Windstream 2011 Annual Report Download - page 36

(6) Shares vested ratably in annual one-third (1/3) increments over the three-year period ending February 15,
2012.
(7) Shares vest ratably in annual one-third (1/3) increments over the three-year period ending February 15,
2013.
(8) Shares vest ratably in annual one-third (1/3) increments over the three-year period ending February 15,
2014.
(9) Shares vest in full on August 15, 2013.
(10) Shares vest in full on February 15, 2014.
The following table shows information regarding the exercise or vesting of equity-based awards of
Windstream during 2011 by the individuals named below.
OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
Name
Stock Awards (1)
Number of Shares
Acquired on Vesting
(#)
Value Realized
on Vesting
($) (2)
Jeffery R. Gardner 363,685 4,815,189
Anthony W. Thomas 33,346 441,501
Brent Whittington 90,920 1,203,781
John P. Fletcher 62,230 823,925
Cynthia B. Nash 29,236 387,085
(1) Windstream does not grant stock options and had no exercises for executive officers in 2011.
(2) Shares vested on February 15, 2011 with a closing price of $13.24.
Pension Benefits
The following is a brief summary of the material terms of the retirement plans maintained by
Windstream.
Windstream Pension Plan. Windstream maintains the Windstream Pension Plan (“Pension Plan”),
which is a tax-qualified defined benefit plan. The Pension Plan generally covers salaried and non-salaried
employees of Windstream and those subsidiary companies that have adopted the Pension Plan. Accruals are
frozen for non-bargaining employees. No named executive officers are eligible for continuing accruals under the
Pension Plan as of the end of 2011.
The Pension Plan’s accrued benefit is payable in the form of a monthly life annuity following normal
retirement at age 65 (or, if later, at five years of service or at the fifth anniversary of participation). The accrued
benefit is also payable in a monthly life annuity following early retirement at or after age 55 with at least 20
years of service (with reduction in the life annuity of 0.25% for each month that commencement precedes age
60) or at or after age 60 with 15 years of service (with reduction in the life annuity of 0.25% for each month that
commencement precedes age 65 for a participant whose benefit commences before age 62). As of the end of
2011, no named executive officers satisfied the foregoing age and service requirements to commence receipt of
an early retirement benefit under the Pension Plan.
For deferred vested participants (i.e. those who terminate employment before early retirement), the
accrued benefit is payable in a monthly life annuity beginning at normal retirement age. If a deferred vested
participant has 15 years of service, the accrued benefit is also payable in a monthly life annuity beginning as
early as age 60 (with reduction in the life annuity of 0.50% for each month commencement precedes age 65),
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