EX-99.1 2 ex99_1.htm Unassociated Document
 
Exhibit 99.1
 
 
PRECISION OPTICS CORPORATION, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED 1997 INCENTIVE PLAN
 
 
1.     DEFINED TERMS
 
Exhibit A, which is incorporated by reference, defines the terms used in the Plan and sets forth certain operational rules related to those terms.
 
2.     PURPOSE
 
The Plan has been established to advance the interests of the Company by giving selected Employees, directors and other persons (including both individuals and entities) who provide services to the Company or its Affiliates equity-based or cash incentives through the grant of Awards.
 
3.     ADMINISTRATION
 
        The Administrator has discretionary authority, subject only to the express provisions of the Plan, to interpret the Plan; determine eligibility for and grant Awards; determine, modify or waive the terms and conditions of any Award; prescribe forms, rules and procedures (which it may modify or waive); and otherwise do all things necessary to carry out the purposes of the Plan. In the case of any Award intended to be eligible for the performance-based compensation exception under Section 162(m), the Administrator shall exercise its discretion consistent with qualifying the Award for such exception. The Administrator may delegate to senior management the authority to grant Awards, other than Awards to the President.
 
4.     LIMITS ON AWARDS UNDER THE PLAN
 
        a.    Number of Shares.    A maximum of 1,500,000 shares of Stock may be delivered in satisfaction of Awards under the Plan.
 
        b.    Type of Shares.    Stock delivered by the Company under the Plan may be authorized but unissued Stock or previously issued Stock acquired by the Company and held in treasury. No fractional shares of Stock will be delivered under the Plan.
 
        c.    Section 162(m) Limits.    The maximum number of shares of Stock for which Stock Options may be granted to any person per annum shall be 600,000. The maximum number of shares of Stock subject to SARs granted to any person per annum shall be 600,000. For purposes of the preceding two sentences, the repricing of a Stock Option or SAR shall be treated as a new grant to the extent required under Section 162(m). The aggregate maximum number of shares of Stock delivered to any person per annum pursuant to Awards that are not Stock Options or SARs shall also be 600,000. However, Stock Options and SARs that are granted with an exercise price that is less than the fair market value of the underlying shares on the date of the grant will also be subject to the limits imposed by the preceding sentence. Subject to these limitations, each person eligible to participate in the Plan shall be eligible in any year to receive Awards covering up to the full number of shares of Stock then available for Awards under the Plan. No more than $2,000,000 may be paid to any individual with respect to any Cash Performance Award. In applying the limitation of the preceding sentence: (A) multiple Cash Performance
 

 
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Awards to the same individual that are determined by reference to performance periods of one year or less ending with or within the same fiscal year of the Company shall be subject in the aggregate to one $2,000,000 limit, and (B) multiple Cash Performance Awards to the same individual that are determined by reference to one or more multi-year performance periods ending in the same fiscal year of the Company shall be subject in the aggregate to a separate limit of $2,000,000.
 
5.     ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
 
        The Administrator will select Participants from among those key Employees, directors and individuals or entities (other than Employees or directors) providing services to the Company or its Affiliates who, in the opinion of the Administrator, are in a position to make a significant contribution to the success of the Company and its Affiliates. Eligibility for ISOs is limited to Employees of the Company or of a "parent corporation" or "subsidiary corporation" of the Company as those terms are defined in Section 424 of the Code.
 
6.     RULES APPLICABLE TO AWARDS
 
        a.    ALL AWARDS    
 
(1)    Award Provisions.    The Administrator will determine the terms of all Awards, subject to the limitations provided herein.
 
(2)    Transferability Of Awards.    Neither ISOs nor, except as the Administrator otherwise expressly provides, other Awards may be transferred other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and during a Participant's lifetime ISOs (and, except as the Administrator otherwise expressly provides, other non-transferable Awards requiring exercise) may be exercised only the Participant.
 
(3)    Vesting, Etc.    The Administrator may determine the time or times at which an Award will vest or become exercisable and the terms on which an Award requiring exercise will remain exercisable. Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrator may at any time accelerate the vesting or exercisability of an Award, regardless of any adverse or potentially adverse tax consequences resulting from such acceleration. Unless the Administrator expressly provides otherwise, immediately upon the cessation of the Participant's Employment, an Award requiring exercise will cease to be exercisable and will terminate, and all other Awards to the extent not already vested will be forfeited, except that:
 
(A)  subject to (B) and (C) below, all Stock Options and SARs held by the Participant or the Participant's permitted transferee, if any, immediately prior to the cessation of the Participant's Employment, to the extent then exercisable, will remain exercisable for the lesser of (i) a period of 30 days or (ii) the period ending on the latest date on which such Stock Option or SAR could have been exercised without regard to this Section 6.a.(3), and will thereupon terminate;
 

 
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(B)  all Stock Options and SARs held by a Participant or the Participant's permitted transferee, if any, immediately prior to the Participant's death, to the extent then exercisable, will remain exercisable for the lesser of (i) the period ending 90 days after the Participant's death or (ii) the period ending on the latest date on which such Stock Option or SAR could have been exercised without regard to this Section 6.a.(3), and will thereupon terminate; and
 
(C)  all Stock Options and SARs held by a Participant or the Participant's permitted transferee, if any, immediately prior to the cessation of the Participant's Employment will immediately terminate upon such cessation if the Administrator in its sole discretion determines that such cessation of Employment has resulted for reasons which cast such discredit on the Participant as to justify immediate termination of the Award.
 
        (4)    Taxes.    The Administrator will make such provision for the withholding of taxes as it deems necessary. The Administrator may, but need not, hold back shares of Stock from an Award or permit a Participant to tender previously owned shares of Stock in satisfaction of tax withholding requirements (but not in excess of the minimum withholding required by law).
 
        (5)    Dividend Equivalents, Etc.    The Administrator may provide for the payment of amounts in lieu of cash dividends or other cash distributions with respect to Stock subject to an Award.
 
        (6)    Rights Limited.    Nothing in the Plan shall be construed as giving any person the right to continued Employment or service with the Company or its Affiliates, or any rights as a stockholder, except as to shares of Stock actually issued under the Plan. The loss of existing or potential profit in Awards will not constitute an element of damages in the event of termination of Employment or service for any reason, even if the termination is in violation of an obligation of the Company or Affiliate to the Participant.
 
        (7)    Section 162(m).    This Section 6.a.(7) applies to any Performance Award intended to qualify as performance-based for the purposes of Section 162(m) other than a Stock Option or SAR with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the underlying Stock on the date of grant. In the case of any Performance Award to which this Section 6.a.(7) applies, the Plan and such Award will be construed to the maximum extent permitted by law in a manner consistent with qualifying the Award for such exception. With respect to such Performance Awards, the Administrator will preestablish, in writing, one or more specific Performance Criteria no later than 90 days after the commencement of the period of service to which the performance relates (or at such earlier time as is required to qualify the Award as performance-based under Section 162(m)). The Performance Criteria so established shall serve as a condition to the grant, vesting or payment of the Performance Award, as determined by the Administrator. Prior to grant, vesting or payment of the Performance Award, as the case may be, the Administrator will certify whether the Performance Criteria have been attained and such determination will be final and conclusive. If the Performance Criteria with respect to the Award are not attained, no other Award will be provided in substitution of the Performance Award. No Performance Award to which this Section 6.a.(7) applies may be granted after the first meeting of the stockholders of the Company held in 2008 until the Performance Criteria (as originally approved or as subsequently amended) have been resubmitted to and reapproved by the stockholders of the Company in accordance with the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code, unless such grant is made contingent upon such approval.
 

 
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b.    AWARDS REQUIRING EXERCISE    
 
        (1)    Time And Manner Of Exercise.    Unless the Administrator expressly provides otherwise, (a) an Award requiring exercise by the holder will not be deemed to have been exercised until the Administrator receives a written notice of exercise (in form acceptable to the Administrator) signed by the appropriate person and accompanied by any payment required under the Award; and (b) if the Award is exercised by any person other than the Participant, the Administrator may require satisfactory evidence that the person exercising the Award has the right to do so.
 
(2)    Exercise Price.    The Administrator will determine the exercise price, if any, of each Award requiring exercise. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the exercise price of an Award requiring exercise will not be less than the fair market value of the Stock subject to the Award, determined as of the date of grant. An ISO granted to an Employee described in Section 422(b)(6) of the Code will have an exercise price equal to 110% of such fair market value.
 
(3)    Payment Of Exercise Price.    Where the exercise of an Award is to be accompanied by payment, the Administrator may determine the required or permitted forms of payment, subject to the following: (a) all payments will be by cash or check acceptable to the Administrator, or, if so permitted by the Administrator and if legally permissible, (i) through the delivery of shares of Stock that have been outstanding for at least six months (unless the Administrator approves a shorter period) and that have a fair market value equal to the exercise price, (ii) by delivery to the Company of a promissory note of the person exercising the Award, payable on such terms as are specified by the Administrator, (iii) through a broker-assisted exercise program acceptable to the Administrator, or (iv) by any combination of the foregoing permissible forms of payment; and (b) where shares of Stock issued under an Award are part of an original issue of shares, the Award will require that at least so much of the exercise price as equals the par value of such shares be paid other than by delivery of a promissory note or its equivalent. The delivery of shares in payment of the exercise price under clause (a)(i) above may be accomplished either by actual delivery or by constructive delivery through attestation of ownership, subject to such rules as the Administrator may prescribe.
 
(4)    ISOs.    No ISO may be granted under the Plan after September 15, 2007, but ISOs previously granted may extend beyond that date.
 
c.    AWARDS NOT REQUIRING EXERCISE    
 
         Awards of Restricted Stock and Unrestricted Stock may be made in return for either (i) services determined by the Administrator to have a value not less than the par value of the awarded shares of Stock, or (ii) cash or other property having a value not less than the par value of the awarded shares of Stock plus such additional amounts (if any) as the Administrator may determine payable in such combination and type of cash, other property (of any kind) or services as the Administrator may determine.
 
7.     EFFECT OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
 

 
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        a.    MERGERS, ETC.    
 
In the event of (i) a consolidation or merger in which the Company is not the surviving corporation or which results in the acquisition of a majority of the Company's then outstanding voting common stock by a single person or entity or by a group of persons and/or entities acting in concert, (ii) a sale or transfer of all or substantially all the Company's assets, or (iii) a dissolution or liquidation of the Company (any of the foregoing, a "covered transaction"), all outstanding Awards requiring exercise will cease to be exercisable, and all other Awards to the extent not fully vested (including Awards subject to performance conditions not yet satisfied or determined) will be forfeited, as of the effective time of the covered transaction; provided, however, that immediately prior to the consummation of such covered transaction the vesting or exercisability of Awards shall be accelerated unless, in the case of any Award, the Administrator provides for one or more substitute or replacement awards from, or the assumption of the existing Award by, the acquiring entity (if any) or its affiliates.
 
The Administrator may provide in the case of any Award that the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall also apply to (i) mergers or consolidations involving the Company that do not constitute a covered transaction, or (ii) other transactions, not constituting a covered transaction, that involve the acquisition of the Company's outstanding Stock.
 
b.    CHANGES IN AND DISTRIBUTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE STOCK    
 
 (1)    Basic Adjustment Provisions.    In the event of a stock dividend, stock split or combination of shares, recapitalization or other change in the Company's capital structure, the Administrator will make appropriate adjustments to the maximum number of shares that may be delivered under the Plan under Section 4.a. and to the maximum share limits described in Section 4.c., and will also make appropriate adjustments to the number and kind of shares of stock or securities subject to Awards then outstanding or subsequently granted, any exercise prices relating to Awards and any other provision of Awards affected by such change.
 
(2)    Certain Other Adjustments.    To the extent consistent with qualification of ISOs under Section 422 of the Code and with the performance-based compensation rules of Section 162(m), where applicable, the Administrator may also make adjustments of the type described in paragraph (1) above to take into account distributions to stockholders other than those provided for in Section 7.a. and 7.b.(1), or any other event, if the Administrator determines that adjustments are appropriate to avoid distortion in the operation of the Plan and to preserve the value of Awards made hereunder.
 
(3)    Continuing Application of Plan Terms.    References in the Plan to shares of Stock shall be construed to include any stock or securities resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section 7.
 
8.     CONDITIONS ON DELIVERY OF STOCK
 
        The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Stock pursuant to the Plan or to remove any restriction from shares of Stock previously delivered under the Plan until: the Company's counsel has approved all legal matters in connection with the issuance and delivery of such shares; if the outstanding Stock is at the time of delivery listed on any stock exchange or national market system, the shares to be delivered have been listed or authorized to be listed on such exchange or system upon official notice of issuance; and all conditions of the Award have been satisfied or waived. If the sale of Stock has not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Company may require, as a condition to exercise of the Award, such representations or agreements as counsel for the Company may consider appropriate to avoid violation of such Act. The Company may require that certificates evidencing Stock issued under the Plan bear an appropriate legend reflecting any restriction on transfer applicable to such Stock, and the Company may hold the certificates pending lapse of the applicable restrictions.
 

 
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9.     AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
 
        Subject to the last sentence of Section 3, the Administrator may at any time or times amend the Plan or any outstanding Award for any purpose which may at the time be permitted by law, or may at any time terminate the Plan as to any further grants of Awards; provided, that (except to the extent expressly required or permitted by the Plan) no such amendment will, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company, effectuate a change for which stockholder approval is required in order for the Plan to continue to qualify under Section 422 of the Code and for Awards to be eligible for the performance-based exception under Section 162(m).
 
10.   NON-LIMITATION OF THE COMPANY'S RIGHTS
 
        The existence of the Plan or the grant of any Award shall not in any way affect the Company's right to award a person bonuses or other compensation in addition to Awards under the Plan.
 
11.   GOVERNING LAW
 
        The Plan shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 
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EXHIBIT A
 
Definition of Terms
 
        The following terms, when used in the Plan, shall have the meanings and be subject to the provisions set forth below:
 
        "Administrator": The Board or, if one or more has been appointed, the Committee. The Administrator may delegate ministerial tasks to such persons as it deems appropriate.
 
        "Affiliate": Any corporation or other entity owning, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the outstanding Stock of the Company, or in which the Company or any such corporation or other entity owns, directly or indirectly, 50% of the outstanding capital stock (determined by aggregate voting rights) or other voting interests.
 
        "Award": Any or a combination of the following:
 
(i)       Options ("Stock Options") entitling the recipient to acquire shares of Stock upon payment of the exercise price. Each Stock Option awarded under the Plan will be deemed to have been designated as a non-ISO, unless the Administrator expressly provides for ISO treatment.
 
(ii)      Rights ("SARs") entitling the holder upon exercise to receive cash or Stock, as the Administrator determines, equal to a function (determined by the Administrator using such factors as it deems appropriate) of the amount by which the Stock has appreciated in value since the date of the Award.
 
(iii)     Stock subject to restrictions ("Restricted Stock") under the Plan requiring that such Stock be redelivered to the Company if specified conditions are not satisfied. The conditions to be satisfied in connection with any Award of Restricted Stock, the terms on which such Stock must be redelivered to the Company, the purchase price of such Stock, and all other terms shall be determined by the Administrator.
 
(iv)    Stock not subject to any restrictions under the Plan ("Unrestricted Stock").
 
(v)     A promise to deliver Stock or other securities in the future on such terms and conditions as the Administrator determines.
 
(vi)    Securities (other than Stock Options) that are convertible into or exchangeable for Stock on such terms and conditions as the Administrator determines.
 
(vii)   Cash bonuses tied to Performance Criteria as described below ("Cash Performance Awards").
 
(viii)  Performance Awards
 
(ix)     Grants of cash, or loans, made in connection with other Awards in order to help defray in whole or in part the economic cost (including tax cost) of the Award to the Participant. The terms of any such grant or loan shall be determined by the Administrator.
 

 
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        "Board": The Board of Directors of the Company.
 
        "Code": The U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as from time to time amended and in effect, or any successor statute as from time to time in effect.
 
        "Committee": A committee of the Board comprised solely of two or more outside directors within the meaning of Section 162(m). The Committee may delegate ministerial tasks to such persons (including Employees) as it deems appropriate.
 
        "Company": Precision Optics Corporation, Inc.
 
        "Employee": Any person who is employed by the Company or an Affiliate.
 
        "Employment": A Participant's employment or other service relationship with the Company and its Affiliates. Employment will be deemed to continue, unless the Administrator expressly provides otherwise, so long as the Participant is employed by, or otherwise is providing services in a capacity described in Section 5 to the Company or its Affiliates. If a Participant's employment or other service relationship is with an Affiliate and that entity ceases to be an Affiliate, the Participant's Employment will be deemed to have terminated when the entity ceases to be an Affiliate unless the Participant transfers Employment to the Company or its remaining Affiliates.
 
        "ISO": A Stock Option intended to be an "incentive stock option" within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
 
        "Participant": An Employee, director or other person providing services to the Company or its Affiliates who is granted an Award under the Plan.
 
        "Performance Award": An Award subject to Performance Criteria. The Committee in its discretion may grant Performance Awards that are intended to qualify for the performance-based compensation exception under Section 162(m) and Performance Awards that are not intended so to qualify.
 
        "Performance Criteria": Specified criteria, the satisfaction of which is a condition for the grant, exercisability, vesting or full enjoyment of an Award. For purposes of Awards that are intended to qualify for the performance-based compensation exception under Section 162(m), a Performance Criterion will mean an objectively determinable measure of performance relating to any or any combination of the following (determined either on a consolidated basis or, as the context permits, on a divisional, subsidiary, line of business, project or geographical basis or in combinations thereof): (i) sales; revenues; assets; expenses; earnings before or after deduction for all or any portion of interest, taxes, depreciation or amortization, whether or not on a continuing operations or an aggregate or per share basis; return on equity, investment, capital or assets; gross margin; inventory level or turns; one or more operating ratios; borrowing levels, leverage ratios or credit rating; market share; capital expenditures; cash flow; stock price; stockholder return; or other objective operating contributions; or (ii) acquisitions and divestitures (in whole or in part); joint ventures and strategic alliances; spin-offs, split-ups and the like; reorganizations; recapitalizations, restructurings, financings (issuance of debt or equity) and refinancings; or other transactions that involve a change in the equity ownership of the Company. A Performance Criterion measure and any targets with respect thereto determined by the Administrator need not be based upon an increase, a positive or improved result or avoidance of loss.
 

 
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        "Plan": Precision Optics Corporation, Inc. 1997 Incentive Plan as from time to time amended and in effect.
 
        "Section 162(m)": Section 162(m) of the Code.
 
        "Stock": Common stock of the Company, par value $.01 per share.
 
























 
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