Exhibit 10.10
Severance
Agreement
This Severance Agreement dated as of March 1,
2004 (the “Agreement”) is made by and between Horizon
Lines, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company, (together with
any successor thereto, the “Company”) and Robert S.
Zuckerman, (the “Executive”).
RECITALS
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A.
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It is the
desire of the Company to provide incentives to the Executive to
continue to perform his/her duties as an at will employee of the
Company during a time when the Company may be undergoing a
“Liquidity Event”, as defined herein.
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AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE,
in consideration of the foregoing
and of the respective covenants and agreements set forth below, the
Parties hereto agree as follows:
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a)
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“Affiliate” means, with respect to
any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with, such Person where
“control” shall have the meaning given such term under
Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
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b)
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“Annual
Base Salary” means the base salary of the Executive as shown
on the Company’s payroll records on the “Date of
Termination”, as defined herein, of the Executive.
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c)
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“Board” shall mean the Board of
Directors of the Company.
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d)
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The Company
shall have “Cause” to terminate the Executive’s
employment hereunder upon the occurrence of any one of the
following:
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i. the Board’s determination
that the Executive failed to substantially perform his/her
duties;
ii. the Board’s determination
that the Executive failed to carry out, or comply with, in any
material respect, any lawful and reasonable directive of the
Board;
iii. the Executive’s
conviction, plea of no contest, plea of nolo contendere, or
imposition of unadjudicated probation of any felony or crime
involving moral turpitude;
iv. the Executive’s unlawful
use (including being under the influence) or possession of illegal
drugs on the Company’s premises or while performing the
Executive’s duties and responsibilities; or
v. the Executive’s commission
of an act of fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation, willful
misconduct, or breach of fiduciary duty against the
Company.
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e)
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“Company” shall have the meaning set
forth in the preamble hereto.
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f)
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“Date of
Termination” shall mean the last day of the Executive’s
employment on the Company’s active payroll.
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g)
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“Executive” shall have the meaning
set forth in the preamble hereto.
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h)
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“Liquidity Event” shall mean the
first occurrence after the date of this agreement of the following:
consummation of the sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition
in one or a series of related transactions, of the equity
securities of the Company or its successor held by the Principal
Stockholder(s) in exchange for currency such that immediately
following such transaction (or transactions), (i) any Person and/or
its Affiliates, other than a Principal Stockholder, acquires more
than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Company or
(ii) the Principal Stockholders cease to hold at least 30% of the
outstanding voting securities of the Company and any Person and its
Affiliates (other than the Principal Stockholder(s)) holds more
voting securities of the Company than the Principal
Stockholders.
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i)
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“Person” means a corporation,
partnership, limited liability company, individual or other entity
capable under law of owning an interest in the Company.
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j)
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“Principal Stockholder(s)” means
Carlyle-Horizon Partners, L.P. or any of its Affiliates to which
(a) Carlyle-Horizon Partners, L.P. or any other Person transfers
common stock or (b) the Company issues common stock.
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If the Executive’s employment
is terminated by the Company for other than Cause within 24 months
following a Liquidity Event (as defined herein), the Company shall
pay the Executive the sum of (a) and (b) below.
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a)
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In accordance
with the Company’s regular payroll practice, the
Executive’s Annual Base Salary that the Executive would have
been entitled to receive if the Executive had continued his/her
employment hereunder for a period of one year following the Date of
Termination (the “Severance Payment”). This Severance
Payment shall be made in addition to any other payment due to the
Executive under a change in control agreement, severance agreement
or other similar such agreement maintained and sponsored by the
Company, provided that the sum of the Severance Payment and all
other severance payments (the “Total Severance
Payment”) does not exceed an amount equal to two years of
Annual Base Salary. To the extent that the Total Severance Payment
exceeds two years of Annual Base Salary, the Severance Payment
shall be reduced by such amount that is necessary in order for the
Total Severance Payment to equal two years of Annual Base
Salary.
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b)
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Provide the
Executive with continuation of any attendant medical benefits
during the severance period, to run concurrent with COBRA, at a
cost to the Executive equal to the cost paid by current employees
of the Company under the terms of the Company’s severance pay
plan.
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c)
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Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Executive’s receipt of the payments or benefits under
this Section 2 is conditioned upon the
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execution by the Executive of a
binding general waiver and release of claim in a form agreed upon
by the parties.
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3.
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Nondisclosure of Proprietary
Information .
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a)
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Except as
required by applicable law or the faithful performance of the
Executive’s duties, the Executive shall, in perpetuity,
maintain in confidence and shall not directly, indirectly or
otherwise, use, disseminate, disclose or publish, or use for
his/her benefit or the benefit of any person, firm, corporation or
other entity any confidential or proprietary information or trade
secrets of or relating to the Company, including, without
limitation, information with respect to the Company’s
operations, processes, products, inventions, business practices,
finances, principals, vendors, suppliers, customers, potential
customers, marketing methods, costs, prices, contractual
relationships, regulatory status, compensation paid to employees or
other terms of employment, or deliver to any person, firm,
corporation or other entity any document, record, notebook,
computer program or similar repository of or containing any such
confidential or proprietary information or trade secrets. The
parties hereby stipulate and agree that as between them the
foregoing matters are important, material and confidential
proprietary information and trade secrets and affect the successful
conduct of the businesses of the Company (and any successor or
assignee of the Company).
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b)
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Upon
termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company
for any reason, the Executive will promptly deliver to the Company
all correspondence, drawings, manuals, letters, notes, notebooks,
reports, programs, plans, proposals, financial documents, or any
other documents concerning the Company’s customers, business
plans, marketing strategies, products or processes.
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c)
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The Executive
may respond to a lawful and valid subpoena or other legal process
but shall give the Company the earliest possible notice thereof,
shall, as much in advance of the return date as possible, make
available to the Company and its counsel the documents and other
information sought and shall assist such counsel in resisting or
otherwise responding to such process.
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d)
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As used in this
Section 3 , the term “Company” shall include the
Company, its parent, related entities, and any of its direct or
indirect subsidiaries and affiliates.
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a)
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The Executive
shall not, at any time during the [24 month period] following the
Date of Termination directly or indirectly engage in, have any
equity interest in, or manage or operate any person, firm,
corporation, partnership or business (whether as director, officer,
employee, agent, representative, partner, security holder,
consultant or otherwise) that engages in any containerized shipping
business in the Jones Act trade which competes with any business of
the Company or any entity owned by the Company anywhere in the
world provided, however , that the Executive shall be
permitted to acquire a passive stock or equity interest in such a
business provided the stock or other equity interest acquired is
not more than five percent of the outstanding interest in such
business.
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