AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”),
is dated as of March 31, 2023, by and between Advantage Solutions Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Christopher Growe (the “Executive”).
WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive previously entered into that certain Employment Agreement dated as of March 13, 2023 (the “Prior Agreement”);
WHEREAS, the Company and the Executive desire to amend and restate the terms of the Prior Agreement as set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of Executive to continue to provide services to the Company on and after the Effective Date on the terms herein provided.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual agreements herein contained, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Executive agree as follows:
any non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality or proprietary non-disclosure, or other similar covenant or agreement); (b) in connection with Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive will not use any confidential or proprietary information Executive may have obtained in connection with employment with any prior employer; (c) upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company, this Agreement shall be the valid and binding obligation of the Executive, enforceable in accordance with its terms; and (d) the Executive does not have any interest in any intangible asset including, without limitation, intellectual property, goodwill, trade secrets, and general know-how, used in, or useful to the Company’s business.
its reasonable good faith business judgement. Except as set forth above, the Executive will not engage in any other business activities, including serving on outside boards or committees (whether or not the Executive receives any compensation therefor) without the prior written consent of the Company.
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resignation or termination of employment with the Company. Executive hereby authorizes the Company to immediately offset against and reduce any amounts otherwise due to Executive for any amounts in respect of the obligation to repay the Signing Bonus. For the avoidance of doubt, if Executive is terminated without Cause or resigns for Good Reason, or if Executive’s employment is terminated due to his death of Disability, then Executive does not have to repay any of the Signing Bonus.
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(a) If during the Term, the Executive experiences a Disability (as defined below), the Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder. In order to assist the Company in making a Disability determination, the Executive shall, as reasonably requested by the Company,
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(A) the Executive’s Base Salary then in effect at the time of such termination, through the date of termination; (B) reimbursement for any unreimbursed business expenses properly incurred by the Executive in accordance with Section 5.5; (C) employee benefits that Executive was receiving at such time through the date of termination; (D) the opportunity to elect benefits continuation post-employment, which opportunity the Executive may be entitled under the Benefit Plans as of the date of such termination pursuant to the terms thereof (the amounts described in clauses (A) through (D) hereof being referred to as the “Accrued Rights”); and (E) any bonus earned but unpaid for the immediately preceding fiscal year, which bonus shall be paid in accordance with Section 5.2 (the “Accrued Bonus”).
6.9 and 9, pay to the Executive or the Executive’s legal representative the Executive’s Base Salary then in effect at the time of such termination for six (6) months following such termination, less any amounts received by the Executive under the Company’s disability policies, if applicable. Such payments will be made in equal installments over such six (6) month period in accordance with the Payroll Policies, Section 9 and the terms of the Release (as defined below), with the first such payment to occur on the First Payment Date (as defined below) (which first payment will include any installments that would have been paid pursuant to the Payroll Policies prior to such First Payment Date). Subject to Section 6.5, the Executive will also, in the case of a termination for Disability, be entitled to payment to the Executive of the Company’s portion of post-employment Company-sponsored health insurance premiums under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) (at the same levels and costs in effect on the date of termination (excluding, for purposes of calculating cost, an employee’s ability to pay premiums with pre-tax dollars)) to the extent permissible under the Company’s health insurance plans, including, if permitted and still maintained by the Company, Benicomp, (as may be amended, modified or terminated by the Company from time to time) and subject to Executive’s valid election to continue healthcare coverage under COBRA, during such six (6) month period, subject to applicable taxes and withholdings; provided, that if the Executive becomes covered by the health insurance policy of any subsequent employer during such six (6) month period, the continuation of such health insurance coverage and premium payment by the Company shall cease.
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the Company except as set forth in this Section 6.2. The Company shall have “Cause” for termination of the Executive’s employment if any of the following has occurred:
solicitation agreement executed by Executive, collectively, the “Restrictive Covenant(s)”), which breach, if curable in the reasonable determination of the Company, is not cured within 10 calendar days after a written notice specifying such breach is received by the Executive from the Company;
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(ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days worked in the vesting period through the date of termination and the denominator of which is the total number of days in the vesting period ending with the next applicable vesting date. To the extent equity awards that are subject solely to time-based vesting become vested pursuant to this paragraph, they shall vest immediately effective as the date of the Executive’s termination of employment. To the extent any equity awards that are subject to performance-based vesting become vested pursuant to this paragraph, they shall vest on the next applicable vesting date, provided that such equity awards subject to performance-based vesting shall only vest to the extent of actual performance. In addition, the post-termination exercise period for any vested stock options held by the Executive as of the date of the Executive’s termination shall be extended through the earlier to occur of (i) the first anniversary of the Executive’s date of termination and (ii) the expiration date of such stock option.
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Company; or
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive shall not have “Good Reason” to terminate the Executive’s employment in connection with any of the foregoing events unless (1) Executive provides the Company with three (3) months prior written notice of such termination, and such notice is provided within ninety (90) days of the initial occurrence of the event constituting Good Reason,
(2) such termination is conditioned upon the Company failing to cure the event constituting Good Reason within the thirty-day period following provision of notice, (3) the Company fails to cure such event constituting Good Reason within such thirty-day period; and (4) and such resignation for Good Reason occurs following the expiration of the foregoing cure period.
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or be provided in a manner that complies with Section 409A of the Code and any ambiguity herein shall be interpreted so as to be consistent with the intent of this Section. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, all payments and benefits which are payable upon a termination of employment hereunder shall be paid or provided only upon those terminations of employment that constitute a “separation from service” from the Company within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code (determined after applying the presumptions set forth in Treas. Reg. Section 1.409A-1(h)(1)). Further, if the Executive is a “specified employee” as such term is defined under Section 409A of the Code and the regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder, any payments described in Section 6 shall be delayed for a period of six (6) months and one day following the Executive’s separation from service to the extent and up to the amount necessary to ensure such payments are not subject to the penalties and interest under Section 409A of the Code. Any payments described in this Agreement that qualify for the “short-term deferral” exception from Section 409A as described in the Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4) will be paid under such exception. The Executive’s right to receive any installment payments under this Agreement, including without limitation any continuation salary payments that are payable on Company payroll dates, shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate payments and, accordingly, each such installment payment shall at all times be considered a separate and distinct payment as permitted under Section 409A of the Code. In the event the Release Effective Date does not occur on or prior to the date that is thirty (30) days following the Executive’s date of termination, the Executive shall not be entitled to any of the payments provided under Section 6.1 (in the case of termination for Disability) or
6.3 (other than the Accrued Rights or the Accrued Bonus). Payment of the severance compensation that becomes payable hereunder shall commence on the Company’s first payroll date that is coincident with or immediately following the date that is thirty (30) days following the Executive’s separation from service (the “First Payment Date”), and the Executive shall receive any severance compensation that otherwise would have been paid prior to such First Payment Date absent the application of this Section 9 in a lump- sum payment on such First Payment Date. If additional guidance is issued under, or modifications are made to, Section 409A of the Code or any other law affecting payments to be made under this Agreement, the Executive agrees that the Company may take such reasonable actions and adopt such amendments as the Company believes are necessary to ensure continued compliance with the Code, including
Section 409A thereof. However, the Company does not hereby or otherwise represent or warrant that any payments hereunder are or will be in compliance with Section 409A, and the Executive shall be responsible for obtaining his own tax advice with regard to such matters.
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Section 6 above, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”), would be subject (in whole or in part) to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the “Excise Tax”), then the Total Payments shall be reduced (in the order provided in Section 11(b) below) to the minimum extent necessary to avoid the imposition of the Excise Tax on the Total Payments, but only if (i) the net amount of such Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of federal, state and local income and employment taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state and local income and employment taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of the Excise Tax to which Executive would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments).
rata basis of any cash severance payments that are exempt from Section 409A of the Code, (ii) reduction on a pro-rata basis of any non-cash severance payments or benefits that are exempt from Section 409A of the Code, (iii) reduction on a pro-rata basis of any other payments or benefits that are exempt from Section 409A of the Code, and (iv) reduction of any payments or benefits otherwise payable to Executive on a pro-rata basis or such other manner that complies with Section 409A of the Code; provided, in case of subclauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), that reduction of any payments attributable to the acceleration of vesting of Company equity awards shall be first applied to Company equity awards that would otherwise vest last in time.
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information provided to any such government agencies). Further, nothing herein will prevent the Executive from participating in activity permitted by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act or from filing an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB. Furthermore, in accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 1833, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement: (i) Executive shall not be in breach of this Agreement, and shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law (A) for the disclosure of a trade secret that is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official or to an attorney solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law, or (B) for the disclosure of a trade secret that is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal; and (ii) if Executive files a lawsuit for retaliation by the Company for reporting a suspected violation of law, Executive may disclose the trade secret to Executive’s attorney, and may use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if Executive files any document containing the trade secret under seal, and does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.
Any action or proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any right arising out of, this Agreement shall be settled exclusively by arbitration, conducted before a panel of three
(3) arbitrators in St. Louis, Missouri, in accordance with the National Rules for the Resolution of Employment Disputes of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. The arbitrators shall not have the authority to add to, detract from, or modify any provision hereof nor to award punitive damages to any injured party. The arbitrators shall have the authority to order back-pay, severance compensation, reimbursement of costs, including those incurred to enforce this Agreement, and interest thereon. A decision by a majority of the arbitration panel shall be final and binding. Judgment may be entered on the arbitrators’ award in any court having jurisdiction. Responsibility for bearing the cost of the arbitration shall be determined by the arbitrator and shall be proportional to the arbitrator’s decision on the merits. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company or the Executive shall be entitled to bring an action for equitable relief, including injunctive relief and specific performance in any court of competent jurisdiction.
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cessation of such employment, and inure to the benefit of the Executive’s administrators, executors, heirs and assigns, although the obligations of the Executive are personal and may be performed only by the Executive. The Company may assign this Agreement and its rights and interests, together with its obligations, hereunder (a) in connection with any sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets or business(es), whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise; (b) to any wholly owned subsidiary of the Company; or (c) as collateral to one or more lenders of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates. This Agreement shall also be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company and its subsidiaries, successors and assigns, and the rights of the Company hereunder are enforceable by its subsidiaries or affiliates, which are the intended third party beneficiaries hereof and no other third party beneficiary is so otherwise intended.
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[signature page follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
COMPANY:
Advantage Solutions Inc.
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| By: /s/ David Peacock |
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| Name: David Peacock |
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| Title: Chief Executive Officer |
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| EXECUTIVE |
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| By: /s/ Christopher Growe |
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| Name: Christopher Growe |
[Signature Page to Amended and Restated Employment Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
Form of General Release
SEPARATION AGREEMENT AND GENERAL RELEASE
This Separation Agreement and General. Release (the “Agreement”) is entered into by and between Christopher Growe (“Employee”), on the one hand, and Advantage Solutions Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), on the other hand.
WHEREAS, Company employed Employee pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated as March 31, 2023, as amended or otherwise modified from time to time (the “Employment Agreement”);
WHEREAS, Employee’s employment and all of Employee’s positions with Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates terminated effective [DATE] (the “Termination Date”);
WHEREAS, Employee seeks to obtain the payments and benefits provided under the Employment Agreement;
WHEREAS, Employee acknowledges that Employee has received all accrued wages, bonus, vacation/paid time-off and any other compensation due as of the Termination Date; provided, however, that Employee understands Employee may subsequently receive a separate check for reimbursement of reasonable business expenses in accordance with Company policies; and
WHEREAS, capitalized terms used, but not defined in this Agreement, shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Employment Agreement.
NOW THEREFORE, in an effort to put any and all disputes behind the parties, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties have agreed to settle finally and forever any and all claims between them of any nature whatsoever relating to, or arising from Employee’s employment by Company and/or the termination of that employment.
day revocation period referenced herein has expired and Employee has not revoked Employee’s assent to this Agreement, and shall thereafter be effective as of the date such revocation period terminates without exercise (the “Effective Date”). In the event the Effective Date does not occur within thirty (30) days following the Termination Date, the Executive shall not be eligible to receive any of the severance payments or benefits under the Employment Agreement.
earlier pursuant to the Employment Agreement, the Severance Pay shall be payable at the times set forth in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, the Employment Agreement.
tax dollars)) (“Severance Benefits”), to the extent permissible under the Company’s health insurance plans including, if permitted and still maintained by the Company and/or Benicomp (subject to applicable taxes and withholdings).
(ii) receipt by Company of notification that Employee has made the necessary election of benefits continuation under COBRA. Unless terminated earlier pursuant to the Employment Agreement or at the election of Employee, the Company will continue to pay Employee the monthly installment of the Severance Benefits for the Severance Period, so long as the Company receives notification that the Employee is continuing to pay the necessary premiums to the carrier or COBRA administrator.
(ii) the Restrictive Covenants; if applicable, Employee’s eligibility for the Severance Pay and Severance Benefits shall cease immediately. Moreover, from the date of the breach, the Company shall be entitled to recover payments in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) made to the Employee for Severance Pay under this Agreement.
Company (hereinafter referred to as “Employee’s Released Claims”), from the beginning of time up to and including the Effective Date, including without limitation, any claims, debts, obligations, and causes of action of any kind arising under any (i) contract including but not limited to the Employment Agreement and any bonus or other compensation plan, (ii) any common law (including but not limited to any tort claims) or (iii) any federal, state or local statutory law including, without limitation, any law which prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, race, national origin, veteran status, age, immigration or marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or on any other basis, including without limitation, those arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Older Workers’ Benefit Protection Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, any state or local wage and hour laws (to the fullest extent permitted by law), and/or any state or local laws which prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind, including, without limitation, the California Family Rights Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.
(vi) any right that may not be waived by private agreement.
“A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS THAT THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, AND THAT IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER THAT WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY.”
But for the obligations arising from this Agreement, having reviewed this provision, Employee nevertheless hereby voluntarily waives and relinquishes any and all rights or benefits Employee may have under section 1542, or any other statutory or non-statutory law of similar effect. Thus, Employee expressly acknowledges this Agreement is intended to and does include in its effect, without limitation, all claims Employee does not know or suspect to exist in Employee’s favor at the time of signing this Agreement, and that this Agreement extinguishes any such claims. Employee warrants that Employee has consulted counsel and/or has had the opportunity to consult with counsel about this Agreement and specifically about the waiver of section 1542 (or other state law of similar effect) and that Employee understands the section 1542 (or other state law of similar effect) waiver and freely and knowingly enters into this Agreement. Employee acknowledges that Employee may later discover facts different from or in addition to those Employee now knows or believes to be true regarding the matters released or described in this Agreement, and even so, Employee agrees that the releases contained in this Agreement shall remain effective in all respects notwithstanding any later discovery of any different or additional facts.
Section 2 hereof.
unless in writing signed by the parties to this Agreement. Other than these exceptions noted herein and the provisions of the Employment Agreement which survive termination by their express terms (including without limitation Section 12 and the Restrictive Covenants), Employee understands that all prior agreements between Employee and the Company are terminated and that neither Employee nor the Company has any continuing rights or obligations under any such agreement(s).
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| Name: Christopher Growe |
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