectively with the PSUs, the “Inducement Awards”) issued to five new employees of the corporation formerly of JSI Holding Corp., a company the corporation acquired on May 21, 2021. We understand the PSUs are issued pursuance to the corporation’s form of PSU award agreement and the RSUs are issued pursuant to the corporation’s form of RSU award agreement.
On the basis of the foregoing, we are of the opinion that you have taken all necessary and required corporate actions in connection with the issuance of 153,135 shares of common stock under the Inducement Awards, and when issued under the terms of the respective inducement award agreements, the aforesaid 153,135 shares of common stock will be validly authorized, legally issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock of the corporation free of any preemptive rights.
This opinion is given as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update or supplement this opinion to reflect any facts or circumstances which may hereafter come to our attention or any changes in laws which may hereafter occur. This opinion is strictly limited to the matters stated herein and no other or more extensive opinion is intended, implied or to be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated herein.
We hereby consent to be named in the Registration Statement as the attorneys who have passed upon legal matters in connection with the issuance of the common stock and to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.
Sincerely,
/s/ KEATING MUETHING & KLEKAMP PLL
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We have issued our reports dated September 10, 2021 with respect to the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting of LSI Industries Inc. included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2021, which are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. We consent to the incorporation by reference of the aforementioned reports in this Registration Statement.
/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
September 10, 2021
Exhibit 99.1
CERTAIN IDENTIFIED INFORMATION HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THIS EXHIBIT BECAUSE IT IS NOT MATERIAL AND WOULD LIKELY CAUSE COMPETITIVE HARM TO THE REGISTRANT IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED. [***]
INDUCEMENT AWARD PURSUANT TO NASDAQ RULE 5635(C)(4)
LSI INDUSTRIES INC. PERFORMANCE STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT
LSI INDUSTRIES INC. (the “Company”) hereby grants you (the “Participant”) on May 21, 2021 (the “Grant Date”), a Performance Stock Unit Award (the “Award”) of forfeitable performance stock units of the Company (“PSUs”), each PSU representing the right to receive one share of the Company’s common stock, no par value per share (“Common Stock”), subject to the restrictions, terms and conditions herein.
WHEREAS, the Participant is an employee of the Company’s wholly-owned indirect subsidiary JSI Store Fixtures Incorporated (“JSI”).
WHEREAS, the Participant has been selected as a participant in the three-year performance stock unit program of the Company Starting July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2024.
WHEREAS, the Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that it would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to grant the award provided for herein to the Participant, on the terms and conditions described in this Performance Stock Unit Award Agreement (the “Agreement”).
WHEREAS, the Company intends that the Award provided for herein shall satisfy the conditions of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as an inducement award such that the award shall not decrease the shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the 2019 Omnibus Award Plan (as may be amended from time to time, the “Plan”) even though the award of PSUs shall be otherwise governed by the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the promises and the covenants of the parties contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, for themselves, and their permitted successors and assigns, hereby agree as follows:
1. Terms and Conditions.
(a) Award. Subject to the other terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and in the Plan, the Company hereby grants to the Participant as of the Grant Date the Award of PSUs described herein. The Threshold Number of PSUs, Target Number of PSUs and Maximum Number of PSUs, as the case may be, to which the Participant may be entitled are set forth on Appendix A. The actual number of PSUs that are earned, if any, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Award will be determined by the Committee (the “Total Award”) and shall be computed in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and Appendix A.
(b) Performance Period. Subject to the other terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, the performance period for the Award commences on July 1, 2021 and shall terminate on June 30, 2024 (the “Performance Period”). The extent to which the Award shall be earned at the end of the Performance Period shall be based upon JSI’s Cumulative EBITDA during the Performance Period and Cumulative Sales during the Performance Period (the “Performance Criteria”). Eighty Percent (80%) of the Performance Criteria shall be based on Cumulative EBITDA and the remaining Twenty Percent (20%) shall be based on Cumulative Sales. Payout percentages are identified on Appendix A.
(c) Settlement. The Company shall settle the Award by causing one share of Common Stock for each PSU in the Total Award that is outstanding (and not previously forfeited) as of the Payout Date to be registered in the name of the Participant and held in book-entry form on the Payout Date.
2. Forfeiture of PSUs.
(a) Termination of Employment Generally. Except as otherwise determined by the Company in its sole discretion or as otherwise provided in this Agreement or Appendix A to this Agreement, all PSUs shall be forfeited without consideration to the Participant upon the Participant’s termination of employment with the Company, JSI or its Affiliates for any reason (and the Participant shall forfeit any rights to receive shares of Common Stock or cash in respect of the Award).
(b) Termination due to Death or Disability. In the event the Participant’s employment with JSI is terminated due to death or Disability (as defined in the Plan), the Participant shall be entitled to receive a prorated portion of the Award determined in accordance with Section 3.
3. Performance Determinations.
(a) If the Participant is employed with JSI or the Company and its Affiliates at the completion of the Performance Period, then following completion of the Performance Period the Company will determine the amount of the Total Award payable to the Participant based on Appendix A.
(b) If the Participant’s employment with JSI or the Company and its Affiliates has terminated prior to the end of the Performance Period due to death, Disability, then as soon as administratively feasible (in the Committee’s sole discretion) following such termination the Company will determine the Total Award payable to Participant. The Total Award shall be calculated based on the Target Number of PSUs identified on Appendix A multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the total number of complete months worked by the Participant during the performance Period, and the denominator of which is thirty-six (36), the total number of months in the Performance Period.
(c) If, in connection with a Change in Control, the successor company, or a parent of the successor company, in the Change in Control does not agree to assume, replace, or substitute the PSUs granted hereunder (as of the consummation of such Change in Control) with PSUs on substantially identical terms, as determined by the Committee, then as of immediately prior to such Change in Control, the Company will determine the Total Award, calculated based on the Target Award.
(d) Payment of awards shall be made on a date (the “Payment Date”) as soon as administratively practicable following the completion of the Performance Period (the “Vesting Date”). On the Payment Date, the Participant shall be entered as the stockholder of record for the number of PSUs covered by the Award which the Committee determines, in writing, have been earned and certified pursuant to Appendix A, and which have vested pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If the Participant is deemed a Specified Employee at the time of the Vesting Date, then to the extent necessary to prevent any accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A of the Code, such payment will be delayed until the earlier of the date that is six months following the Vesting Date and the Participant’s death.
(e) Except as may be otherwise provided in this Agreement, at no time prior to such Vesting Date shall the Participant be deemed for any purpose to be the owner of shares of Common Stock in connection with an Award and the Participant shall have no right prior to applicable Vesting Dates to vote Shares in respect of the Award. The Participant will not have any rights of a shareholder of the Company with respect to the PSUs until the delivery of the underlying Shares. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement will be merely that of an unfunded and unsecured promise of the Company to deliver Shares in the future, and the rights of the Participant will be no greater than that of an unsecured general creditor. No assets of the Company will be held or set aside as security for the obligations of the Company under this Agreement.
(f) All determinations with respect to the Award or this Agreement by the Company or Committee, including, without limitation, determinations of the Total Award, and timing of settlements, shall be within the Company’s absolute discretion and shall be final, binding and conclusive on the Participant.
4. Employment Agreement; Clawback; Incorporation by Reference.
(a) Employment Agreement. This Award is conditioned upon the Participant’s agreement to this Agreement and compliance with the employment agreement between Participant and JSI dated on even date herewith (the “Employment Agreement”) and the restrictive covenant agreement executed by Participant for the benefit of the Company at the time of the purchase of JSI by an Affiliate of the Company (“Restrictive Covenant Agreement”).
(b) Clawback/Forfeiture. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the PSUs may be forfeited without consideration if the Participant, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion (i) engages in an activity that is in conflict with or adverse to the interests of JSI or the Company and any of its Affiliates, including but not limited to fraud or conduct contributing to any financial restatements or irregularities, or (ii) without the consent of the Company, while employed by or providing services to JSI or the Company and any of its Affiliates or after termination of such employment or service, violates a non-competition, non-solicitation or non-disclosure covenant or agreement between the Participant and JSI or the Company or any Affiliate including, without limitation, any such covenant or agreement in the Restricted Covenant Agreement and any restrictive covenant agreement executed by Participant for the benefit of the Company and its Affiliates, and as well as any such covenant or agreement in Participant’s Employment Agreement. If the Participant engages in any activity referred to in the preceding sentence, the Participant shall, at the sole discretion of the Committee, forfeit the amount of Shares paid in respect of the PSUs, including, without limitation, any and all Shares, and repay such to the Company.
(c) Incorporation by Reference. The provisions of the Plan are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Except as otherwise expressly set forth herein, this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the provisions of the Plan and any capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the definitions set forth in the Plan. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, the terms of this Agreement shall control. The Committee acting pursuant to the Plan, as constituted from time to time, shall, except as expressly provided otherwise herein, have the right to determine any questions which arise in connection with the grant of the Award. The number and kind of Shares deliverable pursuant to the Award are subject to adjustment as provided in Section 12 of the Plan.
5. Compliance with Legal Requirements. The granting and delivery of the Award, and any other obligations of the Company under this Agreement, shall be subject to all applicable federal, state, local, and foreign laws, rules, and regulations and to such approvals by any regulatory or governmental agency as may be required.
6. Transferability. The PSUs granted hereunder may not be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold, or otherwise transferred or encumbered by the Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer, or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate.
7. Miscellaneous.
(a) Waiver. Any right of the Company contained in this Agreement may be waived in writing by the Committee. No waiver of any right hereunder by any party shall operate as a waiver of any other right, or as a waiver of the same right with respect to any subsequent occasion for its exercise, or as a waiver of any right to damages. No waiver by any party of any breach of this Agreement shall be held to constitute a waiver of any other breach or a waiver of the continuation of the same breach.
(b) Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement and each other provision of this Agreement shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law.
(c) No Right to Employment. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as giving the Participant any right to be retained, in any position, as an employee, consultant, or director of the Company, JSI or its Affiliates or shall interfere with or restrict in any way the right of the Company, JSI or its Affiliates, which are hereby expressly reserved, to remove, terminate or discharge the Participant with or without cause at any time for any reason whatsoever. Although over the course of employment terms and conditions of employment may change, the at-will term of employment of the Participant will not change.
(d) Successors. The terms of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company, its successors and assigns, the Participant and the beneficiaries, executors, administrators, heirs and successors of the Participant.
(e) Relation to Other Benefits. Any economic or other benefit to the Participant under this Agreement or the Plan shall not be taken into account in determining any benefits to which the Participant may be entitled under any profit-sharing, retirement or other benefit or compensation plan maintained by the Company or JSI and shall not affect the amount of any life insurance coverage available to any beneficiary under any life insurance plan covering employees of the Company.
(f) Taxes and Withholding. To the extent that the Company or JSI is required to withhold any federal, state, local, foreign or other tax in connection with the PSUs thereon pursuant to this Agreement, it shall be a condition to earning the award that the Participant make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for payment of such taxes required to be withheld. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, require the Participant to satisfy such required withholding obligation by surrendering to the Company a portion of the Shares earned by the Participant hereunder, and the Shares so surrendered by the Participant shall be credited against any such withholding obligation at the Fair Market Value of such Shares on the date of surrender or in such other reasonable manner as determined by the Company.
(g) Amendments. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee may modify this Agreement upon written notice to the Participant. Any amendment to the Plan shall be deemed to be an amendment to this Agreement to the extent that the amendment is applicable hereto; provided, however, no amendment of the Plan or this Agreement shall adversely affect the rights of the Participant under this Agreement without the Participant's consent unless the Committee determines, in good faith, that such amendment is required for the Agreement to either be exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, or as otherwise may be provided in the Plan.
(h) Section 409A of the Code. It is intended that the PSUs shall be exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The terms of this Agreement shall be construed, administered, and governed in a manner that effects such intent, and the Committee shall not take any action that would be inconsistent with such intent. Without limiting the foregoing, the PSUs shall not be deferred, accelerated, extended, paid out, settled, adjusted, substituted, exchanged or modified in a manner that would cause the award to fail to satisfy the conditions of an applicable exception from the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or otherwise would subject the Participant to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A of the Code.
(i) Entire Agreement. This Agreement, the Plan and, if applicable, the Restrictive Covenant Agreement contain the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter contained herein and supersede all prior communications, representations and negotiations in respect thereto; provided, however, the Participant understands that the Participant may have an existing agreement(s) with the Company, through prior awards, acquisition of a prior employer or otherwise, that may include the same or similar covenants as those in the Restrictive Covenant Agreement, and acknowledges that the Restrictive Covenant Agreement is meant to supplement any such agreement(s) such that the covenants in the agreements that provide the Company and JSI with the greatest protection enforceable under applicable law shall control, and that the parties do not intend to create any ambiguity or conflict that would release the Participant from the obligations the Participant has assumed under the restrictive covenants in any of these agreements, including the Restrictive Covenant Agreement. No change, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement shall be valid unless the same be in writing and signed by the parties hereto, except for any changes permitted without consent of the Participant under the Plan.
(j) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio without regard to principles of conflicts of law thereof, or principles of conflicts of laws of any other jurisdiction which could cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Ohio. Each of the Company and the Participant submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (both personal and subject matter) of (i) the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio sitting in Cincinnati, Ohio and its appellate courts, and (ii) any court of the State of Ohio sitting in Cincinnati, Ohio and its appellate courts, for the purposes of all legal actions and proceedings arising out of or related to this Agreement.
(k) Headings. The headings of the Sections hereof are provided for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction and shall not constitute a part of this Agreement.
[Remainder of page left blank; signatures follow.]
LSI INDUSTRIES INC.
By:______________________
James A. Clark, Chief Executive Officer
PARTICIPANT
_________________________
Name:
Appendix A
Threshold Number of PSUs: |
||||
Target Number of PSUs: |
||||
Maximum Number of PSUs: |
The Participant shall earn 100% of the Target Number of PSUs if JSI has achieved Cumulative EBITDA of $*** Million during the Performance Period and a Cumulative Sales of $*** Million during Performance Period. Generally, the percentage of Target Number of PSUs earned at the end of the Performance Period based on the Performance Criteria shall be determined according to the following tables, however the actual number of PSUs to which the Participant shall be entitled will be interpolated between the percentages set forth in the following chart based on actual results:
Cumulative EBITDA Performance Level (80% of Earned PSUs) |
Payout Level |
|
< <***% of Performance Target |
0.0% of Award Target |
|
***% of Performance Target |
***.0% of Award Target |
|
***% of Performance Target |
***.0% of Award Target |
|
> ***% of Performance Target or more |
***.0% of Award Target |
Cumulative Sales Performance Level (20% of Earned PSUs) |
Payout Level |
|
< <***% of Performance Target |
0.0% of Award Target |
|
***% of Performance Target |
***.0% of Award Target |
|
1 ***% of Performance Target |
***.0% of Award Target |
|
> ***% of Performance Target or more |
***.0% of Award Target |
PSU Grant: Three Year |
|||
Payout % |
EBITDA Cumulative $ (000s) |
Sales Cumulative $ (000s) |
|
Threshold |
*** |
*** |
*** |
Target |
*** |
*** |
*** |
Maximum |
*** |
*** |
*** |
Promptly after the Audit Committee of the Board approves JSI’s financial statements for the fiscal year in which the end of the Performance Cycle occurs, the Committee must determine and certify whether, and to what extent, the Performance Criteria have been achieved.
A-1
Exhibit 99.2
INDUCEMENT AWARD PURSUANT TO NASDAQ RULE 5635(C)(4)
LSI INDUSTRIES INC. RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD AGREEMENT
LSI INDUSTRIES INC. (the “Company”), pursuant to the 2019 Omnibus Award Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Plan”), hereby grants you (the “Participant”), on May 21, 2021 (the “Grant Date”) a forfeitable Restricted Stock Unit Award (the “Restricted Unit Award”) representing the right to receive shares of Company common stock, no par value per share (“Common Stock”), subject to the restrictions, terms and conditions herein.
WHEREAS, the Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that it would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to grant the award provided for herein to the Participant, on the terms and conditions described in this Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (the “Agreement”); and
WHEREAS, the Company intends that the Restricted Unit Award provided for herein shall satisfy the conditions of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as an inducement award such that the award shall not decrease the shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the 2019 Omnibus Award Plan (as may be amended from time to time, the “Plan”) even though the award of Restricted Units shall be otherwise governed by the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the promises and the covenants of the parties contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, for themselves, and their permitted successors and assigns, hereby agree as follows:
1. Terms and Conditions.
(a) Grant; Vesting. Subject to and upon the terms, conditions, and restrictions set forth in this Agreement and in the Plan, the Company hereby grants to the Participant as of the Grant Date, a total of __________ restricted stock units (“Restricted Units”) which shall be credited in a book entry account established for the Participant until payment in accordance with Section 1(d). Subject to the other terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and the Plan, the restrictions on the Restricted Units shall lapse three years after the Grant Date (the “Restricted Period”). Such date on which such restrictions lapse shall be the “Vesting Date.” Restricted Units that have not yet vested pursuant to Section 1(a) shall be forfeited automatically without further action or notice if the Participant ceases to be employed by the Company other than as provided below. All of the Restricted Units shall vest in full prior to the Vesting Date upon the occurrence of any of the following: (A) the Participant dies while in the employ of the Company; or (B) the Participant has a Disability that results in a separation from employment with Company.
(b) Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 1, in the event of a Change in Control, unless the successor company, or a parent of the successor company in the Change in Control agrees to assume, replace, or substitute unvested portion of the Restricted Unit Award granted hereunder (as of the consummation of such Change in Control) with restricted units on substantially identical terms, as determined by the Committee, if the Participant’s employment with the Company or its Affiliates (or any successor thereto) is terminated within twelve (12) months following a Change in Control either (x) by the Company or its Affiliates (or any successor thereto) without Cause or (y) by the Participant with Good Reason, the Restricted Units granted hereunder shall vest in full as of the date of such termination. As used herein, “Good Reason” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following: (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s authority, duties or responsibilities or change in title or change in reporting relationship; (ii) a material diminution in the Participant’s annual base salary as in effect on the date of this Agreement or as the same may be increased from time to time; (iii) a material diminution in the budget over which the Participant retains authority; (iv) the Company fails to pay or provide any amount or benefit that the Company is obligated to pay or provide under this Agreement or any other employment, compensation, benefit or reimbursement plan, agreement or arrangement of the Company to which the Participant is a party or in which the Participant participates; (v) the relocation of the Participant’s principal place of employment to a location which increases the Participant’s one−way commuting distance by more than 50 miles, or the Company’s requiring the Participant to travel on business other than to an extent substantially consistent with the Participant’s business travel obligations prior to the Change in Control; (vi) a significant adverse change occurs, whether of a quantitative or qualitative nature, in the indemnification protection provided to the Participant for acts and omissions arising out of his service on behalf of the Company or any other entity at the request of the Company; or (vii) the Company fails to obtain the assumption of this Agreement pursuant to this Section. If the Participant does not terminate his employment within 60 days after the first occurrence of the circumstances giving rise to Good Reason, then the Participant will be deemed to have waived such right to terminate for Good Reason with respect to such circumstances.
(c) Payment; Share Ownership; Dividend Equivalents. The Company shall settle as soon as administratively possible after the applicable Vesting Date, any vested portion of the Restricted Unit Award by the payment to the Participant of one share of Common Stock (a “Share”) for each vested Restricted Unit, subject to any applicable tax withholding requirements. If the Participant is deemed a Specified Employee at the time of the Vesting Date, then such payment will be delayed until the earlier of the date that is six months following the Vesting Date and the Participant’s death. At no time prior to such Vesting Date shall the Participant be deemed for any purpose to be the owner of shares of Common Stock in connection with a Restricted Unit Award and the Participant shall have no right prior to applicable Vesting Date to vote Shares in respect of the Restricted Unit Award. However, the Participant shall possess dividend equivalent payment rights with respect to the Restricted Units granted pursuant to this Agreement as of the Grant Date. Any dividend equivalent payment on the Restricted Units shall be based on the number of Restricted Units credited to the Participant as of the dividend record date and such credited dividend equivalent payment amount shall be paid in accordance with quarterly dividend declarations by the Board of Directors on the Common Stock. The Participant will not have any rights of a shareholder of the Company with respect to the Restricted Units until the delivery of the underlying Shares. The obligations of the Company under this Agreement will be merely that of an unfunded and unsecured promise of the Company to deliver Shares in the future, and the rights of the Participant will be no greater than that of an unsecured general creditor. No assets of the Company will be held or set aside as security for the obligations of the Company under this Agreement.
(d) Forfeiture. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee in its sole discretion or as set forth in Section 1, unvested portion of Restricted Unit Awards shall be forfeited without consideration to the Participant upon the Participant’s termination of employment with the Company or its Affiliates for any reason.
2. Employment Agreement; Clawback; Incorporation by Reference.
(a) Employment Agreement. This Restricted Unit Award is conditioned upon the Participant’s agreement to this Agreement and compliance with the employment agreement with [JSI Store Fixtures] dated on even date herewith (the “Employment Agreement”).
(b) Clawback/Forfeiture. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Restricted Unit Award may be forfeited without consideration if the Participant, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion (i) engages in an activity that is in conflict with or adverse to the interests of the Company or any Affiliate, including but not limited to fraud or conduct contributing to any financial restatements or irregularities, or (ii) without the consent of the Company, while employed by or providing services to the Company or any Affiliate or after termination of such employment or service, violates a non-competition, non-solicitation or non-disclosure covenant or agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate, including without limitation, the Employment Agreement. If the Participant engages in any activity referred to in the preceding sentence, the Participant shall, at the sole discretion of the Committee, forfeit the amount of Shares paid in respect of the Restricted Unit Award, including, without limitation, any and all Shares and dividend equivalents, and repay such to the Company.
(c) Incorporation by Reference. The provisions of the Plan are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Except as otherwise expressly set forth herein, this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the provisions of the Plan and any capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the definitions set forth in the Plan. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, the terms of this Agreement shall control. The Committee acting pursuant to the Plan, as constituted from time to time, shall, except as expressly provided otherwise herein, have the right to determine any questions which arise in connection with the grant of the Restricted Unit Award. The number and kind of Shares deliverable pursuant to the Restricted Unit Award are subject to adjustment as provided in Section 12 of the Plan.
3. Compliance with Legal Requirements. The granting and delivery of Restricted Unit Award, as applicable, and any other obligations of the Company under this Agreement, shall be subject to all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules and regulations and to such approvals by any regulatory or governmental agency as may be required.
4. Transferability. No Restricted Unit Award may be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold or otherwise transferred or encumbered by the Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate.
5. Miscellaneous.
(a) Waiver. Any right of the Company contained in this Agreement may be waived in writing by the Committee. No waiver of any right hereunder by any party shall operate as a waiver of any other right, or as a waiver of the same right with respect to any subsequent occasion for its exercise, or as a waiver of any right to damages. No waiver by any party of any breach of this Agreement shall be held to constitute a waiver of any other breach or a waiver of the continuation of the same breach.
(b) Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement and each other provision of this Agreement shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law.
(c) No Right to Employment. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as giving the Participant any right to be retained, in any position, as an employee, consultant, or director of the Company or its Affiliates or shall interfere with or restrict in any way the right of the Company or its Affiliates, which are hereby expressly reserved, to remove, terminate or discharge the Participant with or without cause at any time for any reason whatsoever. Although over the course of employment terms and conditions of employment may change, the at-will term of employment of the Participant will not change.
(d) Successors. The terms of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company, its successors and assigns, the Participant and the beneficiaries, executors, administrators, heirs and successors of the Participant.
(e) Relation to Other Benefits. Any economic or other benefit to the Participant under this Agreement or the Plan shall not be taken into account in determining any benefits to which the Participant may be entitled under any profit-sharing, retirement or other benefit or compensation plan maintained by the Company and shall not affect the amount of any life insurance coverage available to any beneficiary under any life insurance plan covering employees of the Company.
(f) Taxes and Withholding. To the extent that the Company is required to withhold any federal, state, local, foreign or other tax in connection with the Restricted Units or dividend equivalent payments thereon pursuant to this Agreement, it shall be a condition to earning the award that the Participant make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for payment of such taxes required to be withheld. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, require the Participant to satisfy such required withholding obligation by surrendering to the Company a portion of the Shares earned by the Participant hereunder, and the Shares so surrendered by the Participant shall be credited against any such withholding obligation at the Fair Market Value of such Shares on the date of surrender or in such other reasonable manner as determined by the Company.
(g) Amendments. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee may modify this Agreement upon written notice to the Participant. Any amendment to the Plan shall be deemed to be an amendment to this Agreement to the extent that the amendment is applicable hereto; provided, however, no amendment of the Plan or this Agreement shall adversely affect the rights of the Participant under this Agreement without the Participant's consent unless the Committee determines, in good faith, that such amendment is required for the Agreement to either be exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, or as otherwise may be provided in the Plan.
(h) Section 409A of the Code. It is intended that the Restricted Units shall be exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The terms of this Agreement shall be construed, administered, and governed in a manner that effects such intent, and the Committee shall not take any action that would be inconsistent with such intent. Without limiting the foregoing, the Restricted Units shall not be deferred, accelerated, extended, paid out, settled, adjusted, substituted, exchanged or modified in a manner that would cause the award to fail to satisfy the conditions of an applicable exception from the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or otherwise would subject the Participant to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A of the Code.
(i) Entire Agreement. No change, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement shall be valid unless the same be in writing and signed by the parties hereto, except for any changes permitted without consent of the Participant under the Plan.
(j) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio without regard to principles of conflicts of law thereof, or principles of conflicts of laws of any other jurisdiction which could cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Ohio. Each of the Company and the Participant submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (both personal and subject matter) of (i) the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio sitting in Cincinnati, Ohio and its appellate courts, and (ii) any court of the State of Ohio sitting in Cincinnati, Ohio and its appellate courts, for the purposes of all legal actions and proceedings arising out of or related to this Agreement.
(k) Headings. The headings of the Sections hereof are provided for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction and shall not constitute a part of this Agreement.
LSI INDUSTRIES INC.
By:______________________
Name:
Title:
PARTICIPANT
_________________________
Name: