One Flowerfield, Suite 24
Saint James, New York 11780
Dear Shareholders:
I cordially invite you to the special meeting of shareholders of Gyrodyne Company of America, Inc. (which we refer to as Gyrodyne or the Company), which we will hold at Flowerfield Celebrations, Mills Pond Road, Saint James, New York 11780 on August 20, 2015, at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time. At the special meeting, which is the postponement of the special meeting originally scheduled to occur in August 2014, we will ask you to authorize the previously announced plan of merger and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger of Gyrodyne and Gyrodyne Special Distribution, LLC (which we refer to as GSD) with and into a limited liability company, Gyrodyne, LLC. Shareholders of record at the close of business on June 29, 2015, will be entitled to vote at the special meeting or its adjournment or postponement, if any.
The plan of merger is designed to facilitate the liquidation of Gyrodyne for federal income tax purposes and to effect the conversion of the nontransferable interests in GSD distributed to Gyrodyne shareholders in the first special dividend distributed to Gyrodyne shareholders on December 30, 2013, the nontransferable dividend notes (which we refer to as Dividend Notes) issued in special dividends distributed to Gyrodyne shareholders on January 31, 2014 and December 31, 2014 (and subsequently in respect of paid in kind interest), and the common shares of Gyrodyne into equity interests in Gyrodyne, LLC. This will result in a simplified capital structure and permit the holders of nontransferable GSD and Dividend Notes interests as well as Gyrodyne shareholders to receive freely transferable common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC, and the entity that will hold and operate the Flowerfield, Port Jefferson, Cortlandt Manor and Fairfax properties, pending their sale or other disposition. In essence, having made the first special dividend to achieve the benefits of a 2013 private letter ruling from the IRS and the subsequent special dividends to make a required distribution of 2013 REIT income, the merger will effect the final step in Gyrodyne’s plan of liquidation within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code, while simplifying the corporate structure and interrelationships of Gyrodyne and GSD by reassembling the Gyrodyne and GSD securities as equity interests in Gyrodyne, LLC.
Based on the number of Gyrodyne and GSD securities outstanding on June 29, 2015, the record date, Gyrodyne, LLC expects to issue approximately 1,482,680 common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC in connection with the merger. The common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC are intended to become publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol “GYRO.” No assurance can be given that NASDAQ will permit trading of the common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC. The merger, which will effect the completion of the plan of liquidation for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code, will result in holders of Gyrodyne common stock receiving approximately 22.6% (335,086 shares) of the common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC in the aggregate (.09 common share of Gyrodyne, LLC per share of Gyrodyne common stock), holders of nontransferable Dividend Notes receiving approximately 30.0% (444,804 shares) of the common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC in the aggregate (.025 common share of Gyrodyne, LLC per $1.00 principal amount of the Dividend Notes issued in January 2014 and the Dividend Notes issued in December 2014, together, in each case, with any interest thereon paid in kind in the form of additional Dividend Notes), and holders of nontransferable interests in GSD receiving approximately 47.4% (702,790 shares) of the common shares of Gyrodyne, LLC in the aggregate (.47 common share of Gyrodyne, LLC per GSD interest), subject to adjustment in the discretion of the Gyrodyne board of directors. In addition, shareholders will consider such other matters as may properly come before the meeting. Our board of directors believes that the proposal being submitted for shareholder action is in the best interests of Gyrodyne and its shareholders and recommends a vote “FOR” the proposal.
This supplement and the proxy statement/prospectus contain information about the special meeting and will serve as your guide to the matters on which you will be asked to vote. In particular, you should carefully read the section captioned “Risk Factors” beginning on page 17 of the proxy statement/prospectus for a discussion of certain risk factors relating to the merger.
Your vote is very important to us and it is important that your shares be represented at the special meeting. The plan of merger and the transactions contemplated thereby cannot be completed unless shareholders of at least two-thirds of all outstanding shares of Gyrodyne common stock entitled to vote thereon vote in favor of such proposal. If you previously voted by submitting a proxy card or voting instruction card, that proxy card is no longer valid and your stock represented thereby will not be voted at the Special Meeting. Accordingly, whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting, I encourage you to promptly vote your shares by proxy by following the instructions beginning on page 2 of this supplement. If you are able to attend the meeting and wish to vote in person, you may withdraw your proxy at that time.
If you have any questions or need assistance voting your shares of Gyrodyne common stock, please call MacKenzie Partners, Inc., our proxy solicitor, toll-free at 1-800-322-2885.
Thank you for your continued support of Gyrodyne. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Sincerely,
Frederick C. Braun III
President and Chief Executive Officer