CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ohio-based Ancora Holdings Group, LLC (collectively with its affiliates, Ancora or we), which owns a large equity stake in Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NYSE:NSC) (Norfolk Southern or the Company), today announced that its proposed CEO and director candidate Jim Barber, proposed COO Jamie Boychuk and director candidate Sameh Fahmy will be participating in a fireside chat with Deutsche Bank's Transportation and Shipping markets analyst Amit Mehrotra on Monday, April 15 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.
To join in the upcoming virtual discussion, contact your Deutsche Bank representative or Mr. Mehrotra directly at amit.mehrotra@db.com. For information on how to vote for Ancora's slate of seven highly qualified director candidates on the BLUE Proxy Card, visit www.MoveNSCForward.com.
Jim Barber, Jr. (Proposed CEO, Director Candidate)
Mr. Barber is a shipping and logistics industry veteran with experience in finance, strategic planning and risk management at one of the country's largest railroad customers.
- Previously spent 35 years at United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: NYSE:UPS), most recently serving as COO and President from 2018 to 2020.
- Previously held leadership roles in UPS' domestic and international business units as well as in supply chain solutions, including both Global Freight Forwarding and Coyote Logistics.
- Member of the boards of directors of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: NASDAQ:CHRW), where he serves on the Audit Committee, and U.S. Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD), where he serves on the Compensation and Human Capital Committee.
- Audit Committee Financial Expert, as defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Jamie Boychuk (Proposed COO)
Mr. Boychuk is a lifelong railroader with the safety record and scheduled railroading acumen needed to help turn around Norfolk Southern.
- Previously served as Executive Vice President of Operations at CSX Corporation (Nasdaq: NASDAQ:CSX), where he led a variety of operational initiatives during a period in which the railroad improved performance across all operating metrics and unlocked significant value for shareholders.
- Mr. Boychuk, who worked directly with industry legend Hunter Harrison, also helped CSX amass a strong safety record and reduce burdens on rail workers.
- Upon his departure from CSX in 2023, the company publicly thanked Mr. Boychuk for his role in the implementation of scheduled railroading.
- Previously, Mr. Boychuk spent nearly two decades at Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) (NYSE: CN), where he held operations roles of increasing responsibility and seniority.
Sameh Fahmy (Director Candidate)
Mr. Fahmy is a former Class I railroad and transportation industry executive with safety, supply management, financial, engineering and mechanical experience.
- Former EVP of precision scheduled railroading at Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU), where he led the implementation of KCS' precision scheduled railroading methodology, Optimization Consultant at CSX, where he helped improve CSX's mechanical and engineering departments, and SVP at Canadian National Railway, where he oversaw the mechanical and engineering functions, improving their safety record, reducing expenses and train delays, increasing freight car and locomotive availability and leading a four-year fuel efficiency drive.
- Previously worked at the Association of American Railroads and Amtrak.
- Previously served on the board of directors at Rumo Railway (BVMF: RAIL3), where he chaired the Operations Committee.
- Chartered Professional Accountant.
About Ancora
Founded in 2003, Ancora Holdings Group, LLC offers integrated investment advisory, wealth management, retirement plan services and insurance solutions to individuals and institutions across the United States. The firm is a long-term supporter of union labor and has a history of working with union groups and public pension plans to deliver long-term value. Ancora's comprehensive service offering is complemented by a dedicated team that has the breadth of expertise and operational structure of a global institution, with the responsiveness and flexibility of a boutique firm. For more information about Ancora, please visit https://ancora.net.
Advisors
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is serving as legal advisor, with Longacre Square Partners LLC serving as communications and strategy advisor and D.F. King & Co., Inc. serving as proxy solicitor.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information herein contains forward-looking statements. Specific forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and include, without limitation, words such as may, will, expects, intends, believes, anticipates, plans, estimates, projects, potential, targets, forecasts, seeks, could, should or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. Similarly, statements that describe our objectives, plans or goals are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements or those of the industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Norfolk Southern Corporation, a Virginia corporation (Norfolk Southern), has also identified additional risks relating to its business in its public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Ancora Alternatives LLC (Ancora Alternatives), and as applicable the other participants in the proxy solicitation, have based these forward-looking statements on current expectations, assumptions, estimates, beliefs, and projections. While Ancora Alternatives and the other participants, as applicable, believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the participants' control. There can be no assurance that any idea or assumption herein is, or will be proven, correct. If one or more of the risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions of Ancora Alternatives or any of the other participants described herein prove to be incorrect, the actual results may vary materially from outcomes indicated by these statements. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Ancora Alternatives that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated will ever be achieved. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and actual results may vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by applicable law, neither Ancora Alternatives nor any participant will undertake and specifically declines any obligation to disclose the results of any revisions that may be made to any projected results or forward-looking statements herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such projected results or statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
Certain statements and information included herein have been sourced from third parties. Ancora Alternatives does not make any representations regarding the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of such third party statements or information. Except as may be expressly set forth herein, permission to cite such statements or information has neither been sought nor obtained from such third parties. Any such statements or information should not be viewed as an indication of support from such third parties for the views expressed herein.
CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS
The participants in the proxy solicitation are Ancora Catalyst Institutional, LP (Ancora Catalyst Institutional), Ancora Merlin Institutional, LP, (Ancora Merlin Institutional), Ancora Merlin, LP (Ancora Merlin), Ancora Catalyst, LP (Ancora Catalyst), Ancora Bellator Fund, LP (Ancora Bellator), Ancora Impact Fund LP Series AA (Ancora Impact AA) and Ancora Impact Fund LP Series BB (Ancora Impact BB) (each of which is a series fund within Ancora Impact Fund LP) (Ancora Catalyst Institutional, Ancora Merlin Institutional, Ancora Merlin, Ancora Catalyst, Ancora Bellator, Ancora Impact AA and Ancora Impact BB, collectively, the Ancora Funds), Ancora Advisors, LLC (Ancora Advisors), The Ancora Group LLC (Ancora Group), Ancora Family Wealth Advisors, LLC (Ancora Family Wealth), Inverness Holdings LLC (Inverness Holdings), Ancora Alternatives, Ancora Holdings Group, LLC (Ancora Holdings) and Frederick DiSanto (collectively, the Ancora Parties); and Betsy Atkins, James Barber, Jr., William Clyburn, Jr., Sameh Fahmy, John Kasich, Gilbert Lamphere and Allison Landry (the Ancora Nominees and, collectively with the Ancora Parties, the Participants).
Ancora Alternatives and the other Participants have filed a definitive proxy statement and accompanying BLUE proxy card (the Definitive Proxy Statement) with the SEC on March 26, 2024 to be used to solicit proxies for, among other matters, the election of its slate of director nominees at the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders of Norfolk Southern.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT
ANCORA ALTERNATIVES STRONGLY ADVISES ALL SHAREHOLDERS OF NORFOLK SOUTHERN TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO SUCH DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS FILED BY ANCORA ALTERNATIVES AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC'S WEBSITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV AND AT ANCORA ALTERNATIVE'S WEBSITE AT WWW.MOVENSCFORWARD.COM. THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ACCOMPANYING PROXY CARD WILL BE FURNISHED TO SOME OR ALL OF THE COMPANY'S SHAREHOLDERS. SHAREHOLDERS MAY ALSO DIRECT A REQUEST TO THE PARTICIPANTS' PROXY SOLICITOR, D.F. KING & CO., INC., 48 WALL STREET, 22ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10005 (SHAREHOLDERS CAN CALL TOLL-FREE: +1 (866) 227-7300).
Information about the Participants and a description of their direct or indirect interests by security holdings or otherwise can be found in the Definitive Proxy Statement.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240412217022/en/
Longacre Square Partners
Charlotte Kiaie / Joe Germani, 646-386-0091
MoveNSCForward@longacresquare.com
D.F. King & Co., Inc.
Edward McCarthy
212-229-2634
MoveNSCForward@dfking.com
Source: Ancora Holdings Group, LLC