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Exhibit 10.4
SEVERANCE AND NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT
THIS SEVERANCE AND NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT, dated as of July 25, 2008 (the Agreement), is by and between Quixote Corporation, a Delaware corporation having its principal offices at 35 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601 (Quixote), and Leslie J. Jezuit, an Executive of the Company (Executive).
WHEREAS, the Executive is a key employee of Quixote who possesses valuable proprietary knowledge of Quixote, its business and operations and the markets in which Quixote competes; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of Quixote (the Board) has recognized and continues to recognize that the Executives contribution to the growth and success of Quixote has been, and is expected to continue to be, substantial and desires to assure Quixote of the Executives continued employment by assuring him of fair treatment if that relationship is terminated; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, the mutual covenants and conditions contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1.
Certain Defined
Terms.
(a)
Good Reason. Good Reason shall mean
either of the events described in (i) and (ii) of this subsection
1(a) occurring without the Executives written consent. The
Executives termination of employment hereunder shall not be treated as a
termination for Good Reason unless (1) the Executive provides notice to
Quixote of the existence of the Good Reason no later than sixty (60) days after
the occurrence of the event which forms the basis for any termination for Good
Reason, and (2) Quixote fails to remedy the Good Reason within thirty (30)
days after receipt of notice from the Executive of the existence of the Good
Reason (the Cure Period), and (3) the Executive tenders his resignation
in writing to Quixote within fifteen (15) days after end of the Cure Period:
(i)
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the Executives base compensation and fringe benefits are
reduced, in the aggregate, by 20% or more; or
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(ii)
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Quixote fails to obtain the assumption of the obligation
to perform this Agreement by any successor as contemplated in Section 12
hereof.
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(b)
Cause. Quixote shall have Cause
to terminate the Executives employment upon:
(i)
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the willful failure by the Executive to substantially
perform his duties, other than when such failure resulting from the
Executives incapacity is due to physical or mental illness;
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(ii)
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the willful engaging by the Executive in gross misconduct
materially and demonstrably injurious to Quixote or its subsidiaries; or
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(iii)
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the commission by the Executive of a crime which is a
felony.
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For the purpose of this subsection (b), no act, or the
failure to act, on the Executives part shall be considered willful unless
done, or omitted to be done, by him not in good faith and without reasonable
belief that his action or omission was in the best interest of Quixote or its
subsidiaries.
(c)
Disability. An Executives Disability
shall occur if the Executive is absent from his duties as an Executive of
Quixote on a full-time basis for six (6) consecutive months and if he
qualifies for long-term disability under Quixotes long-term disability
insurance plan.
(d)
Salary Continuation
Period. The
Salary Continuation Period shall mean one (1) year from the date of a
Termination of the Executive.
2.
Termination.
(a)
Termination of
Employment.
If the Executives employment (x) is terminated for Good Reason, or
(y) is terminated for a reason other than death, Disability, Cause or
voluntary resignation not constituting a Good Reason, (a Good Reason
termination or termination for a reason other than death, Disability, Cause or
voluntary resignation not constituting a Good Reason is referred to herein as a
Termination), the Executive will be entitled to receive:
(i)
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His full base salary through the date of Termination at
the rate in effect at the time Termination occurs;
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(ii)
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Any reimbursable expenses which have been incurred but
are unpaid;
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(iii)
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Payment for any unexpired vacation days which have
accrued but are unused; and
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(iv)
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Subject to Section 7(f), payment of the Executives
base salary, plus COBRA reimbursement and auto allowance for the Salary
Continuation Period which shall be paid in a lump sum (the Separation
Benefit).
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(b)
Release Agreement. Prior to Executive
obtaining the right to receive, and in exchange for, the Separation Benefit
provided in Section 2(a)(iv), above, Executive will first enter into and
execute, and deliver to Quixote, a Release Agreement substantially in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit A (the Release) upon Executives
Termination of employment. Unless the Release is executed by Executive
and delivered to Quixote within the time period set
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forth in Paragraph 15 of the Release, Executive will not
receive the payments provided in Section 2(a)(iv) above.
(c)
Termination of
Severance and Non-Competition Agreement. This Severance and Non-Competition Agreement shall
terminate on the tenth anniversary of this Agreement if the employment of
Executive has not been terminated prior to that date.
3.
Withholding Taxes;
Code Section 409A. All payments made under this Agreement shall be subject to
reduction to reflect all federal, state, local and other taxes required to be
withheld by applicable law. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in Section 2, if any payment to the Executive under
Section 2 would constitute a deferral of compensation under
Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
Code), (such compensation does not, for example, qualify for the short-term
deferral exception under Section 409A of the Code) and the Executive is a
specified employee (as such phrase is defined in Section 409A of the Code),
the Executive (or the Executives beneficiary) will receive payment of such
amounts described in this Section 3 which would otherwise be payable
hereunder during the first six (6) months following the Executives
separation from service with Quixote (as such phrase is defined in
Section 409A of the Code) upon the first to occur of: (i) the
date which is first date of the seventh month after the effective date of the
Executives separation from service, or (ii) the date of the Executives
death; provided however, Quixote shall immediately upon Termination pay such
amounts described in this Section 3 into a domestic rabbi trust to be held by
a mutually-acceptable bank or other third party until the Executive is entitled
to receive such payments.
4.
Mitigation. The Executive shall not be
required to mitigate the amount of any payment provided for in this Agreement
by seeking other employment or otherwise, nor shall the amount of any payment
provided for in this Agreement be reduced by any compensation earned by the
Executive as a result of employment by another employer after the date of
Termination, or otherwise.
5.
At-Will Employment. Notwithstanding this
Agreement, Executives relationship with Quixote continues to be an at-will
employment relationship. Quixote or Executive has the right to terminate
Executives employment with Quixote at any time with or without Cause and with
or without notice. Nothing in this Agreement confers upon the Executive
any right to continue in the employ of Quixote, or in any way limits the rights
of Quixote, except as expressly stated herein, to discharge the Executive at
any time for any reason whatsoever, with or without cause.
6.
Confidential
Information.
The Executive shall at all times hold in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit
of Quixote all secret, confidential or proprietary information, knowledge or
data relating to Quixote and its respective businesses, which shall have been
obtained by the Executive during the Executives employment by Quixote and
which shall not be or become public knowledge including, but not limited to,
information regarding the technology, proprietary methodologies and products,
software, other trade secrets, clients, suppliers, customers, consultants and
agents of Quixote (the Confidential Information). During the
Executives employment with Quixote and after Termination of such employment at
any time or for any reason, and regardless of whether any payments are made to
the Executive under this Agreement as a result of such termination, the
Executive shall not, without the prior written consent of
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Quixote or as may otherwise be required by law or legal
process, communicate or divulge any Confidential Information to any person
other than Quixote and those designated by it or use any Confidential
Information except for the benefit of Quixote. Immediately upon
Termination of the Executives employment with Quixote at any time or for any
reason, the Executive shall return to Quixote all Confidential Information,
including, but not limited to, any and all copies, reproductions, notes or
extracts of Confidential Information. The terms of this Section 6
shall be in addition to, and not a replacement of, the provisions of any
Executive confidentiality or inventions agreement with Executive.
7.
Non-Competition.
(a)
Solicitation of
Employees.
During the Executives employment with Quixote and for a period of twelve (12)
months after termination of such employment at any time and for any reason, and
regardless of whether any payments are made to the Executive under this
Agreement as a result of such Termination, the Executive shall not solicit,
participate in or promote the solicitation of any person who was employed by
Quixote at the time of the Executives Termination of employment with Quixote
to leave the employ of Quixote or its subsidiaries, or, on behalf of himself or
any other person, hire, employ or engage any such person; provided however that
the foregoing restriction shall not prohibit Executive or a firm with which he
is employed or affiliated from (i) publishing and receiving responses to a
general solicitation for employment in a general circulation newspaper,
magazine, website or similar medium, or (ii) hiring a former employee of
Quixote who has not been employed by Quixote or its subsidiaries for a period
of at least six (6) months. The Executive further agrees that,
during such twelve (12) month period, if a current employee of Quixote contacts
the Executive about prospective employment, the Executive will inform such
employee that he cannot discuss the matter further without informing Quixote.
(b)
Covenants During
Employment.
During the Executives employment, the Executive will not compete with Quixote
anywhere that Quixote conducts its business. In accordance with this
restriction, but without limiting its terms, during the Executives employment,
the Executive will not:
(i)
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Enter into or engage in any business which competes with
the business of Quixote or its subsidiaries;
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(ii)
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Solicit customers, business, patronage or orders for, or
sell, any products and services in competition with, or for any business that
competes with, the business of Quixote or its subsidiaries;
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(iii)
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Divert, entice or otherwise take away any customers,
business, patronage or orders of Quixote or its subsidiaries or attempt to do
so; or
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