hereunder), nor use or appropriate to his own personal use or benefit or permit any third party, firm, or other person to use or benefit from, any information of any kind or character related in any manner to Employer or its affiliates or subsidiaries, including without limitation information with respect to it or their financial condition, products, businesses, operations, plans, employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, or prospective employees, customers, suppliers, or vendors, whether or not acquired, learned, obtained, or developed by Employee alone or in conjunction with others (“Confidential Information”). Upon the termination of his employment under this Agreement for any reason, Employee shall promptly return to Employer all papers, documents, films, blueprints, drawings, magnetic tapes, diskettes, drives, and other storage media (of any kind) in his possession either containing or reflecting Confidential Information, or otherwise relating to Employer or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries, and shall not retain copies thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective August 1, 2024, Employer and Employee understand, agree, and acknowledge that nothing in this Agreement prohibits or in any way restricts Employee, without notice to or approval of Employer, from providing information to or reporting violations of any law or regulation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental agency or entity.
6.Covenant Not To Compete; No Raid or Solicitation.
(a)Employee agrees that, without the prior written consent of Employer, he shall not, during his employment under this Agreement, and for one (1) year following Employee’s termination of his employment pursuant to subsection 2(b) other than within six (6) months after a Change in Control, for six (6) months following the expiration of the Employment Term as a result of Employee’s notice of non-renewal given pursuant to subsection 2(a), for six (6) months following Employer’s termination of Employee’s employment pursuant to subsection 2(c) for Cause, for three (3) months following Employee’s termination of his employment pursuant to subsection 2(b) within six (6) months after a Change in Control, and for three (3) months following Employer’s termination of Employee’s employment pursuant to subsection 2 (c) without Cause (collectively, the “Noncompetition Period”), engage or participate, directly or indirectly, whether as an owner, partner, limited partner, member, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant, or representative, in any business or other enterprise competing, directly or indirectly, with Employer or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries, whether now existing or hereafter created or acquired (all the foregoing being collectively referred to herein as the “Companies”), within the Noncompetition Areas (as defined below). A business or other enterprise shall be deemed to be “competing” with the Companies if, within any Noncompetition Area, it conducts (1) any line of business which the Companies, or any of them, then conducts or has conducted within such Noncompetition Area at any time within the one (1) year preceding the date of termination of Employee’s employment; and (2) any line of business which the Companies, or any of them, plans, prior to the date of termination of Employee’s employment, to enter within such Noncompetition Area by the end of the one (1) year period following the termination of Employee’s employment. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Noncompetition Areas” shall mean all of those geographic areas where the Companies, or any of them, is then doing business or competing for business at the date of termination of Employee’s employment for any reason. For purposes of this subsection 6(a), a business enterprise shall be deemed to be conducting “business” within the Noncompetition Areas if it maintains manufacturing, production, mining, quarrying, sales, or distribution facilities within the Noncompetition Areas, or solicits or services customers located within such Noncompetition Areas. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this subsection 6(a), the described restrictions on Employee’s activities shall not be deemed to include Employee’s direct or indirect beneficial ownership of any equity securities in a publicly traded business or other entity, which securities do not constitute more than two percent (2%) of the relevant class of equity security issued and outstanding or give Employee “control” (as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) of such entity.
(b)During the Noncompetition Period, Employee shall also not, either alone or with or on behalf of any third party, firm, or other person, solicit, induce, or influence any third party, firm, or other person to: (1) solicit, divert, take away, or induce customers (wherever located) of any of the Companies to avail themselves of the services or products of others which are competitive with those of any of the Companies, or sell or furnish or seek to sell or furnish such services or products to such customers; or (2) solicit, divert, take away, or induce any employee of any of the Companies to leave the employ of the Companies, or hire or employ or seek to hire or employ any person who, at any time within six (6) months preceding such action, was an employee of any of the Companies. For purposes of this subsection 6(b), the term “customers” shall include any and all individuals, business organizations and entities, and governmental agencies, no matter how organized and regardless of whether they are organized for profit or not, with which any of the Companies has or had agreements, contracts, or