We believe the Nominees present a breadth and depth of relevant operational, financial, and public company board experience that will provide a fresh perspective to board deliberations and will enhance the ability of J. Alexander’s to address what we believe is chronic under-performance as compared to those companies that we view as peers. We also note that, if elected, our Nominees would constitute a minority of the Board and would not be able to accomplish these goals without the support of additional members of the Board. If elected, the Nominees plan to, consistent with their fiduciary duties:
● | Review the operations of the Company with an eye toward maximizing shareholder value, by advocating for (i) an examination of Company’s operating performance and guest counts relative to other casual dining chains,(ii) an examination of the Company’s capital allocation policies, (iii) a thorough review of the Company’s financial statements and operating data for potential opportunities for improvement; |
● | Assist the Company in the formulation of a strategic operating plan that will contain actionable benchmarks to which management can be held accountable; |
● | Critically evaluate the Company’s compensation practices with a view to more closely aligning pay with performance; |
● | Examine the Company’s change of control and severance arrangements; |
● | Advocate for stock ownership guidelines for directors and officers; |
● | Advocate for Board nominees to be vetted by an independent nominating committee and determined to be free from conflicting relationships; |
● | Advocate for the appointment of an independent Chairman of the Board to be determined by the independent members of the Board; |
● | Advocate for meaningful succession planning; and |
● | Advocate that the poison pill be submitted for shareholder consideration at the next meeting of shareholders. |
We have no current plans to seek other changes to the composition of the Board other than the election of our Nominees and the potential appointment of Mr. Stout to fill a newly created vacancy on the Board in the event that he is not re-elected at the Annual Meeting and our Nominees are elected.
PROPOSAL NO. 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
There are currently [four] members of the Board, each of whose terms expire at the Annual Meeting. For the reasons stated above, we are seeking your support at the Annual Meeting to elect our [two] Nominees. Your vote to elect the Nominees will have the legal effect of voting to replace [two] incumbent directors of the Company with the Nominees. If our Nominees are elected, they will not represent a majority of the members of the Board and thus there can be no assurance that they will have the ability to enhance shareholder value.
The Nominees
The Committee has nominated [two] highly qualified Nominees, who, if elected, will exercise their independent judgment in accordance with the discharge of their fiduciary duties as a director in all matters that come before the Board. Clearly, the Nominees would seek to work with the other members of the Board to take those steps that they deem necessary or advisable to unlock the Company’s long-term intrinsic value.
The nomination of [Todd Diener and Ryan Levenson] was made in a timely manner and in compliance with Section 3A of the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (the “Bylaws”).
Set forth below are the name, age, business address, present principal occupation, and employment and material occupations, positions, offices, employments and directorships for the past five years of each Nominee. This information has been furnished to us by the Nominees. This information also includes the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of each of the Nominees that led us to conclude that the Nominees should serve as directors of the Company. The Nominees are citizens of the United States of America.
[Todd E. Diener (Age 54). Mr. Diener is currently a private investor. From 2005 until 2009, Mr. Diener was an executive officer of Brinker International, Inc. where he served as the President of Chili’s Grill & Bar and On the Border restaurants. During this time, Chili’s was one of the largest casual dining restaurant chains in the world with more than 1,200 locations in the United States and 200 international locations in 28 countries. In his role as President of Chili’s, Mr. Diener has led all aspects of the brand, including finance, P&L, marketing, operations, real estate, human resources and franchising. Prior to his role as President of Chili’s and On the Border, Mr. Diener served in the roles of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brinker International, Inc., where he was responsible for more than 1,500 restaurants. In these roles, Mr. Diener oversaw company-owned and franchised operations for On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Maggiano’s and Corner Bakery Café restaurants in the United States and 24 other countries. Mr. Diener worked for Chili’s and its parent company, Brinker International, Inc., for approximately 28 years. Mr. Diener graduated from the Conrad Hilton School for Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston.]
[Ryan James Levenson (Age 36).Mr. Levenson is currently Principal and Managing Member of Privet Fund Management LLC, an investment firm, since its founding in February 2007. Mr. Levenson also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Compensation and Audit Committees of The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD), a commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer with a market capitalization of approximately $1.87 billion. Prior to founding Privet Fund Management LLC in February, 2007, Mr. Levenson served as Vice President of Business Development at MSI, a privately held building products distributor and construction services company since 2003. Prior to MSI, Mr. Levenson served as a financial analyst for Cramer Rosenthal McGlynn’s long/short equity hedge fund after working at SAC Capital Advisors LLC in a similar capacity. Mr. Levenson began his career as an analyst for CJS Securities. Mr. Levenson graduated from Vanderbilt University.]
Information regarding Share ownership and purchases and sales of Shares during the past two years is listed for each participant in the solicitation on Schedule I. Except as set forth on Schedule I, the participants and their associates do not own, beneficially or of record, any Shares of the Company.
The principal business address of Mr. Levenson is 3280 Peachtree Road, Suite 2670, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. The principal business address of Mr. Diener is 4901 Lorraine Drive, Frisco, TX 75034.
The Nominees would not be barred from being considered independent under the independence requirements of NASDAQ and the independence standards applicable to J. Alexander’s under paragraph (a)(1) of Item 407 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
The Nominees will not receive any compensation from any member of the Committee for their service as directors of the Company. Other than as stated herein, there are no arrangements or understandings among any of the members of the Committee and the Nominees or any other person or persons pursuant to which the nominations described herein are to be made. The Nominees have consented to be named in this Proxy Statement and to serve as directors of the Company if elected as such at the Annual Meeting.
We expect that each of the Nominees will be able to stand for election. In the unforeseen event that a Nominee is incapable of serving or for good cause will not serve, the Shares represented by the enclosed GOLD proxy card will be cast for a substitute nominee, to the extent this is not prohibited under the Bylaws and applicable law. In addition, we reserve the right to nominate a substitute person if the Company makes or announces any changes to its Bylaws or takes any other action that has, or if consummated would have, the effect of disqualifying a Nominee, of course to the extent this action is not prohibited under the Bylaws and applicable law. In any such case, the Shares represented by the enclosed GOLD proxy card will be voted in favor of a substitute nominee. We reserve the right to nominate additional person(s), to the extent that opting for this action is not prohibited under the Bylaws and applicable law, if the Company increases the size of the Board above its existing number. Additional nominations made pursuant to the preceding sentence are without prejudice to the position of the Committee that any attempt by the Company to increase the size of the Board, or to classify, reconstitute or reconfigure the Board, would constitute unlawful manipulation of the Company’s corporate machinery.
YOU ARE URGED TO VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES ON THE ENCLOSED GOLD PROXY CARD.
PROPOSAL NO. 2
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AS THE COMPANY’S
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
As discussed in further detail in the Company’s proxy statement, the Audit Committee of the Board has selected KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) to serve as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2012. According to the Company’s proxy statement, the Company is submitting the selection of KPMG for ratification of and approval by the shareholders at the Annual Meeting.
WE DO NOT OBJECT TO THE RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF KPMG AS THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM OF THE COMPANY FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2012 AND INTEND TO VOTE OUR SHARES “FOR” THIS PROPOSAL.
VOTING AND PROXY PROCEDURES
According to the Company’s proxy statement, only shareholders of record on the Record Date will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each Share is entitled to one vote. Shareholders who sell Shares before the Record Date (or acquire them without voting rights after the Record Date) may not vote such Shares. Based on publicly available information, we believe that the only outstanding class of securities of the Company entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is the Shares.
Shares represented by properly executed GOLD proxy cards will be voted at the Annual Meeting as marked and, in the absence of specific instructions, will be voted FOR the election of the Nominees to the Board and FOR the ratification of the appointment of KPMG as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2012 fiscal year, and in the discretion of the persons named as proxies on all other matters as may properly come before the Annual Meeting.
According to the Company’s proxy statement for the Annual Meeting, the current Board intends to nominate [four] candidates for election as directors at the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement is soliciting proxies to elect only our Nominees. [Because of the way the rules regulating proxy solicitations work, we are not able to solicit authority to vote for any of the Company’s nominees. As a result, by voting on the enclosed GOLD proxy card, you will only be able to vote for our two Nominees and not for a full slate of [four] director nominees. Shareholders who attend the Annual Meeting in person are generally able to vote a “split ticket” by voting on a ballot (an “Omnibus Ballot”) that we expect the Company will provide that will name all of the individuals for whom proxies are being solicited for their election as directors.]
[ Although Shares represented by properly executed GOLD proxy cards will not be voted for any of the Company’s nominees because such nominees have not consented to be named in our proxy statement, t he members of the Committee intend to attend the Annual Meeting and vote their own Shares on an Omnibus Ballot FOR our Nominees as well as Lonnie Stout and ________. If the Company declines to provide an Omnibus Ballot, the members of the Committee will vote their Shares FOR our Nominees only .]
[If our Nominees are elected, the remaining two directors will be the two Company nominees receiving a plurality of the votes cast. According to the Company, an average of 33.8% of the Shares voted in each of the last three years have “withheld” voting authority for Mr. Stout25. If Mr. Stout is not elected at the Annual Meeting, our Nominees would support a proposal to expand the Board by one member and appoint Mr. Stout to fill the vacancy created thereby because our Nominees believe that the Board may benefit from having the perspective of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer . There is no assurance that any of the Company’s nominees will serve as director if our Nominees are elected. ]
Quorum; Discretionary Voting
According to the Company’s proxy statement, in order to constitute a quorum with respect to each matter to be presented at the Annual Meeting, a majority of the outstanding Shares as of the Record Date must be present at the Annual Meeting either in person or by proxy. If you vote, your Shares will be part of the quorum. According to the Company’s proxy statement, abstentions and broker non-votes will count as Shares that are present for the purpose of establishing a quorum. However, if you hold your Shares in street name and do not provide voting instruction to your broker, your Shares will not be voted on any proposal on which your broker does not have discretionary authority to vote (a “broker non-vote”). We believe that your broker will not have discretionary authority to vote your Shares on any matter at the Annual Meeting.
25 35.5% withheld in 2011, 38.9% withheld in 2010 and 27.0% withheld in 2009.
Votes Required
Election of Directors. According to the Company’s proxy statement, directors are elected by a plurality vote. The [four] director nominees who receive the largest number of votes cast will be elected at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes “for” or “against” any director nominee.
Appointment of KPMG. According to the Company’s proxy statement, the ratification of the selection of KPMG will be determined by a majority of the votes cast. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for the ratification of the selection of KPMG.
Revocation of Proxies
Shareholders of the Company may revoke their proxies at any time prior to exercise by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person or by filing with the secretary of the Company a written revocation. The delivery of a subsequently dated proxy which is duly executed will also constitute a revocation of any earlier proxy. The revocation may be delivered either to The Committee to Strengthen J. Alexander’s c/o Morrow & Co. at the address set forth on the back cover of this Proxy Statement or to J. Alexander’s at 3401 West End Avenue, Suite 260, P.O. Box 24300, Nashville, Tennessee, 37202, Attention: Corporate Secretary, or any other address provided by J. Alexander’s. Although a revocation is effective if delivered to J. Alexander’s, the Committee requests that either the original or photostatic copies of all revocations be mailed to The Committee to Strengthen J. Alexander’s c/o Morrow & Co. at the address set forth on the back cover of this Proxy Statement so that we will be aware of all revocations and can more accurately determine if and when proxies have been received from the holders of record on the Record Date. Additionally, Morrow & Co. may use this information to contact shareholders who have revoked their proxies in order to solicit later dated proxies for the election of the Nominees.
IF YOU WISH TO VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF THE COMMITTEE’S NOMINEES, PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY THE ENCLOSED GOLD PROXY CARD IN THE POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE PROVIDED.
SOLICITATION OF PROXIES
The solicitation of proxies pursuant to this Proxy Statement is being made by the Committee. Proxies may be solicited by mail, facsimile, telephone, telegraph, Internet, in person and by advertisements.
The Committee has entered into an agreement with Morrow & Co., LLC (“Morrow”) for solicitation and advisory services in connection with this solicitation, for which Morrow will receive a fee not to exceed $_________, together with reimbursement for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, and will be indemnified against certain liabilities and expenses, including certain liabilities under the federal securities laws. Morrow will solicit proxies from individuals, brokers, banks, bank nominees and other institutional holders. The Committee has requested banks, brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward all solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of the Shares they hold of record. The Committee will reimburse these record holders for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in so doing. It is anticipated that Morrow will employ approximately ___ persons to solicit J. Alexander’s shareholders for the Annual Meeting.
The entire expense of soliciting proxies is being borne by the Committee. The total cost of this solicitation of proxies is currently estimated to be approximately $_________. The Committee estimates that through the date hereof, its expenses in connection with this solicitation of proxies are approximately $___________. If any of the Nominees are elected, the Committee intends to seek reimbursement from the Company of all expenses it incurs in connection with the solicitation of proxies. The Committee does not intend to submit the question of such reimbursement to a vote of security holders of the Company.
OTHER PARTICIPANT INFORMATION
Privet Management is the general partner of Privet Fund. Mr. Levenson is the sole Managing Member of Privet Management. By virtue of their relationship with Privet Fund, each of Privet Management and Mr. Levenson may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares owned by Privet Fund, and Mr. Levenson may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares owned by both Privet Fund and Privet Management, respectively.
The principal business of Privet Management is providing administrative and management services to Privet Fund. The principal business of Privet Fund is investing in securities. The principal occupation of Mr. Levenson is serving as the Managing Member of Privet Management. The principal occupation of Mr. Rosenzweig is as an Analyst at Privet Management.
The principal business address of Privet Fund and Privet Management is 3280 Peachtree Road, Suite 2670, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. The principal business address of Mr. Diener is 4901 Lorraine Drive, Frisco, Texas 75034
Information regarding Share ownership and purchases and sales of Shares during the past two years is listed for each participant in the solicitation on Schedule I. Except as set forth on Schedule I, the participants and their associates do not own, beneficially or of record, any Shares of the Company. The participants may have effected purchases of the Company’s Shares through margin accounts maintained with prime brokers, who may have extended margin credit as and when requested to open or carry positions in the margin accounts, subject to applicable federal margin regulations, stock exchange rules, and such broker’s credit policies.
Except as set forth in this Proxy Statement (including the Schedule hereto), (i) during the past 10 years, no participant in this solicitation has been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors); (ii) no participant in this solicitation directly or indirectly beneficially owns any securities of the Company; (iii) no participant in this solicitation owns any securities of the Company which are owned of record but not beneficially; (iv) no participant in this solicitation has purchased or sold any securities of the Company during the past two years; (v) no part of the purchase price or market value of the securities of the Company owned by any participant in this solicitation is represented by funds borrowed or otherwise obtained for the purpose of acquiring or holding such securities; (vi) no participant in this solicitation is, or within the past year was, a party to any contract, arrangements or understandings with any person with respect to any securities of the Company, including, but not limited to joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees against loss or guarantees of profit, division of losses or profits, or the giving or withholding of proxies; (vii) no associate of any participant in this solicitation owns beneficially, directly or indirectly, any securities of the Company; (viii) no participant in this solicitation owns beneficially, directly or indirectly, any securities of any parent or subsidiary of the Company; (ix) no participant in this solicitation or any of his or its associates was a party to any transaction, or series of similar transactions, since the beginning of the Company’s last fiscal year, or is a party to any currently proposed transaction, or series of similar transactions, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries was or is to be a party, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000; (x) no participant in this solicitation or any of his or its associates has any arrangement or understanding with any person with respect to any future employment by the Company or its affiliates, or with respect to any future transactions to which the Company or any of its affiliates will or may be a party; and (xi) no participant in this solicitation has a substantial interest, direct or indirect, by securities holdings or otherwise in any matter to be acted on at the Annual Meeting.
There are no material pending legal proceedings to which any participant in this solicitation or any of his or its associates is a party adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries. With respect to each of the Nominees, none of the events enumerated in Item 401(f)(1)-(8) of Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act occurred during the past ten years.
OTHER MATTERS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Other Matters
Other than those discussed above, the Committee is unaware of any other matters to be considered at the Annual Meeting. However, should other matters, which the Committee is not aware of a reasonable time before this solicitation, be brought before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies on the enclosed GOLD proxy card will vote on such matters in their discretion.
Shareholder Proposals
If you wish to submit a proposal to be included in the Company’s proxy statement for its 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the proposal must be received by the Secretary of the Company not later than _____, 2012, in order for such proposal to be considered for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement and proxy relating to its 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
For other shareholder proposals to be timely (but not considered for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement), a shareholder’s notice must be received by the Secretary of the Company not less than 75 days nor more than 90 days prior to _______, 2013. The proposal must be in writing and must comply with the advance notice provisions and other requirements of Section 3A of the Bylaws. Therefore, to be presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting, such a proposal must be received by the Company on or after _______ __, 2013 but no later than ______ __, 2013. If the date of the 2013 Annual Meeting is advanced by more than 30 days prior to, or delayed by more than 30 days after, the anniversary date of the 2012 Annual Meeting, notice must be received not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which the public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.
The information set forth above regarding the procedures for submitting shareholder proposals for consideration at the 2013 Annual Meeting is based on information contained in the Company’s proxy statement. The incorporation of this information in this Proxy Statement should not be construed as an admission by the Committee that such procedures are legal, valid or binding.
Incorporation by Reference
THE COMMITTEE HAS OMITTED FROM THIS PROXY STATEMENT CERTAIN DISCLOSURE REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW THAT IS EXPECTED TO BE INCLUDED IN THE COMPANY’S PROXY STATEMENT RELATING TO THE ANNUAL MEETING. THIS DISCLOSURE IS EXPECTED TO INCLUDE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, CURRENT BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY’S DIRECTORS, INFORMATION CONCERNING EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION, AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION. ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE INDICATING THAT ANY STATEMENT MADE BY THE COMPANY HEREIN IS UNTRUE, WE DO NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF STATEMENTS TAKEN FROM PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS THAT WERE NOT PREPARED BY US OR ON OUR BEHALF, OR FOR ANY FAILURE BY THE COMPANY TO DISCLOSE EVENTS THAT MAY AFFECT THE SIGNIFICANCE OR ACCURACY OF SUCH INFORMATION.
The information concerning J. Alexander’s contained in this Proxy Statement and the Schedule attached hereto has been taken from, or is based upon, publicly available information.
| THE COMMITTEE TO STRENGTHEN |
| J. ALEXANDER’S |
| May ___, 2012 |
SCHEDULE I
SHARE OWNERSHIP
A. Participants’ Ownership of Securities of J. Alexander’s Corporation
Stockholder | Shares Owned | Title and Class | Nature of Ownership | Percent of Class1 |
Privet Fund LP | 562,599 | Common Stock | Shared voting and dispositive. Privet Fund LP is the beneficial owner of 562,599 Shares and the record and beneficial owner of one Share. | 9.4 % |
Privet Fund Management LLC | 590,956 | Common Stock | Shared voting and dispositive. Privet Fund Management LLC may be deemed to hold shared voting and dispositive power of 590,956 Shares, including the Shares held by Privet Fund LP as the Managing Partner of Privet Fund LP, and 28,357 Shares held by Privet Fund Management LLC in a separately managed account pursuant to which the account owner has delegated all voting and dispositive power to Privet Fund Management LLC. | 9.9 % |
Ryan Levenson | 590,956 | Common Stock | Shared voting and dispositive. Mr. Levenson may be deemed to hold shared voting and dispositive power of the Shares beneficially owned by Privet Fund Management LLC as Managing Member of Privet Fund Management LLC, the Managing Partner of Privet Fund LP. | 9.9 % |
Ben Rosenzweig | 3,029 | Common Stock | Sole voting and dispositive. | Less than 1% |
Todd Diener | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1 Based on 5,994,453 outstanding Shares as of April 27, 2012
B. | Participants’ Transactions in Securities of J. Alexander’s Corporation During the Past Two Years |
| |
| All transactions relate to the Company’s Shares, the only class of Company securities outstanding. |
| |
| 1. Privet Fund LP |
| |
| Trade Date | Nature of Transaction (Purchase/Sale) | Number of Shares | Price Per Share* |
| 5/16/12 | Purchase | 20,000 | 8.5400 |
| 5/11/12 | Purchase | 1,075 | 8.5000 |
| 5/10/12 | Purchase | 10,000 | 8.5000 |
| 5/9/12 | Purchase | 10,000 | 8.4379 |
| 12/15/11 | Purchase | 50,000 | 5.8300 |
| 11/22/11 | Purchase | 1,700 | 5.6000 |
| 11/18/11 | Purchase | 1,300 | 5.5985 |
| 11/17/11 | Purchase | 3,550 | 5.6810 |
| 11/16/11 | Purchase | 309 | 5.6300 |
| 11/15/11 | Purchase | 428 | 5.5531 |
| 11/3/11 | Purchase | 100,000 | 6.0000 |
| 11/1/11 | Purchase | 27,661 | 6.7365 |
| 10/31/11 | Purchase | 65 | 6.6500 |
| 10/28/11 | Purchase | 4,400 | 6.7908 |
| 10/27/11 | Purchase | 1,000 | 6.5660 |
| 10/26/11 | Purchase | 13,766 | 6.5902 |
| 10/25/11 | Purchase | 6,398 | 6.2380 |
| 10/24/11 | Purchase | 20,946 | 6.1117 |
| 10/4/11 | Purchase | 5,120 | 5.9977 |
| 10/3/11 | Purchase | 6,700 | 5.9500 |
| 9/30/11 | Purchase | 3,300 | 6.1952 |
| 9/29/11 | Purchase | 3,940 | 5.8031 |
| 9/26/11 | Purchase | 1,693 | 6.1455 |
| 9/23/11 | Purchase | 2,172 | 5.9876 |
| 9/22/11 | Purchase | 2,988 | 5.9989 |
| 9/21/11 | Purchase | 2,474 | 6.1083 |
| 9/7/11 | Purchase | 3,120 | 6.2995 |
| 9/2/11 | Purchase | 100,297 | 6.2506 |
| 8/30/11 | Purchase | 13,000 | 6.7093 |
| 8/29/11 | Purchase | 7,562 | 6.6420 |
| 8/26/11 | Purchase | 2,292 | 6.4703 |
| 8/25/11 | Purchase | 3,500 | 6.3163 |
| 8/24/11 | Purchase | 35,881 | 6.0290 |
| 8/23/11 | Purchase | 4,118 | 5.9010 |
| 8/22/11 | Purchase | 8,300 | 5.8799 |
| 8/18/11 | Purchase | 9,425 | 5.5900 |
| 8/15/11 | Purchase | 1,200 | 5.6445 |
| 8/12/11 | Purchase | 5,300 | 5.6979 |
| 8/11/11 | Purchase | 2,171 | 5.5478 |
| 8/10/11 | Purchase | 3,611 | 5.1069 |
| 8/5/11 | Purchase | 3,800 | 5.5900 |
| 8/4/11 | Purchase | 5,500 | 5.5104 |
| 7/28/11 | Purchase | 400 | 6.5725 |
| 7/26/11 | Purchase | 2,000 | 6.6680 |
| 7/21/11 | Purchase | 2,800 | 6.4100 |
| 7/11/11 | Purchase | 1,367 | 6.4100 |
| 6/23/11 | Purchase | 1,400 | 6.9079 |
| 6/16/11 | Purchase | 600 | 6.2300 |
| 6/15/11 | Purchase | 5,005 | 6.1956 |
| 6/14/11 | Purchase | 7,798 | 6.1083 |
| 6/13/11 | Purchase | 1,314 | 6.0336 |
| 6/8/11 | Purchase | 200 | 6.0450 |
| 6/3/11 | Purchase | 400 | 5.9950 |
| 6/2/11 | Purchase | 2,400 | 6.0900 |
| 6/1/11 | Purchase | 3,000 | 6.0497 |
| 5/31/11 | Purchase | 9,600 | 6.1047 |
| 5/27/11 | Purchase | 2,300 | 5.9675 |
| 5/26/11 | Purchase | 1,719 | 5.8994 |
| 5/25/11 | Purchase | 10,234 | 5.8458 |
| |
| 2. Privet Fund Management LLC |
| Trade Date | Nature of Transaction (Purchase/Sale) | Number of Shares | Price Per Share* |
| 5/16/12 | Purchase | 993 | 8.793 |
| 5/16/12 | Purchase | 1,007 | 8.4999 |
| 12/13/2011 | Purchase | 400 | 5.91 |
| 12/13/2011 | Purchase | 100 | 5.756 |
| 12/13/2011 | Purchase | 10 | 5.76 |
| 12/13/2011 | Purchase | 141 | 5.896 |
| 12/13/2011 | Purchase | 549 | 5.89 |
| 12/12/2011 | Purchase | 1000 | 5.88 |
| 12/12/2011 | Purchase | 100 | 5.76 |
| 12/12/2011 | Purchase | 100 | 5.919 |
| 12/8/2011 | Purchase | 700 | 5.8189 |
| 12/8/2011 | Purchase | 100 | 5.849 |
| 12/8/2011 | Purchase | 1300 | 5.85 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 100 | 5.79 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 400 | 5.745 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 600 | 5.79 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 400 | 5.7841 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 3200 | 5.75 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 286 | 5.7 |
| 12/7/2011 | Purchase | 1200 | 5.699 |
| 12/6/2011 | Purchase | 22 | 5.71 |
| 12/5/2011 | Purchase | 4687 | 5.69 |
| 12/2/2011 | Purchase | 1426 | 5.65 |
| 12/1/2011 | Purchase | 600 | 5.61 |
| 11/30/2011 | Purchase | 3336 | 5.55 |
| 11/30/2011 | Purchase | 200 | 5.54 |
| 11/30/2011 | Purchase | 300 | 5.53 |
| 11/30/2011 | Purchase | 100 | 5.6299 |
| 11/30/2011 | Purchase | 5000 | 5.6399 |
| |
| 3. Ben Rosenzweig |
| Trade Date | Nature of Transaction (Purchase/Sale) | Number of Shares | Price Per Share* |
| 11/9/2011 | Purchase | 340 | $6.00 |
| 11/9/2011 | Purchase | 995 | $6.00 |
| 9/27/2011 | Purchase | 1,694 | $6.00 |
* Not including any brokerage fees.
IMPORTANT VOTING INSTRUCTIONS
Tell your Board what you think! Your vote is important. No matter how many Shares you own, please give the Committee your proxy FOR the election of its Nominees by taking three steps:
| ● | SIGNING the enclosed GOLD proxy card, |
| ● | DATING the enclosed GOLD proxy card, and |
| ● | MAILING the enclosed GOLD proxy card TODAY in the envelope provided (no postage is required if mailed in the United States). |
If any of your Shares are held in the name of a brokerage firm, bank, bank nominee or other institution, only it can vote such Shares and only upon receipt of your specific instructions. Depending upon your broker or custodian, you may be able to vote either by toll-free telephone or by the Internet. Please refer to the enclosed voting form for instructions on how to vote electronically. You may also vote by signing, dating and returning the enclosed GOLD voting form.
If you have any questions or require any additional information concerning this Proxy Statement, please contact Morrow & Co., LLC at the address set forth below.
Morrow & Co., LLC 470 West Avenue Stamford, CT 06902 Shareholders call toll free at: 1-800-607-0088 Banks and brokers call collect at: (203) 658-9400 Email: votegold@morrowco.com |
PRELIMINARY COPY SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
DATED MAY 18, 2012
GOLD PROXY CARD
J. ALEXANDER’S CORPORATION
2012 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF
THE COMMITTEE TO STRENGTHEN J. ALEXANDER’S
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF J. ALEXANDER’S CORPORATION
IS NOT SOLICITING THIS PROXY
P R O X Y
The undersigned appoints Ryan Levenson and Ben Rosenzweig, as his, her or its proxies, attorneys and agents with full power of substitution to vote all shares of common stock of J. Alexander’s Corporation (the “Company”) which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if personally present at the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company scheduled to be held on [MEETING DATE], 2012, at [MEETING TIME] at [MEETING ADDRESS] (including at any adjournments or postponements thereof and at any meeting called in lieu thereof, the “Annual Meeting”).
The undersigned hereby revokes any other proxy or proxies heretofore given to vote or act with respect to the shares of common stock of the Company held by the undersigned, and hereby ratifies and confirms all action the herein named proxies, attorneys and agents, their substitutes, or any of them may lawfully take by virtue hereof. If properly executed, this Proxy will be voted as directed on the reverse and in the discretion of the herein named proxies, attorneys and agents or their substitutes with respect to any other matters as may properly come before the Annual Meeting that are unknown to the Committee within a reasonable time before this solicitation.
IF NO DIRECTION IS INDICATED WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSALS ON THE REVERSE SIDE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED “FOR” PROPOSALS 1 AND 2.
This Proxy will be valid until the sooner of one year from the date indicated on the reverse side or the completion of the Annual Meeting.
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting
The Committee’s Proxy Statement and this GOLD proxy card are available at
[Internet address].
IMPORTANT: PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND MAIL THIS PROXY CARD PROMPTLY!
CONTINUED AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE
GOLD PROXY CARD
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO VOTE: BY TELEPHONE, INTERNET OR MAIL
| 1. | Vote by Mail — If you do not wish to vote by telephone or over the Internet, please complete, sign, date and return the proxy card in the envelope provided, or mail to: The Committee to Strengthen J. Alexander’s, c/o Morrow & Co., LLC 470 West Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902. |
OR
| 2. | Vote by Telephone — Please call toll-free in the U.S. or Canada at 1-800-607-0088 on a touch-tone phone. If outside the U.S. or Canada, call [number]. Please follow the simple instructions. You will be required to provide the unique control number printed below; |
OR
| 3. | Vote by Internet — Please access [internet address] and follow the simple instructions. You will be required to provide the unique control number printed below. |
You may vote by telephone or Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your telephone or Internet vote authorizes the named proxies to vote your shares in the same manner as if you had marked, signed and returned a proxy card. |
TO VOTE BY MAIL, PLEASE DETACH THIS GOLD PROXY CARD HERE AND SIGN, DATE AND RETURN IN THE POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE PROVIDED |
[X] Please mark vote as in this example
THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE NOMINEES
LISTED IN PROPOSAL 1.
1. | THE COMMITTEE’S PROPOSAL TO ELECT DIRECTORS: |
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| FOR ALL NOMINEES | WITHHOLD AUTHORITY TO VOTE FOR ALL NOMINEES | FOR ALL NOMINEES EXCEPT |
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[Nominee: 1. TODD DIENER ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
[Nominee: 2. RYAN LEVENSON ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
We intend to use this proxy to vote “FOR” the Nominees listed in Proposal 1.
NOTE: If you do not wish for your Shares to be voted “FOR” a particular nominee, mark the “FOR ALL NOMINEES EXCEPT” box and write the name(s) of the nominee(s) you do not support on the line below. Your Shares will be voted for the remaining nominee(s).
| | FOR | AGAINST | ABSTAIN |
2. | THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE 2012 FISCAL YEAR: | o | o | o |
| DATED: | | , 2012 |
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| (Signature) | |
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| (Signature, if held jointly) | |
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| (Title) | | |
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| WHEN SHARES ARE HELD JOINTLY, JOINT OWNERS SHOULD EACH SIGN. EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, TRUSTEES, ETC., SHOULD INDICATE THE CAPACITY IN WHICH SIGNING. PLEASE SIGN EXACTLY AS NAME APPEARS ON THIS PROXY. |
PRELIMINARY COPY SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
DATED MAY 18, 2012
J. ALEXANDER’S CORPORATION
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN
PARTICIPANT VOTING INSTRUCTION FORM
This Voting Instruction Form is tendered to direct Independence Trust Company, (the “Trustee”), as Trustee of the J. Alexander’s Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”), as to the manner in which all allocated shares in the ESOP account of the undersigned (the “Voting Shares”) shall be voted at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held [MEETING DATE], 2012, at [MEETING TIME] at [MEETING ADDRESS], and any adjournments or postponements thereof.
The undersigned hereby directs the Trustee to vote all Voting Shares of the undersigned as shown below on this Voting Instruction Form at the Annual Meeting.
(1) | Election of Directors: The Committee To Strengthen J. Alexander’s recommends a vote FOR each of the nominees listed. |
[01. T. Diener | o FOR | o WITHHOLD | 02. R. Levenson | o FOR | o WITHHOLD] |
(2) | The ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2012. |
FOR o | AGAINST o | ABSTAIN o |
(3) | And in the Trustee’s discretion, the Trustee is entitled to act on any other matter which may properly come before said meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
(Continued and to be signed on reverse side)
(Continued from other side)
IMPORTANT: Please mark, date and sign this Voting Instruction Form and return it to the Trustee of the J. Alexander’s Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Independence Trust Company, PO Box 682188, Franklin, Tennessee 37068-9903 by [________, 2012].
[A stamped and self-addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience.]Your Voting Instruction Form must be received by the Trustee by [_______, 2012].
Your shares will be voted by the Trustee in accordance with your instructions. If no instruction is specified, your shares will be voted in the Trustee’s discretion.
PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY
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| Date: | | , 2012 |
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| Please sign exactly as your name appears at left. If registered in the names of two or more persons, each should sign. Executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, attorneys, and corporate officers should show their full titles. |
If your address has changed, please PRINT your new address on this line.