Employment Agreement between Southland Holdings, Inc. and Keith Bassano
Southland Holdings, Inc. and Keith Bassano have entered into an employment agreement effective May 9, 2025. Under this agreement, Mr. Bassano will serve as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, reporting to the President and CEO. The employment is at-will, meaning either party can end it at any time. Mr. Bassano will receive a base salary of $357,000 per year, with eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus and potential equity awards. The agreement also covers confidentiality, compliance with company policies, and the requirement to work primarily from the Pittsburgh, PA office.
Exhibit 10.2
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN
Southland Holdings, Inc. AND
Keith Bassano
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between Southland Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Employer”), and Keith Bassano (the “Employee”), effective as of May 9, 2025.
WHEREAS, the Employer desires to employ the Employee, and the Employee desires to accept such employment, on the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth;
WHEREAS, the Employer will provide to Employee, in the course and scope of Employee’s employment with the Employer and in the performance of Employee’s duties for the Employer, highly confidential, sensitive, and proprietary information, as well as intellectual property and trade secrets, belonging to the Employer, regarding, among other things, the Employer and its employees and contractors, methods and strategies of production and service, finances and other financial information, clients, customers, suppliers, vendors, business partners, and business plans and strategies and that such access will be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement;
WHEREAS, the Employee understands that execution of this Agreement is a condition precedent to commencing employment with the Employer, to being paid compensation by the Employer under this Agreement, and to receiving any Confidential Information (as defined herein) belonging to the Employer, as well as to receiving other valuable and specialized training; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows.
Section 1. Effectiveness. Employee’s employment with the Employer shall commence, and this Agreement shall become effective, on the Effective Date.
Section 2. Employment Agreement. On the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Employer agrees to employ Employee and Employee agrees to be employed by the Employer for the Employment Period set forth in Section 3 and in the position and with the duties set forth in Section 4. Terms used herein with initial capitalization not otherwise defined are defined in Section 26.
Section 3. At-Will Employment. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, including Section 9 below, Employee is employed on an at-will basis, meaning that either Employee or the Employer may terminate the employment relationship at any time for any reason, with or without notice. The Parties acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement will be interpreted or construed to alter this at-will employment relationship or to confer on the Employee any right with respect to continued employment by the Employer for any specified duration.
Section 4. Position and Duties.
(3) the Employer’s rules, regulations, policies and codes of ethics and/or conduct applicable to its employees generally and in effect from time to time, including any employee handbooks; and, (4) such rules, regulations, policies, codes of ethics and/or conduct, directions, and restrictions as the Employer may from time to time establish or approve for employees of the Employer, including any employee handbooks. The Parties acknowledge and agree that this Agreement governs their relationship to the extent there are any conflicts between this Agreement and any Employer rules, regulations, policies, plans, programs, procedures, codes of ethics and/or conduct, directions, instructions, orders, and restrictions, including any employee handbooks.
Section 5. Place of Performance. During Employee’s employment with the Employer, Employee shall be based at the Employer’s office in Pittsburgh, PA. Employee acknowledges and agrees that Employee’s duties may require Employee to engage in reasonable business travel from time to time during the course and scope of Employee’s employment with the Employer.
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Section 6. Compensation and Benefits.
(c) | Signing Bonus. Reserved. |
(e) | Founder Equity Sale Limitation. Reserved. |
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(f) | Perquisites. |
(3) | Reserved. |
(4) | Reserved. |
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(i) | Relocation. Reserved. |
Section 7. Expenses. During Employee’s employment with the Employer, Employee is eligible seek reimbursement for all reasonable and necessary business expenses incurred by Employee in the course and scope of Employee’s duties on Company’s behalf under this Agreement, provided that such expenses are consistent with the Company’s policies, plans, and procedures in effect from time to time with respect to the same. Employee agrees that any reimbursement for reasonable and necessary business expenses is subject to and must be properly and timely submitted in accordance with the Company’s policies, plans, and procedures with respect to reporting, documentation, and payment of such business expenses.
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Section 8. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement. The Employer and Employee acknowledge and agree that during Employee’s employment with the Employer, and the Employer will provide Employee with, and Employee may assist the Employer in developing, Confidential Information. Further, Employee will occupy a position of trust and confidence with respect to the Employer’s affairs and business and the affairs and business of its Affiliates, including the business relationships and goodwill of the Employer and its Affiliates. Employee agrees that the following obligations are necessary to preserve the confidential and proprietary nature of Confidential Information and to protect the Employer and its Affiliates against harmful solicitation of employees and customers, harmful competition and other actions by Employee that would result in serious adverse consequences for the Employer and any of its Affiliates:
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$500.00 is sufficient security for the pendency of the injunctive restraint or relief.
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Section 9. Termination of Employment.
(1) | Death. The Employee’s employment hereunder shall terminate upon Employee’s death; |
(2) | By the Employer. The Employer may terminate Employee’s employment with the Employer: |
B. | Cause. With or without Cause; and, |
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Section 10. Compensation Upon Termination.
(ii) all Accrued Benefits, if any, to which Employee is entitled as of the Date of Termination at the time such payments are due, and (iii) all outstanding equity awards held by Employee immediately prior to his termination shall immediately vest (with outstanding options remaining exercisable for the length of their remaining term). Except as set forth herein, the Employer shall have no further obligations to Employee under this Agreement upon Employees Disability.
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(h) | Section 409A. |
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Section 11. Indemnification. During the Employee’s employment with the Employer and thereafter, the Employer agrees to indemnify and hold Employee and Employee’s heirs and representatives harmless, to the maximum extent permitted by law, against any and all damages, costs, liabilities, losses and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) as a result of any claim or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative), or any threatened claim or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative), against Employee that arises out of or relates to Employee’s service as an officer, director or employee, as the case may be, of the Employer, or Employee’s service in any such capacity or similar capacity with an Affiliate of the Employer or other entity at the request of the Employer, both prior to and after the Effective Date, and to promptly advance to Employee or Employee’s heirs or representatives such expenses upon written request with appropriate documentation of such expense upon receipt of an undertaking by Employee or on Employee’s behalf to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that Employee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Employer. The Parties agree and acknowledge that this Section and the Company’s obligations hereunder apply only if and to the extent no other applicable insurance policy provides any coverage or other benefit to the Employee with respect to the claim or proceeding at issue. In that regard, during the Employee’s employment with the Employer and thereafter, the Employer also shall provide Employee with coverage under its current directors’ and officers’ liability policy to the same extent that it provides such coverage to its other Employee officers. If Employee has any knowledge of any actual or threatened action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, as to which Employee may request indemnity under this provision, Employee will give the Employer prompt written notice thereof. The Employer shall be entitled to assume the defense of any such proceeding and Employee will use reasonable efforts to cooperate with such defense. To the extent that Employee in good faith determines that there is an actual or potential conflict of interest between the Employer and Employee in connection with the defense of a proceeding, Employee shall so notify the Employer and shall be entitled to separate representation at the Employer’s expense by counsel selected by Employee (provided that the Employer may reasonably object to the selection of counsel within ten (10) business days after notification thereof) which counsel shall cooperate, and coordinate the defense, with the Employer’s counsel and minimize the expense of such separate representation to the extent consistent with Employee’s separate defense. This Section shall continue in effect after the termination of Employee’s employment or the termination of this Agreement.
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Section 12. Notices. All notices, demands, requests, or other communications which may be or are required to be given or made by any party to any other party pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be hand delivered, mailed by first-class registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, delivered by overnight air courier, or transmitted by facsimile transmission addressed as follows:
If to the Employer:
Southland Holdings, Inc. 1100 Kubota Dr.
Grapevine, TX 76051
Attention: Corporate Secretary and General Counsel
If to Employee:
Address last shown on the Employer’s Records
Each Party may designate by notice in writing a new address to which any notice, demand, request or communication may thereafter be so given, served or sent. Each notice, demand, request, or communication that shall be given or made in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given or made for all purposes at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the return receipt, the delivery receipt, confirmation of facsimile transmission or the affidavit of messenger being deemed conclusive but not exclusive evidence of such delivery) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation.
Section 13. Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any one or more provisions of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties respecting the employment of Employee and supersedes all prior agreements, there being no representations, warranties or commitments except as set forth herein, and the terms of any other agreements and/or Company policies in force with regard to Employee’s post-employment obligations (including any arbitration agreements, confidentiality or nondisclosure agreements, and other restrictive covenants).
Section 15. Survival. It is the express intention and agreement of the Parties hereto that the provisions of Section 8, Section 10, Section 11, Section 12, Section 14, Section 16, Section 17, Section 18, Section 20 and Section 24 hereof and this Section 15 shall survive the termination of employment of Employee. In addition, all obligations of the Employer to make payments to the Employee after Employee’s employment with the Employer ends hereunder shall survive any termination of this Agreement on the terms and conditions set forth herein.
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Section 16. Assignment. The rights and obligations of the parties to this Agreement shall not be assignable or delegable, except that (i) in the event of Employee’s death, the personal representative or legatees or distributees of Employee’s estate, as the case may be, shall have the right to receive any amount owing and unpaid to Employee hereunder and (ii) the rights and obligations of the Employer hereunder shall be assignable and delegable in connection with any subsequent merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of the assets or equity interests of the Employer or similar transaction involving the Employer or a successor corporation.
Section 17. Binding Effect. Subject to any provisions hereof restricting assignment, this Agreement shall be binding upon the Parties hereto and shall inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective heirs, devisees, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors and assigns.
Section 18. Amendment: Waiver. This Agreement shall not be amended, altered or modified except by an instrument in writing duly executed by the Party against whom enforcement is sought. Neither the waiver by either of the Parties hereto of a breach of or a default under any of the provisions of this Agreement, nor the failure of either of the Parties, on one or more occasions, to enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement or to exercise any right or privilege hereunder, shall thereafter be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach or default of a similar nature, or as a waiver of any such provisions, rights or privileges hereunder.
Section 19. Headings. Section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are inserted for convenience of reference only, shall not be deemed to be a part of this Agreement for any purpose, and shall not in any way define or affect the meaning, construction or scope of any of the provisions hereof.
Section 20. Governing Law; Venue. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions that could cause the applications of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Texas. The Parties irrevocably consent to and waive any objection or complaint to the personal jurisdiction of or venue in the state and federal courts located in Dallas County, Texas, for claims related to this Agreement and for any claim for injunctive or other equitable relief arising hereunder.
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Section 21. Representations Regarding Fair Competition. Employee represents, warrants and covenants to the Employer
that:
Section 22. No Reliance. No person has any authority to make any representation or promise for or on behalf of any Party not set forth in this Agreement. The Parties agree that, in executing this Agreement, they do not and have not relied on any document, representation or statement, whether written or oral, other than those specifically set forth or specifically referenced in this Agreement. Neither Party is relying upon a legal duty, even if one might exist, on the part of the other Party (or such Party’s employees, executives, managers, officers, agents, representatives, or attorneys) to disclose any information in connection with the execution of this Agreement or its preparation. The Parties expressly acknowledge and agree that no lack of information on the part of either Party is a ground for challenging this Agreement. The recitals to this Agreement are incorporated into and made a part of this Agreement for all purposes.
Section 23. Counterparts; Electronic Signature. The Parties may execute this Agreement in one or more counterparts, all of which together shall constitute but one agreement. Either Party may execute this Agreement by facsimile or electronic signature, and the other Parties are entitled to rely upon such facsimile or electronic signature as conclusive evidence that this Agreement has been duly executed by such Party.
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Section 24. Withholding. The Employer may withhold from any benefit payment under this Agreement all federal, state, city or other taxes as shall be required pursuant to any law or governmental regulation or ruling; provided that any withholding obligation arising in connection with the exercise of an equity holding or stock option or the transfer of equity or stock or other property shall be satisfied through withholding an appropriate number of shares of stock or appropriate amount of such other property.
Section 25. Attorneys’ Fees. Should a Party sue another Party in court for a breach of any provision of this Agreement, the prevailing Party, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, is entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs of court and other expenses of litigation, in addition to any other remedy.
Section 26. Definitions.
“Accrued Benefits” means (i) any compensation deferred by Employee prior to the Date of Termination and not paid by the Employer or otherwise specifically addressed by this Agreement; (ii) any amounts or benefits owing to Employee or to Employee’s beneficiaries under the then applicable benefit plans of the Employer; (iii) any amounts owing to Employee for reimbursement of expenses properly incurred by Employee prior to the Date of Termination and which are reimbursable in accordance with Section 7; and (iv) any other benefits or amounts due and owing to Employee under the terms of any plan, program or arrangement of the Employer.
“Affiliate” means any entity controlled by, in control of, or under common control with the Employer, including Employer’s parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions and departments, and any joint venture partners (if any).
“Cause” means: (i) Employee’s breach of any of Employee’s material obligations under any agreement with the Employer, including this Agreement and any other nondisclosure/confidentiality agreement; (ii) Employee’s failure or refusal to perform Employee’s duties or responsibilities for the Employer, consistent with this Agreement (other than as a result of Employee’s death / Disability); (iii) Employee’s willful violation of other Employer policies or procedures (including, without limitation, any anti- harassment, workplace violence, and EEO policies), and provided that a mere unsubstantiated accusation of harassment will not rise to the level of willful violation absent an investigation and substantiated of accusation; (iv) Employee’s conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, (x) a felony or (y) any crime which is, or could reasonably be expected to be, injurious or harmful to the Employer (except any traffic offenses); (v) Employee’s fraud, embezzlement, forgery, bribery, theft, dishonesty or other misconduct that is, or could reasonably be expected to be, injurious or harmful to the Employer; (vi) Employee’s unauthorized use, misappropriation, destruction or diversion of any tangible or intangible asset or property of the Employer’s (including, without limitation, your unauthorized use or disclosure of the Employer’s Confidential Information, trade secrets, or intellectual property); or (vii) Employee’s use of illegal drugs, or abuse of alcohol or prescription drugs, that substantially impairs Employee’s ability to perform Employee’s duties or responsibilities for the Employer; provided that, solely with respect clause (ii) above, Employee’s failure or refusal to perform Employee’s duties or responsibilities for the Employer, which is susceptible to cure, shall not be deemed “Cause” for termination for purposes of the amounts in Sections 10(d) and 10(e), unless the Employer first gives Employee written notice of its intention to terminate for “Cause” pursuant to clause (ii) and the grounds for such termination, and Employee fails or refuses to cure such Cause within thirty (30) business days following receipt of such notice. For purposes of this definition of “Cause,” no act or failure to act, on the part of Employee, shall be considered “willful” unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by Employee in bad faith or without reasonable belief that Employee’s action or omission was in the best interests of the Employer.
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“Change in Control” means (i) a merger of the Employer with another entity, a consolidation involving the Employer, or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Employer to another entity if, in any such case, the holders of equity securities or interests of the Employer (and their respective affiliates) immediately prior to such transaction or event do not beneficially own immediately after such transaction or event equity securities or interests of the resulting entity entitled to greater than 50% of the votes then eligible to be cast in the election of directors generally (or comparable governing body) of the resulting entity, (ii) the dissolution or liquidation of the Employer, (iii) when any person or entity, including a group as contemplated by Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, acquires or gains ownership or control (including, without limitation, power to vote) of more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Employer’s outstanding equity securities or interests, or (iv) as a result of or in connection with a contested election of the Employer’s board of directors, the persons who were members of the Employer’s board of directors immediately before such election shall cease to constitute a majority of the Employer’s board of directors after such election. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “resulting entity” in the context of a transaction or event that is a merger or consolidation shall mean the surviving entity unless the surviving entity is a subsidiary of another entity and the holders of common stock of the Employer receive capital stock of such other entity in such transaction or event, in which event the resulting entity shall be such other entity.
“Confidential Information” means information constituting trade secrets or proprietary information belonging to or regarding the Employer or any of its Affiliates or other confidential financial information, operating budgets, strategic plans or research or estimating methods, personnel data, customer and client contacts, projects or plans, or nonpublic information regarding the Employer or any of its Affiliates. Without limiting the foregoing, “Confidential Information” shall include, but shall not be limited to, any of the following information relating to the Employer: (i) information regarding the Employer’s business proposals; (ii) manner of the Employer’s operations, and methods of selling or pricing any products or services; (iii) the identity, contact information, preferences, requirements, and quality of persons or entities actually conducting or considering conducting business with the Employer, and any information in any form relating to such persons or entities and their relationship or dealings with the Employer, including the identities and contact information of any individuals associated with such persons or entities with decision making authority over such persons or entities; (iv) any intellectual property or trade secret of or concerning any business operation or any business relationship of the Employer; (v) computer databases, source code, software programs and information relating to the nature of the hardware or software and how said hardware or software are used in combination or alone; (vi) information concerning personnel, confidential financial information, customer or customer prospect information, information concerning customers, customer lists and data, methods and formulas for estimating costs and setting prices, engineering design standards, testing procedures, research results (such as marketing surveys, programming trials or product trials), cost data (such as billing, equipment and programming cost projection models), compensation information and models, business or marketing plans or strategies, deal or business terms, budgets, supplier and vendor names and contact information (as well as preferences, requirements, and quality), programming operations, product names, information on proposed acquisitions or dispositions, actual performance compared to budgeted performance, long-range plans, internal financial information (including but not limited to financial and operating results for certain offices, divisions, departments, and key market areas that are not disclosed to the public in such form), results of internal analyses, computer programs and programming information, techniques and designs, and trade secrets;
(vii) information concerning the Employer’s employees, officers, directors and shareholders (including contact information, salaries, wages, incentives, bonuses, incentives, and benefits, and quality); and (viii) any other information that is designated or marked “confidential,” “private,” “sensitive,” or similar labels. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “Employer” shall include the Employer and any and all of its Affiliates.
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“Date of Termination” means: (i) if Employee’s employment is terminated by Employee’s death, the date of Employee’s death;
(ii) if Employee’s employment is terminated because of Employee’s Disability pursuant to Section 9(a)(ii)(A), 30 days after Notice of Termination, provided that Employee shall not have returned to the performance of Employee’s duties on a full-time basis during such 30-day period; (iii) if Employee’s employment is terminated by the Employer pursuant to Section 9(a)(ii)(B) or by Employee pursuant to Section 9(a)(ii)(B), the date specified in the Notice of Termination; or (iv) if Employee’s employment is terminated during the Employment Period other than pursuant to Section 9(a), the date on which Notice of Termination is given.
“Good Reason” means the occurrence of any of the following without Employee’s prior written consent: (i) a reduction in Employee’s Base Salary of ten percent (10%) or more (other than an across-the-board reduction, in whatever amount or percentage, approved by the Employer that applies on similar terms to other Employees of similar management level); or (ii) a materially adverse change in Employee’s authority, duties, or responsibilities (other than an across-the-board change, in whatever form, approved by the Employer that applies on similar terms to other Employees of similar management-level); or (iii) Employee is required by Employer to conduct themselves in violation of applicable law, Company policies or procedures, or any ethical or professional standards applicable to Employee’s performance of their duties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in order to resign for Good Reason, Employee must (1) provide written notice to the Employer within thirty (30) days after the first occurrence of the event giving rise to Good Reason setting forth the basis for Employee’s resignation, (2) allow the Employer at least thirty (30) days, or in the case of item (iii) no later than the next applicable SEC deadline for disclosure or filing, from receipt of such written notice to cure such event or, if applicable, provide Employee with written evidence or documentation that the acts or events claimed to constitute Good Reason did not occur or otherwise do not constitute Good Reason as described in this Agreement, and (3) if such event is not reasonably cured within such period, resign not later than seven (7) days after the expiration of the cure period by a written notice which shall state that Employee is exercising the right to terminate for Good Reason.
“Pro Rata Bonus” means an amount equal to the product of (i) the Annual Bonus that would have been earned by Employee for the calendar year that includes the Date of Termination if his employment had not terminated and (ii) a fraction the numerator of which is the number of days that have elapsed as of the Date of Termination during the calendar year that includes the Date of Termination and the denominator of which is 365.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have duly executed and delivered this Agreement, or have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered on their behalf, with all Parties knowingly, voluntarily entering this Agreement with the specific intent to be bound by the same.
SOUTHLAND HOLDINGS, INC.
By:/s/ Frank Renda g
Name:Frank Renda
Title: Chief Executive Officer
EMPLOYEE
By:/s/ Keith Bassano g
Name:Keith Bassano
[Signature Page to Employment Agreement]
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