Trade Secrets. Company considers much of its Confidential Information to constitute trade secrets of Company (“Trade Secrets”) which have independent value, provide Company with a competitive advantage over its competitors who do not know the Trade Secrets, and are protected from unauthorized disclosure under applicable law. However, whether or not the Confidential Information constitutes Trade Secrets, Employee acknowledges and agrees that the Confidential Information is protected from unauthorized disclosure or use due to Employee’s covenants under this Agreement and Employee’s fiduciary duties as an employee of Company.

Confidential Information: “Confidential Information” includes (comprises) Trade Secrets, Proprietary Information, Company Records and Personnel Records.

Trade secrets and confidential information.

Please understand it is the policy of the Company not to solicit or accept proprietary information and / or trade secrets of other companies or third parties. If you have or have had access to trade secrets or other confidential, proprietary information from your former employer or another third party, the use of such information in performing your duties at the Company is prohibited. This may include, but is not limited to, confidential or proprietary information in the form of documents, magnetic media, software, customer lists, and business plans or strategies.

During the term of Employee’s employment, Employer agrees to provide, and to continue to provide Employee, on a daily, weekly, monthly and continual basis, access to, and the use of, its “Confidential Information and Trade Secrets” concerning A.M. Castle’s Business, and Employer’s employees, Customers and Customer Representatives, Suppliers and Supplier Representatives and Employer’s transactional histories with all of them, as well as information about the logistics, details, revenues and expenses of A.M. Castle’s Business, in order to allow Employee to perform Employee’s duties under this Agreement, and to develop or continue to solidify relationships with Customers, Customer Representatives, Suppliers and Supplier Representatives. Employee acknowledges that new and additional Confidential Information and Trade Secrets regarding each of these matters is developed by Employer as a part of its continuing operations, and Employer hereby agrees to provide Employee access to and use of all such new, additional and continuing Confidential Information and Trade Secrets, and Employee acknowledges that access to such new, additional and continuing Confidential Information and Trade Secrets is essential for Employee to be able to perform, and to continue to perform, Employee’s duties under this Agreement. In addition, Employer agrees to provide, and to continue to provide, training, education, direction and development to Employee with respect to all of Employer’s business methods, processes, procedures, software and information, including newly developed and newly discovered

The Company has taken reasonable steps to protect the rights of the Company in its confidential information and trade secrets that it wishes to protect or any trade secrets or confidential information of third parties provided to the Company.

Non-Compete Provisions. The following covenants are made by Employee in partial consideration of the Company’s employment of Employee as described herein (including, but not limited to, the substantial economic investment made by the Company in the employment, education and training of Employee and the compensation and other benefits afforded by the Company to the Employee), as well as the entrustment of customer relationships/goodwill, and the provision of access to the Company’s Trade Secrets and Confidential Information. Such covenants were material inducements to the Company in deciding to invest in Employee and giving Employee access to the Company’s Trade Secrets, Confidential Information, customer relationships and goodwill.

As used herein, the term “Confidential Information” shall include Trade Secrets any and all other confidential and/or proprietary information that does not rise to the level of Trade Secrets that was imparted, revealed and/or entrusted to Executive by JBSS in confidence. Confidential Information that is not Trade Secrets includes, but is not limited to, information regarding JBSS’s operations, marketing strategies, customer lists and prospects, procurement processes, product information regarding products under research and development, methods of doing business, accounting and legal information.

Employee shall exercise best efforts to ensure the continued confidentiality of all Trade Secrets and Confidential Information, and he shall immediately notify the Company of any unauthorized disclosure or use of any Trade Secrets or Confidential Information of which Employee becomes aware.

Restriction on Use of Confidential Information. Executive agrees that her use of Trade Secrets and other Confidential Information is subject to the following restrictions during the term of the Agreement and for an indefinite period thereafter so long as the Trade Secrets and other Confidential Information have not become generally known to the public.