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◻ | Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
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1. | A vote to elect five members to the Board of Directors to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are elected and are qualified; |
2. | A vote to ratify the appointment of BDO USA, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020; |
3. | An advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers; and |
4. | To transact such other business that is properly presented at the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. |
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 19, 2020. This Proxy Statement and the other proxy materials also are available online at www.proxyvote.com |
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS | |
Juergen Stark | |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President | |
April 29, 2020 |
• | FOR each of the Board’s nominees for election to the Board to serve until the annual meeting of stockholders in 2021 and until their successors are duly elected and qualified (Item 1); |
• | FOR the ratification of the Audit Committee’s appointment of BDO USA, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020 (Item 2); and |
• | FOR advisory approval of the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement (Item 3). |
• | any material relationships with the Company, its subsidiaries or its management, aside from such director’s service as a director; |
• | transactions between the Company, on the one hand, and the directors and their respective affiliates, on the other hand; |
• | transactions outside the ordinary course of business between the Company and companies at which some of its directors are or have been executive officers or significant stakeholders, and the amount of any such transactions with these companies; and |
• | relationships among the directors with respect to common involvement with for-profit and non-profit organizations. |
Name | Age | Title | ||
Juergen Stark | 53 | Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman | ||
William E. Keitel | 67 | Lead Independent Director | ||
L. Gregory Ballard | 66 | Independent Director | ||
Kelly Thompson | 50 | Independent Director | ||
Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D. | 57 | Independent Director |
Name | Age | Title | ||
Executive Officers: | ||||
Juergen Stark | 53 | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President | ||
John T. Hanson | 63 | Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |
Executive Officers and Directors | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(1) | Percentage of Outstanding Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | |||
Juergen Stark(3) | 880,162 | 5.7 | % | ||
John T. Hanson(4) | 71,722 | * | |||
William E. Keitel(5) | 117,051 | * | |||
Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D.(6) | 82,606 | * | |||
L. Gregory Ballard (7) | 67,995 | * | |||
Kelly Thompson | 13,797 | * | |||
All current executive officers and directors | |||||
as a group (6 persons) | 8.5 | % | |||
Stockholders of 5% or more | |||||
(excludes executive | |||||
officers, directors and employees) | |||||
AWM Investment Company, Inc.(8) | 1,085,543 | 7.2 | % |
* | Less than 1%. |
(1) | As used in this table, beneficial ownership means the sole or shared power to vote or direct the voting of a security, or the sole or shared power to dispose, or direct the disposition, of a security. |
(2) | Beneficial ownership percentages are based upon 14,572,756 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the Record Date. |
(3) | Includes 712,630 stock options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020. |
(4) | Includes 60,733 stock options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020 and 833 RSUs that will be vesting May 16, 2020. |
(5) | Includes 51,081 stock options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020 and 14,500 shares held by The Keitel McSweeney Family Trust, of which Mr. Keitel is a trustee. Mr. Keitel disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
(6) | Includes 20,157 stock options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020. |
(7) | Includes 28,046 stock options that are either currently exercisable or exercisable within sixty (60) days of April 29, 2020 and 5,000 shares held by his spouse. |
(8) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2020, reporting the beneficial ownership of 1,069,543 shares of Common Stock, AWM Investment Company, Inc. (“AWM”) reported it had sole voting and dispositive powers over 1,085,543 shares of Common Stock, and is the investment adviser to Special Situations Cayman Fund, L.P. (“CAYMAN”), Special Situations Fund III QP, L.P. (“SSFQP”), Special Situations Private Equity Fund, L.P. (“SSPE”) Special Situations Technology Fund, L.P. (“TECH”) and Special Situations Technology Fund II, L.P. (“TECH II” and collectively the “Funds”). As the investment adviser to the Funds, AWM holds sole voting and investment power over 88,846 shares of Common Stock held by AWM, 79,528 currently exercisable warrants held by CAYMAN, 235,511 shares of Common Stock and 212,736 currently exercisable warrants held by SSFQP, 72,472 shares of Common Stock and 88,000 currently exercisable warrants held by SSPE, 8,943 shares of Common Stock and 24,881 currently exercisable warrants held by TECH and 129,771 shares of Common Stock and 144,855 currently exercisable warrants held by TECH II. Austin W. Marxe (“Marxe”), David M. Greenhouse (“Greenhouse”) and Adam C. Stettner (“Stettner”) are members of: SSCayman, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“SSCAY”), the general partner of CAYMAN; MGP Advisers Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership, the general partner of SSFQP; MG Advisers, L.L.S., a Delaware limited liability company, the general partner of SSPE and SST Advisers, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company, the general partner of TECH and TECH II. Marxe, Greenhouse and Stettner are also controlling principals of AWM. The address for AWM is c/o Special Situations Funds, 527 Madison Avenue, Suite 2600, New York, NY 10022. |
2019 | 2018 | ||||||
Audit Fees | $ | 1,146,128 | $ | 997,840 | |||
Audit-Related Fees | — | — | |||||
Tax Fees | — | — | |||||
All Other Fees | — | — | |||||
$ | 1,146,128 | $ | 997,840 |
• | Juergen Stark, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board |
• | John T. Hanson, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary |
2018 Peer Group | 2020 Peer Group |
Agilsys | Agilsys |
Avid Technology | Arlo Technologies* |
CalAmp | Avid Technology |
Control 4 | CalAmp |
Digi International | Digi International |
Digital Turbine | Digital Turbine |
EMCORE | EMCORE |
Glu Mobile | Glu Mobile |
Harmonic | Harmonic |
Iteris | Iteris |
MobileIron | MobileIron |
Rosetta Stone | Mohawk Group Holdings* |
Telenav | Rosetta Stone |
Universal Display | Telenav |
VOXX International | VOXX International |
ZAGG | ZAGG |
Things We Do | Things We Don’t Do | |||
We have a pay for performance compensation structure tied to achieving financial targets and specific business objectives | We do not have individual formal employment agreements | |||
We consider and benchmark against relevant peer groups in establishing compensation | We do not provide excessive executive perquisites | |||
We use financial metrics in our short term incentive plan | We do not encourage excessive risk-taking in our compensation practices | |||
We have an independent compensation consultant | We do not have a minimum payout of annual or long-term incentive compensation | |||
2019 executive compensation was heavily skewed toward equity-based, rather than cash, compensation, the majority of which is subject to multi-year vesting provisions | We do not provide 280G gross-up payments | |||
We have “double trigger” equity vesting |
Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary ($) | Stock Awards ($)(1) | Option Awards ($)(1) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(2) | All Other Compensation ($)(3) | Total ($) |
Juergen Stark | 2019 | 550,000 | 641,300 | 522,900 | 455,535 | 27,531 | 2,197,266 |
Chief Executive Officer, | 2018 | 550,000 | 3,338,324 | 146,658 | 874,041 | 25,427 | 4,934,450 |
President and Chairman | |||||||
John T. Hanson | 2019 | 363,789 | 242,000 | 199,200 | 171,600 | 15,454 | 992,043 |
Chief Financial Officer | 2018 | 360,500 | 262,600 | 38,315 | 272,964 | 14,037 | 948,416 |
(1) | Amounts shown in these columns do not reflect actual compensation received by the Named Executive Officers. The “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” columns report the grant date fair value of stock awards in accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC Topic 718”), for stock awards granted during the applicable year and assume no forfeiture rate derived in the calculation of the grant date fair market value. Assumptions used in calculating the value of option awards are included in Note 11 in the notes to our financial statements included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Named Executive Officer will only realize compensation to the extent the trading price of our Common Stock is greater than the exercise price of the stock option at the time an option is exercised. |
(2) | Messrs. Stark and Hanson earned $455,535 and $171,600, respectively, in 2019 pursuant to the Company’s annual performance-based incentive cash bonus plan. Payments with respect to the amounts reported for each individual in 2019 are scheduled to be paid in 2020 as determined by the Compensation Committee. For the amounts reported for 2018, 75% of the amounts reported for each individual was paid in April 2019 and the remaining 25% was paid in October 2019. |
(3) | The amounts reported in the “All Other Compensation” column include the employer portion of payments pursuant to the Company’s medical and dental plans and matching of 401(k) contributions available to all employees. |
Name | 2018 Base Salary | 2019 Base Salary | Percentage Increase | |||
Juergen Stark | $550,000 | $550,000 | 0% | |||
John T. Hanson | $360,500 | $365,000 | 1.2% |
2019 Target Bonus (% of Base Salary) | 2019 Target Bonus ($) | |
Juergen Stark | 90% | $495,000 |
John T. Hanson | 50% | $182,500 |
Performance Measure | Weighting | Threshold | Target | Maximum |
Company Net Revenues | 25% | $220 million | $244 million | >$244 million |
Adjusted EBITDA | 25% | $17.4 million | $29 million | >$29 million |
% of Target Bonus | 75% | 100% | Up to 200% |
• | Mr. Stark’s objectives were related to his function as our Chief Executive Officer, focusing on revenue growth and fostering internal and external partnerships. |
• | Mr. Hanson’s objectives as our Chief Financial Officer were focused on improving the Company’s financial processes and managing its financial function and banking relationships. |
Performance Measure | Results | Level of Achievement |
Company Net Revenues | $234.7 million | 90% of Target |
Adjusted EBITDA | $22.8 million | 87% of Target |
Name | 2019 Actual Bonus | % of Target Paid |
Juergen Stark | $455,535 | 92% |
John T. Hanson | $171,600 | 94% |
Long-term Incentive (“LTI”) Compensation
Name | 2019 Target LTI |
Juergen Stark | $1,164,200 |
John T. Hanson | $441,200 |
Name | Shares Subject to Stock Options | |
Juergen Stark | 105,000 | |
John T. Hanson | 40,000 |
Name | Shares Subject to Restricted Stock Units | |
Juergen Stark | 53,000 | |
John T. Hanson | 20,000 |
• | A person, entity or affiliated group, with certain exceptions, acquires more than 50% of our then outstanding voting securities; |
• | We merge into another entity unless the holders of our voting shares immediately prior to the merger have at least 50% of the continued voting power of the securities in the merged entity or its parent; |
• | We merge into another entity, unless the members of our Board prior to the merger constitute a majority of the board of directors of the merged entity or its parent; |
• | We sell or dispose of all or substantially all of our assets; or |
• | Our stockholders approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution. |
Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||
Name | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable (1) | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable (1) | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not vested (#) | Market value of shares of units of stock that have not vested ($) |
Juergen Stark | 365,912 | 0 | $7.72 | 9/3/2022 | ||
70,000 | 0 | $7.24 | 5/29/2025 | |||
103,125 | 9,375 | $4.64 | 4/4/2026 | |||
58,593 | 53,907 | $2.04 | 11/13/2027 | |||
46,875 | 65,625 | $3.12 | 4/11/2028 | 79,259(2) | 748,997 | |
0 | 105,000 | $12.10 | 4/1/2029 | 53,000(3) | 500,850 | |
John T. Hanson | 1,146 | 0 | $16.52 | 11/19/2024 | ||
6,250 | 0 | $7.24 | 5/29/2025 | |||
6,904 | 1,726 | $4.64 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| 13,808 | 12,705 | $2.04 | 11/13/2027 | ||
12,245 | 17,146 | $3.12 | 4/11/2028 | 5,834(4) | 55,216 | |
0 | 40,000 | $12.10 | 4/1/2029 | 20,000(3) | 189,000 |
(1) | Options vest with respect to 1/4th of the shares underlying the option on the first anniversary of the grant date and of 1⁄48th of the underlying shares on a monthly basis thereafter for the next 36 months. |
(2) | As of December 31, 2019, these restricted stock awards vest in quarterly installments with the exception of the remaining 4,175 shares vesting on June 15, 2021. |
(3) | As of December 31, 2019, these restricted stock units vest as follows: 1/4 of the award vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remainder vest in equal annual installments. |
(4) | As of December 31, 2019, these restricted stock units vest in seven equal quarterly installments. |
Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)(1) | Option Awards ($)(2) | Stock Awards ($)(3) | Total ($) |
L. Gregory Ballard(4) | 65,000 | 21,227 | 49,997 | 136,224 |
William E. Keitel(5) | 67,500 | 21,227 | 49,997 | 138,724 |
Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D.(6) | 60,000 | 21,227 | 49,997 | 131,224 |
Kelly Thompson (7) | 17,419 | 23,661 | 50,002 | 91,082 |
Ronald Doornink (8) | 92,500 | 21,227 | 49,997 | 163,724 |
(1) | Cash fees paid to directors are described below. |
(2) | Amounts in this column do not reflect actual compensation received by our directors. The “Option Awards” column reports the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards made to directors during 2019 in accordance with ASC 718 and assume no forfeiture rate. Assumptions used in calculating the value of option awards are included in Note 11 in the notes to our financial statements included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. A director will only realize compensation to the extent the trading price of our Common Stock is greater than the exercise price of the stock option at the time an option is exercised. Option awards to directors are granted under the Plan and the method for determining the number of shares subject to the option is described below. |
(3) | Amounts in this column do not reflect actual compensation received by our directors. The “Stock Awards” column reports the aggregate grant date fair value of restricted stock granted to directors during 2019 in accordance with ASC 718 and assume no forfeiture rate. Stock awards to directors are granted under the Plan, and the method for determining the number of shares subject to the grant is described below. |
(4) | As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Ballard had 4,132 unvested stock awards and 4,132 unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019 outstanding. |
(5) | As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Keitel had 4,132 unvested stock awards and 4,132 unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019 outstanding. |
(6) | As of December 31, 2019, Mr. Wolfe had 4,132 unvested stock awards and 4,132 unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019 outstanding. |
(7) | As of December 31, 2019, Ms. Thompson had 5,394 unvested stock awards and 5,394 unexercised option awards that were granted during 2019 outstanding. |
(8) | Mr. Doornink resigned from the Board effective December 31, 2019 and forfeited his 2019 annual grant of options and restricted stock. |
Annual Cash Base Fee (other than the Chairman of the Board) | $40,000 |
Supplemental Annual Cash Committee Fees: | |
• Chairman of the Board | $80,000 |
• Audit Committee—Chairperson | $20,000 |
• Audit Committee—Other Members | $10,000 |
• Compensation Committee—Chairperson | $15,000 |
• Compensation Committee—Other Members | $7,500 |
• Compliance and Governance Committee—Chairperson | $10,000 |
• Compliance and Governance Committee—Other Members | $5,000 |
Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a) | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 2,564,415 | $ | 7.83 | 1,766,834 | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | |||||||||
Total | 2,564,415 | $ | 7.83 | 1,766,834 |
By Order of the Board of Directors | |
/s/ Juergen Stark | |
Juergen Stark | |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President | |
April 29, 2020 |
VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com | ||||
Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information. Vote by 11:59 P.M. ET on 06/18/2020. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. | ||||
TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION |
ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS | |||
11011 VIA FRONTERA SUITE A/B SAN DIEGO, CA 92127 | If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years. | |||
VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903 | ||||
Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions. Vote by 11:59 P.M. ET on 06/18/2020. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. | ||||
VOTE BY MAIL | ||||
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. |
TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: | KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS |
DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY | |
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. |
| | For All | Withhold All | For All Except | To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1. |
Election of Directors | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
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Nominees | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
01 | Juergen Stark 02 William E. Keitel 03 Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D. 04 L. Gregory Ballard 05 Kelly Thompson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR proposals 2 and 3. | ` |
For |
Against |
Abstain | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 |
To ratify the selection of BDO USA, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. |
☐ |
☐ |
☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
3 |
An advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers. |
☐ |
☐ |
☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||
NOTE: Such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. *Due to concerns relating to the public health impact of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) and related travel, the 2020 Annual Meeting may be held by means of remote communication (i.e., a virtual-only meeting). If this is determined, we will announce the decision in advance, and will provide details on how to participate.
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Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.
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Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] | Date | Signature (Joint Owners) | Date |
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com |
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TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION Annual Meeting of Shareholders June 19, 2020 9:00 AM PDT This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors
The undersigned hereby appoint(s) Juergen Stark and John T. Hanson, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of Common stock of TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION that the stockholder(s) is/are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of stockholder(s) to be held at 09:00 AM PDT, on June 19, 2020, at Turtle Beach Corporation, 11011 Via Frontera, Suite A/B, San Diego, CA 92127 or by means of remote communication, and any postponements, continuations, or adjournments thereof with all powers which the undersigned would possess if personally present, upon and in respect of the matters listed on the reverse side and in accordance with the instructions indicated on the reverse side, with discretionary authority as to any and all other matters that may properly come before the meeting.
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UNLESS A CONTRARY DIRECTION IS INDICATED, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR ALL NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL ONE AND FOR PROPOSALS TWO AND THREE. IF SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ARE INDICATED, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED IN ACCORDANCE THEREWITH.
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This proxy has been solicited by or for the benefit of the Board of Directors of the Company. I understand that I may revoke this proxy only by written instructions to that effect, signed and dated by me, which must be actually received prior to commencement of the Annual Meeting.
Continued and to be signed on reverse side
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