Costs of Solicitation
The cost of solicitation of proxies will be borne by the Company. Solicitation is being made by mail, and if necessary may be made in person, by telephone, email or other electronic means, or by special letter by directors, officers and regular employees of the Company, acting without extra compensation. In addition, the Company has engaged Regan & Associates, Inc. to assist it in the distribution and solicitation of proxies for a fee of approximately $10,000.
PROPOSAL 1 – ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The number of directors constituting the Board is currently set at 14. The Board is divided into three classes (I, II and III), with directors to be apportioned as evenly as possible among the classes and serving staggered three-year terms.
On January 31, 2021, the Board appointed Elizabeth H. Crowther, Richard A. Farmar, III, Randal R. Greene, Julien G. Patterson, Randolph N. Reynolds, Jr., C. Frank Scott, III, and Vance H. Spilman as directors of the Company in connection with the Company’s merger with Bay Banks of Virginia, Inc. (“Bay Banks”). Other than Mr. Greene, who resigned from the Board effective March 12, 2021, each new director will stand for election at the Annual Meeting.
The term of office for the Class I directors will expire at the Annual Meeting. The current Class I directors are Hunter H. Bost, Mensel D. Dean, Jr., Larry Dees, and Messrs. Patterson and Reynolds. Each of the Class I directors will stand for election at the Annual Meeting for a three-year term expiring at the 2024 Annual Meeting. In the effort to make the Board classes as even in number as possible, directors Robert S. Janney and Carolyn J. Woodruff were moved from Class I to Class II, and as a result, each will stand for re-election at the Annual Meeting for a one-year term expiring at the 2022 Annual Meeting. The other Class II directors are Dr. Crowther and Mr. Spillman, who were placed in Class II after their appointment and, if elected, will serve a one-year term expiring at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Messrs. Farmer and Scott were placed in Class III after their appointment and, if elected, will serve a two-year term expiring at the 2023 Annual Meeting.
The election of each nominee for director requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the shares of common stock cast in the election of directors. The persons named in the proxy will vote for the election of the nominees named below unless authority is withheld. If, for any reason, the persons named as nominees should become unavailable to serve, an event that management does not anticipate, proxies will be voted for such other persons as the Board may designate. Each nominee has consented to being named in this Proxy Statement and has agreed to serve, if elected. There are no current arrangements between any nominee and any other person pursuant to which a nominee was selected. No family relationships exist among any of the directors or between any of the directors and executive officers of the Company.
The following biographical information discloses each director’s age and business experience, including the specific skills or attributes that qualify each director for service on the Board, and the year that each individual was first elected to the Board.
The Board recommends the nominees, as set forth below, for election. The Board recommends that shareholders vote “FOR” each of the nominees.
Nominees for Election as Directors
For Terms Expiring in 2024 (Class I)
Hunter H. Bost, 54, has served as a director of the Company since 2016. He is a private investor and real estate developer based in Durham, North Carolina. Previously, Mr. Bost served on the boards of directors of River Bancorp, Inc. (“River”) and its subsidiaries, River Community Bank and 1st Medallion Mortgage Corporation, prior to River’s merger with Blue Ridge in 2016. He also served as Chairman of River. Mr. Bost spent over 10 years in New York at Electra Partners, Merrill Lynch, and Price Waterhouse (now PwC). He has served on several
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