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DEF 14A Filing
Jerash Holdings (US) (JRSH) DEF 14ADefinitive proxy
Filed: 29 Jul 19, 8:00am
| 2019 Annual Meeting Date and Time | | | Monday, September 16, 2019 9 A.M. HKT | |
| Place | | | 19/F Ford Glory Plaza 37-39 Wing Hong Street Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong | |
| Record Date | | | Friday, July 19, 2019 | |
| Voting | | | Stockholders of record as the record date are entitled to vote in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter to be voted on at the Annual Meeting. | |
Proposal | | | Voting Options | | | Vote Required for Approval | | | Broker Discretionary Vote | | | Board Recommendation | | | ||
1. Elect Directors | | | “FOR” all nominees or “WITHHOLD” your vote for all or any of the nominees | | | Each nominee for director must receive a plurality of the votes cast | | | No | | | FOR ALL NOMINEES | | | ||
2. Approve the Amendment and Restatement of our Stock Incentive Plan | | | “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN” from voting | | | Affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present must be in favor of this proposal and entitled to vote on the proposal | | | No | | | FOR | | | ||
3. Ratify Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | | | “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN” from voting | | | Affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present must be in favor of this proposal and entitled to vote on the proposal | | | Yes | | | FOR | | | | |
| Annual Elections | | | Yes | | | Code of Ethics | | | Yes | |
| Board Independence | | | 60% | | | Board and Committee Annual Self-Evaluation | | | Yes | |
| Committee Independence | | | 100% | | | Executive Sessions of Independent Directors | | | Yes | |
| Committee Chair Independence | | | 100% | | | Anonymous Reporting | | | Yes | |
| Number of Financial Experts | | | One | | | Anti-Corruption Policy | | | Yes | |
| Board Gender Diversity | | | 20% Female | | | Board Geographic Diversity | | | 60% Asia-Pacific based 40% U.S.-based | |
Name | | | Age | | | Director Since | | | Independent | | | Occupation | |
Choi Lin Hung | | | 57 | | | 2017 | | | No | | | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Treasurer of the Company | |
Wei (“Kitty”) Yang | | | 36 | | | 2017 | | | No | | | Vice President and Secretary of the Company | |
Gary J. Haseley | | | 57 | | | 2018 | | | Yes | | | Retired; Former Senior Vice President and General Manager of Kaman Automation, Control & Energy | |
Sean Socha | | | 50 | | | 2018 | | | Yes | | | Chief Financial Officer of FirstLight Fiber, Inc. | |
Mak Chi Yan | | | 56 | | | 2018 | | | Yes | | | Executive Director of Genting Securities Limited | |
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| Meeting Time and Applicable Dates | | | This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Jerash Holdings (US), Inc., a Delaware corporation, of the accompanying proxy to be voted at the Annual Meeting to be held on Monday, September 16, 2019, at 9:00 A.M. HKT, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. The close of business on Friday, July 19, 2019 has been fixed as the record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. | |
| Attending the Annual Meeting | | | Jerash will host the Annual Meeting 19/F Ford Glory Plaza, 37-39 Wing Hong Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The meeting will start at 9:00 A.M. HKT on September 16, 2019. For information on how to obtain directions to the meeting, please contact us at (212) 575-9085. Stockholders may vote and submit questions in accordance with the rules of conduct for the Annual Meeting while attending the Annual Meeting in person. | |
| Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials | | | We have elected to use the “notice and access” rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which allow us to provide stockholders access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we sent a Notice of Internet Availably of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to all of our stockholders as of the record date instead of a full printed set of proxy materials. The Notice includes instructions on how to access our proxy materials over the Internet and how to request a printed copy of these materials. In addition, by following the instructions in the Notice, stockholders may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis. Our use of the “notice and access” rules and your choice to receive your future proxy materials by email will save us the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will reduce the impact of our annual meetings on the environment. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by email, you will receive an email next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting site. Your election to receive proxy materials by email will remain in effect until you terminate it. | |
| Matters to be Voted Upon at the Annual Meeting | | | At the Annual Meeting, holders of record of our common stock as of July 19, 2019 will consider and vote upon the following proposals: 1. To elect five directors to the Board to serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders; 2. To approve the amendment and restatement of the Jerash Holdings (US), Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Stock Incentive Plan”); | |
| | | | 3. To ratify the appointment of Friedman LLP (“Friedman”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020 (“fiscal 2020”); and 4. To consider any other business as may properly be brought before the Annual Meeting. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, these are the only matters that the Board intends to present at the Annual Meeting. The Board does not know of any other business to be presented at the Annual Meeting. The Board recommends that you vote “FOR” each proposal. | |
| Voting Rights of Holders of Common Stock | | | Stockholders of record as of the record date are entitled to vote in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting. On the record date, there were 11,325,000 shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter to be voted on at the Annual Meeting. Our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights. | |
| Voting Instructions for Record Holders | | | If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, then you are a stockholder of record with respect to those shares and you may vote by: | |
| | | | • calling 1-800-579-1639; | |
| | | | • visiting www.proxyvote.com; | |
| | | | • completing and returning the enclosed proxy card; or | |
| | | | • attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you should vote as soon as possible. If you plan to vote by phone or via the internet, you must vote by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on Saturday, September 14, 2019. | |
| Voting Instructions for Beneficial Owners | | | If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of shares held in “street name” and you must instruct the broker, bank or other nominee (“broker”) to vote on your behalf. Please refer to the voting instruction card provided by your broker. If you are a beneficial owner and wish to vote at the Annual Meeting, you must bring a letter from your broker to the Annual Meeting confirming: | |
| | | | 1. your beneficial ownership of the shares, | |
| | | | 2. that the broker is not voting the shares at the meeting, and | |
| | | | 3. granting you a legal proxy to vote the shares in person or at the meeting. You will not be able to vote shares you hold in street name in person at the Annual Meeting unless you have a legal proxy from your broker issued in your name giving you the right to vote your shares. | |
| Broker Non-Votes | | | Broker non-votes occur when beneficial owners do not give voting instructions to their brokers and the brokers lack the discretionary authority to vote on the proposal. If you are a beneficial owner and do not give instructions to your broker, the broker will determine if it has the discretionary authority to vote on the particular matter. | |
| | | | Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, which are also applicable to companies listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), brokers have the discretion to vote on routine matters such as ratifying the appointment of external auditors, but do not have discretion to vote on non-routine matters such as the election of directors and amending compensatory benefit plans. Broker non-votes, if any, will be counted for purposes of calculating whether a quorum is present at the meeting, but will not be counted for purposes of determining the number of votes cast with respect to a particular proposal. | |
| Quorum | | | A quorum must be present in person or by proxy to hold the Annual Meeting and will exist if the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock are present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting. We will include abstentions and broker non-votes to determine whether a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting. An agent of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., our inspector of election for the meeting, will determine whether a quorum is present and will tabulate votes cast by proxy or in person. If we do not have a quorum at the Annual Meeting, we expect to adjourn the meeting until we obtain a quorum. | |
| Vote Required to Elect Directors | | | You may vote either for or withhold authority to vote for all or any of the five nominees named in this Proxy Statement. To be elected, each nominee for director must receive a plurality of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting. This means that nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative “FOR” votes will be elected as directors. Votes that are withheld from any nominee are not counted as a vote “FOR” the director and will have no effect on the vote. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not deemed to be votes cast and will therefore not affect this proposal. | |
| Vote Required to Amend and Restate the Stock Incentive Plan | | | You may cast your vote in favor of, against, or abstain from voting to approve the amendment and restatement of the Stock Incentive Plan. To be approved, this proposal must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal. Abstentions will count as votes cast against this proposal. Broker non-votes are not deemed to be votes cast and will therefore not affect this proposal. | |
| Vote Required to Ratify Appointment of Friedman | | | You may cast your vote in favor of, against, or abstain from voting to ratify the appointment of Freidman as our independent registered accounting firm for fiscal 2020. To be approved, this proposal must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal. Abstentions will count as votes cast against this proposal. There will be no broker non-votes on this proposal because brokers have discretion to vote shares held in street name on this proposal without specific instructions from the beneficial owner of those shares. | |
| Revoking a Proxy | | | A stockholder who has given a proxy may revoke it at any time prior to its exercise by: | |
| | | | • executing and delivering a later-dated proxy; | |
| | | | • providing written notice of the revocation to the Secretary of the Company at the address above; or | |
| | | | • attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Please note that attending the Annual Meeting alone is not enough to revoke a proxy. If you have instructed a broker to vote your shares, you may submit a new, later-dated voting instruction form to your broker or contact your broker. | |
| Proxy Instructions | | | All shares of common stock represented by properly executed proxies returned and not revoked will be voted in accordance with instructions you give in the proxy. If you return a signed proxy but do not indicate voting instructions, your proxy will be voted as recommended by the Board, or “FOR” the following proposals: | |
| | | | • electing the five director nominees named in the Proxy Statement; | |
| | | | • approving the amendment and restatement of our Stock Incentive Plan; | |
| | | | • ratifying the appointment of Friedman as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2020; and | |
| | | | • in the proxy holder’s best judgment as to any other matters properly brought before the Annual Meeting. | |
| Participants in the Proxy Solicitation | | | This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Board in connection with the Annual Meeting. The Company will bear the cost of soliciting proxies. In addition to solicitation by mail, our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies personally, by telephone or otherwise. We will not compensate our directors, officers or employees for making proxy solicitations on our behalf. We will reimburse brokers for their expenses in forwarding proxies and proxy materials to the beneficial owners of shares held in street name. | |
| Results of the Annual Meeting | | | We will report the voting results in a filing with the SEC on a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days of the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. If the official results are not available at that time, we will provide preliminary voting results and will provide the final results in an amendment to the Form 8-K as soon as practicable after they become available. | |
| Availability of Proxy Materials | | | Copies of this Proxy Statement, our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019 and a letter to our stockholders are available at www.proxyvote.com. These materials may also be obtained by writing to our Corporate Secretary at the address above or calling 1-800-579-1639 by September 2, 2019 to receive the materials before the annual meeting. | |
| Multiple Copies of Notice | | | You may receive more than one set of the Notice if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account or your shares are registered in more than one name. Please use each Notice you receive to vote your shares to ensure that all of your votes are counted at the Annual Meeting. For more information, see the section entitled, “Notice Regarding Delivery of Stockholder Documents” below. | |
| Contact for Questions | | | If you have any questions or need assistance in voting your shares, please contact us at the address and phone number below. Richard J. Shaw Jerash Holdings (US), Inc. 260 East Main Street, Suite 2706 Rochester, NY 14604 (212) 575-9085 | |
Name | | | Age | | | Director Since | | | Independent | | | Occupation | |
Choi Lin Hung | | | 57 | | | 2017 | | | No | | | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Treasurer of the Company | |
Wei (“Kitty”) Yang | | | 36 | | | 2017 | | | No | | | Vice President and Secretary of the Company | |
Gary J. Haseley | | | 57 | | | 2018 | | | Yes | | | Retired; Former Senior Vice President and General Manager of Kaman Automation, Control & Energy | |
Sean Socha | | | 50 | | | 2018 | | | Yes | | | Chief Financial Officer of FirstLight Fiber, Inc. | |
Mak Chi Yan | | | 56 | | | 2018 | | | Yes | | | Executive Director of Genting Securities Limited | |
| Choi Lin Hung Age: 57 | | | Principal Occupation: Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Treasurer of the Company | |
| Director since: | | | Business Experience: | |
| May 2017 | | | • Experience with the Company’s subsidiaries since 2012: | |
| | | | • Director of Jerash Garments since 2012 | |
| | | | • General Manager of Chinese Garments and Jerash Embroidery since 2015 | |
| | | | • Director of Treasure Success since 2016 | |
| | | | • Previously held positions with Deutsche Bank and First Pacific Bank | |
| | | | Current Directorships: | |
| | | | • Victory City International Holdings Ltd., a textile and fabric manufacturing group listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong • Jiangmen V-Apparel Manufacturing Ltd., a garment manufacturing company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China, which is a subsidiary of Victory City International Holdings Ltd. | |
| | | | Skills and Expertise: | |
| | | | • Over 20 years of experience in the garment industry, including fabric manufacturing and trading • Critical institutional knowledge of Jerash and its subsidiaries • Financial and treasury expertise | |
| Wei “Kitty” Yang Age: 36 | | | Principal Occupation: Vice President and Secretary of the Company | |
| Director since: | | | Business Experience: | |
| May 2017 | | | • Deputy General Manager of Jerash Garments since 2014 • Former Deputy Operations Officer for Martino Holding Limited, handling business operations with global clientele and suppliers from 2010 to 2014 • Former Partner at Eternity Travel Agency from 2008 to 2010 • Former Human Resources Chief at Jordan Dragon Garment Co. Ltd., a company listed in Taiwan, where she established and implemented human resources policies and processes for over 4,000 employees | |
| | | | Skills and Expertise: | |
| | | | • Fluent in English, Arabic and Chinese • Experience as a liaison with overseas customers and suppliers and in human resources management • Critical institutional knowledge of Jerash and its subsidiaries | |
| Gary Haseley Age: 57 | | | Principal Occupation: Retired; Former Senior Vice President and General Manager of Kaman Automation, Control & Energy | |
| Director since: | | | Business Experience: | |
| May 2018 | | | • Former Senior Vice President and General Manager of Kaman Automation, Control & Energy, a division of Kaman Corporation, a manufacturer in the aerospace industry and the third largest distributor in the power transmission/motion control market, from 2012 to 2016 • Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Zeller Corporation, a distributor of electrical and automation components and solutions, from 2001 to 2012 | |
| | | | Current Directorships: | |
| | | | • Transcat, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRNS) | |
| | | | Skills and Expertise: | |
| | | | • Over 20 years of experience in the distribution and services markets • Experience in corporate governance best practices | |
| Sean Socha Age: 50 | | | Principal Occupation: Chief Financial Officer of FirstLight Fiber, Inc. | |
| Director since: | | | Business Experience: | |
| May 2018 | | | • Chief Financial Officer of FirstLight Fiber, Inc. since 2018 • Former Executive Vice President of Business Development of FirstLight Fiber, Inc. from 2017 to 2018 • Former Chief Financial Officer of Finger Lakes Technology Group, Inc. from 2014 to 2017 • Former Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Tech Valley Communications from 2011 to 2014 • Former Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of ClearMomentum, Inc. from 2009 to 2011 | |
| | | | Skills and Expertise: | |
| | | | • In-depth understanding of finance and accounting practices • Leadership skills as a senior officer | |
| Mak Chi Yan Age: 56 | | | Principal Occupation: Executive Director of Genting Securities Limited | |
| Director since: | | | Business Experience: | |
| May 2018 | | | • Executive Director of Genting Securities Limited since 2011 • Former Associate Director of Uob Kay Hian Hong Kong Limited from 2003 to 2011 • Former Vice President of Institutional Sales at Worldsec International Limited, an affiliate of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd. from 2000 to 2002 • Former Head of International Sales for the Corporate & Institutional Business Group at HLG Securities SDN BHD from 1999 to 2000 | |
| | | | Skills and Expertise: | |
| | | | • In-depth understanding of finance, business development and operations • Leadership skills as a senior officer | |
Director | | | Audit | | | Compensation | | | Nominating and Corporate Governance | |
Gary J. Haseley | | | X | | | C | | | X | |
Choi Lin Hung | | | | | | | | | | |
Sean Socha | | | C | | | X | | | X | |
Mak Chi Yan | | | X | | | X | | | C | |
Wei (“Kitty”) Yang | | | | | | | | | | |
Name | | | Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | | | Total ($) | | ||||||
Gary J. Haseley | | | | | 75,000 | | | | | | 75,000 | | |
Sean Socha | | | | | 75,000 | | | | | | 75,000 | | |
Mak Chi Yan | | | | | 75,000 | | | | | | 75,000 | | |
Name | | | Age | | | Office and Position | |
Choi Lin Hung | | | 57 | | | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Treasurer of the Company | |
Richard J. Shaw | | | 52 | | | Chief Financial Officer | |
Wei (“Kitty”) Yang | | | 36 | | | Vice President and Secretary of the Company | |
Karl Brenza | | | 55 | | | Head of US Operations | |
Name and Principal Position | | | Year Ended March 31, | | | Salary ($) | | | Bonus ($) | | | Option Awards(1) ($) | | | All Other Compensation ($) | | | Total ($) | |
Choi Lin Hung Chief Executive Officer, President and Treasurer | | | 2019 | | | 300,000 | | | — | | | 1,088,763 | | | — | | | 1,388,763 | |
| 2018 | | | 75,000 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 75,000 | | ||
Wei (“Kitty”) Yang Vice President and Secretary | | | 2019 | | | 66,100 | | | — | | | 324,000 | | | — | | | 390,100 | |
| 2018 | | | 62,750 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 62,750 | | ||
Karl Brenza(2) Head of US Operations | | | 2019 | | | 90,000 | | | — | | | 388,000 | | | — | | | 478,000 | |
| | | Option Awards | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable (#) | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable (#) | | | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#) | | | Option Exercise Price ($) | | | Option Expiration Date | | |||||||||||||||
Choi Lin Hung | | | | | 336,038 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 7.00 | | | | | | 4/9/2023 | | |
Wei (“Kitty”) Yang | | | | | 100,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 7.00 | | | | | | 4/9/2023 | | |
Karl Brenza | | | | | 66,666 | | | | | | 33,334(1) | | | | | | — | | | | | | 6.12 | | | | | | 8/3/2028 | | |
Plan category | | | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | | | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | | | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans | | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | | | | | 1,139,500 | | | | | $ | 6.92 | | | | | | 344,750 | | |
Total | | | | | 1,139,500 | | | | | $ | 6.92 | | | | | | 344,750 | | |
Name | | | Number of Shares(1) | | | Percentage(1) | | ||||||
Named Executive Officers and Directors: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Choi Lin Hung(2) Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Treasurer | | | | | 4,641,913(3) | | | | | | 39.8% | | |
Kitty Yang Vice President, Secretary and Director | | | | | 361,350(4) | | | | | | 3.2% | | |
Richard J. Shaw Chief Financial Officer | | | | | 51,000(5) | | | | | | * | | |
Karl Brenza Head of US Operations | | | | | 445,743(6) | | | | | | 3.9% | | |
Gary J. Haseley Director | | | | | 166,000(7) | | | | | | 1.5% | | |
Sean Socha Director | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Mak Chi Yan Director | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
All directors and executive officers as a group (7 persons) | | | | | 5,666,006 | | | | | | 47.3% | | |
5% Stockholders: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Merlotte Enterprise Limited(2) 19/F, Ford Glory Plaza 37-39 Wing Hong Street Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong | | | | | 4,305,875(2) | | | | | | 38.0% | | |
Lee Kian Tjiauw Flat A, 9/F, Block 3, Regency Park 3 Wah King Road Kwai Chung, Hong Kong | | | | | 2,798,031(8) | | | | | | 24.7% | | |
Ng Tsze Lun 19/F, Ford Glory Plaza 37-39 Wing Hong Street Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong | | | | | 1,324,631(9) | | | | | | 11.4% | | |
| | | 2019 | | | 2018 | | ||||||
Audit Fees(1) | | | | $ | 235,000 | | | | | $ | 215,000 | | |
Audit-Related Fees(2) | | | | | 27,000 | | | | | | 25,000 | | |
Tax Fees(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
All Other Fees(4) | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Total Fees | | | | $ | 262,000 | | | | | $ | 240,000 | | |