PROPOSAL 2
PROPOSAL TO AMEND AND RESTATE
THE COMPANY’S 1999 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
On May 29, 1999, the Company adopted the 1999 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended in 2001 and further amended and restated in 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2017 (the “Stock Plan”), to promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders by using investment interests in the Company to attract, retain and motivate its employees and other persons, to encourage and reward their contributions to the performance of the Company and to align their interests with the interests of the Company’s stockholders.
The maximum number of shares of Class A common stock (for purpose of Proposal 2, the “Class A Common Stock”) that may be issued pursuant to awards granted under the Stock Plan is currently 5,000,000 (subject to adjustment as set forth in the Stock Plan). As of April 16, 2019, awards covering a total of 1,829,472 shares were outstanding or had been exercised under the Stock Plan and only 447,854 shares remain available for future awards. The Company relies heavily upon the Stock Plan to recruit, retain and reward qualified employees, officers, consultants, advisors and directors, and the board has approved, subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders, an amendment and restatement of the Stock Plan to make available an additional 3,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock for awards under the Stock Plan (subject to adjustments as set forth in the Stock Plan.
If the stockholders do not approve Proposal 2 and, as a consequence, the Company is unable to continue to grant options at competitive levels, we believe that there will be a negative effect to the Company’s ability to meet its needs for highly qualified personnel and to manage future growth. Without these proposed new shares, the current shares available for grant under the Stock Plan will not be sufficient to maintain our current option grant practice for promotions or merit awards for current employees after May, 2019.
The Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors have reviewed the Stock Plan to determine whether it remains a flexible and effective source of incentive compensation in terms of the number of shares of our common stock available for awards and in terms of its design, as well as whether it generally conforms with best practices in today’s business environment.
Based on their review, the Compensation Committee approved and recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors approved, an amendment and restatement of the Stock Plan, effective May 8, 2019, subject to approval by our stockholders at the 2019 Annual Meeting. We are asking stockholders to approve the amended and restated Stock Plan as described in this Proposal 2, which would increase the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued from 5,000,000 to 8,000,000.
Interest of Certain Persons in Matters to be Acted Upon
Pursuant to the Stock Plan, each of the directors and executive officers, among others, is eligible to receive awards under the Stock Plan. Participation in the Stock Plan is at the discretion of the Board or its appointed committee and, accordingly, future participation by directors, executive officers and other employees under this Stock Plan is not determinable. However, if this proposal is approved, the maximum number of shares available under the Stock Plan will be increased by 3,000,000 shares.
Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, at which a quorum representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock is present and entitled to vote, is required to approve Proposal 2. If we do not obtain stockholder approval, then the Company will not implement the proposed amendment and restatement of the Stock Plan increasing the available shares of Class A Common Stock by 3,000,000. The Stock Plan will, however, remain in effect. The Board believes that the proposed amendment and restatement of the Stock Plan is in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders for the reasons stated above.THE