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展览10.23
2024年9月26日
Niko Lahanas
1029 Pebble Beach德里
Clayton, CA 94517
尼科，您好，
我很高兴向您提供Central Garden & Pet Company（Central）首席执行官（“CEO”）职位，生效日期为2024年9月29日。
请查看以下关于您的聘用细节。作为CEO，您将向Central的董事会（“董事会”）汇报。在您担任CEO期间，您还将被任命为董事会成员。
请查阅以下内容，如果您接受此聘请条件，请签署、日期并将此信函退回给我。
1.全职履行职责在您的聘用期间，您将履行首席执行官的职责和责任，并根据董事会的指示执行。除了因病、合理休假期间和合理休假除外，您同意在受雇期间将几乎所有的业务时间、注意力、技能和精力致力于忠实和忠诚地履行职责，并且不得从事其他任何业务活动、职责或追求，或向任何其他个人或组织提供任何业务、商业或专业性质的服务，无论是否获得报酬，均需获得Central的事先书面同意。但是，如果这些活动不会对您作为CEO所需要的服务产生实质性影响，那么可用合理的时间用于教育、慈善或专业活动，且这些活动不会给您带来Central的额外报酬，则是可以允许的。
2.薪酬 您的基本工资将增加到每年$900,000，扣除适用的税款和扣除项，基于正常的全年全职年份。
您有资格参与Central公司管理激励计划，企业部门，在2025财政年度开始，目标比率为您年度基本工资的100%。您的奖金根据您个人和Central公司在适用财政年度的表现而定，并在隔年3月15日之前以一次性总额支付。要有资格获得年度奖金，您必须在奖金发放日仍在Central公司内工作且处于良好状态。奖金在支付时获得。
您有资格参与公司的长期激励计划，您的目标年度股权授予为$1,000,000。当股权授予以限制性股份或绩效股份单位形式授予时，实际股份数量由股票授予的金额与授予日期收市时公司股价（CENTA）相除确定。股权授予金额不保证，并将基于您个人和Central公司的表现，由董事会全权酌情决定。股权授予通常于每年2月授予。
授予的股权数量不在股票市场交易当中。
您现有的健康福利和养老福利将保持不变。
3.公司股票。 在担任CEO期间，您同意持有Central公司价值不低于您年度基本工资的四倍的股本。您持有的限制性股份将纳入您拥有的Central公司股本价值中，无论此类限制性股份是否已解除限制。您无需购买额外股票来达到此持股要求；但前提是，您同意在满足持股要求之前不卖出任何股票，除非有必要支付与股权奖励解除限制相关的税款。
4.第409A条。 For purposes of Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, the regulations and other guidance thereunder and any state law of similar effect (collectively “Section 409A”), each payment that is paid pursuant to this letter is hereby designated as a separate payment. The parties intend that all payments made or to be made under this letter comply with, or are exempt from, the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the payments will be subject to the adverse tax penalties imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply or be so exempt. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any payments in connection with your separation from service do not qualify for any reason to be exempt from Section 409A and you are, at the time of your separation from service, a “specified employee,” as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(i) (持受益所有权是根据SEC规则确定的。该信息并不一定表明任何其他目的的所有权。按照这些规则，在2023年5月12日后60天内（即通过任何期权或认股权的行使获得的股票），被认为是持有受益权并对计算该持有人拥有的股数和受益的股数所生效。, you are a “key employee” of a publicly traded company), each such payment will not be made until the first regularly scheduled payroll date of the 7th month after your separation from service and, on such date (or, if earlier, the date of your death), you will receive all payments that would have been paid during such period in a single lump sum.
5.EMPLOYMENt STATUS. Your employment with Central remains “at will” in that it can be terminated with or without cause, and with or without notice, at any time at the option of either Central or yourself, except as otherwise detailed below. The terms of this offer letter, therefore, do not and are not intended to alter the at-will nature of the relationship.
6.TERMINATION IN THE EVENt OF INCAPACITY OR DEATH. If you become physically or mentally disabled or incapacitated such that it is the reasonable, good faith opinion of Central that you are unable to perform the services required as CEO with or without reasonable accommodation, then after four (4) months of continuous physical or mental disability, your employment will be terminated. During the four (4) month period, you will be entitled to the continuation of your compensation; however, such continued payments by Central shall be integrated with any disability, workers’ compensation, or other insurance payments received, such that the total amount does not exceed the compensation as provided by this letter. For purposes of this paragraph, physical or mental disability does not include any disability arising from
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当前是否饮酒或服用药物或涉及相关问题。如果您因能力或死亡而被解雇，所有先前授予的期权和受限制的股票将根据其条款继续分配，在雇佣终止后的一年内（之后将停止进一步分配），对于期权，则保持可行使直至每个期权的到期日。
真诚地,
威廉·E·布朗
William E. Brown
董事会主席
接受：
/s/ Niko Lahanas 9//26/24
______________________ _______________
Niko Lahanas 日期
抄送： 伯特·斯普林格
詹斯·麦卡锡
罗伯特·博伊斯
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